The Ming Dynasty started with caution

"Sir, how can such a big boat be put into the river?" Zhang Xian asked.

Dabao is 180 meters long and 60 meters wide. It is as tall as a building and wide at the top. It can accommodate thousands of people.

Even the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is only thirty meters wide at its widest section, let alone the Liangxiang canal.

Yan Chengjin said: "Report to Your Majesty and ask the imperial court to send troops to carry the treasure ship to Tianjin Port."

The refugees from Liangxiang can also be carried, but eating, drinking and eating along the way will cost an unknown amount of money.

Ma Fang, a household clerk in Liangxiang, stepped forward with a sad look on his face: "I have settled the accounts with President Xie.

In order to supervise the construction of this treasure ship, Liangxiang's treasury was empty.

I have to ask the court for two hundred thousand taels of silver..."

All the money for supervising the construction of the big treasure ship came from Liangxiang's treasury.

The treasury consists of two parts of money, one part belongs to the Liangxiang Yamen, which is counted and returned to the imperial court, and the other part belongs to the Liangxiang Chamber of Commerce, which is just stored in the Yamen.

Liangxiang also has to get back the imperial court's share, which is the tax money collected.

If you don't want to come back, how can Liangxiang pay taxes?

Not to mention the share from the Liangxiang Chamber of Commerce, it is the money of the Chamber of Commerce and does not belong to the imperial court.

Xie Yu came to talk about this: "Sir, Jiangnan spent nearly 80,000 taels of silver to buy mulberry fields and tea fields.

In addition, they bought a lot of raw silk, and the chamber of commerce could not even pay the wages of the shipyard. "

It cost a lot of money to buy raw silk, and the silk was shipped to the northwest.

If you want to wait for the money to come back, it may take half a year.

Today, there are 10,000 looms in Liangxiang waiting to buy raw silk.

Yan Chengjin was quite surprised, even his voice changed: "It cost 200,000 taels of silver to build the big treasure ship?!"

Song Jing felt ashamed and said, "The master said that we should build it according to the sketch you drew. The students dare not disobey."

I want to ask your Majesty for two hundred thousand taels of silver to build a treasure ship!

Your Majesty has always been stingy, I wonder if he will approve it.

…

Dongnuan Pavilion,

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Wang Yan's memorial of Guanglu Temple.

He was quite pleased and said: "Wang Yan has checked the number of fodder stones for various livestock and birds in Xihuamen, and begged for savings. He understands my intention."

Wang Yan was the person recommended by Liu Jian. Liu Jian suddenly felt bright in his face and said, "This man is upright."

There are stables at Xihua Gate to support various tribute animals, such as the lions paid tribute by Tibet, which were once kept here.

However, Emperor Hongzhi was not interested and starved to death.

It was only out of etiquette that the Ming Dynasty accepted these livestock, "According to Wang Yan's memorial, my will is not to take away the people's food and feed the birds and beasts."

Your Majesty is truly a wise king who cares about the people!

Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others nodded slightly and said: "I obey the order!"

Emperor Hongzhi was about to read the next memorial. Before he could open it, a figure hurriedly walked in.

Mou Bin walked in and said, "Your Majesty, just now Yan Chengjin sent someone to report that the big treasure ship has been built and needs to be transported to Tianjin Port by the court."

Why did the imperial court set up the Qingjiang Shipyard in the upper reaches of the canal, at the mouth of the sea?

It means that the built ship can be launched directly into the sea to save the waste of transportation.

However, if Liangxiang wants to become the Yiwu of the Ming Dynasty, it must have a port.

Yan Chengjincai set up the shipyard in Liangxiang.

Emperor Hongzhi was in a good mood and asked with a smile: "After the big treasure ship is built, we can go to Mankara and transport back the gold and silver mountains.

I remember that the treasure ship of the Three Treasure Eunuchs was forty feet long and eighteen feet wide. How much labor was required? "

Mou Bin raised his head and glanced at Emperor Hongzhi: "Your Majesty, we want five thousand people."

Five thousand people?

Emperor Hongzhi's eyes widened and his palms unconsciously clenched into fists.

Why did the imperial court use water transport to transport grain?

Because land transportation costs too much money, half of the food may be left when transported from Jiangnan to the capital.

To feed five thousand people, God knows how much food would be eaten from Beijing to Tianjin?

Han Wen opened his mouth slightly and was speechless.

Liu Jian said angrily: "How can a mere big treasure ship require five thousand people?"

I want it, Mr. Liu.

The treasure ship built by Yan Chengjin was all made of the best nanmu, which is much heavier than willow and other woods.

and……

Mou Bin looked at Emperor Hongzhi, then lowered his head: "The big treasure ship built by Yan Chengjin is bigger than the big treasure ship."

The big treasure ship in Liangxiang should be called the big treasure ship...

When he saw the giant ship standing between heaven and earth, his face was filled with shock.

Emperor Hongzhi was stunned.

Yes, this man has always been cautious. He should eat food from his own mansion, hide his new house in the old one, and sew a patch on the outside of his sedan chair.

How could such a person obediently build a treasure ship according to the drawings?

Emperor Hongzhi held on to the handle of the imperial seat: "I ordered him to go there with all his strength. Yan Qing's family is also doing it for the imperial court. Members of the Qing family, please don't blame him."

Li Dongyang sighed, Han Wen wanted to slap this kid against the wall.

Mou Bin felt uneasy: "Your Majesty, Yan Chengjin asked the court for the money to supervise the construction of a large treasure ship."

Emperor Hongzhi's expression just recovered and he nodded: "This is as it should be. It is the property of the imperial court. How much money?"

"Two, two hundred thousand taels!" Mou Bin lowered his head, almost touching his chest.

The hall fell into dead silence.

The weather is not hot, Dong Nuan Pavilion is very spacious and even a little cool.

But there were beads of sweat on Emperor Hongzhi's forehead, dripping on the golden dragon claws on his dragon robe.

Han Wen was spinning, almost falling down in front of the emperor, and angrily shouted: "Although I don't know the size of the big treasure ship,

Even a big treasure ship only costs thirty thousand taels at most!

Where do you get two hundred thousand taels? "

Mou Bin reported: "Fifty artillery pieces are installed on the ship, of which thirty are all bronze cannons!"

Copper is a coin!

Emperor Hongzhi sat blankly on his throne, worthy of Yan Chengjin.

Liu Jian didn't know what to say.

The expressions of the ministers of the cabinet and the six ministries were different. Zeng Jian, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, hesitated and said: "Your Majesty does not know something.

The big treasure ship travels on the sea all year round, and the sea is so humid that it would be better to cast iron cannons.

Soon it will get wet, causing the cannons to explode, or even destroy the hull, causing the ship to sink.

If this ship is put into the sea, it will definitely become an artifact of the Ming Dynasty. "

In comparison, although copper will also rust, the speed is much slower than that of iron.

Even if it is rusty, it is easy to clean.

When Ma Wensheng was the Minister of the Ministry of War, he knew something about artillery: "What Mr. Zeng said is true. If you are at sea, bronze cannons are better.

It's better than having a big treasure ship snatched away by Japanese pirates. "

After listening to what Zeng Jian and Ma Wensheng said, Li Dongyang and others felt a little relieved.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Han Wen, who was stunned, with a smile on his face: "The household department pays for the banknotes!"

Han Wen remained silent, and after a moment, he knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Finance... there is no more silver!"

Qin Hong was anxious: "I haven't asked you for military pay yet, why is the treasury empty again?!"

Emperor Hongzhi also wanted to know that the treasury should be more and more full from trading iron tools with neighboring countries and pioneering Hainan!

Li Dongyang and others' eyes fell on Han Wen, waiting for him to give an explanation.

Han Wen felt that the pressure was great: "It costs two taels of silver to support the military camps in the two capitals, one tael of silver to build the Great Wall in the Northwest, one tael of silver to open up wasteland in Hainan, and one tael of silver to send the fleet south to Mankara.

Also, His Majesty just issued a new decree a few days ago, which reduced the salary of officials to 10%.

There are also...disaster relief funds begging from various places..."

Official salaries were originally reduced to 60% or even 70%.

That is to say, an official's salary was originally ten shi rice, but after the salary was reduced to 70%, he was given three shi rice plus seven pieces of cloth.

Nowadays, the price is reduced to 10%, and the salary is nine shi rice, plus a piece of cloth.

Officials' salaries have not changed, but the amount of money they have been given has increased.

Emperor Hongzhi sighed and said: "The broken grain and silver should have been distributed to the officials. I summoned Yan Chengjin to the palace. I told him."

Han Wen was ecstatic in his heart, cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"