Madame, it is a large prefect's yamen in the signing room, the negotiations are still going on...... Shen Mo then recited: 'But in the meantime, those who have been crossed first have already reached China, and the remnants of the party have taken advantage of the wind and the sea, invaded Ryukyu in the south, plundered Goryeo in the north, and then returned to the people of their own Satsuma Prefecture. This minister is hard-hearted, and wants to put his wings on his foolishness; Please lobby the nations for lobbyists and rule against each other. ’

The next is to describe the recent situation of the book: 'Although the book is unified by one king, the king is weak and the minister is strong recently, but it is only a name. There are still sixty-six kingdoms, and they are strong with each other. The thieves who committed China are roughly from the coastal Kyushu, and there are two islands in the other ten, and the ministers have traversed it, and they are advised to restrain themselves, and there are few ships this year! Seeing this, Shen Mo couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It's so undeserved, even the honest and cute Xiao Mao changed his face and said, "What are you laughing at?" ”

"Oh......" Of course Shen Mo couldn't say, your godfather could really scratch the meat on his face, so he pretended to laugh non-stop, and quickly came up with a way to say: "After reading the old shipowner's letter, I learned that there are sixty-six countries in the land of the Japanese country," said with a funny face: "That country is the size of our village in the Ming Dynasty, right?" ”

Mao Haifeng was relieved, and also laughed and said: "It's really funny, but it's not enough for a village, they are famous...... That is, the territory of the great princes, which is about the size of a township, and only a few extremely powerful ones are about the same as our county. ”

"Which daimyo is the biggest now?" Shen Mo regretted it, if he had played more glorious games, he would have been able to strategize now, and his favorite game was the Age of Discovery...... It seems to be glorious, too.

"Nominally, Ashikaga Yoshiki is the shogun who leads the princes," Mao Haifeng still knew about this situation, so he said to Shen Mo: "But although this person is strong in martial arts and is known as the general of the sword, he is very talented and talented, and the big politics are in the hands of the Hao family Miyoshi, and last year he was defeated by Miyoshi Changqing and fled to Omi to join the Rokkaku clan." When I arrived, I heard that he and Hosokawa Harumoto were preparing to send troops to Kamiraka again, and they had invited Oda Nobunaga, but he didn't seem to be interested...... But my stepfather said that the Miyoshi family would not last long, because he was more optimistic about the Oda family. ”

After listening to him babble for a long time, he was silent and didn't understand anyone except Oda Nobunaga, and couldn't help but secretly blame himself: 'How can you be so arrogant and not see your neighbors?' In fact, it is due to the social atmosphere, and the officials and people of the Celestial Empire do not care at all about the small countries on the sea.

Now that he realized it, Shen Mo secretly made up his mind to collect information about the book for a long time, because the history books told him that there was a great war to resist the Japanese and aid Korea during the Wanli period, and it was estimated that as long as he was not sick or sick, he might catch up, and it was better to take precautions.

Looking down further, Wang Zhi was even more ashamed to say: "The ministers of Kyushu Zhuyi, after the minister's persuasion, will not dare to still ask for attack." Ministers should recruit troops from the five islands to exterminate them, and attack them with raze! The minister's Su Zhi, things are still in the palm of his hand, such as the emperor's mercy and kindness, forgive the sins of the ministers, and get the effect of the dogs and horses. Declare that the islands are forbidden by their masters, and the Japanese slaves shall not be restored to the command, and the so-called surrender of the soldiers without a fight is also. Dare not sacrifice your life to repay the service and atone for the sin of ten thousand deaths. ’

This paragraph is Wang Zhi's negotiation conditions: if you agree to open the ban and clear the customs, I can accept Zhao'an, learn from Song Jiang's attack on Fang La, and help you deal with the chaos...... But the subtext is that I am confident that I will not fall into Song Jiang's fate.

After reading it, Shen Mo was a little dazed, although this letter exposed the pirate leader's love of bragging, out of tune, but it was not all nonsense, such as the last paragraph of 'surrendering soldiers without a fight', which seems quite beautiful, and may really move people...... He knew that Emperor Jiajing was an old man who was afraid of trouble, but paradoxically, he was an emperor who wanted to save face, and he couldn't guess how he would react when he saw this letter.

But then again, regardless of whether the imperial court accepts Wang Zhi's surrender or not, the port has already been opened, so that the two sides have a basis for cooperation, and they can make money first before talking about anything else.

So Shen Mo decided to put this thorny issue aside first, put the idea off for a while, and wait for the court to see the real money, and then report the matter of Wang Zhi's service to see if the court would agree.

I have to interject a sentence here, there is an official to ask, regardless of whether this Wang Zhi is a real vote or a fake effect, just talk to him about it, write a letter of appointment, give him an empty head to be a general soldier, and let him fight with himself, this move is beneficial and harmless, it can be said that it is beneficial and not costly, and it is a fool not to use it.

Don't say it, the scholars of the Ming Dynasty do have the same thing as fools, the idea of the heavenly kingdom and self-respect is deep-rooted, and in foreign relations, it has always been extremely tough, if you don't accept it, you will fight, if you can't fight, you won't make peace if you are defeated, you won't pay compensation, you won't market each other, the belief that the world's first power is deeply immersed in the bones.

If you want to say that when dealing with the peasant uprising, Zhao'an is naturally no problem, it is an internal contradiction, and you can do whatever you want; But now in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, although they know that the 'real Japanese' are not the main force, the bigwigs in the imperial court still regard the 'fake Japanese' as traitors who have forgotten their ancestors, and they have expelled Chinese nationality, in other words, they disdain to be with them.

In other words, for these 'traitors', the imperial court has issued a killing order, and although it is tacitly accepted that the local government can use it, or it is expedient, it is almost impossible to admit it on the table.

Shen Ming, who was well versed in the atmosphere of the imperial court, knew that if he presented this letter at this time, it might cause an uproar, and those Qingliu who were so idle would definitely shout and shout to kill, and the little results he had achieved so easily would also be ruined.

And the old Jianghu Wang Zhi, after all, is mixed with the rivers and lakes, and he doesn't understand the mentality of the people in the court, and he still has the idea of recruiting An, so as long as the final result does not come out, he will no longer be embarrassed by the court.

In other words, the last obstacle to the opening of Suzhou port has been cleared!

Carefully put away the letter, and said silently: "You go back and tell the old shipowner that I can make the decision on the opening of the port, and naturally there will be no problem; However, what duties to give to the old shipowner and how to arrange them is not something that I can say as a city shipper. He took a sip of tea and said, "But I will report it to the governor as soon as possible and ask the court to decide." ”

Mao Haifeng had read Hu Zongxian's two letters, and 'knew' the current attitude of the imperial court, and he was still inclined to negotiate peace, so he didn't doubt Shen Mo's statement, and said with a relieved smile: "No problem, my godfather said that the matter of investment is not urgent, and it may be more beneficial to wait for the future to make meritorious contributions." ”

It seems that Wang Zhi also has doubts about the imperial court,' said silently, this is just right, everyone uses each other and makes money together, and other aspects will not be involved first.

Since the two sides had reached a consensus on the opening of the market, Mao Haifeng, on behalf of his father-in-law, put forward a practical request - ships flying the Wufeng flag could freely enter and leave the Wusong River and trade with the merchants of Suzhou Prefecture, and of course pay taxes according to the tax rate of the imperial court.

As soon as he said the first article, Shen Mo was unwilling, and the tariff rate of the imperial court was fifty taxes and one, which was outrageously low...... If the tax is levied at this rate, then the total tax amount of two million taels of silver must be attained, and the volume of trade must reach one hundred million taels; This is still this year's requirement, starting next year, the annual increase will be 2 million taels, and by the fifth year, Jiajing's tariff revenue will be 10 million, and the total trade volume of that year will be 500 million taels of silver.

This is not possible, at least for a long time.

And even if it were possible, Shen Mo would not watch all the white money flow into the hands of the rich...... He must have money in his hands, so that he can try to guide the rich people to buy land or bury it in cellars instead of having money, but to let that money flow and truly become a source of strength for social prosperity and progress.

So he couldn't accept that, he couldn't allow free trade. After pondering for a moment, he said softly: "May I ask Brother Haifeng, it is said that smuggling does not need to pay taxes, and the profits should be much higher than opening ports and mutual markets, why is the old ship owner so persistent and wants to open the sea ban and clear customs and pay taxes?" ”

"Hey......" Mao Haifeng thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's it, adults are too interesting to me, and I can't hide it from you." As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said, "Although our five-peak flag can be planted all over the ocean, it can't reach the shore. Originally, if we wanted to do business, we had to cooperate with some big farmers along the coast, but those people were very dark-hearted, and when they sold us things, they asked for a lot of money, and they often used shoddy goods, and we were short of catties and two, which greatly damaged our income and reputation. ”

"That's a problem, indeed." He smiled silently.

"But this is barely tolerable," Mao Haifeng said indignantly: "What is unbearable is that their performance when selling things to us is simply a lack of Degas smoking!" Afraid that he would not understand, he explained: "The katana, the spices of the South Seas, and the luxury goods of the West have always been marketable...... We put these things on their consignment and made an appointment for regular settlement, but they did not say that the products were unsalable, and they could only sell them at a low price; That is to say, the wind is too tight, the ban is too strict, deliberately dragging, not paying us for the goods, and taking advantage of us even harder! If they are forced, they will attract the government to arrest people, and we will be helpless. It seems that in front of the Fujian and Zhejiang maritime merchants supported by the nine families, those who are as strong as Wang Wufeng are consciously a member of the disadvantaged group.

Mao Haifeng is telling the truth, the reason why Wang Zhi repeatedly asked for the ban on the sea is of course not because he is worried about the country and the people, but because he can't bear the wealth that originally belonged to him, and he was taken by the maritime merchants of Fujian and Zhejiang.

"You also know the energy of those big families, they are powerful and wealthy, and their roots are deep," Shen Mo said unhurriedly: "It's not that a small acquaintance of mine can fight against, if you let it trade freely, it will inevitably be indulged by them, but there is nothing you and I can do...... At that time, the city department will be useless, or they will have the final say, and we will be busy in vain. Saying that, he smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Haifeng heard about this spring's grain war, right?" ”

"I've heard of it." Mao Haifeng said with admiration: "My lord is a pillar of optimus, turning the tide and foiling the conspiracy of those people, my godfather is full of praise, saying that you are a genius, and I want to meet you and discuss your experience." ”

Silent and solemn: "I have to ask the old ship owner for advice. ”

His respectful attitude towards Wang Zhi made Mao Haifeng very comfortable, so he asked with concern: "I don't know what the adult solution is?" ”

"It's not easy for the city to come forward in this matter." Shen smiled silently: "But you can set up an auction, and every transaction is in the auction hall, buying and selling in the form of a secret auction, so that you are not afraid of someone indulging in the market." ”

After Shen Mo finished speaking, Mao Haifeng's eyes straightened, scratched his head, and smiled awkwardly: "Don't mind, adults, I don't understand well." ”

"Why don't you go to the auction house in the afternoon and let them show you on the spot." He smiled silently.

"That's a good idea!" Mao Haifeng said happily: "Do you have any objections?" ”

"And." Shen Mo said softly: "Before the imperial court issued an edict, the two sides only temporarily ceased fighting. The Wusong River is the inland river of the Ming Dynasty, and if the ships are flying the Wufeng flag, the Ming Navy will regard it as a naked provocation. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, it is not too late to wait for the ship to go to sea, and then to hang the flag. ”

"Well, no problem." Mao Haifeng further compromised: "I can promise for my godfather." "Anyway, it's just a matter of face, there is no need to worry about it, this is the biggest difference between businessmen and politicians.

"Very good," said in a deep voice, "Then let's go to the auction in the afternoon, and you can send a letter to the old shipowner as soon as possible." He said with a wry smile and said, "To tell you the truth, I still have a tariff task of two million taels this year." ”

"How much should I do?" Speaking of this, Mao Haifeng suddenly smiled and said, "Although the city is not open, it is no longer illegal for you to do business with us, right?" ”

"If I say no, I don't count." Shen Mo also laughed. Now that the sea ban has been lifted, the city has not yet been erected, which is a loophole that can be exploited...... Oh no, it should be said that it is the rule of fair utilization.

"I told you last time about buying raw silk," Mao Haifeng asked Shen Mo to try his best to buy raw silk when he left Suzhou last time, and he was going to take it with him when he went back this time.

Why raw silk and not silk? Because silk is a product, and raw silk is in the book, the main use is to make armor and katana, which belongs to armament materials! It is said that this is in the Warring States Period, and the demand for this material is incomparably great, but the output of raw silk is very low, and even one-third of the gap cannot be filled.

And we know that at this time, it was in the Warring States Period, and the materials were extremely scarce, and because of the abundance of silver, the prices were extremely high. According to Shen Mo's understanding from many aspects, at this time, one hundred and fifty taels of silver can buy one hundred catties of raw silk; And the more advanced silk brocade requires four hundred taels to buy one hundred catties.

In Daming, the normal price is 15 200 catties of raw silk; Silk brocade forty two hundred pounds. So the price of the same thing, in Yueben, is ten times that of Daming itself! Such a big price difference, in addition to the difference between supply and demand, is also because the silver is cheap, and the silver of the Ming Dynasty is expensive, there is a big difference between the two - one tael of the silver can be exchanged for 250 wen in the local area, but it can be exchanged for 750 wen in China! Triple the difference!

All kinds of factors have made raw silk and higher silk brocade the most profitable commodity, so in the previous robberies, raw silk and silk brocade are the favorites of the pirates, and they will even plunder the population and reel silk for them in order to earn huge profits.

Someone is going to ask, since the profits are so big, why are you robbing? Wouldn't it be okay to buy raw silk directly with the people? If you can buy it, of course there is no problem, but with nine families and big coastal households, it will definitely make Wang Zhi unable to buy it.

They monopolized the export of raw silk and controlled the price to seven or eight times the domestic selling price, and Mao Haifeng would not be able to earn a few dollars of silver if he bought at this price, so the last time he came to negotiate, he asked Shen Mo to help buy some raw silk or silk brocade as much as possible.

Shen Mo is worried about this year's indicators...... Although he has now borrowed seven or eight million taels of silver, it is all in the account, and if he hands over so much cash, the underground business will have to be paralyzed. The two sides hit it off, and Shen Mo began to silently buy raw silk in the name of the Weaving Bureau.

This year, due to the food crisis, the financial crisis has triggered a financial crisis, so that many silk factories are under-operated, and the demand for raw silk is less than half of that of previous years, and the price of raw silk will naturally fall. silently looked at the opportunity to buy a large amount, and the amount spent was only sixty percent of the usual amount...... This still makes those big silk reelers rush to it!

In the end, Mao Haifeng purchased 800,000 catties of raw silk at a price of 100 taels of silver per 100 catties, and 400,000 catties of silk brocade at a price of 250 taels of silver per 100 catties.

'Well, Your Majesty, you're halfway done. In his report to the emperor, Shen Mo wrote: "There is less than half a year to go, and Weichen believes that he will be able to complete the other half!" Of course it wouldn't be so plain.

(To be continued)