I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 754: The Etiquette and Reason of the Ming Dynasty
Wu Dui cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, I mean to wait for the price to rise."

Seeing Zhu Yijun nodded, Wu Dui continued: "Now it is the Ottomans and Persians who are asking for something from our Ming Dynasty, but we, the Ming Dynasty, have nothing to ask of them.

We can wait and see until they reveal their cards before making a decision."

Wei Xuezeng said, "This is our strategy for negotiating with the Ottoman and Persian envoys. This is how we negotiate, but what is the bottom line of the negotiations? What is the expected outcome? Does the Honglu Temple have a plan?"

According to the division of labor in the cabinet, the left chancellor Wang Chonggu was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War, the Guanglu Temple, and the Taifu Temple; the right chancellor Wang Guoguang was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Taifu Temple, the Dushui Temple, and the Sinong Temple; the right chancellor Wei Xuezeng was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishments, the Honglu Temple, and the Taichang Temple.

Wu Dui replied solemnly: "Wei Youcheng, the Rong government has reported intelligence on the western front. The Ming Dynasty is currently bordering the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Bukhara Khanate, and Afghanistan. Our border troops have had many conflicts with their troops in the border area, and there is a trend of imminent outbreak.

The Grand Duchy of Moscow was the old enemy of the Ottoman Empire, and the two sides had been fighting in the Black Sea region for decades; the Bukhara Khanate, Afghanistan and other countries to the east of Persia had always threatened the Khorasan region of Persia.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is a simple truth that both the Ottomans and the Persians understand. Now that their envoys have arrived, their intention is very clear: they want to negotiate peace with us and form an alliance with us.

After receiving urgent reports from local areas, the Honglu Temple held two emergency closed-door meetings and preliminarily agreed that the Ming Dynasty could negotiate with the Ottoman Empire and Persia, but they had to agree to our conditions.

First, the whole country is open to the Ming Dynasty and accepts free trade; second, it recognizes the Ming Dynasty's occupation of the Caspian Sea, the Aral Sea and the Transoxiana region.

After finishing speaking, Wu Dui turned to look at Zhu Yijun and said, "The above is the preliminary decision of the Honglu Temple. Everything is subject to the emperor's decision."

Not bad.

The fact that the Honglu Temple could come up with such a negotiation strategy showed that they already had a preliminary foreign policy. They no longer regarded themselves as the Celestial Empire and viewed all foreign countries as barbaric and alien.

Those vassal states that did not come to the capital to pay tribute were not allowed to have any contact. Those who dared to break the rules and insisted on contact and coming to the capital for peace talks were regarded as treason and would be suppressed immediately.

If they cannot win the battle, they will change from suppression to appeasement to demonstrate the "kindness" of the superior country.

In fact, the most fundamental problem is the fear of contact with the outside world, because the conservative monarchs and ministers know that the strange skills and tricks of the outside world will be like a huge stone, smashing the stagnant water they have carefully built, causing waves and splashes.

These "intelligent" scholars are not unaware of the tricks, they just don't want to change. They think that as long as they bury their heads in the sand, the waves will eventually recede, but they don't know that the times are changing.

The wave will not recede, it will only grow bigger.

So he left behind a painful sigh: "Before the Opium War, we refused to give equal treatment to foreign countries; after that, they refused to give us equal treatment."

That’s right, what Zhu Yijun was complaining about in his heart was the Qing Dynasty.

However, their pedantic and arrogant diplomatic thinking, which claims that they are the Celestial Empire and all foreign countries are barbarians, is actually a continuation of the Ming Dynasty's mentality of treating foreign vassals as the core of tribute, and is even worse than that.

Under Zhu Yijun's "guidance and education" for several years, the Honglu Temple, which was responsible for foreign affairs of the Ming Dynasty, still had the pride of being the Celestial Empire in its bones. However, it no longer viewed overseas countries as barbarians, but as competitors or allies that could be won over.

Although it was still far from satisfactory, it at least had the embryonic form of modern diplomatic thought.

The road cannot be built in one day, it needs to be walked step by step.

Zhu Yijun said: "I am very pleased that the Honglu Temple has drawn up this preliminary negotiation plan.

As early as the 42nd year of the Jiajing reign, I was taught by Emperor Shizong in the Western Garden and discussed the tribute system established by Emperor Taizu. Combining diplomacy and trade is both right and wrong.

Diplomacy is the relationship between countries and the foundation of trade between two countries. If diplomacy is done well, trade will flourish; if trade flourishes, diplomacy between two countries will be easier to handle. Therefore, diplomacy and trade complement each other.

However, the tribute system established by Emperor Taizu first caused inequality between countries, and then replaced normal trade with gifts. At the beginning of the founding of the country, it played a huge role in winning over neighboring countries and stabilizing the border, but it also left a lot of trouble. "

Zhu Yijun's voice was clear and everyone listened very carefully.

"Countries are inherently unequal, some are strong and some are weak. We know this, but in our interactions, we must give all countries equal treatment.

This is the most basic etiquette.

China is a great country, a country of etiquette, and we must uphold etiquette in our diplomatic affairs. We cannot be self-deprecating, nor can we be arrogant. When we interact with other countries, as long as they are not our enemies, we must first treat them with courtesy and convince them with reason. "

Zhu Yijun thought about it and made a metaphor, "We are gentlemen, not robbers.

The guns and battleships of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to protecting the peace of the Ming Dynasty, are more importantly to enable the countries of the world to sit down and negotiate with the Ming Dynasty in peace and willingly accept the conditions of the Ming Dynasty. "

Zhang Juzheng knew his student too well. After Zhu Yijun finished speaking, he added a few words: "Your Majesty is wise. In addition to defending the country, the army and navy of the Ming Dynasty are also about treating each other with courtesy and convincing people with reason."

Zhu Yijun smiled and continued, "Master Zhang is right.

Elegance is the word that Europeans like to use most.

In my eyes, what is elegance? It is nothing more than putting your opponent on the table, lighting candles, putting out plates, knives and forks, pouring wine, and being full of civilized ritual.

After eating the bloody meat, he elegantly wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

Elegance will never go out of style, and we should learn from its good aspects. Europe's practical and shameless approach is worth learning from.

Many of our scholars and officials have become stupid after reading the books of sages. They either regard others as barbarians and look down on them, or they regard others as gentlemen and are humble and polite.

There is no distinction between villains and gentlemen between countries. Everyone works for the benefit of their own country.

Propriety and reason are just appearances, the real truth is only within the range of artillery. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty needs a strong army and navy to make the countries of the world listen to us. "

Wu Dui said, "Your Majesty, please tell us what we should say to Ottomans and Persians."

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said firmly: "First, we must accept free trade.

The industrial revolution has already begun in Ming Dynasty, and massive quantities of products are being manufactured in factories. Without free trade, how can we sell our products to all parts of the world?

Therefore, free trade is the lifeblood of our Ming Dynasty. If all countries in the world erect barriers and prevent the inflow of our goods and the free trade, how can our thousands of factories in our Ming Dynasty survive, how can millions of workers make a living, and how can hundreds of millions of farmers who grow cotton, silkworms, tea and sugarcane make a living?
If this continues, the Ming Dynasty will no longer be a country.

Therefore, free trade is the most important thing for our Ming Dynasty. Any barrier that dares to block our free trade will be blown to pieces by the artillery of the Ming Dynasty’s army and navy.

By extension, other countries must ensure the safety of the lives and property of the people of the Ming Dynasty. If they cannot protect them, the Ming Dynasty’s army and navy will protect them for them.”

Zhang Juzheng, Wei Xueceng and Wu Dui were listening quietly.

Zhu Yijun's words were exactly about the future foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty.

Everything else is easy to say. If you dare to refuse the free trade of the Ming Dynasty, dare to harm the people of the Ming Dynasty, and infringe on their interests, then you have to ask the millions of soldiers and navy of the Ming Dynasty whether they agree or not! This is the bottom line and the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's foreign policy.

“The above is the bottom line of Ming Dynasty diplomacy. It must be followed no matter when or what country we are dealing with.

Other conditions must be adapted to the circumstances. The Honglu Temple fully communicates with the army and navy of the military government, the Taifu Temple of the cabinet, and the Shaofu Supervisor, integrates the interests of various departments, represents the Ming Dynasty in conducting diplomatic affairs with other countries, and strives to safeguard the dignity and interests of the Ming Dynasty. "

Wu Dui clasped his hands and said, "I obey your order!"

Zhu Yijun waved his hand, "Don't worry, talk to Osman and Persia slowly. This table is still missing a guest, one from Portugal or Spain must come.

But I guess the Portuguese envoys should be on their way. When they arrive, the banquet can start.”

The galley slowly approached the Shanghai North Wharf, where many galleys and barges were moored densely on the shore. Porters were like a group of ants, carrying things back and forth between the ship and the shore.

The long-armed towers clustered in the eastern part of the dock, like a forest. The copper whistle sounded, and under the command of the dispatcher's red and green pennants, the cranes lifted bags of goods.

Marcelo and Leon were numb, and there were no waves in their hearts. When the ship docked, they went ashore with everyone else and got on the carriage that had been waiting for a long time.

José sat opposite the carriage and introduced it to Marcelo and Leon: "This is Shanghai City, formerly known as Shanghai County. After Songjiang Prefecture was changed to Huzhou Prefecture, Shanghai County was changed to Shanghai City, which shows that its industry and commerce are flourishing and the city was established as a city."

Marcelo and Leon couldn't tell the difference between a county and a city, so they leaned their heads out of the car window to look at the scenery outside.

The carriage drove out of the chaotic and busy port area and moved forward along the straight and flat concrete road.

The sound of bronze bells rang out and a horse-drawn carriage flashed past the window.

"Ping An Marine Insurance Company will escort you to sea!"

There was a line of words written on the carriage. Marcelo was curious and became even more curious after asking Jose to translate it.

"Marine Insurance Company? What does it do?"

“Insurance for commercial vessels going out to sea.

Initially, the insurance provided was peace insurance, which means that the ship paid a certain amount of insurance money, and within a certain period of time, after leaving the port, during the sea voyage, if the ship was damaged, the cargo was lost, or the casualties were caused by non-man-made natural disasters, accidents, etc., the insurance company would pay compensation according to the proportion agreed in advance.

Marcelo and Leon looked at each other and immediately realized the great significance of the insurance company.

Leon said: "Going to sea, the benefits are high, but the risks are also high. Once a storm occurs, or the ship is unfortunately hit by a reef, the ship will be destroyed, the people will die, and the goods will be lost. The ship owner and the goods merchant will fall into hell and will never be able to recover.

However, if you can successfully reach your destination, the profit is extremely rich. How to balance the benefits and risks is a headache not only for us in Portugal, but also for Spain, Venice, Genoa and other countries. "

Marcelo said: "Along the way, I saw so many ships from the Ming Dynasty and the shipping was so prosperous and busy. I kept wondering what the reason was.
I thought of shipbuilding technology, shipbuilding capacity, and enough cargo for transportation, but I didn't think of insurance companies. With insurance companies, there will be enough protection for sailing at sea. Even if there are natural disasters or accidents, it will not be impossible to recover.

Even if they only received partial compensation, it would be enough for the Ming people to not be afraid of waves and storms and bravely continue to sail deep into the sea.

We in Portugal, as well as Spain, Venice, Genoa, and the Netherlands, all relied on the huge profits from maritime trade to drive thousands of people into the great voyages of discovery, but this was extremely unstable.

Once the profits of shipping dropped and the risks became higher, people became very cautious about maritime trade. The people of the Ming Dynasty realized the problem of balancing risks and benefits early on and established insurance companies. No wonder their shipping became so prosperous. "

Listening to Marcelo and Leon's sighs, Jose chuckled and said, "In the beginning, Ming Dynasty only had Ping An Insurance Company for marine insurance, and there was only one type of insurance, which everyone called Ping An Insurance.

Later, the second marine insurance company, China Merchants Insurance Company, came into being and launched water damage insurance and theft insurance. That is, after paying a certain amount of insurance money, if the goods were soaked by seawater or rain during transportation, or were stolen during loading and unloading and transportation, they would be compensated in proportion.

Soon after, the third insurance company, Shanghai Insurance Company, appeared and launched short-term insurance and all-risk insurance.

Ping An Insurance Company was not to be outdone and proposed the concept of primary insurance and supplementary insurance. The primary insurance was peace insurance, water damage insurance and all risks insurance, and the supplementary insurance was theft insurance, shortage insurance and transportation insurance.
In the third year of the Wanli reign, these three insurance companies began to engage in non-marine insurance, providing a variety of new commercial insurance products such as life insurance, property insurance, accident insurance, and disease insurance.

Marcelo and Leon were curious, "José, how do you know so much?"

"My wife's cousin used to work at Ping An Insurance Company, and was recruited by China Merchants Insurance Company as the Nanhai regional manager. He once took a ship with me to Longkou Port, and we became good friends. Later, he became the matchmaker between my wife and me.

He told me the information about Daming Insurance Company during casual conversations."

Leon thought of something and asked, “When I went to the capital to negotiate, I heard them talk about the flourishing industry and commerce in Ming Dynasty, and there was another powerful weapon, which was the bank.

Jose, you know what?

José shrugged: “I don’t know much about banks.

I only know that my monthly salary and allowance are directly deposited into my account by Huijin Bank every month. My wife has my joint passbook and can go to Huijin Bank branch to withdraw money at any time.

"Your salary and allowance are all paid by the bank?"

Marcelo and Leon were more interested in this bank, but unfortunately José didn't know much about it.

Alas, he was just a naval officer and not a know-it-all. It was already rare for him to know the situation of the insurance company.

Jose added: "But Manuel knows it very well."

"Manuel?"

"Yes, he has a deep understanding of banks and really wants to open a private bank. It's just that it's too difficult to get a bank license, so he can only open a money house now. But he has been working hard and looking for various opportunities to continue to fulfill his banking dream."

"Money house? What does it do?"

"From what he said, it's about doing business around the bills of several banks, and exchanging gold and silver."

"Exchange for gold and silver?"

"Yes. When overseas merchants come to Ming to do business, they cannot use the gold and silver they bring to buy goods directly. They must exchange them for silver dollars or bills from several banks.

Manuel's bank is doing this business."

Marcelo and Leon nodded to each other, "We must find Manuel"

The carriage suddenly stopped. The three of them were startled and suddenly heard a noise like a hurricane or tsunami coming from outside.

(End of this chapter)