Chapter 661: All These Influential Squires Have Harmed Me!

After Shen Shen Shixing took office in Songjiang Prefecture, he began to pilot maritime insurance.

Because of the risk problem that inevitably exists in maritime trade, insurance was born in this environment. This is a method transmitted from the Low Countries of the West, the Netherlands, to reduce maritime trade risks and increase the enthusiasm of ships to go to sea.

Antwerp, the busiest port in the Netherlands, has a maximum voyage of 33,000 li for ship insurance, and insurance merchants formulate premiums based on comprehensive factors such as tonnage, quantity, hydrological risks, and sea pirates.

And Great Ming's longest voyage insurance business is 100,000 li, which is an ultra-long global trade insurance, followed by 50,000 li ocean-going trade insurance, 33,000 li Great Ming territorial sea insurance business, and 10,000 li coastal insurance, four types in total.

With the success of the maritime insurance pilot in Songjiang Prefecture, the Mizhou Maritime Trade Office followed closely, establishing an official-run insurance office to operate insurance and encourage going to sea.

This was originally a good policy, intended to encourage going to sea.

Zhu Zhu Yijun did not encounter crying for the carriage in Jiaozhou Bay. Wang Wang Yie did not arrange such a link, but the Great Ming Emperor still read the files of Jiaozhou.

"From this case, I see the alienation of people by money." Zhu Zhu Yijun put down a pile of files. These files were a series of cases, all revolving around one topic: insurance fraud.

Great Ming's maritime return rate exceeded 95%, which means that for every 100 ships that went to sea, more than 95 ships could return smoothly, fully loaded. This is due to Great Ming's excellent shipbuilding technology and the fact that the scope of trade is still limited to the Nanyang range within the Strait of Malacca, coupled with the Great Ming imperial court's unremitting clearing of sea pirates, creating a myth.

The scope of maritime trade insurance is constantly expanding. The average return of Great Ming's maritime trade insurance has also reached an astonishing 5%. Besides compensation, the balance can reach 5% of all insured funds.

Maritime trade insurance is like a huge casino, and Great Ming's official-run insurance is the dealer. Since there is a dealer, there must be cheaters.

There is a Liu family in Jimo County, also a generation of sea merchants, who set their sights on insurance compensation. At the beginning, the head of the Liu family, Liu Liu Pinghai, was still careful and didn't dare to go too far, performing improper operations on some aging ships, eventually leading to various accidents of the ships at docks and ports, obtaining compensation.

Any new thing is wild growth at the beginning, and maritime trade insurance is no exception. The officials in charge had insufficient personnel and could not conduct detailed inspections of accidents. They found that it was indeed an accident or even sinking, so they executed compensation according to the regulations.

Once the Liu family started this, all the merchants in Great Ming were like cats smelling fish, moving with the wind. Soon, Shen Shen Shixing found that the return rate and profit rate of Great Ming ships were declining. After discovering some clues, the insurance offices stationed at the five major Maritime Trade Offices began to patch, adding age limits, which means that the insurance premium of the ship would increase with the increase of age.

Great Ming's insurance business was generally constructed based on the system construction of Antwerp insurance merchants. The age factor is a summary of Great Ming's practice.

Ships in the West generally do not have the problem of age. There are too many sea pirates in the West, and some ships simply don't live to the day of aging.

Ships over fifteen years old don't need to be insured. The money spent on insurance every year is enough to buy a new three-masted clipper.

Seeing that there were no loopholes to drill, the Liu family's Liu Liu Pinghai did not give up, because he saw the loopholes in Great Ming's official-run insurance.

The official-run insurance office does not have the power of investigation, has no right to summon crew members, has no right to search, has no right to arrest, etc., which means that Great Ming's official-run maritime trade insurance cannot conduct a comprehensive investigation of accidents. The Liu family used this loophole, and their courage began to grow.

This time, the Liu family chose a new way: dismantling ships.

The insured ship A did not sink at sea. After forging human and physical evidence, it was brought back to the port by ship B for compensation, while this ship that should have sunk was driven into a ship dismantling factory for dismantling and sold in batches. One fish, two eats.

The Liu family's approach was very secret, but the Liu family had a daughter-in-law with a big tongue who told her own family about this. Soon, what should have been a secret became an open secret. Using the various reasons for the large scale of official-run insurance and difficult inspection, Great Ming sea merchants began to hollow out the insurance money that should have belonged to the public.

Soon, Wang Wang Yie discovered the clues to this matter. Because it started at the Mizhou Maritime Trade Office, the situation in Mizhou was the most serious.

The disadvantages of official operation appeared. Official operation represents the face of the imperial court and the Emperor. Many times, knowing that there might be problems, but in order not to be too rigid and not to lose face, it is necessary to investigate all accidents. In the case of insufficient manpower, official-run insurance became somewhat difficult to move.

Having no choice, Wang Wang Yie and Shen Shen Shixing corresponded, and after connecting the tax auditing offices and tax auditing rooms in various places to the official-run maritime trade insurance.

Whether the ship sank or not, the sea might not know, but trade will speak. If your ship sank, the goods should also sink. If your goods are still there, how could your ship sink? After the tax auditing office and the official-run insurance office opened up all the joints in the procedure, this wind of forging human and physical evidence, hiding and dismantling ships, was finally curbed.

In the winter of the twelfth year of Emperor Wanli, the unwilling Liu family's Liu Liu Pinghai became bolder. Once used to getting something for nothing, it would be like this. Liu Liu Pinghai felt that he had done this, and nothing happened, and his behavior became more and more daring.

This time, Liu Liu Pinghai began to bribe officials in the insurance office, forge insurance policies, and extract insurance money.

Empty-handed white wolf, a ship that does not actually exist, but the procedures are complete. After insurance, it will soon sink. Everything is compliant and legal, but the insurance money is earned.

And when the Liu family bribed, there was always a sentence that was particularly moving: "Anyway, it's not your money, it's the public's money. If you don't take it, there are plenty of people who will."

How to turn public money into one's own money is the basic logic of the entire insurance fraud case, which made the Liu family become unscrupulous throughout the case.

Paper cannot wrap fire. In the year-end audit of the twelfth year of Emperor Wanli, this kind of insurance fraud was investigated. Soon, all relevant officials of the Mizhou Maritime Trade Office were thrown into prison, and the Liu family also ended up being raided. Liu Liu Pinghai fled overseas, but before he left the port, he was captured.

Is it only the Liu family that is unlucky? All sea merchants are unlucky.

In order not to let public money become private, the five major Maritime Trade Offices began to make the compensation process cumbersome. Soon, the compensation cycle began to lengthen, and compensation requirements must have the tax payment certificate of the tax auditing office, and must also have the case closing certificate of the tax auditing office and the coastal defense inspection office, which made the compensation time stretch from three months to one year.

Everyone complained about the cumbersome process, but this is the result of the struggle. Everyone has to bear this evil fruit together, and no one can be an exception.

"Your Majesty, this case is quite representative." Zhang Zhang Juzheng said with a solemn face: "If the Liu family is not tried, then the exploration of the insurance system, which should have promoted the prosperity of maritime trade and provided a bottom line for dangerous maritime trade, will completely fail. Sometimes, it is necessary to use heavy hands to punish."

"I don't want to be scolded as a lone man and a thief every day, and I don't want to kill people every day. But, Teacher, look at these things the Liu family did. What can I do? I can only kill them." Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a little emotion.

Isn't this Liu family looking for death? The money in the insurance pool is indeed public money.

But the money in the insurance pool is half of the Emperor's Inner Treasury. This is a compromise made by the imperial court to ensure the smooth implementation of the policy, but it is also a compromise made to ensure the smooth implementation of the policy. The money in the insurance pool is indeed public money, everyone's money, but at the same time, it is the Emperor's money.

I don't want to either, all these influential squires have harmed me!

Zhang Zhang Juzheng discovered that His Majesty has become a mature politician. Look at what he said, it's shameless, and he doesn't feel guilty at all.

"Seventy-two people were sentenced to death, and more than four hundred were exiled. After this case, I hope to suppress the wind of insurance fraud. Of course, if they insist on continuing, then I can also play with them." Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Feng Bao and said: "Confiscate the Liu family's property and use it for the post road from Kaifeng to Jiayu Pass."

"The minister obeys the edict." Feng Bao bowed and took the order.

The post road from Kaifeng to Jiayu Pass has one more sponsor. The influential squires of Xitucheng were forced to donate quite a bit because of celebrating the Emperor's departure. The Hejian Zhang family in Tianjin, who secretly colluded with Japanese pirates, privately set up sea markets, and trafficked opium, also contributed a part.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowned and discovered that the Great Ming Emperor's southern tour this time was probably aimed at raiding homes! It was to make up for the deficit of the post road from Kaifeng to Jiayu Pass! This southern tour, the huge investment in the post road from Kaifeng Prefecture to Jiayu Pass, is probably going to break even.

Wang Wang Yie said that solving some problems requires strong and powerful means to ensure downward distribution, in order to ensure domestic demand.

"Your Majesty, can the minister donate a little? Not much, there are still 2.4 million silver in the family. This silver cannot be brought in life and cannot be taken in death. Sharing worries for Your Majesty and solving difficulties for the imperial court is the duty that should be." Wang Wang Chonggu said with eagerness.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Wang Wang Chonggu and asked: "Erect a monument for the Second Assistant at Jiayu Pass?"

"Good, good, good." Wang Wang Chonggu didn't pretend and said immediately.

Sharing worries for His Majesty and solving difficulties for the imperial court is true, and wanting to erect a monument is also true. As a former rebel, after the Li Li Sanhu assassination case, he was recognized by His Majesty, but the world still didn't quite recognize Wang Wang Chonggu's achievements.

Those things at the end of the Emperor Longqing era and the beginning of the Emperor Wanli era were all parties involved, and everyone knew what was going on.

Wang Wang Chonggu has only one son, Wang Qian, who can take care of himself. Wang Wang Chonggu can use all this silver to exchange for a reputation.

"Good." Zhu Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "When the time comes, I will write a praise table myself. It must be erected not only at Jiayu Pass, but also in the Second Assistant's hometown of Puzhou, and another one where the Wang Chonggu post road is erected, to show his achievements. In Puzhou, it will be erected next to the Loyalty and Bravery Shrine. What does Wang Second Assistant think?"

"That would be very good, very good!" Wang Wang Chonggu was full of joy when he heard that a monument would be erected in his hometown.

"Your Majesty, when accumulating wealth becomes more and more important in Great Ming, and even becomes the most important thing, moral norms will also change accordingly, and they are changing now. The perfection of Great Ming's laws and the construction of the system need to keep up with this change, otherwise, the contradictions among the people will not be alleviated, and turmoil will follow." Zhang Zhang Juzheng reminded His Majesty that Great Ming's moral norms are changing.

It used to be accumulating virtue, now it is accumulating wealth.

Red copper, silver, gold, these general equivalents, these currencies are universally recognized, and currency has become a medium for storing value.

General equivalents are universally recognized by people, and they can be used to exchange for others' labor results. This power of exchange does not need to be exercised immediately, and can also be exercised when needed. Therefore, currency, this special commodity, has become the best tool for storing value.

Essentially, the value and wealth that belong to everyone can be occupied by private families through various means. Value being occupied means power being occupied privately. The inflow of a large amount of silver is intensifying this contradiction, and the reason for all this is people's desire and greed for money.

Is human nature evil or good? Human nature has both evil and good. This is a unity of opposites.

What the imperial court needs to do is to perfect the laws, promote the construction of the legal system, make society fair, and prevent turmoil.

The next day, the Great Ming Emperor went to the seaside. The wind at the seaside in this season was still biting. The Great Ming Emperor put on a thick cloak and took Empress Wang and the eldest imperial son Zhu Zhu Changzhi to the seaside.

People who have not seen the sea with their own eyes cannot imagine the vastness of the sea, nor can they imagine the surging waves of the sea. Zhu Zhu Yijun saw the sea with his own eyes. The sea with three-foot waves without wind, the waves rolled forward, slapped on the rocks on the shore, and shattered into a piece of crystal clear spray. When the water fell, the rocks appeared. With the ebb tide, the black shadows on the sea surface turned into a piece of rocks.

There were dozens of fishing boats on the sea preparing to go to sea. These are hardworking fishermen who are going to various sea fields to plant kelp. Kelp is a specialty of Shandong, and the planting scale is gradually expanding. The sea breeze is still very cold, but it cannot stop the enthusiasm of the fishermen.

Zhu Zhu Yijun originally planned to try fish sashimi, but was stopped by Zhang Hong. His Majesty cannot eat it. The physician Pang Zhang Xian was also stopping him.

Admittedly, sea fish are not freshwater fish. Theoretically, the parasites of sea fish cannot survive in the human body.

"Your Majesty, during the Three Kingdoms period, there was a Guangling Prefect named Chen Deng, who was extremely depressed, with a red face and red eyes, and could not eat or drink. He asked Hua Tuo for medical treatment. Hua Tuo used medicine as a guide, and Chen Deng vomited three liters of worms, all with red heads, shaking their heads and tails. People at that time were shocked and asked for the reason. Hua Tuo said: 'Caused by eating too much raw sashimi, you will die in three years.' Chen Deng died in three years."

"Truly, Hua Tuo can do nothing about small worms." Pang Zhang Xian told a story from the Three Kingdoms period.

The eldest imperial son Zhu Zhu Changzhi looked at Pang Zhang Xian in a daze. Vomiting three liters of worms?! What a terrible scene.

"Your Majesty, the physician of Xu Wei, who is accompanying the Nagasaki Governor's Office, reported that the most serious thing in Japan is schistosomiasis. If there are really these problems, the minister has no ability to cure them." Pang Zhang Xian said bluntly. If His Majesty wants to eat, he can, but if something happens, he will run away, and he doesn't even need to look.

Can't cure, no rescue, goodbye.

"Don't eat, don't eat." Zhu Zhu Yijun was made to feel scalp-numb by Pang Zhang Xian and immediately indicated that he cherished his life and would not eat sashimi. He would not eat freshwater fish or saltwater fish. In this era, there is indeed no way to deal with parasites.

Zhu Zhu Yijun gave up sashimi, although he heard it was delicious. Just as he gave up tasting Joseon beauties and Japanese courtesans.

The Great Ming Emperor is on a southern tour, and the Prince of Lu is making trouble. And Japan at this time is in internal and external troubles. Oda Nobunaga, who had not appeared for a long time after being assassinated by gunpowder, finally appeared publicly again, and as soon as he appeared, he made a big scene!

Oda Nobunaga promulgated the "Land Inspection Law".

The Land Inspection Law requires the use of unified weights and measures to survey the land of the entire Japan, clarify the ownership of land registers, classify them according to different conditions such as land fertility, rainfall, and harvest, and determine tribute, conscription, etc., according to the specific conditions of the land.

Oda Nobunaga requires that the manor fields of temples and daimyo must also be inspected, and also stipulates specific tax standards. All monks and daimyo must also pay taxes and follow the basic tax rate of one public and two people, and no additional collection is allowed.

If you don't follow, then crusade.

Suddenly, Oda Nobunaga almost stood on the opposite side of all meat-eaters, but he still wanted to do it, even if he faced several assassinations.

Once this Land Inspection Law came out, the whole country was in an uproar!

What is relatively strange is that Oda Nobunaga's opponent, Mori Terumoto, did not stand up to oppose it for the first time, and did not use this as a reason to gather opponents to resist, but chose silence.

Mori Terumoto's silence made everyone realize that Oda Nobunaga and Mori Terumoto might have reached some kind of tacit understanding.

On the twenty-eighth day of the second lunar month in the thirteenth year of Emperor Wanli, two small boats from the Mori family and the Oda family sailed into Nagasaki Bay at sunset. These looked like two ordinary Japanese merchant ships. After all, the Mori family and the Oda family both maintained close trade relations with the Great Ming Nagasaki Governor's Office.

But behind these two ships were two huge fleets on the sea outside Nagasaki Port. Mori Terumoto and Oda Nobunaga's navy could be said to have come out in full force. This full-force dispatch was not to attack Nagasaki, but to guard against each other.

The passengers of these two small boats were Mori Terumoto and Oda Nobunaga themselves. They came to the Nagasaki Governor's Office to negotiate in person about war, the implementation of the Land Inspection Law, the food crisis, and Emperor Hongwu Baochao.

These two mortal enemies could sit at a table and talk, which had to be mentioned because of the guarantee given by the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

Long-term Governor Xu Wei guaranteed: In the negotiations at the Nagasaki Governor's Office, no assassination will occur. Once anyone is assassinated in the negotiations, the initiator will be the enemy of the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

The Nagasaki Governor's Office has 4,000 personal guards and guest troops, and the Nagasaki Xingdusi Osaka Bay Garrison Battalion Commander Office has 4,500 soldiers. In April, Great Ming will mobilize 4,500 people from the Zhejiang Nine Camps to supplement the military strength of the Nagasaki Governor's Office.

Once the Nagasaki Governor's Office completely stands on whose side, that person will inevitably become the winner.

Oda Nobunaga was overjoyed when he heard that the Nagasaki Governor's Office had the idea of mediating contradictions. Before setting off, he promulgated the Land Inspection Law and then rushed to Nagasaki. Oda Nobunaga was never afraid of death; what he feared was that his great ambition would not be achieved.

"Speaking of which, it's ridiculous. In the past, I just wanted to be a good lord of Owari Province. Now, I hope Japan will become better." Oda Nobunaga saw the Nagasaki Governor Xu Wei and showed a very sincere smile, continuing: "No matter what the result of this negotiation is, I want to thank Great Ming for its willingness to bring peace to Japan."

"Commander Li, thank you again for sending troops to protect me during the Honno-ji Incident."

Oda Nobunaga did not ask for any good results from this negotiation, but Great Ming's willingness still made Oda Nobunaga very grateful.

Being able to sit together and talk is in itself a kind of luck.

"Japan is in a severe shortage of food because of the war, which has seriously affected the refining of silver. Whatever you fight, we don't care, but the refining of silver must absolutely not be affected by the war." Xu Wei stated his position again. The reason why they were all called to Nagasaki to negotiate was that Great Ming also had its own demands.

Japan is short of food, and it is short to the point of affecting the inflow of silver to Great Ming. At this time, the Nagasaki Governor's Office could not ignore it no matter what.

Originally, Xu Wei and Sun Sun Kehong judged that this was a short-term food shortage, and when the food was harvested, there would be no shortage. But as time fermented, things became more and more difficult to control, and the peasant uprisings became more and more serious.

In just three months, more than twenty-three peasant uprisings occurred in Japan, and the riots that rose up even occurred in the Iwami Bai Yin Mine. The mining of silver stopped for nearly a month before it began to slowly recover.

To this point, the Nagasaki Governor's Office had to come forward.

"It should be so." Oda Nobunaga sat down.

"Mori Terumoto, regarding the assassination last time, I was indeed the murderer. The assassin was indeed sent by me, but we all know clearly why Oda Nobutaka died." Mori Terumoto talked about the assassination he sent last time, which made him very depressed.

In Japan, sending people to assassinate is very, very common. Before a big war, sending a few assassins is like a war etiquette. But there are not many successful assassinations. They are all just for show. Mori Terumoto just sent a few people casually. Who could have thought that the assassin could really walk in front of Oda Nobunaga and shoot Oda Nobutaka to death with one gun?

Mori Terumoto said indifferently: "Of course, the assassin sent by me did kill him. If you insist on fighting me to the end, I will accompany you."

"Discuss national affairs, not family affairs." Oda Nobunaga answered very calmly.

"Mori Terumoto, you colluded with Chen Sheng and are plotting Great Ming's water fertilizer technology?" Xu Wei looked at Mori Terumoto and talked about the report sent from the capital.

Mori Terumoto offered 3 million silver to buy Great Ming's water fertilizer technology from a traitor. Chen Sheng was active in the capital and was finally captured by the Prince of Lu, sent to the Dissection Academy, and executed according to the law.

Mori Terumoto said quite frankly: "I am a lord and a daimyo. Japan is short of food like this. I plot water fertilizer, not just for myself. I have a clear conscience. Great Ming asks for accountability, kill or scrape as you please."

Water fertilizer is to increase food production. Mori Terumoto dared to come to Nagasaki, not because he was not afraid, but because he had to come. If he didn't come, and the Nagasaki Governor's Office and Oda Nobunaga really stood together, he, Mori Terumoto, would also be defeated. Both sides might die, so it's better to break into this dragon's pool and tiger's den.

Not to mention anything else, as long as the Nagasaki Governor's Office restrained his navy, ground attack, the Mori family could not resist at all.

"Kill you, scrape you, wouldn't you become a hero of Japan?" Xu Wei sneered and shook his head: "If you really want it, you can tell the Nagasaki Governor's Office. I will report it to His Majesty on your behalf. His Majesty doesn't sell the technology, but can't he sell you some water fertilizer? Sneaky, secretly taking the formula and technology, making it like this."

"Take 3 million silver, and this matter will be revealed. If you don't want to take it, I will take it myself."

The public-private theory is based on the foundation of the contradiction theory. Public and private are relative concepts. Public includes a larger collective, and Great Ming and Japan are obviously two collectives. When fighting each other, using all means is normal. Standing from the perspective of Japan, Mori Terumoto is not wrong. If the Nagasaki Governor's Office really arrested and killed Mori Terumoto, he would really become a hero.

But standing from the perspective of Great Ming, there must be an explanation. Then these 3 million taels of silver is the punishment. Great Ming caught the ironclad evidence of the other party's sneakiness.

"I cheated Chen Sheng. Actually, I didn't intend to pay so much money at all." Mori Terumoto said helplessly: "But this matter disturbed the Heavenly Kingdom, so it should be so."

Great Ming doesn't want an apology, just compensation.

"Then, let's discuss the compensation issue." Xu Wei started the second topic of the negotiation, the compensation issue of Japan to Great Ming.

Because Mori Terumoto plotted Great Ming's water fertilizer, he was caught by Great Ming, so he promised compensation, and Oda Nobunaga had to pay 15 million silver for military aid. The first year he had to give 3 million silver, and the rest was a 40-year extension.

The 4% annual interest 40-year extension invented by the Great Ming Emperor is a blunt knife cutting meat, which is to hollow out all of Japan bit by bit.

Portugal also has a 30-year so-called low-interest extension, but Great Ming did not exhaust all means to exploit Portugal, and even shared part of the benefits.

To deal with a country that has already built a national structure, you must use this method, hollowing out all its flesh and blood bit by bit, in order to completely eliminate it. This is a long process. Japan is an island country with 8 million people and natural ocean barriers. To completely eliminate it, you need to use all means at any cost.

Mori Terumoto did not have enough silver to compensate Great Ming, including Oda Nobunaga.

Mori Terumoto and Oda Nobunaga did not have enough silver to compensate Great Ming. Great Ming knew this clearly. The silver that Japan could mine in a year was at most 5 million silver. This 5 million silver was not all controlled by Mori Terumoto and Oda Nobunaga, and they also had to distribute it downward. Under the premise of maintaining their own survival, how much could they take to compensate Great Ming?

If you don't compensate silver, you can compensate for other things, such as castrated Japanese slaves, courtesans, sulfur, fish oil, etc. These are all goods that Great Ming needs.

"Can I borrow some Emperor Hongwu Baochao?" Oda Nobunaga proposed a method, borrowing Emperor Hongwu Baochao from the Nagasaki Governor's Office, and then using Emperor Hongwu Baochao to exploit downward to complete the compensation to Great Ming.

"Borrowing Emperor Hongwu Baochao is fine, but you have to pay back silver." Xu Wei was merciful and did not want interest. He was kind-hearted and did not add interest to the face value of Emperor Hongwu Baochao.

Borrow one Zhen Guan of Emperor Hongwu Baochao and pay back one tael of silver. Emperor Hongwu Baochao is as much as you want.

"That's the only way." Mori Terumoto pondered for a while and finally agreed. He had no choice. If he didn't rack his brains to exploit downward to find these 3 million taels of silver, or equivalent goods, then the Nagasaki Governor's Office would stand on Oda Nobunaga's side from the perspective of strength.