I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 248 This is Shanghai!
Before the boat got close, Hai Rui was shocked by the prosperity of the dock.

The ships were like the sea, and the masts like the forest, stretching for more than ten miles along the shore.

The boat and the dock were packed with people like ants.

There were countless planks, and porters either carried sacks on their backs, or two people carried boxes, getting on and off the boat.

In the distance, there are well towers standing on the shore, with small flags hanging on the top of the towers.

Long arms are stretched out, and ropes and hooks are lowered, hanging a cabinet or a large net bag of goods, which rotates half a circle from the shore to the boat, or from the boat to the shore.

Boats passed by the parked ships, swimming like fish.

The mist composed of water vapor was dispersed without a trace by the morning sun, like a veil being slowly pulled open, presenting this magnificent scene before Hai Rui's eyes.

He was wearing a gray cloth shirt and a net scarf on his head, standing at the bow with his hands behind his back, taking a deep breath, and feeling the vibrant vitality coming from the distant Shanghai dock.

This is the city of Shanghai. It is completely different from what I imagined. It should be said that it is far beyond my imagination.

As the boat got closer, Hai Rui could see more clearly.

The boatmen were busy on the boat, three or four of them together, wiping the deck with their buttocks sticking out; some were standing on the mast to tidy up the canvas, standing on that high place, like leaves on a big tree, swaying constantly with the ups and downs of the boat; some were tidying up the ropes on the deck; some were sitting on the rope board, hanging outside the hull, painting the planks.

On the gangplank, most of the porters were bare-chested, with beads of sweat on their dark skin. Some were bent over with huge sacks on their backs, while others were carrying wooden poles and carefully carrying wooden boxes. Walking on the wobbly gangplank, the river was flowing below.

Some were shouting slogans, passing them from one person to another, like invisible ropes pulling him. Sweat kept dripping, falling to his feet and into the river.

They are trying their best, working hard, selling their strength and sweating to earn some money to support their families.

The people are suffering!
Hai Rui knew that the most miserable people in the world were the common people. Where were the common people who did not suffer? No matter how prosperous Shanghai was, the common people here still had to work and live a hard life. They all suffered!
Hai Rui also knew that the people were suffering and weak, and needed sympathy and protection of their interests, but they could not be prevented from suffering, because they had nothing and could only survive by enduring hardships.

If people work hard and suffer a lot, but still cannot feed themselves and their families, that is the greatest injustice in the world!
Hai Rui would fight to the end anyone who dared to oppress and extort the people like this, even at the cost of dying together with him!

When the ship docks, people from the terminal administration will come to register and check the ship's documents, port departure papers, and freight bills. All crew members on board also have to check the transfer papers.

According to the imperial edict of Emperor Taizu, it was very difficult for the common people of the Ming Dynasty to go out. However, with the changes of the times, economic development, and flourishing commerce, more and more people went out.

Previously, the government turned a blind eye.

In the 41st year of the reign of Emperor Jiajing, Hu Zongxian, the governor of Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places, petitioned the court to try out the household paper policy in order to strictly investigate Japanese pirates and spies while also taking into account the flow of business and travel.

That is, you can get a limited-time identity certificate from the household registration office in your county of origin and travel. Every time you arrive at a place, you only need to register at the dock, inn, etc. The county inspections will conduct random checks at any time.

The move was well received in the Southeast.

In recent years, the industry and commerce here have developed rapidly. Merchants need to travel everywhere, and shops, warehouses, and factories need to recruit a large number of people, so there must be enough floating population.

Hai Rui and his party had household registration papers issued by Shanyang County of Huai'an Prefecture. After verification, they went ashore and walked through the bustling, busy and orderly dock area.

Next to the dock is the market, which is shaped like a big field, neatly divided into the shipping warehouse area, the shop area and the leisure area.

The warehouse area was near the dock, with hundreds of horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts passing through, and countless porters carrying things. The shouts rose and fell.

"Watch out, the car is coming!"

"Excuse me, I'm carrying my things over here!"

The shopping area is lined with shops facing the street one after another, each with a banner with its own business name written on it: "Qizhenxiang", "Xingdonghai", "Kunshanlin", "Wuxian Shen".
The store is also full of things.

Sugarcane from Lingnan, spices from Nanyang, cotton cloth from Songjiang, silk from Suzhou, tea from Huizhou, porcelain from Raozhou, bronze from Xichuan, and tung oil from Huguang.
Tinware from Korea, lacquerware from East Japan, coral from Annam, pearls from Siam, rice from Champa, and glassware from the West.

A waiter saw Hai Rui and immediately rushed out to greet him warmly, "Sir, you are here to buy some goods, right? I have the finest Zhang velvet and carved velvet from Jiangning. They are first-rate goods. Come in and take a look." Hai Rui smiled and declined, "Thank you, thank you! I need to take another look."

When the guy saw that he was not the target customer, he said politely, "I wish you good luck!" and turned around to greet other people.

From time to time, you can see a team of soldiers, ten in a group, some equipped with swords and shields, some carrying spears, led by a military school, some patrolling the streets in a line, and some standing on guard at the main intersections.

They wore a half-length coat on the upper body, a red jacket on the lapels, trousers on the lower body, and tiger-grip cloth shoes. They wore a straw hat and a belt, looking very energetic.

Hai Rui, who was well-informed, knew that this style of wearing a jacket and pants was popular among sailors. It was much more convenient to wear it at sea than a shirt and robe.

Then it became popular in the new army camp, followed by Ji Liao, Xuan Da and Shanxi Town. Now the soldiers in the Beijing camp are also dressed like this. Unexpectedly, the soldiers in Shanghai city are also dressed like this.

Chen San beside him said softly: "Master Hai, this is the guard army that was converted from the Jinyiwei. It should be affiliated with the Right Division of Nanzhili."

Hai Rui nodded, and began to figure out the Crown Prince's idea of ​​reorganizing the Imperial Guards.

The huge Jinyiwei organization was split up, and the three most important responsibilities of guarding the imperial city, protecting officials, and investigating major cases were assigned to Fengchen, Yiwei and Zhenfu.

The rest of the duties of suppressing local areas and guarding important places should be handed over to the guard army, and other miscellaneous duties should be handed over to full-time officials. Don't go to the Jinyiwei for everything.

It’s a good thing this way, the Jinyiwei are in charge of everything, but in the end they can’t manage anything well.

This problem is the same as many other government offices in the Ming Dynasty.

It is better to split it up. The key is to make responsibilities clear. Whoever is in charge can be found, and when problems arise, we know who to hold accountable. It is not like before, when responsibilities were unclear, everyone wanted to get involved when there was a benefit, and when something went wrong, everyone ran away faster than anyone else.

Clarifying responsibilities is the first step in official administration.

Hai Rui now also accepted the Crown Prince's idea.

Let’s start with the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Then, it’s time to start the administrative reform that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has asked Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji to plan.

On the other side of the commercial district, there were restaurants, gambling houses and brothels everywhere, with merchants and sailors coming ashore walking through them.

Hai Rui walked among them with his hands behind his back, looking very serious.

But he was wearing an extremely ordinary starched cotton shirt, and he was neither rich nor noble. The guys in the restaurants, gambling houses, and brothels all had sharp eyes and knew at a glance that this old man was a poor fellow, and they were too lazy to greet him.

On the contrary, Liu Da and the other two behind him were surrounded and greeted two or three times.

After passing through the market area, we arrived at the east gate of Shanghai County. The yamen runners were sitting or standing on both sides. They did not stop the people from coming in and out, nor did they put up wooden boxes to collect city entry taxes like in some counties.

They just stared at the people passing by, and if they found anyone behaving suspiciously, they would stop them and question them.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me where the Southeast Office of the Coordination Bureau is?" Hai Rui stepped forward, stopped a passerby, and asked politely with a bow.

"Southeast Office? It's right there." The pedestrian pointed not far away.

"Thank you!" Hai Rui said politely, and looked up. He saw a row of tall, wide and magnificent houses facing the street.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle at the door, and it was very prosperous.

It doesn't look like a government office at all. Instead, it is more lively than the shops in the market area outside the city.

Hai Rui's face suddenly turned dark.

(End of this chapter)