"This time, our Zheng family really suffered heavy losses, and I originally wanted to take advantage of the winter to repair the ship, but I didn't expect that as soon as the English came, his mother would stew it." Walking on the beach, Zheng Zhilong sighed as he looked at the waves of the sea. It can be seen that this sneak attack by the English really hurt the vitality of the Zheng family.

"There is no way to do it." Li Xiao turned his ears sideways and listened to the chirping of seagulls.

Two men walked on the beach, followed by two guards from each side dozens of paces behind. A little farther away, followed by a hundred and ten heavily armed soldiers.

"They didn't go through the strait, it seemed like they came from the sea off Java. They killed the fishing boats along the way, and we didn't hear anything about it beforehand. In fact, I have always been worried that the East India Company of the English sent representatives several times. Hope we open up the duck slice trade! The most favorable conditions, give me 30% dry shares.

But thinking about what you said, I still rejected them. I didn't expect it to bring such a disaster to the Zheng family. The clan elders are secretly brewing, hoping to knock me off from the position of the head of the Zheng family. Zheng Zhilong sighed.

Zheng Zhilong has changed a lot in the past two years, and the hair on his sideburns has all turned white. The javelin-like back was also hunched, the corners of the eyes were full of wrinkles, and there were a few extra folds on the neck. It can be seen that he is under a lot of pressure.

"Those foreigners still smuggle duck slices to our Daming?" Li Xiao asked with a frown.

"Of course! We can export porcelain, tea, silk ......! They like these things, but they don't have anything to sell us. I finally found this thing with duck slices, and I can get Daming to exchange it for silver, but I can't help but get it to our Daming?

According to your will, the duck slice boat will burn one by one. People, catch one and kill one. Some days, outside the Bosi in Quanzhou and Guangzhou, there are more than a dozen heads hanging all year round. They are all duck fillet dealers who sell duck chips!

Caught hard, killed hard. Naturally, they will send troops over, and this time it is estimated that the English will take revenge on me. ”

"Regret it?" Seeing the melancholy on Zheng Zhilong's face, Li Xiao asked.

"Sort of!" Zheng Zhilong nodded honestly.

Li Xiao also nodded in understanding, and the duck slice trade was hugely profitable. Zheng Zhilong resolutely refused to sell because of his own words, and the pressure was indeed great.

"Duck slices are not only ruined by destroying a country's financial and material resources. The most important thing is that this thing destroys people's spirits. No matter how fierce a man is, as long as he smokes the duck slices, it's over. In order to get duck slices to smoke, they do everything. Let this thing in, and the Ming Dynasty will really lose the country. And not only did the country die, but the children and grandchildren of the Chinese people should not think of standing up again.

Your grievances today are borne on behalf of the entire Chinese nation. Now the state has enacted legislation to write the death of those who smuggle duck chips into the "Da Ming Law". In the future, if these duck fillet dealers are executed, there will be national laws to follow, and it will be difficult for others to chew their tongues. ”

"That's a good thing, we used to do that. In the final analysis, there is no law of the imperial court to follow, and it is all a half-public and half-private matter. People sue us, and we also have some losses. Zheng Zhilong nodded, showing little interest in anti-smoking legislation.

Li Xiao took out Great China and gave Zheng Zhilong one. The two of them lit a match.

"This time, not only do we have to ban smoking, but we also have to export cigarettes overseas. I don't believe in those raw duck slices, which are easy to smoke with my spiced cigarettes. ”

"Now that tobacco has spread in Daming, my Quanzhou City Bo Division alone transfers no less than 100 boats of cigarettes every month. The destinations are all South Seas, and some are resold to India. I heard that some cigarette ships have sold cigarettes to Europa. It is said that the profits are very good! Zheng Zhilong took a puff of his cigarette, still lacking interest.

"Still worried about the affairs of the clan elders?" Li Xiao also took a puff of his cigarette.

"Can you not be bothered? They are all members of the Zheng family, and some are still elders. Seeing the benefits swarming up, they shirked one by one when they encountered difficulties. Including the third child in my family, none of them are responsible. It's a pity! If Zhihu is still ......! "Thinking of a good general in a national crisis, Zheng Zhilong remembered Zheng Zhihu who died in the sea off Macao.

"Brother Zhihu died heroically, and I, Li Xiao, also admired it very much. This time, I would like to invite you to Beijing. Li Xiao looked at Zheng Zhilong and said what he wanted to do this time.

"Into Beijing?" Zheng Zhilong looked at Li Xiao in surprise.

"That's right! Performers! In the long run, it is impossible for the imperial court to allow your Zheng family to occupy the South China Sea. As you can see, the Imperial Court now has a Peerless Giant Ship. Only such a ship can run rampant in the South China Sea. ”

"You're going to drive my Zheng family out of the South China Sea?" Zheng Zhilong's eyes shrunk to the size of a needle's nose. The Zheng family said that it sounded like it was a maritime businessman, and if it didn't sound good, it was a pirate. After defeating Chen Hailong, Li Xiu firmly controlled the control of the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. The largest South China Sea is left to be controlled by the Zheng family, and every year the Zheng family will give dividends to the Li family.

Unexpectedly, Li Xiao had just won the world. With two huge ships, they want to take away the South China Sea of the Zheng family.

"What are you Zheng family holding the South China Sea for?" Li Xiao asked Zheng Zhilong rhetorically.

Zheng Zhilong didn't speak, just looked at Li Xiao directly, and the fierce light in his eyes became hot little by little.

"Let me put it bluntly, your Zheng family occupies the South China Sea just for money. Officers and soldiers pretend to be pirates to rob, collect protection fees, and participate in business and participate in cadres to receive dividends. It's nothing more than these means, you can tell me what can be put on the table. Could it be that the children and grandchildren of your Zheng family will have to live with a thief's name? ”

"So, you take all these rights back. Change it to the court to receive it openly, is it reasonable and legal for the fuck? Zheng Zhilong's eyes widened, if his eyes could kill, Li Xiao's body was already covered with bullet holes.

"That's right! The imperial court collects it, and it is really reasonable and legal. There is no way, the imperial court has absolute force in its hands. ”

"Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to get out of Quanzhou?" Zheng Zhilong looked at Li Xiao viciously.

"Don't be afraid! Because I prepared a big pie, or would you like to eat it with beef filling? Li Xiao looked at Zheng Zhilong with a smile, not afraid of Zheng Zhilong's vicious eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"The imperial court wants to set up a ministry of water resources, which is to build dams in suitable places. Then use the dam to generate electricity! ”

"Electricity?" Zheng Zhilong didn't understand what electricity was, he only knew that Li Xiao was fooling him.

"This is a letter from Zheng Sen to you, which details how much this sale will make in the future. Let's get on board in a minute, and I'll show you what the lights are all about. If you don't believe me, you have to believe your son. Li Xiao took out a letter and handed it to Zheng Zhilong, who was on the verge of going berserk.

Zheng Zhilong took the letter suspiciously, and after opening it, he saw that it was his son's handwriting. Tsai carefully looked at it twice, and looked at Li Xiao suspiciously: "Will there really be such a big profit?" ”

"How so? It is still unclear that it is estimated that in 100 years, the people's demand for electricity may be at the same level as that of eating. There was not even electricity, and the people could not even eat. Li Xiao looked at Zheng Zhilong and said seriously.

"Can it get to this point?"

"Of course!

Your Zheng family and my Li family's friendship over the years, I will attack you plainly? The construction of water conservancy can not only curb flooding, but also generate electricity for the benefit of people. At the same time, it is also a hugely profitable industry, and although it may seem inconspicuous today, it will be something that no one will be able to do without in a few decades, a hundred years from now.

Now I have given this transaction to your family, which is to thank the Zheng family and my Li family for sharing weal and woe over the years. Moreover, the money spent by the children and grandchildren of your Zheng family is all clean and can withstand any inspection. Unlike you now, although you are the governor of Fujian, you still have a thief name on your head. ”

"Okay, I'll take a look at the boat with you. If it is really like what Sen'er said, I, Zheng Zhilong, swear to the sky, my Zheng family and your Li family will never lose each other. Even if one day, the whole world is against your Li family, my Zheng family will choose to live and die with you Li Xiao. ”

"Zheng Sen is in the Ministry of Works, and he is busy with this all day long. You can ask the third master to go to the capital, see what Zheng Sen means, and then make a judgment. After your Zheng family withdraws from the South China Sea, the imperial navy will sweep away all forces in the South China Sea that refuse to submit.

In the future, if the elders of the Zheng family dare to embarrass you, you can cut off their money and food. Anyway, the court only recognizes you Zheng Zhilong. I don't recognize anything else Zheng Moumou! In the future, the money to buy electricity will only be at your disposal to Zheng Zhilong. ”

Zheng Zhilong's eyes lit up suddenly, and Li Xiao said very clearly. Nanhai must be handed over to the imperial court, and these elders of the Zheng family can only get silver from Zheng Zhilong in the future. Dare to be disobedient, don't quarrel with you, don't mess with you, just cut off your money and food, to see if you can eat and drink cigarettes.

"Let's not talk about it, let's go to your ship now and see, what is called an electric light, what is called an electric fan." Zheng Zhilong couldn't help it, he was eager to see what these lights and fans were.

Li Xiao didn't talk nonsense, took Zheng Zhilong back to the dock and got on the boat, and the two of them came to the Jianqiao of the Zhenyuan.

"Look, this is the electric light." Li Xiao pointed to the light bulbs lit on the huge slipway of Jianqiao and said.

Zheng Zhilong just glanced at it, and was stabbed by the bright light. This thing is so fucking bright, like little sun. This row of things illuminates the entire slipway. It was the first time Zheng Zhilong had seen this thing, and he swore that he hadn't seen the flames, not at all.

Ships have always been the place where fireworks control is most stringent. Once a wooden ship catches fire, it is an absolute nightmare.

"I can't see it here, let's go down to the bottom warehouse." Li Xiao said, taking the lead in climbing down the stairs.

Zheng Zhilong is an old runner, so he naturally knows what the situation is in the bottom warehouse. Damp, hot, dark and humid are the norm there, and oil lamps are generally not available there for fear of fire. When people enter the bottom warehouse, everything depends on other senses. Touching your nose with your hands and smelling your ears and listening, you just can't see with your eyes anyway.

When you enter the bottom warehouse, you will feel like a worm.

The bottom warehouse of the Zhenyuan is completely different, and there is a light bulb in the corridor along the way. The inside of the corridor is no different from the outside, although there are blind spots, but it is much better than the black rumbling cabin.

Come to the crew's cabins, each with an electric light. Under the lights, the crew can not only see things clearly. You can even read and write under the lights! This is unimaginable on Zheng Zhilong's ship.

"This is the electric light?" Zheng Zhilong wanted to touch the bright light bulb, but was pulled back by Li Xiao.

"Electricity is dangerous, and it hurts to be electrocuted. I advise you not to try!

The lights on the ship are all driven by the ship's boilers, and it is possible to generate electricity by burning coal with a steam engine, but it is more expensive to generate electricity. The most cost-effective and economical way to generate electricity is to build dams. Li Xiao said, and pointed to the electric fan on the wall that kept shaking his head and turning.

"This thing is called an electric fan, as long as the power is turned on and the switch is pressed, this thing will rotate by itself."

Zheng Zhilong glanced at the electric fan, and suddenly realized that this place was far from the humid and stuffy heat of his own bottom warehouse. It's well ventilated, and the most amazing thing is that this thing called an electric fan turns on its own, and it turns very fast. It's so fast that you can barely see clearly!

"If it's too hot in the cabin, put some ice in front of the fan. The wind that blows out in this way is a cool breeze, which will cause the temperature in the cabin to drop rapidly. Li Xiao's words surprised Zheng Zhilong.

Having run through the South China Sea, he knows how difficult the weather in the South China Sea is. Many ships left for more than a month, with no land in sight, stuffy in the bottom compartment, dark, damp and stuffy. That taste can drive a good person crazy!

It's good to say that the darkness is hot, humid and can make people get skin diseases. Little red dots and then blisters. When the blisters burst, the yellow water inside festers and drains pus wherever it goes.

In particular, there are folds in the body, which are more likely to fester. The crew of the voyage called this disease crotch disease, and even men had to do it if it was so serious.

So, the people in the bilge compartment of the ship are naked.

Now with an electric fan, it is not only possible to ventilate. After putting a basin of ice, you can also cool down. It was amazing and made the crew so much more comfortable. There wasn't a single bare-bottomed crew member here, everyone was wearing nice uniforms, and the one on duty was wearing a hat.

"A comfortable life is actually a kind of combat effectiveness, and the soldiers are sick one by one, do you expect them to win a big battle?" There are only a few electrical appliances on board, and the application of electricity will become more and more with research in the future. There will be more electrical appliances in front of you, and electricity will be the number one human need at that time. For some, electricity is needed more than food.

"Amazing! It's amazing, I didn't expect that the imperial navy was not only a big ship, but also these things. Zheng admires and admires! Zheng Zhilong bowed his hand, and there was no previous murderous aura in his eyes.

Zheng Sen is right, this is a good business, and it will make the Zheng family rich and rival the country's business.