Chapter 82 The Affair of the Wa State
Historically, it was only in the second half of the 16th century that the Wa Kingdom ushered in a grand wave of precious metal mining and became the largest silver exporter in Asia - but Ximenqing suddenly felt that he could advance the precious metal mining tide by 500 years.
Importing silver from the Japanese kingdom to mint coins -- Ximenqing, who was worried about how to deal with this money shortage, was like a drowning man pulling on the life-saving wood. He had thought about changing imports to plunder, but after calculating the cost of sending troops and trading with them, the Fรผhrer had to regretfully abandon the idea that was so tempting to think about.
After sending away the Korean students, Ximen Qing gave an order: "Bring me the two Japanese businessmen who are suspected of commercial fraud!" โ
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming are now in despair. They were ruthlessly abandoned by the Goryeo legations, and then they heard the negative news of life and death from the jailers - the Chinese Federal Decree was extremely strict, and the punishment for official corruption and commercial fraud was severe!
As for the heaviness of the severity, the jailer did not say, but just looked at the two foreigners with Chinese names with sympathetic eyes, and left without even accepting bribes.
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming's hearts were cold. Although they are Japanese people, they have also heard that the corrupt officials and corrupt officials who fell into the hands of Ximenqing, the emperor of the Federal Republic of China, are all in the business of buying one and getting ten free -- if one person commits a crime, he will even put the whole family in it, and the old man will be treated equally under the butcher's knife.
A businessman who commits business fraud is treated the same way as a corrupt official? This time it's dead!
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming themselves put themselves in the biggest crisis of their lives.
Actually, there was moisture in the jailer's words. Because since the reform of the prison system of the Chinese Federation, jailers cannot accept black money from prisoners' families, and they cannot lynch prisoners at will -- for many jailers, these two cannot be pressed down with their heads on their heads, and there is no joy in living in the world.
Therefore, these poor and boring jailers do not mind tossing and tormenting prisoners with specious words, although they cannot make them suffer physically, but they can also make them feel depressed mentally, and can satisfy the dark psychology of these jailers.
In order to revitalize and protect the emerging business, Ximenqing did formulate strict laws, but they were not so severe as to enjoy the same special treatment as corrupt officials.
Looking at the frightened faces of Zheng Qing and Sun Junming in the prison, the jailers felt extremely happy. Just as they were drinking in despair with the prisoners, the order of the Ximen Qingti people came.
After several tosses, Zheng Qing and Sun Junming, who came to Ximenqing, had weak legs, they were just businessmen, not warriors.
Ximen Qing looked at these two five-body Japanese people with a smile. He originally wanted to ask them to get up and sit and talk, but after thinking about it, occasionally rebelling against his psychological cleanliness is also a rare pleasure in life, so Ximenqing gave himself a luxury opportunity.
So Ximen Qing asked on the ground: "Can you speak Chinese?" โ
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming nodded like chickens pecking rice, as if they were afraid that they would be beheaded in the next moment, so they took advantage of the opportunity to linger and exercise, so they exercised their necks desperately, so that they could enjoy some more of the feeling of being alive.
Ximen Qing smiled, it is really refreshing to be able to communicate with home advantage in the language of his own country!
Next, Ximenqing did not mention this unfortunate commercial breach of contract, but only inquired in detail about the domestic affairs of the Japanese state. He is the right person, Zheng Qing and Sun Junming, as businessmen, not only have to maintain inextricable contacts with the officials of the Japanese State, but also find out the life preferences of the common people, so these two people have a broad vision and extensive knowledge, so Ximen Qing took out a lot of useful information from their mouths.
In 1116, the current emperor of the Wa Kingdom is called Emperor Toba, and although he is the seventy-fourth emperor, he is still a thirteen-year-old son, and his grandfather Emperor Shirakawa is responsible for all domestic affairs.
After the abdication of the emperor of the Wa Kingdom, he was called the emperor, and the emperor who became a monk was called the emperor, and this Emperor Shirakawa is sixty-three years old this year, but he is by no means a fuel-efficient lamp. In 1072, he became the 72nd Emperor of the Wa Kingdom, known as Emperor Shirakawa. Due to the weakening of the old aristocracy of the Fujiwara clan, Emperor Shirakawa had the opportunity to wield real power, but in order to control power more effectively, he abdicated in 1086 and abdicated in favor of his son Emperor Horikawa. In 1096, Emperor Shirakawa became a monk and became the emperor, but he was neither ordained nor given the title of law, and still firmly held on to his authority, and in order to effectively control his son, he even sent his sister Atsuko into the palace, and let the thirteen-year-old Emperor Horikawa marry his own aunt who was thirty-two years old. With such a strange father covered, of course it was uncomfortable to be a son, so in 1107, Emperor Horikawa kicked his leg and died, and Emperor Shirakawa appointed his grandson Prince Sohito as emperor, and this is the current Emperor Toba.
Emperor Shirakawa inherited the tradition of the Japanese people, and he was good at fishing, and he had a fierce and obedient personality. On one occasion, Emperor Shirakawa was so dissatisfied with the rainy weather that he ordered a basin filled with rainwater and thrown into prison as a way to "punish" the heavens.
There is such a person in power in the Japanese state, and the domestic affairs can be imagined. However, the Tsushima Island in the northwest of the Wa Kingdom is far away, and there is no Jiazi on Tsushima Island, and the cold does not know the year, you are your emperor, and I will do my business.
Tsushima Island is located between Goryeo and Wakoku, and has a unique advantage in shipping. Because after the rise of Ximenqing, vigorously develop the maritime business, the Liangshan period began to send a steady stream of ships overseas, to the destruction of the Song Dynasty, more maritime power, Tsushima Island was greatly affected, the island of the wealthy clan also organized a fleet, to and from Tsushima and Goryeo trade, with the products of the Wa Kingdom, in exchange for Goryeo ginseng, and from Goryeo to buy Chinese raw silk, silk fabrics from Goryeo at a high price.
The Tsushima clan actually wanted to bypass Goryeo and trade directly to the Central Plains mainland. It's a pity that they are limited to raw materials and can't build a sturdy sea ship like Ximen Qing's, so they have to run a short distance between Goryeo.
However, the products of the Wa Kingdom were really limited, and although the Zong clan was a large family, they were also shy and stretched thin in the "international trade" with Goryeo. However, the ginseng of Goryeo is a hard currency, after all, it cannot be separated from it when the royal maiden is in time, so everyone in the nobility of the Wa Kingdom loves it. There was no way, the Zong clan only searched around, and saw what goods were loaded, this time, Guan Qing and Sun Junming, who belonged to the Zong clan, loaded a boatload of silver and came out.
Who knows, although the silver thing is valuable, but the things that are too valuable cannot be sold, and even the robbers are not interested in it-robbing this thing, it is too heavy and too space-intensive, and it is so difficult to get rid of the burden, so you don't want to give it away for free.
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming were dumbfounded, and when they heard that there was an opportunity to go to China, they immediately hugged them firmly. In their imagination, China is the kingdom of the Celestial Empire, everyone is so rich, and when they arrive in the Central Plains, they should be able to sell their own silver, right?
Who knew that dreams are dreams, reality is reality, and when they arrived in the land of the Central Plains, Zheng Qing and Sun Junming discovered that even in the Celestial Empire, silver was not welcomed. The two of them were poor in donkey skills, so they had to take risks and wanted to empty gloves and white wolves, but people still couldn't take out their bad hearts, so they played tricks and broke themselves into prison.
Ximen Qing listened with relish, and asked seemingly casually: "What is the current silver output of your Wa Kingdom?" โ
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming complemented each other and carefully replied that since the reign of Emperor Shirakawa, the Japanese kingdom has flourished in flashiness, and there is a great market for all kinds of silver and silver ornaments, so the silver mining industry has been promoted. Since the untimely death of Emperor Horikawa, the son of Emperor Shirakawa, silver tableware has suddenly become popular, and the aristocracy has given them a copy to test for poison, which has shown its efficacy, and has further revitalized the prosperity of the silver mines.
Therefore, the domestic production of silver is really not low, but the domestic demand has become saturated, and we have to look overseas. It's a pity that silver seems to have been born at the wrong time, Goryeo can't sell it, and the Chinese Federation can't sell it, and the silver mining and silver industry in the Japanese Kingdom is doomed to be dismal.
After hearing this, Ximenqing burst into laughter and asked the merchants of the two envoys to be dragged down, bathed and changed their clothes, and then had a full meal.
Sun Junming and Zheng Qing looked like earth for a while, thinking that this must be the final severed head meal, after eating, the "click" and "click" two knives were waved, and their own family died so much that they could no longer die, and the boatload of silver was confiscated into the official treasury - didn't the whole world do this when they went up to the government and down to the bandits, and they were greedy for money and killed people?
The two merchants were so frightened that they forgot to beg for mercy, but after taking a shower, they saw a table of good food waiting, and their souls returned. In Wakoku, this is a delicious meal that can only be enjoyed by the emperor level! Die and die! Before you die, you have a mouthful of addiction!
With the determination to die, Zheng Qing and Sun Junming let go of their munches, did not raise their heads, and ate very much. Later, the person in charge of the meal refused to give them food, not because they were stingy, but if they continued to eat, the two of them themselves died first.
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming, who were choked in their throats, were taken out again, and just when they thought they were going to say goodbye to the guy who ate from now on, they found that they were not sent to the execution ground, but were sent to an elegant courtyard.
Ximen Qingzheng and a vote of people were waiting for them here, and when they saw these two Japanese merchants coming, Ximen Qing got straight to the point: "Your crime of fraud is unintentional, so you will only be fined to compensate the other party for breach of contract and mental loss." โ
Zheng Qing and Sun Junming, who were the last to die, looked at each other - they were now at the end of their ropes, and they couldn't afford to pay even if they were just fines.
But Ximenqing's next words made them change from the pain of nine deaths to the ecstasy of a hundred deaths - "I bought your silver!" "This is exactly what it is:
Only silver is used as currency, but the Wa country is used as a miner. But I don't know what will happen next, and listen to the next breakdown.