Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 299 The Subordinate State's Imperial Guards Launch an Attack (Part 2)

Hassanbuq was a bit confused; their Brunei Kingdom's records didn't describe the tribute system like this.

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually invited him to sit down after only exchanging a few words with him!

He was completely bewildered as he was led by a eunuch into a carriage, and then he got off the carriage in the same bewilderment and entered the main hall of another palace.

That's where things are different.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was empty, with nothing but pillars. However, there was a huge table inside, and on the table was a huge map.

While he was still in a daze, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty actually invited him to sit down and ordered someone to serve him fragrant tea. Then, pointing to the map on the table, he asked, "How many mineral deposits are currently being mined in Brunei, and what is the annual revenue?"

How do you say this?

Hassanbuq thought for a moment, then said cautiously, “Your Majesty, we have only opened some gold mines at the moment, and not many people are mining them. It would be good if we could produce tens of thousands of taels of gold a month, and in a year we could only produce a little over 100,000 taels of gold, less than 200,000 taels.”

Less than 200,000 taels of gold a year may not seem like much, but it was actually quite good, all because gold was valuable. If we use the exchange rate of the Ming Dynasty, 200,000 taels of gold would be equivalent to 2.8 million taels of silver. Even if we use the exchange rate of Southeast Asia, 200,000 taels of gold would be equivalent to 2 million taels of silver.

It should be noted that before the Ming Dynasty was developed, its annual tax revenue was only four to five million taels of silver. Therefore, two hundred thousand taels of gold was already a considerable sum.

However, this is only in comparison to the Ming Dynasty of the past or the present Brunei Kingdom.

Compared to the current profits of the Ming Dynasty, 200,000 taels of gold is nothing.

Borneo is famous for its abundant gold mines. In later generations, the countries that produced the most gold produced at least hundreds of tons a year, which is hundreds of thousands of kilograms a year, not hundreds of thousands of taels a year.

The annual gold production of less than 200,000 taels is far too low.
Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then solemnly said, "How about this, I want to help you mine. I will also send people to explore the mineral deposits in Borneo for you. No matter what kind of mineral deposit it is, I can help you mine it."

As for the profits, we can distribute them proportionally. What do you think is a suitable percentage?

Does this mean we take a percentage and the Ming Dynasty takes a percentage?
Hassanbuq thought for a moment and then decisively said, "Your Majesty, how about we split it in half? My idea is that you can send people to mine any kind of mineral deposit. After deducting the costs, we will take half of the profits."

Yes, you're really good.

Zhu Jue nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, it's settled then. We'll split the profits 50/50. I guarantee that your annual income will be at least ten times higher than before."

what?
The annual dividends can increase at least tenfold!
How much is that?
He couldn't even imagine how much that was.

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq repeatedly clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

This is not over yet.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then said solemnly, "Let's also settle on the timber. I'll calculate the price for whatever amount of timber we get from you."

Well, how much money can you make from logging timber? Compared to mining gold, the money you make from logging timber doesn't seem like much at all.

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq generously said, "Your Majesty, why don't we just forget about the timber? Consider it a small token of my respect to you."

It's enough that you have the intention.

However, the cost of this timber cannot be ignored.

I don't want to deplete the resources of our vassal states by killing all the fish in the pond. I want you all to be able to make money so that we can all develop together. Trying to take all the benefits for yourself will eventually lead to big problems.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "The timber must be paid for. My Great Ming is not a colonial bandit. How can we take your resources for free? Besides, we need a lot of timber. If it's not paid for, you will lose a lot of money."

That's it.

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what do you think is a suitable price for timber?"

So you mean I have complete control over everything?

Alright, I'm determined not to let you suffer any losses.

Zhu Jue pondered, “There are many kinds of wood. Nowadays, ordinary wood is about one or two taels of silver per piece, while wood used for shipbuilding is about two taels of silver per piece. As for precious wood, it’s hard to say; some pieces can cost tens or even hundreds of taels of silver per piece.”

Leaving aside other timber for now, what we need right now is timber for shipbuilding. I'll give you two taels of silver per timber. We'll need about five to six million timbers to build one batch of ships, and we can build about three batches a year. Your side will need to harvest at least five million timbers a year, so I'll give you ten million taels a year. What do you think?"

what?
Ten million taels a year!
Hassanbuq was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

That's about it.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Is there anything else you need? Just tell me what you need, and I will do my best to fulfill it."

Why is this so embarrassing?

Hassanbuq thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered that there was something he hadn't shown to His Majesty the Emperor. He quickly took out a list from his pocket, presented it with both hands, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is a list of tribute items from our Brunei Kingdom. Please take a look."

The tribute mission naturally involved presenting tribute items.

However, the tributes that vassal states paid to the Ming Dynasty were generally local specialties.

Zhu Jue took the list and saw that the items that Brunei Kingdom had presented as tribute this time seemed to be quite valuable, including hawksbill turtle shells, raw tortoise shells, peacocks, large pieces of camphor, rice camphor, and various other incense. They had also presented quite a lot of these items.

He nodded slightly and said, "Yes, my dear minister, you are very kind. I won't stand on ceremony with you. Just tell me what reward you want."

I never wanted any reward in the first place.

However, along the way, I've had some thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have brought many family members and officials with me this time. They have long yearned for the Ming Dynasty and wish to return to their ancestral homeland to recognize their ancestors. Would you be so kind as to grant us permission to travel around the Ming Dynasty?"

This is nothing.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Where are your ancestral homes?"

Hassanbuq replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, most of my officials and I come from Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province."

Oh, so you and Zheng Zhilong are from the same hometown.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue immediately announced loudly, "Summon the Marquis of Nan'an to come and pay his respects."

Zheng Zhilong had been waiting outside for the summons.

He quickly entered, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then raised his hand and said, "Zhilong, the subjects of the Brunei Kingdom are all your fellow countrymen. They want to go back to their hometown to recognize their ancestors and also want to travel around. Who do you think would be suitable to escort them?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong solemnly replied, "Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian are quite familiar with the southeastern coast and their hometown of Quanzhou. I think they are both quite capable."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Then let Zheng Cai return to the capital immediately."

Zheng Zhilong quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "My dear minister, is there anything else you need?"

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, I have witnessed the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty along the way, and I cannot help but feel a sense of longing."

Your humble servant thinks that it would be wonderful if the capital of Brunei could be built as magnificent as the city of the Ming Dynasty.

Furthermore, Brunei is located in the sea, making navigation extremely inconvenient without ships. However, we are not very skilled at shipbuilding; we don't even know how to build large ships of 800 liters.

Your humble servant still hopes that Brunei will have a shipyard and waterway for building ships of 800 liang (a unit of weight).

"Your Majesty, I have a small wish, but if it's too much trouble, then please forget it."

None of this matters. You were the first to come and pay tribute, and you were so obedient. I must reward you handsomely and set an example for the other vassal states in Southeast Asia.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue slowly nodded and said, "No problem. This time, I will select 10,000 craftsmen to go back to Bo Ni with you. They can build palaces, cities, docks, waterways, ports and wharves for you."

That would be great.

Upon hearing this, Hassanbuq repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I have no further requests."

It seems like nothing else happened after that.

The King of Brunei should let Zheng Zhilong take him to rest.

The question is, where should we take them to rest?

Thinking of this, Zhu Jue was stunned.

The capital is so large, he actually forgot to build accommodations for the foreign delegations!

Brunei is just the beginning. Soon, other Southeast Asian countries will come to pay tribute, and the tributary delegations will likely number in the hundreds.

The Brunei Kingdom has sent several hundred people this time, and it's difficult to find a place to settle them.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment before waving his hand and saying, "Zhilong, take them to the Ten Princes' Mansion to rest first. When Zheng Cai arrives, take a large Zhiyuan merchant ship, ten small Weiyuan warships, and one hundred small Zhiyuan merchant ships to escort them to the southeast."

(End of this chapter)