I'm really not doing business

Chapter 568: The Ming Dynasty's Factory Guards in Japan - The Special Investigation Department of the Kyoto District Prosecutors Office in Japan

The most typical sign of a strict hierarchy is a high degree of fixity and immobility. The hierarchy uses politics, law, religion, occupation, culture and even marital relationships to completely fix the social relationships of all people. It is hereditary and the barriers between different levels are completely insurmountable. This is a strict hierarchy.

For example, the Ming Dynasty also had a strict hierarchy. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were hereditary officials, military honors were handed down from generation to generation, and prominent families that had been passed down for hundreds of years. There were also literati who were born out of the Ming Dynasty's imperial examination system. They enjoyed privileges in terms of laws and taxes.

But the Ming Dynasty was very clearly a class society divided by means of production, rather than a hierarchical society, because there were very clear channels for upward mobility. The imperial examination was like the carp leaping over the dragon gate, and the widespread practice of obtaining hereditary titles of hundred or thousand households after making meritorious service was also a channel for upward mobility. With the Wanli Reform, the people of the Ming Dynasty had more channels for upward mobility.

The three-level schools of the Engineering Corps, the Royal Institute of Technology of the Ming Dynasty, the Military Academy, the Maritime Academy, the Artisan School of the Official Factory, etc., where the coastal defense inspector, the guard, and the marquis became a thousand-householder of the Imperial Guard, etc., were all new promotion channels established since the Wanli Reform.

The Ming Dynasty was undergoing rapid changes, and these changes were not only caused by Zhang Juzheng's new laws. Therefore, it would be biased to simply call the Wanli Reform Zhang Juzheng's Reform. Zhu Yijun stood on the shoulders of giants and allowed the Ming Dynasty to take a small step forward, and this small step was extremely difficult.

Every step of the reform represents a new attempt and a challenge to vested interests.

Zhu Yijun took every step steadily.

At the end of July in the eleventh year of the Wanli reign, Zhu Yijun received a report from the Nagasaki Governor-General's Office that after receiving the unfavorable news of Oda Nobunaga's assassination, he was defeated in Osaka Bay, which was even more unfavorable to Oda Nobunaga.

It is not surprising that Mori Terumoto was able to defeat the Kumano navy led by Kuki Yoshitaka. This was not the first time that the Mori family defeated Oda Nobunaga's navy. In the first Battle of Kizugawaguchi, the Mori family defeated Oda Nobunaga.

But soon Oda Nobunaga built a new type of warship, the Atakabune. The appearance of the Atakabune put Mori Terumoto at a complete disadvantage in the battle at sea.

"Let me see what level of ship of the Ming Dynasty is equivalent to Oda Nobunaga's Ataka ship." Zhu Yijun picked up the memorial from the coastal defense inspector and checked the parameters of the Ataka ship in detail.

"An ordinary Anzhai ship has 6 tons, which is the same as the Ming Dynasty's Zuanfeng ship. It is 2 feet long, 1 feet wide, 2 feet 3 inches deep, divided into 4 cabins, with two masts, 8 oars, 4 poles, and 9 anchors." Zhu Yijun saw the most common Anzhai ship, which was smaller than the Zuanfeng ship. The Ming Dynasty's Zuanfeng ship had 2 tons, while the tons of Anzhai ship had tons (volume).

Rounded up to four hundred.

"The largest ship is Tenka Maru, 9 feet long, 3 feet wide, 2 feet deep, 3 cabins, single mast, 4 oars, 8 poles, 16 anchors, 4 cannons, 12 tons..." Zhu Yijun looked at the ship named Tenka Maru and said with some doubt: "Feng Daban, am I confused? Can a ship with 3 tons be called a large ship?"

The largest ship Zhu Yijun had ever seen was the Youlong, which was 33 zhang long, 3 zhang 8 chi 1 cun wide, 1 zhang 9 chi 6 cun deep, had a carrying capacity of 340 million jin (1700 tons), and had five masts. There were four -jin cannons in the front alone. This was a merchant ship, not the Feiyun, which was specially designed for combat purposes and was covered with gun positions.

The Tenkamaru, also known as the Dai'anzhai, was about the same size as the Ming Dynasty's 400-ton warship. In the Ming Dynasty's statistical data, the 400-ton warship could not even be called a warship and was not included in the statistics during the Yongle period. It was much smaller than the Fukudani ship that Qi Jiguang used to suppress the Japanese pirates.

This thing is Japan's current main battleship.

Feng Bao was silent for a moment and then said, "For Japan, this ship is not small. It must have taken a lot of effort for Oda Nobunaga to build it. We can't compare everything with the Ming Dynasty. If we compare with the Ming Dynasty, we might as well buy it with silver."

It’s not that Japan is weak, it’s that the Ming Dynasty is too strong.

"He wants to buy it, but I won't sell it to him." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said.

Ming Dynasty ships were prohibited from selling anything to Japan. In addition to ships, there were also food, weapons and other items on the list of items prohibited from being sold to Japan. Because Ryukyu was in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, all goods traveling to and from Japan had to be inspected by the Ming Dynasty, so no contraband could escape the Ming Dynasty's ban.

It was discovered that he was colluding with the Japanese, which was the most serious of all crimes.

"What the hell is this evil creature?" After looking at the various parameters of the Antaku ship, Zhu Yijun determined that their ship did not have the ability to cross the sea and continued to read the Tang newspaper.

The Tangbao mentioned the evil non-human beings. Zhu Yijun understood it carefully and confirmed that he was not mistaken.

After thinking about it carefully, he remembered what this concept was. It also existed widely in Japan in the 21st century. This group of people were called Burakumin in later generations. There was a book called "General Guide to Tribal Place Names" that was widely circulated. The descendants of these Burakumin also suffered from discrimination. These Burakumin could not enter good private universities, and would not be accepted by companies after graduation. Most people would not marry their daughters to Burakumin. Once involved in a criminal case, they would be assumed to be guilty, and so on.

"A General Guide to Tribal Place Names" records the surnames of the non-human beings in the past, such as Zhubi, Inugami, Zhusui, Niuchang, and Zhugu, which are typical surnames.

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and became convinced that this was not the fault of Confucianism. Confucius and Mencius both talked about the moral principles between the ruler and the minister, and about the distinction between good and humble. But Confucianism also talked about the principle of teaching without distinction, human nature is inherently good, etc. However, the Japanese people in Japan really did not learn any of that.

Prostitutes were of low status, but Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister and Minister of Rites of the Ming Dynasty, married Liu Rushi.

The uprising of the slaves in the south of the Yangtze River and the seizure of arms were also major events that alarmed the court.

The Ming Dynasty was also a Confucian country, and such incidents never occurred. In Japan, the evil people are considered non-human and are a group that cannot be touched or discussed.

"If Oda Nobunaga is willing to come, then let her come. As for her demands, just pretend that we don't know. In the next chapter, the Nagasaki Governor's Office can appropriately provide Oda Nobunaga with some firearms and gunpowder to maintain the balance between the two sides. Only then can the Ming Dynasty benefit." Zhu Yijun approved Xu Wei's memorial and let Xu Wei find the right balance himself.

Mori Terumoto could not win, and Oda Nobunaga could not win either. Only when both sides were evenly matched could they truly become a bloody grinder and drain the last bit of blood from Japan. Only in this way could the Ming Dynasty win.

Zhu Yijun did not plan to launch a large-scale attack on Japan or fight across the sea in the near future. To completely destroy a country with a population of nine million, the Japanese people would need to do it themselves.

Balance exists in all things.

"Don't send the iron cavalry to pick him up this time." Zhu Yijun didn't even need to do more. He just needed to not send the iron cavalry to pick him up, which would send out a clear signal. When the officials of the Ministry of Rites received the signal, they would naturally know how to make things difficult for people in the process. It would not be so easy and simple to meet the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

If Japan wants to be a dog for the Ming Dynasty, it is not qualified.

Zhu Yijun had two choices. The first choice was to agree to Oda Nobunaga's request and let the Ming Dynasty's coastal defense inspectors become Oda Nobunaga's protectors. This would facilitate the coastal defense inspectors' actions in Japan and effectively reduce the risk of the coastal defense inspectors spying on intelligence, which was equivalent to driving a nail into Japan's throat.

It is roughly: the Ming Dynasty’s factory guards in Japan - the Special Investigation Department of the Kyoto District Public Prosecutions in Japan.

The second choice is to refuse. Most of the coastal defense inspectors of the Ming Dynasty were born in the southeast. They chose to risk their lives at sea because their families suffered from the Japanese invasion. The soldiers on the front line were using their lives to guard the security of the Ming Dynasty's sea borders, so that the suffering they had experienced would not happen again. Zhu Yijun, the emperor who was in charge of logistics in the rear, sold them out to Japan and made the coastal defense inspectors serve the Japanese. It was very reasonable for the coastal defense inspectors to curse the emperor as a dog.

The opinions from the front line are very important. The soldiers on the front line are fighting on the battlefield with their lives. The first consideration in the rear should be the opinions from the front line. This has been Zhu Yijun's consistent proposition since he became emperor. Zhu Yijun never interfered with any of Qi Jiguang's commands in front-line operations.

Zhu Yijun was very aware of his military talent.

Zhu Yijun did not make a statement immediately, but instead sent a memorial to the Northern Pacification Office, asking the imperial guards of the Northern Pacification Office to seek the opinions of the various coastal defense inspection offices.

In Japan, the opinions of the Coast Guard Inspectors have the highest weight on whether or not the Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office Special Investigation Department should be established.

The Ming Emperor was inclined to disagree. He had to consider the mood of the soldiers on the front line, especially the coastal defense inspectors deep behind enemy lines, who were already working very hard to operate the hydrofoil sailboats.

"Your Majesty, it is not easy for our coastal defense inspectors to gather intelligence in Japan, and it often costs a lot. It would be much easier if we had an identity to act." As the commander of the intelligence department of the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Mengyou put forward his own opinions.

There is no conflict or contradiction between being kind and loving soldiers like one's own sons. When sacrifice is necessary, Zhao Mengyou will step forward. However, if casualties can be reduced and intelligence can be obtained more conveniently, it will also be good news for the soldiers on the front line.

Life is the most important thing. One less coastal defense inspector would be a loss for the Ming Dynasty.

"After all, we are going to Japan to be the emperor, not to be a despicable person." Zhao Mengyou whispered his reasons again. He was going to be a superior person, not a pariah. He could understand his majesty's reluctance to agree, because not allowing the Japanese envoys to ride on iron horses was the most powerful tendency.

Zhu Yijun could actually understand what Zhao Mengyou said. Just think about the life that the American soldiers stationed in Japan lived in later generations. The coastal defense inspectors of the Ming Dynasty who went to Kyoto received the same treatment. They could do whatever they wanted.

"But it's still unfair. Even if it's just to protect Oda Nobunaga in name, it's still unfair." Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Let's ask the opinions of the various inspection offices in the next chapter."

Zhu Yijun decided to ask first and see what the coastal defense inspectors on the front line would say. Should the coastal defense inspectors really want to serve as the Japanese emperor? In fact, if they go, they don't have to protect Oda Nobunaga. Instead, they can become a tool for the Ming Dynasty to pick on Japan, protect Oda Nobunaga's task force, and provide all kinds of protection except protection.

We must take care of the feelings of the coastal defense inspectors as they are on the front line in the fight against the Japanese pirates.

"Why are Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi arguing again? Didn't they make peace?" Zhu Yijun picked up the miscellaneous newspapers on the table. This was today's miscellaneous newspapers. There were not many miscellaneous newspapers that could be published daily. Only three of them could be published daily, namely Gewu Bao, Minbao, and Xiaoyao Yiwen. Most of the others were biweekly or monthly. It was good enough if they could be published once a month.

That can only be achieved with a daily publication that has a large number of readers.

There is really something to publish in the Gewu Newspaper every day, and there is no way to finish talking about it. Let alone the current Ming Dynasty’s understanding of the infinite principles of all things, even if it is to finish the content of the Yongle Encyclopedia about the study of things and the extension of knowledge, it is something that will be difficult to accomplish in one’s lifetime.

The most lively thing in Beijing recently is that Li Zhi and Lin Fucheng are quarreling again. The quarrels between the two liberals are like commonplace. Even though they made peace last time, it still does not affect the two people's verbal attacks.

This dispute was about taxation by the Tax Inspection Office.

Lin Fucheng, a liberal, was actually quite disgusted with the tax inspection by the Tax Inspection Office, because the Ming Dynasty now had more financial resources, and the people's livelihood was to pay taxes to the warehouse, and they were also subject to harsh labor service, with the top of the measuring stick being kicked and the tip being soaked, and the work being blown by the wind and exposed to the sun. They had no money to buy compensation, so the township officials begged privately and endured the hardship of being fined. Since the Ming Dynasty now had sufficient financial resources and could collect less taxes, it would be better to pass on this agricultural tax to the benefit of the people.

Li Zhi, on the other hand, stood on the side supporting the Tax Inspection Office's tax inspection and refuted Lin Fucheng's point of view.

"Why do I think the two of them are singing the same tune and working in coordination?" The more Zhu Yijun read the contents of the two documents in his hand, the more strange it seemed to him. There was a strange smell that was completely not that of a liberal. It was the smell of flattery and fawning.

Zhu Yijun quickly guessed that Li Zhi probably already knew his identity.

Li Zhi was an official figure and he knew the rules of officialdom very well.

"Summon Li Zhi to meet him." Zhu Yijun did not intend to hide anything and directly asked Li Zhi to come to Tonghe Palace to meet the emperor.

The end of July was still hot and unbearable. Zhu Yijun was reading the newspaper written by Li Zhi in his hand, amid the cicadas' screaming. The more he read, the more he felt that Lin Fucheng was just playing along. Lin Fucheng rarely made comments on government orders, and the words he opposed were all clichés. It seemed that he was deliberately throwing out some ideas to get Li Zhi to express his own views. "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty, long live your Majesty." Li Zhi entered the palace to meet the emperor and knelt down.

Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi, who was not surprised at all, and asked with a smile: "You are not stupid, how come you only got an upper-middle grade in the evaluation?"

"Your Majesty, there are only so many places for promotion. I am one step behind others. It will be extremely difficult for me to catch up. My skills are inferior to others." Li Zhi said helplessly. The emperor's first sentence exposed his scar.

Li Zhi did not make excuses for himself. He thought that it was not shameful for him to be unable to compete with the young people because of his age. Admitting his shortcomings was a sign of knowing shame.

"No need to be polite. Then please tell me about your article." Zhu Yijun handed the miscellaneous newspaper in his hand to Feng Bao, who handed it to Li Zhi.

Li Zhi knew that this was a hard-won opportunity. This was the second time he had seen the emperor in his life. The last time he saw him, the emperor was still Master Huang. He had not passed the joint examination, so he was naturally not qualified for the palace examination and had no chance to meet the emperor at all.

This was the first time in his life that he had officially met the emperor.

This is his only chance in his life, he must seize it. Even if he has to be a basket for opinions, he has to be the one that can reach the emperor's ears directly. Otherwise, no matter how many opinions he raises, they will never reach the emperor's ears.

"Your Majesty, I support the Tax Inspection Office because it put an end to a phenomenon among the people, that is, the widespread armed resistance to taxation." Li Zhi said with great confidence: "Your Majesty, the existence of the Tax Inspection Office has put an end to this chaos."

"I live in the capital and don't know the suffering of the people. I have heard that tax resistance is common, but there has been no news of it in recent years. Li Zhi, tell me why this chaos that has existed since ancient times has disappeared?" Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "If you deceive me, you know the consequences."

The reason why Zhu Yijun wanted to meet with Lin Fucheng immediately after seeing the article was to find out the truth. Zhu Yijun knew about the armed resistance to taxation, and Lin Fucheng had also mentioned this in his travel notes.

"Your Majesty, you are accomplices to a tiger." Li Zhi looked at the emperor and took a deep breath and said, "A harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger. The imperial court is the biggest tiger in the world. This is what your Majesty said, the imperial court is the greatest evil in the world. The reason why the people think so is that they are accomplices to a tiger."

"The Taiping Guangji says that after a tiger eats a person, it will turn into a ghost. The ghost will lure more people to be eaten by the tiger, and the imperial court is the tiger."

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "Isn't it a harsh policy for the Taxation Bureau to conduct tax collection?"

"At least it's not a harsh policy for poor people. Poor people don't have much money to make. As a local official, the cost of tax collection is not small. What can we get from extorting poor people?" Li Zhi said confidently: "Tax collection is a harsh policy, but it is for the powerful and wealthy, the local gentry and the wise men."

"Your Majesty, the reason why I say that the Taxation Bureau is a good policy for most people in the Ming Dynasty is because the tigers no longer eat people. These ghosts cannot eat people themselves."

"Your Majesty, collecting taxes and levies is a crime against humanity. Anyone with a conscience would not do it."

When the tiger no longer goes to the countryside, the accomplices who followed the tiger to the countryside will not be able to harm the people.

"The difficulty of being an official lies in collecting taxes. Collecting taxes and levies is like waiting for food with an empty stomach, and paying taxes for poor people is like digging out their brains and marrow. Local officials are forced to supervise by the court in the front and are intimidated by the court's punishment in the back, so they can only supervise."

"As an official, he would think: Rather than offend the emperor at court who can promote or demote me, it is better to bear the resentment from the helpless people. That is why he never completes his orders and never stops pursuing debts," said Li Zhi with a serious face.

These words were not pleasant to hear. The liberal Li Zhi said in front of the emperor that the court led by the emperor was the greatest evil in the world.

"You continue." Zhu Yijun was not angry. Li Zhi came from the local area, and this was the voice of the local officials. He already knew his identity, but he still said this. This was blaming Chen Shan. He was loyal. At least Li Zhi was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and the people. He could say this.

Li Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, he knew that he had made the right bet, that His Majesty was willing to understand these things instead of hiding in the palace as an almighty emperor obsessed with praising his own achievements.

Li Zhi continued, "It is better to offend the people than the court. For local officials, this is not a dilemma, so they go to the countryside to collect taxes. When the court demands taxes, the local gentry and their lackeys go to the countryside together."

"Every time the taxes were collected, thousands of families wept and wore mourning clothes, just like the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves. If the people had any loans, they had to sell their new silk and new grain to exchange for the meager income to pay the taxes, grain and other levies. If the silk and grain were all gone, they would sell their property. If the property was gone, they would sell their wives and children."

"So, the taxes assigned by the court have been collected, but if this continues, seven out of ten people will die. If you drain the pond and fish out all the fish, there will be no fish next year. Isn't that painful?!"

"But they only care about the money and grain, not the people's deaths."

Which is more important, promotion or ensuring the people's well-being? For local officials, promotion is naturally more important.

"Just take care of the money and grain, not the people's deaths." Zhu Yijun repeated, and said in a slightly silent tone: "I know why you can't be promoted. The people are guilty, and the fault lies with me."

Telling the truth in official circles will offend many people.

"Your Majesty's tax inspectorate is here!"

Li Zhi said excitedly: "Your Majesty, the tax collection office is aimed at the wealthy families. The wealthy families have money and grain, and they use all means to deceive and conceal. Even if the tax collection office only leaves 30% of the tax to the local government, it is enough for the local government to eat and drink, and to pay taxes. Since the money and grain have been paid, there is naturally no need to collect them again!"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "But the powerful and wealthy will still exploit the people, and they will transfer the taxes they have paid to the people."

"Your Majesty, that's not the case. If tigers don't eat people anymore, how can the minions be so violent?" Li Zhi said with great confidence: "The court doesn't need to rely on the powerful and wealthy anymore. If the people resist, it won't be disobeying the king's orders or rebellion. If they really fight, the powerful and wealthy will still be a minority."

"In the countryside, there are only the imperial court, the local gentry, and the common people. The imperial court and the local gentry were originally standing back to back. If they were tigers or ghosts, the common people would be nothing but meat on the chopping board, to be slaughtered at will!"

"But now, the government and the local gentry are no longer closely tied together. This is a great thing for the common people, even if the tiger is taking a nap!"

"Is that really the case?" Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "I will send the imperial guards to investigate. If it is not as you said, deceiving the emperor is an unforgivable crime."

"I know." Li Zhi dared to take the responsibility for his words!

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Go and call the teacher."

Of course I would go to the teacher if I had any doubts! As a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, isn't it natural for me to ask the teacher?

Zhang Juzheng arrived quickly and brought Xiong Tingbi with him.

"Your Majesty, I wish you good health." Zhang Juzheng and Xiong Tingbi paid their respects.

"Why is Xiong Da here?" Zhu Yijun looked at Xiong Tingbi. At the age of fourteen, he already had a muscular build and looked a little anxious. In that era, fourteen was already the age for marriage.

"Your Majesty, I still want to go to Suiyuan." Xiong Tingbi took a deep breath and said, "I am loyal to the emperor and I am paid by him. Your Majesty rewards me with some silver every month. I can't feel at ease with it. You can't persuade me, so you have to take me to Tonghe Palace."

"You are not allowed to go." Zhu Yijun said calmly, "If you say you are sixteen, then you are sixteen. If you say anything more, you are disobeying the emperor's order."

"Yes." Xiong Tingbi felt afraid. Although the emperor spoke calmly, he was quite majestic and the imperial power could not be challenged.

Zhu Yijun saw that Xiong Tingbi did not dare to talk back, so he put away his emperor's style, but still said with some dignity: "Xiong Tingbi, remember, I found a famous teacher for you, let you study hard, and let you practice martial arts so that you can serve the court and the Ming Dynasty. I know that you are very talented and have both civil and military skills, but thirteen years old is still too young. Whether you want to go to Suiyuan or the Western Regions, you should go after you are sixteen years old, and I will feel at ease."

"Do you know how much I love talents?"

"I know all about it, and I am sorry for being rude." Xiong Tingbi knew that His Majesty loved him and was afraid that this future pillar of society would die prematurely.

Zhu Yijun then smiled and said, "Sit down."

"Sir, this is Li Zhi. He wrote an article. Please help me take a look at it." Zhu Yijun handed Li Zhi's article to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Li Zhi for a long time, then said, "Why did you get only an above-average score in the evaluation? If you had gotten a little higher, you would have been promoted. Why did you retire as a prefect?"

"At first, I was a little disdainful of the teacher and refused to learn the theory of contradictions. I had some complaints about the theory of contradictions and the performance evaluation system." Li Zhi sighed. These master and disciple were really cut from the same cloth. The very first sentence they said exposed one's scar!
Is this interesting!

"Why do you have complaints against me?" Zhang Juzheng frowned and said, "I have no conflicts with you."

"Because He Xinyin, He Xinyin and I are both from the Taizhou School. Although we have never met, I think that the master is excluding dissidents." Li Zhi thought for a while and said, "The purpose of gathering people to give lectures is to make money. There are five human relationships, but He Xinyin abandoned four of them and placed himself among teachers, friends, sages and saints. This is biased and cannot be used as a model."

"If it is too difficult to tie people up, many will defect; if it is too difficult to tie people up on the road, people will feel uneasy; if it is too difficult to tie people up with money, the greedy will rush to join in. The destruction is self-inflicted."

At first, Li Zhi misunderstood Zhang Juzheng, so he was very dissatisfied with Zhang Juzheng's exclusion of dissidents. It was not until he learned what He Xinyin had done that he understood why He Xinyin died.

When people are gathered together by money, greedy people will emerge. This is a sin. For the sake of money, they will give up everything. There are five human relationships, and he has given up four of them. This is the way to his own destruction.

Li Zhi said this in front of Zhang Juzheng. When he was the prefect of Yao'an in Yunnan, he specifically sought out his classmates to learn about He Xinyin's actions and felt very disgusted.

"Sir, do you think what Li Zhi said about being an accomplice to the evildoer is true or false?" Zhu Yijun asked directly.

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "Of course it is true. The reason why no one talks about it is that they regard the tax payment of the court as a tiger. This statement is really a bit treasonous."

(End of this chapter)