Chapter 696: Collective Wedding in Chongde Ward

The deterioration of the maritime trade environment meant that merchant ships had to pay a high price. Whether it was weaponry or security, it was an expenditure. England's royal family rarely, if ever, needed to launch wars or invest manpower, material resources, and energy to strike at the shipping of countries they targeted, and they could often make a huge profit, shifting the cost of war onto private shipowners and all maritime merchants.

Those participating in maritime privateering and the sailors of merchant ships would pay the price with their lives, while the England royal family gained huge benefits from it.

The most critical point was that by making the maritime trade environment deteriorate, they could gain a competitive advantage. After all, before the issuance of privateering licenses, the merchant ships of Spain and Portugal could do business properly, while England's merchant ships could not pass through due to Spain's maritime hegemony. Now it was good; because of the terrible maritime trade environment, everyone could not trade freely.

Privateering licenses were an invention the England royal family was proud of. Even after London was captured, the England royal family, parliament, and gentlemen did not intend to abandon this decree, because only London was captured. The royal family, members of parliament, and gentlemen could escape at a faster speed. Low moral advantage—they could even create the Enclosure Movement, let alone those commoners in London.

"The Great Ming's plan to crush England's handicraft industry with massive textiles, cotton cloth, wool, silk, etc., has failed." Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shi and said with great emotion, "They used the terrible maritime trade environment to block the entry of Great Ming goods."

Zhu Yijun thought that under the Great Ming's high pressure, Philip's physical attack, and the Great Ming's commodity dumping, they could force the England royal family to withdraw the privateering licenses. But the Great Ming was too far away, Philip's tentative attack failed, and Great Ming goods could not reach England smoothly because of the terrible maritime trade environment.

The three-pronged strategy was blocked by low morality and low human rights advantages.

I have to say, it really is a gang, an existence like a chronic disease of the Earth—they've got some substance to them.

"This is something that can't be helped. Great Ming merchant ships arriving in the West will only stay in Lisbon and will not go to London, while Western merchants entering England must pass through the Netherlands region. The shipping route is controlled by the English. In order not to let the maritime trade environment be destroyed, the Great Ming has already exhausted all its efforts and done everything it could." Wan Shi sighed. The Great Ming had no other way. He could only hope Philip would be more capable and physically eliminate this bandit gang.

The England Queen dared to be arrogant towards Philip only after she had thoroughly instigated the rebellion in the Netherlands region and achieved considerable results. Because of ocean currents, straits, monsoons, etc., in this era, if one wanted to enter England from the sea, the fastest and safest place was only the Netherlands.

A new era of maritime trade had arrived. This era was called: The Golden Age of Pirates.

In this era, every ship on the sea was a pirate ship, and every person was a pirate.

There were still many reports in Zhu Yijun's hands.

For example, in the 4th month of the 13th year of Wanli, a large-scale rebellion of kiln workers broke out in the rich silver mines of Peru. It wasn't a strike; it was a rebellion. The remaining resistance forces of the Inca Empire organized this rebellion, and nearly ten thousand kiln workers responded to the rebellion, and then were very easily resolved and ruthlessly eliminated by the colonists.

The rich silver mine added a ten-thousand-person pit.

Firearms against obsidian weapons were ruthless crushing and slaughter. The resistance did not cause any harm to the Peruvian Governor's Office at all. The Peruvian Governor's Office punitively encircled and suppressed several tribes and filled the ten-thousand-person pit together.

For example, at the port of Acapulco in the Mexican Governor's Office, a total of 140 slaves, unable to endure the excessively long and heavy labor, jumped into the sea and left no trace. At this port, there were over 30,000 slaves living a life worse than animals, but there were less than 500 colonists at the port.

It was precisely these 500 people who kept these slaves obedient, preferring to commit suicide rather than rebel.

It is difficult for ten bullets to manage one hundred people, but it is very easy for nine bullets to manage ninety-nine people. Kill the leader, and the remaining ninety-nine people will not dare to rebel.

For example, after the Great Ming Emperor issued a reward for sea charts, needle charts, and star charts, south of the Yuanxu Islands, there seemed to be new discoveries. A legend began to spread among maritime merchants that south of the doldrums, there was another continent full of gold and silver everywhere. Whoever went first could occupy the land and become king.

This kind of legend was very common, ambiguous, true and false, just like the legends of martial arts manuals in the Jianghu, occasionally stirring up some waves.

And now this legend seemed to point to Oceania, but this was really not news released by Zhu Yijun. Instead, with the development of the Thousand Islands Country and the Yuanxu Islands, some people got lost and seemed to have discovered a vast continent that could not be seen to the end. And then this secret, which was not passed to six ears, was soon known to everyone.

For example, a Great Ming merchant ship was attacked by indigenous people in Mombasa. After sailing with difficulty for a period of time, it sank into the ocean, and no one survived. A merchant ship being attacked by indigenous people was a very common thing at sea. Going to sea was equivalent to playing with one's life. Cruel weather, giant waves, elusive plagues, fierce indigenous people, backstabbing by one's own people for profit, etc., were all dangerous factors.

At sea, a place not constrained by law.

Zhu Yijun asked Wan Shi to summarize and record it in the Overseas Chronicle, recording all these things.

The Inca Empire had already perished, but the news of their resistance reached the East. The East recorded it for them, letting future generations know that when they faced cruel colonial rule, they did not just surrender, and they had also truly existed.

"Eh, there seems to be a collective wedding tomorrow. Feng, my attendant, arrange it. Tomorrow I want to go eat at the banquet." When Zhu Yijun handed the organized reports to Wan Shi, he suddenly saw the content of the miscellaneous news on the table.

The appearance of collective weddings had to mention Duke of Wei, Xu Bangrui.

Xu Bangrui proposed giving monthly rations to the wives of soldiers. This monthly ration was divided into four levels: one level for those with wives, and one level each for those with one, two, or three children. Once the policy of giving monthly rations to the wives of soldiers at four levels was issued, the naval soldiers immediately triggered a wave of marriage.

Those who were already married were trying their best to create children, which could be described as vibrant and everything competing to develop.

But the army was a precise killing machine and was often in a state of combat readiness. The navy had to go to sea and conduct armed patrols. For this reason, the marriages of Great Ming naval soldiers could only be handled in such a centralized way. Everyone was a recruited soldier, coming from all over, and they didn't have many relatives and friends. Handling it centrally was also a bit more lively.

The collective wedding Zhu Yijun was going to attend was just such a one, and it was the first collective wedding for soldiers.

The collective wedding of the Third Team, Second Flag, Third Division, First Bureau of the Pingbo Battalion stationed in Chongde Ward, Shanghai County.

The Third Team had a total of twelve people, six of whom were unmarried. This time, the six of them were getting married together. According to the Great Ming Naval Regulations, one could not go to sea without being married, and one could not be stationed abroad without offspring. Only by being married and having offspring, and specifically sons, could one be stationed abroad.

The imperial court gave another favorable policy, and this immediately created a wave of marriage.

Zhu Yijun wanted to join in the fun because he wanted to see the real scene. In Zhejiang, Zhu Yijun could only act as the Emperor because assassinations had truly happened, and it was not safe. Only by putting on the Emperor's ceremonial guard could he ensure safety.

In Songjiang Prefecture, the Emperor could act as Huang from Penglai and look around at the real Songjiang Prefecture.

Zhu Yijun's inspection and research as the Emperor delayed the Yao family's production for three days. All the private workshops under the Zhejiang merchant group did a big cleaning and stopped work, fearing that the Emperor would see dirty things. The work was also just for show. Zhu Yijun did not see the real workshops, nor did he see the real human world.

The next morning, Zhu Yijun got up early. Wang Yaozhuo was pregnant, so she didn't follow the Emperor to eat at the banquet. On the contrary, the child Zhu Changzhi was very excited, getting up earlier than Zhu Yijun, running around early in the morning, constantly asking when they would go to eat at the banquet.

Children all like liveliness, but how much liveliness can one see in the deep palace? Fortunately, Zhu Changzhi had a father who liked to watch liveliness, so going out became the thing Zhu Changzhi liked most.

For the eldest imperial son, this looked a bit unsteady, but considering the child's age, talking about steadiness at the age of five was a joke.

"Father, isn't it said that getting married and starting a career is a major event in life? Why do they have to do it together?" Zhu Changzhi asked questions like "one hundred thousand whys" while looking out the window in the carriage.

"Because soldiers have to protect the safety of the Great Ming's maritime territory and don't have that much free time to handle their own private affairs, so they handle it centrally. There is no time to handle them one by one." Zhu Yijun answered this question. Sacrificing private interests for public affairs was also the reason for giving monthly rations to the wives of soldiers.

Zhu Changzhi blinked his big eyes and said, "Then they can choose not to be soldiers. Being a soldier is so tiring. Father also wants to be a soldier, and Uncle said Father is... Father is..."

"What did Uncle say Father is?" Zhu Yijun asked curiously. The uncle in Zhu Changzhi's mouth was Prince Lu, Zhu Yiling. This guy didn't have a gate on his mouth and could say anything.

Zhu Changzhi said in a low voice, "He said Father is a big black donkey, grinding in the palace, and then going to the Northern Camp to grind, tired and covered in sweat. I had a fight with him!"

"Who won?" Zhu Yijun was full of smiles. Zhu Yiling calling him a donkey was not the first or second time. Since Zhu Yiling was forced by his imperial brother to practice martial arts at the age of eight, Zhu Yiling had scolded him like this. Of course, every time it resulted in sparring. Xiong Tingbi didn't dare to hit Zhu Yiling, but Zhu Yijun really dared.

Biological brothers also fought from childhood to adulthood.

"I won! I told Uncle that if he said anything bad about Father again, I would tell Father, and he didn't dare to say it anymore." Zhu Changzhi clenched his small fist, waved it forcefully, and said with great excitement.

Zhu Changzhi, who had learned to use power to bully others.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Father is not going to be a soldier; Father is going to inspect the troops. It is a bit tiring, but compared to these soldiers, that bit of tiredness is just one hair out of nine cows."

"One hair out of nine cows?" Zhu Changzhi widened his eyes. He learned another idiom today!

A child's attention span changes as quickly as the weather in Songjiang Prefecture. Zhu Changzhi asked a few questions, then pointed to the clouds in the sky, saying they looked like dogs, and then saying they looked like dragons. Today, the heavens gave face; it was a sunny day, the sun was shining brightly, the ground was steaming with some mist, it was a bit sultry, the cicadas were roaring at the top of their lungs, making people feel a bit irritable, and the sea breeze carried a fishy smell.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived." Feng Bao reported in a low voice that they had arrived at Chongde Ward.

Next to Chongde Ward was Chongyi Ward, the place where the dyers of the Tang Hongyuan Big Dyehouse went on strike and killed people. The Tang Hongyuan Big Dyehouse's struggle for wages—people at that time would never have thought that the impact would be so profound. This opened the curtain on labor-capital contradictions. Since then, although the struggle for wages did not happen again, workshop owners, no matter what, did not dare to act recklessly anymore.

Chongde Ward was very lively today, with lanterns and colored streamers everywhere, firecracker debris on the ground, and children asking adults for fireworks and firecrackers, only to be refused.

"The eldest son of the Huang family of Penglai, disciple of the Grand General, Huang Zhongxing, has come to offer congratulations on the new marriage, wishing you a hundred years of harmony, early birth of a son, joy, peace, and ten thousand blessings." Feng Bao sang out the announcement, took a few small eunuchs, and went to offer the gifts. The Huang family of Penglai truly existed, and the real young master had been caught by Zhu Yijun, the fake young master.

"Gift money of one hundred taels from the Huang family of Penglai, six pairs of gold utensils, six bolts of Shu brocade, six pieces of national cellar wine, six volumes of the 'Yongle Dadian' simplified edition, six pieces of embroidery, and six boxes of auspicious gifts. Your arrival makes the humble house shine. Please, come in quickly!" The wedding manager was frightened by the generous gift money. None of these things inside were cheap.

The wedding manager was the person in charge of the wedding, handling all big and small matters. He was usually a person of high prestige and respect. Every time the gift money was heavy, he would shout it out so that everyone present knew how much was sent. In this way, whether it was more or less, it could be clearly stated.

The manager had handled countless weddings on these two streets and was encountering such a generous person for the first time.

With this shout, everyone surrounding the ward looked at the Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun with surprised expressions.

"I come from the capital and am temporarily staying at the Grand General's mansion. This time, I came on behalf of General Qi. General Qi is busy with official business, so only I, a junior, came. There are some thin gifts. Today, I'm just joining in the fun. Everyone, don't pay too much attention to me." Zhu Yijun arched his hands in all directions and reported his origin.

Such generous gift money almost frightened the parents of the newlyweds. They were whispering to each other, asking whose relative this was. Upon hearing that it was someone from the Grand General's mansion, they felt relieved.

Qi Jiguang had many legends among the people, most of which were fake, such as having three heads and six arms, riding the wind at night, turning into mist, etc. But some were true, such as Qi Jiguang eating from the same pot as the soldiers, attending soldiers' weddings, etc. According to Qi Jiguang's thinking on governing the army, soldiers and generals had to eat from the same pot to be a family. The way generals shouted "follow me to charge" and "charge for me" were completely different ways of fighting.

General Qi accompanied the Emperor on his southern tour and arrived in Shanghai County. This was clear to Shanghai County. Since it was the first time to handle a wedding collectively, it was not strange for General Qi to let the juniors in his family come to take a look.

"I haven't heard that General Qi is so generous! I heard that when General Qi goes to soldiers' weddings, he only brings some light cakes. It's a bit stingy."

"Can't blame General Qi. When General Qi marches and fights, the imperial court doesn't give rations, so he has to find a way himself. He also has to send gifts to that Zhang skin-peeler. Two thousand taels of silver a year! It's really eating people without spitting out bones!"

"Who says it isn't? Every time General Qi raises funds, none of those high-gate big families are willing to donate. The Qi family army fought while hungry and still drove away the Japanese pirates. It's truly remarkable!"

"This General Qi is now the Duke of Fengguo, a true noble. Naturally, he can't be compared to before. Have you heard about the Zhejiang matter? General Qi gave a death order. Those high-gate big families who secretly used desperate people to fight against the imperial court were all wiped out by General Qi in one nest!"

"Satisfying!"

"Well killed!"

Zhu Yijun heard the discussion. The people of Songjiang Prefecture didn't know exactly what the situation in Zhejiang was, but they guessed it was basically correct. Renhe County just burned an official office, and the Emperor went crazy like this?

Zhu Yijun had been on the throne for thirteen years. The Emperor's policies could not be called benevolent, but they were definitely not cruel. The commoners felt that, all in all, it was because of long-standing abuses and heavy chronic illnesses that he had to take a death blow.

It was just that Zhu Yijun felt a bit helpless when he heard the three words "Zhang skin-peeler." He sighed. Zhang Juzheng accepting Qi Jiguang's bribes, two thousand taels a year, was a public matter. Zhang Juzheng accepted this money to tell everyone: "Qi Jiguang is my man, I'll cover him!"

But now the Great Ming had been in the Zhenwu era for thirteen years, and things were different. The pure officials cursed Zhang Juzheng as a corrupt official, and the commoners cursed Zhang Juzheng for accepting Qi Jiguang's money, and so much of it, as a dog official. Back then, Qi Jiguang recruited miners in Yiwu to join the army, not to the point of fighting while hungry, but part of the supplies indeed had to be found by himself.

Zhang Juzheng was never a moral model or a human saint. Zhu Yijun knew this very well. Before the full rations in the third year of Wanli, Li Chengliang had to send silver to Zhang Juzheng. Right and wrong were difficult to discuss. Was it right? Of course not. But was it wrong? Zhu Yijun always believed that Mr. Zhang did nothing wrong.

"If Mr. Zhang knew he was called Zhang skin-peeler, he would probably be so angry that he couldn't sleep at night." Zhu Yijun found a table on the street and sat down, feeling a bit emotional as he said to Feng Bao.

"Mr. Zhang knew. People cursed him during the Longqing era." Feng Bao explained with a smile. Zhang Juzheng had long been cursed, and the scholars cursed him even more dirtily.

Zhu Yijun was stunned, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Also, Mr. Zhang has also broken through big winds and waves. What kind of battle hasn't he seen?"

Chongde Ward was a place where Great Ming naval soldiers gathered. The whole ward was relatives of soldiers. Relatives from all over the world were busy with the wedding joy together. There were five streets, and there were large stoves built everywhere. Women, old and young, all went into battle, boiling, frying, and frying, which was very lively. The air was filled with the fragrance of food.

"Water for the noble." The manager brought people to boil two pots of boiled water, without tea leaves. It was really a poor family, and there was no high-grade tea that could enter the eyes of the relatives of the Duke's mansion.

Feng Bao stopped the water and food with the small eunuchs and said, "Manager, the noble doesn't use outside water and food. I think the manager also knows that the wind of valuing literature and despising martial arts in our court is strong, and the fighting inside is fierce. For the safety of Master Huang, the Duke of Fengguo has given a death order."

"Also, also." The manager realized he had offended them. No wonder the noble brought his own chef when he came to eat at the banquet.

In the eyes of the common people, such upright figures as Qi Jiguang were isolated and helpless in the court. The court was dim, and the struggle was cruel. The noble young master of the Duke's mansion going out without using outside water and food, such big rules, was not being pretentious, but for safety.

"Manager, sit down and talk. I have a few questions I want to ask." Zhu Yijun signaled the manager to sit opposite him. Since he paid the gift money to come and see, he naturally had to ask a few questions.

Although the manager was a bit cautious, he sat down and started chatting with the Emperor.

Under the manager, there were two principals, and under the principals, there were three stewards, responsible for water, fire, stoves, materials, tea, wine, firecrackers, etc. The manager had the kung fu to chat, and there were not many things that required him to handle personally.

Zhu Yijun was very good at chatting. After chatting for a while, they became enthusiastic. Everyone cursed the dog officials together, and they had common topics.

The manager's surname was Qin, and his given name was Zhao. It was a big name he took after joining the army. He was forty-five years old and came from Jingzhou Prefecture, Huguang. He was a fellow townsman of Zhang Juzheng and a retired naval soldier. He became a registrar of the Songjiang Surveillance Commission in Shanghai County. This was an official position of the ninth rank. Because the manager was injured in naval combat, he could only walk with a limp, and he had no children and could not have any. It was his thigh that was injured.

"Qin Lao, can the soldiers' military pay be issued in full? Don't hide it from Qin Lao, the Beijing Camp caught corruption and caught three assistant regional commanders." Zhu Yijun saw that the atmosphere was enthusiastic and asked a fatal question. This Qin Zhao didn't know at all that if he answered poorly, it might cause a big storm.

Qin Zhao shook his head and said, "It can be, but it's not as good as before. Before, it was half grain and half silver. Now it's all silver. This half grain is good. The price of rice in Songjiang Prefecture changes three times a day. It's better to have half grain and half silver, so you don't have to worry about this."

"Ah? Half grain and half silver is good? I heard from General Qi that in order to issue all silver, the Emperor spent a lot of effort and took five or six years to issue all silver to the Beijing Camp and the navy. Qin Lao's meaning is, it was done wrong?" Zhu Yijun widened his eyes. He spent a huge amount of effort to get this done. This was an achievement he was quite proud of, using the acceptance bills of the Huitong Guanyi to simplify the process of issuing military pay.

Every soldier had his own ticket number at the Huitong Guanyi. This one administrative cost alone added one hundred thousand silver a year, but to ensure that the soldiers' pay was issued in place and not deducted, Zhu Yijun really put in a lot of effort.

As a result, in the eyes of retired veterans, it was an unnecessary move. The ministers in the court didn't say the Emperor was wrong about this.

"Half grain is good. Before, half grain didn't mean all grain. Besides grain, they also issued cotton clothes, quilts, and these things. These things were of high quality, and the discount was not high. Just what was issued was enough for the whole family to use. The deduction was just a deduction. But after this all-silver, going to the market to buy these, those black-hearted merchants, the things are poor and not durable at all." Qin Zhao leaned on the back of the chair, quite relaxed, and said with some insight.

The nobles have food delivered to their mouths and clothes delivered to their hands. These trivial matters of family life, the nobles naturally don't care, but the soldiers care.

Zhu Yijun frowned and said in a low voice, "With all silver, can't it curb corruption?"

"Noble, do you think there is no corruption with full pay? Before, it was deduction, now it's giving money. Sigh, it's really, hard to say." Qin Zhao also thought the noble was sent by General Qi to go through the motions. If he knew the person in front of him was the Emperor, he would definitely not dare to say these words.

"Is it serious?" Zhu Yijun's fists under the table were already clenched. A large amount of silver poured in, and the alienation of people by money was also corroding the Great Ming army. Zhu Yijun didn't want to see this scene.

Qin Zhao shook his head and said, "To say it's serious, it can't be counted. Compared to the past, where there was beating and scolding, corporal punishment, and even killing people like grass, and being slaves, it's really not serious at all. The Great Ming navy is truly a king's army. To say it's not serious, it's worse than before. It was much better before. At least you don't have to pay monthly dues."

"Monthly dues?" Zhu Yijun's mouth twitched, and he asked in a low voice.

Qin Zhao leaned closer and said in a low voice, "It's filial piety. Every soldier has to give one cent of silver to the team leader every month. One team is exactly one cent of silver. If you don't pay, this team leader will make things difficult for you. Noble, you are from the Duke of Fengguo's mansion. When you go back to the mansion, talk to General Qi about this situation. Now in the navy, there are few who collect like this, but there is a trend."

"And now one cent of silver is not much, but what about later? I'm worried. If one cent can't fill the stomach, it will become three cents, five cents, one cent of silver. Isn't this the same as before?"

"Easy to say. When I go back, I will definitely talk to General Qi about this matter!" Zhu Yijun said quite calmly. This matter must be solved. Once the army is corrupted, the ballast of the new policy cannot be used as ballast.

Qin Zhao said happily, "I don't know what kind of kindness the heavens have sent, suddenly giving full pay. The soldiers' days are visibly getting better. Really, when I was a military household in Huguang, I could eat white rice once a year, which was a good year. Now I can see meat a few times a month. Days are getting better, and the children can get married."

"As the saying goes, if the house is big, there will always be some rat droppings. This is not an accident. I have no worries, but I only hope that our Great Ming can be better. That's why I told you these things. Take advantage of the signs now and pinch them quickly. It will be difficult to handle when it becomes deep-rooted."

"Qin Lao's words are very reasonable. The affairs of the world are ruined here, deep-rooted." Zhu Yijun quite approved of Qin Zhao's statement.

"That family is the younger brother getting married. Before, they were poor, two brothers and three sisters in the family, wearing one pair of pants. There was only one pair of pants in the family. After joining the army, they have a home. The two older sisters went to the weaving bureau to be weavers, and they don't have to worry about food and drink. The wife that the younger brother in the family married is also a weaver, which can be considered a good match."

"The wife that family married is a Japanese woman." Qin Zhao looked at the other family, and his tone was quite complicated as he said.

"Japanese woman?" Zhu Yijun was full of doubts.

Qin Zhao smiled and said, "Last year, there was a Japanese ship that came to the Great Ming to breed. To avoid the search of the coastal defense inspectors, it got lost and sank. At that time, the naval soldiers sent three ships to go, originally intending to suppress pirates, but they fished out a few Japanese women from the sea. Seeing that they were out of breath, they were saved by the third son of this family. After this, the belly got big, so they had to get married with a child."

"Once they come, they are the daughters-in-law of our Great Ming. Can they still run away?"

The common people were happy to see this happen because they didn't have to pay a bride price. ===== CHAPTER 697 =====