Chapter 638 Tribute becomes trade
He actually agreed?
The clerk was stunned and felt that Zhou Xia was just throwing away the whole thing.
Fang Sheng, who had already prepared to argue with Zhou Xia, was also quite surprised.
He was even stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This matter needs to be done as soon as possible."
How fast it is depends on Shangguan’s decision.
Three to five days, ten days to half a month...
Zhou Xia glanced at him, and the clerk sneaked a peek at him from the side, but he didn't see any anger, but instead saw a sense of awe.
Why is this?
Later, the news spread.
Everyone in the Ministry of Rites was watching the fun, but some people also stood up for Zhou Xia.
Someone reported this matter to Xu Jie.
Xu Jie said nothing.
But after the visitor left, Xu Jie raised his eyebrows slightly and said to his followers: "I don't know about this matter."
"Yes."
The attendant laughed and said, "This was all done by the people below."
Xu Jie frowned slightly. The attendant knew that he had said too much, so he quickly added: "It is said that Jiang Qingzhi has been very free recently. He went fishing with Minister Xiong of the Ministry of Personnel for a whole day yesterday."
"Hmm!" Xu Jie snorted without comment.
In his eyes, this was a signal.
Xiong Jia was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel. He was close to Jiang Qingzhi, which meant that the Mohists were close at hand and got to know each other first.
Once a Mohist disciple takes office, no one will be able to make things difficult for him with Xiong Jia in charge.
"Jiang Qingzhi...what a good trick!" Xu Jie felt that Jiang Qingzhi did this on purpose.
As for Zhou Xia... there was a hint of coldness in Xu Jie's eyes.
Once this was done, Zhou Xia would no longer have a foothold in the Ministry of Rites. Even Xiong Jia could not cover up for him. Therefore, being demoted to a local official was Zhou Xia's only way out.
It is better for this person to leave the Ministry of Rites. Not only can it dampen Jiang Qingzhi's arrogance, but it will also make him feel better as there will be one less annoying person in front of him.
"Make some tea."
"Yes."
The entourage felt that Xu Jie seemed to be in a good mood.
Fang Sheng was in a good mood. After Zhou Xia left, he would find a reason to ask Xu Jie for an audience.
Fang Sheng never mentioned the fact that he had set a big trap for Zhou Xia, and Xu Jie did not ask. The two discussed the matter for a while, and when Fang Sheng was about to leave, Xu Jie stopped him and said, "You have been... not bad recently!"
Fang Sheng knew that this was Xu Jie's statement on the matter... You did a good job. He suppressed his ecstasy and said, "Thanks to the teachings of the elder, I dare not take credit for it."
Fang Sheng returned to the duty room and asked someone to keep an eye on Zhou Xia.
"Boss Zhou is out." The spy reported.
"You didn't say where you were going?"
"I didn't say it."
Zhou Xia went to the Mohist base outside the city.
He went to the workshop first. Looking at the bustling and well-organized scene, he felt very comfortable.
Then he went to the school, watched Wang Tingxiang teach students outside, and listened to the children reciting the text...
Before lunch, Zhou Xia went to Bo's house.
“I’m here to eat.”
Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
There was a small incense burner in the study, which was Du He's gift. This fellow boasted that this small incense burner was a treasure of the previous emperor, and Jiang Qingzhi sneered.
The incense burner was filled with agarwood. Zhou Xia said with a smile, "Teacher didn't like these incense in the past, why are you interested in them today?"
Jiang Qingzhi said helplessly: "I stepped into mud while fishing yesterday. It stinks and it lasted for a long time."
When talking about fishing, Jiang Qingzhi was in a good mood and boasted about how he had made Xiong Jia cover his face and leave with his nine catches yesterday.
"We're still keeping those big fish. Once they've spit out all the mud and sand, we'll prepare a fish feast for them. You can come too."
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi took out his medicine cigarette and glanced at Zhou Xia. "As soon as you came in, I knew something was wrong. You have been patient until now. Tell me!"
Zhou Xia had been working in the Ministry of Rites for a long time, and compared to before, he was much calmer. Jiang Qingzhi was ready to think about his position again.
The reputation of the Mohist school for being good at mechanics was already well known, and Jiang Qingzhi had taught Zhou Xia a lot of knowledge in this area. So going to the Ministry of Industry was a good fit for his strengths.
The Ministry of War may seem to have nothing to do with the Mohist School, but don't forget that the great Mohist masters in the Spring and Autumn Period would draw their swords and kill people at the slightest disagreement. If they like you and hear that you are under siege, they will bring their disciples to defend you...
The next step is to rectify the garrisons in various places. The task is very heavy. According to Jiang Qingzhi's plan, the Japanese pirates outside the Great Wall and the southeast, and even the Portuguese entrenched in Malacca and other places are the next targets of the Ming Dynasty.
Conduct preliminary research on artillery and build warships capable of long-distance voyages...Once Malacca is controlled by the Ming Dynasty, overseas trade will be put on the agenda.
Then there is the sea of stars...
Therefore, Jiang Qingzhi felt that the Ministry of War was not bad.
"Teacher, what do you think of tribute?" Zhou Xia asked a question that surprised Jiang Qingzhi.
"Paying tribute!" Jiang Qingzhi thought for a moment, "As a suzerain state, it is not a bad thing to give some benefits to vassal forces. There is no need to criticize it."
If you want to be the boss, you can't be too calculative.
The essence of tribute trade is actually a tacit understanding.
"Foreign vassals pay tribute to show their submission. But there must be some benefit for me to submit to you, right?" Jiang Qingzhi took a puff of medicine. "This benefit comes from several aspects. First, when the vassal forces encounter a crisis, the Ming Dynasty can help."
For example, when the Korean Peninsula was invaded by Japan, the Ming Dynasty decisively defeated Japan and saved Korea from national destruction. Thinking of this, Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help but think of the attitude of the peninsula towards the Central Plains in later generations.
The kind of flattery that is ingrained in the bone marrow and the inexplicable hostility are ultimately caused by inferiority complex.
They tried their best to deny that they had ever submitted to the Central Plains dynasty, so they tried to remove it from all aspects, and even falsified and beautified their own history, in order to get rid of those burdens.
That’s right, in the eyes of the Peninsula, the experience of having once submitted to the Central Plains dynasty was a humiliation and a burden.
Jiang Qingzhi sneered, "A little bit of rice will bring you gratitude, a big bit of rice will bring you hatred. Most of those vassal states will come if there is benefit, and run away if there is no benefit. They will even show their fangs when they see that the Central Plains dynasty is declining, and follow the foreign races to rush into the Central Plains to bite the former suzerain state..."
"Then the teacher thinks that the tribute system..."
"The tribute system was more of a system to maintain the superiority of the Central Plains dynasty. In the pre-Sui dynasty, in order to show off the wealth and majesty of the Sui Dynasty, silk was hung on tree branches, precious spices were piled up into mountains and burned, and generous gifts were given to the tribute missions... All of this seemed to maintain the tribute system, but in fact it was to satisfy the superiority of the emperor and his ministers."
Jiang Qingzhi exhaled smoke. "How to get along with the forces that are subservient to you is a science. In the final analysis, it comes down to a few words: give and take, mutual benefit and reciprocity."
"Teacher, what you said is thought-provoking." Zhou Xia's eyes lit up, "But what if the vassal state becomes alienated because of this?"
"Where do you think their hearts are now?" Jiang Qingzhi laughed, "When the Ming Dynasty was strong, they would naturally return without any reward. Remember, admiring the strong is human instinct."
"Mu Qiang!" Zhou Xia seemed to be thinking about something.
"When children are young, they will worship their parents. This is a kind of admiration for the strong." Jiang Qingzhi said: "When the Ming Dynasty is strong, there is no need for any rewards. The vassal states will worship the Ming Dynasty from top to bottom. They will regard everything in the Ming Dynasty as their own goal to emulate."
This was the case with Japan in its early years, not to mention North Korea. Whenever someone said that they were a little China, the whole of North Korea would be excited and feel that they had finally learned something from the big brother.
"Teacher, what you mean is that... tribute is not a necessary condition for a vassal state to submit, but just a kind of adjustment."
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "But this has become a routine after so many years. Routine..."
Zhou Xia saw a familiar light in the teacher's eyes.
It seems like he is thinking about who to trick.
After having a big meal at Bo's house at noon, Zhou Xia returned to the Ministry of Rites.
"Master Zhou, Doctor Fang asks you, have you started on that matter?" a clerk came to inquire.
"I got it. Just tell them I'm working on it." Zhou Xia said calmly.
The clerk reported back, and Fang Sheng said sarcastically, "This guy is in trouble now. Keep urging him and make him panic. Once a person is panicked, he will lose his composure when doing things. I want to see how he ends up."
Zhou Xia sat in the duty room for the whole afternoon.
Occasionally I write and draw, and occasionally I close my eyes and meditate.
It was time to leave the government office, and Zhou Xia walked out of the duty room.
"Mr. Zhou, I heard that you are quite dissatisfied with the tribute?" an official said with a serious face.
This was the introduction, and the officials then prepared many arguments to refute Zhou Xia.
Zhou Xia looked at him, then looked at the officials who had stopped to watch the excitement, and nodded, "Yes!"
"You!" The official didn't expect Zhou Xia to nod, and his head was buzzing for a moment.
This guy...he actually jumped into this big pit on his own initiative! ?
He's crazy!
Under the astonished gaze of the officials, Zhou Xia walked out of the Ministry of Rites, his back looking particularly tall and straight.
The next day, early morning.
Zhou Xia sent someone to summon the envoys.
After the envoys arrived in the Ming Dynasty, they had good food and drink and were able to travel around the prosperous capital. It was like the envoys from poor countries in later generations visiting an international metropolis. It was an eye-opener and a feast for the eyes.
In addition, some smart people brought goods from the country and sold them in the capital. Because they did not have to pay taxes, they made a lot of money. When these people returned home, they immediately caused a sensation. After that, paying tribute to the Ming Dynasty became a hot topic, and the powerful and wealthy rushed to it, and even fought for it.
More than ten envoys were summoned to the Ministry of Rites. Someone informed Fang Sheng, who hesitated for a long time and said, "No matter what!"
"Doctor Fang, if something goes wrong..." someone warned, "If you anger these envoys, it will be difficult for the court to talk about it."
Fang Sheng said coldly: "Just appease her."
Do those vassal states dare to turn against us?
More than a dozen envoys were waiting in the hall. Most of them came from the southeast, which is Southeast Asia in later generations. In addition, Ryukyu...Myanmar was also originally from Myanmar, but it was beaten up by Jiang Qingzhi last time, and the king was also captured. Now there is a fight in the country, so there is no time.
"How are you doing there?"
"The Portuguese are overbearing and rampaging around here. Not only do we have to give them some benefits every year, but they are often robbed. What about you?"
"Same thing. The Portuguese relied on their powerful ships and guns to plunder from time to time."
"The Ming Dynasty is still the best!"
"Yes!"
Southeast Asia at this moment was actually under the influence of the Portuguese. After they conquered Malacca, they blocked the seaport. The rest was easy, the old business, robbery!
Everyone looked at the Ryukyu envoy with envy.
But the Ryukyu envoys were miserable. "Japanese pirates landed from time to time, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. Our country... ah!"
It brings tears to my eyes.
Everyone looked at each other.
This is the beginning of a great era. Human history will be greatly advanced, reaching the mechanical age and the jungle age.
And only one person knows all this.
Jiang Qingzhi!
"Master Zhou."
Zhou Xia came in.
After a round of greetings, the envoys waited impatiently for Zhou Xia to speak.
"From now on, tribute will become... trade!"
The clerk who came outside to inquire about the news was stunned.
He peered inside.
The messengers were stunned.
(End of this chapter)
