The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Xiaoliuqiu is Taiwan. Wei Guangde knows the history of later generations, so he will naturally not give up this land, and certainly will not leave it to others.

Incorporating it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty is considered an achievement during the term of office for everyone here.

After all, it is a matter of opening up territory.

The only thing that may go wrong is not outside, but inside, and that is that this place was designated as a country not to be conquered by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

However, Wei Guangde has found out clearly that it is a wilderness and what kind of country it is. There is no social order at all.

Although he wants to annex this place, Wei Guangde also knows very well that the Ming Dynasty is not strong now and cannot spend much money to support the development of the island, so he simply treats this place as a military base and exercises actual control.

A port was built in the north and south of the island as a port for the southern navy, gradually radiating influence to the island.

As long as the port is developed, it will definitely attract people from the Ming Dynasty to live and live there.

Wei Guangde even thought of a more radical approach.

It's just that if this approach is really necessary, the court's current financial situation cannot support it.

Although Wei Guangde coveted it in the past, he knew that he could not propose sending troops to Xiaoliuqiu out of nowhere, because the Ming Dynasty had no need for this.

As a mainland country, policies are formulated based on national needs.

But it is different now. Wei Guangde's proposal to establish the imperial navy would require the establishment of ports in more places because the supplies carried on ships are limited.

The sailing distance is determined by the port.

The sea area that can be patrolled from mainland ports is definitely not far from the patrol area from Xiaoliuqiu.

In fact, the great navigation of the Western Ocean at this time relied on the ports established by the colonists along the coast and was completed step by step. Without these ports they established, the great voyage could not continue.

Seizing good ports is undoubtedly the most important step in developing a navy.

"Shaloan, according to what you said, how can the southeastern provinces afford it?"

Li Chunfang frowned and said, "Although Yu Dayou now has more than 400 ships from Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi Navy, and more than 100 ships from Zhejiang Navy. More than 500 ships may seem like a lot, but it is still difficult to maintain such a large sea area. not enough.

Shipbuilding in various provinces is already stretched thin, and you still need to build a port in Xiaoliuqiu to station water divisions, which is another huge sum of money.

Even if the imperial court issued an edict, the southeastern provinces would still riot over the expenditure of this money. "

"The naval warships must be maintained regularly, and the money will not be small."

Zhang Juzheng also chimed in, "There is also military pay. As far as I know, the Ministry of War cannot provide sufficient pay to the border troops now. There is also the Southern Guards Station, and the arrears are even more serious.

You want the Ministry of War to allocate money to pay the navy, which is difficult. "

Although Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhen didn't say anything, Wei Guangde also saw their expressions. In fact, they had similar opinions to Li Chunfang and Zhang Juzheng.

There are many things they know they can do and should do, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money, so they can't do them.

However, Wei Guangde had actually anticipated this problem and had some solutions.

It’s just about making money, so what are you afraid of if you have a boat?

At this time, the Ming Dynasty's finances were tight, and Wei Guangde did not intend to let the court spend too much money to build a navy. Not only did the court have no money, but at this moment, maritime trade did not play a big role in the Ming Dynasty's economy, and it had a very small impact on increasing fiscal revenue. .

After all, most of Yuegang's income goes into the internal treasury.

The reason for this is that although the sea has been opened, due to various reasons, the imperial court and Fujian have imposed restrictions on the number of trading ships, and the annual sea trade amount has been affected by this, and has not reached Wei Guangde's original vision.

In fact, except for the annual income of two to thirty thousand taels of silver, which slightly aroused Emperor Longqing's interest last year, he no longer cares much about it.

Because more than half of the third year of Longqing has passed, this year's income seems to be the same as last year. In other words, there is no increase of tens of thousands and tens of thousands of taels a year. For the extravagant Emperor Longqing, it has become a drop in the bucket.

With a fixed income of two to thirty thousand taels of silver per year, how could Emperor Longqing be interested and continue to support him?

That is to say, in order to eradicate the Japanese invasion, we continued to open the port.

"I have a way to let the navy earn money and make money for development myself, but..."

Wei Guangde said leisurely: "The military salary allocated by the Ministry of War must not be less, otherwise the navy will not have the status of the imperial court. If the name is not correct, the words will not go smoothly."

"Good loan, you don't want to be a sailor's lucky ship"

Yin Shizhen reacted very quickly this time. After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he immediately looked at him with wide eyes and asked.

Wei Guangde nodded. The navy said it was a warship, but in fact it was just to carry weapons on board. Except for a few ships such as Fengzhou and Dawu Ship, which covered the bow or some parts with iron armor in order to increase their sturdiness, other ships were actually different from civilian ships. Not big.

Many ships only need to unload their weapons to transform into merchant ships. In particular, most of the warships of the Guangdong Navy were originally used by maritime merchants.

Some ships were even used as Japanese boats.

“No, absolutely not.

How can the imperial army engage in despicable occupations? This is a disgrace to the imperial court. "

Yin Shizhen immediately shook his head.

"Shandai, Zhengfu's words make sense. Let the navy do this, it won't work."

Li Chunfang glanced at Chen Yiqin before speaking.

"Master Chief Assistant, Brother Zhengfu, as far as Shandai knows, the imperial court actually allows them to carry private goods with the Cao Army's ships to make up for the shortfall."

Wei Guangde said bluntly.

The Ming Dynasty transported grain from the south to the north. For some reasons, if the Cao army transported grain in accordance with the regulations of the court, the Cao army would just disperse, because each time the grain was transported, not only would there be no income, but also money would be lost.

In order to maintain the stable transportation of grain, the imperial court made a slight modification here, that is, it required the ships to still transport grain in accordance with the regulations of the court, but tacitly allowed the Cajun army to modify, increase or increase the size of the ships. They can increase the cargo capacity of each ship, and the extra part is used to help merchants transport goods.

You know, when the goods are on the ship, they will not be taxed by the customs and have priority to pass. This is worth a lot of money in itself, not to mention the freight.

With this money, we can ensure that the Cao army will make money every time it sails, and the transportation of Cao grain will always remain stable.

Wei Guangde's use of watercraft to talk about matters at this time was actually reminding them that the court's move was not without precedent.

Hearing Wei Guangde's words, Yin Shizhen was speechless for a moment.

Of course he knew about water boats. He was from Shandong. When he came to the capital to take the exam, he actually took a water boat because it was cheap.

Others also knew that Wei Guangde's words were true, and the imperial court did acquiesce in taking on private work by boat.

"Okay, even if the money to support the army can be raised in this way, what about Xiaoliuqiu? The Ministry of Rites and those officials who claim to be Qingliu will never agree."

Zhang Juzheng reminded again.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, warned his descendants in the form of ancestral precepts: "The barbarians in the four directions are all isolated in a corner separated by mountains and seas. The land they obtain is not enough to provide supplies, and the people they obtain are not enough to command them.

If he does not think about himself and comes to scratch my side, he is unlucky.

Even if they are not troubled by China, it is also unlucky for me to raise troops and commit minor crimes.

I am afraid that future generations will rely on China's wealth and strength, be greedy for temporary military success, and raise armies for no reason, causing harm to human lives. Please remember not to do this."

This passage was written in the later years of Hongwu. Emperor Lao Zhu was afraid that his descendants would be arrogant, frivolous, and willful in using military force, thereby causing disaster. system.

Zhu Yuanzhang listed fifteen Asian neighboring countries as the "non-conquest countries" of the Ming Dynasty, including Korea (today's North Korea and South Korea), Japan (today's Japan), Da Liuqiu (today's Okinawa, Japan), Xiao Liuqiu, Annan (now northern Vietnam), Chenla (now Cambodia), Siam (now Thailand), Champa (now southern Vietnam, later destroyed by Annan), Sumatra (now Pasai, Sumatra) , Western Kingdom (today's Coromandel Coast), Java Kingdom (today's Java Island), Panheng Kingdom (today's Malay Peninsula), White Flower Kingdom (today's northwest Sumatra Island), Sanviqi Kingdom (today's Palembang, Sumatra Island) ), Bo Ni Country (Brunei).

Xiaoliuqiu is a country that is not to be conquered as clearly mentioned in the "Ancestor Instructions of the Emperor Ming". Even if there is a mistake, it cannot be offended in the eyes of Qingliu officials. This is the real reason why the Ming Dynasty has never included Taiwan into its territory.

As for Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan, he was actually forced by the Qing government. The Qing troops moved south, and the remnants of the Ming army were unstoppable. They were eager to find an overseas foothold, so they chose this place. To this end, they also went to war with the Dutch who had colonized here first.

"Simple, just send the opposing officials to Fujian and let them visit Xiaoliuqiu with the Ming Dynasty Navy to meet the monarch of Xiaoliuqiu. Anyway, it will seal the boat and it will not lose the dignity of the court."

Wei Guangde said calmly, "I believe that after walking around, they will understand what is going on.

Since Taizu was deceived, don’t future generations even have the courage to correct themselves?

I believe that Emperor Taizu has a spirit in heaven and will support this.

What's more, occupying Xiaoliuqiu is a major event to open up territory and expand the territory. It can highlight the prosperity of our dynasty, and your Majesty is also willing to see it. "

Wei Guangde's words made several people fall silent, thinking about the pros and cons.

The voice of opposition will certainly not be small. After all, it involves changing the ancestral system, and the ancestral system is a weapon used by the civil service group to suppress imperial power.

However, when it comes to such achievements as opening up territories and expanding territories, it is difficult for a few people to let go of them for a while.

Although a few of them cannot represent the entire civil service group, they still have a strong voice. There is a group of supporters behind them.

Seeing that they were lost in thought, Wei Guangde continued: "As for building a port in Xiaoliuqiu, we can find a good port from the captured pirate dens. With this foundation, we can build it slowly.

The construction can only be accelerated when the imperial court's finances are sufficient, or the navy's funds are sufficient. It is not like the outer city of the capital, which has to be completed in one year and the place must be occupied first. "

Hearing Wei Guangde's words, Chen Yiqin and Zhang Juzheng's expressions changed slightly. They knew what it meant. In fact, it was just to send troops to garrison the pirate lair and set up the flag of the Ming Dynasty, rather than actually building a city and port in Xiaoliuqiu.

If this is the case, there is basically no financial burden, after all, it is already available.

As for sending those who opposed it to Xiaoliuqiu to find their king, Zhang Juzheng just smiled and thought it was something that was not there at all. It is estimated that these people will still be crying and begging to return to the court.

"Gentlemen, what Shandai is most worried about is that if Ming Dynasty does not take this place, but the remnants of pirates and Japanese pirates gather there, and Zhang Lian and his like become the king and hegemony, then the court will be in a dilemma.

Do you recognize these bandits? Do you still want to be canonized?

Rather than leaving this land to them, it would be better to put it directly under the jurisdiction of our Ming Dynasty. "

Wei Guangde continued to express his worries.

There was no king in Xiaoliuqiu before, but it would be ridiculous if there were smart people among the pirates who occupied the place and became king, and then sent people to the Ming Dynasty to ask for canonization.

Do you admit it or not?

Taking advantage of Yu Dayou's opportunity to eliminate pirates, he stationed troops in Xiaoliuqiu and realized his rule there, so he no longer had to worry about anyone causing trouble.

"Shaloan, this is a serious matter, go back and write out a charter after what you said today, and we will discuss it later."

Chen Yiqin was moved, so he suggested, looking at Li Chunfang while speaking.

"If Xiaoliuqiu is really occupied by Japanese pirates and established as a country, it will be hard for the court to do anything."

Li Chunfang nodded and said.

"But it's easy to send troops to occupy it. In what name? Is it under the jurisdiction of the Fujian Chief Envoy Division?"

Zhang Juzheng raised practical questions again.

Yin Shizhen actually didn't want to support it. Although Wei Guangde seemed to be polite, when he heard what Zhang Juzheng said, he also looked at Wei Guangde.

To annex a place is not just to send troops to garrison it. You also have to consider the political structure, whether it is setting up a government or a county, otherwise it would not be considered jurisdiction.

"Imitate the examples of Shandong and Liaodong."

Wei Guangde has also thought about this question, and there is an answer, and there are precedents.

Well, this is also the main job of the cabinet, to deal with incidents according to previous precedents.

"Liaodong is a military town."

Yin Shizhen reminded.

"The same goes for Xiaoliuqiu. The Southern Navy is responsible for it. If we want to develop it on a large scale, we can follow the old example of developing Liaodong and deploy military posts to Xiaoliuqiu."

Wei Guangde said.

Sending a garrison to Xiaoliuqiu is not simply a matter of stationing troops on the island.

The Ming army's garrison was a military camp. In addition to the soldiers at the garrison, there were also the families of these sergeants.

A guard station has more than 5,000 people, but if they move with their families, there may be 20,000 to 30,000 people, enough to support a small city.

This was the case when the Ming army developed Liaodong. They moved their guard posts from the interior, and their families accompanied them, becoming the main force in the development of Liaodong.

The sergeants are responsible for fighting, while the cultivation of military fields is carried out by the family members of the soldiers. Now a hundred years have passed, and Liaodong is no longer what it used to be.

Especially the Liaodong Peninsula has become very prosperous due to the increase in residents, and people from other places have even moved there to live there.

It's just that such a move requires the court to provide these guard posts with a large amount of money and food. The court cannot afford this expenditure now, so Wei Guangde never mentioned the move of the guard posts from the beginning.

The next best thing is to build a military port in the north and south, or to choose excellent ports from the annihilated bandit nests, rather than directly selecting sites for large-scale construction.

To put it bluntly, it’s all about saving money.

"You said the navy makes money by transporting goods, what kind of regulations are they?"

Zhang Juzheng asked again.

Now it is not just a rough question before, but concrete measures are required.

"Both Zhejiang and Guangdong reported that merchant ships carrying goods to Fujian were missing and suspected of being involved in shipwrecks.

The navy can send navy from each province to transport these goods to Yuegang. In addition, the imperial court can send naval warships to visit surrounding countries every year to show the majesty of our Ming Dynasty.

To become famous overseas, the navy can also do it for you. "

Wei Guangde replied.