Chapter 963 - 802: Tariffs and Fine Silver

Under the night sky, Berth Pier at Dinghai Port was calm and peaceful.

Xu Chuanyin clasped his hands behind his back, gazing out at the vast sea, his brow furrowed in worry.

Dozens of ship owners surrounded him, chattering, and one urgently addressed Xu Chuanyin’s back: "Lord Xu, when will Dinghai Port open? Didn’t the Anti-Japanese Army flee to avoid the Ministry of War’s document?"

Xu Chuanyin furrowed his brow and said nothing. Tonight, with few stars, the ocean was unobstructed, and indeed the shadows of the five Fuchuan ships were nowhere to be seen.

A ship owner sighed: "The trade wind is about to arrive, which is the best time to head to the Southern Ocean. Delaying a day means countless silver gone."

Xu Chuanyin said in a deep voice: "What’s the rush, waiting a few days won’t kill you."

The ship owner grimaced: "Lord, your household is vast and can afford the wait, but we common folks cannot. Our merchandise depends three parts on ourselves and seven parts on loans from neighbors and clans. A delay of one day means an extra day’s interest."

Xu Chuanyin snorted without turning: "Just sell your goods on the spot, and prepare new ones when the sea opens."

Another ship owner hurriedly said: "Lord, you do sea trading too; surely you know? The silk we’ve ordered is meant for Japan; who among the Ning Dynasty would want such colors? Besides, porcelain is Jingde Town’s problematic product and can only be sold overseas."

The ship owners babbled: "The ships idle in the port consuming daily costs for dock fees, brushing tung oil, shipworker wages, and rope and sail wear, all adding up to significant silver. Furthermore, the yearly navigation runs only four or five seasons, missing one could mean losing ten thousand taels of silver."

Xu Chuanyin turned and looked at them, saying in a deep voice: "Complaining daily, even when I waive the berthing fees for you, it’s not enough?"

The ship owner sighed: "The berthing fees are just a few coins!"

Xu Chuanyin sarcastically said: "Now berthing fees are nothing? How many of you have ships, and yet you’re so hasty? Do you have more ships than I? Aren’t my ships also docked in the port?"

At this moment, a ship owner muttered softly: "We’re not the Xu Family; the Anti-Japanese Army probably won’t trouble us..."

Xu Chuanyin laughed furiously: "Alright, alright, you’ve all read the newspapers and know the Anti-Japanese Army is targeting my Xu Family, right? Fine, I’ll open the port for you; whoever wants to die can leave!"

The ship owners brightened: "Really?"

Xu Chuanyin impatiently waved his sleeves: "All of you get out! Port’s open!"

The ship owners rushed to summon their crew onto the ships and unfurled the sails. In just two hours, twenty-two three-masted Fuchuan ships were ready and slowly sailed out of the port.

Chen Zhang stood behind Xu Chuanyin and softly said: "Master, just letting them go like this, what if they’re stopped by the Anti-Japanese Army?"

Xu Chuanyin coldly laughed: "Let them scout ahead. Rushing to deliver silver to the Anti-Japanese Army, what choice is there? Dinghai Port lacks everything except ship owners. If one batch dies, once the Anti-Japanese Army leaves, my Xu Family’s fleet can fill their void. If not for the Anti-Japanese Army, I’d worry others saying I have a bad appetite."

At this time, a ship after another set out to sea, but after only two or three miles, they saw ten large ships heading straight towards the twenty-two Fuchuan ships.

Xu Chuanyin squinted: "Indeed waiting at sea, luckily I kept my composure."

Chen Zhang said with a smile: "Fortunately, the master is wise and only sent those small ship owners to scout ahead."

Xu Chuanyin watched the Anti-Japanese Army’s ships approaching and sighed: "Who knows how long this trouble with the Anti-Japanese Army will last. Chen Zhang, do you know the daily loss from my Xu Family fleet stopping for a day?"

He raised one finger to Chen Zhang: "One day!"

Then he gestured six with his hand: "Six thousand taels minimum!"

Chen Zhang froze; everyone knew sea trading was profitable fast, but not this fast.

Xu Chuanyin seemed pleased with his reaction and coldly laughed: "Do you know the annual cargo throughput and pure profit of Dinghai Port and Songjiang Port?"

Chen Zhang humbly said: "I don’t know; please enlighten me, master."

Xu Chuanyin calmly said: "At least five million taels minimum. The wealth of Jiangnan now lies not in land and tax, but in the convenience of sea trade. One ship of silk and porcelain to the Southern Ocean, returning with foreign silver, the profit of one season can match several years of county grain tax. Those officials, the Hu Family, Chen Family, Zhang Family, focus on salt and land without knowing that sea trading has reached an astounding figure. If it weren’t for the port being clan property, even if I betrayed the Xu Family, so what?"

Chen Zhang looked into the distance and humbly asked: "Master, in three days we’re electing the Clan Leader, what are they lingering here for?"

Xu Chuanyin coldly laughed: "Trying to catch my Xu Family’s weaknesses, but my Xu Family isn’t that foolish. They’ve caught one Xu Houye, and that’s already impressive; they want to repeat the trick? Fool’s dream!"

While speaking, the Anti-Japanese Army’s large ships were already blocking each of the Fuchuan ships.

Xu Chuanyin lamented: "These twenty-two ships carrying over two hundred thousand taels of silver’s worth of goods are cheap for these grandsons of the Anti-Japanese Army... But such a thing happens just once; other ship owners probably won’t go out to sea again soon."

Chen Zhang reminded: "Master, it’s time to move on to Jinling, or we won’t make the election."

Xu Chuanyin, with hands on back, gazed at the sea surface: "No rush, let’s wait a bit more."

...

...

At this time, the Anti-Japanese Army’s ten large ships were like iron chains across the river, stopping all the small ship owners’ Fuchuan vessels. Yuan Xing and others, leading the Red Gate Stick, set up boards and boarded the ships.

The ship owners usually had to deal with pirates, even plundering Southern Ocean and Manila pirates, and were naturally not easy prey. Someone shouted: "We have twenty-two ships; how could we not fight them? Let’s fight!"

With that said, this ship owner pulled out a short knife and led over ten ship workers towards Yuan Xing.

Yuan Xing was amused: "So brave?"

The ship owner charged at him. Yuan Xing kicked him in the chest, and as the ship owner staggered back uncontrollably, got tripped by the ship’s edge, and fell into the sea.

The dozen ship workers surrounded him, Yuan Xing’s right leg became a blur, kicking each one into the sea: "Have a cold bath, clear your head and come back to talk to me!"

On another ship, over twenty ship workers squeezed five sticks at the bow. Yuan Xing, without even setting up a board, leaped onto the ship and kicked every single ship worker into the sea.

Jin Zhu, Heavenly Horse, Chen Ji, Yuan Xing, Old Ears, and others took action. In just thirty minutes, they tidied up twenty-two ships without a single foe to challenge them.

Yuan Xing stood on the deck of a Fuchuan ship and asked from afar across vessels: "Godfather, what should we do now?"

Chen Ji replied calmly: "Anchor, stop the ships, Ah Xi, lead people to count the goods on each ship."

Yuan Xing asked, puzzled: "And then?"

Chen Ji contemplated for a moment: "Bring all the ship owners to my ship."

Soon after, each large ship anchored and was tied together with ropes at the mast, setting planks between the ships’ rails. Yuan Xing pressed twenty-two ship owners onto Chen Ji’s ship: "Squat down!"

The ship owners, soaking wet, squatted on the deck, their collars still dripping water.

One person among them spoke honestly, "My lord, we are all honest businessmen with no connection to the Xu Family. Please release us."

Yuan Xing mocked from the side, "Honest men? Wasn’t it you who just said you wanted to fight me?"

The ship owner laughed awkwardly, "My lord’s memory is impressive..."

As they spoke, a strong wind gusted, carrying the salty sea breeze. Jiang Chai stretched out his hand to feel the sea breeze and turned to look at Chen Ji: "It’s the trade wind, the trade wind is here."

Yuan Xing and the others all looked at Chen Ji. These days they were anxious to secure votes for Zhang Family, but Chen Ji was not in a hurry at all. They knew Chen Ji was waiting for the trade wind, but they didn’t know what the trade wind would bring.

Now, the trade wind had finally arrived.

Chen Ji gazed southward, calmly explaining: "Sailing ships depends on the weather; to be precise, it depends on the wind direction. So in spring and summer, the southeast trade wind blows, and our Ning Dynasty ships can only go to Japan and Korea. Last autumn, ships took advantage of the northeast trade wind to go to the Southern Ocean, returning with Manila’s foreign silver."

Yuan Xing suddenly looked at the ship owners squatting on the deck: "So, these old guys are all doing business with Japan? The five ships caught from Songjiang Port said they were going to Manila, but they were lying! You’re all collaborating with the Japanese!"

The ship owners shouted their innocence: "My lord, spare us! We are trading with Japan and the Red-haired Barbarians, the Folangji, not with the pirates! We are not collaborating!"

Yuan Xing sneered viciously: "Still arguing? I see you won’t cry until you see the coffin! Godfather, why not just cut them down?"

The ship owners shuddered!

Just then, Old Ears at the top of the mast shouted, "Ships are coming!"

Everyone looked southward, and saw seventeen large ships coming with the trade wind. Initially, the fleet’s flags were unclear. After ten minutes, a ship owner crouching on the deck exclaimed: "It’s the Yang Family’s fleet!"

The ship owners were immediately tempted, exchanging glances while crouching on the deck. They heard that the Manila natives once wanted to raid the Yang Family fleet but were wholly wiped out by the Yang Family.

The Yang Family fleet had guards and an Executive Officer stationed. If the Yang Family fleet could scatter the Anti-Japanese Army, they could also be saved.

...

...

An hour later, the seventeen ship owners of the Yang Family also squatted on the deck, with seawater dripping onto the deck from their clothes. The original twenty-two ship owners turned away, inwardly cursing their bad luck.

The ship owners of the Yang Family squatted on the ground, glaring ferociously at Chen Ji: "Do you know whose ship this is?"

Jin Zhu chuckled: "Do you know that secretly selling goods to barbarian countries is a serious crime? Be bold and reveal your Landlord behind you."

The ship owners of the Yang Family glanced at each other, then lowered their heads.

At this moment, dozens of large ships anchored on the sea, setting up bridges with sampans, forming a sea fortress.

Yuan Xi led Jiang Chai back, excitedly saying, "Godfather, the ship is full of silver, at least four hundred thousand taels!"

Jin Zhu was instantly moved. This amount of Silver Coin would tempt even the one in Renshou Palace, let alone them?

Jin Zhu harbored evil thoughts. He glanced at the ship owners on the deck, then turned to Chen Ji: "My lord, the court strictly orders not a plank to go to sea. Kill them all, and this silver will..."

Chen Ji raised a hand to stop the sentence.

In the darkness, the ship suddenly quieted, leaving only the sound of the sea breeze howling past, pushing the waves to make the ship sway.

The ship owners looked up at the sinister Green-faced Tiger Head in front of them, glanced up, then quickly lowered their heads in fear.

Chen Ji slowly opened his mouth: "Chen Yu, according to Daning Law, what is the crime of maritime trade?"

Chen Yu smiled from the side and said: "Secretly going to barbarian countries for trading is a serious sea defense crime. According to the law, the light punishment is confiscation of property and fifty lashes; the severe punishment is stripping of scholars’ titles, deprived of clothes and hats, confiscation of half the family property, and fifty lashes..."

The ship owners listened with their hearts pounding.

Yet Chen Yu changed his tone: "But you all don’t fall into these two crimes..."

The ship owners relaxed a bit.

Chen Yu chuckled: "All of you are under capital punishment."

The ship owners were shocked.

Yet Chen Yu teased: "According to Daning Law, any military or civilian personnel who make unauthorized large three-masted ships carrying contraband goods to sea for trading with barbarian countries, the principal offender shall be beheaded and displayed to the public, and the whole family will be sent to border defense as soldiers."

The ship owners instinctively knelt on the deck: "My lord, spare us! My lord, spare us! We are just sailors; our crime doesn’t deserve death!"

Looking at the ship owners pleading for mercy, Chen Ji waited for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth: "Who is Zhang Ze?"

Someone among the ship owners lifted himself up: "It’s me!"

Chen Ji received a ledger from Yuan Xi: "Your ship carries three thousand jin of raw silk, six thousand bolts of silk fabric, porcelain... According to the law, you shall be beheaded and displayed to the public."

Zhang Ze, frightened, was in tears: "My lord! I have elders above and children below, you..."

Chen Ji interrupted: "Daning Law allows for mercy outside of the law. Considering it’s a first offense, the fine is four thousand eight hundred taels."

Zhang Ze’s crying stopped, almost thinking he heard wrong: "My lord, you said a fine?"

Chen Ji casually said: "Four thousand eight hundred taels. Pay the silver and you can go."

Zhang Ze exchanged a glance with the ship owner beside him.

It’s not beheading and displaying to the public, not confiscation and exile, nor confiscation of goods; but four thousand eight hundred taels, just half the value of his goods, also exactly half of his profit, neither more nor less.

By paying the fine, he could continue doing business!

Zhang Ze quickly kowtowed: "Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

Chen Yu silently calculated for a moment, realizing something was wrong.

He suddenly looked at Chen Ji: "So you were collecting customs duties?!"

Chen Ji glanced at him, calmly correcting: "It’s fine silver."