Chapter 655 Entering the Japanese
New year new life.
The emperor issued a decree that this year's Spring Festival will be a long holiday, and the yamen will be sealed from the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, and will not be opened until the 18th of the first lunar month, a long holiday of nearly a month.
In order to celebrate the whole country and share joy with the people, the emperor also made a special decree that Chang'an Jinwu couldn't help it throughout the first month.
For a month, Chang'an City did not implement a curfew, and at night, the gates and square gates of Chang'an were not closed.
Pingkangfang, Huaihuafang and other major commercial workshops that have been renovated, even non-stop around the clock, stores and street stalls are non-stop at twelve o'clock, and the imperial court even spent money to hold the Lantern Festival.
This year, Enke is also specially opened, and Jinshi Kete offers an additional subject, which is not affected by regular subjects. Scholars from all over the world who have passed the provincial examination before, after passing the preliminary examination of the national examination, select 5,000 candidates He went to Beijing to participate in the Enke Examination, and finally admitted 500 Xinke Scholars.
In addition, other specialties such as Ming Jing, Ming Fa, Ming Calculation, Ming Law, Ming Medicine, etc. will also open special departments this year, and 5,000 people will still be selected to take the exam in Beijing.
All of a sudden, 10,000 scholars came to Beijing, which was the biggest economic stimulus. Coupled with the tribute missions from all over the world, the trade caravans, and officials from all over the court, the city of Chang'an flooded in during the New Year. Tens of thousands of foreign population.
This year's Lantern Festival also attracted countless foreigners to participate in the exhibition, do business or watch the lanterns.
The inns in the major commercial districts of Chang'an City have long been full, and the people in other districts of Chang'an City have also made a wave of hot money, renting out their spare rooms, and even the farm houses on the outskirts of the city are full of foreigners. people.
Horse-drawn carts, mules and horses, etc. are all like stealing money, and those who rely on donkeys in Chang'an City are also busy and their donkeys are tired and thin.
In and outside Chang’an City, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the capital, including the Imperial Guards from the north and the south, people from the court, Chang’an residents, hundreds of officials, traders, and scholars.
Every day, the Guangyuntan Wharf in Changlepo, East of Jingdong, is full of ships, transporting countless supplies and goods into Beijing. There are countless workshops all over the wharf.
There is also the largest slaughtering and processing site in the suburbs of Chang'an. Countless cattle, sheep, camels, pigs and donkeys transported from Longyou and Saibei, as well as chickens, ducks and geese trafficked from Guanzhong and Henan, etc., are slaughtered and divided here. Send it to Chang'an City, and then distribute it to the east and west cities and the shops in Zhufangli.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Chang'an, and it was the time of the Spring Festival, and it was a good year for several consecutive years. The imperial court also wiped out two major powers. Conscription again, the burden of rent and tax is also greatly reduced.
If you have spare money in your hand, you will naturally be able to consume desires.
Not to mention those families of nobles and wealthy families, the proud men of high society, and those wealthy merchants. The daily consumption of all kinds of livestock, eggs, vegetables, rice and noodles in Chang'an City is an astonishing number.
as the prime minister.
Qin Lang is very busy.
Although the official office is sealed, the prime ministers still have to take turns to be on duty. The nine prime ministers in the Zhengshitang are divided into three shifts, and each shift takes turns for three days. There is no need to go to court early, but you still have to sit in the office when you are on duty, and even when you are not on duty, if the emperor summons you, you have to go immediately.
Qin Lang is on duty today, working shifts with Wei Zheng and Dai Zhou.
In the lower province of the Imperial City Gate, the three of them first sat down to discuss their official affairs. During the Chinese New Year, there were no major issues. Important matters, such as government budget allocation, were all decided before the Chinese New Year. For example, important personnel adjustments, as well as the transfer and stationing of the army, were all decided by the emperor a few years ago.
Now on duty, it is mainly the maintenance of public security and order during the Chinese New Year in Chang'an City, the deployment and transshipment of supplies, and the other is to express condolences to the rewards of the Northern and Southern Yamen who cannot go home for the New Year on Beijing Fan, and to visit the orphans, widows, and disabled people. The adjustment of products and so on.
The treasury of the imperial court is full, and the Changping warehouse and other large warehouses are full of supplies. Therefore, before last year, all the officials in the capital and the subordinates of the various yamen received the salaries and rewards they deserved, and almost all the yamen also paid The benefits of a small treasury.
As a top minister, Qin Lang also deserved a lot.
The treasury salary, the emperor's reward, the crown prince's reward, and even the Supreme Emperor also gave a reward, and the rent of the land for the son, the rent and dividends of the public land, the government affairs hall, the Ministry of War, and the East Palace, and several other government offices, each also issued a small sum of money. Treasury benefits.
Those subordinate officials apparently had very little salary, but this Chinese New Year, the various rewards, funds and benefits, as well as the filial piety income below, can cover the salary of ordinary years.
Not to mention other things, all the provinces and prefectures have now established a unified Beijing-based office in Chang'an City. These Beijing-based offices are mainly responsible for the liaison between the various places and the capital, and also represent the relationship between the localities. For example, to start a project, to allocate funds, to handle affairs, to approve documents, to provide relief in case of a disaster, etc., and to entertain local officials when they come to Beijing.
These memorial offices are indeed convenient for the place, but like the Beijing Offices of later generations, these hundreds of Beijing Offices will inevitably prepare a lot of benefits for the various government offices in the capital during the annual festival.
What kind of ice and charcoal respect, what kind of tea and water fees, etc., usually the relationship is good, and it is convenient when doing business. The whole court is very clear, and the emperor also knows that as long as it is not excessive, this kind of gray income can be regarded as the Beijing officials. A little extra income.
"The envoys of the Japanese country are very willing to trade with us in the world, and expressed their willingness to set up a business hall for us in Otsuura Port (Fukuoka) in Chikushi and Nambatsu (Osaka) in Asuka. In addition, they also agreed to establish a business hall in Asuka , to provide us with land in which to build a merchant house."
In the yamen of the Ministry of War, Qin Lang listened to An Lushan report to him.
Qin Lang sat in the Provincial Political Affairs Hall under the gate of the imperial city for half a day in the morning, and after dealing with the matter at hand, he went to the Yamen of the Ministry of War to handle the affairs of the headquarters.
"Mr. Wei, as long as we set up commercial offices in Dajinpu Port and Nanbajin Port, then we can start from Dengzhou Port and go straight to Japan for trade."
Qin Lang took out a map of the Wa country. The Chikushi country where Dajinpu is located is in the area of Fukuoka, Kyushu Island in later generations, and the route planned by Anlu Mountain is a direct route from Dengzhou Port on the Shandong Peninsula to the Wa country.
This is a brand new route. The traditional route is the Dengzhou-to-Goguryeo-Bohai route. It departs from Penglai, Shandong, crosses the Bohai Miaodao Islands, arrives at the Liaodong Peninsula, and then sails along the east coast of the peninsula to the mouth of the Yalu River. Then it can be divided into north and south. two ways.
The North Road traces up the Yalu River, and turns overland to enter the interior of the Mohe tribes. This is also an important trade route for buying Baishan Heishui ginseng, mink, deer, and even Haidongqing, tiger skin, and Mohe horses.
The South Road is from the mouth of the Yalu River to Tang Enpo on the Korean Peninsula, and then along the west coast of the peninsula, China Southern Airlines crosses the Damra Strait, passes through Tsushima Island and Iki Island to the country of Wa. Or sail to Busan and then turn around and sail over Tsushima Island to reach Kyushu Island, Japan.
This route sails from island to island. The route is long and the voyage period is long, but it is safe and stable. It has been a traditional route since ancient times.
In the past, due to various technical limitations, it was impossible to break through coastal navigation, and direct deep-sea navigation would cause you to lose your way. But by this time, the navigation technology and shipbuilding technology have been greatly improved, coupled with Qin Lang's direction guidance, so that after adopting new sea ships and new technologies, they can sail directly from Dengzhou to Japan, and the time is greatly reduced.
But the risk is still relatively high.
But for Qin Lang, although Goguryeo is superficially surrendering to Tang Chen, everyone knows that those guys who have survived Yang Guang's three conquests of Goguryeo have always been rebellious towards the Central Plains, so if the route to Japan can bypass Goguryeo, It is very necessary.
When the Sui Dynasty conquered the Liao Dynasty, the navy sailed directly from Dengzhou to the Korean Peninsula several times. When Yang Guang sent his envoy, Pei Shiqing, to visit the Japanese country, he also took the direct flight route to the Japanese country. This is exactly the direct flight that An Lushan is talking about now. Those who sailed earlier on the route.
"Can we open up routes from Yangzhou and Hangzhou to the country of Wa?" Qin Lang asked.
"Yes, our firm has already mastered two routes. One is the South Island route, which enters the sea from Yangzhou Port to the mouth of the Yangtze River, or departs from Mingzhou (Ningbo), crosses the East China Sea and reaches Amami Island in the south of Wa Kingdom, and then turns to Beihang, passing Yakushima and Tami Island, and then going north from Satsuma to Hakata and Namba, this route was newly opened in recent years, and it is not very stable. Last year, a merchant ship floated to Nanshan (Ryukyu Okinawa). "
"We also have a southern line, starting from Yangzhou or Mingzhou, crossing the East China Sea, heading directly to Kajima Island (Kyushu Hirado), and then going through Matsuura and Hakata to reach Chikushi (North Kyushu). This route is more expensive than the northern line. The voyage with South Island is shorter, but there is no stopover in the middle, but if the wind is smooth, it only takes six to seven days to reach Zhiga Island in Wa Kingdom, and then head north to Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.”
"On the southern line, only our custom-made large ships can resist strong winds and waves, and with our new technology, we can arrive safely."
Qin Lang nodded in satisfaction. There are three direct flight routes, so there is no need to be subject to Goguryeo or Baekje.
"Wei Gong, the country of Wa is just a small island barbarian, so it takes so much effort to open up three dedicated direct flight routes?" An Lushan believes that the cost of a separate route is relatively high, after all, the route is mainly for carrying goods and selling goods. If you pass through Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla along the way, wouldn't you be able to sell more.
Qin Lang smiled, "Do you know what's going on in the Wa country now? Do you know how big their population is?" He told An Lushan that the current Wa country actually has a population of several million. Strong, not to mention that although Wa is a barbarian island, there is no major external threat because of this, and it is relatively stable.
After the Yamato Kingdom on the island unified the countries on the island, the king was renamed the Emperor, the royal family and Kinki tyrants formed the court, set up counties, and appointed local tyrants as officials, forming a strong slavery country.
The emperor relied on Kinki and local nobles and tyrants to rule the whole island. The Japanese rulers organized the conquered tribal residents to produce according to the form of the Ministry. Production was carried out in the emperor's farm and warehouse.
The handicraft industry is also completely controlled by the imperial court and the aristocratic family, and different departments are organized into different departments.
Compared with the more advanced centralized feudal system of the Tang Dynasty, the Wa country is indeed still in the relatively primitive era of slavery. The relationship between the emperor, Kinki nobles, local tyrants, tribesmen, and slaves is relatively simple. Although slavery is backward, But it also means the wealth of the emperor and nobles, because very few people occupy all the wealth of the entire Wa country.
It is precisely because of this that for more than a hundred years, the emperor and the nobles have continued to expand warehouses, farms, and the possession of tribesmen. The conflict between slaves and slave owners has continued to intensify. There are also fierce disputes among the people, and even the central nobles are also fighting fiercely for power.
The Panjing Rebellion was a large-scale local rebellion, which led to the loss of power one by one among the big nobles such as Katsuragi Chen, Hei Gunchen, Otomoren, and Monoberen. The ancient high-ranking nobles of the Great Wa Kingdom continued to fight for control of the court.
The Monobe family controls the military power, while the Soga family controls the financial power. The Monobe family represents the conservative forces, and the Soga family actively absorbs foreign ideas. During the Sui Dynasty, after the death of Emperor Tomorrow, a fierce conflict broke out between the two sides over the issue of succession to the throne. Taking this as an opportunity, Mako Soga fought fiercely with Moriya Monobe. Because the Emperor Chongjun he had was dissatisfied with him, he murdered Chongjun again, and set up his niece, Ji Yajiling, in order to push the ancient female emperor and monopolize the government from then on.
During the thirty-six years of Empress Tuigu's reign, the power of the Su'er family has reached unprecedented levels, and the real power has been overwhelming. However, Prince Shotoku has been in power for many years, learning from the Sui Dynasty and implementing reforms, intending to strengthen the imperial power and establish a centralized country like the Sui Dynasty.
However, although Prince Shotoku also implemented the twelve ranks of the crown, the implementation of the seventeen-article constitution, and advocating Buddhism, the fundamental problem of the Wa country is the restriction of slavery. It is impossible for the Wa country to rise to the era of feudal centralization.
"The Japanese Jinyinshan Copper Mine, the Japanese royal family, the nobles of the court and the local tyrants are really rich. We go to trade and exchange their silver and copper directly to make a lot of money."
Qin Lang even told An Lushan that he even planned to directly process and mint the silver and copper brought back into Dengzhou Yangzhou and other ports into silver coins and copper coins, and then transport them back and sell them to the Japanese.
Because the Japanese production technology is backward, they are still using outdated means of payment such as gold nuggets and silver beans, and copper coins are even more scarce, so it is entirely possible to make money for the Japanese, and then earn a heavy seigniorage.
"The Japanese are really so rich? They don't look like it!" An Lushan felt that Su Wo Cangma and others looked like countrymen who came to the city, and they didn't look like rich people at all.
"Pick some good things and sell them to the Japanese. The Suga family worships Buddha, and the Japanese country worships Buddha, so we can resell many Buddhist temple products that we swept into the warehouse when we eliminated the Buddha. Of course, as long as the Japanese people like things, we You can sell them all, as long as the profit is right."
"The Japanese want to buy everything, but the Japanese mission has no money."
"It doesn't matter if you don't have money, you can borrow money from them. You can pay for the goods first, and charge some interest." Qin Lang told An Lushan another way to make money with a smile.
(end of this chapter)