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Behind Liu Kongzhao's excuse, followed by the frightening military salary, raising a naval division is much more expensive than the infantry army, the whole army has thousands of large and small warships, and the monthly repair and maintenance costs alone amount to 50,000 or 60,000 taels, and there are also water battles thanks to firearms and long-range bows and crossbows, the consumption of these weapons far exceeds that of other arms, and the strength of a country's naval division is the most able to show its national strength.

When the Ming Dynasty was strong, it was able to grit its teeth and form a huge imperial sailor, crossing the ocean, shocking the four seas, since the Wanli Emperor and the Oriental Fusang war, ended in a miserable victory, Japan was sluggish for 200 years, but the Ming Empire was also a big injury, until the Chongzhen Dynasty did not slow down, and the huge imperial sailors also declined, the reason is that the imperial court has no silver, and cannot afford to raise such a fleet.

According to conservative estimates, only the annual cost of the Yangtze River Naval Division is at least more than one million taels, and this is still the premise that the Naval Division does not fight a war, and if it wants to fight, I am afraid that the treasury will not be able to be moved, and the more than 30,000 officers and soldiers of the Naval Division have not been paid for a long time, even if sometimes the imperial court squeezes out a little, it will not be issued to the hands of the soldiers at all.

In addition to the Yangtze River Naval Division, the Ming Dynasty also has another naval division, the Fujian Naval Division, the combat effectiveness of this naval division is far superior to the Yangtze River Naval Division, there are more than 2,000 large and small warships, the strength of 100,000, by the Fujian General Military Officer Zheng Zhilong as the Naval Division, the reason why Zheng Zhilong can afford such a large scale of the naval division, mainly because his naval division does not rely on the imperial court to feed. Originally, they were a group of pirates, living by plundering everywhere. The entire southeast coast is his territory, including the Netherlands. The British East India Company had to give him some face, and he was rich enough to rival the country.

Therefore, since the Yangtze River Sailor was not treated by the imperial court, he also fended for his own livelihood and learned Zheng Zhilong, and the warships in the Zhenjiang Sailor Village often appeared on the Yangtze River, and some officers who were more courageous became water bandits, and those who were less timid simply became fishermen, and their combat effectiveness plummeted. Although it still retains the signboard of the Great Ming Water Master, the lining has all deteriorated.

After the new establishment of the Hongguang Dynasty, the defense of the Yangtze River became particularly important, the descendants of Liu Bowen, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, sincerely Bo Liu Kongzhao was ordered to lead the Yangtze River Naval Division, but when Liu Kongzhao took office, he found that the Yangtze River Naval Division was not even able to get together the soldiers except for the pile of tattered warships that were still soaking in the water. Not to mention weapons and equipment, most of the officers and soldiers of the Navy Division are from military families, and they have not received military salaries from the imperial court for many years.

The imperial court has not been able to restrain them in these years, so many people are fending for themselves. Most of the artillery, guns, etc. on the warships were folded by the officers and soldiers, and some were sold to bandits and pirates. Some are simply sold to anti-thieves, like shun thieves and western thieves. Today's Daming Water Division exists in name only, and a partial division in the Zhenjiang Water Division still has some combat effectiveness. This is the sailor of Zheng Hongkui, the former chief military officer of Zhenjiang, and now it has been established under the command of the champion army.

Zheng Hongkui's sailors originally had tens of thousands of soldiers, and later Liu Kongzhao served as the commander of the navy, Zheng's military power was repeatedly reduced, and when he returned to the founding of the champion army, the total strength was only 2,000 people, only 200 warships, but they were equipped with first-class artillery, the largest warships were equipped with nearly 40 cannons, and the long guns and short weapons were all the most sophisticated, Zheng Hongkui could maintain such a tough combat effectiveness, mainly because this naval division also relied on Zheng Zhilong in Fujian to supply.

Therefore, as soon as this Liu Kongzhao arrived, he found that this sailor yamen was a completely poor yamen, which was a promotion, it was obviously a distribution, and it was possible to be dragged to the battlefield by those officials in the court at any time.

Simply, Admiral Liu doesn't do two endlessly, what Yangtze River water division, what Yangtze River defense, to hell with it, whoever has soldiers in his hands these years has become the enemy of all the rebels, everyone wants to use you to practice, like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Dolgon, these people, none of them are good stubble, we can't afford to provoke us, let no one fight, how to say that I still have a water division in my hand, at least I can take it out and talk to others about the conditions when the Daming City changes the banner of the king, and if you can't keep it, you can get a founding father.

These days, Liu Kongzhao has played with his life to make money, and the sailor has become a veritable water thief, and it is a government-run water thief, crisscrossing the Yangtze River estuary, whether it is a salt merchant or a tea merchant, even if it is an official ship, then it has to give Admiral Liu enough money to buy roads, and the Nanjing court is an eventful season, so he has no ability to manage it at all, and he doesn't dare to manage it, don't force the sailor to be in a hurry, otherwise it will be another thief.

Liu Kongzhao's courage is getting bigger and bigger, and he is less and less interested in the imperial court, not to mention Ma Shiying, who has the grace to support him, and the entire Yangtze River Navy Division is completely rotten.

When the military order urging Liu Kongzhao to send troops was sent, Liu Kongzhao's first thought was not how to fight, but that there was a lot of silver to come into, and where the silver came from, of course, was given by the imperial court.

More than half of the warships of the sailor division are rotten in the Yangtze River, and they can't move for a long time, so they have to send troops, first take the silver to repair the warship, and then there are, the emperor is not short of hungry soldiers, and the salaries of all the officers and soldiers of the sailor division must be made up, otherwise the court expects who to sell their lives, and also, the soldiers and horses have not moved, the grain and grass go first, the sailor is different from the infantry army, and the officers and soldiers of the navy division have eaten, drunk and lazar all their lives on the warship, and this daily supply is much higher than the infantry army.

In short, Liu Kongzhao thought that the opportunity to make a fortune had come, so he asked the military department for 2 million taels of silver, otherwise, the Yangtze River sailors would have to stay in the Yangtze River to fish and not go anywhere.

Even if Zhang Huangyan has the ability to reach the sky, it is impossible to make up this military expenditure, not to mention two million taels, twenty thousand taels are not, but it can be regarded as Mianhuangyan's brain, the next day, he made a slight revision of the documents of the military department, and ordered someone to send it to Liu Kongzhao again.

The order is to the effect that Yangzhou is a city defense battle, and the role of the water division is not great, but the current situation is forced, the imperial court reinforcements can not quench the thirst of the far water, and the water division is only a hundred miles away from Yangzhou. It is temporarily under the jurisdiction of the Yangzhou Governor, and it should be used for military purposes. All are supplied by Yangzhou governors, hoping to sincerely remember the power of the ancestors. Rebuild miraculous feats, in order to promote the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, in order to show the virtue of the ancestors, and the emperor has decreed that Liu Kongzhao's sincerity will be changed to the marquis, which is the sincerity of the marquis.

Zhang Huangyan really deserves to be selected by Wang Lanping, and the change of a few words pushed Liu Kongzhao to the opposite side of morality, and the initiative completely belongs to the imperial court, and you don't move. That is to clearly resist the order, if Yangzhou is broken by the Qing army in the future, the first one in the court will take your head to apologize.

The messenger of the military department returned to Liu Kongzhao's sailor yamen again, but this time it was not only the people from the Ming military department, but also a businessman, who said that he was a merchant who trafficked wood between the north and the south.

Liu Kongzhao never thought about going north at all. Not to mention repairing the warship, he simply refused to see the big merchant, but the merchant refused to leave and spent some silver. Buy the porter, and report it every once in a while.

Coincidentally, the military department gave the matter. Zhang Mingzhen was ordered by Zhang Huangyan, the secretary of the Ministry of War, to give orders to the Yamen of the Navy Division again.

Someone from the military department. Liu Kongzhao can't help but see it, after reading the official document sent by Zhang Mingzhen. only said one sentence: Let me think twice and send Mr. Zhang to rest.

also discussed a fart, left the sailor's lair, the ghost knows whether the sailor will be surnamed Liu or Shi in the future, don't go, resolutely don't go, and don't go with the knife on the neck.

As soon as Zhang Mingzhen went down, the porter came to pass the word again, saying that the timber merchant was coming again, and threatened not to leave if he saw Admiral Liu.

The porter put things on the table, uncovered the brocade layer by layer, fiercely, the room was shining with golden light, Liu Kongzhao took a look, his eyes immediately lit up, it turned out to be a golden Buddha, the size of an adult's fist.

"Let him in"

Sure enough, there is money that can make the ghost grind, this golden Buddha light bargains according to gold, not to mention around 20,000 taels, a good thing.

The merchant pinched his clothes and was full of flattery, saying that he was not a businessman, and no one believed him.

Liu Kongzhao let the left and right step down, this person is so generous, it must be a big business.

As soon as the merchant entered the door, he bowed his hand, "Caomin Shandong Li Hai has seen Admiral Liu, and recently heard that Lord Liu was promoted to the position of Sincere Marquis, which is gratifying."

Liu Kongzhao seemed to be smiling, and snorted, "Oh, you are well-informed."

Li Hai nodded and smiled, "This matter has long been rumored in Zhenjiang City, Liu Ye, you are in charge of the Yangtze River Water Division, escorting the imperial court, and you are the minister of the Ming Dynasty......"

Liu Kongzhao was used to hearing other people's sycophants, and he was tired of it for a long time, so he waved his hand to interrupt him, and pointed to the golden Buddha on the table, "What does this mean?" You and I are one official and one businessman, and the Tao is different, what are you looking for me? ”

Li Hai smiled, took a step closer, and whispered, "I have come to send a business to the Sincerity Hou, a great wealth that rivals the country."

When Liu Kongzhao heard this, he couldn't help but glance at this person more, and said sideways, "Oh? Aren't you just a timber seller?"

Li Hai pursed his lips and smiled, "Master Hou, there are many warships under your command, don't you just need a lot of wood?" The villain came from thousands of miles away, firstly, he wanted to make friends with the Hou Ye, and secondly, he also wanted to continue this business with the Hou Ye for a long time, and each took what he needed.

Liu Kongzhao laughed, "It is said that businessmen seek profits, you are really not modest, okay, let's talk about it"

Li Hai turned around and went out, looked around outside the house, closed the door, smiled wickedly, came behind Liu Kongzhao, and said softly, "There is a small batch of wooden villages, which have been backlogged for a long time, and the war has not stopped in these years, and the life of us merchants is not easy, and the small batch of timber has been smashed in our hands for almost half a year, and I can't find a buyer, so I'm worried."

Liu Kongzhao snorted and laughed, "What, what do you mean, do you want to treat me as a big grudge, and you sell me something that can't be sold?" ”

Li Hai hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, it's all good wood, it's not that it's been a mess in this year, there is no market, don't you just need it, Master Hou?" ”

Liu Kongzhao understood, this kid is really a businessman, and he has done business with the sailor, and if he is brave enough, he is not afraid of being eaten by the government and will not spit out his bones.

"I'll tell you the truth, I really need this wood urgently, but why should I buy it from you? How has this become my great wealth again? ”

The meaning couldn't be more obvious, you have to eat silver.

When Li Hai heard that there was a door, he hurriedly smiled and said, "This batch of timber totals 500,000 square meters, and the estimated silver is around 300,000 taels.

Liu Kongzhao was surprised, a businessman who can't afford to make a profit can also do a loss-making business?

"I don't understand this, businessmen don't pursue profits, what do you want?"

"The little one said, the little one wants to make friends with Hou Ye, and also for a long-term business in the future, Hou Ye, you have thousands of warships in your hands, and you need countless timbers every year, and the small one is short-sighted, and you can figure out this gift."

Liu Kongzhao still didn't believe it, the 300,000 taels of goods were said to be sent, and Hou Nian and Ma Yue could earn these back, how could things be so simple.

"That's it?"

Lehi nodded, "Well, of course"

Seeing that the businessman said so surely, Liu Kongzhao couldn't help but believe it, there are fools every year, and there are many of them this year, no, there is one in front of him, and he doesn't accept it in vain.

"Since the rich man Li has this thought, I, Liu Kongzhao, can't help but give you this face, okay, I accepted the things, and I also made your friend, let's say, where are the goods?"

Li Hai looked nervous for a while, and said in a smaller voice, "Shandong Liaocheng"

When Liu Kongzhao heard this, he stood up suddenly, his face became ugly, and the entire territory of Shandong had already fallen into the hands of the Manchurians.

"Who are you?"

Seeing that Liu Kongzhao understood, Li Hai was not timid, his dark eyes turned a few times, and he stood with his hands behind his back, "There is a sister below, who is now the seventh concubine of Duoduo, the prince of Yu in the Great Qing Dynasty."

Liu Kongzhao slapped the table, "Traitor!" It turns out that you are here to buy me, come on, pull it out and cut it"

"Slowly, Master Hou, I am so frank with each other, and you don't hesitate to give me a lot of money, but you want to kill me, isn't it too unkind, besides, you don't want to listen to what I say next?"

Several generals pushed the door in, and were about to step forward to grab Lehi.

But Liu Kongzhao thought about it, this person was the in-law of Prince Yu of the Qing court, and if he really killed him, he didn't do him any good, but offended Duoduo, and it was thankless, so he waved his hand and asked the generals to retreat.

"You and I are our own masters, and our ways are different, so why should we plan?"

Li Hai dared to say bluntly, then he must have already figured out Liu Kongzhao's personality and calculated that he would not be able to die.

"Lord Hou, now that the Manchurians have entered the Central Plains, the soldiers are flourishing, and sooner or later they will dominate the world, your family has a great cause, countless fields, and the remnants of the Ming Dynasty are already in the waning mountains, why do you bother to be martyred for Zhu Ming, Hou Ye, you have to think about it, your hometown in Shandong but Prince Yu has been sending troops to guard, and you regret it for the rest of your life."

Liu Kongzhao was shocked, he really came prepared, the Liu family moved from Shandong to Jiangnan many years ago, but most of the ancestral industry is in Shandong, and now Shandong is full of people.

Li Hai observed the words, and then said, "Hou Ye try to imagine, the Yangtze River Sailor in your hand is an important bargaining chip, if you can get this batch of wood, and then the sailor will be rectified, the strength will be greatly increased, you have these in hand, you can retreat to dominate the party, enter the king to protect the marquis, Prince Yu specially instructed in the next, if the Hou Ye knows the current affairs, the water guide to the north, you are the king of Ningjiang in the Qing Dynasty, hereditary replacement, this 500,000 square meters of wood and this golden Buddha, just a meeting gift, Hou Ye, you have to think twice, Prince Yu said, As long as Master Hou pulls the sailor to Shandong within ten days, the future of this future will be limitless."

Liu Kongzhao was sweating and sat down in a daze.

Suddenly, Liu Kongzhao seemed to suddenly wake up, and shouted loudly outside the door, "Someone come, tell the military department to give the matter, and say that the Yangtze River Navy Division is ordered to anchor and go north in three days" (to be continued.) )