Chapter 944
Chapter 944
Pan Yun led Wang Cong and the other two back to Omori Township. The rest of the group either stayed behind to guard the dock or sailed back to Onsenzu Port on their own.
When they rushed back, the sun was just setting, and Miaohe was still supervising people moving goods.
Pan Yun kicked a box at her feet and asked, "What's in here?"
Wang Cong glanced at the box and said, "These are medicinal herbs from Korea. The corners of the box are painted green, and the herbs inside are all wrapped in oiled paper."
What kinds of medicinal herbs are used?
"The most abundant items are ginseng, along with white-flowered bellflower, artemisia, and some tiger bone, rhinoceros horn, and musk."
Korean ginseng is very famous, while white-flowered bellflower and artemisia are considered their specialties. The other medicinal herbs are precious, but with a large population, no matter how many there are, it will never be enough.
Some medicines were hard to buy even if you had money in the Ming Dynasty, but in Korea, because Wang Cong was from the suzerain state and had a certificate of ordination, he could buy them as long as he had money.
Wang Cong said proudly, "Last year and this year I went to North Korea and made friends with the officials and gentry there. I was able to get a lot of medicinal herbs without much effort."
Pan Yun: "Will the transaction be conducted in silver?"
“Ming Dynasty copper coins, silk, and porcelain are all acceptable. You don’t know how popular our Ming Dynasty copper coins are there. Their currency is very unstable, just like our paper money. Although it is made of copper and iron, it is mixed with many impurities. That’s why Ming Dynasty copper coins are very popular there.”
Wang Cong said, "Silk can be used directly as currency."
Chinese silk has been used as currency since ancient times, not only in tributary states but also in other foreign countries.
Seeing Pan Yun's curiosity, Wang Cong led her onto the ship while explaining, "In addition to silk and porcelain, we also trade books and prepared medicines."
This was a product unique to Wang Cong, and it was also his discovery.
After discovering that Ming Dynasty books were rare and expensive in Japan, he took a liking to selling books to Japan.
They sell all kinds of books.
Japan was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, which he liked. Korea had an even closer relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and he figured they would like it even more.
Sure enough, he shipped a batch of books over there.
The people who had been crowding around his boat to buy silk suddenly surged forward and all rushed to grab books.
Later, Wang Cong discovered that medicines from the Ming Dynasty were just as popular as books.
All kinds of pills and medicines, especially traditional Chinese medicines, that came from the Ming Dynasty were regarded as divine medicines and their value increased many times over.
As an agent for Sanqingshan, Wang Cong had close ties with major pharmaceutical merchants, pharmacies, and doctors. In addition, he himself was a Taoist doctor, so he could verify the efficacy of prepared medicines, write the instructions for the medicines, and sell them to those who needed them...
Among the many businesses that ventured overseas, this business seemed to have been created just for him.
Wang Cong said, "I have decided that our business can reduce the export of goods such as silk and porcelain, and focus on the export of medicinal materials, prepared medicines and books. Junior Uncle, don't underestimate it just because it's a niche market. I'm sure that among all the businesses that export this year, few will earn more money than me."
“Alright, since you’re confident, then do it this way,” Pan Jun paused and then said, “The Ming Dynasty is a celestial empire, and Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Ocean have enhanced our national prestige. All countries and regions yearn for the Ming Dynasty. When you do business in this circle, you can add more cultural elements.”
"culture?"
Pan Yun tapped the box and said, "Don't the books and medicines you sell all carry cultural connotations?"
"Your father reveres Master Ge, and he easily gets impulsive whenever he encounters anything of Master Ge, regardless of whether it's genuine or fake. People from other countries admire the Ming Dynasty, so things that come from the Ming Dynasty will naturally be sought after. If you add a little bit of the unique culture of the Ming Dynasty to it, do you think your value will be even higher, and you'll be able to sell it faster than others?"
Wang Cong's eyes brightened slightly.
Pan Jun jumped onto another boat and found that the cabin had been modified. The boat was now filled with boxes and sacks. He paused slightly and said, "This cabin... isn't suitable for storing boxes. Why did you modify it like this?"
Wang Cong said, "Our caravan doesn't travel far. We can return home twice a year. Besides one trip in May or June, we can also return once between October and December. We can bring food on board then."
Pan Yun remained silent.
Wang Cong said, “The price of grain is indeed not as high as other goods, but in recent years, there have been continuous natural disasters in the Ming Dynasty. Every winter and spring, the price of grain will rise. So I want to transport more grain back from outside.”
Pan Jun said, "Grain, especially rice, is more abundant in places like Luzon, Le Dynasty, Laos and Brunei. I remember that Champa rice was very famous in Le Dynasty."
Wang Cong's eyes lit up: "Junior Uncle, you and I are thinking the same thing. More and more merchants are coming to Japan now, and the sea ban has only been lifted for more than half a year. I estimate that in three years at most, Japan will become a transshipment country for maritime trade. But there are only so many countries to trade with to the east, north, and south from here. Beyond Japan, the sea on the nautical chart is just a vast ocean with only a few scattered islands. So I want to form another caravan to fight in the South China Sea."
Wang Cong's eyes shone brighter as he spoke: "News has come from the country that His Majesty is going to open a seaport in Guangzhou. Junior Uncle, is it true?"
“It’s true,” Pan Yun said. “Guangzhou has a port left over from the Song and Yuan dynasties. Although it has been abandoned for many years, it was very prosperous back then, just like Quanzhou Port. In recent years, it has occasionally received various vassal states in the South China Sea. So it can be put into use with a little renovation. When maritime trade flourishes, it will be expanded and its glory will be restored. It’s only a matter of time.”
Wang Cong: "So after I go back this time, I'm going to Guangzhou!"
Pan Jun's lips curled slightly: "You've certainly chosen a good place."
Wang Cong was both proud and self-satisfied: "I know that Junior Uncle sent Miaozhen and the other two to Japan because he was afraid that they would use Miaozhen and the others to manipulate you since you have just become the National Preceptor. Now that you have come to pick them up, it is clear that you have already established yourself."
“But I’m different from Miaozhen and the others. They only need to train and cultivate, but I can’t let go of my business. If all my assets are in Quanzhou, I’ll be too easily manipulated. And Lingnan is a place of miasma and dampness. The people in the court and the imperial family don’t have that much reach,” Wang Cong said confidently. “I can establish myself there with my own abilities!”
Pan Yun asked, "Have you booked the boat?"
Wang Cong's shoulders slumped slightly: "I went to the shipyard before the Lunar New Year. At that time, the sea ban had just been lifted, and the shipyard's orders were already booked for three years into the future."
Pan Yun asked, "What do you want to do? Just say it."
Wang Cong asked, "Recently, there have been some pirates causing trouble. I wonder if the navy has any plans to suppress them?"
Pan Jun glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then said, "I'll go back and ask for you."
Wang Cong got excited and planned the future for Pan Jun: "This time I'm going to take Xiao Jing and Song Dalin back. Before the new caravan comes out, I'll take them on a few more trips. In the future, this route will be handed over to them."
"The South China Sea will present even more challenges. I've read some notes and heard that from there you can reach an extremely hot place where there is no winter and crops can grow all year round."
Pan Yun's eyes flickered slightly: "Africa, huh? If you go around it, you can even reach Western Europe." Wang Cong: "Huh?"
Pan Yun said, "I'll find Zheng He's notes for you later. You can study them and go through all the places he visited. Then I'll find you a nautical chart so you can follow along and even fill in the chart."
Pan Yun patted him on the shoulder, her eyes shining: "Good nephew, just as the Han Dynasty had Zhang Qian, the Ming Dynasty has you, Wang Cong. I believe you will go further and gain more than Zheng He. In addition to doing business, don't forget to learn from Zhang Qian and bring back more good seeds for us. Also, write down the customs and traditions of various countries in detail!"
Wang Cong's shoulder ached terribly; he almost fell to the ground from being slapped. Seeing that his junior uncle was even more excited than him, he rubbed his shoulder and reminded him, "Junior Uncle, that boat..."
Pan Yun waved his hand and said, "I'll think of a way for you!"
Wang Cong became excited.
Both the master and nephew had bright eyes that revealed their undisguised ambition, so when they stepped off the boat, their clothes fluttered so much that they were almost blown into the sky by the wind.
The sea breeze slapped the veil that Pan Jun had just put on onto her face, almost knocking her into the sea. Fortunately, she was steady enough to grab the veil on her head in time.
Shinta Masuda stood below the boat and saw the woman in the veil standing next to Wang Cong, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
But Pan Yun seemed not to see it, and after getting off the boat, she took Miao Zhen's hand and left.
Wang Cong greeted Masuda Shinta with a smile, clasping his hands in a fist and palm salute, "What brings you here, Masuda-kun?"
Shinta Masuda withdrew his gaze from the woman in the veil, revealing a perfectly timed hint of doubt: "Who is that young lady?"
"Oh, she's a new friend of my junior sister's. She wants to return to the country with us. It's getting late, so Mr. Masuda, is there something you need from me?"
Shinta Masuda immediately refocused on the matter at hand, pulling Wang Cong aside and sighing, "Wang Cong-kun, I heard that you had a conflict with the Ouchi clan at Nanao Port..."
The sounds gradually faded from memory. A long queue had formed outside the thatched shed. Miaohe was rapidly calculating on her abacus while keeping accounts, while Tao Yanbai calculated the amount and settled the accounts with the workers after she finished.
The vast majority of people loading and unloading cargo at the harbor are Japanese, with a small number being Koreans.
Pan Yun was quite surprised when she found out: "How come there are Koreans here?"
As Miaozhen took out copper coins from the box and untied the rope, she said, "Most of them were kidnapped by Japanese pirates. Because the imperial court suppressed the bandits, it destroyed several pirate dens. Last year, the imperial navy clashed with the Japanese navy and pirates and won a great victory, which forced the Japanese shogunate to send troops to suppress the bandits again. These Koreans had nowhere to go, so they gathered in the nearby harbor and usually made money by loading and unloading goods for merchants."
Miaozhen pointed to a spot and said, "Those sheds over there are where they live."
Pan Jun had excellent eyesight; although it was already dark, he could still see the thatched hut hidden behind a grove of trees.
She didn't even need to go over there; just by looking at the undulating thatched hut, she could imagine how messy and cramped it was.
Pan Yun pursed her lips and asked, "Are there any of my Ming Dynasty citizens among them?"
"Yes, but after they came out, they either took the merchants' ships back to their hometowns, or they lived in the harbors like us. However, Onsenzu-cho Port and Nanao Port are harbors controlled by our imperial court. People captured by the Ming Dynasty can receive a settlement allowance as long as they can provide their names and household registration. Although it is not much, it is enough to rent a place."
Therefore, as long as they weren't particularly lazy, Han Chinese could make a living from these two ports and live quite well.
Han people still preferred to employ other Han people. As long as they didn't cheat or swindle, Ming Dynasty merchants liked to hire them as minor leaders, and their wages were higher than others.
Pan Yun's gaze swept over the people in line.
Miao Zhen said, “Whether they are Japanese or Koreans, those who come to the port to load and unload goods are all poor people. Most of them wear short shirts and shorts, and some don’t even have short shirts. They are barefoot. The wages we pay are calculated by piece according to the different goods loaded and unloaded. An adult who does not slack off can earn at least 35 coins a day, and the highest record is 108 coins.”
Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "That amazing?"
"That man has no surname, and his name only has the character 'rice' in it. I heard that his family thought he ate too much, so when he was six years old, they threw him out onto the street. The next day, his senior brother made him a guard and gave him a surname. Since we met at Onsenzu Port, he was called Onsen Rice. In this Nanao Port conflict, he killed six people and made a great contribution."
Pan Yun: "...Great name!"
This is true for most surnames in Japan. Before the Meiji Restoration, the vast majority of Japanese people did not have surnames.
During this period, their surnames were reserved for nobles.
Pan Yun could imagine how excited an orphan who had been abandoned by his family since childhood would be to receive a surname.
Pan Yun turned her gaze away from the laborers and asked, "Where is our supervisor? Why are you the ones doing things like settling accounts and distributing money?"
Miao Zhen's face darkened. She said, "Our senior brother said we can't just eat for free, so after we arrived, he sent the manager out to do other things, and we stayed at the port to manage his business."
They waited in the thatched hut until the moon rose above the willow branches before Wang Cong returned, and Miao He also finished paying out today's wages.
The five then returned to Omori Township.
Pan Yun told Miao Zhen and the other two to go and rest, while she took Wang Cong to knock on Lord Kuang's door.
Lord Kuang had already taken off his clothes and gone to bed, and was now fast asleep.
So even though Pan Yun knocked for a long time, and even the Imperial Guards put on their clothes and leaned against the wall to stare at them, it was still dark inside Lord Kuang's room.
Under the watchful eyes of the Imperial Guards, Pan Yun murmured, "With such a loud noise, why isn't Lord Kuang up? Could something have happened?"
After saying that, he increased the force in his hand, almost smashing the door down.
The Imperial Guards' forehead veins were bulging, and they were about to lose their temper when finally a voice came from inside the room: "They're here, they're here..."
After a rustling sound, the light finally came on inside, and a hunched figure came to open the door: "Who is it in the middle of the night?"
Pan Yun opened the door and smiled at him, saying gently, "It's still early. I thought Lord Kuang was still awake."
Lord Kuang silently looked up at the moon's position, then stared at her without saying a word.
Wang Cong could only remind him, "Lord Kuang, my junior uncle has become the Imperial Advisor."
Lord Kuang forced a smile and stepped aside, saying, "It's an honor to have the Imperial Preceptor here. Please come in." (End of Chapter)