Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 717: Suppressing the South with the North
Zhu Shenzhui was meeting Kang Youfu in Wenhua Hall.

Kang Youfu returned from Shanxi. He had already reached an agreement with the Shanxi merchants on border trade. The framework was the one Zhu Shenzhui had given him, but there were some slight adjustments in the specific details. However, this did not harm the overall interests and was still within the scope. Moreover, the Shanxi merchants were very enthusiastic about opening border trade this time. They were able to do foreign trade with the court openly, especially since the specific operations were still handled by the Shanxi merchants themselves, which had never happened before in the Ming Dynasty.

It is not easy for Shanxi merchants to rise from the end of the Yuan Dynasty to the present day and develop to their current scale over the past two hundred years. Those Shanxi merchants who were short-sighted or had no background would have disappeared in the long river of history. Which of the Shanxi merchants that remain did not grow up bit by bit from small to large over several generations and become the winners after experiencing fierce competition?
In particular, the Zhang and Wang families among the Shanxi merchants had considerable influence in the local area and the court. They keenly realized that this border trade was Zhu Shenzui's goodwill towards them, the Shanxi merchants, and they took the initiative to extend an olive branch to them.

In the face of huge interests, nothing is difficult to discuss. Even though Hengtong's request to serve as a trade currency platform was eventually agreed by the Shanxi merchants, the Shanxi merchants also proposed to set up a money shop (bank) in the same way as Hengtong. Zhu Shenzhui authorized Kang Youfu to discuss a preliminary plan with the Shanxi merchants.

As for commercial taxes, they are even more trivial matters. Although businessmen put profit first, if they can pay a certain amount of taxes as long as they can ensure sufficient profits, then why not do it?
Kang Youfu brought back the agreement signed with the Shanxi merchants. Although this agreement is not as good as the commercial contracts of later generations, it can be considered unique today. All the participating Shanxi merchants signed and sealed this agreement, and Kang Youfu also signed on behalf of Hengtong. In addition, there were seals of the Shanxi Jinyiwei and the garrison. Next, as long as Zhu Shenzhu nodded, the agreement would take effect officially.

Looking at the agreement carefully and listening to Kang Youfu's explanation, Zhu Shenzui smiled.

"You've done a really good job. I've confirmed it!" When Zhu Shenzhui said this, Kang Youfu felt relieved. All his hard work these days were not in vain.

"How long will it take for Shanxi to officially start?" Zhu Shenzhui asked.

"Everyone has made preparations during the discussion and can start at any time." Kang Youfu replied.

"The sooner the better. Notify Shanxi right away. The sooner we proceed, the sooner we can reap the benefits."

Kang Youfu nodded in agreement, and then asked about the matter of opening the sea, because Zhu Shenzhui had previously said that he wanted to open the sea in Shandong, and instructed him to use it as an appropriate condition as a bargaining chip when negotiating with Shanxi merchants. Kang Youfu had already spread the news.

When Shanxi merchants learned that the imperial court was going to open up the sea in Shandong and conduct foreign trade in the form of a trading company, their enthusiasm for this matter even surpassed that of border trade.

You have to know that the profits from maritime trade are huge. Although border trade also makes considerable profits, it is mainly trade with the Mongols. Although the Mongols are eager to obtain many materials from the Ming Dynasty through border trade, most of them do not have much money. Their trade is basically just a barter trade, mostly using cattle, sheep, horses, or furs for trade exchanges. Although these things are good things, they are not as important as real gold and silver.

But maritime trade was different. In the early Ming Dynasty, maritime trade was extremely prosperous, especially during the reign of Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, when Zheng He's voyages to the West reached its peak.

A large amount of goods were traded over seas by ships, in exchange for countless gold, silver, jewelry and overseas specialties. The profit from a single trip to sea could reach dozens or even hundreds of times. Even though the risks of maritime trade were much greater than border trade, merchants still flocked to go out to sea.

Unfortunately, after the Xuande period, the imperial court banned large-scale maritime trade, but the reason for the ban was not as simple as it seemed.

It was the civil service groups that proposed to ban maritime trade, and most of those civil service groups were from the south. The real purpose of their doing so was not to eliminate maritime trade, but to monopolize maritime trade through the court. On the surface, they banned maritime trade and did not allow official or even private trade to go out to sea. But in fact, in the south, such as the coastal areas of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, the families behind these civil service groups monopolized the interests of maritime trade, went out to sea privately, and thus made huge profits.

As a result of this situation, the Ming Dynasty nominally had no formal maritime trade, and Zheng He's fleet that crisscrossed the oceans disappeared. Even the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding industry, which originally had extremely advanced technology and a large scale, stagnated and eventually completely disappeared.

But in the south, private maritime trade still exists and it is no secret that it is not stopped despite repeated bans. During the Jiajing period, the Japanese pirates in coastal areas were extremely serious because of the uneven distribution of maritime trade accounts and the excessive exploitation of the people by local gentry.

In fact, most of the so-called Japanese pirates were coastal fishermen, pirates, etc. The number of real Japanese pirates was extremely small. The emergence of Japanese pirates was ultimately caused by problems related to maritime trade interests, not other reasons.

After Jiajing, with the emergence of Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou and others, although the Japanese pirates were eradicated on the surface, the coastal areas returned to normal, but private maritime trade never disappeared. After Longqing opened the sea, it recovered for a period of time. After Longqing's death, official maritime trade stagnated again. In the late Wanli period, there were changes again, and the piracy phenomenon in the south became more and more serious. From the initial Japanese pirates, they became pirate groups of varying sizes. These pirate groups colluded with southern gentry and monopolized the maritime trade of the entire region by relying on their ships and force. The most powerful among them were Lin Feng, then Li Dan, and then Zheng Zhilong's group.

Especially the latter. When Zheng Zhilong was at his most powerful, he owned nearly 400 warships and 60,000 to 70,000 men. In addition to the small and medium-sized maritime merchants (pirates) who were dependent on Zheng Zhilong, the number of ships reached 3,000 at its peak.

You should know that the entire Fujian Ming Navy had only 60 warships and no more than 10,000 soldiers. Zheng Zhilong's direct control was nearly seven times that of the Fujian Navy. His sphere of influence extended from north to south, and he almost directly controlled the entire South China Sea region.

One can imagine how powerful Zheng Zhilong's maritime force was. Ships flying his flag could travel unimpeded throughout the South China Sea. All ships that wanted to enter the South China Sea area had to obtain his permission and pay a fee to obtain the qualification to sail under his flag.

Even maritime powers such as the Netherlands and Spain had to bow down to Zheng Zhilong's strength and were suppressed by him in the South China Sea. Without Zheng Zhilong's nod, no ship could enter the area. It was incredible that a pirate leader could do this.

Behind Zheng Zhilong were the local gentry classes, both large and small, and behind them were the members of the civil service group. These people had formed a huge network, relying on maritime trade to gain huge profits. Southern merchants made a lot of money from it, and the Shanxi merchants in the north had long been jealous.

Although Shanxi merchants have always wanted to move south to get a share of maritime trade, unfortunately the differences between the north and the south and the local power are too great. Even the Zhang and Wang families, as representatives of Shanxi merchants, cannot compete with southern merchants for maritime trade.

But now this situation began to break. With Zhu Shenzhu's plan to open up the sea in Shandong, Shanxi merchants instantly saw an unprecedented opportunity. Once Shandong opened up the sea successfully, relying solely on the maritime trade between Shandong and Korea and Japan, Shanxi merchants would not be able to directly compete with southern merchants in maritime trade, but they would break the south's monopoly on maritime trade.

Moreover, Shanxi merchants are very conceited. They are never afraid of anyone when doing business. They rely on their own abilities. In addition, they have the support of the court behind them. As long as the situation is opened up, they can form a large scale in a few years. By then, they can go south along the coast and open up sea routes. They will have the strength to compete directly with southern merchants in maritime trade.

"There is no rush to open the sea. There are still many preparations to be made. Moreover, sailing on the sea is not that simple. Shanxi merchants have no ships and no sailors. In addition, due to the trade winds, it will take at least half a year before we can proceed." Zhu Shenzhui said with a smile. Seeing Kang Youfu thoughtful, he continued, "Tell them to prepare first and open the sea from Dengzhou in half a year. In addition, the operation of sea trade is similar to border trade, but it is different. Sea trade requires the joint efforts of all parties, not a single party. In addition, for safety reasons, the court's navy must also be prepared in advance. Let them be patient."

"I understand. I will inform them and ask them to make preparations as soon as possible and proceed when the time is right." Kang Youfu replied.

"Well, you go and do this. I believe you can do a good job. In addition, since you are back, you can start the matter of the Imperial Household Department mentioned earlier in the next few days. I asked Zhang Xijun to bring people to assist. In addition, Zhu Qiuqi and others have also arrived in Beijing. I have found them a job in the Imperial Clan Court. Right now, the Imperial Clan Court has nothing to do, so I will help you go to the Imperial Household Department to set up the framework. With the help of this border trade and the subsequent sea trade, the entire Imperial Household Department can be put into operation first."

Kang Youfu agreed immediately, with excitement on his face. Kang Youfu knew what the Imperial Household Department meant, and the power it would control in the future was not small. Although he, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, was not yet a formal court official, and his rank was not high, it would be completely different after the Imperial Household Department was officially established. As time went on, the Imperial Household Department would occupy an important position in terms of rank and authority.

After chatting for a while, seeing that it was getting late, Zhu Shenzui was about to send Kang Youfu away, but at this moment, he heard a faint noise outside. Zhu Shenzui frowned slightly, and hurriedly asked someone to go out to check what happened. At the same time, he opened the drawer and took out a musket that had been placed in the drawer, and grabbed a long knife beside him.

After a while, the Mongolian guard who went out to check the situation came back excitedly. Seeing his happy expression, Zhu Shenzhu felt relieved and let go of the long sword he had grabbed.

"A great victory in Shaanxi! The report has just been received by the palace. Elder Wen and several other elders are outside seeking an audience."

"Congratulations on your thousandth birthday! Congratulations on your thousandth birthday!" Kang Youfu was very smart and quickly congratulated Zhu Shenzhui.

Zhu Shenzhui also put on a smile on his face, and immediately asked the guards to invite several ministers in. At this time, Kang Youfu stood up to say goodbye. Zhu Shenzhui thought about it and waved his hand to ask him to stay for the time being. Since the person was still there, there was no need to leave immediately. The great victory in Shaanxi was a good thing, and it would be good for Kang Youfu to stay and listen.

(End of this chapter)