I'm really not doing business

Chapter 777 Special Trade Permit
During the 14 years of the Wanli Reform, the Ming Dynasty's rulers and ministers gradually came to understand a truth, and this truth was the core driving force behind the Wanli Reform of the Ming Dynasty. Everyone kept this truth to themselves, and it did not appear in memorials or official reports, so it became a little secret.

This little secret is actually very simple. Agricultural production is limited, but industrial production will have no upper limit in the foreseeable future. In particular, Ming Dynasty has already established a number of fully mechanized workshops. By upgrading manual workshops to mechanized workshops, productivity can be further improved.

This is also the value of Royal Institute of Technology.

It is true that the emperor's Royal Academy of Sciences can explore the boundaries of the human cognitive world, but these gifted doctors of science are really too rare. They are very helpful to improve the productivity of the Ming Dynasty, but their breakthroughs in cognition require a large number of talents to go deep into every corner of the Ming Dynasty society to achieve them.

The value of a polytechnic college is to cultivate such talents, collect various practical information, and help PhD students in science to continue to make breakthroughs.

The best practice is to combine knowledge and action with conscience, and to resolve contradictions to explain all principles. The feasibility of this path has been repeatedly proven with goods as vast as the ocean.

Zhu Yijun led his ministers to walk across the campus. The polytechnic college was the size of two imperial palaces. It would take a very long time to measure it on foot. Zhu Yijun's journey took only about half an hour. After visiting the school and the cafeteria, Zhu Yijun returned to Yilun Hall. He asked most of the court officials to disperse and return to their homes, leaving only the court officials.

"The Polytechnic Institute has exceeded my expectations." Zhu Yijun looked at the courtiers, thought for a moment and said, "The contradiction between the urgent need for talent and the shortage of talent in the Ming Dynasty has become very prominent. We need to add more polytechnic institutes to alleviate the problem of talent shortage."

The main contradiction in the rectification of academic affairs has shifted from the opposition of Confucian scholars and the shackles of feudal etiquette to the shortage of talents. The new contradictions have become more complicated, including the fact that talent training and employment do not meet expectations, the distribution of talents is too concentrated and uneven, talent screening is still very difficult, and there is an overall lack of training system and supporting policies.

To solve these problems, we need to take one step at a time.

Zhu Yijun said solemnly: "Establishing more polytechnics is an urgent matter. I intend to establish higher education institutions of the same standard as the Royal Polytechnic in Tianjin, Jinan, Kaifeng, Songjiang, Nanya, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou. The investment is expected to exceed 20 million taels of silver."

The Ming Dynasty only had one foot in the door of the Industrial Revolution, but if it wanted to move completely in, it would need more comrades who would forge ahead together and push the Ming Dynasty completely into the historical process of the Industrial Revolution.

More talent is needed.

Jinan, Songjiang, Hangzhou, Fuzhou and Guangzhou already have maritime schools, so it is not difficult to expand them into polytechnic schools.

"The Royal Institute of Technology requires 200,000 silver coins a year, and if we add eight more, the continuous investment in the university hall alone will be 1.8 million silver coins a year. To maintain this huge system, a lot of other silver will be needed." The Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang expressed his attitude. This will be very expensive. Over time, the continuous investment may not be inferior to military spending.

The emperor talked about ideals, while Wang Guoguang talked about reality.

The Royal Institute of Technology is just an academy with 9,000 people. Shen Li, the chief academician, is a concurrent leader. Working there are two chief instructors, a dean, a supervisor, doctors, teaching assistants, a principal, a registrar, and a bookkeeper. In total, it is maintained by no more than 30 officials, hundreds of clerks, and several hundred faculty and staff.

However, as the scale expanded to nine, it was inevitable to establish an administrative system directly under the court. Since it was an administrative system, all the corruption in the officialdom would also exist in these nine universities, which represented a huge expenditure on administrative costs.

Education has always been extremely expensive, both in ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad.

"Your Majesty, I think what the Grand Tutor said makes sense." Zhang Juzheng also felt that the emperor's original intention was good, but it would be easy to implement it incorrectly and it would become extremely troublesome. The development of education should be done step by step. The Polytechnic Institute, which had just gotten rid of the shackles of feudal ritual studies, should not move forward in big strides, but should proceed slowly.

"I plan to let Gao Qiyu, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, take charge of the overall affairs of education and have full responsibility for the development of education." Zhu Yijun gave a candidate. He would be responsible for making promises and paying money, while the ministers would be responsible for finding ways to make it happen. Except for one small matter that was not avoided at the beginning, Gao Qiyu was an extremely suitable candidate.

Zhang Juzheng said anxiously: "Your Majesty!..."

"Sir, there is no need to dwell on the past." Zhu Yijun knew what Zhang Juzheng wanted to say. There was no need to pursue those trivial matters that were not even considered as usurpation of power. Even the despicable Confucian Zhou Liangyin had been given a chance, and now he was thriving after the purge in Shanxi.

Speaking of the rebels, isn’t there a Wang Chonggu as the deputy assistant?

"I obey your order." Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and then bowed his head and said.

"Your Majesty, what are the specific goals of promoting education?" Shen Li asked about the specific goals. The emperor proposed a new policy to promote education. Things will happen in due time. It is not a broad direction, but a clear goal.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "In the short term, we should build nine polytechnic colleges first, and then talk about it after that. In the long term, the goal of promoting education is to educate the people, so that all the people in the country, regardless of their wealth, status, or social status, can be virtuous and polite, know the great principles of right and wrong, and become good people."

"To put it simply: everyone has access to education, which is my long-term goal."

All the ministers fell silent. They looked at each other and then at the world feng shui map placed behind His Majesty. The ministers suddenly felt that conquering the world and building a huge empire on which the sun never sets seemed to be easier.

"Your Majesty, why don't you look overseas?" Zhang Juzheng said solemnly, "Governor Wang Jiaping of Guangdong and Guangxi hopes to grant Guangzhou Ocean Trading Company a special trade license, allowing it to fly the seven-star flag and go to the West to trade."

This proposal involves a very sensitive topic, the division of tin (cì通給) and land.

Even at the beginning of the country, when Zhu Yuanzhang was enfeoffing his sons, he clearly stated that the nobles would not be in charge of the people, would not be granted land, and would not be allowed to govern the country while receiving salaries. The special trade license proposed by Wang Jiaping now has such a name in order to avoid touching the minefield.

The Ming Dynasty already had a pioneering lord system and had carried out the first awarding of honors. Now, this honor system has gone a step further and reached the point of special trade licenses.

There are five special trade licenses in total.

The first permission was to allow ocean-going trading companies to rule overseas dominions and establish dominion governments;
The second permission was to allow it to recruit troops and ensure the security of its trade;
The third license allowed the business houses to become sovereign entities, eroding the local political system and grabbing sufficient benefits;
The fourth license, the free trade license, relies on the tyrannical power of the Ming Dynasty, and the seized goods can pass through customs smoothly;

The fifth permission is to allow the migration of people to reside in the autonomous region in order to achieve long-term stability and long-term benefits.

In short, it means allowing trading companies to establish feudal states and colonies in order to gain sufficient profits.

In his last memorial, Wan Shihe reminded the Emperor that the colonists would inevitably become localized during the colonization process, and this was an issue that the court must consider. The special trade license proposed by Wang Jiaping posed such a risk.

Once this special trade license was approved by the court, it would mean the complete collapse of the tribute trade.

"I think Wang Jiaping's proposal is very good." Zhu Yijun sat up straight and said, "The east of the Strait of Malacca and the west of Mindanao are all allowed."

"Zhang Yuanxun, the governor of the Old Port Governor's Office, and Pan Zhencheng, the general manager of the Guangzhou Ocean Trading Company, established twelve saltpeter workshops in the Bay of Bengal. The 1.5 million kilograms of saltpeter imported into the Ming Dynasty every year all came from the workshops established by Zhang Yuanxun and Pan Zhencheng."

"My dear ministers, I am telling you this because I want to tell you that, regardless of whether the court agrees or not, the five special trade licenses proposed by Wang Jiaping have already been implemented. If you want to stop it, you can only ban the sea again."

It seems that there is a choice, but in fact there is no choice. Unless the Ming Dynasty gives up its huge overseas interests again, this special trade license is the general trend and cannot be changed by human will.

Zhu Yijun chose to go with the flow. The imperial court did not have the ability to directly develop areas outside the Strait of Malacca, so the outside world should be left to the businessmen.

"If you are afraid of both the head and the tail, how much will be left on your body? If you are afraid of both the head and the tail, there will not be much left on your body. Since you have chosen to open the sea, then go ahead." Zhu Yijun gave the final instructions.

What is bound to happen should be faced calmly.

In addition to collecting gold, the new policy that began in the 15th year of Wanli also included the development of education. These were additional expenses, and Zhu Yijun needed to earn more money to make up for this deficit.

The Ming Emperor left the Polytechnic Institute and went to the military camp to review the troops, while the Ministry of Revenue completed the final audit of Korea's food and wages.

In the Wenhua Hall, Wang Guoguang took an abacus and made calculations. He said to Zhang Juzheng, "From Dengzhou to Lushun, the sea distance is 560 miles, and the freight rate is 1.5 cents per stone. When transporting to the Yalu River, the sea distance increases by 770 miles, and the freight rate increases by 8 cents. When transporting to Pyongyang, the freight rate will be increased according to the land distance."

"Last year, we transported 1.2 million dan of grain, military equipment, gunpowder, and other items, costing 372,000 taels of silver. The cost of river transport was 30% to 40% less than that of land transport, and the cost of sea transport was 80% to 90% less than that of land transport. Sea transport is really cheaper."

The freight cost of land transportation in the Ming Dynasty, even with the existence of a highway, was one bushel of grain for every 50 miles, one bushel of grain for every 300 miles, and only one in ten for every 1,000 miles. As for transporting grain ten thousand miles, it was only carried out in the early years of the Hongwu period. Later, the Northern Expedition had to transport grain from Peking and Shanxi, which was too expensive.

The main purpose of the Chidao was to increase speed and save some money, but the price of iron horses remained high, with one horsepower costing more than one hundred silver coins, which was still expensive.

The freight cost of river grain was very low. The imperial court transported 4 million shi of grain to the south of the Yangtze River every year, while the area south of the Yangtze River produced 14 million shi of grain every year. To transport 4 million shi of grain along the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou, it would require the transportation cost of 10 million shi of grain. The cost of river grain transport was about 1.5 silver cents per shi, but there were also maintenance costs for river grain transport, and it cost another 1.5 silver cents to dredge the canal.

Therefore, the freight for river grain was actually about three silver coins per stone. After the grain was transported by sea, the transportation capacity of the Grand Canal was released and tax revenue increased along the entire line, which brought new vitality to the Grand Canal. The 120,000 banner troops did not lose their jobs because the grain was no longer transported, and they did not become an unstable factor for the Ming Dynasty.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal now has an annual carrying capacity of 1.5 million jin, but the comprehensive freight per dan of goods has been reduced by half to silver.

The freight for sea transport is 0.23 taels per stone for miles. It would be a little more expensive to transport it to Korea because it was used to fight in Korea and the food was for the army. It was not surprising that the price was a little higher than usual.

"General Qi said that starting this year, we no longer need to ship grain to North Korea." Zhang Juzheng asked solemnly, "Can North Korea's grain meet the needs of the front line? Isn't it too early to raise grain and grass on our own?"

Wang Guoguang sighed and said, "The grain production in Yizhou, Pyongyang, Seoul, and Incheon has already met the needs of the Ming army's conquest. Last year, when Korea was under military control, 270,000 dan of grain was allocated for military use, and 2 million bundles of grass were allocated, which was more than enough for military use."

"Too many people died in Korea because of the Japanese invasion. If the Ming army had gone there earlier, it would have been more than a few million people who died in Korea."

With millions of deaths, agricultural production could squeeze out a surplus for military use. Qi Jiguang's main consideration was to save money, and he didn't have to worry about the loyalty of soldiers on the front lines, because the linear array combat method of all firearms was extremely dependent on gunpowder supplies. Once the capacity for transporting grain was released, gunpowder could be transported to the front lines.

"In this way, we can save a lot of money." Zhang Juzheng wrote the floating ticket and said with a smile on his face: "This is the most cost-effective war I have fought since I entered the officialdom. It would be great if I could save money like this."

During the Jiajing period, the extra expenditures for fighting Altan Khan exceeded 5 million silver a year. Food was expensive and transportation was also expensive. The war against the Japanese invaders required an extra expenditure of 2 million silver a year. The 7 million silver a year was the biggest headache for the civil and military officials in the middle and late Jiajing period. Without silver, the war could not be fought. In the early years of the Wanli period, the extra expenditures for recovering the Daning Guard, defeating Altan Khan, and recovering the Hetao area required 3 million silver a year. From the 9th to the 11th year of the Wanli period, the Beijing Camp conquered Suiyuan. After the war audit, it exceeded 9.3 million silver, approaching the 10 million silver mark.

Now, the imperial court has been fighting in Korea for a year, and has spent a total of 1.2 million silver coins, of which 300,000 silver coins were extra rewards from the emperor's treasury.

Wang Chonggu couldn't help but look at these stingy people who were so proud of saving money, and said, "My Yuanfu and Dasitu, don't you notice something strange?"

"Auditing the army is even more bizarre than saving money! The accountant who uses an abacus in the Ministry of Revenue can actually audit all the military expenditures. This is the most terrifying thing about Wanli's military revitalization."

Auditing military spending is really outrageous.

Violence, production relations, morality based on distribution, order, and power are progressive relationships. Violence is the only concrete reality. It is theoretically impossible to conduct a financial audit of violence itself simply because the court holds power.

But the Ming Dynasty did it, and Wang Situ and Zhang Yuanfu actually thought it was natural and discussed how sea transportation could save a lot of money!

Does it matter whether you save money or not? What matters is that the Ming Dynasty court knew exactly how much the army spent.

"Since ancient times, when the army was deployed, food and money were allocated, but it was unclear where the money was spent." Wang Chonggu's face changed several times and he said, "During the 25-year war between the Ming Dynasty and Altan Khan, five or six million taels of silver were spent every year. Where did the money go? How much was spent on each matter? Can the court ask?"

"Don't say the court doesn't know. When I took over as governor of Xuanda, I had a lot of bad debts. Not only did I not have any surplus, I even owed a lot of money."

"If the imperial court intervenes, we will have to worry about Xuanda's army joining the northern barbarians in the invasion."

When auditing military property, the army would put the accountant who was doing the audit on a barrel of explosives and blow him up into the sky, and then tell the court that the accountant had died at the hands of the northern barbarians.

However, the accountants who went to fight in Korea sent their accounts to the capital for audit, and all of them passed. Even the number of broken axles was clearly recorded.

Wang Chonggu said with emotion: "To be honest, in the past, it was not uncommon for the Xuanda Army to resell all kinds of steel fire feathers! When the Beijing Camp was fighting, even if a fire gun was broken, it had to be reported and retained and sent back to the capital. It was not only the Beijing Camp, but also the Liaodong Army, although the accounts were a bit vague."

Not only did the accounts of the Beijing camp pass the audit, but even the 20,000 troops from Liaodong who entered the Korean War also passed the audit. Although the Liaodong Army's accounts were a bit messy, the Liao Army was now willing to make good accounts to fool the court, which was a huge improvement.

Zhang Juzheng and Wang Guoguang looked at each other in surprise. Indeed, the act of auditing military financial expenditures was indeed very strange.

"Doesn't this just prove that the Ming army is the royal army that reports to the emperor and saves the people?" Wang Guoguang said tentatively.

"Indeed." Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "Treasure this hard-earned royal teacher. The Ming Dynasty has been in existence for 200 years. How many years can we truly call it a royal teacher?"

Wang Chonggu was not talking nonsense. If the Ming army had been like this at the beginning of the country, Emperor Taizu Gao would not have had to continuously settle accounts with military heroes. In the middle and late Hongwu period, the Ming army had almost become the private soldiers of military heroes.

Master Wang is hard to come by, so use him and cherish him. One day, Master Wang’s morals may decline and he may no longer be Master Wang.

"Henan Governor Xu Xuemo reported that he wanted to join hands with Shandong Governor Wang Yi'e to return the Yellow River to its original course." Wang Guoguang picked up another memorial and said, "Xu Xuemo's meaning is that if the Yellow River does not return to its original course, the Huai River's transportation capacity will not be released. If the Yellow River returns to its original course, the Huai River's transportation capacity will be very good, not inferior to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal."

"Everyone, Henan is the Huaihe River system. As long as the Yellow River is allowed to return to its original path to the old Han River, the Huaihe River's transportation capacity can be fully released, which is a great cause for the people."

In the second year of Jianyan, Du Chong, the governor of Tokyo in the Southern Song Dynasty, dug up the Kaifeng section of the Yellow River in order to prevent the Jin army from moving south. Then the turbid dragon of the Yellow River began to flow into the sea through the Huai River. The Southern Song Dynasty, the Jin Dynasty, and the Yuan Dynasty were all destroyed, and history has passed. However, the damage caused by the Yellow River flowing into the sea through the Huai River is still continuing.

The diversion of the Huai River into the sea is a horrific ecological disaster. The Huai River basin, which has been known as "a place with ripples since ancient times and lotus flowers around its banks, is about to be compared to Wuxing", has turned the rich Jianghuai Plain into a muddy land. Under the impact of the Yellow River water, a large area of ​​the Jianghuai Plain has become salinized, and lakes of all sizes have been blocked by the silt of the Yellow River, and floods are becoming increasingly serious.

Since the founding of the Hongwu era, the Huaihe River has experienced more than 350 flood disasters. The lakes used to store water and discharge floodwaters have all been blocked by silt, and the Huaihe River's flood-resistance capacity has been greatly reduced.

It was not until Pan Jixun controlled the flow of water to flush out the sand that the harm posed by the Yellow River was reduced to an acceptable level.

"Xu Xuemao and Wang Yi'e believe that a river can be built from Lankao County, flowing into the Bohai Bay from Shandong and into the sea. After there is no more silt flowing into the Huaihe River basin, careful management will be the best strategy for stabilizing the country and ensuring national security." Wang Guoguang took out a map of river disasters and outlined the plan for the new river channel.

"How long will it take?" Zhang Juzheng asked solemnly.

Pan Jixun actually mentioned this amendment, which is the best solution, but in the end Pan Jixun still chose to use the water to flush the sand.

The Yellow River takes over the Huai River and flows into the sea, sealing all the transport capacity of the Huai River.

Wang Guoguang said hesitantly: "It will take at least ten years to build a new river channel, and at least a hundred years to completely dredge the Huai River. A hundred years later, the Huai River Basin will have a transportation capacity no less than the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal! By then, Henan, Jiangyou, and Jiangzuo can directly enter the sea from the Huai River!"

If it weren't for Pan Jixun's method of flushing sand with water, the Huaihe River would have lost its estuary by now. The silt from the Yellow River almost filled up the Huaihe River's seaward section. Even with the method of flushing sand with water, it would still be in danger.

"The prospect is good." Wang Chonggu spread his hands and said, "The Ming Dynasty does not have the strength now. Let's not talk about anything else. We can't even repair the river from Lankao to Bohai through Jinan Prefecture and into Bohai. If we just tear down the levee in Lankao and let the Yellow River flood, Henan, Jiangzuo and Jiangyou can agree to it, but can the people of Shandong agree to it?"

"I've been doing this for so many years, but I can't do the job you're talking about right now. Ten years? You're overthinking." Wang Chonggu shook his head and said, "Once we start this job, it will probably take fifty years to finish. Just to make a prototype, it will take at least five hundred thousand men, six years of working day and night, and tens of millions of cubic meters of earth."

"Do you know how many years it took to build the Yellow River embankment? More than 400 years."

The wishful thinking of meat eaters often leads to big trouble. Wang Chonggu disagreed with the content of the joint memorial submitted by the governors of Henan and Shandong. The current productivity of the Ming Dynasty was simply not capable of such a feat as changing the course of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River can be as peaceful and calm as it is now, all thanks to the blessing of our ancestors.

Tens of millions of cubic meters of earth will be moved, and five hundred thousand people will have to work for six years. This is only the initial stage, and maintenance will have to continue in the future. If it is really started, the demise of the Ming Dynasty is just around the corner. It will not even take a hundred years for the Huai River basin to prosper again, and the Ming Dynasty's national destiny will be exhausted.

"Send it to the Imperial Household Department." Zhang Juzheng folded the memorial and handed it to the Secretariat, which contained the opinions of various court officials.

Soon, the memorial was sent back to the cabinet, with the imperial commentary containing only two words: no money.

Zhu Yijun felt poor for the first time. This project only required 1.2 laborers to work for six years, and it would cost million taels of silver. This was just the labor remuneration, and the labor remuneration accounted for to % of the cost of the Dinggong construction. In other words, this project alone would cost at least million taels of silver. Once the construction started, the budget would continue to increase.

These 500,000 people were separated from agricultural production. During the past ten years of the Ming Dynasty, they did not have to do anything, and the agricultural surplus was not even enough to support them.

In addition, there is long-term investment.

Even if Zhu Yijun dismantled himself and sold himself, he would not have so much silver, so he answered briefly that he had no money and rejected the proposal.

The plan is excellent, but it can only be left to future generations to realize. For this matter, we can only trust the wisdom of future generations.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Minister of Agriculture has returned to the capital and has arrived at Huitongguan Posthouse, and he has brought an envoy from Kuchum Khan of the Xianbei City." A eunuch hurried into the Tonghe Palace and said with his head bowed.

The Grand Minister of Agriculture is a respectful title for Xu Zhenming, the Director of the Baoqi Division. He is Your Majesty's agricultural teacher and one of the imperial tutors. He taught Your Majesty how to farm. He has been in Suiyuan since he was sent there in the tenth year of Wanli. This time, when Xu Zhenming returns to Beijing, he will no longer go to Suiyuan.

"You will be summoned at the grand court tomorrow." Zhu Yijun put down the red brush in his hand, looked up and said, "As for the envoys from Xianbei City, let the Ministry of Rites contact them first. Don't make a fool of yourself if you don't speak the language."

Compared with the envoys from the distant Xianbei Plain, Zhu Yijun cared more about Xu Zhenming. Xu Zhenming made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty's rule in Suiyuan.

Five years may not be a long time, but this spring, the number of sandstorms brought by the north wind has decreased. The Royal Academy of Sciences has set up more than a dozen large cotton nets. Every spring, the number of days with blowing sand, sandstorms and haze disasters is measured, and the weight of sand and dust captured by the large cotton nets is used to quantify the sandstorm weather problem.

As the people of Suiyuan stopped their nomadic life, the problem of grassland degradation caused by overgrazing was curbed. From the seventh year of Wanli to the fourteenth year of Wanli, on average, there were seven blowing sand storms and two sandstorms every year from Juyongguan to the capital. The yellow sand covered the sky and made it dark.

There were only three bleak sandstorms in the 15th year of the Wanli reign, and no sandstorms. This was already a rare good weather, or at least it did not get worse.

Other things can be specially supplied, but the air we breathe cannot be specially supplied. Therefore, the masters in Beijing are very concerned about the situation in Suiyuan Wanghua. The restoration of grassland can effectively reduce sandstorms.

From the tenth year of Zhengtong to the twenty-third year of Jiajing, there were only forty-nine recorded sandstorms in the entire hundred years; but from the twenty-third year of Jiajing to the forty-third year of Jiajing, there were forty records of sandstorms in just twenty years.

From the 43rd year of Jiajing to the 7th year of Wanli, there were more than 35 records of sandstorms in 15 years.

The environment is deteriorating, sandstorms are increasing, and it has become a daily routine in the capital city that there are winds all the time and dust everywhere.

Now this deterioration has finally been curbed. From the spring of the tenth to the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign, there was no increase in blowing sand and dust storms. Observation data from fourteen observation points showed that the number of days with blowing sand was decreasing, and the amount of sand in sandstorms was also decreasing.

Xu Zhenming returned to the capital. After he stayed at Huitongguan Inn, he received rewards from the palace continuously, including 100 gold coins weighing one or two taels, 500 silver coins, a cloak, 15 pieces of national cellar, three pieces of jade, a hectoliter of pearls, a coral, a pound of ambergris, and so on.

"This is not allowed. Absolutely not allowed." Xu Zhenming had been expressing his gratitude, but when he saw the two Persian beauties, he chose to refuse.

(End of this chapter)