Hundreds of millions of taels of silver!
Zhu Di was completely shocked and couldn’t believe it!
Don’t look at the Ming Dynasty’s annual tax revenue of 30 million taels, but that is a figure calculated by including grain, silk, etc.
Ming Dynasty’s annual tax revenue does not exceed three million taels!
Hundreds of millions of taels of silver, tens of millions of taels of gold, what is that concept？
Subconsciously, Zhu Di felt that this guy was bragging and talking nonsense.
‘Yes, Lord Han, everyone knows that the Japanese country is poor. Otherwise, how could those Japanese pirates risk their lives and plunder our coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty？’
Even Little Sniffle echoed, not believing it at all.
Zhu Gaoxu sighed and explained patiently, ‘There are many reasons why Japanese pirates robbed the Ming Dynasty.’
‘First, during the Hongwu period of the Japanese Kingdom, the Northern and Southern Dynasties were divided. The princes were separatist and fighting each other for power. Some landlords in the Southern Dynasties who failed in the war organized warriors, merchants and ronin to carry out armed smuggling, robbery, burning and killing pirates in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty. Activity.’
‘Secondly, many of Japan’s daily necessities, such as silk, cloth, pots, needles, and medicinal materials, are supplied by our country, Ming Dynasty, and they are in short supply in Japan and even many small overseas countries. This stimulated the Japanese lords, nobles, warriors, merchants, etc. to compete for our country’s Ming Dynasty. trading.’
‘However, Taizu implemented a strict national policy of maritime ban, which prevented the Japanese countries from obtaining supplies from the Ming Dynasty through trade. In addition, in the 25th year of Hongwu’s reign, the Northern Dynasties unified the Japanese countries. The warriors of the Southern Dynasties were frustrated, politicians and ronin lost their support, so they lived on the sea and occupied the islands. From time to time, they intruded on the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and more and more Japanese people followed suit and relied on looting to obtain supplies from the Ming Dynasty. This led to the increasing Japanese troubles in the late Hongwu years.’
Zhu Di’s eyes widened after hearing this, his face full of disbelief.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese invasion has become more serious, so Taizu implemented a strict national policy of maritime ban.
But no one thought that this would actually cause the Japanese plague to become more and more serious!
If Zhu Gaoxu’s remarks are true, then Zhu Di will have to seriously consider whether to suspend the exploration and cooperation trade with the Japanese countries in order to eliminate the Japanese pirates’ intrusion on the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Gaoxu seemed to be aware of this and took the opportunity to propose a policy with ill intentions.
‘Dad, the Japanese country has poor hands-on skills, so they must rely on me, the Ming Dynasty, to provide daily necessities, just like those barbarians from the Meng Yuan Dynasty.’
‘You can take advantage of the visit of the Japanese envoys to order to cancel the joint trade with the Japanese in the name of the Japanese pirates’ wanton plunder, unless the Japanese deal with the Japanese pirates on their own.’
Zhu Di tugged on his beard and nodded with some relief.
This was the first time that he and his second son had the same opinions on national affairs.
This second guy seems to have really come to his senses!
‘Let’s talk about the silver mine.’
Zhu Di is not interested in anything now, only money.
‘Don’t even think about the silver mine, unless you are willing to send troops to destroy this small country.’
Zhu Gaoxu was eager to confuse him, wishing that Zhu Di would send troops now to destroy this abominable Japanese country.
However, Zhu Di just rolled his eyes at him and rejected the proposal.
‘The Japanese country is a country that Taizu has decided not to conquer. What’s more, we, the Ming Dynasty, are the kingdom of the heaven. We should have good connections with other countries and treat people from far away. How can we rely on strength to bully the weak？ By doing this, where does the majesty of the heaven go？’
Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, then shrugged helplessly, not prepared to argue with him about this issue.
If you don’t want to fight, then I won’t fight. When you burp your ass, I will personally lead the troops to destroy Xiaori… the Japanese who are living a good life!
After a pause, Zhu Gaoxu continued to draw circles, mumbling to himself as he drew.
‘Dad, you see, this is the Delhi Sultanate, which is also known as the ‘Shendu’ Tianzhu’ in ancient books. It is rich in hand-woven sari fabrics.’
‘This is the country of Luzon, which is rich in gold. This is the island country of Molucca, which is especially rich in spices such as sandalwood, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. It is known as the ‘land of spices.’ In addition, there is gold and pepper from Sumatra, camphor from Borneo, and Timor.’ of sandalwood…”
Zhu Di was stunned, completely stunned, his eyes were wide open, looking like he was in disbelief.
He looked at Little Sniffle beside him, who also looked in disbelief.
But even after Zhu Gaoxu said this, there were some things that he naturally didn’t want to say or feel unhappy about.
‘Dad, actually spices and gold, although valuable, are not the most precious things on the sea.’
Zhu Di was stunned and subconsciously asked, ‘What is more precious than spices and gold？’
The production of spices in the Central Plains has been very rare since ancient times. However, scholars and officials regarded spices as elegant things for self-cultivation. Therefore, spices were more expensive than gold and became an expensive thing sought after by dignitaries.
Zhu Di really never thought that anything in this world could be more precious than spices？
Being uneducated is terrible!
Zhu Gaoxu rolled his eyes at him and said slowly, ‘Dad, the food crops of my Ming Dynasty are mainly rice in the south and wheat and corn in the north, right？’
After hearing this, Zhu Di felt more and more confused, but he still nodded.
‘Dad, do you know the average yield of wheat, rice, and corn per acre？’
‘Except for other factors, rice can be grown twice a year, with an average yield of about four shi per mu. Wheat is also divided into winter wheat and spring wheat. The average is almost four shi. The average yield of corn is much worse, with only two shi per mu.’
After all, this is a matter of common sense. Zhu Di even farmed in Fengyang in the early years, so he naturally knows it.
Zhu Gaoxu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and even gave Zhu Di a thumbs-up, and then he dropped a piece of bombshell news.
‘Dad, if I told you that there are three kinds of food crops hidden in those small overseas countries, which can easily reach a yield of twenty, thirty or even forty stones per mu, what would you do？’
Zhu Di stood up suddenly, his body trembling with excitement.
The yield per mu is twenty stones!
The yield per mu is thirty stones!
Even the yield per mu is forty stones!
And there are three such grains!
What is this concept？
The current registered population of the Ming Dynasty is about 50 million, far exceeding that of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
However, it is precisely because of the large population and the continuous natural disasters in the Ming Dynasty that tens of thousands of people starve to death every year!
For example, there is a severe drought in Henan and drought locusts in Shandong right now. The people are so hungry that they are eating their food because there is no food!
If there is enough food, the population will not decline, but will soar!
What is a prosperous age？
How to evaluate prosperity？
population!
This is the final answer.
Zhu Di is eager to prove himself, so he wants and must create a prosperous Yongle era, just like the Zhenguan rule of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin!
Only in this way will he not be infamy and be reviled for eternity!
Therefore, Zhu Di implemented the New Deal, built the imperial capital of Shuntian, compiled the ‘Yongle Dadian’, sent Zheng He to the Western Ocean, dredged the Grand Canal, and personally led the Northern Expedition to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty…
But who will he rely on to realize his grand ambition and hegemony？
people!
A steady stream of people!
As long as there is enough food, Zhu Di is confident to complete each of these feats and become an emperor like Li Shimin through the ages!
get it!
Gotta get it!
Zhu Di quickly realized his gaffe and slowly sat back on the bed, but he was still mumbling.
‘Second brother, what you said… are all true？’
‘If this kind of food really exists, I will get it at all costs, even if I have to travel far across the ocean to work on an expedition!’
Zhu Gaoxu smiled when he saw this, ‘If dad doesn’t believe it, you can take this map to Zheng He to confirm it. His current vision and knowledge are much broader than yours.’
Zhu Di was startled, and then said angrily, ‘Get out!’
‘Why.’
Zhu Gaoxu immediately ran away, leaving Zhu Di staring at the Kanyu map in a daze.
‘Is there really such a magical food in this world？’