Shanghai's geographical location is unique, transportation is convenient by land and water, river transportation can cover all parts of the Yangtze River and the south of the Yangtze River, and the eastern coastal provinces can be reached by sea, even if you do not do ocean trade, only do the trade route of Liangguang - Fujian - Shanghai - Huguang - Sichuan, you can also make huge profits.

Wang Kefan and Zheng Chenggong cooperated to open up the trade route between Shanghai and Guangzhou, and make the seaborne trade on the southeast coast bigger and stronger, which is a win-win result for both sides. Zheng Chenggong must monopolize the Japanese market, in Southeast Asia and South Asia to make certain concessions, compared with Japan, Southeast Asia and South Asia is not a mature market, but the future prospects are broader, after all, Southeast Asia can connect the Middle East, Africa and Europe and other places, Japan is only behind the barren Siberia.

(The main trade object of Zheng's maritime group is Japan, and formed a monopoly, in the early Qing Dynasty, in order to crack down on Zheng Chenggong, the Shunzhi Dynasty once implemented the order to move to the sea, but strengthened this monopoly position, Zheng Group's goods shipped to Japan are mainly silk, cotton textiles, porcelain, sugar, pen, ink, paper, inkstone, etc., and the goods purchased from Japan are mainly copper, lead and other cheap mineral resources.) ）

"There are a lot of deals that can be done in the Wa Kingdom, if Damu is interested, I can provide you with some more firearms to ship to Japan for sale, just the more than 3,000 guns and more than 100 artillery pieces captured in the battle of Ningzhen can be sold for at least 100,000 silver." Wang Kefan said with a smile: "This business can be done for a long time, the bird guns produced by our Huguang are extremely sophisticated, and the battle is invincible, Da Mu might as well be a black-hearted profiteer, a bird gun sells him for fifty or sixty taels of silver, and both of us will make a windfall." ”

In addition to pornography, gambling and drugs, the most profitable business in the world is probably the arms business, and Japan's Warring States period has just ended. The daimyo still maintained a strong sense of independence, and the feudal kingdoms often fought against each other, and the region was not peaceful. There is a great demand for all kinds of advanced weapons, and no expense is spared to buy them...... With the large-scale reloading of flintlock pistols by the Chu army. The old-fashioned bird guns are all eliminated, but the Hengyang Arsenal still has the ability to produce the old-fashioned bird guns, and it is too wasteful to cut them all in one fell swoop, so it is better to find another market.

"This business is good, I want all your 3,000 captured bird guns, and sell them all to Japan, and I won't let the PTZ suffer in terms of price...... Well, the new type of bird gun produced in Huguang should not be sold to others. Sell them all to me, I want as many as I want, even if it's 5,000, I can eat it! ”

Zheng Chenggong's naval division was invincible, but the combat effectiveness of the land division could not be matched, and the result of the battle of Ningzhen caused a great stimulus to Zheng Chenggong, and he was determined to follow the example of the Chu army to train a new army...... The Chu army's new-style bird guns have excellent performance, stability and reliability, and they can exert their power in Fujian, which is all over the mountainous area, and there is no need to think about the more advanced flintlock pistol, Wang Kefan does not sell it at all.

Except for the arms business. Chuxun Group and Zheng's Group still have a lot of business to cooperate with, from the cooperative development of Shanghai to expand outward, and communicate with each other. Wang Kefan and Zheng Chenggong were full of interest, and the more they talked, the more speculative they became, and gradually sketched a grand blueprint for the Oriental Age of Discovery.

and the northern coastal provinces under the control of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Zheng Group is also doing smuggling business, which belongs to the gray area, with huge profits but great uncertainty, and Wang Kefan does not directly intervene. It's about providing a source of goods and earning a portion of the profits...... Porcelain from Jingdezhen. Cotton textiles and silk in Jiangnan, various consumer goods produced in Huguang, and so on. It can be dumped in large quantities by Zheng Chenggong to the north. After the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, hundreds of thousands of banner people imitated the lifestyle of the Han people, pursuing luxury and enjoyment, and this money was not earned in vain.

In addition to making money, Wang Kefan and Zheng Chenggong joined forces for another purpose - to use economic means to suppress the Lu Wang regime. Most of the financial resources of the Lu Wang regime also rely on the sea trade business, and the Chu Xun group and the Zheng group have joined forces to blockade them, and their future days will definitely be more and more difficult day by day, without Wang Kefan's soldiers, sooner or later they will sit in front of the negotiation table.

The topic of the two people became farther and farther away, and gradually talked about Taiwan, Manila and India, Wang Kefan even talked about the Americas and the Australian continent, and Zheng Chenggong also listened to it with relish.

The Americas and Australia are too far away to be exploited, and they are just overseas strange conversations, and the two of them finally pulled the topic back to discuss how to eliminate the blessed sailors...... In the grand plan put forward by Wang Kefan, it was necessary to use the Yangtze River navigation and coastal routes to connect the southern provinces, and to realize this plan, it was necessary to eliminate the Qing army and naval divisions of Shifu and completely control the Yangtze River waterway.

"Shi Fu was a general under his father's command back then, and he had some incense with me, so it was best to try to recruit him. Oh, isn't Shi Lang in the Yuntai Army? Shi Fu is his clan uncle, and Yuntai can also give it a try. Zheng Chenggong was reluctant to fight hard with Shi Fu, and hoped to incorporate this water division to expand his strength.

"If he should be beaten, he still has to fight, if he doesn't beat Shi Fu painfully and disabled, he will always be lucky, even if he intends to return to Damu, he will inevitably bargain back and forth, delaying time." Wang Kefan sighed lightly and said: "The southwest has changed suddenly, the war situation in Guangxi is like a dangerous egg, if our army is delayed in the south of the Yangtze River for too long, if Guilin is lost, it will inevitably cause a big disaster." ”

Regarding the matter of Yongwang Zhu Cihuan, Wang Kefan and Zheng Chenggong's position is the same. Wang Kefan could not tolerate the fire in the backyard of Huguang, and Zheng Chenggong had a deep brand of Longwu, although the reasons were different, both of them were on the side of Emperor Longwu.

"That being said, but the Yangtze River is thousands of miles, if Shi Fu tries his best to avoid war, my sea ship will not be able to chase Huguang Jingjiang." Zheng Chenggong still had some concerns, and mentioned Shi Lang again, and said tentatively: "Is Shi Lang in Huguang now?" Let him give it a try, maybe their uncle and nephew are good at talking, and they can be blessed. ”

"Hey, the Yangtze River is good, but if we join forces, we can block him. As for the surrender, I'll leave it all to Oki. Hehe, I'm talking about trading with Damu today, doing business pays attention to fair trade, Tong Su is not bullied, what I want is the Yangtze River waterway, if the blessing department is willing to surrender, it will be disposed of by Damu. Wang Kefan once again made concessions to dispel Zheng Chenggong's concerns.

"Well, since Yuntai has made up his mind, I will naturally help."

Seeing Wang Kefan, he made a clear commitment. Zheng Chenggong couldn't help but smile happily, Chu Jun's strength was too strong, and he always felt insecure when he cooperated with Wang Kefan. In case after defeating Shi Fu, Wang Kefan preemptively recruited Shi Fu's water division. When the time comes, he will also be dumb and eat coptis, and he can't tell if he has bitterness.

After deciding to fight this battle, the two of them continued to discuss the relevant battle plan, and after discussing a general outline, Zheng Chenggong reciprocated the favor and took the initiative to invite the Chu army to cross the Yangtze River and defend Yangzhou Mansion and other places with Zheng Jiajun, so as to ensure the safety of the Yangtze River waterway...... Zheng Chenggong knew that his Lu Shi was not good. Although it now occupies most of Yangzhou Prefecture, if the Qing army moves south, it will definitely not be able to hold it, so it will simply give the Chu army some territory, and everyone will share the benefits and pressure equally.

Wang Kefan smiled heartily: "Okay! I am preparing to cross the river and go on a northern expedition, and with the help of big trees, I will definitely get twice the result with half the effort. ”

Zheng Chenggong was slightly stunned: "Is Yuntai going to the Northern Expedition in the near future?" How can you be busy? I thought that we should first respect the king in peace, and only then could we respect the king, and it was not appropriate to provoke the Manchus in the past six months. ”

The future of the war situation in Guangxi is uncertain, and Huguang also divided troops to garrison. Wang Kefan also has to fight Jiujiang Mansion, Hangzhou Mansion, and Zhenjiang Mansion. The Blessed Sailor...... How can there be spare energy to launch the Northern Expedition? Zheng Chenggong was kind and advised Wang Kefan to settle down first when he went outside.

"Today's situation is like a rat fighting hole, outside Hu Yisheng, even if Guilin is occupied by the Western Army, I will not leave a respite for the Qing prisoners." Wang Kefan clenched his fists at Zheng Chenggong and said solemnly: "I want to ask Da Mu to do me a favor and persuade His Majesty to leave Guilin and temporarily avoid the edge of the Western Army, how about it?" ”

"This is the duty of a courtier, why do you need to plead? Don't worry, I'll write it tonight. Please send the gimbal to Guilin as well. Zheng Chenggong first agreed to the matter of Shangshu, and then asked about the plan of the Chu army's northern expedition: "Although the Chu army is brave and good at fighting. But after all, there are only 100,000 soldiers and horses, and the current situation is now. How many soldiers and horses can be dispatched to cross the river and the Northern Expedition? If there are fewer soldiers sent, I am afraid that they will be defeated under the hands of Kong Youde and Tan Tai. ”

"I'm afraid it's inevitable to lose once or twice, hehe, I plan to surpass Zhuge Wuhou, come to him for six Northern Expeditions, seven Northern Expeditions, and pull the Tartar to fight all the time."

The training cycle of musketeers is very short, in extreme cases, they can go to the battlefield after only a few days of training, and the cost of each musket is only more than ten taels of silver, and the armor is far less than the expensive cavalry. Wang Kefan prepared a sea burst of musketeers to fight a protracted war of attrition with the Qing army.

Speaking of which, it is all because the south does not produce war horses, and Wang Kefan has no means of victory to restrain the Eight Banners, so he can only fight with them. You must know that the mobility of the cavalry is the strongest, even if you train the Chu army's spear array and musket shooting to be invincible in the world, the short-legged infantry can't catch up with the four-legged Eight Banners...... Wang Kefan prepared to form a new army in the form of an assembly line, launched the Northern Expedition one after another, consumed the war resources of the Qing army, and ensured the safety of the three provinces south of the Yangtze River by defending as an attack, while the main force of the Chu army took the opportunity to sweep along the Yangtze River, respond to the provocation of the Western Army, and stabilize the rear step by step.

Occupying the richest Jiangnan in the world and having an endless source of hundreds of millions of Han people, these are Wang Kefan's two biggest advantages now, and they must be brought into full play......

After active preparations, half a month later, Zheng Chenggong first began to act, mobilizing more than 400 large and small warships, tracing the river, and slowly approaching Anqing Mansion all the way.

The super warship of the Zhengjia Navy Division is too large, it is inconvenient to sail into the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and they all stay in Zhenjiang to continue to bombard the city wall, the main battleship of this expedition is a three-masted gunboat built by Fu, the main mast is as high as four zhang, the length of the ship is twenty zhang, the draft is two zhang, there are five layers of cabins below the deck, and the stern is also equipped with a triple rudder, and the ship is equipped with eight red-coated cannons, and forty thousand catties of Buddha Lang machines.

Along with the main warships, there were also a large number of sand ships carrying supplies, centipede boats (paddle clippers) for reconnaissance and expulsion, and "dragon boats" with a short hull but a large-caliber gun mounted on each side. Zheng Chenggong's handsome flag fluttered on the flagship, and with the help of the southeast monsoon, the fleet sailed up the river, and every time the Qing army's river defense position was met along the way, it must stop and destroy it.

Seeing Zheng Chenggong's menacing, Shi Fu did not dare to face the battle, and took the initiative to evacuate the camp of Xiaogu Mountain Water Division, threw off the Tunbuer of Anqing Mansion, and retreated to the area of Jiujiang Mansion. Tun Bu'er was so angry that a small fleet under his command had nowhere to hide, so he stood by the Yangtze River near Anqing Mansion and fought desperately with the Zheng family's sailors.

The cannon roared on the river, and the sailors of Tunbur knew that they were not lucky, so they desperately shot out all the shells, and the small fleet of more than a dozen warships suddenly played the momentum of a large fleet...... After a while, the artillery shells of the Qing army's naval division were obviously running out, so they resolutely launched a decisive charge and rushed towards the Zhengjia naval division.

Seeing that the enemy ships were getting closer and closer, the Zheng family sailors did not fire a single shot, and even maintained the hull posture of the previous voyage, and there was no intention of firing guns to meet the battle, the Qing army sailors were inexplicable, but they saw Zheng Chenggong's flagship raise a black flag, and then all the three-masted main warships sailed forward together, facing the Qing fleet straight.

Hard Crash!

These three-masted warships belonged to heavy ships, with huge tonnage, strong hulls, and a collision angle specially designed to ram enemy ships in the bow...... The Zhengjia Naval Division did not fire a single shot, and completely annihilated the Qing Army Naval Division in Anqing Mansion, and then occupied the camp of the Xiaogu Mountain Water Division, cutting off the waterway connection between Jiujiang Mansion and Anqing Mansion.

At the same time, the Huguang Chu Army Land Division launched an attack, dispatched troops from Chongyang County, Yuezhou Mansion and Shogunate Mountain, and seized Xingguo Prefecture on the south bank of the Yangtze River, grabbing a foothold for the Chu Army's naval division, which then went down the river and garrisoned Makou Town in Xingguo Prefecture, blocking Shi Fu's retreat to Wuchang Mansion.

Shi Fu also found himself at this time to become a turtle in the urn, except for the Qing army of Jiujiang Mansion behind him, there was no one to rely on, fortunately, Jiujiang is also an important town on the Yangtze River, and there are a large number of strong forts in Jiangbei Yingzhai, Shi Fu felt that he could still hold on, and once again drove away the messenger sent by Zheng Chenggong......

Thousands of miles away in the south of the Yangtze River, Wang Kefan ordered a general attack on Zhenjiang and Hangzhou.

These two cities were besieged by the Chu army for two months, although the food was enough, but they were trapped in the hinterland of the Ming army, the future was bleak, and the morale was lost.

But Wang Kefan couldn't wait. (To be continued) R580