"Your Majesty, please take a rest!" Wang Chengen saw the emperor put down his imperial pen, leaned back in his chair, and hurriedly offered him fragrant tea.
Chongzhen took the fragrant tea and sipped it gently, feeling quite a sense of accomplishment. In one fell swoop, he eliminated the accumulated disadvantages of the post station and saved hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. He was really wise and decisive, and he will be famous throughout the ages!
"Mao Wenlong is domineering, but the soldiers in Dongjiang Town may not be as ignorant of the imperial court as him, right?" Chongzhen's thoughts jumped and he thought of the Liaodong War again.
Wang Chengen bowed and said: "Whether it is Dongjiang Town or other border towns, the soldiers are equally loyal and patriotic."
Chongzhen did not take it seriously at such an obvious compliment, and muttered to himself: "Jinzhou has been restored, and Pidao has become the two major bases of Dongjiang Town. Pidao has military eunuchs, and Jinzhou should also dispatch them."
Chongzhen had just succeeded to the throne last year and recalled most of the eunuchs and royal guards in various military towns, such as Zhao Guang and others from Guanglu Island.
However, because there were no civilian supervisors in Dongjiang Town, the eunuchs from Pi Dao headquarters were not recalled.
Now, Chongzhen wanted to send eunuchs to oversee the army in Jinzhou, but he had deeper considerations and long-term plans.
Although the eunuchs who supervise the army in Dongjiang Town do not have much power, they still have the power to report on the situation in Dongjiang Town, which can play a certain supervisory role.
Similarly, there should be one in Jinzhou, which could deepen Chongzhen's understanding of Dongjiang Town and examine the loyalty of Dongjiang Town soldiers to the court and the emperor.
"How about sending Fang Zhenghua?" Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen for his opinion, "I remember he is from Shandong, right?"
Wang Chengen bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you remember correctly. Fang Zhenghua is indeed from Shandong, and he is loyal and upright."
Chongzhen nodded and said: "Then send him to reward the meritorious soldiers who recovered Jinzhou, and stay in Jinzhou to supervise the army."
"This servant will come to him now, and the emperor will give you instructions." Wang Chengen knew that Chongzhen must have other instructions, so he bowed down and sent someone to find Fang Zhenghua.
Chongzhen sorted out his thoughts and felt that this was a very clever move. It not only supervised Mao Wenlong to prevent him from deceiving his subordinates, but also used the eunuchs to win over some generals who were loyal to the court and weaken Mao Wenlong's influence.
………………
The spring was bright, and Fujino Hide in front of the window was playing with part of the betrothal gift sent by Guo Dajing, sometimes giggling, sometimes shyly, sometimes thoughtfully.
Fujino had been standing for a while, looking at his daughter like this, and took a helpless breath, knowing that there was no hope.
With a dry cough, Fujino Hidecai was startled, turned around to see his father, and stood up to greet him with a cheer.
Fujino sat down with a smile, chatted casually for a few words, and then got down to the topic, "Chen Jisheng came to see me as his father. What do you think it is?"
Fujino Hide rolled his eyes and asked knowingly: "Daughter, how do you know what is going on? It should be important for Deputy Marshal Chen to come in person, right?"
Fujino was looking at his daughter's cunning little appearance. He couldn't help but roll his eyes and said, "Guo Dajing wants to take you as his concubine. He asked Chen Jisheng to come and marry you, but his father has refused. How can my daughter be a concubine?"
Fujino Hide's eyes widened, and she didn't expect her father to refuse. She thought that she should discuss it with her no matter what. This has been the case since she was a child.
Fujino lowered his eyes, suppressed a smile, and said slowly: "Pack your bags, let's go back to North Korea. With your talent and appearance, it will be easy to find a good family."
"Dad -" Fujino Hide stamped his foot and said angrily: "Why don't you ask my opinion on such a big matter? What's wrong with being a concubine? Isn't it unhappy? Brother Guo is such a good person, you
Don’t you also say that he has a bright future?”
Fujino looked at his daughter in feigned surprise and said, "Are you willing? As a father, you thought..."
Fujino Hide was a little embarrassed and said: "Dad, go and tell Deputy Commander Chen now to agree to this marriage."
Fujino stood up slowly, sighed in a pretentious manner, and walked out slowly, complaining: "Girls are outgoing, as expected. In order to get married, I don't even want my father!"
Fujino Hide wanted to explain a few words, but he was afraid of delaying the matter, so he hesitated and stopped, watching his father go away, and walked around the house anxiously.
The longer he waited, the less he came. Fujino Hide couldn't hold back his temper. He packed up and walked out. It took him a while to find his father, who was leisurely basking in the sun and drinking tea.
"Dad, where is Deputy Commander Chen?" Fujino Hide hurriedly stepped forward to ask.
Fujino looked at his daughter and said, "He left when we chased her out. It was a step too late."
"Then -?" Fujino looked bitter, sighed, turned around and left.
"Where are you going?" Fujino called to his daughter.
Fujino Hide said dullly: "Go to Brother Guo and explain the matter clearly."
Fujino was blinking his eyes and suddenly smiled and said: "You are not shy, why are you so anxious to get married? The marriage has been decided and the wedding will be in these few days. You can prepare to go with peace of mind!"
Fujino Hide was stunned for a moment. Looking at his father's expression, he understood that he had been joking to tease her!
"Dad——" The girl was angry and shy, stamped her foot, turned around and ran away.
Fujino Hide withdrew his gaze, took a sip of tea, and felt relaxed all over his body.
Although she is a concubine, she is stronger than Axiu in every aspect, so she will definitely not suffer the consequences after getting married. Guo Dajing is also someone he is optimistic about, who values love and justice, has great potential for development, and has a bright future.
As long as my daughter is happy, let her do it!
Fujino was leaning on the back of the chair, raising his head and closing his eyes slightly, feeling the comfort of the warm sunshine shining on his body.
………………….
Guo Dajing did not wait for the proposal of marriage, but received the news and hurried back to Port Arthur.
The Lin family's fleet is docked in the port. There are six ships in total. In addition to the two medium-sized sand ships of the Lin family, there are also two Guangzhou ships and two hard-sailed Galen ships.
In the hotel next to the port, Guo Dajing met Lin Tiansheng, almost half a year apart. The two were very emotional and very close to each other when they met.
Ten thousand stones of rice, more than 200,000 jins of Fujian and Guangdong refined iron, more than 100,000 jins of cotton, 40,000 bolts of cotton cloth, and many daily groceries were all purchased for Guo Dajing.
There seemed to be a lot of things, but the money spent was not much, only more than 30,000 taels in total. Compared with the profit from selling the mirrors, Guo Dajing still got a lot of money.
"I didn't expect that after not seeing each other for half a year, my third brother would make new achievements and occupy such a large territory on land." Lin Tiansheng showed the list to Guo Dajing and ordered someone to bring out a gift specially given to him.
Guo Dajing waved his hand and said: "Second brother is joking, this is Dongjiang Town's territory, not my younger brother's."
After a pause, he reminded again: "Although trade with the Japanese is very profitable, you still have to be cautious when doing the first transaction. It is better to just send people and let the Japanese come to Pidao or Lushun, and you will be safe."
The Lin family hired a sea ship to not only purchase supplies for Guo Dajing, but also purchased raw silk, sugar, and porcelain, preparing to go to Tsushima Island to trade with the Japanese Kobayashi Koichi and others.
In addition to safety considerations, Guo Dajing also hoped to build Pidao or Lushun into a commercial and trade place.
The Japanese brought sulfur, saltpeter, and copper materials, and the Lin family purchased raw silk, silk and other in-demand commodities from the mainland, and traded them on the territory of Dongjiang Town.
"Since you are engaged in sea trade, you always have to take some risks." Lin Tiansheng didn't care very much, and he might have taken precautions. He declined: "This is the first transaction, and it was on Tsushima. Once we have an agreement, we can do it again.
It’s not too late to change the trading location.”
Guo Dajing thought for a while and said: "The navy in Dongjiang Town can dispatch warships, lightly camouflaged, and accompany them for protection."
Lin Tiansheng pondered for a moment and said: "I have accepted Third Brother's kindness. You don't need many battleships, just two."
Guo Dajing nodded and said, "Just follow my second brother."
After a pause, Guo Dajing said with a smile: "Now that second brother is here, let's choose a place and build a warehouse! There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Jinzhou, but Pi Island doesn't have that many people."
"That's very good." Lin Tiansheng said with a smile: "But, isn't this business done by Dongjiang Town itself?"
Guo Dajing shook his head and said: "The army will not participate, just concentrate on fighting the war."
The Lin family opened up trade with the Japanese and could certainly make a lot of money. But in Liaodong, specialties such as fur, ginseng, and pine nuts could also be profited by transporting them back to the mainland.
Lin Tiansheng also realized that if Jinzhou could be firmly occupied, the conditions of Port Arthur would be much better than that of Pidao. After readily agreeing, he took out his account book and wanted to show Guo Dajing the profits from selling the mirrors.
Guo Dajing didn't even look at it, so he asked Lin Tiansheng to put it away and said nonchalantly: "I don't need to waste my time and energy. Second brother, just tell me how much money I have left and how much supplies I can purchase. If I have more, I'll save it for you. If I don't, I'll save it for you."
I’ll make up for it later.”
Guo Dajing's personality is generous and generous, and he does not care about anything. Of course he has to earn money, but maintaining the Lin family's long-term trade line is the most important.
Lin Tiansheng was not pretentious and said: "Third brother still has thirteen thousand taels on the books. Are the materials he purchased still grain, cotton and refined iron?"
"Buy grain and refined iron." Guo Dajing had already made plans to accumulate enough grain and grass to prevent Governor Yuan from getting stuck, and to prepare for next year's war.
Lin Tiansheng wrote it down, but he didn't know that Guo Dajing had a bigger appetite. After closing the door, he took out fifty or sixty mirrors packed in boxes from the inner room.
All of them are silver mirrors, the quality of which is undisputed, and there are more than a dozen larger ones that can be placed on the table as dressing mirrors.
"After selling these mirrors, all my share will be used to buy grain and refined iron."
Guo Dajing said to the stunned Lin Tiansheng: "The food will cost at least 100,000 shi. This year it will cost 40,000 shi. Before September next year, at least 60,000 shi will be transported to Lushun."
Lin Tiansheng swallowed, nodded vigorously, and said: "Third brother is really a big deal. Don't worry, Brother Yu will definitely finish it on time."
Guo Dajing chuckled and said: "I'm afraid the mirror sales won't come back so quickly. If we purchase sulfur, saltpeter, and copper materials from the Japanese, I'm afraid my brother will have to pay in advance."
Lin Tiansheng waved his hand vigorously and said: "It's a trivial matter. Third brother doesn't need to say anything, as a brother will do it."
Guo Dajing still had money, at least forty or fifty thousand taels, which he could save. The Lin family also made a profit from purchasing, not to mention the profits from selling Japanese raw silk and other commodities, so the advance payment was nothing.
Mutual benefit and no fuss are the key to long-lasting business and relationships. Both Guo Dajing and Lin Tiansheng understand this truth.
No matter how huge profits the Lin family's mirror sales made, Guo Dajing would pay as much as he wanted. He would go in and out, exchange them for food and supplies, and try his best to accumulate wealth and start a protracted war with Jianlu.
Lin Tiansheng also purchased supplies for Guo Dajing to the letter, and he also paid for them in advance, showing enough trust.
"I'm buying refined iron for my brother in Fujian and Guangdong. I wanted to go to Haojing to buy another batch of muskets, but I didn't want to be beaten by Xie De." Lin Tiansheng said with a smile: "Have you seen the hard-sailed Galen ship? It's Xie De
To transport weapons and ammunition."
Guo Dajing was a little stunned, but then he felt relieved and said with a smile: "In order to earn commission, he worked very hard. He just doesn't know the quantity and whether it can satisfy me."
Lin Tiansheng shook his head and said: "Not only is it about weapons and ammunition, he also wants to make a big deal with you. You will discuss the details in person. If the money is not available, just say it."
Guo Dajing blinked his eyes, feeling that it was impossible for the entire ship to be equipped with artillery and muskets. If it were several thousand guns, he could afford it with the money Mao Wenlong provided.
"When will the family be brought over?" Lin Tiansheng turned to ask about other things, "The house is already available. I will build a house for the Lin family, let's build it together!"
Guo Dajing said: "We'll wait for Axiu's reply and see where she wants to live."
After listening to Guo Dajing's story, Lin Tiansheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Taipinggou is good. The Lin family will occupy land there to build a house. Is there no problem?"
"Then what's the problem?" Guo Dajing said nonchalantly: "During the meeting with Mao Shuai on Pidao, I didn't give the Lin family a lot of preferential treatment."
The two chatted about some less important things before Guo Dajing let Lin Tiansheng take a break and got up to go find Shedra.
Guo Dajing was anxious to know how many heavy muskets Shedra had purchased, but within a few words of meeting, he was shocked.
"You mean to sell me this warship too?" Guo Dajing's eyes widened, completely unexpected.
Shedra nodded vigorously, not feeling anything wrong, and said: "The warship, the cannons on the ship, and the 3,600 muskets are all for you."
Give it to me, give it to me for free, no money required?
Guo Dajing didn't bother to find fault with the foreigner's language. He frowned slightly and said, "I didn't say I wanted to buy a warship. There's nothing wrong with artillery and guns."
"It's not expensive." Shedra hurriedly sold it to Guo Dajing and said, "It's bigger and more powerful than any of your warships. Moreover, it can be paid on credit or offset against your account."
Guo Dajing became more and more confused. He didn't know when this foreigner was so kind. However, under Shedra's warm invitation, he still boarded the warship.
It happened that Zhang Tao's ship was also in the harbor. Seeing these large ships of different shapes, he came to watch out of curiosity. He happened to see Guo Dajing, so he came uninvited and followed him on the warship.
In the mid-16th century, the British began to develop light galenic ships. In order to make them more suitable for long-distance artillery battles and improve operational performance, they lowered the forward superstructure, moved it into the hull, and even placed it within the forward load.
According to size, Galenic sailing ships are divided into three types: small (100-400 tons), medium-sized (500-800 tons), and large (900-1200 tons).