The emperor had a very thorough understanding of the psychology of merchants because he was a time traveler and knew that in the feudal era, imperial power was supreme and you had no safety to talk about.

In other words, there is no psychological safety and always worry about being guilty of being rich and causing trouble for money.

In view of this, the emperor was relatively tolerant of merchants. At least, compared to officials, the emperor was already merciless.

It’s better to pull out the sheep if there are too many sheep, but when you come, how many sheep are there when you get bald, and you even run away from the other sheep.

As long as the law is followed, merchants make more money and the commercial taxes increase, which is beneficial to the country, the court, and even the people.

Especially the initiative of "rewarding society", the royal family set an example, and merchants and all sectors of society have become increasingly recognized.

The emperor hated the emperor for being rich and unkind. In the society of the Ming Dynasty, such concepts were gradually formed.

The traditional gentry class is being replaced by emerging merchants and landlords, and the sign is a plaque awarded by the royal family.

The preferential treatment for gentry is gradually being cancelled, and it is replaced by retired officers and soldiers. In addition, even officials who retired from office do not have the privilege of exempting taxes.

The court has implemented a pension system, and officials can live without worries when they retire from office, so they don’t have to enjoy tax exemptions.

In short, the politics, economy, military, and even life of the Ming Empire were changing according to the emperor's ideas. Some were storms and some were subtle.

Apart from the praise of the descendants of the Meng family before the New Year, the grant of cross generations, and the pre-issuance of 30 million war bonds, there seems to be no major event.

Therefore, in the impression of the vast majority of people, the Spring Festival passed quite peacefully in this calm atmosphere.

The new year, new prospects and new aspirations are all planning and busy for their own lives in everyone's hearts.

The state machinery of the Ming Empire was still operating normally, and the cabinet had a relatively young face.

Sun Yuanhua, Bi Ziyan, Tao Lang replaced Yuan Keli, Xu Guangqi, and Sun Chengzong first. Personnel changes did not cause chaos in political affairs. In fact, the order and rules of the court were determined, so no one else had any impact.

The Minister of War Xiong Tingbi and Prince Taibao were regarded as a compliment for the victory of the Ming army's war.

The Ministry of War also began institutional reform. The three major institutions were erected, and the personnel gap could only be filled slowly.

The army of the Ming Empire must not only move towards modernization in terms of equipment and tactics, but also keep up with the entire military organization.

Others think that the emperor is unique, and only the emperor knows that he is copying it.

Originally, Xiong Tingbi was able to join the cabinet as a secondary assistant, but no one took over his job yet.

Sun Chuanting is preparing to launch a battle to recover the front trap in the northwest; Shen Yourong focuses on the navy, but is too old; Mao Wenlong seems to be not qualified...

There are many generals who are used to fighting, but not many may reach high-level levels. They are still relatively young, so there is no problem in fighting. They are still a little bit of planning and scheming.

Although Xiong Tingbi has a bad temper and has changed a lot now, the emperor doesn't care. He doesn't point at his nose and scolds others. What does it have to do with him? He only cares about Xiong Tingbi's ability.

An emperor like me who is broad-minded, kind and generous is rare in history!

Just as the emperor was intoxicated and admired and praised himself in the Ganqing Palace, a fleet was sailing towards the Ming Empire thousands of miles away on the South China Sea.

Widell stood on the deck, looking at the vast sea with his telescope, fantasizing about his first direct trade with the Eastern powers.

In the Far East, both the Dutch and the Portuguese made a lot of money in trade, as well as the Spanish. The silk, porcelain, tea and other merchants of the Ming Empire were extremely popular in Europe and had amazing profits.

The British were jealous. King Charles I of England appointed Captain Widdle as commander and led a fleet of six armed merchant ships to set sail towards China.

In fact, this was not the first time the British had contacted the Ming Dynasty. Before, a British merchant ship had arrived at the Chinese port.

However, the British merchant ship was very unlucky. Under the desperate slander of the Portuguese, it was blackmailed a lot of money by Ming officials and not much cargo was transported back.

In order to continue to explore trade with China, some British merchants united to form the Gertin Federation.

This consortium of merchants tried every means to lobby King Charles I of England to give them the privilege of trade with China. Charles I agreed generously and specially joined the Gertin Federation to invest in a 10,000 pounds of stake.

The fleet led by Weidel first arrived in India and was received by Asano. After a brief supply, he passed through the Strait of Malacca and entered the South China Sea.

Weidell was not very clear about the recent situation of the Ming Empire. His impression was that the Portuguese occupied Macau a few years ago and enjoyed the privilege of trade with the Ming Dynasty.

Similar to the Dutch, Widell believed that through the Portuguese, he could trade with the Ming Dynasty. Or, directly contact the Ming Dynasty.

"Sir——" the sailor looking on the mast shouted, "The ships appear in front of them do not look like merchant ships."

Widdle hurriedly moved the telescope, but he didn't see it very clearly.

As the distance got closer, the sailor reported a detailed situation again, "The ten ships are all warships. Oh my God, they are not pirates, are they?"

Weidell was startled and quickly ordered the ships to prepare for combat. The number of armed merchant ships was also superior to the warships, and Weidell felt that he was not confident enough.

"Is it the flag of Ming Dynasty?!" The ship was getting closer and closer, and Widell saw it clearly, turning to a sailor on a unlucky merchant ship who had been to Ming Dynasty.

After carefully identifying it, the sailor nodded vigorously and said, "That's right, it's the flag of the Ming Dynasty."

Weidell probably judged the location below, which should be near Cam Ranh Bay. It was a bit beyond his expectations that the Ming Dynasty warship could sail so far.

Boom! Ming warships fired cannons to warn and unfolded in combat formation.

Widdle weighed the pros and cons and ordered the sail to stop, but the ship was still on guard.

A smaller warship came flexibly. Even for a small warship, Weddle did not dare to act rashly when he saw the gun position on the side.

"You have entered the waters of the Ming Empire, report your country's name and identity, and be inspected." A Ming army shouted to Widell and others with an iron trumpet.

Weedel was also unlucky. This was not an inspection by Ming Customs, and it could not be so far away. This was a routine cruise fleet, stationed in Saigon Port, Mekong Province.
Chapter completed!