I'm really not the carpenter emperor

This is not counting the famines and earthquakes that occur every month in various places, the resettlement of refugees, the relief of victims, and the cost of rebuilding local government, which are also quite a lot.

Moreover, the trend of natural disasters and man-made disasters has obviously intensified in various places recently. The most turbulent famines in the late Ming Dynasty have not yet come, and resources must be reserved in advance to deal with them.

Each of these things requires a lot of money to support them. There are always people who think that Zhu Youxiao has added tariffs and collected mining taxes in Zhili, so he must have saved a lot of money.

Saving a fart!

Many things need to be prepared in advance. You can't do disaster relief like Chongzhen in history, right?

Let Bi Maokang and Song Yingxing develop the military department, let Wang Zaijin promote sweet potatoes, let Tang Ruowang study astronomy and compile classics...

These are already the silver buckled between the teeth, the limit.

At the same time to develop navigation, Zhu Youxiao was afraid that Daming, who had managed to earn some income in the past two years, would collapse directly.

Even now, although Daming's finances have improved a lot, and Zhu Youxiao has been brought back from bankruptcy, there is still a long way to go to achieve a balance of payments.

No one wants to experience the taste of financial bankruptcy twice in a row.

In the past, Daming was only fighting against Jiannu in Liaodong, and it was stretched, but it was still able to tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall. After fighting with the Dutch, the whole province of Fujian and several southeastern provinces were dragged down.

It suddenly became a two-line battle, and the cost increased a lot.

In the Ming Dynasty in history, Zhu Youxiao didn’t know how he survived the years of war with the Dutch. Anyway, since the beginning of the conflict, he basically stared at the ledger every day in the past six months.

The income and expenditure have always been negative, and the negative is getting more and more, which is very worrying!

Therefore, the suggestion of the Ministry of War is not unreasonable. The conflict with the Dutch must not be fought for many years, and all means must be used to resolve it as soon as possible.

Of course, if possible, at least one of Maozi's ships must be captured. This is a technology sent to us by God. We can't make it ourselves now, but imitation has always been our strong point!

Imitation alone is not enough. Generally speaking, after imitation, domestic craftsmen can always give you some new tricks by inferring other cases from one instance. In the end, the blue is better than the blue.

Maozi, let me ask you if you are angry.

After reading it, Zhu Youxiao found that he could basically agree with the idea of ​​the Ministry of War, that is, there was really no other way. If Zheng Zhilong (now still called Zheng Yiguan) wanted to develop independently of Li Dan, he had to have the permission of the court.

The imperial court wanted to repel the Dutch invaders as soon as possible. With the strength of Fujian alone, it would take at least three to five years. Zhu Youxiao couldn't afford this effort.

Both ends are self-sufficient. To be honest, this wave is at most considered to be a problem for tigers. Although it was given an official status, it did not lose anything.

If you find any reason in the future, you can get it back.

If Zheng Zhilong kept faith and captured a Dutch ship for me, it would be a bloody profit. You know, in history, he has let people retreat completely!

This ship is the beginning of the rise of the Ming Dynasty Navy!

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao pondered, opened his eyes, glanced at the door, and said lightly:

"Sure, let the Ministry of War do it."

Seeing Wang Chaofu leave, Zhu Youxiao was actually a little relieved. After those Donglin bosses were taken down, the military department controlled by the Eunuch Party could operate normally.

To put it bluntly, it is from the time when it was useless in the past, and I was working against you, now I can do things for the court!

If it can be like this in the future, the matter that the Military Selection Division has taken away from the Ministry of War can also be released first. If it can be directly used by the Ministry of War for its own use, it will save a lot of effort.

Chapter 243 Recruiting "Zheng Zhilong"

The Xuanzhi eunuch is called Wang Chengen.

Or say that some people have a reason for being able to become big in history, and only those who dare to fight will win. Last time, I casually asked for a name, and with the fact that this guy is famous in history, Zhu Youxiao wondered if he would be remembered. are difficult.

This time he was sent to such a far place to announce the decree, firstly to see how much this Wang Chengen weighed, and secondly to exercise and let him see the world.

If Wang Chengen was able to reach such a high level only by relying on his relationship with Zhu Youjian, and he had no ability, Zhu Youxiao would not entrust him with important tasks.

No one has the money and time to support a useless person whose mud can't support the wall, even if he is Wang Cheng'en.

When Wang Chengen was ordered to leave the customs from the capital, he was overjoyed. He also knew that this was the emperor's temptation, and it was also a god-given opportunity for him.

The reason why Wang Chaofu was able to gain the emperor's trust was that he had been in the position of the steward of the Qianqing Palace for two years.

Wang Chengen led [-] soldiers from the Beijing camp, and with a dozen Tiqi, the group set up a high signboard and headed for Fujian with great fanfare.

The reason why he did this was because of his own considerations.

This time the imperial court is going to recruit the pirate named Zheng Yiguan. Formally, he must not be left behind, and he must give him face. He will also use this opportunity to let the whole world know that the Zheng family has been wiped out!

Whether the Zheng family wants to be whitewashed or not, the court has no control over this matter, the main thing is to forcibly cleanse him, grab their pigtails, and if they dare to rebel in the future, everyone in the world will not be able to scold the Zheng family to death!

At this time, the conflict between Minghe and Penghu has actually entered a white-hot stage.

Although Nan Juyi was born in Donglin, Wei Zhongxian, the owner of Dongchang, who is known as the thief, did not pull him from the position of governor of Fujian.

Wei Zhongxian has a basis for doing things. Yuan Chonghuan is a disciple of Sun Chengzong. Needless to say, Sun Chengzong, although he has no faction, still looks down on him.

But Wei Zhongxian still contributed to Yuan Chonghuan and recommended it in front of Emperor Tianqi, not because of the famous picture Yuan Chonghuan sent at that time, but also because he felt that Yuan Chonghuan was somewhat capable.

As for the break with Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chengzong in the future, it was also because the two disregarded the emperor's opposition and mobilized the court officials to repeatedly recommend the implementation of the "Ningjin Line of Defense" strategy in Liao.

The emperor had no interest in this so-called war strategy. As the appraised imperial party - "eunuch party", Wei Zhongxian gave Yuan Chonghuan a last word, and after being benevolent and righteous, he drew a clear line in time.

In major matters, Wei Zhongxian is always facing the Emperor Tianqi, this is his principle of conduct, because he knows that he and the Tianqi Dynasty are bound together.

At this time in Fujian, there is no battle for defense, and the army and the people are dedicated to fighting the aggression of the "Hong Mao Fan".

But what makes people feel funny is that the province of Fujian can only compete with the Dutch colonial team from the Spice Islands with more than [-] ships.

To put it bluntly, this is not a matter of solar terms, but the firepower and navigation skills of the ships, which are really incomparable to others.

Zheng Yiguan was moored in Zhangzhou port, but was suddenly attacked by the Dutch fleet. The treachery of the Dutch made him very angry.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zheng Yiguan and Fujian governor Nan Juyi reached a verbal agreement, that is, the imperial court gave the Zheng family the right to conduct business, and the Zheng family could fight for the imperial court.

At this time, the relationship between the Zheng family and the imperial court is only of an employment nature, and each takes what they need.

But both parties underestimated the determination of the Dutch to open up trade channels in Ming Dynasty. When the Dutch colonial team of the first batch of more than a dozen ships was attacked by the Fujian Navy and the Zheng family, they retreated in a row.

On the side of the Spice Islands, another fleet of the same size was quickly assembled, with more than a dozen warships, sailing out to sea, and soon arrived in Penghu.

The two Dutch fleets together consisted of only thirty or so large and small warships.

But it was these thirty or so warships that not only blocked Zhangzhou Port in Fujian, but also brought almost all maritime affairs along the coast of Fujian to a standstill.

In other words, they blocked the entire coast of Fujian!

Faced with such a situation, the Zheng family tried their hand a few times, and after being beaten back by the Dutch fleet with strong ships and sharp guns, they disappeared and never mentioned anything about helping the war.

There was no movement in Zheng's house, and the Fujian navy couldn't even get out of Fujian port. They were simply blocked by the Dutch at the door, showing off their power and swallowing their anger.

This situation was also unexpected by Zhu Youxiao.

Everything has its direction. Historically, the imperial court did not cooperate with the Zheng family so early. Zhu Youxiao thought at the time that cooperating with the Zheng family could quickly repel the Dutch and reduce losses.

Unexpectedly, the butterfly wings produced another result. The early betrayal of the Zheng family completely angered the Dutch colonial governor of the Far East.

In order to open up the extremely valuable trade channel of Ming Dynasty, after careful planning, the governor decided to send another fleet to Penghu while dealing with the Spaniards and Portuguese.

This is twice the number of Dutch ships in history!

Originally, Nan Juyi had spent several years mediating with the Dutch, and the loss was immeasurable, so he was able to repel a fleet of the Dutch and let them retreat unscathed.

The Dutch fleet doubled all of a sudden, Nan Juyi couldn't handle it, and Fujian couldn't handle it either!

In other words, as soon as the second fleet arrived, Fujian would not even be able to win or lose each other.

Nan Juyi can be said to love the people like a son, be honest and honest, and his strategic deployment and relationship with military commanders can also be regarded as a model for civil and military generals everywhere.

During the six months of dealing with the Dutch, he spent almost all day and night fighting with lamps and lanterns. Although he did not hold a knife, he calmed the people with pen and ink.

Sometimes, I have to discuss tactics with Fujian General Yu Zizao, inspect ports, and ask generals and schools around the state of coastal defense.

In his spare time, he devoted himself to studying and compiled the experience gained after fighting the Dutch into notes for future reference or for the generals in the coastal provinces.

Of course, in addition to doing business, this Fujian governor also did a major event that shocked the Dutch and the whole of Fujian.

When the second Dutch fleet arrived in Penghu to build a fortress, Nan Juyi ordered in Fujian to behead all the Dutch delegations detained last time.

The heads of these Dutch people are still hung on the gate tower to boost the morale of the army and the people against the Netherlands.

Yu Zizao knew how difficult it was for a governor who was born as a literati to make such a decision. When the news got out, Nan Juyi would be looked down upon by his colleagues in Lie Donglin.

Nan Juyi had tried his best. After the Dutch increased their troops, he was helpless, because at this time, with the strength of Fujian, he could not compete with the Dutch at all.

Fortunately, behind Fujian, there is still the Ming Empire.

"Why do the Dutch have strong combat effectiveness? Their combat effectiveness is strong, and the southeast coast will not be controlled by us for so long!"

Zheng Yiguan is located on the deck of his own flagship, and behind him stands a quick-fire gun that the court developed with great effort.

Zheng Yiguan bought this sudden fire gun from the Dutchman, and almost all of his "sea bandits" were equipped with one.

This kind of sudden-fire gun is a standard weapon assembled by the Royal Netherlands Navy in the past two years. It is extremely stable and has a stronger combat capability than the new type of sudden-fire gun developed by the Ordnance Department to assemble the frontier army.

Chapter 244 Recruiting "Zheng Zhilong"

The sea breeze crossed the water, making rustling sounds, and the full moon in the sky reflected the turbulent waves hidden under the calm sea level.

Today, a huge recruitment ceremony is going on here.

Because the coast of Fujian has basically been blocked by the Dutch fleet, merchant ships can't get out, and even the Daming Navy can't get close, so this time the recruiting ceremony was chosen in Wenzhou Prefecture, Zhejiang.

After Wenzhou government received the order, it quickly made a basic mobilization.

The government issued a notice that the local newspaper office in Wenzhou Prefecture, which owns the right to publish the "Beijing News", was also "invited" to cooperate with the government to actively publicize that the Zheng family will be recruited by the imperial court.

In order to expand its influence, the Wenzhou magistrate's yamen stipulated in the notice that on the day of the recruiting ceremony, all the people who came to watch the ceremony, with households of three or more, would be exempted from all taxes for the three years of Tianqi.

Maritime merchants with [-] or more merchant ships in their hands, whoever signed after viewing, will have the priority to ship goods at the port of Wenzhou Prefecture in the next three years.

What is Priority Shipping Right?

Because he was born as a pirate, what Zheng Yiguan asked for from Nan Juyi, the governor of Fujian, was nothing but the trading rights of maritime merchants since ancient times.

Above the right to trade, it is the so-called priority shipping right that all maritime merchants are concerned about.

Maritime merchants who have this right will become the "imperial merchants" of the imperial court in the next three years.At present, among the maritime merchants, silk is the most troublesome for the Dutch, and it is also the one that allows the maritime merchants to make the most profits.

Since the canonization of the queen in the first year of Tianqi, Li Shi, the eunuch who went to various places to select the queen, made great contributions, and was sent by Zhu Youxiao to Suzhou Weaving, which was in trouble at that time, as the admiral eunuch.

Two years have passed, and Li Shi has developed the first batch of imperial merchants of the Ming Dynasty in Suzhou. The value of the existence of the imperial merchants is to control the direction of silk circulation in various places for the imperial court.

During the reign of Tianqi, Wei Zhongxian assisted the government, and the so-called "eunuch party" claimed by the Donglin Party members rose up and gradually spread all over the world, except that Suzhou Weaving was sent by the emperor himself.

The weaving bureaus of the remaining Nanzhili prefectures were all controlled by the Eunuch Party.

These members of the eunuch party clearly worked for the so-called eunuch Wei Zhongxian to make profits, but their secret role was to develop a large number of "imperial merchants" who relied on imperial power.

The manufacturing bureaus and supervisory departments of various places have jointly controlled the whole process of silk from planting to output. Ordinary businessmen have only two choices if they want to get it.

One, pay a high price, and two, become an imperial merchant.

Once they become imperial merchants, they will have the support of the imperial court, it will be easier to resell silk, and they will be escorted by the local navy to deliver goods across the sea.

Of course, the navy guards are basically impossible for the court now, because the combat effectiveness of the navy is very weak, and the coast can still slightly contain the pirates with poor equipment.

After leaving the territorial waters, not to mention the colonists and predator fleets of the Westerners, even some stronger pirates will cause considerable losses to the imperial navy.

After the initial attempt to escort the whole process, the local government suffered a lot of losses, and soon gradually changed the policy, becoming a symbolic coastal escort.

This is also where Zhu Youxiao is committed to development.

However, everything needs to be done step by step.

Most of the silk in the south of the Yangtze River, as long as the imperial court has the priority of transshipment, others monopolize it three times, and they may go one time, and they can make a considerable profit.

The imperial court can extract tariffs and control the goods, which can be described as a win-win situation.

Now the sea merchants in various ports in the south want to transport silk monopoly to the west, so they have to buy silk from the imperial merchants.

Of course, since the second half of the second year of Tianqi, the conditions for becoming an imperial merchant have become more and more stringent. It does not mean that anyone can become an imperial merchant and get privileges.

This time, the large-scale recruitment of imperial merchants in Wenzhou Prefecture caused a great shock in the maritime business circle. Many people did not even ship goods, and came to Wenzhou Prefecture Port to watch the recruitment ceremony of the Zheng family.

They don't know why the imperial court attaches so much importance to this matter. Anyway, they don't need to pay anything, and they can get the priority monopoly on silk, so why not do it?

"Yiguan, look." Zheng Hongkui walked behind Zheng Yiguan, his eyes were solemn: "It's just an official post guarding Zhangzhoukou, Fujian, why are there so many people?"

"I'm afraid it's the trick of the imperial court who wants to tie me up." Zheng Yiguan also saw it, and in his expression, there was no sign of joy at being recruited:

"I wanted to keep a low profile as much as possible. After such a disturbance, the whole world knows that I, Zheng Yiguan, abandoned Li Dan and was recruited by the court."

"Li Dan is narrow-minded, so he should turn against me because of this..."