Daming: The most ruthless tyrant in history

Chapter 1041: Encirclement and Arrest
Zhu Youxiao has been on the throne for almost six years. During this period, which is neither long nor short, Zhu Youxiao has resolved many internal and external troubles. Many of the long-accumulated problems have been sorted out due to the new policies promoted by Zhu Youxiao. The most remarkable thing is the wealth created over the years.

A series of not-so-new but novel approaches centered on war, opening up the sea, military industry, ports, etc., led to the emergence of a number of new groups and the decline of a number of old groups in the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's journey from the old order to the new order was destined to be not smooth sailing, and disputes would inevitably continue in visible and invisible places.

Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission.

Hangzhou Prefecture.

Zhejiang Governor's Office.

"General Qi, how is the Seventh Army being organized?"

Shao Jiechun looked serious and said to Qi Jin, "This time, Xuzhou has such public opinion. I feel that there must be something complicated behind it. It is not easy for Zhejiang to be so stable now."

"Don't worry, Shao Dutang."

Qi Jin said calmly: "The Seventh Army is almost finished with its reorganization. If anyone dares to disrupt the stability of Zhejiang, the men of the Seventh Army will make them regret making such a decision!!"

After hearing what Qi Jin said, Shao Jiechun felt a lot more relaxed.

The Seventh Army was reorganized from the army that defeated the Japanese invaders. It was reorganized in Zhejiang after the reorganization of the First to Sixth Armies was completed and the garrisons around the capital, the capital area, and northern Zhili were completely accomplished. The emperor issued a secret decree to reorganize it.

The Seventh Army's General Officer Man Gui, and Deputy General Officers Zhang Dadou and Zhou Dunji...

During this period, Qi Jin took office as the Grand Commander of the Front Military Governor's Office.

The Five Military Governor's Office, which had become a hollow shell in the past, has quietly had clear chiefs in the front and rear military governor's offices. Although the headquarters have not yet been established in the local area, it is an indisputable fact that starting from the Tianqi Dynasty, the Five Military Governor's Office of the Ming Dynasty will no longer be established in the central government, but will be gradually moved to the local areas.

This is one of the important components of Zhu Youxiao’s military reform!

In the future, a complete military system will be built around the homeland of the Ming Dynasty. For example, the almost farcical Japanese invasion in Zhejiang Province would fall under the jurisdiction of the Front Military Governor's Office. If the Front Military Governor's Office could not resolve it, the Military Affairs Council, which was located in the center, would coordinate the command.

However, if it really comes to that, I'm afraid the Front Military Governor's Office will also have to depose and arrest a group of people. After all, if you can't even do your job well, what are you doing?

Zhu Youxiao's idea of ​​separating the military and politics had far-reaching implications for the Ming Dynasty. Whether it was military or administrative, it involved the division and clarification of power, which was an extremely serious matter, involving many levels, both central and local. If this overall strategy could be effectively resolved and implemented, the Ming Dynasty would not only be able to eliminate many problems, but would also play a vital role in the subsequent deepening of external expansion.

"I still can't figure out one thing, why do some people just want to go around stirring up trouble instead of enjoying their good life?"

Qi Jin picked up the teacup at hand, glanced at Shao Jiechun and said, "Let's not talk about anything else. Since the southeastern provinces have been pacified, the court has opened ports in coastal areas. As long as you pay a customs tax, you can get protection from the court."

"Especially in Nanyang, it is stable now, but it was in chaos before. But it was precisely because of that chaos that the demand for various trades increased."

"Isn't it natural for the court to collect taxes? It takes from the people and uses it for the people. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty become better and better, but..."

"Qi Shuai, you don't understand this."

Seeing Qi Jin like this, Shao Jiechun said with a smile: "The account you just settled was the account of the court, but for some people, they were settling their own accounts."

"Ok?"

Qi Jin looked puzzled.

"It is indeed natural for the court to collect taxes."

Shao Jiechun lifted his robe and said, "Let's not talk about anything else. In the past two years alone, from Liaodong to Guangdong, all the coastal areas, regardless of size, have rebuilt the naval system that was once withered, and established a new maritime police system."

"Not to mention the naval system that is based on external affairs, which has begun to take shape."

"This has increased our control over the seas. Even though there have been constant disturbances in the South Seas over the past two years, with frequent conflicts and wars at sea, the maritime forces led by the Dongfan have never been afraid of the Western Barbarians."

"Yes."

Qi Jin put down his teacup and said, "Isn't this good? In the past, from the imperial court to the local areas, everyone had a consensus that Nanyang was an uncivilized and barren place."

“But actually going to these places is not like that at all.”

"Who would have thought that the tea, silk, porcelain, raw silk and other products produced in our dynasty are priced the same in all parts of the Ming Dynasty, but once they leave the Ming Dynasty and travel by sea, the price will be doubled!"

"I have never been out to sea, but I have heard that the prices of tea, silk, porcelain, raw silk and other products that have doubled in value will still rise sharply if they are exported to Southeast Asia again!!"

Opening up the sea to the outside world is not just a simple economic or trade account, but involves multiple areas including military, politics, culture, and even ideology.

Zhu Youxiao used his own way to let everyone in the Ming Dynasty know that although the Ming Dynasty was vast and covered thousands of miles of territory, there were also various kinds of wealth in the lands outside the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty could be closely connected with these places, then many of the problems that troubled the Ming Dynasty would not be difficult to solve.

The Ming Dynasty had a large population, land annexation, class confrontation... The solution to this series of acute problems could not only be achieved through internal reform, but could also be effectively alleviated through external means.

“That’s where the spearhead is.”

Shao Jiechun stretched out his hand and said, "The foreign monopoly rights of silk, tea, porcelain, raw silk, etc. mentioned by General Qi are all concentrated in the Tianjin port. If you want to conduct foreign trade, you must go to Tianjin."

"Whether it's the Western merchants coming here or the Ming merchants who want to go out, they all have to go to Tianjin. Your Majesty has mentioned this before. It's a bit troublesome, but in order to support the development of northern maritime trade, this is what must be done. Later, when the Ming's northern and southern maritime trades are both developed and balanced, the monopoly rights can be transferred."

Qi Jin listened with a confused look.

He was a pure military general, who was granted the title based on his military achievements. He knew a lot about marching and fighting, but he didn't know much about other things.

"It is precisely because of this that the southeastern provinces were in turmoil in the past and the so-called Japanese invasion occurred," Shao Jiechun continued.

"We can't help it. This touches upon the vested interests of the smuggling maritime trade group. Don't forget that in the past, all these maritime trades were monopolized by them. All this huge amount of gold and silver went into their pockets without the court's knowledge."

"Qi Shuai, if it were you, would you watch all this happen?"

"Of course not."

Qi Jin narrowed his eyes and said, "After all, we are used to eating fatty meat, and our faces are greasy after eating it. Now someone suddenly comes out and tries to grab the fatty meat in our bowl. Our first reaction is definitely to protect our food."

"That's why there's unrest in the southeast." "However, in the past few years, whether it's the suppression in Zhejiang and Fujian, or the cleanup in Nanzhili, or the conflict in Southeast Asia, it's all beyond many people's expectations."

"Of course, the most important thing is that the customs and coast guard offices established by your majesty are all over the coastal areas. No matter how small some places are, at least the fence has been put up. This has also led to some people not daring to make any big moves even if they are dissatisfied."

"But the resentment in my heart is still there."

"Qi Shuai's metaphor is very appropriate."

Shao Jiechun clapped his hands and laughed, looking at Qi Jin and said, "This is the reality of the southeastern provinces today. Many people are forced to suppress their resentment due to the change in the general trend. But suppressing it doesn't mean it will disappear."

"Your Majesty is right."

Qi Jin narrowed his eyes and said, "To deal with these, we can only solve them by killing people."

"Whether to kill or not will be decided later."

Shao Jiechun restrained his smile and said, "In fact, with the occurrence of some things, it has also led to the complexity of the southeast today. What this governor has always been worried about is that some people can no longer control themselves."

"What does Shao Dutang mean?"

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Qi Jin was a little confused.

"It's still because of interests."

Shao Jiechun explained: "In addition to the monopoly mentioned above, there are more interests that are affected. In the southeast, the rapid development and expansion of Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili, especially the impact of the intensive manual manufacturing industry under its jurisdiction, has seriously threatened the interests of many people."

Qi Jin listened.

Shao Jiechun was speaking.

"Although the past turmoil brought a lot of trouble to the southeastern provinces, it was during this turmoil that Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili stood out."

"Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili alone is home to nearly two million industrial craftsmen who have left farming. They are involved in many industries. In the past, this group of people went bankrupt and wandered around. But because of the establishment of Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili, they have a stable life where they can earn money to support their families through labor."

"The rise of Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili has caused too much impact. Let's not talk about other places. Just take Zhejiang as an example. How many old groups in the weaving industry have been squeezed out and went bankrupt?"

"The original weaving center gradually shifted to Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili, which is why the silk and fabric monopoly could be maintained at the Tianjin port."

Qi Jin understood a little.

"General Qi, in fact, His Majesty's proposal to open the sea to the outside world has only really come into play now." Shao Jiechun took a sip of water to moisten his throat and continued.

"In the past, the imperial court did not have much initiative in opening up the seas to foreign countries. However, with the establishment of some systems and the gradual development of industries, the imperial court has become more proactive. The reason is that the imperial court has control over it."

"Now in the southeastern coastal areas, who dares to smuggle silk, tea, silk and other items easily? The coast guards set up in the coastal areas are not just for show."

“Even if you are not caught this time or next time, as long as you are caught once, just this once, no matter how much property you have accumulated in the past, even if it is just because of smuggling this time, it will all be confiscated by the court, because you have violated the court’s laws, and there is no excuse for arresting and killing you.”

Shao Jiechun is telling the truth.

No matter which new policy Zhu Youxiao implemented, there was a certain lag in the process, because the foundation was not laid firmly in the early stage, and it was impossible to achieve corresponding results.

But once the foundation is laid, a big net will be spread.

As long as it is under the Meiji era, if you want to work in any industry, you must follow the rules. Anyone who dares to violate the rules will pay a heavy price.

This is exactly the sovereignty advantage that the Ming Dynasty central government lost in the past.

Now it's coming back little by little.

Just like the current General Administration of Customs, in Zhu Youxiao's view, it is still very weak, including the General Administration of Coast Guard responsible for anti-smuggling, which is still very weak.

But once the rules are made clear, as long as someone touches the bottom line, they will be dealt with according to the rules. Whoever does not follow this set of rules and wants to overturn the table, the only thing waiting for them is destruction!

"Nowadays, whether in the southeast, Huaibei, or other places, there will be some disturbances. This is actually a manifestation of resistance."

Shao Jiechun frowned and said, "It seems that these reactions are inextricably linked to some things that happened in the central government and the new policies implemented by the local governments."

“But in fact, the southeast and the Huai River area are more deeply connected to one thing.”

"That is the business established in Songjiang Prefecture and Xin'an Prefecture in Zhili. One of these two businesses obtained the monopoly on Southeast Asian spices, while the other obtained a more extensive monopoly. This affected not only the local maritime merchants and the interest groups behind them, but also the Western maritime merchants."

"Not to mention that in the Dongfan area, the Zongrenfu also set up a business, and the stock of this business was exchanged for 70% of the land owned by the Zongfan group in the world, and the monopoly rights obtained were even wider."

"General Qi, think carefully. If these three companies dare to make some achievements at sea, how much impact and shock will it bring to our maritime affairs?"

Qi Jin opened his mouth slightly. To be honest, he really didn't think so much about it. He bought a part of the stocks sold to the public by the business established by Songjiang Prefecture in Zhili. This was an order issued by the emperor, asking these nobles to buy them.

Qi Jin didn't know what the other nobles were thinking.

But Qi Jin really didn’t think that much.

Because he was busy with the Rear Army Governor's Office, there were many troublesome things involved. With the time and energy he had, he was thinking about how to solve these problems.

"So, Qi Shuai, you have to take this seriously."

Shao Jiechun looked at Qi Jin with a serious expression and said, "Perhaps it won't be long before the Southeast will see another change. It's because under the new policy, the interests of some groups have been severely damaged, and they will definitely not sit idly by."

"This also makes it clear why Your Majesty, despite the opposition of the ministers, wanted Prince Xin to take charge of the three courts of supervision, prosecution, and integrity, and to be in charge of the Qian Qianyi case."

"Because in some things, if you want to take the initiative, you must catch them at the source. The Ming Dynasty today has no other way to go except to move forward unswervingly. Even if we take a step back, it may be the end of our dynasty!!"

(End of this chapter)