Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 235 Royal Merchant
In the lobby, Zhu Lang glanced at Zheng Chenggong below and spoke softly again

"After lifting the maritime ban, the imperial court will classify ship guides into three categories: large, medium and small."

"A large ship's guide will cost 1,000 taels per year, a medium ship's guide will cost 800 taels per year, and a small ship's guide will cost 500 taels per year. There is no limit on the number of guides, and the public can buy them at will."

"From now on, all gentry and common people who hold a ship's license can legally engage in maritime trade."

"After the civilian merchants purchased the ship's license, the Maritime Customs issued a sea flag license. From now on, any ship on the sea without a sea flag license will be a smuggling ship, and the imperial navy can destroy it on the spot."

Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a hint of sternness. He looked at Huang Ting and Zhou Hezhi below and said

"General Huang, General Zhou, from now on, your two naval battalions will be responsible for patrolling along the coast. If you find any ships that do not recognize the flag, your naval battalion can directly destroy and seize them."

"At the same time, you are also responsible for protecting merchant ships with the imperial flag on the sea. Since the imperial court has received money, it should ensure the safety of merchants and civilians at sea."

"Your work at the Navy Battalion will not be in vain. From now on, a portion of the sea flag fees collected by the court each year will be allocated to the Navy Battalion in proportion to serve as the funding and rewards for your daily patrols."

Huang Ting and Zhou Hezhi below were moved when they heard this, and they also responded in unison.
Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui, who were below, listened to the instructions given by His Royal Highness the Regent, and their faces changed slightly. The sea flag system proposed by Zhu Lang was actually a copy of the system currently being implemented by the Zheng family.

After Zheng Zhilong dominated the South China Sea, he issued Zheng's sea flag tokens on the sea. All merchant ships sailing on the South China Sea, whether Chinese or foreign, had to buy Zheng's sea flags. Otherwise, if they were discovered by Zheng's fleet, they would be hunted down and robbed by Zheng's fleet.
In contrast, merchant ships flying the Zheng family's maritime flag would not be attacked when sailing on the South China Sea, but would be protected by the Zheng family's fleet.

The Zheng family called this system "paixiang", which was actually a kind of alternative tariff levied on the ocean by the Zheng family on behalf of the Ming Dynasty.
The reason why the Zheng family was able to implement the tax system and collect taxes on the ocean on behalf of the Ming Dynasty was, on the one hand, because of Zheng Zhilong's prestige in Southeast Asia for decades, and on the other hand, because of the powerful warship fleet under the Zheng family.

But by this time, Zheng Zhilong was dead, and Zheng's elite navy was taken away by Zheng Cai. Even if Zhu Lang did not propose the system of ship licenses, Zheng's family could not maintain the previous license system.
The Zheng family lost all their navy and could no longer deter the sea lords on the ocean or provide security for the passing merchant ships. In this case, who would buy the Zheng family's sea flag?

Zheng Hongkui obviously realized this, so although he looked unhappy, he still didn't say anything.

Zhu Lang ignored the disappointed Zheng Hongkui below him, and spoke to Zhang Kentang below him.

"Governor Zhang, the Fujian Navy has been transferred to your command. You are responsible for this matter. The ship's guide is a way to get silver immediately. You must seize this matter."

"After the Fujian Province promulgated the system of boat pilots, the navy was immediately sent to patrol the sea. Anyone who went to sea without buying a boat pilot flag, no matter who he was or which civil or military official in the court was behind him, would be sunk by me."

"The court issued the shipping permit in order to support the army. If anyone still attempts to evade taxes at this time, he is not my subject," Zhu Lang said in a cold voice.
Lü Daqi and others in the hall, listening to His Highness the Regent's arrangements one after another, also knew that His Highness the Regent had probably been planning for a long time. Even if they wanted to persuade him, they probably couldn't change His Highness the Regent's mind.

After some thought, Lu Daqi, Su Guansheng and others felt that it was indeed a good way to get money immediately if His Royal Highness the Regent released the boat guide.
Although the lifting of the maritime ban may indeed lead to the rebellion of Japanese pirates in the future, the first priority of the Ming Dynasty at this time is to find a way to raise money to support the army as soon as possible to ensure the continued existence of the court.
As long as they can get the money right away and not cause too much unrest, who cares what will happen in a dozen years?
In fact, the people most affected by the ship-pulling system were the gentry and wealthy families in Fujian Province. If these gentry were in the hall at this time, they would definitely strongly oppose the ship-pulling system.
But at this time, almost all the people in the hall were from Guangdong Province. The only people from Fujian Province were Shi Lang and the Zheng family.
Shi and Zheng were both newly-subjugated subjects. Even when the imperial court wanted to transfer their troops, neither family dared to voice opposition. How could they dare to oppose Zhu Lang's plan?
Zhang Kentang responded respectfully, thought for a moment, and then said:

"I have served in Fujian Province for many years and have some understanding of Fujian's maritime trade. Although Fujian Province has a prosperous maritime trade, there are only about a hundred ships that dare to sail across the ocean each year, and no more than two hundred at most."

"Your Highness has issued a regulation on ship guides, but this can only earn the court a maximum of 200,000 taels of silver per year."

"The customs duties of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, plus the fees for ship guides, are no more than 300,000 or 400,000 taels per year at most. I'm afraid it's still not enough to support the needs of the army in the court."

The annual salary of an army of 100,000 would be more than 1.2 million taels, not counting the cost of other military equipment, food, etc.

This 1.2 million taels of silver was not something that could be paid once and then not have to be paid, but this much silver was required every year. In other words, the court had to find an annual income of 1.2 million taels of silver to sustain this 100,000-man army for a long time.
When Zhu Lang heard this, his heart sank. He knew that the Maritime Customs Office alone could not raise enough money to pay for an army of 100,000. However, he had another plan.

"Mr. Zhang is right. The income tax from the Maritime Customs alone is far from enough to support the military pay of the court."

"That's why I decided to form a fleet and assign someone to manage maritime trade to raise the military pay needed by the court!"

No matter what era, maritime trade is the most profitable business, especially in ancient times when transportation was isolated.

In order to defend against the Japanese pirates and in accordance with the tacit ancestral law of the coastal scholars and officials, the Ming Dynasty never engaged in maritime trade, but Zhu Lang did not care about these. Now he wanted nothing else but to make money!
In his previous life, when Zheng Chenggong led his army to attack Nanjing, he dispatched an army of 170,000 people. At that time, Zheng Chenggong and his men had almost no territory to attack and collect taxes.
The military pay of this army was almost entirely supported by the Zheng family's maritime trade income, which shows the great potential of maritime trade in this era.
According to later statistics, the Zheng family earned at least 10 million taels of silver from the royal salary and the maritime trade business they operated. The more extreme statistics even reached 20 million taels of silver. During the heyday of the Chongzhen Dynasty, when the whole country was under his control, the income was only 20 million taels of silver.
Since Zheng Chenggong, who was alone on the sea in later generations, could support an army of 200,000 by relying on maritime trade, why couldn't Zhu Lang, who controlled Fujian and Guangdong and was in power, support an army of hundreds of thousands by relying on maritime trade?

In the previous life, Zheng Chenggong and his people had lost all their land, and their sources of goods were almost all smuggled in from the areas ruled by the Qing court, but Zhu Lang did not have this problem.

Now that he controls Fujian, Guangdong, and half of Zhejiang Province, it is easy for him to gather enough goods for sea trade under the banner of the Ming Dynasty.
Maritime trade in this era has basically no gold content. Simply shipping goods to the destination can earn several times or even dozens of times the profit.
If there is any threshold to this process, it is that maritime trade requires a large number of skilled sailors and navigators who are familiar with sea routes.

Zhu Lang had many men who were skilled in land, chariots, and cavalry, but few who knew how to sail.

But it doesn’t matter, Zhu Lang doesn’t have it, but others do!

Thinking of this, Zhu Lang smiled and looked at Zheng Chenggong below, saying

"I want to build a fleet and go to various places in Southeast Asia to trade to subsidize military expenses, but I am not very familiar with maritime trade. I heard that Zheng Qing's family started out in maritime trade and has countless fleets under their command. I wonder if Zheng Qing is willing to lend a helping hand to me."

Upon hearing this, Lu Daqi and the others all looked at Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui below, with a strange look in their eyes.

His Highness wanted to engage in maritime trade to earn military pay, but he lacked the manpower and ships needed for maritime trade. It was not easy to get a seagoing ship or a sailor familiar with the waterway. However, the court was in urgent need of military pay.
His Highness obviously set his sights on the Zheng family. The Zheng family traded far and wide, and everyone knew that the Zheng family had many ships and abundant wealth.

When Zheng Chenggong and the others heard this, their expressions changed slightly. They also understood that His Highness might have set his eyes on the Zheng family's ships.
However, His Royal Highness the Regent and all the court officials were looking at the two of them, and they were completely unable to

The Zheng family has lost their army, and the only thing they can rely on is the family's sea trade fleet that sails all over the world. But now it seems that the Zheng family may not even be able to keep these fleets.
If the king wants his subjects to die, they have to die. What's more, I just want some ships from you.
The Zheng family is now full of loopholes. If they follow His Highness's wishes and offer the fleet, they may be able to get away with it. If the Zheng family pretends to be ignorant and still wants to keep the fleet, then the court has plenty of ways to make the Zheng family surrender.
Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui looked at each other. Although Zheng Hongkui looked unhappy, he nodded slightly. Seeing this, Zheng Chenggong also stood up and said

"The Qing invaders are threatening us, and the court is in danger. At this time, all the people of the Ming Dynasty should work hard to serve the court, so as to restore the ancestral territory as soon as possible."

"The Zheng family is willing to present the five sea trade fleets under its command to Your Highness to help Your Highness develop trade around the world and support the army."

Zhu Lang nodded slightly in his heart after hearing this, but after thinking for a moment, he spoke again.

"Mr. Zheng has good intentions, but your Zheng family's fleet is also the result of your family's hard work. How can the court take it away out of thin air? I still understand the principle of Zigong redeeming people."

Lu Daqi and others below frowned when they heard this. They didn't know what His Highness was going to do. Now that the Zheng family had offered the fleet, they should accept it. Could it be that His Highness was really going to let the court build its own ships and then go to sea trade? If so, how long would it take?

Zhu Lang ignored the crowd below, his eyes turned, and he continued to speak

"Maritime trade is risky after all. If the voyage goes wrong, the ship and cargo may be lost. The Ministry of Revenue receives tax silver from the whole country, so we cannot take risks."

"So, for the maritime trade, I am going to set up a maritime trade department, which will be directly managed by the palace, and the money needed for maritime trade will also be allocated from the inner treasury, so that the tax silver from the Ministry of Revenue will not be consumed."

After Zhu Lang finished speaking, without waiting for the ministers to respond, he looked at Zheng Chenggong below and said

"In this way, the maritime trade will be jointly handled by the palace and the Zheng family."

"I will be responsible for raising funds to pay for the goods needed for the sea trade, and the Zheng family will invest in ships and be responsible for sailing and selling goods. After the sea trade is completed, the profits will be divided between the palace and the Zheng family in a 30-70 split, with the palace taking 70% and the Zheng family taking 30%. What do you think, Mr. Zheng?"

Zhu Lang's goal was to personally take charge of the trade, transfer the profits from the trade to the inner treasury, and prevent the imperial court from handling the trade.
The ministers in the court now only know that maritime trade is risky and profitable, but it is difficult for them to imagine how much profit it will bring.

At this time, the Battle of Sekigahara in Japan had ended, and the Tokugawa shogunate's rule gradually stabilized and entered a prosperous era. The daimyo and samurai of various domains in Japan let their horses go to the south mountains and began to enjoy the peaceful world. With this came a rapid increase in demand for various luxury goods.

Due to years of war, Japan was in a state of decline and was unable to provide the goods needed by the samurai class. Due to geographical and technological limitations, some high-end goods needed by the samurai class could only be imported.

A few years ago, the Tokugawa shogunate issued a maritime ban due to the religious rebellion, prohibiting Portuguese merchant ships from entering Japan and only allowing Ming and Dutch merchant ships to trade.
Nowadays, Japan's maritime trade market is almost monopolized by Ming and the Netherlands, and Ming merchant ships account for more than 80% of Japan's trade. Zhu Lang does not need to monopolize it. As long as he takes half of the share, he will make a lot of money.

This does not include the trade share with Luzon and other Southeast Asian countries. In this era, with the size of the Ming Dynasty, as long as it is determined to turn to the ocean, the profits are simply unimaginable.

When Lu Daqi and other ministers heard that His Royal Highness the Regent was going to personally manage the maritime trade, their brows slightly frowned. But before they could think clearly about the pros and cons of this matter, Zheng Hongkui below had already spoken.

"Your Highness is saying that the palace is planning to form a joint venture with the Zheng family to run maritime trade," Zheng Hongkui stared at the deceived Regent.

"You can understand it this way. I provide the money and goods, and your Zheng family provides the ships and manpower. Together we can become the boss of maritime trade."

After hearing this, Zheng Hongkui did not hesitate at all and spoke directly.

"Your Highness works hard for state affairs day and night, and has devoted all his energy to the Ming Dynasty. If Your Highness is like this, how can we, the ministers, fall behind? My Zheng family is engaged in maritime trade, and we have access to all the foreign trade routes. We are willing to assist Your Highness in promoting foreign trade and raising military supplies."

"But this 30-70 split is totally inappropriate. Only 10% will be taken by our clansmen, and the remaining 10% will be given to the boatmen on the boat. The remaining 80% will be given to Your Highness to help the court defeat the Qing invaders as soon as possible and restore our Ming Dynasty."

Zheng Hongkui spoke in a solemn voice, with an air of loyalty to his country, but a gleam of brilliance flashed in his eyes.

When Gui Jianguo proposed to take the Zheng family's ships, Zheng Hongkui was dissatisfied, but when he found out that His Highness wanted to personally manage the maritime trade, Zheng Hongkui no longer hesitated.

After Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, the Zheng family fell into an extremely embarrassing situation in the court. The Zheng family's domineering attitude in the previous dynasty made Lu Daqi and other court ministers extremely wary of the Zheng family.
Although Zheng Hongkui was a duke at this time, when the court tried to persuade Zheng to surrender, he also stood in the wrong position, which made His Majesty the Regent unhappy.
Now the only person the Zheng family can count on is Zheng Chenggong, who is highly valued by His Highness. However, Zheng Chenggong also has problems. He is too young. Although Zheng Chenggong was promoted to the position of governor at a young age because of the current situation, no one knows whether Zheng Chenggong can hold on to this position.
Once Zheng Chenggong falls from this position, the entire Zheng family will fall out of the upper echelons of the imperial court. With the huge wealth accumulated by the Zheng family over the years, no one knows what the situation will be like then.

But now is an opportunity for the Zheng family. As long as the Zheng family can help His Highness run the sea trade and earn money, the Zheng family will immediately transform into the royal merchant of the court.
With this identity, even if Zheng Chenggong falls in the future, the Zheng family can still rely on their identity as imperial merchants to gain a firm foothold in the court. This is the real guarantee of the Zheng family's wealth for generations!
Zhu Lang looked at Zheng Hongkui below, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He didn't know why Zheng Hongkui suddenly changed his temper and cooperated so well. But he didn't think much about it and said directly.

"Duke Dingguo is indeed a national hero. If he really cares about state affairs, if the court is full of loyal ministers like the Zheng family and Duke Dingguo, it will not be difficult to drive out the Qing invaders."

Zhu Lang praised softly, and without waiting for Zheng Jia to change his words, he said directly
"The issue of maritime trade is related to the source of military pay for the court, so it cannot be delayed and must be decided today."

"The Maritime Customs Office is under the imperial court, and the maritime trade is under the Imperial Maritime Trade Bureau, which is under the palace. The imperial court has set up a special Maritime Customs Office to manage the Maritime Customs Offices and ship guides in various provinces. Mr. Shen is the great talent I asked the King of Lu to bring with me, and the Maritime Customs Office in the imperial court will be managed by Mr. Shen."

"Min Province is the most prosperous place for maritime trade at this time. Governor Zheng is from the Zheng family and is familiar with the situation in Fujian Province. The affairs of the Fujian Maritime Customs will also be handed over to Zheng Qing to be in charge of. First, set up the framework of the Fujian Maritime Customs."

"As for the Maritime Trade Department, I heard that Zheng Tai, the Lord Zheng, is in charge of the Zheng family's maritime trade affairs. Since I am doing business with the Zheng family, we can save the trouble of having two masters for one matter. Zheng Tai, the Lord Zheng, will still be the chief envoy of the Maritime Trade Department, and the palace will send another person as the deputy. What do you think?"

Maritime trade is not just about sailing, but also about acquiring goods. Zheng Tai was previously in charge of the Zheng family's ten maritime and land businesses, so he must have had channels for purchasing goods on land.
Since this person has experience, why not let him do it as well? This way, the turmoil caused by the fleet changing owners can be reduced to a minimum. I can send someone to the Maritime Trade Department to keep an eye on the accounts. Anyway, I don't think Zheng Tai would dare to covet his money.

When doing business with others, if you embezzle money, you can still make excuses and escape, but if you embezzle Zhu Lang's money, it is not a matter that can be resolved by arguing.
After Zhu Lang finished speaking, Lu Daqi, Zhang Kentang and other cabinet ministers frowned slightly, but no one stood out to object.
The Maritime Customs Office is an old system, and it is only right to re-establish and strengthen it. Although it seems a bit inappropriate for His Highness to personally manage the maritime trade, the ships and crews are all provided by the Zheng family, and the money is also allocated by the palace treasury. They have not asked the court for resources, so they can't find any reason to intervene.
His Highness had said before that this matter was to raise funds for the military pay of the court. If they objected, how would they solve the problem of insufficient military pay?

The officials of Guangdong Province were silent. Upon hearing this, Shen Tingyang, Zheng Chenggong and others stepped out and respectfully accepted the order.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with satisfaction. Looking at Zheng Hongkui below, he also felt that he was much more pleasing to the eye. Five fleets and thousands of sailors familiar with the route were not something that could be easily obtained. He had never expected that the Zheng family would be so cooperative.
Zhu Lang's eyes turned, and he glanced at Zheng Hongkui and Shi Lang below, and told them the conditions he had intended to persuade the Zheng family.
"I am very pleased that you are so considerate of the affairs of state, but I still have something to discuss with you."

"The two concubines in the harem have mentioned to me many times that the harem is too small and asked me to select concubines as soon as possible to fill the harem."

"It's just that the country is in turmoil right now, and the people are suffering. How can we hold another beauty contest and make the place poor? But what the two concubines said is reasonable. Now there is only the princess in the harem, and it is a bit deserted."

"I have heard that the Zheng and Shi families are both prominent families in Fujian. I believe that the women in their families must be well-educated and well-mannered ladies. If there are suitable candidates in the two families, they can send the women to the palace for the two concubines to choose. This will also save me from nagging. What do you think?"

"I obey your order. After returning home, we will immediately select women from our clan and send them to the palace for selection."

Shi Lang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately stood up and responded respectfully. Zheng Hongkui's face also flashed with joy, and he also stood up and responded immediately.
Lu Daqi, Zhang Kentang and others were all shocked when they heard this, but then all the ministers remained silent, just watching the two families below happily responding to the order.

How could Lu Daqi and others not understand that His Highness was using marriage to completely bind the Shi and Zheng families together? Once the women from the Shi and Zheng families entered the palace, the Fujian Province would be completely stable.

At this time, the issue of maritime trade was settled, and the military pay problem in the court and Fujian Province was solved. Zhu Lang's affairs in Fujian Province were completely dealt with.

The troops sent to Fujian Province this time were 36,000 strong, and the number of soldiers returning was also over 30,000.
Most of the Qing troops who participated in the battle in Fujian Province were veterans who had experienced the war in Jiangnan. Therefore, after these captives were selected, the elite among them were also incorporated into the imperial army.

Jiao Lian's Longxiang Army was expanded to 15,000 men, Ma Bao's Tengxiang Army was expanded to 10,000 men, plus Shi Lang's 5,000 men, and Zheng Hongkui's 7,000 men, a total of 37,000 men will return to Guangdong Province with Zhu Lang
After the war in Fujian Province, the number of troops in the Gui Regent court increased to 100,000.
After all matters in Fujian Province were agreed upon, two days later, Zhu Lang also led tens of thousands of troops back to Guangzhou.

When Zhu Lang and others set out to return to Guangdong Province, the news of the battle in Fujian Province finally reached the capital, causing ripples in the Qing court.

(End of this chapter)