Although the materials transported by the Hengfeng were temporarily provided by Jinghaihou Mansion, the accounts still had to go to the Accounts Department.
The phrase "I will not accept the fate of the foreign king" can be used before touching the principle conditions.
For example, Chen Kan could leave the navy's warships to Zheng He, or he could change Ming's layout and planning in Nanyang as the situation in Nanyang changed.
But regarding military matters, even Chen Kan couldn't do whatever he wanted.
Theoretically speaking, the Ming Dynasty's armies were all private soldiers of the royal family.
It was taboo for Chen Kan, a marquis, to let his private fleet help the army transport food.
This taboo can also be explained by helplessness.
If he bypasses the imperial court again, he will really become the Marquis of Jinghai who wants to win over the navy soldiers.
Chen Kan didn't want to try the feeling of Yue Wumu winning twelve gold medals in a row, so he asked this question.
Lao Liu and Lao Lin looked at each other, and Lao Liu smiled and said: "Don't worry, head of the family, we are also old people in the family. We know what things can be lazy and what things should be serious. The food transported by the fleet this time all comes from Quanzhou Prefecture and Guangzhou The masters of both houses are old acquaintances of our family, so they won’t embarrass us on this matter."
"That's fine. I can rest assured that you will do the work."
Chen Kan gave the two the greatest affirmation.
Of course, the reason why Chen Kan stopped asking further was because he trusted the old people in the house.
On the other hand, he also felt that there was no need for Quanzhou and Guangzhou to embarrass him on such a trivial matter. In recent years, coastal port cities such as Guangzhou and Quanzhou had made a lot of money from sea trade.
The current situation between the two governments is partly due to Chen Kan's favor.
After the matter was revealed, Old Lin suddenly smiled and said: "Master Hou, there is one more thing that I need to inform you about in advance. Shopkeeper Yun will stay in Guangzhou to handle affairs until the end of the year."
Hearing this, Chen Kan couldn't help showing a hint of embarrassment on his face, and then he asked dryly: "Mother Yun came to Guangzhou?"
"Yes, it is indeed not easy for a woman like Shopkeeper Yun to manage so many things by herself. Sometimes she has to lead the fleet to sea personally. This time, the villain and Lao Liu were able to get it from the two government warehouses so smoothly. Food is also indispensable for Shopkeeper Yun to make connections."
Lao Lin sighed with emotion, then looked at Chen Kan, and said half jokingly and half seriously: "Master Hou, my time with you is not short. I sincerely hope that the Hou Mansion can prosper for generations to come. Let us The descendants of these old guys can also eat a few more mouthfuls of rich food. If you are passing through Guangzhou this time, if you have time, you might as well go and see Shopkeeper Yun."
Lao Lin was considered a retainer of the Hou Mansion, so what he said was absolutely from the bottom of his heart.
Now that the heirs of the Hou Mansion have withered away, many years have passed, and Chen Kan and Chang Ning have given birth to a single child like Princess Fengyang.
Regarding the issue of the heirs of the Hou Mansion, the most anxious thing is undoubtedly those who follow the Hou Mansion and eat at the hands of these old people, especially the retainers of the Hou Mansion.
Even if there is only one Du Miaomiao in the Hou Mansion, Du Miaomiao is still a woman.
This is the situation in this era. No matter how capable a woman is, in the eyes of outsiders, she will still be someone else's family in the future.
There is no male in the Hou Mansion, so these retainers always feel a little uneasy.
Especially since the head of the family is capable of leading troops on the battlefield. On the battlefield, no one can guarantee that every war will be a complete victory.
Therefore, advising the head of the family to spread more branches and leaves is the obligation that every responsible retainer must fulfill.
But having said that, to Chen Kan's ears, it always felt like that was not the case.
It seemed that everyone in the world was worrying about what happened to him in the room, which always made him feel ashamed.
However, Chen Kan knew that their starting point was good, and even his refutation was a bit lacking.
After a moment of silence, Chen Kan decided to refute.
"If I have time, I will go."
Chen Kan responded helplessly, and Chen Kan felt even more embarrassed.
Although Yun Niang was his concubine in name only, she was still taken into the backyard by his real wife.
But after knowing each other for so many years, we have never met each other a few times, and talking about relationships is even more impossible.
Of course, if that was all, Chen Kan could barely accept it. The most critical issue was that Yun Niang's son was his student.
They have been master and apprentice for so many years, and it feels strange to suddenly become father and son.
Seeing Chen Kan agree, Old Liu and Old Lin couldn't hold back the smiles on their faces.
The two looked at each other again, stood up slowly, held their hands, and said with a smile: "Master, now that the supplies have been delivered, we will take our leave first. We also ask the master to send someone to hand over to us."
Chen Kan nodded and didn't hold back.
Although the fleet is now returning, the military and civilians are different, and they are not suitable to stay too much on the treasure ship.
Watching the two of them get off the boat ladder and get on the boat to leave, Chen Kan couldn't help but smile bitterly, and then called Song Qing and asked him to take people to receive the supplies.
Receiving supplies is very simple. You only need to send sailors to bring the ships carrying food over and integrate them into the fleet.
Anyway, these ships will eventually sail back to Nanjing. When they arrive in Nanjing, they will be handed over to the caravan under the command of the Hou Mansion.
With enough food, the atmosphere in the fleet finally became relaxed, and the long-lost smiles finally appeared on the faces of the soldiers. As for the Nanyang cannibalism incident, the soldiers quickly forgot about it.
As time passed, the fleet gradually sailed away from the coast of the Malay Peninsula and approached the Southeast Asian Peninsula.
Chen Kan also gradually forgot about the incident.
After all, this thing is not as attractive as going home, and anger is an emotion that can easily be diluted by time.
However, the anger of the Ming army is easily diluted by time.
But for those who have a deep hatred for Ming Dynasty, the hatred will only become deeper and deeper as time goes by.
Just when the Ming army was in revelry after seeing the coast of Annan, on a deserted island in Nanyang close to the Lion Kingdom, a man and a woman came together so cleverly due to their common hatred and the arrangement of fate. .
Why is it so clever for the two of them to get together? It's because they were enemies before.
The woman once led her warriors and the Ming army to attack the city, and the object of the attack was the man's country.
When the man took people to fish at sea for food rations, he fished a woman who had fallen into a coma in the sea. He originally wanted to wait for the woman to wake up and kill her quickly, but he never thought that the woman's situation would be even more difficult.
In Han Chinese terms, a woman has just experienced the tragedy of a cunning rabbit being killed and being cooked by a lackey.
The two have a common goal and a common hatred.
After some in-depth exchanges, the two reached a consensus and decided to work together to integrate the power of Nanyang in an attempt to confront that mysterious and powerful country.
The first step for the two to reach cooperation is to spread their wings.
...
...
Above the waters of Annan, the warships of the Ming Navy cruised.
After the Ming Dynasty conquered Annan, it did not give Annan a high degree of autonomy as in history. Instead, it implemented the strategy of reforming the land and returning it to the people in Annan, which had been very successful in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places.
Nowadays, although there are still rebellions in Annan by natives who care about their homeland, they are easily suppressed by the Ming army.
In addition, on the border of Yunnan, there was a 200,000-strong army of Xiping Hou Musheng stationed there, so there was no big trouble in Annan.
As long as the policy of reforming the land and returning it to local people can continue to be implemented in Annan, and Confucian academies are blooming all over Annan, it will probably not take a few years for Annan to be completely naturalized under the rule of the Ming Dynasty and become a province of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, this is the political situation on Annan land.
For the Ming army, Annan has long been the territory of the Ming Dynasty. As long as they reach Annan, they have arrived in the Ming Dynasty.
Chen Kan stood on the deck of the treasure ship and ordered the flag soldiers who sent the order to say hello to the Ming army stationed in Annan in flag language. After receiving a response, he continued to lead the fleet north.
The navy of the Ming Dynasty is now divided into three parts. The navy that guards the north and forms an angle with the Japanese, Liaodong, and Shandong belongs to the Shandong navy sequence.
The main sea area under control is from the Bohai Sea to the Whale Sea Strait. There are more than 400 warships and two treasure ships.
The so-called Whale Sea is the Sea of Japan in later generations.
Chen Kan's command belongs to the Jiangnan Navy, which is mainly responsible for the East China Sea and the northern border of the South China Sea. It controls a total of three treasure ships and the total number of warships exceeds 600. The Donghai Navy is also the only navy in the Ming Dynasty that has its own shipyard.
The Shandong Navy and the Jiangnan Navy are both naval divisions that belong to the battle order. They have no subordinates to each other and are on the same level. However, they belong to the same battle order, so they still have contact with each other.
Many times, the two navies will join forces to jointly patrol the sea areas.
The navy stationed in Lingnan is a garrison force among the navy. It does not have treasure ships, there are not many warships, and it has nothing to do with the two navies in the north.
In addition to patrolling the South China Sea, the Lingnan Navy is also responsible for local defense.
Chen Kan did not choose to stay in Annan mainly because of the different natures of the two naval forces.
It's OK to ask, but if you sail a warship into someone else's military port, it would be an act of provocation.
After all, in the military, factions are inevitable in every era, and the same is true for the Navy.
As the fleet continued to sail north, the temperature in the air gradually began to decrease.
Finally, one day after sailing north for several months, a green island came into view.
"Qiongzhou has arrived!"
Chen Kan looked at the big island in the distance with a telescope, and a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.
Qiongzhou was Hainan Island in later generations.
Before the Ming Dynasty conquered Annan, and before the Ming Dynasty included the maritime territory into the national territory, Qiongzhou was the southernmost point of the Ming Dynasty in the true sense.
Among all the Han dynasties before the Ming Dynasty, the Central Plains had always treated Qiongzhou as a vicious place for exiled prisoners.
But as the Ming Dynasty gradually opened up its maritime borders, Qiongzhou became a pearl of the Ming Dynasty in the South China Sea in just a few years.
The expressions on the faces of Chen Kan's personal guards and other soldiers on the ship were exactly the same as Chen Kan's.
Arriving in Qiongzhou means arriving at the real homeland of the Ming Dynasty.
Although Annan was also under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, it was still too far away from the Central Plains, and it was far less friendly than Qiongzhou, which made people feel extremely friendly at first glance.
“Qiongzhou is here~”
After Song Qing, the deputy general, shouted loudly, a group of Ming army soldiers suddenly roared.
Chen Kan took back the telescope and ordered Song Qing to get the map.
After determining the location of himself and others, he searched for it on the map for a long time.
Then, the name of a city was finally found in the sea sixty miles north of the fleet.
——Linan County.
Linnan County is just a small county under the rule of Qiongzhou. The county has less than 4,000 households and a population of no more than 20,000. In terms of city size, it is not as good as a slightly larger town in the hinterland of Jiangnan in the Ming Dynasty.
But even such a small county town has its own port, a large port that can accommodate hundreds of ships with thousands of materials.
A glimpse of the whole picture reveals the whole. The size of the port of such a small county town is enough to prove how prosperous the maritime trade of the Ming Dynasty is now.
Chen Kan tapped Linnan County twice with his fingers.
Looking back, feeling the enthusiasm of the soldiers, Chen Kan couldn't help grinning, and immediately ordered: "Inform me, general, to send an envoy to requisition the civilian port in Linnan County. The entire army will go to Qiongzhou Island to rest for a day, and then go to Guangzhou. Resupply the fleet.”
Hearing this, Song Qing was immediately overjoyed: "Yes!"
Song Qing was about to take the order and leave, but Chen Kan's voice came next: "You are not allowed to disturb the people. Violation of this will violate military law."
"The general will get the order at the end."
Song Qing slapped his chest loudly, and soon, all the ships knew the news that the general ordered to rest in Qiongzhou.
Ever since, the entire fleet was boiling.
No matter how good Nanyang is, it is not home; no matter how bad Qiongzhou is, it is Ming Dynasty's own land.
At this time, all the soldiers had the same thoughts.
It is not possible for the fleet to enter military ports, but it is still possible to requisition civilian ports.
The next day, when the small town built on the sea came into Chen Kan's sight, Chen Kan took a small boat directly to the shore.
As for dealing with local officials, Chen Kan handed over full power to his deputy general Song Qing without hesitation.
After all, he is going to be the governor of Fujian. Fujian is not far from Qiongzhou. There will be a lot of dealings with local governments in various provinces in the future. It is also good for him to let him train now.
Chen Kan and his guards found a beach, moved a deck chair and started sunbathing.
In his previous life, he was a community animal and didn't have time to take a look at the so-called end of the world. Since he was passing by Qiongzhou, he came here to play for a day, just to make up for the regrets of his previous life. Anyway, Zhu Di didn't stipulate when he had to go back.
The soldiers were stationed at the port, divided into hundreds of teams based on flags, and began to go to the island.
Although it is not war time, Ming army soldiers are still not allowed to act alone.
Ala dismissed his envoys and followed Chen Kan with only a few personal guards. He looked at the town not far from the port with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Is this the city of Ming Dynasty?"
Ala followed Chen Kan's example and moved a lounge chair down the hall, and then asked a very idiotic question.
"Master Marquis, can I go to the Ming Dynasty's city for a walk?"
Chen Kan rolled his eyes at him, took a big sip from the coconut, and responded calmly: "Yes, yes, but remember to pay for things."
As soon as these words came out, Ala seemed to have been greatly insulted.
"Master Marquis, does this little person look like the kind of person who wants to buy things without paying for them?"
"It doesn't look like that."
Chen Kan shook his head honestly, and Aradunsheng led the people away angrily. It seemed that Chen Kan's words really irritated him.
Watching Ala go away, Chen Kan withdrew his gaze.
He just reminded him kindly. After all, when he was in the capital, he often saw natives from all over the country making all kinds of jokes in the capital.
No matter what Allah said, he was the one who brought Daming back to Daming. He couldn't let him lose his face, right?
Zhang Dong held a fan made of palm leaves to fan Chen Kan. After watching Ala lead the envoy away, he couldn't help but ask aloud: "Master Hou, do you want me to ask someone to check on them?"
"No need!"
Chen Kan put down the coconut in his hand and shook his head lazily.
Ala, in Daming's words, is a bit dandy, but his brain is still useful.
At least he won't hide his greed.
After a day in the sun, Chen Kan's skin, which was already dark due to a trip to Nanyang, turned even darker.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Chen Kan grinned.
How manly.
...
The navy rested for a day in Linnan County. On the second day, Song Qing, who looked exhausted, fell into the room on the ship after coming out of the county office, and slept until the evening.
I got up from the room and watched the fleet sail into the sea again, and then breathed a long sigh of relief.
Walking behind Chen Kan who was standing on the bow of the ship, Song Qing couldn't help but complain: "Master Marquis, my subordinates are really not very good at dealing with the government."
Chen Kan turned around and smiled slightly: "If you are not good at it once, you will not be good at it twice, and you will be good at it three or four times. This time you have made the first contribution to the Nanyang trip. After returning to the Ming Dynasty, your rank will definitely be improved." As a matter of fact, your current official position is a fourth-grade Guanhaiwei Commander. If you climb higher, the role your abilities can play will be somewhat insignificant, so you need to accept this change quickly."
Hearing this, Song Qing couldn't help but frown.
Chen Kan's words didn't sound pleasant, but he still knew clearly what was a heart-to-heart talk and what was a scene talk.
What Chen Kan said now was from the bottom of his heart. No one would say these naked facts unless they were facing an absolute confidant.
Seeing that Song Qing was silent, Chen Kan didn't say much. He just patted him on the shoulder, smiled at him, and then walked off the bow and lay back on the deck chair.
Song Qing always needs to grow up.
There is no problem with his ability, and his credit is enough now.
The only thing lacking is the enthusiasm to dominate the officialdom.
As for this kind of thing, the only thing Chen Kan can do is to give some advice in words. Many precise things require him to experience it himself.
Even though there seems to be a level difference between the guardian envoy and the commander, the things they have to face are completely different.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were two very important watersheds for becoming an official.
One is from the seventh grade to the sixth grade, and the other is from the fourth grade to the third grade.
The difference between one grade and one grade is as big as heaven or earth. Even though many people have worked hard all their lives, they still can't get to the next level.
In the past, Song Qing only had to concentrate on his work according to the path arranged by Chen Kan.
To put it bluntly, the position he was in before was still a labor position.
But once the official position reaches the third rank, it means that this person has truly stepped into the core of the Ming Dynasty officialdom, and truly has the weight to shake the Ming Dynasty.
You can have your own faction in the government, or even become the leader of a certain party.
At the same time, it also means that he has to rely on himself for many things.
When Chen Kan was still serving in Jinyiwei, Jinyiwei wanted to show his authority in the capital and arrested many officials and sent them to prison.
Fang Xiaoru asked Chen Kan to try to rescue these officials. Chen Kan's choice was to take Chen Qia, who was a third-rank official, into prison.
Then, Jin Yiwei had to send Chen Qia and innocent officials out of prison under pressure from all parties.
If Chen Kan had arrested not one third-grade official, but ten fourth-grade officials, or even a hundred fourth-grade officials, such a result would not have been possible.
In the entire Ming Dynasty, except for those honorary officials in the San Gong and San Gu sects who were given false official posts, the total number of officials above the third rank would not exceed one hundred.
These people are the real power controllers of Ming Dynasty.
This is the weight of a third-grade official.
After drinking the coconut water, seeing Song Qing still standing in a daze at the bow of the boat, Chen Kan turned around and returned to the room.
Most of the time on the ship is boring.
Now that he has returned to Ming Dynasty, Chen Kan continues to think about Ming Dynasty's plans in other places.
The layout of Nanyang needs to be changed, this is something that has been settled.
What about other places?
Do changes also need to be made?
The first priority is Liaodong. Unknowingly, it has been almost a year since we left the Ming Dynasty. I don’t know if the three guards of Duoyan have fought over Liaodong.
If the fight fails, then Chen Kan is a sinner of the Ming Dynasty. He gave away millions of square kilometers of land in vain, and future generations will definitely criticize him verbally and writtenly.
Chen Qia's plan should be considered smooth. Before he led the fleet to sea, the remnants of North Korea's army had already fled to the sea, and the Japanese country had basically fallen.
I wonder if this year has passed, did Chen Qia lead the group of Jurchen savages to completely occupy the peninsula and the Japanese island?
Next is the grassland. This Shiyali fell into the hands of the Oara tribe. The Oara tribe was already strong. In history, it was the Oara tribe that ultimately caused indelible damage to the Ming Dynasty.
Now that he has the name of orthodoxy, and all the lands in the Western Region have fallen into Mahamu's hands, I am afraid that Alutai will be pinned to the ground and beaten by Mahamu.
Chen Kan rubbed his brows and looked for loopholes on the map one by one. It wasn't until late at night that he rubbed his brows and lay down on the bed.
Chen Kan led the fleet to leave Daming during the Laba Festival last year. The voyage to Nanyang took about four months.
When we arrived in Nanyang, we were delayed in Nanyang for about two months.
Most of that time was wasted in Lion Country and Sumatra, but that time wouldn't be wasted.
Now we are returning to Qiongzhou in September, and it is still about a month before we return to Nanjing.
In other words, Chen Kan was completely out of touch with the news about Daming during this year. He had no idea what the progress of the places just mentioned was.
Therefore, it cannot be said that Chen Kan learned nothing from studying the map tonight, but the information he obtained can only be said to be very little.
Closing his eyes, Chen Kan couldn't help but murmur to himself: "It seems that I have to go to Guangzhou..."
