Chapter 548: Great Ming Weightlifting Champion Zhu Yijun

Only when one can retaliate can one protect the interests of the Great Ming. This is the principle that Wan Shihe stated to the Emperor at the Huangji Hall. "Softening the distant" is not something that can be done. Blindly bestowing grace on others is hatred, not grace.

The Great Ming's consecutive victories in the East, punching Spain and kicking Portugal... the Governor-General's District, finally won the respect it deserved.

If Philip II had a better response strategy, he would definitely not be so servile to the Great Ming Emperor, saying things like "If you bully me like this again, I won't play with you."

Saying such things is actually admitting defeat. How can there be such playfulness in communication between countries? But Philip wanted to complain about his dissatisfaction without being able to strongly oppose it and cause an excessive reaction from the Great Ming. He could only say such things to let the Great Ming Emperor see his dissatisfaction.

In later generations, it is generally believed that the trade between Portugal, Spain, and the Great Ming was part of the tribute trade, and now it is gradually becoming a reality.

The wealth plundered by Portugal and Spain through colonization was all plundered by the Great Ming through trade. Bai Yin represents wealth, and the Great Ming, like a glutton, refuses no one, swallowing the world's silver like a whale.

"Love to come or not." Zhu Yijun made such an evaluation of the credentials. He smiled and said to Zhang Juzheng: "If he doesn't come, we will go. In short, the silver of the West belongs to our Great Ming, and the silver Philip plundered in the New World also belongs to the Great Ming!"

The Great Ming takes the silver, and Philip bears the infamy. This is Zhu Yijun's attitude.

He loves to come or not. It doesn't matter if he doesn't come. The Great Ming's global caravan will bring silver back to the Great Ming from all directions.

The reason for this attitude is also that the damming formed by the inflow of silver into the Great Ming needs time to dredge. This first major hurdle is that the annual silver coin production must break through; otherwise, the continuous rise of silver inflow will inevitably form a new damming.

Therefore, whether the relationship between the two countries will move from friendly nations to hostility does not matter much to the Great Ming. Even if the inflow of silver is reduced, it is a good thing for the Great Ming in the short term. The Great Ming's deep-ocean caravan is trading with swords, never begging for the other side's permission and pity. Strong military force is the first guarantee of commodities and silver.

"Your Majesty, only 15% of the Great Ming's population lives in cities, while 120% of the population lives in the countryside. Dredging silver to the countryside is an inevitability. Increasing silver coin production is imminent." This time, Zhang Juzheng came to Tonghe Palace not only to present the memorials and credentials sent by the Ministry of Rites to the Cabinet, but also to talk to His Majesty about the issue of monetary policy.

The Great Ming needs more currency. Now silver is in short supply.

The Great Ming actually has 135% of the population. This extra 35% is naturally not because Zhang Juzheng's math is bad, but because of the Great Ming's hidden population. The countryside is the disaster area for hidden population, and silver coins and copper coins are important tools for the Great Ming imperial court to regulate the contradictions between various social classes.

"The Dissection Institute has already tried its best." Zhu Yijun didn't have a good way to deal with this either. The world is material, and one needs to use material to solve problems. It does not transfer according to human will. Even if Zhu Yijun puts more pressure on the Dissection Institute, it will be of no avail.

The Five Classics Doctors of the Dissection Institute have really tried their best to improve hydraulic technology, faster and better manufacturing more hydraulic rolling presses, but these all need time.

The Weaponry Bureau's mint and the Great Ming Treasure Source Bureau's casting furnaces are continuously expanding production, just for more currency to solve the Great Ming's deep-rooted money shortage problem.

"Eleven years have passed, and the money shortage problem still shows no signs of easing, and it is even intensifying." Zhu Yijun rubbed his eyebrows. The more silver there is, the faster the development, and the greater the demand for currency. The gap between the quantity of currency and the demand for currency is increasing.

Bai Yin is dammed before the mint, and the mint is rushing to produce silver coins, but the gap in silver coins in the world is increasing. This is actually a manifestation of the court's loss of function.

"Your Majesty, there is actually a way." Zhang Juzheng said in a low voice: "Just stop releasing silver from the inner treasury."

"Isn't this nonsense? Bai Yin is a dead object if it doesn't circulate. What is the point if it doesn't circulate?" Zhu Yijun spread his hands and said with a frown.

Zhang Juzheng's proposal was outrageous. The silver entering the inner treasury is increasing every year. If Zhu Yijun, the Emperor, does not release silver, that would be a huge evil. Burying silver in a pigsty is no longer a metaphor, but a reality.

"Issue paper money." Zhang Juzheng bowed and said: "The silver in the inner treasury is the confidence of the Great Ming's paper money law. The 500,000 strings of Luzon-circulating paper money issued by the Ministry of Revenue before have been recognized, and the reaction is extremely positive. Taking advantage of this opportunity, let's issue Great Ming circulating paper money."

After listening to the Emperor's words, the Ministry of Revenue's paper money law issued 500,000 strings. This batch of paper money successfully arrived in Luzon and was recognized. There was no way not to recognize it, as Luzon also had a money shortage.

Luzon has eleven large copper mountains, producing more than 10 million catties of red copper every year, but these red copper all flowed to the Great Ming for casting money. The Emperor's relatives cared more about the Great Ming court's view of the Luzon Governor-General's District, and their eyes did not look too much at Luzon. Luzon was short of money.

And the most critical thing is the supreme and promise-keeping Great Ming Emperor's promise that all paper money can be cashed. Also shipped to Luzon were 200,000 strings of newly minted copper coins. These copper coins are preparation gold, and Luzon can retain 1 million catties of red copper every year for reserves.

Luzon cannot cast money itself. Red copper is preparation gold and can be shipped to the hinterland for casting money.

The right to cast money is the power of the Great Ming court. Private casters will die. If the Great Ming court's claws, those coastal defense patrols, discover private casting, it will likely cause a trust crisis. Therefore, Luzon checks private casting very strictly, just like Yunnan copper is not cast in Yunnan, but in Huguang.

The dilemma that the Great Ming now has more silver but a greater gap in currency is actually caused by Zhu Yijun himself.

A large amount of silver entered the inner treasury. Zhu Yijun did not bury the silver in the pigsty. The inner treasury invested the silver in large sums. The Southern Yamen is full of imperial manors, all of which are the Emperor's tung gardens, weaving bureaus, money-casting furnaces, woodworking workshops, and blacksmith workshops. Just for the shipbuilding industrial chain, His Majesty invested 10 million silver, and the Nanyang plantation was also built with heavy money.

These investments brought development and caused the gap in silver coins to increase further. If His Majesty tightens investment here, the Great Ming's demand for currency will naturally decrease.

Likewise, issuing paper money can also effectively alleviate the Great Ming's current predicament, and the massive silver in the inner treasury is the Great Ming's confidence in issuing paper money. This is the only way Zhang Juzheng thought of. Perhaps it is not the best, but it is the most suitable at present.

"No, the Ministry of Revenue's 'Memorial on Paper Money Anchoring' describes this problem very clearly and plainly. Issuing paper money now—the anchoring object is insufficient." Zhu Yijun immediately denied Zhang Juzheng's proposal. The time for issuing paper money has not yet come.

Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath and said: "Your Majesty, it's not that everything has to wait until the time is ripe before doing it. Sometimes, half-cooked rice has to be eaten if it has to be eaten."

The Great Ming Imperial Tutor is naturally willing to wait until the time is ripe before pushing the paper money law, but things in the world are mostly like this. The situation will not wait for you to be fully prepared before changing. A gentleman should naturally think three times before acting. Likewise, if you are indecisive, you will suffer from chaos.

The problem of the Great Ming's money shortage has been fully discussed, and there is no better way.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and said: "Wait a little longer, sir. The Great Ming cannot afford to lose trust in the world again."

"As long as Your Majesty is here, it will not happen." Zhang Juzheng said very confidently.

The reason he advocated this so strongly was entirely because of His Majesty. If it were during the Jiajing and Longqing years, he wouldn't even mention the paper money law. Just like the secret memorial law, if used well, it is a sharp tool for governing the country; if used poorly, it is the root of chaos in the world. Clearly, the local area is evolving toward feudalism, and the Great Ming's correction force reported to the court, but the governor and regional commander denied it in the secret memorial, or even slandered it. Then, I am afraid that the story of An Lushan and Tang Xuanzong will be staged again.

If the secret memorial law is not used well, the correction force will fail under the secret memorial law.

Zhang Juzheng believed that His Majesty's reputation plus the massive silver was enough to push the paper money law. Looking at the acceptance and exchange business of the Huitong Hall, the Great Ming people already generally trusted the court and His Majesty. For the convection of goods between the north and the south, most merchants chose the acceptance and exchange of the Huitong Hall. After all, carrying a large amount of silver is indeed not very convenient.

A more convenient bookkeeping currency—the bill of exchange—became an inevitable choice.

"I am also a person. Sir, don't think of me as too powerful. The Great Ming's New Deal has today's situation because of the efforts of ten thousand people. I am just a captain, and at certain moments, I have to make some forced choices." Zhu Yijun shook his head and said; "From the bottom up, it is what you taught me, sir."

"Unity of knowledge and action to reach conscience, contradictions succeed to release ten thousand principles." The contradiction theory is mainly to make people look at the two sides of a problem, not just the benefits, but also the disadvantages. This is the fundamental methodology of the contradiction theory.

Zhu Yijun is indeed the Emperor, and he is in his prime, like the sun hanging high in the nine heavens. But precisely because of this, he is extra cautious when it involves the people of all lands. Excessively scorching light will bake the seedlings to death.

Most of the time, Zhu Yijun is more radical than Zhang Juzheng, but when it involves the word "people," Zhu Yijun becomes a conservative.

Seeing that His Majesty's holy will was decided, Zhang Juzheng knew that saying more would be useless. Over the years, it was always His Majesty who persuaded him. After pondering for a while, he said: "Then reduce some investment, and the demand for currency can be reduced. Give the craftsmen some time to let them dredge the damming of silver."

"I can agree to stop investment, but this silver will no longer be dammed in the private sector, but dammed in my inner treasury. I cannot bear it. Why don't we do this? Investment can be narrowed, but we can use some means to get silver into the hands of the people. For example, starting from the capital to Suiyuan, Liaodong, Beiping Xingdu Commandery, etc., to reclaim wasteland, give settlement silver, such as the labor remuneration for these roads like the Jingkai Road and Jinmi Road, etc." Zhu Yijun meant to continue investment.

But change the focus to the roads. Direct silver investment, although the liquidity of silver is poor and it is inconvenient to use, is also the best currency at the moment. Isn't it much stronger than Great Ming paper money?

"Tongqu department stores, that still increases the demand for currency." Zhang Juzheng frowned. His Majesty likes to make money and also likes to spend money, and it is not on building imperial mausoleums, not on personal luxury, but on building large projects.

This is indeed the basic viewpoint in the distribution theory he advocated. The court is responsible for downward distribution. Downward distribution is to regulate the contradictions between various social classes. Downward distribution can change the production relations of strong personal attachment. Downward distribution can make the Great Ming economy go a step further and transform into a commodity economy.

Universal benefit is the basic proposition of distribution theory.

"Also." Zhu Yijun pondered for a long time and finally said confidently: "Then slow down investment and wait until the Great Ming's imperial silver coin production capacity comes up before talking."

Having silver but not being able to spend it can also be considered a happy trouble.

Bai Yin damming is a very, very dangerous thing, especially for the Great Ming, which is at a historical turning point. Once this dammed lake bursts, it will be a scene of destruction. And the only one who can carry so much silver is the Great Ming Emperor himself.

This giant thunder of silver damming can only be carried by the Emperor himself. Anyone else or any collective, being suppressed by such massive silver liquidity, is an unbearable, heaven-collapsing, and earth-shattering event.

Great Ming weightlifting champion Zhu Yijun!

This time, Zhu Yijun chose to be conservative. While not implementing the paper money law, he would not make additional investments, meaning that the Great Ming's demand for currency would no longer show a terrifying growth. At the same time, major official factories and major industrial and military battalions would settle the poor and bitter, waiting for the increase in silver coins and copper coins.

Being conservative is not necessarily wrong. A conservative strategy helps the stability of the Great Ming dynasty.

At the same time that Zhu Yijun confirmed that the Great Ming needed to reduce the inflow of silver, Solon began to go north. He couldn't wait to go to the capital to meet the Emperor and ask His Majesty why he abandoned friendly nations and chose Lisbon.

Of course, he did not encounter any obstacles when entering the capital. A painting boat, carrying a group of envoys, arrived in Tianjin in a grand manner. Responsible for receiving Solon were two junior ministers of the Court of Ceremonial, Gao Qiyu and Xu Jiugao, as well as Legaspi, the special envoy dispatched by Philip to the Ming.

Legaspi's dress had already become a Confucian robe, wearing a square scarf, and he was no longer dressed as a missionary. He was not prepared to go back, so he actively integrated into the Great Ming, and the integration was quite good. At least as a special envoy, he did not encounter general discrimination.

It is not a strange thing for the Great Ming to employ Hu people. There is a special official position called "Tat officials." After the Tatars surrendered, they acted with Han surnames and Han names. For example, Wu Yuncheng, the Earl of Gongshun, and Chai Bingcheng, the Assistant Minister of the Rear Army Commandery. The surrendered former Yuan army was called the "Tat Army," and the surrendered Hu people were called "Tat people," "Tat," "border people," etc.

There are records of more than 600,000 surrendered Tatars in the Hongwu years, and more than 400,000 surrendered in the Yongle years. In the Wanli years, after the Great Ming defeated Tuman Khan and Altan Khan, more than 600,000 border people surrendered. For Hu people, the Great Ming also had a safe settlement method.

Although Legaspi looked a bit strange, his daily life was not very difficult.

"What is this?!" Marcus looked at a carriage pulled by an iron horse galloping on the road and said with great horror.

Marcus would come once a year. Solon was coming to China for the second time, and John Harrison was coming for the third time. The Great Ming, Portugal, and Spain—the three gluttonous diners at the dining table were preparing to kick England off the dining table, which really made England difficult. John came this time to try to obtain the Great Ming's understanding or cooperation through diplomatic means.

Marcus, who had come to China many times, had never seen this thing!

"Steam engine. It was something that existed in the seventh year of Wanli. Because technology was limited, it has not been applied on a large scale. The Great Ming private sector calls this thing an 'iron horse,' an iron lump that pulls a carriage and runs." Legaspi looked at the iron horse coming whistling and said with great emotion.

The principle, structure, and working principle of the steam engine were all in the Di Bao, which was a very hotly discussed topic. The principle is very simple, but the key is this thing—Legaspi did not believe that the West could build it. At the very least, it would take another two hundred years of predatory development for the West to possibly give birth to such a monster.

"Then why have you never translated such technical things?!" Solon looked at the iron horse coming with rolling white smoke and immediately understood the horror of this thing.

Legaspi looked at Solon and asked, shaking his head: "Can it be built if translated? Moreover, the principle of this thing is simple, but its manufacturing, the core secrets, are all in the Weaponry Bureau and the Royal Dissection Institute under the inner department. Is it news that I want to spy on and can find out?"

"The Great Ming is very open and inclusive in many aspects, and very conservative and closed in many aspects. For example, this sixteen-horsepower iron horse is the latest improved product of the Royal Dissection Institute. One can't even understand it by looking at it, let alone imitating it."

The steam engine is a system project. How to control air pressure, how to control the flow rate of steam, the mechanical structure between the curved rod and the flywheel, dynamic sealing, and the production of the cylinder, etc. —a series of problems are all content not discussed in the Di Bao, or content that the editors of the Di Bao do not understand.

Even if all the discussed Di Bao were translated, the final result would still be that nothing would be obtained.

Engineering implementation is a very complicated thing. With the power of the whole Great Ming, the Great Ming Emperor founded the highest hall of dissection, the Royal Dissection Institute, and spent heavy money to finally tinker with the thing. Its application scenarios also need roads to be realized.

If there were no roads, the iron horse would only be able to save some manpower when mining.

The West has no application scenarios at all because in the West, human labor is cheaper than animal labor, and animal labor is cheaper than mechanical labor. The price of every horsepower in the Great Ming is as high as 157 silver! To pump water, one just needs to catch ten slaves. If they die of hunger, just catch more.

The West generally keeps slaves. In the New World, in the colonies, the slave system is used. If there is a shortage of labor, just catching slaves is enough. Where is the need to use such expensive iron horses?

It is only the Great Ming that can be so extravagant to manufacture such terrible machinery.

At that time, when there was only one horsepower of the steam engine, the Great Ming was also generally questioned. The Dissection Institute tinkered with a toy for His Majesty to play with—a bloated and huge mechanical structure, a deafening roar, steam that kept vibrating, a monster rolling with black smoke. In the end, it was only equivalent to the strength of one horse. Isn't it just a toy?

At that time, His Majesty said that the current steam engine is still a toy, it is still a baby, and one cannot expect it to do anything.

And now it finally blossomed and bore fruit.

"Then it should be translated!" Solon threw his hands in anger. The fatigue of the journey plus the bumps on the sea made his emotions fluctuate violently. On one hand, he was moved by the Great Ming's strength, and on the other hand, he was worried about the final failure of this trip.

He was not sure if he could fully express Philip II's anger because only by arriving in person could one know the Great Ming's daily changes. Solon had already seen the ocean-covering "Youlong" and the "Feiyun" armed to the teeth in Songjiang Prefecture.

Solon was very anxious, so he lost his temper at Legaspi for no reason.

Legaspi was not angry, but took all the envoys into the car.

"Woo!" The whistle of the steam engine suddenly came, scaring all the envoys. This somewhat distant sound, full of power, impacted the eardrums of all the envoys and also impacted their cognition.

They had never seen such a strange product. In the clanking sound, they lost themselves.

Along the way, they saw countless grain boats on the Tonghui River that were almost pressed into the water, saw continuous folk houses, saw trackers shouting slogans to pull ships, saw endless busy Great Ming laborers, and saw peddlers carrying lunch and iced large bowls of herbal tea for sale.

They saw the most people they had ever seen in their lives, crowded and endless.

Compared with last year, this year's Great Ming Songjiang Prefecture and Great Ming capital were even more prosperous.

Legaspi was in the car and did not communicate too much with Solon. He waited until Solon, Marcus, John Harrison, and others had checked into the Huitong Hall before finding Solon and talking behind closed doors.

Some things are inconvenient to say when there are too many people, especially when Solon had just finished the journey and his emotions were at their most intense, so it was even more inconvenient to talk too much.

Now Solon looked calm.

Legaspi looked at the somewhat dejected Solon and said with a smile: "The sixteen-horsepower iron horse has not been applied on a large scale. It was just to deter the envoys, so the Emperor specially sent one over. Most of the iron horses are still being tested between North Tucheng, West Tucheng, and Nanhaizi in Daxing County. No need to worry so much."

"As you can see, the Great Ming is far more prosperous than our West. Their largest city now has two million people living in it, right before your eyes, you saw it with your own eyes."

"On the side of the Donghua Gate, the Great Ming is building a high building of more than thirty zhang for timekeeping. After it is built, the timekeeping on the hour can be heard outside the city."

"What else do I need to say? I am very clear about our King's anger, but I cannot persuade the officials of the Ministry of Rites and His Majesty to treat us more favorably."

"Antonio put on the five-chapter imperial robe. It looked incongruous and even a bit ridiculous, but it was that suit of clothes he got in exchange for bowing down and calling himself a subject that allowed him to sit firmly in the position of King."

Solon sat there blankly for a long, long time before saying: "Yes, actually we are waiting, waiting for the people who oppose Antonio in Portugal to push him off the throne. Philip's anger is mainly because the distribution of a large amount of goods in Lisbon brought wealth to Portugal and also allowed Antonio to gain the hearts of the people."

"You know, Antonio only has the support of the common people. Now that he has the power to distribute goods, he has the support of the nobles. Now Portugal has changed from a loose sand to a whole. The plan of His Highness is very difficult to do."

"Sigh."

Solon explained the fundamental reason for Philip II's anger, which was still the plan for Portugal. After the peace talks, Philip did not give up his plan, but like a calm hunter, was quietly waiting for the day when the opportunity came.

As a result, Philip did not wait for the opportunity, but waited for Antonio to gain more support. Antonio, who already had the support of the common people, plus the support of the nobles—Philip II clearly knew that he might never be able to own Portugal again.

Assassination became a good way, but the security of the entire Sintra Palace was protected by the Great Ming's Criminal Investigation Guard. These guards came from the distant Marquis and coastal defense patrols. Skilled in spying on intelligence, they knew how to guard against infiltration and assassination. They were the Iron Forest Army of the Portuguese King.

After having the Great Ming's protection, Antonio's throne became more and more stable.

"What can be done?" Legaspi looked at Solon and asked in a low voice: "Can you persuade His Highness to accept the Great Ming Emperor's canonization? If you can persuade him, then there is still room for discussion."

"How is that possible? His Highness cannot agree. His Highness is not Antonio. There is no way to go, only to seek the protection of the great Eastern power!" Solon immediately replied.

The nobles of Spain's autonomous duchies, as well as the bureaucracy, the Holy See, and the Habsburg family, could not agree.

If Philip were willing to agree, he would be sending himself to the guillotine! Philip II and the penniless Antonio were completely different.

"Therefore, it is inevitable that the Great Ming's policy leans toward Antonio. At least in name, the Portuguese King Antonio is a vassal state built by His Majesty." Legaspi explained the reason for the Great Ming's policy leaning.

For one's own people, the treatment is definitely different.

In truth, the Great Ming did not truly regard Antonio as a vassal state in the sense of a protective barrier, but rather viewed it as a simple political dependency—a diplomatic relationship that was merely a step deeper than that of a friendly nation. Otherwise, the interest rate on the war loans the Emperor granted to Antonio would not have been so high.

Now there is a little more economic restraint. The annual deep-ocean trade relationship is not very deep.

But it is this little relationship that makes Philip II throw the rat-avoiding device, like a fishbone in the throat, and expressing anger is like a child's play.

"Have you heard of Rui De?" And the purpose of Legaspi's trip was precisely to persuade Solon not to be hostile to the Great Ming. He found a typical case: Rui De, the envoy sent to the Great Ming by Meneses, the Governor of the Goa Governor-General's District.

"A very famous warrior, he is a loyal believer." Solon nodded.

"He became a martyr. When the news that Malacca City was broken reached the capital, he was in the capital as an envoy. He once roared in the Zhao Wenhua Hall for his faith and for Goa, angering His Majesty, but in the end, His Majesty forgave him, but in the end, he could not forgive himself." Legaspi asked tentatively: "Do you want to go to his grave to see? The Great Ming buried him and erected a tombstone for him."

Because he didn't know Rui De's past, the tombstone only recorded his two missions to the Great Ming.

"Therefore, I advise you not to collide with His Majesty in the Zhao Wenhua Hall. Apart from suffering, there will be no other gains. I mentioned him to tell you that the Great Ming, or more accurately, the things the Great Ming Emperor wants, no one can stop." Legaspi stated his point of view again.

Angering the Great Ming Emperor is a very dangerous thing. This is not divine punishment, nor is it heaven's condemnation; it is the anger of the human emperor. ===== CHAPTER 549 =====