Chapter 743

Cao Jixiang wanted to hit Pan Yun, but he still heard those words.

The Emperor initially did not want to lift the maritime ban, but under the persuasion of his ministers, he had already softened.

When Cao Jixiang left the capital, the Emperor had already planned to lift the maritime ban in several coastal cities, such as Quanzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, and the Tianjinwei region.

But the Emperor only intended to establish Maritime Trade Offices in these cities and partially open sea trade; he never imagined that his own ships would have to pay taxes—Pan Yun wanted him to propose this, wasn't that asking him to anger the Emperor?

When Wang Zhen adds fuel to the fire and sows discord beside him, he is doomed.

So Cao Jixiang had no intention of reporting this matter, but the words had indeed entered his heart.

Cao Jixiang understood military affairs, could read and write, and had always been by the Emperor's side—he knew better than anyone how difficult it was for a new policy to travel from the imperial court down to the provinces, then to the prefectures, then to the counties, and finally be implemented.

Never mind distant examples: Emperor Taizu decreed merchants could wear only black and white, forbidding bright colors like red, yellow, purple, and blue—but over seventy years since the founding of the dynasty, how many merchants ever obeyed?

Now, it seems this decree will never truly be enforced; could local officials really arrest and imprison a wealthy merchant just for wearing blue or red clothing?

Similarly, even if the policy to lift the maritime ban is issued, no one knows when it will begin, or to what extent;

let alone requiring imperial ships to pay taxes like private vessels—that is a suggestion no one dares even raise.

Cao Jixiang won't report it, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard will faithfully inform the Emperor of today's exchange.

Pigeons flew to the capital, and within two days, the Emperor in the palace learned of the front hall dialogue between Pan Yun and Cao Jixiang.

The Emperor slammed the note onto the table: "Insolent!"

Wang Zhen, who had been sitting nearby reviewing memorials for the Emperor, immediately rose and hurried forward: "Your Majesty, what has happened?"

Seeing Wang Zhen's concerned expression, the Emperor's expression softened slightly; he was about to show him the note, but paused, pressed it beneath his palm, and shook his head: "A bunch of fools in Fujian still haven't quelled the rebellion—Song Zhang is incompetent and unworthy; I wish I could chop him down! The rebels have grown so powerful they dare dream of seizing Nanjing and Suzhou."

Wang Zhen lowered his eyes: "Your Majesty, these rebels have boundless audacity—they must be crushed by a reinforced army. Their intent to attack Quanzhou, Nanjing, and Suzhou clearly targets the Japanese silver mines. Minister Chen mentioned that the silver mines' importance rivals that of Great Ming treasure notes; the rebels seek to replace the Zhu family and rule the empire—this is wolfish ambition; executing their nine clans would still be insufficient."

The Emperor lowered his gaze: "I too wish to reinforce troops, but now is the season for harvesting rice. The Ministry of War reports that the southwestern barbarian tribes are stirring again, with signs of renewed invasion; the Wala, Tatars, and Jurchens in the northwest, north, and northeast are also showing signs of unrest—troops must be dispatched for patrols. Sending troops requires not only soldiers but also grain and military supplies. The Ministry of Revenue says that after disaster relief, they have no funds left for military pay."

"These are all excuses from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue," Wang Zhen said. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War still follows Wang Ji, but Wang Ji is already sixty-six—Lian Po is old; new generals must be cultivated. Otherwise, the Ministry of War will soon answer to Yu Qian, Shi Heng, Jiang Gui, and others. Yu Qian has a foul temper and will never act according to Your Majesty's will."

Shi Heng is a weathervane—sometimes obeying Your Majesty, sometimes the Grand Secretariat; Jiang Gui need not be mentioned—he follows Wang Ji and is one of the old nobility."

Wang Zhen whispered: "Your Majesty needs a Ministry of War that obeys you completely, so you may command the empire's armies as if they were your own limbs."

The Emperor's eyes brightened with each word; though Wang Ji still obeyed, he was old and had earned many victories—he clearly wished to retire.

The Emperor could feel it; he himself no longer wished to fight the Luchuan campaign.

But Luchuan was the Emperor's pride, his achievement, destined to be recorded in history for eternal fame—he must see it through to a proper end!

Wang Zhen was right—he needed a general who obeyed his will completely.

Wang Zhen stole a glance at the Emperor's face, stepped closer, and whispered: "If the Ministry of War is like this, the Ministry of Revenue must be the same. Does Your Majesty still recall how Minister Chen detailed the importance of silver mines in the Imperial Study?"

The Emperor replied solemnly: "Of course I remember."

It was precisely then that he had leaned toward lifting the maritime ban.

Chen Xun said: "If the output of the Japanese silver mines truly matches Pan Yun's claims, it is equivalent to building another Great Ming overseas. Your Majesty, if the court cannot control such silver mines, a great calamity may befall our Central Plains a hundred years from now."

The Emperor thought Chen Xun was exaggerating; even ministers who supported lifting the maritime ban thought Chen was overstating it, and military officers openly rolled their eyes: "What calamity? From Pan Yun? He's just a Daoist Priest!"

Chen Xun shook his head: "No—it will come from Japan."

The civil and military officials burst into laughter; even Wang Ji chuckled: "Minister Chen, Japan lies across the sea from our Great Ming—do you really believe they could attack us from across the ocean?"

Chen Xun: "Why not? The Japanese pirates ravaging our southeast coast didn't come from where?"

"Merely a few thousand," Wang Ji said. "Could our mighty China really be conquered by a few thousand men?"

"If they can send a few thousand, they can send tens of thousands."

"Even tens of thousands," even civil officials couldn't help retorting: "Can our Great Ming's soldiers not defeat a few tens of thousands of rebels?"

"Only on the coast—they dare not enter the mainland; I'll make sure they never return!"

"Why wait until they enter the mainland? Isn't the coast, even the sea, part of our Great Ming's territory? If you have the ability, intercept them overseas—keep them from even approaching our seas!" "Japan is a tiny land—its entire population barely reaches ten million, less than one of our provinces; why should we fear it, let alone see it as a threat to our Great Ming?"

"Rather than fixating on Japan, look north—to the Wala, Tatars, and Jurchens. History only speaks of northern barbarians invading southward, seizing our cities and usurping our legitimacy; never have we heard of Japanese crossing the sea to attack our Central Plains."

Only after they finished speaking did Chen Xun say: "Do not forget this silver mine. They could not do it before, dared not do it—but that does not mean they will not dare in the future."

"Of course, I also believe they cannot conquer our Central Plains, but war always harms the people; if they come, it will be a great calamity for our Central Plains."

"War depends on manpower. They didn't come before because they couldn't—now because of a silver mine, they will?"

Chen Xun said: "Do you still recall the treasure notes issued by the Treasure Note Directorate?"

The ministers fell silent—they remembered well, for though treasure notes were no longer printed often, they still occasionally appeared in their lives.

When the imperial treasury was short of funds, officials were sometimes paid in treasure notes instead of silver.

Those who received treasure notes knew the bitterness—how they could not be spent.

Seeing their silence, Chen Xun continued: "Suppose the value of treasure notes equaled silver, and the people used them as currency, while the minting authority rested with Your Majesty and the Ministry of Revenue—so that you could print as much as you wished, and their value would remain fixed as silver, never fluctuating much—what would happen to our Great Ming?"

The Emperor: "Our Great Ming would become immensely strong!"

Chen Xun: "What of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Cao Nai trembled inwardly and whispered: "The Ministry of Revenue would surpass all six ministries, rivaling the Grand Secretariat."

Chen Xun: "What of the Treasure Note Directorate?"

No one spoke.

Chen Xun had already said: "It too could surpass the Grand Secretariat and the six ministries—even the Emperor's ability to appoint or depose it would be subject to its control. This is the power of currency issuance—control over all wealth in the empire."

Chen Xun bowed solemnly: "Your Majesty, the Japanese are narrow-minded and cruel; their wolfish ambition is no less than that of the Wala or Tatars. They have not come yet—not because they do not wish to, but because they dare not."

"They dare not because they cannot. But once they discover the silver mine and mine it in large quantities, they can first use silver to smash open our Great Ming's gates—and the hearts of our people—then act, seeking to turn this land into theirs."

"This is delusional fantasy! Minister Chen, have you been drinking today?"

Chen Xun said solemnly: "Governing a state is like rowing upstream—stand still and you fall back. Your Majesty, our Great Ming has accumulated deep problems for too long—if we do not advance further…"

The Emperor's face darkened; Wang Zhen immediately roared: "How dare you!"

Wang Zhen demanded: "Our Great Ming is now prosperous and strong—where are these problems? Emperor Taizu was the first to reunify the land after four hundred years of division; Emperor Taizong brought all foreign nations to submission and secured peace across the realm; Emperor Renzong governed with wisdom and left no neglected affairs; our late Emperor excelled in both civil and military achievements. Does Minister Chen believe that Empress Dowager and Your Majesty have caused our Great Ming to accumulate these problems?"

Chen Xun's courage, barely mustered, shattered under Wang Zhen's assault; he could only kneel and beg pardon: "I meant no such thing. I merely observe that the imperial treasury is empty; I often think—if the treasury were fuller, if our national strength were greater, we could promptly dispatch relief grain and funds during the next disaster, sparing the people from hunger and cold."

He paused, gritted his teeth, and admitted his fault: "Your servant is unskilled in military affairs; perhaps I am mistaken. Japan is indeed a small, lowly nation and may dare not invade—but the Great Ming's silver crisis is real, Your Majesty. I beg you to lift the sea ban and send expeditions to mine in Japan."

"Moreover, I beg Your Majesty to send formal diplomatic letters to Japan to officially establish port-to-port connections," said Xue Shaoqing Yang Shan, stepping forward solemnly: "The Great Ming is willing to pay dearly for silver mountains..."

"Buy?" General Jiang Gui could not help exclaiming: "My lord Yang, have you lost your mind?"

Yang Shan:...

He said with grave seriousness: "Your Majesty, the Great Ming is a vast and noble empire—how can it stoop to petty deeds? I beg Your Majesty to form an envoy to travel to Japan and purchase the mountains, and to demand that Japan account for last year's Japanese pirate massacre of the village."

Jiang Gui shouted loudly: "Do you think they'll give you an account just because you ask? I say, skip all this talk—just march in. As for the silver mountains, send miners first. If they resist, take them by force."

Yang Shan: "It would lose the dignity of a great nation..."

In the end, the court session in the Imperial Study ended with civil and military officials exchanging curses against each other's eighteen generations of ancestors, for their insults grew too vile, and new proposals and fresh problems arose, leaving the Emperor exhausted and unwilling to discuss the matter for days.

The Emperor's neglect of state affairs put the matter on hold—until a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard reminded him of that day's court session.

Though weary, the Emperor had no choice but to decide: "Summon the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Rituals, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Public Works to deliberate." (End of Chapter)