Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

With the overall success of Zheng He's voyages to the West, all civilizations and countries in the "known world" have now completed communication. Although the route around Africa is difficult to travel, this may not be the purpose of the Ming Dynasty.

As a pioneer, the Ming Dynasty's fleet has been deployed at strategic locations along the coast. Soon, the chokepoints on these routes will be built into overseas bases similar to Manila and New Port by subsequent fleets.

As for the current Europeans, after the naval power of the Hanseatic League was destroyed, other European countries no longer have large-scale navies, and naturally they are unable to explore. This is equivalent to this group of players after the Ming Dynasty drew the runway and set the rules. It hasn’t started yet.

There is no doubt that this is the important role of being ahead of the times, and this is also the significance of Jiang Xinghuo coming to this era.

——Zheng He’s voyages to the West should have become a pioneer in China’s Age of Discovery!

With the signing of various trade contracts, a large amount of Ming goods began to move along this new route to the markets of the Timurid Khanate, Aries Dynasty, Mamluk Dynasty, Ottoman Turkish Empire, Byzantine Empire and other Western countries. .

However, unlike the hot sales of tea, silk, porcelain and other goods in Central, Western Asia and the Middle East countries with strong consumption power, businessmen of the Ming Dynasty discovered that at this time in Europe, only the upper class could afford these high-end products from the East. The consumption of luxury goods, while ordinary people are more keen on cotton textiles.

According to the signed trade contracts, the cotton textiles obtained by various countries from Ming merchants will be distributed through large-scale auctions organized by the Hanseatic League in Portsmouth, Lübeck and other places.

According to the rough statistics of the West Tianzhu Company, after these cotton textiles are purchased in large quantities by merchants from all over Europe, they will gradually be sold to Central, Eastern and Southern Europe through the distribution channels of the Hanseatic League. Some sell cotton directly, while others After being purchased and sewn by tailors, they are made into local popular and traditional clothing types and then sold again. Men have cotton shirts, scarves, cuffs, and handkerchiefs, and women have headscarves, pajamas, hoods, sleeves, aprons, and coats. , petticoats, etc.

Although at the beginning of the East-West trade, the consumption of cotton textiles in Europe was not high, even only half of that of the Annamites. However, as time went by, the consumption of cotton textiles in Europe began to gradually increase.

The reasons are very simple. The first reason is that it does not fade whether it is washed or sun-dried. This is very friendly to ordinary people in Europe. The silk and fur dresses of the nobles are only worn once, but They buy a piece of clothing and wear it for a long time.

The second reason is that these cotton textiles from the Ming Dynasty have been dyed with many colors and look beautiful.

Yes, this is a very, very important thing for ordinary people in Europe.

Unlike women in southern India who can usually dress themselves up with colorful clothes and gauze skirts, in Europe at the end of the Middle Ages, ordinary people were basically unable to wear these colorful clothes.

Later economists recorded this: “Before the Ming Dynasty’s fleet arrived in Europe, differences in dress and appearance were usually associated with different social classes in European society, just like the meaning entrusted in the fairy tale of the glass slipper. Many European women believe that just like chintz is also popular among noble ladies, chintz not only has the pattern and visual effect of silk, but also has a price that can be accepted by a wider social class, thus making it once belong to the elite. The consumption fashion of expensive silk among the upper class began to spread to the entire society. Patterns that could only be formed by embroidery or elaborate weaving before could now be copied endlessly through printing and dyeing. As long as you can wear this lightweight and brightly colored cotton clothing, They are no longer ordinary women from the lower class. This powerful motivation stemming from inner needs makes consumers eager to escape from isolation and conservatism flock to Daming’s cotton textiles.”

However, the large-scale dumping of Ming Dynasty's high-quality and low-price cotton textiles in Europe was obviously not without resistance.

If the wealthy Timur Khanate believes that trade with the Ming Dynasty is basically a win-win situation, then for Europe, which is always in a state of trade deficit, many conservatives believe that this is a double moral and economic destruction of European society. Morally speaking, Pope Gregory XII publicly called out that these luxury goods from the East had corrupted the morality of European society, because when European society used wool and silk as symbols to mark social class, chintz led to The entire society is disordered and chaotic.

——Then when Zheng He's fleet came to Europe again two years later, he helped the Romans change a new pope.

When did it become the Pope’s turn to dictate matters regarding the Ming Dynasty?

At this time, there happened to be two popes in Europe, namely Gaury XII in Rome and Benedict XIII in Avignon. The Ming army landed on the Apennine Peninsula, under the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which has a history of more than 200 years. , the cardinals of Rome and Avignon succumbed to the pressure of the Ming army and convened a "Pope Change Conference" attended by more than 500 cardinals, bishops, abbots, theologians and representatives of European monarchs. At the same time, Gregory XII and Benedict XIII were deposed, and Alexander V was elected as the new pope.

After Alexander V clearly understood the reality that he did not have many teachers, he obediently began to reinterpret the Bible for his believers.

As the trade between the Ming Dynasty and Europe continued, the trade deficit intensified, forcing European wool and linen manufacturers, shepherds, and hemp growers who had been bankrupted by cotton to take action, and a massive protest movement against cotton began. , many Europeans believe that the cotton cloth imported from the Ming Dynasty not only caused hundreds of thousands of people in related industries to lose their jobs, but also caused a serious loss of wealth. In newspapers that also imported products, people with different opinions criticized each other and made short comments. , satire, and newspaper articles.

Because France has always been full of contradictions, not only the Orleans faction and the Burgundian faction were fighting endlessly, but also citizens frequently rioted. The Plumb Party riots nearly razed Paris to the ground twenty years ago, and the cotton protest movement was even more powerful this time. The entire central and western France was involved. In order to calm the conflicts among all classes in France, the mentally ill King Charles VI finally decided to ban the import and sale of all Ming cotton cloth, and also prohibited tailors and decorators from using these cloths to sew clothes and clothes. decorations, and required all imported Ming products in France to have special lead seals.

After the ban, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets of Paris to celebrate this happy day with joy and unanimously thanked the king for the revival of their bankrupt businesses.

thereafter

In the first year, Italian and Spanish businessmen mastered the forgery skills of lead seals.

The next year, the Ming army burned down the Louvre, and King Charles VI of France was guillotined and executed in public as a warning to others.

In the third year, with the help of Ming Dynasty, Europe regained its singing and dancing.

——————

When the timeline goes back to when Zheng He's fleet first arrived in Europe and returned.

After six years of reforms in the sixth year of Yongle, the national strength of the Ming Dynasty has obviously reached a higher level than when Zhu Di first seized the throne in the fourth year of Jianwen.

Judging from various key data.

The arrival of peace and the increase in per capita grain production have promoted the great growth of the population, and a new baby boom has arrived. In addition, the hidden population caused by the previous war has begun to disappear, and the fleeing population has gradually returned to their homeland, making it possible that in the sixth year of Yongle According to the demographic statistics, the population of the entire Ming Dynasty increased from 56,301,026 people to 60,608,532 people, an increase of about 7% of the population.

Thanks to the implementation of the progressive household registration tax, excessively large clans and gentry were forced to divide their households. Therefore, the number of household registrations in the entire Ming Dynasty increased from 10,626,779 households to 11,537,928 households, an increase of about 8%.

Of course, if it is a normal ratio, then population:hukou is usually 4:1 to 5:1. The reason why the growth rate of hukou and population is close is mainly because of the progressive tax on hukou. This tax creates sustainable To provide financial resources, local governments are very active in collecting and verifying household registration.

The actual increase in grain tax revenue is even more obvious. The statistics for the fourth year of Jianwen were 30,459,823 shi, and the statistics for the sixth year of Yongle were 41,023,379 shi, an increase of a full one-third!

There are many reasons for this leap-forward growth, but in short, there are mainly several aspects. The first aspect is that the civil war was in a state of civil war in the fourth year of Jianwen, and the taxation of the entire north was in chaos; the second aspect is that The widespread use of chemical fertilizers in the high-yield agricultural areas of Central and South China, as well as the promotion of agricultural books, have actually promoted the explosive growth of grain production. Slight adjustments to the actual tax rates in Jiangnan and other places can increase the harvest of a considerable amount of grain. ; The third aspect is the progress of land clearing and other related work, which has basically eliminated corruption and various losses in grain taxation, and achieved a nearly complete collection.

The combination of these factors has resulted in a leapfrog growth in food tax revenue.

In terms of other key data, 56,744 pieces of cloth, 269,400 pounds of silk floss, and 14,821 pounds of cotton lint were collected in the fourth year of Jianwen. These basically achieved positive growth in the sixth year of Yongle, and the cotton lint increased several times.

However, there was no significant growth in conventional mineral deposits. For example, in the four years of Jianwen, 8,354 taels of silver, 2,128 kilograms of copper, and 10,753 kilograms of lead were collected. These data did not change much in the six years of Yongle.

Steel production is not a tax indicator, but it has still become a new statistical indicator.

From the 25th year of Hongwu to the 28th year of Hongwu, when the stock of steel was exhausted, a total of more than 37.43 million kilograms of steel was stored in the country in the three years after the furnace was opened, with an average of 12.5 million kilograms per year, most of which was iron. The steel output of the Ming Dynasty in the sixth year of Yongle was 26.13 million kilograms, which is 13,065 tons when converted into tons, of which the steel output was about 7,000 tons.

In Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, after the British used steam engines in the metallurgical industry, the steel output in 1788 was 6,830 tons.

Of course, it is not objective to compare the size of the Ming Dynasty with the British steel production, but the fact that the Ming Dynasty did what the British did only in 1788 in 1408 is also very revealing.

After all, if we compare it across time and space, then the output of any modern steel plant would be much lower than that of other European countries, right?

As for the data on other specialized commodities, a total of 1,659,117 jins of tea were collected in the fourth year of Jianwen and 3,189,006 jins were collected in the sixth year of Yongle. This almost doubled, mainly due to the surge in export demand. Daming tea was a hot-seller overseas.

The distribution of salt in the fourth year of Jianwen was 1,290,019 yin, and in the sixth year of Yongle, it was 2,214,013 yin. This was mainly due to the recovery of the Lianghuai Salt Fields from war and the reform of the Salt Law.

The overall financial situation has also been greatly improved.

In the fourth year of Jianwen, the total fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty was 34 million shi in terms of grain. According to the ratio of 1 shi meter = 0.2 taels of silver, this total revenue was converted into 6.8 million taels of silver, of which 88% (about 30 million shi) It is agricultural tax, 7% is salt tax and tea tax, 5% is commercial tax, commercial tax is about 340,000 taels, and salt tax and tea tax is about 476,000 taels (salt tax should normally earn 2.5 million taels, because the output accounted for more than half of that year The Lianghuai Salt Fields were in a state of war, so they decreased sharply).

In the sixth year of Yongle, the national fiscal revenue of the Ming Dynasty was 108 million shi equivalent to grain, which was equivalent to approximately 21.6 million taels of silver, which included agricultural taxes of 41 million shi of grain, equivalent to approximately 8.2 million taels of silver; after the salt law reform, the salt class The normal payment of 2.5 million taels per year by the Hongwu Dynasty returned to the 6 million taels payable (tea lessons at this time were included in trade income, so no double counting is done here); while the commercial tax increased from 340,000 taels to 340,000 taels. The price jumped to 7.4 million taels.

The ratio of agricultural tax:salt tax:commercial tax changed from 88:7:5 in the fourth year of Jianwen to 38:28:34 in the sixth year of Yongle.

The vision Jiang Xinghuo had promised to Xia Yuanji had been realized in only six years.

Ming Dynasty's fiscal revenue increased from 6.8 million taels to 21.6 million taels, and it was not an inflationary income growth like going to Japan to mine silver mines. Moreover, the ratio of agricultural tax: salt tax: commercial tax was basically close to 1: 1:1, which is obviously healthier and more stable than relying on the weather before. Because the salt tax at this time is actually a poll tax, so this tax ratio is actually land:population:trade.

When this ratio is close, the entire agricultural society has reached a fairly stable state, with both land and population data being healthy, and there is also good commercial trade.

For an agricultural society, an excessive proportion of any one of them is actually not a good thing.

For example, if the proportion of agricultural taxes is too large, it often means that the national finance mainly relies on land. A typical example is the late Ming Dynasty. Needless to say, the consequences will be "tax increase - uprising - more taxes - larger uprising". Add noodles, add too much water, and eventually the plate can no longer hold it.

If the proportion of salt tax is too large, it means that there is too much population. If there is no external expansion, overpopulation usually means the intensification of the contradiction between man and land.

As for the excessive proportion of commercial taxes, it is not a good thing for agricultural society, because it means more people are engaged in business and fewer people are farming.

However, the Ming Dynasty did not have to worry about these problems. With the process of industrialization and great navigation, the proportion of trade increased, and the proportion of commercial tax in fiscal revenue increased. In modern industrial society, it would replace the previous position of agricultural tax and become The largest source of revenue, and the salt tax will also evolve into other taxes. In short, the phenomenon of this strange circle of proportions under a fixed plate can be broken by making the plate larger.

——————

The spring breeze is warm and the sky is as blue as water.

Under the warm sunshine of spring, the city of Nanjing appears to be in a state of "full of vitality and everything is in full swing". The newly built concrete city walls form a rather strange coexistence with the previous masonry city walls.

The long plank road of Xiaguan Pier shines with a primitive luster in the sun, as if it has witnessed the history and glory of this city from "Stone City" to "Nanjing".

Zheng He, who had just gotten off the boat, looked up at the cornices under the blue sky, and felt an indescribable sense of belonging in his heart.

This is your own country!

"Eunuch Three Treasures, the Imperial Master is already waiting for you."

Zheng He rode a carriage through the bustling streets, and saw an endless stream of people coming and going, and the sounds of vendors selling their goods one after another. It was obviously much busier than the last time he left.

Shops on both sides of the street display a dazzling array of products, ranging from handmade fans from Japan to ivory jewelry from South India, all of which demonstrate the international status of the Ming Dynasty. What caught Zheng He’s attention the most was the appearance of many foreign faces, including those with shaved heads. There are Japanese people with strange hairstyles, there are also dark-skinned Nanyang people, and there are even businessmen from South India.

Obviously, as the ocean-going fleet he led opened up shipping lanes, more and more foreign businessmen are now eyeing the Ming Dynasty's business opportunities.

According to the management regulations of the Municipal Shipping Department, foreign merchants were not allowed to enter the inland and inland rivers of the Ming Dynasty, except for the tribute missions, which were under the jurisdiction of Honglu Temple.

Therefore, these merchants obviously took advantage of the loopholes and took the tribute trade line.

It’s not that Ming didn’t know this was a loophole, he just did it on purpose.

After all, although the entire diplomatic strategy of the Ming Dynasty is changing now, the inherent Fanban tribute system is not so easy to abandon, or should not be completely abandoned. After all, as a world-wide empire, this Fanban tribute system can be maintained. The existing world order.

Most of the policies are two-sided. When the Ming Dynasty was weak, it was indeed equivalent to poor relatives coming to beg for food. You couldn't expect others to help you get beaten after the meal was given. But when the Ming Dynasty was strong, it was like a house full of relatives and friends. You sit in the main seat, making people feel fearful when they see you.

Of course, Jiang Xinghuo has always disapproved of pretending to be fat.

If you give gifts to Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Preceptor will be very happy, but if you want to take advantage of Ming Dynasty, the Imperial Preceptor will not like it.

So in the past, the kind of gift that was given in return of ten was waived, but now the Ministry of Rites basically gives back in equal proportions.

There is actually no problem with Jiang Xinghuo's logic, because Daming has already provided food and accommodation for the whole journey when the envoys come to court. It is originally a diplomatic mission, and this errand is not for you to make money. Now what value do you give to Daming? I will give you things of equal value. These things can only be sold back in Daming. But if you are willing to run a little further, you can still make money, but that is your business. Anyway, with the size of Daming Generally speaking, the goods returned as tribute every year can be counted as export tax credits.

Zheng He, who had been bumping on the sea for a long time, felt the long-lost hustle and bustle.

Finally, he came to where Jiang Xinghuo was waiting for him.

This is a newly built stock exchange in the core area of ​​Nanjing. The building is magnificent. Above the tall gatehouse hangs a gold-rimmed and black-bottomed plaque with the words "Da Ming Stock Exchange" written on it.

The spacious square in front of the door was full of people and traffic.

When I walked into the exchange, I saw that the hall was crowded. People were talking loudly or in low voices. There was a tense and exciting atmosphere in the air.

The huge wooden sign is densely filled with information on various stocks and national bonds. The red and green numbers on the stock column are constantly being turned up and down by the clerks at work, as if they are the beating of the economic pulse of the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng He stopped and watched for a moment and found that there were all famous joint-stock companies in his impression, such as Daming West Tianzhu Co., Ltd., Daming Fruit Co., Ltd., and Nanyang Immigration Co., Ltd. And there were even more companies he didn't recognize, such as Manila Mining Co., Ltd., Zheng He asked and found out that this was the company used by Zhu Gaosui to open a gold mine in Luzon.

In fact, in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, the first joint-stock company that could be listed for trading was the Dutch East India Company in 1602. The reason for listing was that maritime trade was booming at that time, and a trip by merchant ship was expensive, and no one could afford it. To raise all the expenses, the company thought of a way to issue shares to raise funds, so the Bank of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Stock Exchange were successively established in the Netherlands.

Joint stock companies are used to clarify responsibilities and rights, and shares were originally circulated internally. Now many joint stock companies have the need to raise funds for expansion, and stock exchanges naturally appeared.

In fact, the earliest stock trading in Nanjing was in a teahouse by the Qinhuai River. Due to the smooth flow of gossip, a group of businessmen not only chatted inside, but also traded stocks of small companies. As time went by, stock intermediary businessmen also appeared, and some of them made their own money. I wrote a stock trading manual, including some trading procedures and precautions to prevent pitfalls, as well as business descriptions and stock prices of some companies being traded.

In this way, everyone does not have to waste time, it is efficient and convenient, and everyone follows it. Since there are no legal provisions, some teahouses where businessmen often gather even simply set up a bulletin board to integrate all transaction information. It is the most primitive "stock trading".

At the beginning of this kind of "stock trading", due to the small transaction amount, it usually does not have much impact on the company's stock price. However, as the scale expands, the same company's stocks are traded in different teahouses, and the price fluctuates. It's normal. Coupled with the participation of many smart citizens, the stock price fluctuates more and more violently.

Jiang Xinghuo, who had been observing in secret, saw that the time had come, so he no longer allowed it to grow wildly. Instead, he negotiated with Jin Youzi of Shenfa Temple and promulgated the "Securities Trading Law", and the "Daming Securities" was established by Daming Bank. "Exchange", currently the stock exchange mainly conducts business in two aspects: treasury bonds and stocks.

In terms of treasury bonds, it mainly involves the sale and notarization of treasury bonds. The former is to sell various treasury bonds, including war bonds, river control bonds, etc., while the latter is to notarize the resale of treasury bonds for buyers and sellers. After all, treasury bonds are not Early cashing is allowed (if early cashing is allowed, the Ming Dynasty's goal of restoring the currency value of treasure banknotes cannot be achieved), and people always have the need for transactions and liquidation. Allowing people to resell freely will not only be unsafe for both parties to the transaction, but may also give rise to various There are various illegal operations, so it is better to charge some handling fees and notarize, stamp and register the resale of treasury bonds. Forging seals is useless, because Daming Bank will synchronize the treasury bond resale registration of the stock exchange before the treasury bonds mature. , conduct secondary verification when cashing out.

In terms of stocks, that is the service of stock buying and selling, as well as regulating stock transactions. Jiang Xinghuo has witnessed too many early barbaric growth in books, and now with the continuous prosperity of trade in Ming Dynasty, the financial market can be said to be far away from the theoretical peak. It is less than one ten thousandth, so it is normal for any miracle of wealth to occur. But the problem is that opportunities are accompanied by risks. The greed of people is infinite. Jiang Xinghuo cannot watch bankrupt citizens jumping into the Qinhuai River. , therefore, he has the responsibility and obligation to do a good job in supervision.

Jiang Xinghuo is like a dedicated game planner, working hard to fix various bugs and apply various patches while the game is progressing.

In the room on the third floor, Zheng He met Jiang Xinghuo.

In his meeting with Jiang Xinghuo, Zheng He described in detail what he saw and heard overseas. He described those distant countries, their strange customs, and his dealings with local princes and nobles.

Jiang Xinghuo listened intently, asked a few questions from time to time, and then said.

"One month before you came back, Emperor Bayezid of the Ottoman Turkish Empire had sent a plenipotentiary envoy to Nanjing to formally establish diplomatic relations with the Ming Dynasty."

Zheng He was stunned for a moment and then asked: "Then he probably doesn't know anything about the West. What is the attitude of the Ottoman Empire?"

Of course Jiang Xinghuo knew what Zheng He was asking. He replied: "No attitude. Now Bayezid has too much time to take care of himself. Many places he conquered before have rebelled, and several of his sons are unwilling to return the power in their hands."

Jiang Xinghuo's attitude seemed very calm: "As for the East-West trade, the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Byzantine Empire have certainly suffered losses, but these things are unavoidable, and the trade routes will not pass through their territory, unless Bayezid The Mamluk Dynasty and the Aries Dynasty were troubled. The question is, does he have this ability?"

Zheng He thought for a while and realized that this was the truth. Even if Bayezid was not happy about the benefits of East-West trade being taken away, the Ottoman Turkish Empire had been severely damaged by Timur in the Battle of Ankara and was now torn apart. It could be said that there were internal and external troubles. It's even more serious than the Timur Khanate. Just rectifying it would take ten or eight years. What's more, even if it is rectified, he may not really be able to do anything to the Mamluk Dynasty and the Aries Dynasty.

Since he does not have this ability and dare not disrespect Da Ming, why should Da Ming worry about him?

The top priority now is to stabilize the route from southern Tianzhu to Europe, strengthen the supply and armament of overseas bases, and thus fully control the route.

After all, it is basically impossible to open the Suez Canal with the current level of engineering, and that place is in the hands of the Mamluk dynasty. For the Ming Dynasty, it is better to take the U-shaped route around Africa, at least along the way. All strategic locations were seized by the Ming Dynasty.

"How is the Timur Khanate doing now?"

This question was actually asked by Jiang Xinghuo to Zheng He, because the latest news must have been that Zheng He, who docked at the port of the Timur Khanate on his way back, was the first to know about it, and the subsequent grain transport fleet had not yet been sent out. Returning to Annan and Champa Kingdoms, it was naturally impossible to send the news to the Ming Dynasty for Jiang Xinghuo to know.

"There was a fire in Shaharul's backyard, and the Armenians and Azerbaijanis revolted. When they turned back to quell the chaos, Khalil pushed back. However, Khalil did not have enough troops and supplies, and the front could not be pushed too far, so it was basically stable. .”

"That's good."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded. Timur's expeditionary army has been basically out of Khalil's control since it returned to the territory of the Khanate. It belongs to the state of "everyone returns to each family to find his own mother". The lords all returned with their own armies. Fiefdom, so Khalil did not have many troops in his hands.

"Next, let's increase our efforts to provide assistance. Khalil is still very weak now. At the very least, he must be able to withstand Shaharul's counterattack and maintain the current split of the Timur Khanate."

"What if Khalil is going to defeat Shaharul?"

Hearing this question, Jiang Xinghuo's hand holding the tea cup hung in mid-air and smiled: "Then let the Aries Dynasty send aid to Shaharu. I wonder if there are too many swords and guns dug out in the desert to use."

"Understood." Zheng He nodded.

With the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with the Aries Dynasty and the Mamluk Dynasty, and the establishment of an embassy, ​​the Ming Dynasty also noticed the complicated attitude of these two countries on the new east-west route towards the Timur Khanate. out.

Whether it is the Ming Dynasty, the Mamluk Dynasty or the Aries Dynasty, a half-dead Timur Khanate that is always in a state of civil war is a good neighbor.

In addition to the visible changes in the economic situation, Jiang Xinghuo also introduced to Zheng He the new changes in other aspects of the Ming Dynasty.

Including the commissioning of the first mining area pumping steam engine, a major development in mining and metallurgy during the Ming Dynasty, as well as the development of other types of steam engines and machine tools. After spending so much money on research and development, it was not in vain, but the time was a little slow. That’s all.

But once the “whether or not” is solved, everything else becomes easier to say.

Furthermore, with the gradual spread of the point-to-point trade network, a huge trade network has now been formed in both North and South Zhili, and it is the kind that leads directly to the port. It is not unimportant for the improvement of inland trade, and with the With the establishment of these commercial networks, a systematic paid post office was also established, making it more convenient for people to transport goods and information.

In addition, with the development of business, various ideological trends have gradually emerged in the market, and the changes in the economic foundation have also resulted in the Neo-Confucian moralists no longer having the position to point out the moral high ground. , but were pulled together to debate whether new things and trends were reasonable.

The younger generation of scholars has gradually begun to have more say, such as Cao Duan. The philosophical logic he proposed was very popular among scholars. The development of New Mind Learning was as fast as a prairie fire, and practical learning was also in Zhejiang and Jiangnan. , Jiangxi, and gradually became a famous school.

Jiang Xinghuo also specifically mentioned the importance of the establishment of the stock exchange to the Ming Dynasty's economy. It not only provided a fair trading platform for businessmen, but also promoted the flow of funds and the development of the company. Of course, it also contained considerable risks.

Zheng He listened quietly to Jiang Xinghuo's story, feeling very proud because his navigation not only brought wealth to the Ming Dynasty, but more importantly, it injected new vitality into the Ming Dynasty's economy by exploring and maintaining shipping routes. This pioneering role cannot be matched by others.

"What's the situation in the DPRK and China now?"

Zheng He clearly observed the worry in Jiang Xinghuo's brows, but Jiang Xinghuo responded very calmly: "There are some minor twists and turns, but overall it's good."

In fact, as Zhu Gaochi expected, Zhu Gaoxu was established as the crown prince, which was not a good thing for Zhu Gaoxu and Jiang Xinghuo at the moment.

Zhu Gaochi was named King of Qi, but he did not leave Nanjing and go to Shandong to join the vassal state. Zhu Gaosui, who was named King of Song Dynasty, went to join the vassal state instead, but his destination was another Song land - Luzon.

The situation on the Luzon Islands is very complicated, but it is a good place anyway, with high food production and gold mines. Zhu Gaosui and his three guards used Manila as a base and began to gradually expand the territory.

In order to cooperate with external expansion, there are now people who can no longer stay in the Ming Dynasty and immigrate to various parts of Southeast Asia through the Nanyang Immigration Co., Ltd. Among these destinations, Luzon is the main one. This also includes the Manila Mining Co., Ltd. opened by Zhu Gaosui. , who wouldn’t be tempted by the gold rush that can make you rich overnight?

This is really not made up for publicity, but more than one person really picked up the gold nugget.

Of course, picking it up does not mean that you will own it in the end, and owning it in the end does not mean that you will get rich overnight. In the wild land, what is basically followed is the law of the jungle.

But no matter what, Zhu Di still loved his son who had silently fought for his throne for many years. Not only did he give Zhu Gaosui a three-man bodyguard, but he also provided a considerable number of firearms and ammunition, as well as a large sum of money to go to Lu. Song's "settlement fee", as for logistical supplies, etc., these are all problems that can be solved through Manila merchants.

But for Zhu Gaoxu, this is not the case.

From the time Zhu Gaoxu came to supervise the country, the conflict between the emperor and the prince was irreconcilable. As trivial matters piled up, Zhu Di's demands on him became higher and higher, and they were very strict.

After Empress Xu died of illness, Zhu Di seemed to have changed. Zhu Di's transformation was like Zhu Yuanzhang who lost Empress Ma. He became cold, cruel, and full of suspicion.

Objectively speaking, Zhu Di has reached middle age and has ascended to the throne. His children have begun to distance themselves from him, and his only partner has also been lost. The immediate emperor seems to have few goals in life.

Establishing a great achievement that can surpass all emperors, and firmly holding the imperial power to balance the various forces became what Zhu Di wanted to do.

Except for Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu, Zhu Di no longer trusts his old brothers as much as before, because Zhu Di knows very well that in the eyes of his old brothers, he may not be the only one who can wear the yellow robe.

Zhu Di's only warmth was transferred to the emperor's grandson Zhu Zhanji.

Zhu Di is now annoyed by the eldest son and the second child. The well-behaved and sensible Zhu Zhanji provides Zhu Di with irreplaceable emotional value. However, as he grows older and his father entrusts him, Zhu Zhanji no longer tries to pass the test. Instead of trying his best to help his father regain his position as prince, he focused on becoming more inseparable from the emperor's grandfather.

Zhu Zhanji is already very clear about his irreplaceable role in the heart of the emperor. He also knows that as long as he exists by the emperor's side, their family is actually absolutely safe. And as time goes by, the prince's dethronement is not impossible things.

This is also true. Jiang Xinghuo is a national teacher and a prince's teacher. Since he has been registered in the East Palace, he should be added with the title of "Prince and Grand Master" in a series of titles.

Well, Jiang Xinghuo's words are harder to read now.

Special admissions include Dr. Guanglu, Fengtian Fuyun Tuizhenxiaoyi Wenchen, Shangzhuguo, Prince Taishi, and National Preceptor Jiang Xinghuo.

However, whether he is the Crown Prince or Grand Master, or he has changed from Te Jin Ronglu Doctor to Te Jin Guanglu Doctor, these titles actually have little practical effect. The most influential thing is that Zhu Gaochi's power is gradually growing, and Jiang Xinghuo is almost Not much progress.

In recent years, with the exception of Yuan Gong who came out of retirement to serve as Minister of Taichang Temple, and Song Li who was promoted to Minister of Industry to replace Huang Fu because of his merits in regulating the Yellow River, basically the middle and high-level officials promoted were officials from Zhu Gaochi's line.

In the gradual replacement of old and new people in the imperial court, the one who benefited the most was Zhu Gaochi who did not get the position of prince. This was obviously some kind of "compensation" from the emperor. Even Qi King Zhu Gaochi is still leading the cabinet.

If you switch to Zhu Di's perspective, this is obviously inevitable. After all, Jiang Xinghuo's line already has Zhuo Jing, the Minister of Rites, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Song Li, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Yuan Gong, the Minister of Taichang Temple, Hong Xie Jin, the minister of the Lu Temple, Huang Ziwei, the minister of the Guanglu Temple, and the two princes of the president's reform affairs yamen, are very powerful. Therefore, when they are powerful at this stage, it is inevitable to be restricted.

In order to avoid causing too much trouble in the temple, Zhu Di did not touch these senior officials, but intervened in the appointment of officials at the ministerial level and below. While continuing to weaken the conservatives, he strengthened the power of Zhu Gaochi among the reformists to act as a check and balance. .

Zhu Di is not afraid that Zhu Gaochi's power is strong enough to threaten his throne, because in Zhu Di's understanding, if you want to change the dynasty, only someone with a knife handle can do it, and no matter how strong Zhu Gaochi's power is in the temple, he can't. Unable to do this. The one who can really do it is Prince Zhu Gaoxu.

Therefore, it has become inevitable to restrict and beat Zhu Gaoxu.

In the early Hongwu period, Lao Zhu promulgated the "Etiquette System for the Crown Prince", which clearly stipulated the status and responsibilities of the East Palace. In addition to the Zhan Shifu, there were also left and right Chunfang, the Economic and Economic Bureau and other departments to assist the prince, and the officials of these departments, It's an understatement to say that he is "easily offended". From time to time, he has to go to jail for a few times, and isn't the prince slapped in the face inside and out?

Coupled with the fact that Zhu Di had the same temper as always, scolding Zhu Gaoxu from time to time, it had only been a long time before Zhu Gaoxu couldn't bear it sometimes.

The most irritating thing is that when Zhu Gaoxu told him to calm down, Zhu Di would use himself to save others, and asked him angrily, "You are so tolerant now, are you thinking about how your father and I could endure it so that we could start an army?" ?”, and then they usually break up on bad terms.

As the two parties in the game, the prince and the emperor are basically in this state as long as they are not like Zhu Biao and Lao Zhu. It is not surprising, but Zhu Gaoxu is beaten too much, and he will inevitably become irritable. He is not a good-tempered person. , I can endure it three or four times just for the sake of my position as the prince.

Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu often complained to Jiang Xinghuo.

Of course Jiang Xinghuo knew that part of the reason for Zhu Gaochi's short life was that he often received anger, but what could be done at this time? A big fight or a Xuanwu Gate incident?

The former has no meaning other than causing more rifts in the relationship between father and son, while the latter, at least with Zhu Gaoxu's current control over the army, is simply impossible.

However, it was not without a solution. The solution given by Jiang Xinghuo was to let Zhu Gaoxu go out to fight while he continued to look after him.

The temple is based on the strength of the power at the moment, and also on who can control the future context.

Today's Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, Xinxue, and Practical Studies, have emerged as three pillars. Even if there is not as much contention as in the Southern Song Dynasty, there is still no concession. Therefore, as a representative figure of the study of meritorious service, Jiang Xinghuo has many disciples. These People will continue to enter the official career through the imperial examination, Imperial College, Ming Dynasty Administrative School and other channels, and Jiang Xinghuo himself can be said to be "time can wait for me". Even if he is suppressed for a moment, time is on his side.

What's more, in addition to Confucianism, scientific trends are also popular from the Imperial College to the local governments. Young students are full of innovation and exploration spirit, which is also Jiang Xinghuo's basic base.

Therefore, even if Zhu Di, as a referee, intervenes in the promotion of middle- and high-level officials below the minister, it is impossible to interfere with the entry of low-level officials like a carp across the river. As long as he can endure it, his status in academia has almost equaled that of the Five Scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty. For Jiang Xinghuo, who has entered the realm of "Philosophers", sooner or later this temple belongs to his disciples and descendants.

It would be easier to understand if Zhu Gaoxu went out to fight.

--Out of sight out of mind.

Just like those parents who are warm to their children in the first two days after returning from vacation, but should be disgusted after a few days. If their children have been away for a long time, they will naturally ignore the trivial conflicts that they once felt very uncomfortable with, and look forward to their children's return. .

Zhu Di is also a human being, and he will have such emotions as a human being, let alone an empty nester? No matter how well-behaved and sensible Zhu Zhanji is, he cannot completely replace his son. After all, Zhu Gaoxu is actually "another me in the world" in Zhu Di's eyes.

Of course, if an identical self appeared in life, most people would hate this self.

In particular, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu are both standard warriors. Their irritable, arrogant and cruel character factors are all carved from the same DNA mold.

In fact, at the end of the fifth year of Yongle, while Ming Dynasty began to further implement reforms at a deeper level, it also began to make comprehensive war preparations for the postponed cross-sea conquest of Japan.

The main force of the cross-sea expedition to Japan was the 100,000 Japanese troops who had been trained in amphibious landing and other subjects in Shandong for four or five years. These Japanese troops were basically reorganized from the Southern Army. They were generally skilled in water skills and Accustomed to fighting on hills and plains.

The experience of the Mongols in the past had a bad side, such as crossing the sea in autumn, but it also had a good side. Facing the Japanese, although the Japanese nobles loved mounted archery, cavalry was not a good choice. On the contrary, the difference between firearms and infantry The combination can make it more effective in the terrain of the Japanese archipelago.

There are sufficient reserves of landing materials. It will never happen that the Japanese are driven from the beachhead to the sea without follow-up support and supplies, just like the Mongols did.

In addition, with the establishment of stock exchanges and the commercial development of various companies, the demand for Baobao has also increased sharply.

This led to Jiang Xinghuo's previous efforts to issue treasury bonds, add salt to banknotes, and reduce new copper coins. The actual currency value had begun to return to the paper currency value, and the value of the banknotes increased again.

As a result, the actual circulating currency value of treasure banknotes has reached nearly half of the paper currency value, and the foundation for currency reform is now in place.

[Changing banknotes] This is an extremely dangerous and tempting operation in the simulation game of the Yuan Dynasty. In today's Ming Dynasty, if you are not careful, it is also full of risks.

However, the Ming Dynasty has now initially opened up the east-west sea route. Whether it is the trade volume that is destined to soar in the future, or the future exploration of the New World to discover South American silver mines or even the final completion of global navigation, it is destined that the Ming Dynasty must establish a system based on silver as soon as possible. With the dual-track currency system as the core, we should complete the reform of the old banknote system without any anchor as soon as possible.

Only by establishing a currency system that Ming Dynasty can play well can it integrate global trade and integrate all countries in the world to establish monetary hegemony.

If you want to find an anchor for your treasure banknotes, you need a large amount of silver. The Ming Dynasty happened to be a silver-deficient country, and Japan happened to have a large amount of untapped silver.

You say it's a coincidence, isn't it?

Therefore, the historical process has come to this point, and now in the sixth year of Yongle, it is urgent to take action against Japan.

After all, Ming Dynasty had already done too much preparation work in order to cross the sea and conquer the sun.

Not only has a 100,000-strong Japanese army been specially organized and trained, but also sufficient food and ammunition for long-term consumption have been stored. Through trade with Japan in the past few years, the various domestic situations and power distribution in Japan have been basically understood. In addition, various Thanks to the efforts of intelligence personnel, the topography, hydrology and other conditions are almost inseparable.

As for the observation of storms, the Qintianjian officials on Jeju Island, Tsushima and other islands have basically figured out the rules. As long as they avoid the autumn when storms are most common, there will basically be no mistakes.

The temple is so well prepared that it is really unjustifiable not to fight this battle.