Wanshou Palace, Western Garden of the Capital.
Emperor Jiajing Zhu Houcong was very excited when he saw the victory report in his hand.
The victory report was sent urgently by Zhu Wan, the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. The Ministry of Public Administration did not dare to delay and immediately sent someone to deliver it to the Western Garden, and also copied a copy and sent it to the Cabinet.
If Zhu Houcong guessed correctly, Yan Song should also be on his way to Xiyuan.
Zhu Houcong was naturally very proud.
Zhu Wan was appointed by him as the Governor of Zhejiang, and was later promoted to Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang for his merits.
Facts proved that he was right. Zhu Wan not only defeated the Japanese pirates and Portuguese pirates, but also eliminated their stronghold, Shuangyu Island, which had been their base for many years.
Of course, in addition to his keen eye for talent, the victory on Shuangyu Island also proved one thing - the Ming Dynasty navy was truly invincible!
The Jiajing Emperor reigned for twenty-seven years and considered himself as a man of civil and military achievements comparable to those of the Qin Shi Huang, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong and Song Taizu.
But the sea troubles in the southeast were what troubled him most.
It can be said that the maritime ban was a national policy implemented by Emperor Taizu himself.
In the third year of Hongwu, the Taicang Huangdu Maritime Customs Office was abolished.
In the seventh year of Hongwu, the three maritime customs offices in Quanzhou, Fujian, Mingzhou, Zhejiang, and Guangzhou, Guangdong were abolished.
In the 14th year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu personally issued an edict, prohibiting coastal residents from secretly communicating with overseas countries because the Japanese pirates were still not stopping their tracks.
It even stipulated that if treacherous and powerful individuals, as well as military and civilians, arbitrarily built illegal ships with three masts or more, and carried contraband goods to foreign countries for trade, secretly colluded with pirates, conspired with others, or acted as guides to plunder innocent civilians, they would be executed according to the laws for their own crimes, their heads would be displayed to the public, and their entire family would be sent to the border as exiles. Those who built ships in the aforementioned categories and sold them to foreigners for profit would be treated as those who took prohibited military equipment to sea, thereby leaking military intelligence. The ringleader would be executed, and the accomplices would be sent to the border as exiles.
In the 27th year of the Hongwu reign, the imperial court issued a decree prohibiting the civilian use and trade of imported foreign incense and goods. Anyone who dared to engage in private trade with foreign countries would be severely punished. All foreign incense and goods were prohibited from being sold, and any existing stock was required to be sold within three months.
Emperor Taizu even established the ancestral precept of "not allowing any boats to go out to sea" to be passed down.
During the Yongle and Xuande periods, except for Zheng He's voyages to the West, which represented the political interests of the Ming court, maritime bans remained strict.
Soon after Zhu Houcong ascended the throne, the "Battle of Tribute" broke out in Ningbo.
Zhu Houcong then ordered that Japan's trade policy be changed to a tribute system of once every ten years.
But this did not seem to improve the Japanese threat, but instead it became more and more serious.
More and more Japanese came to the coast of Ming Dynasty and started smuggling.
The Portuguese from the West were also unwilling to be left out. In the 19th year of the Jiajing reign, they began to migrate en masse to Shuangyu Port. Within a year, they built over a thousand houses. From then on, the Portuguese's influence in Shuangyu Port grew, engaging in smuggling and trade with Japanese pirates and local pirates, disregarding the Ming imperial court.
Shuangyu has become a country within a country.
This was something Zhu Houcong could never accept. How could he allow others to sleep soundly beside his bed?
In the 26th year of the Jiajing reign, Yang Jiuze, the inspector of Zhejiang, wrote a letter stating frankly: "Ning, Shao, Tai, and Wen counties in Zhejiang all lie on mountainous terrain and border the sea, extending to Fujian's Fu, Xing, Quan, and Zhang counties. They are often plagued by Japanese pirates. The pirates appear and disappear unpredictably, and the bureaucrats of the two provinces are not in control of each other, making it difficult to establish a unified approach to control them."
Yang Jiuze used this as a reason to ask Emperor Jiajing to reinstate the important inspecting officials.
Zhu Houcong thought what Yang Jiuze said made sense, so he ordered Zhu Wan to "also take charge of Fujian Fu, Xing, Jian, Ning, Quan, Zhang and other places, and supervise military affairs."
This led to Zhu Wan's drastic reforms to coastal defense, which led to the great victory of Shuangyu today.
As the Son of Heaven, he obeys the will of God and looks down upon his ministers and the people.
Emperor Jiajing naturally felt that all the contributions were made by the people and that the credit should go to him.
In his opinion, Zhu Wan was indeed very capable, but it was also the result of his trust and promotion.
Therefore, he deserves at least half of the credit for the Shuangyu victory.
It now seems that there is nothing wrong with the major national policy of maritime ban.
These Japanese pirates and Portuguese pirates may seem arrogant, but they are actually just a group of rabble. Weren't they defeated in one blow?
Just when Emperor Jiajing was feeling proud and satisfied, a eunuch came to report that Lord Yan had arrived outside the palace gate and requested to see him.
Emperor Jiajing said without any emotion: "Let him come in."
He put away the smile on his face and turned into the majestic king and father again.
After Emperor Jiajing sat down on the throne, Yan Song entered the hall.
Although he was already 68 years old and was the chief minister of the cabinet, he had no intention of disobeying etiquette. When he came before Emperor Jiajing, he pushed the golden mountain and overturned the jade pillar and bowed his head.
When Emperor Jiajing saw Yan Song burying his head under his body with his butt raised high and looking very respectful, he felt very proud.
Both Xia Yan and Yan Song were very capable. The reason why Emperor Jiajing favored Yan Song was because Yan Song understood etiquette and observed propriety.
However, Xia Yan was proud of his achievements and became so arrogant that he even lost his manners.
This made Emperor Jiajing wonder who had the final say in the Ming Dynasty?
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing decided to replace Xia Yan with Yan Song, and the Hetao incident was just an opportunity.
"Master Yan, please stand up."
Emperor Jiajing raised his hand and spoke with dignity.
"I, your Majesty, thank you."
Yan Song stood up tremblingly, with his hands clasped behind his back, and waited respectfully by the side.
"Has Lord Yan seen the victory report from Shuangyu?"
Emperor Jiajing picked up the victory report and asked in a deep voice.
"This old minister has read the transcript. Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. The Ming navy is invincible. There is no need to worry about the southeast being in turmoil."
Yan Song was the chief minister of the cabinet. Normally, the cabinet would first vote on the opinions on general memorials.
The extremely special report of victory was reported directly to the emperor by the Ministry of Public Administration.
But according to convention, a copy is made and sent to the cabinet.
Therefore, before Yan Song came to Xiyuan to meet the emperor, he had read the victory report and found no procedural problems.
"Zhu Wan is a capable minister and has never let me down."
As soon as Emperor Jiajing finished speaking, Yan Song continued, "This is all thanks to your Majesty's ability to know people and assign them to the right positions."
Although he knew that Yan Song was flattering him, Emperor Jiajing felt very comfortable.
He nodded and said, "After this battle, the Ming navy's prestige has greatly increased. Zhu Wan has made great contributions to the country and deserves a reward."
Yan Song repeatedly said yes.
"According to Lord Yan's opinion, how should we reward them?"
Emperor Jiajing asked slowly.
"Your Majesty, according to the rules, the Nine Ministers should discuss this matter in court. I, an old minister, dare not speak rashly."
Emperor Jiajing nodded slightly and said, "Since that's the case, let Elder Yan preside over the court discussion and come up with a set of rules first."
"I obey your order."
Yan Song responded quickly.
"When the water recedes, the stones of the Qin Dynasty remain; when the tide comes in, the rafts of the Han Dynasty are no longer visible. I know from afar that hundreds of countries are in the distance, yet I dare not forget the dangers and burdens I have shouldered over the years."
Emperor Jiajing suddenly recited a poem, which surprised Yan Song.
"This poem was appended by Zhu Wan to the end of the memorial. I will also give it to Lord Yan, so that we may encourage each other."
"This old minister will follow your majesty's instructions!"
Although he didn't know what the emperor was up to, Yan Song agreed immediately.
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