Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

When Jiang Xinghuo saw Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, whom he had not seen for a long time, he was lying on a rocking chair enjoying the cool air.

In addition to the large pillars used for load-bearing, there are several hollow gold pillars in the hall, which are specially used to store ice and absorb heat in summer. Therefore, the temperature in the entire hall is much lower than outside, which makes Jiang Xinghuo feel a pang. Cool.

The "air-conditioned room" of the cat in the previous life was based on a similar principle. It seems that this is an enlarged version.

Zhu Di was wearing loose Yanju uniform, his eyes were slightly closed, and he seemed to be dozing.

Next to him, Zhu Gaochi was reading a memorial to him seriously. A palace maid was fanning behind him, but sweat could not stop flowing from his fat cheeks.

"Father, the right minister of the household department, Wang Li, has passed away."

"oh."

Zhu Di didn't even open his eyes, and didn't seem to take the memorial in his eldest son's hand to heart. Wang Li didn't die suddenly, so naturally he had already chosen an official to replace him.

"Xia Shangshu went to Jiangnan. Sun Yu, the left minister (former Zuo counselor of the Chief Secretary of Peking and direct descendant of Zhu Gaochi) has insufficient experience in managing the country's finances. Li Wenyu, the left counselor of the General Secretary, should be promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhu Gaochi took out the next memorial and stacked the previous one at his feet. Since he was sitting on the Jindun, the memorials one after another were piled up to his calves.

"Is there anything else? Pick out the important ones."

Zhu Gaochi heard the footsteps of Jiang Xinghuo and Zhu Gaoxu, but he didn't care much at this time. He quickly put down the memorial in his hand and took out another copy.

"The commander-in-chief of Liaodong and Marquis of Baoding Meng Shan has a memorial: Zhu Mengxian, the young minister of Taipu Temple, went to North Korea through border trade and traded thousands of war horses. Now the memorial has arrived in Nanjing with the North Korean envoy, but the war horses do not have to travel by sea and are still stranded in Liaodong. , I don’t know how to deal with it?”

How could Zhu Di fail to hear what Meng Shan meant? He pondered for a moment and said, "The thirty thousand guards in Liaodong were just attacked by the Mongols. Let's replenish these war horses to Liaodong. Who is leading the North Korean mission? What happened?" "

Zhu Gaochi looked at the memorial and recited: "The envoy is Li Guiling, the minister of Gong'an Prefecture of North Korea. There are two main things. One is the gold seal of the King of North Korea. In the past, it was the gold seal turtle button during the Hongwu Dynasty. Later, it was replaced by the pseudo-emperor Jianwen. Second, King Li Fangyuan of North Korea said that his father and brother were sick, so he ordered Li Guiling to bring fifty pieces of fine cotton to Nanjing to buy some borneol, agarwood, storax, sesame oil and other materials as well as medicinal materials. "

After listening, Zhu Di snorted lightly and said angrily: "I know, please step back first!"

Only then did Zhu Gaochi stop, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, bowed respectfully and saluted: "My son, please retire."

The two brothers looked at each other without leaving any trace. When Zhu Gaochi walked out of the hall, the maids fanning them also retreated. Zhu Di's leg had an old injury. It was okay to cool it with ice cubes, but he was not able to withstand the wind. Therefore, the huge hall suddenly became quiet, and only Zhu Di, Jiang Xinghuo, and Zhu Gaoxu were left.

After a while, Zhu Di slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes fell on a thick stack of memorials placed beside Jin Dun.

"Do you think I can't see what you're doing?"

Zhu Di muttered to himself. After his short duty time last year, he obviously had no interest in watching this kind of thing. He stood up from the rocking chair.

"The Imperial Master has become darker and thinner."

"I will live up to His Majesty's trust." Jiang Xinghuo nodded casually.

After not seeing each other for a few months, Zhu Di has changed a lot. In terms of his overall mental state, he has completely adapted to the transition from vassal king to emperor. In Jiang Xinghuo's view, the emperor's temperament is deeper than before. , restrained, and more majestic, like an active volcano that is about to erupt but is still silent. With the slightest movement, it will detonate the entire earth and shock Kyushu.

But it was of no use to him. Jiang Xinghuo didn't care about this. He wasn't even afraid of death. How could he be afraid of the "powerful spirit" of the feudal emperor?

"I have met His Majesty."

"See Father!"

Zhu Gaoxu, who was so naive, knew what was going on. He walked closer, knelt on the ground, and said respectfully.

After saying this, he kowtowed to the ground.

Obviously, Zhu Gaochi read a memorial to Zhu Di just now, which made him feel a sense of crisis after being away from Zhu Di for several months.

"Okay, get up."

Zhu Di showed a smile: "I originally wanted the Ministry of Rites to send someone to pick you up in triumph, but I didn't expect that you were impatient and ran back in a hurry with the Imperial Master."

Zhu Gaoxu wanted to ask Jiang Xinghuo about the situation in Beijing, but he was choked back. He realized that he abandoned the tax guard and ran back without asking for instructions, just to take care of Jiang Xinghuo, but he made a mistake in the procedure. The problem is solved. The generals of the country are not allowed to leave the army station without an order. He received an imperial edict to go to Kaiping, Zhili, to prepare for the autumn (to prepare for the Mongols' southward raids in the autumn). This was considered an order, but the Fifth Army Governor's Office and the Ministry of War handed over the tax. The drafting of the military power of soldiers and guards has not yet been published. If we really want to take it seriously, there is still something to say.

"Father, you are so complimentary. Putting down the rebellion against the White Lotus Sect is not a tough battle. I just miss my mother so much that I urgently come back. However, it is hot today. I heard that my father had a cold a while ago, so you should pay more attention to rest." Zhu Gaoxu had an idea and said in a different way.

"I'm fine, please sit down, don't stand." Zhu Di waved his hand.

Zhu Gaoxu breathed a sigh of relief. After nodding in agreement, he brought over another Jindun and sat on it. Jiang Xinghuo sat down on the Jindun where Zhu Gaochi had just sat.

Just when Jiang Xinghuo was about to tell Zhu Di about the situation in Jiangnan and what he had just done as the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army, Zhu Di directly threw the North Korean memorial to Jiang Xinghuo and said, "Let's see if the Imperial Master can see anything. "

Since Zhu Di did this, there must be some intention behind it. Jiang Xinghuo was not in a hurry anymore. He flipped through the memorial, but he didn't expect it. When he looked at the memorial, it was full of doubts.

"Without Jeju Island, North Korea still has so many war horses? It's wrong to trade thousands of them at one time, the price is wrong, and what are the tribute buffaloes for, for Jiangnan?"

At the beginning of this year, in order to prepare for the invasion of Japan, under the intimidation of the Ming Dynasty, the North Korean King Li Bangyuan had no choice but to cede Jeju Island to the Ming Dynasty. It stands to reason that without this important horse breeding land, North Korea should not be so generous. .

War horses are an out-and-out strategic material in this era. Dozens of them are a big deal, let alone thousands.

"I remember that Li Fangyuan knows Father?"

Zhu Di did not explain directly, but nodded and said: "The last time I met Li Fangyuan was in the 27th year of Hongwu. At that time, I was the King of Yan and Li Fangyuan was the fifth prince of North Korea. He came to represent Li Chenggui to the Ming Dynasty." To apologize, he brought twenty good horses as tribute, but they were all robbed by the Jurchens as far as Liaodong. When he met me in Peiping, he cried like a tearful person. It was I who lent him forty good horses. I just let him be safe and sound. He, Li Fang, can't help but repay this favor."

Jiang Xinghuo didn't expect that the two of them still had this past. If it was just a return of favor, this story would sound quite loyal, but is that really the case?

Jiang Xinghuo weighed the memorial in his hand and said, "Your Majesty may not have finished what he said."

"The Imperial Master is indeed smart!"

Zhu Di burst out laughing suddenly and said: "That's what I said, but the reason is not that. To be honest, I listened to the National Preceptor's prediction about the Jurchens and planned to find a way to weaken the Jurchens in North Korea." It is a dog raised by the Ming Dynasty to deal with North Korea. If it can directly weaken North Korea, the Jurchens will naturally lose their use value."

After Zhu Di's explanation, Jiang Xinghuo finally understood the profound meaning contained in this seemingly inconspicuous memorial.

When Goryeo was the Yuan Dynasty's eastern province, the entire Korean peninsula became the Yuan Dynasty's horse breeding farm. The Yuan Dynasty even sent fine war horses from Central Asia to Goryeo for large-scale breeding and raising. Therefore, the Korean Kingdom inherited the Goryeo family background. , in the early Ming Dynasty, there was an extremely large reserve of war horses, and even tens of thousands of cavalry could be easily dispatched. This was also the confidence that North Korea dared to secretly push the border line northward.

In order to weaken North Korea's military power, Zhu Di adopted two methods. One was to force North Korea to trade war horses at one-third of the market price. It was called trade market quotation, but it was actually robbery. This transaction was a self-castration of national power. In terms of military strength, not doing so would give the Ming Dynasty an excuse to go to war, and Li Fangyuan was helpless; the other option was to force North Korea to pay tribute to buffaloes. The Ming Dynasty itself was not so short of buffaloes but more of scalpers. Under normal circumstances, even if it lacked something, it would not If other countries in the vassal system were asked to pay tribute of tens of thousands of heads at once, it would be too ugly, and Ming Dynasty would still have to face it. The reason for this is that in addition to the strong cavalry, the North Korean army also has powerful archers, and the buffalo horns And buffalo tendons are high-quality materials for making bows and arrows, which is equivalent to directly poking out the roots of the raw materials.

Without bows and horses, the North Korean army's combat effectiveness was naturally greatly reduced.

As for Li Fangyuan's father and brother being sick, well, I'm afraid it's because of Li Fangyuan's heartache.

Li Fangyuan, like Zhu Di, usurped the throne. The difference is that Li Fangyuan's father and brother are still alive, while Zhu Di's father and brother have long been dead. On the surface, Li Fangyuan is asking for medicine for his father and brother. In fact, he is asking whether the union can follow the old system of the Hongwu Dynasty. Let’s test the attitude of the Ming Dynasty regarding the granting of golden seals and turtle buttons, whether they would recognize the legitimacy of him as a usurper.

Zhu Di said lightly: "I plan to give Li Fangyuan and his queen a gold seal, a royal decree, a crown gown, nine chapters, Guiyu, Peiyu, Feizhu Cui Qizhai crown, Xiapei, gold pendant, scriptures, and Ba Si Bawen silver coins. I will send all the supplies and medicines to the imperial hospital. I don’t want the fifty pieces of cotton cloth. I will send them back together. Every year, I will trade a thousand war horses and pay tribute to a batch of buffaloes every few years. Imperial Master Do you think it was handled properly?"

This is to give Li Fangyuan face and make him lose his dignity.

Ming Dynasty's rewards are not so easy to get, especially this large series of ritual items, which have to be exchanged for war horses and buffaloes.

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a moment and replied:

"Everything else is fine, but Jiang thinks that North Korea and Annan are in the south and north. Annan has a population of more than 3 million and North Korea has a population of more than 6 million. The total is a market of 10 million people. These fifty pieces of cotton cloth are a From the beginning, the Koreans must be very angry with Ming Dynasty for buying war horses at low prices. They might as well sign a "trade treaty" with them for several years to agree on the price and conduct free trade with cotton cloth."

Zhu Di was startled when he heard this and asked:

“Why do we need free trade when we can directly take advantage?”

Of course, Zhu Di had heard about Jiang Xinghuo's theory of free trade and comparative advantage in prison, but now he obviously still fell into some kind of misunderstanding of "figuring the abacus."

Jiang Xinghuo simply asked: "How much money does a piece of Korean cotton cost? What is the price of selling war horses to Japan?"

Zhu Di has been in the north for a long time and has a rough idea of ​​the transaction prices of these key materials, he replied.

"A horse of cotton costs 1.7-2 yuan per horse, the same as in Japan. War horses have to be sold for forty or fifty taels at double the price in Japan. However, North Korea has always been wary of Japan and has never sold horses to Japan."

Just after Zhu Di finished speaking, he realized something: "What does the Imperial Master mean, the Ming Dynasty separated trade with North Korea and Japan? The Ming Dynasty used cotton cloth to buy war horses from North Korea, and then sold the war horses to Japan at a high price. Since Jeju Island is in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, Here, the navy of the Ming Dynasty can isolate the entire sea channel, and North Korea regrets that it has no way out. This is equivalent to the exclusive trade of the Ming Dynasty!"

"That's it."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded: "Now in the Jiangnan cotton textile industry's manual workshops, large water-powered spinning wheels have been put into large-scale production. Cotton cloth is being manufactured continuously, and the price only costs 1 yuan/piece. In the future, it will even be as low as 0.8-0.9 cents, and the price agreed in the trade must be set based on domestic prices in North Korea, and it must make the North Koreans feel that they have taken a big advantage, for example, 1.3-1.4 cents per horse, which is much cheaper than in North Korea. Trade, if the price is more expensive than in North Korea, people will naturally be unwilling to trade."

"Furthermore, emasculating the military strength of the Kingdom of Korea in this way is much faster than forced buying and selling. After all, the maximum number of forced buying and selling is only a thousand horses a year, and free trade. Even if Li Fangyuan realizes this after the fact, as long as the "Trade Treaty" "Once signed, he could not stop the people below. The control ability of the Korean Kingdom was much weaker than that of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, there would be a steady stream of war horses to the Ming Dynasty through trade transactions. In this way, the Ming Dynasty sold cotton at a low price. , when you sell some, you make a profit, and when you buy the war horse back, whether it is for personal use or exported to Japan at a high price (as mentioned earlier, Japanese samurai were very fond of riding and shooting during this period), you can double the profit."

What is a win-win situation?

A win-win means that Ming wins twice.

"Of course, free trade has been going on for a long time. After all, it is transnational, and there will be friction. It can even be said that as long as the free trade model begins with Annan and North Korea, then this kind of trade friction will always be with us in the future. With the Ming Dynasty, the stronger the Ming Dynasty’s military power, the more intense the trade friction will be. This is a positive correlation.”

"Why?"

Not only did Zhu Gaoxu not understand, but Zhu Di also didn't understand what Jiang Xinghuo meant.

After all, in their perception, the model of tribute trade has been changed to a "tribute + free trade" model. Take North Korea as an example. Originally, war horses and buffaloes were forced to be sent free of charge/at a low price, while free trade is equivalent to North Korea. It’s still profitable, so there shouldn’t be any friction.

Yes, for the powerful people in North Korea, they bought cotton cloth in large quantities from the Ming Dynasty at a low price and then sold it to the domestic people for more money. The price was still lower than the price of domestically produced cotton cloth, and they still made a lot of money.

What can be traded freely will be traded freely, and special items that cannot be traded freely will continue to be paid as tribute.

In this way, there is also a saying in the country, so as not to be accused of being domineering and less royal, and losing the magnanimity of the heavenly kingdom.

And as long as the Ming Dynasty is still at the center of this system, the pattern of Siyi Binfu should never change.

Even if someone wants to cause "trade friction", shouldn't it be more likely to happen if the Ming Dynasty's military power is weaker? Why is it the other way around?

Therefore, it is difficult for them to understand what Jiang Xinghuo said that "trade friction is positively related to the Ming Dynasty's military power."

Jiang Xinghuo thought for a moment and continued: "Let's take the import and export of cotton cloth and war horses in Ming and North Korea as an example. You should still remember the theory of comparative advantage that I talked about in prison before. In other words, because of comparison, Advantages, in the transnational division of labor, the Ming Dynasty will produce and export cotton cloth, while North Korea will produce and export war horses. But here you have to think about one thing, how are the international prices of cotton cloth and war horses determined? It is completely determined by the "Trade Treaty" Is it decided? Of course this is the official deal, but if we take into account the long border between the two sides and the weak control of the Ming Dynasty over the Changbai Mountain area in eastern Liaoning (in fact, the area actually controlled by the Liaodong Xingdu Division in the Ming Dynasty was only the western Liaoning Plain area in later generations), once Profitable, smuggling is inevitable.”

"Assuming that the Ming Dynasty and North Korea signed a "Trade Treaty", in theory, once free trade is carried out, the international market will be completely competitive, and the price of the international market will also be determined by the perfectly competitive market. For example, one hundred pieces of cotton cloth is 10 Two taels of silver, and a war horse is 20 taels of silver, so there is a relative price between cotton cloth and war horses. This relative price cannot be too low. If the relative price is too low, free trade will lose momentum. The lower the relative price, the lower the value of trade. The worse the endogenous drive is. If it is equal, then there is no need for any trade. If it is negative, then it is forced buying and selling, which will not last long. But what we should pay attention to is that this free trade is completely competitive pricing, which is not in line with reality. situation."

"The actual situation, that is, the essence of international trade, is competition between monopoly forces and the monopoly's pursuit of transnational monopoly profits. You must know that war horses are not a monopoly specialty of North Korea. The same ones can be purchased from Mongolia, Burma, and Ming Dynasty. War horses, and high-quality and low-priced cotton cloth are the monopoly specialties of the Ming Dynasty. This is why this trip to the south of the Yangtze River is so important. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a step towards the real success of the reform."

Zhu Di listened quietly for a long time before asking.

"Then the pursuit of multinational monopoly profits can be achieved by Ming Dynasty through trade alone?"

"of course not."

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head. There is no such simple thing in the world.

"To put it simply, a multi-pronged approach is required to allow the Ministry of Rites to establish an embassy in North Korea. Ming Dynasty businessmen in North Korea (and those disguised as business spies) or others have violated North Korea's laws and North Korea has no right to deal with them. We need to The embassy handed over to the Ming Dynasty will be disposed of in accordance with the "Ming Dynasty Law"; then let North Korea lift the maritime embargo on the Ming Dynasty. Japan and other countries still cannot cancel it, and the Ming Dynasty needs to enjoy the most preferential trade rights; allow the Ming Dynasty's navy in Jeju Island to operate in North Korea Designated ports such as Busan and Incheon along the coast carry out supplies of fruits, vegetables, oils, grains, rice and noodles, etc., and can enter the port without being inspected by the North Korean Navy."

When Jiang Xinghuo finished speaking, Zhu Di and Zhu Gaoxu fell silent.

"Besides these practical measures, is there anything else?"

"Of course."

Jiang Xinghuo continued: "When the Ming Dynasty gets the Japanese silver mines and completes the currency reform, after the silver treasure banknote system is established, countries including North Korea, Annan and other countries will join the Ming Dynasty's currency system, and the Ming Dynasty It enjoys a monopoly on rules, that is, it has a veto power in various international organizations."

In fact, monetary and financial integration has weakened the independence of the country's monetary policy. This is the ultimate trick. This is why Jiang Xinghuo said that only with financial power can the Ming Dynasty become a thousand-year empire.

Free trade will lead to economic integration, especially international financial integration, which deepens the interdependence of East Asian countries in the economic field. Except for the Ming Dynasty, the monetary policies, exchange rate policies, and international balance of payments adjustment policies implemented by each country and the management and operation of international reserves will all be affected by Ming Dynasty.

When Jiang Xinghuo finished speaking, Zhu Di nodded. Of course he understood what Jiang Xinghuo meant so earnestly. He knew it very well.

On the surface, they are talking about North Korea, Annan, Japan, and free trade.

But in fact, what Jiang Xinghuo told him was to tell him that through the practical implementation of Ming Dynasty's reform in Jiangnan, something real had emerged, and it was no longer a rootless source.

And this was also when Jiang Xinghuo conveyed confidence to him and sought his support. He hoped that Zhu Di could continue to firmly support the reform and not be affected by the recent temple storm.

Why did Wang Anshi's reform fail? Song Shenzong's swing was certainly one of the most important reasons.

Ministers are all in tune with the situation. When the reform is supported, everything is fine. However, once there is some setback and the emperor shows hesitation and wavering attitude, the ministers who originally supported the reform will re-align and be defeated. The opposition that was temporarily suppressed will also rise again and criticize vigorously.

For Jiang Xinghuo, although the temple storm is coming fiercely, as long as Zhu Di is not frightened and allows Zhu Di to see the results of his work and the changes he can make in the future, there is a high probability that Zhu Di will not have any consequences. Shaken.

In other words, it’s time for the initial product report to talk about PPT.

Let us suffocate for free trade together!

Of course, President Jiang just needs to really create something. Huangpu New City is such a large handicraft factory area, and it is not entirely just for Zhu Di.

"I heard that, Imperial Master, you want to refuse the Queen's engagement?"

Zhu Di suddenly asked.

Jiang Xinghuo was stunned for a moment and quickly realized that it must be what Xu Jingchang said before.

I don't know what went wrong, and I don't know if Zhu Di was deliberately bluffing him, but Zhu Di and Queen Xu must be very concerned about this matter, otherwise they couldn't bring it up at this time alone.

But what does it mean to say this now?

Logically speaking, when we are talking about military and national affairs, there is no need to suddenly bring up the issue of children.

unless

"Jiang just did what Jiang should do."

Jiang Xinghuo said calmly, with no emotion on his face.

"oh?"

Zhu Di narrowed his eyes and said, "Does the Imperial Master think he did the right thing?"

Jiang Xinghuo said: "As the daughter of King Zhongshan (Xuda), her family status is both an advantage and an obstacle. Your Majesty does not doubt that I am marrying a top dignitary like Ming Dynasty, but this is also the queen's sister. She has become a relative, so it is not right after all. Easy to do things.”

While speaking, he raised his head and looked at Zhu Di opposite.

Their eyes met.

After a moment, Zhu Di sighed softly and said in a complicated tone: "These things are urged by the Queen. It is up to you, the Imperial Preceptor, to handle it yourself. I just hope it will not be too involved and affect the stable situation in the court... The former Imperial Preceptor I told you that the dividends from the Jiangnan cotton textile industry handicraft workshops should be given to some nobles. I also have the same idea. If you want to change the law, you should do some binding of interests, whether it is the nobles of Jingnan or the founding of Hongwu. Being noble is different from what civil servants think. It is just like going to the Western Sea. With honor, you have a powerful force. So if you marry the Duke of Wei, wouldn't it be the same if you think about it from another angle?"

Jiang Xinghuo remained silent and didn't speak.

Zhu Di continued: "I have just passed on the decree to reward your aunt, give her a royal decree and a memorial arch, and also ordered the Ministry of Industry to build a new mansion. It is not a problem to live together with the old monk."

Jiang Xinghuo was about to say that the Rongguo Duke's mansion was actually as spacious as a ghost mansion, but Zhu Difu said again: "The mansion is the rule and dignity of the dynasty. Don't refuse this. It is not for you to get married." I prayed for rain and went to the south of the Yangtze River to control the floods. I left in such a hurry. The ceremony of worshiping you as the national master I owed you was also handed over to the Ministry of Rites. When the death anniversary of Emperor Taizu Gao passed, I chose a good day to hold the ceremony. It has to be lively.”

Jiang Xinghuo was also startled, and then he cupped his hands.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Regardless of whether Zhu Di was sincere or fake, Jiang Xinghuo still felt comfortable because his gesture was sufficient.

So, why is the Ministry of Rites noble? This is the temple game of the imperial dynasty, where the sense of ritual is the most important link in the emperor's statement.

Zhu Di's series of arrangements were obviously sending a clear and unmistakable signal to the outside world. The emperor still unswervingly supported Jiang Xinghuo and the reform.

However, as the emperor and the arbiter, Zhu Di could not just step aside and sidestep the situation. There was only so much he could do. As for how to deal with this temple storm, it still depends on Jiang Xinghuo's ability.

Zhu Di did not say clearly which officials were behind this, and which interest group Jiang Xinghuo offended.

But Zhu Di clapped his hands, and the third prince Zhu Gaosui walked out of the shadow of the hall.

"Go see your second brother off. When Cao Guogong comes back, he will collectively award military ranks to the generals. Your second brother will have to return to Beizhili."

It was nominally a gift to Zhu Gaosui, but Zhu Gaosui naturally had a piece of information for Jiang Xinghuo.

Today's meeting is a sign that the two sides have strengthened their mutual trust and cooperation and continue on the path of reform.

Zhu Di gained a new way to deal with vassal relations in Korea, Annan and even the entire tribute system in the future, a way that could continuously bring benefits and benefits to the Ming Dynasty.

And Jiang Xinghuo got everything he could get from Zhu Di.

The rest is to meet the old monk, and then go home to see Li Zhigang, who is "more prisons, more rewards".