The Portuguese Governor of Macau, Paulo São Paulo, provided Zhu Cixi with a typical European-style mercenary service, that is, a team of officers and non-commissioned officers that could be used to organize infantry regiments - such a team served as the main force in the Thirty Years' War, and in In the East, the armies of European colonists were also organized in this way.
They recruited mercenary officers and non-commissioned officers from Europe, and then recruited indigenous or unlucky whites from the East as soldiers. Sometimes they also used blacks or Indians to piece together mercenary groups.
"Your Highness," Alfonso Lopez took over the topic at this time. He could speak Mandarin with a Cantonese accent, "Governor Sparrow hopes to recruit three more for you who can each support an infantry corps. Officer corps... You can configure a Ming officer corps for each of the four infantry associations. The Ming officers will act as deputies and learn Western tactics in training and actual combat.
In addition, Mr. Governor hopes that you can fully delegate power to the Western officer corps... let them choose their own equipment and develop training programs. "
The requirement to let Western officers choose their own equipment was actually added by Lopez himself - he was not a professional bureaucrat in the Kingdom of Portugal, but an arms dealer. He owns a foreign firm called "Alfonso Lopez Firm", which specializes in arms business. Not only does it sell, but it also has its own musket workshop and armor workshop, which can produce 80-100 long-barreled muskets and 40 pairs of half-plate armor every month.
In addition, his firm also has close business dealings with many Foshan businessmen. All the iron materials used in his workshop are provided by Foshan. If we receive a big order, we will purchase the goods directly from Foshan.
Zhu Cihong already knew Lopez's background. After hearing what he said, he took over the conversation and said with a smile: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to choose and buy by yourself... After all, there is nothing that can be produced in the entire South Zhili. A workshop for bird cannons and fire cannons.
Alfonso, I heard that you are the owner of a firearms factory. Have you ever thought about setting up a factory in South Zhili? "
Alfonso Lopez was stunned, what? Foreigners come to South Zhili to open factories? Is this really possible?
Zhu Cixiang nodded and said with a smile: "It is not possible to liberalize the entire South Zhili, at least not for the time being... However, I can encircle a piece of land at the mouth of the Yangtze River in South Zhili and implement special, differentiated The legal system in other parts of the Ming Dynasty was completely open to the outside world.
Westerners were allowed to settle on this land and open businesses and workshops, and even some Western gentlemen were allowed to participate in the management of the city in the name of consultants. "
Alfonso Lopez was really shocked. Isn't what the Ming Prince said a free city?
"Alfonso," Zhu Cixi said to Alfonso Lopez with a smile, "if you really want to get more weapons orders, then you shouldn't set up your workshop and business store in Haao. Haao is far away from Nanjing. How can we do business so far away? If the product is not up to standard, it will be troublesome to return it.
I suggest that you move your workshops and business offices to Shanghai, an open city at the mouth of the Yangtze River... In the future, the Portuguese and Dutch embassies and the East India Company's business offices will also be established there! "
"Is this true? Your Highness, this city is already under construction?" Alfonso Lopez asked repeatedly.
Of course he knows what this free city established at the mouth of the Yangtze River means?
"Not yet," Zhu Cihong said, "But everything is ready... We just have to wait for this palace to negotiate with the Ministers of Commerce of the South and North to come up with a specific plan. Early next year, the order should be officially issued. "
The land in Shanghai has been circled for a long time, including the military fields of Wusongjiang and Baoshan. There are more than ten acres of land in total, all on both sides of Wusong River, which is almost the area of Baoshan, Jiangwan and Gaoqiao in later generations.
At the rate of urban development in the 17th century, this land was enough for Shanghai to use for decades... And once Shanghai developed, hundreds of thousands of acres of land, haha, one hundred taels of silver per acre would be worth one thousand That’s more than 10,000 taels!
As for Prince Zhu, a leader of a feudal country like this, he certainly would not release land in Shanghai at the "cabbage price" of one hundred taels per acre. He is not a fool.
His idea is to "rent only, not sell" and hold it for the long term! Let the rent be low at first, and then increase the rent when the city develops...
In addition, Shanghai is the junction of the five major trade circles of Nanyang, Beiyang, Dongyang, Yangtze River, and Canal (Wusong River is connected to the canal), and it can easily develop into a trade center and financial center in East Asia.
Once these two centers are established, it will be much easier to collect tariffs and issue currency!
"Lopez," Zhu Cixiang reached out and took a "contract" drafted by himself from Huang Xiaobao and handed it to Lopez, "This is a contract drafted by me in both Chinese and English... ..This is a contract for the mercenary officer corps. I have accepted your offer! You and General Shi will study the contract carefully after you return to the hotel, and propose modifications tomorrow. If you have no objections, the contract will be signed the day after tomorrow.
After the Chinese New Year, General Shi's officer corps can take over an infantry regiment organized according to Western standards and begin equipment and training. "
What? And a contract? It is also bilingual in Chinese and English... This is really formal!
Lopez and Shi Ruien glanced at each other. Could it be that His Highness the Ming Dynasty had interned in the Dutch East India Company under a pseudonym?
...
"Your job at the grocery store?"
Zhu Cixiang doesn’t just know English? He can also speak Japanese Chinese!
The Western Japs took the contract and left, and the Japanese Japs came to visit again - eighteen Japs, all dressed as warriors, and the one who held the territory was Zahepu.
Huang Xiaobao has already given Zhu Cihong the quotations from the Japs. The highest among them is the Japs named "Grocery Store", who wants 250 shi of brown rice... which is an annual salary!
The asking price is not low. One stone of brown rice sells for less than two taels of silver in Nanjing, and 250 stones equals 500 taels. The ordinary fire-gun soldiers in Zhu Cihong's army only had 124 taels of silver a year, including the 50 shi of land rent and the monthly salary of 2 taels.
You, a Japs whose family owns a grocery store, want a salary of 500 taels, what are your abilities?
"My name is Zahepu." Zahepu frowned and imitated Zhu Cixiang's tone, and replied, "I am from the Zahe clan of Kii country in Japan. We Zahe clan have been good at it for generations. Iron cannon!"
"It's Zahe Zhong, I've heard of it..." Zhu Cixiang nodded, it turned out he didn't open a grocery store.
"Trial period for three months," Zhu Cixiang smiled, "I will go on a foreign mission. If you can do well, I will give you a salary according to your asking price. The salary during the trial period will be discounted in half and paid monthly."
Is there a trial period?
Zahepu thought for a while and asked, "I wonder where His Highness wants me to go on a business trip?"
"Go to Jeju Island," Zhu Cixiang said, "all of you go!"
"Jeju Island? Isn't that the land of North Korea?" Zahepu was stunned.
"Yes!" Zhu Cixiang nodded, "You go and occupy Jeju Island for me! Take the sea ship provided by the Zheng family... But the entire combat operation will be taken care of by the Minister of Beiyang. Will you go? go?"
The military operation to occupy Jeju Island was proposed by Shen Tingyang in early December. The purpose was not to annex Jeju Island, but to force the Kingdom of Korea and the Beiyang Minister's Office to sign a "monopoly trade treaty" - which required the Kingdom of Korea to transfer all goods passing by sea. The foreign trade of the Ming Dynasty was fully managed by the Beiyang Minister's Office of the Ming Dynasty.
The Beiyang Minister's Office had been negotiating with the Koreans for several months over the issue of monopolizing trade, but they refused to give in.
In early November, they even threatened to ban Beiyang merchant ships from entering North Korean ports!
So Shen Tingyang proposed to Zhu Cihong the idea of invading Jeju Island to coerce the North Korean Kingdom... Of course, Zhu Cihong would not agree to such a thing that undermined the traditional friendship between China and North Korea!
Therefore, it could not be the Ming army that invaded Jeju Island, it could only be Japanese pirates! And this invasion is very likely to be the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of North Korea... If the King of North Korea needs rescue, the Ming court is willing to provide paid aid services to North Korea!
