Since Chinese New Year's Eve, large-scale gun salutes have not stopped, and every night, the bells and salutes of Manchester Cathedral echo over Manchester City in North America. Brilliant ceremonial lacquer stains the dark curtain of winter nights, bringing the biggest festival of the year to a climax.

On February 21, the third day of the Lunar New Year, the New Year dividend and Spring Festival tea party of the shareholders of the headquarters of OUCC Group were held as scheduled.

A luxuriously decorated carriage stopped in front of the headquarters building of the Oriental Union Group, and the family members of the shareholders entered in turn in new clothes, and the citizens of Manchester City passing by in front of the building slowed down their pace and cast envious glances. Dozens of group security guards widened their eyes, for fear that something would go wrong during the big holiday.

It is still a layer of unchanged high-end cocktail reception, exquisite buffet and music appreciation, this kind of party has not been interrupted all year round, if it were not for the Spring Festival shareholder dividends, it is estimated that there is not much fresh energy for the people present to participate.

Over the years, in addition to getting bigger and bigger, the actual style of OUCC has become more concise. On the red carpet, after a simple New Year speech, Guan Yun, chairman of Meilin Food Group, who served as the rotating chairman of the board of directors of OUCC Group, read out the New Year dividend distribution plan of OUCC Group, and then there was a free cocktail party.

The total share capital of the Oriental Union Group has expanded to 6 million shares over the years, but money has become more and more unconceptual. This New Year's dividend is actually dispensable, but it still reaches 10 cents per share, which means that a New Year's dividend of 600,000 US dollars will be distributed, of which more than a dozen core shareholders present can receive nearly 10,000 US dollars after paying personal income tax.

In the corner, Guanyun, the new chairman of the board of directors of the group, Ren Changle, who has just stepped down, and Zheng Quan, the minister of national defense, who was a special guest at the tea party, sat together.

"Everyone has seen Zhao Mingchuan's telegram, right? Don't look at this Guangdong governor Zhao Youheng is usually so nerdy, I didn't expect that he still had a bit of courage, and he actually wanted to learn from Sun Chuanting to recruit Qin Jun in Shaanxi, he is a Guangdong Province. I also want to make a Cantonese army, haha! Guanyun smiled and clicked on the telegram on the desktop, as if for the first time he felt that the bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty were not all waste.

"Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang are our most important import and export markets, and Guangdong will become the rear base of the anti-Qing Dynasty at that time. Zhao Youheng and that Shen Tingyang, we have observed for a long time, they are both officials who want to do things, and they have a good relationship with the South China Sea firm. It is not a bad thing for us that they have an army in their hands. It's better than being overshadowed by local warlords. The telegram had been read many times, and Ren Changle touched his chin at this time. Thinking about it carefully, "Zhao Youheng has already privately approached Zhao Mingchuan twice, although he is very poor, he still wants to introduce our arms alone, but this involves the bill passed by the Congress last year to restrict the supply of arms to Daming. ”

"Can Zhao Mingchuan guarantee that Zhao Youheng will be obedient when the time comes? If we can do that, then we will have much less pressure in the Far East, and I don't want to have an extra Ming army to help us then. However, if you really want to make a difference, this army is organized and trained. It's up to us, too! ”

Zheng Quan was actively preparing for military deployment in the Far East, but it was unlikely that Huamei would pay a high cost to get a large-scale army to intervene in the Ming and Qing wars, and in the end he would have to rely on the local officials and troops of the Ming Dynasty. But except for a very few official armies at the end of the Ming Dynasty, it is obvious to all that one is worse than the other. The officers are of extremely bad character. The training organization was extremely poor, and the morale of the soldiers was extremely low. In addition, the generals are afraid of the enemy like tigers, almost to the point of being defeated when they hear the enemy, and their own people are not left behind in the infighting. In the end, even the best equipment can be lost.

"There are 1,000 people in the Fubiao camp, 7,000 people in the new camp in Guangzhou, and 3,000 people in the new camp in Qiongzhou, adding up to 11,000 people, which is a bit large. Sustain such a new army. It is also necessary to equip us with munitions, which will cost at least $800,000 in the first year according to the lowest grade, which translates into more than 500,000 taels of silver. He, Zhao Youheng, didn't have the ability to make money, so he could only fight the idea of the gentry in Qiongzhou and the South China Sea. One year, two years, three years, the small place in Qiongzhou may not be able to afford it. ”

Ren Changle picked up the wine glass, and his mind was already habitually calculating.

"Congress would not reject such a large arms order unless it is all fools. Therefore, it is not impossible for us to list a separate item of military aid, and we can also come forward in the name of the South China Sea firm. I'm just worried that Zhao Mingchuan is too honest, and I'm afraid that the money spent will be embezzled by a bunch of Ming bureaucrats. Rectifying military affairs and eliminating the old and weak, how can it be so easy, is there less such a thing as the local military in the Ming Dynasty eating empty salaries and embezzling military funds? Without a lot of money and food, Zhao Youheng can't wipe Guangdong's buttocks. I think, let's let Yan Xiaosong and Fan Li understand the situation, right? Seeing Ren Changle's thoughtful appearance, Guanyun didn't intend to disturb the other party's train of thought, so he asked softly to Zheng Quan on the side.

"Being able to support a new army of the Ming army under our influence behind the scenes is definitely in line with the overall strategy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and when Yan Xiaosong returns from his vacation in Bermuda, the cabinet will discuss this issue. However, OUCC Group is still prepared in advance, so that Zhao Mingchuan can reveal some of our thoughts in advance, and as for how to package our intentions, it is up to Zhao Mingchuan to think about it! ”

Zheng Quan was a resolute person, and seeing that the Oriental Union Group attached so much importance to the issue of the new army in Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty, he also decided to include this kind of matter in the consideration of Huamei's military strategic deployment in the Far East.

……

On Sunday, March 1, 1643, the twelfth day of the first month of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Empire.

During the annual Lunar New Year, the maritime ships from Daming are basically gone, and now there are only a few European merchant ships and two merchant ships of the Oriental Union Group that are under maintenance in the port of Pearl Island.

After returning to Pearl Island from Guangzhou before the Spring Festival, Zhao Mingchuan has been planning his business plans for the new year. According to the instructions of the headquarters, the Chinese people in Luzon will achieve independent status in a few months at the earliest, at which time OUCC will receive an exclusive economic assistance contract for the new Luzon state.

In the past, there was Temasek's free territory of Lanfang, and now there is the self-improvement and independence of the Chinese people in Luzon, although the country has always been very critical of the outside world, and the Oriental Union Union Group also loves money like life, but it has also done many good things for the Chinese people in the East. After experiencing the initial confusion, Zhao Mingchuan has fully understood the intentions of the state, and has fully integrated into this meaningful work.

"Xianggong, guess who's coming?" As he was revisiting his work draft, the door suddenly opened, and his wife, Ho, walked in with a mysterious smile on her face.

"Huh?" Zhao Mingchuan was a little surprised, a little unclear.

"Brother Sicheng. This New Year, I am still diligent in official duties! The familiar voice sounded, and I saw Liu Yaoyu striding into the study.

Although he and his wife often go to Guangzhou or Qiongzhou, Liu Yaoyu is the first time in his life to set foot on the land of Pearl Island, and the sudden appearance at this time really surprised Zhao Mingchuan.

"Xianggong, my sister is here this time, oops, just accompany her to go shopping in the commercial street. This New Year's shopping street is very lively. He and Liu Yaoyu's wife Wang have met twice, and they are sisters to each other, so they were naturally overjoyed this time, put the tea tray on the desk, and left the study.

"In the past, when all the maritime merchants talked about Pearl Island, they all praised it, and they thought that Brother Cheng said a few words lightly, but he didn't think so, and his brother thought that others were exaggerating. If you don't come in person. I was almost mistaken by Brother Sicheng! Hey, the prosperity of this overseas gorgeous city-state can not be described in words. ”

The world of two big men was restored in the room, and Liu Yaoyu smiled awkwardly. said that when he got off the boat, not to mention his wife, even he was shocked. The towns of Pearl Island are prosperous and bright, and the people's lives are rich. It has far exceeded his expectations.

"This place is warm and moist all year round, but it is not quite like the cold year of the Northland. Brother Yi Ping came with his family, he wouldn't just look at the scenery, right? Zhao Mingchuan saw that Liu Yaoyu was still looking at the town scenery outside the window. Smiled and pushed the teacup.

"No, it's a big deal!" Liu Yaoyu turned his head, and his expression was already extremely strict, "My brother-in-law wants to rectify the Bianhai Camp Town Guard after a month, open source and reduce expenditure, cut out the old and weak, and select Ding to recruit soldiers." There is no shortage of money and food for this early recruitment, but it is only enough for March! ”

"Didn't the squire of Qiongzhou and the Nanhai merchant also scrape together 80,000 taels of silver and 50,000 stone of grain?"

Zhao Mingchuan frowned, feeling that things were a bit unexpected by himself, how to calculate the sum of these money and food, it was enough for Zhao Youheng and Shen Tingyang to support him for more than half a year.

"It's okay to say that Qiongzhou is easy to handle with familiar people, but the military records of the camps and towns in Guangdong are chaotic, and there are many empty salaries. If it is a comprehensive rectification and the dismissal of the old and weak, a large amount of money and food will be needed to appease the elderly. If there is no money, some officials and generals are also difficult to send, although the brother-in-law is named the governor of Guangdong, but he is from other provinces, the disadvantages of the local camp and town army of the imperial court, how can it be made overnight......" Liu Yaoyu made a bitter face, saying that he was about to run out of arrest, "My old Taishan did not say that the new camp in Qiongzhou must have the children of local squires join the army as officials, so they are willing to continue to donate silver and grain, but Lord Shen has been reluctant to let go, so he ......"

It turned out that Zhao Youheng originally planned to rely on the holy decree of Emperor Chongzhen and planned to do a big job in high spirits, but he encountered the secret resistance of the local officials in Guangzhou, especially the officials and generals of the military camps and towns in various places. Not only did the yin and yang go against the bottom, but even Shen Youlong, the governor of Liangguang, secretly warned Zhao Youheng in his letter not to be in a hurry.

Rectifying local military affairs, cleaning up the military roster, eliminating the old, the weak and idle, and eliminating those empty shelves to save expenses are also a serious thing, but this means that a large number of people who have been paid for countless years have no oil and water. Under the covert instigation, the patrol battalion under the command of the envoy in Nantou, Guangzhou, and the soldiers of the Humen and Dongguan Beiwei battalions under the Guangzhou Coastal Defense Garrison Road collectively launched a wage bargain, demanding that the arrears of salaries over the years be settled. According to the contents of the account book, for every person discharged from the register, he was to pay arrears and twenty taels of silver and ten stones of rice and grain.

The rosters of these three battalions alone, not counting the miscellaneous men, add up to at least 4,000 people, and according to the officials and men, if they want to rectify and clean up these three places, even if they are only half eliminated, they will have to pay at least 40,000 taels of silver and 20,000 stone of rice and grain.

Obviously, the moisture on these military rolls is extremely high, but because the imperial court has been in arrears for a long time, in order to maintain stability, the superiors also acquiesced to the behavior of leading soldiers and generals drinking soldier blood and rubbing oil on chicken feet on weekdays, just hoping that nothing would happen. If Zhao Mingchuan wants to thoroughly rectify the malaise of the military camp and town, it is tantamount to cutting off the way of people and money.

Zhao Youheng, who was made angry and bloody by several consecutive troubles, fell ill on the first day of the first lunar month, and was so frightened that his wife Liu immediately sent someone to Qiongzhou for help, and as a result, Shen Tingyang and Liu Yaoyu did not have a stable holiday, and the latter hurriedly took his wife to the sea on the pretext of visiting the New Year and went straight to Pearl Island.

"Hey, good officials like Lord Zhao and Lord Shen are doing their best to serve the country wholeheartedly, but this magistrate of the Ming Dynasty ......" Zhao Mingchuan put down the teacup, walked to the window, and looked at the sea in the distance, his expression became more and more solemn.

"It is said that in order to raise food, grass and silver salary, my brother-in-law has exhausted his family wealth, and now he is sick from hard work, and my sister washes her face with tears all day long, so she begged me to cross Pearl Island and find Brother Sicheng for help." Liu Yaoyu's eyes were red, and he almost knelt down in front of his friends, "Brother Sicheng, can I use my Nanhai firm as a guarantee to temporarily borrow 100,000 taels of silver and 100,000 stones of rice from the Oriental Union Group?" I can write an IOU and pay it off within three months! ”

"Brother Yi Ping, don't do this!" Seeing that the other party was bending his knees, Zhao Mingchuan hurriedly took a few steps to stop.

Glancing at his desk again, he realized that there was a reply from headquarters a few days ago. Zhao Mingchuan couldn't understand why the people at the headquarters would guess this kind of thing so accurately, and it seemed that he had long expected the difficulties that Zhao Youheng and Shen Tingyang would encounter in dismantling the localities and recruiting new troops.

"Brother Sicheng doesn't know, some officials and generals in the camps and towns of Guangzhou are clamoring for soldiers, if the imperial court is unable to pay the arrears and severance silver grains over the years, they will go to Guangzhou City to discuss the law, and the officials everywhere are constantly sycophants on weekdays, but at this time they are watching the jokes of their brother-in-law! Hey, my old Taishan is still hesitant about this matter and doesn't want to come forward. If it weren't for the first urgency, my brother wouldn't have come here. Liu Yaoyu sighed, like a wronged child, who did not have the momentum of the shopkeeper of the South China Sea Firm at all.

"Don't hide it from Brother Yiping, in fact, I have sent the matter of Lord Zhao to China a few days ago, and the directors of the headquarters are also willing to help one or two. The matter of the new army's ordnance procurement has been negotiated, and the corresponding money and food assistance can also be discussed, but ......" Zhao Mingchuan paused, still feeling unspeakable.

"Really?!" When Liu Yaoyu heard this, he was excited, and quickly grabbed Zhao Mingchuan's sleeve.

"Well, it's just that the headquarters board has conditions. I hope to let someone be the chief officer of the new camp in Guangzhou and Qiongzhou, and this person must be! Zhao Mingchuan saw that the other party was too urgent, so he could only turn around and take out the telegram from the desk, and shook it in front of Liu Yaoyu, "You probably have heard of this person, it is the former master of the navy guerrilla Zhang Jianye." Previously, he was implicated and excluded by the internal affairs of the adults, and had to retreat with his family, and now he lives in seclusion in Hong Kong. ”

"I have heard that it is a major general of the great sailor. But why is the public opinion of Huamei in this person? In the eyes of my old Taishan, he is also an outsider. Liu Yaoyu was surprised, puzzled.

"Although the directors of the headquarters are thousands of miles away, they are familiar with the shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Jianye has successively held important positions on land and water, is familiar with military affairs, is cautious, and is especially good at training Huamei military equipment. If he supervises the training of the new camp, it is also a good thing, compared to those local officials in Liangguang, as well as the children of Qiongzhou who are forced by your old Taishan, it can be regarded as introducing high talents to Lord Zhao. ”

Saying that, Zhao Mingchuan took out another copy of Zhang Jianye's information and sent it to Liu Yaoyu: "I originally wanted to go to Guangzhou in person after the Yuan Festival and introduce this person to Lord Zhao, since Brother Yiping is so urgent, then it will be transferred to you." You can make it clear to Lord Zhao that you don't force whether this person is available or not. If it can be successful, the Oriental Union Group should give full support, and can apply for loans in the name of the Nanhai firm, and supply military supplies at a good price. ”

"Good! I'll go back to Guangzhou right away and meet my brother-in-law! Liu Yaoyu saw that there was hope, and immediately grabbed the information and was about to go out.

"Haha, see that you are in a hurry, not busy, recuperate here for a few days before leaving, and accompany your younger brothers and sisters to enjoy the pearl style." Then I can send a fast boat to take you back to Canton, which will be much faster than your boat. ”

Zhao Mingchuan was also happy when he saw that the other party "broke into laughter", but he sighed secretly in his heart. (To be continued......)