The Ming Dynasty did not revolutionize

Chapter 343: Destroying Someone’s Financial Resources Is Like Killing Their Parents

Starting from late March of the 17th year of Tiangong, local and foreign businessmen began to visit the homes of the main members of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce.

The purpose, of course, was to gather information and determine the court's true attitude towards trade with India.

Zhejiang merchants are the most special group among the ordinary local merchants in the Ming Dynasty.

Because Zhu Jianxuan was originally named King of Wu, and the initial funds for construction in Australia came from taxes in Zhejiang, the two sides had some kind of relationship.

When Zhu Jianxuan was reaping the private industries all over the world by instigating the economic crisis, the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce took the initiative to go to Shuntian Prefecture to plead with Zhu Jianxuan and obtained a special arrangement.

At that time, the main industries in Zhejiang, under the requirements and supervision of the imperial court, completed a comprehensive joint venture among the imperial court, the original owners and the employees.

The imperial court obtained the majority of shares, and all employees had a small amount of shares and dividend rights, but the original owners continued to manage these companies, businesses, and factories.

Due to this special joint venture model, the owners of these manufacturers have a semi-official status, and people who don’t know the inside story think they are royal merchants.

These big businessmen from Zhejiang were indeed well-informed, and they were able to correctly interpret the court's policies on the industrial and commercial sectors.

Zhu Jianxuan was also happy to have such semi-official personnel who could convey the court's will through private channels.

So sometimes when the court did something special, they would even take the initiative to send people to inform.

Some things are not suitable to be stated directly in official documents of the imperial court. Ordinary people may have a distorted understanding of official documents, and many of them believe in rumors more.

The imperial court suddenly banned trade with India. The official document said it was because Li Celing did not come to pay tribute, but they did not say what the specific purpose was.

On April 6, at the home of Chen Weizhi, former president of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, the first batch of owners who participated in the government-private partnership gathered together to first prepare for internal unification of ideas.

After everyone sat down on both sides of the lobby, the Chen family's servants brought tea. After everyone drank a sip of tea, they all looked at Chen Weizi.

Among the group of old people, a slightly younger businessman spoke first:
"May I ask Uncle Chen, I have called all of you uncles to a meeting today, but have the people from the imperial court been here? Have you conveyed any will?

"What specific measures will the imperial court take against Shun this time? Will we still be able to trade with India in the future?"

The elderly Chen Weizhi said with a serious expression:

“Yes, the imperial court’s intention has been conveyed, and it is aimed at Shun State.

"To what extent the imperial court will deal with Shun State this time will first depend on what Shun State's ruler and ministers will ultimately do.

"If Prince Shun can correct his mistakes, personally go to Shuntian Prefecture to apologize, and offer other lands besides India as tribute, he can still be the Prince of Shun in the future.

“Otherwise, there will be no Shun Kingdom in the future.

“Once the emperor leads his army to India, the Shun Kingdom will be wiped out in an instant.

“No matter what the result is, we will definitely be able to do business with India in the future, but we will have to wait until the court’s affairs are resolved.

"During this period, merchants either moved their business elsewhere or waited for a while and prepared to deliver military supplies to India for the court.

“These situations are clear, you can pass them on and let your relatives and friends know.

"Remember this. During the period when the imperial court stops paying tribute to Shun State, you must not have any dealings with the court of Shun State. Otherwise, you may be suspected of collaborating with the enemy and treason in the future."

After Chen Weizhi finished speaking, the businessmen at the scene immediately understood, relaxed, and started discussing on the spot.

"It is said that Prince Shun Li Celing is aloof and conceited, and he has already usurped the title of emperor. It is unlikely that he will come to apologize."

"Then Shun Kingdom is definitely doomed. Our emperor should be preparing to incorporate Shun Kingdom into his territory."

"If that's the case, we really can't have any dealings with the Shun Kingdom court. If Li Celing doesn't show up before June 1st, the court may officially label Shun Kingdom as a traitor."

"If we continue to do business with the Shun Kingdom, we will truly be collaborating with the enemy..."

"Shun Kingdom is going to be destroyed, so what should we do with our family's property in Shun Kingdom? We can't just abandon it, right?"

"Don't panic. There is always business to be done. If Shunguo can survive, there are ways to survive. If Shunguo perishes, there are ways to perish."

"Didn't Brother Chen say that we should just prepare the ships and manpower and wait to deliver military supplies to the imperial court?"

"If the imperial court wants to incorporate Shun into its territory, it will definitely be a major war."

Chen Weizhi and other former companions at the scene, as well as some of their nephews and nieces, watched them explore all the possibilities and made a final summary:

"Now, the imperial court naturally occupies the majority of the industrial and commercial industries in the world. This is the cornerstone of the stability of the world in the industrial and commercial era.

“Private business owners are a minority and can be considered a supplement to the local economy.

"Our Zhejiang merchants currently have the largest industrial scale, and both their family assets and their status in the industry are the highest among all merchants in the world.

“We are in our current position only because of your majesty’s grace and the protection of the court.

“So no matter how we run our own business, for the long-term interests of all Zhejiang merchants, we must not deviate from the policy direction of the court.

"I would rather give up some industries with great pain than go against the court's strategy or go against the court's general trend.

“In particular, there must be no actual dealings with Shun Country anymore.

"Otherwise, not only will the imperial court hold you accountable in the future, but your colleagues at the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce will also regard you as an enemy and a scum. In the future, there will be no place for you in any place where there are Zhejiang businessmen."

Having said that, Chen Weizhi paused for a moment, took a breath, and then said in a very serious and even sinister tone:
"We are all businessmen, so I might as well be frank.

"For us Zhejiang merchants, directly following the imperial court to develop industries is the fastest and easiest way to make money in the world.

"Anyone who has any connection with Shun State may affect the impression of the emperor and the court on us, and may ruin this way of making money for everyone.

“As the saying goes, to cut off a person’s financial resources is like killing his parents.

"All of us will absolutely not tolerate this person who broke the rules, and we will never let him continue to live well in this world!

"I know that everyone here should understand this truth, but your relatives and friends may not understand it, so when you go back, make sure to keep an eye on your children, nephews and relatives."

After hearing Chen Weizhi's instructions, the businessmen at the scene immediately and seriously raised their hands to express their opinions.

He humbly accepted the old president's advice, promised that he would never collude with the Shun Kingdom court, and would fully cooperate with the court's strategy in India in the future.

Many people even swore on the spot that anyone who broke the rules would be struck by lightning or have their ship sunk when out to sea.

A businessman's character may not necessarily be very high, but once his vision and pattern reach a certain level, in order to maintain his existing status and wealth, there will be various taboos and red lines.

Even underground gangsters would never do such things, let alone these Zhejiang businessmen who were the private agents of the Ming Dynasty court.

The direct policy reminders of the Ming Dynasty court are the foundation of their survival.

After the Chen family's meeting ended, the participating businessmen went home and immediately sent out invitations to hold another party at their own home.

Communicate and emphasize the reminders you have confirmed within your circle.

The Ming court's direct attitude towards Shun State and India also spread quickly at such merchant gatherings.

Most merchants simply stopped their existing trade with India.

Many merchants accepted the advice passed down by Chen Weizhi. After stopping trade, they began to raise money, stockpile goods, and order ships, waiting for further action from the court in India.

The imperial court's intention to declare war in India was a good opportunity for shipping merchants to make a fortune again.

Merchants who were unwilling to take risks, under the guidance of the court's official industries, turned their original trade routes in India to Europe, Africa and America.

June 1st of the seventeenth year of Tiangong arrived quickly.

With the Ming navy's continuous patrols and strikes on the east and west coasts of India, and the internal exchanges among merchants, the normal trade between the Ming court and its vassal states and Shun State had been basically cut off.

Several important ports along the coast of India, such as Mumbai, have always been places where people from all over the world gather because of their advantageous geographical locations.

The streets of these cities are always crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder.

But just four months after the Ming court issued the order, the streets of these cities were almost completely empty.

A large number of import and export trading companies simply closed their doors, and those that were still open were deserted.

Although the number of smugglers did not disappear completely, it was reduced by an order of magnitude and only a fraction of the original number remained.

In fact, typical large-scale smuggling activities usually use legal trade activities as a cover.

Illegal goods, goods that have not been taxed or inspected, are hidden among large quantities of legal goods and brought into the country.

Now India's import and export trade has been almost cut off. The Ming Dynasty, which controls the sea power, has blocked India's entrances and exits and prohibited any ships from entering or leaving the Indian coast.

Without the cover of large-scale normal trade, most of the smuggling routes simply stopped operating.

Only a very small number can be transported by land from Myanmar or even Central Asia, using traditional animal-drawn vehicles.

The efficiency has dropped by several orders of magnitude, and the cost has directly increased by several orders of magnitude.

Coupled with the news circulating among Ming Dynasty merchants, only extremely stubborn people would continue to engage in smuggling.

They were mainly Shun people and merchants from a few other countries that were not under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty.

The city of Delhi became even more lively at this time.

Li Celing specially designated a piece of land in Delhi City, preparing to restore the traditional model of handicraft production.

Li Celing issued an imperial decree to summon all the former handicraft craftsmen in the entire Dashun territory, gather them in Delhi City, and restore their production capacity.

Li Celing had previously planned to carry out large-scale industrial production in Delhi like that of the Ming Dynasty, but he basically stopped after realizing that it could not be completed.

The factories and spaces built at that time were just right for traditional handicrafts.

It has to be said that Li Celing's plan did work, just like the Qin and Han dynasties when craftsmen were concentrated together for production.

The old and new craftsmen gathered together to communicate with each other and soon began to restore the traditional production model.

Because transportation in inland India is so poor, Ming Dynasty products cannot reach all places, and many remote areas still retain traditional craftsmen.

They still maintain the traditional handicraft iron smelting method.

India also has an iron ore with the highest quality in the world, which is almost pure ferroferric oxide.

Therefore, it is believed that the difficulty of making iron tools in early India was relatively low.

Recruiting craftsmen from these remote areas and having them work with old people who used to be craftsmen, and with the support of the imperial court and Russia, their work was not difficult.

However, in the eyes of all the participants, what they are producing now is garbage.

Not only is the cost much higher than Ming Dynasty goods, but the quality is also much lower than Ming Dynasty goods.

The more I try, the less confident I am.

This even included the Dashun Emperor Li Celing himself.

After getting used to the products directly supplied by industrial countries, people returned to the self-sufficient handicrafts corresponding to the agricultural era.

It's like returning from a bustling metropolis to an isolated mountain village.

Li Celing had already decided that he would not accept the orders of the Ming Emperor, and he would certainly not take the initiative to go to Shuntian Prefecture to apologize, as that would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

These days I have been focusing on the changes in maritime trade and the recovery of local handicraft production.

Li Celing soon discovered that what he was about to do was not as simple as he had originally thought. The Ming Dynasty court's control over the ocean and commerce was far beyond his imagination.

I originally thought that in order to seek profits, businessmen would definitely take the initiative to try every possible means to continue smuggling and trading.

As a result, after an edict was issued by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, merchants from the Ming Dynasty really stopped coming to India.

Whether the merchants themselves did not want to come or they really could not come, it showed that the Ming court was truly able to control matters involving interests.

Li Celing didn't quite understand why the Ming Dynasty court had such high capabilities?

In fact, this is the difference in administrative efficiency between traditional classical countries and industrial countries that have completed modernization.

Industrial countries have sufficiently high fiscal revenues, enough intellectuals, and strong enough means of communication, so their control capabilities naturally far exceed those of classical countries.

Now smuggling activities have almost stopped, and the few remaining channels have become unstable and extremely costly.

Only then does smuggling miracle drugs like antibiotics still make sense.

It is so difficult to restore India's handicraft industry, and Li Celing really can't bear to look at the things made by the craftsmen.

Deep down, Li Celing's confidence in this war was growing weaker and weaker.

However, on the surface, Li Cexiang had to continue to hold on, and he personally issued an order and even encouraged all the craftsmen on the spot.

Let them continue to work hard to complete the construction of self-sufficient handicrafts and get rid of the blockade and restrictions of the Ming Dynasty.

On the other hand, on the Ming court side, in the last few days of May in the seventeenth year of Tiangong, envoys from Shun Kingdom arrived in Shuntian Prefecture again.

The envoy from Shun State reported to the Honglu Temple and told about Li Celing's original arrangements, saying that Li Celing was seriously ill and could not move at all.

The response of the Ming Dynasty's Honglu Temple Minister was very straightforward:
"The emperor's order is that we must see the person alive, the body if dead, and the ashes if cremated. If Prince Shun does not come on June 1st, it will be a blatant disobedience and deception to the emperor."

Afterwards, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites directly ordered people to capture the envoy of Shun State and handed him over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for temporary detention.

Then he immediately called the Ministry of Public Security and asked them to report the matter to the emperor and ask for his opinion on how to deal with it.

After receiving the report, Zhu Jianxuan verbally requested the Honglu Temple to wait for a few more days, until June 1st.

A few days passed in a flash, and until the morning of June 2, no envoy from Shun State came to Shuntian Prefecture.

On the morning of June 2, Zhu Jianxuan held a small-scale imperial meeting and issued a series of orders.

First, he issued a formal order to the Governor-General's Office to begin sending reinforcements to western Sichuan, southern and western Western Regions, southern India, Ceylon, and western Myanmar.

Station troops in Egypt, Persia and other places, and strengthen the defense and vigilance of the vassal states of Austria and Poland to prepare for war that may break out at any time.

Let the Cabinet, Honglu Temple, and Ministry of Rites start propaganda against Shun State based on the evidence compiled by the Western Factory.

Through official newspapers and broadcasts, the historical origins of Shun State were told and it was criticized as the remnants of traitors and rebellious officials.

He must be expelled from the vassal state, stripped of his title of Shun Wang, and renamed the remnants of bandits who must be eliminated.

By the way, they began to publicize the crimes of Russia and the Ottoman Empire, listing Russia as the remnants of the former Yuan Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire as the remnants of the Turks.

Whether it is the former Yuan Dynasty or the Turks, they are all the arch-enemies of the Shenzhou people and must be eliminated.

Officially began to publicly propose a new world concept and publicize the trend that the new world across the entire globe will soon be unified.

(End of this chapter)