Next, the gentry in Guangdong did not dare to hide their cats anymore, and they all truthfully reported the true situation of their family's smuggling trade.

Among the children of these wealthy gentry, although some are eager to try and want to expose their own head of the family and gain an official position, and elevate their status in the clan, but because their head of the family is very honest, there is no chance to expose it.

Wang Xijue also knew the true situation of Guangdong Maritime Trade.

"Any big smuggler, the trade with Xiyi is more than 10,000 taels, and there are hundreds of thousands of taels of highest."

"No wonder Lin Fuyuan will join them in the same stream, and forget that he is patrolling here on behalf of the Son of Heaven."

"In the past few days, the price of grain in Guangdong has suddenly soared, presumably Lin Fuyuan and Zhang Xunji informed the local big households about the destruction of Burma in advance, and asked them to quickly stock up on grain, right?"

Wang Xijue smiled as he said and asked Governor Lin Bin and Governor Zhang Yingzhao.

Lin Bin asked Wang Xijue with sweat on his head: "Is there still a Jinyi guard who is helping the old man in the pavilion, and he even knows about the big households hoarding grain!" ”

】

Zhang Yingzhao even questioned Wang Xijue at this time: "The situation in Guangdong, the subordinates and the Fuyuan are clearer than the cabinet elders!" The water is deep, and they're not as easy to deal with as you think! ”

Zhang Yingzhao pointed to these officials and gentry in the hall as he spoke: "The elder can rely on the fact that he and their children can be deceived into this Huizhou mansion now, and then borrow Zhang Dongying's (Zhang Yuanxun) soldiers to force them to sign an alliance under the city, but the elder can't keep them locked up here, what about after they go out?" What does the public use to fight them, relying on the Son of Heaven who is thousands of miles away, or relying on a few of us officials? ”

"Ge Lao knows, not to mention the reform of maritime trade, that is, to collect taxes, we can't rely on a few of our officials, but also rely on them and the officials who are in cahoots with them!"

"The elder of the pavilion is also from a strong clan, it should be clear that they can mobilize tens of thousands of villagers to oppose the government, but what about the imperial court, can they raise an army of 100,000 to encircle and suppress them at every turn?"

The more Zhang Yingzhao spoke, the more excited he became.

Wang Xijue just smiled and said, "If it's easy, what else do you want the minister to do?" ”

Afterwards, Wang Xijue looked at the Guangdong gentry: "However, Zhang Xun is not wrong, it is not enough to rely on a few local officials, but also on you and the people of Guangdong!" ”

"The road is blue, and the mountains and forests are enlightened."

"Fu Yi has a way, and I am strong in China."

"All of this can only be done if the king's subjects are united."

Wang Xijue got up and said, "However, if you are still unwilling to let the imperial court dominate the affairs of maritime trade, then the servant can only continue to kill people and shed blood. ”

"Because, if the sea trade can't bring the benefits of enriching the country and strengthening the army and benefiting the people for the imperial court, and only strengthens the local tyrants, then this sea trade might as well not have it!"

"The servant can also directly identify the group of Xiyi in Haojing as traitors, so he privately made firearms, and then asked the imperial court to send a large army to suppress them, and on the grounds of waiting for Tongyi, according to the household registration!"

"Then, please ask the imperial court to implement the strictest sea ban in Guangdong, and you are not allowed to go to the sea!"

Wang Xijue immediately said with a resolute face, and said:

"The servant has already prepared such a recital, as long as the servant dies violently here, there will be a servant's family will report the servant's posthumous copy, and then the Son of Heaven will think that Guangdong should be the most severe maritime ban because of the servant's recital, and think that Xiyi has the ambition to plot my China, and then according to the servant's play, send a large army to live in Guangdong, seal the sea and relocate the people."

"Don't underestimate the determination of the imperial court, I'm afraid that a thousand, ten thousand, or even one hundred thousand people will die at that time, and the sea ban will be strictly enforced!"

"What's more, at present, the land and water army of the imperial court has gathered in Liangguang, and it was originally going to cross the sea to conquer Burma, but if there is a rebellion in Guangdong where Xiyi colludes with thieves, it will only be a convenient thing to quell the rebellion in Guangdong!"

Wang Xijue looked at Zhang Yu as he spoke: "General Zhang, the servant asked you to temporarily take the position of Haojing's general, go to Haojing to kill all those people in the west, and stay in Haojing, organize the people, and conquer the Haikou, so that you have the opportunity to make meritorious service and atone for your crimes, are you willing?" ”

"I am willing to serve the court loyally!"

Zhang Yu, who had been dismissed, hurriedly replied.

"Pavilion Elder Rongyu, we didn't say that we wouldn't let the imperial court dominate the sea trade, all this is just the idea of the Du family and Fu Zhao."

At this time, the gentry Yuan Yupei hurriedly spoke.

"yes!"

"The whole world is not the king's land, the imperial court wants to reform the sea trade, how dare we resist, we just hope to consider more people's feelings."

"In the past, everyone smuggled, resulting in very little tax silver in the imperial court, and even Haojing only handed over five hundred taels of silver, because the Du family colluded with the Fu Press, Fu Ji was corrupt, as long as we gave the silver, we would not be strictly investigated, so we all started smuggling, and also bought the Fu Bao to say that the profit of the sea trade is not high."

These gentry all said so, and decisively betrayed Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao.

"You guys!"

Inspector Zhang Yingzhao immediately stood up and pointed at these Guangdong gentry, with a look of indignation.

"Please order the banner of the king, take down Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao, take off their black gauze hats, and wait to participate!"

Wang Xijue suddenly shouted.

"Yes!"

Lin Bin and Zhang Yingzhao were detained.

Zhang Yingzhao had to hurriedly shout at Wang Xijue: "Pavilion Elder! Everyone is an official of the imperial court, can you really sit back and watch these powerful sects and heroes let us be scapegoats?! ”

"Now that I remember that I am an official of the imperial court, not a backer of the gentry?"

"Where did you forget all the hadiths before that?"

After Wang Xijue asked the two with a smile, he looked at the Guangdong gentry: "Don't you really think that servants only dare to deal with a few rogue officials, and you don't know, what is the main force in Guangdong that prevents the imperial court from restructuring the sea trade?" ”

"Next, because of the destruction of Burma, the imperial army is gathered here, you better be honest, you should cooperate with the servants to inspect the sea trade, and you should put the grain out for sale, don't think that you can organize tens of thousands or even 100,000 people to fight, you can organize so many people to fight against the imperial court, and the imperial army has not killed tens of thousands of thieves here!"

"We don't dare!"

"The elder of the pavilion came by the will of heaven, and he is the lord of the blue sky who loves the people like a son, and the elder of the pavilion will reform the sea trade, which will naturally satisfy both the court and the people, so that there is a great merit in appeasing the people and reassuring the people!"

The Cantonese gentry replied honestly.

Wang Xijue smiled and said: "Then tomorrow the servant will go back to Guangzhou City, and when the time comes, the servant will see if Guangzhou City will greet the servant with cannons or firecrackers." ”

"The elder of the pavilion said and laughed, the elder of the pavilion inspected the heavens, how dare we be disrespectful, unless we forgot how to write the word loyalty."

Squire Yuan Yupei said with a smile.

Wang Xijue didn't say anything more, and only went to Guangzhou the next day.

Along.

Wang Xijue has always kept a calm face, he actually doesn't want to make such a big move in Guangdong.

But he knew that if he couldn't complete the tasks assigned by the imperial court and prove his ability to the Son of Heaven, then he would lose the opportunity to become the first assistant in the future.

No way.

Who needs a politician today, not a politician who can only be a man.

Therefore, Wang Xijue knew that he couldn't let the emperor feel that he couldn't even inspect the sea trade without any results, so he had to use the way of flipping the table to achieve his goal of successfully inspecting the actual situation of the sea trade.

If the Guangdong gentry did not cooperate with him to inspect the sea trade, he would threaten the Guangdong gentry with a posthumous way to completely return the Ming Dynasty to the forbidden sea mode.

Wang Xijue has this ability.

Because there are indeed many protégés and former officials, and there are indeed many inland officials in the current dynasty who advocate the prohibition of the sea, among which his fellow countryman Zhu Kun is a typical representative.

However, when Wang Xijue returned to Guangzhou again, he was greeted by firecrackers and gongs and drums.

Moreover, unlike Wang Xijue's first visit to Guangzhou, which was very quiet, this time almost all the gentry in the city went out of the city to greet him.

Obviously, the gentry of Guangdong were still intimidated by him, fearing that if he really died on the way to the tour, his family would really play one of his testaments and ask the court to impose a stricter ban on the sea, and really smashed the pot.

Soon after Wang Xijue came to Guangzhou to officially inspect Haiphong, he directly instructed Zhang Yu: "You immediately lead your troops to Haojing as a general of Haojing, and control all the Xiyi of Haojing!" In particular, the firearms workshops and craftsmen in Xiyi are also all controlled, and if they resist, they will be exterminated on the spot! ”

"Yes!"

"Slow!"

But at this time, Liu Xizhi, the deputy envoy of Guangdong Haiphong Province, shouted, and then looked at Wang Xijue.