Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 185 Maritime Pilot—Fuzhou

Liangzhe Road Transfer Department Yamen.

Mei Zhi, the governor of Hangzhou, slowly opened his mouth and said:

"We, all of you, have nothing to do with the Japanese pirates. As for whether we have any people under our command, we don't know."

"In recent years, we have racked our brains to pay for the taxes set by the imperial court every year. Life has been difficult for everyone."

"Now that we have finally waited for the opportunity of shipping, we need to rely on the participation of merchants from well-known families in each state."

"We have never colluded with Japanese pirates, what about them? Even if we have not, the power of life and death is in the hands of Commander Wei after all."

"If it causes people to panic and causes the state governments to miss this opportunity, it will be difficult for the people, it will be difficult for the merchants of the aristocratic families, and it will be even more difficult for us as officials."

This is the place that worries the most for the governors in Zhejiang and Zhejiang provinces.

All money and belongings cannot go into Wei Yuan's pocket.

Wei Yuan has troops in his hands and can control all the troops in the three southeastern prefectures. Not to mention Zhang Xia, a feudal official like Zhang Xia, what can even the King of Wu in Suzhou do?

The situation of officials in Zhejiang and Zhejiang is similar to that in parts of Fujian Road, Jiangnan Road, and Guangnan East Road.

They threatened that if Wei Yuan didn't see them, they wouldn't leave.

The so-called southeast pacification and recruiting envoys, where exactly is the southeast? The imperial court has no definition.

If he were not here, chaos would sooner or later occur in various places due to shipping matters.

Even a frontier official like Zhang Xia focused on the overall economic and strategic development of the two Zhejiang provinces.

After all, the thinking positions of civil servants and military generals are still different.

Even their immediate superiors are now demanding self-protection. It is difficult to see Wei Yuan, let alone them?

Once the sea transport starts, it will be even more difficult for Wei Yuan to change the great cause of coastal defense along the coast.

During this period, many local officials from Taizhou, Wenzhou and other places came to see Wei Yuan.

"When it comes to the economic prosperity of our two Zhejiang provinces, we cannot avoid the Commander-in-Chief Wei."

After listening to Zhang Xia's words, the governors from various places in Zhejiang and Zhejiang also understood in their hearts.

However, Wei Yuan was planning for future generations in the southeast. He could not allow local finances and taxes to rise and a group of officials to be promoted for temporary gain, which would cause suffering to the people of future generations.

"Although Fan Chunren is the Southeast Economic Envoy, in the final analysis, he is just a puppet."

They all wanted to visit the southeast pacifier and recruiter as soon as possible.

Two days later, Wei Yuan arrived in Wenzhou on horseback and summoned the local Imperial City Commander Geng Tian.

But Zhao Zhen's decree clearly stated that Wei Yuan should be allowed to pacify the Japanese.

Merchants from aristocratic families in Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Huaihe began to hoard large quantities of goods.

Wei Yuan knew very well that once he broke the precedent of meeting the officials, he would not be able to calm down, so he simply let them go.

His achievement is not to increase tax revenue in various places. This is the responsibility of Fan Chunren, the southeast economic envoy.

If Wei Yuan comes to disrupt the situation, wouldn't it become a daydream to promote prosperity in various places?

And the only person who can solve the problem is now focused on the imperial court's coastal defense cause.

Wei Yuan continued south, to Taizhou, Wenzhou and other places, and inspected the coastal defenses in various places.

The next day.

When he is here, there will be no chaos due to the shipping incident in the southeast.

The power of these two people is not small.

Therefore, many officials in the capital say that Wei Yuan is the "pillar of the southeast", which is not an exaggeration at all.

"If he turns a blind eye, we can still have food. If he has the intention of cleaning up the world, I'm afraid many people will die in the two Zhejiang provinces."

Finalize something quickly.

Zhang Xia sighed: "When Commander Wei passed by Hangzhou, I went to see him. However, Commander Wei refused on the grounds of marching."

Zhang Xia added: "Tomorrow the Japanese officers will set off for the Mingzhou Coastal Defense Camp to see the Commander-in-Chief."

This is just like what King Wu said. It depends on whether Wei Yuan, the person holding the pole, is willing to wander.

"If we don't talk to him, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the shipping matter to have a good outcome."

Aren't you going to rush up and lick it?

If these goods cannot be released in time, big problems will occur everywhere.

"If Commander Wei disappears, I will follow him all the time."

In other words, as long as the coastal areas involve Japanese pirates, they will be under the control of Weiyuan.

From the moment the imperial court announced the opening of sea transportation.

By then, how many people will dare to participate?
Some poor state capitals even have to unite to sign a big deal with overseas countries.

And where there is sea transportation, Fan Chunren can also get involved.

But if merchants from aristocratic families from all over the world don’t do that, who can guarantee that they can participate in the shipping business?
Even if Wei Yuan could participate, in the name of eradicating Japanese pirates, Wei Yuan would definitely make people panic.

"Since you eradicated the Japanese pirates in Haizhou, the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast have basically dispersed. Some are hiding on the vast sea, and some are hidden in the mountains."

"The situation in Yongjia County is also the same. However, among the people who dispersed from humble positions, many Japanese pirates' hidden strongholds were found. Preliminary estimates indicate that there are about two to three hundred Japanese pirates in this group."

Wenzhou was called "Yongjia County" at this time.

Did you know that Minglan later had a royal title as the 'Mrs. of Yongjia County'?

After hearing Geng Tian's report, Wei Yuan ordered Xie Wu,

"You will temporarily take over the coastal defense affairs of Yongjia County and eradicate the remaining cancers here one by one."

"Save the leader's life for the time being and force them to reveal who they had an affair with."

"How many troops do you want?"

Xie Wu, who was standing aside, responded in a deep voice: "Go back to the Commander-in-Chief, a thousand people are enough."

Wei Yuan said: "I'll give you two thousand men. Combined with the Yongjia County city defense and coastal defense forces, there will be almost four thousand, which is enough."

It’s not that one thousand won’t work. If you can fight for wealth, there’s no need to use it for poverty.

Later, Wei Yuan and Yang Huairen continued to inspect the coastal defense of Yongjia County.

The sky is gloomy today, and the sea breeze is blowing, making it a little cool.

Wei Yuan and Yang Huairen were walking on the beach, surrounded by soldiers from the Manjia Battalion setting up defenses.

Yang Huairen said: "The remnants of the Japanese pirates who stay in the local area are easy to deal with, but the Japanese pirates hiding in the vast sea don't know when the ships built by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ordnance Supervision will arrive in Zhejiang."

Wei Yuan said: "In just one or two days, even if the ship arrives, I will not let the soldiers go to sea to look for the enemy."

Yang Huairen frowned and said, "Then what's the point of having a ship?"

Wei Yuan said: "Let the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry build ships so that the navy can be established more smoothly in the future."

"Fifty-six out of ten of the soldiers in the Danglu Army are not good at water. Even if they are, going to the sea will be a bit frightening."

"By then, the advantage of the Danglu Army will be gone. I don't want the troops of the new army to lose their troops by traveling to the southeast."

Yang Huairen suddenly realized, "Is it because of this that Commander Wei wants to actively reform the coastal defenses of various places?" Wei Yuan said: "Yes and no, the Japanese pirates can't be killed. We can kill a group, but we may not be able to continue killing them. Sooner or later, they will have to return." from the capital.”

"After we leave, what should we do if the Japanese pirates come back? Without coastal defenses, whenever Japanese pirates breed, the court will send a large army to encircle and suppress them."

"If you go back and forth, sooner or later you will bring down the imperial court."

Yang Huairen asked: "What does Commander Wei want to do?"

Wei Yuan said: "Yongjia County is an important town, but if you look at the coastal defense in this area, most of the bunkers set up are already crumbling, and the observation towers and beacon towers are useless."

"When the Japanese pirates landed here, it was as if they were entering uninhabited territory. The situation in the rest of the area was basically the same."

"The so-called consolidating coastal defense is nothing more than three strategies: guarding the offshore sea, strengthening the coast, and strictly guarding the city."

"It is urgent to establish a navy army."

Two more days passed.

Wei Yuan arrived in Fuzhou.

Fuzhou, also known as Rongcheng.

In this era, Fuzhou has entered an era of relatively prosperous economy and culture.

It is also a place of science and weightlifting and an important town of Confucianism.

Most of the Luduo clans in Fujian and most of the Jinshi came from the Fuzhou clan.

News of Wei Yuan's arrival in Fuzhou spread like wildfire.

There are seven famous clans in Fuzhou, headed by the Lin, Wu, Cai and Liu families.

On that day, the clan elders, the governor of Fuzhou, the commander of the Fujian Road Transport Department, "Cai Xiang", and the civil and military officials of the Fujian Road all came to visit Wei Yuan outside the Fuzhou Coastal Defense Camp.

It has to be said that Fuzhou's coastal defense is the most complete one Wei Yuan has seen so far.

This benefited from the fact that all the major clans in Fuzhou worked together to fight against the Japanese.

These clans are well versed in Confucian teachings, and they are not like merchants from all over the country who can adapt to the changing circumstances. For them, they only believe in one thing, and they will never compromise with the Japanese pirates.

The famous merchants in Fuzhou all come from major clans.

Therefore, Fuzhou was the town least affected by Japanese pirates.

Since Fuzhou's coastal defense is quite complete, Wei Yuan made an exception and personally met with the elders of the major clans in Fuzhou and Cai Xiang, the Fujian Road transfer envoy, and asked them about their moral character in fighting Japanese pirates.

Several people responded one after another:
"I heard that Commander Wei said in Haizhou that killing Japanese pirates would reward them with silver coins. I and several clan elders have already done this. The army and the people are united, and the Japanese pirate problem will naturally be solved."

"Fuzhou's coastal defense affairs are all thanks to the help of major clans. Many people in Fuzhou rely on the sea for their livelihood. Therefore, Fuzhou is extremely serious in dealing with the issue of Japanese pirates."

"Most of Fuzhou's coastal defense officers and soldiers come from major clans. They are all heroes who are not afraid of Japanese pirates. They dare to shed blood and fight. After their death, their relatives will receive a large pension."

"As long as we are determined to fight the Japanese pirates, the mere Japanese pirates will naturally not be able to affect Fuzhou in the slightest."

"."

After hearing them talk so much, Wei Yuan couldn't help but praise with emotion:

"If the capitals of the southeastern coastal states were like Fuzhou, it would be difficult for Japanese pirates to flourish."

Afterwards, they told the purpose of their trip,

"There are no Japanese pirates in Fuzhou. Even if there are, they are just small shrimps. Now that the imperial court has opened sea transportation, does Commander Wei want Fuzhou to be the first to officially open sea transportation?"

"Commander Wei, the people of Fuzhou are fully prepared. We only need Commander Wei to send an army to make our shipping in Fuzhou worry-free."

"Commander Wei, we worked together to supervise the construction of sixty warships before you and the gangsters came together. The largest ship among them is a hundred feet high. Your army will definitely frighten the pirates on the sea if you take this warship." ”

"In addition to the warships we built, there are still more than a hundred intact warships in Fuzhou, which are ready for inspection by the commander-in-chief at any time."

"."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan looked at Cai Xiang curiously.

The latter explained: "Fuzhou is an important town on the Fujian Road. Previously, my subordinates urged the soldiers and civilians of Fujian to work together to build warships to resist Japanese pirates."

Wei Yuan once again praised: "Fuzhou can set an example for coastal states."

Cai Xiang smiled and cupped his hands and said, "It is a blessing for me, the people of Fuzhou, to be praised by Commander Wei."

Wei Yuan said: "If the situation in Fuzhou is really as you said, then the first batch of transactions with overseas countries should start from Fuzhou."

Cai Xiang looked overjoyed, "That's it, I'll thank Commander Wei later."

After this incident, it can be predicted that in the near future, Fuzhou's management will surpass Suzhou and Hangzhou!

As for the first batch of pilot sea shipments, one cannot blame Wei Yuan for having to be cautious.

As the chief official of the Southeast Frontier, his words and deeds will affect the people of the entire Southeast.

"Fan Chunren, Lord Fan, have you ever been to Fuzhou?"

Wei Yuan asked.

Cai Xiang responded: "I came here seven days ago, and Mr. Fan also said that Fuzhou can take the lead in opening sea transportation."

As he spoke, he paid attention to Wei Yuan's face, and when he saw that the other party was calm as usual, he continued:

"My official believes that whether Fuzhou can start shipping depends mainly on your wishes, Commander Wei."

"The clan merchants in Fuzhou will all be grateful to Commander Wei."

Of course, how to express gratitude cannot be expressed openly.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "That's easy to say."

"It's just that if sea transportation is launched, it would be a little inappropriate for the Fuzhou clan to only send merchant ships to sea."

"As for excessive tariffs in other regions, we will exempt them if possible and reduce them as little as possible."

The so-called customs clearance means that merchants from other places who come to Fuzhou to do business and go to sea through the docks in Fuzhou must first pay a batch of taxes.

If the profit is small, after review by the Fuzhou government, all the taxes will be refunded, or part of it will be refunded to some merchants in other places.

On the contrary, if the profit is very high, no refund will be given.

Cai Xiang thought for a while and said bluntly: "Commander Wei, please rest assured. I can guarantee that some of the caravans that Commander Wei focuses on will be treated the same as the Fuzhou caravans."

After hearing this, Wei Yuan became more and more pleased with Cai Xiang.
"In that case, this matter will be settled for now."

"After I finish handling some matters, I will meet with Mr. Fan and let Fuzhou take the lead in starting shipping."

"Presumably His Majesty is also waiting for such good news."

The last sentence was to tell Cai Xiang.

Once Fuzhou is really safe, he will personally report to the Ming Emperor and praise Cai Xiang's achievements in managing Fujian Road.

By then, Cai Xiang will no longer have to be an official in Fujian Road. It will be a matter of time before he changes his identity and becomes a high official in Beijing.

Cai Xiang was overjoyed and said: "Thank you for your cultivation, Commander Wei. Please rest assured, Commander Wei. Your subordinates will follow Commander Wei's lead to complete the Fujian Road anti-Japanese and coastal defense matters."

The implication is that during the time you were in Southeast, I only listened to you.

As for Fan Chunren, let him be the 'auspicious' (mascot) of the Southeast.

(End of this chapter)