Fine silk, priceless white jade, dazzling gold.

There is no doubt that at this moment, in the eyes of Dias, Meng is not only an angel wearing a jade belt and a gold medal, but also a mountain of gold, with golden light shining all over his body.

"Praise God!"

What did he come to the East in the face of all the hardships and the risk of death?

Rich!

Fill the room with gold coins, and send rich silk, and even the most proud woman will bow down at his feet.

The person who can help him achieve all this is right in front of his eyes.

Dias was a devout believer, but he didn't mind converting for the sake of gold and silk.

This is the early European adventurers, under all kinds of names, but with only one purpose, gold, more gold!

Dias's gaze was too hot, like a beggar who had been hungry for days and suddenly saw a big meal.

Meng Ben wanted to be kind and friendly, but in this case, he couldn't be friendly anyway.

Coughing, barely suppressing the urge to punch someone.

Now is not the time, let's get to the bottom first, and the rest, we'll talk about it later.

What Dias wants is nothing more than wealth.

Meng can give it to him.

The premise is that he is willing to work for himself and does not have other bad thoughts.

Oriental silks, porcelain, and spices were sold to Europe, each of which was worth a lot of money. As for tea, Meng decided to go to the imperial court to restrict the purchase of not only Europe, but also the big cannibals.

Without tea, the Europeans could not solve the difficulties encountered on long voyages, and even if they rushed through the Ottoman blockade, they would not have gone far. When you arrive in the Americas, you can't even think about it.

On the question of whether this move will have an impact on history, Meng said that as long as it is beneficial to China, he does not mind that Europe will be poor for another few hundred years.

Meng doesn't know Portuguese, and the big food language is also not good, but his English is not bad. It is a pity that in Europe in the fifteenth century, French, Spanish and German were more widely circulated. Moreover, the English of the Middle Ages was very different from modern English, both in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Sensei said that Dias was a Portuguese, and even in the face of real English, Meng still couldn't communicate.

For example, being proficient in reading and writing modern Chinese does not mean that you can fully master classical Chinese. can write Songti characters, and when he encounters a big seal, he is still dizzy.

This is where the role of interpreter comes in.

The earl of the Ming Dynasty, the adventurer of the Franc machine, but he needs to communicate through the big food language, which is also an interesting thing.

Although, the content of this conversation is 108,000 miles away from the word "interesting".

After the initial excitement, Dias gradually calmed down.

According to the etiquette of Professor Tongyi, he solemnly saluted Meng.

Meng raised his hand, "Please be seated." ”

According to Dias's identity, he could only stand and speak, so you are welcome, and it is reasonable to kneel. Meng is so polite, and he has his own reasons.

From Ding Qian's account, he has a certain understanding of Dias. This person is very interesting and will be quite useful. I don't know, but it was his descendants who discovered the Cape of Good Hope.

The Portuguese navigator's grandfather and father were equally adventurous and sailed with the fleet. Whether he has been to the East or not, it is unknown.

"Mr. Dias is a Francis?" Meng smiled and said, "Did you come to Daming on the sea ship of Da Shi?" ”

After the translation, Dias nodded hurriedly, "Yes, honorable lord." ”

Dias didn't know how Ming's knighthood differed from that of Portugal, but that didn't stop him from being convinced that Meng was a great nobleman.

Subconsciously clenched his fists, his heart was still beating fast, the earl of the Golden Country, he really had good luck.

"When I came to the East, I was guided by God. It is my honor to meet him. ”

"Really?" Meng smiled, "Dias, I'm very interested in Franco, and the same is true for Europa. ”

"The lord knows my country?"

"I don't know too much, but I probably know some." Meng nodded, as if casually, asking, "Great Britain and France are still at war?" The king of the Holy Roman Empire, who is it now? Was it a member of the Habsburgs?

"Sir......"

Dias swallowed with difficulty, and all the words he had prepared fell through. He wanted to pretend to be an aristocrat in the hope of getting a different look from Meng, but unfortunately, Meng's knowledge of Europe was completely beyond his imagination, and this path was probably not working.

Seeing that Dias was silent, Meng frowned, "What, don't you know?" ”

"It's not." Dias hurriedly said, "I'm just surprised that the lord knows so much about my country. ”

"What's this?" Meng sneered, as if he had seen through Diashi, "Diash, you don't know enough about Daming. ”

"Yes." Dias sweated a little, "Thank you for the reminder." ”

Seeing that the man was honest, Meng Cai continued, "I know what you want, Diash, I can fulfill your wrongs. ”

Two gold coins, which were not exquisite, appeared in Meng's hand, colliding with each other with a soft sound.

This was brought back by Ding Qianhu.

Hearing Meng's words, Dias raised his head violently, "Sir, what you said is true?" ”

"Nature." The smile on Meng's face deepened, "But, you have to prove your worth to me. Otherwise, my men will be able to fish you out of the sea and throw you down again. ”

Meng's words are too straightforward, and they really don't conform to the aesthetics of the official-field.

"Uncle, this ......" The interpreter hesitated.

"Just say it."

If you threaten people, you have to lay out the straight narrative and compare it with your fists. Rounding around the bush, this Franc machine man may not really understand. Dealing with European adventurers of this period, sweet dates can be given, sticks can be used, and if necessary, they can be replaced with maces.

Meng didn't care if Dias swore allegiance to him, he swore to God that he might not believe him. But Meng believes that as long as enough benefits are given, and the consequences of non-cooperation are explained by the way, this Francophone can do his best to do things for himself.

In medieval Europe, the idea of theocracy-power-supremacy and the state had not yet taken root. It is not uncommon for knights to be hired by other countries to attack their own country with swords and shields. The most famous are the Germanic knights, who can be called ace mercenaries.

By the end of the Middle Ages, such cases were scarce, but there was money to make the devil grind and give a considerable reward, so that the gold came first, and the king came last.

Dias is very entangled, and Meng is the old god.

From the very beginning, he grasped Diaz's weakness, dug the pit, and waited for the Franc robot to jump down on his own.

The Americas are a must-visit, and Europe can also be visited.

It would be nice to change the name of the person who opened up a new route in the history books.

Picking up the teacup and taking a sip, Meng was confident that Dias would give him a satisfactory answer.

"Your honorable lord," said Dias, standing up, "in the name of God, I swear allegiance to you!" ”

When the words fell, he knelt on one knee and was about to take Meng's hand.

Meng didn't move, the interpreter had already jumped up, stepped forward and grabbed Dias by the collar, and said sharply: "You Yiren, how dare you offend-off-uncle?!" ”

Hearing the interpreter's shouting, the guards guarding the door raised their eyebrows, offended-off-uncle? It's worth it!

In the blink of an eye, the door opened, and the guards rushed inside, and Dias was pushed to the ground, unable to move.

"Alright, let him go."

"Uncle?"

"It's okay, it's just a misunderstanding."

The guards didn't dare to disobey, and when they left, they glared at Dias a few times and kicked him openly, for a very legitimate reason, warn him, just in case.

"Get up."

Dias stood up, rubbed his blue eyes, and didn't dare to complain at all, seeing Meng Zheng looking at him, he hurriedly put down his hand and said, "Sir, I can draw nautical charts and make artillery." ”

Meng instantly looked serious, "This is true. ”

Dias nodded, took out Marco Polo's travels that had been soaked in the river, flipped to the middle page, pulled it off with a ruthless heart, and handed it to Meng.

"Sir, this is my sincerity of allegiance to you."

This page is a bit thicker than the others, apparently made of two pages glued together.

Meng took the page and carefully slashed it with the dagger he carried with him, and soon, his brow furrowed.

There was a drawing sandwiched between the pages, but unfortunately most of it was soaked in seawater, and it was impossible to see what was drawn on it.

Picking up the drawings, Meng looked at Dias, this is the so-called sincerity?

Seeing the drawings in Meng's hand, Dias thundered like five thunderbolts, and said anxiously: "Sir, I swear, this is an artillery drawing!" ”

Meng pinched the corners of his forehead, it was a drawing before, and now it is also waste paper.

The benevolent brother was afraid that he had forgotten that he had soaked in the sea with a book. was rescued on the ship, and he didn't check the drawings for the first time, otherwise, it wouldn't be like this.

He really couldn't see anything, so Meng could only give up, turned to the interpreter, and said, "Ask him, how much does he remember about the content on this?" ”

The interpreter asked Dias, and the other party immediately turned from frustration to energy.

"Sir, I remember most of it!"

"Do you remember?"

"Swear to God that I don't dare to deceive you."

"Okay, draw it."

Meng prepared paper and pen, knowing that Dias would not use a brush, so he asked Chang Sui to find some charcoal and send it.

"I'm tired of Zhao Tong's translation." Looking at this red-haired drawing, it's not finished, don't let him come out and run around.

"The subordinate officer takes the order." The interpreter will definitely complete the task.

Dias left with his travelogue and pen and paper, and he was more anxious than Meng to restore the drawings.

Meng was left alone in the wing.

The tea was already cold, and the slightly bitter taste made his brain more sober.

Dias was more useful than he expected.

European artillery, in this era, the most famous is the "Franc cannon" imitated by the Ming Dynasty. He was looking forward to what the drawings would look like.

There is also the firecracker, Dias can draw artillery drawings, and he should also know something about the firecracker.

If it proves to be available, a separate workshop can be set up for the craftsmen to try out.

Thinking of this, Meng shook his head again, making artillery in Daning is easy to attract tongue, and it is not in line with the rules of the imperial court. What's more, if Emperor Yongle issued another edict of technical secrecy and transferred the craftsman away, he would have no place to cry.

It is better to send the drawings to the Beijing Ordnance Bureau, and the Ministry of Industry will remember his favors, with Shen Xuan here, the credit will be shared equally, and the benefits of falling in Daning will not be less.

Yes, that's it.

Having made up his mind, Meng got up and went to the study.

He wrote two letters, one to Beijing and the other to Xuanfu, and transcribed the key contents of the letters to the song, stamped the official seal, and ordered the guards to leave immediately and send them to Nanjing.

Great food merchant ships, Francophone artillery, adventurers from Europe, Zheng He's fleet that is about to set sail again.

Meng had a lot of uncertainty in his heart, but there was more excitement.

Shen Xuan was not around, this excitement was not shared, rubbing his hands and walking around the study a few times, but he still couldn't calm down. simply learned from Dingguo Gong, changed his clothes and went to the school in the house to find someone to learn.

The guards in the Bofu were frightened together with the Jinyi guards.

Martial arts with Xingningbo? Are you kidding!

There have always been rumors in the Yanshan guard that Xingningbo is a true hero on the battlefield, an iron-blooded pure man, during the Jingjing period, he was beheaded at the eighth level in the first battle, and the force value was extraordinary.

If this statement is true, it is to seek abuse from him, and no one wants to do it.

It's even worse if it's pure fiction. In case you miss in the process of sparring, you accidentally let Xingningbo scratch a little skin, and where you bump into it, Baiben Baiyou Dingguo Gong is waiting behind. It's good to clench your fists, but if you wipe the knife, your life will be at risk.

In either case, daring to compare with Xingningbo is looking for death.

The military men are upright and like to use their fists to develop friendship, and it doesn't matter if they develop to the point of Tatar Vara Uryanha, the object is Xingningbo, and they resolutely can't.

The guards and the Jinyi guards did not obey, and Meng could only dance with knives and guns in the school yard alone, and slashed his waist fifty times.

After splitting and vowing, he will never laugh at Shen Xuan for having no friends anymore.

Is this what it feels like to be cold in a high place, lonely and cold?

Holding a waist knife, Meng looked up at the moon and sighed deeply.

As a result of the chopping knife, for several days, Meng's arm was so sore that he couldn't lift it.

Even so, it is necessary to go to the yamen every day to order and work hard.

After handling official duties, he had to change into a blue civilian clothes, put on a hat, and take a few personal guards to inspect the military camp outside the city, find problems in time, and solve them on the spot.

In late March, the ice and snow in northern Xinjiang melted, and the border guards began spring ploughing one after another.

Juntun, Shangtun, and Mintun are all busy.

Everywhere you can see soldiers working in the fields and strong men carrying hoes.

Farming tools are not a problem, but the number of ploughing cattle is limited, and even if you have to pay taxes for using the ploughing cattle of the imperial court, there are still many border residents who register with the company and wait in line to receive them.

Northern Xinjiang is vast and sparsely populated, and immigrants from Shanxi are also giving priority to enriching Beijing.

The resident population of Daning is still small, but the Uliangha and Jurchen tribes that come and go gradually have a tendency to increase more.

The imperial court opened a mutual market in Khaiyuan Quang Ninh, mainly trading horses and livestock. Daning became a distribution center for grain, fur and cloth. Some officials took advantage of this to impeach, but Emperor Yongle not only did not pursue it, but issued an edict to Meng, Xu Daning opened the mutual market in summer and autumn every year, and the amount of taxes collected was handed over to the household department according to the regulations of Kaiyuan and Guangning.

Meng inquired about Zhu Gaosui, and discussed with the Daning Metropolitan Division, and decided to hand over 10% of the tax amount to the emperor's treasury after handing it over to the household department.

Considering that it was the emperor who took the money, the imperial historian of the court jumped twice, and when he was pressed, he could only touch his nose and admit it.

It is true that the inner treasury belongs to the emperor's private property, but in the event of a natural disaster**, when it is necessary to distribute disaster relief grain, the emperor himself may not take out less money than the national treasury. For example, during the Chongzhen period, most of the military salaries issued to Liaodong were paid by the emperor himself.

Do you ask for a household? Just two words, no money.

Even the officials of the Manchu Dynasty were so rich that they cried poor in front of the emperor.

Where did all the money in the treasury go?

Probably only God knows, and the public in the court knows.

will cause such a dilemma, Chongzhen himself is responsible, but the biggest responsibility is still on those who shout about the family and the country, the party is very happy, and the filial piety is not soft.

In the Yongle Dynasty, the struggle in the court has always existed, but the struggle is a struggle, and the work must be done.

Dare to fight all day long and not do practical things, it is definitely the rhythm of going home to farm. angered Zhu Di, sent to the army, cut off his head and skin, and changed his appearance.

It is said that Zhu Di is easy to kill, but at some point, it is far more useful to raise a knife than to convince people with virtue.

Daning money was handed over, the emperor was very satisfied, the household department was also relieved, the ministers would not be bored, Daning became the third mutual market in northern Xinjiang after Kaiyuan Guangning.

After the spring ploughing, with the arrival of summer, there will be more Uliangha and Jurchens in the city, and at that time, it will be a different scene.

After leaving the city, a drizzle fell in the sky, and I unexpectedly met Shen Xuan, who had returned from Beijing.

The red unicorn costume, the black head, when the whip is raised, the eyebrows are even more sharp.

The horses' hooves stepped on the official road, and there was no dust raised, but it was stained with the smell of grass and rain.

Meng greeted him, he didn't expect Shen Xuan to come back so soon.

"Grandpa Guo."

The knight tightened his reins, and the horse neighed, stomping its front hooves.

Shen Xuan didn't say much, only said: "Let's talk about it when we go to the city." ”

Meng nodded and returned to Daning City with Shen Xuan.