Chapter 234
When Cheng Shijie first arrived in Luzon, he immediately met with Chinese representatives from Luzon and had a grand dinner with the Chinese representatives.
After dinner, Cheng Shijie had a brief meeting with Wu Shangzhi, Li Guoqun and other Chinese representatives.
“How many Chinese are there in Luzon now?”
"More than fifty-five thousand people!"
Wu Shangzhi was busy preparing to establish the Luzon Executive Committee during this period. He started to count the population according to Ning Haijun's model. Fortunately, he had many merchants under his command. After knowing that Ning Haijun, that is, Cheng Shijie never collected poll taxes, and Ning Haijun's tax types There is no head tax at all.
Therefore, when counting the population, it went relatively smoothly.
Wu Shangzhi went on to introduce: "More than half of the population living in Manila, about 25,000 people, is partly distributed on the north bank of the Pasig River in more than 20 settlement areas, and some of it is about 6,000 to 7,000 people. Make a living by fishing!”
These Chinese do not include the navy soldiers and army soldiers of the Ning Navy. Now the entire Manila is stationed with almost 95% of the Ning Navy’s maritime power. The entire army has a total of six strike squadrons, all of which are in Manila, including Tiaodang Camp and nearby The Weidusi and the Luzon garrison where Liu Qingsong was located totaled more than 26,000 people.
Cheng Shijie nodded and said: "Luzon is a treasure land. Although there are many mountains and hills and not many large plains, there is a lot of land that can be developed. There is no big problem in housing five to six million people!"
Cheng Shijie briefly learned about the current situation in Luzon. In fact, the situation is not optimistic. Because Zheng's fleet landed at Subic Port, 40,000 to 50,000 army troops were transported one after another and began to seize territory.
What made Cheng Shijie laugh bitterly was that Zheng Zhilong was indeed preparing to fight a protracted war with Ning Haijun in Luzon as predicted by the General Staff.
Early the next morning, Cheng Shijie, accompanied by Cheng Shi, visited the Chinese reclamation area of Lu Zhenzi with Wu Shangzhi, Xie Jinglin, Li Guoqun and others.
First, there was a village about fifty kilometers northeast of the Pasig River. The indigenous coalition tried to capture this town. Under the joint defense of more than 500 villagers, the indigenous people failed to capture the town.
When Cheng Shijie arrived, he could still vaguely see mottled traces on the outer walls of the town. As Ning Haijun took control of Manila, a town whose original name was very confusing, Siquan Town was obtained according to the situation of the Ming Dynasty.
Because most of the residents of this town are from Quanzhou, they first arrived in Luzon during the Jiajing period and began to take root here. Of course, the current residents are three different groups from the original residents. The first and second generation residents have been Killed them all, and now they are third-generation immigrants.
The real reason Siquan Town was able to survive the attack of the indigenous army was its large population. Gao Xiangrong, the mayor elected by the people, said: "Our town has a total of 560 households, of which 340 households live in the town. Two hundred and twenty families living on the plantation within fifty miles of it!”
"What's the population of your town?"
"Three thousand eight hundred and twenty-five people!"
Cheng Shijie nodded, roughly equivalent to an average of seven people. This situation is very common in the Ming Dynasty, but it is very rare in Liaodong, because the principle of allocating land in Liaodong is based on households, not on population.
It is to use profit to force people to separate their families to avoid the formation of huge clan forces. Moreover, larger clan forces will be dispersed and settled, and it is impossible to gather and settle in one town.
If these reasons are not taken into account, it is very likely that the big will bully the small. The struggle among the people is actually no weaker than that in the imperial court. Especially in ancient times, the fights between villages and clans were very unlikely in Europe or in the small days. The Warring States Period was a period of national war.
In fact, the Daimyo of Xiaozhi, even the Daimyo of Wanshi level, can barely be regarded as the village chief level, and being able to command hundreds of people in battle is already very impressive.
“You must pay attention to safety issues!”
Cheng Shijie said with a serious face: "People who are not from my race will have different thoughts. If the natives dare to cause trouble, don't tolerate it. If they dare to attack, they will be beaten to death!"
A young man following Gao Xiangrong said: "There are many indigenous people."
"This requires us to unite. If you can't afford to fight, you can apply to the garrison, and the garrison will help you fight the indigenous people!"
Cheng Shijie's ass is very upright. The strategy in Luzon is to focus on the territory but not the people. The Ming Dynasty is different from the European powers. The great powers all have a fatal weakness. They have no people, while the Ming Dynasty has nothing but many people.
When we returned from our visit to Siquan Town, it was almost evening.
"The city of Manila will be renamed Luzon City, the Port of Manila will be renamed Zhenghe Port, the current Zhenghe Port will be renamed Beigang, and the south of the Pasig River will be called Nangang!"
Cheng Shijie looked at Wu Shangzhi and said: "Public schools must be established in Luzon, and all school-age children must enter school. Time waits for no one. Children are our future!"
Wu Shangzhi replied: "We have schools in Manila and Luzon, but they were built in Nancheng at that time. It is very inconvenient for children to go to school."
"Then arrange a ferry!"
Cheng Shijie said pointedly: "Seize the opportunity!"
Cheng Shijie did not explain in detail to Wu Shangzhi that China's five thousand years of civilization have had various subtle influences. As long as the Chinese people are given a chance, a completely different Luzon can be built.
…
After the failure of the last naval battle at Subic, Zheng Zhilong fell ill. As the saying goes, illnesses come and go, and illnesses go away like silk threads. It is only now that Zheng Zhilong has recovered.
After recovering, Zheng Zhilong was worthy of his true character as a hero, and he regained his fighting spirit.
Zheng Zhilong summoned his staff and confidants. He looked at Zheng Zhibao and said: "Lao Wu, you are heading to the West. I think they are not happy to see Denglai Navy defeat us and control the entire South China Sea!"
Zheng Zhibao was taken aback and said in confusion: "Brother, do you want to borrow troops from Xiyi?"
"It's not about borrowing troops, it's about joining forces with them!"
Zheng Zhilong said angrily: "Cheng Shijie acts aggressively and never leaves any room. I think they are not willing to deal with such a sharp-edged character... Just tell them like this, they know what to do!"
"yes!"
No matter what kind of instructions Zheng Zhilong gave, it was better than the fact that he had no instructions in the past two months. Originally, the Zheng fleet seemed like a rusty machine, but now with Zheng Zhilong's recovery, this machine has begun to move.
After a while, Zheng Zhilong looked at another staff member, Chen Shiqi, and said, "Shiqi, go to Fuzhou and tell Zhang that it's time for him to move, otherwise I won't be able to spare him!"
Chen Shiqi asked with some confusion: "What does the Admiral mean..."
"Everyone wants to reap the benefits. Nothing is so good in the world. He asked me to beat Cheng Shijie. If he doesn't take action now, don't blame me for being rude!"
Zheng Zhilong said with a gloomy face: "No matter what means he takes, no matter what he does, I don't care, but I want Cheng Shijie to change from a hero of the country to a traitor and traitor who brings disaster to the country and the people!"
Chen Shiqi sighed and said: "Admiral, I'm afraid he can't do this. Even Chief Minister Wen can't do this!"
Chen Shiqi looked at Zheng Zhilong with cold eyes, feeling a little bitter in his heart.
Zheng Zhilong was afraid of Cheng Shijie. This was Chen Shiqi's judgment. In other words, Zheng Zhilong had given up the plan of confronting Cheng Shijie and was preparing to use roundabout tactics.
Just like how they used to deal with Liu Xiang and other colleagues, they must win over the imperial court and the Western Yi to join forces and strangle them, in exchange for a greater victory at the minimum cost. All the generals of the Zheng family smiled brightly and praised Zheng Zhilong for his good strategies. They flattered Zheng Zhilong with tons of flattery, which made Zheng Zhilong feel very good and laughed. Only Chen Shiqi's expression became more and more worried, and he remained silent for a long time.
Shi Daxuan was surprised. After leaving the mansion, he saw that Chen Shiqi was still frowning. He couldn't help but ask: "Shiqi, is the Admiral's deployment inappropriate? Why are you so anxious?"
Chen Shiqi's voice was dull: "We will definitely lose this battle!"
Shi Daxuan was shocked: "Shiqi, you can't say this nonsense!"
"I'm not lying. The Admiral's arrangement may seem clever, but it's actually just wishful thinking! Has he forgotten how good Cheng Shijie is at using profit to drive everyone to do things for him?"
Speaking of this, Shi Daxuan also understood. Chen Shiqi's judgment was correct. Zheng Zhilong's plan was impossible to succeed. First of all, the big guys in the court. If they were really capable of dealing with Cheng Shijie, how could they promise Zheng Zhilong huge profits?
Cheng Shijie's real backer was not the imperial court, but Emperor Chongzhen. Emperor Chongzhen had no money, but officials all over the world were asking for money from Emperor Chongzhen. Only Cheng Shijie not only didn't want money, but tried every means to give money to Emperor Chongzhen. This stabilized Cheng Shijie. status in the court.
As long as Cheng Shijie promised to hand over part of the protection money at sea to Emperor Chongzhen, even if he was killed in a river of blood and the DPRK was impeached every day, Emperor Chongzhen would turn a blind eye.
As long as he promised that the Western Yi could trade and preach fairly in Guangdong and Fujian, the Western Yi would kneel in front of him and ask for the right to send troops to fight for him.
Now Cheng Shijie is the winner. He can give the emperor and Xiyi far more than the Zheng family. Zheng Zhilong's trick of throwing a thousand pounds away is useless to him! .
Thinking of this, Shi Daxuan sighed helplessly and sadly, and whispered: "In the end, it's still..."
Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes. Now Zheng Zhilong has already put on shoes, while Cheng Shijie is actually barefoot, because Ning Haijun's navy is weak. If he is not brave and courageous, he will be killed by Zheng Zhilong in a slow process. middle.
Shi Daxuan didn't say anything, but he agreed with Chen Shiqi's statement in his heart.
Yes, Zheng Zhilong has indeed given him a feeling of twilight in recent years. On the surface, he still looks majestic. Those who follow him will prosper and those who go against him will perish. But in fact, he has lost his enterprising spirit and is just sticking to the status quo. .
But Ning Haijun, who had already ruled half of Liaodong, was at the moment when they were full of vigor and ambition. They had no intention of maintaining their achievements. They expanded towards Jiannu. If Jiannu blocked the way, they would beat him up. They moved towards the sea. To expand, Zheng Zhilong blocked the dragon and beat Zheng Zhilong. The Spanish blocked the way. They captured Manila without ceremony and raised four to five thousand Spaniards like pigs.
Now Ning Haijun is just like when he just inherited the territory and power of Yan Siqi's Kaitai King. He is as angry as a tiger and beats anyone who disobeys.
Now, even the soul figure Zheng Zhilong is afraid, how can we fight this battle?
Shi Daxuan gave a bitter smile, patted Chen Shiqi on the shoulder and said: "Shiqi, there is no need to be so pessimistic. The admiral is just depressed for a while, and he will cheer up soon. Although our army has been defeated in a row and has suffered a lot of losses, it still has two There are more than a thousand ships and tens of thousands of tribesmen, no matter how powerful Cheng Shijie is, it is not that easy to defeat us!"
"The Zheng Group is not as powerful as we thought. I believe the imperial court and Xiyi will see through this soon, and our lives will only become more and more difficult."
Chen Shiqi shook his head, frustration and disappointment written on his face: "We still have such elite sailors and so many warships, but the Admiral dare not fight Ning Haijun head-on. What hope do we have of victory?"
Chen Shiqi's frustration was because he participated in the Subic naval battle. He witnessed with his own eyes that the Ning navy suffered heavy losses under the crazy attack of Zheng's fleet, and the losses continued to rise.
At that time, the Ning Navy's fleet was getting weaker and weaker, and the Zheng's fleet seemed to have suffered a lot. But the problem was that the Zheng's fleet was very large. As long as the wheels were used, the Ning Navy's guns could be exhausted even at the cost of human lives.
But the problem is that Zheng Zhilong, as the soul of Zheng's fleet, chose to retreat, even to Subic Port City. The Ning Navy Fleet, which suffered heavy losses, has retreated to Manila Port. They made it clear that they wanted to rely on the forts at the port for defense.
However, Zheng Zhilong has been pretending to be ill and is unwilling to face this bad situation.
Zheng Zhilong used to be Chen Shiqi's belief, but he showed a cowardly side, and he had to be disappointed.
Chen Shiqi didn't know what would happen if the news reached the capital.
Compared with Cheng Shijie, Zheng Zhilong was a pirate and was recruited by the court out of desperation. He actually naively believed that the court would be on his side.
It's really ridiculous. No matter how bad Cheng Shijie is, he is still the most orthodox hereditary member of the Ming Dynasty after Cheng Yongxing, and the Ning Navy was also established by Sun Yuanhua himself. After Sun Yuan's incarnation, there was Xu Guangqi, the second minister of the cabinet, Cheng Shijie, and Sun Chengzong, the teacher.
But Zheng Zhilong? What does he have in the court?
…
Cheng Shijie knew nothing about Zheng Zhilong's reaction and had no interest in knowing. The Ning Navy Navy is in Manila and not resting in Luzon Port, while the fifth and sixth emerging squadrons are actively attacking the warships of the Zheng fleet.
Of course, it was just to attack the patrol warships of the Zheng fleet in the Subic Strait, just like when Li Zhixiang led the main fleet, practicing with pirate ships that did not have much combat effectiveness.
Cheng Shijie told Li Fang and Chen Shi very clearly, don't feel bad about the cannonballs. The artillerymen are all fed by cannonballs, and the veterans and elites are all new recruits. Only by training hard and practicing by fighting can you achieve rapid growth.
In a capitalist society, everything is based on profit. As long as the price is high enough, anything can be sold. Of course, as long as the profit is big enough, anything can be bought.
After nearly a month of consideration, Catherine also discussed with other people in the Venetian City-State Republic, and finally decided to spend one million ducats, which is equivalent to 3,560 kilograms of gold, to buy Venice's solution to the problem .
A solution to the problem cost three and a half tons of gold, which is not a small amount of money, because although the Ducat is a gold coin, its actual value is actually higher, because this gold coin is used by all countries in Europe.
Just like the British pound, with the improvement of the British status, 1 pound contains 7.32238 grams of pure gold, but in fact, the purchasing power of the British pound far exceeds the value of 7.32238 grams of pure gold. The same is true for ducats. The financial revenue of the Venetian City-State Republic is approximately 14 million to 18 million ducats.
Taking out one million gold coins is not a small amount of money for the Venetian City-State Republic.
"Your Excellency the Duke, I have decided that we, the Venetian City-State Republic, are willing to spend one million ducats in gold coins to purchase your Excellency the Duke's solution to the problem!"
"no problem!"
“When it’s time to pay, we hope we can pay in installments!”
Catherine said with a serious face: "The first payment is 30%, which is 300,000 ducats. After His Excellency the Duke gives us the solution to the problem, we will pay another 30%, and the remaining The 40% lower payment needs to wait for our city-state Republic of Venice to verify it for at least three years. If this plan is effective, we will pay the 40% final payment!"
"In principle, I agree to this deal!"
Cheng Shijie also understands Venice's concerns very well. After all, if he puts himself in his shoes, some people say that if he tells Chongzhen that I can solve the Ming Dynasty's financial problems, Emperor Chongzhen will at most promote him instead of spending real money! "
Cheng Shijie looked at Catherine and said: "I also have a request, that is, the transaction must be done with Dukat gold coins..."
"This can't be done!"
Catherine smiled bitterly and said: "One million ducats will cause huge fluctuations in the market. We can take silver or other goods of the same value, such as the valuable wood you need, equipment, or even the books and seeds you need from various European countries. , mineral resources, or land, if the Duke is willing, we can sell part of the land use rights!"
"land?"
Cheng Shijie was very interested in land. He asked curiously: "Do you have land in the east?"
"No, but we do in the Mediterranean!"
Catherine held a chart and said: "I heard that His Excellency the Duke and the Spaniards spent three million taels of silver to purchase a piece of land in Dajuan. We can sell our island of Crete in the Mediterranean. We can offer no less than Land the size of Tamsui City..."
“Oh, just the Mediterranean island of Crete!”
Although Cheng Shijie showed no interest, in fact he was still interested in Crete Island. Just because Cheng Shijie doesn't have the strength to reach Crete now doesn't mean he won't have the strength in the future. He also knows Catherine's true intention. Catherine has the same intention as Colaqui, which is the Europa version of diverting trouble from the east. Hope to lead Ning navy to confront the Ottoman Empire.
If nothing else, the Ottoman Empire captured Crete in 1669, more than thirty years later. As long as the warships of the Ning navy arrived in Crete before Venice lost Crete, this territory transaction Venice must accept the contract.
It's not a big problem if they don't accept it, Battleship will let them accept it.
"I agree in principle!"
Cheng Shijie smiled and said, "Do you have the authority for this transaction?"
"I will report it to our Governor and try to get the authorization. Of course, we can put it in the next transaction to offset the payment for the solution to the problem!"
"Very good, okay!"
Cheng Shijie smiled and said: "When the first advance payment arrives, the solution to the problem of the City-State Republic of Venice will naturally be handed over to you!"
Catherine was very excited. She was very aware of Cheng Shijie's ability and strength. Even if she didn't know it before, it would be impossible to understand it now, because Cheng Shijie is now a famous person, and his deeds are treasured by every soldier in Ning Haijun.
Basically, it includes getting to know Song Xiance, buying an official position in Dengzhou to defend Zuo Qianhu, the rise of Dengzhou to defend Zuo Qianhu, Ning Haijun's garrison, and the Dengzhou incident that left everyone hesitating.
Cheng Shijie's real fortune was during the Kong Youde Rebellion. After quelling the Kong Youde Rebellion, Cheng Shijie was promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Ning Navy. He then traveled east to Liaonan and developed Liaonan. He can be said to be a model of starting from scratch.
Spending one million ducats to obtain a solution to the problem of the City-State Republic of Venice is the most profitable business in Venice. If Cheng Shijie grits his teeth and persists, Venice will buy this solution even if it is 10 million ducats.
Cheng Shijie thought that Catherine would delay for a long time, but he did not expect that in just five days, Catherine would place 300,000 ducats worth in front of Cheng Shijie, which is more than 287,600 taels of silver.
It turned out that Catherine sold the goods from Shanghai directly to the Dutch and earned a small commission.
"Your Majesty the Duke, I have already given you the money. When can you give me the solution to the problem?"
"immediately!"
Cheng Shijie took a writing brush on the paper and wrote directly in front of Catherine: "Liaodong model, copy the homework!"
Seven words.
When she saw these seven words, Catherine was so depressed that she wanted to vomit blood.
Seven words cost one million ducats, and each ducat was equivalent to nine cents and five cents. This meant that she spent 950,000 taels of silver to buy seven words from Cheng Shijie. On average, one word was equivalent to ten cents. Thirty-five thousand, seven hundred taels of silver.
"Just these seven words?"
"Yes, these seven words can perfectly solve the problems faced by your city-state Republic of Venice!"
"How is this possible!"
Cheng Shijie smiled faintly: "In the final analysis, the problems you encounter in Venice are only two words, population. There is no biggest shortcoming in population. Facing the behemoth of the Ottomans, they can fail countless times, but one tragic victory is enough for your Venice You are in trouble. If my prediction is correct, your total population should be less than 200,000 now, right?"
"Yes, we now only have about 187,300 people including the newborn children!"
"You are actually in a very similar situation to me in Liaodong. You are short of people, but the problem is that you have money. Why not poach people from the Holy Roman Empire?"
Cheng Shijie said: "You and the Holy Roman Empire speak the same language and have similar customs. You can hire people from the Holy Roman Empire to fight, work, and farm for you. As long as the population increases, are you still afraid of the Ottomans?"
(End of chapter)
