Japan has silver, and China has goods such as silk, tea, and porcelain. The way colonial countries such as the Netherlands do business in the Far East is to buy goods from everywhere in exchange for Japanese silver, then exchange the silver for goods, and sell them back to Japan to make a fortune.
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This method of doing business is called "inland sea trade", and people who do this kind of trade are called ntrytrders. They call the China Sea (the circle between Taiwan, Japan and China) the "Far East Lake". Of course, if there are such good trade opportunities,
So why don’t Taiwan, Japan and China do business on their own, but let the Dutch do it?
The main reason is that in the first half of the 17th century, both China and Japan were in a state of isolation. The government explicitly prohibited flakes from entering the sea. Although there was still private smuggling, or a few small ports were opened for small-scale trade with the outside world, the supply volume was far from the
Not enough.
The geographical location of Taiwan is a good strategic point for the Dutch: first, it can be used as a warehouse to store goods; second, it can be used as a supply and rest stop for the fleet; third, it can go to Japan in the north, Fujian in the west, Luzon in the south, and
The Strait of Malacca is the geographical center of the Indonesian archipelago; fourth, deer skins and sugar can be exchanged for Japanese silver. This is the Dutch trade layout in the Far East.
The most prosperous period of this "inland sea trade" was from 1641 to 1654. An average of twenty-six ships were buying and selling in the Far East waters. On the route between Taiwan and Japan alone, nine special ships came south every year.
Heading north. During these ten years of prosperity, the profit from trade with Japan averaged 100%. The profit from selling sugar from Taiwan to Japan was about 25%, and the profit from selling to Persia was about 96%.
But after 1654, Dutch trade in the Far East went downhill. The key was China's raw silk market. It was snatched away by Bangladesh at a low price. You must know that more than half of the total value of goods sold by the Netherlands to Japan was
Raw silk and silk. Bangladesh's raw silk plummeted. China's raw silk surged, and the market advantage was completely reversed.
What's worse is that the profit of the Far East route has dropped to about 30%. For the Netherlands, if the profit is less than 60%, it is not worth going to sea to do this business. What follows is a foreseeable vicious cycle: ships on the Far East route
It was first reduced to thirteen ships, and by the end of the 1660s, only four ships were left. Everyone knew that the Dutch business in the Far East was coming to an end.
The final blow to the Netherlands was the "coastal relocation" implemented by the Qing Dynasty. The supply of goods from China was suddenly cut off, and even smuggling became impossible.
Historically, after the failure of contact with the Qing court, the Netherlands quickly made a decision: instead of sending ships to the China Sea, it would allow Chinese merchant ships to enter Batavia. In this way, it would not have to send ships to sea anymore, but it would be able to obtain
The various goods needed can save the heavy cost of ships and sailors. By the end of the seventeenth century, the Netherlands finally gave up the Far East completely and retreated to the Indonesian Islands. This vast sea area was then handed over to the British who took advantage of the opportunity and started to
The opium and tea trade.
A political history, from some aspects, is actually an economic history. In particular, Western colonists often focused on making money through business and evaluated political decisions and the scale of wars from a commercial perspective.
Zheng Chenggong defeated the Dutch who invaded Taiwan and was a national hero. There is no need to argue about this. However, from a commercial perspective and military assessment, the Netherlands believed that the island was no longer worthy of devoting large-scale troops and not worthy of a major war in Taiwan.
One of the reasons.
For a Dutch businessman who buys, sells, and speculates, Far East trade is no longer worth doing. But for Zhu Yongxing, this is not the case. Because after the liberation of the south of the river, the supply of sea trade goods has been guaranteed, and the cost
Greatly reduced. Getting rid of middlemen like the Netherlands and Zheng, and being relatively close to Japan, the profits from direct sales are quite considerable.
Of course, trade with Japan was only a channel to raise funds. There was also a strong demand for silk, tea, sugar, cotton textiles, etc. in Europe.
Both Britain and France want to compete for a share of export goods and become China's largest trading partner, so they have to deal with the Netherlands, which controls the Strait of Malacca. Conflict is inevitable. Britain and the Netherlands are enemies to begin with, and the Netherlands will be China's future
enemies. Therefore, the layout is already in progress from now on.
At this time, no one could know Zhu Yongxing's true inner thoughts, nor could they understand that he wanted to flex his muscles in Asia, drive away the Western colonists, and dominate Asia.
Northern Expedition, Northern Expedition! This is the main tone of the army. This ambition must be maintained to prevent the sword from rusting. Drive out the Tartars and restore China! This is a call to all the people. We must not let a stable life consume our will.
, be content with the present.
Generally speaking, the requirements of the group collectively referred to as the people are not excessive. Stability, peace, and being able to exchange their own labor for a life without worries about food and clothing are the most basic requirements. Of course, if conditions permit, they will hope to eat
Be better and live more comfortably.
In other words, people's requirements will decrease or increase as the living environment changes. In times of war, people hope not to starve to death, but hope to survive. Yes, it is just such a little requirement to survive.
The so-called small chaos and small rule, big chaos and big rule are actually the psychological reflection of the people who are tired of the war and long for a stable life. As for who rules, whether they are like second-class citizens, and even live a harder life, even if they don't starve to death.
I don't care about that much anymore.
This is the reason why certain prosperous times in history often appear after long-term wars. Although it is still too early to talk about prosperous times now, the reconstruction and recovery of the Guangfu area is still very fast.
Without the excessive taxation imposed by the Manchu and Qing officials, and with the promotion and encouragement of a series of policies that benefited the people, the people who had restored their Han attire also regained their confidence and energy, and the spring plowing ended at an astonishing speed. It was not only the speed that was amazing, but also the
The amount of newly cultivated wasteland fully exceeds 30% of the registered cultivated land.
Although the official household registration, cultivated land statistics and other information seized during the restoration were not very complete and accurate, the number was quite astonishing, and it did not include the newly created cultivated land in Mekong and Ha Tien provinces. Of course, the figures were quite astonishing.
, there are reasonable reasons behind this astonishment.
The cultivated land potential in the occupied areas of Yunnan, Guangxi and Annan is not great, but Sichuan accounts for the majority of the newly added cultivated land. There are also a large number of refugees caused by the relocation of coastal areas in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong and other provinces. They have returned to their homes and will be abandoned.
Coastal lands were reclaimed.
Although the Northern Expedition has not yet begun, ZTE has not yet taken full credit. However, judging from the comprehensive national strength, the Ming Dynasty has firmly gained the advantage and won the final victory. It is only a matter of time. This is due to financial sources, the rise of people's hearts and morale.
, as well as some other aspects, have become increasingly obvious.
For those in power, policy changes can occur in a minute. But for ordinary people trembling in chaos, a simple minute may determine their entire lives.
How can all living beings control themselves? The joys and sorrows of so many families, and the tragedies of blood and tears experienced by little people, are often just a thought of those in power.
Zhu Yongxing is already the emperor, he can be said to be eloquent, and he has incomparable prestige in the army. There is almost nothing that can stop him. But even so, he also has a think tank, and before launching various measures, he must first brainstorm and listen to everyone's opinions.
.It is not about trusting experts, but to form such a collective atmosphere and a system of collective decision-making.
In other words, he can be arbitrary, but he is well aware of the huge harm that arbitrary actions may cause. For the sustainable and healthy development of the country in the future, and for his future life, he must restrain the kind of supreme authority and arbitrary behavior.
impulse.
If the country's policies are to be implemented smoothly, they must get the cooperation of the people. And if the people are to change their traditional living habits and be willing to give it a try to meet risky challenges, they must be made to feel the consequences of doing so.
benefit.
Therefore, it is undoubtedly a good way to use points to represent aspects and use the power of examples to steadily promote reforms. This is the principle that Zhu Yongxing must abide by in today's society, that is, try to make policy adjustments and changes as little abrupt as possible
proceed on ground.
Zhu Yongxing believes that as a leader of a country, one must have a sense of history and not be eager to obtain unrecorded praise. If a leader is obsessed with the "conclusion of history", it will only divert their attention from the urgency of decision-making and action.
Move away emotionally. Yes, you may lose something, and family affection may be replaced by respect for the emperor, but you should see that if you implement policies properly, there will be thousands of people who love you.
It's always cold at high places, and Zhu Yongxing has to adapt to this, although he sometimes feels melancholy and sad that friendship is being or has been replaced by cold etiquette.
The majesty of an emperor! It has been formed for thousands of years. Not to mention a powerful emperor like Zhu Yongxing, or even Yongli, who was reduced to a prisoner, Wu Sangui's subordinate officials still knelt down and worshiped as expected. Even after Wu Sangui was reprimanded by Yongli,
He also knelt unconsciously, his face was ashen, his back was covered with sweat, and he had to be helped to get out.
The deep-rooted concept of hierarchy, superiority and inferiority, is not exempt from the custom not only in ancient times, but also in later generations. It is just not as serious as in ancient times.
"The Ministry of War, I will change its name to the Ministry of Defense in the future. Ma Qing's family, why do you want to join the Ministry of War? Isn't it your specialty to lead troops in war?" Zhu Yongxing said to Wei Wang Ma Bao after a set of red tape.
The intention was very confusing.
"Your Majesty, I am reporting that I have achieved military exploits by chance, but I feel that resourcefulness is not my strength. The army is changing day by day, and I often feel like I am falling behind." Wei Wang Ma Bao leaned his body and sat down for half an hour.
He replied respectfully: "So Wei Chen wants to have some free time to study more and leave the army temporarily."
Zhu Yongxing felt that Ma Bao's words were not sincere. As one of the generals who had been promoted very quickly, he was already a one-word king. This was due to his loyal service and illustrious military exploits. Is he still not satisfied? Or -
Some members of the Zhu clan in Taiwan will be coming back soon, so Zhu Yongxing is troubled by how to deal with them. Except for Zhu Shugui, the king of Tingping who committed suicide in history, Zhu Jiang, the king of Badong, Zhu Jun, the king of Le'an, etc., Zhu Yongxing has nothing to do with it.
Good impression. But acceptance is certain. Zhu Yongxing does not want to bear the reputation of being mean and unkind.
The royal family of the Ming Dynasty was different from the Han and Jin Dynasties, as well as from the Tang and Song Dynasties. There were various clans in the Ming Dynasty who distributed enfeoffments but not the land, gave titles but did not come to the people, took salary but did not manage affairs, and could not participate in the industries of the four people (scholars, farmers, industry and commerce)
.
In this way, the members of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty became a privileged and parasitic class. Most of these dragon sons and grandsons got something for nothing and lived a life of indulgence. Except for a few outstanding individuals, they made great contributions to the progress of the country, nation and world culture.
Except for special contributions, most of them are people who only eat, drink, have fun and have no future. The huge clan consumes an unknown amount of national wealth and people's wealth. Especially in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the huge clan expenditure made the burden of taxes and servitude increasingly heavy, which also caused
The Ming Dynasty was in serious financial crisis.
Zhu Yongxing would definitely not adopt this pig-raising method of detaining the clan in a fief. He was not even prepared to give it a fief. There was also the hereditary system, which he also wanted to change.
Fief means the emergence of a big landowner. Now that the war has just happened, land annexation is not obvious yet, but it is a hidden danger. If hereditary inheritance is ignored, it may cause generations of waste, relying on the inherited princes to get something for nothing.
It’s still a small matter. It’s possible to do something to the detriment of the people.
In discussions with ministers, Zhu Yongxing meant to temporarily grant a salary, but not a fiefdom, and then relax the restrictions of the ancestral system so that these clans can support themselves. Of course, this self-reliance does not mean to liberalize all, but to stipulate some areas.
, and formulate corresponding measures.
For example, when doing business, clan members rely on their status and will inevitably engage in behaviors such as bullying and dominating the market, forming a freak who is both an official and a businessman. Zhu Yongxing also had the same worries when he decided to open a factory. Therefore, he believed that clan investment was okay, but not appropriate.
Directly related to operations.
Then there is the issue of being an official. If there are really talented people in these clans, Zhu Yongxing thinks it is okay to let them go to academies or take part in the imperial examination. As long as they can put down their dignity and benefit the people, it is not a bad idea to become a good official.
As for the hereditary system, it cannot be changed immediately. However, Zhu Yongxing will implement it sooner or later, except for a few special clans.
The general content of the deliberations and discussions was indeed known to Wei Wang Ma Bao. He originally wanted to use his military exploits to earn a hereditary position, but after Zhu Yongxing's intentions were exposed, he thought and made a choice. As a king with a different surname,
, he has reached the pinnacle. Since hereditary neglect is not favored by the Holy One, has he reached the situation of "no title, no reward"?
It has always been the case that those who are brave enough to shock the emperor are in danger, but those who have made extraordinary achievements are not rewarded. When the emperor has nothing to show for his achievements, it seems that there is only one ending.
Ma Bao is not willing to leave the battlefield, and this duel also has the meaning of testing. A new generation is rising, and it seems that he is more trusted by the Holy One. Although he is not too old, he is fighting against the kings of Jin, Zhao, and Han.
Wang Dingtong belonged to the older generation of generals. Zhu Yongxing successively launched political, economic, and military reforms, which also gave Ma Bao something to think about.
Zhu Yongxing looked at Ma Bao carefully and pondered his thoughts. Before, he was left behind by the clan, and Ma Bao and others were respectful to him, but it was not like now, and it was so frightening that it made people feel alienated.
He sighed secretly in his heart. Zhu Yongxing did not fully see through Ma Bao's meaning, so he spoke slowly and guessed: "If Ma Qing's family is tired of fighting, I won't blame them. In the past few years, the imperial court has been busy with wars, and various
The treatment may not be satisfactory. With your status as a prince, you probably don’t even have a guard of honor, right? When the Northern Expedition is successful and the world is stable, will you still be without the honor and dignity you deserve?"
"Your Majesty, I don't think I have such thoughts." Ma Bao was startled and stood up quickly. If the temptation made the Lord suspect that he was dissatisfied, that would be a bad thing.
"Sit down, sit down." Zhu Yongxing pressed his hand down and said, "Don't be so scared. I am just guessing. I don't know why you want to leave the army. Furthermore, I will not punish this so-called 'heart-breaking'
'Said. In the past, you could still tell me honestly without any barriers. What's wrong now? Could it be that I can't even hear a single word of the truth when I sit in this position?"
Ma Bao heard the anger in Zhu Yongxing's tone, and couldn't help but feel emotional. Although he was respectful at first, he also saw that Zhu Yongxing was not a thing in the pool, and must be a dragon with golden scales, but he had not yet reached the level of the nine-five-year-old.
Status is different now. Even if Zhu Yongxing wanted to return to his previous status, as a minister he would never dare.
It was a bit awkward and a bit cryptic, but Zhu Yongxing still understood Ma Bao's explanation. He frowned and thought for a while, sighed, and said: "I have said before that any merit that shocks the master and does not reward is the result of failure."
Nonsense. Is it true that only promotion to an official rank is a reward, is it a decree to commend, is gold, silver, jade, and silk not a reward? If you think like this, thinking about retreating bravely before completing the competition, how can I have anything to use in the future?
minister?"
"I'm scared, I'm guilty." Ma Bao didn't know what to say.
"What's your crime?" Zhu Yongxing waved his hand and said: "I do have the idea of abolishing hereditary system, but it is not absolute. As a parent, you always have the thought of accumulating family property and laying a solid foundation for your children and grandchildren. This
It’s not surprising. But this also gives my children and grandchildren the opportunity to get something for nothing, enjoy their gains, and become dandy and libertine. After all, I hope that the next generation will become stronger than the previous generation, but I don’t want them to become people who do nothing but eat, drink and have fun.
Impossible waste."
"Your Majesty is wise." Ma Bao smiled bitterly and said, "I am too stupid to think about this."
"Whether it's sage or not depends on what the history books say and what the people say." Zhu Yongxing laughed and said: "As for the reform of the military system, you only know one but not the other. I will briefly explain it to you here.
Non-commissioned officers, lieutenants, colonels, and generals are the four major categories; at the general level, there are major generals, lieutenant generals, and generals; and generals can be divided into one-star, two-star, three-star, and up to five-star. If
Even higher up, I am not afraid of setting up the military rank of marshal again. What about you, regardless of your title, what military rank do you have now? If you don't reward your merits, you are too far behind."
"I have done something wrong. Please punish me." Ma Bao stood up and bowed deeply to express his apology.
"There is no need for punishment, and you have no crime." Zhu Yongxing waved his hand magnanimously, paused, took a Ruyi from the imperial case, and said with a smile: "Well, this is what I reward you for. Mo.
You must have other thoughts, lead your troops in wars, and make achievements. You veterans, I still expect you to be your own in the future! Until you can't get out of bed, you have to contribute to me. If you want to be lazy, there is no way.
No."
Ma Bao knelt on the ground and kowtowed to receive the reward. Zhu Yongxing's words were sincere and sincere, with encouragement and expectation in his jokes. At this point, he was completely relieved. (To be continued...)