Chapter 1035 The secret service is a double-edged sword, be cautious!

(1035)

【Today's second update is delivered!】

Two young staff members came in with a basket. The eyes of the merchants immediately fell into the basket. They thought Zhang Zhun was going to distribute something, but later they regretted that there were scrolls inside, which looked like they should be maps. In addition to the map, there were also books as big as palms.

"This is my latest world map, which marks the resources and specialties of various places as much as possible, as well as local customs and folk customs. As long as you follow the map and spend your energy to explore it yourself, you can find the corresponding resources and specialties. I believe I don't need to teach you the rest."

"As for this book, it is a rough description of the world. If you want to know the origin of the Western powers and the situation in their country, read this book. If you want to know where humans live in the world, who are they, and whether there is any danger, you can read this book. If you want to know how to defeat your opponent, you must read this book even more. If you memorize it carefully, it should be helpful to you."

Zhang Zhun smiled and told the story.

It took him a lot of time to sort out this book. Basically, the main knowledge about world geography is in this book. It is certain that if this book is spread, the world's geographical discovery will be at least two hundred years ahead of schedule. What the Hu Ben Army wants to seize is this opportunity.

Zhang Zhun waved his hand casually and asked the staff to give all the maps and books to these merchant representatives. Zhang Zhun did not prepare a lot of information, and everyone present happened to have one copy. As for others if they needed it, they would naturally find ways to print or copy it. There was no need to worry about this.

"How did the Dutch start? They started by relying on maritime trade. In fact, the Netherlands is really a small country. It has not yet gained real independence. It has a population of less than two million, which is about the same as that of Yingtian Prefecture. Their land area is not as large as Yingtian Prefecture. However, the number of merchant ships and warships they own is the largest in the world, with more than 10,000."

"Why can the Dutch do this? The most basic reason is that they fully utilize the advantages of the sea and actively develop maritime trade. In the oceans all over the world, Dutch ships are sailing. The biggest advantage of the Dutch in maritime trade is that they are low costs, small profits and quick turnover. The Dutch controls more than 60% of the world's marine transportation business, so they have the title of a maritime coachman."

"Think about ourselves. Our population is nearly a hundred times that of the Dutch. Our resources are thousands of times that of the Dutch. As long as we make up our minds, actively participate in maritime trade, and ask for wealth from the ocean, what can we not beat each other? We can also have a large number of merchant ships, we can also have a large number of sailors, and we can also build our own strongholds in every corner of the world."

"We will send a fleet of tens of thousands of people at will. Can other countries do it? It can't be done at all. I can say that if we don't count the indigenous populations, all the populations in the world will be as large as our country. We can completely overwhelm each other in terms of resources and population."

Zhang Zhun said confidently.

With four hundred years of knowledge, Zhang Zhun can fully talk to these big merchants about every corner of the world. The future of the new empire is definitely inseparable from maritime trade. The oceans of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are the most abundant. In many areas around the world, there is too much wealth waiting for those who are interested to take it.

Zhang Zhun wanted to seize the Western powers and formally establish a base for the Hu Ben Army in every strategic point in the world. He wanted to control most of the resources in the world in his own hands. As long as he controlled the maximum resources, even if he did not fight, the future new empire could firmly curb the development of other countries.

To achieve this, relying solely on the Hu Ben Navy will not be achieved quickly. There must be a large number of ambition and desire merchants. He must fully stimulate the ambitions, desires, and confidence of these merchants. A team that engulfs the Hu Ben Navy and ambition merchants is the most terrifying thing.

Desire is the basic driving force that drives people forward. To give the merchants of the new empire the motivation to expand outward, the first thing they need to do is to stimulate their desires. Desire is very simple. It can be a beautiful woman, a golden gold, a shining gem, or a fascinating power.

What businessmen with strength can enjoy is definitely not just money, but rather a life of luxury. They can also gain corresponding power. In many colonies, the great merchants are the Supreme Emperors. In the local area, they can be a local king and enjoy the taste of "local emperor". It seems that the senior executives of the Dutch East India Company are in their strongholds in Southeast Asia and in front of those natives, they are the real kings.

In China, they may have few opportunities to seek power. The atmosphere of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce will not undergo fundamental changes in a short period of time. However, when abroad, it is different. As long as they do not violate the laws and regulations of the Hu Ben Army, the Hu Ben Army will protect them no matter what they do. The premise is that they pay taxes according to law.

"I suggest everyone go here."

Zhang Zhun pointed to the location of Oceania and said meaningfully.

At that time, Oceania had only indigenous people and no colonists. To be precise, no explorers had discovered this place. In other words, this was a barren land, a pure and pure land. No one except Zhang Zhun knew its existence.

“As far as I know, there is a lot of gold here.”

Zhang Zhun pointed to the area around Melbourne and said intentionally or unintentionally.

“A lot of gold?”

The merchants' eyes suddenly lit up.

Their eyes immediately stared at the location of Melbourne on the map. They were a little impatient and even began to think about how to reach their destination. For ordinary merchants, nothing can be more attractive than gold. What's more, this place is completely white, with only natives and no foreign colonists. If they get there first, they can definitely do whatever they want!

"Yes, there is indeed a lot of gold here."

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively.

“There is a lot of gold here too.”

Zhang Zhun's finger moved to southern Africa and in the future.

There is indeed a lot of gold in southern Australia, and in the 18th century, there was a gold rush. However, the gold reserves here seem to be a big deal compared to the gold reserves in South Africa. South Africa's gold reserves are the real giants! As long as the Hu Ben Army controls this place, it is equivalent to controlling a mountain of gold.

"Some Western colonists have arrived in South Africa. But it doesn't matter. They don't know that South Africa has a lot of gold. They have not yet explored all-round. As long as we take the lead, we can grab the gold."

Zhang Zhun said lightly.

"But, it's too far!"

A business representative looked at the map and frowned.

"Not far away. When you come back after you go to Oceania, there will be enough time. Of course, if you feel that it is too far and you are not interested, then forget it."

Zhang Zhun said with a quiet smile.

Those business representatives, look at me, look at you, and you want to say something but stop. What's too far is an excuse. If South Africa really has golden gold and escort from the Tiger Army Navy, they wouldn't be afraid of the long journey. I just said it casually.

"But how do we seize territory with others? The Hu Ben Army can't protect us at all times in every place, every moment."

A business representative said to the point.

It is definitely not possible to snatch the golden area from others without bleeding. However, once the fight starts, they are no match for others. No matter what, the Western colonists are quite fierce.

"The Hu Ben Army will sell Hu Ben and Hawkeye guns to everyone to facilitate their exploration overseas. As long as you obtain my approval, you can buy enough guns and ammunition from me. You can form your own private armed forces to open up colonies. However, the premise is that the guns and ammunition I sell you can only be used outside the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Zhun said slowly word by word.

"What?"

"Sell us guns?"

A stone caused a thousand waves, and the representatives of the merchants could no longer calm down.

What they are most worried about when exploring overseas and seizing territory is their own safety. After all, there are indigenous residents in the local area, and there may be colonists who arrive first. Others are fully armed. Indigenous residents also have certain weapons. When competing for territory, merchants from the Ming Dynasty may suffer losses. The Hu Ben Army is indeed powerful, but we cannot always rely on the power of the Hu Ben Army!

Now, all these worries no longer exist. They can buy weapons and ammunition directly from Zhang Zhun! With weapons such as the Hu Ben Gun and the Hawkeye Gun, what enemies are they worried about? When they encounter enemies with low power, they can solve them themselves. If they encounter large enemies, the Hu Ben Army will naturally come forward. It can be said that all the conditions for external expansion are already in place. The dazzling wealth is waiting for them.

When he said this, Zhang Zhun seemed to be able to see that a group of merchants from the new empire were like locusts, looking for precious resources everywhere. The muskets in their hands were the most powerful weapons. All those who opposed them would be killed. Whether it was the colonists from the West or the local natives, the only consequences of resistance were: death!

The problem of guns and ammunition is no longer a problem. With the current production capacity of the Hu Ben Army, as long as the merchants have money, the Hu Ben Army will sell them a lot of weapons and ammunition. Anyway, the drawings of the Hu Ben Gun have been given to Saiweila. This means that the secrets about rifled guns have not been maintained for long. Before rifled guns are popular all over the world, the Hu Ben Army must seize the time to use this weapon to the limit.

In fact, the gold mentioned by Zhang Zhun is just one of the resources. Other important resources such as silver mines, copper mines, tin mines, iron mines, coal mines, and oil are basically reflected in that small notebook. As for whether they have the ability, to be precise, whether the Hu Ben Army has the ability depends on his ability.

"If one of you feels that it is difficult for you to successfully expand externally with your own strength, you might as well join forces and set up a company, just like the Dutch East India Company, expanding externally and making money together. As long as it is a business that can make money, you can get involved. Even if you form a pirate fleet, rob merchant ships from other countries, and obtain huge profits, I will allow you to do so."

Zhang Zhun smiled slightly and threw out a bombshell again.

The merchants in the Ming Dynasty just liked internal fighting too much. They were still not very good at external fighting. Simply put, they were very powerful in the nest and were a little cowardly when facing foreign enemies. They were very obvious in dealing with the Tartars. What Zhang Zhun had to do now is to stimulate their bloodlines and inspire their struggle with outsiders.

However, unfortunately, his bombshell has not yet had any effect. The merchant representative has not yet thought of such a long time! They have not completely digested the information Zhang Zhun gave them! Moreover, it seems that according to traditional Chinese Confucianism, it seems that ordinary merchants have no interest in being pirates.

Perhaps because of the stimulation of the golden origin, the merchants' resentment towards salt had completely disappeared. Then, they generously let Zhang Zhun leave, and then they started a heated discussion. It is estimated that it will take several days for them to fully digest the information given to them by Zhang Zhun. Developing overseas is not a trivial matter! They must consider it clearly.

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhun, who had escaped, still couldn't get free. Because Qiao Yunsheng was already waiting for him. Just after he came out of the Nanjing Governor's Palace, Zhang Zhun came to Qiao Yunsheng. At this time, Qiao Yunsheng had been waiting for him for more than an hour. When Zhang Zhun saw Qiao Yunsheng, he was walking around a little nervously.

Qiao Yunsheng came to Nanjing to improve the laws of the Hu Ben Army. Since he surrendered to the Hu Ben Army, his main task was to formulate a law belonging to the Hu Ben Army itself based on the Ming Law. Obviously, this is not an easy task. There are many details and Qiao Yunsheng himself must not be able to decide, and Zhang Zhun himself must decide.

According to Zhang Zhun's request, the new law will make some brave attempts in some aspects that have never been involved before. Among them, the most important point, but the most embarrassing point, is the restrictions on imperial power. The literati and officials of the Ming Dynasty always wanted to limit imperial power, so that the power of the cabinet and the emperor would be checked and balanced with each other, and were basically equal. Only in this way can the emperor prevent him from doing too ridiculous things.

However, limiting the emperor's power is to go against the emperor. If the emperor is unhappy, the emperor will definitely find a way to cut off your head. Even if the emperor has no way to cut off your head now, as long as he thinks about this account, he will have a chance in the future. In fact, there are not many cabinet ministers who really have the courage to confront the emperor. Even a great man like Zhang Juzheng was dug up to whip the body in the end.

Of course, Qiao Yunsheng also had such concerns. If this project was not proposed by Zhang Zhun himself, Qiao Yunsheng would not have had such an idea. In the eyes of outsiders, Zhang Zhun is very domineering. If he doesn't like others to restrict his power, others will have no choice. Even Gao Hongtu dares to speak out in a blunt way.

"Mr. Ji Fu, I am not the emperor yet. You can say anything you have. I really agree with the restrictions on imperial power."

Zhang Zhun said casually.

"this……"

Qiao Yunsheng was still very hesitant.

"After saying this!"

Zhang Zhun said seriously.

"All right!"

Qiao Yunsheng had no choice but to put forward his own problems one by one.

At this point, he had no need to hide it. He showed off all his concerns and other people's concerns. In fact, Qiao Yunsheng came to see Zhang Zhun alone on the surface. In fact, every action he did was with the shadows of Gao Hongtu, Zhang Shenyan, Yang Tinglin, and even Lu Xiangsheng, Jian Mo and others.

Zhang Zhun represents imperial power, and they represent the collective power of civil servants, which is commonly called prime minister power, that is, the power of the cabinet. The so-called restriction of imperial power is actually to narrow the emperor's power and expand the power of the cabinet. As long as the distribution of power is involved, who can completely put it aside?

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Zhun listened quietly and pondered for a long time before he said slowly.

"I……"

Qiao Yunsheng answered Zhang Zhun's questions with careful words.

The first thing he had to eliminate was a secret operation such as a central edict, a diagonal sign. The so-called central edict means that the emperor directly handed over the eunuchs to execute it. In this way, the emperor could bypass the cabinet and do whatever he wanted. The reason why eunuchs such as Wang Zhen and Liu Jin were domineering is that the emperor they served liked to issue central edicts too much.

As long as the cabinet is firmly opposed, the emperor's choice is basically to issue a central order to open the cabinet to do business. Without the supervision of the cabinet, many things will become distorted. Later, the cabinet was a little bit self-deprecating and did not want to manage the matter. As for the diagonal sign, it was handed over to the Jinyiwei, and its role is basically the same as the central order.

It can be said that the negative impact of the existence of the East Factory, the West Factory and the Jinyiwei is far greater than its positive impact. Because their way of acting is completely destroying the law. They themselves are the opposite of the law. When the law is destroyed, problems will naturally continue. The new empire must eliminate these practices or institutions that destroy the law. Otherwise, they will follow in the footsteps of the Ming Dynasty.

This involves the second core issue: the establishment of relevant national supervision agencies.

Originally, the Ming Dynasty had a complete supervisory authority, including the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Dali Temple. Under normal circumstances, no matter which department it was, the criminals caught should be tried according to the procedures. Some particularly important prisoners had to be tried together with three departments. This is the famous Three Departments for trial.

However, due to the strength of the factory guards, these three departments have basically been put on hold. Many prisoners were handed over to the factory guards for trial. When the factory guards tried, the three departments did not need to be present. The final judgment result was only accepted by the three departments. As for the people who were directly killed without being tried, there were even more people.

Qiao Yunsheng's core spirit is that no one, no matter how big the crime he committed, should not be executed before being tried. In other words, it is to take back all the judicial powers of the factory guards. Except for the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, the Dali Temple, and any other department, there is no power to convict the crime. Even the emperor does not have such power.

"Mr. Ji Fu, I fully agree with your proposal!"

Zhang Zhun said affirmatively.

Qiao Yunsheng's proposal already has a little bit of the legal spirit of Western countries. That is, no one can be convicted of being guilty without legal trial. This is very important for a country's laws. The basis for governing the country according to law is this spirit of the rule of law.

"After completing the mission, the Shadow Department will come out of the darkness and become an open supervisory department. I can guarantee that in the future, no department will operate in the darkness. Every department of the new empire should operate in the sun."

Zhang Zhun continued to say deeply.

He knew that the topic of Shadow Department has always been very taboo in the Huben Army's Government Affairs Department. No civil servant wanted to see institutions such as factory guards appear. But this Shadow Department had the shadow of Factory Guards. Thinking that after the establishment of the new empire, the Shadow Department might continue to exist, even Gao Hongtu couldn't help but feel a little chilled, let alone Qiao Yunsheng and others. Let me ask, which civil servant likes the secret service agency?

One of Qiao Yunsheng's big goals when he came to see Zhang Zhun this time was to try to persuade Zhang Zhun to cancel the Shadow Department, or let the Shadow Department walk from behind the scenes to the front stage. Even if it does not accept the supervision of others, at least, it must let others see its existence. Now, Zhang Zhun takes the initiative to put Shadow Department out, Qiao Yunsheng feels that it will be much less pressure.

In fact, from the perspective of a dictator, Zhang Zhun likes Shadow Department very much. Such a spy agency is completely a thug of a dictator. With just a command, he can do whatever he wants, do whatever he wants, do whatever he wants. However, he also knows that the existence of Shadow Department is a great threat to the new empire. The spy agency is always a double-edged sword. While stabbing others, it may also stab himself.
Chapter completed!