"Is this happening?"
Zhu Cixiang was surprised. Although he knew that Zheng Zhilong had a half-Chinese and half-Western naval force, which could definitely be regarded as a maritime hegemon in East Asia. But he didn't know that Zheng Zhilong had built ten Western-style warships with double-layer gun decks more than ten years ago!
This is an incredible maritime weapon! How come a warship with a double gun deck has twenty or thirty red cannons? The ten ships together will have two to three hundred Hongyi cannons. If they are lined up in a row and fire from one side, there will be one hundred to one hundred and fifty Hongyi cannons firing... There are so many cannons. And warships, the Tatars still dare to be arrogant?
its not right! If Zheng Chenggong had such a fleet back then, would he still be unable to defeat Nanjing? One hundred and fifty red barbarian cannons hammered the city wall of Nanjing. What kind of Tatars could survive? How could Zheng Chenggong lose the Battle of Nanjing?
"Old Taishan, how many ships like this do you have now?" Zhu Cixiang asked quickly.
If you have it, take it out and use it quickly! Next spring when the southeast wind blows, we will go north to blast the Tatar fortress at Dagukou in Tianjin.
One hundred and fifty Hongyi cannons fired together, and they didn't scare Dorgon to death!
"Now?" Zheng Zhilong spread his hands, "No more..."
"No more?" Zhu Cixiang blinked.
"They were all burned by the Dutch."
Zhu Cixiang was stunned again and again, "Don't you know how to build it again? You have so much money, can't you afford it? It's been more than ten years... If you build one ship a year, you should have more than a dozen! "
Zheng Zhilong smiled awkwardly: "Master Qiansui, I could have won the Battle of Liaoluo Bay without these big Western ships... The East India Company of the Red Hair Country is also convinced. It only purchases goods from me every year and takes the sea off the coast of Fujian." The ships that pass through all spend money to buy passing flags from me, so what is the use of building those big Western ships?"
What is the use? Zhu Cihong said in his heart: Let your son Zheng Chenggong defeat the Tatars! After defeating the Tatars, your son can still rely on them to seek the throne, seize the land of the Ming Dynasty, and establish your Zheng dynasty... Then you will be the Zheng Liezu enshrined in the Taimiao, and you will be happy even if you die. ah!
"Then, can you still build these ships now?" Zhu Cixiang stopped talking nonsense with "Zheng Liezu" and continued to ask.
"Yes..." Zheng Zhilong frowned, "But this kind of large Western ship is expensive to build and difficult to maneuver. It is not as easy to use as the big bird ship."
Zheng Zhilong spent a lot of money to build these ten Western-style warships in order to compete with the Dutch East India Company for maritime hegemony. Therefore, these ten large Western-style ships were built according to the standards of warships, and the cost was high.
In addition, in order to pursue the East India Company's soft sailing ships on the high seas, all ten warships can set up soft sails.
For this reason, Zheng Zhilong even hired Western sailors from Hao'ao at all costs, hoping that they would teach them how to sail and sail ships... According to Zheng Zhilong's thoughts at the time, the war between him and the East India Company was going to be quite easy!
So be prepared for a long struggle!
Unexpectedly, the East India Company mainly sought wealth and had no time to fight a protracted war with Zheng Zhilong. After the defeat in Liaoluowan, he simply gave in. The East India Company relented, and the "short-sighted" Zheng Zhilong no longer had the motivation to continue to develop a large navy. Then the Zheng Group lived a comfortable life of just lying around and making money, until the Qing troops came in waves!
This is truly a blessing and a curse! If the Zheng Group and the Dutch East India Company fought for more than ten years until the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, they would have everything from sail battleships to Morris Square to three-pound regimental guns. As for the Hongyi cannons, they may have been built to 24 or 36 pounds... The displacement of the fleet flagship may have reached thousands of tons!
And a group of pirates who have been fighting the Dutch for more than ten years will be afraid of those Tatars who don't even have a gun deck and a sixth-level ship? Still want to go to Jiangnan? Let’s first ask if we agree to the thirty-six-pound cannon! If Lao Zheng is offended, then a strong ship and a powerful gun will sail to Tianjin!
"How can a big Western ship not be as useful as a big bird ship?" Zhu Cihong glared at Zheng Zhilong and asked angrily, "They have traveled thousands of miles to reach our door. When can you go to Amsterdam?"
Zheng Zhilong was confused when he heard this, "What pill is Eminem?"
Zhu Cixiang waved his hand and said, "Nothing can be done now...Build a ship quickly! Can you still build it now? If not, why don't you buy a Western warship first?"
"What can be built, what can be built..." Zheng Zhilong nodded, "I can ask a foreign craftsman for help. Building a large Western ship requires a lot of Siamese rouge wood. Not to mention it is expensive, and it can also be transported. It’s inconvenient, it can’t be put together in a short while.”
Siam rouge wood is teak. In this era, European-made sailing battleships were very durable, so good woods such as teak and oak were used. If properly maintained, a sailing battleship can last for decades!
"Then let's start from now on!" Zhu Cixiang said to Zheng Zhilong, "Build ten ships first... Each one will give you a subsidy of thirty thousand taels of silver. When the warships are built and can go to sea, I will The palace will send someone to check and accept it, and if it passes the test, it will pay you! How about it?"
Zheng Zhilong was startled for a moment. Isn't this too grand? Thirty thousand taels of silver per boat, ten ships are equivalent to 300,000 taels!
He paused and asked tentatively: "Master Qiantose, who owns this boat?"
"Of course it belongs to the Fujian Navy!" Zhu Cixi smiled, "I don't have anyone who can sail the ship...but I can build these ten ships, and I have to listen to my orders!"
Zheng Zhilong breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I will make arrangements when I return to Quanzhou!"
Zhu Cixiang nodded, seeming to be very satisfied with the answer, "Okay! I will ask someone to prepare the contract later, and we will sign it in black and white!"
After talking about shipbuilding, Zhu Cixiang turned the topic to negotiations with the Dutch.
"Old Taishan," Zhu Cixiang looked at Zheng Zhilong and said, "We have to let the Dutch in...but we can't let them in for free, we have to get out too! The Zheng family's business store must be able to open to Batavia. Sail to Ceylon, sail to Europe! The Zheng family’s merchant ships will sail freely in the South and West oceans.
This is the condition for allowing the Dutch to freely enter and exit Shanghai Port, Quanzhou Port, Ningbo Port and Guangzhou Port! "
Zheng Zhilong's brows knitted together, obviously thinking hard.
It would certainly be detrimental to Zheng Zhilong to open the Dutch to trade in Shanghai, Quanzhou, Ningbo and Guangzhou ports.
Because Zheng Zhilong previously monopolized Sino-Dutch trade, the Dutch could only purchase goods from him.
Similarly, it would be beneficial for the Zheng family to enter Nanyang and the West... But compared with the pros and cons, the Zheng family may still suffer.
Zhu Cixiang continued: "Although the Netherlands can freely enter and exit our ports, the maritime tolls must still be paid... This is military expenditure for the Fujian Navy to catch pirates, and it must be paid!
They also have to give up all their strongholds on Taiwan Island to the Zheng family! From now on, the Zheng family will be the owners of Taiwan Island. "
Zheng Zhilong's brows were still furrowed. He made huge profits through the monopolized Sino-Dutch trade every year!
If the Dutch are allowed to freely enter and exit Shanghai Port, Quanzhou Port, Ningbo Port, and Guangzhou Port...
Zhu Cixiang looked at Zheng Zhilong and suddenly laughed: "Old Taishan, I still have a big deal for you."
"Big deal?" Zheng Zhilong asked, "What deal?"
"Food!" Zhu Cihong said, "Food is the most important thing for the people. There are many people in the southeast but little land, and too many cotton and mulberry trees are planted. There is always a shortage of food... I just want to get in from the outside. , fill it in.”
"Transporting grain thousands of miles?" Zheng Zhilong frowned, "Isn't this possible?"
Countries such as Annam, Champa, Sui Chenla, and Siam are rich in rice, and the price of rice is very cheap. However, if the cost of thousands of miles of transportation is added, there may be nothing to earn.
"Ten thousand miles?" Zhu Cixiang asked, "From the rice-rich Champa and Shuizhenla to Quanzhou, it's only three to four thousand miles at most, and to Shanghai it's only five thousand miles. If you sail with the wind, you'll be there in a month. It's nothing more than trade. Just add a bit on the line... I will pay one or two and a half yuan to buy one stone of rice for the city. Is this business profitable?"
