Rule over Ming Dynasty

Suzhou City is the number one state capital in the world.

Hanchuankou is prosperous but not prosperous, and Guanglingfu is prosperous but not prosperous. It is the most prosperous city in the world, except for the capital Wu Xiayou.

Suzhou's actual payment of 2,529,000 kilograms of spring and summer taxes and grains is the highest among all state capitals in the world. Suzhou's silk and other handicraft industries are at the leading level in the country. The Suzhou and Hangzhou Weaving Bureau is stationed in Suzhou City, which has become a veritable prefecture in the world.

Suzhou City has eight gates with a circumference of 47 miles. It is located on the east side of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Among them, the Changmen Gate in the west of the city is called the World Wharf.

Countless goods are loaded and unloaded through Tianxia Wharf every day. A large amount of goods are sold all over the country through waterways from here. A wharf that can berth large ships is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

"Haha...we are back!"

"Our Jiangnan air is better!"

"That's wrong, our Jiangnan girl is still the most fragrant!"

……

Young masters such as Zheng Jie, Hou Haotian and others were returning from the spot. When they saw Suzhou City in the distance, they loudly expressed their homesickness.

This trip to Kyushu Island, Japan, can be said to be very smooth.

The Jiangnan Textile Factory under their Jiangnan Company was established on Kyushu Island, which not only broke the East China Sea Governor's Office's monopoly on cotton, but also greatly reduced costs with the help of Japan's cheap labor.

In fact, the most important thing is that they discovered a large-scale Japanese silver mine in Nagasaki. Although the scale of the silver mine is not as good as the Iwami Silver Mine, it can at least be mined for decades.

Now that they have brought the Chinese soot-blowing technology, they can help the Dayou family to mine silver.

Although the Nagasaki Silver Mine nominally belongs to the Otomo clan, the Otomo clan is currently engaged in constant wars, but they have always relied on the Ming Dynasty for commodity support.

As long as they bring a steady stream of goods and women to the Otomo family, the silver mined from the Nagasaki silver mine will eventually enter their pockets.

"Master Zheng and the others are back!"

Jiangnan Trading Company has integrated resources from all parties and rebuilt a Jiangnan Wharf on the valuable land outside the west gate of Suzhou City, but they welcomed it enthusiastically.

After Zheng Jie and others disembarked, workers at the dock carried the goods back and sent them to the large warehouse next to the dock.

Some will be sold in the Suzhou area, but some goods will be distributed elsewhere. You can go south and north through the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, or you can go north from the Yangtze River to Huguang and other places. There are dedicated personnel from Jiangnan companies in charge of this kind of thing.

"Mosquito meat is also meat!"

"We made a lot of money on this trip!"

"More than a lot, at least a profit of tens of thousands taels!"

……

Although Zheng Jie and others went to Kyushu Island for business this time, they did so under the guise of trade. This maritime trade made a lot of money, and the trade with Dayou's family made very considerable profits.

There is no need to worry about selling the sulfur, seafood, Japanese knives and other goods they brought back. Now that their Jiangnan business has reached close cooperation, these products can be easily sold to Jiangnan.

Especially Japanese knives and swords. Japan was originally a martial country. During the Tang Dynasty, the "Tang-style broadsword" was used as a blueprint and then improved, and its casting level was already very high.

In addition, the Japanese swords are really cheap, or the Japanese swords exchanged for a piece of silk are very impressive, so there is a huge market in Jiangnan.

The sulfur-containing vapor in the gas erupted by the volcano reaches the ground and condenses near the vent to form sulfur, which often occurs over time. Japan is also rich in sulfur minerals.

Sulfur is not only an important component of gunpowder, but also an important Chinese medicinal material in this era. According to legend, Han Yu's group of wives and concubines in his later years took sulfur-containing aphrodisiacs.

There is also no shortage of market for the sulfur imported from Japan, and the profits are even more enviable. Although they claim that seafood is tax-free, in fact, they mainly transport sulfur and swords.

In fact, judging from the trade situation alone, they have already made a lot of money, but no one will be satisfied. After all, this profit is far behind that of the silver mine.

The sky is full of frost and moon, Jiang Feng Yuhuo is sad.

Hanshan Temple outside Gusu city, the bell to the passenger ship at midnight.

……

Suzhou City, Humble Administrator's Garden.

The headquarters of Jiangnan Company is located here, and they will also choose to hold a business meeting at the end of the year, both for business exchanges and for making new decisions.

Since maritime trade was fully launched, these people have enjoyed the greatest dividends. Since everyone has meat to eat, even if they eat less, there may not be much complaint.

What's more, Daming Sea Trade has only officially started for a few years. Now, who eats more and who eats less has not yet been determined.

Like the Zheng family, although they gave up part of their trade volume, they now have a silver mining cooperation with the Dayou family and are about to get a steady stream of silver.

In fact, in addition to Japan, they also had merchant ships that ventured further west to Hokkaido, trading back a large amount of whale oil from the indigenous tribes there.

Whale oil is the most important lighting item for local tribes. In this era, energy is also a kind of hard currency, but it can be a substitute for candles and oil lamps.

Although the effect may not be as good as candles, the advantage is that whale oil is cheap, and there is no need to worry about the lack of market in Jiangnan.

It is worth mentioning that in the tax-free column of the Shanghai Shipping Department, although whale oil no longer belongs to the category of food, it is still included in the tax-free category.

While the head of the Zheng family was discussing the start of the new year with a group of big shots inside, the second generation ruled the world outside.

Women have always been a long-lasting topic for men, and the Suzhou courtesan who will start next year is the focus of their discussion, and it is also the battleground for their noble sons.

"Haha... The oiran must belong to Miss Zilan!"

"How much silver do you have? What can you do to compete with me?"

"Okay, let's wait and see. Don't give up too early and lose your face!"

"You said this, so let's fight and whoever loses will kowtow three times!"

……

After Master Xu Sheng lost to Zheng Jie at the beginning of this year, he has been trying to regain his position. Now he is openly talking about it, but he does not want to be hard-lined by Li Lian.

Huh?

When Zheng Jie and other young masters saw that Li Yi was so confident, they couldn't help but look at each other.

The young masters present can be said to be either rich or noble, but Li Yi is the only one who is special.

If we talk about the lavish period of our ancestors, then no one present can compare with it, because Li Yi's ancestor Cao Guogong Li Wenzhong ranked first in the world's martial arts because Li Jinglong opened the gate of Nanjing to welcome Taizong.

It's just that Li Jinglong is the same as success, and Li Jinglong is also the same as failure. Because Li Jinglong was involved in rebellion, Taizong deprived him of his title and confiscated his family property, which led to the decline of Cao Guogong's line.

The current head of the family is Li Xuan, who works for Nanjing Jinyi Weiqian.

Although Li Yi is the son of Li Xuan, he has his elder brother Li Lian in front of him, and he is a commoner, so his future is very bleak.

The reason why he was able to join the Jiangnan Company was partly because his father was involved, and partly because Zheng Jie recommended him because of his friendship with his classmates at the Nanjing Imperial College.

"It seems that his business at sea has become bigger!" Hou Haotian said as he looked at Li Yi leaving, looking enlightened.

"What deal?"

"Isn't he just an escort?"

"Everyone knows this, let's drink!"    ...

Cheng Xin and Wang Yanao seemed to be in the dark, but Zheng Jie had already guessed the whole story, but he picked up the wine glass in his hand and said loudly.

People who work in the same industry are enemies, this is a truth that is true everywhere.

Although Jiangnan Company is a well-deserved giant in the entire Jiangnan, they have accumulated enough trading technology and talents, and they also have overseas markets.

Although they did not dare to openly challenge the Donghai Governor's Mansion, they were actually very unwelcome to other colleagues who wanted to share the food, and even wished that they would all die.

Since the Jiangnan merchant house had too many merchant ships, and some unscrupulous pirates appeared, they formed a convoy together.

In addition to domestic boatmen, the convoy also recruited many simple-minded Japanese samurai from Japan, and its strength was no weaker than any pirate force.

After all, Li Yi became a military commander, and because he was famous for his bravery and ruthlessness in the Nanjing Imperial College, he also became the captain of a convoy of a Jiangnan merchant house.

Others may not know it, but Zheng Jie and others knew that Li Yi took swords imported from Japan and recruited some simple-minded Japanese samurai, but he started business at sea.

Xu Sheng was also a man with a good face, so he immediately picked up the wine glass and said: "I can't compare to Zheng Jie, how can I not even compare to you, a traitor? What a big joke!"

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

In this emperor's palace, dozens of maids and eunuchs were all cautious at this time, as if they had already felt the anger of the current emperor.

Wang Yue and Yin Zhigui were the elders of the pavilion. They were already on vacation at home in advance, but they were suddenly summoned by the emperor, but they guessed that something big had happened in Ming Dynasty.

After these years of getting along, they already knew the emperor's temper. Unless something big happened, he would never summon his ministers for no reason, and he would rarely summon them in the palace.

Wang Yue and Yin Zhi arrived at the Palace of Qianqing and passed through the entrance hall. Then they followed the palace people through the main courtyard along the long palace road, and then came to the warm Dongnuan Pavilion: "Chen (Wang Yue, Yin Zhi) Regards, Holy Ann!”

"Good morning!" Zhu Youtang saw the arrival of the two pavilion elders and immediately shared the information he had just received: "I suddenly summoned you two today. It is true that something has happened that will bring shame to China. You guys take a look first. Take a look!"

Wang Yue and Yin Zhi took the information from Guo Yong and gasped when they looked at the content.

This is actually two pieces of information, one from the Luzon Governor's Office and the other from the Donghai Governor's Mansion.

The Luzon Governor's Yamen was not sent by the Yamen, but by the Luzon Guards who escorted the gold. Their gold ship encountered a storm in the southeast, and one of the gold ships was robbed.

If the loss of the gold ship was still just a loss, the East China Sea Governor's Mansion has found out that the Jiangnan side is actually planning to join forces with the Japanese Otomo family, but they want to mine silver mines together.

As an island country, Japan lags behind China in agriculture and handicrafts. How could Japan live a prosperous life in the Age of Discovery and was even prepared to attack the Ming Dynasty?

It is they who have a large amount of silver resources. As long as these resources are mined, China's social resources can be looted dozens of times.

The reason why Zhu Youtang wanted to abolish the silver standard and prohibit maritime merchants going to Japan from using silver transactions was to not allow China's social wealth to flow out.

But who would have thought that these greedy Jiangnan landlords not only resisted the imperial court's abolition of the silver standard, but were also prepared to cooperate with Japan to seize China's social resources.

Zhu Youtang could tolerate Jiangnan merchants making money, and even had a certain tolerance for their smuggling, but he would never allow these people to help Japan mine silver mines and help them use silver to plunder China's social wealth.

This kind of behavior of the Jiangnan landlord class is actually not essentially different from Shanxi merchants. They are a bunch of out-and-out traitors.

"You deserve to die for such an act!" Wang Yue, who once served at the border and had deep patriotic feelings in his heart, said with gnashing teeth in hatred.

When Yin Zhi was in his hometown in Jiangxi, he understood how difficult it was for the people, and said with red eyes: "Without a king or father, without a nation, only caring about money, you are no better than a pig or a dog."

Liu Jin always thought that the elders were gentle and gentle, but now hearing that Wang Yue and Yin Zhi looked so rude, she couldn't help but look at the two elders in surprise.

"Although you all took the initiative to request to go to Jiangnan, I still can't bear the two elders running around like this! But now that the Jiangnan incident comes out, Japan's money will never be able to enter my Ming Dynasty, so this matter cannot be left to Wu Yu! "Zhu Youtang didn't intend to beat around the bush, but went straight to the point.

Wang Yue actually wanted to go to the south of the Yangtze River, so he took the initiative to ask for help and said: "Your Majesty, I am lucky that your majesty has come back to life. Now that the chaos in the south of the Yangtze River is happening, people and gods are angry. Please leave the matter of the south of the Yangtze River to me!"

"Your Majesty, Mr. Wangge is in ill health and it is not appropriate to go to the south of the Yangtze River. Although I do not have the courage and skill of Mr. Wangge, I have cultivated myself for decades. Please hand it over to Jiangnan. I am willing to issue a military order, but I will not. Mission!" Yin Zhi knew that he did not have Wang Yue's outstanding resume, but he took the initiative to ask for help.

Although he returned as a pavilion elder, he can no longer conquer others based on his qualifications in the Hanlin Academy. This time he wanted to do something for the empire, but also to prove that he was not a fool.

In particular, the matter of Jiangnan is related to the rise and fall of China, and he also wants to apply what he has learned throughout his life on this matter.

Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Yue and wanted to speak again, but stopped him and said: "My dear friends, I'm afraid you have misunderstood me! I summoned you to the palace because I actually want you two to go down together. Jiangnan, one person is responsible for southern Zhili, and one person is responsible for Zhejiang!"

Originally, it was the best idea to establish a governor-general directly under Zhejiang Province, but the energy of the two of them was limited after all. In addition, the area was too large and could easily lead to lack of resources.

If Wang Yue is in charge of southern Zhili and Yin Zhi is in charge of Zhejiang, the two can share the pressure and work together to solve all problems in Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Wang Yue and Yin Zhi learned that Zhu Youtang had this plan, and immediately raised their hands respectfully.

Although they hoped in their hearts that one person could solve everything, when they saw Zhu Youtang's arrangement, they knew that it was more reasonable and easier to solve Jiangnan's problems.

As for the affairs of the cabinet, even without the two of them, it would not have much impact. Now Liu Ji and Xu Qiong are both good at drafting memorials.

Zhu Youtang knew that these two important ministers going to the south of the Yangtze River could produce good results, so he restrained his anger and said: "In that case, the matter has been settled. Wangge Lao will be appointed as the Governor of South Zhili, and Yin Ge will be appointed as the Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. You can set off after the Spring Festival!"

"Your Majesty, your troops are valuable and quick. I am willing to go to the south of the Yangtze River immediately!" Wang Yue immediately requested.

"The same is true for me. I am willing to go to Hangzhou immediately!" Yin Zhi also expressed his position.

Zhu Youtang saw that these two old guys had a heart to do practical things, so he backed down and said: "Let's go on the third day of the new year! Time is not urgent at this moment. You can have a good reunion with your family. I will meet you on the third day of the new year." According to the decree, an imperial escort team must be arranged for you to accompany you!"

"I will obey the imperial edict!" Wang Yue and Yin Zhi exchanged glances and immediately raised their hands respectfully.

They are not unreasonable people. Although they do want to arrive in Jiangnan early, it is just that it is already the Spring Festival and they can really celebrate the Spring Festival before setting off.

Zhu Youtang looked at Wang Yue and Yin Zhi and said with some emotion: "Although this trip is very dangerous, the development of China is like sailing against the current. The affairs of Jiangnan are entrusted to these two beloved ladies!"

"It is my honor to serve your Majesty!" Wang Yue and Yin Zhi immediately expressed their opinions together.

The two left Qianqing Palace together. When they walked out of Qianqing Gate, they saw that the square in front of them was covered with snow. This winter seemed to be colder than before.

Yin Zhi saw the snow in front of the Qianqing Palace for the first time and asked with concern: "Mr. Wang Ge, is your health really okay?"

"I'm only five years older than you. We are all elderly. How can we not have some health problems?" Wang Yue supported his waist, seeming to have seen through everything.

Yin Zhi noticed the way Wang Yue looked at him, but he said very sincerely: "Old Wang Ge was already killing enemies at the border when he was young. But I have been staying in the Hanlin Academy for most of these years, and I still have no major health problems or any problems. What’s wrong!”

oops……

Wang Yue suddenly felt that God was unfair, and those who worked harder suffered more. However, his body turned on the police lights again, and he couldn't help holding his waist and groaning.

The situation between the two of them seems to be like this. Although his body looks strong and big, and he is taller than Yin Zhi, he has always lived a life of pampering, unlike himself who has to go through the ups and downs of officialdom while fighting in the north and south. Volt.

Wang Yue was not a hypocritical person, but he adjusted his condition and waved his hand and said: "My body is indeed not as good as before. I just think that those guys dare to collude with the Japanese. I can definitely straighten up and kill those Xiao Xiao!" "

"I have always admired Mr. Wangge's reputation!" Yin Zhi felt the pride of Wang Yue and bowed his hands respectfully.

Wang Yue had a good impression of Yin Zhi, so he turned around and warned seriously: "Mr. Yin Ge, this place is not as good as the capital. Some people are really capable of using any means, so you have to be careful and never be ruthless when you need to." Will be soft!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wang Ge, for the tip!" Yin Zhi knew that Wang Yue was a wise man and silently wrote it down.

The two cabinet ministers went to Jiangnan together. This was a very sensational thing in the court, and it was an earthquake when it spread to Jiangnan. After all, this was something that had never happened since the capital was moved. (End of chapter)