Chapter 319 Killing towards Jiangyin

Nanjing has a complete set of government agencies, and basically all idle positions are there. Among them, the Minister of War of Nanjing is generally the title of "Counselor and the Office of the Mechanics", and together with the eunuchs in the garrison and the Nanjing garrison ministers, they jointly manage all the affairs of Nanjing. Generally, the three people are mainly the Minister of War of Nanjing, which is considered to be more important. The rest of the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate of Nanjing also have some functions. However, as the power of eunuchs expands, the Minister of War of War is gradually overwhelmed by the eunuchs.

The third position is called Nanjing Guardians, abbreviated as Nanjing Guardians. Generally speaking, there are many people in this position, which is a collective name for a group. This group of people in charge of the Governor's Office of the Five Army and directly manage the troops. Due to the clear regulations of the Ming Dynasty, descendants of powerful and noble ministers were not allowed to serve as civil servants and could only serve as military generals. Therefore, most of the military positions were occupied by them.

Among these garrison ministers, including Xu Yunjue, Duke Baoguo Zhu Guobi, Duke Longping Zhang Gongri, Duke Linhuai Li Zushu, Duke Huaining Sun Weicheng, Duke Lingbi Tang Guozuo, Duke Anyuan Liu Zuochang, Duke Yongchang Xu Hongjue, Duke Dingyuan Deng Wenyou, Duke Xincheng Zhao Zhilong, Duke Xiangcheng Chang Yingjun, Duke Daxing Zou Cunyi, Duke Ningjin Liu Yunji, Duke Nanhe Bo Fang Yiyuan, Duke Dongning Jiao Mengxiong, Duke Ancheng Zhang Guocai, Duke Luo Zhongbo Huang Jiuding, Duke Cheng An'an Guo Guoyong.

The leaders were naturally two dukes. One was the descendant of Xu Da and the other was Zhu Yong. In addition, Xincheng Bo Zhao Zhilong was also a figure. Because when the Qing army advanced south in the future, it was the one who led officials from all over the country to surrender to the Qing army. In addition, Zhu Guobi also had some relationship with Kou Baimen among the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai.

Generally speaking, the eunuch in charge is the representative of the emperor, the Minister of War is the representative of civil servants, and the ministers are naturally the representatives of the major nobles. Among these three positions, the most powerful one is the eunuch in charge. The eunuch in charge of the past are all the confidants of the emperor. Emperor Chongzhen transferred Zhang Yixian to strengthen the monitoring of Nanjing and Nanzhili. The original eunuch in charge of the eunuch in charge of the former eunuch Lu Jiude had to stand aside for the time being.

Eunuchs do not have little penis and are generally not interested in women. Their main purpose is to make money. The eunuchs in Nanjing are especially good at making money. Generally speaking, eunuchs leave the emperor's side, which is more or less a loss. Because they flatter the emperor from time to time, they may fall out of favor at any time. For example, Gao Qiqian died and refused to leave the emperor's side, let alone be sent to Nanjing. Wang Kun was also reluctant to be sent to Xuanfu as eunuch in charge. Therefore, once eunuchs are sent to Nanjing, they have to desperately plunder money and continue to maintain close contact with the emperor.

What did Emperor Chongzhen lack the most? What he lacked the most was food and silver. As long as you kept giving him silver and food through certain channels, he would think you were a person who could do things. The eunuchs were all cunning and naturally understood the truth. To catch money, you must first arrest people, and first replace officials at all levels with those who know how to respect themselves. In this way, every time Nanjing replaces eunuchs, it means that a large number of people will be replaced.

The Jiangyin Water Inspection Department is actually just a seventh-rank institution. In terms of rank, it is impossible to enter the eyes of all officials. However, due to its special power, it has become a hot position. The eunuchs who served as guards are unwilling to let go.

The maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty was still very developed. In addition to the sea ships along Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang, there were also many ships starting from the inland of the Yangtze River. The ships entering and leaving the estuary of the Yangtze River were endless. When passing by the Jiangyin Inspection Department, they had to give them filial piety. This is a stable and quite generous income!

According to the confession of the prisoners, the inspection department collected hundreds of taels of silver every day. At the end of the year, there were more, thousands of taels every day. After a year, hundreds of thousands of taels were easily included. This is not the fixed filial piety of those big businesses every year. If those filial piety were added, there might be millions of taels of silver. Such a well-off department would of course be the fat meat of all the eunuchs in charge of the custodial eunuchs.

Zhang Yixian was originally a good person to make money. He originally helped Emperor Chongzhen manage the imperial village. He did a good job, but in the end, he offended Gao Qiqian and was secretly encouraged Chongzhen to be sent to Nanjing. Well, it is not considered exile. In fact, the grade has been improved. But, after all, he left the emperor's side, right? For eunuchs, it is very dangerous to leave the emperor's side, and someone will replace the emperor's favor for you at any time.

Therefore, after Zhang Yixian came to Nanjing, he tried his best to find ways to make money to get Chongzhen's favor for him. He quickly replaced the original Jiangyin inspector and replaced him with his own person, a man named Liao Dake. Liao Dake took office and of course he had to flatter Zhang Yixian desperately. It was about to be the New Year, so Liao Dake naturally ordered his subordinates to increase the intensity of the inspection.

The Jiangyin Inspection Department has a total of five patrol ships, all of which are dispatched. Any ships that have not been handed over to the filial piety will be seized. Of course, most merchant ships will take the initiative to send filial piety to avoid the emergence of the situation. It can be said that December is the most prosperous month for the Jiangyin Inspection Department to obtain, and the income of one month is as good as the usual two months.

The maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty was not taxed. The annual trade volume of Fujian tea reached one million taels of silver, but the annual tea tax was only more than thirty taels of silver. This shows that. However, if contraband was found on the ship, the entire ship's cargo could be confiscated, and the cargo owners could even be held accountable. This is where the power of the Jiangyin Inspection Department lies. What is contraband? Without explicit statement, it is the Jiangyin Inspection Department who has the final say. In this way, there is a lot of room for operation.

The most prohibited items are naturally goods exported to Japan. After the Ming Dynasty opened the sea ban, the imperial edict had a saying, "Communicate with things and travel to and from Western barbarians". This sentence is very sophisticated. Why is it so exquisite? Because Japan is not included. The imperial edict deliberately missed the word "Dongyi". Simply put, it means that you can do business with Westerners (Western Yi), but you cannot do business with Japanese (Dongyi). If you transport goods to Japan, it is illegal, and I can detain you.

During the Wanli period, the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese army fought fiercely in North Korea. As a result, the Japanese army was beaten to pieces and defeated. Several so-called military gods in Japan were beaten to the point of being blue and swollen, and they ran back to the country with their arms and armor, even calling the Ming Dynasty invincible. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a generation of Japanese hero, was so angry that he vomited blood and died soon after. The efforts of the whole country were not as good as a slap in the Ming Dynasty. No wonder the monkey also vomited blood and died.

Since then, Japan has never been China's business partner. Why? Take revenge! At the same time, it is also to prevent the Japanese from rogue ambitions from breaking out again. Emperor Wanli's vision is very accurate and he is always worried about the Japanese. His meaning is very simple. Anyone can do business with the Ming Dynasty, but you can't do it. I just want to block you and prevent you from developing.

Subsequently, whether it was the Apocalypse or Chongzhen's succession, they continued the will of Emperor Wanli. Japan was unable to trade normally with the Ming Dynasty. Although cargo ships kept running quietly to Japan, they were actually unable to come to the forefront. If they really wanted to come up with it, it was a violation of the law. Some of them were beheaded and confiscated.

Why is Zheng Zhilong's maritime profit so generous? He occupied the Japanese market. He cleverly occupied this gap. The court of the court knew about the pirate leader, but they had no choice but to turn a blind eye. In fact, from this perspective, Zheng Zhilong is also a big traitor, and is also a Japanese traitor. However, from another perspective, if you don't do business with the Japanese, the Japanese's money will be stolen by the Westerners, which is a huge loss!

When the Jiajing Sea Ban was banned, Japan happened to be in the Warring States Period and needed a lot of military supplies. Since the Ming Dynasty did not export supplies, they could only buy them from Westerners. Iron cannons and other things were sold by Portuguese people. The Portuguese really made a lot of money in their business with the Japanese. If these money were made by the Ming Dynasty, it would be a good choice. Why should I give the money to others? I don’t want it!

In fact, before the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese could not pose a threat to China. The Tang Dynasty beaten at Baijiangkou, and from then on, he never dared to say that Sunrise East and Emperor Rizhao was sent to send envoys of Tang every year. During the Song Dynasty, he was also very obedient. Only in the Yuan Dynasty, the gods made Japan arrogant. As a result, in the Ming Dynasty, he was beaten hard again, and even the monkey was pissed to death.

Unfortunately, when the Qing Dynasty arrived, it was no longer successful, and the Japanese were venting all their new and old hatreds. In the past, the Japanese were sending silver to China, but the Qing Dynasty sent silver to the Japanese. It can be seen that what the Japanese could deal with was the alien regime in China. Well, Chang Kaishen didn't count, his regime had never been stable.

...It's gone far.

The Jiangyin Water Inspection Department uses the excuse of communicating with Japan to extort passing merchant ships. If the relevant filial piety is not delivered in time, the goods, ships, and even people will be seized. Generally, in a month, the inspection department will seize two or three merchant ships that do not understand the rules. After the owner of the merchant ship learns the way, in order to avoid greater losses, he will naturally obediently send filial piety. Therefore, since the establishment of the Inspection Department, it has not failed.

However, the surviving patrol officers knew nothing about why the inspection department detained Shen Lingfei's Sanqi. They knew about the Shen family in Suzhou. In the past, they were automatically released by the Shen family's ship. This time, it was the direct order from the superior to intercept Shen Lingfei's ship. The person who led the team was Cui Jianshi, and perhaps he knew the inside story. Unfortunately, he was beaten to death by Zhang Zhun.

I have to go to Jiangyin to find the answer to this question.

After sailing for more than half a day, the two ships, Fuhai and Ninghai, finally slowly approached Jiangyin.

Jiangyin is located at the end of the Yangtze River, at the throat of the Yangtze River. It has been a fortress in the river defense and a place that must be fought for by military strategists. In the Ming Dynasty, Jiangyin was already quite famous. For example, in the early Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch Liu Jin was abusing the country and the three Jiangyin people in the court - Huang Zhao, the censor Gong Anfu, and Shi Liangzuo, either used to persuade him to save his death or dissuade him with memorials. Li Xu called it "Jiangyin for one time" in "The Old Man of Jie'an"; he also had the courage to fight the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who went to prison generously and died in torture, and was listed as the "Seven Gentlemen of the Queen of Donglin".

After Chongzhen committed suicide, the Qing army went south and slaughtered Jiangnan. The people of Jiangyin City, led by the three Dukes of the Anti-Qing Dynasty, guarded the lonely city for 81 days (known in history as the 81st day of Jiangyin), and then the whole city died for the feud. The Ming Dynasty's "Jiangyin County Chronicles" evaluated Jiangyin as "not only a polite town, but actually called a country of loyalty and immortality. The pillar of the Yangtze River is the pillar of the Yangtze River, and the foot is the southeast." It can be seen that the blood nature of Jiangyin people.

However, Jiangyin at this moment is not a good place in Zhang Zhun's eyes. No matter how good the place is, it will be stinky if there is a yamen like the Inspection Department. He came not to admire the people of Jiangyin, but to find the bad luck of the Inspection Department.

In fact, along the way, the merchant ships passing by subconsciously avoided Fuhai and Ninghai, for fear that the two ships would come up. This shows what the inspection department looks like among merchants. There is such a roadblock here and it takes hundreds of taels of profit out of thin air. Which merchant is willing to do it?

Yang Guohua said with a smile: "They treat us as people from the inspection department."

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "Aren't we from the Inspection Department?"

Yang Guohua couldn't help laughing.

Apart from the two red flags at the top of the mast, there was no change in appearance in Fuhai and Ninghai. From the outside, it was impossible to see it. If Zhang Zhun and his friends changed into the clothes of the inspection department and stopped a few merchant ships, wouldn’t the other party be obediently sending filial piety?

"Sir, Jiangyin Wharf is coming. Should we park at a civilian wharf or a special wharf in the inspection department?" A naval officer came to ask for instructions.

"Door at the special dock." Zhang Zhun said in a deep voice.

The naval officer agreed to go.

Soon, Fuhai and Ninghai began to adjust their courses and leaned towards the special dock of the inspection department. Jiangyin is located on the south side of the Yangtze River, and the dock is of course also on the south side of the Yangtze River. After the ship adjusted its course, it drove with the wind. When the wind was blown, Fuhai and Ninghai quickly accelerated, and the south bank of the Yangtze River was in sight.

"Prepare for the fight!"

Zhang Zhun shouted coldly.
Chapter completed!