Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 958
In the 18th year of Shaowu, the first day of August.

The autumn tiger is still prowling the whole north, but the green and yellow wheat waves are rippling a different kind of scenery, making the farmers happy to bloom.

However, for Tianjin, food only accounts for [-]% of the harvest. Sanjiaodian Lake is a collection of Fenghe, Hunhe and Huitong rivers, and it is one of the most water-rich places in the north.

Therefore, a large amount of cotton was planted throughout Tianjin.

A large amount of water was wasted for irrigation, so that the area under cotton cultivation in Tianjin Prefecture reached [-] mu.

It has greatly boosted the development of Tianjin's textile industry.

The common people are happy to grow cotton, because the land tax in Tianjin is two cents, and the price of growing cotton is more expensive than grain, so the income will naturally be higher.

Cotton yields two hundred catties per mu, while wheat is only slightly better, and the money sold is doubled. Anyone who is not a fool will have a choice.

The government also valued cotton from top to bottom.

If you grow cotton, you can pay taxes, and you can earn a fortune by selling the cotton, and then you can collect a fortune after weaving.

As a result, a dispute between cotton land and grain land for water was born, and it was very noisy.

The Tianjin government government can only play with mud, blindly fooling and suppressing.

"My lord, it's not good, I'm grabbing water again!"

In the dilapidated county government office, a few white servants hurriedly reported, their clothes were already wet with sweat, and they were extremely close-fitting.

"Which two villages are they?"

Zhixian raised his head helplessly.

"Zhao Family Village and Li Family Village."

"Audacious."

The magistrate heard the words, and after angrily reprimanded, he was discouraged again: "Tell them, if there is a death or injury, which delays the master's examination, the whole village will be conscripted for this winter's corvee."

"Yes!"

Just as he was taking a breath, the master suddenly ran over:

"Dong Weng, Master Fu Zun sent a letter asking you to go to Fucheng as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"I heard that His Royal Highness is coming."

The magistrate heard the words and couldn't help muttering: "It's hot and the Mid-Autumn Festival will be celebrated. Why is His Royal Highness running away?"

He had no choice but to pack up and go to Tianjin Fucheng in a carriage.

When he rushed to Fucheng, the magistrates of the counties under Tianjin also came in a hurry.

After waiting for a long time, he greeted His Royal Highness King Yue at the government office.

The King of Yue, who is only seventeen years old, has cultivated a bit of courage in the past few months in the eight departments. He held his head high and sat down with a straight buttocks:

"You all sit down!"

"Yes!"

More than a dozen officials, big and small, stood side by side, looking at the prince cautiously.

"I think at this time, you may speculate about my reason for coming."

King Yue said casually, with a smile on his face.

The magistrate had an awkward smile on his face: "Your Majesty's thoughts are something that you can figure out."

"I'm not hiding it from you either."

King Yue ignored him, looked at the crowd and said, "Tianjin government pays 130 million yuan in summer tax this year? 60 shi for grain."

"There is no adulteration here? Is there no harsh treatment of the people?"

"Or is this the real tax of the Tianjin government?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

Is it wrong to pay too much tax?

"Don't guess."

The corner of King Yue's mouth curled up, it's really good to control people's hearts.

"The annual tax of Suzhou Prefecture is 500 million yuan, and that of Songjiang Prefecture is 600 million yuan. The amount of tax in Tianjin is nothing."

"When I came to Tianjin, I just wanted to check it out and find out if it was true or not, or if there was anything to hide."

These words made them feel relieved.

The prefect of Tianjin interjected: "Your Majesty, isn't the Ministry of Finance collecting the current tax?"

"The household Cao in the county only saves money, but has nothing to do with collecting taxes."

The Ministry of Finance has set up tax departments in various prefectures and counties, directly employs people to collect taxes, and then divides them into three to seven, directly handing over the taxes belonging to the local government to them, and sending the rest to the capital.

Therefore, what the magistrate said is correct, the local government cannot interfere with taxation.

Regarding this, the King of Yue straightened up, looked at the prefect, and said with a light smile: "That's true, but the certificates collected by the tax department are measured by your county government."

"It's a lot of money if you allocate more and less."

The local government measures the land and makes a yellow book, and then the townships submit taxes based on the book.

Although the tax bureaus are located in all major provinces, if the land statistics are to be entrusted to them, then the tax bureau has five to six thousand people, which is at least seven or eight times higher.

As soon as these words fell, everyone's faces did not change, but their eyes were already wrong.

"Forget it, let me tell you straight!"

Seeing that these people were finally serious, the King of Yue relaxed more and more. He said casually: "Someone talked about Tianjin Mansion, and the words were changed from wheat to cotton. A lot of river water was used for cotton fields, but there was no dripping water in the wheat fields."

"You know, food is the most important thing for the people. The food in Tianjin is not only for its own use, but also for the capital. Now it is getting less and less every year. How is this reasonable?"

Based on agriculture, food comes first.

Although the imperial court and the emperor ate rice from the south, the food in Tianjin was related to the food of the people in the capital, so it had to be taken seriously.

Of course, in this era, someone from above has to convey it, otherwise how would the censor know?
The scrambling for water in the cotton fields intensified, and some people in the Tianjin government mobilized the connections of the Township Party, which alarmed the censor.

The censors heard about the incident, and they naturally impeached this issue.

Because it involves the consensus of thousands of years: food first.

Taxes are less important.

The voice fell silent.

But there was a big wave in everyone's heart.

Cotton is related to taxation, and it also involves a hidden chain of interests, so it can't be moved easily.

For example, the loss of local cotton means that the textile industry in Tianjin will lose a supplement, and its interests will naturally suffer.

"Is the imperial court going to change the cotton fields?" the magistrate asked cautiously.

"There are plans for this."

The king of Yue tapped his fingers on the table: "Not only you in Tianjin, but also in Shangtian near Gyeonggi, basically all of them grow cotton."

"The imperial court in Shuntian Mansion, Tianjin Mansion, and even Hebei Mansion mainly collects grain, and the purpose is naturally to supply the capital."

Speaking of this, his eyes were fixed, and his voice was sonorous and powerful: "The capital is greater than everything."

The officials were silent.

This sentence is very reasonable.

To be honest, even if the entire Tianjin government starves to death, as long as the capital is stable, this price can be easily accepted.

"After this fall, when the cotton harvest is over, I want all the cotton fields to be destroyed."

King Yue's calm voice sounded, making all the officials in a trance:

"My lord, personally supervise the handling, and you can do it yourself."

After seeing him leave, all the officials discussed in a hurry.

"Tianjin Prefecture has more than [-] bales of cotton a year, which is not only the livelihood of tens of thousands of people, but also the operation of hundreds of factories..."

"Once these cotton fields are destroyed, the consequences will be disastrous."

"I'm afraid the tax (small purse) is ugly—"

After discussing for more than half an hour, everyone had to admit that it was really a good game for the emperor to send the King of Yue.

How could this young and vigorous king be bought by them?

It's hard to fool.

At this time of helplessness, the cotton spinning industry in Tianjin Prefecture had to usher in reforms: a large amount of cotton was imported and accepted from Shandong and Jiangnan.

Cheap local cotton can no longer be used and can only be imported from other provinces.

Cotton prices, which had fallen back somewhat, rose again.

Cotton cloth in the capital also rose accordingly.

Many people who were preparing to wear winter clothes couldn't help cursing.

At the same time, grain prices in Beijing and Tianjin also dropped slightly.

……

At this time, in Mindanao.

After King Qi arrived, he ordered it to be Anhai Island.

The capital of Qi State, Linzi.

With the advent of King Qi, the city seemed to become more and more prosperous, with a large population and bustling.

But the king didn't care about admiring the prosperity of the city. Instead, he rode a horse and quickly came to the port, looking at a ship in the port.

Over time, more and more ships gradually filled the entire harbor.

"Foreign minister, the Luzon navy guerrilla Ma Ying, kowtow to the king."

On the largest flagship, the sun and moon flag was flying and fluttering in the wind. After docking, a big man with a dark face and a straight waist came down.

I saw him wearing a military robe and holding a knife. When he saw King Qi wearing a python robe, he immediately stepped forward and knelt down straight.

"General Ma has worked hard."

King Qi laughed: "I am waiting for the general, looking forward to the rain!"

The Luzon Navy is responsible for the task of defending the Nanyang route, the Luzon Governor's Mansion, and protecting the Qi State, so it is relatively large in scale.

In total, there is one large ship of [-] materials, seven large ships of [-] materials and above, and the rest are sea-going ships of [-] materials.

The total number reached 3000 people.

In the entire Nanyang, it is second only to the Dutch, and it can be said to be powerful.

Luzon spends more than 10 yuan a year just for raising water, which is a huge effort.

But with a word from the emperor, the Luzon navy must obey King Qi's order and attack the Sulu Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, the flagship is a three-thousand-material ship named the Jiaolong, which travels across the entire Nanyang Ocean."

Ma Ying led the way with a smile, while bowing to explain:
"There are 68 cannons on the upper and lower decks, and there are more than [-] sailors on board. It is like the Dragon King of Kai, unmatched."

"Now the ministers have brought not only the Jiaolong, but also 2000 large and small warships and [-] soldiers. No one in Nanyang dares to mess with them except the Dutch."

"In addition, the Governor's Mansion of Luzon has requisitioned [-] merchant ships, which can carry [-] soldiers and horses..."

"nice."

King Qi nodded, looking at the deck that was wide enough to run a horse, he was extremely satisfied.

My state of Qi will one day have so many ships.

After getting off the boat, King Qi said with a smile: "Although Linzi City is not as good as Lu Song City, it has gained some popularity in recent years. Drinks and clothes can be replenished."

"If you like to eat fruit, the sugar cane here is good."

Ma Ying smiled, said a few compliments, and immediately returned to the boat:
"Tell everyone that except for supplementary supplies, no one else is allowed to disembark, and those who violate the order will be dealt with by military law."

"Follow the order—"

Looking at Linzi City in the distance, the tall city walls looming, he couldn't help muttering:

"Qi has also planted sugarcane, Tangliao seems to have another opponent."

Although there is a group of islands between Luzon and Qi, the similarity is too high.

The same island climate, tropical and humid, the same mountainous and less plains, there is naturally a competitive relationship.

He is in Luzon, but there are quite a few sugarcane plantations, and there are naturally sugar farms. The reduction in sugar prices will affect income.

"Damn, I still have to help."

Ma Ying sighed.

The next day, two thousand Qi troops who were fully prepared boarded the ship.

The one commanding this land and water army is King Qi.

Standing on the deck, the sea breeze blows on his face, leaving a faint salty taste on his lips, and after a while his whole face becomes dry, taking away the moisture.

But he was ambitious.

The battle to destroy the country.

Even a small country can boost his prestige as a king.

"Your Majesty—" Ma Ying came over and said respectfully.

"General Ma, as the saying goes, if you know yourself and the enemy, you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles." King Qi said in a deep voice:

"Su Lu Kingdom, but the situation is very complicated..."

It turns out that the entire Sulu Kingdom, which appears to be one country, is actually divided into three parts.

The East King in the Sulu Islands, the Tong King in Palawan, and the West King in Sabah (Malaysia).

Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, fifteen Kanhe trade certificates were issued, but Sulu Kingdom had three.

Actually these are three countries.

Therefore, Qi State only won the East King near Mindanao this time.

"Dongwang's flag consists of three major islands, Hele on the main island, Basilan on the largest, and Bang Ao on the westernmost."

"There are only 3 to [-] people on Hele Island, and more than a thousand soldiers and horses..."

"And there are tens of thousands of people belonging to King Dong."

"So, you just won these two kings this time?"

Ma Ying asked.

"That's right." King Qi said simply: "The Western King of Sabah is located on Borneo. In addition to Peri, the Dutch have also established strongholds on Borneo."

"It's not the right time to play against the Dutch."

Ma Ying thought, King Qi knows how to advance and retreat.

Soon, after walking for half a day, the boat arrived at Hele Island and landed at Hele City.

Unexpectedly, this is a city.

It is more than two feet high, and although it is all made of rammed mud, it can be regarded as a fortified city.

Even trenches were dug outside the city to sweep away the barbaric image.

"Oh? These natives do have some skills."

Ma Ying smiled lightly, although his tone was contemptuous, but there was a trace of seriousness in his eyes.

King Qi said casually: "According to the information I inquired about, the Sulu Kingdom has faced Spanish invasions many times. Although the Eastern King's side is relatively small, there are necessary defenses."

And in Hele City, Sudan was enjoying the delicacies of beauties when he suddenly got the news of the invasion of foreign enemies.

"The red-haired ghost is here again?"

He was horrified.

"No, it seems to be a wise man."

"No matter who it is, defend the city with me, and send out all the muskets—"

The war with Spain for many years has made the Sulu country progress rapidly, and it has already used muskets.

"Boom—"

Unfortunately, under the attack of several artillery pieces, Tucheng persisted for less than an hour before it collapsed.

The entire palace had already been revealed in front of King Qi.

"Taking this city is equivalent to taking down the Eastern Kingdom."

King Qi said with a smile.

After resting for two days, leaving hundreds of guards behind, the fleet headed north again to attack Dongwang on Palawan Island.

This time it was straightforward again.

King Qi thought, King Xi must be tough, save it for another fight.

After taking these two countries, Qi benefited greatly.

Among them, there are about [-] families of carpenters, [-] families of blacksmiths, and there are many people who make wine, pottery, and weaving cloth.

For Qi, these technical talents are the most important and scarcest.

As for specialty products, hematoxylin, cardamom, balsamic, rattan, longan, etc. can also be exported in exchange for money.

(End of this chapter)