"The Zhao and Song dynasties and the 'Mongolian' Yuan Dynasty were all periods of developed maritime trade, and throughout the two dynasties, Quanzhou, Fujian Province was the place where the port was opened. In the past few days, the officials have learned a little about Quanzhou, and believe that it has the following two advantages as a place to open a port: First, the goods trafficked by sea trade are mainly cloth and porcelain. In Quanzhou, there are not only more than 200 weaving shops, but also many kilns such as Nan'an kiln, Dehua kiln, Anxi kiln and so on can fire porcelain. With this advantage, choosing Quanzhou as the place to open the port will greatly save the freight of goods. Second, Quanzhou is an important place for soldiers, Fujian sailors are stationed here all the year round, and there are more imperial army guards in the city, if Quanzhou is chosen as the place to open the port, we don't need to worry too much about the gangsters stirring up trouble here. Therefore, the lower officials believed that Quanzhou was the best choice for opening the port. ”

Chapter 49: The Dispute over the Opening of the Port

It was supposed to be a vigorous lifting of the sea ban, but the wind and waves passed quietly, which made Shen Chongming, who was the proposer, both happy and disappointed.

It is said that this major event that changed the direction of history should be remembered forever by future generations, but the current situation of "waves" is very likely to be brushed aside in the history books. And he should have been admired by future generations, but he is afraid that he will become unknown.

However, these are all trivial matters, as soon as the sea ban is lifted, Shen Chongming is busy. This matter was proposed by him, and he was naturally involved in the formation of the Royal Trade House and the determination of the location of the port. In particular, the determination of the locations for the opening of several ports has a direct bearing on the success of the lifting of the maritime ban.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the lifting of the sea ban this time is a major event in the past hundred years of my Ming Dynasty. In order to reduce the risk, the official means that Haicheng County in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province is tentatively designated as a commercial port. "As the first assistant of the cabinet, Li 'Chun' Fang presided over the meeting, and I saw him pointing to a small black dot on the Ming 'mixed' yuan map hanging on the wall, which was two feet long and one foot high, and said with a serious face.

"Haicheng is located at the mouth of the Jiulong River, where the waterway and land routes extend in all directions, which is very convenient for the operation of goods, and the port located in the bay is calm all year round, which is really a rare and good place."

As he spoke, Li 'Chun' Fang glanced at everyone with a smile and asked, "I don't know what you Aiqing think?" ”

"Li Ge Lao Gao saw that the lower officials thought that Dinghaicheng was the best choice for the sea trade and commercial port." Chen Yiqin stroked his chin and nodded his white beard and said.

"Two adults, isn't this Haicheng a little too small? Moreover, it is far away in Zhangzhou, Fujian, and the mainland goods are really too far away when they are moving. Shen Chongming said with a frown. Originally, he saw Li 'Chun' Fang stretching out his hand and swaying blindly at the boundary of Fujian, and Shen Chongming said that he was looking for Quanzhou, but he didn't expect to find Quanzhou's neighbor Haicheng, a place with no name in the history books, and I don't know how this Lord Li knew about this place.

"Haicheng is not small, and more than 30 lucky ships can be berthed in that port. Now that the sea is about to be opened, this official is ready to order the Fujian Provincial Government Secretary to seize the time to repair it again, and strive to berth 50 lucky ships. Li Chun Fang said a little proudly. Being able to berth fifty ships at a time is a rare big port in his eyes.

Shen Chongming was speechless for a while, could it be that this is what they imagined to open the sea to do business? If this is the case, what difference does it make if the sea is not opened, and how much tax and silver can the imperial court increase every year with such a small port?

Moreover, the geographical location of Chenghai is too remote, which seriously inhibits the positive 'sex' of businessmen. You must know that the imperial court has always imposed heavy taxes on merchants, and goods must pay a tax every time they pass through a state capital.

"Lord Li, the imperial court has made a big decision to lift the sea ban this time, in that case, why can't we open a few more commercial ports? And why can't we choose some places where the 'transportation' is more convenient to open a port? Just a Chenghai, how can we clearly tell the people of the world the determination of the imperial court to open the port for business? Shen Chongming looked at Li 'Chun' Fang and asked, his tone was a little anxious, as if he was questioning.

Although this Li 'Chun' Fang is the first assistant, he is too lacking in courage. Such a person is still a prime minister in a peaceful period, but in the face of the current situation of great changes, he is really inappropriate.

Li 'Chun' was stunned for a moment, and his expression was a little unhappy: "Lord Shen, how did you say this?" Choosing to open a port in Chenghai is the result of the official and Lord Chen who have discussed it for several days and asked many people. Moreover, the imperial court has just lifted the sea ban, and everything is still waiting, in case it is really like you said that more places will be selected to open the port together, who will bear the mistake? ”

The atmosphere was a little wrong, and Gao Gong, who had never spoken, smiled and started the round. "Hehe, Lord Li, don't be angry, Chongming is also speaking in a hurry for the sake of the court, please don't worry about him for the sake of his youth."

As he spoke, Gao Gong turned his head to look at Shen Chongming and said with a majestic face: "Chongming, why don't you hurry up and compensate Lord Li?" ”

Shen Chongming also knew that his wording was a little disrespectful in a hurry just now, but now that he had the teacher's instructions, he hurriedly said to Li 'Chun' Fang, whose face was a little ugly: "Master Li, the lower officials are reckless, please forgive me." ”

Speaking of this, Li 'Chun' Fang didn't want to keep a straight face anymore, and pretended to be generous and said: "Hey, the two adults are too worried, they are all for the sake of the court, how can this official be angry." ”

After another burst of politeness, Gao Gong looked at Li 'Chun' and his face eased, and then he returned to business.

"Lord Li, the opening of the port is related to the final success of the imperial court's lifting of the sea ban this time, the following officials see that we had better discuss it carefully and work together to choose the best way to come out, what do you think?" Gao Gong also felt in his heart that Li 'Chun' Fang's choice of Chenghai was a bit too conservative, but Li 'Chun' Fang was the first assistant after all, and he couldn't directly refute his thoughts no matter what.

Unlike Shen Chongming, Li 'Chun' Fang can rely on the status of the first assistant to not give him face, but in the high arch, Li 'Chun' Fang does not dare to be big. You must know that although Gao Gong is the second assistant, but with his status as the emperor's master, he is also in charge of the department, and this status is only higher than that of Li 'Chun' Fang, the first assistant.

Now Gao Gong proposed to renegotiate the location of the port, and although Li 'Chun' Fang was a little reluctant, he could only nod in agreement. "What Lord Gao said is very true, the opening of the port is very important, let's discuss it carefully." As he spoke, Li 'Chun' glanced at Chen Yiqin, who had never spoken.

Since Chen Yiqin entered the cabinet, he has been very close to Li 'Chun' Fang, and this time Chenghai was also the result of discussions between the two. Now that there are different opinions, it is natural that the two need to join forces again.

"Chongming, tell me what you think first." Gao Gong said with a smile, and directly gave Shen Chongming the first opportunity to speak.

Shen Chongming nodded yes. During this time, he has put in a lot of effort, and he has already made a detailed understanding of several cities suitable for opening ports.

"The Zhao and Song dynasties and the 'Mongolian' Yuan Dynasty were all periods of developed maritime trade, and throughout the two dynasties, Quanzhou, Fujian Province was the place where the port was opened. In the past few days, the officials have learned a little about Quanzhou, and believe that it has the following two advantages as a place to open a port: First, the goods trafficked by sea trade are mainly cloth and porcelain. In Quanzhou, there are not only more than 200 weaving shops, but also many kilns such as Nan'an kiln, Dehua kiln, Anxi kiln and so on can fire porcelain. With this advantage, choosing Quanzhou as the place to open the port will greatly save the freight of goods. Second, Quanzhou is an important place for soldiers, Fujian sailors are stationed here all the year round, and there are more imperial army guards in the city, if Quanzhou is chosen as the place to open the port, we don't need to worry too much about the gangsters stirring up trouble here. Therefore, the lower officials believed that Quanzhou was the best choice for opening the port. ”

Shen Chongming's head was the Tao, and he didn't leave any room for refutation for Li 'Chun' Fang. glanced at Chen Yiqin, and the helpless 'color' in each other's eyes was in full view.

Sighing slightly, Li Chunfang nodded helplessly and said: "Lord Shen is right, but this Quanzhou is a top choice for opening a port, so let's set Quanzhou as the place to open a port, what do you think?" ”

Needless to say, Gao Gong only heard Zhang Juzheng smile and said: "Lord Shen has a fairly comprehensive understanding of Quanzhou, and the lower officials agreed to choose the place to open the port here." ”

Chen Yiqin didn't speak, just nodded slightly in approval. In his heart, he was impressed by Shen Chongming, although this person was young, he was able to do business without omission, and he was really a rare talent.

But things were once again unexpected by Li Chun Fang and Chen Yiqin. Shen Chongming continued: "This Quanzhou is located in Fujian, and the distance is still far away for the merchants north of the Yangtze River. ”

As soon as these words came out, Li 'Chun' Fang immediately quit. "Lord Shen, the imperial court has just decided to open a port for trade, we should be careful step by step, it is already a risky move to make Quanzhou a place to open a port, how can we open another place?"

"Yes, it's a matter of stability in the world, we should be careful, and we must not take risks for temporary gain." Chen Yiqin also echoed.

"Two adults, opening one is also open, and opening two is also open. If you open a single place in Quanzhou, I am afraid that the northern merchants will complain about the unfairness of the imperial court. Moreover, where we open a port in the north, we can also choose a city with heavy garrisons, so that even if there is really any unforeseen error, it will definitely be suppressed in the shortest possible time. According to the lower officials, Tianjin Wei is good. And in this way, a lot of goods will pass through the Jingshi, which will definitely make the residence of the Son of Heaven more prosperous. Shen Chongming didn't have to think about it, Balabala listed the benefits of opening another commercial port in the north.

At this moment, Li 'Chun' Fang and Chen Yiqin can see that this Shen Chong is clearly prepared.

"Two adults, this official thinks that what Chongming said is very true, isn't it just to let the great tomorrow flourish 'flowers'? Since this is the case, how can this Son of Heaven's residence not lead the group, if not, he is only afraid of hurting the dragon qi of the capital. "Gao Gong is very experienced, and in the blink of an eye, the problem is drawn to the ethereal dragon qi that only exists in legends.

Although this is a 'superstitious' belief, no one dares not to believe it, otherwise it will be a great crime of disrespect, and you will not be able to bear any status.

Li 'Chun' Fang was helpless for a while, and complained in her heart: "This pair of master and apprentice can be regarded as completely holding their own first assistant. ”

There was no way, Li 'Chun' nodded happily and said: "What Lord Gao said has some truth, since this is the case, then let's open another commercial port." ”

Gao Gong Shen Chongming looked at each other and smiled, this matter is really well coordinated, and there is no room for others to have a chance to object.

"The two current commercial ports are convenient for my Heavenly Empire. However, the lower officials thought that once the port was opened to trade, merchants from all over the world would flock to it, and we would have to find a place to entertain them. Shen Chong's name was inches inch, and he was dumbfounded when he said this.

Li 'Chun' Fang no longer has the heart to oppose this matter, anyway, two places have already been opened, and it is not a big deal to open another place. "Okay, then Lord Shen will tell me that the place is more suitable."

"Guangdong Haojing is a good place. Nowadays, there is a red 'hairy' ghost entrenched there, which shows the superior geographical location. Moreover, it is located at the southernmost point of our court, and even if something goes wrong, it is said that it will not threaten the safety of the capital. Shen Chongming introduced in a similar manner.

"Okay, good, just as you say. It's not too early, let's go back to our own errands, this is also a big deal. "Li 'Chun' Fang nodded without thinking about it, he really didn't want to face Shen Chongming anymore, otherwise who knows what else this guy can do.