"My father is wise and my sons admire me!"
Zhu Cixiang knew that there were problems with Zhu Youjian's colonial route, but he still had to tell lies without conscience. Otherwise, what can be said? You are a prodigal fool, send military households to places that are not profitable and are extremely dangerous...Sooner or later you will die if you do this recklessly!
To be honest, going to the west coast of America is cheaper than going to the Mongolian Plateau, and it’s also livable, and there’s still gold to be mined!
Zhu Youjian smiled and nodded. The traitor finally knows how to speak human language... I have been wise in my life! If you don’t believe me, ask Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Niu Jinxing. They all say that I am wise and powerful, so it must be true!
"Brother Chun," Zhu Youjian stroked his beard, "Don't just flatter me. If you have any suggestions, you can also make them. As long as it's feasible, I will definitely do it."
"I do have an idea," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "I also want 10 thousand households..."
"Oh, really?" Zhu Youjian squinted his eyes and looked at Zhu Cixiang maliciously.
Zhu Cixiang immediately got goosebumps all over his body, and quickly explained: "Father, I want to arrange for these 10 thousand households to go to the west coast of the New World... Now I have reached an agreement with the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. The immigration ships we send to the New World can add supplies and rest ashore at Mito Port in Japan. Therefore, the time is ripe for large-scale colonization of the New World, and I want to open up a vassal state in the New World for my descendants."
"Oh, that's right..." Zhu Youjian nodded and laughed, "I also have the same idea. But isn't 10 thousand households a bit too much? The New World is so far away, and it's still separated by oceans and ships. The trip lasts for more than a year. A 600-ton sailing ship can only carry fifty or sixty households of immigrants, and 10,000 households would need 200 boats to transport them all at once, right?"
"I'm afraid we need more than 300!" Zhu Cixiang said, "Because we have to transport horses, cattle and sheep, wheat, oats, as well as various weapons and supplies... Only in this way can we ensure that we can travel to the New World at once Build a port fortress and nine thousand-household forts on the west coast."
Zhu Youjian glanced at his son and said in his heart: Okay, under my teachings, you will be able to be generous! Transporting 10,000 households to the New World at one time...you're going to scare Philip IV to death!
In fact, Zhu Cixiang was so generous from the beginning because he did not want Chongzhen to fill too many military households in the Western Regions and Mongolia... In fact, the cost of going to the New World was lower than going to the Western Regions and the Mongolian Plateau.
Going to the New World may seem quite far, but if you take a boat and travel the ocean currents, including the time to get on and off the boat and stop in Japan for supplies, you can get there in three to four months.
Moreover, the supplies needed on the way can be directly loaded onto the ship and the journey is on its way. Then boatloads of immigrants arrived in the New World lying down... Because they didn't move around on the boat, they consumed less, and they were still dizzy, so they couldn't eat much.
Going to the Western Regions or Mongolia often involves thousands of miles. A trip of 30 to 40 miles a day would take at least three or four months, and a longer journey would take a year...and it's freezing cold. I couldn't leave yet. Moreover, there are no ships that can carry hundreds of tons of supplies to follow. They have to use animals to transport them or supply supplies along the way. The cost is much more expensive than going to the New World!
In addition, colonizing the New World is easy to make a profit - there are gold mines on the west coast of the New World, and you can make a profit by digging them out! Not only can taxes be collected, but huge business benefits can also be obtained. Because once the gold mines in the New World are discovered, a market can be formed immediately. Silk, porcelain, tea and various other things produced in the southeast can be transported to the New World for sale. Going to the New World to pan for gold will also become a good deal, and then some people will pay for the ship tickets out of their own pockets.
In this way, the cost of immigration is reduced... So instead of letting Chongzhen send the population to the Western Regions and Mongolia, it is better to take the sea route to the New World!
Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cixiang and asked: "Brother Chun, do you have 300 ships that can travel across the ocean? Also, if you send people to the New World like this, will it conflict with the Spanish?"
Zhu Cixi smiled and said: "Father, don't worry, I have a way to get a ship! And I shipped 10,000 households to the New World at one time just to scare the Spanish!"
The Spanish do not have any colonies in the northwest of the New World, so they should not immediately notice that our people have passed there. Even if they were discovered, they would not dare to easily attack our Ming Dynasty New World Ten Thousand Households with 10,000 warriors. Instead, it will be reported to the Spanish court in Madrid. It will probably be two or three years before Philip IV makes a decision and then issues the order to the Governor-General of New Spain.
If we can send 10,000 households a year, there will already be 30,000 households in the New World by then. The Viceroyalty of New Spain still dares to start a war? Even if we dare to start a war, we have 30,000 troops, which is enough to defeat them in one battle! "
"In that case," Zhu Youjian thought for a while and said, "then from now on ten thousand households in the New World will grant the title to the son born to you and Wu Sanmei!"
"Thank you, my dear father, for your support." Zhu Cixiang saluted Chongzhen again... His favorite was Silly Baitian, and now he could finally find a good territory for him and Silly Baitian's sons.
Zhu Youjian smiled and nodded, and asked: "Then where do you plan to supervise the country? In Beijing or Nanjing?"
"In Nanjing." Zhu Cihong said, "It is easier for my son to raise food and salary for his father in Nanjing. Moreover, taking the sea route from the southeast to North Korea and Liaodong, as long as there is no headwind, the time required is faster than taking the land route from Beijing.
In addition, the son-in-law supervising the country in Nanjing was also convenient for presiding over the colonization of the New World, the Southern Continent, Nanyang and other places. "
Zhu Youjian frowned and said to Zhu Cihong: "I know...you, after all, look up to Nanjing and Southeast. But don't forget that although the wealth of Ming Dynasty comes from Southeast, it is used The land of martial arts is in the north. Except for the Imperial Army, which has its home in the southwest and is used to conquer the south, the Twelve Armies I created are all based in the north. 4,000 nobles and 3 million troops Most of the households are in the north!"
The Twelve Army in front of the tent is the field force of the Ming Dynasty today, including the Left Army in front of the tent, the right army in front of the tent, the Dianqian Army, the Yuqian Army, the Zhili Army, the Yanning Army, the Xuan Da Army, the Gansu-Shaanxi Army, the Liaoxi Army, and the Liaodong Army. , Dongjiang Army, Anxi Army. Each army is composed of two to three divisions, each with more than 10,000 troops. The total strength of the Twelfth Army is close to 400,000.
In addition to these 400,000 people, Zhu Youjian also has a young army, as well as local troops stationed in various places under the command of the general army, governor and government, with a total of more than 200,000 people, in addition to a navy of about 100,000 people. So the Ming Dynasty now has a standing army of up to 700,000 people!
Among the Twelve Army, except for the Imperial Army, the Eleventh Army and the young army that provides the backbone of the troops in front of the tent are all "Northern Army". Not only are they stationed in the north, but their military sources also come from military households and soldiers in the north. There are also farmers from Zhili in the border formation.
If Zhu Cihong had been based in Nanjing and Jiangsu, it would be difficult for him to control the armies in front of his tent in the future...
Zhu Cihong didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "My father was at his peak in the Spring and Autumn Period. The troops in front of the tent are driven by my father. My sons and ministers are focusing on finances in the southeast and can raise money, food, military equipment and equipment for my father's grand cause."
Zhu Youjian looked at his son. After a while, he nodded and said, "That's fine... When the wealthy son grows up in the future, you can let him come to Beijing to learn generals from me!"
