Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Zhao Yuan ruthlessly exposed him.

"Don't dare."

Zhu Yu quickly denied it.

Zhao Yuan laughed and said, "Pingzhou Ketan is quite interesting."

The book is interspersed with various interesting stories, such as when a Goryeo envoy passed through Changzhou and heard that the calligraphy brushes there were of excellent quality, so he wanted to buy a batch of calligraphy brushes to take back to Goryeo.

The accompanying Song Dynasty officials colluded with a Changzhou pen merchant to swindle the Goryeo envoy.

The merchant only brought the writing brush when the Goryeo envoy was almost boarding the ship.

The Goryeo envoy was in a hurry to leave, and did not have time to inspect the goods in detail. He made the transaction quickly and left.

As a result, half of those brushes were empty, with only empty brush tubes to make a show of it.

Zhu Yu said, "Just some interesting anecdotes."

Zhao Yuan then asked, "Can ships from Guangdong also be leased in partnership?"

"That's how it's recorded in the book."

Zhu Yu explained: "Some merchants who own seagoing vessels are willing to rent them out, whether due to insufficient stock, cash flow problems, or other reasons."

I only have two or three hundred strings of cash. Can I go overseas to sell goods?

you can!

Guangdong has a highly developed maritime trade, where it is even possible to share boats and rent cabin space.

Chapter 3390 Southeast Asian Countries

Some small business owners lack the financial resources to buy even one or two boxes of goods.

You could pay the ship owner according to the volume or weight of the cargo, and then sleep on the cargo container for the entire journey (in case the cargo was switched during the voyage). You would also pay for meals and have the crew bring you food.

When a merchant ship sets sail, a large portion of the cargo may not belong to the ship owner, but rather to small, scattered merchants.

Some don't even transport cargo themselves; they just run ships and collect cabin rental fees.

They also agreed to go to sea together, and only when there were many people and many boats would they set off, and everyone banded together to guard against pirates.

Zhao Yuan asked, "Are there many pirates in the South Seas?"

Zhu Yu replied, "Too many to count."

"If there are only one or two boats, they wouldn't dare to go out to sea at all."

Zhao Yuan said, "Once I have dealt with the Jin Kingdom, I will send the navy to the South Seas to wipe out the pirates."

Zhu Yu said, "There aren't many people who specialize in robbing and becoming pirates. Often, it's the merchants who turn into pirates, so sending the navy is useless."

"Because as long as there is a navy, these merchants will do business honestly. The Ming navy can't just randomly annihilate merchant ships, can it?"

“That’s true.” Zhao Yuan nodded.

Zhu Yu said, "The countries that should really be attacked are the Southeast Asian countries."

"How so?" Zhao Yuan asked, intrigued.

Zhu Yu explained in detail: "Most of the countries in Southeast Asia do not levy commercial taxes, but instead collect goods as tribute."

"Although the Song Dynasty also levied taxes, and the tax rates changed frequently, at least there was a general system in place."

“Foreign states have no rules; they take whatever they please.”

"If you know a buyer in the area, you can bribe the officials to take less of the commission."

"If you don't know anyone, your ship and cargo could be swallowed up."

Zhao Yuan's face darkened: "Even Champa and Zhenla dare to confiscate the goods of Chinese merchants?"

"What are they afraid of?"

Zhu Yu said,

"It's fortunate that only the goods were swallowed up."

"Even if the ship is confiscated, you can still take other merchant ships back to China."

"If they encounter ruthless foreign officials, they might even commit murder and robbery at the port!"

"For example, a person transporting goods to Champa might drift to Zhenla due to wind and waves."

“Officials in Zhenla would ask the man who he sold the goods to. If he couldn’t say, it would be a local merchant or official he knew.”

"Then this ship of goods was most likely swallowed up by the Zhenla officials."

Zhao Yuan sneered: "These envoys from vassal states were extremely respectful to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty when they met him in Tokyo."

"But I never expected that they would not even follow the rules in doing business, and would actually dare to forcibly take over the goods of Ming Dynasty merchants."

"They even stole people and boats, and committed murder and robbery!"

Zhu Yu said, "It has always been so."

"The former Song Dynasty court never intervened, and the officials of the Ming Dynasty had no way to intervene either."

"In which country does this kind of thing happen the most?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Zhu Yu said, "Zhenla."

Zhenla refers to the Angkor Dynasty.

Zhao Yuan slammed his fist on the table: "The first place to deal with is Zhenla!"

While flipping through geographical materials about the south, Zhao Yuan chatted with Zhu Yu about various interesting anecdotes.

This old man was very knowledgeable; he had traveled all over the south, lived in the north for many years, and had also spent a long time in Kaifeng.

At the end of the conversation, Zhao Yuan said, "You will first go to the Ministry of Rites as an assistant secretary and sort out the sacrificial rites in the prefectures and counties of the south. All those chaotic and disorderly deities must be abolished. Those deities that inspire goodness and benefit the country and its people can be preserved."

Chapter 3391 Folk Sacrifices

Zhu Yu said, "The first priority is to regulate the city gods in various places."

"How so?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Zhu Yu elaborated in detail: "The custom of worshipping the City God originated in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, mainly in the Jiangnan region, where people spontaneously built temples to worship him."

"The Sui and Tang dynasties brought it under the control of the imperial court, and this gradually spread to the southwest and north."

"City Gods were found throughout the north and south of the Song Dynasty, but the south had the most, and they also had a system for bestowing titles upon them."

"However, the practice of bestowing titles upon the City God during the Song Dynasty was intermittent and gradually became irregular."

"Now it's even more chaotic."

"For example, in some prefectures and counties, gentry and wealthy merchants worship the City God indiscriminately, and the City God they worship has absolutely no connection with the local area."

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Let me give you an example."

Zhu Yu gave an example: "For instance, Ji Xin followed Liu Bang to the Feast at Hongmen, and was later burned to death by Xiang Yu."

“He was from Sichuan. He fought in the north for many years and rarely went to the south. He did not do any favors for the people in the south.”

"But from Hanzhong to Xiangyang, and then to Taiping, Runzhou, Wuhu, Huating... ten prefectures and counties regarded Ji Xin as the city god."

"Indeed."

Zhao Yuan smiled. He had seen the City God Temple in Hanzhong, where the main deity enshrined was Ji Xin.

Zhu Yu said, "Many prefectures and counties no longer pay homage to Ji Xin, and the people don't even know who Ji Xin is."

"Instead, they worshipped wild gods of unknown origin, or even some evil gods, creating chaos and disturbing the local customs."

This is why successive dynasties regulated sacrificial rites; faith had to be in the hands of the government, and there had to be positive guidance.

The City Gods were originally nature gods, but by the Song Dynasty, they were generally replaced by historical figures.

When a local official takes office, the first thing he must do is pay homage to the City God; otherwise, he is considered to be disrespecting local customs.

The Cheng brothers felt that the City God did not conform to Confucian tradition and even suggested abolishing the City God system throughout the country.

Some officials cracked down on illicit worship and wanted to eliminate the City God as well, which aroused public anger and caused great chaos.

This thing can only be controlled and guided; it can't go against the people.

Zhu Yu continued, "The city gods in various places should be mainly capable ministers and fierce generals."

“For example, in Chongyang County, the gentry and common people do not worship the City God, but instead worship Zhang Guaya (Zhang Yong).

"More than a hundred years have passed, and the people of Chongyang still know Zhang Guaiya’s good policies like the back of their hand."

“In this situation, Zhang Guaiya should be appointed as the City God of Chongyang, and the old City God, whom people no longer believe in, should be removed.”

Zhang Tang's ancestor, Zhang Yong, was truly remarkable. In many places where he governed, the people spontaneously built shrines to worship him, and the incense has burned continuously for over a hundred years.

Even when Zhong Xiang occupied Hunan, he dared not demolish the "Zhang Gong Temple".

Zhu Yu also said: "There are many witches and gods in the south, and their good and evil are mixed together, making it difficult for the people to distinguish between them."

"Within a single county, there may be dozens of shamans."

“One or two benevolent gods should be selected and enshrined in City God Temples, while all other witch gods should be abolished.”

"For example, if a witch named Lin is called Mazu by the Min people, she can be established as the city god."

Zhu Yu added, "There are many battles on the border."

“We should select loyal and brave generals from past dynasties to be chosen as city gods and build temples to worship them, so as to inspire the soldiers and people on the frontier.”

Zhao Yuan nodded in approval: "That's a good idea. You should have local officials consult with the local gentry and select the appropriate city gods for each prefecture and county."

"Remember, the worship of the City God should not be extravagant; it should be combined with the worship of the Spring and Autumn Societies."

Chapter 3392 Spring Festival and Autumn Harvest

The Spring Festival and Autumn Festival sacrifices are mainly for praying for and celebrating a good harvest, and are large-scale annual folk sacrificial activities.

It also has the significance of stimulating the economy, and even people from poor and remote areas will participate.

It not only provided the people with faith and entertainment, but also benefited the local business development.

Zhu Yu suggested, "The date for the worship of the City God can be set on the local Spring Festival."

"In this way, the sacrifices can be performed together without wasting money."

Zhao Yuan said, "A stele should be erected in front of the City God Temple to inscribe the City God's achievements and virtues."

"During the sacrificial ceremony, officials read the inscription on the stele, guiding officials and common people to be benevolent, righteous, loyal, brave, and virtuous."

"In a City God Temple, a main deity can be enshrined as the City God, with attendants such as judges."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!" Zhu Yu flattered.

The reason this matter was entrusted to Zhu Yu was that he was not only proficient in astronomy and geography, but also familiar with the customs and traditions of various places, and had a good understanding of history, Buddhism and Taoism, and shamanism.

There were also many privately built City God Temples during the Song Dynasty. For example, Su Jian died resisting the invasion of Jiaozhi and was enshrined as the City God by the local people.

Later, when Jiaozhi invaded Guizhou from the north, the people shouted, "The City God Su is leading his troops to avenge us!" The Song army's morale immediately soared, and Jiaozhi was so frightened that they hastily withdrew and fled.

Other Song Dynasty officials, such as Li Yi and Zhao Rulan, were also immediately worshipped as city gods by the people after their deaths.

The people know perfectly well who the truly good officials are.

Zhao Yuan intended to formally confer the title of City God upon all of these officials, so that the imperial court could set an example for local officials while controlling folk beliefs.

After finishing his conversation with Zhu Yu, Zhao Yuan looked at Li Yaoguang, who had been sitting quietly.

"Did you bring a lot of mathematical manuscripts?" Zhao Yuan asked.

Li Yaoguang was carrying a large stack of things in his arms, and he quickly got up and handed them to the eunuch.

Zhao Yuan opened it and his mind exploded.

The first page is full of various symbols, all created by Li Yaoguang himself.

This guy was afraid the emperor wouldn't understand, so he even added a written explanation next to it.

Many of the contents already have corresponding symbols, which is a consensus among mathematical researchers in recent years.