I'm really not doing business

Chapter 803 Chonggu Castle and Taiyue City

Wang Chonggu wanted a quick victory and wanted to completely repair the canal within three years. Zhang Juzheng refuted the idea of ​​a quick victory, saying that the struggle for maritime hegemony would not last overnight.

Especially this kind of game involving the destiny of the country and the crucial factor of victory or defeat will definitely be protracted.

Three years? Thirty years, or even fifty years of long-term preparation is required. This is definitely a long project.

"Regardless of the cost, even if it is repaired in three years and all the achievements of the 15th year of Wanli reform in the Ming Dynasty are put into it, it may not succeed." Zhang Juzheng added the reason.

Everything must be put into practice.

The competition between the Ming Dynasty and the West over the British Empire was a long-term competition, a competition between generations. Being too eager for quick success and instant benefits would only lead to a mess due to reckless aggressiveness. Not only would it fail to gain hegemony over the British Empire, but it would weaken rapidly.

Zhang Juzheng was more concerned about the continuation of the Wanli Reform and the interests of Southeast Asia, which were the core interests of the Ming Dynasty and were even more important than becoming the empire on which the sun never sets.

Wang Chonggu's face flushed, and he said loudly, "Is the Prime Minister criticizing me for being too eager for success?"

Former Minister of Personnel Yang Bo said that Wang Chonggu was irritable, which meant he was impatient and too focused on speed, which put him in a passive position.

When Yang Bo was around, he spoke frankly to Wang Chonggu many times. Wang Chonggu himself was also very aware of his shortcomings, but after so many years, he still couldn't correct them.

Zhang Juzheng immediately said: "This is just a rush for success!"

"We know nothing about that place. We have no idea about the hydrology and geography, and we have no idea about the difficulties of the project. Even if we want to do it, we will do it bit by bit. First, we will explore the hydrology and find a suitable location, then build a port, form a garrison, and continue to cut down trees and reclaim wasteland to turn it into a pioneering land."

"The Grand Canal was not built in three to five years! It's just like farming. It has to be cut down to turn it into wasteland, then turn it into virgin land, then into cultivated land, and finally into permanent farmland."

"You have to walk one step at a time and eat one bite at a time!"

Before the Sunset Plan was launched, a very sharp contradiction had already formed between the Prime Minister and the Second Prime Minister of the Ming Cabinet. One advocated speed and the other advocated slowness.

"You two, you two, don't be anxious, don't be anxious, sit down and talk slowly. Isn't this a discussion? Don't hurt the harmony." Shen Li immediately started to persuade them to stop fighting.

Now, no resolution has been reached yet, and the more fierce the quarrel within the door, the better. However, if the quarrel is too intense and even personal attacks are started, it is obviously too much.

We are all dedicated to the public good.

The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are not of one mind. They are hindering each other and tripping each other up. There is no point in doing this job and the Sunset Plan should not be carried out, otherwise the Sunset Plan will turn into the sunset of the Ming Dynasty.

"I agree with you, sir." Zhu Yijun said solemnly, "Three years is not possible, but thirty to fifty years is reasonable. I promise that I will carry it out."

"Although the Xinri Canal has not been built yet, and even the location of its construction has not been determined, the two ends of the canal, the Atlantic side is called Chonggu Castle, and the Pacific side is called Taiyue City."

"a man of his words."

Zhu Yijun made a promise, and this promise was a fifty-year promise.

By that time, Wang Chonggu and Zhang Juzheng were no longer around, but Zhu Yijun would firmly fulfill this promise.

Why did Wang Chonggu want to win quickly? Because he was old and didn't know how many years he had left to live. The older he got, the more he wanted to finish all the work before he died.

Zhang Juzheng was not in a hurry because he firmly believed that His Majesty would continue to be wise and allow the Wanli Reform to continue. He could only believe this.

Zhu Yijun made a promise, and the names of the cities at both ends of the canal were decided after the names of Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu.

With such a name, it must be completed thoroughly no matter what, as this involves the stability of imperial power.

"Where will the money come from? Building such a canal requires manpower, material resources and financial resources. Without money to start the project, it would be wishful thinking to ask the Ming army to fight for the possible long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty." Shen Li raised the most critical question again: money, where will the money come from?

The Ming Dynasty had run out of money in both the national and private treasuries, and had to beg for alms to set up a normal school.

Shen Li is somewhat out of touch with reality. In fact, if full salaries are given, there will naturally be people in the Ming Dynasty who will contribute. Not all of the coastal defense inspectors and watchtowers are poor laborers. About 30% of them have good backgrounds, or at least come from families of local celebrities and gentry.

"The old treasury has eight million silver taels. There is no need to wait any longer!"

"Your Majesty, it's done!" Wang Guoguang stood up and said, "After this place is repaired, I dare not even think about how much money I will have to collect in customs duties alone!"

"Your Majesty, the Sunset Plan must be activated immediately!"

Wang Guoguang was even more anxious than Wang Chonggu. Isn't saving money for spending? Lao Ku's silver has been saved for eight years. If he saves more, he won't be able to make small silver coins!

Funded entirely by the imperial court and monopolized by the court, as the scale of maritime trade continues to expand, this canal can continue to make profits!
Zhu Yijun stretched out his hand, pressed down and said, "Grand Tutor, please be patient. Wang Cifu has just started the Sunset Plan, but he hasn't said how to build it yet. Sit down and listen to Wang Cifu's detailed plan."

Wang Chonggu began to introduce his sunset plan in detail.

Wang Chonggu said with an embarrassed look: "We must first send out the Coast Guard patrol to fly over the water to explore the geomancy map and see where it is easier to build a canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The time... is uncertain, how long it will take."

After the Ci Fu said this, everyone knew that Wang Chonggu had given in and was no longer seeking a quick victory.

The emperor made a specific promise that he would continue to advance the plan even after he left the court and passed away.

Fengshui, hydrology and geography are all huge troubles.

Zhang Juzheng added solemnly, "Everything is difficult at the beginning. When the coastal defense inspectors go to explore, they don't know how to use various instruments to measure longitude and latitude. This means that they need the cooperation of geomancers, astronomical students, and mariners, and they also need a group of elite naval soldiers to protect their safety."

"Just the geomancy alone may take two to three years."

Coastal defense inspectors, geographers, astronomers, and naval officers are all high-end talents. The Ming Dynasty does not have enough of them. Sending them abroad is more expensive and a waste.

"The time for geomancy can be shortened." Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "When Li Yashi talked about his experiences in the New World, he mentioned one thing. In the second year of Jiajing, Felipe II's father planned to open up the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. He began to survey and determined four locations."

“Eventually a place called the Isthmus of Panama was identified, and a cobblestone road was laid across the isthmus in preparation for the canal.”

Le Ya Shi shared this with the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty mainly as a story to warn the Emperor not to be too ambitious, too aggressive, and not to formulate absurd policies.

Early geomancy can save some time. Since the beginning of the conquest, the Spanish hoped to build a canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and had already built a cobblestone road on the Isthmus of Panama.

However, the canal was not built in the end.

"Then why didn't Philip II build this canal?" Wang Chonggu immediately became puzzled. The Ming Dynasty's deconstruction of maritime hegemony was essentially sea route hegemony.

As the king of the British Empire, why didn't Felipe repair it since he had already done the geomancy?
Zhu Yijun replied: "Legazi explained the reason very clearly. Philip II gave up the construction of this canal for three reasons. That path has been abandoned for more than ten years."

"The first is politics. If the Panama Canal is opened, it is too far away and it will be easily controlled by the Governor's Office. By then, the Governor's Office on the Pacific coast will be like the Governor's Office in Brazil and will not be so loyal."

"The second is the geography. The environment there is too harsh. It's a tropical rainforest with too many mosquitoes and no quinine. More than half of the 35,000 workers who built the cobblestone road died, and in the end, it couldn't be opened."

"In the end, it was too expensive. There is a nearly one-foot difference in sea level between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The only way to build a canal is to use a lock-type canal. The ship has to go up seven feet up the mountain and then down seven feet down the mountain. This requires three to six locks, and each lock requires 680 million pounds."

The earliest lock-type canal in the Central Plains was the Lingqu Canal built during the reign of Qin Shihuang. Lock-type canals were not uncommon in the Ming Dynasty. There were many locks on the 6400-mile Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou, which were specifically designed to solve the height differences of different river channels.

For example, Chang'an Lock was built by Qiao Weiyue, the Huainan Transport Commissioner, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty. It is also the world's first composite canal lock.

The closing of the gate depends on the impact force of the water flow. When it is full of water, the water outlet at the bottom is opened to release the water. After the pressure difference on both sides of the gate reaches a balance, the gate is opened again to allow ships to navigate. The ships start to move upward, and this cycle is repeated, allowing large ships to climb and descend the mountain.

There was no problem with the Ming Dynasty's technological capabilities. The Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou was 6400 miles long, while the canal section through the Isthmus of Panama was only 130 miles long.

"Western countries cannot build such a heavy sluice gate." Wang Guoguang frowned and said, "Can the Ming Dynasty build one? Can it be transported over if it is built?"

Iron pots were a bulk commodity in the Ming Dynasty, the largest commodity in the Ming Dynasty besides cotton cloth. The blast furnace iron-making technology of the Ming Dynasty already had special iron officials in the Han Dynasty. The remains of the eighteen iron smelters in Henan still exist today, while blast furnace iron-making in the West had to wait another twenty years.

For Taixi, one gate would weigh 680 million kilograms, which was totally unimaginable and impossible, so he could only give up.

"Yes, just cast them separately and assemble them on site." Wang Chonggu answered this question. The problem of the gate is easy to solve. The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty can cast them separately and then assemble them on site. One gate can be pulled over by twelve horse boats.

Wang Chonggu frowned and said, "Your Majesty, this lock-type canal is not very convenient. It wastes time to take in and release water, and it is not conducive to the passage of ships. Why not build a flat straight canal?"

There is only a one-foot height difference between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. If there is no need to go up and down the mountain, this one-foot height difference is almost equivalent to nothing. Even with just two sluice gates, ships can pass faster.

"If we want to build a flat straight canal, the earthwork will be too huge, at least 10 billion cubic meters of earth." Zhu Yijun immediately shook his head and said, the return of the Yellow River to its original course would require 10 billion cubic meters of earth, 500,000 laborers, and six years to build.

Moreover, this ten billion cubic meters of earth is just an approximate number. When it comes to real work, it is hard to say how many laborers will be needed to fill this pit. Even if the construction period is extended to 30 years, it will still take 100,000 laborers.

The boat must climb this seven-meter-high mountain.

If the Isthmus of Panama was just a lock canal, the Ming Dynasty had enough productivity and determination to build it.

"Who will build it?" Shen Li asked the most crucial question. Even if it was to build a lock-type canal, it would require hundreds of thousands of laborers. Since the Ming Dynasty had such a projection capability, it would be better for it to directly attack the Strait of Magellan.

"Barbarians." Zhu Yijun answered the question calmly. He looked around and said, "Li Yashi said that even if it is a lock-type canal, it will take 300 million cubic meters of earth. If the construction period is 30 years, it will also require tens of thousands of laborers. We can only buy barbarians."

"The main contradiction between Ming and Western trade is that Ming can produce everything, but Western has nothing to sell to Ming. This is the biggest contradiction."

"Now, they have goods to sell to the Ming Dynasty, and they are the barbarians."

Ming Dynasty goods were being dumped, and Westerners were unable to provide goods to the Ming Dynasty, resulting in a one-way flow of silver.

The Ming Dynasty had everything and its productivity was advanced. This was not the Ming Dynasty's fault, but the fact that Westerners could not make money from the Ming Dynasty was their own problem.

But now, this contradiction can be eased a little, because the major governor-general's offices in the west have goods to sell to the Ming Dynasty, and that is people.

The Westerners have the advantage of low morality. Their slave-hunting teams can capture large numbers of slaves and sell them to the Ming Dynasty.

"In that place, one laborer would die for every 15 cubic meters of earthwork." Zhu Yijun looked around and confirmed that there was no Zhongshu Sheren before he told the cruel truth. If the Ming Dynasty wanted to build a lock-type canal in the Isthmus of Panama, about 50 laborers would die. If they wanted to build a flat straight-through canal, laborers would die.

Repair it, anything can be repaired, just pile up the lives.

"Why don't we not repair it?" Zhang Juzheng was hesitant. Zhang Juzheng was never merciful. Instead, he thought, with so many people dead, how much scolding would His Majesty receive in the future?

The builder of the Xinri Canal was the emperor himself. Neither Wang Chonggu nor Zhang Juzheng were the leading figures. When the time came, the dirty water would be splashed on the emperor and garbage would fill the emperor's grave.

Is it really a lot to sacrifice 150,000 or 500,000 lives of foreigners for the sake of Ming's greatness again?

Queen Victoria had something to say. Britain’s shortcomings and virtues were truly innumerable. Just the several man-made famines in India alone caused so much killing and atrocities.
But they never paid for it.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Sir, you are a little indecisive. The Sunset Plan must be implemented and the New Sun Canal must be built. Now two things have been confirmed."

"The first phase of the project is a long struggle, at least 30 years, or even 50 years."

"The second is the lock-type canal and the flat straight-through canal. We will make a decision after the joint survey by the coastal defense inspectors, naval officers, geographers, and astronomers is completed."

"The first step of the Great Wall is to send the Stargazing Ship there."

Zhu Yijun didn't care how many people died. As long as the Ming people did not suffer too many casualties, Zhu Yijun would continue to work until the Panama Canal was opened.

The Stargazing Ship was a type of ship designed by Guo Rulin, General Manager of Songjiang Shipyard, and Zhao Shizhen, Deputy General Manager in the seventh year of Wanli. It was mainly responsible for observing geomancy, nautical charts, star charts, needle charts, monsoons, ocean currents, longitude and latitude, etc. It was a professional ship specially used for mapping and surveying.

Zhu Yijun's geomancy map of the world and the huge globe made by the Royal Academy of Geography were painted bit by bit by these stargazing ships.

After several renovations by the Songjiang Prefecture Ship Design Institute, the functions of the ships have become very powerful. Each star-gazing ship has a five-masted ocean-going ship and five three-masted horse ships for protection.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was still young and in the prime of his life, so it was a time for hard work. It was also because the emperor was young and the wise officials in the court had the confidence to formulate an ultra-long-term plan of thirty years.

"My Lords, the Ming Dynasty will be revived if this canal is not completed." Zhu Yijun sat upright and said seriously, "Don't worry, I will get the job done."

The common people who went to Liaodong had to build five large tiled houses, and the common people who went to Nanyang had to have their own houses and servants in the Han town.

For the Ming Dynasty, building the Grand Canal across the Isthmus of Panama is like the five large tiled houses of the Ming Dynasty. Only when it is completed can it be said that the Ming Dynasty has truly been revived. This is a long-term goal. With such a goal, the Ming Dynasty will always have a direction to move forward.

The Dinghai school system, the golden story of issuing treasure notes, the official examination system, the sunset plan and the Xinri Canal are the next fifteen-year plan of the Ming Dynasty.

After the Wanli Reform lasted for 15 years and achieved a lot, some Ming Dynasty scholars and officials have already thought that they have won. "That's it! It's enough! The Ming Dynasty is already very strong." Similar thoughts are everywhere.

It would be a bit radical for the emperor to want more.

Now, to make Ming Dynasty great again, we have a specific and clear goal. Building a canal that will enable Ming Dynasty to win the battle for maritime power is the beginning of making Ming Dynasty great again.

Wang Chonggu, Zhang Juzheng and others were unable to see the opening of this canal that determined the fate of the empire, but the castles named after them will witness the Ming Dynasty's renewed greatness.

On July 6, the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign, the weather in the capital of the Northern Yamen was quite clear and sunny, but the atmosphere in the Spanish Pavilion in the Siyi Hall was very cold. Legashi caught the Spanish envoy who was about to go out.

Jose Luis, a young man of only twenty-three years old, looked quite cheerful, but he was a little unkempt and looked quite haggard, with red eyes.

Legazpi grabbed the young envoy's arm and said sternly: "Jose Luis, your Highness's silver and gold are for you to exchange for Ming Dynasty goods, not for you to squander in the trading house!"

"Damn it! How could you put your Highness's silver and gold into the trading house? It's a cannibalistic place. The greater the greed, the faster you die!"

Li Yashi was going crazy. Yanxinglou was a place where people were eaten without leaving any bones. Even the shrewd Shanxi merchants had to pay the price for their mistakes!
This Jose Luis actually dared to invest all his gold and silver into the trading house!
"I will definitely win it back!" Jose Luis shook his hands vigorously, trying to break free. If he was any later, he would miss the opening of the trading house.

But Legazpi grabbed him so hard that Jose Luis couldn't break free.

Li Yasi pulled Jose Luis with all his strength, drew out his sword, and put it on the envoy's neck. He said with a ferocious look on his face: "I tell you, I am your highness's plenipotentiary envoy to the Ming Dynasty! Here, you have to listen to me!"

"When I was fighting the strong winds and huge waves at sea and fighting the natives, you were not yet born. Even if I kill you, the Ming Dynasty will not punish me excessively, and neither will Spain. Tell me, how much compensation have you paid?"

"52 silver coins and 13 gold coins, but don't worry, I can earn it back today!" Jose Luis was terrified. He recognized the sword. It was Felipe's own sword. He didn't know how it ended up in the hands of the traitor Legazpi.

In Madrid, most people regarded Legazpi as a traitor to Spain, who sold out Spanish interests in exchange for an extremely comfortable life in the Ming Dynasty.

But apparently the rumor was wrong, Felipe trusted Legazpi very much and gave him the sword.

Li Yashi calculated that the loss was about 400,000 taels of silver and 10,000 taels of gold. Even when five-masted ocean-going ships were at their most expensive, he could have bought two of them!
"Stay here, I'll handle it!" Li Yasi pushed Jose Luis to the ground with force, went to Tonghe Palace and requested an audience.

Zhu Yijun met with Li Yashi.

As soon as Legashi entered the door, he knelt down and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I, Legashi, greet you. May your Majesty live long and well."

"Your Majesty, the foolish, greedy, and young Spanish envoys have invested all of His Highness Felipe's gold and silver into the Yanxinglou Trading House. They are like lost lambs that have strayed into a pack of wolves. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "You mean: he is still a child and doesn't know the importance of things, so you want me to return the silver and gold to him? Li Yashi, you have been in Ming Dynasty for so many years, don't you know me?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

Li Yashi meant for a refund for minors, and Zhu Yijun rejected the refund application initiated by Li Yashi.

Are you kidding? How can you spit out the silver and gold you have eaten? Don’t even think about it!
Li Yashi was somewhat desperate, and he did not keep an eye on the young envoy for a moment, and did not control his hands. In just three days, the large sailing ship that arrived at the port and the silver bills exchanged for them at Huitongguan Post Station, amounted to a reduction of 56 taels of silver.

If he plays for a few more days, the 690 million taels of silver will be squandered by this prodigal son.

"Li Yashi, this was not a trap set up by Wang Qian, and no one tried to deceive him. He heard about the transaction at Yanxinglou and went there on his own. You must have known this very well before you came to Tonghe Palace." Zhu Yijun reiterated that it was not that Wang Qian was a bad person, but that he went in on his own.

When Jose Luis saw the fluctuations in gold and silver prices in the miscellaneous newspapers at the Siyi Pavilion, he immediately felt familiar with them. He felt that they were very similar to the gold bonds that the Genoese were selling everywhere. He thought that the Ming Dynasty's gold and silver trading house had just opened and did not have much experience, so he had to go to the Yanxinglou Trading House to show the Ming Dynasty people some of his power.

But what he didn't know was that the Ming Dynasty's Yanxinglou Trading House grew out of fine woolen silk coins, with a daily trading volume of millions of silver. After twelve years of fighting, the Yanxinglou Trading House has accumulated a lot of experience in securities trading.

Moreover, they are all bloody experiences. Because there are not too many trading restrictions, people jump off the Shenxian Building almost every month.

"Your wise majesty, it is true. He went in on his own, like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth." Li Yashi sighed.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Doesn't he think about how much market fluctuations will be caused by 690 million silver coins pouring into the market?"

"He thought he could use the volatility to reap the benefits of others, but he was the one who was reaped instead. You asked me to return the money to you, but how can I return it to you? The 56 silver coins he lost were not eaten by one family."

"So, accept the loss."

"I obey your order, alas." Li Yashi kowtowed again, feeling helpless.

He also invested in Yanxinglou Trading Company, where he bought more than 100,000 silver taels from Songjiang Ocean Trading Company. He could get a dividend of 5,000 to 10,000 taels of silver every year. He knew very well that the people in Yanxinglou were all big crocodiles who would eat people without leaving any bones.

"No need to be polite." Zhu Yijun looked at Legazpi and said, "By the way, I received the envoys of the Northern Alliance and promised to sell them salt. I know that you used a lot of effort to persuade Felipe not to use excessive force, but to persuade him to be gentle."

"But I don't want to see a united Thailand and the West."

Legazpi also said with some emotion: "Your Majesty, the united Tessi is like the horizon, visible but not tangible. As long as the English are still there, the united Tessi will not exist."

"Your Majesty is the emperor of Ming Dynasty, so you must make decisions that are beneficial to Ming Dynasty."

Le Ya Shi opposed but could understand the decision of the Ming Emperor. Doing so was in the interests of the Ming Dynasty. The competition between countries was always so fickle. They could be as close as brothers today, but could draw their swords against each other tomorrow.

A eunuch came in. Feng Bao walked to the door and whispered a few words to the eunuch.

Feng Bao glanced at Li Yashi, bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty."

Zhu Yijun exchanged glances with Feng Bao and said, "It seems that I have something to do. Go back and teach Jose Luis a lesson. Don't let him go to the trading building again."

"I'll take my leave." Li Yashi bowed again and left the imperial study of Tonghe Palace. But when he left, he saw a sturdy man with a very tanned body waiting in front of the gate of Tonghe Palace.

After Li Yashi left, Chen Dazhuang walked into the imperial study and kowtowed five times and kowtowed three times to meet the emperor.

"Da Zhuang, you have worked hard." Zhu Yijun did not wait on the dragon throne, but stood in front of the imperial desk. After Chen Da Zhuang paid his respects, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty took two steps forward and helped him up.

Chen Dazhuang hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, it's not hard."

This strong man was Chen Dazhuang, the coastal defense inspector and pacification envoy. He killed a dog of the Kong family, and his father was forced to bury the dog. Chen Dazhuang had no choice but to run away and join the army.

"Sit down and talk. Sit down and talk. You've been away for three years. You've gotten tanned and thinner." Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "Where have you been all these years?"

In the 12th year of the Wanli reign, Chen Dazhuang returned to Luzon with the ashes of 12 coastal defense inspectors from the West. After burying these martyrs, Chen Dazhuang did not return to the Ming Dynasty, but went directly on an observatory ship.

When Chen Dazhuang entered the room, he brought two things. He pulled open the red silk cloth and said, "I went to the south, and I can't explain it clearly. I brought back two things, one is this iron ore, and the other is a jumping rabbit with a bag."

"The jumping rabbit was too big, so I didn't bring it to the imperial study."

Zhu Yijun took the iron ore in his hand, looked at it for a long time and said, "Are you sure this is ore and not a lump of iron?"

Chen Dazhuang said with a strange look on his face: "It's just some ore that I picked up randomly. Over there, the whole mountain is full of this kind of ore, and even the river water has a rusty red color."

He still remembered that the geomancer on the stargazing ship was almost going crazy, muttering to himself in disbelief!

The Ming Dynasty is full of poor iron ore. The geomancers on the stargazing ship never imagined that there would be such high-grade iron ore. It's simply a lump of iron!

(End of this chapter)