I'm really not doing business

Chapter 802 Sunset Plan, New Sun Canal

The emperor sent a memorial to the cabinet to seek advice, but received no response. The fact that silver was controlled by others was not a new problem.

In the second year of the Wanli reign, Guangmao, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, submitted a memorial in which he harshly criticized the implementation of the Single Whip System.

His memorial was approved by the Emperor. His reason for opposing the Single Whip Law was that silver was completely dependent on foreign inflows, and the Ming Dynasty was short of silver and could not be controlled by others. (Chapter 227)
Now Guangmao has been promoted to the governor of Baoding, and is actively accumulating qualifications, seeking advancement, and entering the six ministries.

Fourteen years have passed, and the court is still unable to solve this problem.

At that time, Guangmao’s opinion was: Wherever there is silver, the Ming Dynasty should control it!

He proposed a plan to destroy Japan. If he destroyed Japan, he would have complete control over Japan's silver in his own hands so that he would not be controlled by others.

Today, through various means, Ming has basically controlled the complete inflow of Japanese silver into Ming, but Ming is developing rapidly, and the Japanese silver that seemed to be sufficient at the time is completely insufficient today.

This is an old problem, and it has even been on the desk of the Ming Emperor since the Jiajing period, when Gui E first proposed the Single Whip Law monetary tax.

Time flies, nearly sixty years have passed, and this is still a problem that the Ming Dynasty cannot solve.

The cabinet did not respond, and Zhu Yijun did not ask further questions. He had no intention of further embarrassing his subjects.

How to make the silver from the rich silver mines flow to the Ming Dynasty instead of the West is indeed a difficult question to answer. It requires going from the phenomenon to the problem, analyzing the causes and finding solutions.

Zhu Yijun finally experienced it for once. Nine out of ten things are not satisfactory. He was in a bad mood and the Tonghe Palace became depressed.

"Your Majesty, seventeen more people jumped at the Shenxian Tower on the Tonghui River." Feng Bao delivered a report from the imperial guards to the emperor's desk and said in a low voice that his majesty had been in a very bad mood in the past few days.

These seventeen lives were lost due to the evil deeds of Wang Qian, and Wang Qian showed no intention of repenting at all, which caused widespread complaints.

Shenxian Building is opposite to Yanxing Building. Many people are waiting at Shenxian Building for Yanxing Building's quotation and then make a decision. Some people, with a bigger bet, will book a higher room so that they can reach the ground when the window is opened.

Zhu Yijun opened the newspaper and after reading it, he asked solemnly, "What is Wang Qian trying to do? I have called him to my presence several times to reprimand him. He should have held back. Why did he bring up a murder case again?"

"I really don't intend to interfere too much, but doesn't he understand the meaning of my question? He can do it, but why force someone to jump off a building?"

Zhu Yijun could certainly lend his reputation to his ministers and provide a safety net for them, but the emperor's favor could not be consumed in this way.

Feng Bao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I still want to say something on behalf of Censor Wang. These seventeen people deserved their punishment."

"How much silver did he spend to ask you to speak for him?" Zhu Yijun frowned. Wang Qian's money was so powerful that he even spent it on the old ancestor in the palace. How much silver did he spend?

"I deserve to die!" When Feng Bao heard the emperor say this, he was immediately frightened and kowtowed hard, and this time it was very loud.

Your Majesty is no longer a ten-year-old child, but an emperor in his prime. Your Majesty himself does not know how terrible he is when he gets angry.

"Get up. You're guilty of a thousand deaths before you've even said a few words. I hate this the most. Make it clear. It's not up to you whether you live or die." Zhu Yijun watched Feng Bao confess his guilt directly, not even daring to defend himself. He knew that when he got angry, he was really afraid, so he probably wanted to confiscate the money.

Feng Bao understood Zhu Yijun, and Zhu Yijun also understood Feng Bao.

Feng Bao received the silver that he was entitled to, not a penny less. The eunuchs in the imperial farm sold the imperial cellars and various luxurious items at a higher price, and gave all the tributes to Feng Bao.

In the past ten years, he has taken at least several million silver coins, but Feng Bao would not take silver that he should not take or silver that would cost him his life.

The head should be on the neck.

Feng Bao knew very well that he would surely be put to death for colluding with both internal and external forces. He was afraid that the emperor would even find out the nine members of his clan and kill them to vent his anger.

Zhang Hong, the second ancestor, is still waiting to take the throne.

"Tell me the situation." Zhu Yijun pushed the memorial forward and said.

Feng Bao bowed his head and said, "These seventeen lives are what they deserve. Your Majesty, I am really not speaking for Wang Qian. Each of these seventeen people has more than ten times the leverage. Even if Wang Qian does not harvest them, they are not far from death."

"How many times the leverage?" Zhu Yijun was stunned and asked in surprise.

Feng Bao pointed out several names in the memorial one by one and said, "The one who invested the most, invested nearly 100,000 silver in Yanxinglou Trading House. His original capital was only 7,000 silver, and the rest was all raised by mortgaging his wife, children, ancestral property and house to the bank."

"Your Majesty, the leverage is more than ten times. If there is any slight disturbance in the valuable tickets of Yanxing Tower, he will have no choice but to jump from the Shenxian Tower."

"If Censor Wang didn't cut him, there would be others who cut him."

"As long as the leverage is lower than 130%, Wang Yushi will not take action. Wang Yushi is also working for the country. These people are not even speculators, but outright gamblers."

Feng Bao also prepared an account book and laid out the accounts of these seventeen people one by one. Leverage is a slang term here, and its meaning is very clear, which is actually the debt ratio.

He borrowed money to go to Yanxinglou to buy securities, and he borrowed so much. Even if Wang Qian refused to accept the money, there would be others who would. If gamblers could make money, the Ming Dynasty would be full of gamblers.

Wang Qian really didn't mean to exploit the emperor's reputation, but he wanted the Yanxinglou Trading House to continue.

"Where did this account book come from?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously, "Who borrowed how much money? How did Wang Qian know? And he even killed the person at a specific location?"

Feng Bao explained: "The bank gave it to Wang Qian, Your Majesty. Most of the people who put money in the capital are Shanxi merchants. No one dares to refuse to give it to Master Wang if he wants it."

"Especially those who borrowed a lot of money and came to Yanxinglou for speculation, they would be marked in red and sent to Wang Ci Fu's residence overnight."

"And these accounts are not owned by Wang Yushi alone. Some private trade fairs with extremely high thresholds also have them, but they don't know them as quickly as Wang Yushi."

Delivering the bill overnight is something Wang Qian learned from his father Wang Chonggu and Emperor Zhu Yijun. Speed ​​is of the essence in war; the faster, the greater the advantage.

Kill two birds with one stone. The money houses would mortgage at 60% or 70% of the price. If they couldn't get the money back, they would take away the ancestral property and houses mortgaged to the money houses.
Meanwhile, at Yanxing Tower, Wang Qian squeezed these people to death and used all the money he had squeezed out to store gold.

The bankruptcy means that these people cannot even pay the interest for that month. They have borrowed all they can and have no choice but to go down a path of no return.

This is a gambler, not even a speculator. Speculators would not use such a high leverage.

Wang Qian is using his own ruthlessness to prevent and discipline investors, telling them not to use such high leverage. 130% is the safety line. Any more and the market will show its cruelty.

If Wang Qian doesn't take action, there will be a lot of people waiting to take action, and the money house's accounts cannot be collected by Wang Qian alone.

"I wrongly blamed you. I'll get some medicine and apply it. Look at the bump. How's your acting?" Zhu Yijun said apologetically after understanding the whole story: "Don't say you deserve death for every little thing in the future. Explain the matter clearly. I'm not that moody."

"I am guilty." Feng Bao was smart again. He made the emperor admit his mistake and explained that he was not so moody. This was a huge sin for a minister.

"Here you go again. Go, go, apply the medicine." Zhu Yijun seemed a little helpless. He waved his hand and asked Feng Bao to apply it.

Feng Bao bowed his head again: "I obey your order."

Zhang Hong witnessed the whole process. He felt that Feng Bao was acting. After sending Feng Bao out of the imperial study, he smiled and said, "Feng Daban, you really have great acting skills."

Feng Bao said angrily: "What a bullshit, why don't you take my place for two days? Just try it!"

"Your Majesty has been very angry these past few days because of the fact that he is completely dependent on foreign silver inflows and is controlled by others. Come closer and serve me. See if you can kowtow! I guarantee that you will kowtow louder than me!"

"Your Majesty has a good temper. When you are angry, you vent it on yourself. You don't vent your anger on us servants, nor do you slap a passing dog."

Zhang Hong remembered something and shuddered. Only then did he realize that Feng Bao was not pretending.

Your Majesty is really angry, and this anger is very strong. Although he will not take his anger out on others, it is indeed a bit scary.

Feng Bao, Zhang Hong, Li Yougong and other eunuchs were called subjects in a nice way, but in fact they were just slaves of the emperor.

After a long time, they got used to it. His Majesty treated them as human beings, and they gradually treated themselves as human beings. But in the eyes of the natural noble, are we really human beings?

Feng Bao and Zhang Hong had both seen masters with bad tempers with their own eyes, and not just one or two. The princesses and princes in the palace, the favored concubines in the palace, and the emperor were all masters.

This atmosphere in the palace where people are not treated as human beings caused the eunuchs' psychology to be distorted.

But Your Majesty is quite like Emperor Chengzu Wen, and treats eunuchs as human beings. The eunuchs in the imperial palace dare not speak out, but the eunuchs in Tonghe Palace are absolutely loyal!

Your Majesty is the master of the country. Your every word and action is watched by the nobles in the palace. Your Majesty will not be overly harsh on these slaves, and the nobles will naturally not do the same.

Put yourself in other people's shoes, so after Your Majesty moved to Tonghe Palace, there has been no problem in Tonghe Palace, not even once.

The emperor chose to respect and treat people as human beings, and his servants provided security for the emperor. Naturally, such strange things as the dragon giving birth to eight sons during the Jiajing period, with only one real dragon left among the eight dragons, would not happen.

It’s just that Feng Bao and Zhang Hong are used to it. If Feng Bao hadn’t mentioned it today, Zhang Hong would have forgotten it. This is a special situation that only occurred during the Wanli period.

Fish don't thank water and take it for granted.

Feng Bao also said with emotion: "Sir, you are talking about grace. The emperor's grace is great. This is the emperor's grace!"

"You and I should encourage each other to always remind the eunuchs in the palace that this is a favor. If you are ungrateful, you will not be thrown into the well, but sent to the dismemberment hospital to be used as a specimen!"

Feng Bao actually had forgotten about it, but it was because His Majesty was sulking these past two days that Feng Bao remembered it, so he scared himself and was a bit extreme.

Your Majesty is actually very simple and never moody.

Zhang Hong shuddered and said, "Feng Daban, go and apply the medicine quickly. I'll help you here for a while, just half an hour! It's agreed to be half an hour!"

Feng Bao applied the medicine and went to Wenyuan Pavilion to inquire about what His Majesty had asked in the memorial. After getting no results, he returned to Tonghe Palace helplessly.

No one in the palace dared to remind His Majesty that His Majesty had looked very gloomy and scary recently, causing everyone to walk more quietly for fear of angering His Majesty.

Wang Yaozhuo also saw it and was worried. She was afraid that His Majesty would have internal conflicts, so she tried every way to please the emperor.

"Your Majesty, Wang Ci Fu led the cabinet and submitted a memorial! Ouch." Feng Bao hurried to the imperial study, holding a memorial. When passing through the door, he tripped over the threshold and rolled smoothly to the front of the imperial desk, and presented the memorial to the emperor.

Feng Bao also knows how to use Xiao Huangmen's tricks, and he does it more smoothly.

"Get up." Zhu Yijun almost laughed out of anger. He was already an old man, but he still played such a cheap trick. Feng Bao said with a smile on his face: "Your Majesty, Wang Cifu is indeed a capable person who can help the country. The cabinet ministers were at a loss, but he came up with a way to solve your Majesty's worries!"

"Oh?!" Zhu Yijun's eyes lit up. He opened the memorial, read it for a long time, and a sunny smile appeared on his face. With this smile, the low pressure in Tonghe Palace was no longer oppressive.

The cabinet ministers and court officials can all feel the emperor's mood. If the emperor is in a bad mood, the ministers will also be in a bad mood. They are afraid of saying the wrong thing, and the mood of all officials in the capital will be even worse. These ministers have gloomy faces all day long, and those who don't know would think that they have offended the ministers.

The emperor was in a good mood, and the atmosphere in the entire capital was no longer so depressing. All the officials in the capital could continue to laugh.

"Open the West Flower Hall and call the assistant ministers to discuss matters. Feng Banban, go get a few velvet jackets and cashmere sweaters. When the assistant ministers arrive in a while, reward them all. Leave the one with flying fish pattern to Wang Ci Fu." Zhu Yijun gave instructions and the rewards were ready.

When His Majesty is in a good mood, he will call Feng Banban; when he is in an average mood, he will call him Feng Daban; when he is angry, he will call him by his name.

Normally, if His Majesty calls someone by his name, he would be one step away from losing his head.

"I obey your command." Feng Bao accepted the order happily. Whoever could make the gentleman in front of him happy would be the most meritorious official in the world!

Marquis of Yicheng Zhang Juzheng, Deputy Prime Minister Wang Chonggu, Cabinet Minister Wang Guoguang, and Shen Li arrived at the imperial study in Tonghe Palace. Hai Rui was also called to the West Flower Hall to discuss state affairs.

Although Hai Rui was not a cabinet minister, he had the power to directly seek an audience in the imperial study of Tonghe Palace, which saved Hai Rui from writing a security petition to curse people.

There were a total of six ministers who discussed state affairs. If Qi Jiguang was present, one more minister, Duke Fengguo Qi Jiguang, would have to be included.

"Your Majesty, we are here to pay our respects. Long live Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty." Zhang Juzheng and his ministers paid their respects.

"Sit down, sit down, and look at the tea. Look at the good tea." Zhu Yijun motioned for the ministers to sit down, looked around and said, "I called you all here today to discuss important matters. This closed-door meeting is obviously the most important of the important matters."

"Today, there is no record of the Zhongshu Sheren, so there is no need to worry about the bad reputation of the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Zhu Yijun was not worried about having too many debts, nor was he itchy because of too many lice. He was warmongering and frequently committed major crimes. If scholars do not fill his grave with garbage, they are not scholars.

But the reputation of our ministers needs to be protected!

"Wang Ci Fu, you can talk about this memorial." Zhu Yijun sat aside and left the center stage of the world's feng shui map to Wang Chonggu.

Wang Chonggu raised his hands and bowed to several ministers to express his apology.

He said with a strange look on his face, "Seven days ago, your majesty suddenly issued a strict order to the cabinet to ask for advice. I am ashamed of myself. I am in a high position but have no good ideas. I am really ashamed."

"Yesterday, I beat up my rebellious son at home. That Shenxianlou killed 17 people. I really wanted to beat him to death!"

"Unexpectedly, he took a bush path and escaped. I stared at the bush path for a long time, and then an idea suddenly occurred to me!"

"So it was Young Master Wang who provided the inspiration to Wang Ci Fu?" Zhu Yijun smiled knowingly when he heard this. Wang Chonggu always called his child a rebellious son, but in fact he doted on his child more than anyone else. When the child got into trouble, he racked his brains to make up for it.

"I'm sorry to make a fool of myself in front of your Majesty and all the gentlemen. It's really a family shame, a family shame." Wang Chonggu was talking about a family shame, but in fact he was still quite proud of Wang Qian.

Because even without Wang Chonggu, Wang Qian can still have his own place in the turbulent court and settle himself down. His parents don't have to worry about whether their child can live a good life after he is gone. This is the best explanation to his parents.

Wang Chonggu stood up straight and said solemnly, "Your Majesty asked for a long-term plan. I am not talented, but I have some ideas. Your Majesty, please allow me to report that the silver hegemony in Felipe's hands is not silver hegemony."

"When we think about the problem, we are all too obsessed with the appearance of silver. In fact, what Felipe holds is not silver hegemony."

"Your Majesty, the Viceroyalties of Spain mainly include the Viceroyalties of Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Mexico."

"The Governor-General's Office in Brazil is not loyal. They do business with the French, Portuguese, Dutch, and even the English. They are very flexible and want to make money from everyone."

"But the remaining three viceroyalties of Chile, Peru, and Mexico have shown extraordinary loyalty. They will definitely obey the orders of Felipe II."

"Why is this?"

(Map of the Spanish Viceroyalty)

Spain maintained extraordinary loyalty in the Pacific coastal areas, which meant that Felipe's art of rule reached its peak. As for the issue of localization of the colonists, did Felipe completely control it in a way that the Ming Dynasty was unaware of?

"The problem is actually very simple. The problem lies here, in the Strait of Magellan." Wang Chonggu pointed the long pole in his hand at the bottom of South America, where is the Strait of Magellan.

The waterways of the Strait of Magellan are extremely complex. If you force your way through without a pilot boat, you could easily run aground. Some waters are only three feet deep at low tide, which is a huge challenge for ships with pointed bottoms and deep drafts.

In addition to the complex waterways, this is a natural dangerous pass on the sea. Once both ends are blocked, no ship can pass through.

Shen Li asked curiously, "Isn't there still a vast sea area south of the Strait of Magellan? Why can't we bypass the Strait of Magellan? Is it necessary to go through the Strait of Magellan in such a vast sea area?"

The southernmost tip of the New World marked on the geomancy map is Tierra del Fuego, and further south is the endless ocean. Do we have to take the complicated water route and pay extremely high tariffs?
Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Further south of the Strait of Magellan, it is a restricted zone for life. The Ming ocean-going fleet reached the Strait of Magellan six times, and each time we saw a large amount of floating ice floating there. When they hit the floating ice while sailing on the sea, the ship was destroyed and people died."

"Besides, it is where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet, with strong winds and huge waves all year round. The killer westerly belt, storm corridor, Devil's Strait, and murderous corridor are all names for this strait."

There are some wrong names, but there are definitely no wrong nicknames. The Ming Dynasty's ocean-going merchant fleet once sent ships to explore, and the conclusion was that the conditions for navigation were not met.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Legend has it that there was a captain named He Saixi who luckily passed through that sea area with strong winds and floating ice all year round. He had three ships and only one passed through. He was also very lucky. There were no high waves and no floating ice. The risk was really too great."

The risks of maritime trade are inherently high. The choice is between having the ship destroyed and people killed, or being blackmailed into paying customs duties. Most merchant ships choose to pay customs duties.

Wang Chonggu continued, "The governor of the Strait of Magellan sent by Felipe is the most trusted confidant among the confidants. As long as the strait is still in Felipe's hands, the governor's office on the Pacific coast must guarantee loyalty."

"If you don't maintain sufficient loyalty, you only need to cut off contact with the mainland. It won't take long before the Governor's Office, which has lost its gunpowder and baggage supplies, will be attacked by the local barbarians."

"Even if we take over Pengju Port in Peru, it will be useless. Once Felipe gives the order, the Spanish Governor's Office along the Pacific coast must do its utmost to attack Pengju Port and remove the nail from the Ming Dynasty."

There are still sporadic remnants of the ancient Inca Empire who are resisting stubbornly. In addition, the overly high-pressure colonial rule has put these governorates in danger. If they don't want their castles to be breached by the barbarians, they can only remain loyal to their homeland.

"It's like a lump in the throat."

Zhu Yijun pointed to the location of the Strait of Magellan and said, "These governors have no choice. If they don't show enough loyalty, it will be painful enough to just reduce the trade share with the mainland. If they anger Felipe, the existence of the governor's office will be in question."

The Strait of Magellan is a sharp knife around the neck of the Governor-General's Office on the Pacific coast. There is no choice but to be loyal.

Historically, the solution given by the Netherlands and England was to defeat the Spanish Armada, control the Strait of Gibraltar, and block Spain back into the Mediterranean.

Spain, which had difficulty even leaving the country, eventually lost control of the Strait of Magellan.

Wang Chonggu looked around and said seriously: "I can make the following assertion without hesitation, that is, silver hegemony has forged imperial hegemony, and imperial hegemony is actually maritime hegemony."

Wang Chonggu deconstructed the specific meaning of the hegemony of the British Empire. The bottom layer of the hegemony of the British Empire is the hegemony of the sea routes. Whoever can control the sea routes is the British Empire.

Wang Chonggu took a deep breath, looked at everyone, and said calmly: "For this, I have formulated a sunset plan."

Wang Chonggu likes to give names, such as Operation Spring Thunder to crack down on smuggling and illegal markets, Operation Fu Hu against the Cao Gang, Operation Sharp Sword against pirates, etc. This time, Wang Chonggu gave his plan another name, the Sunset Plan.

The purpose of Wang Chonggu's plan is to bring down the Spanish empire, the empire on which the sun never sets.

"How to do it?" Hai Rui frowned and asked, "Since the Strait of Magellan is the real throat, but it is thousands of miles away from Ming Dynasty, the defense must be extremely strict. What can Ming Dynasty do to gain control of this strait?"

"That's impossible."

The Pacific Ocean is really too big. If it were not tens of thousands of miles away, the Ming Dynasty could have knocked down these governor-general's offices one by one like knocking down the castle in the Strait of Malacca, launching a protracted war of twenty or thirty years to seize the Strait of Magellan.

But it is too far away, and the Ming Dynasty currently does not have such strong ocean-going deployment capabilities.

Wang Chonggu shook his head, pointed at the waist of New World with a long pole and said, "No, my plan is not to take the Strait of Magellan, but to build a new waterway here and dig a canal. The name is New Sun."

"If we can't destroy the channel, can't we build one ourselves?"

"We have just gained access to the North Atlantic Ocean. As long as we open up this channel, we can obtain a brand new channel that is not controlled by Felipe II. As long as we open up this channel, no matter how Felipe struggles, Spain will sunset and the Ming Dynasty will rise."

Sunset Plan, Xinri Canal, this was the idea that came to Wang Chonggu when he saw Wang Qian taking the bush path and escaping.

The ideas of the people of the Ming Dynasty are always so magical. If there is no road, they will create one of their own.

"Felipe will definitely object. After receiving the order, these governors will definitely rush to the place where we want to build the canal." Shen Li raised his own objection, and he added: "These governors had no choice in the past. Now that we are building this canal, they will definitely be happy to see it happen."

"No one wants to have a sword at their throat. As long as the canal is completed, they can choose sides and raise their prices. They will not be so cheap anymore."

“But Felipe will go crazy.”

At present, there are only two huge consumer markets in the world, one is the Ming Dynasty and the other is the West. Apart from these, it can be said that all other places are barren lands that can only provide raw materials but not consumer markets.

This plan is feasible, but it is difficult to realize. Felipe will definitely not sit idly by and watch the Ming Dynasty build the canal and seize his hegemony.

Wang Chonggu said solemnly: "Speed ​​is of the essence in war, so we must be quick! Repair the Xinri Canal as quickly as possible. It will take three years. The canal and the defensive city must be repaired within three years."

“It took some time for Felipe to learn that the Ming Dynasty was building the canal, some time for him to react, and some time for him to intervene effectively.”

"As long as it is repaired, even if Felipe goes crazy, he won't be able to attack. Just like Ming Dynasty, he doesn't have such a strong ability to deploy in the ocean."

"What has been done cannot be reversed."

Zhang Juzheng immediately said, "No, Wang Ci Fu, there is no quick way to build a canal. We must be prepared for a long-term construction. More haste, less speed."

Zhang Juzheng immediately raised an objection, saying that if the canal was built too quickly, Emperor Yang of Sui would suffer the same fate.

Regardless of its length, the construction of a canal takes a long time, from surveying to the start of construction, and it also faces various risks.

"Therefore, the sunset plan cannot be completed in three years. Even a long-term plan of ten, twenty, fifty, or even a hundred years cannot be accomplished in three years." Zhang Juzheng refuted Wang Chonggu's theory of quick victory.

(End of this chapter)