The First Family of the Red Mansion

Even though the generals of the capital garrison were eager for battle, Emperor Anping ultimately did not agree to their proposal.

"In the end, it all came down to a lack of money!"

"If I had billions of taels of silver and granaries overflowing with grain, why would I have so easily let the Jurchens pass this time?"

After the court session, Emperor Anping had Liu Hu follow behind him, looking troubled.

Emperor Anping was not willing to be so frustrated. He had just defeated the Oirat, who occupied the west, and felt that he had achieved great success. But then Jianzhou suddenly dealt him this blow.

How could Emperor Anping, who aspired to be like Emperor Taizong of Tang, not be furious?

However, the Crown Prince's performance in court today gave him some comfort.

As Xu Shi had predicted, after the civil officials blocked Wu Xun's offensive, they immediately turned their attention to Prince Zhongxin, the second son of Emperor Anping.

Although news of last night's events hasn't arrived yet, everyone who stands in the imperial court knows what happened last night.

An Tong, the Vice Minister of Rites and a pillar of the Donglin Party in the court, had his home confiscated, and he himself "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

If they wanted Emperor Anping to be less severely punished this time and not implicate them, they could only try to sever ties with the Donglin Zhejiang Party, which was also based in Jiangnan, as soon as possible.

Prince Zhongxin, who married a woman from the Gao family, one of the leaders of the Donglin Party, as his principal wife, became a perfect target.

In any case, Prince Zhongxin's base in Jiangnan was the Donglin Party, which was not the same as the traditional Jiangnan gentry, so he had no qualms about impeaching him.

Moreover, those maritime merchants who supported the Donglin Party and the Zhejiang Party, relying on the power of Prince Zhongxin, had embezzled a great deal of the interests of these traditional gentry.

Thanks to their efforts, Emperor Taizu lifted the maritime ban, but the vast majority of the profits were stolen by merchants who had come from pirate backgrounds.

Even so, they still weren't satisfied. After they had money, those maritime merchants even started competing with them in silkworm farming. They were planning to leave them no piece of meat at all!

If this had happened during the Ming Dynasty, these civil officials would have taught them a lesson long ago.

Unfortunately, they didn't dare to do so in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The civil officials in Jiangnan were already living in fear under the suppression of imperial power and military forces, and could no longer withstand internal strife.

To counter the imperial power of military force, the Jiangnan literati, who came from traditional gentry backgrounds, would often lend them a hand.

This time, however, the Donglin Party, the Zhejiang Party, and the maritime merchants behind them clearly broke the rules and crossed the bottom line of the Great Zhou's civil and military affairs.

Although it's impossible to wipe out all those maritime merchants based on last night's events, as long as we join Emperor Anping and Wu Xun in taking action, we can definitely make the traditional gentry eat their fill this time.

They had already cornered Emperor Anping. It seemed that if Prince Zhongxin didn't depose his concubine, he would be nothing more than a leisurely prince.

Those maritime merchants who had sought refuge with him, now without his protection, had no choice but to submit to these civil officials.

Pity……

At the crucial moment, the Crown Prince and his northern civil officials stepped forward to help, thus preventing the southern civil officials from succeeding.

No matter how bad Prince Zhongxin is, as long as he doesn't fall, those surviving maritime merchants will ultimately remain under the control of the royal family.

If Prince Zhongxin were to actually depose his wife or become a prince with no real power, the vast majority of the profits from maritime trade would fall into the hands of the gentry of Jiangnan.

That won't do.

They already had food and manpower; the only advantage the royal family had over them was money and soldiers.

If those Jiangnan gentry were to regain control of the profits from maritime trade, it would be much more difficult to suppress them.

Once the gentry of Jiangnan control maritime trade, it means they will have a way out.

They have vast territories and islands overseas. If pushed too far, they might abandon their foundation in the Central Plains and retreat overseas.

When they faced those civil officials from Jiangnan, Emperor Anping and Wu Xun would have no choice but to compromise, since civil officials with a way out might really dare to overturn the table.

The merchants behind the Donglin Party and the Zhejiang Party, though wealthy, lacked connections.

Even if they wanted to overturn the table, they wouldn't have the confidence.

Having money but no manpower is useless. Even if you go overseas, you'll be unfamiliar with the place and the people, and it won't be long before those barbarians treat you like easy prey.

This is also why Emperor Anping was pleased that the Crown Prince had saved Prince Zhongxin in court.

In his view, his crown prince had already shown foresight and had seen the advantages and disadvantages of letting traditional Jiangnan gentry control maritime trade.

Listening to Emperor Anping's eloquent analysis, Liu Hu was filled with admiration.

"Without a bit of cunning, even if he managed to sit in Emperor Anping's current position, he'd probably become a monkey in the hands of those civil officials!"

Who would have thought that what seemed like an ordinary court confrontation would actually conceal so many twists and turns?

No wonder there are far more foolish than wise rulers in history. Even if Liu Hu were to sit on the throne now, he would surely become a foolish ruler. It's really impossible to win!

"Liu Hu!"

"Your subject is here!"

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, Emperor Anping dismissed the person on the far right, leaving only Liu Hu behind.

"Alright, it's just the two of us here, ruler and subject, no need for such formalities!"

Emperor Anping waved his hand irritably, sat on his throne, and moved the memorials on his desk aside.

"How much impact do you think it would have on our Great Zhou if we easily let the Jianzhou Jurchens go this time?"

"It's just the two of us here. You may speak freely; I will forgive you!"

Upon hearing Emperor Anping's words, Liu Hu's heart immediately jumped into his throat.

From Emperor Anping's explanation, Liu Hu realized that he was no match for Emperor Anping if he tried to outsmart him.

But when Liu Hu was asked to tell the truth, he hesitated.

Liu Hu, from a later generation, knew all too well how dangerous the Jianzhou Jurchens were.

Do you really think Tang poetry, Song lyrics, Yuan drama, Ming novels, and Qing treaties are jokes?

The Han people's spirit, which had been ingrained for thousands of years, was directly broken by the Manchus. After kneeling for hundreds of years, it was not easy for them to stand up again.

The indoctrination and literary inquisitions, along with centuries of isolationism, wiped out the leading advantage that the East had held for thousands of years.

Finally, they shamelessly declared, "We will use the resources of China to win the favor of foreign powers!"

Pah! They've lost all shame! How disgraceful!

When in thousands of years have we ever been bullied like this?

But to be honest, even if we disregard the fact that the current Great Zhou is not the Great Ming, the Great Zhou has never regarded the mere Jianzhou Jurchens as a major threat.

Speaking only of the civil officials, it is clear that they oppose directly using force against the Jianzhou Jurchens.

Liu Hu's statement that the Jurchens would become a major threat to the Great Zhou Dynasty clearly puts Emperor Anping in a difficult position and will inevitably offend the civil officials.

But if I don't tell the truth, not only will I be deceiving the emperor, but my own conscience will also be troubled.

A century of humiliation! Which Chinese son or daughter can remain unmoved?

Since the Great Zhou is currently short of money and food and cannot launch another large-scale military campaign, Liu Hu is unwilling to simply let the Jianzhou Jurchens go.

So he could only think of a way to weaken the Jianzhou Jurchens without the court having to spend money or supplies.

When it comes to this, is there anyone more skilled at it than our Western ancestors?

Throughout the history of Western colonialism, as long as they have no moral bottom line, they will only make money and never lose money.

People will do anything to make money.

Since we can't find the answer in our thousands of years of history, we can only look to other people's successful cases.

Liu Hu thought for a moment and then asked, "Has Your Majesty ever heard of the triangular trade of the foreign barbarians?"

"Triangular trade, what is that?"

Emperor Anping looked bewildered. He was asking about the Jianzhou Jurchens, but what did that have to do with the "red-haired barbarians"?

"Your Majesty, do you have a map, the most comprehensive one?"

"Yes, the Dutch once presented Emperor Taizong with a map of the world, and when I first ascended the throne, the Spanish presented me with a so-called globe."

Although Emperor Anping did not know what Liu Hu was planning to do, he still spoke.

"That's good. As long as Your Majesty listens to my explanation, you will understand how those barbarians rose from a tiny country to where they are today."

"As for how to deal with the Jianzhou Jurchens, that is entirely up to Your Majesty!"

If Emperor Anping were to treat the Jianzhou Jurchens the same way Western colonizers treated Black people, Liu Hu would not take the blame, nor could he afford to!

Once Pandora's box is opened, no one can predict how the Great Zhou Dynasty will develop.

"Since you enjoy being slaves so much, then I'll let you be slaves to your heart's content!"

"Your Majesty, this is where the Red-haired Barbarians live."

"They call this place the European continent. It is about the same size as the Central Plains, but it has hundreds or even thousands of countries and city-states."

"And what we call the Red-Haired Trilogy is right here, here, and here."

Liu Hu pointed to three tiny places along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and said.

"The so-called 'Red Hair Trilogy' is actually only two parts in theory, since the Dutch are still a Spanish colony."

"The so-called colonies were similar to the various tribes under our control; they had no military power, and the king was also the king of Spain."

"Does that mean the Dutch have already perished?" Emperor Anping was hearing this for the first time. Although he didn't understand why Liu Hu was saying these things, he listened with great interest.

"That's right, the Dutch are indeed now extinct."

Liu Hu nodded and said that although they became independent decades later, it is not wrong to say that they have lost their country now.

"The so-called triangular trade was that the red-haired barbarians purchased salt, iron and cloth from their homeland and transported them here by sea and land."

Liu Hu drew a route from Europe to Africa on the map: "Here, they traded salt, iron, and cloth for African black slaves."

"Then we traveled by sea across this ocean they called the Atlantic to get here."

"They called this the New World, where there are rich gold, silver and copper mines and vast, fertile land and pastures."

"The land available for growing grain is at least three times that of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Liu Hu was not exaggerating. In later generations, the United States alone had 150 million square kilometers of arable land, which is 30 square kilometers more than us, not to mention the entire Americas.

"They have at least three times the arable land of us, and also abundant gold, silver, and copper mines?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Anping could no longer sit still. He stood up, his eyes red, and looked at the two pieces of land that were several times larger than the Great Zhou Dynasty, asking a question.

"That's right!" Liu Hu nodded.

"What a pity, how could such a large area be occupied by those few tiny countries?"

The Central Plains dynasties have always had some sense of shame. Although Emperor Anping coveted this vast territory and was extremely envious, he still restrained his greed and showed a regretful expression.

"Moreover, this land also has several high-yield crops. With these crops, the Great Zhou will never have to worry about food again!"

Seeing that Emperor Anping was about to retreat, Liu Hu continued to tempt him.

"Really?" Emperor Anping's greed, which had been almost suppressed, seemed to be tempted again.

"That's true!" Liu Hu said. "It's said that people in the south are already cultivating sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, but whether that's true or not still needs to be confirmed."

These three crops were originally introduced to my country during this period in history. I wonder if they have been introduced to the Great Zhou Dynasty in this time and space?

"Of these three crops, corn has a similar yield to wheat, but like wheat and rice, it is a staple food and is resistant to cold and drought."

"Although potatoes and sweet potatoes are not staple foods, they can be used as emergency food. Most importantly, these two crops have extremely high yields, with a minimum yield of five shi per mu."

Although the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes might be higher, he dared not speak carelessly. Who knew if, without hundreds of years of improvement, the yield of potatoes and sweet potatoes was really twenty or thirty bushels?

Just as Liu Hu was speaking, Emperor Anping could no longer contain himself.

"In recent years, small-scale droughts have occurred in the north, and the weather is getting colder and colder. With corn, at least the people in the north will not starve to death due to crop failure."

"But why have I never heard of these crops?"

Liu Hu said with a wry smile, "This subject does not know either!"

Although these three crops were introduced to the Central Plains by the late Ming Dynasty, they were not widely promoted until the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, which led to the so-called "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperity!"

This is something that even Liu Hu, let alone Emperor Anping, couldn't understand.

Even though there were three high-yield crops, why did large-scale peasant uprisings still occur at the end of the Ming Dynasty due to famine?

As long as these three crops are promoted in the north, even if the Ming Dynasty eventually falls, it can at least prolong the country's fortunes for a few more years.

However, until the Manchus entered the pass, the north had almost never heard of these three crops.

"Okay, go on!"

"As for these three crops, I will have the Embroidered Uniform Guard personally go to the south to investigate."

Emperor Anping was now barely able to contain his excitement.

If these three crops are truly as Liu Hu described, then the Great Zhou will never again experience famine.

Ensuring that all the people in the world have enough to eat is such a great achievement!

When the time comes, forget about Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Mingzu; they will all have to step aside for me.

Even if Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong stood before him, he would still dare to say a few words: "Look at your grandsons and sons, how well they are as emperors! You two old men are nothing but tools for conceiving children on behalf of Heaven, I am the true Son of Heaven!"

After the initial excitement, Emperor Anping's expression turned grim again.

If these crops had indeed reached the Great Zhou Dynasty long ago, and the emperor had not received any news about them, it would be hard to believe that the gentry of Jiangnan hadn't interfered.