The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

At first, everyone thought Xu Jin sent troops to refute Tang Hao.

But the more they heard about it, the more they felt something was wrong!

How could this happen all of a sudden and it got involved with the Navy?

The navy was corrupted, and His Majesty became angry and questioned Lord Yuan Fu.

Master Yuan Fu is also angry, and the yin and yang are rising up against His Majesty the Emperor.

Why is the navy corrupt?

Not because of Renxuan's contraction of defense lines and the civil engineering changes, it would be great if the imperial court could resist the barbarians from the North. Where would there be extra money, food, and energy to develop the navy?

It’s not that everyone wants to see Japanese pirates becoming more and more rampant, nor that everyone wants to see coastal people being insulted. The problem is that there is really no other way!

The Beilu are the most serious problem!

Japanese pirates are just a disease caused by scabies!

Guarding the three acres of land in China, the emperors of the past dynasties were so happy that they couldn't hold their legs together, and they had no intention of conquering here and there.

In addition to the direct rule of the central land, the rest of the world is also under the control and enlightenment of the emperor, and he is the co-owner of the world.

During Zheng He's sixth maritime expedition, a Ming Dynasty navy squadron sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Atlantic Ocean to Southwest Africa!

The emperor, that is, the emperor, as the son of heaven, is ordered by heaven!

How is this possible?

Liu Jian, the chief assistant of the cabinet, sighed secretly and said no more.

The Marquis of Zhongshan is indeed ambitious, but he should never have thought of opening the sea to lift the ban. He should not even have the slightest idea, let alone expose it!

Why do you want to support the navy to rise again?

When the navy rises, it will go to sea to wipe out the Japanese pirates. What if all the Japanese pirates have been wiped out?

Do you want to take the navy on an expedition to the sea again, just like Zheng He's voyages to the West, and directly monopolize the astonishing profits from maritime trade?

So, this is a battle of interests, and no one will give in!

"The current Ming Dynasty is not the Ming Dynasty of the Hongwu period, nor is it the Ming Dynasty of the Yongle period. Your Majesty, please think twice!"

The Jiangnan gentry would not agree, let alone allow the Marquis of Zhongshan to act recklessly!

However, the most serious consequence of this kind of thinking is that the Chinese people have always lacked the concept of sea power and the lack of attention to the strategic value of the sea, which is a typical continental geopolitical view.

Han Wen, the Minister of Household Affairs, was the first to come out and said loudly: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible!"

The Ming Dynasty's national power has declined since the civil war, and it is far from being comparable to the Hongwu Dynasty and the Yongle Dynasty!

After the destruction of the Ming Dynasty Navy, the most direct consequence was that China lost control of Southeast Asia, the collapse of China's tribute trade circle in the North Indian Ocean, and the thirty years of hard work of the Ming Dynasty Navy were wiped out. China not only lost its ability to become the world's The opportunity for sexual empire, and the loss of military barriers and trade channels on the sea, and ultimately the complete loss of sea power!

A few years later, when the powerful ships and artillery of the Western powers landed on the coast of China, these emperors and generals who were immersed in the dream of heaven finally understood how important sea power is!

After that, the invincible navy of the Ming Dynasty was idle, and the advanced fleet gradually rotted in the harbor. The precious navigation information that Zheng He's fleet had sacrificed for decades to obtain was destroyed (hidden) by Liu Daxia, and the entire Ming Dynasty The government stopped building ocean-going ships, strictly prohibited overseas private trade, and handed over the control of the sea to others!

"So the fact is that the fiscal revenue of the country is bound to decrease next year. Even if the military expenditures of the nine sides are reduced, this gap cannot be filled. In addition, the Ming Dynasty Navy has been corrupted so far. It can no longer be changed by pouring a small amount of resources. Furthermore, the Coastal Guard Station If the sergeants are fleeing, then won’t the sergeants of the inland garrison be fleeing? The situation of conscription is not unique to the Beijing camp, but is a common phenomenon in garrison camps all over the world!”

The area around Jiangsu and Zhejiang is the national raw silk production center. Suzhou is a "weaving and weaving company" where every household can weave dozens of kinds of silk, silk, satin, and silk. , Silk lovers must go to the east of Zhejiang" base, Jiaxing "the skills of sericulture and embroidery are used to feed and clothe people all over the world"...

Not only the Ming Dynasty, but the Chinese people of all dynasties have always been influenced by the traditional geographical view of "Middle Earth is in the middle and the Yinghai Sea is four rings", so that they instinctively believe that the land of Middle Earth is the center of the world.

Originally, China was not a country that lacked a maritime tradition. It had maritime transportation and a navy as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. Unfortunately, due to the influence of this concept of a central suzerainty, coupled with the series of ideological and rhetoric produced by Confucianism, it was directly shattered. The possibility of the birth of sea power thought!

Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, was the first person to have a strategic vision of the ocean. Zheng He led a group of comrades who also had the spirit of maritime exploration and made seven voyages to the Western Ocean. They went deep into the waters that no one had ever set foot before. They were actually the first navigators to enter the South Pacific and South Atlantic. They were the ocean pioneers of that era!

However, Zheng He was a eunuch, and his deputy Wang Jinghong was also a eunuch. This group of rare navigators in ancient times were almost all eunuchs who were highly discriminated against, so their success could only increase the hostility of civil servants and gentry towards navigation.

Moreover, what the Chinese emperors established was "Chinese-style sectarianism," which means that the set of "influence between heaven and man" and "divine right of kings" developed by Confucianism have become the ideological and public opinion basis for this concept!

Seeing this situation, Tang Hao just felt a little sad and a little ironic.

The Ming Navy was once invincible in the world, but now it has fallen to this level, all thanks to the civil servants and gentry. But now they want to refute themselves and prevent themselves from supporting the Ming Navy to rise again!

Especially the last sentence directly clarifies the situation at hand.

"If another military expenditure is rashly added, whether the imperial government's finances can bear it, not only has to bear the military expenditures of the soldiers and civilians on the nine sides, but also the military expenditures of the navy officers, then what else will the country use to develop people's livelihood? How to benefit the people?”

"Sea power is equally important and must not be given up so easily. Furthermore, your lords are probably well aware of the wealth on the ocean. As I know alone, there is a huge silver mine in the Japanese country, containing hundreds of millions of dollars. Two silver reserves!”

After all, eunuchs and eunuchs were the eagle dogs of the emperor, not the eagle dogs of their civil servants and gentry.

As soon as Han Wen finished speaking, Zhang Sheng, the Minister of Rites, also stood up.

After all, it was impossible for the Japanese pirates to attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty, but the Japanese pirates could, and they even succeeded!

The disastrous failure of the Tumubao Incident and the siege of the capital by foreign cavalry were such humiliating events that no one wanted to experience again.

They are all God's sons. Can God give a good place to others?

Now that Tang Hao is here, he will never watch helplessly as these emperors and generals are still living in their dreams!

"Your Majesty, the eunuch Sanbao once said in the past that if you want your country to be strong and prosperous, you must not ignore the ocean. Wealth comes from the sea, and danger also comes from the sea. Once the king of another country seizes the ocean, China will be in danger. Our fleet will be invincible. We can use it Let’s expand trade and subdue foreign lands so that they don’t dare to covet the ocean!”

"Hundreds of millions, that is, tens of millions of silver!"

The only advantage of Nayin Kaizhong is that it can quickly turn salt into silver, which can greatly increase the court's salt administration income. This is equivalent to harming the interests of the military and civilians on all sides in order to enrich the court!

This concept is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, ranging from the emperor of the Ming Dynasty to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, and to the common people and scholars.

"It is true that the imperial court will restore the old system of paying grain to Kaizhong next year, which can indeed reduce military expenditures on the nine sides, but the problem is that it will also transfer part of the benefits to grain and salt merchants, and the court will no longer be able to do what it is like to pay taxes to Kaizhong. Generally, a lot of silver comes in every year!”

After all, they also knew what Zheng He said, but the problem was that it was none of their business.

Therefore, as the Minister of Household Affairs, Han Wen is naturally qualified to say this and refuse to add new military expenditure items.

If someone raises a navy, that means they have enough national power to support them. You, the little emperor, are so poor now, and your people are in dire straits now. You still want to spend money to raise a navy?

Go ahead and dream of your spring and autumn dreams!

Immediately afterwards, Min Gui, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Jin, Minister of General Affairs, Geng Ying, Minister of Dali Temple, and others all made speeches. Except for the three true kings of the court who watched silently, the rest of the Dajiu Qing, together with all the court officials, all unanimously opposed Tang. Hao's suggestion.

Tang Hao originally wanted to play around with the concept of sneaking in and tentatively asking the court to give preferential treatment to the navy, but now it seems that he is not the only smart person. All the court officials are old foxes, and nothing is that simple!

Another Ming Navy squadron entered the Pacific via the Solomon Islands and reached the east coast of Australia!

In the Straits of Malacca, Sri Lanka and Sumatra, all challenges to the Ming Dynasty's maritime authority were crushed. Envoys from thirty-six countries surrendered to the Ming Empire, and China became the most powerful maritime country at that time!

As a result, Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, led an invincible navy, crushed all dissenters, and formed a Ming Dynasty overseas empire composed of trade fortresses in the North Indian Ocean, the Malay Peninsula, Nanyang Islands, and the Sulfur Islands. This is the history of China. The greatest ocean overlord empire in the world!

Are you sure you're not using the wrong unit?

Han Wen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, took a deep breath, and then asked with red eyes: "May I ask the Marquis of Zhongshan, how much silver did you just say that the giant silver mine in Japan contains?"

How sad and ridiculous!

What Da Sinong said is truly the truth.

Based on the geopolitical thoughts of the Chinese dynasties, from the emperors and generals down to the common people, they all adhere to the concept of "China and the earth are in the middle, surrounded by the sea", which is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people!

Giant silver mine? !

Hundreds of millions of taels of silver? !

The Ming Navy, which was at the height of its power, was suddenly knocked back to its original shape, even more miserable than before!

Tang Hao chuckled and said: "I can't believe this, but... what if it is true?"

The two of them could see clearly and thoroughly.

What Tang Hao wanted to cut off was not just one person's financial path, but the financial path of the gentry who were in charge of half of the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue!

What's more, Tang Hao now wants to take the opportunity to ask for resources from the court to support the Ming Navy's re-emergence!

How can this be?

"Not to govern the barbarians" is their traditional concept, and "to rule without governing" and "to care for but not govern" are their common methods!

To put it bluntly, I am stronger than you, but I will not use force to bully or invade you. Instead, I will use kindness to influence you, so that you will take the initiative to recognize me as your boss, and let you bathe in my education and treat me. Pay tribute as a vassal!

Tianguan Ma Wensheng also had a glint in his eyes, observing the situation leisurely.

The achievements and benefits obtained by the eunuchs and eunuchs have nothing to do with the half-cent of their civil servants and gentry!

Of course not, so Middle-earth is the center of the world, the blessed land given by God to the Emperor. The places other than Middle-earth are all barren, barren, and foreign lands!

In addition, under the baptism of Confucian thoughts and speeches such as "respecting the king and repelling the barbarians", "caring for the gentle and distant", and "advocating virtue and suppressing force", the emperors of all dynasties in China did not have the ambition to dominate the world.

However, this great hegemony began to decline in the middle of the 15th century. Ever since the lauded Renxuan sects completely reduced their maritime defense lines, the Ming Dynasty Navy was destined to decline. And this maritime hegemon that Zheng He spent his whole life creating The empire, the era of hegemony when China's maritime power was at its peak, also sounded the death knell!

In fact, the fact that the Ming Dynasty was able to complete Zheng He's historic feat of sailing to the West was an accident in itself.

Cutting off people's wealth is like killing their parents!

Anyway, if you want to support the navy, if you want to open the sea and lift the ban, it is absolutely impossible!

However, when the ministers heard Tang Hao's last words, their eyes suddenly widened and they looked at each other in disbelief!

etc!

Now that the old system of collecting grain and paying taxes is restored, the royal court's revenue from the salt administration will be significantly reduced. This is inevitable.

Therefore, when Zheng He made his last voyage to the West during the Xuande period, the civil servants and gentry kept admonishing Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, and finally made this good saint grandson of Emperor Yongle give up his attempt to expand overseas and forcibly recalled Zheng He. He also lost all his energy and energy and died of illness on his way back home.

However, this is not enough. What the civil servants and gentry want is not just to let the Ming Navy rot, but to keep rotting!

Anyone who wants to rebuild the Ming Navy and open the sea to lift the ban is their enemy!

"Your Majesty, the threat from Japanese pirates is huge, but it is by no means fatal. The biggest threat to our country still comes from Mongolia, from Tatars, and from Oara. This is an indisputable fact!"

Then, the imperial resources will naturally be poured into Jiubian Military Town. This is the major policy of the country!

In addition, above this court, there is a force spread across six departments and hundreds of divisions, called Jiangnan Jinshen!

They hold high Emperor Taizu Gao's strict sea ban, they oppose Zheng He's voyages to the West, and oppose all overseas trade!

Why?

Because they are doing the same business!

For example, in the exploration and cooperation trade with Japan, where did the specialties from the Central Plains purchased by Japanese merchants such as raw silk, medicinal materials, calligraphy and painting, books, etc. come from?

Jiangnan gentry!

"If your Majesty gives preferential treatment to the Coast Guard, it will definitely chill the hearts of the other soldiers. Therefore, I sincerely ask your Majesty to think again!"

Otherwise, why did these civil servants and gentry react so violently when Tang Hao captured the Japanese mission?

The eldest uncle, Zhang Sheng, pointed out the theme directly. The northern pirates were a serious problem, while the Japanese pirates were just a scabies disease. There was no need to spend money to support the navy just because of the Japanese pirates!

At first, the ministers just listened to Tang Hao's words as a joke.

These light words are like the whisper of a devil, full of endless temptation!

Yes, what if it is true?