My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 144 "Please Reopen the Transport of Documents from Dengliaohai"

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao opened the letter and were slightly surprised when they saw the signature.

The person who wrote the letter to Su Ze was none other than Tu Zemin, the current governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Rumors were circulating in the capital that Tu Zemin's reinstatement and subsequent appointment as the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou were all thanks to Su Ze.

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao initially did not believe such rumors.

How could Su Ze, a mere minor official, decide the appointment of a high-ranking official like a governor?

However, after seeing this letter, Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao were truly certain that Tu Zemin's appointment as governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou might actually be due to Su Ze's efforts!
The letter was written in a very humble tone, even to the point that Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao felt it was somewhat flattering.

A high-ranking official, the governor of a region, wrote a letter to Su Ze in such a tone that anyone who didn't know better would think Su Ze had already joined the cabinet!

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao felt a surge of excitement. The fact that Su Ze had entrusted them with such a private message meant that they had entered Su Ze's inner circle.

Suppressing their excitement, the two carefully read the letter.

But soon the two of them looked troubled. They recognized the words in the letter, but they couldn't understand the contents!
For the first time, the two began to doubt their own knowledge. Although they had not achieved high rankings in the imperial examinations, they were still Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations) and were among the best of the scholars.

Su Ze noticed the awkwardness between the two men of the same age and called Xu Wei over to explain the contents of the letter to them.

Xu Wei said:

"The letter from Governor Tu requests that the court reopen the Liaodong sea transport route."

Seeing that the two still looked blank, Xu Wei continued:

Before the reign of the late emperor, most of the grain transported by the court to Liaodong was loaded onto ships in Dengzhou and Laizhou and shipped north.

"During the Yongle era, grain from Jiangnan was transported to Shandong or Zhigu via the Grand Canal, and then transferred to sea ships to be transported to Jinzhou and Lushun in Liaodong. The whole journey only took about ten days."

"During the Chenghua era, the imperial court opened up the Liaodong sea transport route, which transported goods directly from Laizhou Port to Liaodong in just three days and nights."

"The imperial court once built sunshade boats in Laizhou. They were flat-bottomed, square-headed, and ten zhang long. The cabins were waterproof and moisture-proof, and the losses were minimal."

"But since the late emperor abolished sea transport and switched to river and land transport, the cost of transporting grain to Liaodong has increased dramatically every year, and the losses are also ten times that of sea transport."

Hearing this, Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao also realized the benefits of maritime transport.

Shen Zao asked:

"If that's the case, why did the late emperor abolish the Dengzhou-Laizhou maritime transport?"

Xu Wei said calmly:
"Because of the Japanese invasion."

Shen Zao then asked:
"Now that the Japanese pirates have been quelled, why doesn't the imperial court reopen maritime trade?"

Su Ze's heart stirred slightly; this was probably the difference in vision between a junior scholar and an ordinary scholar.

If Shen Yiguan, Luo Wanhua, or even Zhang Wei and Wang Jiaping were here, they wouldn't ask such a question.

This is because the probationary scholars studied at the Hanlin Academy and could bypass the imperial court's memorials. If they were willing to put in the effort, they could understand the decision-making process of major events in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the training process for prime ministers in the Ming Dynasty lacked the part of training at the grassroots level, the design of the Hanlin Academy was still very good for training people.

Famous prime ministers of the Ming Dynasty, such as Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, learned a great deal of historical experience while in the Hanlin Academy, and their governing philosophies were basically formed during their time in the Hanlin Academy.

This was a question that Xu Wei couldn't answer, so Su Ze took over the conversation and said:
"There are two main reasons."

"The first reason is the Ministry of Works."

“Since the maritime transport was cut off during the reign of the late emperor, the court adopted mule and horse transport and rebuilt the post roads of Shanhaiguan, Ningyuan and Jinzhou. Mule and horse transport cost 3 taels of silver per stone, while sea transport only cost 8 qian per stone.”

"With such high transportation costs, the Ministry of Works proposed to dredge the canals in Liaodong, dredge the Sancha River and Liaohe River waterways, and build a canal transport system in Liaodong as well."

"There are great differences within the Ministry of Works regarding this plan, which has led to the formation of the pro-grain transport faction and the pro-ship transport faction, and now the pro-grain transport faction is more vocal within the Ministry of Works."

Now Wang Renzhong was also confused, and he said:
"Since the dynasty has been using sea transport to Liaodong since the Yongle era, and building the canal would be time-consuming and laborious, why does the Ministry of Works still insist on building the canal?"

Su Ze explained, "Building a canal is no simple matter. It involves the political achievements of many people. If this canal is built well, it could produce a Minister of Works."

Now Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao finally understood.

Throughout history, managing and repairing rivers has been considered a great achievement, and one that is readily apparent.

Therefore, within the Ministry of Works, the faction advocating the construction of the Liaohe Canal was led by Wang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of Works. They insisted on building the Liaohe Canal for transport, arguing that maritime transport might be threatened by Japanese pirates.

Shen Zao said somewhat angrily:
"Don't these people in the Ministry of Works prioritize national affairs?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"This matter cannot be entirely blamed on the Ministry of Works."

"The Japanese invasion lasted for more than a decade, and the coastline suffered great damage. However, the greatest damage was that the sunshade boats in Laizhou Port were all dilapidated and unusable. If we want to restart maritime transport, we need to build ships."

"If it were just shipbuilding, that would be one thing, but after more than a decade of maritime ban, the various garrisons in Dengzhou and Laizhou no longer have enough boatmen and sailors."

The Wokou raids in the southeast not only changed the southeastern region, but also affected many of the Ming Dynasty's policies.

“Repairing the Liaohe River canal requires money, and rebuilding the transport fleet also requires money. The imperial court only has this much money, so the two factions will naturally fight over it.”

Now Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao understood, and they nodded repeatedly.

Then Wang Renzhong asked:

"Brother Zilin just gave two reasons. What is the third reason?"

Su Ze said:

"Shanxi merchants".

"Shanxi merchants? How could mere merchants influence the imperial court's policies?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"Shanxi merchants are not ordinary merchants and should not be underestimated."

"In our great Ming Dynasty, there were Jin merchants from Shanxi and Hui merchants from Southern Zhili, one in the south and one in the north."

"Take the Shanxi merchants for example. They rose to prominence when our dynasty implemented the Open Market Policy, which involved transporting grain to the border."

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao felt their brains were completely overwhelmed. How did the Shanxi merchants suddenly bring up the Sino-French trade again?
They then realized that the gap between themselves and Su Ze was not just a difference in reputation, but a huge gap in their level of thinking.

When Su Ze sees a problem, he can immediately see the crux of the problem and find a solution.

They couldn't even see the crux of the problem.

Both were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from two different lists, so is there really such a big difference between them?

Su Ze had always dealt with probationary scholars, and his associates were top scholars like Shen Shixing and Luo Wanhua. He never expected that Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao would need so much tutoring.

However, he still patiently explained:
"The Salt Law was a salt law formulated during the Hongwu reign to solve the problem of insufficient food supply in border garrisons."

"Simply put, merchants transported grain to border towns, and the government issued salt permits based on the distance and quantity. Merchants then used these permits to collect salt at the salt fields and sell it."

"Of course, the actual implementation of the Open Market Law was much more complicated than I described. All you two need to know is that, because of the implementation of the Open Market Law, Shanxi merchants gradually monopolized the grain transport business in the north."

"By the Hongzhi era, when Ye Qi, the then Minister of Revenue, allowed merchants to donate salt permits, the salt distribution system had become defunct. Salt merchants could buy salt permits with silver and no longer needed to transport grain to the border. However, the nine border regions still needed caravans to transport grain, and the Shanxi merchants became even more powerful." "Whether it was land transport or canal transport, the Shanxi merchants' caravans could participate and profit from it. If it were changed to sea transport, the Shanxi merchants would lose the benefits of the Jiliao region."

"Therefore, Shanxi merchants also operated in the capital, hiring mountain brokers and agents to persuade court officials to continue using land transport and prevent the court from discussing sea transport again."

After Su Ze explained it this way, Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao finally understood that the Dengliaohai transport project involved so many interests, and it was no wonder that the Ministry of Works was arguing about it endlessly.

Su Ze continued:

"After the governor of Dengzhou, Laizhou and Tuzhou took office, he reorganized the coastal defense and repaired three sunshade boats. He wanted to restart the Dengzhou-Liaoning sea transport, so he wrote to me to ask for my opinion."

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao nodded repeatedly. It didn't seem out of place at all for a governor to ask Su Ze, a sixth-rank official, about the position of Zuo Chunfang Zuo Zhongyun.

Shen Zao quickly asked:

"What's your opinion, Brother Zilin?"

Su Ze said:

"I naturally agree with restarting the Liaodong Maritime Transport Project."

Su Ze said, "The cost of sea transport is far lower than that of land transport and canal transport, and the losses required are also very small. If we can restart the sea transport route to Liaodong, we can save a lot of money."

Another reason is something Su Ze didn't mention.

The demand for maritime transport will also drive advancements in shipbuilding technology.

In order to defend against pirates, escort fleets were created.

Historically, the Spanish Armada was actually created to protect its treasure ships.

The development of the escort fleet can also improve navigation technology and naval weapons, so Su Ze naturally supports maritime transport.

Su Ze said again:
"Whether it's the Liaohe River canal or the mule and horse land transport, both are easily cut off by the enemy during wartime. In contrast, sea transport is safer."

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao were somewhat puzzled by this reason.

Su Ze understood their doubts, because the focus of the entire Jiubian defense line was currently on Shanxi and the northwest, while Jiliao was generally still stable.

Liaodong's main enemies were the Chahar Mongols in the eastern Gobi Desert and the Jurchens in the far northern mountains.

The Jianzhou Jurchens and Haixi Jurchens, who rose to power later, were still obediently serving as dogs for the Ming Dynasty.

No civil or military official during the Longqing reign could have imagined that the culprit that would one day destroy the Ming Dynasty was now in Jiliao.

Historically, Nurhaci forced the surrender of the Ji-Liao garrisons by cutting off the land transport routes in Liaodong. During the Chongzhen era, there was an attempt to restart maritime transport, but by then it was too late.

Therefore, regardless of the reason, Su Ze supports restarting the Liaodong-Haikou sea route.

Su Ze had already clearly stated his point of view, and Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao immediately said seriously:

"What does Brother Zilin want us to do?"

Su Ze looked at the two with satisfaction. Although Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao were not very good at politics, the fact that they could say such a thing meant that they had clearly stated their intention to follow him.

For a political group, loyalty is often more important than talent.

After all, in a political group, only a few people are truly talented; for most members, loyalty is all that's needed.

Su Ze said:

"I am prepared to submit a memorial to the emperor, agreeing with Governor Tu's opinion to restart the sea transport from Dengliao."

"However, this petition will inevitably provoke a counterattack from officials associated with the Grand Canal faction and Shanxi merchants."

"You two are the Supervising Censors of Shandong Province, and you have a say in Shandong affairs. When the time comes, please have the two of you campaign at the Censorate to support the resumption of the Dengzhou-Liaoning sea transport!"

Su Ze didn't mention the other half: Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao had the power to supervise officials from Shandong and Shandong. They could use their positions as censors of the Censorate to force some people to support the Dengliao-Hai Railway.

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao immediately expressed their opinions:
"Brother Zilin, we two can also join you in submitting the petition!"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"No need, you two just need to do your own thing."

Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao quickly said:

"Don't worry, Brother Zilin, we'll go to the Censorate tomorrow to keep an eye on things."

After seeing the two off, Su Ze opened the [Portable Ming Dynasty App].

Actually, Su Ze had already used the [Handheld Ming Dynasty Court] a few days ago.

——[Simulation Start]——

A day later, the memorial "Request to Reopen the Transport of Goods to Liaodong and Haikou" was sent to the Grand Secretariat. Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng supported your opinion, but asked you to send it to the Ministry of Works for further discussion. The memorial was then sent to the palace.

Two days later, the emperor issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Works to reconsider the memorial.

There was a great deal of disagreement within the Ministry of Works regarding your memorial. Wang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of Works, threatened to resign, and the Emperor shelved your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Should I spend 200 prestige points to force the memorial to pass?]

Su Ze asked the system:

"System, can we postpone the decision on whether to spend prestige points?"

[Yes, this simulation will be temporarily suspended until the host makes a decision, at which point the prestige points will be deducted. However, during the suspension period, the next national policy simulation cannot be performed.]

Su Ze then asked, "When I decide to deduct it, will the prestige points be recalculated?"

The prestige points to be deducted will be recalculated before the deduction.

Sure enough!

In fact, the journey to Liaohai was not a big deal, and the resistance was not particularly great. The cabinet ministers were all smart men, and it wouldn't be difficult to persuade the emperor.

Therefore, enforcement only requires 200 prestige points.

However, Su Ze did this to verify one of his conjectures.

When Su Ze was working on the "Assessment Law" last time, he had already thought that if he could actively cause a change in the political climate after the simulation, making the political climate more favorable to him, would he be able to spend less prestige points?
This serves two purposes: firstly, it conserves valuable prestige points, allowing for the implementation of policies with fewer points.

On the other hand, Su Ze could also observe changes in the court situation and understand how these changes affected the implementation of national policies.

Even later, after Su Ze uses the [Portable Ming Dynasty Court], could he target those who oppose him, thereby reducing the cost of implementing national policies?

For example, this time, the most vehement opponent of the sea route to Liaodong was Wang Zhihuan, the Vice Minister of Works.

Su Ze had already prepared for how to suppress Wang Zhihuan's opposition.

However, if we still use censors to attack Wang Zhihuan, then we are going back to the old path of factionalism and suppression of dissent in the late Ming Dynasty.

As a time traveler, Su Ze naturally disdained to do such a thing!
Su Ze picked up a letter from the table, read its contents carefully twice, then got up and headed to the newspaper office with the letter in his hand.

(End of this chapter)