The ministers were most concerned about the benefits of concluding a peace treaty with Spain for Daming.
Yes, there is progress, and he has begun to care about Daming's national interests, instead of showing the face and etiquette of the celestial kingdom at every turn, Zhu Youjian secretly laughed.
The ministers did not have the vision of later generations. Daming imposed a ban on the sea for more than two hundred years, allowing the introverted Han to only see the land, but ignore the vast sea, let alone Xiyi from the ocean.
Europeans in this era are still relatively proud. They rely on advanced technology, developed economy, and powerful military to set off various bloody winds around the world, cruelly exploiting, squeezing and even killing natives everywhere. They preached equality. , It’s just equality between white people, and for other races, it comes from the contempt of the bones.
If Daming concludes a peace treaty with Spain, he will be able to win the Spaniards, and in the future will also be respected by other European countries, and can truly get along with them, whether as a friend or an enemy.
Zhu Youjian couldn't say such a thing at the cabinet meeting. He took a porcelain bowl from the eunuch beside him, "This is an ordinary porcelain bowl bought from the market. Guess his price."
"Price?" These high-ranking officials usually don't care about specific housework and everything in the house, with a housekeeper and wife taking care of them, how can they know the price of an ordinary porcelain bowl.
"I tell you that you can buy two hundred of these porcelain bowls for a tael of silver." Zhu Youjian's gaze swept across the faces of the ministers. Obviously, the price did not deter them. "But you know, this Is the price of a porcelain bowl in Spain?"
"..."
I don’t even know the price of Jingshi’s porcelain bowl. Who knows the price in Spain? Before the Southern Ocean War, they had basically never heard of Spain.
"I tell you again, in Spain, you can buy eight porcelain bowls for a tael of silver. If you are in the UK, you can only buy five porcelain bowls for a tael of silver." Paula told Zheng Zhilong that this was originally a business secret, but in order to persuade Zhu Youjian and the cabinet ministers, he revealed the huge price difference between the East and the West.
"Your Majesty, is this true?" Even Huang Liji couldn't believe it. This was dozens of times the profit.
"Of course it is true. Once this kind of porcelain bowl is transported to the West, it will be dozens of times the profit. Otherwise, who would take a huge risk and go all the way to Daming to do business?"
"Your Majesty, it turns out that overseas trade has such a high profit? Is the tax rate of 15 tax and 1 tax too low?" Huang Shijun immediately thought of the tax issue.
"Of course, these huge profits are now monopolized by Westerners," Zhu Youjian waved his hand. "If Da Ming merchants can directly participate in the trade between East and West, they will get a share of the huge profits. Taxes will also increase appropriately."
"Your Majesty, if porcelain is shipped to the West, huge profits will be generated. What about silk? What about tea? Is it dozens of times more profit?" Foreign Minister Fang immediately thought of other goods every year.
"Fang Aiqing said it well. Not only silk and tea, but almost all of Daming's goods, once transported to the West, it will be a huge profit."
Chaotang suddenly seemed to be in a frying pan, and the ministers talked about it. They used it as a vegetable market.
Zhu Youjian didn't stop them, what he wanted was such an effect.
"But, Your Majesty, it is said that Daming is far away from the West, not only by the sea, but also tens of thousands of miles away. Can Daming's goods be delivered to the West safely?" Huang Liji still had some doubts.
"Businessmen have their own business methods. Western merchants can come to Daming, can't the Daming merchants go to the West?" Zhu Youjian saw the ministers gradually calm down, and continued: "If the court can help them, the merchants You will get this huge profit soon."
Transportation Minister Li Changgeng is still a little worried, "Your Majesty, once the maritime business obtains high profits, it may not be a good thing for Daming to become richer than the enemy's country."
"Li Aiqing's words are not correct. It is good for maritime merchants to obtain high profits, but the tax department will also levy high taxes on them. In the end, it is cheaper to leave it to the court."
Minister of Law Cao Sicheng has always rarely spoken, but today he couldn't help it, "Your Majesty, for the benefit of the merchants, is it worth it that Daming and Xiyi died in Nanyang?"
Zhu Youjian stood up and walked a few steps back and forth, "Cao Aiqing, even if it is not for the benefit of the businessman, Daming will have to fight with the Westerners, do you know why?"
Cao Sicheng shook his head and said that he certainly didn't understand. He used his eyes to ask for help from others. Unfortunately, the others turned their heads one by one, either raising their heads to the sky to look for Chang'e Moon Rabbit, or looking for a mouse hole on the ground. They didn't understand either.
"Daming has a vast territory and abundant resources. In the eyes of Westerners, it is like a stunning woman, who will be greedy by anyone who looks at it." Zhu Youjian had to make a popular metaphor.
The ministers suddenly looked black, especially Kong Zhenyun, already scolding his mother in his heart, and his arms were trembling slightly. If Zhu Youjian were not the emperor, I am afraid that his fingers would reach Zhu Youjian's head.
Zhu Youjian directly ignored the dissatisfaction of the ministers. "What I mean is that even if Daming does not challenge the Western countries, they will come sooner or later. Instead of being forced to fight when Daming is not ready, it is better to take the initiative. Go out and take the initiative in the war."
"Chen, I understand. Sooner or later, there will be a large-scale war between Daming and Xiyang. Until the victory is decided, the relationship between the two sides can be established." Since Fang Fengnian became the foreign minister, he began to pay attention to the surrounding influences on Daming. Countries, especially Western countries.
"Well, the Chinese culture is weak, and no one wants to see the war." Zhu Youjian does not intend to hide the ministers. The South China Sea Fleet has entered the Nanyang region, and it is impossible to hide it. "Da Ming is like a stunning beauty, Western Zhu Everyone in the country is coveted, and only war can completely dispel the illusions of Westerners, and war can stop the war."
Huang Liji suddenly remembered: "Your Majesty, what the Cabinet is discussing today does not seem to be the issue of war, but the conclusion of a peace treaty with Spain."
"The peace treaty is also related to war. War and peace have always been two states between countries." Zhu Youjian also doesn't care whether the cabinet meeting today is out of topic. "It's like Spain, if it weren't defeated by Ming in the war. , They will give out Luzon? Will they conclude a peace treaty with Daming?"
"Your Majesty, do you need to sign this agreement? It seems that the agreement is only related to merchants and has no direct relationship with war." Kong Zhenyun finally seized the opportunity to express his personal opinions.
"If Kong Aiqing understands this way, then he is Daming's sinner." Zhu Youjian first put a hat on Kong Zhenyun. "If Daming and Spain conclude a peace treaty, the two parties will have a cooperative relationship in the future, just like business friends. There will be no war between them, that is, there will be different opinions, and they can be resolved through negotiation. If the two sides cannot sign the peace treaty, Daming removes Luzon from Spain. Will the Spaniards take a break? There will be a large-scale war."
"Your Majesty..." Kong Zhenyun trembles, and speaks unfavorably. He doesn't want to be Daming's sinner.
Who wants to be Daming's sinner
Based on Zhu Youjian's opinion, the cabinet, with Deputy Foreign Minister Huang Xiaofu representing Daming, conducted peace talks with Tabola.
After three days of negotiations, Huang Xiaofu and Tabora finally drafted a peace agreement, which mainly contained six items:
1. Spain recognizes Ming's ownership of the entire Southern Ryukyu Islands, and all Spanish troops withdraw from the Southern Ryukyu Islands;
2. Daming sent 200 students to Spain to study in higher education institutions such as the Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences. The school system is one year. After that, 100 people will be sent to Spanish higher education institutions every year. Daming shall bear all the living expenses of the students;
3. Daming unconditionally released all Spanish prisoners of war;
4. Daming opens commercial ports to Spain, including Forint in Luzon, Taiwanese officials, Macau in Guangdong (after being recovered from Portugal), Xiamen in Fujian, Spain opens Seville to Daming, and both sides are within their respective territories. Inside, protect the other party’s personnel and property safety;
5. Daming and Spain respectively sent resident envoys to each other;
6. Spain helped Ming to acquire a permanent piece of land on the west coast of America.
The peace treaty focuses on commerce and trade, and the focus is on cultivating mutual trust between Ming and Spain, but there is no military cooperation, so it is not a covenant, and the name is called the Mingxi Beijing Treaty.
Huang Xiaofu and Tabola represented Daming and the Spanish governments respectively and signed the Mingxi Beijing Treaty. Since the treaty also involves cooperation at the national level, Zhu Youjian, as Emperor of Daming, verbally authorized Huang Xiaofu to wait for the Spanish King Felipe IV. After the World’s approval, the treaty will come into effect.
In Zhu Youjian's mind, he was not trying to flatter Spain, but to win over Spain, in order to let the Western countries see that while Daming showed his muscles, he could coexist peacefully with Daming.
Daming is now in a critical period of reform and needs a relatively peaceful international environment.
Daming is not weaker than the Western world, whether it is technology or economy.
However, Daming has too few technological craftsmen and low cultural quality. There is a backward model of inheriting his father's career everywhere in the country, which restricts the sustainable development of science and technology.
More than 90% of the population is illiterate, and the elites are short-sighted and cannot see the great changes that are taking place in the West.
Zhu Youjian is very anxious. Daming is a country with a long history. To change traditional habits, it will not be effective for a while, but Zhu Youjian has never given up on the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, especially higher education. He wants to use these to see. See the science and technology, arouse people's scientific enthusiasm.
At the Daming Academy of Sciences, there happened to be such a science champion. This man’s name was Wang Zheng, and he and Xu Guangqi were both known as the "King of South Xu and North".