The rise of the poor

Chapter 2165 Let Us Suffocate for Our Dreams (1)

"Besides this, Lord Zhu, what other disadvantages do you think the maritime ban has?" Wang Zhi asked Zhu Ping'an again.

He wanted to find out from these questions whether Zhu Ping'an was really against the maritime ban or was pretending to oppose it but was actually plotting against him.

Only after he figured out Zhu Ping'an's position could he make a decision.

If Zhu Ping'an really opposed the maritime ban and really wanted to lift it, then Wang Zhi would naturally support him wholeheartedly; on the contrary, if Zhu Ping'an was plotting against him, Wang Zhi, in the name of opposing the maritime ban, then he must teach Zhu Ping'an a profound lesson!

I, Wang Zhi, have sailed across the ocean for decades, but I can still capsize in a small ditch like yours?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

"The maritime ban caused the court to miss out on a huge amount of maritime trade taxes, and the people lost an important way to make money. If there were overseas trade taxes, it would be enough to solve the current financial tension of the court, and there would be a large surplus. If the maritime ban is lifted, the people can go out to sea to fish and trade, and the coastal areas will be prosperous and have no worries about food and clothing. Who would want to kill the Japanese pirates? In this way, the court will be prosperous, the people will be prosperous, and it will not be a problem to create another prosperous era."

Zhu Ping'an opened his hands and sighed deeply.

"How much tax can maritime trade generate? Isn't it a bit exaggerated to create another prosperous era?" Wang Zhi asked two questions while playing with the teacup.

"It is no exaggeration to say that the volume of overseas trade is not less than that of land trade, and the taxes are unimaginable. Chief Wang, do you know the Southern Song Dynasty? There are more than 20 trading ports in the Southern Song Dynasty, including Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Mingzhou, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Jiangyin, Xiuzhou Huating, Xiuzhou Yanpu and other ports. I won't mention many, but just taking Quanzhou as an example, every year, Quanzhou Port can easily pay taxes of hundreds of thousands of silk to the court. The total taxes paid by more than 20 ports are nearly 20 million strings of cash. 20 million?"

Zhu Ping'an picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then he cited the example of the Southern Song Dynasty.

"There are so many?" Wang Zhi was very surprised.

"Of course, there were more than sixty foreign countries that had trade relations with the Southern Song Dynasty. The overseas trade of the Southern Song Dynasty was a vibrant scene. There were countless ships traveling to and from the port every day. The trading volume was large, and the taxes were naturally high. These are all recorded in historical books, such as the 'Annals of the Years Since Jianyan'. You can find out with a simple check. It is honest and trustworthy." Zhu Ping'an nodded vigorously, citing classics and talking eloquently.

When Wang Zhi heard Zhu Ping'an quoting from classics, he could not help but nodded and no longer had any doubts. He did not like reading and had never heard of the book Zhu Ping'an was talking about. But Zhu Ping'an was the top scholar and an expert, so there must be something wrong with what he said about the book.

Moreover, although he did not know the specific data of the Southern Song Dynasty's overseas trade, he knew how popular the Southern Song Dynasty's overseas trade was.

The Southern Song Dynasty was his ideal country. If he could be born in the Southern Song Dynasty, he would die without regrets.

"It seems that Lord Zhu has done a lot of research on maritime trade. Is the important matter that Lord Zhu wants to discuss with me about lifting the maritime ban?"

Wang Zhi now believes that Zhu Ping'an really wants to lift the maritime ban.

"Yes and no." Zhu Pingan smiled slightly.

"Hmm?" Wang Zhi was stunned for a moment after hearing what Zhu Ping'an said. What do you mean by yes and no? Are you yes or no?

This is the bad thing about scholars. They like to keep people in suspense when they talk.

"Captain Wang only wants to lift the maritime ban and open the market for trade?" Zhu Ping'an narrowed his eyes slightly and asked Wang Zhi.

"Yes, lifting the ban on sea trade and opening up trade is my dream." Wang Zhi nodded vigorously.

"Is Chief Wang's dream so big?" Zhu Ping'an leaned back, looking somewhat disappointed.

what?

Am I being looked down upon?

My dream is too small?! My dream is still small? This is against the Ming Dynasty's ancestral system, which is harder than climbing to the sky!

After hearing what Zhu Ping'an said and looking at Zhu Ping'an's obviously disappointed expression, Wang Zhi couldn't help but feel hit.

"May I ask what Mr. Zhu's dream is?"

Wang Zhi asked Zhu Pingan unconvincedly, you said my dream is too small, what about your dream?

I'd like to hear it!

Zhu Ping'an stood up and clapped his hands outside.

When the Japanese pirates sitting around saw Zhu Ping'an stand up and applaud, they were so frightened that they broke out in cold sweats!

Could it be that the real purpose is revealed, and the clapping of hands is the signal for the ambush troops to come out and kill us at the banquet? !

All of a sudden, the Japanese pirates stood up and pretended to run away.

"Sit down! You are embarrassing yourself!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Zhi stood up, stretched out his hand and asked the Japanese pirates to sit down, then scolded them angrily.

Soon, the Japanese pirates realized that they had made a mistake.

After Zhu Ping'an clapped his hands, Liu Dadao and Liu Daqiang carried a display board covered with red cloth and walked into the low screen room.

The two men placed the display board next to Zhu Ping'an, clasped their fists, bowed to Zhu Ping'an, and retreated.

"Please look, Chief Wang." Zhu Ping'an said as he peeled off the red cloth on the display board, revealing the true appearance of the display board.

"Is this a map? Is this a nautical chart? What places are depicted on these pictures? Why do they seem familiar, yet I don't know where they are?" As soon as Wang Zhi saw the map on the display board, he stood up excitedly.

"Captain Wang has a good eye. Yes, this is a sea chart." Zhu Ping'an nodded with a smile.

Then, Zhu Ping'an took out a charcoal pencil from his pocket as if by magic. This was a charcoal pencil that Zhu Ping'an made himself with ink. The front end was wrapped with a cloth strip to prevent his palm from being stained black and to prevent it from breaking easily.

"Captain Wang just asked me about my dream, so let me tell you my dream: to create the Age of Exploration!"

Zhu Ping'an pointed to the map beside him, raised his chin slightly, and spoke slowly as if pointing to the world.

"The Age of Discovery?!"

When Wang Zhi heard the term coined by Zhu Ping'an, his heart suddenly felt like it was ignited by fire and began to burn.

I'm getting goose bumps all over my body!

"Yes, it's the Age of Discovery!" Zhu Ping'an nodded vigorously.

After saying this, Zhu Ping'an gently tapped the map with his hand and said to Wang Zhi, "This is a world map."

"World map?" Wang Zhi was confused when he heard this term for the first time.

"The world is the boundary of this world." Zhu Ping'an explained briefly. Seeing that Wang Zhi was still confused, he said in plain language, "Or you can also call it a map of the world."

"I understand." Wang Zhi nodded.

Zhu Pingan continued, "This map is a world map I personally drew based on the documents left by Zheng He, the famous eunuch, navigator, diplomat, and military strategist, during his seven voyages to the West, as well as the secret documents stored in the inner treasury of the Ming Dynasty, the records of the Jinyiwei and the factory guards' interviews with the red-haired barbarians, and the documents I collected from them!"

The nautical charts of Zheng He's voyages to the West, the secret documents stored in the inner treasury, the notes taken by the Jinyiwei and the factory guards from the red-haired barbarians, and the collected information. These were all excuses made by Zhu Ping'an. In fact, this map was drawn by Zhu Ping'an based on modern maps.

Of course, Zhu Pingan did not draw it according to modern maps, but combined it with maps drawn during the period of great maritime discoveries in modern Europe. He deliberately reduced the accuracy and roughened the margins. He also drew North and South America as one, and drew a big question mark on it. (End of this chapter)