Huangming

Chapter 237 Maritime Trade Office, Opening Up the Seas for Trade
Zhu Youxiao gently closed the secret memorial from Tianjin, only then realizing that the two important officials had been waiting in the duty room for quite some time.

After a moment's thought, he said to Wei Chao, who was standing to the side, "Summon Grand Secretary Li and Minister Li to an audience."

Wei Chao bowed and accepted the order: "This servant will go and convey the message immediately."

After saying this, he took three steps back before turning around and leaving the hall.

After about half a cup of tea's time, steady footsteps came from outside the hall.

Li Ruhua was dressed in a scarlet robe of a second-rank civil official, with a gold lychee belt around his waist. Although he was over sixty years old, he walked steadily. Li Changgeng followed closely behind, holding an ivory tablet in his hands, with a solemn expression.

The two walked to a spot seven steps in front of the emperor and knelt down to pay their respects.

Li Ruhua's voice boomed: "Your subject, Li Ruhua, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion."

Li Changgeng then replied, "Your subject is Li Changgeng, Minister of Revenue."

The two said in unison, "May Your Majesty be well!"

Zhu Youxiao slightly raised his hand: "Rise, my two ministers. Please take a seat."

After the eunuchs brought over the brocade stools, the two men thanked the emperor and took their seats. Zhu Youxiao then said gently, "I was just reviewing the Tianjin military report, which has kept you both waiting. May I ask what important matter you wish to discuss in person?"

Li Ruhua and Li Changgeng exchanged glances briefly, tacitly exchanging their opinions.

Li Ruhua straightened his sleeves, took half a step forward, and bowed, holding his ceremonial tablet in both hands, and reported: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War recently reported on the military situation in Liaodong. There is an excess of silver in circulation but insufficient grain reserves, resulting in soaring prices of rice and firewood. After much consideration, we earnestly request Your Majesty to allocate funds from the Imperial Treasury and order the relevant officials to purchase rice and wheat from major grain-producing provinces such as Jiangnan, and urgently transport them to Liaodong via the Grand Canal. This will not only replenish the granaries of the border towns but also stabilize local market prices."

Zhu Youxiao frowned upon hearing this.

Not a buddy?

Are they trying to steal my private funds again?
"Your words, Grand Secretary Li, make it sound as if you think my Qianqing Palace holds a treasure trove? Do you perhaps believe I can turn stones into gold like a Taoist sorcerer? Or do you want me to restart the printing of these banknotes that have long been rendered worthless?"

If he had a nuclear-powered printing press, he would have printed money long ago.

Unfortunately, it's not available!
Or even if they existed, no one would use the printed Ming Dynasty banknotes, so printing them would be as good as not printing them at all.

These barbed words were like a bucket of boiling water poured over someone's head.

Even Li Ruhua, a veteran official who had been navigating the political landscape for decades, felt his ears burning and felt a fine sheen of sweat on his back beneath his scarlet robe.

"Your Majesty, I really have no other choice," Li Ruhua said with some shame.

Come again, come again.

Looking at the two important officials in front of him, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Is it possible that there is not a single capable minister in the Ming Dynasty who truly understands the ways of economics?
Seeing Li Ruhua's embarrassed expression, Zhu Youxiao finally remembered that he was an old minister whom he had promoted, and his tone softened a bit: "You don't need to worry too much about the Liaodong grain issue."

"Your subject respectfully listens to Your Majesty's instructions."

Seeing that the emperor's expression had softened, Li Ruhua's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.

He straightened his court robes, straightened his back, and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand at the eunuch standing to the side: "Bring a bowl of plum juice to my two beloved ministers to cool them down."

After the eunuch served the chilled plum juice, the emperor took a sip and immediately felt a cool sensation travel from his throat to his chest, which also relieved some of the dryness he had felt earlier.

"Does my esteemed minister know of the Jesuits?"

Li Ruhua pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and replied, “Your Majesty, the Jesuit priests are indeed quite active in our Great Ming. They have close ties with many officials and scholars in the court, and Xu Guangqi, the Vice Minister of Works, is on good terms with them. Recently, a foreigner also sent me a letter requesting an audience, but I did not receive him due to being busy with official duties.”

Zhu Youxiao gently stroked his teacup, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "The Jesuits have a strong foothold in Jiangnan, and we can perhaps use their channels to transport grain. Furthermore, they are knowledgeable in overseas trade, and if we can utilize them, it could be a way to make money."

He paused, then said meaningfully, "Before the Tianjin Navy is fully established, it's fine to temporarily borrow other people's ships. As long as the money is in place, what can't be done?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ruhua's expression changed slightly. He had already understood the emperor's meaning, but he still could not hide his worry: "Your Majesty is wise. As the ancient saying goes, 'Those of our kind are bound to have different hearts.' How can we easily trust these Western barbarians?"

A deep sense of wariness appeared on his aged face.

Li Changgeng, standing nearby, hurriedly chimed in, "Your Majesty, those blue-eyed, red-haired barbarians are known for their cunning and unpredictability. I have heard that they habitually use merchant ships to conceal firearms and commit robberies in places like Luzon and Malacca. If we let these wolves into our house, we fear there will be unforeseen disasters!"

Seeing the worried expressions on the faces of the two senior officials, Zhu Youxiao calmly took another sip of chilled plum juice. The cool taste spread across his tongue, calming his slightly agitated mood.

He raised the corners of his lips slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"The essence of commerce is the exchange of goods and services."

Zhu Youxiao gently placed the small celadon bowl on the tray, the coolness of the bowl still lingering on his fingertips.

"It is true that the barbarians have wolfish ambitions, how could I not know that? But in all matters of the world, flexibility is key. As long as there is a possibility of cooperation, there will be an opportunity for cooperation."

His gaze swept over the two high-ranking officials, and his tone became increasingly composed: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. Right now, Liaodong has more silver than grain. Rather than letting the silver circulate aimlessly in the border towns, it would be better to have maritime merchants transport grain there. This way, the silver in Liaodong will have a place to go; secondly, the court can save on the expenses of the canal transport. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

As Zhu Youxiao spoke, he observed the expressions of the two men.

He noticed a flicker of realization in Li Ruhua's eyes, knowing that the old minister had already understood his intentions.

"Does Your Majesty intend to establish a new Maritime Trade Office?" Li Ruhua asked tentatively, his voice tinged with caution.

Since the opening of trade routes during the Longqing era, although the Ming Dynasty restored the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office and established the Yuegang Maritime Trade Office in Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, to change private trade into public trade, these two ports were far away in Lingnan, separated from Liaodong by thousands of mountains and rivers.

Even if foreign merchants delivered rice and grain at these two locations, they still had to travel north via the Grand Canal, which was not only time-consuming and laborious but also resulted in increased losses.

Isn't it futile to go to such lengths instead of seeking what's nearby?
Therefore, Li Ruhua already knew that the emperor intended to establish a maritime trade office in the north.

Zhu Youxiao secretly praised: This Li Ruhua is indeed a wise and experienced strategist, and he has hit the nail on the head.

The emperor chuckled and said:

“Your words are absolutely right. I have decided to establish a new Maritime Trade Office in Tianjin. It should be modeled after the old system of Yuegang in Zhangzhou, with the port city as its administrative center, and a government office should be set up to handle official and private trade with Western merchants.”

"What does Grand Secretary Li think?" Yuegang, also known as Yuequan Port, is located at the mouth of the Jiulong River in the lower reaches of the Jiulong River delta.

This place was a bustling commercial port in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, where "ships gathered and merchants congregated," and it was a major metropolis in southern Fujian.

During the Wanli era, Yuegang enjoyed unprecedented prosperity.

More than 200 large ships enter and leave Yuegang Port every year.

Exported goods include silk, ceramics, cloth, tea, iron and copperware, sugar, paper, and fruits; imported goods include pepper, spices, wicker, ivory, Western cloth, areca nuts, camphor resin, and ape skin, totaling 124 kinds.

Furthermore, Yuegang has direct trade relations with 47 countries and regions, including Thailand, Cambodia, North Kalimantan, Indonesia, Sumatra, Malaysia, North Korea, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and the Philippines.

They also traded with European and American countries through Luzon Port in the Philippines.

If a maritime trade office were established in Tianjin, Tianjin would become a new commercial hub in the north, allowing goods from the Ming Dynasty to reach Liaodong directly, and eliminating the need for foreign grains to travel thousands of miles around.

This is truly a move that benefits the country and its people.

In a split second, Li Ruhua went through the pros and cons of the matter in his mind, but after a fierce internal struggle, the old man gritted his teeth and still objected:

"Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate."

"What's the reason?"

Zhu Youxiao spoke calmly, but his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Li Ruhua noticed the change in the emperor's gaze, but still calmly stroked his long, white beard.

"Opening ports to trade is a good policy, but I believe that ports should be located in places like Fujian and Zhejiang."

This veteran official, who is over sixty years old, has been navigating the ups and downs of officialdom for more than forty years since passing the imperial examination in the eighth year of the Wanli reign.

Starting as a seventh-rank official, he held important positions in prefectures and counties, eventually becoming the head of one of the Six Ministries, successively in charge of personnel selection, military affairs, and finance. He can be described as a "veteran of three dynasties and a pillar of the state".

Although his body, clad in a scarlet robe and jade belt, was slightly hunched, his eyes, which had witnessed countless vicissitudes of life, shone with a penetrating light.

"Fujian and Zhejiang?" Zhu Youxiao shook his head.

"Since Zhang Juzheng's land survey, have the tax records of Southern Zhili been reported truthfully? How much of the annual revenue from the Suzhou Textile Bureau actually went into the imperial granary? If we open ports in the territories of those gentry, I'm afraid the court won't even be able to collect 30% of the profits!"

The Ming Dynasty currently has relatively good control over the north, but weak control over the south.

How much money could the imperial court collect by opening ports in Fujian and Zhejiang for trade?

Upon hearing this, Li Ruhua's long, white beard trembled slightly.

He certainly understood what the emperor meant—the powerful clans of Jiangnan were deeply entrenched, and which of the Xu family of Songjiang and the Shen family of Suzhou, who had been officials for generations, didn't have several fishing boats traveling at sea?
Just as Li Ruhua was about to explain, the emperor had already begun to question him.

Why can't it be Tianjin?

Faced with the emperor's questioning, Li Ruhua remained calm and explained unhurriedly:
"Your Majesty, Tianjin is located in the capital region, at the confluence of the nine rivers. Establishing a maritime trade office here to allow foreign merchants to trade will inevitably lead to trouble. If Westerners collude with the Japanese in the East, using merchant ships to transport Japanese pirates and bandits, and then land them on the coast of the capital region, it may disturb Your Majesty and damage the prestige of the nation."

He also gave an example: "During the Jiajing era, Japanese pirates burned, killed, and looted, and at one point threatened Nanjing! If a Maritime Trade Office were established in Tianjin, and the Japanese pirates gathered there, what would become of us?"

This veteran official, who had served under four emperors—Jiajing, Longqing, Wanli, and Taichang—still had a flicker of fear in his eyes at this moment, a fear of the past.

The Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era were like an unhealed scar, deeply etched in the hearts of these veteran officials.

During those years of constant warfare, Japanese pirates swarmed to the coast like a tide, burning, killing, and looting, and even once threatened the secondary capital, Nanjing.

He was genuinely afraid of a repeat of the Japanese invasion.

However, Zhu Youxiao was aware of the current situation and knew that the Japanese pirates could no longer cause any trouble.

Firstly, the Tokugawa Shogunate's policy of national isolation strictly prohibited Japanese ships from engaging in overseas trade, causing the Wokou (Japanese pirates) to lose the support of resources and personnel from the Japanese mainland.

Secondly, the Toyotomi clan's power declined, and the Tokugawa shogunate unified Japan, completely eliminating the Kyushu clan forces that supported the Wokou (Japanese pirates).

The Japanese pirates have lost their foundation, so there can be no more so-called Japanese pirate uprising.

of course
Even if there are Japanese pirates, once my Tianjin Navy and Dengzhou-Laizhou Navy are rebuilt one by one, what are these little Japanese pirates worth?
If you come at me one, I'll take you down one; if you come at me two, I'll take you down two. Why would I be afraid of you?

Having thought things through, Zhu Youxiao slowly said, "The Tianjin Navy is about to be rebuilt, and since the Tokugawa Shogunate issued the isolation edict, the Japanese pirates have lost their stronghold and it is difficult to reproduce the chaos of 'thousands of miles of seas engulfed in flames' during the Jiajing era. As for the Portuguese and the Japanese barbarians, their main fleets are thousands of miles away. Even if they have covetous intentions, they are currently unable to send a large force to invade."

In other words, these Westerners were getting a free ride even if they went to prostitutes.

"His Majesty."

Just as Li Ruhua was about to speak and offer advice, Zhu Youxiao raised his hand to stop him: "Minister Li, there's no need to say more."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes blazing: "My mind is made up. The establishment of the Maritime Trade Office in Tianjin is imperative!"

"By imperial decree: A new Maritime Trade Commissioner's Office shall be established in Tianjin, specifically responsible for maritime trade taxation. All commercial transactions, regardless of rank or social status (officials, gentry, nobles, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants), shall be subject to taxation according to regulations. Purchases made by the Imperial Court shall also be subject to this order!"

He walked to his desk and took out a scroll of regulations he had already prepared: "Taxes shall be paid in gold, silver, and copper coins; it is strictly forbidden to pay taxes in kind. Tax rates shall fluctuate according to the type of goods, and the Ministry of Revenue shall determine them based on the actual situation, with a minimum of 10%. Anyone who resists or evades taxes shall be severely punished!"

"As for how to draft the remaining regulations, I will leave it to the Ministry of Revenue to discuss. I will give you three days."

At this point, a sharp glint flashed in Zhu Youxiao's eyes.

Over the years, the imperial tax system has deteriorated, and collusion between officials and gentry to evade taxes has become a chronic problem.

Now, taking advantage of the opening of the sea, it's a good time to start afresh and establish a completely new tax system.

Fight for profit! Fight for profit!
He wants to take back all the benefits that originally belonged to the imperial court!

(End of this chapter)