Due to frequent natural disasters in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, raging bandits, and frequent raids by pigtails, large areas of farmland in the north of the country have been abandoned or cannot be cultivated. The imperial court almost relies on the food supplied by the south to support itself.
A certain prince must increase revenue and reduce expenditure. The first step is to "source revenue". With the powerful shipping capabilities of the Zheng Group, he can purchase grain from all over Southeast Asia. Regardless of the variety, he will eat it as long as he can buy it.
According to the standard that one stone of grain can feed an adult, if Zheng's fleet can transport one million stones of grain, it can rescue one million disaster victims. Even if these disaster victims cannot be fed, they will not starve to death.
At least until 1650, the disasters of the Little Glacier will continue. Under the premise that the poor local climate conditions cannot be improved in a short time, imported food is the top priority.
The imperial court had no objections to this. After all, crops could no longer grow in their own fields, so it was helpless to choose to import from overseas countries. Even if they were purchased at a high price, it was understandable to use them to provide relief to the people.
Then there is "reducing expenditure". We still need to rely on Zheng Laofi's power to export people to vast and sparsely populated places overseas to reduce the pressure on the local area. There are completely different concepts between having 100,000 more people and less than 100,000 people in the local area.
If the 100,000 people shipped out were in the mainland, they would definitely need to eat. In particular, most of the family members of feudal kings and county princes must occupy fields, cause trouble, and ask for salary. It is beneficial to the country and the people to let them disappear from the mainland.
Moving the vassal state overseas would not only cancel the annual salary allocated by the imperial court to the vassal state, greatly reducing it from the level of nearly ten million dan, but also free up a large area of land occupied by it and allocate it to ordinary people for farming, thus reducing the income of the northern vassal states. Liu Min.
Moving the vassal north is for the vassal state. It is conducive to the empire's grand strategy to move the vassal king to the north or even North America. This can expand the control area of the "pig herd" outward to the greatest extent and increase the strategic buffer space. .
Even if food production in these places is not high, food can still be obtained through hunting and fishing. For Zimin, who moved to various places in the north, it is not that difficult to have enough food as long as he does not have to pay taxes to the court.
Moving Min to the south has nothing to do with the vassals, because the south is a prosperous area, and "rich" refers to a high-yield area of grain. It is easy to get two crops a year, which is extremely beneficial to the court. These areas must be moved Direct control in hand.
For example, if Hainan and Baodao were regarded as vassal states, the imperial court would not get any benefits at all. If it becomes a directly-administered area, hundreds of thousands or even millions of stones can be harvested every year from food taxes alone.
"I have always heard that Ai Qing was generous with money, generous with charity, and willing to give charity. When I learned that my hometown was affected by the disaster, I moved my money to Baodao. I thought that Ai Qing did a very good job. Not only should I do it, but I should do it often. Bao Island has countless fertile fields. Hundreds of miles away, with a pleasant climate and rich products, the imperial court intends to set up a Zhili District here to conduct large-scale relocation and comprehensively develop Treasure Island. In view of the fact that Treasure Island faces southern Fujian across the sea and transportation is relatively convenient, I believe that every year Is it not difficult to transport 500,000 Zimin?"
The distance from various ports in Fujian to Baodao is not far, especially Penghu can be used as a transfer station, so that the transfer of transportation will be more efficient and safer.
Besides, it is not long-distance transportation by sea. Small and medium-sized ships can also participate in it. Except for the typhoon season, it is not a huge difficulty to transport hundreds of thousands of people to the treasure island day and night.
Fujian is originally more mountainous than land, and with the drought in the interior, there are many disasters. Otherwise, Mr. Zheng would not have personally spent money to help the village, and even helped the villagers move to Minbao Island.
Although Baodao is at the same latitude as Fujian and is not too far away, as an island, it is very important to have enough rainfall. As long as there is sufficient rainfall, crops will have good harvests.
It is perfect to use Baodao as a grain base, especially because it is convenient for sea transportation. From here, the grain can be shipped directly to Dagu, which can reduce the burden of water transportation.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, it is just that the Hongyi have occupied Da Yuan Island and used it as a stronghold to expand to the surrounding areas. They are even shuttled back and forth on the sea, and their warships are rampant. My fleet has fought several bloody battles with them. "Although we have made some gains, we have not been able to shake the foundation. I am afraid that it will be difficult to implement the imperial decree smoothly."
If the Zheng family spent all their resources, they could severely damage the Dutch fleet, but Zheng Zhilong did not intend to do so because he would not be able to obtain large vested interests in a short period of time.
If the Dutch Red Barbarians hold a grudge, they will not only rob the Zheng family's merchant ships in the southeastern waters and hinder the Zheng family's trade in the southern countries, but also form a fleet to go north for revenge. This will be troublesome for the Zheng family.
The previous confrontations, especially the "Battle of Liaoluowan", were all caused by the Dutch Red Barbarians bullying others too much, especially colluding with Liu Xiang in an attempt to counterattack, and he couldn't do it without fighting.
Now that the Dutch Hongyi have a deep understanding of the Zheng family's strength and have recognized their hegemony on the sea, the two sides are still in peace and harmony, so there is no need to go to war.
The prince said that he would move large-scale migration to the areas controlled by the Dutch Red Barbarians, which gave Zheng Zhilong a headache, because the Dutch Red Barbarians were determined not to agree to this policy.
If the island is transferred to the island and becomes a Zhili area, the imperial court will inevitably station a large number of officers and soldiers, which will also harm the interests of the Dutch barbarians. Presumably they will not sit still and wait for death.
Zheng Zhilong does not plan to start a war with the Dutch Red Barbarians in the short term, whose power cannot be underestimated. The navy under the imperial court is simply not enough to deal with the Dutch Red Barbarians' warships, so the prince can only look back and sigh.
Yaoji knew that this was Old Fart Zheng deliberately looking for an excuse to avoid the war, so he said: "I know the military strength of the Dutch East India Company. It has dozens of warships in the Far East, including Batavia As a base fleet, the total number of large ocean-going warships is no less than a hundred, which is a maritime force that cannot be underestimated. However, the Dutch first openly invaded our Ming Dynasty, harassing the people and looting property. Then they colluded with pirates to burn, kill, and loot. , committed all kinds of evil, threatening the safety of our Ming Dynasty's maritime territory, and his bad behavior is unforgivable. Now that he has occupied my treasure island and massacred my Ming Dynasty Zimin, how can the imperial court turn a blind eye? No matter in the past, present or future, the treasure island belongs to the Ming Dynasty. There is no doubt about this! The Dutch entrenched here must either surrender voluntarily or wait to be surrounded and annihilated! If they are stubborn and resist, they, along with the so-called East India Company, will be wiped out by the Ming Dynasty!"
The big-ass Holland dares to walk around arrogantly in front of me. He is so impatient!
It seems that it is time to write a letter to Paris and Madrid. No matter which country can invade the Netherlands, this bastard country will be reduced to a scorched earth.
I will provide him with a gold mine with reserves of thousands of tons, which is enough to cover the country's war expenses. I think there will always be a certain king who will be excited.
The fatal weakness of the Dutch is that there is no strategic buffer zone in the mainland. The Franco-Dutch War was due to the fact that the Dutch mainland was attacked by 120,000 French troops, causing the Netherlands to directly admit defeat.
After the victory, Louis XIV received the title of "Sun King", and France's position in Europe was at its peak. As for the defeated Netherlands, its maritime supremacy was seized by the British, and its wealth hoarded on land was looted by the French army.
As long as France is willing to send troops to the Netherlands, it will have an overwhelming advantage over this enemy. And since the two countries are only separated by the Spanish Netherlands, France can continuously send troops from land to reinforce the front line.
In terms of military strength, national strength, and financial resources, the Netherlands is no match for France. The only problem is that Louis XIV is too young, less than two years old this year...
The actual controller of France's political arena is Cardinal Richelieu. This prime minister is known for his pragmatism and shrewdness, and the chance of being deceived is basically zero.
Moreover, France is currently at war with the Spanish Empire and the Holy Roman Empire on two fronts. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Sweden are all its allies. It is impossible to launch a counterattack at this time.
The Dutch fleet will severely damage the Spanish fleet next year. At this time, the entire army will be annihilated in the Far East, which may produce a butterfly effect.
It would be best for Ming Dynasty to have Europe become a mess and keep it like this for a long time.
Zheng Zhilong was quite surprised to hear the name "Batavia" coming from the prince's mouth, which showed that the prince had indeed made a lot of preparations in advance, otherwise he would not have blurted out the East India Company.
However, Zheng Zhilong still did not want to get involved in the war with the Dutch easily. He could only compliment him: "Your Highness is knowledgeable and discerns every detail. I admire you so much that you are not as knowledgeable as your Highness!"
The prince's impassioned speech did not inspire Zheng Zhilong. This profit-oriented maritime tycoon still adhered to the principle of self-preservation, taking more advantages and less losses, and waited to see what happened.
Through some testing just now, Yao Ji roughly figured out Zheng Laopi's basic attitude towards the "Ming-He War", and said: "Ai Qing thinks that I am not very old and am just acting out of emotion? As the proverb goes - if there is no Stainless steel diamonds, not porcelain work! If I want to expel the Dutch and regain the treasure island, I naturally have sharp weapons to support the country! During Aiqing's stay in Beijing, I will arrange live ammunition demonstrations of sharp weapons. At that time, Aiqing will have a lot of fun New acquaintance!”
Although the city of Relanja is a typical bastion, I don't believe that this thing can withstand the indiscriminate bombardment of thousands of rockets and mortar shells!
A bastion is just like a tank, with thick armor on all sides, and the most vulnerable point is the top. As long as explosive packets and rockets fall from the sky, the place can be leveled!
Otherwise, Zheng Laofi's men can be allowed to surround this place and turn the city of Relanja into a truly isolated city. No Dutch reinforcements can save it.
There are only two thousand defenders in the bastion at most. It is impossible for them to take the initiative to attack because the Zheng army outside is at least ten times more numerous and has an overwhelming advantage in firepower.
For the Dutch warships coming to the sea to assist, they only need to deploy rocket launchers in the coastal area, and the Dutch warships will not be able to dock, and the small boats carrying soldiers will not be able to land on the beach.
Zheng Zhilong heard that there was a powerful weapon for the country that he had never seen before, and he had a calculation in his mind. He considered it and said: "Your Highness, if the imperial court goes to war with the Dutch Red Barbarians, and the Red Barbarian warships use Batavia as their port to plunder wantonly, I'm afraid that The minister’s fleet encountered obstacles in purchasing rice in various places in Southeast Asia.”
Before seeing the powerful power of the "national weapon", Zheng Zhilong was still unwilling to get too involved in the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.
Especially the Nanyang waters are areas controlled by Hongyi. If the Zheng family's merchant ships do not have many escort warships, they will be robbed by Hongyi's warships.
If there is a war with the red barbarians in Baodao this time, the red barbarians in Nanyang will definitely help them after hearing the news. As a result, purchasing rice from various places in Nanyang will be a tricky thing.
Yaoji was fully confident about this and said calmly: "My dear, there is no need to worry about this. It will only take a few months to defeat the red barbarians on Baodao. Our army will achieve a complete victory before autumn. By then, we will be forced to The Dutch signed the peace treaty, and purchasing rice in Southeast Asia will not be a problem. If the Dutch openly tear up the peace treaty, then I will support Aiqing to go all the way to Batavia, so that the arrogant East India Company will be destroyed! Aiqing doesn’t know yet The power of the weapon that governs the country, so I can understand why I am worried about it!"
It seems necessary to develop tungsten-tipped armor-piercing projectiles specifically for use against Dutch and Spanish ocean-going warships.
Although this version is far inferior to later generations of tungsten-core armor-piercing bullets in terms of range, power, and accuracy, it can still punch a big hole in a wooden-hulled warship, and is much more lethal than ordinary spherical artillery shells.
This kind of weapon, combined with the Congreve rocket and the heartless cannon, can give a real hammer blow to the battleships and bastions, and the Dutch inside can achieve their ultimate goal of not resting in peace.
Perhaps there is no need for tungsten-tipped armor-piercing projectiles. Just relying on the latter two weapons, the Ming army can reach the level of invincibility. It may be almost impossible at sea, but on land, the Dutch simply cannot withstand this level of artillery bombardment.
As long as the troops can be delivered to Java Island, the end of the Dutch has come. With plate armor and these two kinds of artillery, plus tanks, heavy cavalry, and airships to help, the Ming army has almost become the most powerful force on land. Strong armed forces.
Of course, Old Fart Zheng had never seen any of these weapons. As a frog living in a well at sea, his understanding of the imperial court was still at the level of a long time ago, so he had no confidence in a certain prince's battle plan.
Among the people present, it seems that the only person who has never seen a rocket launcher test is Zheng Laofi. Lian Xier, Yang Jinchao and others have already been fired.
The officials even appreciated the powerful power of advanced weapons. It was easy to understand why Yang Wenyue defeated Wang Pu's rebels in one day and restored Datong.
From the perspective of Cifu Wu Zong, it was a conservative estimate to mobilize tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of warships to defeat the Hongyi within a few months. If the two armies were to confront each other head-on, the Hongyi would scatter in all directions if they met each other.
If Hongyi sticks to the city, they will be besieged by a large army. The land and sea routes are cut off by the government troops. It is almost impossible to rescue the siege from the outside. All they can do is open the city and surrender.
When Zheng Zhilong saw that the prince's words were true and that he seemed to have such a sharp weapon, he took advantage of the situation and said politely: "I am really lucky to have seen the power of a sharp weapon to control the country!"
If these sharp weapons are as powerful as the prince said, then why should the Donglu be allowed to enter the pass repeatedly and plunder, and the army be defeated repeatedly?
Perhaps it has just been successfully manufactured and has not yet been put into actual combat. This is the first time it has been used. Even if it cannot be solved quickly, it can still shock the Hongyi and make them look at it with admiration.
Having said that, if the weapons of the Zhenguo were really extremely powerful and deployed on the battleships, wouldn't the Zheng family's fleet be invincible from now on?
Not only could he get the title of earl, but he could also witness the elegance of the country's powerful weapon. Zheng Zhilong felt that his trip was worthwhile. It was not in vain, and he did not fall into a trap!
