This time to trade north, the Zheng family made a lot of money.

"Big brother, I asked a few bookkeepers to calculate it several times, and in addition to our capital, the food and water feet of the shipwrights and sailors, and the loss of more than a dozen ships that were sunk and taken away by Li Huamei's little girl, we made about seven million silver dollars in Beijing and Liudu! It's more than Chongzhen's children's taxes in a year! ”

Zheng Zhihu, who rushed back to Xiamen, handed over the account books of this northward trade to his brother Zheng Zhilong.

A large number of Liaodong specialties were wholesaled by the Fan family, the Wang family, the Huang family and others in Tianjin, in exchange for boxes and boxes of silver dollars, and similarly, in Nanjing, in Yangzhou, the furs of Shanghao Lu were also snapped up by those big merchants.

"You mean it's a big gain?"

Zheng Zhilong's face was like an ancient well. The fact that he earned more than seven million silver dollars did not seem to be happy to him.

"That's right! Brother, I think that in addition to the money, Fumatsu Pill has been trained, which is the biggest gain! Also, Shi Daxuan's son Shi Lang is also a good hand! On the way back, the two little guys also told me that they should build a big ship like the Nanyue Army in Xiamen, build more large red-haired ships, and install more cannons, so as not to be intercepted and unable to run if they want to! ”

With a wry smile, Zheng Zhilong ordered someone to cover the carved wooden door and take out a stack of letters and official documents from the drawer.

"Soon after you went north, I was here as a doorman."

Zheng Zhilong, who was in charge of the Fujian army and had a huge fleet of sailors, was also a companion with him, and because he was within the scope of Li Shouhan's maritime anti-smuggling in the three provinces, he was in the eyes of Jiangnan merchants. Suddenly a hot character. For a while, acquaintances, acquaintances, and nodding acquaintances came to the door one after another.

Without exception, it was either a visit, or a letter exchange, even in the past, Zheng Sen wrote three letters, and he may not be able to reply to Qian Qianyi, who wrote several letters by himself.

These people. Without exception, he first touted Zheng Zhilong's personality and achievements. How to be loyal and righteous in the center of the waves, thinking of loyalty to the monarch and serving the country, resolutely accept Zhao'an, (eh. It seems that Zheng Zhilong's recruitment was something he spent a lot of money on. And at this time, Xiong Wencan, who advocated appeasing him. He had already rebelled because of Zhang Xianzhong's surrender and was killed by Chongzhen. For the imperial court, he exterminated the pirates in Fujian, Guangdong and other places. Wiped out the Hongmaoyi who invaded my borders.

After that, as soon as the conversation changed, he began to scold and scold the traitors in the DPRK for taking power. Harming good people, expropriating tyranny, and robbing merchants at sea in the name of pirates.

"Big brother, who are these birdmen talking about? Isn't this scolding the thief in front of the monk? Hearing this, Zheng Zhihu couldn't stand it and jumped up first.

After the Zheng family recruited An, they eliminated Liu Xiang and other peers on the sea, and for a while, the power was huge. In order to seek peace, these people went to the Zheng family's military camp to spend money to buy a Zheng family's flag to hang, so that they had an insurance policy to and from Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and even Japan. The price of this flag varies, and it is probably determined according to the draft specifications of the vessel.

If there is no such flag, or if the goods carried on the ships of the Zheng Jiazhi Dao are too eye-catching, then it is inevitable that these ship owners will also be looted by pirates.

Zheng Zhihu, who had this ruffian in his heart, heard this, and of course immediately burst into a rage.

"Sit down!"

Zheng Zhilong shouted majestically.

Regarding the authority of the eldest brother, Zheng Zhihu, a fierce general who was not afraid of the enemy's artillery salvo at all, did not dare to disobey it slightly, so he had to sit down honestly and drink tea.

"This group of people is talking about Li Shouhan!"

Since the Nanjing Turmoil, Shouhan moved the Haiphong Yamen of the three provinces to Shanghai County, which is adjacent to the cape in Songjiang Prefecture, and on the one hand ordered people to choose places to build houses and military camps, and on the other hand, he scattered money to buy a large number of Songjiang white cloth in various parts of Songjiang.

At the same time, he had to order someone to find Zhang Xiaohu, the commander of the naval fleet, and others, and give them a face-to-face lecture.

Soon after, a large number of pirates used Tamna Island as a lair, going back and forth to Wusongkou, Hangzhou Bay and other places, and when they encountered the ships of Jiangnan merchants going to sea, they immediately took the people and the ships, including the goods on board, to rob them all at once.

At first, these merchants thought that there were indeed pirates, but soon after someone fled from Tamna Island, the truth spread along with rumors in all parts of the Jiangnan and Jiangbei provinces.

"Where are the pirates!? It is clearly the Nanyue army pretending to be a thief and robbing! Rob merchants! ”

"No wonder that Li Shouhan is so rich, he often bribes the court with a lot of money, but he is the same as that Shi Chong!"

As soon as their fleet left Hangzhou Bay or just left Wusongkou, they were hit by several gunboats and broke their sails and masts, and the merchants who suffered heavy losses cursed Li Shouhan angrily.

In the past, it was a boatload of silk and a boatload of silver! Now, not only is there no money in the accounts, but they also have to deal with the old and weak women and children who have lost their husbands and sons to cry and complain outside the house.

I also have that bright mind, remembering the notice posted in Nanjing and nearby prefectures and counties that day, in the notice jointly issued by the Caojiang Yamen and the Haiphong Yamen, it was announced that the joint defense of the river and the sea would no longer be carried out, but it also said that if there are pirates robbing, don't come to me for this kind of thing. Isn't it a pirate coming now?

found the root of the disease, and these old rivers and lakes had a cure for the disease. As a result, the garrison yamen, the Caojiang yamen, and the nobles in Nanjing City, who were like fire and water in Jiangnan and Jiangbei for a while, suddenly became fragrant and sweet. Please listen to the music in the east, and enjoy the scenery in the west. There is no other purpose, just to ask for a way to keep peace.

"Hold on to something that doesn't go backwards!" All the lords cursed like this in their hearts.

Therefore, according to the price agreed in advance, a flag of the Jiang Yamen will be used for 5,000 silver a month.

The flag was hung on the mast, and when he went out to sea, he met those fierce and vicious men of the sea, and sure enough, those people no longer opened fire to kill people and rob ships, but sent people to come on board to inspect them, and to collect taxes according to the price of the goods. If you don't have the money to pay the tax, then you can move some goods accordingly.

Although it cost a lot, it made the merchants very painful, but it was much better than the previous blood and no return.

However, how can 50 flags meet the needs of the entire Jiangnan? These fifty flags are nothing less than adding fuel to the fire. Immediately, Shilin's dissatisfaction with Li Shouhan was pushed to a new height. As a result, all kinds of celebrities, mountain people, and bigwigs who returned to their hometowns, as well as the officials in charge of the yamen of various ministries and institutes in Nanjing, came out of the cage one after another and signaled to Zheng Zhilong.

"Big brother, what are they going to do?"

Zheng Zhihu didn't understand a little, in the past, these adults and gentlemen saw themselves who were born in maritime businessmen, but they all covered their noses and left. Why is this the case today?

"Do you think they are really saints' disciples? Spectrum of his Eminem! They all worship Zhao Gongming as the ancestor! You see, sooner or later, one day this group of guys as long as the price is right, what an emperor. What ancestors. They can all be sold! ”

Zheng Zhilong was a little unimpressed by his younger brother's bad attitude towards those Jiangnan Shilin, natural allies. "It's none of our business whether they sell or not, we just have to think about how to deal with the Li family's pressing step by step."

From a bunch of epistolary papers. Zhilong flipped through an official document.

It is covered with cinnabar about the size of a cow's hoof.

Guanfang is the commander of the three provinces, and the coastal defense is also in charge of anti-smuggling matters.

"This Li Shouhan. I really thought that there was this eight-tael copper lump. Lao Tzu became his subordinate? Zheng Zhilong's face showed a touch of hideousness and disdain.

The official document was a notice type official document sent by the boss to his subordinates, informing Zheng Zhilong, the general soldier of Fujian, to go to Guangzhou in November of the twelfth year of Chongzhen to discuss the matter of coastal defense in the three provinces of Fujian, Guangdong and southern Zhili.

For this official document. Zheng Zhilong replied very politely, claiming that he had an old injury, and the winter was humid, and rheumatism was committed again, which was not conducive to walking, so he would not go to the meeting this time.

However, less than ten days after this document was sent, another official document was delivered to Zheng Zhilong by a messenger from the Nanyue Army on a speedboat.

The official document is very polite, and Shouhan is completely a kind of boss who cares about his subordinates. In the official document, Shouhan told Zheng Zhilong that since Zheng Zongbing's body is not suitable for long-distance travel at sea or land in winter, then, our deliberations will be carried out in Zheng Zongbing's jurisdiction, and Benjue will take a few good doctors and a few colleagues to visit Zheng Zongbing's mansion by the way, so as to give Zheng Zongbing a diagnosis or two!

"This! This one? Although Zheng Zhihu was not as skilled as Zheng Zhibao, he also smelled a strong smell of gunpowder from this official document. His hand holding the official document couldn't help but tremble, and the accompanying official document was also trembling. Looking at the date of issuance on the two official documents, it was after he had a conflict with Li Huamei in the Baisha Waterway. When inferred from this, the situation is clear at a glance.

After Shouhan returned to Xinchao Guangzhou, he was about to think about how to establish himself as the commander of the three provinces of coastal defense and anti-smuggling, but he didn't want his daughter to send him Zheng Zhilong to openly smuggle grain north for profit, and had a conflict with the Nanyue Army Naval Division.

On several hills in Xiamen, bustling crowds carried heavy timber stones, smashed thumb-sized stones, and bundles of heavy iron bars. More of it is ash from Nanzhong in wooden barrels, and large quantities of sand dug up from several estuarine sand mining boats.

"From Gulangyu Island to Kinmen Island and Xiamen Island, I am ordering people to build forts, which will be supervised by Zhibao, so that Xiamen Fort, Hulishan Fort, and Gulangyu Fort will become horns in several places, and any ship passing through the Jinxia Sea will be surrounded by my three-sided artillery fire, no matter how many ships there are, no matter how good the cannon is, it will be useless!"

Countless people were organized according to a team of 100 people, who were responsible for transporting the burnt ash and sand, and the other team responsible for mixing the sand and ash in one place, and a team of people was responsible for transporting the stirred ash to the construction site in large wooden barrels, and the person in charge of the construction poured the mortar and iron bars in one place.

"After the construction of the Hulishan Fort was completed, we should have built these forts in one go, but unfortunately, at that time, we had a good relationship with Li, and we also helped each other. In addition, there were too many expenses at that time, and there were too many people to work around, so where to raise this large amount of money? In the past few years, it has been easier and safer, and I originally planned to save some money and ask someone to propose to the Li family, and set the marriage between Fusong and the little girl of his family's Huamei, so that the Li family can get along with each other and make a fortune together. Unexpectedly, this person was the king of diligence twice, and he jumped to the earl, and the times have changed, and this fort must be repaired! ”

In order to build these life-saving forts, Zheng Zhilong had spent nearly one million silver dollars to collect ashes, iron bars and other materials through merchants from all over the country. He went to various places to purchase sand and gravel wood, and built fortifications according to the memories of the sailors in the memory of the forts in Nanzhong Yuehailou and other places.

In addition to the forts, there were also various fortifications built for the infantry. Breastwork, trenches, traps, horse faces, platforms, and thatched huts made of bamboo and wood for people to rest and lodging. For the sake of secrecy, but also to save manpower to the greatest extent, Zheng Zhibao specially implemented the water flow operation method, digging trenches and doing earthwork only to do this, tying iron bars by a group of professional scaffolding people, responsible for the last process is a group of masons.

However, if the Nanyue Army found the people who were working at that time, they wanted to know about the situation of these forts. I'm afraid no one can say clearly.

"IMHO. Big young marshal. We can't win this battle! ”

In Zheng Sen's study, next to the shelf with a large, two, and three swords, an incense burner covered with patina was slowly spewing out bursts of ambergris from the beast's mouth.

The bookshelves are full of the Four Books and the Five Classics and the classics of Cheng Zhu Lixue, and the ink on the bookcase of Zheng Sen's apprenticeship to Qian Qianyi has not yet completely dried.

When Shi Lang was invited by Zheng Sen to his study to speak. Xiang He studied in the Nanyue Military Naval Academy for three years. Familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. When someone who knew himself and the other asked what the chances of the Fujian army would be if the two arms were combined, Shi Lang shook his head and gave this answer.

For Shi Lang's outstanding performance on the Baisha waterway. There is already a good reputation in the Zheng family's army, and many people have already decided that this Shi family kid must be the leader of the next generation in the Zheng family's army, and he is constantly in private friendship and goodwill.

Seeing Shi Lang's head shaking like a rattle, Zheng Sen forcibly suppressed his heart and wanted to jump up and give this guy a san bin (Japanese, slap. In many of our literary and artistic works, devil officers beat soldiers, veterans beat recruits, and they all say that Sanbin is given! ), but his face was still with the expression of Corporal Lixian.

"Brother Shi, you have been in the Nanyue Army, there must be a source for this?"

"Da Shao Shuai, don't say anything else, our Fujian Navy Master Zhao'an was doing maritime business before, and Da Shuai and his father were begging for a living in the turmoil at sea. What they did was nothing more than to transport a certain piece of goods produced in place A to place B, thousands of miles away, and trade with the people of place C in order to earn dozens of times the price difference. It can be said that it is just a businessman. However, the Southern Yue Army was different. ”

"What's the difference? Didn't they control Manraka and monopolize the water trade routes to Japan and the South Seas, in order to make huge profits? ”

Hearing Zheng Sen's words, Shi Lang smiled, raised his eyes and looked around, and stayed on the Taidao and the ribs.

"Young marshal, can you borrow it for a look?"

The knife and ribs are all made of good iron and steel and are decorated by master craftsmen, and the end is extremely sharp and gorgeous. Shi Lang just nodded, but didn't say much.

"Young Marshal, this knife is a good knife, but the steel is from Nanzhong."

"Also, the robe on your body and the clothes on your lower body should be made of dyed cotton cloth from Nanzhong, using cotton produced by Tianzhu, which is printed and dyed by Tonghe Dyeing Workshop."

"In addition, in Xiamen, Gulangyu, and Kinmen, construction is being carried out to repair forts. The young marshal, those burnt ashes and iron bars are all produced in Nanzhong. Not only these steel, cotton spinning and other materials, but also our Fujian Navy Division and even the entire Fujian Province are afraid that more than half of the grain is purchased from Nanzhong. There are also artillery, knives and guns, gunpowder, and guns used by the sailors, which one is not produced in Nanzhong? ”

Shi Lang said a word, Zheng Sen's face turned pale, and later, Zheng Sen's face was already a little blue-gray, as ugly as a dead man.

Shi Lang's remarks very well pointed out the essential gap between the Nanyue Army and the Zheng family's maritime merchant gang. One is a producer and trader with strong scale and strength, and the other is at most a relatively strong logistics merchant in the field of circulation.

"If, as you said, our army has tens of thousands of people and thousands of large and small ships, and we will give them to Li Shouhan?"

With this deep voice, someone flew up and kicked the door of Zheng Sen's study open.

There are not many people in this mansion who can act so boldly and recklessly.

It was Zheng Zhilong who came, and behind him, Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao followed closely.

Shi Lang saw that the big boss was coming, his face couldn't help but change, although he could talk eloquently in front of Zheng Sen, but when he saw Zheng Zhilong, he was still a little frightened.

"Shi family boy, you just said our shortcomings, and what you said makes some sense. Tell me about it, is the Nanyue Army the incorruptible body of King Kong? Don't they have shortcomings? ”

After calming down a little, Shi Lang replied in a deep voice: "Dashuai, there are yes!" ”

"Please give me a map!"

After Shi Lang dipped in cinnabar and circled the huge map, the situation of the Nanyue Army and the Zheng Family Maritime Business Group appeared in front of Zheng Zhilong and the others.

From Tamna Island, Shanghai County, and Zhoushan Islands in the north, to Japan, Taiwan, and Ryukyu in the east, and Guangdong in the south, they were all occupied by the small red circle representing the Southern Guangdong Army. And their own territory, routes, and trade routes can only be limited to one place in Fujian, and there are barely a few routes to Nanzhili.

"The Nanyue Army, the sailors have many big ships and many artillery, which can be described as strong ships and guns. Often, as soon as a round of artillery passed, a Daifuku ship was beaten to the ground. However, there is also an Achilles' heel! ”

"What weakness?" Zheng Zhihu's hand was like a vice holding Shi Lang's hand. (To be continued......)