lcionline Chapter 346 The Prosperous Port of Bopu
Chapter 346 The Prosperous Port of Bopu
After successfully concluding the armed demonstrations in Nagasaki, Edo Bay, Kagoshima, and other places, the fleet made a brief stop in Nagasaki for resupply before embarking on its voyage back to Rinko.
Liu Ye's second trip to Japan was incredibly fruitful. He not only successfully achieved his goal of establishing a closed tax system in Nagasaki, closing all avenues for tax evasion by maritime merchants, but also incidentally eliminated the future Koxinga, preventing a melodramatic scenario of a son seeking revenge for his father. The Edo Bay Treaty with Tokugawa Iemitsu was an unexpected bonus. Although the extraterritoriality clauses had more political significance than practical value, currently only protecting the Nagasaki trading post, these clauses would be more useful in the future if he could free up resources to infiltrate Japan. Of course, the most practical provisions at present were the prohibition of ships not paying taxes to the Qiongzhou Garrison from trading in Nagasaki and the freedom to recruit Japanese.
Thinking about recruiting Japanese people, Liu Ye glanced at Shimazu Chiyo, who was standing motionless at the bow of the ship with a samurai sword in his arms. Would bringing this guy back to Lingao be a blessing or a curse?
Since boarding the ship, Shimazu Chiyo had never spoken to Liu Ye and the others. She would stand at the bow for hours on end, unmoved by the biting sea wind. Liu Ye thought to himself, "She's been practically driven away by her family, and now she's my subordinate. Why is she still acting all high and mighty? Standing there like a cool statue of the ship?"
However, despite his inner grumbling, he didn't utter a single word of criticism against Shimazu Chiyo to her face. After all, the fall from being a candidate for head of a domain to working as a bodyguard in a foreign land, serving her former enemy, was too great a change to accept; anyone would need time to process it. Besides, wouldn't her father's and brother's attitudes be even more disheartening?
Thinking of this, Liu Ye actually felt sorry for this crazy woman. No matter how fierce a woman is, she's still a woman after all. When it comes to politics and power games, men are far more ruthless and cold-blooded than women, and naturally, they play the game much better. How could Shimazu Chiyo, who only knew how to wield swords and spears, possibly outmaneuver Shimazu Mitsuhisa, who had been a hostage in Edo for years, enduring hardship and always coveting the headship of the clan? In Liu Ye's memory, throughout the Edo period, until the eve of the Meiji Restoration, none of the lords of the Satsuma Domain were easy to deal with, and Shimazu Mitsuhisa was no exception. Otherwise, how could the Satsuma Domain have thrived under the brutal oppression of the shogunate, absorbing advanced Western culture and technology, transforming itself from a "Kyushu bumpkin" in the eyes of the shogunate into a vanguard in the overthrow of the Tokugawa family?
The journey was uneventful, and the fleet returned to Bofu Port in just over half a month.
Bopu was no longer the peaceful place it once was. It had transformed from a place where only warships came and went and anchored into a scene of merchant ships gathering and sails covering the sky. Countless merchants from Southeast Asia, Guangdong, and Jiangnan gathered here from all directions to pay commercial taxes in accordance with regulations.
Bopu Port had become a maritime transportation hub connecting Southeast Asia and Jiangnan, its location suddenly becoming crucial. This led to a boom in nearby industries; seemingly overnight, countless trading posts, restaurants, inns, and even a few brothels sprang up. These brothels catered specifically to the sailors and crew on merchant ships traveling up to Jiangnan and down to Southeast Asia. While their standards couldn't match the famous brothels of Jiangnan, and the girls' looks were rather ordinary, business was booming. The sailors and crew, who spent most of their time at sea, were so used to seeing even sows with double eyelids when they came ashore that their physiological needs were a basic necessity.
After Liu Ye disembarked, he was somewhat stunned to see the various tertiary industries springing up like mushrooms after rain on the streets leading to Lingao New City, as well as the bustling crowds. This was all happening far too fast! He remembered that before he went to Japan, apart from the long queues in front of the port tax office, there weren't so many shops on the streets.
When he saw places with signs like "Chunxiang Courtyard" and "Cuihong Pavilion," he was even more stunned. At the entrance, middle-aged women, dressed in flamboyant attire, enthusiastically greeted passing men, inviting them inside. Seeing this, any man would probably know what kind of place this was.
Liang Xiaoming was also astonished: "I never expected that setting up this tax office would have such a good effect on boosting the tertiary industry..."
Liu Ye nodded: "Where there is demand, there is a market. The emergence of these shops is an inevitable trend. However, we can't let these businesses expand indiscriminately; they must be regulated. We should have the county magistrate manage it another day. If Lingao becomes a mess, it's his dereliction of duty as the local official!"
He called Li Fu over and asked, "You spearheaded the construction of the new city. I remember instructing you to make proper plans for the industrial zone, commercial zone, and residential zone. Have these shops near the dock been approved?"
Li Fu said somewhat nervously, “The merchants who opened these shops did indeed come to me, and I collected the money according to the land price in the new city, which was all deposited into the Qiongzhou Trading Company’s account. However, seeing that you, General, are too busy, I didn’t report these small matters in time…”
Liu Ye, being an experienced businessman, immediately understood. The new city, being a residential area, was incredibly cheap, as it was designed to properly resettle the residents of the old county town. These merchants, having acquired prime commercial land near the dock at the same price, must have made a fortune and undoubtedly given Li Fu substantial kickbacks. The amount deposited into the merchants' official accounts was negligible.
However, Liu Ye understood the principle that "too much clarity leaves no fish, and too much scrutiny leaves no followers." As long as it didn't interfere with official business, he turned a blind eye to his subordinates' illicit income. Besides, he hadn't anticipated the port area's rapid development, and many rules hadn't been clearly explained, nor had the system been properly established. He couldn't blame Li Fu.
He said to Li Fu, "Let the shops that have already received payment continue to operate, but they must not be shortchanged by a single penny. How can such good land be priced like the land where the people in the new city live? When we get back to Nanyuan, call the county magistrate. There are some things that need to be handled by the county government. We can't let you shoulder all of them. Tiannan Trading Company is now in charge of trade in Guangdong and Japan. If you are in charge of such a large business, how can you have the energy to deal with these trivial matters?"
Li Fu secretly wiped his sweat and quickly replied, "Understood, I will go to the magistrate immediately." He thought to himself, "The magistrate is so shrewd, he probably guessed that I took money from the shops. Although he didn't say anything, one should know better than to wait until the truth comes out before making amends."
He made up his mind to return all the money tomorrow. He already had dividends from the Qiongzhou Trading Company, so he really shouldn't have taken this small amount. Moreover, according to the master, the price of these shops and land needed to be recalculated and all the money had to be paid up. In that case, it was even more necessary to return the money. Otherwise, he would be known as someone who took money but couldn't do a good job, and the merchants would complain to the master, which would make it impossible for him to save face.