Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 998 Benefits
After the establishment of the Yue Kingdom, following the example of the second elder brother King Qi, the original Fushan City was renamed Gusu.

And using it as the inner city, a circle of the outer city was expanded, and the circumference of the outer city reached fifteen miles. Even in Daming, it was still a prefectural city.

In this way, there are 5 people in the entire Yue State, and Gusu City has nearly [-] people. Then Wu County, Wushang County, Shangyu County, Yuyao County, and the capital Gusu are divided into five counties in total.

Of course, due to financial constraints, only Gusu City has a city in the Yue Kingdom, and the remaining four counties are just ordinary wooden villages.

As for the matter of duplicate names, there are quite a few provinces in Henan and Hubei in North Korea, and even within the Ming Dynasty, there are many prefectures and counties with duplicate names. This trivial matter is not worth mentioning at all.

Zong Yizhen looked up, and the four-foot-high Gusu City came into view. He crossed the ten-foot-long moat and entered the Gusu City.

In order to build this city, King Yue specially built a kiln, responsible for firing bricks and stones.

More than half of the entire inner city is occupied by the royal palace, and a large number of yamen and official residences have been built for the rest, but construction has just started.

The problem of money and food has always been a persistent disease in the development of Yue.

However, the palace has already repaired the main hall, which cost a total of 30 silver dollars, and King Yue even spent 10 yuan personally.

Zong Yizhen saw hundreds of craftsmen beating and beating at a slow pace, surrounded by bricks and stones, he felt a little bit of admiration for a while.

The king of Yue is really too difficult.

This is also why the king of Yue stayed in the capital for a long time!
After all, whether it is money, food or population, the Yue Kingdom cannot do without the support of Daming.

In a side hall, the entire center of the Yue Kingdom is working here.

Although the Ancestral Temple of the Yue State has never been formally established, the specific regulations have already been established.

Following the example of the Qin State, the central government set up a political hall, the prime minister, the second prime minister, and the group prime minister.

The eight parts are judged and participated in the judgment.

Locally, prefectures and counties dominate, but the official system is just like that of Ming Dynasty.

The former King Fu of Yue, and now the Prime Minister of Yue State Gongsun Qian, is frowning, dealing with the affairs of the State of Yue.

He is thin, full of strong scholarly atmosphere, he speaks straight and straight, he is an old scholar, he was born as a fellow Jinshi of Shaowu for ten years, and he was already forty-three when he was in the list.

In Tongpan and magistrate counties, the head of the household department worked hard for several years, worked hard, and got excellent in the examination twice, so he was directly awarded the post of head of the household department (from the sixth grade).

In his second year as prefect, he was appointed and dismissed as King Fu of Yue. In the second year, he was sent to serve as Prime Minister of Yue State, responsible for construction work.

He is happy about it.

If it was in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic, Tong Jinshi was promoted very quickly, but now that the official position is full, he is not a scholar of the Hanlin Shuji in the tiger class.

Waiters are rare.

Now he is in charge of a country, which makes him very motivated.

After all, it's not exile, and returning to the country after serving as an official is also beautiful!
Moreover, according to the hints of the emperor and the king of Yue, once he achieves something, if he returns to the country, he will make his son the Duke of the county and enjoy the hereditary title.

"The verdict?"

At this time, Gongsun Qian pulled his glasses and put down the copy in his hand.

"Yes!" Zong Yizhen bowed his head respectfully and said, "The Morioka clan agreed to our terms."

"That's good." Gongsun Qian showed a smile: "There are several 10 people in Lutsu Kingdom. This time, we can sell at least five thousand stones. How much profit can we make?"

"Mutsu country's stone rice has reached 6000 yuan, and the lower official sold it to the Morioka domain for two stones for [-] yuan. Hucao can make a profit of at least [-] yuan in silver dollars."

Zong Yi said easily.

"Not bad." Gongsun Qian showed a smile.

Zongyi was really flattered by this compliment.

"Your Majesty thinks that His Royal Highness married the head of the Tokugawa family, which means we have a blood relationship. In this way, we can just sell grain to Edo."

Zongyi said with great expectation: "There are millions of people in Edo, and Japan will suffer from floods and droughts every three to five times. The price of food is high, and our country just benefits from it."

"After all, floods in Mutsu are not common. In the future, Edo is the most important thing."

Gongsun Qian stroked his beard and said: "You are right, the trade in Edo is a steady stream."

Thinking of this, Gongsun Qian is more optimistic about Japanese ministers like Zong Yizhen, who can do things and know how to do things, which is what Yue State lacks today.

For today's Yue State, due to its proximity to North Korea and Japan, there is no shortage of population. The only worry is money and food, and money is the key.

The Palace of the King of Yue has not been repaired, so how can Jianguo become a vassal?
Thinking of this, Gongsun Qian frowned again.

With a million mu of land in Yue State, the annual grain production is only about 120 million shi, and one bucket of mu is harvested, which is [-] shi.

In the five counties of Yue State, there were three hundred civil and military officials, plus three thousand defenders, and they swallowed up [-]%.

After removing the Xiuyue Palace, there are at most three to five thousand stones left.

How much can this grain be sold for?

Zong Yizhen, as the verdict of the Ministry of Rites, was very clear about the Yue Kingdom. Seeing his frowning, he couldn't help saying: "Prime Minister, last year's harvest was bumper, and the folks removed the rations, and there should be about a hundred thousand shi left."

"We can collect them at a low price and sell them to Edo, and we can get a lot of gold and silver!"

Gongsun Qian's eyes lit up.

This is really a good idea.

Moreover, as far as he knows, copper is expensive and silver is cheap in Japan, and the price of a tael of gold is only about [-] yuan. With the opening of trade and the outflow of silver and gold, the price of gold soared to [-] yuan.

But compared to Daming, it is still cheaper.

The value of one tael of gold in the Ming Dynasty can reach ten guan.

Back then, the Dutch made a fortune by doing entrepot trade with Japan and China, and the Zheng family also did the same technically. There was no need to consider sales at all, and the profit was more than ten times.

Therefore, in order to prevent the outflow of gold and silver, the Tokugawa shogunate controlled the transactions between the imperial merchants and the Ming Dynasty, and the annual transaction was fixed at about 400 million silver dollars.

If the Yue Kingdom sells grain, it is naturally not included in the ration. After all, the Yue King married Princess Tokugawa!

Exchange food for gold and earn twice.

"How much can you get if it's calculated by [-] stones?"

"Edo Shimi is five hundred cash, four Shimi can get one tael of gold, and 5000 Shimi can get [-] taels of gold."

Zong Yizhen thought seriously: "If converted into silver dollars, it would be 25 silver dollars."

"But if it is calculated according to the five hundred taels of gold in Japan, it is 10 taels of gold and 100 million silver dollars..."

"This--"

Gongsun Qian was shocked and stood up directly.

I knew it was so profitable, but I didn't expect it to be so profitable.

He regretted it, and regretted wanting to slap himself.

Immediately, he woke up again, there was not so much food before.

"How can it be sold at the domestic price?"

Gongsun Chang asked impatiently.

"You have to let His Royal Highness go down for a while." Zong Yizhen said with a wry smile.

The Tokugawa family has always been cronyistic, and even a foreign daimyo can't borrow a tael of gold even if they are poor, while a pro-vassal daimyo can borrow tens of thousands of taels of gold at will, and they don't have to pay it back if they procrastinate.

"It seems that His Highness cannot stay in Beijing any longer."

Gongsun Qian said seriously.

The country of Yue is close to Japan, and it really is guarding a cornucopia without knowing it. I used to be really inferior to others.

In this way, Gongsun Qian looked at Zong Yizhen with more and more kind eyes: "Zong Juanshu has worked hard, and I will play His Highness."

"With your ability, you shouldn't be guarding Li Cao tightly."

Zongyi was overjoyed.

This is a hint that he wants to join the cabinet!

When a letter arrived in Beijing, the King of Yue didn't care about the upcoming new play, and hurriedly apologized to the King of Liao, and then couldn't wait to enter the palace to meet the emperor.

"Why are you going back to Fan all of a sudden?"

Zhu Yixi wondered.

The old Wuyue King always liked to follow the fourth Liao King's buttocks, watching operas and holding opera singers.

Except for a trip to North Korea and Japan two years ago to build a city in Hokkaido, I never went back at all.

It is really strange to go back to Yue country suddenly.

"How can my son go like this." Yue Wang flattered him: "Father, you can give me some more people!"

Zhu Yixi smiled: "Your thick skin is exactly the same as your fourth brother."

"That's all."

Waving his hand, Zhu Yixi said earnestly:
"Yue Kingdom is close to Heilongjiang, located in the north of Japan. It is relatively bitter and cold, suitable for raising horses. I will let you take five hundred Mongols there."

"Remember, you must always have a heart of benevolence and morality, and educate, and don't patronize enjoying yourself in the feudal kingdom, otherwise there will be no good fruit to eat."

"Even if I'm a feudal lord, I can swing my whip and make you lose face."

"Your servant knows." Yue Wang didn't have time to jump up, and immediately beat him down again.

But when he thinks of Qian Jing in Yue Kingdom, he is very ambitious.

A few days later, King Yue took no other concubines with him, only the concubine and the Tokugawa family returned to the feudal domain, which was surprising.

The emperor was very relieved: "This kid, you know the importance of a good relationship with Japan."

However, when he heard that the King of Yue had brought a troupe back to the domain, the emperor was instantly furious: "A dog can't change the thing that eats shit—"

Later, King Liao was called into the palace, scolded, and fined to copy the Tao Te Ching a hundred times, so that he could cultivate himself.

……

In May of the 19th year of Shaowu's arrest, the entire East Asian region gradually entered the scorching sun, but in South Asia, it was completely different.

The entire island of Ceylon, with Colombo as the capital, is the southwest region, where the main plain is located, and it is also an important fortress for the Dutch to control the entire Ceylon.

Of course, this fortress was taken by the Dutch from the Portuguese, monopolizing the gem and spice trade in Ceylon.

From May to October every year, it is the rainy season in the southwest region, but it is the dry season in the northeast region. This completely different climate has created two different groups of people:

Sinhalese and Tamil.

One believes in Buddhism and the other believes in Hinduism.

"Quack quack—"

Opening the window, Joseph Ishaya Hannah couldn't help frowning as he watched the crowds of crows.

The local Sinhalese believe that the crow is a divine bird, but in his view, it is an ominous bird.

It's a pity that as the local people live together, the crows multiply unconsciously, which is really annoying.

"All right, Hannah, close the window."

At this time, a big man with a beard couldn't help cursing.

And not long after the windows were closed, the heavy rain beat on the doors and windows.

Joseph turned his head and sat on the main seat. The white girl who was serving him quickly brought him a glass of red wine.

In front of him, there were already seven or eight people seated.

They are dressed in leather and leather shoes, and they are handsome, and the wigs on their heads are longer than each other, not to mention more gentlemen.

Of course, French high-heeled shoes had not yet spread to the Indian Ocean at this time, so they just wore ordinary leather shoes.

"Gentlemen!" Joseph Ishaya Hannah's nose became sharper at this time, and he said in a deep voice:

"I heard that in the northeast of the island, the Portuguese still occupy a trade point. This will affect the interests of the company and must not be tolerated."

"I've heard of it." At this time, a gentleman with a wide face and big ears said, "The Portuguese left a tail there and did ivory business with the Kingdom of Jaffna."

"But it's not worth fighting for such a small base, right? After all, the company's interests are in Colombo."

Ivory is inferior to precious stones and spices.

Joseph Ishaya Hannah shook his head: "It's not the Kingdom of Jaffna, but a power called the Kingdom of Ceylon."

As he spoke, he described the Kingdom of Ceylon.

In just a few months, it occupied the Mannar Peninsula and continued to expand inland. It controlled dozens of tribes and had a force of 2000.

This is nothing, the tribal forces in the entire island of Ceylon are countless, and the Netherlands can't control it.

"However, this Kingdom of Ceylon seems to be from the Ming Dynasty."

"Ming people?"

"Ming Kingdom?"

"Ming people, people—"

For a moment, everyone in the hall was shocked.

In the entire Far East region, who doesn't know that the Ming people have put great pressure on the East India Company, and now they have extended their tentacles to Ceylon, which is really terrifying.

Joseph Ishaya Hannah's deep voice sounded: "Gentlemen, we must not indulge them, this will affect the interests of the company."

"When necessary, we must send troops to nip it in the bud."

"But, will this disturb the Ming people?" At this time, a thin man hurriedly said: "For the company, the trade in Ceylon is not half as much as the company's in the Spice Islands, and it is far inferior to that with Daming. trade."

"Your Majesty the king is a domineering person, we'd better be careful."

"Yes, be careful."

For a while, this statement won everyone's agreement, which made Joseph Ishaya Hannah very angry.

This is completely off topic.

The matter has come to this point, he can only temporarily.

At the same time, the Kingdom of Ceylon on the Mannar Peninsula began its first expedition.

The arrival of the dry season made the Kingdom of Ceylon extremely ambitious.

The Mannar Peninsula is too small, and the Kingdom of Ceylon is too ambitious, so it can only continue to expand southward, from the coast to the inland, and continue to erode the power of the Kingdom of Jaffna.

Zhu Cihong watched his son and the team go away with mixed feelings.

The second child, Zhu Dingze, was equally moved: "Brother, isn't it good to live like this?"

"Why do you need to send troops?"

"Second, you don't understand." Zhu Cihong shook his head: "Our population is too small, and we don't bring enough benefits to the Portuguese. If we don't expand, we will be forgotten in a few years."

"Guarding thousands of people and living a happy life, are these the so-called descendants of the Zhu family, the king of Ceylon?"

"Without enough benefits, how can you buy enough Han people to thrive?"

(End of this chapter)