Chapter 141 Investment
In general, the conflict between Da'an and Spain was protracted, lasting from early spring to midwinter. For nearly a year, the two sides were constantly engaged in foul play and bloodshed. Armed fleets often engaged in large-scale battles on trade routes, with guns and cannons flying and smoke filling the sky. The battlefield affected an extremely wide area and trade losses were also quite serious. However, because the two powers were wary of each other and did not dare to take action in a hurry, for a long time, the confrontation between China and the West was limited to verbal battles. Letters were exchanged between them through the Bank of England and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, with saliva flying and passionate discussions. Although it was purely a case of talking to a deaf person, it at least made their attitudes clear.
Generally speaking, everyone knows that the Sino-Western war is bound to break out, but exactly when it will start is still unknown.
However, this fragile balance was eventually broken. It was during the winter solstice of that year, when it was snowing heavily and the weather was cold and wet. The Cabinet and the six ministries had all gone on holiday, and only the Foreign Affairs Office was still operating as usual. Prince Mu was sympathetic to his subordinates, so he simply invited those on duty at the Foreign Affairs Office to drink wine, enjoy the snow, and eat beef hotpot to drive away the dog days of summer.
This "butter hot pot" can be regarded as the prince's new invention. It is said that a lot of effort was put into carefully preparing the spices, from star anise and cloves to cardamom and cinnamon. He also managed to get some "chili" seeds from the Western Chamber of Commerce, and repeatedly improved and bred them. It took three to five years of effort to finally prepare a pot base with satisfactory taste.
Of course, taking into account the tastes of people in Beijing, the ingredients of the beef oil base were slightly adjusted, and the amount of chili was greatly reduced, making it basically the same as the clear soup of later generations. But despite this, the ministers sitting around the stove still gasped from the spiciness, sweat oozed from their foreheads, and they felt very hot. After eating the first round of pork belly and tender fish fillets, they could not even wear fur clothes. They took off their hats and coats, sat down to wipe the sweat, and waited for the next round of mutton slices. According to the common sense of beef oil hotpot, after boiling, a circle of beef meatballs and fat beef rolls should be blanched. The emphasis is on the original soup and the original food. But at the end of the year, the court strictly prohibited the slaughter of working cattle, and the Foreign Affairs Office set an example, so of course they could not eat beef belly.
The mutton roll had just rolled once when a creaking sound was heard outside. Eunuch Feng Baofeng from the Imperial Household Department strode in, his shoulders covered with snow and his face was very solemn:
"Where are the officers on duty? We have an emergency here!"
This opening sentence was full of energy and very loud. The intention was to take the initiative, calm the situation, and then follow the trend to force the ministers of the outer court to obey the wishes of the Imperial Household Department. Eunuch Feng was very skilled in this kind of political warfare, so upon entering the room he immediately put on a cold face that he had planned for a long time, determined to intimidate those minor officials who had just arrived.
It was not enough to just shout. Eunuch Feng raised his eyes and glared at them with an aggressive look, revealing the arrogance and wantonness of the inner court. However, when he glanced around, he saw white mist filling the room and the aroma of meat and oil wafting through the air. Where were the officials on duty who were fearful and timid?
Fortunately, the ministers who were able to enter the Ministry of External Affairs were still very sensible. Although intimidation in person did not work and their origins could not be identified through the white fog, when they heard the three words "Si Li Jian", they all stood up and got up from their seats to prepare for official business. Only the Prince of Mu sat still and took the opportunity to scoop up a handful of mutton and rolled it into the oil dish.
He dipped the mutton in sesame oil to cool it down, then looked towards the door. At this time, the white mist had dissipated. The prince looked up and down at Eunuch Feng's clothes before speaking casually:
"Where are you from?"
Eunuch Feng was stunned for a moment, and could only speak silently:
"I am a servant of the Imperial Household Department."
The prince nodded and put his chopsticks into the hot pot:
"Oh, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies."
The difference in status can be seen here. Small fry like Yan Donglou, Gao Suqing and Zhang Taiyue were frightened at the sight of eunuchs and would tremble in their hearts when they heard the words "Silijian". However, the prince was "in charge of confidential matters" and had the support of the Duke's Mansion's golden medal of immunity from death. Apart from the person in charge of Silijian and the governor of Dongchang, he really didn't take the eunuchs who ran errands and did miscellaneous things seriously. According to etiquette and convention, Eunuch Feng should bow to him.
After just a few questions and answers, Eunuch Feng's reputation was completely destroyed. His planned means of establishing authority failed miserably. He was naturally very unhappy, but he could only suppress his anger and speak:
"We are here to explain official business."
The prince took the second piece of mutton with his chopsticks:
"What business?"
"The news sent by the Jinyiwei said that the Spanish barbarians started a war outside Guangdong. There was a lot of gunfire and they also sank several Da'an merchant ships. The losses were very heavy."
The prince finally put down his chopsticks. He sat and thought for a moment, then looked up at Eunuch Feng:
"In a merchant ship naval battle, losses are inevitable. Why did the Royal Guards report it specifically?"
To put it bluntly, since the conflict between China and the West began, there have been more than a hundred naval battles of varying sizes between merchant ships. Although China has an overall advantage, there are always times when things go wrong. Victory and defeat are common in the military, not to mention that the imperial court has never paid attention to the origins of maritime merchants. What kind of big event could have alarmed the royal information channels?
Eunuch Feng smiled. After enduring for so long, he finally waited for this opportunity, an opportunity that was enough to completely shock the ministers outside the court, tear apart all their disguises, and create a huge impact.
"The owner of those sunken merchant ships was named Shao."
"What's wrong with the last name Shao——"
The prince suddenly closed his mouth, with a look of slight astonishment, and then gradually realized:
...Surname Shao?
Sea merchants who make a living come from all corners of the world, so it's not uncommon for them to have any surname. But considering that Eunuch Feng had specifically informed us, the surname was extremely subtle - Shao? The grandmother of Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor is none other than the late Emperor Xianzong’s concubine Shao!
Feixuan Zhenjun and Wanshou Emperor were mean and ungrateful, but they were quite filial to their father, mother and grandmother. They also took good care of their relatives and granted official positions to each of them. However, Shao was just a minor officer in the Hangzhou Command Post. His family background was humble and he had no long-standing connections. Even if he suddenly became prominent, it would be difficult for him to attract such a complex and difficult business as maritime trade. Not to mention, the capital for several large sea ships was something that even the noble families with deep roots in the capital could not easily afford.
The prince was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice:
"What are the things that are transported on merchant ships?"
"Of course they are all precious and valuable goods." Seeing that the other party had already understood, Eunuch Feng's tone became a little proud: "Pearls, spices, bird's nests, herbs; it's just these things."
Mu: …………
After a few words, he finally understood why the Imperial Household Department was so anxious and sneaky, rushing into the cabinet in the middle of winter and bypassing the outer court to deliver this "official document". All I can say is that people who are used to being damp are still damp no matter how hard they try to hide it. No matter how much makeup they put on, that dark, gloomy and lingering feeling of stealing will always seep out from every corner. It's extravagant if it's extravagant, it's extravagant if it's squandering, and now that things have been done, he actually pushes his grandmother's house out as a white glove!
It turns out to be you, Your Majesty!
The prince sighed:
"What about the Silijian?"
"What else can we do?" Eunuch Feng sneered, "Now it's just a few merchant ships that have been lost. If the Spaniards continue to act so recklessly in the future and make things out of control, what should we do?"
——Now only some spices and treasures have been lost. What should we do if the Spaniards rob all the ships that the emperor uses to transport magical herbs and tonics in the future?
The prince certainly understood the hidden meaning of this, and just frowned: "Are you saying that you want to start a war?"
"Does the cabinet intend to continue to tolerate this?"
That's all there is to say. Although everyone understood, they knew that the emperor was furious because his property was affected, and he was full of hatred and gnashing his teeth, and he would never let the Spaniards go. But if we put it openly, the Da'an court's protection of the legitimate interests of Chinese merchants and its strong crackdown on clearing the trade routes were all very legitimate reasons and irrefutable motives.
As long as the emperor holds the moral high ground and occupies a righteous position, the cabinet and the court will never be able to reject the palace's will and can only obey orders respectfully. So the prince stood there for a moment holding his chopsticks, and finally spoke slowly:
"We naturally dare not refuse the order of the inner court. But may I ask, eunuch, does the palace want a big fight or a small fight?"
"What if it's a big fight or a small fight?"
"If it's a small fight, it will probably be the scale of the Shangyu naval battle in the past. There's no need to bother the Imperial Household Department to intervene. The Cabinet and the Foreign Affairs Office can just issue a few official documents and ask Zhejiang and Guangdong to prepare fully." The prince said, "If it's a big fight, it means the two countries are officially at war, and the relationship is very serious. I'm afraid that the budgets of the Ministry of Revenue and the Customs, the production of various firearms factories, and the collection of grain taxes will all have to be adjusted next year."
Eunuch Feng narrowed his eyes and was somewhat speechless. The eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department are the running dogs of the palace, the henchmen of the imperial power, and the reliable white gloves of Feixuan Zhenjun and Wanshou Emperor; but in specific affairs, they can never compare with the well-seasoned ministers in the outer court. It would be fine if Xun Chao dealt with minor matters, but if he were to make random comments on major matters such as the design of national strategies, even Eunuch Feng might not be able to handle it.
To put it bluntly, Eunuch Feng came with great momentum and force, and half of his confidence came from the emperor's majesty. When Master Feixuan heard the news of the shipwreck, he was furious and could hardly control himself. His resentment has not dissipated to this day. That's why his close assistant, the Imperial Household Department, had to use the power of the emperor to vent his anger on his master's behalf; he used the ministers of the outer court as targets to show his loyalty. But venting is venting, but we can't really let the eunuchs take over the coastal defense, right?
Besides, if he really went too far, then the Prince of Mu would not be an easy character to deal with...
After thinking it over again and again, Eunuch Feng's voice naturally became less powerful:
"Of course, the emperor has to make the final decision on this matter. We will report back truthfully."
"Then I'll have to trouble you to reply."
Seeing that he could not gain any advantage from the tough guy Mu, Eunuch Feng seized the opportunity very quickly and decided not to put up a fight. He just bowed hastily, turned around and pushed the door open to leave. After the footsteps faded away, the non-staff members who had stood up sat down silently.
Everyone had worked their way up in the officialdom, so of course they knew Eunuch Feng's schemes, and they all remained silent for a moment. Yan Donglou, Zhang Taiyue and others were fine, but Gao Suqing, the scholar, could not bear it any longer and finally spoke out:
"Such a sycophantic eunuch actually came to the heart of the central government to make decisions! The discipline of the court has been completely destroyed!"
Academician Gao is Prince Yu's mentor, the crown prince's confidant, and a future important official of the imperial court. Regardless of his status and position, he is qualified to speak out. As for the rest of the outsiders, of course they have to keep their mouths shut and continue to protect themselves. Only the Prince of Mu had a strange look on his face. He turned his head and gave him a deep look:
"Mr. Bachelor should be careful with his words."
"He's just a eunuch. Aren't you being too cautious, my Lord?"
"It's better to be careful." The prince said slowly, "Besides, the future of the eunuchs in the palace is unpredictable. If you underestimate the eunuchs, you will inevitably suffer a great loss."
Eunuchs are the emperor's domestic slaves and running dogs of the palace. In 99% of cases, these lackeys are absolutely tools, insignificant people who pose no threat at all. But in the one percent possibility, some extremely lucky eunuchs will win the favor of the emperor, and from then on they will be able to climb up the social ladder, cross the numerous dragon gates, and soar into the sky!
How could the Three Yangs of a hundred years ago look down on Wang Zhen? How could Yang Tinghe look down on Liu Jin sixty years ago? But as long as they can borrow a little breath from the real dragon, even a humble chicken or a clay dog can be reborn, become unique and unrepeatable, and stir up unrest in the country. Da'an has been in power for hundreds of years and has seen many things like this.
This is a rather obscure warning and also a subtle reminder. Gao Suqing might not necessarily understand the hidden meaning, but he should at least understand the prince's good intentions. He nodded in thanks, and after thinking for a moment, he decided to return the kindness of this solidarity, and also delivered a message on behalf of Prince Yu:
"... But speaking of which, I have vaguely heard about the origins of the Shao family's maritime merchants at Prince Yu's mansion."
Mu Qi blinked, vaguely surprised. To be honest, it is not surprising that the emperor borrowed his grandmother's family as a white glove, but the news of the white gloves was actually told to Prince Yu who was keeping himself at home. That was quite strange - the family has an eldest son, who is known as the head of the family; the emperor informed the eldest son of the news. Did he intend to make foreign trade a family business of the Zhu family?
Lao Deng’s thinking is very advanced!
"Please enlighten me, Master."
"I dare not." Gao Xueshi said: "According to His Royal Highness Prince Yu, in addition to the Shao family, the palace may have shares in several large sea merchants..."
"About how much?"
"A few-a few million taels."
As soon as the words came out, Zhang Taiyue immediately took a breath of cold air, and the prince slightly widened his eyes:
"Millions of taels? Which maritime merchant can afford millions of taels?!"
The layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the details. Outsiders would just be distracted by the staggering number of "millions" and would be merely shocked. However, experts who have been immersed in maritime trade for a long time would immediately realize that something is wrong as soon as they hear the number. The sea has been opened for several years now, and the commerce along the coast can be considered prosperous. However, no matter how prosperous it is, it must abide by the laws of economic development. With the meager capital that the current maritime merchants have accumulated not long ago, who can afford to take over shares worth millions of taels?
The difference in magnitude is so huge that it almost feels like the beauty of a domineering president spending trillions of dollars in old romance novels. If it weren't for Mr. Gao's character, Mu Qi would have thought this was some kind of bad joke.
"I don't know much about it." Gao Xueshi said, "However, Prince Yu said that these millions of taels are not all shares. It seems that there are also bonds and stocks. I don't understand..."
Zhang Taiyue still looked confused, but the prince's expression suddenly changed:
stock? Bonds? Isn't this clear - it's clearly about playing with financial derivatives and starting to invest in futures?
Although maritime trade has been opened, Da'an is still a highly conservative and closed agricultural society with deep-rooted traditional customs. The sea merchants along the coast traveled the oceans in search of huge profits, and finally accumulated a little wealth, but they still had to spend a lot of money to annex land and buy and sell people, continuing to follow the old closed and rigid path of feudal landlords; a large amount of wealth was accumulated on land and luxury goods, which firmly fettered the vitality of the entire society and became one of the ironclad evidences of the so-called "reactionary system hindering the development of productivity"; among these many insects, the very few enlightened people who were willing to invest in business and industry were already a rare dawn in the dark world, and the glorious representatives of advanced productivity...
Judging from the current news, Master Feixuan - Master Feixuan has actually transcended the constraints of the times. He is neither conservative nor closed-minded. He has not taken the old path of seeking land and houses, but has invested huge amounts of money in the vast reproduction of trade. He even dares to use new financial tools to expand capital and boldly try the most advanced and brilliant financial innovations of mankind. He is eclectic, pioneering and enterprising, and can do anything -
What's this? Isn't this clearly a leap from feudal landlords to financial capitalism?
Isn’t Lao Deng’s thinking a bit too advanced?
Financial capital certainly also sucks blood, but compared to the decadent and useless feudal landlords, they can definitely hold their heads high and say they have advanced productive forces. Similarly, Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor, who is willing to invest a large sum of money in maritime trade and bills, is indeed more advanced, more far-sighted, and more glorious than all the landlords in the southeast, northwest, and northeast in terms of historical standing. He can better represent the direction of human development and the future of the world.
The prince took a breath silently.
"...No wonder then." He murmured.
Yes, that's no wonder. One of the characteristics of financial markets is that they can accommodate huge amounts of capital. None of the coastal merchants could afford to take a share of these millions of taels of silver, but the Nanyang financial market operated by the Bank of England and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce could easily accept this high investment. Judging from this, Shaw's merchant ships are just small-scale operations. It is estimated that most of Zhenjun's capital has been invested in related stocks and bonds.
Therefore, it is no wonder that Eunuch Feng dared to come so aggressively and force the central government to go to war. Finance has great profits but also great risks. If there is a mistake in operation, not only will the Taoist lose all his capital in an instant, but he may also owe millions of taels of silver. At that time, not only will the old Taoist lose his profits, but even his retirement capital will be lost.
Advanced productivity also has its disadvantages, and this is one of them.
Of course, ordinary old men and women who were defrauded of their pensions would have to go to the police station and the bank to fight for their money; but Zhenjun is different. Once he realizes that the pension he has worked hard to invest is at risk of losing money, he will immediately strike hard and let the financial capitalists in Nanyang taste the endless gratitude that the Zhu family has. Who in the world could steal the emperor's money and run away? !
My money! It's all my money!
——As soon as I thought of this, the familiar roar of the True Lord seemed to surround my ears. The prince slowly turned his head and saw several subordinates with different expressions.
"...If that's the case, we can't just give up." He pondered for a long time and spoke in a low voice: "In my opinion, I'm afraid we still have to fight a big war. Taiyue, I'll probably have to trouble you with the document of declaring war when the time comes, so you'd better have a draft in advance."
Zhang Taiyue immediately stood up, bowed and said yes, then said:
"I still need your advice on the main idea of the manuscript."
"There's nothing much to say. Since it's a war, just use the template of 'what is tolerable and what is not tolerable' and emphasize the crimes of Spain." The prince thought for a while and said, "After writing it, send it to Yan, Xu, and Li for review. I won't read it."
Zhang Taiyue nodded and accepted the order. The prince looked at Master Gao again:
"Please tell Prince Yu about my intentions, Master."
Mr. Gao nodded repeatedly, looking quite happy - the willingness to share knowledge and experience on important matters meant that the Duke Mu's Mansion showed great friendliness to the crown prince; at this time when the emperor was in seclusion and the government was treacherous, the meaning of this was extremely important.
The prince hesitated for a moment before looking at Elder Yan who was sitting restlessly beside him. The young cabinet minister quickly stood up, looking quite embarrassed. When everyone was talking just now, no one mentioned Yan Donglou; but this avoidance was precisely a subtle highlighting of the tacit consensus - in fact, everyone understood that the emperor had lived in the deep palace for a long time, so where did he get the channels to easily transfer millions of taels outside and engage in financial speculation?
It seems that the young minister has become much more skilled after working at the Bank of England for a year.
Seeing the prince looking at him silently, the young elder was sweating profusely:
"Previously, His Majesty did..."
"The previous matter is over, there is no need to mention it now." The prince waved his hand to stop him from speaking: "It is a good thing that His Majesty is willing to try the advanced finance of foreigners."
——Of course, the emperor was so bold as to spend millions at a time, which was a bit too advanced. But millions have been thrown away, what can the ministers do? The matter is done, now it’s other things that matter.
The prince paused and looked around. Gao and Zhang understood what he meant and immediately pretended to be in a hurry and left their seats. After the footsteps faded away, Mu spoke softly:
"...I heard that the Bank of England has a channel for trading gold?"
Yan Donglou was stunned for a moment before hesitantly replying:
"Yes, but they are all large-scale transactions..."
It is certainly impossible for big capital to engage in petty gold and silver business. The so-called gold trade of the banking chamber of commerce is also a kind of financial operation. Large amounts of money are traded, not because they really need gold, but simply to make a profit from the rise and fall of gold and silver prices.
"That's good." The prince said, "In that case, I would like to ask Brother Donglou to pay attention and buy gold before the imperial edict to declare war on Spain is issued. The more the better, and don't be stingy with the capital."
"Why ..."
Yan Donglou just finished speaking and swallowed the second half of his sentence - gold in troubled times, antiques in prosperous times; when war breaks out, the demand for gold will naturally increase; as long as the demand is understood in advance, then of course...
"In addition, please ask Brother Donglou to pass the news to Ruwang." The prince smiled and said, "I think he should know what to do."
·
——When the cannon is fired, it’s worth a fortune. Those who understand will understand everything in the world.
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