"The army must belong to the country, otherwise the old days of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty and the vassal towns at the end of the Tang Dynasty will inevitably happen again. By then the country will be torn apart and wars will continue, which will only allow foreign enemies to take advantage of it."
Zuo Mengeng’s words were sonorous and powerful.
Next to him, Zheng Zhilong was submissive, with a rather unnatural look on his face.
Following Zuo Mengeng, he walked around Shandong and saw more of Shandong. Zheng Zhilong felt guilty from the bottom of his heart.
He thought about the future, so he tested Zuo Menggeng.
But Zuo Mengeng's words put Zheng Zhilong in a dilemma.
Beep beep beep...
The sharp whistle interrupted Zheng Zhilong's reverie.
He raised his eyes and saw that on the grain field not far away, about a hundred soldiers were practicing.
During this time, he had already understood the military structure of the New Army and knew that it was a company.
What shocked him was that he was not in a military camp, but in a farmer's field.
The entire New Army was dispatched by Zuo Mengeng to help the people harvest food. While they were busy, their training was not interrupted.
Even on the grain field, even without weapons and armor, these soldiers still practiced very seriously.
Although there were only about a hundred people, the queue was rigorous and the pace was uniform. The various formation changes were dazzling and the speed was so fast that there was no time to wait.
Although Zheng's abilities on land were average, Zheng Zhilong also knew what it meant for an army to be able to change formations at such a speed.
Combined with what Zuo Mengeng said just now, he felt even more stressed.
Looking at Zheng Chenggong, who was kneeling next to Zuo Menggen and making tea for Zuo Menggen with all his heart, he felt a little more at ease.
This harvest was carried out in a timely manner. With the help of the army, farmers from all over the country were able to put grain into storage.
Property has been preserved, there is no need to worry about starvation, and the people's love for the new government has reached an unprecedented level.
At this time, no matter who wants to be an enemy of Shandong, these people will take action enthusiastically to defend the regime.
"According to statistics, the total output of winter wheat this year is 4.5 billion jins, which is 300 million jins more than last year. In view of the farming methods this year and last year, the climate environment is not much different, so it can be inferred that the increase in output basically comes from seeds
improvements."
Chen Zilong ran over to report the data to Zuo Mengeng.
In an era of frequent disasters, food production can still increase, which is absolutely great news.
With more food, more people can be fed. And the problem of labor shortage in Shandong can be greatly alleviated.
In the past, it was precisely because of the shortage of food that Shandong was both open and rigorous in absorbing immigrants, always paying attention to the number of immigrants. It was afraid that the limit of food supply would be exceeded and cause a social crisis.
"Still can't let down our guard. God has become more and more evil these years, and no one can tell what kind of catastrophes there will be in the future. In any case, food is very important. We must not only ensure the output of the fields, but also open up new areas."
Multiple sources of food.”
Zuo Mengeng has read too much information about how terrible the natural disasters in the late Ming Dynasty were.
It is no exaggeration to describe this era as the end of the world.
In his memory, Shandong was not affected by disasters in the past few years, and it seemed that it would experience several major disasters in the future.
At this time, there is no other way. On the one hand, we have to fight against God, and on the other hand, we need to find more ways to survive.
The Europeans were able to survive these difficult years through colonization. Although the Chinese did not advocate colonial plunder, they could definitely find sufficient supplies from overseas.
At least in recent years, aquaculture and marine fishing have proven that abundant food can be obtained from outside the land.
When he returned to Linqing, Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua came together to find him.
"The commander-in-chief, Anthony van Diemen, made a suggestion. The Dutch planned to establish a commercial post in Shandong and be responsible for our trade there. We discussed it and felt that this matter was beneficial and harmless, so we were ready to agree.
.However, Mr. Hou said that this matter is the first of its kind, and it is best to go through your review."
Zuo Mengeng nodded, praising Hou Xun's maturity and perseverance.
Although they are all indigenous officials, Hou Xun is more thoughtful than others.
He asked: "Since the Dutch plan to build a business store here, can we take equivalent measures?"
Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua looked at each other, they really hadn't thought of this.
"Since ancient times, only barbarians from all over the world have come to pay tribute to the Celestial Empire. Unless necessary, it is rare for the Celestial Empire to send envoys to foreign lands."
When talking about historical materials about missions to foreign lands, the first thing that Liao Zhongjian and others thought of was Su Wu Shepherd.
"You... where have you learned the art of war? Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be victorious in every battle. How come you have forgotten it?"
After being scolded, Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua were both very ashamed.
"We will reply to the Dutch right away and set up a business office in Batavia as well."
"That alone is not enough."
Zuo Mengeng stopped them.
Now that the Dutch have made a request, he intends to act on the situation.
"Go and talk to the Dutch. We can set up embassies for each other. Each side will send ambassadors to both sides. Although the embassy is on the local territory, it exists as its own territory. Both sides must ensure the safety of the other side's embassy and at the same time not infringe. From now on.
Any exchanges between the two parties, including political, economic, military, diplomatic and civil disputes, can be handled and handled by the embassy."
Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua were greatly surprised when they heard Zuo Mengeng's thoughts.
They were still very young and did not immediately understand the benefits.
But Zuo Mengeng understood the meaning of it all too well.
"On the surface, an embassy can be regarded as a representative of a country in the field of other countries, and can conduct smooth communication and exchanges with the country where it is stationed on behalf of the country. But in fact, the embassy, the envoys and the staff of the embassy can be regarded as the representative of the country.
The eyes and tentacles can not only keep an eye on every move of the host country at any time, but can also carry out some actions in private."
He made it so clear that Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua still didn't understand the benefits, so they simply found a rope to hang themselves.
"Don't worry, Commander, we will definitely handle this matter beautifully."
Both Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua understood that the purpose of the embassy revealed by Zuo Menggeng was not something that the Dutch would be able to understand in a short time.
And this time difference is enough to reap huge benefits for Shandong.
After they approached Anthony Van Diemen and explained Shandong's idea, he agreed on the spot.
The act of sending envoys to other countries is actually very common in Europe, and Shandong's approach is just a step further, also taking into account the distance.
As a commercial country that has always dreamed of having in-depth exchanges with China, the Dutch are eager to establish deeper ties.