Chapter 034 God Bless
The captured red-haired ghosts were all Portuguese. People in the Ming Dynasty generally called them red-haired ghosts, while the imperial court called them Folangji people. Chen Cao was a modern man, so he knew it. Besides, his English had passed CET-6 and he could talk to foreigners. It wasn't a problem at all, but he didn't know if these people knew English.
The leader of the Franco machine was a naval ensign named John Matthews. He was captured in a naval battle with Zhao Tianlin's pirate gang. Because he and more than a dozen of his men could make muskets and Franco cannons, they were not killed. He stayed on Daqushan Island to make firearms.
"Mr. John, I am Chen Cao, the governor of Jinyiwei Town in the Ming Dynasty and the commander of Nanjing Right Guards. It's a pleasure to meet you..."
Chen Cao's fluent English shocked John and made Xin Zhao, who was following behind, widen their eyes in surprise.
John said in English: "I didn't expect that adults in the Ming Dynasty could still speak English."
Britain is now the maritime overlord surpassing Portugal, and English is now the lingua franca of Westerners, just like Mandarin. Chen Cao smiled and said: "Sir, you're welcome. Let's make a story short. You were rescued by our army. Do you want to leave or stay? Give me a word. If you want to leave, I will pay you travel expenses and send you to Fujian. If you want to stay, I will give you an official position. You can stay with me as the right guard of Nanjing in the future. What do you think?"
"Oh God..." John said in surprise: "Can you really be an official in the Ming Dynasty? We have been mercenaries for more than ten years, and the money given by the Portuguese government is not enough to buy a country villa in China."
A tall man behind John said to John in Portuguese: "Ask them how much they pay."
Chen Cao couldn't understand Portuguese, but he still smiled. John tentatively asked in English: "Dear Mr. Chen, we are officials in the Ming Dynasty. Will the Ming Dynasty give us titles in the future?"
In the West, people with knighthoods are upper-class celebrities, either nobles or gentlemen. John's ancestor was a Portuguese viscount, but he later lost due to various reasons. Not only did the title disappear, but the hereditary official position was demoted. Now the second lieutenant of the Navy was captured and his ship was gone. Even if he returned to Portugal, he would not have any financial foundation and might have to go to jail. This is why he asked Chen Cao about his title.
The most famous person who draws big cakes is Cao Cao. After all, there is a character named Cao, and Chen Cao is no exception. He immediately said: "As long as you follow me and work well in the future, it will not only be money, but also titles and other small things. I will be promoted." , you naturally have it.”
Chen Cao wanted to add that there were no viscounts or barons in the Ming Dynasty, and even if they were, they would not be worth much, but he did not dare to say this. After all, he was making empty promises now.
"Oh God...God bless..." Not only John, but also a dozen people behind him all prayed sincerely while crossing themselves.
"Dear Mr. Chen, what can we do?" John asked.
Chen Cao thought for a while: "You don't have to fight in the future. You only need to make guns and cannons. You don't have to worry about the rest."
"May God bless you, Dear Mr. Chen..."
Chen Cao made a sign of the cross devoutly, then turned and walked towards the military camp.
At this moment, there were more than a hundred people in the camp waiting for him to receive him. They were craftsmen invited by Tang Ruowang from European churches, ranging from muskets, machinery, ships, and other fields, and some even plenums.
The leader is the German Pastor Konrad Bisso. He is an all-round talent with contacts in various fields. He is a well-known figure in the European church. He is a good friend of Tang Ruowang.
"Oh...my God, look who's here?" Tang Ruowang spoke fluent German and chatted enthusiastically with Conrad.
"God, thank you for sending me to the far east to meet my good friends again..." Conrad also praised.
Chen Cao didn't understand the two people's greetings and stood aside to watch their performance. Conrad said: "The church attaches great importance to your letter and believes that if the distant eastern country can become a believer in God, it will be a great help to the church. It's a very good opportunity. Those Orthodox heretics have spread their teachings to Ukraine. The Grand Duke of Lithuania is deeply dissatisfied. The Pope thought that this would destroy God's missionary work, so he agreed to your request and found someone under the church. us."
Tang Ruowang held Conrad's hand and shook it: "Master Chen is very kind. As long as we help them build what they need, they will allow us to preach in Nanjing again. This city is so big that ten Romes combined Even Nanjing has a huge population. If it can develop, God will definitely let us go to the Kingdom of Heaven..."
Conrad crossed himself: "God bless us with success."
"I don't know if God will bless you, but you must bless me and let me bless you." Chen Cao couldn't help but interjected: "Pastor Conrad, if you want to preach in Nanjing, you have to rely on me."
"May God bless you..." Conrad also spoke English: "Dear Mr. Chen, what should we do so that we can preach in Nanjing?"
Tang Ruowang also looked at Chen Cao eagerly, and Chen Cao took a breath and said: "It's very simple, teach us everything you know, and I will file a report and allow you to build the first Catholic church in Nanjing..."
"Oh...my God...that's great..." Tang Ruowang exclaimed: "I believe Conrad will not be stingy..."
Chen Cao's purpose is very simple. With Bi Maokang as the leader and assisted by Conrad, Tang Ruowang and John, they will lead a team to study the drawings given by Chen Cao to Bi Maokang, which are also about the research and manufacture of bolt-action rifles and brass bullets, as well as important cannon.
The existing artillery is all front-loaded. Chen Cao first asked them to study the weapons used for front-loaded artillery, and then developed breech-loaded artillery and shells. This was Chen Cao's shortcoming. He was proficient in the manufacturing and research of rifles. If he There are ready-made machine tools that can build an automatic rifle in one day, so Tang Ruowang also asked Tang Ruowang to find a group of mechanical experts to prepare for his big plan.
...
Chen Cao is very happy recently. He has been staying in Zhang Chunyao's room during this time. Even Li Xiang has expressed his dissatisfaction. Several women have been talking about Zhang Yanyao. The consensus is that this woman is a beauty and will be punished sooner or later. Chen Cao brought great disaster, so Li Xiang tried to persuade him for a long time, but Chen Cao remained unmoved, but he still promised Li Xiang not to go to Zhang Yanyao's room in the future and prepare to be alone.
Time passed quickly. In September, the emperor issued an order to appoint Wei Zhongxian as the eunuch of the ceremonial department and the eunuch holding the pen. On the 15th, Xu Xianchun was transferred to Beizhen Fusi and served as the commander and commander of Jinyiwei Beizhen Fusi; Chen Cao also followed. After being promoted, he was promoted to the commander of Jinyiwei Nanzhen Fusi, and took charge of the Zhenfusi Yamen. From then on, the power of Nanzhen Fusi fell into Chen Cao's hands, and Zhang Yanzong, a fellow commander, still became a decoration.
After Chen Cao was promoted, he transferred Zhao Xin to be the governor of Fusi Town in Nanzhen, Gao Chong to be in charge of punishing one thousand households, and Liao Yaowen to be deputy to one thousand households; Han Shizhong was to be in charge of the town of Fusi, and Xu Kaixian was still the official secretary. Of course, as the tide rises, all boats lift. He became the Qian Shu who directed Qian affairs, and his official positions were all of the fifth rank, which was equivalent to an official with a thousand households.
The reason why Chen Cao dared to do things in such a big way was because of his relationship with Wei Zhongxian, that is, the two hundred thousand taels of silver was not a small amount, and he also paid filial piety on every festival, plus he added to the inner treasury of the little emperor for no reason. Income, Wei Zhongxian said a word, and Emperor Tianqi agreed.
Chen Cao is sitting in the Zhenfusi Yamen, reading a letter written by Wei Zhongxian to himself. Now, Chen Cao is already the second most powerful person in the eunuch party after Xu Xianchun. His reputation as a sycophant in the past may have to be confirmed in the future. .
The content of the letter is very clear. You, Chen Cao, will be mine, Wei Zhongxian, in the future. Follow me and live well, and you will be able to enjoy your good harvest in the future. In the future, you will work well for me in Nanjing and so on. Chen Cao couldn't help but shook his head. This Wei Zhongxian is really a bumpkin, the letter he wrote is so straightforward.
"Sir, someone is here from Tianjin..." Zhao Xin walked into the central hall with a serious look on his face: "He is a confidant of the commander, you know him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Yangxing walked into the lobby quickly. His current identity was the governor of Beizhen Fusi. His rank was lower than that of Chen Cao's commander, but Chen Cao was at least because of Luo Sigong. He got rich because of the reason, so it is still somewhat polite for his son.
"Master Luo, I haven't seen you for a long time. I'm here in such a hurry. Is there something wrong?" Chen Cao stood up and walked to the hall and held his hand towards Luo Yangxing.
Luo Yangxing looked serious, and then he raised his hand towards Chen Cao: "I don't dare, Mr. Chen is too polite. I came here today to discuss something important with Mr. Chen. I wonder if we can talk to him alone?"
Chen Cao dismissed the others in the hall, but only Zhao Xin was left standing beside him, and then said: "Zhao Zhenfu is my confidant and trustworthy. I wonder what's wrong with Master Luo?"
The two of them sat down together. Luo Sigong did not shy away and said directly: "I am not shying away from the lower officials. I am telling you the truth. Now that Eunuch Wei has become the Chief Supervisor of Ceremonies, the situation in the DPRK has changed. Xu Xianchun Entering Beijing is the best proof. Although he is only a commander of Beizhen Fusi, he will soon become an official in the capital command line. My father knows that the commander's position cannot be held for a long time, so he is preparing to do so after the new year. Take the initiative to resign as the commander of the capital and let me take your place."
Now that Chen Cao has carefully considered it, he is also an eunuch, and it is definitely impossible to betray his teammates, so he said: "What do you mean, Master Luo?"
Luo Yangxing said in a deep voice: "My father has a close relationship with the chief ministers. This is because it has been more than thirty years since Master Wanli took up the post of commander. He has never made any mistakes, so he will ask for me to take over." The commander-in-chief, Wei Zhongxian must have been unable to stand up to those ministers, so he agreed, but this..."
"I know..." Chen Cao interrupted Luo Yangxing: "It's just that your father is afraid that you will be hacked in the future, so he asked you to ask me if it is true or not?"
Luo Yangxing was a little surprised, and then handed over his hand: "My father asked Mr. Chen to give me some advice based on our past friendship."
This was to make it clear that he had to pay off his debts, but Chen Cao was really a good person, so he said: "It's a small matter. After you became the commander of the capital, you took the initiative to write a letter requesting to go to the commander's office in Tianjin. Naturally, Xu Xianchun will handle the affairs of the capital. Even if something happens in the future, I won't be able to find you, Master Luo, but just like this, you will have to lie dormant for a long time, are you willing?"
Why don't you want to? It's much better to live without responsibility and be an official than to settle accounts later.
"Thank you, Master Chen, for the tip..." Luo Yangxing handed over his hands in excitement: "If Master Chen needs Luo Yangxing in the future, Luo Yangxing will definitely help."
"Master Luo is so polite..."
After sending Luo Yangxing away, Zhao Xin was a little confused: "Sir, is the officialdom in the capital so fierce?"
"Is this called awesome?" Chen Cao wanted to tell Xin Zhao what happened next, but he was afraid that others would misunderstand him as a monster: "These are all trivial matters. Now that the Donglin Party is powerful, something will happen sooner or later, but you don't have to worry, we are far away in Nanjing , who dares to sneak in here? Besides, you sir, I am still the commander of the Nanjing Right Guard..."
Chen Cao's safety is not only because he now chooses to rely on Wei Zhongxian, but the most important thing is that he is prepared to strengthen himself in the Wei Zhongxian era of Tianqi years, and pull the tiger's skin and pull the banner.
On October 16th, Chen Cao faced a big trouble in his life.
In early October, 16 merchants in Zhejiang jointly submitted a letter to Zhejiang Chief Envoy Si Yamen, accusing Cao Jiang of navy plundering the supplies of 16 merchants at sea. Originally, sea trade was a private object for officials to collect, but these 16 merchants Each merchant has a name and is very righteous.
"Did you bring disaster relief from Annan?" Chen Cao almost dropped the teacup to the ground.
Xin Zhao's expression was not good-looking: "Yes, Li Sicai, the big shopkeeper of Huiyuan Trading Company, wrote a letter saying that these materials were bought from Annan and were going to be transported to the capital and Jinling via canals and waterways to help the refugees."
"Bullshit, Li Weihan is going to fight me to the death?" Chen Cao cursed in a low voice, then stared at Zhao Xin: "Then, what do Zhejiang say?"
"The chief envoy Liu Weisi reported directly to the governor Zhang Yangming because of the seriousness of the matter. The old guy even went directly across Nanjing and reported to the general affairs envoy. Now he is on the desk of the chief minister of the cabinet Ye Xianggao. According to the news from the capital, they are going to send someone to investigate because Admiral Cao Jiang is the Duke of Wei." Zhao Xin said with some worry: "They also said over there that the person in charge is you, sir, whether you are also the commander of the right guard of Nanjing or the Jin Yiwei. It’s not a good sign. There was a royal official who wanted to impeach Your Excellency, but I heard that Eunuch Wei blocked it.”
"It would be strange if he didn't help me." Chen Cao muttered in his heart: "What else?"
The corner of Zhao Xin's mouth twitched: "My lord, Li Weihan, the censor of the right capital, has written a letter saying that he will be punished for being a robber."
Chen Cao was immediately anxious. In the Ming Dynasty, especially during the Tianqi years, officials were fighting against each other. Either you died or I lived. Everything for Chen Cao was in the development stage now. Once he was removed from his official position, the meaning of this soul-piercing It was gone, so at that moment I had the thought of breaking the pot and breaking it: "Xin Zhao, what do you think of me rebelling now?"
"Ah..." Zhao Xin was so frightened that he lost his voice and looked around. Fortunately, there were only two of them in the hall: "My lord, it is absolutely necessary. We only have Nanjing Right Guards and Jin Yiwei. They are no match for the imperial court. Plus, There was no complete preparation and a hasty rebellion, sir... I still want to live a few more years..."
"Look at how cowardly you are," Chen Cao said with a smile, "You think I don't know?" Chen Cao shook his head: "You have to make some preparations in advance. In this way, you go and call Song Che over. I have something important to do." Discuss with him, and also call Zhao Tianlin."
Two days later, news came from the capital that the emperor, with Baoguo Gong as the imperial envoy, and Li Weihan, the imperial censor of the right capital, as his assistant, led a large group of royal guards south to Jinling to thoroughly investigate the case of Cao Jiang Navy.
Because the identity of Wei Guogong, the admiral Xu Hongji, was involved, and the imperial censor said that Chen Cao was leading the team that robbed the ships, the emperor chose Zhu Yanrong, the Baoguo Duke, as the imperial envoy. Everyone was a duke, and they all spoke well. work.
On October 24, the imperial envoy team arrived at the mouth of Longjiang River. In front of Zhengyang Gate, Xu Hongji personally went out to greet them. Chen Cao, who was the commander of the Zhenfu Division, was also among them.
Zhu Yanrong is almost fifty, but his high-spirited look makes people think he is only in his thirties.
"Mr. Baoguo is so polite..." Xu Hongji handed over his hand.
Zhu Yanrong returned the salute with a smile on his face: "Mr. Wei Guo is so polite. I wonder if Mr. Chen Cao and Mr. Chen are among them?"
When Chen Cao heard that he was being called, he hurried out of the queue and saluted Zhu Yanrong: "Your Majesty, Chen Cao, has met Duke Baoguo."
Zhu Yanrong looked Chen Cao up and down, and then said seriously: "Your Majesty, Chen Cao is the party involved. This case of Cao Jiang Navy should not be involved. All Jinyi guards in Nanzhen Fusi have their own regulations and are not allowed to act without authorization. All physical evidence The transfer will be attended by the censor and the Jinyiwei of Fusi in Beizhen."
"The lower official Chen Cao received the order..."
Chen Cao was secretly happy. Fortunately, he was not suspended from his official position, but just behind Duke Baoguo, Chen Cao saw a familiar face——Wu Chun...
Wu Chun also looked at Chen Cao with a smile. The two of them had a tacit understanding, and then Xu Hongji and Zhu Yanrong had a cordial conversation.
Inside Zhenfusi Yamen
"Brother Wu..."
When Wu Chun heard Chen Cao call him this, he was treating himself as a normal person. This is what eunuchs are like. They have no descendants and are looked down upon by normal people.
Chen Cao saw some tears in Wu Chun's eyes and felt a little baffled: "Brother Wu, what's the matter? Are you being bullied in the inner court?"
Wu Chun wiped his tears, and then said with a smile: "In other words, now that our ancestors have been promoted to the position of Chief of Ceremonies, we grandsons have also benefited from it. Now we are the attendants of the Chief of Ceremonies, and we have access to everything. Some."
Chen Cao laughed while stroking his hands, and then he climbed onto Wu Chun's shoulders enthusiastically. This action made him affectionate: "Brother Wu, we brothers don't talk about this. I didn't know you were promoted. Brother, I'm here to apologize, come on," he said Chen Cao took out five thousand taels of silver notes from his arms: "It's not much, but it's my brother's heart."
Wu Chun was so moved that he hesitated and couldn't speak, but he still reached out and took the banknote. It took him a long time to regain his composure and show an expression of sudden realization: "I almost forgot about the real thing... this time The matter is not trivial. Li Weihan is the younger brother of Lord Wanli's favorite concubine and is a relative. If you touch their goods, then Li Weihan will have people impeach you and Duke Wei in the imperial court. The censor made fierce words and vowed to kill Brother Chen and you. Pull down the horse."
Chen Cao frowned and said nothing, Wu Chun continued: "But our ancestors suppressed this matter, and the five hundred thousand taels in your majesty's inner treasury are thanks to you. As soon as our ancestors said this, your majesty woke up and thought I'll protect you, but this time the crowd is agitated and it's not easy to mess with it. No, that's why Duke Bao came forward to come to Aurous Hill with Li Weihan. I wonder if Brother Chen has any countermeasures?"
Chen Cao smiled evilly and said, "We already have countermeasures. Brother Wu, let me ask you here, do you want to make a lot of money?"
"Big money?" Wu Chun's eyes lit up. The eunuch lost all desire and wanted only money. He was very interested in this kind of thing: "How to make big money?"
"Sea trade..."
"Sea trade..." Wu Chun raised his voice and almost shouted: "I don't dare." Wu Chun shook his head: "I have heard about this matter. Although the court officially banned sea trade, the Donglin Party in the DPRK But they are all involved. If something belonging to the Donglin Party is touched, Brother Chen, I’m afraid you, a little commander, won’t be able to stop it.”
"Brother Wu..." Chen Cao shouted loudly: "Brother, I just want to ask you, do you want to make a lot of money?"
Wu Chun hesitated: "Who doesn't want to make money..."
"Okay," Chen Cao clapped his hands: "Please return to Beijing this time and tell Eunuch Wei that as long as he secretly supports me, I can donate one million taels to your majesty's inner treasury every year, five hundred thousand taels to Eunuch Wei, and Brother Wu, please donate two hundred thousand taels..."
"Two hundred thousand..." Wu Chun was trembling a little. As a eunuch, before he met Chen Cao, he could only receive no more than one tael of silver at a time. The imperial court gave out two taels of silver every month and he had to contribute one tael to the palm seal. Eunuchs, even if they live to be a hundred years old in this life, they will not be able to earn two hundred thousand taels.
At that moment, it was like a chicken pecking at rice: "This matter will be left to our family, so you can rest assured."
"The main purpose of Brother Wu coming here this time is to act as His Majesty's eyes and ears, right?" Chen Cao said with a smile.
Wu Chun's purpose is indeed this: "The cabinet needs to be fair to avoid favoritism by Bao Guo Gong and Li Weihan..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xin walked into the lobby hurriedly, regardless of Wu Chun, he handed over to Chen Cao: "Sir, something bad happened. Sixteen merchants in Zhejiang gathered nearly a thousand people from nowhere and arrived in Nanjing. Now they are protesting at the gate of the imperial envoy's office. Demonstration, saying..."
"What did you say?" Chen Cao was a little curious.
"They said that the court was unfair and that you should be dismissed from office and investigated and handed over to the Nanjing Sanju Division for trial..." After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he looked at Chen Cao worriedly.
Chen Cao frowned and looked into the distance: "It seems that some things need to be done in advance..." As he spoke, he stared at Xin Zhao and whispered instructions in his ear.
Wu Chun couldn't hear what was said, and then Chen Cao said loudly: "I stopped by the military camp and told Song Che to act according to the plan."
"Subordinates take orders..."
"Brother, what are you going to do?" Wu Chun stared at Chen Cao.
Chen Cao stood outside the hall and said with his hands behind his back: "Brother Wu, don't worry, nothing will happen to me. If something happens, how will you make money?"
Off-topic: The reason why this chapter is named God Bless is because after five days, the contract I applied for has been approved today, September 25th. The article has been approved by the editor, and it is the first time that it has been approved by the editor. I would have never dared to think about a big platform like 17K getting a new talent signing opportunity in the past. I prepared the article for a long time and reserved more than 500,000 words before I dared to publish it. Furthermore, the chapter title contains The meaning is different, so I changed it to God Bless. I guess there are a lot of things that need to be changed in the article, because many of the articles contain pornographic jokes. Chapter 11 has been blocked. There is no way. I will read the chapters carefully when I publish them. However, to avoid this situation, it is also to write an interesting article for everyone. Please understand. Xiaoqi will redouble its efforts to update in the future and bring you a good article. Thank you all.
