"The emperor said: Diligence and cultivation, so the loyalty of the ministers. Increase the rank and change the name, and use the national code of excellence. It's a matter of persuasion, and righteousness begins. Therefore, the Government Council made Wu Yong, made meritorious contributions to the country, and worked very hard to govern the country. With the beginning of humility, build innovation together. Thinking of your physical illness, knowing your hard work, knowing that you are white. Bow to the elderly, have a heart unbearable, and have a good heart, and specially seal Wu Yong as the Duke of Chongguo to inspire future generations. Wu Yong was then appointed as the compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and revised the "History of the Song Dynasty" to leave it for posterity. Optimal travel, longevity and health. Chin this! ”

Wu held the holy decree in his hand and stood at the gate of the Government Affairs Yuan, looking around at everyone, his face pale.

The people on the left and right also looked embarrassed, and they didn't know whether to come forward to say hello or to comfort them. The words of the holy decree are mostly praised, and even Wu Yong is the Duke of Chongguo. However, it is this practical significance, and it is also to transfer Wu Yong from the government affairs yuan to the Hanlin Yuan, and preside over the revision of the "History of the Song Dynasty". For more than a decade, the powerful people have since moved away from this central organ of the state.

All the people present were officials of the Government Council, some were happy and some were worried. Where there are people, there will naturally be contention, not to mention the country's highest leadership organ.

Wu Yong looked at the holy decree again, rolled it up, and held it in his arms. Walked out of the door of the Government Council.

None of the people around came forward to talk a few words, and they didn't know what to say to Wu Yong.

Only Li Gang stepped forward a few steps, took a serious salute, and made a bow.

Wu Yong also hurriedly replied. After all, he still didn't turn back to the government council.

After Wu used the frame, he walked for a long time. A few people on the side of the road chased after them, stopped the frame, and got on the frame to see Wu Yong.

Wu Yong saw these people, so he didn't say much. Wu Yong never thought about today's events, and always thought that he had won the sacred heart, worked reliably, and did his best, and it was impossible for him to have this kind of experience. But Wu Yong has been thinking about Zheng Zhi for more than ten years, but after all, he still hasn't figured it out thoroughly.

But someone had already spoken: "Enxiang, this matter must be that Li Gang is a hindrance, everyone knows what happened in the court this morning, if it weren't for Li Gang's attack on Enxiang, why did it come to this." If Enxiang goes to the palace to see His Majesty now, and explains the matter of that nephew to His Majesty, His Majesty will definitely not embarrass Enxiang. ”

Wu Yong looked at these people with a look of righteous indignation, but he shook his head and did not answer.

The other person shook his head when he saw Wu Yong, and hurriedly answered: "Your Majesty relies on grace so much, how can you not think of some old feelings?" As long as Enxiang enters the palace to see him, he will definitely be able to take back His Majesty's fate. ”

These people are naturally Wu's confidants, as the saying goes, the tree falls and the tree is scattered. These people were filled with righteous indignation, and they were not afraid that the tree would fall.

Wu Yong only opened his mouth at this time and said: "Your Majesty's will is not so simple, you still don't understand Your Majesty. If my nephew had broken the law, he would have been held responsible. Even if you want to blame me, you can only use harsh words. Today, I was directly asked to revise the "History of the Song Dynasty", obviously there is no room for turning back, and it is not certain whether I can be promoted again in the future. ”

Wu Yong naturally has a certain degree of understanding of Zheng Zhi. I also knew that I couldn't go to see Zheng Zhi at this time, but I could go to see him a few more times in a few months, and maybe things would take a turn for the better.

I heard a person say angrily: "Now the court is peaceful inside and outside, and everything is going well." His Majesty then seized the power of the Prime Minister. As the saying goes, the birds are exhausted, the good bow is hidden, the cunning rabbit dies, and the lackeys cook. And so it was! ”

This person may have said something on point. The way to govern the country is, after all, a matter of fairness and righteousness, and at the beginning of the founding of the country, when it is unstable, dark means are indispensable. But this country is on the right track, and Wu's angle of doing things is somewhat incompatible with this court. On the contrary, a person like Li Gang, who has a neutral temperament, is much more suitable than Wu Yong at this time.

Wu Yong dismissed the official, and the crime was no longer above the nephew's misdeeds. However, Wu Yong's dismissal also carries the meaning of Zheng Zhi killing chickens and setting an example for monkeys. It is to warn these vested interests today, no matter how powerful they are, there is no possibility of breaking the law and committing crimes. Wu Yong is a living example of that.

There are two reasons for the dismissal, the first reason is that Wu Yongxing may not have thought it through, and he doesn't know his poison method, which is a little out of step with today's court. But the second reason for killing chickens and setting an example for monkeys can be thought of with Wu Yong's understanding of Zheng Zhi. So Wu Yong thought that he still had a chance to get up again.

When Wu Yong heard the angry words, his face turned angry, and he opened his mouth to scold: "What nonsense are you talking about? How dare you talk about the holy will like this, you are really tired of it. Get the hell out of here! ”

Everyone was shocked when they heard this. It was the person who just said something "cunning rabbit dead lackey cooking", who was even more frightened and climbed out of the carriage. is that the frame is still walking, and when he got out of the car, he did not stand firmly, and he fell to the ground in his official uniform.

Wu Yongzhi is cautious, and it has always been so. That person was too open-mouthed, he only thought that he was Wu's henchman, and he was upset for Wu, thinking that he was a sycophant. But I didn't want Wu Yong to be so angry.

Cangzhou harbor is now very different from before, at a glance, the towering sails are endless. Not far away, there is also a military port, big ships and huge cannons, also in rows and rows.

There is a section of wharf in the port, which is more than two or three hundred steps. It is the wharf dedicated to the Zhu family in Dulonggang, and the rent for a year is also very expensive. It is not an exaggeration to describe the income of the customs as a daily income.

This section of the wharf, although it is a special wharf for the Zhu family, also has shareholders, and the Li family of the Dulonggang Hu family has shares. Thirty percent of them are royal shares.

The armed merchant ships on the wharf are of different sizes, and there are more than a dozen moored here. There are more than 40 of them still sailing on the sea.

Zhu Biao arrived here in person today, and it was Hu Cheng who was waiting for Zhu Biao at the port. The Hu family became such an heir, and Hu Cheng, who was originally serving in the army, also left the army, retired from the army and returned home to take care of the family business.

After the pier, there is a commercial area. Originally, there was a warehouse behind this pier. Nowadays, more and more warehouses are being built, and the warehouses are a little farther away, and they have become a commercial area.

Zhu Biao waited for a long time in a high-class teahouse in the business district, and Hu Chengcai hurried over.

I heard Hu Cheng say: "I wish my brother to wait for a long time, and the people from the tax department will go to the warehouse to inspect the goods, and if you are delayed, forgive me." ”

Zhu Biao just smiled and said: "It's okay, it's okay, now that the Customs and Excise Department is more and more powerful, it is becoming more and more difficult to deal with." ”

To inspect the goods, it is natural to compare the valuation. Only in this way can taxes be effectively collected.

Hu Cheng heard the words and said: "If it weren't for the fact that there were a few people cut down in the yamen of Cangzhou Customs in front of the head, this tax department would not be so difficult to deal with now." The inspection department is a good means, the original tax department is easy to deal with, but it has caused the court to lose a lot of income, and now after cutting a few people, no one dares to mess around, but I don't know how to manage it for a few years. ”

Obviously, Hu Cheng doesn't care about paying taxes to the court, and he still has a bit of a taste of worrying about the country and the people.

Zhu Biao smiled when he heard this: "Just look, if someone dares to mess around, someone will come to cut off his head." ”

Hu Cheng also nodded when he heard this, but he felt that Zhu Biao was right, and now this court has a strict law, which is rare in all dynasties. Then he opened his mouth and asked, "Why did Brother Zhu come to Cangzhou this time?" ”

Zhu Biao was also serious, and asked, "How many boats have not come back from Wadao?" ”

"There are more than forty ships."

Zhu Biao heard the words and said: "This time the ship is back, I won't go to Wadao, and now I heard that the ships in the south of the Yangtze River are going to the South China Sea, there is a big business there, and we should also go to get a piece of the pie." ”

Hu Cheng was puzzled when he heard this: "What other big business can make money than going to Wadao to transport silver?" ”

In the land of Japan, there has never been much production. Therefore, the Great Xia Dynasty did not occupy the land of Japan, but only occupied a few ports with good ports. But there is a special product in Japan, Iwami Ginshan, which was unknown before, and a few years ago this silver mountain was suddenly found by someone who cares. Therefore, boatloads of silver were also transported back in this way, and the court benefited countless profits, and the people also flocked to it. However, the people always drink some soup, mainly because the court officials have the majority of interests. But like the Zhu family, you can also drink thick soup when you drink soup.

I heard Zhu Biao reply: "Not many people in the north know about this matter, but it was my eldest brother who told me a letter from Hejian. To the south of the South China Sea, beyond the equator, there is a huge landmass, sparsely populated, and a lot of fertile land. There are many islands along the way, which are also borderlands. Where are many of the fleets in the South going now? We should also hurry up, because if we go late, we will not be able to drink the soup. ”

Zhu Biao said that the huge land is naturally the so-called Australia in later generations, and the countless islands on the road are the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and other places.

But Hu Cheng still didn't think so: "Ownerless land is everywhere, and you can't make money." What's the use of going to occupy it, it's better to go to Wajima to transport silver. ”

Zhu Biao smiled when he heard this, and said with a mysterious look: "You don't understand this." Those people in Jiangnan are very smart, they have land to grow grain, and they can grow anything. Now there are people who have caught a large number of yellow slaves and black slaves, and there are enough people. Do you think it's worth it? ”

Hu Cheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he only said: "The imperial court strictly decrees that slaves are not allowed in the country. I didn't expect the people of Jiangnan to be so clever and take these slaves to other places. There are cheap laborers, and there are many workshops in the south of the Yangtze River that are also going to move out, so I really want to make a fortune. ”

Zhu Biao smiled even more and said, "Isn't it better to make money than going to the Wa Island to loot the silver stolen by those Wa people, right?" It is to find a place to raise livestock to make a fortune, and now the price of this livestock is rising day by day. We have to hurry up, I heard that the imperial court may have to send a few governors out this year, and when we get to the Yamen to control it, I am afraid that it will not be so easy to occupy the territory. ”

The price of livestock is really going up higher and higher. The price of horses, because of the needs of the imperial army and ordinary labor life, even if there is a grassland land, the price of horses cannot stop rising. The same is true for other livestock, who says that there are more ways to make money now, and the people will eat better, and if they want to eat meat, it is a rigid demand, and it is reasonable for the price of meat to rise sharply. All the truth is also because in recent years, countless money has poured into the country, the court can make money, and the people can naturally make money.

Hu Cheng also knows the importance of it, and when there is a yamen, then everything is up to the yamen, and it is impossible to occupy land privately. But before the governor's yamen arrived, it was an opportunity. Hurriedly said: "Brother Zhu, I'm going to make arrangements, I have to take a few boats today, hurry up and stop it." All go south. ”

After speaking, Hu Cheng had already stood up, Zhu Biao also quickly stood up, and the two of them walked quickly to the dock, that is, the boat that was going to set off and continue to go to Wadao could not go. Ships had to be kept to carry people, supplies, and even slaves. The land of the archipelago is mostly savages, called the Yellow Slaves, and the land of the Indian Peninsula is also called the Yellow Slaves, and the black slaves do not need to say much, after passing the Indian Peninsula, and then landing, it is the vast land of the blacks, this waterway has been through for seven or eight years, but the waterway through the equator in the south has only been through for two or three years.

It's just that at the beginning of the establishment of the imperial court, it was strictly forbidden to keep slaves in the country. Slaves of any race are not allowed to keep them. Families or workshops employing helpers or servants must also strictly follow the law, in black and white, and no abuse or insult is allowed. Otherwise, it would be a felony, and it would be a basic human rights guarantee.

As for the fact that slaves of other races are not allowed to keep them, it is not a human rights issue that is out of date. It is that Zheng Zhi was prescient and did not want to go hundreds of years, and the land of China was full of a large number of other races living together with the people of China on this unique land.

If the policy is like this, there will naturally be countermeasures. The slave trade, in this day and age, could not have been avoided. After all, it's free labor. The solution is to go abroad and breed. Originally, it was the land of Qiongzhou, and later the government did not allow the land of Penghu in Qiongzhou to do so. I had to look elsewhere. The land of the archipelago is a great choice.

Interests are always the most fundamental driving force for all human affairs.

Therefore, along with the interests, there is a fleet that has been departing from Cangzhou for more than two months, and the fleet is specially sent by the imperial court, and the scale is not small, and the soldiers have brought more than 4,000. The leader of the fleet was also Ruan Xiaoqi.

The direction of the fleet is to the east, the vast Pacific Ocean, if it can be crossed, that continent is the real rich land. Something there will also directly change the country.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn and the like. It's all there, and these kinds of crops are simple to grow and produce huge yields. With these things, we are no longer afraid of those natural disasters. Sufficient food is the foundation of a country's true stability.

But the Pacific Ocean is too wide, and Zheng Zhi has long planned to send people across the ocean, and it has not been delayed until now that he is ready. Because the Pacific Ocean is much wider than the Atlantic Ocean, it would be even more difficult to cross the Pacific Ocean if there were no mature sea routes and one supply point after another.

Ruan Xiaoqi's task is to open up a mature sea route, and the supply of islands on this road is the focus of the plan.

Therefore, the fleet led by Ruan Xiaoqi is extremely large, and sufficient supplies are the guarantee of this trip.

Even Zheng Zhi was looking forward to Ruan Xiaoqi's smooth return. At that time, Zheng Zhi can really be regarded as basically laying out the plan in his heart.

In the four directions of the southeast, the northwest, the basic plan is the other end of the Chinese Oriental Ocean.