The cabinet ministers had no temper at all towards the master Zhu Houcong.
They wanted to play with Zhu Houcong before, just like in the Hongzhi Dynasty, everyone was playing intrigues, wouldn't it be beautiful?
But now, the situation is completely different.
Even Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong could see the current Emperor Jiajing. The 160,000 soldiers in the Beijing camp were loyal to him, and he also had immortal magic at his side.
What is this cabinet doing?
In addition, a group of cabinet bachelors have been replaced by Zhu Houcong. The leaders Zhang Cong and Wang Yangming are die-hard supporters of Zhu Houcong who are dedicated to doing practical things.
Therefore, in the current Jiajing Dynasty, Zhu Houcong's status is like an iron barrel. Even if Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang came in person to seize power, he would not be able to take the throne from Zhu Houcong.
Under the coordination of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs, tens of thousands of soldiers from the Gu Yong Battalion followed Zhu Houcong, first to Datong, then to Tangshan, and finally to Tianjin.
After the steel mills and coal mills were located in the two places, the Ministry of Works was sent to recruit craftsmen with wives and daughters. The sons of craftsmen could enroll in the engineering majors of Taixue.
Outstanding graduates from Taixue's engineering majors can even directly enter the Ministry of Industry without taking the imperial examination.
Therefore, a rather absurd scene actually occurred.
Craftsmen rushed to sign up, and even fought, just for a chance to go to Datong and Tangshan.
After all, this is your chance to become an official!
The craftsmanship of the Ming Dynasty is the same as the military status and is passed down from generation to generation.
The only chance to change your destiny is the imperial examination.
But the imperial examination was a single-plank bridge even more cruel than the college entrance examination in later generations!
Nowadays, when studying in Taixue, students with excellent grades can join the job directly without taking the imperial examination. Students with poor grades can also change their place of origin, take the imperial examination, and do whatever they want.
Although you still have to take the imperial examination, the teaching staff is completely different! Where is Taixue? It is the highest university in Ming Dynasty!
Can students who studied there and students from local private schools be on the same level as players?
As a result, it naturally attracted the attention of a large number of craftsmen, who even did not hesitate to fight.
In this regard, Yan Song, the Imperial Academy's wine sacrificer, personally performed the task. Together with Fei Hong, the minister of the Ministry of Work, he successfully completed the matter and won the favor of Zhu Houcong, who rewarded Yan Song with a mahogany sword.
Ordinary mahogany.
It is said that Yan Song traveled very strangely after that. He wore a straw crown on his head and a wooden sword at his waist. He even wore Taoist robes in private. Those who didn't know it thought he was a Taoist priest!
However, this situation also caused the officials in the capital to follow suit, and the Taoist supplies in the capital were sold to the point of being sold out.
Zhu Houcong made a lot of money.
Why did Zhu Houcong make a fortune? Because the people selling Taoist supplies in the capital were the eunuchs appointed by Zhu Houcong, who greatly enriched the internal funds.
The internal funds are the emperor's private treasury.
"That's great. We can use this method to get money back from officials in the future."
Zhu Houcong was blowing the sea breeze and listening to the report from the governor of Tianjin, and he thought so in his heart.
The governor of Tianjin, the military commander and other officials were worried, fearing that the emperor would discover some problems during his visit to Tianjin, which would cause their officials to lose their jobs.
Although they felt that they had not made any mistakes, the emperor's inspection would inevitably make people feel uneasy, for fear that a commoner would suddenly appear and complain.
And Zhu Houcong's behavior towards the ministers in Tianjin was just like that.
Jin Yiwei has been all over Tianjin for a long time. Tianjin's officials have been replaced in the past six months, and the rest are fine.
Tianjin plays a very important role in Zhu Houcong's strategic layout. After all, the 'Jiangnan Manufacturing Administration' is located here, and Ming's invincible fleet will be built here.
Therefore, Tianjin holds a great deal of importance in Zhu Houcong's heart... If he wants to find a heavyweight coastal city close to Beijing, the only one is Tianjin.
"Where is the port?"
Zhu Houcong spoke, interrupting the Tianjin governor's report, and then said: "Take me there."
He already knew what the governor of Tianjin reported.
The Guardsmen and Jinyi Guards of Tianjin Guard have not been mobilized for a long time. After being activated by Zhu Houcong this time, they received rewards one after another, which made the Jinyi Guards of Tianjin Guard feel like they were lucky. They even asked the governor of Tianjin which concubine he favored last night. , I can find out clearly what I said in my sleep.
"yes."
The governor of Tianjin immediately agreed, and then headed towards the port with Zhu Houcong's Longhu.
Tianjin Port is very dilapidated, but it can still be seen.
This is because three months ago, Zhu Houcong ordered that all resources be spared to build Tianjin Port. Otherwise, Tianjin Port would still be relatively depressed.
The decline of Tianjin Port is also normal. The perfect ports of the Ming Dynasty were all concentrated in the south. The ports of Quanzhou, Yuegang, and Xiamen, plus the Guangzhou Port, were the four major ports of the Ming Dynasty.
In the north, the famous ports are Langya Port and Dengzhou Port in Shandong.
Langya Port prospered because... ships from the south came to the north for trade and docked at Langya Port, so Langya Port was well built.
As for Dengzhou Port, it is a military port. Since the Han Dynasty, Dengzhou has been a famous military port. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, troops were often sent from here to attack Goguryeo and the Jin Kingdom. In the ninth year of Hongwu, Dengzhou was built in the area. The Japanese city was prepared to train naval forces. It was the earliest military port in China in the past 5,000 years.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the headquarters of the Beiyang Fleet was not in Dengzhou Port, but it was also in Weihaiwei. Weihaiwei and Dengzhou Port were not far apart and could be regarded as one with Jiaodong.
The best location for this shipyard is of course better in the south.
However, there are institutional problems in the Ming Dynasty.
The distance was too far, and Zhu Houcong was really worried.
After all, this is a shipyard, and it is a shipyard that can manufacture iron-clad steamships!
Each fleet of the Invincible Fleet of the Empire on which the sun never sets only has two or three armored steamships. Their status is equivalent to that of aircraft carriers. In this era, they even play a greater role in modern warfare than aircraft carriers.
"Southern Fleet, Beiyang Fleet..."
Zhu Houcong murmured to himself that Zhu Houcong, the southern fleet, would naturally not give up. After all, southern trade was really profitable, and the enemy was coming from the south. Zhu Houcong felt that he should develop Taiwan in advance.
"Your Majesty, Tianjin Port has arrived."
Listening to the report from Lu Bing who was accompanying him, Zhu Houcong nodded, and then got off the dragon boat. Looking at the endless beach, Zhu Houcong could not help but nodded slightly, and then said: "My Ming Dynasty's invincible fleet starts from here. "
"Congratulations to your majesty, may the Ming Dynasty be victorious and may your majesty live forever!"
Lu Bing and other imperial guards did not hesitate, kneeling on one knee and saluting Zhu Houcong.
The governor of Tianjin who followed here was a little confused, but he also knelt on one knee and shouted in unison.
Although the Governor of Tianjin has also heard that His Majesty the Emperor is destined to be the Holy Son of Heaven, even if the ancient sages Yao, Shun, and Yu are revived, they will never be able to defeat His Majesty. However, the Governor of Tianjin has never seen those so-called miracles. However, seeing the enthusiasm of the Jinyi guards around him, the first impression of the Tianjin governor was...
Isn't this Your Majesty capable of brainwashing?
The governor of Tianjin's surname was Xiao and his given name was Chengzhai.
During the reign of Emperor Zhengde, he served in Beijing and saw with his own eyes that Emperor Zhengde had a "fighting" with the cabinet bachelors and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. My fellow countrymen, it can be said that everyone feels very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Emperor Zhengde fell into the water, otherwise I don't know what would have happened between the courtiers and the emperor.
Although Emperor Zhengde was absurd in his behavior, he was not at all confused in major matters.
He acted resolutely and resolutely, killing Liu Jin in a snap, calming down the rebellion of King Ning and King Ning, and defeating the Mongolian princes. He also provided relief for disasters and waived taxes many times, and discovered talents.
Such an emperor was still fighting with his ministers.
And Emperor Jiajing in front of him, how did he brainwash the ministers?
Immediately afterwards, before Tianjin Governor Xiao Chengzhai could say anything, there was a shaking around him. Xiao Chengzhai was shocked and thought it was an earth dragon turning over. He was about to shout "Escort", but he found that there were many people in the port out of thin air. Got a treasure ship!
"What?!"
Xiao Chengzhai was stunned.
There was no such ship just now. What is going on? !
Xiao Chengzhai was stunned and looked at the treasure ship carefully. There were several cannons on the ship, and the cannons were very powerful. The hull was extremely strong, and there were several sails standing horizontally. It looked really majestic!
What he saw made his heart beat.
After all, for a seaside person like him, this kind of treasure ship was intoxicating. Xiao Chengzhai was originally obsessed with the fleet, but now that he saw this ship, he was in tears.
At this moment, this veteran of Emperor Zhengde surrendered heartily to Zhu Houcong and vowed to be his die-hard loyalist.
Facing this warship, Zhu Houcong was also very satisfied.
The ship can accommodate about 350 people, carries 74 guns, is 1,700 tons, has a speed of 19 knots, has 26 large and small naval guns, and is equipped with... torpedo launchers.
In this era... no, even in the late Ming Dynasty and the middle and late Qing Dynasty, this battleship was among the top and first-class in the world!
But the only problem now is... Zhu Houcong does not have enough professional navy to pilot such an advanced warship.
"Talent is hard to find."
Zhu Houcong sighed and suddenly noticed that Xiao Chengzhai's eyes were bright and clear. It could be seen that he was reluctant to part with this warship and loved it very much.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Houcong had an idea, and then said: "Xiao Aiqing is a veteran of three dynasties, right?"
"I am a Jinshi in the 16th year of Hongzhi."
Xiao Chengzhai immediately handed over his hand and replied to Zhu Houcong.
After hearing Xiao Chengzhai's reply, Zhu Houcong nodded, and then chuckled: "Xiao Qing was transferred from Guangdong to Tianjin half a year ago. Is this a habit?"
Xiao Chengzhai said: "I am originally from the north. During the reign of Emperor Wu Zong, I went south to serve. If not for your Majesty's recall, I would never have returned to the north."
"It turns out that he was an important minister during the emperor's time."
Zhu Houcong nodded, and then said: "In this case, I am going to appoint you as the governor of Tianjin, the promotion of Tianjin Shipping Department, and the commander-in-chief of Tianjin Port. In half a year, I will see a prosperous Tianjin Port. Aiqing may do it arrive?"
"I obey the imperial edict!"
Xiao Chengzhai was so excited that he immediately knelt down to accept the order.
Among the accompanying officials, some seemed a little uneasy and seemed to want to stand up and say something, but were immediately stopped by the people around them.
Zhu Houcong naturally noticed this, but was too lazy to say anything.
It's nothing more than ancestral or something.
It doesn't matter, if he wants to listen to the ancestral system, he can invite Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang here later and let him have a good talk about the ancestral system.
But when it comes to his brother Zhengde Emperor Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Houcong remembered an interesting thing.
During the Zhengde Dynasty, a murder occurred in Qiantang, Zhejiang. The deceased was fatally stabbed five times. The Qiantang County magistrate concluded that the person committed suicide and reported it to the court.
When Zhu Houzhao learned about the situation, he was speechless and said, "How could anyone kill himself with five knives in his body?" Do you want to compare me to Jin Hui? So he ordered a thorough investigation of the Hangzhou prefect and the Qiantang County magistrate, and finally found out that the murderer was the nephew of the Qiantang County magistrate's wife.
Zhu Houcong didn't know what some officials thought. It was okay to fool the emperor, but some people fooled the emperor as if he were a fool.
Zhu Houcong felt that it was better to kill such a minister as soon as possible, so as not to affect the IQ of the entire officialdom.
"With the order, Chen Xi, the admiral of the Fuzhou Navy, was renamed as the admiral of the Huangming Fleet. He led half of Fuzhou's navy and fifty ships on the No. 1 Fu Ship to gather in Dengzhou. Together with the 'Zhongshan Wuning King Ship', they are collectively called the fleet."
"According to the order, Liang Haiqin, the commander-in-chief of Dengzhou, was promoted to the deputy admiral of the Huangming Fleet. He led the Dengzhou navy with 3,000 men and 20 ships to merge into the 'Zhongshan Wuning King Ship'!"
After Zhu Houcong arranged for two generals of the dynasty who were good at naval battles, he suddenly looked at the commander of the Imperial Guard behind him and said immediately: "Luo An!"
"I'm here!"
Luo An took a step forward and spoke respectfully to Zhu Houcong.
Zhu Houcong said: "I order you to supervise the fleet of our emperor Ming Dynasty and command the fleet together with Chen Xi and Liang Haiqin."
"The last general takes command!"
Luo An immediately raised his hand and said yes, but after hesitating for a moment, he still opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, the general is skilled in bow and horse, but he knows nothing about water warfare..."
"So, after you take office, if you march and fight, you must obey the words of the two admirals Chen and Liang. You only need to report everything you see and hear to me, and learn navigation knowledge." Zhu Houcong said.
Therefore, Luo An immediately understood what Zhu Houcong meant, and immediately raised his hands and said: "The last general takes command!"
Zhu Houcong nodded, and when Luo An saw this, he immediately stepped back and prepared to go.
The main reason why the Fuzhou Navy was ordered to come was because Fujian's shipbuilding technology was very advanced. Zhu Houcong not only wanted to mobilize troops from Fuzhou, but also mobilized craftsmen from Fuzhou.
Qi Jiguang once said: The lucky boat is as tall as a city and cannot be driven by human power. It depends on the wind. The Japanese boat is as short as my little cang boat. Therefore, the lucky boat rides on the wind and presses down, like a car crushing a mantis. Fighting for ship power rather than manpower.
It can be seen that the Ming Dynasty Navy ships were large in size and had high freeboard, which had obvious advantages in close combat situations such as collisions.
In today's era, the level of naval artillery warfare is limited. In most cases, it is still close combat at sea.
But with the emergence of the 'Zhongshan Ningwu King Ship', the way of naval warfare in this era has to be changed.
Looking at the Huangming Invincible Fleet that was being rapidly formed, Zhu Houcong couldn't help but be filled with emotion.
The navy of the Ming Dynasty could be said to be the best in the world for a long time.
At its peak, the Ming Dynasty had 3,800 ships, including more than 1,300 patrol ships, more than 1,300 warships, as well as numerous large ships and grain transport ships stationed at the Xinjiangkou base in Nanjing.
In addition, it also has a large number of security and law enforcement ships and messenger ships that protect the oceans and patrol the rivers. The famous Zheng He fleet is actually just a maritime mobile fleet. However, its total size is equivalent to ten Spanish Armadas at the same time.
From the end of the Yuan Dynasty when Zhu Yuanzhang crossed the Yangtze River and the Battle of Poyang Lake to Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan, the Ming Dynasty's navy never suffered a single defeat for nearly three hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty!
When Zheng He was on his voyages to the West, he once said a very famous saying.
When approaching foreign countries, those who are disrespectful to the kings will be captured alive; those who are invaded by barbarians will be exterminated!
During the Jiajing Dynasty, Portuguese colonists came east and wanted to make Macau a colony, but the Ming Dynasty navy severely damaged it in the naval battle at the Pearl River Estuary.
During the Wanli Dynasty, Japan launched a war of aggression against Korea, and the Ming Dynasty navy defeated the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Luliang Sea.
Even at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty navy still defeated the Dutch fleet in the Battle of Penghu and the Battle of Liaoluo Bay. Zheng Chenggong even captured Taiwan under Dutch control in one fell swoop!
It can be said that my Ming Dynasty is invincible in naval battles!
Unfortunately……
Zhu Houcong wondered why the naval battle was so difficult after the Qing Dynasty took over. It was understandable that he couldn't win in the far sea. Isn't it a bit embarrassing that he couldn't win in the near sea?
But it doesn’t matter.
The already invincible Navy of the Ming Dynasty has received the support of new technologies. Zhu Houcong believes that the name of the Ming Dynasty's Invincible Fleet will definitely be resounding throughout the world!
"call."
Zhu Houcong was very satisfied and was about to order a banquet in Tianjin to celebrate, when he suddenly received another message in front of him.
[You have a new group message, do you want to check it? 】
Seeing this scene, Zhu Houcong was a little surprised and immediately chose to check it out.
[Received a follow-up request for help from group member 'Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian'. Do you accept this assistance? 】
[This assistance belongs to the same category as the previous assistance, so no group points will be awarded. 】
[You have a message from group member 'Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian'. 】
Seeing the dazzling news reminder in front of him, Zhu Houcong felt that this scene seemed a bit familiar.
Zhu Youjian, why are you so cute again?
Why are you asking for help? Xu Da is here, my army of 30,000 is here, and Li Zicheng, Jiannu, and the Nanjing small court have been crippled. Why are you asking for help?
Although Zhu Houcong was speechless, he still smiled and checked Zhu Youjian's message.
"Grandpa Gao, I'm very sorry for letting Lord Yongle know that his temple name is 'Chengzu'. I feel very uneasy. I wonder if I could bother you to come over. I am willing to help you, Grandpa Gao. I hope that Grandpa Gao can forgive me." For your sins, I am willing to use resources to exchange for your understanding. I just robbed Shanxi merchants and have a lot of money..."
After seeing Zhu Youjian's message.
Only then did Zhu Houcong think of this problem.
Damn, I thought it was something.
Zhu Youjian didn't say it, but Zhu Houcong forgot about it.
Originally, Zhu Houcong didn't take it seriously.
But Zhu Youjian said so, so of course Zhu Houcong must find a way to make a splash... ahem, find a way to prevent his descendants from blaming themselves so much.
Are you sending a navy general here?
It doesn't matter.
Didn’t the Chongzhen Dynasty have a famous naval general in history?
Zheng Sen.
That is the famous Zheng Chenggong!
(End of chapter)
