"Is this happening?"

Zhu Cixiang was surprised. Although he knew that Zheng Zhilong had a half-Chinese and half-Western naval force, which could definitely be called the dominant maritime power in East Asia. But he didn't know that Zheng Zhilong had built ten ships with dual-passenger ships more than ten years ago.

A Western-style battleship with a gun deck!

This is an incredible maritime armament! How come a warship with a double-decker gun deck has twenty or thirty red cannons? Ten ships added together will have two to three hundred red cannons. If they are lined up in a row, use one side of the cannon.

There was a volley of firepower from one hundred to one hundred and fifty red barbarian cannons. With so many cannons and warships, how dare the Tatars be so arrogant?

That's not right! If Zheng Chenggong had such a fleet, would he still be unable to defeat Nanjing? One hundred and fifty red barbarian cannons hammered the Nanjing city wall. What kind of Tatars could survive? How could Zheng Chenggong lose Nanjing?

battle?

"Old Taishan, how many ships like this do you have now?" Zhu Cixiang asked quickly.

If you have one, take it out and put it to use! Next spring when the southeast wind blows, head north to blast the Tatar fortress at Dagukou, Tianjin.

One hundred and fifty Hongyi cannons opened fire at the same time, and Dorgon was not frightened to death!

"Now?" Zheng Zhilong spread his hands, "It's gone."

"No more?" Zhu Cixiang blinked.

"They were all burned by the Dutch."

Zhu Cixiang was stunned again and again, "Don't you know how to build another? You have so much money, can't you afford to build one? It's been more than ten years since you built one ship a year, so you should have more than a dozen!"

Zheng Zhilong smiled awkwardly: "Master Chitose, if I don't have these big Western ships, I can defeat the battle of Liaoluo Bay. The East India Company of the Red Mao Kingdom is also convinced. It only purchases goods from me every year, and the ships that pass through the sea off Fujian spend all the money."

I bought the general flag from you with money, so what’s the use of building those big Western barges?”

What's the use? Zhu Cihong said in his heart: Give your son Zheng Chenggong to hammer the Tatars! After hammering the Tatars, your son can still rely on them to usurp the throne, seize the country of the Ming Dynasty, and establish your Zheng dynasty. Then you will be the Ancestral Temple.

The Zheng Liezu who was enshrined inside was happy to die!

"Then, can you still build these ships now?" Zhu Cixiang stopped talking nonsense with "Zheng Liezu" and continued to ask.

"Yes." Zheng Zhilong frowned, "But this kind of large Western ship is expensive to build and difficult to maneuver. It is not as easy to use as the big bird ship."

Zheng Zhilong spent a lot of money to build these ten Western-style warships in order to compete with the Dutch East India Company for maritime hegemony. Therefore, these ten Western-style warships were built according to the standards of warships, and the cost was high.

In addition, in order to pursue the East India Company's soft sailing ships on the high seas, all ten warships can set up soft sails.

For this reason, Zheng Zhilong even hired Western sailors from Hao'ao at all costs, hoping that they would teach them the skills of sailing and sailing. According to Zheng Zhilong's thoughts at the time, his war with the East India Company was quite easy to fight!

So be prepared for a long struggle!

Unexpectedly, the East India Company was mainly looking for money and had no time to fight a protracted war with Zheng Zhilong. After the defeat at Liaoluowan, it simply gave in. The East India Company gave in, and the "short-sighted" Zheng Zhilong had no motivation to continue to develop a large navy.

, and then the Zheng Group lived a comfortable life of just lying around and making money, until the Qing troops came in waves!

This thing is really a blessing and a curse! If the Zheng Group and the Dutch East India Company had been at war for more than ten years, until the Manchus entered the customs, there would be no sailing battleships, Morris squares, or three-pound regiment guns.

Yes. As for the Hongyi cannon, I'm afraid they are all built to 24 pounds. If it is 36 pounds, the displacement of the fleet flagship may be thousands of tons!

Moreover, a group of pirates who have been fighting with the Dutch for more than ten years will be afraid of those Tatars who don’t even have a sixth-level ship with a gun deck? Still want to go to Jiangnan? Let’s first ask if the thirty-six-pound cannon is allowed.

! If you piss off Lao Zheng, then you will have to sail to Tianjin with strong ships and powerful guns!

"How can a big Western ship not be as useful as a big bird ship?" Zhu Cihong glared at Zheng Zhilong and asked angrily, "They have traveled thousands of miles to reach our door. When can you go to Amsterdam?"

Zheng Zhilong was confused when he heard this, "What's the pill, Eminem?"

Zhu Cixiang waved his hand, "Now that you can't get rid of any pills, hurry up and build a ship! Can you still build it now? If not, why don't you buy a Western warship first?"

"It can be built, it can be built." Zheng Zhilong nodded, "I can ask a foreign craftsman for help. Building a large Western ship requires a lot of Siamese rouge wood. Not to mention it is expensive, and it is also inconvenient to transport. It will not be done in a short time."

We can get it together.”

Siam rouge wood is teak. The sailing battleships built by Europeans in this era are very durable, so good woods such as teak and oak must be used. If properly maintained, a sailing battleship can be used for decades!

"Then let's start from now on!" Zhu Cixiang said to Zheng Zhilong, "First build ten ships and give you a subsidy of 30,000 taels of silver each. When the warships are built and can go to sea, I will send someone to check and accept them.

I’ll pay you if you pass the test! How about that?”

Zheng Zhilong was startled for a moment. Isn't this too grand? Thirty thousand taels of silver for one boat, so ten boats would be 300,000 taels!

He paused and asked tentatively: "Master Qiansui, who owns this boat?"

"Of course it belongs to the Fujian Navy!" Zhu Cixi smiled, "I don't have anyone who can sail the ship. But I can build these ten ships, so I have to listen to my orders!"

Zheng Zhilong breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, I will make arrangements when I return to Quanzhou!"

Zhu Cixiang nodded, seeming to be very satisfied with the answer, "Okay! I will ask someone to prepare the contract later, and we will sign it in black and white!"

After discussing the matter of shipbuilding, Zhu Cixi turned the topic to the negotiation with the Dutch.

"Old Taishan," Zhu Cixiang looked at Zheng Zhilong and said, "We have to let the Dutch in, but we can't let them in in vain. We also have to get out! The Zheng family's business store must be able to open to Batavia, to Ceylon, to

To Europe! The Zheng family’s merchant ships will sail freely in the South and West oceans.

This is the condition for allowing the Dutch to freely enter and exit Shanghai Port, Quanzhou Port, Ningbo Port and Guangzhou Port!"

Zheng Zhilong's brows furrowed, obviously he was thinking hard.

Opening up the Dutch's access to Shanghai, Quanzhou, Ningbo, and Guangzhou ports for trade would certainly be detrimental to Zheng Zhilong.

Because Zheng Zhilong previously monopolized Sino-Dutch trade, the Dutch could only purchase goods from him.

Similarly, it is advantageous for the Zheng family to enter Nanyang and the West, but compared with the pros and cons, the Zheng family may still suffer.

Zhu Cixiang continued: "Although the Netherlands can freely enter and exit our ports, the maritime tolls must still be paid. This is military expenditure for the Fujian Navy to catch pirates. It must be paid!

They have to give up all their strongholds on Taiwan Island to the Zheng family! From now on, the Zheng family will be the owners of Taiwan Island."

Zheng Zhilong's brows were still furrowed. He made huge profits every year through the monopolized Sino-Dutch trade!

If the Dutch are allowed to freely enter and exit Shanghai Port, Quanzhou Port, Ningbo Port and Guangzhou Port

Zhu Cixiang looked at Zheng Zhilong and suddenly laughed: "Old Taishan, I still have a big deal to do for you."

"Big deal?" Zheng Zhilong asked, "What deal?"

"Food!" Zhu Cihong said, "Food is the most important thing for the people. There are many people in the southeast but little land, and there are too many cotton and mulberry trees planted. I am always short of food, so I want to come in from outside to make up for it."

"Transporting grain thousands of miles?" Zheng Zhilong frowned, "Isn't this possible?"

Countries such as Annam, Champa, Sui Chenla, and Siam are rich in rice, and the price of rice is very cheap, but when the cost of thousands of miles of transportation is added, I am afraid there is nothing to make money.

"Ten thousand miles?" Zhu Cixiang said, "From the rice-rich Champa and Shuizhenla to Quanzhou, it's only three to four thousand miles at most, and to Shanghai it's only five thousand miles. If you sail with the wind, you'll be there in a few months. It's nothing more than trade.
Chapter completed!