Chapter 86 Prince Yu drew a circle in the South China Sea
Chapter 86 Prince Yu drew a circle in the South China Sea (First Order)
Listening to Zhu Zaigui's words, Hai Rui couldn't help but move closer. He asked sincerely, "Sir, how can we cure the root cause of the problem?"
Zhu Zaigui asked in return: "Mr. Hai was born and raised in Qiongzhou. What do you think is the benefit of Qiongzhou?"
After hearing Zhu Zaigui's question, Hai Rui could not help but sigh, "Qiongzhou is barren, the land is not fertile, and there is no profit."
Zhu Zaigui said: "Mr. Hai should open his mind and not always focus on food. Aren't Qiongzhou's natural scenery and rich and diverse tropical fruits the benefits of Qiongzhou?"
After hearing what Zhu Zaigui said, Hai Rui couldn't help but think more about it, but in the end he shook his head.
Hai Rui said: "Although Qiongzhou has beautiful natural scenery, it is just an offshore island. Guangdong is a land of seven mountains, two rivers and one field. The local people are not rich. It is still difficult to bring Guangdong's wealth to benefit Qiongzhou."
Zhu Zaigui said: "Mr. Hai is right. Guangdong's current situation is indeed not enough to enrich Qiongzhou, but what if the power of the capital is used?"
"The capital?"
Hai Rui was a little confused. Wasn't the previous argument proven? The court seemed to have no spare energy to pay attention to Qiongzhou. How could it use the power of the capital?
Hai Rui said, "Please teach me, sir!"
Zhu Zaigui said: "We can make a hypothesis first, for example, to separate Qiongzhou Island from Guangdong Provincial Administration and establish a new provincial-level Provincial Administration. In this way, Qiongzhou will have greater autonomy. In order to manage Qiongzhou, the court will naturally adjust certain management strategies accordingly."
"Qiongzhou Island has abundant products, such as pineapple, coconut, dragon fruit, jackfruit, durian, etc., which can all be considered new products of Qiongzhou. Qiongshan's seafood, such as hawksbill turtle, coral, shells, etc., can also be considered new products. The benefits of these new products are the benefits of Qiongzhou Island."
"If Qiongzhou is a provincial government, the court will have to open a new administrative line for Qiongzhou. At that time, Qiongshan will be used as a port to send ships directly to Tianjin, the capital. Wouldn't the benefits of Qiongzhou be integrated with the capital? This will allow the nobles in the capital to taste delicacies from all over the world."
"And if this line is opened, with the beautiful scenery of Qiongzhou being as warm as summer, during the cold winter months, the nobles in Beijing who love to enjoy life can take a boat south to avoid the cold in Qiongzhou. Isn't it wonderful that both sides benefit from this?"
"As for the food problem, it is easier to solve. As long as we can exchange the fruits and seafood in Qiongzhou for silver, we can buy them at a fair price when we pass through Laizhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture and other places to support Qiongzhou. If all else fails, we can sail west to buy the surplus food in Annan. With the food supply from these two places, Qiongzhou will not be in trouble. The Li crisis will naturally dissipate."
When Zhu Zaigui came up with this idea, both Hai Rui, a native of Qiongzhou, and Gao Gong, a distinguished Hanlin scholar, showed expressions of extreme shock, and they could not help but fall into deep thought.
It seems to make sense, but is it possible to ship by sea?
Gao Gong said softly: "The court is currently implementing a policy of banning the sea. Although your proposal is good, it goes against the national policy."
Zhu Zaigui said indifferently: "I know, but I didn't advocate abolishing the sea ban policy. Moreover, the court's sea ban policy prohibits inland people from communicating with outsiders, but Qiongzhou is our own place of the Ming Dynasty. Our own people communicate with each other by sea. This should not violate the court system, right?"
"And since Qiongzhou can be turned into a provincial government, it should be reasonable for the court to give some corresponding leniency, right? Otherwise, how can Qiongzhou be managed? Do we have to let the Guangdong Provincial Government take charge? I have never heard of a provincial government being able to manage the affairs of another provincial government."
"Of course, my opinion is very superficial. After all, the establishment of a provincial government is not something I can comment on. So, you two gentlemen just need to listen to it."
After Zhu Zaigui finished saying this, he picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Gao Gong and Hai Rui fell into deep thought.
They both felt that this method seemed very insightful.
If Qiongzhou can really be listed as a provincial-level provincial government, then these possibilities would indeed exist.
Although the imperial court has been implementing a maritime ban until now, the ban is for outsiders, not for its own people. So this matter seems to be a bit promising.
However, upgrading Qiongzhou Island to a provincial government is not an easy task. But compared with the Qiongzhou Li problem which has never received much attention, this matter seems to be more worth discussing and can attract more attention from the court.
After thinking about this matter, Hai Rui could not help but stand up and bow to Zhu Zaigui, "Sir, your words are like a wake-up call, which has enlightened me. The strategy I had before was indeed mediocre, and it was like treating the symptoms instead of the root cause. But your strategy is a far-sighted one that gets to the heart of the matter. I thank you on behalf of the people of Qiongzhou!"
Zhu Zaigui looked at Hai Gangfeng who bowed to him again, and he couldn't help feeling elated.
Zhu Zaigui said, "Mr. Hai, please sit down first. I am just saying this in passing. How the court's major policies are to be implemented is a matter for your majesty and the cabinet. I cannot make suggestions, let alone interrupt. Today, we are sitting together and talking about these things. It is just a random chat. Don't take it seriously."
Although what Zhu Zaigui said could not be taken seriously, he hoped that this would come true more than anyone else.
If this could really be accomplished, the imperial court would be able to legitimately create a route directly to Qiongzhou outside of the canal.
By then, the internal and external circulation will gradually change some problems, and it will also enable the Ming Dynasty to pay attention to the ocean again and strengthen the construction of maritime power.
No matter how you look at it, this will be a great thing.
However, the decision-making power on this matter now lies not with Zhu Zaigui, Gao Gong, Hai Rui and others, but with Emperor Jiajing and the cabinet.
If Emperor Jiajing and the cabinet had no attitude towards this matter, even if Zhu Zaigui personally jumped out to talk about it, it would be nonsense, not to mention that it was impossible for Zhu Zaigui to jump out and talk about this matter.
After all, Zhu Zaigui's identity was quite sensitive, and he could not interfere in state affairs. Unless he had the special permission of Emperor Jiajing, anything he said would be considered "overstepping his authority."
Just like the current situation, if Gao Gong did not have the identity of a tutor in Prince Yu's Palace, Zhu Zaigui would not have been able to visit him casually, nor would he have said these words in casual conversation.
From this we can see that certain political issues in the Ming Dynasty were still very taboo and could not be discussed casually.
After Zhu Zaigui finished his cup of tea, he said to Gao Gong, "Uncle Gao, please help Mr. Hai find some real examination papers from previous years so that Mr. Hai can get familiar with the examination style. Also, help Mr. Hai correct the problems with the eight-part essay. This should not be a difficult task for Uncle Gao, right?"
Gao Gong looked at Zhu Zaigui and Hai Rui in surprise, then replied, "It's not a difficult task."
Zhu Zaigui then sighed again: "Although the imperial court also strives to be fair in selecting candidates for the imperial examination, the way of the imperial examination is ultimately a way of likes and dislikes. As long as the imperial court appoints the chief examiners, these chief examiners will still be unable to resist judging the papers based on their personal likes and dislikes when they take the papers."
"If the examinee's essay can tickle the examiner's sore spot, then the chances of getting a recommendation are naturally higher. So the imperial examination is ultimately a question of essay style."
"After all, those who can pass the imperial examination are all pretty good at studying the Four Books and Five Classics and eight-part essays. Whether or not one can eventually pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi depends on whether the essay suits the examiner's taste."
Zhu Zaigui's words shocked Gao Gong and Hai Rui, but at the same time they felt that it seemed very reasonable.
After all, just now, Zhu Zaigui's thinking also jumped out of the limit of what ordinary people can think, and he directly suggested that Qiongzhou be a separate provincial government. Therefore, Zhu Zaigui's comments on the examination now do not seem to be something shocking.
It all seems reasonable.
Hai Rui was so moved that he bowed and said, "Thank you, sir!"
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(End of this chapter)