I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1091 Where the sun and moon shine, how dare we not bow our heads
Solving one contradiction will lead to the emergence of new ones; this is the core concept of the theory of contradiction, and contradictions are universal.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, the Ming Dynasty is undergoing a period of revival in its own way, and is building on its past achievements to become even stronger. However, new contradictions have emerged during this revival process.

This new contradiction is that the Ming Dynasty has now formed a path dependency, and everything is turning to the path of "making the barbarians suffer". This path was developed through 23 years of reform and has been proven effective in practice.

However, this path dependence has a problem. If a behemoth like monopoly capital emerges, it will lead to a vicious cycle of militarism, consumption without production, and the unscrupulous exploitation of the world by the invincible Ming army. No matter how big the hole, the foreigners overseas will have to bear the burden.

This is another development path of militarism: one is that years of war have emptied the flesh and blood of the Ming Dynasty; the other is that by spreading its military power all over the world, the Ming Dynasty, which did not engage in production, has become a hollow shell.

Similarly, this is not a moral issue, but a problem that the overseas barbarians cannot bear. If the Ming Dynasty owes too much debt and only consumes without producing, even killing all the overseas barbarians would not be enough to fill this hole.

The inevitable result of the convergence of foreigners and monopoly capital is the shift from real to virtual economy.

The reason for shifting production overseas is simply due to cost issues. People in the Ming Dynasty were expensive, while those in foreign countries were cheap. As long as this basic fact exists, the transfer of industries overseas is inevitable.

The reason why the emperor was so cautious about the behemoth that was monopoly capital, and even felt uneasy about it, was because he was worried about the negative impact of decoupling from the real economy and hollowing out of industry.

The people of the Ming Dynasty at that time, looking at the sails that blotted out the sky on the sea off Songjiang Prefecture, could never have imagined that one day in the future, the Ming Dynasty would not even be able to build ships.

Zhu Yijun's foresight stemmed from his genuine observation of this warlike development path, and it was not far off.

Ten years is more than enough for a period of prosperity to turn into decline.

As for Zhu Changhong, the fourth son of Zhu Laosi, this eleven-year-old boy was exceptionally persistent and fascinated by production. For the emperor, Zhu Changhong's performance was very gratifying.

At least if the throne is passed to Zhu Changhong, there is no need to worry that the Ming Dynasty will go astray into a life of non-production.

Zhu Changhong felt from a young age that production was very important. If the emperor did not correct the deviation, the court officials would not dare to. When he grew up, if a court official told him to sell the official factory to make money, Zhu Changhong would probably think that the minister was crazy.

A person's understanding of the world is very, very difficult to change because this value system is the sum of their entire past life. To make a change means to deny all of one's past. Don't try to change a person's perception easily, because it is really hard to do.

During the Wanli Reforms, Zhou Liangyin was truly the only one who had a sudden awakening. Of the thirteen censors who had caused trouble with him back then, some have been arrested, some have retired and returned to their hometowns, and some have even been beheaded.

Zhu Changhong's first public appearance surprised almost everyone. Compared to the more ordinary Crown Prince Zhu Changzhi, Zhu Changhong seemed more like the chosen one.

"Last year, the Master submitted a memorial to me, solemnly telling me that there was an irreconcilable conflict between the Emperor and the Crown Prince. I originally thought that this was just to warn me and was deliberately making alarmist claims, but seeing Hong'er's performance today, I understand that it is indeed the case," Zhu Yijun said to Empress Wang with a very complicated expression.

Time has not left many marks on Wang Yaozhuo; instead, it has given her more charm. At this moment, however, Wang Yaozhuo's face is full of sorrow.

Empress Wang hesitated greatly about whether to allow Zhu Changhong to make a public appearance. She was torn because both Zhu Changhong and Zhu Changhong were her beloved children, and she would feel sorry for either of them if she had to suffer.

Zhu Changhong is exceptionally intelligent. If he is not allowed to appear in public, it would be a disservice to the fourth son. However, if Zhu Changhong appears, he would be a visible threat to Zhu Changzhi.

Zhu Changhong's performance has actually gone beyond the scope of being a tool to motivate the Crown Prince to improve. Given Zhu Changhong's intelligence, he would never agree to be a tool to stimulate the Crown Prince to become successful.

The Crown Prince is already fifteen years old. According to His Majesty's age back then, by this time, preparations should have been made for Zhu Changzhi's wedding. Once married, he would be settled down and no longer a child.

Even in their daily lives, Zhu Changzhi and Zhu Changhong showed signs of estrangement, which was expressed through excessive politeness.

Zhu Changzhi was of advanced age, while Zhu Changhong was precocious.

Wang Yaozhuo sat down next to Zhu Yijun, his face full of worry, and shook his head, saying, "Even enfeoffing someone else won't work."

“Indeed.” Zhu Yijun wholeheartedly agreed. He had discussed this issue in detail with the Empress, who thought it was unacceptable because history had taught the Emperor and Empress that doing so would result in the Jingnan Campaign.

Given the political situation in the early Hongwu period, the south and north of the Ming Dynasty had been divided for nearly two hundred years, the Yan-Yun region for over three hundred years, and Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui for even longer, more than five hundred years. From this perspective, Zhu Yuanzhang's arrangement of Zhu Di in the Yan Prefecture was essentially a form of enfeoffment.

Moreover, when Zhu Yuanzhang died, he issued a strict order forbidding the princes from returning to the capital, precisely to prevent these princes from threatening Zhu Yunwen's throne.

It doesn't matter if they don't let us come back, we can just send them back.

Leaving aside other dynasties, in the Ming Dynasty alone, the struggle for the throne led to the Jingnan Campaign, the Prince of Han's rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong's execution of the Prince of Han, and Zhu Qizhen's subsequent coup after being brought back, during which he immediately killed his younger brother Zhu Qiyu. These bloody and painful lessons surrounding the throne taught the emperor and empress that this matter could never be resolved peacefully.

"What should I do? How did I give birth to such a promising son?" Wang Yaozhuo also rubbed his forehead. The eldest son, Zhu Changzhi, was a normal person. In addition, as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, according to the inheritance law of the Ming Dynasty, his position was unshakable.

But as Zhu Changhong grew older and performed better and better, Wang Yaozhuo became more and more worried. The key was that Zhu Changhong also had great talent in martial arts and military affairs. He was tall and strong, and it could be said that Zhu Changhong was the prince who most resembled the emperor.

You can tell what a person will be like at three, and what they will be like in their old age at seven. Whether a person can become successful can actually be seen from a young age, such as their temperament, character, and patience.

Whether one can succeed depends heavily on talent.

For example, when it comes to tutoring, Wang Yaozhuo is like a shrew to Zhu Changzhi, even wondering if Zhu Changzhi was switched at birth because he can't understand such simple math problems. But Wang Yaozhuo hardly has to worry about Zhu Changhong, who is very easy to manage in his studies and martial arts.

For example, regarding martial arts training, Wang Yaozhuo specifically arranged for several eunuchs to wake Zhu Changzhi up, but Zhu Changhong was not required to do so.

Zhu Changhong is always like this; he knows exactly what to do at what time and is very organized.

Zhu Changzhi has status, and Zhu Changhong has ability. As far as Zhu Changhong is concerned, you were born a few years earlier than me, so the throne should naturally be yours.
"What should we do?" Zhu Yijun asked Wang Yaozhuo with a helpless expression.

“If even a capable man like my husband can’t do anything, how could I, a mere woman, possibly know what to do?” Wang Yaozhu spread her hands, indicating that she had no idea.

In fact, for Zhu Yijun and his wife, there was another option: to simply spoil Zhu Changhong.

It is very difficult to cultivate a person into a talent, but it is not so easy to ruin a person. Just do it in a subtle way, find a few scholars to teach him, and over time, he will naturally become a lowly scholar.

To their parents, both Zhu Changzhi and Zhu Changhong were sons.

"Let's wait and see." Zhu Yijun could only make a decision based on the situation and circumstances.

Wang Yaozhuo looked at the emperor and said angrily, "Mother, before this southern tour, you said you wanted to take two more concubines for my husband. What could I, as a daughter-in-law, say? I could only say okay, take concubines, take ten!"

"Didn't we just take two concubines last year? I've only seen them four times in total." Zhu Yijun rubbed his forehead and shook his head, saying, "There are too many people in the harem. I'm not an ox; I can't manage them all, I really can't manage them all."

Wang Yaozhuo hesitated, leaning back in his chair. In fact, Empress Dowager Li had been urging the emperor to take concubines for a simple reason: she hoped that if those young and beautiful women entered the palace, they could snatch the emperor away from Wang Yaozhuo.

Wang Yaozhuo has four sons and two daughters: the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Sixth Prince Zhu Changhe, the Ninth Prince Zhu Changze, the Second Princess Zhu Xuanshu, and the Fifth Princess Zhu Xuan'e. That's already a lot; having another child would affect her health.

Empress Dowager Li was very dissatisfied with this, feeling that if more people entered the palace, the emperor, like an ox, would become a field that neither plows nor bears fruit.

But now that the emperor and empress have a very good relationship, Empress Dowager Li, as the mother-in-law, can only ask the emperor to take more concubines.

"Anyway, I've arranged for her to enter the palace." Wang Yaozhuo got angry when she talked about this and started rambling on, just like a normal couple having a late-night chat, saying whatever came to mind. At this point, Zhu Yijun had to admit that the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was indeed a major family conflict since ancient times.

Wang Yaozhuo harbored some resentment towards Empress Dowager Li. This resentment stemmed from the fact that the emperor had no intention of taking concubines, despite Empress Dowager Li's repeated demands; it also centered on the education of the imperial heirs, as Empress Dowager Li's notoriously strict educational methods towards Wang Yaozhuo had been a source of discontent for a very long time.

Wang Yaozhuo was also dissatisfied. The children were unruly and mischievous, and they all played around instead of doing their homework. He would scold them or hit them a couple of times. Empress Dowager Li also kept lecturing them.

In fact, when the emperor visited her on the first and fifteenth of each month, Empress Dowager Li would also mention these things to him, criticizing Wang Yaozhuo.

Empress Dowager Li had her own educational philosophy. Because she had a son named Zhu Yijun, who was the most successful man in the land, she was very proud of him and had great faith in her educational ideas.

"As for the children, we'll listen to you; we don't need to listen to their mother," Zhu Yijun stated, expressing his stance.

Empress Dowager Li's methods were completely unworkable. Historical experience showed that if this approach continued, Emperor Wanli would neglect court affairs for thirty years, becoming so negligent that he was universally despised. Meanwhile, Prince Lu, Zhu Yiliu, was a notorious troublemaker, committing countless evil deeds and utterly spoiled. He was ruined.

If we follow Empress Dowager Li's educational philosophy, we might end up raising a bunch of useless imperial heirs.

"That's more like it." Wang Yaozhuo said smugly, but then quickly became a little depressed. She thought of Zhu Changhong, that overly ambitious child. Being too ambitious is sometimes not a good thing.

The trial of Zheng Song was completed quickly, and the result was the extermination of his entire clan.

Even Oda Nobunaga's sister, Oda Ichi, was able to live out her later years peacefully in the Ming Dynasty. Oda Ichi was a Japanese, while Zheng Song, as the lord of Zheng, was one of the five lords and seventy-two clans. The punishment given by the court was the extermination of his entire clan as a show of force.

On the third day of the fourth month, Zhu Yijun went to the Songjiang Prefecture Garrison Command and interrogated Zheng Song himself.

Prince Zheng Song of Ping'an was much younger than Zhu Yijun had imagined, only in his forties. He was also very handsome and upright, with a dignified appearance. Even when he was imprisoned, he still managed to present himself in a very proper manner.

"This humble subject pays respects to His Majesty the Holy Ruler who unites the four seas. Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!" Zheng Song bowed respectfully. His Chinese was very good. The Nôm script was used by the poor and laborers. The upper class of Annam took pride in speaking Chinese, writing Chinese, and composing Chinese poetry.

"Your Majesty, the Holy Ruler Who Unifies the Four Seas, you certainly know how to best bestow titles upon me." Upon hearing this, Zhu Yijun smiled and did not tell Zheng Song to rise.

Zheng Song bowed his head and said obsequiously, "In fact, all the vassal states and territories address His Majesty in this way."

"Since you are so submissive, why does Thang Long Castle use yellow tiles? Even the so-called palaces and residences of the Japanese emperor use blue tiles." Zhu Yijun looked at Zheng Song and asked very calmly. Of course he could be calm. The yellow tiles had been replaced with blue tiles by the Ming army, so he was very composed.

Zheng Song bowed again and said sincerely, "There is an idiom in the Ming Dynasty, 'a monkey wearing a crown.' Mo Maoqia and Mo Quan, who were appointed as commanders-in-chief by the Ming Dynasty, have overstepped their bounds and declared themselves emperors in the country, and have exceeded the bounds of etiquette by using yellow tiles."

"It was precisely to punish the disloyal that I attacked the Mo family, captured Thang Long City, and beheaded them as a warning to others!"

"Does he, a monkey, think that just because he's wearing human clothes, he's a human being? Do Mo Maoqia and Mo Quan think that just because they're wearing yellow tiles, they're real emperors?"

Zheng Song meant that his attack on the Mo family was in the best interests of the Ming Dynasty, and that all his actions were just. "Is replacing the yellow tiles such a troublesome thing? Do I have to send troops to replace them?" Zhu Yijun followed up on Zheng Song's words, curious about how Zheng Song would explain it.

"I have only been in Thang Long for a short time, and my priority is to maintain stability. It has only been three years since I arrived in Thang Long, and the situation has just stabilized when the Ming army arrived." Zheng Song said calmly, as if he really meant it.

A politician's basic quality is to lie through one's teeth without feeling guilty, and even to the point of being self-righteous.

Zheng Song was obviously lying, and the emperor knew he was lying, but this was a very sensitive matter, and with a suitable reason, everyone could save face.

With a way out provided, whether the emperor will accept it or not, and whether he will be willing to forgive, depends entirely on the emperor's will.

"The court's decision has been passed. Zheng Song is guilty of treason and his entire clan will be executed." Zhu Yijun sat up straight and looked at Zheng Song, saying, "The remaining four rulers and fifty-four surnames, I will definitely send them to the underworld to keep you company next autumn. You can continue playing there."

"A tiny place, yet it has five powerful figures; a small temple with a big wind."

"Exterminate the entire clan?" Zheng Song suddenly raised his head, staring at the emperor in disbelief. He slumped to the ground, uttering in a daze, "Why? Didn't we already surrender?"

Zhu Yijun's expression changed from calm to ruthless. He looked at Zheng Song and said, "Because of the Mingxiang Society you created, which is nominally meant to manage the people of the North, but all your actions are condemned by both gods and men!"

"I've come to ask you, what are you planning to do? Who gave you the audacity to provoke the Ming Dynasty!"

"You allow Annamite ships to plunder Ming merchant ships and to raise pirates to trade Han Chinese people. Do you think the Mingxiang Society is your most important bargaining chip? Do you think that as long as you play this card, I can't do anything to you?!"

"Liu Ting, Chen Lin, and Luo Shangzhi have thoroughly investigated the Mingxiang Society's affairs. The blood debts you personally incurred are far more than fifty. And that's just from your own actions. What about your henchmen and lackeys? How many murders have they committed?!"

"You will die! Your whole family will die! All five families and seventy-two surnames will die! This is the consequence of daring to attack Han people!"

"I want to kill until rivers of blood flow, so that everyone knows the price of doing so!"

"Where the sun and moon shine, how dare we not bow our heads!"

Judging from the wounds on the bodies of the five righteous men captured by Zheng Song, they had suffered inhuman torture before their deaths. After their deaths, their bodies were covered with grotesque scribbles, as if their souls would suffer torment for generations to come.

Zhu Yijun's voice was not loud, and his tone was very gentle, but the anger in his words made even Zhang Hong and Zhao Mengyou, who had come with the emperor, shudder involuntarily. In the Ming Dynasty, the emperor had very rarely shown such a ruthless side.

"The reason I reduced the population of the Japanese is the same as the reason I killed you five families and seventy-two surnames. It is to let you know the price of doing so, so that you will never dare to do it again."

"And if your entire clan isn't exterminated, how can those seven righteous men rest in peace?" Zhu Yijun composed himself, regaining his composure, and gave Zheng Song a reason to exterminate his entire clan.

Zhang Hong knew very well that His Majesty did not regard barbarians as human beings at all. It was only because of the Mingxiang Society incident that His Majesty's true anger was stirred up, and that's why His Majesty showed it. His Majesty was a master of disguise when he was very young, but he usually hid it very well.

Of course, this is the Songjiang Prefecture Zhenfu Division. Only eunuchs and imperial guards can see this side of the palace. The imperial guards are the emperor's henchmen, and seeing this side of the palace would only make them feel at ease.

As long as one is loyal to the country, His Majesty will truly respect them. He even respects righteous men and will avenge them. As the henchmen of the Ming Emperor, the Imperial Guards can receive His Majesty's courtesy and respect as long as they are loyal enough.

Xin Qiji, who wrote the poem "To accomplish the affairs of the emperor and the world, and to win fame before and after death," did not have that opportunity, but the Ming Dynasty had the opportunity as long as it was willing to do so.

Zhang Hong and Zhao Mengyou felt that His Majesty's idea of ​​not treating barbarians as human beings was very reasonable, because it was Wan Shihe who explained the distinction between Chinese and barbarians to His Majesty. If anyone was to blame, it was Wan Shihe who taught them to be like this.

Wan Shihe's greatest contribution was establishing a set of etiquette and rules for foreign and ethnic narratives, as well as domestic class narratives.

Wan Shi and he himself did not understand or see this set of etiquette and laws clearly. He just felt that it was right, so he did it. With the debate between Chinese and barbarians on the left hand and the class theory on the right hand, he expanded the sea frontier and stabilized the country and people's livelihood.

Where the sun and moon shine, how dare we not bow our heads? This is a true reflection of Your Majesty's heart.

"Your Majesty, I am also a Han Chinese! My ancestors migrated from the Ming Dynasty to Annam!" Zheng Song panicked completely, losing his previous composure and dropping his pretense, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for forgiveness.

The emperor was serious; he really intended to exterminate his entire clan.

"You remember now? Too late." Zhu Yijun sneered, "Han Chinese, you dare to say you're worthy?"

"Your Majesty, I am still useful! Your Majesty cannot kill me! As long as I live, the Annamese will have no reason to rebel. Once I die, countless people will rise up in the name of avenging me. Your Majesty, please think it over!" Seeing that the emotional appeal was ineffective, Zheng Song immediately played the value card. He still had value, and he could not die.

"Just kill them all." When no officials were around, Zhu Yijun stopped pretending and directly stated the reason for his decision.

"This!" Zheng Song collapsed to the ground, staggering back a few steps, his face filled with confusion and bewilderment. This Ming Dynasty was completely different from the Ming Dynasty he had imagined! It didn't match his historical experience at all!

In the nineteenth year of the Jiajing reign, the usurper Mo Dengyong and dozens of his ministers bound themselves and arrived at Zhennan Pass to kneel and surrender, offering their land. In the end, the Ming Dynasty spared Mo Dengyong and restored his status and position as the military governor of Annam. This was the greatest source of confidence for the Mo Dynasty, as it had the support of the Ming Dynasty.

Now, the Ming army has reached Thang Long City, and he finally surrendered, only to meet such an end.

“Without the Mingxiang Society, you would indeed be somewhat useful in establishing a new order for the Ming Dynasty in Annam. Unfortunately, with the Mingxiang Society, you are of no use at all.” Zhu Yijun stood up, put his hands behind his back, and said, “You have spun your own cocoon.”

Zhu Yijun ignored Zheng Song and walked away from the Songjiang Prefecture Garrison with steady, square steps. He came to pronounce the verdict in person just to see Zheng Song's defeated expression. What kind of person dared to lay a hand on the people of the Ming Dynasty!

The Ming Dynasty was constructing its own Mahayana philosophy of winning, which meant celebrating when you actually win and reflecting when you lose, rather than fabricating a victory just for the sake of winning. Such a Hinayana philosophy of winning was not accepted by the Ming Dynasty.

According to the Ministry of Rites' explanation: false victories and embellished triumphs can only bring temporary stability, but the existence of the facts will cause the regime's legitimacy to gradually be lost due to the accumulation of countless defeats.

Shen Li discussed this issue systematically in a memorial entitled "The Essentials of the Everlasting Victory over the Barbarians," in which he stated:

The nature of the four barbarian tribes is to always strive for victory, never yielding an inch of land and fighting for every drop of water. If they are not satisfied with their victories, they will embellish them; if they are more than satisfied with their defeats, they will conceal them.

Defeat is always claimed as a complete victory, and setbacks are always touted as triumphs. It's not that we are shameless, but we fear the disunity of our troops. Victory means we can gather in our tents, but defeat means we will scatter like stars in the sky.

To cover up one's victories and conceal one's defeats is something only barbarians would do. The Ming Dynasty is a celestial empire, and it should clearly understand the dangers involved. It should face up to the mistakes made in the course of development, rather than run away from them; otherwise, the struggle for power will inevitably lead to its downfall.

The Ming Dynasty achieved a series of resounding victories on the battlefield in Annam. The victory was so great that even Prince Trần Tông of Thái Lương was captured and sent to the Ming court for execution.

"Is this pricing acceptable?" Zhu Yijun returned to the Imperial Study in Yanqing Palace, handling state affairs. Looking at the price list in front of him, he said, "This price list from the Western Merchants Alliance seems a bit too high."

"No problem, Your Majesty, there's absolutely no problem," Zhang Hong quickly replied.

Zhu Yijun frowned and asked, "Is there a problem?"

"A blue-and-white porcelain plate produced in the Ming Dynasty costs six strings of cash, while pepper from Southeast Asia is only worth six coins per catty. Six strings of cash and six coins. If you say I don't understand business, the same blue-and-white porcelain plate from the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance is only worth one string of cash."

"Even robbery isn't done like this."

The same plate was priced six times higher by the Western Merchants Alliance than by the Pan-Pacific Merchants Alliance.

Looking at the two ledgers, Zhang Hong smiled and said, "This pricing is really reasonable. The Western Merchants Alliance doesn't have silver, so they gave all the good goods to the Pan-Pacific Merchants Alliance. Since the Chinese and foreigners can afford to buy goods with real money, the prices will naturally be fairer."

"Moreover, the Western barbarians can come to the Ming Dynasty on their own. Few members of the Western Merchant Alliance have ships; it is all Ming Dynasty merchant ships that go there. The risks are greater, so naturally the profits should be higher as well."

Zhu Yijun put down the two account books and asked with some doubt, "What you said is all correct, but is it really okay to do business like this? Six coins a pound of pepper, how can these merchants come up with such a price? In the Ming Dynasty, a pound of pepper costs sixty coins, but the Western Merchants Alliance only offers six coins."

"Why not just rob them directly instead of pretending to buy and sell?"

No matter how eloquently Zhang Hong speaks, this is blatant robbery. Can this kind of business really last?
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Hong said with great certainty, "At this price, these foreign barbarians will be grateful to our Great Ming. If they don't kowtow and express their gratitude, our Great Ming merchant ships won't even go!"

“Those red-haired barbarians just openly robbed us. We, the Ming Dynasty, are more polite and give them something in return.”

"In fact, most of the Western Merchants Alliance came with this idea in mind. If they could join the Western Merchants Alliance, they would be a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty. This status was really important to them. At least they would have a place to appeal their grievances and could file a complaint with the Da Nang General Council."

"When those Western colonists kill people, they really aim to wipe them out. With the status of being a tributary state of the Ming Dynasty, at least those Western colonists will have to consider whether killing people will lead to enmity with our Ming Dynasty."

"The money to buy your life is no longer expensive."

“That makes sense.” Zhu Yijun nodded, finally understanding why there was such a huge difference between the pricing of the Western Merchant Alliance and the pricing of the Pan-Pacific Merchant Alliance. In fact, the various merchants of the Western Merchant Alliance were quite willing to accept this loss.

The Ming Dynasty seemed to have made a huge profit, but they didn't feel like they had lost out. The Ming Dynasty's status as a tributary state was really important.

The Ming Dynasty may not really care about these foreign countries, but if a certain foreign country came last year but didn't come this year, the court would always ask why it didn't come this year.

For a small, foreign country, asking just this one question is already an act of immense imperial grace.

Being a domestic dog is better than being a stray dog ​​that runs around with nowhere to go.

Moreover, the Western Merchants Alliance established an office in Da Nang, and there was indeed a maritime court under the General Council to handle these disputes. It seemed to be just a trade dispute, but within a few years, the Western Merchants Alliance General Council had to mediate the contradictions and conflicts between the parties.

The Pacific Rim Business Alliance already has this function.

With constant fighting, not to mention the heavy casualties among these barbarians, how can the Ming Dynasty do business? Where will the Ming Dynasty sell all the goods it produces?
For small, foreign countries in the West, the establishment of the Western Merchant Alliance meant the arrival of justice and the beginning of order.

Once you understand this point clearly, the pricing list from the Western Merchants Alliance really isn't expensive.

Safety is one of the most expensive commodities in the world, and the people of the Ming Dynasty, living in peace and stability, took it all for granted.

(End of this chapter)