Rocking in the fishing boat, Zhu Mo couldn't sleep, thinking all the way—
This switch trade could be done, but not like this.
Some small workshops had already started to grow, and if this problem wasn't resolved, seeing the exorbitant profits of Ligan, they would surely join this system.
Therefore,
The next step would be to establish an import-export zone. Anyone could participate, but everything would follow the law. The prices of individual transactions would be pegged to the bulk prices of the Weaving Bureau, with some room for fluctuation, but not enforced buying and selling like in Ligan. It was more stable for the Ming Dynasty to rely on laws rather than a few people controlling the market with firearms. This step should not pose any problems.
The system the dog system mentioned was not wrong—
The biggest advantage of Ligan's model was its sheer brutality, absolute supremacy of strength. As long as you had a little more power than others, you could gain excess returns, and those with the strongest power could almost monopolize everything, even occupying one or more countries, which was a normal logic.
The few vassal states in Jiuzhou, weren't they occupied by them? Ryukyu and Okinawa, weren't they also occupied? The southern provinces of Joseon were similar, and the garrison districts along the Ming coast, hadn't they become ownerless lands, as witnessed?
Know this,
This system was not simple; it wasn't just a few mountain bandits and robbers, but a complete set of mechanisms that would gradually erode the foundation, drawing a country into a vortex. Anyone who wanted to break free would face opposition from many.
Simply put, this system could only be accommodated and regulated, not abolished entirely. Thinking of this, he naturally recalled the subsequent choices of Japan and Joseon—
They had all chosen to close their borders!
That is, they completely rejected the entire system.
The reason, it should be, was their inability to cope. Because neither of these countries had the ability to lead their own industries, to avoid being drawn in, they chose to return to the era of small-scale agriculture. The Ming Dynasty certainly could not do this, and in fact, could not. Because the Ming Dynasty's problems were more complex, and if this round of reform had any missteps, it would lead to chaos, and they wouldn't even have the chance to return to the era of small-scale agriculture by closing their borders.
At this moment,
Lu Kun, who had been sleeping by the stern of the boat, suddenly leaned over and whispered:
“Zixuan, I've also been thinking, Ligan is incompatible with any country… As long as it's still a country, it probably can't be done like this? I don't believe everyone in Wa or Joseon supports it? We probably need to send envoys next and work together to completely eradicate it.”
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo agreed wholeheartedly, but the problem was that Wa and Joseon would only be weaker than the Ming Dynasty, completely unable to escape this cage. It was even possible that they were already controlled by the Wa pirates. He sneered,
“But they are probably powerless, and as I said earlier, Ligan's model isn't entirely without merit. After all, the millions of taels of silver at each market are real! In my opinion, only when the Ming Dynasty finds a way will these smaller countries follow suit, otherwise, it's all in vain… What do you think?”
Mm,
Lu Kun pondered repeatedly, feeling that this issue had far exceeded the scope of his knowledge. After thinking for a long time, he seemed to realize something and said:
“You mean, we should do it ourselves?”
Zhu Mo became even more appreciative, feeling that this person was never constrained by Neo-Confucianism and always approached problems pragmatically. Perhaps it was due to his lifelong love of reading Buddhist scriptures, he rarely had personal biases.
“Yes, we must do it, otherwise all the state-run banks will have been for nothing… In the long run, those small workshops still won't be able to compete with Xu Yang's large workshops, and they'll all collapse… In this game, we've really hit a wall. It's a complex situation, and in short, we need to grasp the main points first. The main point is that we have the final say in everything! The initiative must be in our hands.”
Mm-hmm,
Lu Kun nodded repeatedly and sighed, “Yes, since we have to do it anyway, we can't just let others… When we go back this time, I think we should hurry up and get one done. I think Jinshanwei, which I saw these past few days, is good. It's not far from Hangzhou, and Huating is next to it. Everything can be managed. What do you think?”
Zhu Mo did not answer.
Because,
In the end, no place along the coast was suitable, and every place was suitable, as long as the Wa pirates were eliminated.
He smiled and said, “Let’s talk about it later. Regardless of where we set it up, the key is to announce it first… to loosen the Wa pirates’ grip. As for actually doing it, we need to go directly to Nanyang and Xiyang to negotiate and have them send their commercial representatives over. That would be better than Ligan.”
Mm-hmm-hmm,
The two recalled the strange phenomena on the island again, and were speechless.
…
Back in Jinshanwei,
The two also went to the Taizhou Garrison Anti-Wokou Camp.
Seeing Qi Jiguang this time, the situation was entirely different. At that time, there was a lack of silver, and mutiny was imminent. Now, however, the troops were well-trained and well-supplied, advancing steadily, trapping the Wa pirates in over ten water villages and shore fortifications.
Hu Zongxian, however, looked somewhat dejected. After a few polite words, he returned to his tent to rest.
Qi Jiguang led the two to inspect the government army's encampments. The morale was high, and the equipment was good. They used a type of very long spear. Although there were some firearms, they were all old-fashioned matchlock guns. There were a few cannons, but they were far inferior to Ligan's fifty or so.
Zhu Mo was now an imperial envoy and Grand Scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion, belonging to the ranks of Grand Secretaries, even superior to Hu Zongxian. Having supplied three million taels of military provisions last time, Qi Jiguang naturally hid nothing, leading him around for most of the day, inspecting the land fortifications and then the water villages. From all aspects, the annihilation of the Taizhou Wa pirates seemed almost certain.
But for some reason,
Zhu Mo had a premonition of something ominous—
Such strict fortifications and an ironclad encirclement, appearing foolproof, yet he felt something was amiss?
He couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Returning to the main command tent and drinking hot tea, Zhu Mo couldn't help but ask, “General Qi, since last year, haven't the Wa pirates decreased significantly? And even more so after the reforms? Then, among the Wa pirates currently surrounded, are there more ronin and Goryeo people, or more pirates?”
Qi Jiguang smiled and said:
“Heh heh, I didn't expect Grand Scholar Zhu to be so familiar with the Wa pirates… The Wa pirates currently surrounded are mostly die-hard elements who have been plundering along the coast for more than ten years. Most of these people are from Kyushu, about two thousand in number. There are also one or two thousand Goryeo people, and the most numerous are pirates and mountain bandits, all of whom have been fierce bandits for more than ten years… Once this battle is won, I believe the situation will be settled.”
Oh…
Zhu Mo felt his guess was correct.
These were the earliest Wa pirates who had not disbanded even after Wang Zhi was killed. In other words, these were the main pillars of the transnational armed forces, and they would inevitably be rescued.
Thinking of this,
He said softly to Qi Jiguang:
“General Qi, I have received intelligence that several daimyo in Kyushu are recruiting ronin, estimated to be three to four thousand people… I believe these people in Taizhou Garrison will inevitably need to be rescued. You must be extremely careful. If you can fight, I think it's best to fight quickly and not delay any further…”
Oh?
Qi Jiguang was surprised but did not entirely believe it. He thought that even if the Wa pirates came from Kyushu, it would take more than a month, and within these ten-odd days, a decisive battle could be fought. Thus, he said:
“Grand Scholar Zhu, please rest assured. General Qi and Minister Hu have made thorough preparations. When the opportunity arises in a few days, we will annihilate these Wa pirates.”
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