The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"The so-called Japanese pirates are actually people who cannot survive along the coast."

Wei Guangde pretended to be very sad and said.

"If nothing else, Fujian is a place with many people and little land. In the past, people relied entirely on sea transportation and fishing to make a living. The sea ban and inward migration have caused many families to lose food and clothing.

You also know that although the imperial court has always banned sea trade, sea trade has been secretly carried out along the coast, otherwise the whole family would starve to death.

That is to say, when the late emperor was in power, the maritime ban was even more stringent. If these people could no longer survive, they had no choice but to take risks and engage in Japanese pirate activities. "

What Wei Guangde said, in fact, many officials knew to some extent that the so-called Japanese pirates were actually Han Chinese, mainly boat people who could not survive.

The means by which these people make a living began in the Yuan Dynasty.

There was no maritime ban in the Yuan Dynasty, so many landless people along the coast became boat people and made a living by sea transportation and fishing.

But in the Ming Dynasty, in order to restrict the development of some forces, a sea ban was implemented starting from Zhu Yuanzhang, and the ban was not lifted until those forces completely collapsed.

"Do you want to lift the sea ban?"

Chen Yiqin frowned, then shook his head and said: "It's difficult, it's difficult. As long as you dare to mention it, countless people will use the ancestral system to stop it."

Yin Shizhen thought for a moment before asking: "Can the Japanese invasion be eliminated by imposing a sea ban?"

Chen Yiqin glanced at Yin Shizhen, and finally his eyes fell on Wei Guangde.

"Although I am not completely sure, I can see that if the sea ban is lifted, good people will no longer do such evil things. There will be no new Japanese pirates to join. As long as the current Japanese pirates are wiped out, the coast will be peaceful."

Wei Guangde explained that he also analyzed Emperor Longqing in the same way at the beginning, "Japanese pirates have been suppressing them for many times, so isn't it because people are constantly joining them? Who would join the Japanese pirates if they have a way to survive at sea?"

"The idea is good, but it's difficult."

Chen Yiqin still shook his head, but he was also analyzing in his mind, if what Wei Guangde just said was discussed in the cabinet, how many cabinet ministers would choose to support it.

"Actually, I was not prepared to let go all at once at the beginning, as that would easily lead to chaos. Besides, Brother Yifu also said that the opposition in the DPRK and China will not be weak."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Hearing that Wei Guangde seemed to have other ways to circumvent the opposition from the DPRK and China, Chen Yiqin also became a little interested.

He is a new member of the cabinet and a new dynasty. Naturally, he hopes to make some positive changes in the world under his hands, so now he does not object to any voice. Anyway, he just doesn't listen to one side or believe the other.

"Find a port in Fujian, try to open the sea, and allow maritime merchants to trade here, so that coastal boat people will have a place to go, and they will not have to become Japanese pirates."

Wei Guangde said, "If it doesn't work, it will be closed immediately. It will not cause any great harm to the court. But if it is feasible, it can be extended to coastal counties."

"Why is it in Fujian and not Zhejiang and Guangdong?"

Yin Shizhen asked bluntly.

"There are many Japanese pirates in Fujian, and the handicraft industry there is also relatively developed. The most important thing is that there are not many officials in Fujian. Unlike places like Zhejiang and Guangdong, they have such great influence on the court."

Wei Guangde said calmly.

At this moment, what he wanted to show was his choice of Fujian, not because only the Fujian local officials supported his idea.

In fact, only Zhejiang people were more influential in the imperial court, and Guangdong officials simply could not compare with Zhejiang people.

Because it involves some unspoken rules of the Ming Dynasty, and these unspoken rules were passed down from the Zhu Yuanzhang period.

For example, officials from the Second Prefecture of Susong, Jiangxi and other places cannot be in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, while most officials from Fujian, Guangdong and other places will not stay as officials in the capital.

Although officials in these two places could be promoted to officials in the capital if they could not become officials in the capital, and could even become officials in one of the feudal territories, their influence in the court would still be relatively small.

It can be said that only the important ministers in the government can influence the affairs of the government, and there are a few local officials who can influence the government.

Of course, these "regional discriminations" mostly show the emperor's cleverness, but it has to be said that there is some truth.

Susong Erfu, Jiangxi and other places were economically developed areas in the early Ming Dynasty. People in those places were relatively wealthy and good at financial management. In the eyes of the emperor, he was worried about being manipulated by them and embezzling the money from the national treasury, so he did not want people from these places to be in charge. Household Department.

As for officials from Fujian and Guangdong, they need to pass the oral language test first. If they can act like thieves in Beijing films, it is not impossible for them to stay in Beijing and get promoted.

Can you imagine the scene where officials speaking authentic Cantonese or Hokkien chatted and laughed with the emperor?

Therefore, in Wei Guangde's view, there is no need to worry even if the maritime merchants in Fujian, like Zhejiang and Guangdong, are controlled by big forces, because their voices in the court are small and easier to suppress.

As for Zhejiang, it can almost reach the sky, but forget it, I can’t afford to offend the people there.

"Can the Cabinet get through?"

Yin Shizhen looked at Chen Yiqin and asked.

These words were actually testing Chen Yiqin's attitude on Wei Guangde's behalf, whether he supported or opposed it.

However, judging from Yin Shizhen's attitude, he seemed to have been persuaded by Wei Guangde, and he just wanted to test the effect in one place to see if it could weaken the Japanese invasion.

At this time, as long as the Japanese problem can be solved, it will undoubtedly be the primary achievement of the current cabinet ministers.

Thinking about the last two decades of the Jiajing Dynasty, Japanese invasion was always a hurdle that the court could not get around. If only one port could be opened to trade, it would be a new trend and a good start.

"Uncle, have you ever mentioned this?"

Chen Yiqin did not answer Yin Shizhen's question directly, but asked first.

"We have had some conversations, but not in depth. Based on my understanding of my uncle, he will support the attempt."

Wei Guangde replied.

"Your Majesty also supports it?"

Chen Yiqin asked the key question again. If the emperor had supported Yu Zhuan when he was in power, he would be 60% sure.

Their Emperor Longqing was not someone who would express his stance easily.

Not because of stability, but because of fear of doing something wrong.

"Yes, His Majesty is very interested."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Actually, His Majesty asked Eunuch Li to come to my house two months ago to ask about this matter, saying why the memorial was never reported."

"What's your plan? How to play it?"

Chen Yiqin continued to ask.

After only hesitating for a moment, Wei Guangde said: "I have already contacted Tu Zemin, the governor of Fujian, and he will report this matter in the near future."

"Open the sea, or just open a port?"

Chen Yiqin nodded slightly, but continued to ask.

The way the memorial is presented directly affects the strategy of the cabinet.

"Open the sea, and then please ask His Majesty to test only one port."

Wei Guangde replied.

At this point, there is no need to hide anything. He needs Chen Yiqin to help speak in the cabinet. Whether it is a cabinet meeting or a ministry meeting, there must be a representative to speak.

Chen Yiqin had already stood up at this time, walking back and forth in the room, suddenly stopped, and then said: "If it is proposed to open the sea, I expect that the first and second assistants will choose to oppose it, not because they don't know how to adapt, but because Due to the general trend, they had to stand on the side of safeguarding the ancestral system.

In this case, Gao Suqing will definitely choose to support it, because the chief minister is opposed to this matter, and Guo Pu will also go with him.

Uncle's attitude is difficult to say, after all, he has the kindness of his teacher.

In this way, the cabinet will have a three-on-three situation, and all we can do is rely on His Majesty's Holy Judgment. "

In just a short time, Chen Yiqin made a general analysis of the attitudes of all the forces in the cabinet.

"His Majesty takes a step back and rejects the proposal to open the sea. He only mentions the opening of a port in Fujian to try to defeat the Japanese pirates. The first and second assistants should not continue to oppose your majesty's decision. This is feasible."

Chen Yiqin continued.

"I think it's time to give it a try. I can't say it's effective, but at least it won't be wrong in analysis."

Yin Shizhen became excited when he heard Chen Yiqin's words.

Although he did not join the cabinet, after all, it was a policy that he felt was feasible. If it was really effective, Long Qingchao would undoubtedly have a good situation from the beginning.

"Furthermore, the proposal to open the sea this time is different from the past. In the past, there was no support from His Majesty and the courtiers proposed it themselves. Therefore, after the failure, the person who proposed the proposal was often demoted.

This time, whether it was Shandai or Tu Zemin, with the approval of the palace, at least there was no obstacle to his official career. "

Chen Yiqin continued.

"Previously, I had written letters with the new Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Tan Lun, hoping that he would also submit a memorial to support this matter. I think his previous memorial when he was governor of Fujian actually had this intention, but it was more implicit. After all, the late emperor had Haimao’s attitude is very clear and no one dares to disobey it.”

Wei Guangde said again.

Chen Yiqin's previous analysis has shown that he supports his plan and there is great potential for this matter.

"Then I will wait in the cabinet for Governor Tu's memorial."

Chen Yiqin smiled, walked back to his seat and sat down and said.

After that, the three of them chatted and joked for a long time, had a banquet, and sat down to talk about Gao Gong.

Yin Shizhen still did not believe that Gao Gong would be forced to leave by Xu Jie. You must know that even if Gao Gong was afraid or insisted on leaving in consideration of the overall situation, Emperor Longqing might not agree to let him go.

He had been in Prince Yu's Mansion for a long time, so he naturally knew how much Prince Yu trusted Gao Gong.

"It's just a guess. Mr. Chief Assistant always makes decisions before acting when doing things. If he doesn't make a move, he will use it. If he does, it will be a killing move. Su Qing may not be able to withstand it."

Chen Yiqin replied hesitantly.

Xu Jie's character was discussed by both the government and the public. It was previously thought that he was flattering Emperor Jiajing and Yan Song, but he was not merciless at all when he defeated Yan Song. Moreover, it had been secretly spread by the government and the public that most of the original memorials to impeach Yan Dang were ordered by him, so Saved a lot of image.

But what Wei Guangde was thinking at this moment was that maybe this was the reason why Gao Gong was not so famous in later generations, at least not as famous as Zhang Juzheng.

After serving as a cabinet minister for more than a year, he collapsed and had no chance to exact his revenge. Naturally, history will not pay attention to such a passing guest.

I thought he died suddenly, but I didn't expect that he was overthrown by Xu Jie.

Thinking of Xu Jie, Wei Guangde was also worried. This old boy was like a smiling tiger, he was really awesome.

He is not as scrupulous as Yin Shizhen. Xu Jie is a real politician and knows how to hide and look for opportunities. This is the real hunter.

As for the impression of later generations about how greedy he was for money, Wei Guangde could only say that if he achieved the throne of chief minister without amassing a fortune of millions, then his work as chief minister would really have been in vain.

In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, there was really no place for honest officials to survive.

Of course, Hai Rui, who has been released for several months, is an exception. He is an example that the court wants to set, an atypical official.

Moreover, even if Hai Rui wanted to covet him, he would not dare, because he was already a role model, and countless people were looking at him. If he stretched out his hands even slightly, he would be caught, and he could only go to the dark side.

Thinking of Emperor Jiajing's evaluation of him, Hai Rui was afraid that he would really die.

In the next few days, the government and the opposition remained calm, and there was no sign that Xu Jie had any intention of taking action.

However, Wei Guangde knew that Mr. Xu Ge was probably waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity for Gao Gong to lose the hearts of both the government and the opposition again.

Looking at the Buddha's face without looking at the monk's face, the officials are not fools, and they naturally know Emperor Longqing's attitude towards Gao Gong.

But Wei Guangde never expected that the conditions that contributed to Gao Gong's downfall would actually be related to him.

"Please open the market for ships, and those who trade privately will become public traders."

On this day, Zhang Ju was on duty and frowned when he saw the memorial assigned to him.

The memorial came from Fujian. It was submitted by Tu Zemin, the governor of Fujian, and passed to him through the General Affairs Envoy.

After simply reading this memorial, he felt a little overwhelmed, because the content of the memorial was really a bit confusing.

It goes against the ancestral system.

Yes, it goes against the ancestral system.

However, when Zhang Juzheng recalled the things listed in the memorial, he felt that it seemed reasonable.

Some of these things felt familiar to him, as if he had heard them mentioned before.

After carefully recalling it, he still didn't remember it. After all, it had happened several years ago. Although he was interested at the time, he did not delve into the matter and naturally forgot about it as time went by.

How to vote?

He really didn't dare to write casually. The matter was serious and he didn't dare to make the decision without authorization. Naturally, he put the memorial aside and started reading other things.

However, he also kept an eye on it and called a trusted scribe to ask him to go outside and find out if there was any discussion about the memorial to the governor of Fujian.

Yes, Zhang Juzheng is not sure about the attitude of the government and the public towards this memorial. Let's first see how the officials outside view this matter.

The documents submitted through the General Affairs Department were naturally seen by the scribes of the General Affairs Department immediately.

At first, I thought Tu Zemin was bold, but after copying it, I found that what he said was meaningful, and naturally it spread quietly among the yamen in the capital.

However, after it spread outside, most people who had not seen the memorial instinctively opposed it and even dismissed it.

Such petitions were brought up every once or twice, and then rejected, and some even ended their own careers because of it.

As for the reason, well, the previous memorials were actually very detailed. There was really no need to inquire, let alone send someone to the General Affairs Office to copy them.

Of course, the officials think so, but a few people don't see it that way.

When Wei Guangde and Yin Shizhen heard the news, they sent people to the General Affairs Department. They wanted to see how Tu Zemin had written the memorial and whether he had written it according to his wishes.

"You mean, everyone in the government offices was laughing at the governor's suicide the whole time?"

At this time, Zhang Juzheng, the cabinet minister, was in the room. He was listening to his subordinates reporting the news they had heard outside.

"Many people dismiss it, saying that there were similar memorials earlier, but they were all dismissed. There is really nothing new, it's just sensationalism."

The scribe also answered seriously and told Zhang Juzheng everything he heard.

"Go down."

Zhang Juzheng waved his hand to let his men exit, while he looked at the memorial in front of him in a daze.

Instinctively, he felt that he should reject it, but in his heart he had a glimmer of hope that the memorial could alleviate the Japanese problem.