Tie Mo has always been clear in his heart that if he wants to gain a firm foothold in maritime trade, there must be no problems in Zhejiang. On the surface, his enemy is the Zhejiang officialdom headed by Du Fushan, but in fact this is not the case. Du
The roots of people like Fushan are not in Southern Zhili, Northern Zhili, or Donglin Qingliu, but the merchants and gentry who were born and raised in Zhejiang.
Zhejiang merchants have formed huge interest groups one by one. For more than a hundred years, they have worked with the government to manage the marketing of various industries, such as official salt, tea, porcelain, and weaving cloth. These industries have brought endless benefits. These industries
People use blood transfusions to various parties through Zhejiang officials to ensure more benefits for themselves. Officials in Zhejiang are also happy to see the results, because they also need blood transfusions to ensure that their official careers are smooth. In the long run, Zhejiang will
A very special interest structure was formed. Merchants and gentry supported Zhejiang officials, and Zhejiang officials supported the court and the lower government.
But ultimately, the source of the benefits is the local merchants in Zhejiang. If they don't bleed, no one can get the benefits. The benefits in Zhejiang are not given by Donglin Qingliu, but are managed by the locals in Zhejiang. That's right.
Because of this, officials in Zhejiang changed one after another, the old ones left, and the new ones came. However, the chain of interests from Donglin Qingliu to Jiangnan merchants was never broken. There was even the "Five Righteous Men" that spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.
Tomb". Tie Mo saw this, so he was not in a hurry to touch Du Fushan's people. It would be useless to touch Du Fushan. Even if he found a reason to capture Du Fushan and Weng Tongming, those people would still send Zhang Fushan and Li Tongming over.
He was still doing the same things his ex did.
Therefore, there is no point in racking your brains to deal with Du Fushan and others. If you want to solve the problems in Zhejiang at the root, you must take action from the bottom of the pot and attack those Zhejiang merchants who have lived here for a long time. The East China Sea Trading Company is the first move you make.
This is interest, and interest is attractive to people. As long as there are enough benefits, some Zhejiang gentry will be able to be attracted. Apart from this, the next step is to use forceful tactics.
There is a saying that carrots and sticks are both indispensable. The carrots have been given away by themselves, but some people still don’t know how to praise, and there are quite a lot of people who don’t know how to praise. At this time, I have to teach these people a lesson.
, tell these people that it is useless to count on the Chief Secretary. Only by making these people realize this, will they obediently take the same ship with the East China Sea Trading Company.
However, this is no longer an official matter, and Tie Mo is not suitable to intervene directly, so he assigned these matters to Hai Lanzhu and others early. To be precise, this task was assigned to Hai Lanzhu, Chang Minyue and Xu Meiling
He took the initiative to go. Tie Mo didn't say much, but he could roughly understand that the three women were arguing and wanted to differentiate themselves through this matter.
Undercurrents surged in Zhejiang, and there was no movement from Zheng Zhilong. In this case, Tie Mo welcomed an important guest. On May 11th, the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, a light rain swept through Hangzhou in the early morning, and the green streets
, exuding a fresh breath. At this moment, a strong white horse came lightly, and a woman on the horse looked beautiful and moving.
Seeing the person coming, Tie Mo quickly walked up and bowed respectfully, "Oh, Miss, I didn't expect you to come in person. It really surprised Tie Mo."
"This is a serious matter, so my father is worried about letting Wen Jue come over. I have no choice but to make the trip myself." Xu Zhixin turned over and dismounted, her beautiful eyes half-smiling but not smiling, looking at Tie Mo with interest. Maybe.
Xu Zhixin's eyes were too sharp, which made Tie Mo feel a little confused. She touched her cheek and said with a wry smile: "Miss, you are staring at Tie Mo like this, but Tie Mo has flowers on his face?"
"Tsk, tsk, flowers have grown? That's right. I just can't figure it out. Just a few days after coming to Zhejiang, I actually got a new wife. Although Xu Wenhai has some plans, it's still true that Xu Meiling can agree to marry you.
It’s a strange thing.”
It's okay if Xu Zhixin didn't say anything. When this matter was mentioned, Tie Mo's head got a little big. He was familiar with Xu Zhixin, so he didn't need to be too cautious. He came closer and whispered: "Miss, please don't tease Tie Mo."
Oh, do you think this is a good thing? Because of this bad thing, Tie has not had a good night's sleep for several days. Hey, this is all forced."
Tie Mo was quite unhappy. Xu Zhixin must have done it on purpose. He was not afraid of anything in the battlefield, but he just couldn't manipulate the women at home. Aqige was at a loss.
Sitting in northern Shanxi, if Aqige was here, wouldn't Aqige be able to blow up the whole thing about Xu Meiling?
Seeing Tie Mo's tangled expression, Xu Zhixin also felt a little sorry, so she changed the subject. The two of them walked while talking about recent events. When it came to business, Xu Zhixin's expression became much more serious, "I am one of the most respected craftsmen at Longwan Shipyard.
We brought them all, but we searched many people for the treasure ship drawings, but could not find them. It is said that Liu Daxia burned all the treasure ship information in a fire. There are some materials in Longwan Shipyard that have been passed down by old craftsmen for generations, but
It is still unknown whether a treasure ship can be rebuilt. Also, as for the ironclad ship you mentioned, I asked the old craftsmen that they have only made some small ships, but making a warship or even applying it to the hull of a treasure ship would be very difficult.
big."
While they were talking, the two of them had already arrived at the Dongwan Pier. There was a busy scene in front of them. A dock was built on the north side of the pier. This was the future Dongwan Shipyard. Not only that, Tie Mo also spent a lot of manpower and material resources.
An arsenal was built to the east of the shipyard and was named Dongwan Ordnance. From now on, this place would be the home of the Donghai Trading Company. If the Royal Navy wanted to conquer the sea, ships and artillery were indispensable.
When new artillery is applied to warships, it is not simply moved from land to ship. The impact force carried by the ship's hull is limited, and it cannot be compared with land after all. The impact force, stability, etc. of the new artillery must be improved.
New improvements must be made at the East Bay Ordnance Station. Looking at everything in front of him, Tie Mo always feels an inexplicable sense of loss.
If Xianza can still build a treasure ship, apply the technology of ironclad ships to the treasure ship, and add new artillery, the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet will be able to sail across the sea with few opponents. But now, except for the new artillery, everything seems to be
Start from scratch.
Seemingly seeing the loneliness in Tie Mo's heart, Xu Zhixin raised her hand and patted the other party's shoulder gently, "Don't think too much. We can't build a treasure ship. Let's get some large fortune ships first, add iron armor technology and
With the new artillery, it is not difficult to break out of the East China Sea. We cannot relax a little bit about sea trade. At this point, we have no way to look back. Once there is a problem with the East China Sea Trading Company, not only will it fall.
You Tie Mo."
Tie Mo smiled and nodded. How could he not know the seriousness of the matter? The establishment of the Royal Navy and the establishment of the East China Sea Trading Company not only challenged the ancestral system of sea ban, but also challenged the entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty. At this time, Cheng Jiming,
Wang Qia and those people are all keeping an eye on Zhejiang. Whenever there is a chance, these people will pounce and bite him. When the time comes, he will not be the only one who will die. The Xu family of Wei Guogong and thousands of people in Kaihai will also die.
To be buried with him.
Politics is extremely cruel, and there is no room for kindness or tenderness here.
"Hey, I understand this. I just can't figure it out. No matter how many disputes there are, why do we have to destroy the treasure ship? What crime is the treasure ship guilty of?" Tie Mo didn't know what those people were thinking, no matter what.
No matter how I think about it, I can't figure out what the use of destroying the treasure ship is. If you don't want to go to sea and want to ban the sea, then why not build a treasure ship? Why destroy the information? It's better now. When future generations need treasure ships, they are all blind.
Xu Zhixin frowned, and a complex look flashed through her beautiful eyes, "The human heart is the most complicated and the most difficult to figure out. You never know what the people at the time were thinking. Maybe, the people at the time were applauding.
In our eyes, the treasure ship is a weapon for opening the sea and the sharpest weapon in the Ming Dynasty. But in the eyes of some people, these things are just savage beasts."
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I have found all the people you want, and I will leave the rest to you. But here in Zhejiang, I still want to remind you that it seems stable now, and both sides
Everything is fine, but there are hidden dangers after all. Now the situation in the Central Plains is getting worse and worse. Yuan Chonghuan won't be able to accomplish anything after all, and you will be transferred to the Central Plains soon, so you have to hurry up on some things."
What Xu Zhixin is most worried about is that Tie Mo is satisfied with the current situation. It seems calm, but in fact there are many hidden dangers. As long as Tie Mo goes to the Central Plains to suppress bandits, there will definitely be problems. Fortunately, Tie Mo knew what he meant and said with a faint smile:
"Don't worry, Tie Mou knows in his heart that he will definitely make things in Zhejiang more stable. But is it very troublesome in the Central Plains? I just received news that Yuan Chonghuan performed well and was promoted to governor of three provinces."
To be honest, Tie Mo really didn't put his thoughts on the Central Plains, so he naturally lacked enough understanding of the latest situation of the Central Plains war. Xu Zhixin raised the corners of her mouth and smiled slightly sarcastically: "Yuan Chonghuan? He, he just arrived.
After Kaifeng Mansion, he actually won several battles and drove away a few small fish and shrimps under Zhang Xianzhong. However, as soon as Gao Yingxiang returns to Runing Mansion, Yuan Chonghuan's days will be over."
"Before coming, I just received news that Li Zicheng suddenly sent troops to Xihua Town. The soldiers and horses of Xihua Town only defended for a quarter of an hour before they were defeated by Li Zicheng. Yuan Chonghuan reacted quickly and immediately ordered the army to assemble in Tongxu County. He wanted to
There was a battle between the soldiers and horses of Tongxu and Li Zicheng. Unfortunately, after Li Zicheng went north to capture Fugou, he went directly to the west and defeated Xuzhou, robbing Xuzhou completely. Now, Yuan Chonghuan became anxious.
He quickly sent his troops to Xuzhou, but when they arrived at Xuzhou, Li Zicheng had already led his troops south and retreated to the vicinity of Shangshui River."
Having said this, Xu Zhixin shook her head with a somewhat disappointed look, "Anyway, the Central Plains side can't count on Yuan Chonghuan. He is a stubborn and stubborn man, and he is really not the type to lead an army in a war, especially when it comes to Gao Yingxiang.
Li Zicheng and his gang!"
Xu Zhixin was really disappointed with Yuan Chonghuan. She originally expected Yuan Chonghuan to stay in the Central Plains for a longer period of time, so that the Duke of Wei and Tie Mo would have enough time to deal with the problem in Zhejiang. However, Yuan Chonghuan was tricked by Li Zicheng.
After listening to Xu Zhixin's words, Tie Mo also let out a long sigh. Why was Yuan Chonghuan ordered to be executed when the Tatars blocked the border? Why hasn't Yuan Chonghuan understood the problem now? He used to eat dust behind the Manchu cavalry, and now he eats dust behind the rogue bandits.
. When it comes to mobile movement, the peasant army is more powerful than the soldiers and horses of the Hou Jin Dynasty. How can the rogue bandits follow your ideas, Yuan Chonghuan? To put it simply, I will not attack wherever your officers and soldiers are guarding, but Yuan Chonghuan has not been able to turn this corner until now.
Come.
In fact, fighting against rogue bandits doesn't involve so many twists and turns. All you have to do is grab the peasant army's seven inches and hit it. Wherever the peasant army's supplies are, you hit them. Wherever the leader of the peasant army is, you hit them. In short, you
If you hit you, I'll hit mine. Don't let the gangsters lead you by the nose. In short, this is what Tie Mo has done over the years, and it works every time.
It's a pity that Yuan Chonghuan just can't understand such a simple method, and he still concentrates on thinking about the art of war and strategy.
The city of Hangzhou has been really quiet recently. I thought that when Tie Mo arrived, there would be a turmoil with local officials in Zhejiang, but it turned out that there was heavy thunder and little rain. Du Fushan talked with Tie Mo, but Du Fushan never said
I feel like the matter is over just like this. Both sides seem to have given in a step, but in fact the string has been tightly stretched.
Looking at Weng Tongming, Wen Laishun and others sitting below, Du Fushan frowned and said: "Recently, let the people under my command cheer up. Although we have reached an agreement with him, there is no guarantee that he will not do something behind his back.
"
Weng Tongming and others nodded solemnly. To this day, no one dares to look down on Tie Mo, an outsider. From getting involved in salt affairs to planning the establishment of the Donghai Trading Company, they slapped him one after another, which made the Zhejiang officialdom feel swollen.
, I haven’t thought about it until now. Sometimes, I even wonder if Tie Mo is a young man. His behavior is like an old fox who has been in the officialdom for fifty years.
After the discussion, Wen Laishun got on a sedan. Sitting on the soft cushion, he squinted his eyes and relaxed. Ever since the incident at Qionghua Villa, Wen Laishun had been on tenterhooks, fearing that something would happen to him.
Fortunately, Tie Mo didn't seem to be focusing on the affairs of Qionghua Villa, and in the end, Wen Laishun was safe and sound.
The sedan slowly headed west, and soon arrived not far from the West Lake. The sedan landed, and Wen Lai obeyed twice and stepped forward to open the courtyard door in front of him. The courtyard door was not big, with a jet black door and a simple copper
Lock. From the outside, it seems very ordinary, but when you walk in, you can find a unique cave in the courtyard.
In the spring season, the bluestone road in the courtyard winds like a snake, with flower beds on both sides blooming with colorful flowers. A few butterflies dance leisurely and fly away into the distance, carrying bursts of fragrance. A small place
Hu, an elegant attic. Butterflies were flying around the small building. At this time, the sweet music of the piano was slowly coming.
Looking at the small building, Wen Laishun's sinister eyes widened, revealing a rare softness.