Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 113: Slaving the Jiannu
"Pedophile?" Zhu Changluo got goosebumps all over his body.

Slave trader Władysław Amato was in high spirits, engaging in a double act with mine owner Ryan Hobbs. The content of the act was nothing more than fast delivery, low prices, and immediate availability if desired.

But Władysław Amato misunderstood. Zhu Changluo only asked about the price to gain more information, not to be truly interested in importing slaves. In fact, he had never intended to bring slaves from India and Southeast Asia to the Ming Dynasty from the beginning.

Even putting aside values, from a purely practical perspective, the large-scale introduction of slavery was not a wise move. When annexation squeezed farmers from the land, their labor became a commodity to be sold on the market. Even if this trade did not occur, it would still be affected by basic supply and demand.

At this time, the cheaper the imported labor commodity is, the more it will harm the interests of domestic workers. The special nature of labor commodity determines that if it is unsalable, it will cause losses.

By this time, the situation of land plundering in the Ming Dynasty had reached a point of no return, with peasants everywhere either landless or renting land. While those who rented land could still manage a relatively stable living, the landless could only scrape by doing odd jobs for the wealthy, barely making ends meet. In the event of a famine, the peasants, with their limited resilience, would become refugees. If a few more rebels emerged, rallying the refugees under the slogan "no grain," they would become rebellious.

How to ensure that these people have jobs, food, and do not rebel is already a serious and difficult problem. To import labor from other regions to compete with the people for food is really putting the cart before the horse.

Low grain prices hurt farmers, but they still have food to eat. Low labor prices hurt the people, and they will eventually have no way out.

After Władysław Amato finished speaking, he looked straight at "Master Zhu", trying to see some positive signs on his face.

After a long wait, Lord Zhu finally spoke: "The imperial court will not officially support the slave trade, let alone purchase slaves. However, perhaps some merchants not recognized by the imperial court can supply you with slaves."

Xu Guangqi looked at the emperor in confusion and whispered, "Are you talking about official slaves? Although the families of convicted officials are often used as official slaves every year, this number is completely incomparable to the slave trade described by Władysław Amato."

Some of the children of convicted officials who became slaves would be sent to the Jiaofangsi, which was under the Ministry of Rites. So, while it didn't directly manage the treatment of convicted officials like the Ministry of Punishment did, Xu Guangqi was still able to roughly infer the number of convicted officials, their relatives, and servants who became slaves each year.

"Who said we were going to sell official slaves?" Zhu Changluo tried to raise his lips, revealing a slightly murderous smile, but before he could even begin to use his power, physical fatigue broke his power with an uncontrollable drowsiness. Finally, Zhu Changluo yawned and said, "Don't you think there are too many people in Jianzhou?"

"Master, why don't we go back and rest?" Wang An came over and asked before Xu Guangqi could answer. The four of them were always accompanied by a sedan chair as they walked. Whenever the emperor wanted, the sedan bearers could quickly and smoothly take him back to his bedroom.

"It's still daylight, there's no need to rush." ​​Zhu Changluo waved his hand. "Go make me a cup of strong tea, or maybe some weak tea? Too much is as bad as too little. It won't be good if I can't sleep at night."

"As you command." Wang An sighed softly and strode away. "Jianzhou? I'm stupid. The situation in Liaodong has stabilized somewhat, and we need manpower to settle and build cities. How can there be so many?" Xu Guangqi pondered for a while, but still couldn't understand the emperor's meaning. "Besides, most of the people relocated to the border by the court are civilians. Selling good people into slavery by the court is neither in accordance with etiquette nor ancestral rules."

"Sir Xu, I'm not talking about the people of Liaodong, but the slaves of Jianzhou." Zhu Changluo patted his face twice, then turned to look at Xu Guangqi and said seriously, "The Jian slaves invaded the border and plundered people and property. When we launched an expedition, five households had to support one soldier, and ten households had to support one horse. But after the battle, all we got was a pile of corpses."

"My lord, what you mean is"

"Since ancient times, there have been victories and defeats on both sides in military battles between the north and the south, but generally speaking, the south's attitude towards war is often war-weary, while the north tends to be more war-loving. In the end, it generally presents a situation of the north attacking and the south defending. Have you ever thought about why this is the case?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Because the northern grasslands are cold and living conditions are harsher than those in the south, the northern tribes live by following the water and grass, making a living as a nomad. Their production, life, and fighting are completely integrated. When they dismount, the tribesmen are herders; when they mount, they are bandits. Moreover, their fighting style is mostly small-scale border raiding. They can plunder today and run away tomorrow, so their requirements for food and logistics are relatively low."

"We southerners make our living by farming and are reluctant to move. There is a huge gap between civilians and soldiers. Often, when one person takes up arms, he can only eat the food grown by others. Moreover, when the Central Plains raise an army, the food and fodder must be sent before the troops move. Every time the army is used, it costs a huge amount of money. During the three-year Liao Rebellion, 5.2 million silver coins were collected from the world, which impoverished the people and exhausted the country. This is enough to show how much money is wasted." After a brief thought, Xu Guangqi answered solemnly.

"Furthermore, northern tribes lack agriculture and are even less able to cope with natural disasters. A single harsh winter and a few heavy snowstorms can wipe out the cattle and sheep a tribe relies on for survival. Furthermore, even when the Yellow River floods, the government still opens its granaries, while heavy snow on the grasslands provides no relief from the imperial court. They can still survive by plundering the south, but if they don't invade, they will starve to death. Even if they fail to plunder the border, some casualties mean a few fewer mouths to feed. It can be said that the northerners' offensive and southerners' defensive strategies are determined by their respective living environments and lifestyles."

Zhu Changluo nodded repeatedly, praising him, "You're absolutely right. For the northerners, war is a business, and the profits are high. Losses are not a significant cost, and it can even reduce some of the pressure of survival. But for the southerners, war is a net loss."

"When southerners wage war against northerners, they often search for the main force of the tribes. If they can't find it, or if they can't defeat it, their food and resources are wasted. Even if they do find the main force, they still have to worry about victory or defeat. Even if they can finally achieve a decisive victory, the most valuable items they can obtain are just some cattle and sheep. Beyond that, the northern nomads have nothing of value. And once they take the cattle and sheep, the people there have nothing to eat, so they turn south to plunder again. This cycle continues, and the war never ends."

Zhu Changluo took a sip of the weak tea Wang An had brought him and said calmly, "The Jiannu invasion is fundamentally no different from the Mongol invasions of previous years. If we quell the rebellion according to the previous thinking, it will only be another losing business. I intend to solve the human problem from the root and also recoup some losses for the court. The Jianzhou Manchus are slaves in the north, so selling them elsewhere won't make much difference." Zhu Changluo savored the tea in his mouth for a moment and said, "This tea tastes just average."

Xu Guangqi's eyes twitched slightly. "So what are you planning?"

"Selling people."

(End of this chapter)