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On Monday, November 25, 1636, October 28, the ninth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty.

After a year of construction, the comprehensive medical building of Pearl City Hospital was finally completed and put into use today, and the newly assigned medical students from the local area officially took up their posts, so that the overseas consulates of Huamei Pearl Island, who could not feel the cold all year round, were happy again.

The citizens are full of food, drink, work, and watch the sunset, and they have long been accustomed to the occasional strong wind and rain here, but they are afraid of the fever that is worse than death. The imposing hospital was close by, reassuring to the first batch of immigrants who had experienced falciparum malaria on Pearl Island.

In the past 1636, more than 400 merchant ships entered and exited Pearl Port, and the geographical location, free trade policy and low tax rate attracted a large number of maritime merchants from all over the world, and its busy schedule has surpassed any port in Southeast Asia.

Coconut palms and wild banana forests swaying in the wind, merchant ships lining the harbor, a large five-masted schooner of the Oriental Union Union is leaning majestically against the trestle of the expanded population wharf, and ant-like porters operate heavy steam cranes, carefully lifting large wooden boxes filled with oriental industrial raw materials and nailed iron bars.

In the eyes of most Ming maritime businessmen running in Southeast Asia, the appearance rate of Huamei Oriental Union Group may greatly overshadow the sense of existence of the Huamei government itself. The distinctive Oriental Union flag, accompanied by the enviable five-masted large schooner or steam merchant ship, has become the biggest signboard of the "gorgeous image" in Southeast Asia.

Maritime merchants from the Ming Dynasty and merchants from all over Southeast Asia gathered around the port to talk, and the warehouse and storage area in the port area was repeatedly expanded, but they could not keep up with the speed at which the merchants turned this place into their trade warehousing and transit station.

Although the industry of Pearl Island is mainly commercial trade, the characteristic tropical agriculture has still been valued in Pearl Island, especially the previous industrial restrictions, in order to make full use of the local comprehensive labor resources, Oriental Union Group has also opened a certain scale of contract farms on Pearl Island.

Coconut, abaca, fruits, and livestock are the main agricultural projects in the region, among which coconut oil and hemp yarn provide raw materials for two light industries that OUCC can rarely do in the Far East. In addition, there are a small number of sugarcane, rubber and oil palm plantations with cultivation and breeding as the main purpose, the first two have already been planted on a certain scale in Qiongzhou, and the latter are ready to be exported to Dayuan at the right time. As for rice cultivation. It is just a symbolic satisfaction of the traditional psychology of the immigrants from the East, and the price of rice in Siam, Annam, Champa and Luzon is incredibly low, not only to meet the local demand of Pearl Island, but also to resell thousands of tons to Qiongzhou or Dayuan every year.

With the continuous investment of the Oriental Union Group, coupled with the rich returns brought by the business boom, the gap between the overall livelihood level of Pearl Island and the local towns has narrowed a lot in just seven years after its establishment, and the average monthly labor force remuneration of regular citizens has exceeded US$10. The improvement of self-hematopoietic ability has also greatly reduced Pearl Island's dependence on the mainland, and even because of the national Far East image model project, under the hard work of cheap "Ming foreign workers". The image and public infrastructure of the city are slightly stronger than those of some local towns.

Wild plantain and coconut palms transplanted from the original rainforest have become the main force of urban greenery. Several routes for public carriages have also been laid. The city's artificial lake, which doubles as a large-scale water storage project, has become a favorite leisure and viewing area for citizens, and the number of high-rise buildings with more than three floors has surpassed that of Nanshan Overseas Consulate for the first time.

Not long ago, the addition of two sail frigates, the Yama Tra and the Rose, has raised the strength of the Hua-US Asian Fleet to a new level, and has also made all parties in Southeast Asia more conscious. In the past few years, pirates from all sides who did not know what to do were all under the drive and blow of the Chinese and American Asian fleets. If it weren't for the fact that the number of warships in the Huamei Asian Fleet was still insufficient, I am afraid that the pirates would have withdrawn from the South China Sea, which is difficult to do business.

The wars between Huamei and England and the Dutch West India Company in the Atlantic did not affect the trade pattern in Southeast Asia. The England East India Company, which is only focused on money, is still one of the important customers of the Southeast Asia-India route; The Dutch East India Company, the current governor of Batavia, was very grateful for the Asian maritime order maintained by the Chinese and American Asian fleets, and although it could no longer be as high-flying as before, the company's record of merchant ships being maliciously looted by various forces in East Asia also dropped to a negligible level, and thus gradually gained the upper hand in Southeast Asian trade.

From 1633 to the present, Japan has issued its fourth consecutive national closure decree. The Portuguese, who had long relied on trade to sneakily proselytize in Japan, became increasingly disgusted by the Japanese shogunate. Trade from Macau to Nagasaki had ceased to exist in name only, and Dutch Protestant merchants, who were only engaged in business and not proselytizing, received some preferential treatment. Although Zheng Zhilong was also openly acknowledged by the Japanese shogunate, as long as the peaceful atmosphere maintained by Huamei was not maliciously broken, it seemed only a matter of time before the Dutch East India Company, which had more commercial resources, regained Japan's trade advantage. Of course, they didn't know that in a few years, even they would be banned by the Tokugawa shogunate.

On the other hand, Manila, the capital of Spain's Philippine colony, is increasingly half-dead. The Thirty Years' War in Europe not only reduced the number of merchant ships in the American colonies, but also the silver fleet that could travel to and from Manila. If it weren't for the fact that he was at an important hub of Asian trade, and that the Chinese in Manila, who were privately sheltered by the United States, were very industrious, the newly appointed Philippine governor Coquela, would have been the worst colonial governor in all of Spain.

The overseas consulate of the gorgeous Pearl Island, which plays the role of a regional arbitration center on maritime trade and security issues in Asia, enjoys a feeling of being surrounded and sought after, and even the citizens of Pearl City live on their toes all day long.

……

The day after Zhao Mingchuan returned to Mingzhu Island from Qiongzhou, a preliminary assessment report on the loss of the "Midai Island Industrial Zone" was placed on the desk in his study. Looking at the miserable numbers in those rows, Zhao Mingchuan was expressionless, and just wrote down the opinion of "detailed investigation to be discussed" with a thick pen and stuffed it into the drawer.

"Xianggong, Hong'er is going to be admitted to Guofu University next year, and she is in a hurry to go back to Shuangwan City to review, and she can't even spend the New Year here...... Why don't you say something? ”

Seeing that her husband had just come back from a trip out of town, and he devoted himself to work again, He shook his head secretly. Beside her, the 17-year-old eldest son, Zhao Zhihong, was bowing his head and not saying a word, as if waiting for his father to speak.

Over the years, Zhao Mingchuan's wife, He, has basically been at home with her children in Shuangwan City, Bermuda, and Zhao Mingchuan has been working on Pearl Island since then. There were only two times when wives and children came to reunite. Now that the three children have grown up, the former weak scholar looks much more haggard than his peers, although his real age is only 36 years old, his temples have turned slightly white.

"So fast, have you figured it out?" Zhao Mingchuan looked at his young son who hadn't been with him for many years, and finally showed a kind smile.

"Well, my son plans to take the mathematics major at Capital National University and teach and educate people in the future. Mayor Di said the same thing before he left office. Zhao Zhihong looked at his mother beside him, and met his father's gaze again. His face was slightly red. "But my mother said that I can't get ahead as a teacher these days......"

"Huh. Cultivating talents is the foundation of the country, and there is no distinction between high and low. For the father, I only send you ten words: remember to be honest and pragmatic, don't be high-minded. Zhao Mingchuan smiled at his wife and children, knowing the ambition of his eldest son. No matter what your career, self-discipline and self-improvement are enough, but you must never engage in business and politics! ”

"My son knows!" Seeing that his father also supported his ambition to apply for the exam, Zhao Zhihong suddenly came to his senses.

The son left the study, and He showed a trace of doubt: "Xianggong, why don't you want Hong'er to engage in business and politics?" Other people's children are eager to join the door, with the weight that Xianggong is receiving now, don't they need Hong'er to succeed in the future? ”

"Over the years, it has become more and more useful in the OUCC Group. The more I feel that the commercial affairs of this country are as deep as vast...... I thought that a strong country and a rich country could only be achieved by the way of a gentleman, but now that it looks like this is not the case, Master Di was right at the beginning. When you have a lot of money, you know the depth of governing the country...... Hey, it's better to be an ordinary person! ”

Zhao Mingchuan smiled bitterly, as if recalling the past in Qiongzhou not long ago......

……

Time goes back to half a month ago.

In the backyard of the state capital of Daming Qiongzhou, several officials were anxiously waiting in the courtyard, judging from their cramped and uneasy expressions, it seemed that there was something very difficult.

"Oops, Liu Gongzi is out!"

A figure appeared on the side of the porch, and I saw Liu Yaoyu and Zhao Mingchuan walking slowly with a frown. A group of local state and county officials from Qiongzhou Prefecture hurriedly greeted them.

"Gongzi Liu, Mr. Zhao, can the matter be true?" A middle-aged official lowered his voice and asked cautiously, and several other officials around him also came over attentively.

"Well, I heard that Lord Xiong, the governor of Liangguang, recommended that my brother-in-law has been 'reinstated', and he will probably go to Nanjing in a few days." Liu Yaoyu was also in a bad mood, and as soon as his words came out, several Qiongzhou magistrates who heard the news showed bitterness on their faces.

"Hey, what are we going to do? Could it be that the Governor Xiong knew about the joint operation of commercial mines and private placements by Qiongzhou and Miyi Maritime Merchants and the private placement of displaced people from other provinces, so he dismissed Lord Zhao from his post? If the new prefect intervenes at that time, isn't it in vain?! ”

As he spoke, he suddenly felt as if he had said something wrong, and hurriedly arched his hand to Zhao Mingchuan on the side embarrassedly.

"I just cooperated with Brother Yi Ping to run the South China Sea mine, and I didn't get involved." Zhao Mingchuan shook his head helplessly, and also showed a wry smile.

Danzhou Zhizhou and Changhua County Orders are the most urgent people, because the 'South China Sea Mining' supported by Zhao Youheng behind the scenes at the beginning of last year is now at the most critical moment. A large number of Qiongzhou magistrates have tied their wealth to the Nanhai Mining Bureau, which can be called the most widely implicated local project since the "revitalization of Qiongzhou Baiye Revitalization". Before he had time to dig out a load of ore, the biggest shield was going to leave sooner or later, and only genius knows what kind of reaction the new prefect of Qiongzhou will make in the future.

Relying on the "Miyi craftsman" from Nanyang, the mountain road leading to the mountain mine was finally completed, and the Nanyang mining equipment purchased with a large amount of silver had not had time to be placed, and I heard that Zhao Youheng was "recommended" by the governor Xiong Wencan.

The local mining affairs of the Ming Dynasty were originally divided into two types: government and private, but no matter which one they were, they were essentially subject to strict imperial control. In order to prevent the hidden danger of miners gathering, the so-called private mines must also be registered, and the mountain owner, the chief A, and the miner all need to register the exact number of people, names, places of origin, residence and other information. If the miner is a foreigner, that is a strict violation, and if the mountain owner or the general Jia is a foreigner, he will also be crowned with the big crime of plotting against him.

The private mining industry is still so strict and meticulous in employing personnel, and the metallurgical industry is even more demanding. The head of the furnace and the furnace worker are also limited to the local hometown, and the more thunder pond will seek more blessings, and the product types will have more rules at a glance.

Those who smelt iron are not allowed to make pots, and those who make pots are strictly forbidden to make hoes, and tools with one ear handle cannot have two ear handles, and the number of raw materials and iron tools must be reported for approval every month...... Such a deep infiltration of the "defense of the people is more than the prevention of Sichuan" of the folk metallurgical policy. From the means of production to the control of labor, even the so-called "15 taxes and 1" mining and metallurgical tax, plus the world's first output, can not hide the essence of feudal rule that the development of the metallurgical industry in the Ming Dynasty was deeply shackled, and the germination of capitalism in the metallurgical handicraft industry is also nonsense.

Strictly speaking, the current situation of the joint operation of the South China Sea Mine, Liu Yaoyu, the manager of the South China Sea firm with the largest shares, is half a foreigner, not to mention the Huamei Oriental Union Group represented by Zhao Mingchuan? This article alone, if it is not covered by Zhao Youheng and the magistrates of Qiongzhou, it is enough to be knocked down by someone with a heart.

These tied officials gritted their teeth and threw away some money. If someone is found to be guilty of "going to the West outside, forming a bad business inside, and committing a ban on private business". That's the end of losing your official position or going to jail!

"It happened suddenly. My brother-in-law can't handle it...... My old Taishan is talking with his brother-in-law in the study, and I'm afraid I won't be able to come out for a while. A few days ago, I discussed with Brother Sicheng that the matter of mining in the South China Sea should be put on hold for a while. Inquire before making a decision. Ladies and gentlemen, let's go back for now. Liu Yaoyu is now a head or two, and he doesn't have the heart to play any more modest and polite with these Qiongzhou magistrates who usually call him brothers, so he and Zhao Mingchuan went out of the backyard of the state capital one after the other.

If it is simply the impact of Zhao Youheng's departure on the business of the Nanhai firm itself, Liu Yaoyu is actually not very worried, because now his father-in-law is a bigger talisman. The only thing he was worried about was that the mine he led Zhao Mingchuan and the local gentry in Qiongzhou would be exposed. And what is behind Zhao Mingchuan, after a few years, basically half of the two Guangxi know it.

……

In the study. Liu Yaoyu's father-in-law was sitting silently opposite Zhao Youheng, and their eyes fell on a letter on the table.

"Zhao Xian's nephew, Governor Xiong also wrote to the old man a few months ago, bluntly saying that the virtuous nephew has learned people, and now the imperial court is just employing people. The saint clearly decides right and wrong, and it is the right time for you to be reinstated......" The head of the Wang family touched his beard and pointed to the letter in front of him with a smile, as if he didn't think it was a big deal.

In fact, the Wang family also secretly intervenes in many industries in Qiongzhou through the Nanhai business name of his son-in-law Liu Yaoyu, but the Wang family has deep roots, and even Xiong Wencan, the governor of Liangguang, has to sell a lot of face, so he is not worried about what the new prefect will dare to do to the Wang family in the future.

"It's just that Qiongzhou has a hundred industries to be prospered, and the township has been in love for many years, and when the last school goes this time, I'm afraid it will disappoint my father." Zhao Youheng said polite words dryly, and his mood was as bad as Liu Yaoyu, who had left.

"Did you know that Governor Xiong is also leaving office? I heard that the Holy Lord has repeatedly asked Lord Xiong to serve as the prime minister of the internal provincial suppression, and the Holy Grace is in full swing. If he leaves office, it is inevitable that Qiongzhou will be constrained by many parties, and he may be in trouble. Lord Xiong is afraid that you will be lonely and difficult to speak, which will damage your career. It's rare that Lord Xiong has the heart to love and protect talents, Lord Zhao has to see it clearly...... "The old man of the Wang family no longer sells Guanzi, and directly said Xiong Wencan's true intentions this time.

"As for Yu'er, don't worry, my son-in-law of the Wang family will not be wronged." The old man of the Wang family stroked his beard, as if he had been prepared for a long time, and the smile in his eyes was full of indescribable pride, "I have discussed with a few close friends, Yu'er can temporarily put the Nanhai business under the name of my Wang family or close friends, no matter which Liangguang Governor or Guangdong Provincial Governor Imperial History, there is no way to blame." ”

As soon as the words came out, a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on Zhao Youheng's back.

Zhao Youheng only thought about himself before, the new prefect's temperament is unpredictable, maybe the agriculture and industry that Qiongzhou has managed to set up over the years will slack off, and his years of hard work may be in vain.

But now it's not a question of whether he wants to leave or not, but Xiong Wencan is also going to be transferred by the emperor. At that time, it will not be a new prefect who will judge the current situation of Qiongzhou, but the new governor of Liangguang!

Over the years, the two Guangzhou government gentry who coveted Qiongzhou have not jumped up and down in front of Xiong Wencan, and Xiong Wencan has blocked them one by one. Once Qiongzhou is identified as a crooked and evil way by the new governor, not only will Qiongzhou stop cooking, but it will also be finished!

And the Qiongzhou royal family in front of him obviously also took this opportunity to completely control the Nanhai business in their own hands, and also called it to protect their son-in-law's industry.

At the beginning, the Wang family actively recruited Liu Yaoyu as their son-in-law, and even supported the expansion of the South China Sea business in Qiongzhou together with Xiong Wencan, so why not wait for this kind of opportunity?

Grievances for Liu Yaoyu? Basically, this kind of thinking is wishful thinking. When Xiong Wencan was there, he was still supporting himself, and now that Xiong Wencan is leaving, all he can do is to use his last political energy to help him temporarily leave Qiongzhou, which may become a "place of disaster", and he can't reverse the situation.

No matter how the "New Deal" is in Qiongzhou, the Ming Dynasty is still the Ming Dynasty that integrates the local officials and gentry, and no one can change it.

"The end of the study is ashamed, listening to Wang Weng's words, it is better than reading ten years! At the end of the school, I went back to tell Brother Yu about right and wrong, and never let down the hard work of Lord Wang. ”

Zhao Youheng's mood changed greatly at this time, and he couldn't wait to do all the things before leaving office immediately, so that his wife and brother Liu Yaoyu could also prepare early. As for the local petty officials who follow the landlords and gentry to live a life, he can't help it, and it can be regarded as an eye-opener. (To be continued)