It is impossible to start from scratch. It always requires human, material and financial support.
Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly after listening to Zhu Di's words.
They want two thousand craftsmen, eight thousand soldiers, two hundred thousand grains of grain, and forty ships.
To be honest, what Zhu Di asked for was not excessive, and it was not a big ask.
There should be two thousand craftsmen. Once we arrive in America, all kinds of construction will probably not stop for ten or twenty years.
Eight thousand sergeants can guarantee safety. The security here is regional security. Although there should be no Indians who will cause trouble for Zhu Di's army, it is possible for a python to escape and a beast to escape. The larger the territory, the more necessary it is. There are people stationed scattered.
Food is not a problem, ships can be provided, steam engines and wooden ships are enough. You don’t need iron ships. It is a waste to give them. They will break down if left there for a few years. It is better to use them for transportation in Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunwen gave Zhu Di the greatest support: "I have agreed to two thousand craftsmen and eight thousand soldiers, and their families can also be brought with them. But the court will not select these people, and the fourth uncle will choose them."
Zhu Di was obviously stunned for a moment, wondering what Zhu Yunzhen meant.
The imperial court doesn't choose the faction, so let yourself choose?
What does he mean? Is he saying that he has high prestige in the army and has left a backup force in the army, so that he can take everyone out at once?
But I didn’t place any manpower in the army.
Zhu Yunwen did not let Zhu Di think about it, and directly stated: "This time when we go to America to open up new territories, we always need some capable people. If I choose military generals and soldiers, my fourth uncle will have some difficulty in using them. At present, the imperial court is promoting disarmament, and my fourth uncle wants to Who to bring and which sergeants to bring, only one thing is needed
In a word, I will release anyone, even if it is one of the three guards back then. "
Zhu Di did not expect that Zhu Yunwen was so sincere and offered such conditions. Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was not joking, he stood up and thanked him: "In this case, I have nothing to ask for. The rest is left to the emperor's arrangement."
Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly: "Whether it is a craftsman or a soldier, it will take a lot of financial resources to convince them to follow you to such a distant place. I promised you back then that part of the profits from the Silk Road will be transferred to the Yan Palace. Once you leave, , the profits there are not good enough to give to you. So I decided that the royal family will buy out this part of the profits with six million coins at a time, and you can use the money to prepare the manpower for the voyage."
Zhu Di had no objection. Although the Silk Road had indeed improved a lot over the years, the money in the account was not much after all. If the royal family was willing to buy it out, then buy it out.
Neither Zhu Gaochi nor Zhu Zhanji were surprised by the financial resources of the royal family. Six million yuan of money really put no pressure on the royal family.
Over the years, the royal family's properties have blossomed everywhere. Although they are inconspicuous and integrated into the folk, they have made a lot of profits.
For example, from the minerals controlled by each vassal king, 20 to 30% of the proceeds are sent directly to the palace. This amount of money alone is enough to fill the royal treasury, not to mention that the royal family also takes part of the bank's proceeds and controls In Zhonghua Bookstores located in various prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty, the woolen fabric business is also growing, and the new stoves have also brought huge profits...
No one knows exactly how much money the royal family has, but Zhu Gaochi knows that the Ministry of Revenue has stopped allocating money to the harem for a long time, and the royal family will spend hundreds of thousands of money every year on education.
, a lot of the money went into the Imperial College.
This is not to mention the Second Artillery Bureau, which is the most opaque in terms of property. I don’t know what to do there. They are very hungry for money. The good-tempered Xia Yuanji was frightened. When he heard that someone from the Second Artillery Bureau was coming, he directly said that he was not there. , hiding and not paying.
Later, fewer people came to the Second Artillery Bureau, not because they didn’t want the money, but because someone gave them money. Obviously, only the royal family can afford it, and only the royal family can give money. Other feudal lords did not dare to give, and the Second Artillery Bureau itself could not solicit businessmen to give money.
Zhu Gaochi speculated that after ten years of accumulation and management, the royal family's wealth would never be less than 10 million guan. Only with this financial resources could they easily come up with 6 million guan.
You have to choose sergeants and craftsmen. If you don't give people money, not many people are willing to take risks and go to the wilderness.
The name of King Yan may not be more useful than real money and silver.
Zhu Yunwen drank the wine in the glass and said to Zhu Di: "Once the voyage sergeants and craftsmen are selected, training should be arranged immediately. On the vast sea, the journey is long, and it is always necessary to adapt early in order to deal with the risks. I have made a decree to adjust the Wang Jinghong is your captain."
Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi and others were very satisfied.
Wang Jinghong came from Prince Yan's Mansion, and experienced his first great voyage to America. He rose from unknown status to become a captain. He has rich experience, and with him, safety is guaranteed.
Zhu Yunwen thought for a while and said, "You don't need to worry about the materials needed for the voyage. Zheng He will prepare them. I promise you here, and Zhu Zhanji, you can be responsible for everything in America, as long as you are loyal to the Ming Dynasty, there The fiefdom will always belong to the fourth uncle's lineage."
Zhu Di knew this
Loyalty here just means not being rebellious, not hostile, and not offensive.
When going to America to reclaim wasteland, Zhu Di needed to rely on the imperial court's material supplies and needed to conduct ocean-going trade, so it was naturally impossible for him to be hostile to the Ming Dynasty. What's more, if the Ming Dynasty Navy can send so many people over, it can naturally send more sergeants over.
Zhu Di knew the power of firearms, and he also knew that the Second Artillery Bureau was developing more advanced firearms, which Zhu Di could not obtain.
Obviously, the Americas will lag behind the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty frequently issues orders and does not conquer. The Americas are under their own control and it is impossible to attack the Ming Dynasty in turn.
I don’t have the strength, nor the need. Besides, those who follow him are all from Ming Dynasty, so who would start a war with Ming Dynasty?
Zhu Wenkui stood up and said to Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Zhanji: "I will keep my father's promise. America is your feudal state, and it is hereditary. I only hope that you will not do anything to harm the people of Ming Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Everything there , you can have the final say."
Zhu Di was completely relieved.
With the guarantees of Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Wenkui, the imperial court would not be able to touch America for at least fifty years. Fifty years later, it will depend on the wisdom of Zhu Zhanji and his descendants.
Zhu Di was very drunk, and Zhu Gaochi used his connections in the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Imperial College to win over some capable assistants to go to America. Xu Huizu got the emperor's order and began to release important people from the Yan Palace.
After Zheng He heard that Zhu Di was determined to go to America, he came to visit him in person. The two discussed for a long time. After Zheng He left, he announced that he would expand the size of the voyage fleet again, and reported the news to Nanyang and other places through the Navy Governor's Mansion to do a good job. Supplies along the way
Prepare.
This was an unprecedented, ultra-large-scale voyage. The size of Zhu Di's fleet alone exceeded the scale of the first voyage to America.
It is understandable that Zhu Laosi was moving after all, so it was normal to bring in more people and goods. Zheng He and others were passing by, and a group of men ran over and had to run back...
(Remember to bookmark it for next time reading!)
