My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Finally, one of them, gritting his teeth, said:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was merely momentarily bewitched."

Bewitched?

When Chongzhen heard this, he sneered, and the laughter echoed in the court, sending chills down everyone's spine.

He then continued:
"Bewildered by demons? I think you're just here to cause me trouble! All you do is oppose, oppose, oppose, without even considering whether something is beneficial to the country or the people."

"You lot are utterly useless! The court won't keep useless people like you! Remove your official posts, strip your official register, and demote you to commoners!"

Everyone present changed their expressions upon hearing this.

They thought that Emperor Chongzhen would at most reprimand these officials or directly have them flogged, but they did not expect that Emperor Chongzhen would dismiss so many people from their posts at once.

It should be noted that the highest-ranking official among these people was a Vice Minister. Although the position of Vice Minister is not very high, it is still considered to be at a mid-to-high level.

It seems that Emperor Chongzhen's move truly made opening up the seas a necessity.

In an instant, the officials who had not previously stood up to oppose the opening of the sea were secretly relieved, because they knew that if they had also stood up to oppose the opening of the sea, they would probably have suffered the same fate now.

Meanwhile, the officials who had just spoken out against opening the sea nearly fainted upon hearing this.

Because they believed that even if they opposed opening the sea to the sea, Emperor Chongzhen would not punish them too severely.

At most, they would be scolded or beaten, and their official positions would still be preserved. However, they never expected that Emperor Chongzhen would dismiss them from their posts as soon as he took office, which made them feel like the sky had fallen.

After all, who would want to go back to square one after finally climbing to this position?

In an instant, cries and screams erupted.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I was wrong! I dare not do it again! Please forgive me!"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Cries echoed through the court, filled with despair and helplessness.

But Emperor Chongzhen was too lazy to say anything and simply waved his hand.

The next second, the Imperial Guards outside the hall rushed in. They quickly approached the officials and then dragged them out one by one.

The officials staggered as they were pulled along by the Imperial Guards, their faces filled with despair and regret, yet utterly helpless.

After a short while, the hall returned to calm.

Emperor Chongzhen calmed himself down slightly, then looked at the crowd and continued:

"My beloved ministers, I have nothing more to say. You are all aware of the benefits of opening the seas. Therefore, I hereby declare that opening the seas will be a national policy."

"As for how to formulate this national policy, you should discuss it carefully!"

"If there is anything, you can consult the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's will represents my will. Do you all understand?"

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, we understand."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said nothing more, but gave Wang Chengen a wink.

Wang Chengen quickly stepped forward and said loudly:

"Retreat!"

And so, the morning court session came to a hasty end.

Throughout the entire process, Zhu Cilang did not utter a single word.

After all, there was no need for him, the crown prince, to say anything in this situation, because everything was going according to plan and proceeding perfectly and smoothly.

In the following days, a heated discussion was underway regarding the opening of the fishing season.

The atmosphere in the imperial court was so tense it seemed like the air itself could ignite. The ministers argued fiercely over various related matters, each sticking to their own opinion.

The usually solemn and dignified imperial court had now become a lively "debate arena," with various voices intertwined and rising and falling.

However, despite the noisy and chaotic debate, everyone's discussion revolved around the core issue of opening the sea.

After all, the opening of the seas was a matter of national destiny, people's livelihood, and future development of the Ming Dynasty, and could not be taken lightly.

After a heated debate, the ministers finally managed to sort out a few key points.

The first thing to do is to implement a complete blockade of the coastal waters as soon as possible.

All merchant ships returning or preparing to depart will be detained, pending the establishment of rules by the imperial court before appropriate action is taken.

For Zhu Cilang, this matter was not particularly difficult.

Because he had sent his father-in-law, Zheng Zhilong, to handle the matter earlier.

However, the coastal area is too vast, like a boundless blue territory, and even Zheng Zhilong's elite navy could not cover it completely.

To ensure the smooth operation of the lockdown, Zhu Cilang made an unprecedented decision.

That is to grant Zheng Zhilong unprecedented power, allowing him to temporarily mobilize all the coastal naval forces!
Yes, you heard right!
Zheng Zhilong can now temporarily mobilize all the naval forces along the coast of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian.

At first glance, it seems that Zheng Zhilong has been given too much power.

Once Zheng Zhilong possessed such power, he could easily dominate the coastal regions and become a true "Pirate King".

However, this was unavoidable, as the coastal naval forces and their commanders had long been deeply involved in smuggling.

Those naval commanders were ostensibly from the Ming Dynasty's navy, but in reality, they colluded with nobles and merchants to seek personal gain.

Their actions are like malignant tumors, eroding the stability and development of coastal areas.

Furthermore, the coastal areas are far from the capital, so even if the imperial edict is sent there, they will definitely outwardly comply but inwardly defy it and refuse to obey.

Therefore, the only solution is to have Zheng Zhilong supervise them to ensure they don't cause any trouble.

After all, Zheng Zhilong's name is still very useful in coastal areas.

He had been sailing the seas for many years and his reputation was widespread. The naval commanders all had some respect for him, and only when he stepped in could this matter be resolved smoothly.

Of course, Zheng Zhilong wasn't stupid, so as long as those naval commanders were willing to obey, he would pretend to turn a blind eye to the messes they had made in the past.

After all, no one is perfect. He himself was a pirate, so how can he expect others to be saints?
As long as they can repent and serve the court, that will be enough.

In addition to these, the imperial court made an important decision: to mobilize a large number of Imperial Guards to the coastal areas.

Their task was simple: to prevent some merchants or nobles from burning ships and cargo and destroying evidence in a moment of panic.

Because if the evidence were destroyed, the court's blockade and subsequent governance efforts would be in jeopardy. Therefore, the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were of paramount importance.

Secondly, the second point is to revise the tax collection rules and redefine the scope of official and private enterprises.

The national plan to fully liberalize maritime trade aims to maximize available profits while ensuring that ordinary merchants can also benefit and share in the prosperity.

Otherwise, if the imperial court makes money while other maritime merchants don't, it would be strange if they didn't cause trouble!

To achieve this goal, it is imperative to devise a combination strategy.

Most importantly, the imperial court must play the role of setting the rules, and must not become a major player in the game itself, much less a "plunderer".

The ministers generally believed that national interests should not be measured solely by the fullness of the national treasury; political stability, technological progress, military strength, and the overall vigorous development of the economy should all be taken into consideration.

This is like building a sturdy house. A full treasury is only one pillar; stability in other aspects is equally indispensable. Only in this way can the house stand firm.

Based on this consensus, at Zhu Cilang's suggestion, the ministers carefully drafted the following rules.

First: Build an efficient tax and tariff system.

Because the previous method of taxing based on the size of ships was too crude, the plan is to establish a customs office and instead levy tariffs proportionally based on the value of imported and exported goods.

For example, setting it between 10% and 20% would allow national tax revenue to increase along with the growth in trade volume.

For luxury goods such as silk, porcelain, tea, spices, and jewelry, the tax rate will be increased for both exports and imports.

Even with limited trade volume, it can still bring considerable revenue to the national treasury.

At the same time, the tax system should be simplified, tax amounts should be clearly defined, and excessive exploitation of merchants by officials should be prevented.

While this move may reduce the gray income of local officials, in the long run it will encourage more people to pay taxes, and the total amount of national tax revenue will increase accordingly.

Second: Monopolize key scarce resources and strategic channels.

The state does not need to control all trade, but it must regulate the production and export of core, high-profit commodities such as Jingdezhen imperial porcelain and high-quality tea from specific regions.

They were sold to foreign businessmen at high prices through official channels.

In addition, investment was made in the construction and management of major trading ports, such as Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Ningbo, to improve warehouse and dock facilities and build navigation lighthouses. Reasonable fees were then charged to all merchants trading there, thereby ensuring a stable source of non-tax revenue.

Third: Promote development and enhance national strength through trade.

Through trade, China imported large quantities of scarce domestic resources, such as grain, copper, tin, horses, as well as high-quality timber and sulfur, raw materials for gunpowder, which were needed for shipbuilding.

The import of these resources will directly enhance the country's military and industrial capabilities.

At the same time, businesses were encouraged to import advanced foreign technologies, crops, scientific knowledge, and maps. The state established translation bureaus and research institutes to promote the development of local science and technology and agriculture.

Fourth: Protect the interests of ordinary businessmen.

Ordinary merchants are like capillaries in the trade ecosystem; their vitality is the cornerstone of the prosperity of the entire trade system.

Only when they profit can the market prosper and the national tax base be stable.

Furthermore, it should provide legal and security guarantees, ideally by enacting a detailed maritime trade law that clearly defines property rights and various dispute resolution mechanisms.

Then, a special maritime authority was established to ensure that commercial disputes were handled quickly and fairly.

Fifth: Establish a more powerful naval force to regularly hunt down pirates in the sea and ensure the safety of major trade routes.

Merchant fleets were encouraged to travel in groups, with the navy providing escort services, and merchants only needed to pay a small escort fee.

Establish institutions similar to "trade offices" or "consulates" in major trading partner countries to protect the legitimate rights and interests of domestic merchants and assist in handling conflicts with local governments.

Sixth: Break the collusion between officials and businessmen and the monopoly of business operations, and strictly restrict the royal family, nobles and high-ranking officials from using their privileges to open commercial companies and monopolize specific air routes or commodity trade.

Trade licenses should be available to all eligible merchants and allocated through a fair lottery or auction.

Support the development of guilds and encourage merchants to form industry associations or maritime guilds to achieve self-management, price coordination and internal dispute resolution, thereby reducing the burden of state management.

Secondly, vigorously develop the Royal Bank of the Ming Dynasty, or re-establish a bank focused on maritime trade to provide loan channels for small and medium-sized merchants, and provide low-interest loan support when necessary.

These regulations can be piloted in one port first, and then gradually extended to other regions if successful.

This shows that when a country is truly committed to a cause, it can always find various ways to overcome difficulties and solve problems.

As for the last thing, it is to find a way to appease the various forces in the south.

After all, the impact of this matter was too great, and the south was an important source of tax revenue for the imperial court. If it was not appeased, there was no guarantee that something might go wrong in the south.

However, Zhu Cilang need not worry about these matters. He only needs to formulate a general strategy from a macro perspective, while the specific navigation operations will be handled by the experienced and wise ministers in the court.

After all, these ministers were no ordinary people. They had experienced many years of ups and downs in officialdom and accumulated rich political wisdom and experience in dealing with people. In some aspects, their wisdom even far surpassed that of Zhu Cilang, the time traveler.

On this morning, the chill of winter followed like a shadow, relentlessly invading the entire capital city.

Zhu Cilang had just finished his breakfast in the warm pavilion, where the fire was burning brightly, radiating warmth and dispelling some of the chill outside.

At this moment, he was sitting at his desk, flipping through some memorials, trying to learn about the latest developments in various places.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and Ma Bao rushed into the warm chamber, respectfully reporting:

"Your Highness, Grand Secretary Xue of Xue Guoguan requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang quickly put down the memorial in his hand, looked up, and said:
"Quickly, invite Grand Secretary Xue in."

Ma Bao accepted the order and left. Not long after, he hurriedly returned with Xue Guoguan.

It was December, and the biting wind was cutting like a knife. The outdoor temperature had probably dropped to around minus ten degrees Celsius.

To ward off the severe cold, Xue Guoguan dressed very warmly, wearing a heavy cotton robe wrapped around his body, with a fluffy cloak over it, a warm hat on his head, and thick gloves on his hands.

Even so, when he entered the warm room, his face was still red from the cold, and the tip of his nose was also red.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang felt a pang of pity and quickly instructed Ma Bao:
"Quickly go and brew some ginger tea to warm up Grand Secretary Xue's body."

Ma Bao accepted the order and quickly turned to leave.

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan felt a warmth in his heart and quickly clasped his hands in respectful thanks:

"This old minister thanks Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Cilang smiled and said:

"What are you saying, Grand Secretary Xue? You have worked hard and made great contributions to the court. I am truly grateful to you from the bottom of my heart."

Zhu Cilang spoke these words entirely from the bottom of his heart; he was genuinely grateful to Xue Guoguan, the emperor's 'lackey'! (End of Chapter)