"At the very least, a disciple will be admitted to the Imperial Academy, and at most, it will be inevitable for an official."
Zhang Qi glanced at everyone and chuckled.
Obviously, the official status here naturally does not refer to the official position, but to the imperial merchant status of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In an instant, everyone's breathing quickened and their eyes widened.
The identity of the emperor's merchant is worth tens of thousands of gold. If it doesn't matter, even money can't buy it. This bait is really too big.
Naturally, everyone patted their chests and looked like they would go through fire and water to serve the emperor.
Using businessmen to obtain information is more convenient than official dispatch.
This was also a clever trick used by the emperor.
In the 17th century, after leaving the mainland, all merchant ships could not only carry goods, but also become pirates, and moral laws were reduced to decoration.
Their intelligence network is far wider than that of the imperial court.
After these people left, three co-ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came over and said in confusion:
"Young Master, in recent years, the Xiyi people in Taiwan Prefecture have purchased less and less sugar, and the price has been decreasing. Why are they still greedy for Luzon?"
"Luzon is different from Taiwan."
Zhang Qi shook his head, then sat down, Niu drank a cup of tea, and then said slowly:
"As far as I know, the Spanish and Portuguese were greedy for sugar profits and went to the so-called New World to immigrate and cultivate land, so sugar exports have become less and less."
"With fewer exports, we can only transport it to inland sales."
"And if it's not enough to rely on sugar from Taiwan, you have to add sugar from Manila."
"This is called expanding domestic demand, do you understand?"
Learning the terms he stole from the emperor, Zhang Qi held his head high.
The other three co-organizing ministers didn't know how serious they were, so they could only bow down.
The white sugar that first appeared in the Western world was basically purchased from China through Arabs as a transit agent.
By the second half of the 17th century, the slave trade was booming. Latin America, especially the West Indies and Jamaica, were greatly developed, causing sugar prices to plummet.
So cheap that by the beginning of the 19th century, the British consumed about 9 kilograms of sugar per year, about 25 grams a day.
Under such circumstances, it is foreseeable that the export of sugar will inevitably slump.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was reluctant to bear such a huge profit, and the emperor was even more reluctant, so it could only target the locals and convert exports to domestic sales.
By then, it will be difficult to meet the needs of the people with today's sugar production, and the land must be prepared in advance.
Once the emperor had an idea, it would be immediately implemented by the court.
Therefore, the cabinet used the excuse that Spain massacred our people, and asked the Spanish ambassador in Beijing to apologize, pay with blood, and hand over the officials and troops who massacred.
The Spanish ambassador naturally shook his head and denied it. He would never admit it, let alone hand over the person.
At this time, after notifying the ambassadors of several other countries, the Ming Dynasty had a legitimate reason to send troops, and couldn't wait to ask the navy to go south to force the Spanish to surrender.
After giving the order, the Donghai Navy went south to Fujian to join the Nanhai Navy.
Thirty ships and five thousand naval officers and soldiers rode the wind and waves towards Fujian.
Standing on the bow of the ship, with the sea breeze blowing on his face, Shi Lang looked serious and his eyes were full of thinking.
Two years ago, after Zheng Zhilong retired from office, he went to Beijing to retire. Most of his relatives, friends and old friends also went with him, leaving only a few young and strong ones.
In order to avoid suspicion, when Zheng Zhilong recommended his successor, he did not recommend his brother. Instead, he appointed Shi Lang, who was not far away, as the commander-in-chief of the Donghai Navy.
He and Zheng Zhilong were both from Quanzhou, so they defected to them when they were 17 years old. Whenever they fought, they would definitely take the lead and make many military exploits.
Extremely outstanding among the younger generation.
At the age of only thirty-six, he was recommended as the commander-in-chief.
Such a great favor made his involvement with the Zheng family even greater.
"Commander, why do you have to obey the Nanhai Navy this time when you go to Fujian?" The general on the side couldn't help complaining.
"Don't talk about that." Shi Lang frowned and said, "He has a good family background and is a relative of a foreigner. You must not offend him."
After hearing this, several generals restrained themselves.
Shi Langze said leisurely: "I have been blowing the sea breeze in Penghu for five years, and I only became the commander-in-chief this year. It is already too late."
After hearing this, no one said anything.
The Nanhai Navy Commander-in-Chief they are talking about refers to Sun Lin, who just took office at the beginning of this year.
At the age of only twenty-six, he held the position of Commander-in-Chief, and he only had a baron. No one dared to believe him.
But, this is reality.
Before serving as the commander-in-chief, Sun Lin served as a guerrilla general in Penghu and was responsible for the coastal defense of the entire Taiwan government.
Due to the lack of harassment by pirates and the prosperity of Taiwan, the number of Dingkou in Penghu County continued to increase. In just a few years, it exceeded 30,000.
】
Not to mention the Taiwanese government, the number has exceeded 500,000. As a result, the Penghu Navy was renamed the Taiwan Navy, and the top officer was changed from a guerrilla general to a staff general.
After that, Sun Lin built a large navy camp in Penghu, which can be regarded as a credit. At the beginning of the year, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Nanhai Navy, responsible for the coastal defense of the entire Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian provinces.
It was so logical that it left people speechless.
Of course, what makes people unhappy is that this time the two armies jointly fought, the commander-in-chief was Sun Lin, and the deputy commander was Shi Lang.
No matter in terms of seniority or age, Shi Lang was above Sun Lin, but the latter jumped above him, which was helpless.
After riding the wind and waves for several days, the Donghai Navy arrived at Xiamen Island.
Compared with the Zhoushan Islands where the East China Sea Navy is stationed, although Xiamen is a little smaller, it is close enough to the mainland and the land is fertile to become a prosperous naval city.
What surprised Shi Lang was that Sun Lin, the new Nanhai Seamaster, was standing on the dock, wearing a black short coat, with a rough and dark face, and a big smile.
"Commander Shi, you're welcome and safe!"
Sun Lin greeted him warmly and put his arm directly on Shi Lang's shoulders. Before the latter could react, he said enthusiastically:
"I have prepared a lot of meat for the brothers, free flow of wine, and the camp room is ready. You can move in directly tonight, and the bedding is all new..."
"Let me tell you, Fujian mats are comfortable to sleep on and don't scratch you. I also prepared a wild deer, just in time to entertain you..."
Shi Lang was stunned.
Do I know you that well?
"You haven't taken a shower yet, have you? Come on, come on, I've got the hot water ready."
Sun Lin took the generals to a bathhouse: "You have to wash in hot water. It's not good if you catch a cold."
In this way, before Shi Lang had time to say a word, the Donghai Navy was treated to a hot bath, wine and meat, and a warm bed.
The next day, everyone gave a thumbs up and praised: "The Nanhai Navy is bright and bright——"
Since the Nanhai Navy and the Donghai Navy were originally from the Zheng family army, and many generals in the Donghai Navy were from Fujian, verbal communication was not a problem, and fellow villagers felt indescribably cordial when meeting fellow villagers.
By noon, Shi Lang immediately realized that something was wrong. The military morale had been bribed by the opponent.
Good guy, all the grievances along the way have been wiped away, what else can I, the commander-in-chief, say?
"Brother Sun, you are so polite." Shi Lang got off the donkey and laughed: "This will cost a lot of money!"
"Not much."
Sun Lin showed his white and neat teeth and felt Shi Lang's closeness: "It's only a few thousand yuan."
"this--"
Shi Lang was shocked, what a big deal! My annual salary is only so much!
Unexpectedly, Sun Lin bowed his hand and said, "Sprinkle some water——"
"Brother Shi, let me tell you that for this southern expedition, the Ministry of Revenue directly allocated 300,000 yuan."
"You and I only have ten thousand people, which is more than enough."
Shi Lang was silent. He looked at Sun Lin and lowered his head, not wanting to speak.
Good guy, three hundred thousand were paid out before the battle even started. If we win, what's the point?
Sun Lin saw Shi Lang's face, and saw that there was only a little joy in his shock, and he suddenly had concerns in his heart.
He served as a gendarmerie in the army when he was in his teens. Relying on his status, he was not afraid of anyone and went on a rampage, which can be described as majestic.
When I got older, I decided to come to the navy to gain experience. Over the years, I have gained a good understanding of people's hearts.
Maybe ordinary soldiers would be excited about money, but for a navy commander like Shi Lang, only official titles can greatly increase the interest of people like him.
With his mind spinning, Sun Lin suddenly asked: "Brother Shi, please forgive me for being presumptuous, but I wonder what your title is?"
When Shi Lang heard this, he felt unhappy. Didn't you ask knowingly?
But he was in the city, and he just said indifferently: "It's hard to explain in one sentence. The Western Yi who followed Nan'an Marquis to attack Taiwan a few years ago only got a viscount."
"I am a baron!" Sun Lin said without hesitation: "For an official position like ours, this title is too low?"
"There is no way, the military merit is here."
Shi Lang agreed, feeling a little uncomfortable in his heart.
Mr. Sun was also lucky. He happened to encounter Taiwan's northern invasion of the native kingdom, led the navy to participate in the war, and was awarded a baron.
"You also know my brother's identity, and I won't hide it from you."
Sun Lin took a big gulp of wine, turned his head, and whispered: "This time we go to Luzon, the court should discuss three points of merit, but it is different for us."
"Oh?" Shi Lang became interested and said in surprise: "Aren't they just some Western Yi? In the land of Waifan, can you still improve your title?"
"Hehe." Sun Lin said quickly: "I heard that His Majesty attaches great importance to this trip to the south, and it is probably nine out of ten that he will be promoted."
As he said that, he actually patted Shi Lang on the shoulder and said, "Brother, if my trip south this time goes well, wouldn't it be easy to catch a mere earl?"
"When the time comes, it will be natural for us to have a few more barons and viscounts in the army."
If others were to tell this secret, Shi Lang must be a bigot. How could a mere barbarian make him an earl?
How many counts were there in the entire Ming Dynasty? Which one was not killed in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
But Sun Lin was different. This boy was a relative, and he had good information through the grapevine, so he must have something to rely on.
Thinking of this, the smile on Shi Lang's face became more genuine, and his tone became gentler, even a little low: "Brother Sun, I will listen to you when we go south this time."
"When the time comes, we will fight side by side, and we will have to take care of you!"
"That's right!" Sun Lin also said sincerely: "If the Dudu Mansion loses my title, I will personally go to Beijing to see the emperor and file a complaint——"
Now, the relationship between the two became more harmonious.
The next day, after Shi Lang sorted out his mentality, he saw an infantryman holding a musket and walking towards Xiamen Island with his head held high.
"Brother, this must be two to three thousand people!" Shi Xianze, who served as the head of the personal soldiers, sighed: "I didn't expect this kid to be able to command infantry."
"It seems that this battle is not a small one!"
"It seems that the commander-in-chief is very powerful. How about we let the brothers have a fight? Maybe you can become the commander-in-chief by then."
"Shut up -" Shi Lang immediately scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about? Mr. Sun and I are like brothers whose blood is thicker than water. No, we are closer than blood is thicker than water. Don't try to sow discord between us."
Shi Xian was shocked and said in disbelief: "Brother, I am your biological brother!"
"If you keep talking nonsense, you won't be able to protect everything."
Shi Lang snorted, and then walked towards Sun Lin in the distance with enthusiastic steps.
"Brother Sun Xian, why do we still have infantry this time?"
"Brother, this trip south is different."
Sun Lin said somewhat mysteriously: "Although it is said to be to intimidate the Spanish, there is no guarantee that there will be no conflict."
"I heard that the Spaniards are stubborn and have a bad temper. If we tell them, he may turn a blind eye, but when the infantry comes ashore."
"If you fire a few shots and kill a few people, Spain will definitely be short of breath and surrender. When the time comes to show off the prestige of our country, what does a mere count mean?"
Hearing this, Shi Lang was elated.
For soldiers, the greater the scale of the war, the more opportunities they have to make meritorious deeds, thereby legitimately getting promoted and making a fortune.
At this time, he wished that Spain would dispatch tens of thousands of men. When the navy and infantry were on the move, wouldn't a count be safe?
Sun Lin glanced at these thousands of people, feeling quite proud in his heart.
This time, in order to hide it from the Western barbarians and make them think it was a coercion rather than a war, the three thousand soldiers from the Beijing camp did not go parallel with the Donghai navy.
Instead, they took a Beihai Navy ship south and arrived in Xiamen a few days in advance.
It was the first time to command three thousand musketeers, which made Sun Lin quite excited: "I hope the Spaniards will always be so ignorant, and the Beijing camp will be able to establish its prestige!"
After appeasing Shi Lang, Sun Lin met with several businessmen who had important information about Manila.
Spanish rule in the Philippines dates back to 1571.
Legaspi entered the mainland from Mani, invaded and occupied the Philippines, and then established a castle and fort on the south bank of the Pasig River in the center of Manila.
Since then, it has been the capital of the Spanish colonial administration.
"Manila is the largest port in Luzon Island. At the dock, there are about 50,000 Han people, Yi people, and some natives..."
"How many troops do the Spaniards have?" Sun Lin asked directly.
"There are only less than 3,000 white people, while there are about 5,000 native soldiers, who are specifically responsible for dealing with us Han people."
The businessman said angrily.
"Where are the weapons?"
"It's not as good as our Ming Dynasty. They only have a few matchlock guns and only a dozen or so cannons. But there are many merchants at the port. The Governor's Office can recruit Spanish merchants to help..."
After Sun Lin heard this, he immediately calmed down and his own side had the advantage.
