Chapter 1016: How Did the Court Assembly Turn into a Stock Subscription Meeting

At the Old Mountain Palace, in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, the time had come again for the joint imperial conference of the two offices, and today the atmosphere in the Hall of Imperial Supremacy was somewhat heavy.

Unlike the previous period of "constant good news," the excellent situation of late seemed to be slipping away.

First came bad news from Siam: the city of Ayutthaya in the Kingdom of Siam had finally failed to hold out! In mid-March of the tenth year of Hongxing, it was stormed by the Shun army under Li Dingguo's command. King Narai of Siam broke through the encirclement under the escort of his sworn men and fled to the Golden Fortress (also called Thonburi), where the Ming army was stationed — the area later known as Bangkok.

The occupation of a vassal state's capital by roving bandits was no small trouble. It would seriously damage the Ming's prestige in the Southern Seas and on the Indochinese Peninsula, and might cause Cambodia and Laos, already not entirely submissive, to defect to the Shun.

Moreover, Siam itself was an extremely important vassal state. Every year the Ming imported more than three million piculs of rice from Siam, as well as large quantities of Siamese teak — teak being a vital material for naval shipbuilding and not to be lost.

Therefore, sending troops to Siam was imperative, but... the wind was not blowing in the right direction now!

It was now late April of the tenth year of Hongxing, early summer, and the southern seas were full of southerly winds. The ten-thousand-picul bird ships the Ming army used for mass troop transport had very poor upwind sailing ability, so only Western-style galleons could be used to ferry small numbers of troops to reinforce Zhang Yong, who was holding the Golden Fortress, in order to maintain the situation in Siam.

The second piece of bad news came, of course, from Europe. Li Shaoyou, the Ming ambassador to the three kingdoms of France, Holland, and England, reported that Holland had refused to join the alliance, and that large numbers of Dutch privateers "in the employ" of Spain had already appeared in the English Channel.

In other words, Holland, which had originally stood on the side of England, France, the Ming, and Portugal, had in fact gone over to Spain, the country it had fought for eighty years. That was how things were in Europe — no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests!

Of course, the position of the Dutch East India Company was not the same as that of the Dutch parliament (a disagreement agreed upon in advance). The Company's representative in Nanjing had already indicated to the Ming court that it would continue to stand with the Ming and fight Spain in the Pacific.

Furthermore, the Company's warships would guarantee that Ming vessels in the Indian Ocean would be free from attacks by Spanish privateers. Clearly, Holland wanted to have it both ways!

The third piece of bad news came from Japan. The Toyotomi army in Kyushu (the Satsuma army) had not collapsed because of the Battle of Kagoshima Bay — the Ming army had all withdrawn from Sakurajima to watch the show from Tanegashima, so of course the Satsuma samurai did not collapse, and moreover many Spaniards had joined the Satsuma army!

The Toyotomi army, strengthened by the Spaniards (more than two thousand of whom had joined the Satsuma army), defeated the shogunate's Ogasawara army along the Yamakuni River in Buzen (Buzen Province belonged to the shogunate hereditary vassals of the Ogasawara family — the uncle and nephew Ogasawara Tadazane and Ogasawara Nagatsugu), seizing the entire territory of Buzen Province, worth over two hundred thousand koku.

What now stood before the Shimazu family was the Kuroda family, which ruled Chikuzen. Once Chikuzen fell into Shimazu hands, the Shimazu family would not only control six provinces on the island of Kyushu, but would also link their own territory with the Mori family's two provinces of Suo and Nagato.

The Toyotomi family's prestige would increase enormously!

But in Zhu Cilang's eyes, these three pieces of bad news amounted to nothing, because command of the Pacific sea lanes still remained, historically, in Ming hands.

Even if the Spanish grand fleet could fight its way back to the Pacific, that would be a matter of two or three years from now!

Considering the distance between the Gulf of the Americas and New Spain, there was no way the Spanish could go overland to the Gulf of the Americas — it was too far, and there were no proper roads. They would probably have to hunt American bison for meat as they went, and who knew when they would arrive.

So the Battle of the Gulf of the Americas should take place three years from now!

"My lords," Zhu Cilang said, feeling that the atmosphere in the great hall was somewhat heavy, and so he raised his voice, "the western Pacific is now ours, and not a trace of Spanish warships remains. This is the perfect moment for our army and navy to ride the waves eastward and open up the Americas!

Spain's naval and land forces are all pinned down in Europe, and within three years they will be powerless to wage war on the shores of the Pacific. Therefore our nation must seize the moment and strive with all its might to plant the nation's future firmly in the continent of the New World!

We have decided to establish a joint-stock commonwealth nation on the continent of the New World! This commonwealth nation shall raise capital of one hundred million taels from the meritorious nobles and great merchants of our dynasty. Our Royal Merchant Guild shall be the first to subscribe thirty million taels of silver! All of you, my lords, are pillars of the state and are all qualified to participate in founding the Commonwealth of the New World... Is there anyone willing to invest?"

What?

Invest?

Was this not a joint imperial conference of the two offices?

This was a court assembly!

How had it turned into a stock subscription meeting?

Most of the senior ministers of the two offices did not know what to say!

And where had the Ming Emperor gotten thirty million taels? Did he not receive only three hundred thousand taels a year from the court? How did he now have thirty million? Could His Majesty truly be the legendary "richest man" of the Ming?

But where had this money come from?

Everyone's gaze turned to the Minister of Revenue, Zheng Zhilong. Zheng Zhilong had already risen to his feet and bowed to Zhu Cilang: "Your Majesty, this old subject has some savings and also has high hopes for the Commonwealth of the New World. I am willing to subscribe fifteen million taels!"

What? Fifteen million taels? You, the Minister of Revenue, are that rich?

"Your Majesty, this subject also has some savings and is willing to subscribe one million taels!"

Another rich man stood up — it was none other than Minister Luo Dagong, who was said to love neither money nor women, only the Great Ming.

Luo Dagong, who did not love money, was actually that rich, and so bold as to flaunt his wealth!

The "upright officials" at court were all shocked!

Zhu Cilang laughed: "We have always known that Dagong is upright and does not love wealth. But though he does not love wealth, the God of Wealth loves him. His family's land in Shanghai has multiplied in value who knows how many times over these years, so even an upright official like him can produce a million taels of silver!"

Zheng Zhilong also said shamelessly: "This subject is also an upright official! Though my family is wealthy, all of it was obtained by proper means, and absolutely none of it came from corruption or bribery."

These words made even Zhu Cilang shake his head. Luo Dagong, a great landlord who had ridden the rise in Shanghai land prices, could at least be said to have obtained his wealth by proper means. But you, a money-grabbing pirate, dare to claim your wealth was obtained by proper means? Though corruption and bribery, indeed, you did not commit! Corruption and bribery would not have made you money as fast as this!

"Your Majesty, this subject's family also has modest savings," said Wu Sanfu, military advisor of the Grand Marshal's Office, stepping forward. "I can subscribe five hundred thousand taels and follow Your Majesty to make a little fortune."

Zhu Cilang laughed heartily: "Investing in the New World is not so easy a way to get rich. This commonwealth nation certainly has its benefits, but it cannot pay dividends to shareholders right away — perhaps it will never pay dividends at all. Sanfu, you should go back and think it over carefully."

Emperor Zhu was not at all worried about failing to raise the hundred million.

Wu Sanfu was somewhat puzzled: "Your Majesty, if there are no dividends, then what does one get from investing in the Commonwealth of the New World?"

"One gets land in the New World, gets a noble title in the Commonwealth of the New World, and gets a hereditary seat in the Commonwealth's Senate... In short, the Commonwealth of the New World is the property of its shareholders! Anyone who subscribes one million taels shall receive a hereditary, perpetually inheritable title of Founding Marquis plus a seat in the Senate. If We invest thirty million, We shall receive thirty Senate seats and thirty marquisates!"

"What use does Your Majesty have for so many marquisates?" Wu Sanfu asked again, thinking to himself: Is conferring a marquisate not just a matter of a single word from you?

Zhu Cilang sighed: "We have too many brothers. They must be placed somewhere!"

So they were to be sent off to the Commonwealth of the New World to be marquises? The ministers thought to themselves: How ruthless!

Zhu Cilang paused, then continued: "The Senate of the Commonwealth of the New World holds real power — it can elect a king! We also intend to have that little brat elected King of the Commonwealth of the New World!"

Wu Sanfu now understood why Zhu Cilang was blocking his investment. The Commonwealth of the New World was the family estate of Zhu Hehao! Wu Sanfu was one of Zhu Hexing's men — why follow along with an investment? To go in and make trouble?

Zhu Cilang continued: "For now, we shall raise one hundred million taels, with a minimum subscription of one million taels. However, the full investment need not be paid immediately — payments shall be made according to the progress of the Commonwealth's founding. The funds paid in shall be used for transporting immigrants to the Commonwealth, building towns, constructing harbors, developing waterworks, building roads, establishing government, raising armies, and so on. And half of the Ming army's military expenses in the New World shall also be borne by the Commonwealth of the New World!"

(End of Chapter)