Chapter 1001 The word "profit" is placed in the center
Xia Xun nodded seriously and said: "What you gentlemen said is all true. If they are just bullying the postmen and harassing the place, they can also be strictly controlled by law, but hundreds of people often occupy the posthouse.
In order to eat and drink, many people are forced to serve and transport, and many worthless sundries are used as tribute, forcing my court to collect them. This is indeed a problem!"
When Xia Xun said this, the civil and military officials of the entire dynasty and the emperor were a little confused. They didn't know what kind of medicine Xia Xun was selling in the gourd.
However, although I did not understand his intention, these words were of great benefit to the opposition to the Western voyages. Jin Youzi, a great scholar, seized the opportunity and admonished: "Your Majesty, all the countries pay tribute, and the Ming Dynasty produces tens of millions.
But what we get cannot be equal to one or two, which consumes China and embarrasses the people, so that the barbarians take advantage one after another. The thick and thin are given, and the villains think they have their own tricks and look down on our dynasty. This is really not advisable!"
Xia Xun immediately continued what he said: "Yes, they are tribute envoys. How can I not receive them? It is natural to install the post in the palace. It is natural to drive the corvees. Even the so-called tributes they contributed are clearly for Fanyi's profit-seeking purpose.
I have to accept it. But this is not the crime of our Ming Dynasty’s transportation to all countries. The disadvantages are actually caused by the tribute trade! Therefore, I ask your Majesty to stop paying tribute and restart the trade!"
Xia Xun's words were shocking, and everyone in the hall was shocked for a moment.
The market shipping system has existed since ancient times. During the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, the market shipping system was implemented, and the system became more and more perfect with each passing day.
The municipal shipping system is jointly led by the local chief executive and the local finance chief. The court sends people to manage specific affairs. Their main responsibilities are to issue seagoing licenses and conduct inspections on ships based on the goods declared by the merchants, the people on the ship and the places they are going to.
, to prevent items prohibited from export by the imperial court and fugitives from being entrained, to "read the truth" on ships returning to port, and to levy taxes and duties on imported and exported goods.
It can be said that this is a relatively mature way of trade between countries. It no longer assumes the political task of Huaiyuan and Fuyi. Businessmen from various countries come and buy and sell goods on their own. The court does not care how high your price is, as long as the market
I accept your price.
The imperial court is not responsible for reception tasks. It does not have to entertain you for free, nor provide free labor to help you transport goods. It will not accept whatever rags you bring under the guise of tribute.
Because it is free trade, the visitor does not have the status of a tribute envoy. The local officials do not have to receive him for free, nor do they have the right to deal with any crime just because they are a diplomatic envoy. They can only report it to the court at various levels. More importantly, if
It was the ship trade, and both the local government and the imperial court benefited from it, and now the tribute trade...
The ministers communicated quickly and in a very secretive way. Suddenly, like frogs waking up from hibernation, they jumped out one by one and soon covered the entire golden palace. They all shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please wait."
, Attached to the advice of the Duke of Fu, I hope that your Majesty will stop paying tribute and prosper the market!"
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"Wenxuan, all civil and military officials can be controlled with just one word! You are really amazing!"
Zhu Di sent all the civil and military officials out with the words "Let's discuss it later." He and Xia Xun were the only two people left in the palace.
Zhu Di took a deep look at Xia Xun and couldn't help but sigh.
Xia Xun didn't seem to hear how heartbreaking Zhu Di's words were. He replied seriously: "Your Majesty, all officials are not controlled by ministers, but controlled by profit!"
Zhu Di raised his eyebrows and asked: "Controlled by profit?"
Xia Xun said: "Exactly! Tai Shigong said that the prosperity of the world is all for benefit; the earth and soil are all for benefit. A king of thousands of chariots, a prince of ten thousand families, and a king of hundreds of families are still suffering from poverty.
, and what about the people who have to make households? The opposition and approval of hundreds of officials, in fact, in the final analysis, it is the word "profit" at work!"
Zhu Di asked: "Where is the benefit?"
Xia Xun said: "Your Majesty, you know that today's tribute trade has one disadvantage and three contradictions, which are irreconcilable!"
The anger on Zhu Di's face subsided, showing a look of surprise, and said: "You tell me!"
Xia Xun said: "The disadvantages of paying tribute have been made very clear by the ministers just now, so there is no need for me to elaborate on them, right?"
Zhu Di nodded and said, "Well, tell me, what are the three contradictions?"
Xia Xun said: "These three contradictions are the contradiction between civil servants and eunuchs; the contradiction between the court and local governments; and the contradiction between the royal family and wealthy families, landlords, and wealthy businessmen!"
Zhu Di leaned forward slightly and said in a deep voice: "What do you mean by this? Please explain it in detail!"
Xia Xun said: "The minister will speak frankly. Let's talk about the first contradiction first, that is, the contradiction between civil servants and eunuchs. The voyages to the West, the construction of ships, and the purchase of various commodities are all the responsibility of Ouchi, and the eunuchs purchase them.
, the civil servants have absolutely no way to get involved.
Not only were the civil servants unable to intervene, they also had to assist and take orders from the eunuchs. The eunuchs not only managed finances, but also led troops. They not only led troops, but also arranged posts, dispatched corvees, and intervened in government affairs. This is called civil servants who take the world as their own responsibility.
How can they endure it?
What's more, because eunuchs brought disaster to the world during the Han and Tang Dynasties, since then, all civil servants have always been suspicious, wary, hostile, and contemptuous of eunuchs. Seeing that the eunuchs' power is getting more and more powerful, how can they rest assured?"
Zhu Di's eyes flickered slightly but he said nothing.
Xia Xun dared to raise this point because he knew that the so-called emperor was worried that sending ministers to sea would lead to rebellion and self-reliance, which was simply the imagination of ignorant people! To worry about this, since ancient times, eunuchs have taken over the power and acted arrogantly.
Isn't it true that the emperor doesn't have civil servants? If the civil servants don't go, they can be relieved by replacing them with eunuchs? Besides, civil servants have families and businesses, and their families, wives and children are all in the country. Isn't it easier to control them than eunuchs?
Apart from anything else, although the leader who took the ship out to sea was a eunuch, the tens of thousands of troops he brought were followed by generals. Military generals are more likely to be ambitious than civil servants. If someone really wants to escape overseas and make a name for himself,
Emperor, just kill the leading eunuch with one sword, aren't those generals still self-reliant?
Furthermore, the consumption and supplies of such a huge fleet are also staggering. Without the support of the country and no supplementary personnel and armaments, it is not easy to stand on its own in a distant foreign land. This is not a reason at all.
The reason why Zhu Di used eunuchs was because when he was in trouble, there were many eunuchs who were loyal to him and contributed to him. He reused all the civil servants and generals who were loyal to him. Naturally, he had to arrange a way out for these meritorious eunuchs. What's more, this
The matters of envoys, propaganda, and inspections were all temporary duties. Even Zhu Yuanzhang, who hated eunuchs intervening in politics the most, sent eunuchs on more than one occasion, because in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, although these things looked majestic,
, but cannot hold power for a long time without causing any harm.
Therefore, the reason why Zhu Di used eunuchs to send envoys was actually very simple. First, he had great trust in the eunuchs, and second, he followed the old rules of the country. Due to Zhu Di's own strength, he had the confidence to intimidate all the officials, and in fact he did it.
Therefore, he has no idea of ​​​​establishing a eunuch group to fight against the civil servant group. This is also the basis for Xia Xun to raise this issue.
Otherwise, he would not raise this point at all, because for the higher purpose of safeguarding imperial power, economic interests can be decisively given up. This will still be the case hundreds of years later. He will not expect an emperor to do what he wishes.
choice.
Zhu Di tasted it for a long time, his face gradually softened, and he asked in a deep voice: "What about the second point, what is the conflict between the court and the local government?"
Xia Xun said: "Your Majesty, all officials hope to serve as an official for one term, to benefit the country, to be able to serve the king, to have good political performance, to be popular among the people, to be loved by the people, and to have a good reputation. Some officials insisted on it in the previous period.
What is the reason for abandoning sea transportation and promoting river transportation? Isn't it because river transportation is beneficial to the people in the cities and towns along the canals they govern or in their hometowns?
But what good does the tribute trade do to them now? When the imperial ships go to sea, everything provided by the local government is taken for granted, and even the many corvee labors are mobilized for free. When foreign envoys come to visit, they are responsible for receiving them, which arouses public resentment.
Sometimes, they have to be scolded and punished. What are the benefits? Not at all. These foreign envoys deal directly with the imperial court!
Including our treasure ships going to sea, the same is true. Most of the profits go to the inner government, and the smaller half goes to the national treasury, completely bypassing the local governments. Local officials only have responsibilities and no benefits, so how can they object to it without being disgusted to the bone and reporting it to every level?"
Zhu Di's face started to look a little ugly, and he asked again: "What about the third one?"
Xia Xun said solemnly: "Third, and what worries me the most, is the conflict between the royal family and local wealthy families, landowners, and wealthy businessmen. Your Majesty, every time the imperial court goes to sea, there are countless giant ships, all like floating cities, transporting goods
, extremely profitable. As Eunuch Zheng has just said, those boatloads of spices, with dozens and hundreds of times the profit, are priceless!
But where did such a huge profit go? The inner government and the treasury! Not to mention that the imperial court did not allow them to conduct such large-scale trade. Even if it was allowed, their purchasing scale and transportation scale would be comparable to the royal family's ocean-going trade.
Is it compared to the fleet? If the procurement scale is small, their purchase cost will be high. If the transportation scale is small, the goods they have will be less.
Speaking of transportation costs, they have to bear them entirely by themselves. The goods shipped back to the country must be sold at a higher price than the goods shipped back by Zheng Gonggong. In this case, no one will buy their goods at all. How can they compete with them?
Royal competition? The emperor has issued edicts more than once, prohibiting officials from doing business and competing for profits with the people, but in this tribute trade, the royal family has become the largest official business, competing for profits with the world's wealthy families, landlords, and merchants!"
Zhu Di's body shook, but he still didn't speak.
Xia Xun's words were carefully considered. Since he made that important decision, he had thought about many funeral arrangements that needed to be made. This matter was an important issue he wanted to tell the emperor.
Historically, as soon as Zhu Di passed away, Zhu Gaochi, who succeeded him, ordered all treasure ships to be stopped, tribute envoys from various countries to be repatriated, and all shipbuilding at sea to be stopped. This was because Zhu Gaochi, who relied heavily on the civil service group and trusted the civil service group, was influenced by the civil service group, and had no regard for the maritime policy advocated by Zhu Di.
In his first counterattack against trade, he even wanted to move the capital back to Nanjing. Zhu Gaochi was a benevolent emperor, but his entire foreign policy was restrained and Confucian-style.
Fortunately, Zhu Gaochi died early and the plan to move the capital was not implemented. After Zhu Zhanji, who was more similar to his grandfather, succeeded to the throne, the proposal to move the capital became completely impossible. Zhu Zhanji allowed Zheng He to sail to the West again, but it was only because of the pressure of the civil servant group
The pressure, scale and frequency are greatly reduced.
When Zhu Zhanji passed away and the young emperor Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, the entire court was at the mercy of the civil servants. The civil servant clique that had been patient for a long time completely broke out. They stopped all possibilities of ocean trade. After the young emperor ascended the throne, he announced
In a series of edicts, the first one was to prohibit overseas trade and navigation.
Can you imagine? In such a huge empire, the first important decree of the new king is to ban overseas trade. This has been regarded as a thorn in the eyes and hearts of the civil servant group that cannot be tolerated for another day!
Some merchants who tried to engage in foreign trade were executed. For a period of time, even learning foreign languages ​​​​or teaching Chinese to foreigners were prohibited. The blueprints for building huge treasure ships and Zheng He's navigation records were deliberately destroyed, so that later generations could not even connect Zheng He.
It is not entirely clear where the fleet has been.
In the tenth year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty and other countries in the Western Regions were defeated in the Battle of Talas. From then on, the Chinese lost the ability to interfere with foreign countries. Seven hundred years later, the Chinese returned to the world's political stage via sea routes, and the Ming Empire once again became the world's political arena.
Overlord, but in just thirty years, it rested on its laurels and retracted its iron fist, and its harm continues to this day.
The benefits of the voyage to the West are huge. Even if its income goes to the internal government and the national treasury, it also has great benefits for the country. As Xia Xun just said, it has an impact on coastal cities and various commodity production areas.
, especially the impact of purchasing a large number of handicrafts on the vast number of handicrafts, the internal government has to sell and spend money, and the impact on the entire market...
To be continued...