Qiongzhou Island.

Today's Qiongzhou Island has changed from the desolate appearance of the past, but is becoming more and more prosperous.

This is mainly due to the continuous migration of Daming to Annam.

As an important transit point on the sea route of immigrants, Qiongzhou Island plays a very important role.

But there's more to it than that.

A young official from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Ming Dynasty was looking at several farmers who were working in the distance with a solemn face, and said loudly: "Masters, you must be careful, this rubber tree is expensive." ”

Who knew that as soon as he finished speaking, the farmers turned their heads and said with a smile: "My lord, don't worry, we all know about this rubber tree, but it is not easy to come by, and now we have transplanted a lot of rubber trees in this vicinity." ”

"Speaking of which, we're veterans, and we can't make mistakes."

Rubber is one of the important raw materials of Daming.

Zhu Youzhen knew very well that there would be a war between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands and even the entire European countries, and that the source of rubber would not always be in the hands of these merchants who traded at sea in the future.

That will bring inevitable trouble to Daming, and even make Daming's industrial development fall into the dilemma of no rubber available.

In later generations, the main rubber origins in the country were concentrated in Xishuangbanna and Hainan in Yunnan, which is now Qiongzhou Island.

It's just that the transportation in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province is not convenient now, and if you want to transplant rubber trees, I am afraid you need to pay a greater price, so Daming chose the first stop for planting rubber trees in Qiongzhou.

When the official heard that several people were so confident, his expression instantly relaxed.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he said, "That's good, that's good." ”

In fact, the rubber tree plantation is not only in Qiongzhou, in Zhu Youzhen's conception, since most of the entire Nanyang is now so suitable for planting rubber trees, why do you have to stick to Qiongzhou Island?

It's just that this is more suitable as the first stop for transplanting.

As long as it can survive in large quantities, and can continue to grow more rubber trees.

Then the Ming Dynasty will be very willing to continue to open up these rubber trees to the South Seas.

After all, historically, the whole of Southeast Asia was basically just rubber plantations in certain countries.

Cheap labor made it possible to spread rubber plantations on a large scale.

As rubber trees were planted one after another, on the surface of the sea not far away, there was a person with a solemn expression, watching all this.

On top of today's Daming Sea Frontier, there is actually one thing that cannot be ignored, that is, Zheng Zhilong.

If the development of history is followed, Zheng Zhilong will now have more than 3,000 sea ships and an armed force of more than 200,000 people.

The Zheng family's sea flag will become a more deterrent existence than the Ming dynasty's sea flag.

It's a pity that Zheng Zhilong doesn't have such an opportunity now.

"Is the imperial edict coming down soon?" Without waiting for the Ming warship to obtain rubber trees from South America, Zheng Zhilong took the lead in transporting more than 10,000 rubber tree seedlings from South America.

But at the moment, he was extremely hesitant.

Standing beside him at this moment is his brother Li Kuiqi, who can be regarded as a partner who has been born and died with him on the sea for decades.

I saw Li Kuiqi sigh slightly.

"Big brother.... It turned out that I already knew that the edict of the imperial court arrived a few days ago. ”

Zheng Zhilong said casually: "Then why didn't you send it to me as soon as possible?" ”

"Big brother, are we really going to submit to the court like this?"

Li Kuiqi said with some reluctance.

Although among all the forces under Zheng Zhilong's command now, it seems that it is a natural thing to submit to the imperial court now, and many people feel that it is undoubtedly a great thing for them to be able to submit to the imperial court and exchange for an official status.

Even such a thing, when it is said, it has a sense of glory to the ancestors.

But people like Li Kuiqi are a little reluctant to submit directly to the imperial court, after all, once they submit to the imperial court, they will not be able to be as free as they are now.

But Zheng Zhilong said: "Brother, in fact, you and I already know in our hearts that there is no way for me to go now. ”

"If we don't submit to the imperial court, then we will only be given a destruction and disaster."

Catastrophe is something that no one wants to see.

But Zheng Zhilong's heart at this moment is extremely clear, nominally the imperial court has promoted his official position again and again, and now he even has the right to speak on an equal footing with the governor of Fujian.

But he knew better that once he disobeyed the imperial court, then the Daming Shandong Naval Division and the Daming Guangdong Naval Division would exterminate them at the same time.

"Big brother, we still have so many ships and so many brothers, can't we fight with the imperial court? Even if something happens at that time, it's not too late to be obedient. ”

"Do you want me to be a sinner of the Ming Dynasty?"

"On the sea today, if it weren't for the imperial court leaving us enough space, do you think we would still be able to get a bite to eat on the sea?"

What Zheng Zhilong said is not wrong, in today's Daming Haijiang, in fact, if it were not for Zhu Youzhen's deliberate protection of Zheng Zhilong's issue, then the Zheng family would have fallen into a very embarrassing situation.

More than 100,000 people and thousands of boats are majestic, but in fact, only Zheng Zhilong himself knows how much pressure there is behind this.

Feeding such a large army is not a trivial problem, not to mention that this is a sailor.

Li Kuiqi sighed slightly and said, "Then how should the eldest brother talk about this matter with Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhihu." ”

Zheng Zhilong also sighed slightly when he thought of this, he knew his brother's temperament best.

If they can't get them to regain their hearts, I'm afraid that they will definitely poke out of the hole in the future, and His Majesty may not be able to keep the current Zheng family at that time.

Zheng Zhilong turned his head.

Said lightly.

"What does Your Majesty's edict say?"

"Except for you, who would dare to open the edict of the eldest brother's court privately?"

After finishing speaking, Zheng Zhilong did not speak more.

Li Kuiqi hurriedly greeted another entourage on the side, telling him to hurry up and take the edict sent by the imperial court a few days ago.

The edict starts.

Zheng Zhilong thought about it for a long time, but still chose to take it apart.

I saw a faint line of words written on it.

"I've heard his name for a long time, but I don't see him, why don't I come to the capital?"

The wind on the sea was so hot at that moment that the hot Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

After a long time, he breathed a sigh of relief, and said in a heavy and rough voice: "Come with me to the capital and ask my two brothers to come together." ”

Capital?? Li Kuiqi's eyes widened!