Last year, Zheng Zhiwan transported supplies to many vassal states in the north and earned a price difference of millions of taels.
Zheng Zhilong immediately realized that this route was also a brand-new channel for making money. If it was managed well, it would not be a problem to earn two to three million taels of silver every year.
So another hundred large merchant ships were built, specifically responsible for traveling between the Northland and the mainland.
At the beginning of spring, Zheng Zhiwan led a fleet of more than 800 ships. Adding in the small fishing boats given to many vassal states, it reached thousands of ships.
The fleet carried tea, silk cloth, and porcelain purchased from the south of the Yangtze River, and oil lamps, magazines, mirrors, muskets, artillery and other supplies shipped from the capital.
There is also sea salt shipped directly from the coast of Shandong. In short, except for the prescribed number of feudal lords, every ship is fully loaded and fully loaded.
If you don't slip away and head north, you can anchor on the shore when encountering strong winds and waves. In the deep sea, it is easy to be caught by strong waves, including people and goods, and all of them are sent to feed the fish.
The first trip in spring transported about 40,000 people to many vassal states, with 50 people per ship. The 800 ships were enough to complete the transportation, and they could also carry many supplies that the vassal states continued.
Many ships carry a large number of women of school age, but Zheng Zhiwan has already ordered that sailors on each ship are not allowed to disturb women without his permission. Anyone who violates the order will be severely punished.
In fact, the pirates (captains) of each ship are not willing to let women on board, because women are unlucky on ships and are prone to shipwrecks.
Although it is just a legend, sailors are willing to believe it.
Furthermore, before going to sea, everyone must offer incense and pray to Mazu, who is also a woman...
The specific content of Zheng Zhiwan's so-called "severe punishment without slack" is also very simple, that is, if the verification is correct, the person who committed the crime will have to stay in a certain vassal country in the north forever!
To his subordinates, this was as cruel as a bolt from the blue.
Because the Zheng Group is basically composed of Fujian people, no one wants to stay in the cold and windy Northland to spend the rest of their lives unless they have to.
Most of the people in the vassal country came from the northern part of the country, that is, they were all northerners. There was no language barrier for a Fujianese, but the climate and customs were not adapted to it, so living in such a place would feel very awkward.
Except for a few idiots, everyone in the fleet basically abides by the disciplines established by Zheng Zhiwan. Those who really violate the rules, or even murderers, can be left there directly after they dock, or they can be Executed.
Before returning last year, each feudal king would submit a list of the required population and supplies to Zheng Zhiwan.
As long as the quantity is not too large, Zheng Zhiwan can basically meet their demands.
For example, King Chong Zhu Youfan, whose fiefdom was in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula, asked for a population of 2,000 for his own consideration.
Half of it was given to Zhu Youza, Prince of Huai'an County, and Zhu Youcai, Prince of Heyang County, who had already separated from them.
The Kamchatka Peninsula can be regarded as comparable to the Magadan region. Among the many vassal states in the North, the environment is the worst.
Chong Wang Zhu Youfan did not dare to ask for more people, for fear that due to lack of food, he would not be able to feed Zimin, and a large number of people would starve to death again.
Everything must be done step by step, and more than half a year must pass to see if the local resources are sufficient to support a given number of people before submitting an application.
This is a reference material that a certain prince sent to each vassal king in advance. The vassal queens should not be impulsive and blind. Only after on-site investigation and calculation can they get detailed and reliable conclusions.
But it is obvious that after previous exploration, Chong Wang Zhu Youzhen has now basically grasped the general situation in his fiefdom.
As long as there are enough fishing boats, there is absolutely no problem in feeding tens of thousands of people, roughly within 50,000.
Last year, 30 fishing boats were built intensively, and this year it is planned to build at least 200 boats.
There is no other reason. The fishery resources in the waters around Chongguo are so abundant that fishermen rarely return empty-handed.
The fishing boats must be large enough, the small ones must be at least three feet tall, and the large ones must be similar to bird boats, so that they can withstand wind and waves.
There were very few craftsmen in the vassal state, so the speed of shipbuilding was naturally not as fast as that of the mainland. It was normal for a ship to take a year or more to build.
However, every vassal king will not give up the opportunity to harvest crops in the sea. When the crops on land cannot be harvested, this is the ration to feed his subjects.
Before coming to the Northland, most people wouldn't believe it if there were crabs as big as wooden basins in the world. But after arriving in the Northland and seeing such big guys, you can believe it even if you don't believe it.
A strong man can be full after eating a crab. Perhaps it can only happen in the North. Except that there is no wine to accompany the meal, everything feels good.
In the North, wine is considered an ingredient more valuable than salt, and it is controlled by the feudal kings and county kings. Ordinary people will not be able to drink it if they have not made any achievements.
Making wine requires a lot of grain, and the food on the shore has to be used to fill the stomach. The "food" in the sea cannot be used to make wine.
All wine had to be transported from the mainland, so it was very expensive. Many vassals could only find ways to make wine after the first batch of wheat was harvested after the autumn harvest.
How are these 40,000 people distributed?
The king of Zhou alone asked for 20,000 people!
Zhou Guo was "entertaining himself", didn't he need people for the war?
No one is still fighting?
The more people there are, the more lively the battle will be!
King Zhu Gongzhen of Zhou only wanted 5,000 people, and the remaining 15,000 were divided among the 37 princes.
Each county king can be assigned almost 405 people, which can at least add more than a hundred young and strong recruits, which is quite impressive!
Zhu Gongzhen was extremely disgusted with "self-entertainment", but since he was unable to stop it and the princes enjoyed it, he would just give in to it.
Engaging in this kind of business can also make a difference in population. One person earns two taels of silver, and fifteen thousand people are worth thirty thousand taels. Why not do it?
Thirty thousand taels may not seem like much, but it can buy an entire boatload or even two boatloads of supplies!
The county princes had not had their property confiscated by the factory guards at the beginning, so they were willing to spend the money from their own pockets in order to obtain the population.
No matter how bad the relationship between them is, they will always be more respectful to Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhuo, and will even give tiger skins, bear paws and other gifts during festivals.
Using the method of "self-entertainment" to weaken those counties that obeyed the title but did not obey the orders was an unexpected surprise for Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen.
The Kingdom of Zhou is vast and rich in resources, and there is plenty of land. One hundred acres per person is not enough, so two hundred acres per person, or three hundred acres if not!
As a poor common man, it is unimaginable in the local area that he can own a farm or a forest farm.
But it is completely possible in Zhou State. You can guarantee to hand over a certain amount of grain or meat after the autumn harvest.
Then you can submit an application, even if you own 500 acres or even 1,000 acres of land!
Without livestock, and the climate was not very good, opening up farmland was a very tiring task.
Ordinary people would be happy if they were given a hundred acres of land. If it were more, they would be unable to manage it.
If you have the energy and time, you might as well go further afield to hunt a deer, or go fishing in the river, it would be easier to harvest.
In many vassal states, women, the elderly, and even children were responsible for cultivating the land.
Most young adults go hunting or fishing. A young adult can get twenty or thirty kilograms of venison or fish, enough to feed a family for two days.
The food harvested in the autumn must be stored for the winter. It is very common to have temperatures of minus 20 or 30 degrees below zero in the winter outdoors in the North. Hunting is not easy, so you have to rely on food to survive the long cold winter.
According to calculations, the yield per mu of the Northland is only half a stone at most, which is equivalent to ninety catties. This is still unhulled wheat. After shelling, forty catties are left, which is not bad.
This is inseparable from farmers' extensive farming. Fortunately, some artificial fertilizers can be applied, which can add some nutrients to the land, otherwise the harvest will be even lower.
But the cultivated area is huge, each family has hundreds of acres, and each family has a net harvest of at least three thousand kilograms.
If you plan carefully, you can eat it for a year if you combine it with fish, which is enough to last until the next autumn harvest.
The vassal kings and county princes will not collect taxes from farmers for the time being. It would be good if these Zimin don't cause any trouble to themselves.
If one acre of land can produce a harvest of almost half a stone, it is really thanks to God’s blessing!
All kinds of uncles have their own land, so it is no problem to feed themselves, and they also store a lot of food sent by Zheng Zhiwan.
As long as the Zimin people don't open their mouths to beg for food, and they have the final say in their own fiefdoms, every vassal prince and prince will have a very happy life.
I drink wine every day, eat seafood, and play mahjong with the beautiful concubines in my wooden house. I am so happy...
As soon as Zheng Zhiwan's fleet docked, the nobles' entertainment mainly consisted of reading a bunch of newspapers and periodicals. Everyone was more interested in getting local news as soon as possible.
After a bumper harvest of food, the vassal kings became more confident.
Although the yield per mu is far less than that of the mainland, not to mention the paddy fields in the south of the Yangtze River, even the dry fields in the north cannot be compared.
However, the territory of the vassal states is vast, and the area of each vassal state, no matter how small it is, is not much different from a small part of the mainland.
But the population is much smaller, tens of thousands or even thousands of people within hundreds or thousands of miles.
The population has decreased, but the land has increased sharply, and the pressure to supply food rations has been greatly reduced.
Although it lags far behind the mainland, there are only a few handicraft workshops, let alone large-scale factories.
At the beginning of the vassal period, it is still necessary to be down-to-earth, first have a foothold, and then slowly plan for it.
If it doesn't work in three years, then five years; if it doesn't work in five years, then ten years.
In the first year, some cabins were built.
The next year, the number of cabins was greatly increased.
In the third year, part of the cabin was converted into a large cabin.
Later, we will consider building some brick houses, and if possible, build a simple city wall.
In short, with orderly development, the vassal state will undergo earth-shaking changes in ten years.
The prince asked Zheng Zhiwan to transport people and materials to the north throughout the year, which shows that the imperial court will continue to support the construction of many vassal states in the future.
In one year, the amount is more than 100,000, in 10 years, it reaches millions, and in 100 years, it is tens of millions!
Even if tens of millions of people were moved northward, due to its vast territory, they would still be able to support these people.
Even if the total number is as high as 30 to 40 million, it is not a problem, because the interior has not been explored at all.
The total area of the Northland is equivalent to twice the size of the Ming Dynasty, and it is not too small. It is not difficult to feed tens of millions of people.
In the future, with a large enough population, the vassal state would also become the overlord.
If you really dislike the harsh weather, you can go to the East, thousands of miles away.
That place is farther south than the north, and it can be considered a place with a pleasant climate.
Nowadays, many vassal kings in the North are satisfied with their current life without worries about food and clothing, and no one considers going to settle thousands of miles away.
Many feudal kings who stayed in the capital and were waiting to go to the "Southland" did not dare to easily try Hawaii, the real paradise of kings.
For one reason, it was thousands of miles away from the mainland and the supply fleet could only go there once a year.
The fleet can go to Northland three times a year, and the frequency is not high anymore.
If you only go to the fiefdom once a year, it will be really exciting...
However, as long as Luzon and the Sunda Islands were still in the hands of the Spaniards and the Dutch respectively, the vassal kings in the southern part of the Fandom had to wait in the capital.
The Dutch East India Company lost East China to the south and suffered an unprecedented defeat. The support fleet from Batavia was beaten to the ground by the Zheng fleet.
Because the support fleet commander Putmans reported to the company that the enemy used a very special weapon that could fly across the sea and hit one's own warships, thereby burning the entire warship.
The East India Company had to pay attention and tried to obtain this kind of naval warfare weapon through various channels. Whether it was a physical object or a drawing, as long as it was sent over, it could get a high bounty.
However, the East India Company's wish has never been realized. It could only send a negotiation team headed by Putmans, who had a relationship with Zheng Zhilong, to Xiamen in June of the 13th year of Chongzhen to start a new round of peace talks.
Putmans informed Zheng Zhilong of the company's request, either to return the southern part of Dongfan Island, the former company territory. Either the Ming Dynasty will open many ports, allow Dutch merchant ships to enter, and launch all-round trade cooperation.
Otherwise, the East India Company would sink all Ming merchant ships heading to Southeast Asia, including the ships under the Zheng family.
I didn't do this before because I was afraid of Zheng Zhilong's powerful naval weapon and to leave room for maneuver.
If Zheng Zhilong's fleet is really sunk, how can he negotiate with Zheng Zhilong afterwards?
Having angered the former pirate leader, the East India Company's fleet could not defeat him.
Before figuring out the weapons of naval warfare that Zheng Zhilong had kept, the East India Company wisely chose not to reveal anything.
For this negotiation, Zheng Zhilong directly brought Putmans to the capital.
The prince will have full authority to communicate with him and will also take care of Zheng's interests.
A certain prince was happy to cooperate with the Dutch. After all, this was a formal export trade.
Zheng Zhilong could continue to monopolize maritime trade with Japan, which was not inconsistent with the cooperation between the imperial court and the East India Company.
The East India Company's fleet was mainly responsible for transporting goods from the Ming Dynasty to Europe, earning a huge price difference.
This was also the original intention of a certain prince. The Ming Dynasty did not need the local products from the European continent, but it needed the mercenaries from the European continent.
Therefore, the East India Company's fleet would not be empty when it returned, and it could also make a lot of money.
But if the mercenaries are still alive, if they die, then the East India Company will pay the compensation themselves.
Ming Dynasty will open several ports for foreign trade.
Guangdong is Guangzhou, Fujian is Xiamen, Zhejiang is Hangzhou, and Nanzhili is Nandu.
But Nandu Port needs to negotiate with Emperor Chongzhen again. This is mainly because a certain filial son wants a certain father to make money as well.
In the northern region, when the Bohai Sea freezes in winter, Dengzhou in Shandong is used as a trading port, and Tianjin is used as a trading port in summer.
After seeing the prosperity of the capital, Putmans and his party came to Qianqi Department Store.
Because they are so fond of the dazzling merchandise, everyone plans to spend the last silver coin they have.
As long as the purchased goods are shipped to Europe, you can earn at least three or four times the price difference.
In the meantime, a certain prince did not forget to carry out hunger marketing on these second-hand goods from Europe.
Because the orders for Beidi, Wa, Zheng, Grassland, and the South have been arranged, the Dutch want to pick up the goods as soon as possible, so they have to place the order immediately.
The advance payment must be paid, otherwise the so-called integrity will not be worth mentioning when the two parties cooperate for the first time.
As for the previous matters between Dongfan and Xiamen and Penghu, both parties have canceled them and started from scratch.
A certain prince planned to make money from the Dutch, and the Dutch planned to sell it to Europe to make money. This was a mutually beneficial move!
