prosperous age

Songjiang Prefecture was not far from Hangzhou Prefecture, so Wei Guangde went directly to Songjiang by land for inspection.

Although he had a lot of say in matters concerning Hangzhou Prefecture, the governor-general and governor-general were both high-ranking officials appointed by the imperial court. Reducing their military power could not be decided by the imperial court with just a word.

Before leaving, Wei Guangde visited all nine battalions in Zhejiang, especially the seventh flood control battalion, to express his condolences for their years of dedication to the front line of flood control along the Qiantang River.

In recent years, the Yellow River's water level has decreased, unlike the years of severe flooding that occurred before, which has brought great joy to the entire court.

They were all terrified by the Yellow River floods. Even though Pan Jixun's efforts in controlling the floods were commendable, the biggest factor was actually the heavens, which did not send rain to the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River.

Everyone was happy, but Wei Guangde was not.

Because he knew the history of the Ming Dynasty, that the Shanxi and Shaanxi regions had suffered from continuous droughts, resulting in a complete crop failure across thousands of miles of farmland.

At this time, Nurhaci rebelled in Liaodong, so the Ming court levied taxes on Liaodong. The relief efforts for the disaster area were not timely, and it is said that the Ming court also collected taxes in the area, which created a powder keg.

Wei Guangde was unsure when the decrease in rainfall in the Yellow River basin began, as it would be another twenty or thirty years before the major unrest erupted.

Unexpected events can happen at any time; you simply can't see that far.

However, Wei Guangde remained somewhat wary.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty has already established a certain degree of rule in Dongfan, Nanyang, and Burma. The Little Ice Age may have a significant impact on the Ming Dynasty, but its proximity to the equator will only reduce such an impact.

If that doesn't work, we can gradually relocate the population there, or collect grain from overseas and transport it directly to the north.

Settling 200,000 to 300,000 people on Dongfan Island shouldn't be a problem. Send 200,000 people to Luzon as well. And then there's Palembang. We might as well just take over Sumatra and settle 200,000 to 300,000 people there, and also Myanmar.
Wei Guangde had already begun preparing for all of this, mainly by sending people to conduct on-site investigations to determine the number of people who could be emigrated.

Well, it seems that the Ming Dynasty has been constantly emigrating since its founding.

First, people were arranged to migrate from the east to the west for development, and then people from the south were migrated to Liaodong and other places.

Now he is planning to move northerners south to Dongfan and Nanyang.

Although the cost would be considerable and the scale substantial, the Ming Dynasty already had experience in handling immigration, and all it took was to review documents from government offices dating back a century.

Anyone can copy homework.

Suddenly, Wei Guangde felt the carriage outside stop. A servant outside whispered, "Master, the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture has come down with the entire Songjiang Prefecture to welcome you."

"Ah."

Wei Guangde answered from inside the carriage, and then his attendant pulled back the curtain, allowing Wei Guangde to get out of the carriage.

"The student has met with his beloved teacher. He must be tired from his journey."

The current prefect of Songjiang, Hu Junde, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Longqing reign. Wei Guangde, who participated in the metropolitan examination that year, was Hu Junde's mentor.

Naturally, Hu Junde then presented his discipleship certificate, which marked his formal entry into the sect.

Hu Junde was born on the eighth day of the fourth month of the twentieth year of the Jiajing reign (1541). His courtesy name was Mingqing, and his pen name was Ke'an. He was from Guang Prefecture, Runing Prefecture, Henan Province.

He ranked 41st in the third class of the imperial examination in the second year of the Longqing reign and was appointed magistrate of Xiangyuan County. In the same year, he was transferred to be the magistrate of Renqiu County. Later, he was transferred to serve as the supervising censor of Shaanxi Circuit, lecturer to the crown prince, judge of Chuzhou, and assistant prefect of Suzhou. He has now been serving as the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture for two years.

As a port city, Songjiang Prefecture was naturally a place that Wei Guangde would not give up to others. He would definitely arrange for his own people to come and keep an eye on it.

Hu Junde's academic performance was not particularly good, but he was capable in handling affairs and was highly regarded by Wei Guangde. Otherwise, he would not have gone to Xiangyuan that year and was soon reassigned to Renqiu County.

The first position is actually very important. It's easier to achieve results in a large county, but in a small county, you can only accumulate seniority. The difference is huge.

"No need for formalities between us."

With a faint smile on his face, Wei Guangde said, "The main purpose of this trip south is to quell the affairs in Hangzhou Prefecture. I'm also stopping by Songjiang Prefecture to pay my respects to Grand Secretary Xu. How is his health now?"

Xu Jie, a veteran of three dynasties, was respected by Wei Guangde.

Before this trip south, Empress Dowager Chen of Cining Palace issued an imperial edict and sent gifts for Wei Guangde to give to Grand Secretary Xu.

This also demonstrates that the royal family will not forget the veteran officials who served the country; it's a gesture made for outsiders.

"Grand Secretary Xu is in good health and is currently staying at his home in Huating. My mentor can visit him at any time."

Everything has been arranged in the city. Please come with me into the city to rest, my esteemed teacher. Behind me are officials and gentry from Songjiang Prefecture, who have long admired you.”

Hu Junde gave Wei Guangde a brief answer to his question and then invited them into the city, but he didn’t forget to give a brief introduction to the people who had come with him.

These were local strongmen, and Wei Guangde's businesses in Songjiang Prefecture received much of their support. Wei Guangde naturally put on a humble face, exchanged greetings with them, and then followed them into Songjiang Prefecture.

They first went to a temporarily requisitioned manor to rest. The Wei family had assets in Songjiang Prefecture, but most of them were for business purposes. They also had small courtyards, but no luxurious mansions like this were prepared.

However, the government has always had the habit of requisitioning the mansions of wealthy families. Whenever a distinguished guest needed accommodation, the imperial court would contact local wealthy merchants and gentry to select a mansion for their temporary residence.

Unlike later times, many places built guesthouses to house leaders.

“Songjiang Prefecture has achieved remarkable results since its opening to foreign trade, which has greatly pleased the imperial court and the palace.”

After entering the main hall and taking a seat, Wei Guangde drank two sips of the tea that was served to him before speaking to Hu Junde, who was standing below with his hands at his sides.

"Please sit down, there's no need for such formalities."

As if only then noticing, Prefect Hu was still standing below, and then pointed to the official's hat chair on the left and said.

Next, Hu Junde reported on the situation in Songjiang Prefecture in recent years. Wei Guangde was more concerned about the number of times foreign ships came to trade here and the amount of transactions, rather than just the situation of Ming Dynasty merchant ships going to sea.

At this time, the Ming Dynasty had a serious trade surplus, with very few goods entering from overseas; the main products were Japanese specialties and minerals from Southeast Asia.

However, only exquisite Japanese folding fans and swords entered the pass through Songjiang Prefecture. Thanks to the Yangtze River waterway and convenient river transport, goods from the north and south were distributed in Songjiang Prefecture, which had become a hub for merchants and a place with a thriving economy, far surpassing Guangzhou.

In fact, when Yuegang was rising to prominence, Guangzhou Port, with its unique status and historical background, was able to rival Yuegang.

Yes, despite the general claim that the Ming Dynasty prohibited maritime trade, Guangzhou was nominally also under a maritime ban. However, with the Maritime Trade Office in place, Ming merchants were allowed to engage in "tribute" trade with overseas vassal states, which at one time almost monopolized the Ming Dynasty's overseas markets.

Of the profits, aside from a small amount transported to the inner court through the Maritime Trade Office, most of the tax revenue went into the Guangdong government.

Zhang Juzheng's decision to include Guangzhou in the list of open ports was essentially a way of robbing the Guangdong government of its money to enrich the national treasury.

Apart from a small number of vested interests who were dissatisfied because their interests were harmed, most people accepted the change in the rule.

After all, very few people actually benefit from it; most of them only receive some welfare benefits from the government.

Whether or not this source of income exists makes no difference to these benefits.

On the contrary, because Guangzhou was opening its fishing season, it attracted merchants from Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi and other places to gather in Guangzhou, making the commerce even more prosperous.

"You said that it's closer to Japan by sailing from Songjiang Prefecture."

Wei Guangde lowered his voice and asked quietly.

"Indeed, I've heard people mention it, and they even reorganized the various garrisons and battalions for it."

Hu Junde answered.

Previously, I knew nothing about geography. Seeing the Japanese pirates ravaging Fujian and Zhejiang, I assumed that those areas were closest to Japan. Who knew that after Songjiang opened as a port in the last two years, more merchant ships appeared in Songjiang Prefecture. Both Ming Dynasty maritime merchants and foreign merchants said that Songjiang Prefecture was closest to Japan and had very convenient transportation.

Therefore, Hu Junde wrote a letter to Wei Guangde in Beijing to inform him of the matter as soon as he learned of it.

"It's good to be on guard; you did a good job."

Wei Guangde praised him, saying that officials who know how to be prepared for danger in times of peace are very good.

Looking at later unofficial maps, one might think that Japan was closer to Tianjin.

But in reality, that's due to different projection points. The Earth is round, and many distances are not actually as shown on a flat map.

How many merchant ships can the dock area accommodate for loading and unloading at the same time?

Wei Guangde became concerned about the situation at the Songjiang Prefecture Wharf.

"Initially there were more than ten boats, but now there are enough for twenty or thirty seagoing vessels to dock."

Because many inland riverboats still come here, a new wharf is being built at the mouth of the Wusong River, mainly for riverboats to dock.

At that time, all thirty large ship berths will be able to accommodate ocean-going vessels, and the loading and unloading capacity will be further expanded.

Hu Junde replied.

Because of the opening of the sea routes, the Ming Dynasty was no longer so resistant to and prohibited from maritime transport. Inland merchants transported their goods to Songjiang Prefecture by river, while coastal merchants sent their goods directly here by sea. As a result, there were ships arriving at the port almost every day.

It wasn't just Zhejiang merchants, but also merchants from Huai'an and even southern Shandong, who used seagoing vessels to transport goods to Songjiang Prefecture for sale.

"Do you know anything about the berths on Chongming Island?"

Wei Guangde suddenly asked.

Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River was where the imperial court established the Chongming Garrison Command. After the South China Sea Fleet reported to the Ministry of War, command was transferred to the South China Sea Fleet, which then established a naval port there.

Now that Wei Guangde knows that Songjiang Prefecture is relatively close to Japan, he naturally considers it as one of the starting points for the Ming Dynasty's eastern expedition. The other route will naturally start from Shuicheng, Dengzhou, Shandong.

The mobilized Zhejiang troops boarded ships in Songjiang Prefecture and were escorted by the South China Sea Fleet to set out on the expedition, while the northern army boarded ships in Shandong and set out on the expedition with the East China Sea Fleet.

However, Japan was one of the countries that Emperor Taizu had designated as non-conquest, so the court had to think it over carefully and be very cautious before daring to reveal the news.

Therefore, Songjiang Prefecture took on the task of arranging merchant ships to trade with Japan and secretly sending Jinyiwei spies there.

Wei Guangde's visit this time was intended to hint at this matter to Hu Junde.

After finding out the current situation of the port in Songjiang Prefecture, Wei Guangde told Hu Junde that merchant ships were setting sail from Songjiang Prefecture once a quarter, only saying that a merchant guild had contacted him, hoping to get some help.

Sending spies to Japan was something Wei Guangde would naturally not tell Hu Junde about; if the matter wasn't kept secret, he would lose his life, and Wei Guangde didn't want to involve Hu Junde in it.

However, when the goods were delivered, Wei Guangde still mentioned that he was afraid the port inspectors might find the goods to be unusual and detain the ship.

When Hu Junde knows it's the ship he mentioned, he'll be able to let it pass.

Merchant ships bound for Japan carried goods specifically for the Japanese market, unlike other seagoing vessels.

Upon hearing this, Hu Junde nodded immediately after only a slight surprise.

Wei Guangde knew that he must have thought these ships were his and that they were going to Japan to trade and make money.

However, he actually did own a share in the ship, though it was controlled by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As a special government agency, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also secretly controlled several merchant guilds. When distributing shipping permits, they would obtain one or two permits. Through this connection, their people could easily board other merchant guilds' ships to go to sea.

After all, we're all in business, and harmony brings wealth.

"Understood, teacher. I will take care of you from now on."

Hu Junde readily agreed, as he would definitely take care of his teacher's business. He promised to allow them to set sail at any time and to instruct the inspectors below to give the ship the most favorable tax rate.

In those days, there was no such thing as customs declaration. In other words, merchants would not report the true price of the goods they were transporting on their ships to the government for tax payment; the government had to make its own judgment.

Because it was very troublesome, ancient China levied taxes on maritime trade based on the size of the ships.

Merchants would naturally try every means to earn back this tax from the cargo on board.

This is a very smart approach.

In fact, Yuegang had already imposed tariffs twice at Wei Guangde's suggestion, but the merchants were still willing to bear the burden, which shows that the tariffs were really insignificant compared to the profits that the goods on board could bring.

Songjiang Prefecture could simply copy Yuegang's approach; there was no reason why Songjiang Prefecture merchants couldn't do it if Yuegang merchants could.

Even with regulations, those below still know how to seek personal gain.

By slightly reducing the size of the boat during registration, the boat owner can pay less tax, and they will receive a share of that tax.

However, such things cannot be taken too far; the control is in the hands of the government.

Whenever Hu Junde expressed dissatisfaction with taxation, his subordinates would immediately take control of the situation and increase port customs revenue.

Hu Junde naturally couldn't refuse to collect the teachers' taxes, but he would absolutely not charge an extra penny and would offer the greatest possible discount.

"Someone, bring me my invitation. Prefect Hu, send someone to lead the way to Grand Secretary Xu's residence and tell him that I will be visiting him tomorrow."

After finishing the important business, Wei Guangde gave the instructions.

"Yes, teacher, the banquet is almost ready."

Hu Junde hurriedly said.

"Okay, I'll change into casual clothes and leave. You go and arrange for someone to lead the way."

When Wei Guangde called for people, one of his attendants stood at the door with Wei Guangde's invitation card and waited.

Wei Guangde changed his clothes, and Hu Junde also arranged for his men to lead the way for the attendant to Xu Jie's residence to present a visiting card.

It wasn't an imperial edict for Xu Jie; the Empress Dowager simply had someone select some items to send over. Naturally, no incense table or anything like that was prepared to receive the edict.

The young emperor Zhu Yijun also sent ten jars of imperial wine to Xu Jie.

This was due to both Xu Jie's great contributions and Zhang Juzheng's influence.

"In recent years, the Yangtze River has been prone to flooding. Since Songjiang Prefecture is located at the mouth of the sea, you must be extra careful."

Songjiang Prefecture itself has a large number of waterways, especially the Huangpu and Wusong Rivers, which have already formed their course. So, we managed them according to Hai Rui's methods.

The current situation in Songjiang Prefecture is not easy; we absolutely cannot afford any mishaps.

Because the Yellow River floods were temporarily averted, Zhang Juzheng used the Ministry of Works' flood control funds to repair the Jingjiang Dike, which drew constant criticism from the court.

Many people say that Zhang Juzheng used this opportunity to protect his hometown while neglecting the security of the south bank of the Yangtze River. However, Zhang Juzheng privately communicated with Wei Guangde, saying that his purpose was simply to sever the connection between the Yangtze River and Yunmengze, so that in the long run, the ancient Yunmengze could be enclosed and turned into fertile land. (End of this chapter)