I really cried with my head in my arms!
Chongzhen, Zhou Hou, Zhu Cijiong, and a Kunxing princess Zhu Yuyao appeared out of nowhere. The four of them hugged each other and cried outside Wuying Hall, but no one paid attention to Zhu Cihong.
I really don’t know good people’s hearts!
While crying and trembling, Emperor Chongzhen took out a bank note from Haishang Bank (actually a large-denomination certificate of deposit), folded it like dried tofu, and handed it to his son: "Third brother... This is a little private house saved by my father and your mother through frugality. I only have 152,000 taels of silver, so take it all!"
Zhou Hou also wiped away tears: "Son, please don't make yourself miserable... I don't have enough money to spend, so I'll find a way for you, mother."
Zhu Cixiang frowned as he looked at it. It looked a bit like a loving father and mother selling their house to a prodigal son to pay usury?
But...Emperor Chongzhen deposited more than 1.5 million private money in Maritime Bank and Salt Merchant Bank, and now he has only withdrawn 152,000, and it seems like he is about to go bankrupt!
You are the Supreme Emperor! Can you be a little more generous?
"Third brother, my sister also has a little private property." Zhu Yuyao, who had already given birth to two sons for Zheng Jiangong, also took out a folded banknote and handed it to the brother, "Only 33,300 taels." , I have saved it for many years, and now I give it to you..."
Zhu Cixiang almost lost his temper after hearing this. How come you, a sister, are like this? Your husband is the son of the richest man in the Ming Dynasty, and his family is rich in gold and silver. You are marrying a princess, so you only have a private house of more than 30,000 taels?
However, Chongzhen, Zhou Hou, and Princess Kunxing all gave money, and Zhu Cixiang, the elder brother, could not get nothing.
He had no choice but to go up and say to Zhu Cijiong: "Third brother, I also have internal funds, a lot of money but not much... I will borrow some more from Concubine Zheng and raise three hundred thousand taels for you. Don't worry about it." Less!"
This time it was Zhu Cixiang's turn to be despised - his Royal Chamber of Commerce was the largest chaebol after the Zheng Family Trading Company! Millions of taels of silver can be taken out at any time...
Zhu Cijiong was also deeply moved, and said with tears: "Father, mother, brother, sister, Cijiong has thanked you... Cijiong went to the northwest to fight the Tartars to death, and his body was shattered into pieces. Don’t even teach the Tartars to cross the Great Wall!”
Great Wall? Zhu Cihong thought: What about the Loop? Isn’t the Loop already under your control? No matter what, you have to go back and guard the Great Wall in Yulin Town?
He thought so in his heart, but Zhu Cixiang could only say some words of encouragement.
"Third brother is really the brave king of my Ming Dynasty!" Zhu Cixi praised his good brother sincerely, "As long as you can defend the Great Wall of Yulin Town, you must be the first to take the lead in the Northern Expedition... When the Northern Expedition is won, I will give you a replacement Let a richer vassal town guard it!"
Before Zhu Cijiong could kneel down to express his gratitude, Emperor Chongzhen interrupted and said, "Why don't we grant the title of Beiping Mansion to Third Brother?"
Seal Beiping Mansion? Then he is no longer the King of Yan?
Emperor Zhu smiled and nodded: "Okay, let the third child guard Beiping, and I can sit back and relax!"
What he said now is quite good, but it is hard to say whether a vassal town should be established in Peiping. It depends on the national defense situation in the north.
Moreover, a vassal town does not mean a separatist regime against the central government, nor does it mean that the Jiedushi envoy can be hereditary and replaceable, or even serve for life. Historically, the vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty do not mean a separatist regime, but the Jiedushi envoy has greater authority. , can manage both the military and civilians.
In fact, some of the garrison commanders in the Ming Dynasty, such as the Liaodong commander-in-chief, had similar authority to the vassal towns in the Tang Dynasty.
After obtaining Zhu Cijiong's promise to move to Peking and cheating Emperor Zhu of 300,000 taels, Emperor Chongzhen and Queen Zhou finally agreed to "let go" Emperor Zhu, and the family entered the main hall of Wuying Hall talking and laughing. A family banquet has been set up in the main hall, with delicacies from both mountains and seas, as well as Zhu Cixiang’s favorite hard-boiled eggs, everything is available...
The family ties in the imperial family are so enviable!
After eating a few hard-boiled eggs from Emperor Chongzhen, Emperor Zhu stood up and left, returning to his Western-style building.
The Ming Dynasty court is still in Laoshan Palace, so Emperor Zhu does not need to hold a meeting between the two governments, but he still has to summon two important ministers today.
One is Zheng Jiangong, the husband of Kunxing Princess Zhu Yuyao, who sponsored Zhu Cijiong more than 30,000 taels, and the other is Shen Tingyang.
When Zhu Cixiang arrived at the Western Building, the two of them were already waiting there, sitting outside Emperor Zhu's study. When they saw Emperor Zhu coming, they both stood up and were about to salute.
"No need, come in and talk."
Zhu Cixiang waved to the two of them and walked into the study.
Emperor Zhu's study in the Western-style Building is also Western-style, with light-transmitting glass windows installed, making it spacious and bright. There are also several leather sofas inside, produced by factories run by Western businessmen in Shanghai.
Zhu Cixiang sat down on the sofa grandly, waved to the two people in front of him, and asked them to sit down on the sofa opposite.
"The Marquis of Chongming (Shen Tingyang) and the Bo of Xiamen (Zheng Jiangong) are all ready?"
"It's ready!" Shen Tingyang said, "The Beiyang Navy has deployed 20 sand ships that can operate in offshore waters and can sail to North Korea at any time."
To pretend to be a Japanese bandit at sea, Zheng Jiangong's seven Western-style sailing ships are enough. In fact, one "Flying" is enough, with a load capacity of 800 tons and equipped with 44 cannons. The key positions on the ship are still in charge of professional Dutch officers and sailors. With just this one ship, Spain's permanent fleet in the east was unable to fight against it.
Although there are already "behemoths" like the Sovereign of the Sea, this is the only one in Europe. Battleships with a carrying capacity of about 1,000 tons are also the main ships in the domestic navies of the Netherlands, Britain, France, and Spain.
In the East, the 800-ton "Flying" is definitely a giant.
However, in the offshore waters of North Korea, where islands are dotted and the hydrology is very complex, the 800-ton "Flying" is not flexible enough. Shen Tingyang's sand ships are the most suitable ships.
So Zhu Cixiang recruited Shen Tingyang from Lushunkou to Nanjing, and ordered the Beiyang Fleet to withdraw 20 sand ships and transfer them to the Eastern Fleet of the Ming Navy - now there are three major fleets under the Ming Navy, namely the Beiyang Fleet, the Eastern Fleet, and the Nanyang Fleet. Among them, the Beiyang Fleet The fleet is under the jurisdiction of the Beiyang Trade and Diplomacy Department, the Eastern Fleet is directly under the Ming Dynasty, and the Nanyang Fleet is under the Dongning Army, which is the Dongning Navy.
"Your Majesty, my seven warships are also ready!" Zheng Jiangong also replied.
"Okay!" Zhu Cixiang nodded, "Twenty sand ships from Beiyang will be transferred to Dongyang today... Beiyang will quote a price! As for the personnel, they will all be transferred to the Navy Department."
Beiyang is a special existence. It is a semi-official and semi-business yamen, somewhat similar to a European chartered trading company. Therefore, Zhu Cixiang cannot allocate Beiyang's property to the Dongyang Fleet for free, but needs to replenish it according to the price.
"I have already submitted the quotation to the Shipbuilding Department of the Ministry of War and the Naval Department of the Generalissimo." Shen Tingyang was not polite.
"Okay." Zhu Cihong said to Zheng Jiangong again, "Uncle Xiamen, your fleet should go to sea as soon as possible... Try to show your face before Vladivostok is frozen, and use the banner of Japanese pirates."
The flags Zhu Cihong prepared for the "Japanese pirates" were the "Rising Sun Flag" and "Goqitong". There was also an identification flag embroidered with the words "Commander of the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy Ukita" - this was for Ukita Hideie prepare!
He is very comfortable now, living in a mansion in Ryukyu Kingdom and having rice every meal! It’s so happy to have it with Ryukyu country’s pickled bitter melon and Shima tofu...
Japan's Tokugawa shogunate was furious because of the disappearance of the Ukita Hide family. Matsudaira Nobutsuna personally went to Kagoshima Castle to investigate. Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the lord of the Shimazu family, was forced to live in seclusion and gave way to his 3-year-old son-in-law. Son Shimazu Nobu.
"If I encounter a Spanish warship, should I attack first?" Zheng Jiangong asked.
"Attack!" Zhu Cixiang thought for a moment, "Just drive away, there is no need to sink or capture Vladivostok. After completing the mission of attacking Vladivostok, return to the Busan Port in North Korea to spend the winter... Chongming Hou, let your 20 sand ships went directly to occupy Busan and also fought against the Japanese pirates."
