Zhu Hao didn't stay in Nanjing for a few days and then went directly to Zhejiang.
In Ningbo Fudinghai Shipyard, Zhu Hao and others arrived for the first batch of overseas expedition ships. However, this batch of ships was not going to find the New World, but to explore the South Seas.
Trade between the Ming Dynasty and Nanyang has always existed. Ming Dynasty goods shipped there can be exchanged for pepper, cloves and other spices, as well as various handicrafts and local products produced in Nanyang. The only thing is that during the Ming Dynasty, rubber trees were not planted in Nanyang.
So there is no rubber among the goods traded.
Zhu Hao sent sea ships to Nanyang, mostly to pave the way for subsequent plans.
Lu Song brought Peng Ye, the captain of the leading battleship of the Nanyang fleet and the commander of the fleet of six ships that went to Nanyang this time, to see him.
Peng Ye was not from Prince Xing's palace, but he was a hereditary Jinyi Guard. After Lu Song became a member of the Jinyi Qianhu, Peng Ye had been serving as a Baihu under Lu Song. It can be said that he won Lu Song's trust, and this time he was supposed to be the one to go to Nanyang.
Bing led the team, but after all, Lu Bing did not have an official position, and Lu Bing preferred to explore the New World, so he gave the task of going to Nanyang to Peng Ye.
"Master Zhu, when I was in Nanyang, I saw many foreign ships. They transported large quantities of goods to the West. Many of them were porcelain, silk, tea, etc. shipped from our country. As for the destination, where was it?
Not sure."
After Peng Ye arrived in Nanyang, he was surprised to see how closely it was tied to the goods produced in the Ming Dynasty.
In fact, from the Ming Dynasty to the Jiajing period, there were only a handful of officially registered ships going to sea. Especially in the first year of the Jiajing period, after Zhejiang and the Fujian Shipping Department were shut down, there were no trade channels between South Zhili, Fujian and Zhejiang and Nanyang.
It depends on the Guangzhou Shipping Company for shipment, but the trade volume on the books is not large.
But the problem is that the Ming Dynasty goods piled up in the Nanyang market are like hills.
The fundamental reasons are firstly the smuggling of pirates and Japanese pirates, and the secret transactions between the Francois and southern merchants. In addition, along the southeast coast, smuggling is not necessarily only done by bandits and merchants. Many officials will also do it in order to make money.
The work done by the white gloves found is relatively confidential, and the volume of goods transported is actually no less than that of smuggling.
Lu Song asked from the side: "Have you fought with the foreigners?"
"No."
Peng Ye shook his head and said, "Master Zhu previously ordered us not to engage in firefights with the foreign fleets unless absolutely necessary. In addition, there are many ships on the other side. As the saying goes, the ants will bite the elephant to death. If we really want to go to war, we may not be able to take advantage."
.”
At this time, the main forces in the Indian Ocean trade were the Francois and the Persians. Among them, the Francons dominated the trade between Europe and the East. Goods from the East were continuously sold to Europe, supporting the maritime trade route.
Zhu Hao said: "When I came back, were there any foreign ships found along the way?"
"have!"
Peng Ye said, "But they are very alert. Once they find our ship, they will run away from a distance without any intention of active contact! We destroyed several waves of pirates along the way and captured more than 30 pirates. Except for one of them, the others were Japanese.
The border residents of Fujian and Zhejiang killed six people in the battle!"
"Um."
Zhu Hao nodded.
After asking about the types of goods brought back from Nanyang, Zhu Hao did not check it himself and asked Peng Ye to rest first.
…
…
"Mr. Zhu, look, if you want to do business with the Javanese in Southeast Asia, you can just use ordinary ships. Why bother building seagoing ships before?"
Lu Song was confused.
Zhu Hao's behavior seems very strange. Could it be that he spent a lot of money to build so many large ships just to do trade with the Nanyang people?
Zhu Hao asked: "We sent a huge fleet to bring many islands in Southeast Asia under the rule of the Ming Dynasty. What do you think?"
"this……"
Lu Song was a little worried when he heard this, "I'm afraid those people from outside the country won't obey the etiquette education. There is really no need to waste time and resources on them. Mr. Zhu, I wonder if you can find what you need during this trip?"
Lu Song really couldn't understand Zhu Hao's mentality and could only think that Zhu Hao was going to sea to find the elixir of life. After all, it was something the emperor cared about.
Zhu Hao shook his head: "What I can find always exists. No matter how hard you try, it will be in vain. It seems that so far, the Folangji people have not brought me what I want... but it doesn't matter!
It’s better to find it yourself than to leave it to someone else.”
"Folangjiren?"
Lu Song started to get lost in the lake again.
Zhu Hao actually thinks that the Folangji people will bring what he wants?
Is the immortal grass in the hands of Franco?
"Dinghai Shipyard has finished building the eight large-scale ships currently under construction. Maybe in mid-July, we will officially go to sea." Zhu Hao said.
Lu Song frowned: "Time is a bit rushed... Besides, His Majesty has sent someone to Nanjing to notify you, saying that he hopes you will return to the capital before the end of August. There are many things in the capital that need your attention."
Zhu Hao asked: "Then...Lu Qianhu, do you want to go back with me?"
Lu Song looked very hesitant.
From his personal point of view, of course he doesn't want to go back. If he goes back, he may have to undergo scrutiny, be imprisoned and tried, and may even be killed.
But if he didn't go back, he and Lu Bing would be fine. His wife, concubine and several other children were all in the capital, so would we be separated forever?
"I will not accept your fate. Our mission has not been completed. How can we go back home easily? I will retreat for a few days and leave the shipyard affairs to you, Lu Qianhu. If Zhu Qianhu is fine,
If he comes to disturb you, just block him out!"
Zhu Hao reminded Lu Song to prevent Zhu Wanhong from disturbing his peace.
Originally, Zhu Hao wanted Zhu Wanhong to go with the army to the Fujian and Guangdong regions to quell pirates and Japanese pirates, but Zhu Wanhong stayed in the provincial capital after arriving in Zhejiang. As a member of Qianhu, he intentionally or unintentionally showed off his identity as Uncle Zhu Hao, a Hanlin scholar.
Zhu Wanhong can be said to show off his power in the local area, and he is quite able to enjoy himself.
Knowing that Zhu Hao had arrived in Nanjing, Zhu Wanhong immediately sent someone to inform him that he would defect to his nephew and "conspire together." However, Zhu Hao knew very well that this cheap uncle was planning for military power in the south of the Yangtze River. He did not want to rebel, but just used it to make enough money.
Because of his military exploits and interests, or gaining power and climbing up the ranks within the Jinyiwei system, he ignored them.
…
…
On the night of retreat, Zhu Hao went to see Zhu San who had arrived here first.
Zhu San went from the dry and cool north to the sultry seaside in the south. He was obviously not used to the climate here. He has been sick, sleepy and unenergetic in the past few days. But it is precisely because of this that Zhu Hao came to visit.
, after all, he was the one who "abducted" Zhu San, and he needs to be responsible for the eldest princess of the Ming Dynasty.
"Is she here?"
When Zhu San saw Zhu Hao, what he cared about was not whether Zhu Hao's business had been completed, nor where he was going next. He simply wanted to know whether Zhu Hao's bedfellow was with him, and to gain insight into the situation of his love rival.
Zhu Hao shook his head: "My wife has not arrived yet."
"Huh? You don't seem to be in a hurry to meet her?"
Zhu San didn't quite understand.
Because Sun Lan left not late, according to the normal speed, he should have arrived long ago.
Zhu Hao smiled and did not explain.
First of all, his identity is embarrassing. Why did he introduce Sun Lan's whereabouts to Zhu San when he had nothing to do?
Another point is that Sun Lan's movements need to be kept secret.
Up to now, Zhu Hao still has no heirs. Apart from his mother, aunt and sister who stayed in the capital, the only thing he cares about is Sun Lan. It can even be said that Sun Lan constitutes the entirety of his family.
His mother and others did not follow him south, but he brought Sun Lan out just to go to sea together. Before the official departure, he would not let anyone know Sun Lan's whereabouts.
"I've looked at your illness, and it's nothing serious. It's just that you caught a bit of wind and cold on the road, and your body is weak. You just need to rest for a while."
Zhu Hao sat down.
Zhu San asked in confusion: "When did you see a doctor for me?"
Zhu Hao pursed his lips and said, "I don't have to feel your pulse to know the situation clearly."
Zhu San was a little unhappy, thinking that Zhu Hao was teasing her, and wished that Zhu Hao could give her a good diagnosis.
Being so perfunctory made her feel that Zhu Hao didn't care much about her affairs.
But thinking about it again, why does Zhu Hao care about her?
They have nothing to do with each other, they are just friends at most.
"There's one more thing I want to ask you clearly. Will you follow me when I go to sea this time?"
Zhu Hao asked as if seeking confirmation.
Zhu San blurted out without thinking: "Go!"
Zhu Hao said: "It will be very hard. You may have to drift on the sea for several months without being able to keep your feet on the ground. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it."
"Who do you look down on? Ahem..."
Zhu San patted his bulging chest and wanted to show off his strength, but his body did not allow it and he coughed violently until his face turned red.
Zhu Hao nodded: "It's okay to go, but if you encounter any accidents here, you may not be from the Ming Dynasty..."
"What's the meaning?"
Zhu San looked puzzled.
Zhu Hao smiled and said: "Maybe she was captured by savages and made a wife, or she was eaten by wild beasts! Are you afraid?"
A disdainful smile appeared on Zhu San's lips: "Who are you scaring? Aren't we just going to find the panacea together? I am also a Taoist nun, does He Xiangu know? Maybe after a trip to the sea, I will really find Penglai Island and become an immortal.
Already..."
…
…
Beijing.
The news that Zhu Hao was leaving for Zhejiang reached Zhu Si immediately.
Zhu Si had seen Mi Zhe, but his expression didn't change much.
Huang Jintong reported: "Your Majesty, after Mr. Zhu arrived in Nanjing, he did not interact with anyone in the Nanjing officialdom, and he did not meet local generals or officials when he arrived in Zhejiang. He stayed in the shipyard after arriving in Ningbo. The first batch of ships to go to sea has been
A few came back with full loads, but they were just local products from Nanyang, and there was nothing fishy about them. The list of goods was already on its way to the capital. It is estimated that this business has earned almost ten thousand taels of silver..."
In Huang Jin's view, Zhu Hao sent a fleet to Nanyang just to make a business deal.
Nothing fancy.
Is Zhu Hao short of money to this extent?
Zhu Si pondered for a moment, frowned and said: "Maybe he didn't find what he wanted. He might still want to go to sea to find it himself."
Zhang Zuo asked from the side: "Is there really... an elixir of immortality?"
"have no idea."
Zhu Si shook his head, "But I don't want him to go look for it himself... If I notify him to come back, how long will it take at the earliest?"
Huang Jin replied: "I'm afraid it will take more than a month."
Zhu Si looked a little hesitant. It seemed that even if Zhu Hao came back after more than a month, nothing could be solved. Now he needed Zhu Hao to help with the northwest military affairs, but who knows what it will be like in a month? Zhu Hao will leave then...
It's better to let Zhu Hao stay in the south and finish things first.
"Let him come back by the end of the year. We can't postpone it any longer!" Zhu Si seemed to be accommodating, "If he doesn't come back by then, I will punish him!"
Zhang Zuo looked at Huang Jin and found that Huang Jin was also looking at him with eyes seeking verification.
Both of them seemed to be thinking about the same problem.
Is there any other way for our Majesty to punish Mr. Zhu, whose thoughts are already overseas?