After twenty days of trekking, Zheng Zhilong and his party finally arrived in the capital. If they hadn't caught a snowstorm on the Shandong coast, they would have arrived several days earlier.
Since the coastal area of North Zhili was frozen, even if the fleet sailed to Tianjin, it could not dock, so Zheng Zhilong and his party abandoned the ship and went ashore.
The carriages and horses borrowed from Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, came in handy and joined the team Yan Jizu sent to the capital to pay tribute. It happened that the two sides could take care of each other on the road.
Traveling in severe cold weather naturally involves a lot of hardships. The wind blows the granular snow onto your face, which feels like being pricked by needles. It will continue to be like this until you reach your destination, with no way to escape.
This kind of experience is unimaginable for many soldiers from Fujian. Compared with Dongfan and the weather in their hometown, the weather in the north is really different.
But when I think of the Red Yi in the Relanze Castle, and the frustration of not being able to defeat them for a long time, this is not really difficult. Even the Red Yi were defeated, let alone the wind and snow?
Zheng Zhilong has always been considerate of his subordinates and is not short of money. When the fleet docked in Laizhou, he sent people to purchase a large amount of warm clothing. Otherwise, many of his subordinates would have fevers, colds, or even frostbite and death.
From Shandong to Zhili Binhai in the north, almost all the disaster victims have been properly resettled. It cannot be said that they are living a good life, but they are determined not to starve to death easily.
Living by the sea, there is nothing else. As long as the weather is good and you go fishing, you rarely come back empty-handed. Life is not a problem at all.
This was mainly due to the fact that Yan Jizu, the second governor of Shandong, was ordered to move the capital of Shandong from Jinan to Ye County and brought a large amount of grain.
While mass-manufacturing fishing boats, people are encouraged to go fishing. Yu Min can exchange for food as long as he produces seafood that meets government procurement standards.
When the sky is clear, from Laizhou Dayang (Laizhou Bay) to Penglai in the north, and even the Laotieshan Waterway further north, there are thousands of fishing boats fishing for seafood.
Because the prince said that instead of letting a large amount of seafood rot and stink in the sea, it is better to catch it, eat it, and finally rot in the stomach...
As this was not enough, the Crown Prince asked the four coastal prefectures under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province, namely Jinan Prefecture, Qingzhou Prefecture, Laizhou Prefecture, and Dengzhou Prefecture, to have 500 (two hundred) large fishing boats on the register within three years of each prefecture. 1,000 medium-sized fishing boats (100 materials), and 3,000 small fishing boats (50 materials or less).
Faced with this strange order, various prefects were also inexplicably surprised. Unfortunately, the governor strictly ordered that all localities must start implementing it immediately, and the prefects could only ask the subordinates to cut down trees urgently.
Yan Jizu knew this very well, because the prince told him that the imperial court was unable to support Shandong except for a little money to build cities and dry salt.
How to deal with the millions of disasters depends entirely on Yan Jizu himself. If he can solve it well, then Shandong will still be a good place.
On the contrary, if your head is in danger, Shandong will become the second Henan, with rogue bandits everywhere!
The problem is that Yan Jizu not only has to deal with local disasters, Henan is also constantly exporting disasters to surrounding areas!
This is Henan's only "contribution" to the imperial court...
If you stay here, you will starve to death or you will become a bandit!
Fortunately, Shandong has an incomparable and huge advantage over Henan, which is Binhai!
If the crops fail, they can be recovered from the sea.
The purpose of various governments building ships quickly is to collect food from the sea. Eating too much seafood will make you very hungry. Even fools know this!
Although the Bohai Sea is an inland sea, there are many specialties in the sea. Later generations used high-powered trawlers for thirty years to harvest them all...
The production capacity of one trawler is equivalent to fifty small fishing boats. Even if there are 100,000 small fishing boats built locally in Shandong, it is impossible to catch all the seafood along the coast.
There is a family behind every fishing boat, and fishing boats are their job. If 100,000 fishing boats are built, it means that millions of people will not starve to death.
Not to mention meat such as sea fish and shells, even if you catch dozens of kilograms of kelp, can't you still eat it?
You’re almost starving, and you’re still picky about food? ? ?
In the convoy that arrived in the capital, there were one thousand kilograms of squid tentacles and the same weight of shredded squid and small mullet!
Both of these were tributes prepared by Yan Jizu himself, specially given to the Crown Prince for his enjoyment.
A certain prince did not ask Yan Jizu to show him filial piety. He could just ask for seafood from Zheng Zhilong.
This was Yan Jizu's own idea, because he heard that the prince loved this kind of seafood very much.
Small mullet is used for hot pot, squid tentacles are used for stir-fry, and shredded squid is a snack.
It looked like a big portion, but it didn't cost much money to buy it locally in Shandong. Yan Jizu stated in the letter that he paid for it all out of his own pocket without spending a tael of silver from the Yamen. Moreover, he bought it according to the market price and purchased it directly from Yumin. Got the silver.
The whole story must be explained clearly. Yan Jizu doesn’t want to be the first governor in history to lose his head because he didn’t pay for seafood...
His future was ruined by the squid, and when he got down there, he would be laughed to death by the Lord of Hell!
Yan Jizu himself did not need to come to see him. A certain prince had already stated in his letter that as long as Shandong was stable and the people had enough food, it would be a great achievement.
If you really want the governor to arrive in Beijing, you will probably have to come to see him!
A lot of tributes were sent from Shandong, but no matter how many tributes they received, they couldn't be greater than Zhen Haibo's tributes.
The number exceeds a thousand cars!
All were large carts pulled by horses or mules, and there were no small carts pulled by donkeys.
Six hundred tuna alone were shipped, each one over three feet in size!
It is quite difficult to catch this thing in the sea, but as long as Uncle Zhenhai is willing to spend money, it will not be difficult for Yu Min, who relies on the sea to make a living.
Zheng Zhilong was previously worried about keeping the meat fresh, and he often told his subordinates not to let the ice fall away, otherwise the quality of the meat would be ruined.
When we arrived in Shandong, the problem was solved. It was so cold that ice was no longer needed, and all kinds of seafood were frozen as hard as rocks.
After seeing the tributes sent from Shandong, Zheng Zhilong became quite confident in himself.
Yan Jizu only sent squid, mullet, scallops, conch and other trinkets, while Zheng Zhilong sent tuna, grouper, yellow-lipped fish, shark fins, and the worst were prawns weighing more than a pound each.
There are also many corals, which are colorful and dazzling, and the largest ones are taller than a person. Unfortunately, the prince is not good at this and prefers to eat, so the coral can only be given away or cashed out.
"Uncle Zhenhai, congratulations on this great victory over Hongyi, showing off the power of my Ming Dynasty!"
Xue Guoguan had been watching from the city tower, waiting for Zheng Zhilong's motorcade to reach the city gate, and then went to the city gate to wait for him. The prospective son-in-law was too young to go out to greet him, so as the chief assistant and quasi-governor, he had to do it for him.
"The first assistant has received the award. It is my duty to serve His Highness and show prestige to the Ming Dynasty!"
In front of Xue Guoguan, Zheng Zhilong certainly did not dare to call himself "Uncle" in vain. When he came to the capital, a place where dragons and tigers crouched, he had to keep a low profile and humble manner so as not to offend others.
"Uncle Zhenhai is so polite. Please come to the capital quickly. His Highness is already waiting at Donghua Gate. Don't keep His Highness waiting for a long time!"
Of course, his prospective son-in-law would not be stupid enough to wait outside until his subordinates reported the report before going out to greet him, but it was enough to give Zheng Zhilong face.
"Okay, okay! I miss His Highness very much. Every time I think of His Highness's instructions, I feel very grateful!"
In front of everyone, he had to flatter him from a distance. Zheng Zhilong was not talking to the prince, but to the people around him.
The main road along which the convoy was traveling has been placed under martial law. Normal traffic will resume after an hour at most, and it won't take long to reach Donghua Gate on horseback.
There were no greeting people along the way, and no firecrackers were set off to congratulate. They were afraid of scaring the horses and causing a stampede, which made them extremely happy and sad.
When I arrived outside the Donghua Gate, I saw two banners hanging on both sides of the door. The left side said "Zheng Zhilong, the hero of the Ming Dynasty" and the right side said "Loyalty, bravery and perseverance defeated the red barbarians"!
There were barreled flower baskets on the ground, filled with red flowers made of red cloth. The chambermaids and maids each wore two red ribbons to enhance the atmosphere.
"Uncle Zhenhai has worked hard all the way, and this time he defeated Hongyi. If it weren't for the fact that I am not tall enough, I would really want to lead your horse and ride on it for you!"
A certain prince is still very good at speaking in situations. On the other hand, he is better at saying things that are offensive to others.
"Your Highness is really ashamed of me. It is truly my honor to serve Your Highness for three lifetimes. As long as you are given the chance to go through fire and water, no one dares to disobey!"
Zheng Zhilong dismounted a hundred steps away and walked to Donghua Gate accompanied by Xue Guoguan.
When they got closer, they saw the prince surrounded by everyone, and his son Zheng Sen stood beside him.
Hearing these words from the Crown Prince, Zheng Zhilong hurriedly walked closer, knelt down and kowtowed.
"Ai Qing, please come quickly. There is no need for such a big gift. Ai Qing guards the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty and resists the red barbarians all the year round. She is the greatest loyalty. It is freezing outside, so Ai Qing will accompany me to the house to talk."
A certain prince hurriedly helped Zheng Zhilong up. Of course, his movements were careful, but it was Yang Jinchao who really exerted his strength.
"The tiger father has no dog son. Aiqing defeated the red barbarians in the south and successfully drove back the eastern invaders in the capital. One south and one north complement each other. The father and son have outstanding achievements, which are really remarkable. They will be included in our history books of the Ming Dynasty." Be praised by future generations!”
A certain prince invited Old Fart Zheng to the East Palace. After the guests and hosts sat down, they first said some polite words. After all, he was really doing his best for himself.
What was spent was other people's money, other people's soldiers were used, other people's blood was shed, and other people's ships were sunk.
If the Ming Dynasty Navy, which is very small in scale and has a decadent combat power, goes into battle, there will be only one result, and that is a complete defeat...
"Your Highness praised me and Quanzi for successfully serving His Highness. It is my duty as a minister to fight against the Donglu. I defeated the Hongyi. I only wanted to kill the enemy to serve the country, repay His Highness for his kindness, and protect the peace of the people in the southeast. "
Zheng Zhilong was greatly surprised that his son was able to lead his troops to fight the enemy bravely, and he also contributed a lot of effort. He personally killed many Donglu armored soldiers. Zheng Zhilong was greatly surprised. He only believed such things after receiving a secret letter from his direct lineage.
As an old man, I naturally did not dare to neglect him. If I were compared with my son, I would be ridiculed by my colleagues to some extent. I also wanted to demonstrate the strength of the Zheng family through this battle, so that I could monopolize the trade between Japan and Nanyang routes in the future.
"At present, the Ming Dynasty is suffering from internal and external troubles, and I am still young and unable to fight against the stubborn enemies myself. Thanks to your great help, people say that Zheng and Hong in Fujian are like dragons and phoenixes in the world, and I firmly believe this."
In terms of adulation, if a certain prince is ranked second, no one dares to be ranked first. The third position is between Xue Guoguan and Feng Quan.
"Hong" is Zheng Zhilong's fellow countryman Hong Chengchou, who is considered a close official of the imperial court. Such a comparison gives Zheng Laopi plenty of face.
"With all my virtues and talents, I would never dare to be called such an extraordinary person. I can do my best to help His Highness solve his problems. I am extremely grateful!"
Of course Zheng Zhilong knew who "Hong" was. Among the important officials in the dynasty, apart from Hong Chengchou, there was no other person with the same surname who had such ability.
The fact that the prince thought so highly of himself made Zheng Zhilong panic, not knowing what the prince would say next.
"My dear, there is no need to belittle oneself. I am right to say that I am right. Why do you say that? Because my dear, you will really create a new world for me!"
"This... I am sorry for my stupidity, but I hope Your Highness can give me some advice!"
"I have sent Western magicians to the Spanish mainland before, hoping to establish friendship with the Spanish Empire. However, the Governor of the Philippines seems not to be happy to see this happen, and still goes his own way. At the end of last year, more than 20,000 Ming people on the island were massacred. This is after the thirty-first year of Wanli (1603), the butcher knife was once again wielded against me, the Ming Dynasty Zimin. This palace has always respected the creed that if others do not attack me, I will not attack others, and if others attack me, I will fight back. This time the Governor of the Philippines Such barbarism and cruelty will lead to the revenge of our Ming Dynasty. Aiqing does not need to lead an expedition to the Philippines. He only needs to destroy the Spanish stronghold in the north of the island just like the Dutch stronghold on Dongfan. After capturing its officers and soldiers, One person is exchanged for a hundred Filipino natives, or one thousand taels of silver. If the Governor of the Philippines refuses, Aiqing can send these captives to me, and I will settle the settlement for Aiqing at the price of one thousand taels of silver per person."
You're not done yet!
The southern part of the island belongs to the Dutch, the northern part belongs to the Spanish, and the central part belongs to the natives.
After pulling out the nails of the East India Company, only one-third of the entire plan was completed.
The remaining two-thirds are still your business!
"Is there such a thing?"
Zheng Zhilong was naturally extremely shocked when he heard this. After reading the letter he received from Yang Jinchao, he was also moved by it.
This letter was written by a Chinese businessman. The contents of the letter are all about how the red barbarians on the island massacred the Ming merchants.
Zheng Zhilong had been busy besieging the Castle of Relanze and was worried that the Hongyi support fleet would come to relieve the siege, so he ignored other news.
Just after defeating the Dutch Red Barbarians, we have to fight the Spanish Red Barbarians again. This continuous battle is a bit...
The subordinates all plan to celebrate the New Year and repair themselves first.
"My dear, there is no need to worry. My sending my beloved to fight is certainly justified to the outside world. My dear, I have won a great victory this time. Of course, I will fulfill my promise. Here is the map of the gold mine. You can send people there when you return." Dig. I will support Aiqing in a batch of the anti-ship missiles that Aiqing had hoped for. The number is no less than 500, all of which are the latest models with greater power. The airships and new bronze cannons that Aiqing wants to purchase , I also agree to sell it. In addition, I will give Aiqing another batch of special spiritual medicine, how about it?"
If you want a dog-legged person to work for you, you have to be willing to sprinkle dog food.
Especially for large Tibetan Mastiff-level dogs like Zheng Zhilong, the dog food must be enough to make the dog obedient.
"It is the duty of an minister to share His Highness's worries, serve the Ming Dynasty, and avenge the dead compatriots. The Spanish Red Barbarians have done too much for the Ming Dynasty. If I do not avenge this hatred, I swear that I will not be a human being!"
After Zheng Zhilong heard this, after a little calculation in his mind, he knew that this deal was indeed a good deal. He immediately stood up and saluted with clasped fists, which was regarded as an agreement to take on the job.
Anyway, they are already at odds with the Dutch Red Barbarians, so the Spanish Red Barbarians are not far behind.
If you fight one enemy, you fight two enemies.
If there was a Spanish stronghold in Dongfan, Zheng Zhilong was also worried that the Spanish fleet would attack his merchant fleet heading to Japan.
After a batch of plywood boats built by him in his hometown in Fujian are launched, and then installed with new copper cannons with ultra-high firing rates and powerful anti-ship missiles, how can he be afraid of the Spanish Red Fleet?
"My dear, there is no need to worry about this matter. We only need to solve it after the spring begins. The East is the world of my Ming Dynasty, and I, the Ming Dynasty, have the final say. Hongyi will not be allowed to come here and act wild!"
Soon, I will give you some color to see, and the color is the blood in your body!
