"Grandson, do you mean to send the palace eunuchs to the southeast to take control of the silk, porcelain, and tea and sell them directly to the Westerners?"
In the mind of Emperor Jiajing, civil servants were unreliable, so he could only trust the eunuchs around him.
Grandfather Emperor, this won't work. If you follow the example of your historical grandson, the Wanli Emperor, and send eunuchs everywhere to collect taxes, not only will you fail to collect the money, but you will also cause unrest in the world.
The civil servants will fight to the death to oppose it, and there is a possibility that there will be another political turmoil similar to the Great Ceremony Debate, which will benefit the Yan Party.
Besides, eunuchs are rootless guys who are even worse, more greedy for money, and have no moral integrity. They eat with their stomachs full of grease, but the blame has to be borne by you, the Emperor.
"Grandpa Emperor, I'm afraid it won't work if I send a eunuch to do this. The officials in the court will object to it, saying it violates the ancestral system."
"So what do you think?"
Zhu Yijun had been by his side for three years, and Emperor Jiajing knew that he was precocious and very opinionated.
"Grandpa Emperor, isn't Hu Butang going to Fujian to eliminate the Japanese pirates? This is a top priority that concerns the safety of the southeast, Fujian, and millions of people. Why not use this as an excuse to set up a Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office to raise food and pay specifically for Hu Butang."
"Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office?" Emperor Jiajing read the name, "Establishing a new government office still needs to go through the Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel, and needs local cooperation. In the end, it's just a change of name but not substance."
"Grandpa Emperor, please listen to what your grandson has to say."
"you say."
"This time the imperial court did not intervene, but the people of the southeast, including farmers, merchants and workers, heard that Hu Butang was short of food and money in suppressing the Japanese pirates in Fujian, so they enthusiastically raised funds and donated silk factories, tea gardens and porcelain fields for military funds.
The emperor was grateful for the people's righteous deeds and issued an edict to commend them. He also said that the money was not enough for the military, so it would be better to use it as capital to run a business in the form of a business. He granted the name of the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office, with retired officials as the main force, and eunuchs and merchants as the auxiliary. He also granted the sea trade monopoly. "
Emperor Jiajing's eyes lit up, and he murmured, "Maritime merchant monopoly?"
"Yes, Grandpa Emperor. It is the exclusive right to trade with maritime merchants. All maritime merchants, regardless of whether they are from the East, West or South Seas, can only do business with companies that have the maritime merchant monopoly. A certain percentage of tax silver is collected from each transaction, which is used as food and money for Fujian to suppress the Japanese.
The rest are all illegal, they are all smuggling and evading taxes from the imperial court. While Hu Butang is eliminating the Japanese pirates, he can also eliminate these illegals! Confiscate their assets!"
Emperor Jiajing's eyes lit up even brighter. He immediately understood the huge wealth contained in the maritime monopoly.
In the past, the Yan Party and the officials and gentry in the southeast were the richest people in the world, which had a lot to do with their control over trade with maritime merchants.
Hu Zongxian's heart started pounding when he heard this.
He had been in the southeast for a long time and knew how deep the water was there.
He said carefully: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, our dynasty's ancestral system has a maritime ban."
It was precisely because of the maritime ban that the Japanese pirates in the southeast became more and more violent, and finally, with both true and false information, they wreaked havoc in the southeast for more than ten years.
Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Yijun.
Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Mr. Hu, this is a temporary solution. In order to appease the northern Hu and stabilize the situation in the nine borders, our dynasty has granted permission to open horse markets at several border checkpoints.
The Oirat and Tatar people in the northern desert have been the enemies of the Ming Dynasty for generations, but we have been allowed to open up the border. In order to eliminate the Japanese threat and pacify the southeast, it is not a bad idea to temporarily open up the seashore."
Emperor Jiajing nodded, saying that this was a good and legitimate reason.
It is an open secret that silk and porcelain from the southeast are sold to Western merchants. You officials can sell them privately, so why can't I issue an edict to sell them publicly?
His heart became even warmer.
The Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office and the maritime trade monopoly were said to be stopgap measures to eliminate the Japanese threat in Fujian, but it is impossible to suppress the Japanese threat in Fujian forever.
With Hu Zongxian's ability, it would take only two or three years to wipe out the rebellion.
The Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office can change its name and continue to have the maritime trade monopoly. All the gold and silver earned will belong to me and I can spend it as much as I want.
Emperor Jiajing asked, "Grandson, you just said that the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office is mainly composed of retired officials, supplemented by eunuchs and merchants. What is the rule?"
"Grandpa Emperor, the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office was proposed by the people of Southeast and the world to relieve the emperor's worries. In this case, it can only be run by the people, and retired officials with well-known conduct will be invited as the main force, supervised by eunuchs, and then recruited imperial merchants and local merchants as the arm."
Emperor Jiajing understood what Zhu Yijun said.
What is retirement? It actually refers to officials who have been demoted and dismissed from their posts.
In the previous ten years, he had favored members of the Yan Party, and most of the officials who were demoted or dismissed were at odds with the Yan Party.
Now he had serious distrust of the Yan Party, fearing that these people would embezzle his money again.
Replacing them with former officials who are incompatible with the Yan Party but have both talent and virtue is just the right thing to do and can also shut up the civil servants.
Although these people are no longer officials, they are still your people.
Privately run?
It has its own will and grants maritime trade monopoly, which is half private and half official.
When there are controversies and accusations, it is privately run; when it is trying to make money and grab business, it is government-run.
The main feature is flexibility.
As expected of my good grandson, he could come up with such a circuitous but very useful method.
It was worth it that I kept him by my side and taught him carefully for three years.
The third son (Zhu Zaigui) is mediocre and has no opinion of his own. I have always been worried that he would be deceived and fooled by the civil officials.
Well, with such a smart grandson, those civil servants can only fool him for a while, but not for a lifetime.
Emperor Jiajing said without comment: "I know about this matter, but it is a big matter, let me think about it."
Hu Zongxian was a little anxious. He felt that this was the safest and best way at the moment.
Although he belonged to the Yan Party, he was an outlier in the party. He also could not stand the Yan Party members' deceiving their subordinates and deceiving their superiors, and the rampant corruption.
But Hu Zongxian knew that this matter could not be rushed.
The emperor has such a temper, how could he make a decision immediately after his subjects give him a few words of advice?
Emperor Jiajing then turned to ask about Hu Zongxian's efforts to eliminate the Japanese invasion.
The reason why Hu Zongxian was summoned today is for this matter, but many things happened before that, so we get to the main topic of today.
"Lord Hu is not only good at using troops, but also good at training them. You also know how to use people well. The generals under your command, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang, and Lu Tong, are all very good."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Hu Zongxian's face, and Zhu Yijun saw it.
He looked through the past documents in the Silijian's cabinet and knew that Hu Zongxian was indeed capable, but he also had the common problems of civil servants.
When something happens, such as losing a battle, he is very good at passing the buck.
He took the credit while his subordinates took the blame. He did this more than once. Yu Dayou was tricked by him several times and almost died unjustly in prison.
However, the three famous generals who fought against the Japanese pirates, Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and Lu Tong, were indeed promoted and recommended by Hu Zongxian, and became the pillars of the anti-Japanese war in the southeast.
Emperor Jiajing continued: "We must suppress the Japanese invasion in the southeast, and we must spend money and grain within our means. We cannot lose the big picture for the sake of a small one, nor can we stop eating because of a small one."
Hu Xianzong was confused after hearing this.
Your Majesty, what do you mean by that? Are you going to suppress us or not? I have no idea.
Emperor Jiajing added at the end: "Please draft a strategy and present it to me, and I will discuss it with the ministers and officials."
Hu Xianzong felt warmed in his heart, thinking that things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.
Zhu Yijun was much more confident than Hu Zongxian, because he had been with Emperor Jiajing for three years and knew very well that his grandfather was almost going crazy for money.
But in the end, Emperor Jiajing did not make it clear whether to continue to eliminate the Japanese invasion in Fujian, nor did he mention the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office again.
Hu Zongxian left the palace in fear of failure.
When Hu Zongxian left Renshou Palace, Emperor Jiajing immediately turned to Huang Jin and said, "Go check and list the names of the ministers who were impeached and demoted by Yan Song and his sons in the past five years.
I told you, Grandpa Huang is going crazy for money. He will definitely use my tips for making money.
Hu Zongxian doesn't have to worry, the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office will be established, and the anti-Japanese campaign in Fujian will continue.
Because there was no Fujian to fight against the Japanese pirates, the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office could not be established legitimately, and the maritime trade monopoly could not be granted.
This is strung together.
This can be considered the second blow to Yan Song and his son.
Once the emperor has a new and better channel to make money, Yan Song and his son will lose their last value.
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