It's a really good account......

Counting only North Korea, 7 million people, 1 million in two classes, 2 million Chinese [1], and the rest are untouchables. Based on the ratio of 56 out of 10 in the two classes in Jeolla Province and 3 out of 10 in the middle of the population, the upper limit of the saturation of the "opium market" in North Korea is about 1 million. A person spends an average of ten taels of silver on opium a year[2], which is the scale of ten million taels of silver.

This is only North Korea, and the opium fever has also begun to rise in Japan, although the popularity is much smaller than that of North Korea, but the total market can still be 5 million taels. With the profit-seeking nature of merchants, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which still had a population of 60 or 70 million in the north, could never let it go. Even if it is only three times, it is a large plate of 30 million taels of silver, plus Korea and Japan, close to 50 million taels.

Counting only the Manchu Qing Dynasty or a conservative estimate, would the merchants let go of Yinghua, which had a population of 100 million? Even if the proportion of the population that smoked was only half of that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it was 30 million taels.

From the most conservative 10 million taels to the ** 10 million taels covering Korea, Japan, Manchu Qing and Yinghua, everyone here was disgraced and almost breathless.

A forbidden word is easy to say, but it is so difficult to wrestle with this industry with a prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars, even Tang Youzeng felt discouraged.

Everyone has read the history of the Ming Dynasty written by Duan Hongshi, and the harm of the former Ming maritime trade outside the system has been deeply understood. Putting aside the emotional factor and moral complex, if we look at the opium trade as a purely economic industry, this industry, which is clearly deviating from the general righteousness, has a huge profit enough to form a terrible interest group and shake the whole East. And it is almost impossible to extinguish such an interest group.

"It is precisely because of the worrying prospects that this industry must be strangled in infancy!"

After calming down, most people, including Li Xian, have this view, but how to ban it, what effect can it have, and in addition to banning, whether the thinking needs to be more open-minded, and everyone has their own opinions.

Xiao Sheng, who is familiar with Nanyang, adds: "This is not just a matter for our country, as far as I know, most of the opium and raw materials sold to Korea come from plantations in Bangladesh, where opium poppy has been cultivated in large quantities for hundreds of years, and many of the plantations are the property of the British and French. Although they don't have a way to market, they will never sit idly by in the face of such a big profit. ”

Gu Xiyi also said: "If I ban Yinghua alone, then the result is obvious, this industry will be taken over by other countries, Yinghua Capital will definitely collude with other countries to evade supervision, which will even affect other industries in the country, and the prospects are unimaginable." ”

Fan Jin raised his eyebrows and said: "That is to say, to ban this industry, in addition to controlling the North Ocean and the South Sea, I Yinghua must also control the Western Ocean, at least take Tianzhu under my wings?" ”

Everyone is worried, and the impact of the opium industry will be this

Li Xi began to set the tone, he had seen the "Opium Century" in his previous life, and no one here understood the impact of the opium industry better than him.

The ban must be banned, this is the great righteousness of the country, and there is no way to escape it.

"Is it a ban on domestic production and marketing, as is the case with the existing Anti-Narcotics Order, or is it an embargo for expansion? Is it forbidden only for its own merchants, or is it forbidden for other countries to get involved in opium? ”

This question is to clarify the reality and ideals, and almost everyone has to admit that it is impossible to embargo, as Xiao Sheng said before, there are more than 100,000 merchant ships coming and going from the South Seas, and it is impossible to ban them by sea. If a special maritime investigation force is set up, given the vast waters of the South Sea, and the fact that it takes many days for the news to go back and forth, the probability that the investigators will be bribed by opium dealers is 100 percent.

It is too child's play to ban the domestic sale of opium in other countries and to deal with countries such as North Korea and Japan.

Li Xian sighed: "So, the opium matter must be based on reality. ”

Emotionally speaking, everyone is eager to ban opium immediately, but everyone here is a person who seeks the country, so naturally they cannot replace the operation of national politics with feelings. ..., Song Ji said: "Only by giving away can there be gains, and since it is impossible to completely ban it, we have to consider how to promote benefits and promote harm, so that the country can do a combination of righteousness and benefit in the matter of opium."

The coughing of the crowd, the pumping of gas, and the "promotion of harm"?

Song Ji said in a deep voice: "Since this harm is inevitable, we have to protect the fundamental righteousness of my Yinghua!" That is, it does not harm the people! As for other countries, the sharp increase in land prices in Guangdong in the early years was caused by the deposit of silver money. If we can save our people from the harm of opium, let alone North Korea, the introduction of opium into the Manchu Qing Dynasty is a righteous act! ”

The hall was suddenly shocked, everyone understands the truth of the introduction of disasters, but it is not limited to North Korea, but also to introduce opium into the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which makes many people, especially Tang Youzeng, indignant, under the rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, they are also the people of China!

Xiao Sheng said disappreciatively: "A dose of opium is at least a penny of silver, can ordinary people afford it?" The Koreans are also obsessed with two classes of nobles, and I think that letting the Manchu people who eat hardcore crops smoke opium is a weak enemy's strategy! ”

Li Xian touched his nose and said in his heart that Boss Xiao is an unpredictable prophet, how do you know that in another time and space, a hundred years later, the Manchu opium ghosts are mainly officials, green battalions and Eight Banner soldiers?

Tang You sighed, and the others were originally unbearable, but when they said this, they were all relieved.

The embankment is collapsing step by step, and inadvertently, everyone's mental defense has taken a big step back.

If it is to be completely banned, the result will be to let other countries intervene, and since the ban will not be stopped, then first keep the country and let opium go to harm other countries, and everyone has reached a consensus on this point.

This step out means that Yinghua must face up to the opium industry, and the next question comes, should Yinghua sit back and watch the opium industry grow? If you can't help it, you have to limit it, and if you want to limit it, you have to stretch out your hand. How can we do so to avoid damage to the country's righteousness and at the same time suppress the opium industry to the greatest extent?

Everyone was silent for a long time, and a voice sounded: "Isn't this simple? Pick up a few companies to do this! Let them suppress scattered households and foreigners, and the imperial court can not only control the flow of opium on a large scale, but also collect taxes on them! ”

The eyes were focused on this person, it was Wu Yaluo. Wu Yaluo, the second assistant, has been immersed in the industrial affairs of the country, and he has not had much influence on government affairs, and he suddenly said this, which surprised everyone.

"Isn't this the same way we can rectify the musket workshop? I am not afraid of the private production of muskets, but I am afraid of the turbulence of muskets and the loss of control from the imperial court.

Integrate some folk musket workshops into companies, so that they can suppress small workshops by scale and cost, and the imperial court will control them, and the muskets will basically not flow in turmoil. ”

"That's what the imperial court did, isn't it the same idea that the salt industry, steel, weaving, and even the coal industry in the country supported the Shang Dynasty in Jiangnan?"

Tang Youzeng glared and said, "How can this be done?" Doesn't this let the world know that I, Yinghua, not only can't help but ban opium, but also rely on opium to make profits? ”

Wu Yaluo shrugged: "Since opium can't be banned, you can't let all the profits of opium fall on the merchants, right?" In order to ban opium in the country, money is also required for the use of the money collected in the country, and it is also for the benefit of the people. As for what people in the world say, literati can always have a statement, businessmen can always have accounts to dispose of, and national law can also leave a mouth. Not harming the people of the country is righteousness, and if you keep this righteousness, you can still benefit, this is the unity of righteousness and benefit! ”

Tang You once took a sip, but he had nothing to say, and he felt that Wu Yaluo's face at this time was particularly hateful, which is also called the unity of righteousness and benefit!?

He turned his head to seek support from the others, but saw that everyone was nodding slightly.

Tang Sunho sighed: "This is also a helpless move, otherwise, it is difficult to control the harm of opium." ”

His words are the voice of the people, since opium cannot be banned, then it cannot stop all forces from pursuing this huge profit. The situation is in chaos, how can the state effectively control it and ensure that it does not harm the people? Rather than this, it is better for the state to support a group of opium dealers, so that they can effectively control the big and small. ..., it's just that Wu Yaluo's "unity of righteousness and benefit" is indeed a bit absurd, and Tang Youzeng's rebuke is also reasonable, and this righteousness is really hard to hide. The country can reach out to the opium industry, and if the upper beam is not right and the lower beam is crooked, the people will naturally be justified in making any bad things.

This is already the second step, and the direction is as Li Xi expected, because of this opium, the country of Britain and China has begun to embark on the road of imperialism, and the traditional Chinese moral governance and the thinking of virtue leading the world will be completely abandoned.

Now is the final step to find the "righteousness" that conceals such behavior.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Li Xian was about to go into battle in person, Tang Sunhao and Song Ji, the two sages who traveled west, glanced at each other, obviously having a plan.

Song Ji spoke first: "The people's heart is the righteousness......

Tang Sunho said: "The two houses are in the middle of the country to inherit the people's will, if they approve of this policy......

Before the words were finished, everyone was stunned, and even Tang Youzeng's face was slightly softened.

That's right, this country is no longer a king's country in name, and the national policy is not the arbitrary decision of the king and the court, let the two courts take over this policy, and the emperor and the court naturally don't have to carry this black pot. The people's wishes, the Western Court absolutely recognizes this policy, and the Eastern Court needs to be convinced. If it is limited to the commercial bill, even the East Court does not have to speak, and the West Court nods.

The third step was taken out like this, Li Xi sighed secretly, the thinking of the ministers has kept up with the beat of the times・・・・・・

Tang You once sighed: "The two Confucian and Mo families, including the Yingci Temple and the Heavenly Temple, and even many people who use the two houses to climb the momentum, I am afraid that they will jump out and make trouble." ”

Li Xian smiled: "Isn't this bad? It is also an established national policy to allow the two courts to grow themselves. ”

Admitting that the opium industry is difficult to stop, it will only protect the people of the country and lead to the outflow of trouble.

Although it is difficult to prohibit it, it is also necessary to restrict guidance, so that we must stretch out our hands, and if we stretch out our hands, we will share the profits, so as to establish the policy of supporting the big and prohibiting the small.

The matter of opium, which is detrimental to the general righteousness, is decided in the name of the two courts, which obtains the great righteousness, and the righteousness and interests are thus united.

Through these three steps, the national policy of the opium industry was released, and the thinking of the decision-makers of the Anglo-Chinese national government was also reborn and entered a new world.

"Next・・・・・・ we will discuss the crime of Fan Sihai and the situation in North Korea."

Tang You couldn't wait to say that although he had to accept these three-step decisions, he still wanted to deal with Fan Sihai again. In Tang Youzeng's view, Fan Sihai was the main culprit in provoking the harm of opium, and the imperial court must not allow him to be supported as a legitimate opium dealer, otherwise the hearts of the people in the country would be unsettled.

"The minister is late, where is the accusation ・・・・・・ discussed? Fan Sihai's sin!? ”

Xiao Xie, the governor of the General Office, had just arrived at this time, and after listening to Tang Youzeng's words, he was stunned.

"What is Fan Sihai's crime!? He is the victim! Blatantly attacked our Anglo-Chinese merchants, not only plundered property at sea, but also confiscated the goods of Ryukyu merchants without explaining the law, and the guilty were Koreans and Nian Qianyao! Your Majesty......"

Xiao Xie bowed to Li Xian: "The minister asks the court to agree on a policy to punish North Korea and Nian Qianyao!" Otherwise, it will be difficult for businessmen to be safe, and the law of the country will not work! ”

Tang You was stunned, and everyone also took a breath, that's right, whether opium is opium or not, whether Fan Sihai is guilty or not, it should be dealt with by Yinghua, the North Korean and Nian Qianyao are like robbers, this is the face of beating Yinghua.

Li Xian snorted coldly: "Not only the Koreans and Nian Qianyao, but also the Satsuma clan in Japan have also begun to be dishonest. ”

He got up and brushed his sleeves: "Whether Fan Sihai is guilty or not is measured by the laws of the country, and Joseon, Nian Qianyao and Satsuma ...... Sin is unforgivable! ”

The sails of the Naha Port of the Ryukyus are like clouds, and Fan Sihai stands on the helm of a ship of a thousand materials, his hands pressing the short gun, and his eyes are shining. On his side, Fan Liuxi was carrying a saber and a short gun at his waist, holding an eight-year-old musket, and his face was full of high-spiritedness that he was ready to do a big job. ..., "The imperial court is powerless to reach out to North Korea, but it allows us to protect our own interests!" also sold our ship guns, and the face lost by our Fuhua company in North Korea will be regained on our own! ”

There was also a large group of people gathered on the helm, either the director of the company, or the head of the bow and guard of the Fuhua Company, all of whom had anger on their faces.

Fuhua Company is not the industry of Fan Sihai alone, and its foundation is the maritime merchants who traveled between Fujian and Luzon in those years. After being incorporated into Yinghua, the industry was scattered in various industries such as shipping, shipbuilding and even Luzon Bo mud. Fan Sihai used opium to pry the Korean country to guard the huge profits, but he was first beaten by Nian Qianyao, and then by the Satsuma merchants who stuck a knife in the back and suffered heavy losses.

Fan Sihai was extremely angry, and Fuhua Company was also angry, originally worried that the imperial court would hinder Fuhua Company's actions. Unexpectedly, in early February, the Ministry of Commerce gave a briefing to the Fuhua Company, saying that the imperial court would never allow the businessmen in the country to be treated so badly, and would definitely seek justice for the Fuhua Company. But when it comes to opium, the imperial court still needs to go to the two houses to win the hearts of the people, and Fuhua Company can only rely on its own strength to seek justice first.

With the support of the imperial court, Fan Sihai and the Fuhua Company were overjoyed, it doesn't matter if there is no navy, the imperial court sells ships and guns, and the Fuhua Company has crew gunners. The last Battle of Busan was betrayed by the Japanese, but this time, the Hokhua Company gathered 26 sea-going ships and 4,500 guns, which was enough to wipe out the sailors of Korea and Nian Qianyao.

"What about the Japanese?"

Fan Liuxi hated Yijiin Yoshikura very much, and even thought about leading the fleet straight into Nagasaki and cutting off that guy's head.

"Someone has gone to clean up the portal, and the Satsuma Clan must pay for it!"

Luo Wugui got on the helm platform and said coldly. The imperial court is not unable to send troops to Korea now, and it can send the Beiyang Fleet to battle and send thousands of men and horses into Korea by gritting its teeth.

But in this way, the affairs of North Korea are mixed with opium, and for the court that is pushing the two courts to take on the responsibility of opium, the pressure and variables are too great, and they can only push the Fuhua Company to open up the situation in the front first.

For this reason, the imperial court not only loosened the ban on the arming of merchant ships, allowing merchant ships to be equipped with artillery under 12 catties instead of the previous artillery under 8 catties, but also disposed of some old Haiao and sea carp ships to the people, and Fan Sihai's boat was a Haiao ship. At the same time, through the "Colonial Military Decree" that has been in effect, naval officers and soldiers such as Luo Wugui and Fan Liuxi were allowed to transfer to the colonial volunteer army, and then be hired as mercenaries by Fuhua Company.

Fan Sihai's fleet was completely different from the armed merchant fleet during the previous naval battle of Busan, forty percent of the ships were warships, and of the 3,000 people, 2,000 were naval officers and sailors, from the two fleets of Beiyang and Nanyang.

"So...... Let's go! ”

Fan Sihai shouted in a deep voice, and the fleet left the port, orderly and murderous.

On the fifth day of the third month of the twelfth year of the Holy Dao, the fleet of Fuhua Company went to Korea, and the real Opium War officially opened at this time. To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. [1: The two classes of nobles implement the inheritance system of concubines, and the concubines are "middle-aged". [2: This is already an extremely conservative figure, Bao Shichen wrote five articles in the twenty-fifth year of Jiaqing ∩ 820 in the Gengchen Miscellaneous Works, the second of which mentions that "opium consumes silver in foreign countries". Bao mentioned that there are as many as 100,000 opium addicts in Suzhou City, and if calculated according to the daily consumption of silver per person, the total cost is more than 10,000 taels per day, and the cost is 3 or 4 million taels of silver in a year, which is only Suzhou. [The view that opium caused the outflow of silver from China is biased, ignoring the phased nature of the opium trade. In the early stage, foreign opium dominated the market, but the total market volume was not large at that time, the rise of domestic opium in the middle period, and the astonishing scale of the opium market in the later period, but it was the world of domestic opium, and the outflow of Chinese silver could not be simply pushed to opium. After the nineteenth century, China's traditional products began to lose their competitiveness before foreign industrialized products, porcelain, silk and even tea, most of Europe and the United States have found substitutes, and their industrialized products are being dumped everywhere, which must not be ignored. 】