Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1107

In the winter of October in the 21st year of Shaowu, the sun was still shining brightly on the South China Sea and the temperature was very high.

The tall white sails on the sea reflected the sun, and the waves crashed against the ship's side with a "swishing" sound.

This is a small fleet of five sailboats, each about the size of a thousand pieces. Among the flags they fly are business names and a red flag of the sun and the moon.

The private merchants unanimously adopted this flag as their national flag. Of course, the dragon was too transgressive, so it was not painted on it.

On the large cargo ship in the middle, Lu Lide stepped onto the deck and looked at the distant horizon of the sea for a long time.

The sailors also walked onto the deck and looked into the distance together. The black shadow on the horizon was land!

People who had spent countless days on the boundless sea did not cheer when they saw land. They just let out a long sigh of relief.

Their faces, tanned by the sun, were full of excitement.

"Finally arrived in Qin."

"Ding ding dong dong..." The bronze bell on the ship rang, and the remaining ships were hung with yellow flags with the characters of sun, moon and Qin.

After a while, Qin's offshore warship came over. The red flag of Qin was waving on the ship. After a while, two small boats rowed closer.

If the flag of the Ming Dynasty is a deformation of the ordinary sun and moon, resembling a painting or a calligraphy, then the Qin State drew a Qin character in running script under the sun and moon, like a wave.

The word Qin is also conspicuous.

"Are you a merchant ship?"

The people in the boat looked up at the Qin people on the side of the boat. After understanding the general situation, they immediately shouted: "The dock is not far away, do you need to dock?"

A first officer next to Lu Lide responded: "Master Wang, please lead the way!"

The people on the boat asked about the situation again, but even though they rowed back, they didn't even get on the deck...

The boat is not big, but the cannons and equipment are only available to ordinary sailors. It is confirmed that they are from Qin, not pirates.

Lu Lide listened to the sound of waves in the harbor. Night had gradually fallen, but the lights were brightly lit on the shore.

Whenever merchant ships and warships docked, wine shops and brothels were busy.The melodious sounds and wild laughter could also be faintly heard in the cabin.

Arriving in Hanoi, Lu Lide received the royal order summoned by King Qin.

He quickly packed up his dignity and entered the palace to meet the saint.

Walking through the towering towers and palaces, Lu Lide felt that the Qin Palace was becoming more and more majestic. It was obvious that the Qin State had built it very well.

When he arrived at the Council Hall, in the bright winter light, the highest-ranking civil and military officials in the imperial court stood on both sides, all looking at his face.

Lu Lide stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying: "I will finally fail the king's trust. Please forgive me!"

"Pingshen." Zhu Cunming sat on it and spoke with great energy: "This trip is to explore dangerous areas, and I am not sure whether they are there. You soldiers have to go through thorns and thorns to open up new lands. It is also a hard work. Enjoy the reward!"

With tears in his eyes, Lu Lide knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Prime ministers such as Liu Guan, Mao Fu, and Ruan Cheng on the side did not squint.

The ministers remained silent, and the atmosphere was somewhat dull.

The Lao country in the west was not worth mentioning, and the Khmer was also captured by the imperial court. The imperial court was in the north, so the King of Qin wanted to expand, but he had no way.

This time King Qin sent ships to capture and search for new islands.

Because there are rumors in the market that the further south you go, the more you will encounter a big island. The island is as huge as the Ming Dynasty and is rich in iron, copper, gold, silver and other minerals.

For the Qin State, which is now short of gold and silver, these mineral resources are in urgent need. Therefore, with such a request, the King of Qin sent people to capture and explore the big island.

Unfortunately, Lu Lide did not find it, but only captured some Kunlun slaves on several islands as a cross.

Minerals, not even hair.

Among the secret discussions among the prime ministers, it was King Qin who was jealous of Qi State's mining.

Qi has all the minerals that Qin needs, and it is enough to feed everyone without the need for hard work.

Just what Qin needs.

Of course, in the eyes of the ministers, instead of working hard to mine, it would be better to exchange grain and cloth for Qi's mines. Wouldn't it be nice?
Zhu Cunming looked at the silence of everyone and felt angry in his heart.

"Your Highness, when I returned, I passed through the State of Qi and went to Linzi. The King of Qi had the honor to meet and discuss business matters..."

Lu Lide whispered.

"Business?" Zhu Cunming was stunned: "Haven't Qi State and our country always been communicating with each other? What's there to say..."

"Your Highness, King Qi wants to use mines in exchange for food, not money." Lu Lide said hurriedly: "Qi is also short of money."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned.

Although there are a lot of minerals in Qi, minting money requires technology. If you look at North Korea and Japan now, after so many years, the currency they make is still in tatters, and they have to use clear money.

Even if there is a big gift package from the vassal state, Qi State will definitely have no craftsmen to use.

In this way, even if they have a lot of gold and silver, they have to be sent to Beijing in exchange for money.

Who would be willing to exchange [-]% of gold for [-]% of gold coins if it is not necessary?

Of course, pure gold and silver can also be used, but they are not as simple and affordable as coins.

"Very good!" Zhu Cunmai nodded in agreement: "In my opinion, in addition to trade, we also need to communicate with ships and people."

"Why does Qi need to turn to Lu Song? In Qin, books, cloth, and even lacquerware and ironware are all cheaper than Lu Song. It would be best to exchange them with mines."

The Qin State was so poor that it had almost nothing except food. The common people did not have enough iron tools for daily use, so they had to go to Foshan to buy them.

Even after passing many checkpoints and traveling thousands of miles, the ironware from Foshan was still of high quality and low price after arriving in Qin.

Therefore, when there is no shortage of craftsmen, the biggest demand is mines.

Although he has no interest in steel, he cannot withstand the pressure of realistic demands.

The huge Qin State needed farm tools, armor, and artillery, especially to conquer Laos.

He still has a sweet dream of making all his disciples kings!

"Your Highness, the King of Qi has said that he is willing to support our country's western expedition to Laos. All he wants is some slaves."

"I agree."

King Qin said casually.

The news spread quickly throughout Hanoi, and soon Weiguo also knew about it.

After a while, Weiguo sent someone to ask for business negotiations.

After all, Qin State still has food. Wei State has just conquered it, and Khmer has just conquered it. However, it lacks everything and needs the support of the two big countries.

"Is there anything in your country that can be used to offset the debt?"

The envoy was confused: "Our country is rich in wood, teak, ironwood, rosewood, ebony..."

"That's all!" Zhu Cunming thought about the new construction of Weiguo and couldn't help but sigh: "Weiguo just pays for it with grain and wood!"

As for King Wei who has not yet become a vassal, does the Prime Minister have the power?
Nonsense, during the period when the Prime Minister is acting on behalf of the country, he is fully responsible for all political affairs of the country. It can be said that he is the King of Wei.

It was also the trust given to him by the emperor.

The newly established Weiguo cannot have any constraints.

Focusing on the problem of lack of silver, the three vassals discussed carefully and finally formulated the principle of barter.

That is, estimate the value of the goods based on the Guangdong market price and then trade.

For example, one stone of grain costs [-] cents in Guangzhou, and the goods are exchanged for the value of [-] cents.In the meantime, money turnover can be avoided to a minimum.

This is extremely beneficial to the three countries.

The relationship between the three countries has improved, and Haiyi has been decided.

That is, it is very convenient to set up sea stations in coastal ports to turn around goods and trade letters.

In this way, a triangular route is formed.

Wei and Qin were close to each other, so they discussed the matter of cultivating officialdom together, which was also beneficial to both countries.

At this time, it was already snowing in the north.

Bu He, wrapped in thick fur, walked into the tent and patted the snowflakes on his body, and saw someone inside laying bricks.

He was a middle-aged man, wearing a short coat made of sheepskin, and his hands were covered in mud while working.

Han'er turned his head and glanced at Buhe, but he didn't even bow. He continued to work and said in Chinese, "This is called Kang. It can't stand the severe cold at night, so we use mud bricks to build the stove and build a bed on top of it. No matter how cold it is, It won’t be cold even if you sleep on such a beautiful day.”

"Yeah!" Bu He sat down and watched Han'er sweep a shovelful of coal into the furnace. It was burning red and emitting great heat.

There is a hanging pot on it, cooking a fragrant mutton soup.

Bu He sprinkled some salt, glanced at the Han people, sprinkled an extra handful, and then took out the hidden condiments: "These are chive flowers, eat them with meat."

"When did you become particular about it?"

Han'er laughed, then took out the dagger from his arms, forked a piece of meat and started chewing it.

The two of them just ate in silence one after another, devouring everything.

After a while, there were only a few bones left, which were eaten by the dogs, and half of the pot of broth went into their stomachs.

Qi Qianxing then loosened his belt, patted his belly and said, "How is it? How are you thinking about it?"

"Tieyang's money is too little." Bu He burped and couldn't help but said, "I have 230 households of herdsmen and 200 households of serfs, but I only get [-] yuan."

Qi Qianxing rolled her eyes at him: "Iron Sheep's money is only in round numbers, how can I give you three hundred?"

"Besides, don't forget, we are still building a house for you in the city, and there are two hundred acres of farmland, which is not low."

Iron sheep money, this is the redemption policy implemented by the imperial court on the grassland.

That is, money was used to redeem the tribes and lands of the nobles.

In terms of the specific process, this is to retain his title, let him live in a city, and distribute a certain amount of money every year to support his life and his descendants.

A herdsman's income is one yuan per year.

Like a hardcore crop, constant.

In this way, the conflicts on the grassland can be effectively alleviated, and it is also a solution for the grassland nobles.

They definitely wouldn't dare to let them rebel, but at the same time they were unwilling to give up power and wealth, so they could only compromise for iron sheep money.

Living together in cities, owning their own houses and farmland like the Han people, living a wealthy and enjoyable life is enough to wear down the willpower of most nobles.

For the vast number of small and medium-sized tribal slave owners, even if they have hundreds of herdsmen, their life is not as good as that of ordinary landowners in Han Dynasty.

At the same time, the powerful border troops prevented him from making any rash moves.

"I agree." Bu He sighed: "It's freezing to death on the grassland in winter, exposed to wind and sun, and it's not as comfortable as staying in the city."

Qi Qianxing showed a smile: "Very good, next summer, a big city will be built in the Alxa area, and you will move in then."

When the thick curtains were lifted, the howling wind suddenly became louder, and it was still windy and snowy outside.

The undulating wilderness was completely white, and the tents, people, and horses seemed to be hidden in the wind and snow.

As far as the eye can see, there is a barren landscape.

"I don't want such a hard life, even if it comes to me." Qi Qianxing turned around and said.

Immediately he got back into the tent.

The next day, Qi Qianxing opened the thick sheepskin curtain and faced a blast of cold wind, suffocating him suddenly.

Just coming off the warm kang, the cold seemed even more unbearable than usual.

He suddenly found a roll of paper tied beside the curtain door, he quickly untied it and looked around first.It was just dawn, and the air was dry and cold in the wind. There was no one in the tented camp, and nothing was found.

Qi Qianxing walked into the tent with the paper, took a piece of charcoal to light the oil lamp, and looked under the lamp. It read:

Generals Erlinqin and Gulu Daiqing of the Ordos tribe rebelled.

He went out of the tent again. There were no footprints outside the door at this time. They must have been placed there early in the morning.

He was startled, hurriedly hid the things in his arms, packed up his things and went out of the tent.

In the Alxa region, only the Erlinqin and Gulu Daiqing tribes of the Ordos tribe were the most powerful, which was also an obstacle to the establishment of Juyan Prefecture in Suiyuan.

Therefore, as early as half a year ago, Suiyuan sent envoys to persuade him to join to avoid losses.

After all, Suiyuan was too poor and had always been financially dependent on the imperial court. It would not go to war if it could be avoided.

"This place is close to Alxa, so it must not be peace, it must be a warning from a friendly tribe..."

Panicked in his heart, he hurriedly bid farewell to Buhe and returned to Jiuyuan Fucheng with his entourage enjoying the warmth.

There is no hindrance to people in the middle of winter.

"Governor Xian!" Qi Qianxing bowed hurriedly.

He was from the governor's Yamen, so he naturally asked to see Xiong Rulin immediately.

Xiong Rulin was silent: "It is impossible to build troops in winter, so we can only talk about the turn of spring and summer."

"It's just that there's something fishy about predicting it half a year in advance!"

Xiong Rulin was silent for a long time and asked someone to call the chief envoy Tu Zhongji to come over.

"The Tatars really have no faith. They break their promises as soon as they make them. They also asked the military governor to prepare troops. Even if they use all their strength, they will destroy this guy."

"This is something weird." Xiong Rulin said in a deep voice, "We need to think about it carefully."

At the same time, Mobei General Mansion and Kulun City.

As the general who controlled this place, Xiong Yingjie also noticed something was wrong.

Of course, the most important thing is that someone secretly snitches.

"Tell me, what exactly is it?"

The round-faced noble looked timid and whispered:

"Some direct descendants of the Chechen Khans, Tushetu Khans, and Zhasak Tuhans, the so-called descendants of the Golden Family, are not satisfied with having their power taken away from them. In addition, many nobles do not want iron sheep money."

"So they decided to rebel together and overthrow the general's mansion..."

"The remnants are indeed the remnants."

Xiong Yingjie said angrily: "My Ming Dynasty treats you so kindly. Instead of thinking of kindness, I repay kindness with hatred. I really deserve to die."

"How many troops and horses? When are you going to raise the troops?"

"There are hundreds of nobles, big and small, and I heard there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. I don't know when the troops will be dispatched..."

(End of this chapter)