Since September last year, the Jiaoao City Shipping Division has sent three fleets into the Japanese Army, earning a total of more than 1,740,000 taels of silver and more than 389,600 catties of copper ore.

In terms of sailors, because of the large amount of timber transferred from southern Liaoning, the construction of new ships has begun.

Among them, there are not only two sealed boats built according to the keel of the treasure ship of Longjiang Bao Shipyard, but also two foreign devils, Tang Ruowang and Lu Ruohan, who also designed the model of the Galen ship, and now the hull has begun to be built in Huangdao near the Jiaoao Wharf.

The Galen ship was the main warship of the European colonizers in this era for foreign expansion, and this time the Jiaoao Naval Division Base was ready to first try to produce two large warships of about 600 materials, each warship was equipped with 20 Hongyi cannons, 30 Fulong cannons, and 1,500 seamen and armed personnel of various kinds.

Su Guodong intends to use these two Galen ships as flagships, and the Manufacturing Bureau is also preparing to build fifty medium-sized warships of 200 and 300 materials.

This was also to accommodate long-range artillery combat and improve handling, with the bow of the Galen lowered, moved into the hull, or even placed in the head of the ship.

The standard length of this type of ship is about 16 zhang, and it is equipped with 20 guns of various kinds, and the advantage of this new type of Galen ship is that it is fast and flexible, and can be quickly assembled in the face of emergencies at sea.

Although the technology of the Ming Dynasty in this era is indistinguishable from that of Europe, Li Xingzhi will not rest on his laurels and believe that the performance of the ships of the Westerners who are good at naval warfare and colonization is worse than that of the Ming Dynasty, so he agrees with the fact that the Manufacturing Bureau is preparing to build the main warships of Europe in this era.

"General Su, the southern capital is very resistant to the imperial court, according to the Jinyi Wei report, the Donglin Party led by Jiang Guangyue and Wang Duo intends to support the establishment of the Lu Wang Jianguo and resist the Wang Division, and now the Zheng family water division has been stationed in Zhenjiang, and the drill of our water division must not be relaxed."

"Well, don't worry, the prime minister will definitely not slack off."

Su Guodong Hongsheng received the order, he is really grateful to Li Xingzhi now, when the Jingbei Army was stationed in Leiden, the fleet in his hands was only two lucky ships, where did he think that he could command more than 100 large lucky ships and bird ships, and the manufacturing bureau is preparing to build more warships, especially the two large warships under construction, which are really the existence of giants on the sea.

Qian Anning said depressedly: "Dashuai, shipbuilding does not dare to object, but since the start of building the Galen ship, the city ship division is not able to make ends meet, don't you know that it is our original more than 100 warships, and the maintenance cost of a year is 300,000 taels, and now we are preparing to build a new type of warship, can the city ship division still make money?" ”

"Mr. Qian doesn't have to worry, building more ships is for better trade, once the Zheng family participates in supporting King Lu, we will inevitably have a battle with them, if we don't prepare now, are we waiting for his sailors to fight us?" The funds are not enough, let the gentry of Jinan come out, you tell them, Nanyang is full of gold, let's not take it, is it cheap for the Zheng family and the red-haired ghost? ”

Build more ships and build more cannons, Li Xingzhi's goal is not to collect a few protection fees like the Zheng family, but to completely control the entire Southeast Asian shipping routes, and even extend his tentacles to the Indian Ocean and the American continent separated by oceans, and then use the looted wealth to complete the capital accumulation of the Chinese nation.

"This ...... How can they vomit out the gold and silver that they have eaten in their stomachs? ”

Qian Anning, a native of the Ming Dynasty, has the mentality of being a little rich and peaceful, so he naturally can't understand what Li Xingzhi means.

Li Xingzhi snorted: "Do you know? How much gold and silver did the Francison people on Luzon send to their country each year? The little silver we earned from our sea trade is just a drop in the bucket compared to them, Zheng Zhilong, for a little profit, people give three melons and two dates every year, just sit back and watch the Francois people get rich, it's really sad and lamentable. ”

Su Guodong said: "Prime Minister, how much protection fee does the Zheng family collect a year?" ”

"Three thousand taels for a ship! The annual protection fee is almost more than 10 million taels! ”

Li Xingzhi opened his mouth quietly, and Shi Zaifan could not be allowed to come and go from Zheng's order. With an annual income of 3,000 gold and an annual income of tens of millions, the Zheng family used this to enrich the enemy country and build the city of Anping Town; Since then, the sea atmosphere is quite breathing, selling foreign goods, domestic and foreign merchants, all use the banner of Zheng's, no precaution, businessmen have 20 times the benefits, Zhilong is full of Haili traffic court, and Daxian, Fujian takes Zheng's as the Great Wall on the sea.

"Uh......."

Su Guodong, Qian Anning and Li Bangjie who were present all gasped, the annual protection fee is tens of millions of taels of silver, and the profit of the Francois people is not tens of thousands of taels, so in comparison, the income of Dengzhou City's Bosi is not even as good as one of their nine cows, no wonder Xu Yunjue and others have an ambiguous attitude towards the Jingbei Army after the Zheng family entered Zhenjiang.

After inquiring about the construction of the naval division, Li Xingzhi instructed Kong Maocai to prepare wine and food in Penglai Pavilion to entertain the civil and military officials of Shandong who came to listen to the order.

"Li Bangjie, let's have a banquet here, but the Queen Mother is deserted, so let's go and tell the kitchen, let them prepare a few side dishes, let's go and see the imperial sister-in-law."

Wine is a color matchmaker, and after a few rounds of staggering with Zhu Wenwu, Li Xingzhi was slightly drunk for a minute or two, and what Li Bangjie said during the day quietly came to his heart.

"Okay!"

Li Bangjie hurriedly received the order, his face was full of energy, the handsome man wanted to beat the idea of the imperial sister-in-law, and actually let himself arrange it, this is not treating our old Li as an outsider.

"Has the imperial sister-in-law ever slept peacefully? The younger brother prepared a few famous dishes from Shandong, I wonder if the imperial sister-in-law is willing to drink a few cups with the younger brother? ”

With the wine, Li Xingzhi took Li Bangjie to push open the door of the courtyard where Zhang Yan lived.

"The palace has already slept, there is a difference between men and women, and the prime minister can discuss it tomorrow if he has something."

Li Xingzhi ignored the frightened voice in the hall at all, and entered the house by himself. There were two candles lit in the house, and in the candlelight, Zhang Yan was talking with the crown prince Zhu Cihong and Yongwang Zhu Cihuan, Li Xingzhi suddenly pushed the door in and obviously scared several people in the room, Zhu Cihuan shrank and went into Zhang Yan's arms, looking at Li Xingzhi with some fear.

"Don't you have something important to discuss with the Queen Mother? Will the last general invite His Royal Highness King Ming and His Royal Highness King Yong out. ”

Li Bangjie, who was a hungry ghost, was afraid that these two half-grown children would disturb Li Xingzhi's good deeds, so he came behind Li Xingzhi in a daze.

"Didn't Hongu say that? There is a difference between men and women, if the prime minister has something, he will play it again tomorrow. ”

In this situation, Zhang Yan, as a person who came over, naturally knew what Cao Cao, the living Cao of the Ming Dynasty on the other side, was thinking.

"The willow tops on the moon, the prime minister just likes to play things at dusk, of course, this time the prime minister is not any state affairs, the imperial sister-in-law is the first time to come to Shandong, the prime minister ordered people to prepare a few Shandong specialties, here, is to drink with the imperial sister-in-law."

Li Xingzhi sat down on the brocade stool next to him with a big sting, and looked at Zhang Yan with a frightened face.