Volume 1, Chapter 36: There is a Silver Mine in Japan with Massive Reserves!

Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang’s curious inquiry, Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do not forget that the Song Dynasty earned the title of a maritime commercial empire."

"Because the Song Dynasty was long threatened by northern minority regimes like the Liao, Jin, and Western Xia, it not only fought frequent wars but also had to pay tributes, which kept its fiscal expenditures quite high."

"Under such circumstances, in order to escape its financial plight and open up new sources of revenue, the Song Dynasty chose to actively open up to the outside world and fully support the development of maritime trade."

"The voyages to the Western Oceans initiated by the Yongle Emperor also involved maritime trade operations."

Although Old Zhu had previously looked down upon the Song Dynasty, what Jiang Lin just said made perfect sense. The Song Dynasty was not just moderately wealthy; it was incredibly rich! Viewed in this light, maritime trade was truly a good thing.

The reason he had originally ordered a maritime ban was that the nation was newly established and internally unstable. There were lingering forces of the Yuan Dynasty in the north watching like tigers preying on their prey. He feared that without a maritime ban, the forces of the Japanese pirates along the coast would grow even stronger, eventually leaving the nation unable to cope with threats from two sides simultaneously.

However! If he could generate vast revenue for the country through maritime trade... At this thought, the corners of Old Zhu’s mouth curved upward. This matter was indeed worth considering.

Seeing this, Jiang Lin realized that Old Zhu had developed an interest in maritime trade and was nearly persuaded. He decided to drop another bombshell to ensure the Emperor would commit to opening the seas.

"Your Majesty, I can tell you another piece of good news regarding overseas territories..."

"In Japan, there is a massive silver mine with vast reserves of silver."

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Zhu, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Di—the father and his two sons—instantly perked up. One had to realize that the most pressing problem for the Ming Dynasty today was the lack of money in the national treasury, yet there were simply too many areas requiring funding. The annual production of silver could not satisfy the consumption, leading to a deficit.

Beyond the treasury, silver in circulation was also incredibly scarce, which caused the price of copper to rise—a situation fraught with hidden dangers. If the price of copper continued to climb and there was not enough silver on the market, how would the people of Ming survive? Wouldn’t they be forced back into the state of refugees like those in the late Yuan Dynasty? To survive, they would be forced to sell their land and property, or even their own children.

"Brother Jiang, is this true?" Zhu Biao immediately asked to confirm. If Japan really possessed a silver mine with such high output, the problems they faced could be solved once it was mined.

Jiang Lin nodded: "Of course. Even if you combined all the silver currently in the Ming Dynasty, it likely wouldn't amount to as much as what is in that Japanese mine."

*Hiss...*

Old Zhu, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Di drew a sharp breath in unison.

Zhu Biao found it hard to believe: "Is this for real? Japan is a mere speck of a country, yet it possesses more silver than the entire Ming Dynasty combined?"

Jiang Lin nodded firmly once more: "That is correct. Japan truly has one of the largest silver mines in the world. The silver reserves in this single mine account for more than thirty percent of the world's total."

Seeing Jiang Lin speak with such conviction, the people present had no choice but to believe him. After all, Jiang Lin had come from more than six hundred years in the future. Such information must have been verified; it could not possibly be false!

"It seems both of these matters are urgent!"

Old Zhu had now made up his mind to start preparing for maritime trade and the Japanese silver mine upon his return. In truth, Old Zhu had long been displeased with Japan. Japanese pirates had colluded with outlaws and unscrupulous merchants to raid the southeastern coast, becoming a major scourge. When he ascended the throne, one of the main reasons he was eager to restore diplomatic relations with Japan was the hope that the two countries could work together to eliminate the "pirate disturbances" and maintain peace and stability in the East Asian seas.

In the second year of the Hongwu era, he had sent Yang Zai with an imperial edict to Japan. However, the Japanese side imprisoned the envoys, including Yang Zai and Wu Wenhua, and executed five of their attendants. This was a clear display of contempt for the Ming Dynasty! It was a slap in the face of the Ming!

How could a hot-tempered man like Old Zhu tolerate this? He had wanted to lead an expedition against Japan right then and there to teach that arrogant island nation a lesson. In the end, it was Zhu Biao who cited the failures of Kublai Khan’s two expeditions against Japan to calm him down. The Ming Dynasty had only recently been founded, and everything was in need of repair; he absolutely could not act on impulse. A forced expedition to Japan would only exhaust the people and drain the treasury, yielding essentially no profit—it was a losing venture. For the Ming, beyond venting anger, there was no gain, and it would only worsen their already strained finances.

But! That was in the past. Now that he knew of the existence of the silver mine from Jiang Lin, Old Zhu had every reason to wipe out Japan. Whoever dared to stop him would be a sinner against the Ming. At this, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help but laugh heartily: "Our Ming treasury will finally be full."

"Continue your story," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Tell us about the fourth one's son, Zhu Gaochi. I recall you saying he raised an excellent son."

At this, Zhu Di also leaned toward Jiang Lin, looking excited. "Yes, yes, tell us! After my son ascended the throne, what kind of achievements did he make?"

When Jiang Lin had mentioned earlier that Zhu Gaochi was very capable, Zhu Di had immediately caught the look of envy on Zhu Biao’s face. From childhood, Zhu Di had always silently competed with his elder brother, yet aside from his martial prowess, he had never excelled in any area compared to Zhu Biao. Now, things were different! His elder brother’s son, Zhu Yunwen, was a complete good-for-nothing! *Hehehe...* he had finally managed to score a win!

"Ming Renzong, Zhu Gaochi, with the reign title Hongxi, was born in the eleventh year of Hongwu and was enfeoffed as the Heir Apparent of Yan in the twenty-eighth year of Hongwu."

"He was established as the Crown Prince in the second year of Yongle and ascended the throne in the eighth month of the twenty-second year of Yongle."

"During his reign, the Hongxi Emperor was enlightened in his governance, fostered production, and allowed the people to rest."

"He pardoned many of the old officials of the Jianwen Emperor, redressed many unjust cases, and abolished many harsh laws."

"He adjusted the ruling structure, elevated the authority of the Secretariat, and made the Grand Secretariat an important body that assisted the Emperor in decision-making."

"He also reformed the tyranny of the Yongle era, rewarding those who spoke frankly and welcoming remonstrance with an open mind."

"He reorganized the military and halted the large-scale military campaigns of the Yongle period."

"Good, well done. He lives up to the title of 'Renzong' (Benevolent Ancestor)." Zhu Yuanzhang praised, patting Zhu Di on the shoulder, looking at him with great satisfaction. "Fourth one, you rascal, you’ve given me a good grandson! You raised him quite well!"

"Father, this is all thanks to Miaoyun's upbringing. I am just a rough man; what do I know about these things? I have no talent for raising children!" Although Zhu Di spoke with humility, his nose was already held high in pride.

Just as Zhu Di was feeling satisfied, Jiang Lin sighed helplessly.

"Alas... it is just a pity that his life was too short."

"The Hongxi Emperor fell ill and passed away in the fifth month of the first year of Hongxi, at the age of 48!"