For a country as large as China, inland rivers are the most important transportation channel. The passion of the ancients for the construction of canals is unique in the world. The Han built by Wu connected the Yangtze River and the Huai River, and connected Surabaya and Jishui with Heshui to open up the Yellow River. After the Qin Dynasty built the Ling Canal, China was even able to take a river boat from Guangzhou all the way to Hebei.

Ronald: "If you think about it from a military point of view, it means that the empire can send a steady stream of troops to Guangdong through the canal. ”

Order: "You're right, Mr. Ronald. China can maintain unity, the basis is still the economy, inland waterway shipping will be the essence of the country's land into a unified economy and market, anyone who controls this inland waterway transportation system will have an overwhelming advantage over the surrounding forces, unification is inevitable. ”

Ronald: "Interestingly, this inland river system has two major outlets, the Yangtze River Estuary and the Pearl River Estuary. ”

Orderly: "The navigation conditions at the mouth of the Yangtze River are too poor, and it is not a good choice for warships. But the Pearl River Estuary is different, the water is deep, and the wind speed is stable most of the time. ”

Ronald: "So we're going to take the island?" But it's still some way from the Pearl River estuary. ”

"Directly occupy the islands at the mouth of the Pearl River, and the Chinese government army will start a war with us. The British, the Dutch, the Portuguese all tried, and they all failed. The upper and lower Sichuan islands do not allow us to control the Pearl River estuary, but they can bring us closer to it. And," Shou Xuan then pointed to a place on the map, "Shangxiachuan Island can control the mouth of the Tan River, although the Tan River and the Pearl River are not connected now, but it can also radiate more than 100 kilometers upstream, and in Xinhui County, the distance between the Tan River and the Pearl River is not long." ”

Ronald nodded, "Oh, since it's so important, let's go back and take the fleet and take this place." ”

Shou Xuan looked at Ronald helplessly, "Direct occupation is not realistic now, we may be able to achieve our goal in disguise through some other means." ”

"How, Your Excellency, I don't understand."

"Mr. Ronald, don't forget, there are a lot of Chinese in our country." Shou Xiang put down the binoculars, "Now let's go to Qiongzhou, maybe we can find the answer there." ”

Sailing directly from Jincheng to Taipei, the route is too long for merchant ships, although the tailwind may be able to reach it in half a month, but the order can't always count on the tailwind, he still needs a relay station. Shimokawashima was the first target he chose.

The Nanhai left Shangxiachuan Island and headed straight for Qiongzhou. There is a holy monument in the heart of Shou Order, and you must pay homage.

Qiongzhou, Lingao County, Wenlan River Estuary, Bopu Port.

The moon is dark and the wind is high, and the longboat is landed in an orderly manner.

The Bopu Inspection Division has been abandoned. In the Ming Dynasty, the inspection department was subordinate to Lingao County, and the chief official was the Jiupin civil official, which was narrated by the Ministry of Officials. Although the inspection department has a humble official character, it has great power at the local level. Within its jurisdiction, the Inspection Department has the power of taxation, justice, education, and military. Each inspection division has a maximum of 100 militiamen, and these militia archers are under the jurisdiction of the state and county civil officials, and the garrison of the guard station has no right to interfere unless the wartime civilian officer surrenders command. On the contrary, the militia of the Inspection Department has a certain deterrent effect on the army, and in addition to maintaining law and order, one of their most important tasks is to arrest deserters.

In the Jiangnan region, the chief officer of the inspection department was generally a student, and it was almost monopolized by the gentry. The gentry controlled the important Haikou and trading towns through the Inspection Division, and in turn controlled the grassroots power of the Ming Dynasty. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult for state and county officials to compete with the gentry. Without the cooperation of the grassroots, it is extremely difficult for state and county officials to carry out their work.

The weather in Hainan is already relatively warm at this time, and the banks of the Wenlan River are full of green trees, and the orderly hand strokes the hilt of the sword, and walks beside the river. The river is babbling through, a primitive picture of the field. There is no Bairentan hydropower station, no transmission network, no communication lines. The location of Dongmen City is now a wasteland. Looking back at the harbor in an orderly manner, what should have been the berth of the holy ship is now a blue wave. He smiled to himself, in a certain time and space, he was also a member of the Five Hundred Wastes of Lingao.

Liu Jinqing didn't understand the mood of order, "My lord, this desolate seaport is not of much value. Why are we here? ”

A smile appeared on the corner of Shou Order's mouth, "In memory of my group of friends." ”

Shou Xiang opened a bottle of wine and saluted his comrades from another plane.

"We're going to build a city here."

Liu Jinqing didn't understand why Jincheng could build a city in Qiongzhou, he hid his doubts in his heart, "Yes, my lord." What is the name of the city? ”

"Bairen City."

Liu Jinqing took out a pen and paper and wrote down the words of the order.

The guards have occupied the abandoned city of Bopu Inspectorate, which is now a makeshift camp.

When Hai Shuzu was leaving, he told Shou Xuan his address and left a name post.

Shou Xu handed over the name card to Liu Jinqing, "Go and invite Master Hai, just say that I am waiting for him in the abandoned city of the Bopu Inspection Division." ”

"Yes, sir."

Liu Jinqing took two Chinese sailors from Guangdong and left. The orderly guards and marines relied on the Bopu Inspection Division to set up defensive positions and set up several swing guns.

At this time, the Jincheng Navy had accumulated a lot of intelligence on the coastal naval divisions of the Ming Dynasty. At this time, Hainan was under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province, and the health station has now degenerated into a military administrative area and a public security unit, and the coastal defense combat force of Guangdong Province is actually Zhelin, Jieshi, Nantou, Beijin, Baigemen, Wutu, Baisha, Liantou, Zhuanmen, Hailang, and Shuanglang 11 major water villages, which are respectively commanded by the general, the garrison, and the generals. In Qiongzhou is Baisha Water Village, the commander of the army is a general of Qinyi, and his direct boss is General Lei Qiong, but in fact it is under the management of the Qiongzhou Prefecture Haiphong Tongzhi, and the next level is the deputy envoy of Guangdong according to the inspection of Hainan Road to supervise the military preparation.

Except for Nantou, Zhelin, and Jieshi, the three large water villages with mobile troops of the naval division, the rest of the units only had seven or eight broken ships, which barely coped with the patrol posts in the sea area under their jurisdiction and only maintained. Because most of the Haikou in the late Ming Dynasty were active in the South China Sea, the focus of Qiongzhou's coastal defense was also the eastern part of the island. In the western part of Hainan Island, the entire coastal line of the Beibu Gulf, including Guangdong and Guangxi, is now completely empty and has no defensive forces.

In addition to the acceptable port conditions, the Ming army here was also very weak. The Ming army in Baisha Water Village mainly patrolled the east of Qiongzhou Prefecture, and it was difficult to take into account the Beibu Gulf area.

The sailors of the Nanhai fished in Bopu Harbor every day without any looting. The battleship's massive hull and black hole muzzle showed its due strength. Shou Xiang waited for a week in the abandoned city of the Bopu Inspection Division, during which he did not encounter any trouble except for a few small units of Ming troops who were watching from a distance.

Haishuzu came on horseback.

After meeting, Hai Shuzu directly gave Shou Xuan a hug. After being slightly surprised, Shou Xiang gladly accepted.

The first thing Hai Shuzu mentioned was actually the Battle of Dadonggou, "It was you who rescued Jin Guofeng's son." ”

"Yes."

"I knew it, I knew it." Hai Shuzu was very pleased, "You guys fought well." ”

It is only now clear how much influence Jianyu had on these gentry in the Ming Dynasty, and the value of the good news is incalculable.

"Take the liberty of bothering, Mr. Hai hasn't had any trouble along the way, has he?"

Hai Shuzu was a little proud, "No trouble. In the entire Qiongzhou Mansion, there is no place I can't go. ”

The gentry is domineering in the locality.

Shou handed Hai Shuzu thirty catties of ginseng, "A little gift is not a tribute." ”

Hai Shuzu's eyes widened, it was the first time he had come to collect such a large amount of Liaodong ginseng.

"I don't need that much."

Shou Xuan waved his hand, "It's okay, Mr. can take it and give it away." ”

Seeing that Hai Shuzu still had the intention of prevarication, he said in order: "This thing is not worth much in Liaodong, and now the trade route is not passable, and there are many over there." The thirty catties were seized from Jianyu, but Mr. Hai didn't hurt to take them. ”

Hearing that it was the spoils of war against Jianyu, Hai Shuzu's face turned into a flower, and he beckoned his family to accept the ginseng.

Shou ordered to invite Hai Shuzu into the house, he didn't go around in circles, "Mr. Hai, Chen has something to ask for here." ”

Hai Shuzu was not surprised at all, as an archon, Shou Xuan would definitely not come over to visit the door without any trouble.

"If the lord of the country has something to do, just talk about it."

Shou orderly spread out the map, and Hai Shuzu also looked at it.

"Shangxiachuan Island in Xinhui County, Donghai Island in Leizhou, and Luhui in Yazhou. I want control of these three plots. ”

Hai Shuzu was not surprised, Yangyi had always been obsessed with gaining a foothold in trade in the Ming Dynasty. He narrowed his eyes, "How do you want to control it." ”

"Shimokawa asked for a simple castle to be built to guard the harbor so that my ship could enter the harbor and shelter from the wind. My warship on the East Sea Island of Leizhou can not enter for the time being, and only ask for a foothold. I want to take full control of the Yazhou Lutou near the head, there is a mine there. ”

Hai Shuzu lit his pipe and swallowed the clouds and exhaled the mist, "Lord of the country, you look up to me, I can't do it." ”

Shou Xuan stood up and took two steps back and forth, "Mr. Hai, I went to the north this time. To tell the truth, the situation in the north is already shocking, and there are displaced people everywhere. Liukou and Jianyu are one in the south and one in the north, and the imperial court is very powerless against either side. I believe that many people have a number in their hearts that the Ming Dynasty will not work. ”

In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, the signs of the country's demise were already obvious. Hai Shuzu also knew this, "What does that have to do with the plan of the lord of the country?" ”

Shouxu said: "If Jianyu wins the world, how does Mr. Hai plan to deal with himself?" Like the Han people in Liaodong, braided hair on the left side, is it a captive in the north? ”

Haishuzu stood up, "It's impossible. ”

Shou Order: "Mr. Nahai has to prepare early. During this trip to the north, I felt that the Ming Dynasty was already extremely chaotic in political affairs. ”

Hai Shuzu sighed slightly, "You're right. ”

Shouxuan said: "Isn't that our chance?" ”

Hai Shuzu smoked a cigarette and did not speak. Order waited for him.

"If I can't, won't you come with a warship? The sailors of the imperial court can't do anything about you. ”

Shou Xuan shook his head, "No, I'll find another way, I believe that in the Ming Dynasty, I can get what I want without fighting." ”

Hai Shuzu knocked the soot off the soles of his shoes, "What do I get?" ”

It's good to be willing to open the conditions, and a happy look appeared in Shou Order's eyes, "The Jincheng Senate has prepared a seat for Mr. Hai. ”

"Good, but that's not enough."

Shouxu said: "What else does Mr. Hai need?" Land, that's not a problem, I'm going to expand westward when I return home......"

Hai Shuzu shook his head, "I like the land very much, but that's not critical. ”

"What does Mr. Hymers want?"

"It's all people who eat at sea, I won't talk nonsense, my condition is that you marry the little girl."

Shou ordered to open his mouth wide, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Only blood relatives will become their own." Hai Shuzu stared at the order.

Shou Zhi took a step back, "Mr. Hai......"

Hai Shuzu: "Leizhou can tell you now, I can't do it." The white sugar produced in Leizhou accounts for eighty percent of the world, and there are too many interests involved, so I advise you not to think about it now. Unless you come to the door with a warship, the Governor will not be able to do it. Shangxiachuan Island is located at the intersection of the official army's Nantou Water Village and the Beijin Water Village patrol sea area, I need to operate, I can't guarantee you. As for Yazhou Lu's return, I can promise you right away. ”

Shou Xuan said: "What is Mr. Hai going to do?" ”

Hai Shuzu smiled, "You know the Jiupin Inspection Division. ”

Orderly nodded.

"The establishment of a new inspection department needs to be reported at all levels, and finally approved by the ministry. I don't think you want that. ”

"Of course." The difficulty of going to the Beijing running department is too clear. It is very dangerous to deal with a lot of brokers and scammers, and the lighting is like this, and officials will only pass the buck at all levels, and the official documents signed and forwarded can break people.

"We can be flexible, Yazhou now has the Fujiqiao Patrol Division in the east, the Baosui Patrol Division in the north, and the Tongyuan Patrol Division in the northwest. I can ask the Fujiqiao Inspector to set up a patrol sub-division near Luhuitou, and the official documents can be signed and forwarded in the Qiongzhou Mansion. As long as you don't ask for money from the province, Guangzhou doesn't care about these things. Hai Shuzu took a sip of tea, "But the chief officer of this inspection division can only be done by my family, and your people can't do it." The Qiongzhou Mansion only knows the people of my family. ”

Shou Xuan nodded and said, "There is no problem, but Jincheng must be able to garrison troops." ”

Hai Shuzu: "The soldiers must be Han Chinese, and if the Fujiqiao Inspection Division is overturned, the establishment of 100 militia can be maintained." ”

Shou Xian thought about it, 100 people should be enough at the beginning, not to mention that there are still some armed forces that don't need to be put on the surface. "Yes, I still want to build a city."

"The Inspection Division was originally going to build the Inspection Division City." Hai Shuzu refilled the teacup with water and blew the heat gently, "Do you need to think about it?" ”

Shou Xian smiled, stood up and slammed it to the ground, "Don't think about it, I can marry Miss Hai, and Shou Xian is fortunate to have three lives." ”

In front of Tiandu Iron Mine, there is nothing to be pretentious.

Hai Shuzu calmly accepted the order's salute, and after the order got up, he asked the order, "Are you sure there is an iron mine in Luhuihui?" ”

Shou Order's tone was very affirmative, "The best iron ore in Daming can be mined in the open pit." ”

Mining is a big business, Hai Shuzu put down the teacup, "How are you going to mine?" ”

Shou Xuan said: "Relying on the Inspection Division, it shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Hai Shuzu: "The old man came forward, and it is naturally not difficult to mine a mine privately. But there are rough roads, and there is a plague, and a lot of silver is needed, so how are you going to pay for it? ”

"I went back and persuaded the Ministry of Finance to allocate ......"

Hai Shuzu shook his head, "Order, I have lived in your country for a while, and I have studied your system. I don't want your country's finance ministry to mine this iron ore. ”

Probably Hai Shuzu was afraid of state-owned holdings, but he did not control the iron ore he mined, so he said in order, "In that case, I will return to China to raise shares." The iron ore company will be a private company. ”

"How many shares to raise?"

"How about 80,000 taels in the first phase? With a share capital of 80,000 taels, I can mortgage and borrow another 80,000 taels. ”

"I can subscribe for 20,000 taels right now." r