Fenghou

Chen Qing pondered for a moment, spread out the paper, and wrote down the 'two or three strategies for cultivating overseas trade talents'.

The first thousand and 330 chapters and three labors

Early the next morning, Chen Qing came to the official room as usual, he sat down in his seat, and the soldiers came in to pour tea for him.

Chen Qing's room was originally served by a tea boy to brew and pour tea for him, but Chao Qing found out that this was a security hole. If someone bribed the tea boy, the consequences would be disastrous.

At this time, Chao Qing said at the door: "Your Highness, Chao Kun is already waiting in the corridor!"

Chen Qing nodded, "Let him in!"

Chao Kun has always been a highly valued official by Chen Qing. He is independent and dares to take risks overseas. Chen Qing really appreciates this adventurous spirit.

At this time, Chao Kun was pacing back and forth in the corridor. The corridor is located in the courtyard, where officials rest and chat at noon. The corridor leads to the meeting hall and the staff hall. At the same time, the corridor is also a place where officials wait to be summoned. , Of course, there are tables and chairs where you can sit and drink tea, or you can walk back and forth to relieve the tension in your heart.

Chao Kun was indeed a little nervous. He went to Nanyang again last year, and he couldn't find any of the crops His Royal Highness asked him to find, so he didn't know how to explain to His Royal Highness.

At this time, the elder brother said at the end of the corridor: "Akun, Your Highness let you in!"

Chao Kun came over and asked in a low voice, "How is Your Highness feeling?"

"Go! Don't worry."

Chao Kun plucked up the courage to enter the office, bowed and saluted, "See Your Highness!"

"Please sit down!" Chen Qing smiled and asked him to sit down.

His Royal Highness Yong's smile reassured Chao Kun, and he sat down on a chair beside him.

Chen Qing asked again: "Did you go to Nanyang in the past two years?"

Chao Kun's heart tightened, His Highness really cared about this matter the most, he hesitated for a moment and said: "Reporting to Your Highness, I went to Nanyang last year, but unfortunately, I didn't meet the crops that His Highness wanted, even the palm fruit. could not find it."

He didn't find his own stuff, as expected by Chen Qing, this is not the place of origin in Nanyang.

"It's fine if you don't find it. I'll look for it later when I have a chance."

Chao Kun felt relieved. He had been worrying about the matter for a year, but he didn't expect His Royal Highness King Yong to explain it in a few words.

"Beizhi went to Nanyang last year mainly to buy spices."

Chen Qing also knew that the spices sold by Jingzhao were continuously transported from Quanzhou, and it should be Chao Kun who brought them back from Nanyang.

"Have you met any Dashi merchants in Nanyang?"

"Yes, but not as many as before. It is said that there were many before."

"Why did it decrease?"

"Actually, it has something to do with the court."

Chen Qing frowned, "It's related to the imperial court, why?"

"The imperial court forcibly confiscated the ships of the sea merchants into warships, resulting in the disappearance of merchant ships going to Dashi. Dashi merchants usually take our merchant ships from the Song Dynasty. Without our Wanshi large ships, they really dare not take small ships. Merchant ships, they say that small merchant ships capsize in storms, and only our ships are the most reliable."

"Without our ships, there will be fewer big food merchants in Nanyang?"

"exactly!"

Chen Qing asked again: "What kind of goods do big food merchants usually sell?"

"Blankets, blankets, tinware, cloth, mainly cloth."

"Cotton?"

Chao Kun nodded, "Bizhi went to the spice shop and cloth shop last night and found that the quality of our cloth is much better than theirs. Our cloth is mainly cotton, while theirs is grass cotton."

Chen Qing wondered, the other party could use all cotton to weave. Is it because their velvet is longer and easier to weave? He asked, "Did you ask them for some grass cotton seeds?"

"His Royal Highness, the natives of Nanyang have always wanted to ask for cotton seeds from Dashi, but Dashi merchants are very vigilant and never bring cotton seeds to Nanyang, but I believe that their cotton seeds should be the same as ours. We The cotton seeds in China came from the Western Regions, and the earliest came from Persia or Dashi.”

After a pause, Chao Kun said again: "There is another matter, I have to ask His Highness for instructions!"

"you say!"

"Bizhi went to the spice shop yesterday. In fact, he was selling spices for his colleagues. He also bought a load of spices himself. They were all bought by himself. I don't know if I can do this? Your Highness please instruct me!"

Chen Qing knows that all crew members, including soldiers, who go overseas will carry some private goods and make a little money back and forth. Good thing, in the end there is no one to do anything.

Chen Qingxiao asked: "How much did you personally earn from a trip to Nanyang?"

"Xiaozhi spent [-] guan, bought a load of spices, and sold [-] guan when he came back."

"not bad!"

Chen Qing said indifferently: "I will only give you four words, enough is enough, it is okay to carry a small amount, if you want to buy hundreds of catties or thousands of catties, then absolutely not."

"Understood, I understand. I will raise this issue when preparing for the establishment of a trade supervisor. We must set rules on how much personal belongings each person can carry. If there are no rules, there will definitely be a large number of people carrying goods for others, taking up the load of the ship."

"Is there anything else to report?"

"There is one more thing that I have to report to Your Highness for my humble position."

"go on!"

Chao Kun thought for a while and said, "This time when we go to Japan, we will post notices to hire some laborers for twenty cents a day. It is said that this is twice as expensive as the labor price in those days. As a result, there were too many people who signed up. It was a sea of ​​people. I heard that Japan has a large population and few opportunities to make money. Many people came to the seaport to find work. I was wondering if I could recruit Japanese laborers to pick cotton in Ryukyu. , After all, we only harvest [-]% of the cotton in the big island of Ryukyu every year, and most of it is wasted, which is a pity."

Chen Qing thought for a while and said: "In principle, it is possible, but the details must be done well, such as not allowing Japanese laborers to settle in Ryukyu Island. Of course, it is okay for Japanese women to marry Han laborers, so you have to change after one year. People, let them cut wood, build roads, grow sugarcane, and pick cotton. The wages can be a little higher, including food and housing, [-] yuan a day, so that more people can be attracted to the past. "

"Should this matter be discussed and decided by the Internal Affairs Hall?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "Not for the time being, you should do it first. The number of recruits in the first year is within 3000, the number can be increased to 5000 in the second year, and 1 in the third year. Submit an application, and then the internal government will formulate a system, and as for the army to maintain order, I will give you a thousand soldiers."

Chen Qing thought for a while and smiled again: "You should write an application! I will approve it for you, so that you can do things better."

"Humble job will be submitted tomorrow!"

……

Chao Qing has been paying attention to his brother's situation outside. Seeing that it took nearly an hour for Chao Kun to report, he was secretly surprised. His Royal Highness King Yong rarely received officials for more than half an hour, but he actually talked with his brother for nearly an hour. His Royal Highness King Laiyong valued his brother very much, and of course he also valued the huge profit of overseas trade.

"How? Have you been criticized?" Chao Qing asked with concern.

Chao Kun nodded, "Fortunately, His Highness asked a lot about overseas affairs, and His Highness agreed to the plan I proposed."

At this time, Chao Qing saw that Jiang Yanxian had accompanied Zheng Tongquan over, and he hurriedly said to his brother: "You go back first! Let's talk in detail tonight."

After Chao Kun left, Chao Qing greeted him with a smile and said, "Counselor Jiang wants to see His Highness?"

Jiang Yan nodded with a smile, "Is Your Highness free?"

"I just had an interview with Chao Kun, I'll go ask, the counselor is waiting!"

Chao Qing entered the room and reported: "Your Highness, Counselor Jiang and Duke Zheng are asking to see you."

Chen Qing looked at the clock, it was almost noon, he got up and said with a smile: "Go to the teahouse and talk to them, arrange a carriage, and then invite Counselor Zhou!"

Soon, the carriage was arranged, Zhou Kuan also came, and the four of them boarded two carriages and drove towards the teahouse.

The first thousand and 330 chapters and four visions

Zheng Tongquan really did not expect that he would become an official at the age of 55. He also participated in the imperial examination when he was young, but failed, and then followed his father to become a drug dealer. More than 30 years passed in a blink of an eye. Someone once told his fortune , Said that he would meet a nobleman in his later years, and he was right, he actually met King Yong, of course, it was because of his son Zheng Ping.

Zheng Tongquan talked with Jiang Yanxian yesterday. He knows that the prison belongs to the first-level and semi-official government. The highest officer is called Jianzheng.

He will be the first supervisor, which makes him look forward to and a little apprehensive.

The four of them sat down in the teahouse, and Chen Qingxiao asked, "How is Zheng Gong's cupboard?"

Zheng Tongquan hurriedly bowed and said, "My eldest son is running the business. I just came back yesterday morning and haven't had time to ask about it. I'll go home tonight and ask about it."

"no need!"

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "I'm just asking casually, but I'm actually more interested in Zheng Gong's idea of ​​building a trade supervisor."

Zheng Tongquan was refreshed. He thought about it all night last night, and he wanted to find an opportunity to report to His Royal Highness King Yong.

Zhou Kuan chuckled and said, "Eat first, and then report when you drink tea after the meal."

At this time, the shopkeeper took his staff to bring them roast mutton rice, seven or eight refreshing side dishes, a bowl of thick mutton soup for each person, and two jugs of hot wine.

"Bring us a pot of Fengcha later, and today's account will be on my head!" Chen Qing smiled and ordered the shopkeeper.

"The villain understands, please use it slowly, Your Highness and all the counselors!" The shopkeeper saluted and retreated.

Zhou Kuan grinned and said, "Thank you Your Highness for your generosity today!"

Chen Qing glanced at him, and said calmly: "Compared to the unruly behavior of Butler Zhou, I am indeed more generous."

"I don't follow the rules?"

Zhou Kuan was taken aback, "Why?"

Chen Qing asked aggressively: "Let me ask Housekeeper Zhou, which warehouse did you put the silver from Japan into?"

Zhou Kuan immediately understood that he had included all the silver in the monastery treasury yesterday, and did not give half of King Yong's treasury. Put it together, and when it is refined, I will give half to the treasury, it is not a bad rule!"

"If I don't remind you, will you remember?"

"According to what His Highness said, rules are rules, and rules cannot be broken just because of this. Of course, sometimes I will accidentally break the rules once or twice."

Everyone laughed, Chen Qing couldn't help laughing and said: "I just want to remind you that this batch of crude silver is not something we collect ourselves, but is exchanged for foreign trade. Don't regard it as a rule that can be broken by chance."

"Since His Highness has reminded you, the humble official will know. Don't worry, Your Highness, this important matter will not become an accident!"

"Let's eat!"

Chen Qing raised his chopsticks to persuade Zheng Tongquan: "The roasted sheep in this store are authentic Tongzhou bitter spring sheep. They have a pasture in Tongzhou. Zheng Gong has a taste, and the taste is very good!"

"It's really good, Beizhi just ate a piece, it's indeed more tender and flavorful than Linan's mutton!"

"Where does the mutton in Lin'an come from?" Jiang Yanxian asked curiously.

"The Hu sheep by the Taihu Lake in Suzhou are mainly for the imperial palace and ministers, then the sheep by the Poyang Lake are mainly for the civilian market, and the Huai sheep produced by the Jianghuai River are also for the civilian market. We have not banned the trade with Lin'an yet. , they still have something to eat, once the order is banned, only fish and poultry will be left in the market.”

After everyone finished their lunch, the waiter took away the tableware, and two tea princesses served them tea.

Chen Qing took a sip of tea, smiled at Zheng Tongquan, and said, "Mr. Zheng, continue talking!"

Zheng Tongquan cleared his throat and said: "At present, our overseas trade is mainly in Southeast Asia, mainly spices, and some other precious woods. This time we went to Japan to exchange silver, which can be regarded as opening up another market. In fact, we can go further. , such as Ceylon, Tianzhu, Dashi and Daqin, etc. This is the first point I want to say, which is to expand far, and the second point is the foundation. We think we should have our own foundation overseas, such as buying a piece of land to build overseas States, build huge warehouses in overseas states, even many crops can be processed, our merchant fleet will go directly to overseas states, and the merchants of the other party will come to our overseas states to buy goods, so that more goods will be imported and exported, and more profits will be made Big."

Chen Qing waved his hand, stopped Zheng Tongquan's words, and said with a smile, "I'll interrupt first."

"Please speak, Your Highness!"

Chen Qing said to Jiang Yanxian and Zhou Kuan: "Duke Zheng said that overseas states are exactly the same as what I saw. When I attacked Hebei before, when I was in Dengzhou, I considered taking Tamna Island, the southernmost island of Goryeo, and took Tamna The island will become our first overseas state, and then based on Tamna Island, it will be more convenient for Korea and Japan to trade. There are more lands in Nanyang, such as Luzon Island. There are large islands that are uninhabited. The island can be used by us, establish an overseas state, then buy another piece of land from Malacca, and then establish a third overseas state, station troops in the overseas state, attack the island, and protect our overseas interests. I think this matter Totally doable."

Jiang Yan pondered for a while and said, "Your Highness has a very good idea, but there are two problems. First, what should the local natives do? Second, a lot of manpower is needed to build roads and cities. Who will do it?"

"The natives are easy to handle, just move them away as a whole. We have experience in migrating nomads, so this is not a big problem. As for the large amount of manpower, Chao Kun gave me an idea today, that is to use Korean and Japanese laborers to They went to log, build roads, build cities, and even open up wasteland and farm land. After the land was almost developed, they migrated to the Han people. Of course, this is not something that can be done in one or two years. It takes several generations of hard work, but we can give Let the children and grandchildren make a good start and solve their worries."

Jiang Yan nodded first, "Your Highness is right, when will the Internal Affairs Hall discuss it and establish a charter!"

Zhou Kuan said with a smile: "The prerequisite for overseas expansion is that His Highness must take Fujian Road!"

Zheng Tongquan also said: "The third point I want to say is also related to Fujian Road!"

Chen Qing nodded, "Mr. Zheng, go on to the third point!"

Zheng Tongquan said calmly: "The third point I mentioned is the key. Whether it is overseas trade or opening up overseas states, the key is that we have a solid foundation. Your Highness, we must cultivate excellent shipbuilding talents to build bigger and stronger ships." For example, I saw vehicles and boats on the Yangtze River, can they also be used on sea boats? In this way, you don’t have to wait for the monsoon to set off, and you can set off at any time. Raise the sails when there is wind, no When the wind is windy furl the sails and step on it."

Chen Qing thought for a while and asked, "Where was my [-] stone boat built? Quanzhou?"

"That's right! It's Quanzhou, which was jointly built by three big shipyards. If only one of them can't make it, that ship can sail into the depths of the ocean. We need more big ships like that."

Chen Qing said with emotion: "It seems that we need to do a lot of things!"

……

After a month of preparation for the establishment of the Trade Supervision, it was formally established in late September. Nominated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chen Qing officially appointed Zheng Tongquan as the first Trade Supervision and Supervision. Bureau.

Zhao Kai's second son, Zhao Qinian, served as the director of the Land Trade Administration, Chao Kun served as the director of the Maritime Trade Administration, Xin Deli, the head of the government and business affairs department, served as the director of the Domestic Trade Administration, and finally Chen Qing appointed Gao Kun, the director of the Yuantian Housing Department, as the trade supervisor Sima, Zheng Tongquan's deputy, also serves as the head of the Bureau of Affairs. The Bureau of Affairs is in charge of logistics, such as planning and finance, documents, personnel recruitment, and liaison with other departments.

The establishment of the Trade Supervisor marked that the government and merchants of Prince Yong's Mansion officially entered the era of the Far Sea and the Far Land.

The first thousand and 330 chapters and five founding of the country

After the negotiations with the imperial court broke down, it is not that nothing will happen. In fact, the independence of Prince Yong's Mansion has been in full swing. This is not only a matter of Chen Qing's personal ambition, but also concerns the personal interests of Chen Qing's tens of thousands of subordinates. Interests are also related to the legitimacy of Yongwangfu's local rule.

For example, local states and counties belong to the imperial court, and they are officials of the Song Dynasty, so they should be managed by the imperial court in Lin'an, but in fact they are managed by the Yongwang Mansion in Jingzhao, and the Yongwang Mansion is not the imperial court, so theoretically they have no right Jurisdiction states and counties.

As a result, Jingzhao manages all prefectures and counties in the name of the Sichuan-Shanxi Xuanfu Commissioner, and the Sichuan-Shanxi Xuanfu Commissioner is appointed by the imperial court. to manage.