I'm really not doing business

Chapter 569: The court officials are silent, they must be up to something!
"Power is like a dream that can come true when you wake up." Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi and told him about his personal experience in the first year of the Wanli period.

Zhu Yijun mentioned the woman named Ran from Yunnan to Zhang Juzheng, and now Concubine Ran has entered the harem.

This is the most intuitive manifestation of power, which is almost equivalent to omnipotence.

Li Zhi had a lot of achievements and fame, and if he wanted, there were countless people willing to secretly entrust their land to him. Li Zhi was promoted to the prefect of Yao'an, which was already a big official in a region, a big man that most ordinary people would never see in their lifetime. If he wanted to cash in his power, he would get more silver than he could spend in his lifetime.
But Li Zhi did not do any of it.

Among the officials of the Ming Dynasty, how many were truly honest?

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said with certainty: "Your Majesty, I dare not agree with it. It is nothing more than a slave to power. The difference between humans and all things in the world is that humans have spirituality. Material desire and lust are human nature, which people cannot get rid of. If people cannot restrain themselves and completely surrender to their desires, they will go against their spirituality."

“When a person lives, he is not just living, but clearly aware that he is living as a human being. If he completely surrenders to his nature, he will lose his spirituality and degrade himself to the level of animals lower than humans. There is no difference between him and beasts.”

"Power alienates people." Zhu Yijun immediately sat up straight, looked at Li Zhi with great interest and asked, "Besides the alienation of power on the relationship between people, do you have any other expressions about alienation?"

Zhu Yijun immediately understood what Li Zhi was thinking about. He was thinking about the alienation of human beings, or more precisely, the alienation of human beings by power. A more violent way of expressing it is this: after people have power, even the power to control the life and death of others, they gradually lose themselves in the animalization of their nature, and from a rational person, they become a beast completely subservient to material desires and lustful nature.

"Money alienates people." Li Zhi frowned and shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am still thinking about it, but it is not complete. I'd better not embarrass myself in front of Your Majesty anymore."

Li Zhi was deeply impressed by Mr. Huang's eloquence, or rather, he was still frightened by him, so he did not throw out an immature theory to make His Majesty laugh.

It would be better for me to continue to perfect my theory and then present it to His Majesty. Otherwise, it would be a shame if you ask me a few questions and I get dizzy.

Li Zhi now has two topics to work on, one is no taxation without representation, and the other is human alienation. If he can express them systematically and completely, he will definitely have a place in the historical process of the Wanli Reform.

There is no taxation without representation. Zhu Yijun hoped that Li Zhi could completely bind the emperor and the people of the world together and turn the emperor into the representative of the poor and laboring people, just like Emperor Taizu Gao during the Hongwu period.

As for human alienation, Zhu Yijun hoped that Li Zhi could be more powerful and describe it completely.

As a latecomer, Zhu Yijun could actually express it himself, but if he did, he would not know whether these were really needed by the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, many things that were commonplace in later generations were not applicable in the Ming Dynasty and needed to be Mingized. For example, the natural emergence of these discussions proved that the foundation for the birth of these theories already existed.

Instead of Zhu Yijun suddenly proposing it and creating a castle in the air.

"If you can complete your theory of alienation, I will give you the title of fifth-rank doctor of the Five Classics." Zhu Yijun looked at Li Zhi and said with certainty, "You are indeed not suitable to be an official. To be an official, you must first have a heart that strives for fame and fortune. If you are unwilling to collect taxes, how can you be promoted step by step?"

Li Zhi was not suitable to be an official. Zhu Yijun had seen the most officials in his life, of various kinds and countless. To be an official, one must first have a strong ambition, which Li Zhi did not have. He also wanted to be promoted, but he could not make up his mind. It would be difficult for him to make progress unless he turned himself into a beast in human clothing.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Li Zhi shook his sleeves and bowed deeply again to express his gratitude. He was a failure in officialdom, but Your Majesty was willing to give him an official position to ensure that he would not starve to death.

All Li Zhi wanted was a job that would keep him from starving to death, and then seek shelter under Your Majesty to complete his theory.

A standard-bearer who advocates freedom, seeking shelter under an authoritarian emperor to fulfill his theory of freedom, is like a mouse tying a bell on a cat. However, Zhu Yijun, the biggest carnivore and the biggest tiger of the Ming Dynasty, allowed such behavior just for the sake of making the Ming Dynasty a better place.

"You just step back and think carefully. Don't pay attention to those gossips. My words are still very effective in the capital." Zhu Yijun made a promise to Li Zhi that as long as he studied his theory of alienation well, he didn't need to care about those criticisms. Zhu Yijun would naturally deal with those famous scholars.

"I'm leaving." Li Zhi bowed his head again and took his leave. He glanced at Zhang Juzheng. When he was young, he had also dreamed of rising to a high position, standing in the center of the Wenhua Hall and commanding everyone. But in the end, he did not walk into the Wenhua Hall, and did not even enter the Jingtang.

Zhang Juzheng looked at Li Zhi's back and shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I don't like him."

"Why?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously.

"He is not a law-abiding official." Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and said, "His idea is a bit unrealistic. If he were to be an official, he would only make things a mess. He wants this and that, but there is no such thing as a good thing. Besides, I hate people who talk nonsense."

The impossible triangle is that you want this, this, and more. In this world, the most you can do is have this and more. If you want more, you are too greedy.

"Your Majesty, we must pay attention to what these people say, but we must not believe everything they say. Many times, they are just talking without thinking. Their ideas are somewhat unrealistic."

Zhang Juzheng's consistent attitude towards these opinions was to shut up.

Zhang Juzheng was very dissatisfied with the censors' incessant talk about the seizure of love affairs. He really disliked the advice from these opinion makers because most of the time, it was just unrealistic empty talk.

“Of course, some of the Ming Dynasty’s censors are not as good as Lin Fucheng. Lin Fucheng is at least willing to go and see the situation on the spot, and he also goes deep into the countryside to get to the bottom of various issues. The issues he talked about are all issues that need to be urgently resolved in the Ming Dynasty.” Zhang Juzheng was very confident in Lin Fucheng, who was trained by His Majesty.

When Lin Fucheng first came to Beijing, he started to criticize the Ming Dynasty's policies. He said that the government-run factories and engineering corps were bound to fail, and that His Majesty was very interested in his theory of freedom, otherwise Wang Qian would have shut him up long ago.

"So he is not suitable to be an official. Let him think with Lin Fucheng. He is suitable to be an opinion basket." Zhu Yijun acknowledged Zhang Juzheng's evaluation. Li Zhi wanted to have a good reputation, complete the tax collection of the court, and ensure that the people under his rule lived and worked in peace and contentment. In an era when production relations had not yet changed and going to the countryside to collect taxes was almost equivalent to a raid, this was an impossible triangle.

"Your Majesty has something to ask. I have to communicate with you in advance." Zhang Juzheng looked at the emperor, glanced around, and whispered, "Annan."

Zhang Hong calmly pressed the hand of the Secretary of the Central Secretariat. Some things are not suitable to be written in the daily notes. What if future generations look through the daily notes and find that Zhang Juzheng was a scholar?
In the third year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Juzheng ordered all the maritime customs offices to increase the import of grain from Annan. It had been eight years since then, and finally there were results.

"Please speak, sir." Zhu Yijun leaned forward and spoke in a low voice.

The special posture and volume used when discussing secrets clearly gave the impression that this couple, the king and his minister, were in cahoots with each other.

"Since the fourth year of Wanli, we have started to import large quantities of grain from Annan. On the one hand, it is indeed needed by the Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, the sea transportation of grain has become increasingly mature, and it can be said that the time is ripe. Last year, we imported this amount of rice from Annan." Zhang Juzheng held up four fingers.

"Four hundred thousand dan?" Zhu Yijun had tried his best to make a bold guess. One dan of grain equals one hundred and fifty jin, and sixty million jin is the amount of grain that Cao Cao earned from his military farming in Xudu in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The military farming in Xudu allowed Cao Cao to conquer all directions without the trouble of transporting grain. In fact, what Cao Cao was best at was military farming.

Zhang Juzheng said in a lower voice: "Four million dan."

"Wow!" Zhu Yijun retreated tactically. He looked around and found that the secretary had gone to the toilet. He immediately said, "This is four million stones!"

Whoever can solve the problem of excessive loss of grain during transportation over thousands of miles will become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Yuanzhang originally retained 50% of taxes for local governments because the cost of transporting money and grain from the capital was too great. When needed, they had to be transported from the capital to the local governments, which was another cost. Zhu Yuanzhang retained half of the taxes for local governments, and when needed, he transferred them from the treasury. As a result, the treasury was empty.

There is none in the imperial court and neither in the treasury.

It was not actually very difficult for the Ming Dynasty to support 850 million people with 1.2 million hectares of land. However, transporting grain on the road was a system engineering problem. Wang Guoguang once calculated that when there was no sea transportation of grain in the Ming Dynasty, for every stone of rice the Ming court received, it would consume a total of three to four stones of rice to transport. This was the dilemma of transporting grain from the south to the north.

After the Ming Dynasty completed the sea transportation of grain, this astronomical freight was finally reduced from three to four dan to about half a dan.

"In other words, the grain shipped to Beijing from Songjiang Prefecture is actually grain from Annan?!" Zhu Yijun immediately noticed the element!
No wonder no one has been complaining about the sea transportation of grain in the past two years, and no one even said a word about it. The feelings are waiting here!
The court officials are silent, they must be up to something!
This is what it means when there is a policy from the top, there is a countermeasure from the bottom.

Zhu Yijun finally understood why the sea transportation of grain, which had been a headache in the past, was so peaceful now. Everyone chose to ignore the issue of sea transportation of grain, and the emotional cost was completely transferred to Annan!
"It's not that it's difficult to collect taxes in the Han area. Collection is a burden on the common people, and land transportation is too expensive. The officials are also doing this to give the people a break. Escorting grain every year, even to Songjiang Prefecture, is a considerable expense. Moreover, the collection of labor is a headache for the officials." Zhang Juzheng defended the officials with a few words. There would be no problems with the accounts.

There was no need to pay expensive freight to transport the grain to Songjiang Prefecture, nor was there any need to conscript men for labor like conscripting them to escort the grain. For any local government office, conscripting labor was a more troublesome local conflict than collecting taxes.

Hu Yuan conscripted labor to build the Yellow River embankment, which caused an uproar throughout the country. Collecting the taxes was already a hassle, and now the local government was also in a difficult position by levying labor on top of it.

Zhu Yijun had thought of the specific operation procedures. Sending empty packages to Songjiang Prefecture was actually buying grain with silver. It was just a side job. Songjiang Prefecture was the thoroughfare of nine provinces. Department stores were distributed in Songjiang Prefecture, and silver would also gather in Songjiang Prefecture. In the entire Ming Dynasty, Songjiang Prefecture was the place with the most serious silver congestion.

The purchased sea grain was used as tribute grain, then placed in the Songjiang warehouse, waiting to be shipped to the capital. In this way, there was no need to conscript labor, and a sum of four-dial silver could be collected. In addition, with the reduced consumption on the road, the treasury would be full.

"No wonder Wang Jiaping came to Beijing and campaigned desperately, even going to Wang Chonggu's door and requesting the establishment of Huitong Inn in Guangzhou Prefecture. It seems that he is waiting for me here!" Zhu Yijun immediately thought of Wang Jiaping's unusual behavior.

In addition to visiting his old friend Fan Yingqi at the Jie Ku Yuan, Wang Jiaping's most unusual behavior was to kowtow in front of Wang Chonggu. As a student of Ge Shouli, Wang Jiaping never sent congratulatory messages to Wang Chonggu during the holidays, not even a greeting. But he ran to Wang Chonggu's door to ask for help, and went there twice.

It can be seen that it is really for convenience.

"Ahem, Wang Ci Fu has been tricked by Wang Jiaping. Ci Fu is now obsessed with large-scale construction projects. He is not seen all day long. He is either at the Xishan Coal Bureau or on the Jingkai Road. Wang Ci Fu should not be aware of all of Wang Jiaping's purposes, but he should indeed be set up. No matter what, he should be given a good reward after being punished." Zhang Juzheng said in a low voice.

Wang Chonggu probably guessed that Wang Jiaping had his own purpose, but he was too lazy to investigate. Although the Jin Party was almost falling apart, it was still a good thing. Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "So in the end, the people didn't have to be forced to work to transport grain, and the local government didn't have to spend a huge amount of money to transport grain to Songjiang Prefecture. The court received 4 million grain as scheduled. Well, sir, you just said that you can't do both, and you can't do both. Isn't this what you have done?!"

"So sir, what's the price?"

"It is the people of Annan who bear the cost." Zhang Juzheng said solemnly, "Annan has only one place, Da Nang, and all the grain is gathered and distributed in Da Nang. Merchants in Annan also need to transport grain. For every stone of grain that the Ming Dynasty gets from Annan, Annan will consume three to five stones of grain for transportation."

"Most of the 1200 million dan of grain that the Ming court received came from Annan. More than million dan of this grain was consumed in Annan. The people of Annan were living in poverty. Even if the local people could harvest three crops a year, they could not afford such a waste."

"Your Majesty, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Luzon have reported that many Annanese have fled Annan and are cutting sugarcane in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Qiongzhou, and Luzon."

"Cut sugarcane?" Zhu Yijun was stunned. Sugarcane, an economic crop, was introduced to the Central Plains during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It is a traditional economic crop in the Central Plains and is grown on a large scale. It is everywhere in Guangxi, Guangdong, and Qiongzhou. However, sugarcane, an economic crop, is most dependent on fertilizer. It will not grow without fertilizer, so this economic crop will occupy fertile land.

Every thousand kilograms of sugarcane will absorb one and a half to two kilograms of nitrogen, half a kilogram of phosphorus, and two to three kilograms of potassium from the soil. Without chemical fertilizers, the land will become several points poorer after each planting of sugarcane. Guangzhou Baoqi Company once tried to fully fertilize this economic crop. In order to grow big roots, leaves and trunks and ensure the yield of sugarcane, two thousand kilograms of compost must be applied to one acre of land.

In Guangdong and Guangxi, sugarcane is planted in rotation every two years.

Zhu Yijun said solemnly: "This job is unstable. It is not available all the time. It has three tastes, sour, bitter and spicy, but no sweetness. It is so hard, and you can't do it just because you want to."

"The most tiring part of cutting sugarcane is carrying it from the field to the road. A bundle weighs 120 kilograms, and I have to carry it more than a hundred times a day, and I have to push the cart. It rains a lot in Guangdong and Guangxi, and we can't cut sugarcane when it rains. The roads in the fields are all muddy, and the carts will get stuck in them and can't move."

Zhu Yijun really knew how to farm. He personally inquired about the memorials from the Baoqisi in various places and sometimes put them into action. He carried 120 kilograms on his back about a hundred times a day. Cai Zhenming, a clerk of the Baoqisi in Guangdong, described this job as having all three tastes of sour, bitter and spicy, but not sweet.

"We have to live after all." Zhang Juzheng said calmly, "At present, Annan is divided into two. To the north is the usurping Mo Kingdom, and to the south is the Later Le Kingdom. In name, it is the King of Annan, but in fact, it is completely controlled by the Grand Tutor Zheng Song. They are constantly fighting each other."

The Ming Dynasty's request for food was not a big deal in Annan. No one even cared because there were bigger troubles and conflicts, that is, war.

Since the sixth year of Jiajing, when Mo Dengyong usurped the throne, the entire Kingdom of Annan was divided into two, and wars never stopped. By the eleventh year of Wanli, the war had lasted for fifty-six years, and countless lives had been lost. Now Annan is in chaos. The grains purchased by the Ming Dynasty were all sent to the Ming Dynasty from Mo in the north and Zheng in the south, just to buy all kinds of swords and spears from the Ming Dynasty.

In war, the first priority is to win.

"In your opinion, how long will the civil war in Annan last?" Zhu Yijun was curious about Zhang Juzheng's views on the civil unrest in Annan.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "A hundred years is not enough. There is no end in sight for this internal strife. The Northern Mo usurper, Mo Maoqia, was struck by lightning in the sixth year of the Wanli reign. He rested until the ninth year of the Wanli reign, when he showed up. Because the regent, Mo Jingdian, died, Mo Maoqia had to step in to manage the situation."

"Even if Nan Zheng destroyed Bei Mo, there was still the big Nguyen clan, and Annan was still in a mess."

"A chaotic world with so many heroes rising up will never end so easily."

The end of turbulent times when many heroes emerged was measured in centuries. For example, from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, it lasted 361 years, from the Anshi Rebellion to the ascension of Zhao Kuangyin, it lasted 205 years, and from the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty to the defeat of the Northern Yuan Dynasty in the 165st year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, it lasted years.

This is true for both big and small countries. For example, the current Warring States period in Japan has been going on for 116 years since the Onin War. It finally showed signs of ending under Oda Nobunaga, but because of the intervention of the Ming Dynasty, it has once again become a long-awaited end.

The Ming Dynasty's demand for these four million shi of grain only accelerated the deterioration of the north-south confrontation in Annan.

"Let the fire die down. Add more fuel to the fire and sell them some weapons!" Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and decided to step on the accelerator.

Zhu Yijun was also a scholar, and he was ruthless and cruel, as was typical of scholars. He did not try to reconcile the conflict between the north and the south of Annan, but instead accelerated the deterioration of the situation.

The purpose is naturally to let them be destroyed completely under the fierce conflict, so that Ming Dynasty can take the opportunity to recover the Thirteen Divisions of Jiaozhi, or fight out a result and stop pulling hair.

The Kingdom of Annan was not a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, but a territory.

The official name of the Kingdom of Annan in the Ming Dynasty was: Annan Dutongshisi. The Northern Mo usurper Mo Maoqia was the Annan Dutongshi, a second-rank military officer.

This was all in name only. The Kingdom of Annan was still independent in fact. The Ming Dynasty could not even consider it a military tributary because there was no garrison. It only had simple political tributary control. It appointed a governor-general and the Ministry of Rites even simply called it the Kingdom of Annan.

As the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he did not try to quell the civil strife in his territory, but instead added fuel to the fire, fearing that the strife would not be big enough. This showed a lack of humanity and forgiveness.

But, Ming Dynasty comes first, Ming Dynasty’s interests come first!
"Sir, what do you think about Oda Nobunaga's request that the Ming Dynasty send coastal defense inspectors to protect security?" Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng about his views on the establishment of the Special Investigation Department of the Kyoto District Prosecutors Office. Zhu Yijun briefly stated his thoughts.

"It's okay to bully the Japanese in Japan. The Ming army is not going to Japan to suffer." Zhang Juzheng said solemnly, "Oda Nobunaga is actually taking advantage of the situation. Once the Ming Dynasty sends a coastal defense inspector, even if no protection is provided, Oda Nobunaga's goal will be achieved."

"Because once the coastal defense inspector arrives, it means that Oda Nobunaga has been recognized by the Ming Dynasty. Even if he has not been canonized by the King of Japan, he has actually obtained a similar status, which will facilitate his next move."

"To be more specific, the fundamental purpose of Oda Nobunaga asking the imperial court to send a coastal defense inspector was to use the power of the Ming Dynasty to determine where his own path was going."

Oda Nobunaga's previous approach was to serve the people of the world. He wanted to end Japan's political structure with layers of hollow columns and change the prevailing atmosphere of rebellion. He refused to accept the title of Shogun appointed by the Emperor, and did not seek the Ming Dynasty's appointment as the King of Japan. He took the path of unitary autocracy.

However, this road is no longer feasible. Due to repeated internal and external provocations by the Ming Dynasty, Oda Nobunaga is completely unable to implement his idea of ​​"Tenka Fubumi" (unifying the entire Japan by force). As a result, he accepted the enthronement of the Japanese emperor and became the new Azuchi shogunate.

In addition to the enthronement from the Emperor of Japan, he also needed the enthronement from the Ming Dynasty to complete the construction of the shogunate.

However, the Ming Dynasty was not at all active in the matter of enthronement. Ashikaga Yoshiaki was still alive, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki of the Muromachi shogunate was the King of Wa recognized by the Ming Dynasty. This was the ancestral law during the Yongle period. Even if the Ming emperor had this plan, it was a huge challenge to the Ming Dynasty's etiquette and laws.

Oda Nobunaga faced many difficulties in obtaining the official title from the Ming Dynasty, so he changed his approach and asked the Ming Dynasty's soldiers to station there in order to gain the Ming Dynasty's recognition in a roundabout way.

Even though this recognition did not have any written guarantee, and even an imperial edict could not be obtained, this was the best solution that Oda Nobunaga could think of.

"So that's what he was planning." Zhu Yijun kept tapping his fingers on the table and said with a smile, "Oda Nobunaga's cleverness backfired. It's easy to invite gods, but it's hard to send them away. If the Ming Dynasty really sends a coastal defense inspector to Kyoto, I'm afraid that the power of life and death of the entire Azuchi shogunate will be controlled by the Ming Dynasty."

"Use complete submission and hand over the lives of yourself and your descendants to the hands of the Ming Dynasty in exchange for non-existent recognition."

Zhang Juzheng exhaled and said, "He is gambling, betting that the Ming Dynasty will not do such despicable things. He is also gambling on the fate of the country. He is putting the future of the entire Japan on the gambling table. If he wins, he will be the first meritorious official of Japan. If he loses, it will only be his life."

"The situation in Japan cannot get any worse."

Zhang Juzheng considered this issue from a political perspective and immediately discovered Oda Nobunaga's plan. He was not inviting guards but the favor of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Oda Nobunaga changed his flag and banner, changing his previous plan of spreading military power throughout the country. He needed a force that was superior to everyone in Japan to help him turn around.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty would gain a lot of benefits in this process. With an official and legal identity, Ming Dynasty's espionage activities in Japan became easier and simpler. The Ming Dynasty could control the hydrological and geographical surveys of Japan and the movements of various daimyo in Japan. Ming Dynasty could also obtain Japanese silver more conveniently.

"Sir, what do you think we should agree to it?" Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Juzheng for his clear attitude.

Zhang Juzheng leaned forward and whispered, "Promise him that we will use Japan's coastal defense and customs as a replacement. The Ming will set up a special coastal defense patrol to crack down on smuggling in Japan, and it will be stationed in Osaka Bay. In the future, all the maritime trade and capital expenditures in Japan will be the responsibility of the Ming, and the anti-smuggling and capital expenditures will all belong to the Ming."

"In the name of preventing the Japanese invasion."

It's not that the Ming Dynasty can't give Oda Nobunaga what he wants, but it will cost him a heavier price. How can the Ming Dynasty's recognition be obtained so easily? The Ming Dynasty doesn't care about the miserable lives of your Oda family.

Zhang Juzheng knew that the emperor would definitely ask for his opinion, so he even thought of a fig leaf: cracking down on smuggling and preventing Japanese invasions were the two main goals of the Ming Dynasty. This was what the Ming Dynasty needed.

Coastal defense and customs are actually maritime power. Zhang Juzheng asked Oda Nobunaga to completely surrender the maritime power.

"The Ming Dynasty's strategy against Japan is to destroy it, so sea power is crucial. Japan also has a navy. If they unite, there will still be some trouble. It is better to divide them." Zhang Juzheng fully expounded his plan.

This is an attempt to gain maritime power or to prepare for the destruction of Japan, not reconciliation.

If the Ming Dynasty really intended to reconcile, it would find a way to keep Japan in a state of balance where neither side could do anything to the other, thereby maintaining the security of its maritime borders, rather than taking such an offensive stance.

(End of this chapter)