I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

April 30th, early morning.

The air was salty and pungent, and golden sunlight streamed onto the brand-new Jibei Port.

In the coastal waters, ships lined up one after another, their masts like a forest.

Around a high platform at the largest pier in the middle of the port, people were crowded together.

There were civil officials, military generals, merchants, artisans, and foreign merchants from afar, including Luzon, Korea, Japan, and Siam.

At this moment, Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang were also standing below the high platform.

Standing on the high platform was Xu Zhou, the newly appointed Maritime Trade Commissioner of Jibei Port.

He was once Qi Jiguang's adjutant. After being assigned to Jibei Port, he completed a series of almost impossible tasks. From today onwards, he will be in charge of all military, political and commercial affairs in Jibei Port.

Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang had arranged before the new year that on the day Jibei Port opened, the newly appointed Jibei Port Maritime Trade Commissioner would speak first, followed by speeches from the nominated artisans, military officers, merchants, and other representatives.

This Jibei Port was built by their own hands, and they will continue to improve it in the future.

The glory rightfully belongs to them.

Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang will be the last to take the stage. Their task is to lift the red cloth on the large stone next to them, which is engraved with the three characters "Jibei Port" written by Emperor Wanli himself.

Nearly an hour later, Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang walked up to the high platform together.

A thunderous cheer erupted from below.

Everyone knows that without the two of them, there would be no Jibei Port as it is today.

Shen Nian looked down and waited for everyone to quiet down before smiling and saying, "Qi Shuai and I are going up on stage. Our main task is to announce the official opening of Jibei Port. Before we make the announcement, we will each announce a decision."

After saying that, Shen Nian gestured to Qi Jiguang to invite him to join her.

Qi Jiguang strode out, looked down, and announced loudly: "Starting next month, all soldiers, military households, artisans, and civilians who participated in the construction of Jibei Port, that is, those whose names are recorded in the 'List of Personnel for the Construction of Jibei Port,' will have their monthly wages increased by 50%, receive double wages in the winter and twelfth months, and enjoy a share of the profits at the end of the year!"

Because of the military order signed with the young Wanli Emperor for three years, the current Jibei Port is responsible for its own profits and losses, and is entirely under the control of Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang.

Upon hearing this, many of the port builders around were stunned.

Unexpectedly, Qi Jiguang announced the welfare benefits for the construction workers of Jibei Port.

It should be noted that when some garrison soldiers and artisans were building roads and city walls in Jizhou, their monthly pay was almost negligible, and they didn't eat well at all.

However, after arriving at Jibei Port, although the monthly allowance was not much, it was paid on time every month, and there was meat almost every day, or at the very least, fish.

Now my monthly salary has increased by 50%.

They could save it to get married, improve their family's life, and send their children to private school...

The key is that there is hope.

Soon, a huge cheer erupted from below the platform, with people shouting: "Commander Qi! Commander Qi! Commander Qi!"
On the day the port opens, improve the welfare of those who built the port. This respect will make many people willing to dedicate their lives to Jibei Port.

Immediately, Shen Nian stepped forward.

He looked around and announced loudly, "I won't mince words. Starting tomorrow, for the next half month, all merchants who have entered into trade agreements with the Jibei Port warehouses or within Jibei Port, regardless of nationality, will have their comprehensive commercial taxes reduced by 20%. Merchants who have obtained trade priority will receive a 50% reduction, but in the following half month, the reduction will be a full 30%!"

Upon hearing this, the merchants below couldn't help but cheer.

It should be noted that the commercial taxes mentioned by Shen Nian included pilotage taxes, water taxes, and land taxes, which were the main source of income for the tax collectors of Jibei Port.

A 20% reduction is a huge concession.

North Korean businessman Park In-gwi was so happy he almost laughed himself silly.

Today, even the most powerful businessmen cannot buy trade priority rights in Jibei Port.

From then on, merchants in North Korea who wanted to buy or sell Jiliao specialties could only do so through Park In-gui and his four partners.

Park In-gui believed he could recoup his investment within six months and might even become North Korea's most powerful maritime trader.

Shen Nian made concessions.

The plan was to clear out all the inventory in the ten major warehouses of Jibei Port or to barter with it and sell it to the capital within half a month.

A successful start is very important for Jibei Port.

Then, amidst cheers, Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang together unveiled the red cloth covering the large stone, revealing three powerful characters written by the young Wanli Emperor: Jibei Port.

These three words alone are enough to demonstrate the official status of Jibei Port.

Of course, with soldiers under Qi Jiguang who had fought against Japanese pirates guarding this place, absolutely no pirates or bandits would dare to cause trouble in Jibei Port.

After the port opening ceremony, merchants flocked to the warehouses inside to do business.

The goods in the warehouse are clearly priced, and the movers are all in place, ensuring the best service for all merchants.

At noon, the Jibei Port Maritime Trade Office will hold a banquet in the open space in front of the shops to entertain all the guests who have come from afar. As for Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang, they will no longer participate.

The two will stay here for three to five days, and will leave once trade and commerce have returned to normal and no unforeseen events occur.

……

It was near dusk, inside a teahouse.

A young soldier ran quickly to Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang.

"Minister Shen, Commander Qi, four warehouses have been emptied today. Maritime Trade Commissioner Xu says that within five days at most, all ten warehouses will be emptied or replaced with other goods!"

Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang had estimated that clearing out the inventory in half a month would be considered a success, but they didn't expect it to be so fast.

Shen Nian smiled and said, "It seems I didn't order enough!"

"No, it's because I didn't plan enough warehouses!" Qi Jiguang said. "Hahahaha..." The two couldn't help but laugh out loud. The thrill of this kind of trade transaction was even more exciting than fighting a war.

……

Four days later, the ten warehouses in Jibei Port were emptied, and many merchants regretted not having obtained trade priority earlier.

The subsequent buying and selling were transactions between merchants, with Jibei Port merely serving as a platform to facilitate these transactions and collect commercial taxes.

The following day, Shen Nian and Qi Jiguang left Jibei Port separately, one returning to Liaoyang City and the other returning to Jizhou City.

Qi Jiguang will then focus his main efforts on the Jibei Shipyard.

Shen Nian, on the one hand, needed to oversee the construction of Dongfang Port, and on the other hand, ensure that special products and goods from Liaodong, Jurchen, and Mongolia flowed continuously to Jibei Port via land or water routes.

Currently, as long as there is a sufficient supply of goods, Jibei Port will become increasingly prosperous and will be able to connect the maritime trade economy of the north and south of the Ming Dynasty, making the coastal areas increasingly wealthy.

at the same time.

Once the Jurchens and Mongols have earned money through trade and obtained the materials they want, they will no longer think about getting rich through plunder.

Trade is easier and more profitable than plunder.

After all, Liaodong and the area to the north are sparsely populated and full of treasures.

……

Just as Jibei Port was becoming increasingly prosperous, trouble broke out in the imperial court in the capital.

May 10th.

Wang Xijue, a cabinet minister and concurrently Minister of Revenue, submitted six memorials in one day. Three of them requested to resign, and the other three criticized the young Wanli Emperor for his excessive demands, extravagance, favoritism towards eunuchs, and neglect of state affairs.

Wang Xijue was so irritable.

On the one hand, the young Wanli Emperor repeatedly demanded money from the Ministry of Revenue, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 taels, all of which was used for the palace's expenses; on the other hand, the young Wanli Emperor stopped holding daily lectures on the classics and, citing poor health, changed the regular court sessions from nine times a month to twice a month.

Many officials voiced their opposition.

Emperor Wanli (the young emperor) stated: "The civil and military officials are each performing their duties, the people live in peace and prosperity, and there is no worry about war on the borders, so the emperor need not worry."

He also cited Shen Nian as an example, saying that if all officials could do things as impeccably as Shen Nian, his life would be much easier.

Although the young Wanli Emperor was lazy in governing, he did not relinquish power, and the current court was entirely under his control.

On that very day, he issued an edict to dismiss Wang Xijue from his post and expel him from the capital, forbidding anyone from pleading for him.

at the same time.

Xu Guo, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wang Jiaping, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Shen Yiguan, a Hanlin Academy Reader, all entered the cabinet at the same time to participate in state affairs.

In a short time, the cabinet once again assembled five cabinet ministers: Shen Shixing, Yu Youding, Wang Jiaping, Xu Guo, and Shen Yiguan.

The five people are generally characterized by good temper, competence, and obedience.

For example, Shen Shixing, even though the young Wanli Emperor was physically weak and sickly due to excessive indulgence in wine and women, when he submitted a memorial to the emperor to advise him, the most severe thing he said was: "Be careful about your daily life."

Those who dared to speak frankly and offer advice were almost always imprisoned by the imperial court.

This has also made many officials silent and lazy, losing their spirit for new policies and reforms.

As for the officials in charge of the censorate, they were all replaced by Emperor Wanli.

They completely became the eyes and ears of the emperor, overseeing the officials, and dared not utter a single word about the young Wanli Emperor's private life.

……

In early June, impoverished military households, pardoned deserters, and many homeless refugees in the Liaodong region were organized and headed towards Dongfang Port by land or water.

Shen Maoxue, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination, is very meticulous in his work.

He opened up a road to Winter City in the area inhabited by the Jurchens, and promoted the many benefits of building an Eastern port in Winter City along the way, which attracted many people to sign up.

at the same time.

Shen Maoxue organized over a hundred skilled traders to travel to various Jurchen tribes to purchase goods.

To ensure safety, Liaodong soldiers protected all places where Ming people frequented. If any Jurchens or Mongols dared to plunder or seize property, their leaders would be killed, or their tribes would be wiped out.

To safeguard peace and create a favorable business environment, turning the packs of wolves beyond the Great Wall into sheep, we must first give them a strong wake-up call.

As for Nurhaci, his original dream was to expand his tribe and annex more Jurchen tribes.

But after experiencing the sweetness of selling goods, he has now almost become a middleman, traveling between various tribes to earn the price difference.

After returning to Liaoyang City from Jibei Port, Shen Nian never left the city again. However, he always directed operations remotely through letters. After Jibei Port was put into use, he wanted to connect the businesses in the north and south to form a new maritime trade pattern, which would then generate more businesses that could provide livelihood security for the people.

At the same time, Shen Nian was also keeping an eye on the movements in the capital.

He was also furious when he learned that Wang Xijue had been dismissed.

Within the cabinet, only Wang Xijue dared to speak frankly to the emperor. After his departure, the young Wanli Emperor would become even more unscrupulous and do whatever he wanted.

Not long ago, Grand Secretary Shin Si-hang wrote a letter to Shen Nian.

On the one hand, it was to celebrate the official opening of Jibei Port; on the other hand, it was to say that there was nothing wrong in the court and that some of Wanli's actions were just being capricious.

In his eyes, the young Wanli Emperor's cancellation of daily lectures on the classics, reduction of regular court sessions, and indulgence in women were not problems, but merely petty tantrums.

At this moment, Shen Nian was utterly disappointed in the young Wanli Emperor.

He planned to first complete the task of revitalizing trade between Ji and Liao, and then deal with the issue of the young Wanli Emperor. A plan was already taking shape in his mind. (End of Chapter)