Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 219 Political Discussion

Since the Ming Dynasty, agriculture has always been emphasized and commerce has been suppressed. Perhaps it was because Zhu Yuanzhang had been cheated by unscrupulous businessmen, so he had been suppressing businessmen since the founding of the country. However, under the leadership of Meng Jun, many restrictions on businessmen had been abolished.

Such as clothing restrictions, residence restrictions, occupational restrictions, etc. The Ming Dynasty law stipulated that merchants were not allowed to wear clothes made of high-end fabrics such as silk, and could only wear clothes made of cotton and linen. Merchants were also not allowed to live in the central areas of the city. Merchants and their descendants were prohibited from taking the imperial examinations to a certain extent, so it was difficult for them to enter the bureaucratic system, which also limited their social mobility and political influence.

Although these restrictions became increasingly relaxed towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, with merchants living in the center and wearing brocade clothes, people had long been accustomed to it.

However, it was impossible to prohibit merchants and their descendants from taking the imperial examinations, especially in the late Ming Dynasty, although the Ming Dynasty Law clearly stipulated that merchants who did not engage in production and only engaged in minor businesses could be arrested and punished.

But there is a loophole in the actual operation: "Not engaging in production, but specializing in minor business". So, what if you manage the land and do business at the same time? What if you open a factory and do business at the same time?

Merchants can buy land and declare that their main income is from land, thus becoming landlords. In this way, no matter what kind of merchant they are, they are all in the good books.

As long as the merchants do not admit that they are merchants and have land, they are not breaking the law. If they are registered as civilians, they can let their children take part in the imperial examinations.

Moreover, businessmen did not appear out of thin air. They might have been good citizens in the beginning, but they just made money through business. As long as their family still has land and factories, they are still good citizens.

For example, Tang Yin, also known as Tang Bohu, was a typical merchant's son. His father ran a restaurant, but that did not stop him from taking the imperial examinations, where he won the title of Jieyuan in Nanzhili.

However, the laws on the surface still exist, and the shogunate led by Meng Jun abolished a large number of unequal laws that restricted merchants. Although it gradually turned to mercantilism, in the current shogunate, although the Commercial Administration Department has been established and the officials have been gradually strengthened, Meng Jun is still hesitant about the candidate for the chief official. Meng Jun pondered for a long time and decided to ask Zhang Zhe to come out and be the director of the Commercial Administration Department.

Under the slogan of expelling the Tartars and recovering the country, and under the propaganda of the Propaganda Department day after day and year after year, the people of Jiangnan in Suzhou, the former base camp, really contributed money and manpower. The merchant class actively raised funds for military expenses, scholars ran around to call for military support, and common people joined the army one after another.

After Meng Jun settled in Nanjing, he issued some relevant decrees in the name of the shogunate, especially the establishment of the Commercial Administration Department. Meng Jun set about rectifying the chaotic commerce and iron smelting industries, established port offices in various ports, and collected commercial taxes. In the decrees of the shogunate, Meng Jun did not clearly state whether to "open the sea", but he had abolished the legal provisions of the maritime ban, leaving it to those who were interested to figure it out.

At the shogunate's political meeting, in a solemn atmosphere, Meng Jun sat in the main seat and proposed to expand the scale of the Ma'anshan iron ore area and start discussions on maritime trade.

Yang En stood up and said, "Everyone, the production of iron ore is related to the military preparation of our army. The demand for iron ore is increasing day by day. We should expand the mining area to meet the urgent need."

Gu Yanwu nodded and said, "In war, iron is used to fight. Since the output of iron ore is insufficient, we can dig mountains and build factories. That's feasible."

At this time, Liu Zhongzao had a different opinion. He stood up and said to Meng Jun, "The mines are booming, and factories are built in the mountains. Sand and water are washed, rivers are blocked, and veins are dug. If it rains for a long time, the fields will be flooded, which will harm people's livelihood. Moreover, the owners of the iron mines are mostly local tyrants. The people gathered by the tyrants are mostly chicken thieves and dog thieves. They gather together to gamble, show off their strength and bully the people. It is not uncommon. If the iron mines are exhausted, or the charcoal and wood are not continued, the mines will be unstable, and the miners will have no way to make a living. They will definitely gather together to become thieves and harm their neighbors!"

For Meng Jun, in order to meet the demand for firearms and various types of military equipment and to cope with the upcoming task of military expansion, it is imperative to control the iron smelting industry. He cannot always rely on seized goods and plundering local treasuries to make weapons for the army. Although Liu Zhongzao's words make sense, he does not know what is important.

Meng Jun said slowly: "The northern barbarians are in sight. There are endless battles in Huguang, Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi. Building a large iron mine may damage local farmland, but we should not stop eating because of choking. As for the gathering of local mining tyrants, we can send Qingluan Guards to patrol the mines."

Everyone agreed. Now was the time to use troops. Expanding the iron mine and increasing military equipment and firearms were exactly what should be done. Although Liu Zhongzao still had reservations, he knew that Meng Jun had made up his mind and he could not stop him.

In the subsequent discussion on maritime trade, Yang En hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, we once said that we would not open the sea for the time being, but now it's less than a year, this..."

Zhang Kentang, Lu Zhenfei, Liu Zhongzao and others were old ministers, and they were deeply uneasy about Meng Jun's drastic reforms. The military and political meetings in recent days have made everyone know that Meng Jun wants to develop business, but they also know that their influence is not taken seriously in Meng Jun's group. Seeing Yang En, who is the most respected by Meng Jun, speaking out against it, Lu Zhenfei quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, it has been said since ancient times that the king never speaks in vain, and you must not regret it easily!"

Zhang Kentang also said: "There is constant fighting in the south and the goods are not complete. If we open the sea now, the gentry in the south will be in danger of Japanese pirates. The disadvantages will outweigh the advantages!"

Gu Yanwu refuted: "Your Majesty, you are going out to sea to contact Korea and Japan, and use them as a passage to attack the Qing Dynasty!"

Meng Jun's eyes lit up when he heard this: "That's right, let's contact the two countries first to discuss the anti-Qing issue, and the maritime trade issue can be finalized after consultation with the two countries."

As the political discussion was over, the order to expand the iron mine was issued to various places, and civilians and craftsmen were mobilized. The political discussion was completed, and the order to expand the Ma'anshan Iron Mine was spread to various prefectures and counties like a gust of wind. As soon as this order was issued, the county magistrate summoned the gentry, and the gentry summoned the villagers, and the order was passed down layer by layer to mobilize civilians.

When we arrived at Ma'anshan, we saw a busy scene. Craftsmen were surveying the terrain and planning mining methods, while laborers began to build the mining area under the guidance of the craftsmen.

Regarding maritime trade, Meng Jun ordered Shen Tingyang to send ten warships and the shogunate to raise more than ten merchant ships, and they went along the coast to Korea to have secret talks with the Korean side first.

At this time Lin Shiqi had reported the military order. The army easily recaptured Wuhu without losing any soldiers and was about to march to Xuancheng Prefecture. The defender of Xuancheng Prefecture, Geng Shiji, refused Lin Shiqi's surrender, and Lin Shiqi's army was about to besiege Xuancheng Prefecture. The Battle of Xuancheng was about to begin.