South Zhili, Shanghai.
After years of development, this tidal flat that was difficult to cultivate has turned into a pearl on the sea that is making money every day.
Zhan Yuquan and other northern wealthy businessmen responded to the imperial court's call and went south with their capital to vigorously support the development of southern industry and commerce. Shanghai also seized this opportunity and built a large number of factories and shipyards.
The originally desolate and inhabited Chongming Island has now become a base of the Ming Navy. There is also a naval military academy on the island. The head of the academy is none other than the legendary navigator Zheng He!
At this moment, Zheng He was inspecting the campus and watching the college teachers teach the college students.
He was the first person to rush to the ocean after the Ming Dynasty's sea ban, so he had an absolute say in maritime research.
However, when Zheng He saw the Naval War College designed by His Majesty the Emperor himself, he was extremely shocked!
The reason is very simple. The teaching materials written by His Majesty the Emperor himself, and the knowledge contained in them, even Zheng He, the first person in navigation in the Ming Dynasty, couldn't help but be astonished after reading it!
It can be summed up in two words - professional!
We must know that since the Hongwu period, the Ming Dynasty has implemented a very strict maritime ban policy for a long time, resulting in a shortage of talents in the maritime field. Not only the shortage of shipbuilding talents, but also the shortage of qualified and professional sailors.
So when Zheng He went to sea, he was actually still relying on the experience of the Chaohu navy. All his experience was inherited from those old sailors and fishermen. Even Zheng He learned from scratch!
As for opening new routes and drawing nautical charts, it was Zheng He and his navy men who narrowly escaped death on the ocean several times, relying on human lives to pile up, and relying on constant trial and error, and they were lucky enough to accumulate precious treasures. Experience, these navigation charts and route maps are more precious than the entire navy.
But Zheng He also knew in his heart that continuing like this was not an option.
No matter whether you are a noble military official or a civil servant or a gentry, they all pay attention to the same inheritance!
For noble military ministers, they can be promoted based on military merit and cultivate generations of successors!
For civil servants and gentry, it is even more convenient for them. With the existence of the imperial examination system, there will be a steady stream of fresh blood to replenish the court!
But what about the Daming Navy?
Should it be passed on like this?
There is no way to pass it on!
If you only rely on the experience of the older generation to train sailors, the speed will be very slow, and many times the experience they accumulate is not reliable, and many of them may even be wrong experiences.
Many times, the situation will change before the navy inheritance is completed.
For example, in the middle and late period of Hongwu, the once invincible Daming Navy was abandoned and only did some work of patrolling the waters. The situation was extremely embarrassing!
Therefore, this requires the establishment of a professional maritime school to cultivate professional maritime talents and conduct systematic learning through the school.
But the problem is, none of them understand!
Until His Highness the King of Han came out of the blue and gave the Ming Navy unlimited hope with his "Atlas of All Nations"!
To this day, Zheng He still remembers how shaken he was when he saw the "Atlas of All Nations" with his own eyes. He bowed down in front of His Highness the King of Han and swore allegiance on the spot.
And everything that happened after that also proved that Zheng He's choice back then was right!
Ocean currents!
Marine climate!
Geography knowledge!
Astronomy knowledge!
Ocean survival knowledge!
Ocean vessel construction!
King Zhu Gaoxu of Han Dynasty gave the Ming Navy a new hope of inheritance, and gave this invincible navy a different vitality and vitality!
With massive resources pouring in, the Ming Navy has reached a whole new level in terms of equipment and scale!
Zheng He did not disappoint His Highness the King of Han and His Majesty the Emperor. He led his invincible navy to sea and successfully arrived in North America within several years. Not only did he bring various high-yielding food crops to the Ming Dynasty, he also successfully opened up a new shipping route. , which provided a good opportunity for the Ming Dynasty to explore North America!
But since that time, Zheng He never went to sea again, and the navy gradually fell into silence.
In the past few years, he has been committed to the construction of this naval military academy. With the strong support of Emperor Wu De, the academy has finally got on the right track.
Most of the first batch of students recruited by the college are children of minor households, because if we really want to cultivate qualified marine talents, we need to train them from an early age, while they are still young and have not yet experienced the poison and baptism of Confucianism. This world is full of unknowns and is extremely malleable, making it more receptive to this ocean knowledge.
This group of students is the inheritance hope of the Ming Dynasty Navy.
The second batch of students are young and strong civilians from the coast. Their requirements are not so strict. They are mainly trained for soldiers. They only need to master the most basic marine knowledge and receive special military training before they can become Damingshui soldiers. A member of the division.
After all, the salary and salary of Ming Dynasty navy officers was much higher than that of army officers, which also caused countless people to fight to enter the naval military academy, including some noble children.
It's just that Zheng He never let go due to his preferring attitude.
No matter what distinguished descendant he is, no matter who his son or grandson is, as long as he has not passed the college's admission examination, then all of them will be rejected!
This naval academy is not just an academy, but also the hope for the inheritance of the Ming Navy!
Zheng He hoped that it would be a clean school that could continuously cultivate professional naval talents for the Ming Dynasty!
So whenever he has free time, he will patrol the academy. Watching the children study hard and the young adults practicing hard, his heart will feel extremely at ease.
"grown ups!"
"Your Majesty has issued a decree!"
Deputy Mountain Chief Wang Jinghong hurried over, his face full of excitement.
Zheng He was stunned when he heard this, and then hurriedly organized college officials to receive the order.
"The Emperor of Heaven has issued an edict: All parties are almost ready. The navy will choose an auspicious day to select elite soldiers and start ocean trade immediately. Navy Admiral Zheng He is fully responsible for this matter, and there must be no mistakes!"
This is very Zhu Gaoxu, there is nothing in the imperial edict, it is all plain language.
But just hearing these vernacular words made Zheng He, Wang Jinghong and others tremble with excitement!
Finally, they have waited for this day!
"I accept the decree, Zheng He, and I will definitely live up to the divine grace!"
Zheng He took a deep breath, and after receiving the imperial edict, he ordered vigorously: "Jinghong, please send this order to all major naval bases and customs ports. Ocean trade is about to begin. Our navy must go all out and make sure there are no mistakes." !”
"In addition, the generals of rank five or above in the navy are summoned to come to the academy to discuss matters!"
Wang Jinghong nodded in excitement and immediately went to deliver the order.
Zheng He, on the other hand, looked at this imperial edict and was so excited that he burst into tears.
The navy has been silent for so many years, and has been preparing for so many years, and it is finally time to go out!
In this ocean trade, the Ming Navy will go all the way west to open up a brand new route, a new route full of wealth!
