Regarding the matter of naming Zheng Chenggong as king, a certain new emperor had carefully considered it, and he didn't just hit his head and have a lightbulb.
Whether in the past life or in this life, Zheng has contributed a lot to the Ming Dynasty, especially since this time and space has almost become an ATM.
It was just a matter of providing money, and they also had to use a fleet for transportation, and they also had to provide their own soldiers and horses to open up territory for the Ming Dynasty.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he has made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty, far ahead of other families...
It is not that the new emperor has not considered naming Zheng Zhilong king, but given that he surrendered in braids in his previous life, it would not work. At least it would look awkward to him.
Zheng Zhilong would be worthy of his efforts if he got the title of duke. It would be impossible to go further unless his son Zheng Chenggong.
Use Zheng Zhilong to build a base, and Zheng Chenggong can gain more military exploits, and there will not be much obstacle to becoming a duke or even a king.
As long as a certain new emperor reigns for one day, Zheng Chenggong will definitely become the first king with a different surname in the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply afraid that this move will violate the ancestral system..."
Zheng Zhilong thought for a moment and could only use this to excuse himself.
After all, being crowned king is no joke, it will stir up a thousand waves with one stone.
"I have already asked Grandpa Taizu for instructions, so I don't need to worry about this, Aiqing."
Whether it violates the ancestral system is not a matter of a new emperor's words?
As for his father's side, it is also very easy to operate.
It's just a matter of giving more gifts, and there won't be any big problems in the future.
A certain new emperor had already thought out all the relevant procedures for Zheng.
"This... Your Majesty... the matter of making the king... is indeed..."
Zheng Zhilong still wanted to evade, but realized that the emperor seemed to be extremely determined this time.
He became the first king with a different surname in the Ming Dynasty. It seemed that he was not rich enough to enjoy it. It would be better if there was a precedent.
Zheng Zhilong asked himself, his family responded to the emperor's requests, and it was not an exaggeration to make him a duke, but it was a bit overstepping to make him a king.
"My dear, there is no need to worry too much. I am afraid that it will take nearly ten years to successfully crown the king. It will not happen overnight. As long as I live well, I will see the day when I successfully crown the king. But I will also tell you in advance. , after the vassal king moves to the vassal, naturally the king with a different surname cannot stay in the homeland!"
A certain new emperor first inoculated Zheng Zhilong, and then he suddenly mentioned what happened next, which was a little hard for him to accept.
"Your Majesty, I would rather not let Sen'er become king than serve Your Majesty at home!"
Zheng Zhilong knew this rule, but he never thought about it happening to him.
How can it be more comfortable to stay in your hometown after leaving your hometown?
Although he is not a feudal king, Zheng Zhilong feels that he is the actual "Fujian King" in this three-acre land in Fujian!
"Not only your family, I am also starting to build Australia. However, this matter is confidential. I am only talking about it with Aiqing at the moment."
A certain new emperor has sent people to start infrastructure construction on the east coast and south of Australia, and has begun digging the giant iron mine in Western Australia.
But everyone in the court thought that the emperor was just exploiting local resources and moving mint to the area. They did not expect that there was another mystery.
"Your Majesty, could it be that this is a local..."
Zheng Zhilong didn't dare to say something like "there have been changes in the local area," but that's what it meant.
"Just know it, there's no need to say it."
Regarding this, a certain new emperor did not deny it.
"……yes!"
Zheng Zhilong did not dare to say any more and could only obey his orders respectfully.
"I plan to move all valuable local people and objects to the Australian mainland within two hundred years, and at the same time educate the East Indies. Now that the scale of local mining is getting bigger and bigger, I am afraid that within two to three hundred years, Many resources will be exhausted. Rather than fixing the problem by then, it is better to prepare for a rainy day. Australia's iron ore resources far exceed those of the mainland, and the continent has not yet been developed, so the potential is greater than that of the mainland."
A certain new emperor has moved to Australia, so he can take advantage of the advantages of the two oceans and play whatever he wants.
"I would like to take the first step for Your Majesty..."
Zheng Zhilong also roughly understood it and immediately recommended himself.
"There is no need for Aiqing's assistance to develop Australia. Aiqing and the Zheng family have other important responsibilities!"
Australia is such a big place, why should you help me develop it?
"Please give me your Majesty's orders. I will not dare to disobey you!"
Zheng Zhilong couldn't guess that the emperor wanted his family to do anything, but he could only express his position first.
"This is the place!"
A certain new emperor pointed to the circled southern Africa. This was the task assigned to Zheng Zhilong.
"this……"
Zheng Zhilong didn't know what the emperor's intention was in letting him or even his family go here, and he didn't know how to respond for a while.
"This place was occupied by the Dutch first. I will find a way to get them to give up this place. If negotiations fail, military action can be taken to solve the problem. From now on, this place will be where Aiqing and his family will establish vassal status. There will be no strong enemies to the north. , Aiqing’s family can develop here with peace of mind.”
"yes!"
"There are many circles on the map, such as southern India, Xianbelia, western North America, western South America, etc. These are important strategic nodes. I have already thought about what will happen a hundred years from now, so I will make arrangements in advance to avoid being in a hurry. "
Zheng has a huge fleet, so it is perfect for him to live in South Africa.
Unless the Dutch or other powers send troops to encircle the territory to the north, Zheng's fleet does not need to fear any enemies in just naval battles.
"I will make a statement to my father and ask Aiqing to take the people from a corner of Fujian to move to southern Africa. After a hundred years, with no fewer than tens of millions of Ming people and the support of science and technology and military power, we will be able to completely control this area. .”
"yes!"
Now Zheng Zhilong has to agree to whatever the emperor says. Since it is a certainty that the eldest son will be crowned king, and he has a fief, he can only accept the decree and thank him.
"Aiqing, you don't have to worry about millions of people moving. I won't pay a tael of silver, and the court won't pay for the related expenses. Everything will be paid for by Aiqing."
"yes……"
While saying that there was no need to worry and not paying, Zheng Zhilong felt that either he had misunderstood, or the emperor had said something wrong. It seemed inconsistent!
"Why do I say that? The reason is very simple. The place where I want my beloved to stay is a huge gold mine, which the Dutch have not discovered yet."
"Hiss...that's it, thank you Your Majesty!"
"How huge is a giant gold mine? Let's put it this way, the entire local gold mines combined are not as good as that one!"
"Ah? This..."
"There is no need to be surprised. It is indeed true. The total reserves of all gold mines in South Africa are no less than 50,000 tons, which is more than one billion taels, which is equivalent to more than 10 billion taels of silver!"
Others don't know it, but a certain new emperor knows very well that Johannesburg is a city built on gold mines.
At that time, the British and the Boers, descendants of the Dutch, fought a local war, which was also known as the Boer War.
On the surface it is for the land, but in fact it is for the precious metals buried under the land!
The war cost up to £100 million!
Judging from the perspective of future generations, it is naturally not much.
But at that time, one hundred "Queen Elizabeth" class battleships could be built with this money!
If we really do this, even in World War II, the British Empire will not be able to lose control of the sea and block the German navy in its own port!
But the money was burned in South Africa, and the effect was greatly reduced.
The Boer War was like overdrafting the wallet of the British Empire in advance, and it did not recover until the end of World War I.
The beneficiaries were naturally those who encouraged the war, and South Africa's gold naturally ended up in the pockets of those people.
The British Empire is on the verge of bankruptcy, but some people are extremely rich. Who is to blame? ? ?
The Boer War occurred at the turn of the century, when the GDP of the United States surpassed that of the United Kingdom.
It would have been better not to fight. Once the war started, the British economy was directly left behind by the United States due to financial pressure.
What's more, the Boers are destined to get no compensation, just like Japan and Tsarist Russia.
Even if you win, you won’t get any cash. There is a fundamental difference between this Japanese sex game and making a lot of money in the end.
How embarrassing would it be for a robber to block the road but not get any money?
"Your Majesty, this..."
Zheng Zhilong didn't know whether the 500 million taels of gold were real or fake, but many mines in the grassland were already being developed, and Nanyang Jinshan was also being mined. It didn't seem unreasonable to see a giant gold mine appear in southern Africa.
But it is an established rule that you cannot eat alone. Even if it becomes your own fiefdom, you will still be given gold mine shares like an emperor.
It should be noted that the emperor is younger than his eldest son. The fact that Zheng has such a title that makes others envious today is due to the emperor.
"There is no need to think too much. Moving millions of dollars to South Africa, thousands of miles away, will definitely cost a lot. Neither the court nor I can come up with the money. I can only advance the money first, and wait for the gold mine to be mined. Get back your money slowly.”
A certain new emperor wants to turn South Africa into the second largest country in Fujian without spending a tael of silver.
Previously, the Nanyang region had almost become the second largest region in Guangdong and Guangxi, and many local poor people planned to move there.
Especially in Guangxi, due to the karst landform, the cultivated land area is very small, so settling in Nanyang has become the first choice for the poor.
As long as they move there, a family of three will get no less than sixty acres of land, and it will all be high-quality farmland with at least two crops a year.
The situation in South Africa is similar, but since there are no strong enemies, it can expand almost unlimitedly to the north.
One person and one hundred acres?
As long as Zheng Zhilong is willing, he can do this!
Later, Namibia was a country composed entirely of white farmers.
What a joy it is to be able to clear away the wild beasts on your own land and beat them for sacrifice before plowing!
"Your Majesty, I have an unkind request!"
"But it doesn't matter!"
"I only want to take half of the shares of all the mineral deposits in that..."
"Give the remaining half to me?"
"If Your Majesty does not agree, I will..."
Zheng Zhilong couldn't continue talking, he just couldn't get up from his knees.
"Okay, but I still have a way to let Aiqing get the gold I just mentioned!"
"..."
"Coupled with the copper mines that can be mined in the open pit, the total value of the many metals is enough for Aiqing's family to have enough food and clothing there."
You cannot refuse what I reward you, this is also the rule!
"...Yes! I obey!"
so close!
Zheng Zhilong is now not sure whether the emperor dug it for him intentionally just now. If he got caught, it would be terrible. Fortunately, he avoided it.
If my family could securely pocket five taels of gold and move five million fellow Fujian residents, the related costs would be worth mentioning.
"South Africa is a golden mountain. I don't want it to be occupied by outsiders. Aiqing's family has contributed a lot to the Ming Dynasty. With such good things, I will naturally give priority to Aiqing. But it must be kept secret. Before the gold mine is mined, no one can Anyone who reveals it will avoid worrying the allies of Ming Dynasty!"
"I obey!"
If they knew about the 500 million taels of gold, the Dutch would probably have to drag the French with them and fight to the death with the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty's armies are now scattered in the Western Regions, Southeast Asia, Xianbelia, America and other places, and the navy has not yet been formed, so it is not suitable to participate in the decisive battle for the time being.
At least until the 10,000-ton "Bismarck" is launched in batches, it has gained absolute maritime superiority, and the army has completed the refit, then will it consider "smashing" some of its major competitors.
"I will inform the Dutch ambassador after the year to see what the Dutch offer for South Africa. As long as the price is right, I can buy South Africa for you, and then I will inform you that you can start moving to South Africa. On the contrary, Once the Dutch are unwilling to bear the pain, after the war in Europe is over, both my fleet and your fleet must be ready to go to war with the Netherlands!"
It must be said that although the Dutch occupy a small area, they are good places.
If clever tricks don't work, a certain new emperor plans to send troops to plunder it!
"I am determined to obey His Majesty's decree!"
Zheng Zhilong understood that the emperor was determined to win this time, and he was fighting for his own fiefdom, so he had to go all out.
"But I feel that the Ming Dynasty is now at its peak, especially the naval fleet is even stronger than the fleets of the Netherlands and France combined. While the French remain neutral, the Dutch may not dare to go to war with the Ming Dynasty on their own. I just want to write It’s just technology or weapons, just a few armored ships.”
Didn’t the Dutch always want Yoshino?
This time I can use this thing to catch Dutchmen and see if they are willing to take the bait!
In at most three years, the first batch of eight Dingyuan ships will be launched.
A certain new emperor has a larger tonnage, stronger firepower, and thicker armored armored ship in his hands, so there is no need to hold on to Yoshino.
Ruit is an expert. When he sees the four-thousand-ton Yoshino, he has no intention of purchasing more than three-thousand-ton Laiyuan.
However, Yoshino was not for sale before, and a certain new emperor wanted to use this thing to check and balance his allies who had obtained the Zhiyuan construction technology.
If a few Yoshinos can be exchanged for the entire South Africa, a certain new emperor would not mind selling Yoshinos to the Netherlands.
However, only selling finished products without transferring technology will not allow the Netherlands to quickly obtain the technology to build large ironclad ships.
Before the gold mine was publicized, South Africa's book value was worth at most six to eight Yoshinos.
For safety reasons, it must be delivered to the Netherlands in ten years, so as not to threaten the dominance of the Ming fleet as soon as possible.
If the Dutch don't accept this condition, then they can just start fighting.
The cost of the South African War was high, and a certain new emperor believed that it would not exceed the cost of six Yoshinos.
The Dutch in South Africa mainly fought naval battles, and the Dutch land battles were not as good as France.
With the Ming Dynasty fleet having an absolute advantage, it would only take a matter of hours to clean up the Dutch fleet.
If William II and Tromp were not stupid, they would probably agree to the proposal of a certain new emperor.
It is nothing more than adding a few requirements. In order to gain South Africa without any blood, a certain new emperor will accept it.
