"What do you think is the most important thing for a country?" Wei Zhongxian said thoughtfully.
"Well, I thought it was military power. Military power is the most important thing. I have read history books and understood a truth. As long as military power is in hand, all other problems can be solved. Just like the current system in Japan, samurai have established three shogunates in succession.
, which eclipsed the emperor who clearly had actual power during the Sui and Tang Dynasties."
Wei Zhongxian nodded and said: "You are right, military power is the foundation of everything. The reason why I failed is because I did not master military power. However, if you want to master military power, there is another prerequisite."
Matsumoto Shigeru immediately asked: "What is that? Please ask Wei Gong to explain it."
Wei Zhongxian pinched it with his thumb and index finger and said with a ferocious expression: "That's money, that's silver."
Shigeru Matsumoto nodded immediately. It's true. Without money, soldiers won't listen to you.
These days, being a soldier is not to protect the emperor and the court, but to support your family in Hukou. As the saying goes, if you put up the recruiting flag, you will not have to worry about food.
"It's the same with the imperial court. Without money, nothing can be done." Wei Zhongxian continued: "I was originally a member of Concubine Zheng's family. I snatched the emperor and fought against Donglin in the palace transfer. And the emperor, father and son are all
Supported by Donglin. Normally, when Tianqi comes to power, I should have disappeared from the world, but why have I become so brilliant and powerful?"
Wei Zhongxian put his hands behind his back, looked into the distance, and spoke lightly.
If there is a level of equipment 13, at this time, Duke Wei will definitely be at full level.
Looking at Matsumoto Shigeru, my heart is filled with excitement and infinite admiration.
Look, this is the real boss and big shot from heaven.
I don’t know when I will be like Wei Gong, who wakes up to take charge of the world, lies drunk on the knees of a beautiful woman, and plays with the emperor, courtiers, and generals in the palm of his hand.
"That's because I discovered a secret, a big secret that determines the success or failure of the imperial court and the life or death of the emperor."
"What secret?" Shigeru Matsumoto asked excitedly, his mouth dry.
"That's taxation. This is the foundation for the survival of a dynasty." Wei Zhongxian stretched out his right hand and grabbed it forward, as if he had caught something in the air.
"Your Majesty also understands this. He knows very well that only I can get money and keep the court running. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty will collapse."
"Why must Wei Gong handle this matter?" Matsumoto Shigeru continued to ask.
"Because there is a question of who to collect money from." Wei Zhongxian said with a smile.
Seeing that Matsumoto Shigeru didn't understand, he continued: "The court is short of money, so it has to get money. One is to collect money from the people of the Ming Dynasty. Anyone can do this. If they don't pay, just torture them. Give them to dogs.
A piece of pie can be tied to the neck, and a dog can do it."
"Mr. Wei is really funny, haha," Shigema Matsumoto said with a smile.
"Alas! I also come from a poor background, and I know the situation below better than anyone else. The people are already barely making ends meet. If you don't want the government to force the people to rebel, it's best not to increase their burden." Wei Zhongxian said helplessly.
"So, only those who have money can raise taxes. The wealthy businessmen in Ming Dynasty are rich, the landowners are rich, and the workshop owners are rich. The people who smuggle at sea are rich, and the people who mine privately are rich. But behind them all are
It's a civil service group. Anyone who dares to collect money from them is like swatting a fly on the head of a tiger."
Shigeru Matsumoto nodded in agreement and said: "Yes, Japan is the same. It only dares to increase taxes from the common people, but does not dare to collect taxes from daimyo, samurai, and merchants."
"But you Japan has been favored by God. You don't have to force the people. You just need to dig into the ground and you can dig out money." Wei Zhongxian also said with some envy.
"Iwami Ginzan" Matsumoto Shigeru said loudly.
Wei Zhongxian nodded to indicate that the boy could be taught.
He sighed in his heart, his mother, why didn't the Ming Dynasty have such a good thing? If there was such a mine, would I still have to fight to the death with Dong Lin?
"If that day comes and General Tokugawa won't let you survive, you should know what to do." Wei Zhongxian said enigmatically.
"Hi! Thank you very much, senior, for clarifying my doubts. It is a great kindness to my sect of 300,000 people. I will never forget it." Matsumoto Shigeru bowed ninety degrees and said excitedly.
"Wei Gong, I have to say goodbye. This matter is important and I have to go see Madam immediately." Matsumoto Shigeru said solemnly.
Looking at Shigeru Matsumoto hurried away, Duke Wei showed a sinister smile. Yang Fan and him had been exchanging letters. This was all agreed upon by the two of them.
There is no need for Yang Fan to personally occupy these gold and silver mines. This will cause a fierce war. This is the stupidest way.
All he had to do was provoke a war within Japan. Yang Fan only had supplies, and Japan had no resources except gold and silver. As long as there was a fight, he was afraid that the money would not flow into his hands like running water.
The Japanese shogunate is now in the same financial difficulty as the Ming Dynasty. But Japan has an advantage that the Ming Dynasty does not have.
Because Japan is an island formed by the compression of the Pacific Plate and the Asian Continental Plate, the crust is extremely unstable, small earthquakes occur almost every day, and volcanic activities are also frequent.
However, strong geological movements not only brought disasters to Japan but also brought rich gold and silver deposits.
The shogunate controlled the gold and silver mines, and could use gold and silver to directly offset the fiscal deficit, thereby maintaining the operation of the government and the salaries of the samurai.
As long as you have money, you can stabilize the domestic situation.
At this time, the silver mined every year in Japan mainly came from a silver mine called Iwami Ginzan.
As long as this silver mine is controlled, the lifeblood of the shogunate will be strangled. The shogun will immediately be unable to support his own samurai and troops.
However, it took less than a hundred years for the silver and gold to be mined.
For a long time, although Japan has been sitting on a "golden mountain and a silver sea", it has not been able to effectively exploit it.
Because their mining technology is not good enough.
So much so that copper coins imported from China were used as currency for a long time. This embarrassing situation lasted until around 1530.
At this time, Japan's "Warring States Period" kicked off. In order to expand their military power in troubled times, the "Daimyo" in various places actively developed silver mines in various places for the purpose of importing materials.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It just so happened that at this time, the typical silver smelting method in traditional Chinese smelting technology, the "ash blowing method" and the "amalgamation method", a new European technology, were introduced one after another.
Japan.
After acquiring the most advanced smelting technology from China and Europe, more than 50 gold mines and more than 30 silver mines were developed in a short period of time, and Japan's precious metal output increased significantly.
By the 1590s, which was the late Wanli Dynasty, its silver output once accounted for 1/4-1/3 of the world's total output. 225 tons of gold were mined.
In the heyday of Japan’s overseas trade, Japan exported as much as 10,000 kilograms of silver every year!
This is equivalent to 4.27 million taels of silver from the Ming Dynasty.
In 1998, the output of Iwami Silver Mine accounted for one-third of the world's silver production at that time.
After the Summer Battle of Osaka, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's faction was defeated, his subordinate daimyo was deprived of vassal territory, and the Iwami Silver Mine was monopolized by the Tokugawa family.
Therefore, as long as Iwami Ginzan is controlled, the Tokugawa family will be choked.
What's even more interesting is that the silver mine is less than thirty kilometers away from the Sea of Japan.
Yang Fan can supply Mrs. Yitian with unlimited amounts of armor, swords, guns, muskets, and even small three-pound infantry cannons.
As long as she can afford it, it doesn't matter how much she wants.
Yang Fanzi read this period of history carefully. Under the pressure of the shogunate, the Tianzhu believers finally launched the Shimabara Revolution and embarked on the road of armed confrontation.
In the end, they failed because they were isolated and helpless. After all, the power of the shogunate was much greater.
What if Yang Fan helps them? Will they still be completely defeated?
Then join forces with Spain and Portugal, which were banned from trade by the shogunate and refused to open up trade. Missionaries and merchants were massacred and persecuted, and then they joined forces with the Dutch.
At this time, Britain and France had already taken root in Goa and Bombay, India. They also had certain strength.
At this point, there seems to be a lot to choose from. There is a lot of room for maneuver.
Wei Zhongxian coughed as the cool sea breeze blew.
"Wei Gong, it's windy outside, we should go back," Li Huaishu advised from behind.
He led a team of thirty fusiliers to protect Wei Zhongxian's safety. He knew that Wei Gong's adopted daughter was now the master's concubine and the chief of the intelligence department. Wei Gong's safety was of great importance.
"Locust tree, why did I see a boat coming? Why is this boat so fast?" Wei Zhongxian wiped his eyes and said.