Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 402: The Wealth of Guangdong
"If I hadn't considered that you had sent troops to help the government army suppress the rebellion in the past, why would I have given you this great opportunity now?"

Outside the southern city of Guangzhou, Master Jiejing looked at the new city of Nanguan that was built 44 years after the reign of Emperor Jiajing. After a pause, he said firmly, "I will not rely on your help in the future!"

Edgar was already accustomed to Master Jing's strong and ambitious appearance.

What happened at that time had nothing to do with Edgar, but he knew that what the minister sent by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty himself said was right.

At the beginning of the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign, 400 Dongguan sailors in the coastal defense camp of Chaozhou Raoping Tuolin'ao protested for their pay. The protest was justified because they had been deducted too much. After months without money or food, they were asked by the generals to transfer to other places, but they still did not pay or allocate food.

So they first mutinied, and then contacted nearby bandits and private salt dealers, and fought all the way to the outskirts of Guangzhou in the name of demanding food.

The reasons for this victory are very complicated. In short, although they could not break through Guangzhou City, the whole of Guangdong was inevitably shaken. At that time, the general here was Yu Dayou, but he was suppressing the Japanese along the coast. The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi at that time was suppressing another group of mountain bandits. In the end, the Portuguese sent some troops "from overseas", plus some other troops urgently mobilized, to quickly suppress the Tuo Lin mutiny.

The following year, Guangdong began to build the new city of Nanguan and strengthen the city defense system.

Xie Jingfu served as a maritime adviser in the General Staff. This mutiny, which exposed the fragility of Guangdong's coastal defense system, was certainly a case study.

It was because the Portuguese helped Guangdong that they were allowed to stay in Macau temporarily, and the Maritime Customs gave them a tax collection policy. According to the rules, it should be 20%, but they reduced it to 10%.

The Portuguese had enjoyed tax benefits on their trade here for more than 30 years, so Jie Jingfu took over the real estate they had already built in Macau without hesitation.

Although they were rebels, they were just soldiers recruited from the public because the local garrisons were abandoned. They were angry and rioting for pay, and there was indeed a reason, but it was all a mess back then.

In his heart, these Westerners killed Han people after all.

"Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy!"

Not far ahead, the Guangzhou prefect, dressed in a red robe, came towards them with a smile.

"Qidong, you and I are in the same subject, so it's enough to just call each other by our given names. Why do you have to do this?" The scripture interpreter also stepped forward to greet him.

"Zhong said that he would take a sea boat from Dongguan to Xiangshan. I have been very worried these days. The people in the counties of the prefecture are uneasy."

The Confucian scholar laughed loudly, "You worry too much. I am a minister of the Privy Council, how can I be involved in civil affairs? Don't worry, I have no other assignment. I am just honored to be the maritime advisor, so I will first inspect the coastal prefectures and counties for coastal defense."

"Zhong said that he was able to take on this important task, which shows that it was not without reason. In terms of diligence and prudence, I am far from being able to match him. Please!"

"If Qidong had not lost his loving mother after passing the imperial examination and had not observed mourning for three years, he would have been in the capital by now. Why are you being so modest?"

Liu Zongzhou, the prefect of Guangzhou and a Jinshi in the first year of Taichang.

When he passed the imperial examination, he was only 24 years old. In the circle of Jinshi, this was certainly considered "young and successful".

It was just that he encountered his mother's death that year, so he didn't start to be appointed as an official until the fourth year of Taichang. Now, only five or six years later, he has become the prefect of Guangzhou, which is of course a rapid progress.

The reason was that Liu Zongzhou was very gifted in learning. After the emperor came up with the theory of "investigating things to extend knowledge", Liu Zongzhou naturally paid attention to this new academic viewpoint. Perhaps because he was not yet 30 years old at the time, he was more receptive to new ideas, so he wrote several articles, some of which were published in the newspaper "Xueyong".

Everyone knew that the morning reports of "Xueyong" had to be reviewed by the emperor, so Liu Zongzhou was certainly in the emperor's favor.

Therefore, Liu Zongzhou, who was just 33 years old last year, went to Guangzhou to serve as the prefect.

The two walked in front, and the scripture interpreter asked, "The people of Guangzhou are uneasy, isn't it just because I didn't get to the city first? But what news did you hear?"

Liu Zongzhou hesitated for a moment, then said: "Brother Zhongshuo knows that I am from Shaoxing Prefecture. Since I can hear some news, naturally many people can also hear this news."

The Scripture Explanation Master smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. Your Majesty, don't you know the name of Shaoxing's lawyer? Since I let you hear about it, it means I want you to hear about it."

"...So, the Maritime Customs Office is really going to be moved to...the Southern Capital?"

"I can't say anything about this. The Privy Council is only involved in military and political affairs." The Confucian scholar looked at him meaningfully, "I can only say that you were appointed as the prefect of Guangzhou because His Majesty and the court believed that you were capable of taking on this important task. If you put your knowledge into practice, Guangdong will have great potential."

"I dare to ask you, can you not talk about the difference in official rank and position, and just teach me based on our personal relationship?" Liu Zongzhou asked seriously, "If you are all doing it for the country and the people, it shouldn't be considered that you are involved in civil affairs, right? Many people in Guangzhou Prefecture, all of the 18 pu, rely on the Maritime Customs Office to make a living."

"How about we visit Shibapu today and talk about our farewell tonight?"

"I can't ask for it!"

Liu Zongzhou felt relieved, welcomed the imperial envoy into the city, and handled official business first.

Jie Jingfu came to Guangzhou ahead of time to be the person in charge of the military preparations for the pilgrimage of the princes, the maritime trade expo and the longevity celebrations in Guangzhou.

There are many things that need to be arranged for the three teams of Guangdong Dusi, Guangdong Tixing Anchashisi and Guangzhou Fuya.

Now we have officially met and started to make preparations.

The Shibapu mentioned by the two men is the commercial district of Xiguan City. The Xihao River, which is ten miles long, originates from Gulan Lake and flows into the Pearl River. There are eight small docks along both sides of the river from north to south, and a small village is gathered near each dock.

After reaching the eighth pu, it turns west and only runs along the Daguan River, which is a canal with a total of ten pu running from north to south.

Next to the Eighteenth Post is Huaiyuan Posthouse.

"The huge ships are reflected in the clouds and the sun, and there are thousands of merchants in the rooms." Huaiyuan Posthouse is very famous because it is backed by the Maritime Customs Office and has the support of Shibapu in the hinterland.

Its prosperity can be traced back to the Tang and Song dynasties. Maritime trade has always existed. When the sea merchants from the vassal states arrived in Guangzhou, they often had to wait until the wind direction changed before returning, so they might stay in Guangzhou for several months. During the Jiayou period of the Song Dynasty, there was a Haishan Tower here that was dedicated to entertaining foreign merchants; later, Huaiyuan Posthouse was formed in this area.

There were many post stations in the Ming Dynasty, but three of them were very special. Laiyuan Post Station in Fujian, Anyuan Post Station in Zhejiang, and Huaiyuan Post Station in Guangdong were the locations of the three Maritime Customs Offices, which also carried out tribute trade.

In the first year of the Jiajing reign, the Fujian and Zhejiang Maritime Customs Offices were closed for a time, leaving only the Guangdong Maritime Customs Office as the "one-port trade" port, which experienced explosive growth.

In the area of ​​Huaiyuanyi and Shibapu, countless new merchants appeared, serving as a channel of communication between foreign merchants who were unfamiliar with the situation in the Ming Dynasty and the locals. If everything continued to develop, they would have a famous name, and the best of them would be recorded in history as the "Guangzhou Thirteen Factories".

Liu Zongzhou lived in the government office and had a family dinner at night with only two guests.

"Not to mention the Eighteen Pu in the West Gate, outside the South Gate, it stretches nearly ten miles from east to west. There are many people, goods and bribes pile up, and there are countless shops. This is all the work of the Maritime Customs." Liu Zongzhou sighed, "I wonder if Brother Zhongshuo has read Ye Zhongfu's "Travels in Lingnan"? "

"I've read it." The scripture interpreter nodded. "Qidong, you want to talk about the part about Guangzhou merchants being trustworthy?"

"That's right! Brother Zhongshuo is well-informed and has a strong memory. I really admire him!" Liu Zongzhou first offered a glass of wine, and then continued, "Ye Zhongfu failed in the exams many times, and he is not a person with a wide circle of friends or a prominent reputation. He traveled all his life, from Wu and Yue to Yan and Zhao in the north, to Fujian in the east, and to Lingbiao in the south. His knowledge and experience are very broad."

"It was because of his 'Strategies for the Suppression of the Japanese' that I looked for his other works. 'Xianbo Bian' does contain information about various places. Your Majesty has also read it and ordered people to put it in the local libraries of the Tongzheng Academy for future reference."

The two were talking about Ye Quan, a native of Huizhou who was born in the first year of the Jiajing reign.

This man is a bit like Xu Xiake, who likes traveling and has written many travel notes, which are compiled into a collection called "Xianbo Bian". Among them, there is an article "Traveling in Lingnan", which praises Guangzhou.

There is a line of emotion in it: "When buying goods from outsiders in Guangzhou, they will be willing to give them away if they have bad goods within five or seven days, unlike in Suzhou and Hangzhou where they will turn around and refuse to acknowledge their goods." For a time, Guangzhou's simple folk customs and merchants' high credibility formed a sharp contrast with the image of dishonest merchants in Suzhou and Hangzhou who would turn around and refuse to acknowledge their debts.

Moreover, it is said that "everyone in Guangcheng has business, the people are friendly, and the prices are low. Not only are local products such as copper and tin imported from other places to make tools, but they are also sold at double the profit in Wuzhong. The people of Guangcheng can make a profit of one or two cents and establish a market. Therefore, merchants gather here, and there is also a foreign market. Goods are piled up, and pedestrians bump shoulders with each other. Even the alleys are crowded with noise, which is no less than the areas of Wuchangmen and Hangqinghe."

This means that the popularity of doing business in Guangzhou is far greater than that in Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the style is also mainly based on a variety of goods and small profits but quick turnover, unlike Wuzhong's pursuit of huge profits.

Take the flower market for example. Every day when the city gates open, the first people to enter the city are flower farmers selling fresh flowers.

"We spend hundreds of dan, and we need five or six thousand pigs of pork every day, as well as fish and poultry..." Liu Zongzhou said, "Almost every family does business, so every family is willing to buy and use it. In the end, it is to help each other. And because the Maritime Customs is here, there is hope for the future."

The Scripture Explanation Master nodded and said, "I understand what you mean. It is not difficult to separate several counties of Guangzhou Prefecture into the Southern Capital. What you are worried about is that the Maritime Customs Office will be moved to the Southern Capital, and the people's livelihood in Guangzhou Prefecture will be impoverished as a result."

"That's right!" Liu Zongzhou held the cup solemnly, "Brother Zhongshuo, teach me!"

Unlike the Eastern Capital, the establishment of the Eastern Capital itself was intended to break the situation in which Nanjing was the absolute core of Southern Zhili and to form a new interest structure to divide the officials and gentry in Jiangnan.

The Nandu was built out of future strategic considerations for the Southeast Asian and Western countries, but since it is so close to Guangzhou, it is bound to affect the future of Guangzhou Prefecture.

Under this influence, the big merchants and wealthy families in Guangzhou were not bad, as they simply went to Nandu to develop. However, it was impossible for many small families and ordinary people in Guangzhou to go to Nandu. They could only benefit from the prosperous business in Guangzhou.

The scripture interpreter laughed, "I have a lot of experience in the new learning of the East. You should know that everything has two sides. This matter is a crisis for Guangdong, but it is also an opportunity. Now that the Southern Capital is established, the scale of maritime trade will be much greater than it is now. To sell goods overseas, do we have to ship them all from all over the place? Moreover, the court planned the Straight Road, and repaired the Lingqu Canal a few years ago. Guangzhou is close to the Southern Capital, so do we still have to worry about our livelihood in the future? Besides, the Southern Capital is mainly engaged in maritime trade, and there is not much land to cultivate. Even if it is only to supply the needs of the Southern Capital, the entire Guangzhou Prefecture does not know how much business there is to do."

Liu Zongzhou pondered silently, nodded slowly, and then sighed: "I understand what Brother Zhongshuo means. It is not easy to switch from business to industry..."

"Why not?" The Scripture Explanation Master was not quite convinced. "I see that Gaodi Street has cotton cloth, banana cloth, ramie cloth, ramie cloth... everything; goldware and pearl ornaments, and skilled craftsmen are countless. Guangdong pots are world-famous, and tea is unique. From the east, Guangdong and Guangxi are mountainous, and there are not many fertile fields. Suzhou and Hangzhou value silk, so Guangdong merchants can find another way. In addition, Nandu is closer to Southeast Asia after all. Most people who want to do business in Southeast Asia still go to Guangdong, right? In Nandu, only foreign vassal states, officials and merchants, and especially sea merchants are allowed to be there, and the convenience of Guangzhou transit is still there."

He paused and then said, "Besides, although the Nanyang Fleet is located in Haojing'ao, it has the foundation of the Guangzhou Shipyard, so the warship factory must be located here, and it will be equipped with a military industrial park."

Liu Zongzhou was overjoyed: "Really?"

"How can it be false?" The scripture interpreter laughed, "Why should this maritime trade expo be held in Guangzhou? Your Majesty knows your urgency."

At this point, he was very emotional: "People only know the wealth of Jiangnan, but they don't know that Guangdong has become very prosperous. In the past, commercial taxes were not important, and Guangdong only collected more than 100,000 taels of tax silver a year. After the strict implementation of commercial taxes, the increase in tax silver in various provinces was the largest in Guangdong, which increased by more than ten times. In the future, Guangdong will certainly not be far away from the emperor, but your majesty's southern tour to Guangdong is to help Guangdong take a further step. Therefore, you don't have to worry."

"Your Majesty is so thoughtful, I was just worrying too much!" Liu Zongzhou's worries for many days were finally relieved. "In this case, let's prepare and welcome the emperor!"

Ever since the news that the emperor first told his important ministers in Nanjing and then spread secretly reached Guangdong, the officials, gentry and wealthy people in Guangdong, especially in Guangzhou, became uneasy about the upcoming establishment of a southern capital.

Knowing too little information will of course lead to worries.

Unlike the Confucian scholar, he knew more. Although the Privy Council was not involved in civil affairs, the Southern Capital was not only the largest maritime trade gateway in the future, but also the most important front-line base of the Ming Dynasty's naval forces. When planning, the emperor naturally shared many details with the Privy Council.

Today, the old friends had a private conversation. Liu Zongzhou said that they were all wholeheartedly serving the country and the people, and what Fu said about the interpretation of the scriptures was to help him and did not involve personal power gains and losses.

Of course, the emperor and the court sent Liu Zongzhou to Guangzhou to help him. This was the main reason why the scripture interpreter was willing to tell him these things.

Even if he doesn't tell it now, the emperor will tell him after he arrives in Guangzhou.

For Liu Zongzhou, who had been delayed for several years, it would certainly not be better if he could be more prepared when meeting the emperor.

So Liu Zongzhou thanked the interpreter very sincerely for answering his questions in advance, and after that they just chatted casually.

Naturally, countless people in Guangzhou were watching his family dinner.

Among them is Shen Yikuan’s son Shen Taihong.

He has been in charge of the Guangdong Maritime Customs for many years. As the son of Shen Yikuan, he has far more channels of information than others.

Now he was also facing many worries and anxieties, but he had to go drinking with the Guangdong local officials, so they came to him.

"Everyone, the emperor is coming soon. Guangzhou can host the grand ceremony and celebrate the emperor's birthday. What is there to worry about?" Shen Taihong persuaded them to go back. "After the strict implementation of commercial taxes, Guangdong has been very loyal and cautious. Including the Maritime Customs, the tax silver has increased more than tenfold in the past few years. Guangdong has certainly made contributions and no mistakes."

"…I'm afraid the imperial court will think Guangdong is too rich and will have to look up old scores…"

Shen Taihong has been here for a long time and has a pretty good relationship with most of them, so he can talk to them in a more profound way.

"Why would we delve into the stories of the past? How can we delve into them? As long as Guangdong has been loyal and honest since the Taichang Dynasty, there is no need to worry too much. Let's all go back."

Shen Taihong is from Suzhou, so he naturally knows the difference.

Guangdong's culture and education were still inferior to those of Jiangnan, and the foundation was much weaker in the past. Although it became the only remaining Maritime Customs during the Jiajing period and thus had a lot of money, the status of businessmen in the Ming Dynasty was low. The sincerity of Guangdong's business and the simplicity of its people were only because it had only recently reached this level of prosperity. The proportion of family members who could enter officialdom and had achievements was far lower than that of Jiangnan, so they were afraid of being killed or punished and had less protection.

But money can support people, and from generation to generation, the foundation will always become stronger and stronger. Over time, what will be the difference between Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huaiyang and other places? Merchants are profit-seeking after all.

Therefore, after the strict implementation of commercial taxes, Guangdong was much smoother. Merchants, big and small, did not dare to resort to too many tricks like the big families in Jiangnan who were both scholars and merchants, let alone as ruthless as Shantou who dared to raise fire later.

Shen Taihong came to be the supervisor of the Guangdong Maritime Customs, and with the personal reminders of his father Shen Yikuan, he knew the importance of the matter.

Under such circumstances, the emperor, who was at the top of the ruling power, went on a southern tour to Guangzhou, and heard the news that the Maritime Customs Office was going to be moved to the southern capital. They were all worried that there would be some turmoil behind this.

It feels a bit like being targeted after showing off your wealth.

Wouldn’t it be like when Liu Jin came during the Zhengde period and took away more than 700,000 taels of silver in one go?

When Liu Jin found out that Guangdong was rich, he learned that Guangdong suffered a lot in the following years.

Now, Guangdong can pay more than one million taels of tax silver a year. Although most of them are contributed by Changminghao, Zongminghao, and Shibosi, other ordinary merchants also contribute a lot.

However, the power that can protect them is far less powerful than that of the Hui merchants in Jiangnan.

At this time, the big salt merchants from Huizhou who had been selected by Zhu Changluo had just entered Guangdong from Fujian.

"No need to go to Guangzhou." Wu Shixiu said, "According to the Fujianese, most of the Guangdong people who dare to go to Southeast Asia are from Chaoshan. In the future, I'm afraid we will have to recruit more brave sailors from Chaoshan, Fujian."

Their great undertaking of expanding the sea and training the militia naturally requires many people who are willing to go out to sea and take risks. It is said that many people from Fujian and Guangdong have already gone to Southeast Asia, and they will definitely be able to gain a firm foothold after going there.

Huizhou has the official power that Guangdong businessmen lack!

What's more, this is a special authorization from the emperor.

(End of this chapter)