The Most Powerful Man in the World

In the final analysis, almost [-]% of so much silver is foreign, of which Japanese silver accounts for a very small part, and the biggest one is American silver.

Through overseas trade, hundreds of millions of silver continuously flowed into Daming. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Chenggong, who dominated the coastal areas of Daming, were able to collect millions of taels of tolls each year by simply collecting tolls by sea. During this period, how much silver flowed into Daming from overseas.

Although it is said that overseas silver has not flowed into China in large quantities at present, it is because the Ming Dynasty is relatively stable, and the effect of the sea ban is still there. After a huge increase, overseas trade skyrocketed, and since then a steady stream of silver began to flow into the country.

But even so, through those maritime merchants, the silver that flows into Daming every year is skyrocketing at an alarming rate.

If it weren't for this, how could the land of Jiangnan be so prosperous, and Chu Yi couldn't have easily copied so much silver.

Even the amount of silver that was not confiscated from Lu Wenyang's mansion, about half of which was obtained by Lu Wenyang, who had smuggled wildly and carried out overseas trade with the convenience of his own water transport governor.

[Monthly pass, monthly pass, red duck! 】

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Before American silver and Japanese silver flowed into China, gold and silver were really scarce for China. Otherwise, why did the dynasties before the Ming Dynasty use copper coins as the main currency in circulation, in the final analysis, it was because Daming did not have a large amount of silver storage.

Of course, even if it is copper mines and iron mines, the land of Huaxia can be regarded as a barren land.

On the contrary, on the other side of the continent, all kinds of mineral resources are called rich, which is simply eye-catching.

Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth wide, and his eyes were full of horror. After Zheng He went to the Western Ocean, although there was no complete world map for Daming, after piecing it together, a map of most of the world could still be put together.

Therefore, Zhu Houzhao was not surprised by the other continents mentioned by Chu Yi, because after Zheng He returned from his voyage to the West, he introduced some overseas countries, large and small, huge islands and so on.

When Zhu Houzhao was studying, under the influence of Chu Yi, he also dabbled in these miscellaneous books more or less, so compared to some emperors, Zhu Houzhao can at least understand what Chu Yi is referring to.

It's just that in the past, there was only a vague concept of the world outside the Ming Dynasty, but now I heard Chu Yi mention the Iwami Silver Mountain in the Eastern Ying Island country, and I heard Chu Yi mention the rich resources on the American continent.

Even Zhu Houzhao's eyes turned red, and his breathing became a little short.

Chu Yi did not disturb Zhu Houzhao, but let Zhu Houzhao calm down slowly.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Houzhao nodded towards Chu Yi after a while and said, "But it made the big companion laugh."

Chu Yi shook his head and said, "Your Majesty's reaction is normal. Anyone who hears this will be like His Majesty."

Zhu Houzhao sighed and said, "I never thought that there would be such a fertile land overseas. If it wasn't for the mention of my partner, I would never have thought of this."

Chu Yi nodded slightly and said, "Yeah, not to mention us, since ancient times, the ancestors have all claimed that the Central Plains, the Celestial Empire, and the Heavenly Treasures, outside the Central Plains, are all barbarian places, but they don't know that the barbarian land contains rare treasures. Alien treasure."

After pondering for a while, Zhu Houzhao looked at Chu Yi and said, "Da Compan wants to open the sea, does Daxing sea trade? Then the coastal Japanese pirates..."

Japanese pirates have existed since the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. It is nothing more than that during the Jiajing period, due to the growth of the maritime merchants, many maritime merchants used the banner of Japanese pirates to harm the coastal areas. There are not many real Japanese pirates.

Chu Yi sneered and said, "The mere barbarians dare to disturb our Celestial Seas, just send a large army to suppress it!"

Seeing that Zhu Houzhao still had a hesitant look on his face, Chu Yi said solemnly, "Your Majesty should know that Daming has reached the point where it must be changed. If I don't make any changes, if things go on like this, I'm afraid Daming will be in danger!"

People of later generations all say that Zhang Juzheng's reforms extended his life to Daming for a hundred years, which may be an exaggeration, but it also shows that Daming was considered terminally ill during this period. If he did not make changes, he would really enter the end of the dynasty.

In particular, the Little Ice Age is coming. If Daming does not have enough energy, I am afraid that it will be difficult to survive the Little Ice Age, and everything will repeat itself.

His body shook slightly, and Zhu Houzhao slowly raised his head to look at Chu Yi and said, "Big partner, what are you going to do?"

Obviously, Zhu Houzhao said this, indicating that in Zhu Houzhao's heart, he was already inclined towards Chu Yi. Of course, Zhu Houzhao did not distrust Chu Yi, but he was only forced by his ancestors' training, because the ministers of civil and military affairs in the past were resolutely opposed to the influence of Kaihai.

Chu Yi never thought about going to the sky in one step and opening the sea directly. That's not realistic either. If the steps are too big, sometimes he will really hurt himself.

Chu Yi's eyes shone brightly and confidently said: "Your Majesty, this minister is going to choose a location along the coast and set up a port for foreign trade, allowing the merchants of the Ming Dynasty to go out to sea through this port. At the same time, the minister will also choose a location. Here, build a huge sea fleet for me, Daming."

Now is the rise of the era of great voyages, and the maritime powers of Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands are just emerging now. At this time, as long as he wants, Daming can participate in the age of great voyages and get a share of the pie.

Not to mention the rest, just the crops of corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes in the Americas, once they are successfully brought back to Daming, and then slowly spread, even if the Little Ice Age comes, what is there to be afraid of.

As long as the people have a ray of hope for survival, they will not be instigated to rebel, so even for these, Chu Yi must send people out to sea.

Of course, the Americas are rich in astonishing various mineral resources, so I don't know about it. Compared with the small countries like Portugal and the Netherlands, the eastern empire of the Ming Dynasty occupies enough time and place. If you want, you can do it. Easily crush these small Western countries.

Small countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, small countries with few people, only have a few million citizens, but the Ming Dynasty has a population of hundreds of millions, what a terrible number.

Don't look at the thousands of warships and tens of thousands of merchant ships of these Western maritime powers, but this is due to the accumulation of these countries for decades.

Not to mention anything else in the Ming Dynasty, the population advantage was too great. As long as the central dynasty made up its mind and worked hard, it would be easy to build a sea fleet with thousands of warships in a few years. As for the merchant ships, There are not a lot of private merchant ships at all. If the court establishes a legal sea trade port again, it will definitely set off a sea trade boom, and Jieshi will keep a large number of powerful and rich merchants frantically building ships.

Looking at Chu Yi's firm appearance, Zhu Houzhao knew that Chu Yi's mind had been made, and even he might not be able to change Chu Yi's mind.

Knowing in his heart that Chu Yi is all for his consideration, for the stability of the Ming Dynasty, and taking a deep breath, Zhu Houzhao nodded towards Chu Yi and said, "As long as you let it go, I will support you."

Chu Yi chuckled and said, "Your Majesty will definitely not regret today's decision!"

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said: "I believe that the big companion will not let me down."

Chu Yi smiled and said: "Your Majesty may wish to take a look at the ship models prepared by the minister for His Majesty, you must know that these are made by skilled craftsmen after shrinking the real ships, and they are almost no different from the real ships, even if they are in the Great Lakes. It can also float on water.”

"Oh, then I must see it!"

Previously, Zhu Houzhao only thought that those ship models were very delicate, but he never thought that these exquisite models could float on the water like real ships.

There is an artificially excavated lake in the Leopard Room, which is much larger than the small lake that Chu Yi dug up in the East Factory.

When a treasure ship model was put into the lake, hundreds of ship models floated on the lake soon, and the ship models were neatly arranged and floating on the lake.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the golden light covered the lake. At first glance, these ships looked like real big ships. Zhu Hou looked at them, and vaguely felt an inexplicable momentum coming from this fleet. emerge.

He was in a trance, and when he came back to his senses, it seemed to be just an illusion, but looking at these ship models again, Zhu Houzhao's eyes were full of expectations.

After returning from the Baofang, Chu Yi directly invited Jiao Fang from the mansion.

It was a bit late now, but Jiao Fang still came to see Chu Yi in a sedan chair after receiving the news.

In the living room, Jiao Fang bowed to Chu Yi and said, "The Governor called me here, but is there something wrong?"

Chu Yi motioned Jiao Fang to sit down and talk, but Jiao Fang did not show any courtesy to Chu Yi, and looked at Chu Yi after sitting down.

Chu Yi put down the teacup in his hand, looked up at Jiao Fang and said, "Jiao Fang, the Governor came out of the Baofang not long ago, but he asked His Majesty for instructions, and plans to choose a place along the coast as a foreign trade port and set up a city. Ship company..."

Jiao Fang, who was drinking tea, couldn't help but spit out a sip of tea, looking at Chu Yi with a look of astonishment on her face: "Professor, are you going to open the sea ban?"

Just looking at Jiao Fang's reaction, she knew that Jiao Fang was stunned by Chu Yi's words.

It is impossible for Jiao Fang not to be shocked. Who does not know the great interests behind the sea ban?

For a long time, the relationship between Daming Haiban and Kaihai seems to be a game of invisible power, but it is obvious that the power of the forbidden sea is very strong, even as the emperor, it is difficult to disobey this force.

As the Ming civil and military people who can sit in high positions, there are not many fools at all, and it is impossible for fools to get to where they are today under the big waves.

Therefore, everyone knows the benefits of opening the sea to Daming, but once the sea is opened, it will hurt the interests of those behind them too much.

Those maritime merchants, dignitaries, and gentry relied on their own strength to carry out overseas trade recklessly. Relying on the sea ban, they restricted countless people from the sea trade, and restricted overseas trade to a circle, and this circle was the beneficiary of the sea ban.

Over time, these beneficiaries of the sea ban have become obstacles to the opening of the sea, staunch supporters of the sea ban, and anyone who tries to open the sea is their mortal enemy.

Once the sea is opened, it will inevitably affect the interests of these people, and the interests are very huge. This is the biggest reason why so many people are firmly opposed to opening the sea.

It is precisely because Jiao Fang is too aware of all the aspects involved, that it is simply a power like a giant. Compared with that, Lu Wenyang's power is simply a small fight.

Thinking that Chu Yi was going to collide with such a force, even Jiao Fang couldn't help breaking a cold sweat for Chu Yi.

Seeing Jiao Fang's reaction in his eyes, Chu Yi sighed in his heart, just like the information he had obtained through Dongchang and Jinyiwei, the sea merchants, the dignitaries, and the lords had already woven a big net, completely monopolizing the sea trade. Terrible interests, anyone who wants to touch this taboo is a provocation to these huge vested interests.

[Monthly pass, reward, rush duck! 】

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Jiao Fang looked at Chu Yi, and said with a bit of a wry smile and worry: "Master, this matter has to be considered from a long-term perspective. Opening the sea is very beneficial to me. Anyone with a discerning eye can see this, but..."

Chu Yi smiled slightly and waved his hand: "Jiao Ge is thinking too much, when did Chu say that he wants to open the sea!"

Jiao Fang couldn't help but look at Chu Yi suspiciously. Could it be that he could still hear it wrong? Chu Yi wants to set up a foreign trade port and set up a shipping department.

Chu Yi said slowly: "The Governor is just setting up a foreign trade port. The sea ban will not be lifted, but it will just give some maritime merchants a chance to be involved in maritime trade!"

Stunned for a moment, Jiao Fang immediately understood that Chu Yi was boiling a frog in warm water, knocking out such a gap on the solid sea forbidden fortress.

In this way, those with vested interests who firmly oppose Kaihai cannot be so resolute even if they want to oppose it, which means that the pressure on Chu Yi will suddenly be much less.

However, Chu Yi's establishment of a foreign trade port and a city shipping department is equivalent to another disguised move to open the sea, which will inevitably affect the interests of those people, it depends on whether those people are determined to fight against Chu Yi. fight.

After thinking about this, Jiao Fang said to Chu Yi: "If the Governor just sets up an external port, then you can rest assured."

To be honest, Jiao Fang was really afraid that Chu Yi was going to open the sea on a whim. The force was too huge, and the literati were divided into various factions. Even so, Chu Yi almost ended up being called by everyone Shouted and killed.

Of course, some officials chose to submit to Chu Yi due to internal struggles among the literati, or even used it by Chu Yi, so there were civil and military officials attached to Chu Yi above the court.

However, the interests of those maritime merchants, dignitaries, and gentry are the same, even if there is competition among them, but once someone wants to touch such a sweet and delicious cake of maritime trade, they will definitely be counterattacked by them.

It is true that moving money is like killing one's parents.

Chu Yi tapped lightly on the table and looked at Jiao Fang and said, "In the cabinet, there is Lao Ge who speaks first, and it is best to spread the news that the Governor is going to ask His Majesty to choose a place to set up a foreign trade port. go out."

A look of anger flashed in Jiao Fang's eyes, needless to say, this was naturally Chu Yi's move to startle the snake, let's see how everyone reacts.

Jiao Fang stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Don't worry, the governor, the old man will definitely spread the news."

Chu Yi nodded and said to Jiao Fang, "Your Majesty has already reviewed the case of Lu Wenyang, and your Majesty's order has been made. Three days later, the criminals involved in Lu Wenyang's case will be beheaded outside the Wumen Gate!"

For such a decision, Jiao Fang is not surprised at all, and it can even be said that everyone in the entire capital knows that people are always rolling outside the Meridian Gate.

Now that the case has been completely adjudicated, many people's hearts have fallen.

Chu Yi knew better than anyone whether the Lu Wenyang case had slipped through the net. At least half of the court officials were involved, but it was already the limit to be able to take down dozens of officials involved in all aspects at one time. If there are too many, it will really affect the stability of the court.

Therefore, Chu Yi just selected some of the bad people and those in important positions to win. As for the remaining people, some of them can be attracted, and some of them naturally want to see the aftermath, if they are still obsessed. , As long as the court is completely stabilized, Chu Yi doesn't mind killing one or two more times.

After chatting with Jiao Fang about the Lv Wenyang case for a while, and watching Jiao Fang leave, a sneer appeared on the corner of Chu Yi's mouth.

The news has already spread to Jiao Fang, so let's see how those people react.

To be honest, Chu Yi can completely open the sea directly, but Chu Yi is not stunned. Everything has to be done step by step. In a hurry, suddenly opening the sea is really not good for Daming.

Opening the sea means a lot of wealth. In terms of the current coastal defense of the Ming Dynasty, how can the almost non-existent coastal defense escort the huge maritime merchants that suddenly opened the sea.

If there is not enough military force to deter, it is difficult to guarantee that those maritime forces in the Western Ocean will not attack the ideas of these big Ming maritime merchants.

Nowadays, all these Daming maritime merchants can be said to be armed private ships. Which maritime merchant has not kept a group of outlaws who are good at fighting.

It is precisely because of this that these maritime merchants can fight against Western forces at sea, but when the sea is suddenly opened, those new maritime merchants have little force.

So everything needs to be done step by step, at least before Chu Yi builds a large enough maritime merchant fleet for Daming, even if someone proposes to open the sea, Chu Yi will firmly oppose it, but releasing the sea ban on a small scale can cultivate Daming sea ​​trade.

Of course, the most important thing is that, through maritime trade and through the Shi Ship Division, Daming can obtain huge benefits to support the consumption of Chu Yi's crazy shipbuilding.

When Chengzu was on the throne, in order to build such a huge fleet of Zheng He's treasure ships, plus several voyages to the West, it cost tens of millions of taels of silver.

If Daming's current wealth is really used to develop the maritime fleet, then it would be a fool.

It can even be said that Chu Yi did not intend to use the wealth of the court that had just grown rich.