GBP Chapter 356 Those Koreans really are like dogs that can't change their nature.
Chapter 356 Those Koreans really are like dogs that can't change their nature.
Seeing the smiles on Park Deok-hwan's and Park Sung-sung's faces and the glint in their eyes, Yang Shaofeng knew that the labor dispatch deal was done.
After all, Park Deok-hwan and Park Sung-sung were loyal to King Jeon of Goryeo, who was currently at a disadvantage in his struggle against King Gwon Shin-don and desperately needed support from the Ming Dynasty.
If Wang Zhuan could facilitate the dispatch of laborers from Goryeo to the Ming Dynasty, he would have firmly grasped the moral high ground and legitimacy, and at the very least, the political climate in Goryeo would shift in his favor.
In addition, labor dispatch also involves huge interests.
For example, this settlement issue.
What price did the Ming Dynasty use to hire these laborers?
It doesn't matter at all!
The important thing is that the Ming Dynasty can use paper money to settle accounts with the Ministry of Revenue of Goryeo, and the Ministry of Revenue of Goryeo will then give these paper money to Goryeo merchants so that they can buy back the things that Goryeo needs at the border market.
As for the wages the laborers received, that was a matter for the Ministry of Revenue of Goryeo to consider.
If the officials in charge of household affairs in Goryeo had any conscience, they could pay the Goryeo laborers more wages; if they had no conscience at all, they could deduct more wages.
Anyway, all this messy stuff has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.
Park Deok-hwan and Park Sung-sung, who were sent to the Ming Dynasty by King Wang Jeon of Goryeo, were certainly not fools. They quickly figured out the meaning behind the statement that the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty and the Ministry of Revenue of Goryeo were settling accounts.
After exchanging a glance, Park Sung-sung bowed directly to Yang Shaofeng and asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, how many laborers does the Ming Dynasty actually need?"
Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "The more the better, the more the merrier."
Seeing the somewhat bewildered look on Park Sung-sung's face, Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "Let me put it this way to Vice Envoy Park: if you can get 10,000 laborers, I won't mind if it's too few; if you can get a million laborers, I won't mind if it's too many; and if you have ten million laborers, the clerk you want is not out of the question."
As soon as Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Park Deok-hwan and Park Sung-sung both hissed and gasped in shock.
Millions of laborers?
The total population of Goryeo was only a little over nine million, yet this prince consort was asking for tens of millions of laborers?
As expected of the Celestial Empire, it is terrifyingly powerful and not to be trifled with!
“Three…no, fifty thousand, fifty thousand laborers.”
Park Sung-sung said with a troubled expression, "The foreign minister will try to persuade the King of Goryeo to send 50,000 laborers to the Ming Dynasty."
Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Vice Envoy Park is indeed straightforward! In that case, I will write a memorial to His Majesty explaining this labor dispatch matter."
Park Sung-sung was overjoyed and bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Thank you, Prince Consort! Thank you, Prince Consort!"
……
After returning to the accommodations arranged by Yang Shaofeng, Park Deok-hwan frowned and asked, "Vice Envoy Park, are you really going to persuade the King to send 50,000 laborers to the Ming Dynasty?"
Park Sung-sung nodded without hesitation. "That's right. If the King agrees, what's wrong with sending 100,000 laborers?"
Park Deok-hwan was slightly taken aback, but Park Sung-sung continued, "Why did we promise Prince Yang... ten thousand laborers before? What is the reason for sending laborers to the Ming Dynasty now?"
Upon hearing Park Sung-sung's words, Park Deok-hwan fell silent.
Why would Park Sung-sung promise Yang Shao-feng 10,000 won, along with his own supervision, rations, and hard labor?
It wasn't that Park Sung-sung admired the Ming Dynasty to the point of obsession, nor was it that Park Sung-sung wanted to use the opportunity of arranging hard labor to build a relationship with Yang Shao-feng. The real reason lay with the temporary workers who came to the Ming Dynasty at the same time as those ten thousand hard laborers.
To put it bluntly, the struggle between King Jeon of Goryeo and King Shin Don of Goryeo affected not only the Goryeo royal family and King Shin Don's family, but also all the high-ranking officials and nobles in Goryeo.
The 1,000 slots for supervisors in the Ming Dynasty were essentially a backup plan for the Goryeo royal family, King Shin Don's family, and other high-ranking officials in Goryeo, allowing them to send a few of their sons in so that they wouldn't be completely wiped out by the struggle between King Jeon and Shin Don.
After a slight pause, Park Sung-sung added, "More importantly, as long as we send laborers, the Ministry of Revenue of Goryeo can save some money and grain."
Park Deok-hwan's eyes immediately lit up, and he chimed in, "Vice Envoy Park is right. With this money and provisions, His Majesty...the King will be able to do even more."
……
Hube?
Your Majesty? Your Majesty what? Your Majesty?
Yang Shaofeng sneered and said, "Those Koreans really are like dogs that can't change their nature."
According to the tributary system, the Ming Dynasty had a Ministry of Revenue, while Goryeo had a Ministry of Revenue. The two had the same structure and functions, the only difference being that the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of Revenue could be called a "Ministry," while Goryeo's could only be called a "Ministry," which was like being demoted one rank when meeting one's father.
The same applies to the title given to Wang Zhuan.
According to the rules of the tributary system, Wang Zhuan was considered a retainer of Emperor Zhu, serving as a vassal on behalf of the emperor. His rank was equivalent to that of a prince, so he could be called a king but not an emperor, and he could be addressed as "Your Majesty" but not "Supreme King".
The Koreans are always outwardly respectful, addressing the Ming Dynasty as "Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming" in their official letters and referring to themselves as "your subject," but behind closed doors, they all refer to themselves as "I, the Emperor."
Park Sung-sung's current practice of referring to the Ministry of Revenue as the Ministry of Revenue behind closed doors, and Park Deok-hwan's near-calling of the King as "Your Majesty," are tantamount to courting death.
Standing in front of Yang Shaofeng, Tang Ergou, the Dengzhou Prefectural Inspector, said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, these two barbarians are so rude, shouldn't we..."
Seeing Tang Ergou gesture with his hand across his neck, Yang Shaofeng couldn't help but rub his forehead and sigh, saying, "Don't always think about fighting and killing. As long as they didn't call out the wrong name in front of me, I can pretend I didn't hear it for now."
Tang Ergou was a little confused after Yang Shaofeng said that.
What does it mean to pretend you didn't hear it for the time being?
Are you planning to settle scores with them later?
Just as Tang Ergou was pondering this, Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Have someone keep a close eye on these two bastards and record their every word and action. Record exactly what day and what time they said it."
After Tang Ergou bowed in agreement, Yang Shaofeng waved his hand, indicating that Tang Ergou could leave. He then spread out the paper for writing memorials and began to write a memorial to Emperor Zhu entitled "Respectfully Submitting a Memorial on Introducing Laborers".
Is there really such a cheap thing in this world?
Using the banknotes printed by the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, they hired laborers dispatched by Goryeo. Goryeo then used these banknotes to buy what they needed at the border market. Coincidentally, what they bought was exactly what the Ming Dynasty wanted them to buy. The main idea was that the Ming Dynasty would earn money and spend it within the Ming Dynasty, without thinking of taking anything home.
After all, many messy workshops will soon appear in the Ming Dynasty, and as long as these workshops start industrialization, no matter how small, micro, or unreliable they are, they will be enough to deliver a devastating blow to the Koreans who are still in the primitive agricultural stage.