At the end of the eighth year of China, Diao Gaohan, director of the General Administration of Ningbo Customs, deported this year's tariff and tax silver to Daming Jingshi as usual.

He was accompanied by the envoy Lan Xiaofeng, who was responsible for submitting the credentials and informing the Ming Dynasty of Jeju Island.

It's just that as soon as they landed in Tianjin, they felt a different atmosphere.

The Ming court sent 3,000 battalions this time to escort the customs silver, and also let the guards greet and receive them along the way.

After Diao Gaohan inquired, he learned that Tianjin and Hejian and other places were making trouble with "Hebei Xiangma".

It is said that there are bandits named Liu Liu and Liu Qi, who robbed houses and houses in Wen'an County, Bazhou, and attracted a lot of people, and the bandit leader Qi Yanming also responded.

All of a sudden, there were some places in Hebei that were not quiet.

In October of the fourth year of Zhengde, the Ming Dynasty sent additional inspectors to garrison Tianjin, Zhending and other places to "specialize in catching thieves".

The families of Liu Liu and Liu Qi were arrested, and the government slaughtered all the bandits' families as a shock.

He also caught the bandit leader Qi Yanming, but was rescued by Liu Liu and Liu Qi after breaking the prison, and the whole Hebei was shocked.

In order to safely enter Beijing with tariff silver, the Ming court sent 3,000 battalions, not only that, but even 2,000 new troops to be responsible for guarding along the way.

Don't blame Daming Wenwu for being too careful, it's really too much tariff silver!

In the past eight years, the total amount of tariff silver in China has reached more than 3.67 million taels, of which the fastest growth is in Guangzhou Customs and Ningbo Customs, with an average annual growth rate of more than 10 percent.

The prosperous trade unconsciously made the Ming Dynasty finance very dependent on tariffs.

The officials of the Ming Household Department looked at the East Qin more and more pleasing to the eye, and they also became a firm open-sea faction, believing that as long as all the coastal ports were opened, tariffs would be doubled.

"Director Diao, in previous years, you came to hand over the silver, have you ever encountered such a situation?"

"No, this year is also the first time to meet, although there were also Ming army escorts in previous years, but not so much, it seems that this "Hebei Xiangma", is really a bit of a skill! ”

"I'm afraid I have to inform the government of this matter quickly, we are in Tianjin, and the intelligence force is still too weak!"

Lan Xiaofeng sat in the carriage and felt that this group of Hebei Xiangma was afraid that it was similar to the Southern Jiangxi Righteous Army.

If this is the case, the government must be interested in resuming the affairs of Southern Jiangxi in Hebei.

"Daming Gyeonggi is a major land, and it can actually make a few bandits make a lot of noise, it seems that many of the previous worries are superfluous!" Diao Gaohan couldn't help but smile.

Lan Xiaofeng also said: "Yes! Before I came, I thought that giving Daming new crops was an enemy. Looking at it now, as far as the virtue of the Ming Dynasty is concerned, even if it is a bumper harvest every year, it can make the people unable to live! ”

"So! Junshang asked us to have a few customs offices to also promote sweet potatoes. Believe it or not, a few of our customs plus businessmen will be promoted faster than the Daming government? ”

"I believe it!" Lan Xiaofeng sighed and said: "You still understand that no matter how unscrupulous we are, we can't aim the knife at the people of the Ming Dynasty."

They are not only our compatriots, but also a group of hard-working people who just want to eat well, and the only thing that can really benefit them is new crops and cheap farm tools. ”

……

Two days later, the convoy arrived safely in Beijing.

Diao Gaohan came to Chengtian Gate with a familiar car, and the officials of the Ming Household Department, Wang Heng, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites, and Fei Hong, the cabinet minister, led a group of civil and military personnel, who were already waiting at the gate.

As soon as they met, the group greeted each other familiarly.

At present, the head of the household is called Tu Xun, and his talent is not as good as the previous Wang Quan, and it is better to listen to the words of Zhu Houzhao and Liu Jin, under his loose "finance", the leopard house has been built.

He was also a little estranged from other officials, and after handing over the documents with Diao Gaohan, he led the officials and began to check and weigh them.

Fei Hong and Wang Heng disdained to be with Tu Xun, so these civil and military forces were divided into two, and the two gangs deliberately distanced themselves.

Wang Heng asked: "Lord Diao, there is so much tariff and tax silver this year, I see that in the notice you gave, you said that you will use silver dollars to pay tax silver in the future, what is going on?" ”

Diao Gaohan said with a smile: "This matter is my country, and we are implementing the policy of abolishing the two yuan and changing the yuan, that is, in the future, we will not use the weight of silver to price and negotiate!" You see, this is our newly minted silver dollar! ”

Wang Heng took the silver dollar and glanced at it, there was a head on the back, and the rice ear pattern in front of it was a gear-shaped edge, and the casting was very exquisite.

He looked at it and handed it to Fei Hong on the side.

"This dollar is equivalent to a tael of silver?" Fei Hong frowned.

"That's right! The standard weights and measures implemented by our Eastern Qin Dynasty are adopted, and one yuan is equivalent to one tael. ”

"Why bother? And this dollar of silver, there is no one tael of silver, right? Fei Hong was a little unhappy, thinking that this was a forcible seizure.

"It's true, but my country's government recognizes silver coins, and you use silver coins to do business with Dong Qin, and you can do business with merchants related to Dong Qin, and you are guaranteed to be able to use them as one or two silver!" Diao Gaohan said with a smile.

Fei Hong thought for a while, but he didn't chase after it, in his opinion, tariffs are a windfall, and if they can give them every year, it is not impossible for them to get some benefits.

It's just that this silver coin, I heard that it is popular along the coast, and the military ministers of the Ming Dynasty, although they don't understand finance, feel that the people will not do more.

"What's in it for that? There doesn't seem to be any difference between using silver coins and using silver taels, right? Fei Hong asked.

"I don't know much about the way here, but this is a big step in my country's monetary reform, and it is also the foundation for the establishment of the banking system and the financial system!

In short, in the future, we will issue silver dollars on the gold standard, and silver dollars will not be money because they are not minted in pure silver! In the future, even if the silver content declines, as long as the credibility of the government is still there, it will always be able to use the unit of 'yuan' to carry out daily economic activities! ”

Fei Hong thought for a while, remembering the Ming treasure banknote in the early Ming Dynasty, and suddenly felt that the Huang people did this, maybe the same as the treasure money at that time, but the Huang people did not use paper, but silver, and their government was still taking the lead in using this silver coin in tax collection and trade.

In this way, the people are really more rigorous than the Ming Dynasty, and as for the gold standard, Fei Hong also has the right to listen to a new term.

"Oh well! We will no longer discuss this matter, but I heard that the supervision officials sent to the customs by my Ming Dynasty are complaining that your cadres in the Eastern Qin Dynasty are arrogant and domineering, and they will reprimand and punish them at every turn, and most of them have handed in their resignations, how can you explain this matter? Fei Hong asked again.

Diao Gaohan smiled and said: "This matter, the adults know better than me in their hearts, I hope that the adults will send more young imperial officials to the customs, at least they will not think of the same merchants and flies to camp dogs, secretly involved in smuggling, to be honest, according to my laws of Eastern Qin, these people have long been hanging swings!" ”

Fei Hong was slightly embarrassed, in this matter, he was really willing to believe in the black people more, but the Ming officials were often punished and scolded in the customs, and this could not be ignored.

"Even so, the Ming officials are related to the dignity of my Ming Dynasty, and you Dongqin have no right to hold them accountable and punished!" Fei Hongyi is righteous.

Diao Gaohan nodded and said, "Okay, it's all a trivial matter, I'll get people's attention when I go back!" ”

Fei Hong was satisfied, and looked at Lan Xiaofeng again and said, "This is Lord Lan, right?" I heard that there is an important matter to negotiate this time, what is it? ”

Lan Xiaofeng bowed his hand and waved a small bag to bring up: "First, my country's monarch is kind-hearted, and he will give the new crops found overseas to Daming to show the friendly exchanges between the two countries, and also hope that this new crop called sweet potato can benefit more people in Daming!" ”

"Oh!?" Fei Hong and Wang Heng were both shocked, and the officials accompanying them also surrounded one after another.

Wang Heng opened the sack with his own hands, took out a sweet potato and said, "This thing is a new crop, can you eat it?" ”

Lan Xiaofeng took out a booklet and said: "Sweet potatoes don't pick the ground, they can be hungry, especially suitable for planting in mountainous areas, and they can easily yield thousands of catties per mu!" ”

"Impossible!"

"That's right, although I have been an official for many years, I have also planted land before, how can there be thousands of catties of crops per mu in this world?"

Immediately, some officials stood up to refute it, which was too unbelievable for them.

Lan Xiaofeng said disdainfully: "I, Dongqin, act in Dongqin, when will I like to tell lies like you and the ministers of the Ming Dynasty?" You will know how! ”

Fei Hong and Wang Heng both flipped through the planting brochure for a while, and both of them were inclined to believe it.

"Such a crop is really auspicious! On behalf of the people of the Ming Dynasty, I thank the monarch of your country for his kindness! ”

"You're welcome!" Lan Xiaofeng then took out another credential and presented it to Wang Heng and said: "This is a note from our monarch, and my country has officially put forward a claim to Jeju Island!" ”

Wang Heng was a little stunned, hurriedly took the national letter and looked at it, and said in surprise: "This is taking the territory of another country to give it to each other privately, I will never be so cheap!" ”

Lan Xiaofeng said with a smile: "This is just to inform you, whether you are willing to explain it or not, it will not affect the decision of Dongqin!" ”

Wang Heng felt out of shape and hurriedly said: "Your move violates the previous treaty!" ”

"Lord Wang!" Lan Xiaofeng said solemnly: "Chinese scholars have studied for many years, and they have discovered that Jeju Island is my hometown of China, since we think that we are the descendants of China and the descendants of Yan and Huang, we naturally want to take back our hometown!" The Ming Dynasty gave up for no reason, what kind of face does it have now to prevent me from recovering my homeland in Eastern Qin? Is it possible to become an adult, and the elbow has to be turned to outsiders? ”

This is not easy to accept, and the Ming Dynasty has always held a sneering attitude towards Dongqin's declaration as a descendant of China, but in the exchanges, he had to admit it. From time to time, he also came up with the sentence that he was also a descendant of China to settle some disputes with Dongqin.

At present, Dongqin is claiming the territory of other countries according to the basis of the homeland of China, and it is also necessary to pull the Ming Dynasty! Wouldn't it be that in the future, many places, even the territory of the Ming Dynasty, could be forcibly taken away by the wealthy for similar reasons.

"The matter...... Please also ask the envoy to stay for a few days, and I will ask the emperor later! ”

"It doesn't matter! I believe that Da Ming is not such a barbarian state that will take revenge! Lan Xiaofeng patted the bag of sweet potatoes and said.

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