As the saying goes, you are not stupid, you are not deaf, you are not a family man. If you examine everything carefully and cannot even tolerate the words of the people below, then the scene will be too embarrassing.
Zhu Biao did not look at the commander of the Tea Horse Company again, nor did he ask the tea farmers. Instead, he put down the tea cup and said: "The trade between the Tea Horse Company and the northern Mongolia has been suspended for more than half a year. It is time to reopen it. The Holy Spirit
Ordered the tea horse department to immediately start preparations to transport the tea in stock to Shuntian Prefecture by river transport. "
"I respectfully listen to the holy order!"
After the commander of the Tea Horse Division led a group of officials to kneel down and obey the order, he squinted his old eyes and looked at Si Cheng Su Zhi, who was still kneeling motionless on the ground, and then walked out. After decades of ups and downs in the officialdom, it seemed that it was time to abdicate and let the wise return to their hometown for retirement.
Otherwise, if someone takes it down, there will be nothing left.
It's not that he couldn't understand the meaning of the Crown Prince's question just now, it's just that he has been in charge of the Tea Horse Company for too long and is too deeply involved with the place. He can't do whatever he wants. Besides, at his age, even if he has the intention, His Highness the Crown Prince may not look down on him.
, it’s still safe and sound.
Su Zhi turned to look at the back of Shangguan, who had suppressed him for three or four years, and smiled silently. Youth was his greatest asset. At the age of the prince, no matter whether he was hiring people or training his confidants, he would not look at the old guy.
After everyone had gone out, Su Zhi said: "Your Highness, I wonder what the tea will be exchanged for when the trade is reopened this time. Will it still follow the old rules?"
Zhu Biao smiled and said: "Tea Horse Master Tea Horse Master naturally wants to exchange tea for horses. Do you think there is anything else in Mongolia that I, the Ming Dynasty, can covet?"
Su Zhi's Adam's apple rolled up and he said: "In the past few years, the imperial court has exchanged tea for a lot of horses, and managed the herdsmen and herders. I heard that the horse breeding in the Hetao Ranch is quite smooth. Although there will never be enough horses, I, Ming Dynasty, are also
It’s not an urgent need.”
"Furthermore, when Wei Chen was talking to his colleagues in the Tea and Horse Department, he predicted that the Mongolian blockade would be lifted next year and the tea and horse trade would be re-opened, so Wei Chen thought that the Holy Emperor or His Highness might have other requests..."
Zhu Biao nodded after hearing this. This person is bold, careful and very independent. Although it is difficult to see more in such a short period of time, these qualities are enough. It is worth giving him a chance. As for whether this person can do it or not,
It doesn't matter, after all, he is just an official of the Tea Horse Division.
The chief official of the Tea and Horse Department is only a fifth-grade official. He is not even qualified to go to court. Moreover, many key parts of trade with Mongolia are still led by the imperial court, and they must be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Revenue.
.
The Tea Horse Division was only responsible for collection and transportation, but Zhu Biao intended to place the Tea Horse Division under the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the future, and separate business and government affairs for easier management. As a result, the Tea Horse Division still needed a more outstanding chief official.
"Yes, the imperial court previously required Mongolia to only exchange horses for tea, but now the horses are still needed, but the Mongolian tribes are allowed to exchange gold, silver, and copper coins for tea, silk, salt, and even some ironware, such as iron pots."
Su Zhi looked up at Zhu Biao in astonishment, then lowered his head and said, "I'm afraid the Mongolian ministries are going to take out all the money in the house. It's just that it's not appropriate to take out ironware. I think it's better to replace it with grain."
Zhu Biao pinched his eyebrows and said: "Even though the autumn harvest has begun, there is still enough food, not to mention that we have to save some and wait to return it to the Jiangnan nobles."
Su Zhi's mouth twitched. He didn't expect that His Highness the Crown Prince actually planned to repay the debt. When they discussed it privately, they all thought that the matter would be fooled into nothing in the end. At most, the court would just pretend to transport a few ships of grain and say it was over. How dare the nobles talk to the Crown Prince?
Your Highness, can you please calculate the details?
Su Zhi reminded: "In the first year of Hongwu, the Holy One issued an order that no matter what kind of artifacts, as long as they contain iron, they were not allowed to be sold into Mongolia to prevent the Mongols from melting iron to make soldiers. Those who disobeyed the order would be punished..."
Zhu Biao pointed to the stool on the side and said: "Then we will only sell iron pots, and the other ironware will remain the same. I heard that Mongolian herdsmen are proud to have iron pots in their homes, which can be used as betrothal gifts or dowries. When brothers divide their families, the iron pots at home will
Must it be split in half?”
Su Zhi stood up and bowed, then respectfully and slowly sat down on the stool pointed by Zhu Biao, with their buttocks only half touching each other. He looked like a frightened bird. Perhaps there was some deliberate element in it, to show his respect to the prince.
His Highness showed awe.
Su Zhi thought the effect was good. He couldn't see through the prince's eyes, but the eyes of the eunuch behind His Highness clearly showed some satisfaction.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Mongolia has been invading the northern border towns in recent years. They are looking for gold and silver treasures, women and swords and iron pots. When they pay tribute to the court for peace, they will also ask for iron pots in return. After all, compared to ceramic leather, iron pots
It is heat-resistant and resistant to falling, which is very convenient for herdsmen’s life.”
Zhu Biao naturally knew that the Mongolian tribes mainly lived as nomads. In order to find better grazing places, they needed to constantly change their residences throughout the year. This determined that the belongings they carried must be convenient and wear-resistant.
In terms of very important daily diet, Mongolians eat beef and mutton and often need to cook food, and iron pots are a necessity of life. After all, clay utensils are not as durable as iron utensils.
He was just surprised that today's Mongolia can't even be self-sufficient in iron pots. After all, this is a nation that has ruled the Central Plains for nearly a hundred years. It is really unimaginable that their production technology has degraded so quickly.
But it’s normal to think about it. Iron pots were a product that only appeared after the Song Dynasty began to use coal to smelt iron. It was not something that anyone could easily make with wood and firewood.
The technical requirements for smelting iron pots are also high. Without skilled blacksmiths and professional forging tools, not only may iron smelting not be successful, but improper operation may also easily cause safety accidents.
Seeing that the prince was very interested, Su Zhi said: "I heard from my brother who was guarding the northern Xinjiang that now the arrows of all Mongolian tribes have begun to use bone and wood arrows. After a battle, no one cares about the dead and wounded soldiers, and
They snatched the weapons back first, which shows how short of iron they are."
Zhu Biao nodded and said: "Prioritize the retrieval of weapons. I saw this before during the Northern Expedition, but their arrowheads were still made of iron. I didn't expect that even iron arrowheads are no longer used today."
After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, one of the most significant changes in the economic geography of Mobei was the rapid decline of the cities built by the Mongol Khanate and the Yuan Dynasty relying on the human and material resources of the Han people and the nearby farmland agriculture.
Han craftsmen are returning to the inland like a tide, including craftsmen in iron casting. They fled Mobei City because they were afraid of the endless persecution and exploitation of the Han people by the Mongols.
The result of this is that the Mongolian tribes that returned to the grasslands experienced a dark age of great productivity decline, completely losing their iron smelting technology, and could not even make iron pots.
What's more, iron smelting requires a lot of fuel. Before coal was used to make coke, the fuel for metallurgy was basically wood. Therefore, it was difficult to smelt iron without forests.