"Mamluks!"

The flotillas of both sides met and continued their march to Yemen along the predetermined route.

On the Dingyuan ship, Zhu Zhangui lay on the map, holding his chin in one hand and holding a pencil in the other to draw a circle around the Suyinshi Canal.

Although there are many uncertainties in the words of the fat businessman, there are still some things that Zhu Zhangui can say with certainty, including what the forces in the Cairo region of Egypt are.

Zhu Zhangui doesn't have many impressions of this area of Arabia and Egypt, and the only thing he knows is that these camels are very rich.

The reason why Zhu Zhangui has this cognition comes from an animated plot of the rabbit that year.

"Back then, one side didn't know how poor the other party was, and the other side didn't know how rich the other party was."

Although black liquid gold has not yet become the mainstream of the world, it is certain that there is money in this place.

Zhu Zhangui used to watch movies in this region, and he was overwhelmed by the golden crown on the other party's head and the golden jewelry on his body, and his eyes were glazed.

It can be seen that this place was also very rich in ancient times, otherwise it would not have gone out so proudly.

"Your Highness, is there anything wrong here?"

Zheng He, who is also the clerk of Zhu Zhangui, wiped the blood on his hands with some gold coins while watching the circle drawn by Zhu Zhangui in the predetermined canal area.

Throwing the pencil on the map, Zhu Zhangui said in a deep voice: "It's different from what we expected, I originally thought that after the disintegration of the Arab Empire here, it should be the same as Ah San, where various forces are distributed and attack each other."

"But today I learned from that fat man's mouth that there is a unified dynasty in this region, called Mamluk, and its strength is at its peak, and the country has more than 100,000 troops, and if it is forcibly withdrawn, it will be no problem to pull out five or six hundred thousand troops."

"Here, and here!"

Zhu Zhangui pointed to the Mediterranean, the northeast region, "There are also two good forces here, it seems to be called black sheep and white sheep, which are two forces that broke down and split out of the Arab Empire, among which the black sheep and the Timurid empire are hostile."

"According to the fat man's confession, these two forces probably have more than 200,000 troops, and if they encounter an invasion by a foreign enemy and there is a danger of extinction, the two clans may ally together to fight the enemy together!"

"And here!"

Zhu Zhangui knocked heavily on the area where the Ottoman Empire was located.

The Mamluk Kingdom Zhu Zhangui did not have much impression, but Zhu Zhangui had also heard of this Ottoman Empire in his previous life, and it was said that in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Mediterranean region was a very powerful power.

Part of the reason for Lao Maozi's eastward expansion is that because the Ottoman Empire was pressing too hard, Lao Maozi could no longer expand to Europe, so he changed his goal and went to the Siberian Plain in the east.

"This empire is called the Ottomans, and it is the overlord of the Mediterranean region, and when the old man and I were chasing the remnants of the steppe the year before last, we heard about this country in the Principality of Ryazan, but time did not allow it at that time, and I did not have contact with this force at that time."

"According to the fat man's confession, the country is not only powerful on land, but also has a sea power that cannot be underestimated, and the entire Mediterranean Sea is almost their backyard. Even those Western white-skinned pigs, whose naval strength has increased in recent years, do not dare to challenge their position in the Mediterranean."

….

"And in the past few years, they have obtained some information on firearms through purchase and temptation, and it is estimated that their Mediterranean fleet is now equipped with some artillery flintlock pistols."

Zheng He, who was in a good mood after inspecting the first batch of receipts, frowned slightly after listening to Zhu Zhangui's introduction to the distribution of forces.

Daming is powerful, and he is not afraid of any enemy, if these forces border the territory of Daming, Zheng He can be sure that without the old man and Zhu Zhangui to make a move, those generals of Daming can settle it.

But helplessly, the territory of the two sides does not border at all, and there are countless countries in the middle to block it, and the Ming army can only rely on sea transportation if they want to come here.

There are only so many ships in the navy, and the troops transported over at one time can only survive 30,000 or 40,000 people, one by one

It will take at least half a year to return, and when the attacking army is over, it is estimated that the daylilies are cold.

This is still in the case of complete logistics, if there is a problem with logistics, it is difficult to say whether the other party can win or not.

Especially the canal area, which is the future transportation lifeline of the Ming Dynasty, is the hub of the future attack on the West and the control of the West, if it is not mastered here, the Ming Dynasty will have to go around the long road, from the Cape of Good Hope, and the time consumed will be longer.

The canal that the Ming Dynasty expected to build would divide the Mamluk Dynasty into two, and others didn't know if they would agree, anyway, if it was replaced by him Zheng He, he would definitely not agree.

Therefore, if Daming wants to build a canal here, there are only two ways, either to subdue the other party, or let the other party voluntarily contribute this area.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Standing at the window looking at the sea in the distance, Zhu Zhangui, frowning and contemplative, glanced back at Zheng He.

"It's impossible to fight, Daming is too far away from here, once you can't end the battle quickly, it is likely to fall into an endless war of attrition, which is not in the interests of our Daming! It is also what our imperial court does not want to see, after all, in our planning, these years are a time for recuperation, and if we fall into an endless war of attrition, then our recuperation policy will be in vain."

Zheng He nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhu Zhangui's statement.

This battle really can't be fought, the support rate of the other party's national strength and people is at the peak of the pair, and they want to quickly eliminate it and control it completely, unless the other party is next to the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and it is also convenient to complain about the troops.

Based on the current situation, it is estimated that General Xu Da is resurrected, and he is not sure to quickly solve this battle and destroy the other country in one fell swoop.

The main reason is still that problem, the logistics line is too long to support large-scale corps battles.

"But if we talk to them, they won't be willing to give us this area."

After thinking about it in his head for a long time, Zheng He really couldn't think of a solution.

Zhu Zhangui also fell silent, pacing back and forth in the command room with his hands behind his back.

This canal to the Mediterranean Sea, Zhu Zhangui must be won, which is related to the future plan of the Ming Dynasty's westward expedition and whether the Ming Dynasty can unify the whole world in the future.

With the existence of this canal, even if Zhu Zhangui's generation cannot control the entire West, it can still prepare future generations for the early stage of conquering the world.

….

But the land thing is not an apple or a steamed bun, and if you say you can send it, you can send it.

From ancient times to the present, in addition to those who were incapable of defeating the battle, there were several emperors who would give their land to others.

As for buying, it's even more impossible, Zhu Zhangui won't spend this money, and he doesn't have any money.

Even if he has the money to afford it, it's another matter whether the other party sells it or not

As far as the special position of the canal is concerned, as long as you have a normal brain and a little business thinking, you can see the value of it.

Moreover, it is still divided into two countries, and it is estimated that even if Cixi came, she did not dare to take this risk.

Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wants to get the management rights of the land around this canal without using war, there is only one way, which is to let the ruler of the Mamluk Kingdom personally give it away.

"Send it, how can I get him to give it to me?"

Zhu Zhangui's brows were furrowed, and he kept muttering in his mouth.

"Report!"

Just when Zhu Zhangui was frowning and worried, Qi Yuan took an old-fashioned flintlock pistol and strode in.

"What's the matter?"

Zhu Zhangui, who was a little irritable, asked without replying.

"Look, Your Highness, this is our gun!"

Noticing Zhu Zhangui's impatient expression, Qi Yuan didn't dare to talk nonsense, took off the gun behind his back and handed it to Zhu Zhangui.

"What are our guns?" Zhu Zhangui didn't understand for a while.

But when he turned around and saw the style of the gun in Qi Yuan's hand full of scars, he understood what the other party meant.

Step forward

Picking up the gun, Zhu Zhangui found a sign.

This is a sign of the sun and the moon, and there are four words engraved on it, which were made in eleven years.

"This is our gun!"

Zheng He, who was stunned when Qi Yuan brought the gun in, took a deep breath and stepped forward and took the rifle in Zhu Zhangui's hand.

Stroking the gun full of scars, Zheng He's nose was a little sour and said, "When I went to sea back then, I went to the East Palace to find you, and when I asked you for a batch of ships and manpower, I also asked for some rifles and artillery to be distributed to the Shenji Battalion, ready to be used when I encountered the enemy at sea."

"I didn't expect that after many years, these weapons that I thought were the most advanced at the time were already lagging behind in our Ming Dynasty at this time!"

After speaking, Zheng He held the gun and walked out of the command room silently.

This rifle, if nothing else, should be the guns of Zheng He's fleet.

The appearance of this gun in the white-skinned pig fleet just now indicates that the owner of this gun is either dead or captured.

But no matter what the fate of the owner of this gun is, it is a sad thing for Zheng He.

Because it was Da Ming who left with those people, but he didn't bring those people back completely, this is a lifelong pain in his heart, and it is also the heaviest obsession in his heart.

Because of this, even if you are physically disabled, your physical fitness declines rapidly, and your mobility is inconvenient.

Zheng He also gritted his teeth and went to the West again, even if he died on the road, he would bring those brothers home.

This is a promise to those brothers, and it is also a promise to the families of those brothers, and it is his greatest mission for the rest of Zheng He's life.

"Where did you find the guns, how many are there?"

….

Thinking of those brothers who were born and died with him, and now they are drifting overseas, Zhu Zhangui felt a little uncomfortable.

"Just keep with some, gunpowder and bullets, found in the captain's room of the other party, in a beautiful box, it seems that it should be a very beloved treasure."

Qi Yuan reported the source of the gun.

"In this way, our guns should be very precious in the West!"

Zhu Zhangui didn't know whether he was asking Qi Yuan or asking himself, and after finishing speaking, he fell into thought.

Turning to the side of the map, looking at the Mamluk Dynasty and the Ottoman Empire, Zhu Zhangui's frowning brows gradually relaxed.

In this short period of time, he already had a way to get the other party to give him this area of the canal.

"Inform me, change the equipment back, raise the banner of the Ming Dynasty, and let's go to Yemen openly."

Extrapolating the thoughts in his heart, the more Zhu Zhangui thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible, thinking of the successful harvest of the final plan, Zhu Zhangui smiled, and ordered Qi Yuan next to him, so that the team dressed up as pirates would change back to the banner of the Ming Dynasty again.

Qi Yuan didn't ask the reason, raised his hand and saluted, and turned around to convey the order.

After a while, the soldiers changed back into Daming's equipment and hung up the Ming national flag and the Qinglong battle flag.

"Your Highness, you've got a way!"

Zheng He, who left just now, may have been disturbed by the movements of the fleet, and returned not long after leaving.

Zhu Zhangui smiled and nodded, "Come, Lao Zheng, come here."

Calling Zheng He to his side, under his expectant eyes, Zhu Zhangui pointed to the map and said: "As the saying goes, one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers, the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Kingdom are so close, their relationship will definitely be extremely bad, coupled with the problems left over from history, the two countries will definitely not live in peace."

"But because of the terrain and strength, the strength of the two sides can be regarded as evenly matched for the time being, and if you don't use all your strength, it will be difficult to take down the other party in one fell swoop."

After a general introduction to the situation of the two countries and the speculation in his heart, Zhu Zhangui looked at Zheng He with a smile.

"You said that if there is a sudden increase in the strength of one side, then that power is strong

will not swallow the other party directly?"

Hearing this, Zheng He's eyes lit up.

"You mean to drive the tiger and the wolf."

Zhu Zhangui smiled, nodded and shook his head, "The meaning is similar, but I don't intend to let one side overpower the other, that would not be in our interests. I'm going to put them in a fight, and they're always evenly matched, and they're going to have to lose a lot on both sides."

"Do you know how money can come quickly in this world?"

Without waiting for Zheng He to ask, Zhu Zhangui asked a question with a smile.

"Rob!"

Qi Yuan, who didn't leave on the side, didn't wait for Zheng He to answer, and happily popped out a word from his mouth.

Zhu Zhangui and Zheng He glanced at him in unison, and Qi Yuan shrank his neck in embarrassment and stepped aside.

Zhu Zhangui nodded at this guy, and said angrily: "Old Qi, our Ming Dynasty is the kingdom of heaven and the state of etiquette, how can we do such an immoral thing of robbery, we must convince people with virtue, and we must make money above board, and we can't do that kind of dirty and dirty thing."

….

As soon as these words came out, everyone who heard them rolled their eyes in unison.

Good guy, no one is saying that.

The white-skinned pig carcasses just now haven't been burned yet, do you want to pull them over and ask them if they believe it?

didn't care about everyone's expressions, Zhu Zhangui smiled and said, "We are the Heavenly Empire, and we can't do anything illegal and immoral, so if we want money and territory, we must come in a decent and fair manner."

"And the things that can be put on the table to make money in a decent way, and the money comes very quickly, then it is naturally a business."

"Do you know how much money my chamber of commerce makes me a year?"

Shake your head in unison on the field.

It's okay for them to fight and kill people, but they have never been in contact with business or anything, but occasionally they hear that doing business is very profitable, and they don't know how much they can earn, not to mention the chamber of commerce under the name of the prince, how can they know about such a secret thing as how much money they can earn in a year.

Zhu Zhangui stretched out a finger with a smile, "There are a total of 386 shops in each county under my name, except for a few major provincial cities that are a little larger, the others are almost the same."

"In addition to the big shops in the major provincial cities, other small shops can earn me nearly 100,000 taels of silver every year, and those big shops, if they don't engage in activities, can also bring me 8.9 million yuan a year."

Retracting his fingers, Zhu Zhangui said to the stunned crowd around him: "Let me tell you this, the Chamber of Commerce under my command, in addition to various expenses, can bring me close to 30 million taels of silver every year!"

"Shhh

Hearing this number, everyone present gasped.

It's 30 million, my mother is here.

I'm afraid that most of the people present, let alone having so much money, may not have even heard of it.

Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, Zhu Zhangui smiled slightly, and continued, "I think you all know that when I came back with Lao Zheng, I brought nearly 100 million taels of gold and silver."

Everyone present nodded in unison, even Qi Yuan, who had just joined Zhu Zhangui, had heard of this.

There is even a legend tomorrow that Daming can rise so quickly because of the 100 million taels of gold and silver.

"Although there is a lot of money, I believe that many people know that we have been doing business overseas for nearly 5 years to earn this money."

"At that time, I thought that this money was probably the most I had earned in my life, but it wasn't until last year that the crown princess reported to me about the income in the past few years, and I found out that I really didn't make as much money as I did in a stable business."

"Huh!"

Zhu Zhangui's sudden change of words caused the people around him to chuckle.

As Zhu Zhangui's old subordinates, they understand Zhu Zhangui's temper very well, and Zhu Zhangui will not be angry when he laughs out loud in the absence of outsiders.

Sure enough, hearing everyone's laughter, Zhu Zhangui didn't care, and continued: "Ordinary people have ordinary people's business, and the imperial court has the business of the imperial court."

Pointing to the map on the table, Zhu Zhangui smiled and said, "In this kind of desert area, what is the most scarce? Food and water are in short supply here."

….

"Of course, this is just a small head, after all, these two things only make a little money, and there is not much profit."

"If you want to make a lot of money, you have to take the other party's scarce items and exchange them for the money in the other party's hands."

"A glass of water is worthless in our hometown, but if it is sold in the desert, a glass of water can be said to be worth a thousand gold."

"So there is a good saying, scarcity is expensive, and need is expensive!"

"The Mamluk Dynasty has absolutely no good relationship with the Ottoman Empire, but most of the countries they are in are deserts and Gobi, and coupled with the limitations of their own technology, weapons and armor must be very scarce."

"What is the essence of a country, is a rich economy, a rich population, and a strong army!"

"The economy can develop slowly, and people can live slowly, but the country has no productivity and ore reserves, and it is very difficult to build an invincible army."

"Think about it!"

Zhu Zhangui clapped his hands, looked at everyone and asked, "You are in a life-and-death struggle with an enemy, and your weapons are only fists and your teeth, and the enemy who is your mortal enemy is similar, and you don't have any weapons in your hands, and neither of you can take the other."

"If at this time, someone takes out a knife and tells you that as long as you pay a certain amount of money, you can get this knife and kill your enemies of life and death. Just hack the other person to death, and you can get everything from your enemy, money, houses, and wives and daughters of the other party."

"Will you buy it or not?"

"Buy!"

Those who heard the inquiry answered in unison.

Isn't this nonsense.

As long as you pay a little money, you can get a knife to kill the enemy, and not only is the knife still in your hand afterwards, you can continue to kill other enemies, and you can also take everything from the enemy for yourself, and you will be ruthlessly rich, and a fool will not buy it.

"Your Highness, why don't you just grab the knife from the knife seller, so that you don't need money."

Qi Yuan stretched out his hand again.

Zhu Zhangui looked left and right, picked up the water cup on the table and threw it over.

Qi Yuan hid out in embarrassment.

"You bastard, if you have nothing to do, you go row under the cabin, and no one will treat you as a dumb person if you don't speak."

"Hahaha..."

There was another burst of laughter from the command room.

After everyone was quiet, Zhu Zhangui reached out and hugged Zheng He, "Old Zheng, this matter will be handed over to you."

"Our Ming firearms troops have almost all been replaced with second-generation rifles, and those old-fashioned flintlock pistols are also stored in the warehouse, and it is a waste to issue them to the local garrison, so it is better to take them out and sell them to subsidize the family."

Zheng He, who understood Zhu Zhangui's thoughts, asked with a smile, "How much do you plan to sell them a gun?"

Combined with what Zhu Zhangui said just now, Zheng He can see that Zhu Zhangui intends to let the Mamluks and the Ottoman Empire fight first, and let the two countries fight first.

And Da Ming's task is to sell weapons to the two sides, while making money from both sides, while encouraging the two sides to fight, squeeze their last drop of blood dry, and create an excellent opportunity for Da Ming's future conquest plan.

"The cost of our guns is about 13 taels of silver, but we have shipped them from Daming thousands of miles away, and it is very reasonable to collect some freight!"

….

Zhu Zhangui said the words of adding money seriously.

Zheng He nodded with a look of my approval.

"That's it, let's not be black, just take him a whole number for a gun, and by the way, I'll give him some lead bullets in friendship, including a training manual for training how to use a rifle!"

"But I'll tell you beforehand, gunpowder

We have to charge an additional fee, and as for the price, you can set it, as long as you don't lose money."

"Anyway, those guys have money, and those who can spend a lot of money to buy rifles are not bad for those three melons and two dates to buy gunpowder."

"And you tell them emphatically that we are a small business, and we don't owe anything on credit! Whoever dares to pay on credit, I will sell weapons to his enemies cheaply, and let his enemies kill him."

"Of course, if he's willing to trade some land for these weapons, we'll be more than happy to accept it."

After explaining Zheng He's next tasks, Zhu Zhangui leaned into his ear and whispered, "Don't just stare at these two, you can also go and sell them from other surrounding countries."

"Not only that, but also the local bandits of the two countries, as well as the righteous men of the former dynasties, and the ambitious nobles, and the Holy Crusade who have a grudge against the Arab Empire, these are all potential partners who can make a lot of money."

"Anyway, you have two goals, the first is to sell weapons to make money, and the second is to make chaos with these guys in the west."

Zheng He smiled and nodded, and replied with a look that I would do something and you could rest assured.

But then he asked suspiciously, "I'm going to sell arms, so what are you doing?"

Zhu Zhangui smiled and patted Zheng He's shoulder.

"Of course I continued to take the ship with me, and continued to go to the primitive accumulation of capital. Although it takes time to make money in business, we are short of money, and there are still many people in China waiting to be fed, but we can't wait that long."

"As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, I naturally have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of nurturing them, so I will do this hard work, you just need to use your mouth."

"Primitive accumulation of capital!"

Zheng He, who heard this word for the first time, was stunned for a moment, blinked and thought about it for a long time before he understood.

Good guys, what bullshit primitive accumulation of capital? Robbery is going to robbery, why do you have such a literary name, it is really both that and a memorial arch.

Xun Yan