Chapter 485: The World's Wealth

At Guangzhou Pier, thousands of sails compete and hundreds of boats compete.

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei, the envoys sent by the imperial court to the Middle East, witnessed this grand occasion with their own eyes.

In the Song Dynasty, senior officials were from the fourth rank and above, equivalent to deputy senior officials in later generations, and the fifth rank could only be regarded as the main department level.

However, Wang Han, the transshipment envoy of Guangdong, came to greet him in person, and with him was Su Yan, the magistrate of Guangzhou.

There is a big difference in the costumes of the two parties at this moment.

Tan Wenxu and the others were wearing Chinese tunic suits. They looked quite mature and elegant in their forties.

Wang Han and the others were wearing official uniforms, which were normal official uniforms of the Song Dynasty.

Although Zhao Jun advocated simple dress, he did not abolish public uniforms, so wearing public uniforms on formal occasions is still the habit of most officials.

Mainly used by local officials.

People are familiar with public uniforms, and wearing public uniforms in daily office work, travel inspections, and business trips can awe the people.

This has also been the habit of feudal dynasties for thousands of years, in order to establish the authority of officials.

But what Zhao Jun hopes is that officials serve the people, rather than letting people instinctively feel fear when they see officials.

Therefore, he has been thinking of ways to slowly abolish such a system in order to shorten the distance between officials and the people.

Just acting recklessly will definitely not work. The result will be the collapse of the official system.

Therefore, we can only make a subtle and gradual transition, first changing the clothing, and then slowly changing the way of doing things, civilized law enforcement, etc.

Nowadays, central officials are gradually abandoning public service, and this will be extended to the whole country in the future. This can be regarded as the first step towards bringing the government and the people closer together.

"Wang Caosi."

Tan Wenxue looked around and looked at the sailboats in the distance. He couldn't help but sigh: "This is my first time in Guangzhou. I feel that this densely packed ship scene is so spectacular."

Wang Han smiled and said: "Nowadays, sea trade is booming. I heard that Dr. Tan is from Fuzhou and Dr. Zhang is from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There should be many such scenes in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Quanzhou."

"The Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas should be very spectacular, but I have never been to Quanzhou. Fuzhou still can't compare to what Guangzhou looks like."

Thinking of the development of his hometown, Tan Wenxue shook his head and said: "Our Fujian road has many mountains and few fields. People can't cultivate land at home to fill their stomachs, so they can only go out to do business. However, the geography is not as superior as that of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangnan, so it is just a difficult life." That’s all.”

"It will be fine."

Su Yan said: "The imperial court is currently developing Liuqiu. It is close to Fujian Road. I think there will be many opportunities there."

"Um."

Tan Wenxue nodded.

"Okay, after all the hard work, let's go to the city for dinner."

Wang Han said: "The imperial court's order has come down. We have found a translator for you. We have also ordered the new commander of the Jing Navy to send an armored ship escort. Let's go and meet together."

"good."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei nodded.

The group then entered the city.

The city is also bustling and lively, with wide streets, huge crowds of people, and countless merchants coming and going.

People of all colors, races, and even black Africans shuttle among them.

However, these black people were not merchants. They were generally slaves brought over by Arab merchants. They were called Kunlun slaves in the Tang Dynasty.

Volume 3 of "Lingwai Daida" written by Zhou Qufei in the Song Dynasty records: "There is a kingdom of Kunlun in the southwest sea, connected to a large island. There are many savages on the island. Their bodies are like black paint and their fists are hairy. They can lure them to eat and capture them, and they can move tens of thousands of them." , sold into Tibetan slavery.

It can be seen that this island should be Africa. Since the Arab Empire spanned the Asian, African and European continents, Arab merchants would naturally bring these slaves with them when doing business with the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei had never seen such a grand occasion. They were amazed for a moment and looked around curiously on the road.

Soon they arrived at the restaurant.

There were a lot of people in the banquet hall of the restaurant at the moment. In addition to local officials, there were also generals from the Guangzhou city defense, as well as the navy commander and Jing navy commander.

And among them there were many foreigners of different skin colors, sitting cautiously on the edge of the corner.

Wang Han introduced the envoys one by one: "This is Wang Kai, the commander of the Guangzhou Army, this is the Huang Bureau of the Pearl River Navy Inspection, and this is Wang Shining, the commander of the Jing Navy."

"Wang Qian governs, Huang inspects, and Wang commands the envoys."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei nodded and greeted them one by one. Their attitude was not a bit arrogant like that of civil servants, but they were decent and friendly.

The three people quickly bowed to Tan Wenxu and Zhang Youwei.

The other party can just nod, but as generals, they cannot lose their etiquette.

In the Song Dynasty, civil servants were always superior to military officials, and this inferiority was not only reflected in the superiority of civil servants, but also in the rank and status of officials.

Wang Kai is the military director of Guangzhou, and he is from the seventh rank. Huang Shu is the chief officer of the local navy, but he is only in the eighth rank.

The commander of the Jing Navy was not a local military commander, but a military attache directly under the Privy Council, but even so, he was only at the seventh rank.

Basically, most of the local military generals are below the seventh rank. Higher-level positions such as the general manager and deputy general manager, general manager, and deputy general manager are temporarily established and are not permanent.

Only the prefectures have low-level military attachés such as Qianju, Custody, Dujian, Patrol Inspector, and Commander. Their grades are between the seventh and ninth grades, and they command more than a thousand local armies and patrols.

Guangzhou is a little bit special, with its navy.

At this time in history, Nong Zhigao attacked Guangzhou, and Wang Kai, who was under the command of soldiers and horses, wanted to defend it. The Pearl River navy patrol at that time was Wang Shining, who wanted to use the navy to go out of the city to fight and intercept the enemy on the river.

As a result, Wang Kai was unwilling and killed Wang Shi Ning, which made the Pearl River Navy very angry. They directly evacuated Guangzhou during the battle, and Nong Zhigao almost broke through Guangzhou City.

Now, because the former commander of the Jinghai Army embezzled money when traveling to Mayi Island, he reported it to the Political System Council at that time. It happened that Zhao Jun traveled around the world and arrived in Guangzhou, so Yan Shu sent this matter to Zhao Jun.

Zhao Jun was very angry when he learned about this. He immediately sent someone to Mayi Island to capture the commander of the Jinghai Army and punish him. The person sent was Wang Shi Ning.

After Wang Shi Ning arrived at Mayi Island, he did not attack immediately, but designed to capture the other party and successfully escorted him back. Because of this merit, he was promoted to the new commander of the Jinghai Army by Zhao Jun.

The reason why Wang Han introduced them to Tan Wenxue was because they needed their help on this mission.

The envoys sent by the Song Dynasty were of course not sent to a specific country, but to a certain direction. Wherever they passed along the way, they notified the countries along the way.

For example, the destination of the envoys to the Western Regions was the Western Black Khanate, but they would definitely pass through the Eastern Black Khanate and Gaochang. Similarly, the envoys to Japan would definitely pass through Goryeo, so the envoys to Goryeo were also envoys to Japan.

And this time, Tan Wenxue and his team would first go to Nanyang, to Champa, then to Srivijaya, through the Strait of Malacca, to the Chola Dynasty, and then to the Later Chalukya Dynasty, the Solanki Dynasty, the Samara Dynasty, the Buyid Dynasty, and finally to the Abbasid Dynasty.

This route is to start from Guangzhou in the future, first to southern Vietnam, then to Malaysia, through Singapore, through the Bay of Bengal, to Sri Lanka, and then north along the Indian Peninsula, all the way to the Persian Gulf.

It is almost equivalent to most of the routes of Zheng He's fourth voyage to the West. It will pass through eight countries along the way, and then notify more than a dozen Arab Empire split countries in the Middle East, as well as several European countries.

Therefore, when going to Nanyang, the local army of Guangzhou will escort, which will be responsible for Wang Kai and Huang Shu. After leaving the Strait of Malacca, it will be escorted by the Jinghai Army.

It can be said that whether Tan Wenxue and his men can successfully complete the mission depends entirely on them, so naturally they have to get to know each other in advance.

After introducing the three main generals, Wang Han introduced them again: "This is Pu Jin, a big merchant from Srivijaya. This trip is your translator during your mission to Srivijaya."

"I meet Doctor Tan and Doctor Zhang."

Pu Jin hurriedly saluted.

The two looked over and saw that it was the merchant who had been sitting in the corner before. He had a slightly dark skin and looked jeweled, but he was very restrained in front of them.

"Yeah."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei nodded slightly.

Tan Wenxue actually studied the etiquette of Srivijaya. The other party was a Buddhist country, not Han Buddhism, but Southern Buddhism, and he also knew the basic etiquette of Southern Buddhism.

But he was not a Buddhist believer. Using Buddhist etiquette to respond was not appropriate in such an occasion, and it seemed too respectful to the other party.

Yes, it was too respectful to the other party.

In the Han Dynasty, the envoys of the Han Dynasty were quite arrogant when they went on a mission, just coming to force you to choose between the Xiongnu and the Han.

If the other country colluded with the Xiongnu, they would kill the other country's king, prime minister, ministers, etc. if they disagreed. Zhang Qian, Fu Jie, and Ban Chao were all outstanding in this regard, but they were never polite to the other party.

So the envoys of the Song Dynasty were like this. Before leaving, the governor said that the Song Dynasty would not take the initiative to bully others. They should have normal etiquette, but they would never be bullied by others.

The envoys represented the court of the Song Dynasty. They had to follow the etiquette according to their status. Even if the other party was the king, they would at most bow their hands and would never kneel.

Therefore, for a mere merchant, it was enough to nod, and there was no need to be too respectful.

However, Pu Jin did not feel angry because the other party just nodded slightly. Instead, he was very happy and smiled flatteringly.

Then Wang Han continued, "This is the Champa merchant Xin Yaxianluo. He is the Champa guide on this trip."

"Hello."

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei nodded again.

"This is the merchant from Chola, Fulian, and I am your guide for this trip."

"Hello."

"This is the merchant from Houzhaluqi"

"This is the merchant from Java"

"This is the merchant from Brunei"

"This is the merchant from Zhunyan"

"This is the merchant from Dashi."

Wang Han introduced more than a dozen merchants to them in one breath.

These are all foreign merchants who live in Guangzhou all year round, and basically travel between their home countries and the Song Dynasty once or twice a year.

When the Song Dynasty was looking for guides and translators in the city, these were obviously top merchants, but they all signed up enthusiastically.

You should know that according to the "History of the Song Dynasty", when Nong Zhigao attacked Guangzhou, he abducted tens of thousands of vassal merchants.

Note that it is tens of thousands.

Even if one family only counts three people, that is more than 100,000 people.

Including those who were not abducted, the number of foreign merchants in Guangzhou at this time in history was at least more than 200,000.

Now that history has changed, maritime trade has become more prosperous. According to data from the Ministry of Statistics, the number of foreign merchants who settled in Guangzhou all year round last year has reached more than 400,000.

These people were extremely wealthy, their clothes were all gold, pearls, silk and brocade, and their utensils were all gold. The houses they built were magnificent and magnificent, and they were extremely wealthy. The Islamic pagodas they built were as high as the sky.

At every banquet, they spent money like dirt, leaving no one behind, and the seats were filled with pearls, fragrant shells and messy things to show their extravagance. It can be seen that they were very wealthy and lived a splendid and luxurious life.

However, facing Tan Wenxu and the others, they were all very reserved, and their status at this banquet was very low.

Soon Tan Wenxue met them one by one, and they all nodded slightly to express their friendship.

Afterwards, Wang Han led everyone to their seats and sat down.

Tan Wenxu and Zhang Youwei said a few words each, saying that they were sent to the West as envoys under the emperor's order, representing the imperial court, and thanked everyone here for their hard work.

Everyone applauded.

After more than ten years, applause has now spread from the Constitutional Yuan and has gradually become popular in official circles.

After sitting down, Zhang Youwei said to Wang Han curiously: "Captain Cao, I originally thought that we were just looking for some ordinary guides and translators this time, but I didn't expect that they were all businessmen. Do they all want to return home?"

Wang Han smiled and said: "The doctor doesn't know something. Every time you go to a place, you will definitely need local dignitaries to take you to the king. If you are an ordinary person, how can you have such power?"

"I see."

Zhang Youwei suddenly understood, and then asked in surprise: "They all know the powerful people in their country?"

"Don't underestimate them, doctor."

Su Yan also laughed and said: "They have no roots in the Song Dynasty. Secondly, the Song Dynasty became strong and powerful, which made them fear me. But if they returned to their own country, they would be comparable to princes."

"oh?"

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei were both very surprised.

Su Yan pointed at the Champa businessman Xin Yaxian and said, "Look at him."

The two looked over.

Xin Yaxianluo had been paying attention to this side, and when he saw them looking over, he quickly showed a flattering smile.

"This man is the younger brother of King Rudravarman of Champa. He is a powerful person in Champa. In the Song Dynasty, a trade of frankincense alone could bring 80,000 kilograms of frankincense, 10,000 liters of pepper, and 40 ivory dendrobiums. It is a famous incense treasure. There are many utensils, worth hundreds of thousands of coins."

Su Yan said: "It is said that his family expenses are millions of dollars. In the previous war between the Champa Kingdom and the Angkor Kingdom, it was all dependent on this person to provide financial assistance. Otherwise, the Champa Kingdom would be in danger and it would be said to be as rich as the enemy."

"Millions of coins?"

Tan Wenxue and Zhang Youwei were both dumbfounded.

The Song Dynasty was consistent, with a family fortune of several million yuan. Even in the Song Dynasty, he was a top rich man, so he was indeed rich.

"There is also the Sri Lankan businessman Pujin, who has a huge fortune. The frankincense he brought in one trade is worth three hundred thousand guan, and there are countless rhino horns, ivory, spices, and pearls. His family wealth is no less than that of Xin'er. They are also very noble."

"Good guy."

"Fo Lian, a businessman from the Zhuluo Kingdom, also has a very rich family. He sails eighty ships and carries hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cargo at a time. It is said that his family owns one hundred and thirty kilograms of pearls alone."

"Eighty ships? One hundred and thirty stone pearls? Are you sure they are stones, not grains?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

Wang Han and Su Yan both laughed.

"It's really a great experience."

Zhang Youwei smiled bitterly and said: "I think I am the doctor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I really don't know much about other countries."

Wang Han said with a smile: "After all, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has only been established for more than ten years. It was the former Honglu Temple. In the past, it used to negotiate etiquette with neighboring countries, but these foreign countries are thousands of miles away, and we Han people don't often Go, it’s normal not to understand.”

"Yes, this is also the reason why the Governor established the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Su Yan said: "Zhiyuan often said that we should open our eyes to see the world. The Song Dynasty was so powerful that trains and ships had to travel everywhere, and their itineraries had to cover the whole world. They could not settle in one corner. Isn't this invitation to all countries in the world just to show that our Song Dynasty is open to all rivers? ?"

"Exactly, even though they are so wealthy in their own country, in the Song Dynasty, there are now many wealthy businessmen with millions of assets. With guns and cannons in hand, who are the enemies in the world?"

Tan Wenxue became serious and said seriously: "Today, we, the Song Dynasty, should accept the wealth of the world and collect the world's wealth to strengthen the country. This is also our mission, let the name of our Song Dynasty spread far and wide overseas. Famous everywhere!”

"good!"

"The doctor is heroic."

"Drink a drink!"

The other senior officials on Guangnan East Road, including deputy transport envoys and general magistrates, who were sitting at the same table, also cheered.

Today, there are four to five million foreign merchants in Guangzhou during the Great Song Dynasty, and more than fifty or sixty countries are involved.

In addition to the trade between Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Shandong and Huainan, the Liao Kingdom, Japan, Goryeo, many women in the Northeast, and Bohai tribes reached 60 or 70 countries.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there were probably less than 80 countries in the world that were truly established. Therefore, it can be said that today's trade in the Song Dynasty almost covers more than 95% of the countries in the world.

With this openness to all rivers, the wealth of the entire world poured into the Song Dynasty, and the military force of the Song Dynasty was at its peak, with a developed economy, strong military force, and prosperous science and technology.

How can such a country not be strong and prosperous?