"So, not only the wealthy families in Wenzhou, but also the people along the coast often do some seafood transactions?" Zhang Mu asked deliberately.

"It's not that serious, as you said. But it is said that by relying on the mountains and by the sea, the people on the sea have been fishing for generations to make a living. If they let them farm, can they eat enough? It's just to take risks and earn some hard money to support their families. In the past few years, the government was strictly in charge. There were garrisons in important coastal areas.

Later, I built ships and trained sailors, inspectors, and commanders came diligently. I have been in the store for more than ten years and have seen them several times since I was an apprentice. However, these high-ranking officials have come less and less in recent years, and I have not seen any high-ranking officials come to inspect for several years."

The guy said here and said in a low voice: "I heard from the officers and soldiers in the guards that they had a business with the Japanese pirates. They secretly embezzled the funds for the imperial shipbuilding to do business. The ships they built a few years ago were not repaired, so they don't know whether they can go into the sea now. Moreover, the craftsmen in the shipyard outside Wenzhou said that construction has not started for a long time. Occasionally, some high-ranking officials came to patrol, so they pretended to be fishing boats.

Those who are officials are not local officials, they also seem to be landslides. Where do they know what warships are and what fishing boats are? Anyway, they come to eat, drink and search some, and then pat them and leave. I heard in the early years that the Japanese pirates did not dare to approach the coast at all, and now they are already fearless. It is not just me who are in the military. If they really see Japanese pirates, they will probably have their pants urinated."

The guy seemed to know the situation of the Coast Defense Office very well and kept talking to Zhang Mu.

Zhang Mu was secretly frightened while listening.

I know in my heart that what this guy said may not be all facts. But no waves can arise, and no wind can come. Such things may not be fake.

At least judging from the fact that the Japanese pirates are getting more and more serious in recent years, there is indeed serious corruption in the border guards.

Nowadays, sea goods smuggling is so rampant that relying solely on a large family like the Wen family may not be able to support this industry. The coastal people also participate in the smuggling team for their livelihood.

With interests involved, corruption will inevitably arise. The so-called officers and soldiers on the coast turn a blind eye, and such things are absolutely impossible to eliminate.

After all, the life of military households is very hard, and if you don’t make money, isn’t that a fool?

Once corruption begins, it will slowly spread from one point, and the border defense will begin to fester. It is reasonable that Japanese pirates are so rampant.

Moreover, if the navy even embezzled and misappropriated the money for shipbuilding, the problem here would be serious.

Zhang Mu remembered that in the middle of the Ming Dynasty, when the Japanese pirates were at their worst, there was a record in Zhang Tingyu's "History of Ming Dynasty": "Recruiting fishing boats to provide for sentry guards. The soldiers are not easy to train, and the ships are not professional. When the enemy arrives, they look at the wind and escape. There is no commander to control them. Therefore, all the thieves' sails are broken."

It seems that the problem has existed since the Hongwu period, because the north could never be completely pacified. Neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Di, later Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, had no time to free up his hands to deal with Japanese pirates and punish corruption.

Therefore, the long-term accumulation led to the tragedy of Japanese pirates rampant during the Zhengde period.

After all, whether it was Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Di, the Japanese pirates were just stubborn ringworm. They came on a boat and just robbed some things and rolled back. The Mongolian Yuan in the north could drive them off the throne at any time and endanger their country and country, so the north was the biggest concern.

When Zhang Mu thought of this, he couldn't help but sigh.

No matter what emperor, they are actually all the same. They say they love the people as their children, but in fact they only care about their throne.

Anyway, there are many people in the Celestial Empire, so what's the big deal?

To put it nicely, it is called the technique of weighing the two evils. To put it badly, it is to ignore human life. Then what is wise and powerful monarch? At best, he is a big landlord. Don’t expect them to change the trend of history.

"The guards here are so corrupt, don't you know that Hangzhou and the imperial court?" Zhang Mu asked curiously.

After all, the censors of the Ming Dynasty were famously strong. Can they turn a blind eye to such a serious problem?

"Hey, how do we ordinary people like us know about the matter? The world is as dark as crows, and there are officials who don't want money? Is the money still hot? Anyway, we usually just collect some sea goods from the people and make small fuss. I heard that the Wen family used a brig ship to go to sea two years ago. My goodness, how much does it cost to make that trip? Just give me a boat and I will be developed." The guy laughed.

Zhang Mu smiled bitterly and continued to choose.

He knew in his heart that the best way to completely destroy the Japanese pirates was to open the trade port.

The impulse of trade is blocked, and the people on the coast stand on the shore are the people, and they take off their clothes are pirates. Could it be that they will kill all the people on the coast?

A mud-legged farmer like Zhu Yuanzhang felt that the people should farm honestly. Is it the king's land that is the king's land? If you go to sea, I can't control you. That's all?

This is the limitation of the times. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had no way to compare his vision and insight than modern people, so he didn't blame him.

Therefore, it is unlikely to convince him to open up the seas.

If you want to completely eradicate the Japanese pirates, you may have to go a long way to go.

Therefore, when Zhang Mu talked about this with Li Yunchang, Li Yunchang advised him not to be impulsive and to make plans for the long term.

Although Zhang Mu looked young, he was still a person who had reached the position of mayor. He knew that simply relying on his passion could change anything.

To accomplish this, a long-term plan, a complete system, a strong navy as the backing, and a tranquility of the border as the background. None of these items can be done without this.

"You said it was so weird these days. Today I was very eye-opening. There were monks who came to visit the kiln."

At this time, another guy took two squire to the room to select goods. He didn't have a local accent, so he probably came here to do business or visit friends.

"It can be said that the monk is so fat." Another man said in a low voice.

When Zhang Mu heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and a helpless expression appeared on his face and said, "Hehe, it seems that the enemy is really a narrow road. Guy, let's check the bill."
Chapter completed!