Buried alive in the Qing Dynasty

"Okay!" Qiu Hui laughed, "Just listen to my uncle!"

Chapter 036 Zheng Jing is miserable!

In September of the 25th year of Yongli, Chengtian Mansion, Anping City.

Anping City is the original Zeelandia City built by the Dutch. It is a very strong bastion. After being besieged by Zheng Chenggong for nine months, it became the property of the Zheng family and was renamed Anping City.

The name of Anping City is taken from Anping City, the original home of the Zheng family in Quanzhou, Fujian. Naturally, it is entrusted with Zheng Chenggong's homesickness and infinite vision for the future.It is a pity that there is no holiday. In the second summer of Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan, that is, on the eighth day of May in the 16th year of the Yongli calendar, the last pillar of the Ming Dynasty collapsed and died in Anping Wangcheng on the island of Taiwan.

From Zheng Chenggong's capture of Zeelandia City to his death in Anping Wangcheng, it was only a few months.After the death of Zheng Chenggong, Zheng's group also experienced internal strife between Zheng Xi and Zheng Jing's uncles and nephews, and the defeat of Xiamen and Jin.After losing the bases of Xia and Jin, Zheng Jing, the second king of Yanping, crossed the sea and came to power, stationed in Anping Wangcheng, and began to painstakingly govern Taiwan, a barren land, with the assistance of Chen Yonghua, Feng Xifan, Liu Guoxuan and other important officials.

And after seven or eight years of painstaking efforts...the streets of Anping Commercial Port outside Anping City finally gained some popularity.On the only two streets of Anping Commercial Port, there are not only merchants and officials with hair buns and Ming Dynasty clothes, but also many foreigners with white and dark skin.

At the intersection of Anping Commercial Port, there is also a small three-story western-style building, and the signboard of "East India Company Commercial Building" is still hanging on the gate of the western-style building!

This is of course not the property of the Dutch East India Company, but the trading house of the British East India Company.

After Zheng Chenggong recovered Taiwan, the Dutch East India Company became the rival of the Zheng regime in the Ming Dynasty. The internal strife and the severely weakened Ming Zheng Group caused Zheng Jing, who had just seized the throne, to lose Xiamen and Kinmen, which are more important than Taiwan Island!

At that time, the population of Han people on Taiwan Island was too small. Because Xiamen and Kinmen had been developed for a long time and were close to the mainland, it was easy to receive Ming Dynasty adherents, so their populations were larger.Therefore, losing Xia and Jin was an extremely painful failure for Ming Zheng!

Although Xiamen and Jiner Island were taken back by Qiu Hui and Jiang Sheng in the 20th year of Yongli (the fifth year of Kangxi), the original population on the island could not come back—either the Qing army slaughtered them, or they were killed by the Qing army. Moved to the hinterland of Fujian to starve.So what Qiu Hui and Jiang Sheng recovered were actually two empty islands.

And the Qing court wooed the Dutch East India Company to oppose Ming Zheng, which of course would cause the British East India Company to choose sides to support Ming Zheng.

Not only because of the conflict between the Netherlands and England (the Anglo-Dutch war is still going on! Just finished the second fight, and is preparing to fight the third), but also because the Western colonists in this era believed in the "monopoly" based on strength. The free trade rules”—that is, this free trade can only be free for me, and others cannot be free, or else it will violate the free trade rules!

Therefore, the Netherlands is now "free trade" with the Qing court, and Britain can only "free trade" with Ming Zheng.

The Portuguese in Macau were relatively weak and were forced to move inland by Aobai and Emperor Kangxi, so they were not qualified to conduct exclusive free trade with the Qing Dynasty.But there is still free trade between Shang Kexi and Macau—Shang Kexi thinks it is very free!With everyone else banned, he can freely earn millions a year, how happy he is!

Of course, in this East Asian free trade system based on strength and rules, there is also an "unfree" trading port, which is Dahao Port under Qiu Hui's rule.

This Qiu Hui is attached to Ming Zheng's forces, and it should only be free trade with the British East India Company.But Dahao Port, Haimen Port and Chenghai Port are three "not free" trading ports where anyone can enter after paying the protection fee!

Whether it is the Dutch East India Company, the British East India Company, the Portuguese in Macau, or the Spaniards entrenched in the Philippines, they can "unfreely" enter and exit these three ports.

For this kind of "unfreedom", the Dutch, Portuguese, and Spaniards all "bear" it-it's not shabby to make money.

However, Charlie Goff and Nicholas Dabao, the big class of the British Trading Company in Anping Town, who firmly believed in the principle of free trade based on strength, were very dissatisfied with Chaozhou's "non-free trade".

He has protested and negotiated with Yanping Wang Zhengjing more than once!

In the early morning of the second day after Chen Yonghua, a senior minister of the Yanping Palace, consulted with the army and returned to Anping from Dahao on a fast boat, the two of them boarded a four-wheeled carriage again and went to Anping Castle to meet Zheng Jing and Chen Yonghua. negotiated.

Before the two of them left the shop, an eyeliner who was placed next to Chen Yonghua by the second class Nicholas Dabao hurriedly delivered an envelope.

Nicholas Dabao, who was born in the Philippines but has 100% Han Chinese ancestry, opened the envelope in the carriage and read it. After a few glances, a surprised expression appeared on his fair and handsome face.

Smoking a pipe, Charlie Gough, who was a little chunky and had a flowing golden hair, had already seen the change in Ji Dabao's expression, so he called him by his Chinese name, "Ji Dabao, what happened?"

"Your Excellency the Consul, the Yanping Palace is likely to go to war against the Qing Dynasty!" Ji Dabao called Gao Fu the "Consul", but this "Consul" was not appointed by King Charles II, but recommended by the British East India Company and the British expatriates. Yes-there are many such "consuls" in this age, who are not representatives of the king or the government of a country, but representatives of the diaspora.

Therefore, the "free trade" agreement signed by Charlie Gough and the Ming and Zheng authorities is only the "freedom" of the British East India Company, not the "freedom" of the entire Kingdom of England.

"It's going to war again? They are so weak, they dare to go to war with the Qing Dynasty, do they want to kill themselves?" Charlie Goff looked out the window, really depressed!

This is the most prosperous place on Taiwan Island, but it is still much worse than the Dahao Commercial Port under the rule of the big brother Hui!

Although the population under Da Laohui's rule may not be larger than Zheng Jing's, Dahao Commercial Port is an "unfree trading port" and relies on the two major industries of salt and sugar, with a large floating population.

This Anping City in Taiwan is simply incomparable!

Ji Dabao shook his head and said with a smile: "Consul, it seems that the Yanping Palace won the war this time, but a dangerous rebel appeared under the rule of the Qing Dynasty!"

"Who is he?"

Ji Dabao said: "He is the son of Emperor Chongzhen of the former dynasty, Zhu Cijiong, who is known as the third prince Zhu! He has already raised troops in Chaozhou, and he has also received the support of Chen Yonghua...Consul, I think this is our integration of Chaozhou Prefecture A Chance for Our Free Trade System!"

"How?" asked Charlie Gough.

Ji Dabao laughed and said, "We can sell them the old cannons in stock and the batch of matchlock guns that have been sold out. Those are big gunpowder households... and then when the war progresses to the most critical It's time to cut off the supply of gunpowder and saltpeter!"

Charlie Goff laughed, "Is it just a withdrawal? We can still sell gunpowder and saltpeter to His Royal Highness King Pingnan... Our gunpowder and saltpetre are much better than what the Portuguese can provide!"

Ji Dabao immediately complimented: "Your Excellency the Consul, you are really wise!"

Charlie Goff admitted his advantage unceremoniously, "Hahaha, I think so too!"

……

"Military division, you are not joking with the lonely family, are you? Can you really use sugar to make gunpowder and blow up a large piece?"

"That's right, how can it still be fried after boiling sugar water?"

"How could this candy be lit? Military division, you were deceived by the artillery Zhu, right?"

"Your Majesty, Guard Feng, General Liu, let's see if this white sugar can be fried..."

At this very moment, in a gazebo in the backyard of the palace in Anping Fort, Chen Yonghua, who had hurried back to Taiwan, was grinding sugar powder with a stone mill.

And he was surrounded by three people, one of them was wearing a Taoist costume (a kind of Confucian clothing), with a thin body, protruding cheekbones, small eyes, and a few mustaches. He didn't look like a king. , but claiming to be "lonely".Needless to say, it must be Yanping Wang Zhengjing.

The other two were quite tall warriors, both wearing narrow-sleeved military uniforms, and one of them had a sword in his waist. It was Zheng Jing's most trusted guard, Feng Xifan.The other one was a dark-faced man with an unshaven beard that was not well trimmed, and looked thick. He was Liu Guoxuan, Zheng Jing's most reliable general.

Chapter 037 Third Prince Zhu, you have to hold on!

"Okay, it's finished!"

At this time, Chen Yonghua had already ground a large plate of powdered sugar, which was white and snowy, and they were all placed in a square, somewhat flat wooden box.

Looking at the white powdered sugar, Zheng Jing somehow thought of rice cakes and steamed buns... It should be good to eat with dipping, so it won't be a waste if you don't order it later.

Although Zheng Jing's grandfather is the richest man in the world, as the saying goes, he can't be rich for three generations!Therefore, Zheng Jing, who is rich for three generations, has been living in a relatively difficult situation after taking over the family business, which is called a miserable operation!

I am used to thrift up to now, and I can't see extravagance and waste.

At this time, Chen Yonghua looked at Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan with a smile, "Feng Shiwei, General Liu, do you still think this powdered sugar is not light?"

Neither Feng Xifan nor Liu Guoxuan believed it!

How can powdered sugar burn?

Both shook their heads.

"Then try it!"

While Chen Yonghua was talking, he came over with a thick red candle that had been prepared and lit a long time ago, and then directly inserted it into the wooden box filled with powdered sugar.

Seeing this, Zheng Jing frowned—a bit of a waste!Is this powdered sugar smudged with candle grease still edible?

Thinking of this, Zheng Jing asked Chen Yonghua: "Military Master, what are you going to do? Why put a candle in the middle of powdered sugar?"

Chen Yonghua replied: "Your Majesty, this is to light the fire!"

"How?"

"Blow!" Chen Yonghua laughed, "Blow hard on the powdered sugar!"

"Oh..." Zheng Jing was surprised to hear that he could still light a fire by blowing it up?

"Okay, I'll try."

Speaking of Zheng Jing, he was about to brag, but Chen Yonghua was frightened, so he quickly grabbed King Yanping, "My lord, don't brag...it's dangerous!"

Chen Yonghua saw Zhu and Sheng playing this trick in Dahao's Dongyin Money Factory (property of Eunuch Pang).At that time, Zhu Hesheng used this trick to scare Qiu Shuzhen...it was really furious, and Miss Qiu screamed and hid in Zhu Hesheng's arms!

"Danger?" When Zheng Jing heard that there was danger, he immediately stopped blowing and took two steps back.Then he said to Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan: "Feng Shiwei, Liu Guanzhen, you two blow it!"

Let us go if there is danger?

Although Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan were a little scared, they still had to bite the bullet!They both bowed their hands to accept the order, and then looked at Chen Yonghua with cold eyes—the surname is Chen, tell me, what to say!

Chen Yonghua took out three paper tubes made of hard yellow paper that he had prepared long ago, gave two to Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan, and one for himself, and finally he asked Zheng Jing to order - three of them must be blown together in order to blow them out. The powdered sugar in the wooden box blows up and turns into dust.

Although Zheng Jing is 30 years old, he still has a childlike innocence. Looking at the three ministers below, one of them held a paper tube to his mouth and the other to a wooden box filled with powdered sugar, and his cheeks were puffed out. Very interesting.

So he suppressed a smile and shouted: "Blow!"

"boom……"

When the three of them blew hard, the powdered sugar rose up and was ignited by the flame of the candle, forming a very scary fireball.

Chen Yonghua had been prepared for a long time, and he could fry powdered sugar on the noodles without changing the color, but Zheng Jing, Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan were all frightened and even screamed.

"Fried, fried, really fried!"

"Wow, this is amazing..."

"Ah, ah..."

After the three people screamed, they turned their heads to look at the calm Chen Yonghua at the same time, all of them were stunned.

Chen Yonghua smiled and said to Zheng Jing: "My lord, this is actually nothing. If you boil sugar into a paste, and then mix it with fire nitrate and rust, then it will be called a powerful fire. If you boil the paste and copper coins while it is hot Pour a hollow copper hammer together, and then insert the cork and fire wire... That is a very powerful explosive bomb!

According to Huo Pao Zhu, his father, the Third Prince Zhu, used this type of bomb to defeat the Xushun Gong Mansion Banner Army in the capital of Guiyu!And Huo Pao Zhu is willing to help us train pharmacists. "

It turned out that Zhu Heqi had already passed on the preparation method of sweet gunpowder to Chen Yonghua!

It's not that he doesn't want to keep it secret, but that this sweet gunpowder can't be preserved for a long time - both fire nitrate and white sugar are very susceptible to moisture.Now there is no suitable desiccant, and there is no way to seal it, so I can only prepare it on the spur of the moment.

Zhu Heqi has reached an agreement with the boss Hui and Chen Yonghua, and he will help train a group of "pharmaceutical apprentices" sent by Chaozhou General Army Mansion and Yanping Palace.

Liu Guoxuan next to him hurriedly asked: "Military Master, did the grassroots bandits in Dananshan really defeat the banner army of Duke Xushun's mansion?"

Chen Yonghua nodded, "It's absolutely true, at least 200 people were killed!"

"Two hundred..." Feng Xifan also took a deep breath, "Military Master, you said just now that his father is the Third Prince Zhu? Is that true?"

Zheng Jing also asked: "That's right, isn't that Zhu Jushan from the Tang Palace? How did he become the third prince Zhu? Is it true?"

"I think it's quite true..." Chen Yonghua nodded and said, "Your Majesty, let's treat him as real for now!"

Zheng Jing frowned, "Military Master, can we let this matter go?"

"Why not?" Chen Yonghua said with a smile, "Your Majesty, someone finally came out to replace you as the number one enemy of the Tazi court. What's wrong with that?"

Zheng Jing twirled his beard and frowned, as if he was weighing something in his heart?

After a while, he asked Chen Yonghua: "Do they really have this ability?"

"You can give it a try." Chen Yonghua said.

"How to try?"

Chen Yonghua said: "The Pao Zhu and his father-in-law Qiu Hui are going to join forces to attack Jieyang County, to encircle Wei and save Zhao, and to break the siege of Guiyu Capital. I suggest that we can send one or two thousand troops to the Yanping Palace, and then give us some muskets, fire nitrate, and armor. , to help them succeed.

If Cannon Zhu and Heavenly King Zhu really take over Jieyang County with the help of Qiu Hui... we will give them another push and push them to the stage to face off against the young lead singer of Tartar! "

"Push?" Zheng Jing looked at Chen Yonghua, "You mean..."

Chen Yonghua smiled and spit out four words: "King Ding supervises the country!"

"What? Let the king of heaven, Zhu Jianguo?"

"Military Master, are you not afraid that the father and son will grow up and ride on our Yanping Palace?"

Before Zheng Jing said anything, Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan had already jumped out to protect the Lord.

Zheng Jing was noncommittal and just looked at Chen Yonghua.

Chen Yonghua said with a smile: "Your Majesty, we can unite with the big brother Hui to push Tian Wang Zhu and Hu Pao Zhu into Jieyang County, and then push Tian Wang Zhu to the position of supervisor... In this way, he will be the number one enemy of the Tartar Emperor. And Jieyang County is at the forefront again, facing the front of the Tartar soldiers!

With them being the targets of the Manchurians, our pressure will be much less, and we will have the opportunity to develop and grow stronger.Didn't Ming Taizu use the red scarf to protect himself from the wind and rain in the same way?

As for becoming bigger... If you really want to be bigger, you have to defeat the soldiers and horses of the Tartar court time and time again!

Now the Tazi court has ninety-five percent of the world, and can mobilize the power of the world to attack a county seat of the third prince Zhu.If this can be made bigger... that is God's will, and God's will cannot be violated! "

Zheng Jing nodded and said with a wry smile: "That's true... the Tartars are still very powerful. The former king was defeated in Jinling, and the lonely family was defeated in Jinxia. Now there are only a corner of Taiwan and a few coastal islands, as well as those on the mainland of Chaozhou. A little bit of territory. The population of Taiwan Island is only 10,000+, and there are no more than [-] soldiers. It is unbearable to fight!

If there is no man of destiny, the general trend is gone.If the fate is really revealed, then the lonely family can always get back the property of the ancestors, and become the rich man, right? "

His requirements for a rich man are also a bit high!

Zheng Zhilong is the richest man in the world, the real wealth is incomparable to a country... The silver (not counting food, not counting local finance) received by the court of Emperor Chongzhen is only more than 100 million taels a year, while Lao Zheng is at least a few million a year The income is much more enjoyable than being an emperor!

Moreover, Lao Zheng has also monopolized the toll collection business on the southeast sea of ​​Daming, and he is a monopoly capitalist who collects money lying down!

To be honest, the current Zheng Jing really has no ambition to become the emperor of the world.He, the owner of the island of Taiwan, should be a bitch, so why should he be an emperor?

More importantly, he has no confidence in defeating the Tartar court...In the original history, when Wu Sangui had already attracted the main forces of the Manchus to the Huguang battlefield, he did not dare to go northward for another Northern Expedition Battle of Nanking.In the current situation, where is there any desire to fight for the world?

When Zheng Jing was expressing his feelings to his three confidants, a guard from the Yanping Palace walked in quickly, saluted Zheng Jing, and reported loudly: "Your Majesty, the chief inspector of the Hongmao Kingdom and the Second Class of Ji are asking to see you. "