Riding on a good night's wind, the five clippers of the Cheng Chi Long brothers arrived in Hue.

Hue City after the twentieth lunar month is already a festive and peaceful atmosphere for the New Year. In the third street and six alleys, the front of each shop is crowded with male and female workers and housewives holding year-end red envelopes and silver bounties, arguing with the guys in the shops with various accents.

The guys in the shop were busy with their feet on the ground, steaming in the weather at the end of the month, but they didn't dare to slack off, after all, it was also related to their own dividends.

Zheng Zhilong didn't care about these things, the first thing he did after entering the city, he submitted the test report of this trip to the shipyard and the craftsman association.

The report in triplicate, signed by the craftsmen and the shipyard foreman who accompanied the ship, reflected the improvements and additions that should have been made to the clipper.

With Zheng Zhilong's understanding and evaluation level of ships, he naturally has a unique vision for these ships.

"Because it's so fast, it's getting more and more important for the sailor to control the rudder. However, if you rely on manpower alone, either the sailor's body will consume a lot of money, and the accuracy of the operation will be deviated. Either the number of sailors will increase, but then the number of sailors will increase, and the pattern of ships will change accordingly. ”

"Well, we'll think about it. As the Admiral said, if you don't increase the corresponding equipment, you must increase the manpower, otherwise it will affect the interior design of the entire ship. ”

A red-haired Yi man whose name Zheng Zhilong couldn't name expressed his attitude to Zheng Zhilong in a strange official dialect.

"So, I'll make a proposal to Professor Galileo and others. A chain guide system is installed in the operating position of the rudder rod. With this system similar to a pulley block, the sailor's body is saved and the boat's handling is improved. ”

"If you add a pulley block, it is best to install the mainsail and side sail on each mast, such a boat, the size of the sail has more than 180 sides, if it is all manual by sailors, even if these people's hands are iron, it will be worn off by the sail rope."

"Also, the ship is fast. But the hull was too slim. There is not much resistance to the recoil of the artillery, and you have to calculate the gun position, if you are equipped with guns according to the standards of previous ships, I am afraid that it will be a round of artillery down. The enemy's ships were fine. Our own ship fell apart first! ”

"That's good! I'm going to put these five boats in the dock. Please go to your office for inspection and measurement. However, judging by this official, this ship. The speed is too fast, and the planks on the bow of the ship are afraid that they can't withstand the lapping of the waves. ”……

The problems found in the process of use one by one listened to the several craftsmen and the red-haired people looked at each other, and after hearing Zheng Zhilong's words, he threw back his brocade robe very chic and turned to leave.

A moment later, Zheng Zhilong was already standing outside the gate in front of the palace in Hue, handing his waist cards to the officers of the Guards Brigade and the Inspection Department who were on duty outside the official office.

"Admiral Zheng, the Lord Justice is waiting for you. I have already told you to meet him as soon as you arrive. ”

A leading official room owner greeted Zheng Zhilong with a smile on his face, and arranged for a guard to lead him to meet Shouhan.

There are several pots of orchids in the flower hall, Fujian's Jianlan branch and leaf have some sayings, people in the know can see a lot of inhumane doorways, Shouhan is with Zheng Zhibao, who arrived one step earlier, while tasting tea and appreciating orchids, the two can see that they are talking very happily.

"Sir, Admiral Zheng Zhilong of the Navy Division will see Sir!"

Zheng Zhilong's etiquette is strictly prepared.

"Huh! Brother Feihuang, this is not a business matter, not a scene, you and I are in-laws, everyone chats about family life at home, why bother? ”

Shouhan hurriedly got up and left his seat, cutting off Zheng Zhilong's movements stiffly. Pulled Zheng Zhilong to sit down, and gave him a purple sand cup with both hands, "Brother Feihuang, you are an expert in this way, please taste it." ”

The teacup contains two-thirds of the yellow and clear tea, exuding aroma and heat to the outside.

After taking a sip, Zheng Zhilong carefully tasted the taste of the tea, although the taste was not bad, he couldn't say anything.

"Brother Feihuang, don't hide it, this is picked from the tea trees transplanted in Taiwan by Brother Wen." Handed Zheng Zhilong a pipe, and the guards immediately took the fire, making a perfect end to Shouhan's gesture of goodwill.

Zheng Zhilong took a puff, and the aroma of Luzon tobacco immediately filled his lungs. It makes him feel a little fluttery.

"Fang Cai, Brother Wen mentioned two Jianyi to me."

Zheng Zhibao's meaning is to promote a large number of tea planting in Taiwan's mountains and forests, since these tea trees selected for trial planting in different regions can survive this spring and autumn, then it can prove that tea trees can be planted in large quantities in Taiwan.

"The benefits of tea, presumably Brother Fei Huang is also very clear, not to mention anything else, just in Guangzhou Port, which has not long been opened, the customs has collected nearly 600,000 yuan in tea tax. This is just a newly opened port, facing only Japan and a few Western Hongmaoyi people. The tea tax collected from Shanghai for the Jiangnan Jianghai joint defense and the tea exported from Manraka is several times or more than ten times. ”

"This is only a tea tax, and it does not take into account the profits from the tea trade. Brother Feihuang in Fujian's tea mountains, how much income in a year, presumably Brother Feihuang knows the profits better than me. ”

In order to protect the huge benefits brought by tea in all aspects, Zheng Zhibao proposed to Shouhan that there should be no more plans to carry out experimental tea planting on Ceylon Island, at least not until the digestion of Ceylon Island is completely completed, so as not to accidentally steal tea planting technology, seeds, and seedlings by people with ulterior motives, resulting in the loss of absolute control over tea.

This point happened to hit a ruffian in Shouhan's heart.

In recent years, a large amount of tea, raw silk, silk, and porcelain have exchanged a large amount of gold, silver, and various interests for the Nanyue army, from the remote islands of England and Scotland in Europe, to Sweden, Russia and other countries that have almost reached the Arctic Circle, to Greece, the Ottoman Empire, and then to the sultans and princes of India. How many don't like tea? And how many are not salivating over the huge benefits that tea brings?

If we are careful, as has happened in history, the manufacturing technology of silk, from silkworm to raw silk reeling, spinning, processing, and raw materials, are jointly sold by people who are greedy for small profits and have ulterior motives, then their monopoly on the pricing power and dominance of the tea market will be lost.

(In fact, after the First Opium War, despite the compensation of 16 million yuan in military expenses, the cession of Hong Kong, and the opening of five trade ports, the tax revenue from tea alone reached 15 million yuan per year.) Far greater than the military expenses paid to the British in installments. China has really turned into a trade deficit. It started with the success of the British in growing tea in India. So. It is important to pay attention to secrecy, not only the technology, but also all kinds of native plants. Otherwise, these pirates. Not only with the creatures cultivated and domesticated by our ancestors. Turn around and encroach on our market. After that, it was also called scientific research and exploration. Then he counted the money he had stolen from our pockets, and laughed at our loyalty. ）

Therefore, Shouhan decided to issue a military order in the area west of Lijiapo. There shall not be a single tea plant in existence, and not a single tea tree seed shall cross Lijiapo. Violators, kill!

Another thing is to promote the cultivation of tung oil in Guangxi.

"I have sent down a note to the Husidu branch and ordered them to transfer the money from the cultivation of tea in Ceylon and other places in Brother Wen's business to the tung oil business. That's not a small amount of money, about two million dollars. ”

Two million dollars! Hearing this, Zheng Zhilong's back broke out in a cold sweat. You must know that Emperor Chongzhen was scolded in Jiangnan and the Central Plains, forcing hundreds of people to rebel, and only collected more than one million taels of silver.

With a casual sentence here, he added two million yuan to the matter that Zheng Zhibao was in charge of.

"I'm scared! Struck with awe! ”

Zheng Zhilong got up on behalf of his younger brother to express his gratitude to Shouhan for his kindness, trust, and support, and took it with him to express his attitude.

"Ahem! It's nothing! Zhibao has a point, so he has to do it according to his regulations! ”

Zheng Zhibao means that there are many places in Guangxi that are suitable for planting tung oil, and the people are also willing to plant this thing, but, first, to buy tung oil seedlings, seeds to ask for money, second, to plant the saplings, at least three years before there can be income, these three years, what is the old snack of the whole family?

Therefore, Zheng Zhibao put forward the idea of lending money to Tongnong.

If you are willing to plant tung oil and become a tung farmer, according to the amount of land and mountainous area you are going to plant, the tung oil firm under the Reclamation Bureau will lend you money, but not cash, but tung saplings or seeds. From this moment on, Tongnong owed money to the firm, and could only wait until the tung oil was harvested to gradually pay it off. After that, every year, the firm will pay the Kirino to the seedlings according to the growth of the saplings, which will be used to purchase daily necessities such as grain.

Until the first batch of tung oil seeds was harvested.

In this way, all the farmers who planted tung oil in the entire Guangxi province would be tied to the economic chariot of the Nanyue Army. In the form of advance payment, the three-year period is exchanged for the next few decades of tung oil production.

"Brother Feihuang, in this way, a piece of tea and a piece of tung oil are all gold-absorbing weapons for our Nanyue Army."

"And it's going to be a unique weapon!" Zheng Zhibao made a funny sentence on the side.

"Brother Feihuang, in-laws, I have an idea, I looked at the number of tea exports in various places in recent years, and found that the tea exported from Manlaga Customs and Lingjiawei Customs to Tianfang, India, Franco, etc. is increasing year by year, I plan to use the tea tax in Chongzhen's thirteenth year as the benchmark, and allocate half of the tea tax increased every year to build ships for sailors, what do you think?"

"If you don't think it's enough, then there's also a tobacco tax, which is also based on a thirteen-year tobacco tax, and half of the annual increase is allocated to the sailor! However, Brother Feihuang, you have to appeal in the western and northern mountainous areas of Fujian to let the farmers change the farmland that is not suitable for growing grain to grow tobacco. I will also sue Sù Huabao to encourage farmers in Taiwan to grow tobacco in exchange for money. It's good to add a tax source for my Nanyue army and build more ships for your sailors! ”

None of the generals felt that the expansion of their forces was a bad thing. In this way, his subordinates only have to do a good job of training a large number of qualified sailors! Zheng Zhilong secretly speculated about the direction of his next work.

The atmosphere in this flower room is immediately harmonious and harmonious!

"Sir, when I returned from Fujian, I brought some gadgets for the girl's family, as well as things that the maidens of the inner house could use. It was given to my daughter-in-law, who had never passed through the door. Is it possible to send it over when the clumsy Jing passes by? ”

said that it was a gadget, but in fact, it was Zheng Zhilong's income from the tea mountains in Fujian, and he took out nearly one-third of it, in order to save face for his son Zheng Sen.

The son and Li Shouhan's daughter got married one day earlier, and the relationship between himself and Li Shouhan was completely condensed.

Thinking of the marriage between his eldest son and Li Shouhan's second daughter, Zheng Zhilong suddenly remembered the pearl of Ning Yuanbo's palm in front of him, his eldest lady. Li Huamei.

In all fairness, if Zheng Zhilong was to choose, he would not hesitate to choose Li Huamei as his daughter-in-law, in addition to factors such as family background, appearance, and wealth. Huamei's combat capabilities at sea. It is also greatly admired by Zheng Zhilong.

"If you have a wife, it is much better than marrying 10,000 wives who can bring rice bowls to your eyebrows every day and invite you to eat. It's a pity that Damu, the child, was just because he stayed in Fusang's grandfather's house for a few years, which made him think that women should be like that! He didn't know. A wife who can help you out at sea. How many generations do you have to knock through the wooden fish to repair it! ”

Suddenly. Zheng Zhilong's mind suddenly flashed with inspiration, and he faintly had a thought. If my son can't marry the eldest lady of the Li family, then. Can I be a matchmaker for the eldest lady of the Li family? Through guò this channel to establish another layer of relationship with the Li family? It must be known that the status of the matchmaker is very detached in the status of both men and women, and both parties have to give face and accept favors.

With this thought, Zheng Zhilong suddenly felt that there was a thoroughfare in front of him, and his mind suddenly cleared up a lot. quickly began to search for a young man of the same age as Li Huamei.

It's a pity that those who can get close to Li Huamei's age are either too poor in family background, or too bad in temper to tolerate Li Huamei's temper. For a while, I couldn't think of any suitable person who could propose it to Li Shouhan.

"Forget it, that's not what it should be in today's question. After I go back, I will discuss it with Zhibao and the others. ”

"Brother Feihuang is polite, since Mrs. Sister-in-law has returned to Hue, then she should let the little girl go to the house to serve her mother-in-law, how can she still let her mother-in-law come to the door?"

"Uncle, who is this adult?"

A little wrong words, the figure in front of him flashed, a forty-year-old man, wearing a three-mountain hat, wearing a big red robe, the robe embroidered with wings and fish tail of the flying dragon pattern, it is the famous flying fish suit. The round body has a round body, but the face is a lump of dough and the kindness of a rich man, but if you look carefully, under the surface of the harmony, there is a hidden arrogance, with a hint of murderous aura.

It was the angel Wang Dehua, who went to Hue to preach the decree and wait for the good news of Burma.

Although here in the Nanyue Army, Chongzhen did not send eunuchs to supervise the army, and only had a few small roles in the city and the superintendent urging the shipping of grain, rice and silver money, but Wang Dehua arrived in Hue, and vaguely had the momentum of the eunuchs of the supervising army.

The power of the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty is very great, and the Xuande Emperor Ming Wuzong, who left a centuries-old absurd infamy for a dragon and phoenix, issued an edict on the power of the eunuchs in the prison army in great detail: "...... Those who have been in the army and guards for many years, such as officials and officials, old men in the banner army, and large local tyrants, who have deserted the army, escaped prisoners, escaped officials, and officials who have served in the government for a long time, rely on the powerful and powerful, hold the government hostage, embezzle money and grain, take official property, exploit the small people, or hide and flee, kill and injure people's lives, or forcibly occupy the land and population, or insult people's wives and concubines, or start and destroy lawsuits, frame the good, or gather the dead, rob in the township, and harm the army and the people, then they should be judged with the Dali Secretary Hu Xuan, and those who should be arrested should be arrested without asking the military and civilian officials, and even their families will allocate officials and soldiers to protect and relieve Beijing, and there are those who are not satisfied. That is, the guards where they are located are to be arrested, and they are still heard......"

Other words. The eunuchs who guard the town have the power to supervise civil and military officials, dispatch officials and troops of the guard station to suppress the people's resistance, impeach and suppress the local tyrants, arrest fugitives, increase administrative and military settings to the central government according to the needs of local public security, coordinate the official affairs of civil and military officials and departments, prefectures and counties in the province, and appease the displaced population. This basically means that the minister of the Imperial Patrol on behalf of the Heavenly Patrol is nothing more than that.

During the Chongzhen period, although he dealt with the great eunuch Wei Zhongxian as soon as he ascended the throne, after a series of failures and incidents, Chongzhen was very sad to find that the people around him who could be trusted were still those eunuchs. Especially the eunuchs who followed him during the period of the Xin Wangfu. As a result, the eunuchs all went out to monitor the Zhubian and key points. These eunuchs also have unprecedented power such as temperance talismans, distribution of military salaries and rations, expedient advance and retreat, rewards and punishments for officials, and listening to cheap actions, which shows that Chongzhen's classmates have the greatest trust and hope for them.

For such a person, Shouhan will naturally not be offended, as long as he is self-aware and does not break into the forbidden area demarcated by Shouhan in his heart, he is more corrupt in his daily life, and he is more domineering, what should he deserve? is the famous Yuan Dadu, didn't he also take the lead in Ning Yuan to build a shrine for Wei Zhongxian? And the past worship of the fifteenth day of the first month?

"Who should I be? It turned out that the prince had arrived. This is Benbo's sons and daughters, Zheng Zhilong, who is currently the general army of Fujian, and General Zheng Feihuang. ”

Shouhan smiled and played with Wang Dehua, and introduced him to the Zheng Zhilong brothers.

In front of Wang Dehua, Emperor Chongzhen's cronies, Shouhan, Zheng Zhilong, and Zheng Zhibao's brothers naturally did not tell Zheng Zhilong's identity in the Nanyue Army, that is, they knew that Wang Dehua should have understood something underneath, but they also had to pretend that Wang Dehua did not know.

You can't pierce this layer of window paper.

This is everyone's tacit understanding. (To be continued......)