Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1694
Kong Guangsi was summoned soon.

At that time, Shao Shude was summoning foreign missions in Zichen Hall, when Kong Guangsi came in, he met several Japanese with unlucky faces.

He didn't care, and hurried into the hall under the guidance of the middle official.

"Meet Your Majesty."

"Give me a seat." Shao Shude put down a memorial in hand, glanced at the contemporary Yan Shenghou, and said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Kong Guangsi sat down, without looking sideways, and sat upright.

Shao Shude pondered for a moment, then asked, "Does Marquis Yansheng know what happened to the Japanese mission?"

"I really don't know." Kong Guangsi replied, a little surprised at the same time, shouldn't the saint tell him about the Persian mission?I heard that they have arrived in the Eastern Capital.

"It's okay to tell you." Shao Shude said: "The Japanese missions to the DPRK in the past few decades are real and fake. You can even say bluntly that most of them are fake. Some are pretended by businessmen, or private officials. Forge the credentials, fool the Heavenly Kingdom, and confuse rewards in the hope that the Heavenly Dynasty will buy their worthless goods."

How much are screens, folding fans, knives, shark skin, and dried seafood full of fishy smell worth?The largest shipment from Japan to China was actually copper ingots full of impurities.

In the past ten years or so, silver has gradually increased, but it is also disliked by people, because it is not pure enough, and when it is exchanged for Daxia currency, it is often slaughtered. Exchange of silver dollars or silver bills in the clearing bank of the Shibo Division, private use of national currency or barter transactions will be punished.

This requirement, strictly speaking, is a bit unreasonable.In the past, when foreign merchants came to do business, the central plains court was very tolerant to them, accepting any currency, as long as it was precious metal.This is the reason why a large number of Dashi, Persian silver coins and even Eastern Roman gold coins were unearthed in the tombs of nobles in the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

But the Great Xia Dynasty was different.

There is a branch within the clearing house, similar to a currency exchange.All foreign merchants must use "legal currency" to conduct transactions in Daxia, that is, silver dollars (including silver dollar bills), Jianji Tongbao and other metal currencies for transactions.

It doesn't matter if you don't have Daxia legal currency, you can sell the goods first, and then buy after the funds are returned from the sale.You can also take the gold, silver and copper you brought over to the clearing bank to exchange currency, but you need to be slaughtered, which is equivalent to paying seigniorage.

This regulation did not exist in the former Tang Dynasty. To some extent, it prolongs the trading time.But this year, the pace is very slow, and it doesn't matter if it takes a few days. In the end, basically all foreign businessmen accepted it, including the Japanese.

"Businessman seeks profit, corrupts..." Hearing what the businessman said, Kong Guangsi directly hit the snake with the stick.

"Okay." Shao Shude interrupted his "classic meaning" with a smile, and said: "There is no such thing as the best of both worlds, there are always pros and cons. Doing something is nothing more than weighing the pros and cons. I have been doing this all these years Do these things."

Dialectical thinking, there are advantages and disadvantages in the world, this is the cognition engraved in Shao Shude's blood, even after 40 years of tossing in the quagmire of the late Tang Dynasty, he has not forgotten it.

Things in the world are not black and white, most of them are gray.

The degree of gray is also different, some are more to the left, some are more to the right, and some are just in the middle.Moreover, time has changed, and in different time periods, the degree of gray also fluctuates.

Refuse to look at problems with black and white diode thinking, look at problems with a dynamic perspective of development, don't wait for the sword, and insist on dialectical thinking, etc. All of the above are the underlying logic of Shao Shude's governance for decades.

One thing, sometimes there are more disadvantages, sometimes more advantages, it all depends on how you use it.

Of course, businessmen have many problems, such as the appearance of an upstart after making money, which makes it difficult for Tianshefu to farm the land with peace of mind, hoarding, etc. This is its negative impact.

But on the other hand, it accelerated the circulation of commodities, promoted the development of the handicraft industry, allowed the government to receive a large amount of business taxes, maintained the national finances, and provided better services to the whole society—in ancient times, it was mainly defense services. If at the end of the year, as in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, commercial taxes accounted for half of the country's fiscal revenue, why did it come to this!
Shao Shude has never had boring prejudices, nor has he had any ideological baggage. He should use his good side as much as possible, and then weaken his negative effects as much as possible, that's all.

"Your Majesty's words are very true." Kong Guangsi said immediately.

"The Japanese mission that came this time is real." Shao Shude said, "They asked me to ban the sea and restrain pirates. What does Kong Qing think?"

Kong Guangsi was from Yanzhou and belonged to the Huaihai Road. He had vaguely heard that many vicious people went to sea to plunder Silla, Taepong, Baekje, Japan and even the distant island of Kui.

In recent years, the number of people who plundered the three kingdoms of Silla has decreased, because the imperial court explicitly prohibited the sale and purchase of slaves in the three kingdoms. At the same time, it beat a large number of pirates and mobilized their relatives and township parties to persuade them. The effect was very good—if the effect was not good, the following The soldiers from Texas went out and ransacked their homes and exiled them. The pirates couldn't resist this move.

But there must be somewhere to go for the plethora of pirates, right?They have to have - "living" right?Therefore, Kong Guangsi can fully imagine the troubles the Japanese are facing. The pirates who robbed the four countries all flock to Japan. Is this good?
"In ancient times, it was great to be in politics and love people." Kong Guangsi said with a sneak peek.

The words are short and concise, but the meaning is clear.

"Do Japanese also want to love?" Shao Shude asked.

Kong Guangsi originally wanted to keep silent, but seeing the sage looking at him all the time, he said, "This is a great gift."

Shao Shude nodded, not wanting to continue discussing this issue with Kong Guangsi.

If he wanted to argue, he could go on, but it was pointless.

Moreover, some pirates are actually not easy to control.It may not be obvious now. If you wait another 20 years for the "second generation of pirates" who have grown up after starting a family overseas (such as Sakhalin Island and Hokkaido), things will change.

He vaguely remembered Tortuga Island, a famous pirate island in the Caribbean Sea.

Most of the people living here are English, United Provinces, and French pirates who have separated from their motherland.When they got older, they settled on the island, and some people gave birth to offspring, farming, opening taverns, manufacturing guns, repairing ships, etc., to serve the pirates.

Pirates who come out of here will not have any ownership, and ships from any country will be robbed.

In the sea area of ​​East Asia, there will definitely be a place where the descendants of pirates gather in the future, and there will be more than one.At that time, the sea transportation line may be threatened, because these descendants of pirates born overseas have a much worse sense of belonging to the Central Plains than their parents, and it is almost inevitable to disturb the shipping line. The only suspense is the severity That's all.

This is the negative effect brought about by the development of navigation, that is, there are advantages and disadvantages in dialectical thinking.

As long as the descendants of the great summer monarchs are not black and white diode thinking, they will not give up eating because of choking.

"Let's talk about Persian affairs with Qing." Shao Shude changed the subject and said, "The Persian mission has already entered Beijing, and the affairs of the Western Regions are almost done. You stay in Luoyang for a few months, and follow the arrangements of Honglu Temple to treat others After everyone is gathered, let’s go west, head to Bukhara, and communicate more with Persian monarchs, ministers, and dignitaries.”

"I obey the order." Kong Guangsi said.

"Don't answer so quickly." Shao Shude said with a smile: "I went to Bukhara, what are you going to say?"

"I heard that in the kingdom of Persia, there are many princes, just like Spring and Autumn." Kong Guangsi said: "I intend to talk to the Persians about ritual and music."

Shao Shude nodded, and said: "You can just let it go. Persia has been defeated repeatedly, and has lost vigor and self-confidence in front of Daxia. Spring and Autumn rituals and music are very suitable for their situation."

In fact, most of the countries in the world at this time are a lot of feudal nobles with fiefdoms, bureaucrats, and common people.

This set has no living soil in the Central Plains.But on the other side, there is still a system of vassals and vassals, and because of their respective cultural traditions, climate and geography, there are some differences, but they are similar.

When Persia and Daxia went to war, the nobles of the family really led troops to fight for the king, just like in the Spring and Autumn Period of China, when the emperor of Zhou was summoned, the princes led troops to serve the king.

In this process, what plays a key role is political ethics.

Kong Guangsi is relatively proficient in the knowledge of his ancestors. The values ​​​​of Confucius at that time may really fit the Persian set.

Of course, unlike the Spring and Autumn Period in China, Persia still had theocracy.

The king (emir) tried to increase the power of the monarchy, weaken the big nobles, and form a bunch of small nobles.

The nobles banded together to resist the power of the monarchy.

Theocracy acts as a lubricant between the two, and at the same time expands its own power either explicitly or covertly.

The three are both struggling and uniting, and finally form a political ethic that is generally acceptable to everyone.

Kong Guangsi's family education should be more in line with the appetite of the monarchy, and the nobles can accept it conditionally, because this set can also limit the unlimited expansion of the monarchy. As for the theocracy, he must be unhappy, because this is an ideological battle with them. The field of competition, and it is likely to get the support of secular aristocratic forces, it will be strange if you are not vigilant.

"I would like to obey the holy order, and I will not let the Persians underestimate me." Kong Guangsi replied.

"Very good." Shao Shude said with a smile: "You can take the route of Beiting, Yili, and Suiye, but you can hang around in the Yili River Valley for a while. There is no such rush."

"I obey the order." Kong Guangsi seemed to have a vague understanding of the saint's purpose.

This is to help King Zhao.It's just that he doesn't quite understand what to do, lecture?To attract more Confucian disciples to take root in Yili?It might as well just write a few articles and call on thoughtful scholars to go west to Yili.

After chatting casually for a few more words, Kong Guangsi withdrew in fear.

After Shao Shude reviewed the memorial, he put down his brush and called Wang Yanfan.

"Decree, ten days later I will worship the sky in the southern suburbs, parade the army, and start the east tour." He said.

"Follow the order." Wang Yanfan withdrew silently.

Shao Shude's eyes fell scatteredly on the dust in the air.

This time, it may be the last tour in his life.

(End of this chapter)