Chapter 591: Chapter 73: Heads Rolling, New Maritime Trade Regulations
Maritime trade must be regulated; this is something he must complete, even if in the short term, it affects sea trade, it cannot sway his determination.
At the same time—
The Ryukyu military also made a move.
Gu Jing originally wanted to personally go to sea to fight against the pirates, but was dissuaded by the clan’s children, and had to give up and instead focus on organizing the navy matters.
There was no suspense in this battle.
Whether it was the Great Tang’s soldiers with no experience in naval warfare or the Ryukyu navy, their strength was far superior to that of the pirates.
The pirates couldn’t even organize a decent resistance, and the rampant sea troubles were completely eradicated.
Unfortunately, at that time, there was ultimately too little experience in naval battles.
Not to mention the soldiers of the Great Tang, even the Ryukyu navy found it difficult to capture the enemy alive and trace their exact origins on this vast ocean.
However, for the entire Great Tang, the current result was already sufficient.
Gu Yi had been silently watching all this, not a bit surprised by any of it.
This was Gu Jing’s strength.
He would have been surprised only if all this could not be resolved.
Although, in Gu Yi’s view, the current sea trade system still had loopholes that could be exploited, it was inevitable.
No system can be perfect; it must adapt to different eras.
The current situation was already quite good.
What truly concerned him was still Gu Jing’s health.
Whether it was his full head of gray hair or his increasingly withered face, they all indicated that Gu Jing didn’t have much time left.
This was what worried him the most.....
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"In the twelfth year of Da’an, in winter, Grand Tutor Gu Jing, because of the instability of the maritime borders and the chaos of trade routes, petitioned to conduct patrols.
Emperor Longji held his hand and wept, saying, "Grand Tutor, you are advanced in years; how can I bear to trouble you with the wind and waves?"
Jing replied, "I have received the great grace of three reigns, but now corrupt officials and wealthy merchants collude, evading taxes, and secretly deal with foreign tribes. If not eradicated early, it will harm the foundation of the state. Though I am old, I can still draw a bow."
The Emperor then gifted Emperor Taizong’s Dragon Bow to embolden his journey, and hundreds of officials in mourning clothes escorted him outside Luoyang’s gates, where spectators gathered in throngs.
Initially, the benefits of maritime trade arose during Zhen’guan and flourished during Kaiyuan.
However, merchants relied on their wealth to form cliques, and corruption became rampant among state and local officials.
The likes of the Wu Clan from Mingzhou and the Cui Clan from Donglai either secretly merged official silver or concealed pirate looting incidents, with less than three-tenths of taxes submitted.
Moreover, the Guanlong aristocracy secretly held shares, sitting back and sharing in the profits.
When Jing set out, he ordered the Imperial Censorate to thoroughly investigate, uncovering piles of corrupt documents, leading to the deployment of border troops to strategic posts.
Upon reaching Mingzhou, Wu Sansi still argued, claiming, "The imperial family’s kin should not be lightly humiliated."
Jing showed him confidential letters, making Wu Sansi tremble on the ground, unable to rise.
He then detained the entire Wu Clan, along with seventy-two corrupt merchants from Donglai and Panyu, and sent them all in cages to Luoyang.
Within a month, along the coast, nineteen guilty officials committed suicide, their heads ordered by Jing to be hung at the navy’s gate, their blood staining the banners.
At this, Guanlong was shocked and terrified.
The Li Clan of Longxi first offered up three of their clan’s children, admitting having secretly received gold and pearls from sea merchants; the Zhangsun Clan bound the head of their branch; the Xue Clan of Hedong personally beheaded twelve traitorous merchants and offered their heads.
After more than a month, Cui Shi, the magistrate of Chang’an, took poison, while Guanlong offered up thirty-seven guilty individuals.
Jing took these prisoners and said to his aides, "If they had known today that their blood would spill to the ground, why did they initially let greed pile high as a mountain?"
Jing ordered their heads to be hung at the Maritime Trade Authority’s gate, saying, "This is the land where the Great Tang thrives, not a den of wolves and tigers!"
At this time, sea merchants were terrified, ships stopped moving, so Jing promulgated the New Regulations on Maritime Trade to calm the people, cleared pirates to secure sea routes, plowed their land and swept their dens, and the maritime chaos was thus pacified.
In summary: Jing, despite being in senescence, took thunderous action, for which the world may criticize his severity.
Yet, viewing the binding of the Wu Clan, the prisoners offered by Guanlong, and the heads of sea monsters, could any less than thunderous means break this century-old affliction?
In the past, Guan Zhong facilitated trade in fish and salt, not quite like Jing’s establishment of laws to clear away calamities.
The establishment of a peaceful era for maritime borders, all inherit his accomplishments."
—"Tang Book. Biography of Gu Jing"
