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"So, Shizi, is this going to start today? I think it's better sooner rather than later! Li Guangdi interrupted Geng Jingzhong's association and asked.

Geng Jingzhong turned his head: "What? Oh, it's not too late to do it tomorrow. It's just the beginning of September, so just finish it before the Chinese New Year! Let's go, go back to the camp, I still have something to discuss with you!" As he spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the camp. Li Guangdi also hurried to follow, it seems that he will be busy in the future!

The campus was not far from the barracks, and in less than five minutes, the two were already sitting in the hall.

"Oh, look at this!" Geng Jingzhong took out something that looked like a piece of music and handed it to Li Guangdi.

"What is this?" Li Guangdi took it and opened it immediately. "An edict from the imperial court! Let me see, oh, Kangxi is scolding us for opening up the sea and trade! ”

"As I told you just now, although the imperial court is unwilling to offend us, our actions have indeed been a little bigger in the past two years. Kangxi can hold back until this time to give his father an edict, which is already rare! So last year, the Meizhou Port, which was originally planned to be built, was not built. You know, the maritime merchants over there in the south of the Yangtze River are staying in our Houyu Port and don't dare to go back, but the inventory over there is too tight. The court didn't dare to cut us, but it was ruthless to these people. Geng Jingzhong shook his head and said.

"Actually, it shouldn't be!" Li Guangdi frowned. "We also sent those small ships of the offshore fleet to the north, and there is not a single ship with more than five hundred materials, and our Kunpeng fleet has never wandered in the northern coastal waters. We also said in the book to Kangxi. Zheng Jingzu was born as a pirate. The pirates entrenched in the sea were Zheng Jing's wings. The naval fleet is also justified in clearing out pirates, why did he issue an edict to reprimand the prince? ”

"We've gone a little too far. The situation in Houyu Port, someone will definitely report to the capital in detail, and it is not surprising that Kangxi knows. There are so many merchant ships along the coast of Fujian, if the imperial court doesn't know, then it's strange! If we do this, we have already violated his national law, if we don't take too much into account. Surely we will be judged by iron. Previously, we built Houyu Port under the banner of developing sailors, and Kangxi would not say anything, but he violated his taboo by wantonly trading. ”

"I understand Shizi, this edict is to warn us not to continue to expand the navy, our more than 100 warships have made the imperial court feel threatened, and they don't want us to continue to grow. This once again emphasizes the ban on the sea, which is to remind us that in the future, we are only allowed to maintain the current scale of the navy, and we cannot continue to develop. Hehehe. Kangxi's edict is quite euphemistic. Not so harsh. Li Guangdi read it twice again, and quickly reflected Kangxi's true intentions.

"Actually, Kangxi doesn't care about our business here. What he cares about is our military strength. Hmph, even if our Fujian is full of ports, he may not say anything, our military strength is only 40,000 in name, and 20,000 stay in Nanri Island and other islands. If we continue to develop force like this, he will have to move. Therefore, it is the most correct thing for us to transfer our troops to the island. The shape in front of us is becoming more and more urgent, and the imperial court has shifted its attention to us a lot, so we have to take precautions. Geng Jingzhong stretched out his hand, rubbed his cheeks, and said with a sigh of relief.

The wings of the butterfly are stirred, and there will still be some effect. Originally, Kangxi had never made this action in history, reprimanded, and warned, all of which were prepared for Wu Sangui, but now it fell on Geng Jingzhong's head. In the past, the imperial court didn't care much about the movements of Fujian, and the Geng family had a total of less than 30,000 soldiers and horses. But in the blink of an eye, it has only been three years, and Geng Jingzhong has made such a big move, and the number of troops in name has almost doubled, which makes it impossible for Kangxi to issue an edict to reprimand him.

Fortunately, the Geng family has always been extremely respectful to the imperial court, and the imperial court is not ready to deal with the three feudatories, so Kangxi did not dare to make a big move. After receiving this edict, Geng Jingzhong's movements had to slow down and no longer stimulate Kangxi. After getting the fire, Kangxi found an oil head to mobilize soldiers and horses from all over the country to fight him, and it was troublesome.

"The prince is not more worried!" Li Guangdi said. "Let's just do everything in the dark! After that, the size of Mawei remained at 40,000 and did not increase. All the others were sent to Nanri Island and other islands. If you can't do it, just run farther, the Ryukyu Kingdom is far away from the mainland, where to go to train the army, no one will find out again! As for the ban on the sea by the imperial court, Shang Kexi, the king of Zhennan, is also trading with Westerners in Guangdong, and the imperial court is also turning a blind eye. ”

"You're right, the trade in the south of Guangdong is only stronger than ours, he is privately taxed in Guangdong's private market, and he can get five or six million taels of silver every year, what did the court say?" Geng Jingzhong nodded, as long as they were obedient, the imperial court would focus on Wu Sangui. It seems that it is necessary to study hard.

Shang Kexi opened a mansion in Guangzhou, maintained social order, rebuilt feudal etiquette, appeased the remnants of the late Ming Dynasty, vigorously developed the school palace, promoted agricultural development, and donated funds to build a Buddhist temple to accommodate monks in the late Ming Dynasty.

Geng Jingzhong has been doing these things in the past two years, and he has done better, but there is one thing that he has not done, that is, he has learned from Shang Kexi, and written to the imperial court to cancel the order to move the border and ban the sea, not only did not go to the book, but also directly confronted the imperial court, which is too blatant, and it is no wonder that Kangxi reprimanded him and did not reprimand Shang Kexi.

"That's it, let's keep a low profile in the future, and don't make such a big fuss about anything! This time when you go to the north to recruit people, you must not go under the banner of Jingnan Palace, and let other businesses help you do it. Both men and women should be wanted, so as not to be suspicious of the court again. Of course, most of them are to be young and strong, and some of them are placed in two places, Houyu Port and Qidian Town, to hide their ears and eyes. Most of the others were sent to Nanri Island. Geng Jingzhong instructed. Also, in addition to recruiting people, the Mawei shipyard can also start work again. We still have to send out thirty more warships, I don't know how the design of the second-class battleship is in the shipyard? ”

When Li Guangdi heard this, he immediately laughed. "You don't know yet. The construction of the second class of battleships can already begin. The people we spent a lot of money to invite back are not dry meals. When I first came here three years ago, I was researching it shortly after. Coupled with the fact that last year another batch of people was brought back from Europe, the drawings for the 2nd class battleship are ripe. Jason, the director of the shipyard, and a large number of professional craftsmen repeatedly argued that there was no problem. ”

"Oh! That's a good feeling, so let Jason and them start working. However, after all, we haven't built a second-class battleship yet, so it's better to be safe. Well, let them build three first. Test the situation, and when the technology is determined to be mature, there will be no problem, and then build it in large quantities. The naval brothers are very familiar with the third-class battleships, and even if they all use the third-class battleships, there is no big problem. The other dockyards are still building third-class warships, and I want to add two more detachments by the middle of next year. Geng Jingzhong said with pride.

"Then, Shizi, aren't you worried about Kangxi's attitude? Once we start building warships on a large scale again, the imperial court is bound to make some moves. After reading today's edict, I remembered that the timber merchants who used to do business with us in recent months have disappeared. It seems to have been warned by the imperial court. I don't dare to continue to transport timber! Lee quickly thought of many things.

"Damn, this is the bottom of the kettle! I really missed this one. You're right. It seems that the imperial court is already restricting our growth. But our shipyard can't just rest here! Geng Jingzhong scratched his head in annoyance, squinted his eyes and thought about it. Looking up at Li Guangdi, he asked. "How much more timber can we provide from Fujian?"

"I don't know too much about this, but judging from the situation two months ago, it is estimated that it will be enough to build three or five third-class warships. We didn't need to hoard a lot of wood the year before, and the rest of the wood was used to build fourth- and fifth-tier warships. However, there should be some large logs that can be collected in each ship, and it is estimated that it can also make up enough for three warships. Li Guangdi recalled the number stored in his head and gave an approximate number.

"That's not enough for a detachment! Why don't you ask a Westerner? There are shipyards in Manila, Batavia and other places, and there is no problem in shipbuilding and repairing ships. Buy some wood from them, I don't know if it's okay? Geng Jingzhong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought of an idea.

Li Guangdi hurriedly shook his head and vetoed this suggestion. "Shizi, no. Our fleet has already given the Dutch and the Spaniards a great shock. They definitely don't want to see us continue to grow so much that it would affect their interests in East Asia. I mean, go find Shang Kexi in Guangdong. Let him help buy timber, and at the same time move the shipyard to the island, so that he will be able to avoid the eyes and ears of the court in a short time! ”

"But will Shang Kexi be willing to help? That old man is very stubborn, and he is very loyal to the Qing court! Geng Jingzhong wondered.

"It depends on how much the prince is willing to pay!" Li Guangdi smiled confidently. After all, Shang Kexi is old and frail, and most of the current affairs in Guangdong are managed by his son Shang Zhixin on his behalf. Shang Zhixin must have heard of the prince, and it shouldn't be a problem to find him and give more silver! ”

Thinking of Shang Zhixin, Geng Jingzhong smiled. This man is more famous than him in history, he is cruel and domineering, ruthless, and greedy for money. After he took charge of the private tax in Guangdong's private market, he raised the tax by more than two levels, but these were all done behind Shang Kexi's back. "Then I guess it's no problem, we have silver, it's to spend twice the price, as long as we can build a battleship, we can have more silver in the future." However, I have a worry, I wonder if I am overthinking? You can help me refer to it! ”

"Shizi, please speak!" Li Guangdi looked at Geng Jingzhong and said.

"I'm not worried about the shortage of wood in Guangdong, and I'm not worried that Shang Zhixin will ask for more silver, in case he asks us for a warship, you say, how should we deal with it?" Geng Jingzhong voiced the doubts in his heart, and then stared at Li Guangdi and waited for his answer.

Li Guangdi touched his chin with his right hand and thought carefully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he immediately spoke: "This world doesn't have to worry!" We can also agree to this condition, and our first thing is to build a battleship and enhance our strength. As for giving him a few warships, it's not impossible, but we can cut corners! Presumably, Jason must have a way in this regard. ”

"Oh, hahahaha!" Geng Jingzhong stretched out his finger and pointed at Li Guangdi. "You're really vicious. Battleships cut corners. The construction time will also be greatly reduced. The life of a warship will also be greatly reduced. Our warships will not have a big problem if they serve for fifteen or twenty years, but if they build a warship for Shang Zhixin, it will be enough for them to use it for five years! By then, the sea will already be our world, and we won't need him anymore! However, it doesn't seem to be very authentic for us to do this! ”

"Authentic? If he really made this request. Do we need to be authentic to him? ”

"Ahh Just do it and go to Shang Zhixin. It's not too much to ask, just buy enough ships to build this batch! After this period of time, let's slowly find the source of wood! ”

Li Guangdi took over the task and immediately began to be busy non-stop, and the first task was to send people to the north to recruit people. A month ago, it was the hot summer, and it was also the rainiest season. The Yellow River has broken in many places in Shandong and other places, and floods have also occurred in many places in Hubei and Anhui. There have been a lot of displaced people and disaster victims.

The families of the shareholders of the Sino-Ocean Trading Company can be said to be the leading large firms. Li Guangdi ordered Wang, Gu, Tian and other top ten shareholder families. In the name of their firm, they traveled to various parts of the north to recruit workers.

There is only one requirement, a large number of young and strong students are recruited, and the age limit is under 20 years old. Each worker can bring two family members to Fujian together, and the salary is one tael per month, including food and accommodation. If the family does not want to go together, they will be given ten taels of silver to settle in, but the worker is not allowed to return home for two years.

This is a condition added by Li Guangdi himself, and he has not yet reported to Geng Jingzhong. These are all trivial things, and the things that cost money, in fact, you don't need to report it directly, just get things done. The recruitment of workers is only an external claim, and in each team responsible for recruitment, there are people sent by Lee Guangdi who are responsible for the selection. Of course, the strong and strong will be given priority, and the poor will be given priority. If you're still sick or too thin, you're sorry!

Workers bring their families and let them stay in Fujian with peace of mind. It is to bring them to the island for training, and if they don't want to, they have to think about their families on the shore. This looks a bit like catching a strong man, in fact, what Li Guangdi thinks of is catching a strong man. Of course, it's not too forced, so as not to make it counterproductive. But Li Guangdi is confident, and the source of his confidence is Geng Jingzhong's preferential treatment regulations for military dependents and regulations on rewards for soldiers.

When the time comes, it is said to the newly recruited soldiers that they are training them to eliminate pirates. On the one hand, looking at the high bounty and military salary, on the other hand, giving preferential treatment to family members and military families, and possibly obtaining a large piece of land next year, there must be few people who will disagree at that time. After all, they are disaster victims!

Li Guangdi seized the time to send people to the north to recruit people, and on the other hand, he immediately sent capable generals to Guangdong to pay a visit to Shang Zhixin. Recruiting people is important, but buying wood for shipbuilding is just as important. Both of these are related to next year's trip to Luzon.

For shipbuilding, Li Guangdi has also learned more about shipbuilding in the past two years. Fujian's local timber suitable for shipbuilding has not been much after the Zheng family and their own felling over the years, and it can even be said that it is extremely lacking. But there is no shortage of timber in Guangdong, Geng Jingzhong has not done business with Guangdong timber merchants before, most of the timber in their shipyard is transported from Jiangxi, this source has been cut off, Guangdong is the inevitable choice!

There are many types of wood used in ancient Chinese shipbuilding, which are generally made from local materials, and the best of the best. And according to the different characteristics and properties of wood, it is used in different parts of the ship. The types of wood that are often used are: fir, pine, cypress, teak, elm, red wood, camphor wood, nanmu and so on. Geng Jingzhong reprinted many copies of "Tiangong Kaiwu", and said in "Boat and Car Nine": "Where the wood-colored mast is made of straight cedar wood, and if the length is insufficient, it is connected, and its surface is surrounded by iron hoops inch by inch." The front of the ship's windows are hollow in the middle of the road so that the masts of the trees can be built. Where the mast in the tree, combined with several giant boats to bear, its long cable is not tied to the table. Beams and fangs are made of nanmu, oak, camphor, elm, and locust wood. (Camphor wood spring and summer fellers, long powder moth.) The pallet is not limited to any wood. The rudder is made of elm, nut and oak. The closing stick is made of Zhou wood and hammer wood. The turret is made of fir, cypress, and catalpa. This is the big end cloud. ”

In fact, the most commonly used in shipyards are fir wood, pine wood, cypress wood and teak. Several types of wood have one thing in common, that is, the density is higher and the grain is typically straight. Moreover, the wood contains oil gum, which has excellent antiseptic and ant resistance, small size expansion and contraction, and good strength properties; Due to the structure of the wood and the oiliness of the wood, the newly machined surface tends to feel coarse.

Among them, teak is the best, it is fine, hard, and the texture is beautiful. In the case of sun and rain, dry and wet changes, it can not warp or crack; It is water-resistant, fire-resistant, termite-resistant and sea-insect eaters in different seas, and extremely resistant to rot, which is the favorite wood of Jason and other masters. Even later generations of scientists unanimously agreed that teak is one of the best woods for shipbuilding, and the most suitable is used to make oars and masts.

The uses and pros and cons of all kinds of timber are clearly explained in "Heavenly Creations", and the people sent by Li Guangdi brought the experienced master who had been in charge of purchasing timber from the shipyard to Guangdong, presumably they should be able to return with a full load. (To be continued......)

PS: It's a chapter today, more than 5,000 words, sorry!