Chapter five hundred and thirtieth: the bottom line
Within a few days, news came from the Republic of Genoa that the fleet led by the deputy general had defeated Genoa!
This city was also built by merchants, but now... naturally, it has also fallen into the hands of the Ming Dynasty.
At the same time, Rome issued a decree that Venice and Genoa belonged to the Ming Dynasty.
Despite Qiu Song's tough attitude towards Erdan and Donkey Ball, getting recognition from Rome was still quite important to the Ming Dynasty.
It's not because they are afraid of Rome, but... Ming wants to replace the Venetian and Genoese merchants and integrate more smoothly into the whole of Europe. It will be much smoother with the authorization and recognition of Rome.
Especially the power to cover taxes.
Within a few days, Zheng He's fleet finally arrived in Venice.
The first thing Qiu Song did was to hurried to Zheng He and shouted: "Eunuch Zheng, we have waited until you arrived. We don't have enough ships, so we need to borrow your lucky ship."
Zheng He smiled and said: "What needs to be loaded?"
"Gold and silver." Qiu Song said straightforwardly.
Zheng He: "..."
Qiu Song's fleet is already huge. Such a huge fleet can't even be loaded. It even needs to borrow Zheng He's ships. This...
However, after a short discussion, Zheng He and Qiu Song finally agreed on a plan.
Zheng He will lead the fleet and return with gold and silver.
Qiu Song left an elite naval force stationed in Venice. At the same time, three thousand soldiers of the model battalion will also be garrisoned here.
Zheng He has another mission on his return voyage this time. After his return voyage, the next one will bring a larger fleet, carry more goods, and a large number of people, especially merchants, to arrive in Venice and Genoa.
That, enriching the strength of Venice and Genoa, as well as Venetian colonies in North Africa and the Near East.
"This is such a good place." Zheng He couldn't help but sigh: "There is so much gold and silver. Not to mention, this sea area is surrounded by continents on all sides, but there is a sea in the middle. With ships, you can
Quickly arriving at the North African city mentioned by these people, one can reach both Egypt and the Kings.
Fort Tantino can also go to Rome, Greece, and France, and because it is surrounded by land on all sides, there are no big waves in the sea. It is no wonder that it is such a unique location... Venice alone has 60,000 searches.
Large and small merchant ships, if our Ming Dynasty had such an inland sea, why would we need to build any canals?"
Qiu Song scratched his head. He didn't quite understand Zheng He's feelings. He just said: "Eunuch Zheng, do you mean that their geography is suitable for navigation?"
"That's right." Zheng He was very knowledgeable in this regard, so he continued: "My Ming Dynasty is going to sea. If we don't customize special ships, we won't be able to withstand the storm. But this so-called Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by
There is land, so just like the inner lake, ordinary ships can still cross this sea. Hurricanes and storms are rare here, and there are many cities along the coast. In a place like this, sea transportation must be far superior to land transportation!
"
"Given time, the shipbuilding and navigation skills of these Europeans, or those North Africans or cannibals, will definitely not be inferior to our Ming Dynasty. Your Highness, the Prince of Wuhu County, does have a unique vision. I can teach you how to do it."
After leaving Venice, this place is
The Pearl of the Mediterranean, as long as they occupy this place, they can reach the great food in the east, the hinterland of Europe in the north, restrain Rome in the west, and reach North Africa in the south. This is the place that holds their throat, both military and
Trade is very important."
Qiu Song showed a smile and said happily: "I don't understand anything else, I just know... listen to my elder brother. From now on, I will teach many Han merchants to garrison troops and horses, and teach this Venice. In the future, I will become my Ming Dynasty in Europe and North Africa."
A trading hub with great food.”
Zheng He smiled and said: "If this can be done, then this Venice will be our Ming Dynasty's new Jiuquan and Yumen Pass! With this place, the Ming Dynasty's trade with Europe will not worry about being cut off, and our efforts to expand to the West will also be
It’s not in vain.”
After a short rest, Zheng He took his fleet, loaded with gold and silver, and sailed away with the arrival of the monsoon.
At the same time, the Doge's Palace of Venice is still there, and Qiu Song has begun to gather all the Venetian ships.
These ships will be indispensable in the future.
…………
Erdan and Donkey Ball are still staying in Venice. As Rome's liaison personnel here, they have to continue to deal with Qiu Song.
"I heard that they are going to change the name of Venice."
"Rename?" Erdan obviously heard this for the first time and subconsciously frowned.
It can be said that since the Ming army captured Venice, Qiusong has been doing a lot of things every day, and the projects he has been working on are different every day. Erdan has actually become accustomed to this.
Donkey Qiu said: "This place will be changed to Fubo, and Genoa will be changed to Zhenhai."
"Hey..." Erdan sighed, with a faint look on his face, but did not continue to say anything.
Donkey Ball glanced at Erdan and comforted Erdan: "No matter what, at least those Venetian merchants... are unlucky. This is not a bad thing for Rome."
"No." Erdan immediately shook his head and said: "Although we no longer have the threat of the Venetians, these people are more terrifying now than the Venetians. They came here and did not kill anyone. All their methods are for money.
Silver neither promotes hatred nor promotes their gods. In their view, anyone can be an enemy or form an alliance. Their diplomatic flexibility is really unreasonable. But it is precisely because of this that
It’s even more worrying.”
Donkey Ball opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. He paused and then said: "God will bless us..."
Erdan's brows furrowed even deeper. It was obvious that he was not optimistic about Donkey Ball's prayer.
Donkey Ball thought for a while and said: "Since God guided them to come here, there must be a reason for him. So, why should we worry?"
Erdan couldn't find the words to refute this for a moment, and was only vaguely worried, so he had no choice but to nod and was speechless.
…………
Compared with Europe, the Ming Dynasty, which has already reached the twelfth lunar month of winter, is a different scene at this time.
With the establishment of the Ministry of Railways, a large amount of funds were injected. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of thousands of people were recruited, from soldiers, to laborers, to craftsmen, and even doctors, teachers, and countless people, and began to proceed in an orderly manner.
construction.
The construction of the first railway to Jiangxi has begun.
This also made Zhili's steel workshops immediately begin to rise and become prosperous.
Railways finally began to enter Jiangxi.
This railway first goes from Wuhu to Chizhou, then enters Raozhou Prefecture, and then heads all the way to Nanchang Prefecture.
For such a huge project, the manpower and material resources used are staggering.
Countless laborers, led by craftsmen, began to advance.
At the same time, Jiangxi Railway Department Ambassador Zhu Zhanji made early plans.
The planned land will be directly expropriated, and all the land will be compensated according to the market price.
The one mile of land along the railway line has also been completely included in the jurisdiction of the railway administration. In addition to building stations, it has also begun to attract a large number of merchants.
Regarding this point, Zhili has long had experience. In this era, whenever railways are built, such trunk lines are, in a sense, a channel of wealth. People with a radius of several miles will benefit greatly, and with the market
, with the circulation of goods, it is bound to attract nearby people to settle here.
The settlers who came here naturally became the people under the rule of the Railway Department and had no connection with the previous prefectures and counties.
The ambassador of the Jiangxi Railway Department was the grandson of the current emperor. When the railway began to appear in Raozhou Prefecture, it immediately suffered a backlash.
But this kind of rebound is nothing more than loud thunder and small raindrops.
Naturally, some public resentments arose in the local area, but once the inspection department and a hundred-household station were stationed along the main railway line, these resentments seemed to disappear.
Even because of the shortage of labor, the Railway Department began to recruit workers in Raozhou Prefecture.
As soon as they heard that they were recruiting workers... the local people were in a panic, and many young people actually left their hometowns overnight.
Song King Zhang Anshi arrived here just at this time.
He also heard about the start of railway construction in Raozhou, so he made a special trip.
In this temporary residence of the Jiangxi Railway Department, I saw Zhu Zhanji busy dealing with one thing after another.
When he finally calmed down, Zhang Anshi looked at Zhu Zhanji with a smile and said, "Why, are you working so hard?"
Zhu Zhanji said with a bit of tiredness on his face: "When we were building the railway in Zhili, we didn't need to worry about anything. If anything happened, we could just let the people below do it. But as soon as we entered Raozhou, the situation changed.
It’s very different. You have to keep an eye on everything, just to be afraid of any oversight.”
Zhang Anshi couldn't help but smile, and then said: "Now all the railway companies are pointing at you, the emperor's grandson, to carry this river across the river. You have worked hard, but the accumulated experience can be used by all railway companies in the future."
Already."
Zhu Zhanji smiled bitterly and said: "Uncle, please stop being sarcastic. I'm in a very difficult situation right now. Uncle, you know... The Jiangxi Railway Company here is recruiting workers, and many laborers from nearby villages have not come.
Instead, I ran a lot."
Zhang Anshi was stunned and surprised, so he asked curiously: "Why is this?"
Zhu Zhanji said: "Many people think it is the corvee of the old government. In the past, the corvee of the government not only had to pay for food, it was a lot of hard work, but also might delay the farming season, which was unspeakable misery."
Zhang Anshi said strangely: "Then why don't you post a notice and tell everyone that the Railway Department pays wages?"
Zhu Zhanji shook his head and said: "In fact, all the methods have been used, but the effect is not good. After this notice is posted, how many local ordinary people are literate? They can't understand it. But those who are literate can understand it.
People, but they don’t want to read it to the common people. In fact, these people really want to see the railway company’s jokes!”
Zhang Anshi thought about it seriously and said: "There are always ways, but if it doesn't work, you can wait. This road is not Zhili. Most of the people are imprisoned in the countryside, and some do not have much knowledge. This is also
It’s understandable that when some people gradually taste the benefits of being in the railway company, naturally there will be people vying to attach themselves to it.”
Zhu Zhanji said: "But now that the railway is under construction, it is the time to hire people, so there is no time to wait."
Zhang Anshi smiled, looked at Zhu Zhanji, and said: "Zhanji, some things need to be done in a hurry, because it won't be done if you don't do it, and it won't be done if you don't rush it. But there are some things that cannot be rushed, your majesty allows it."
Although the Ministry of Railways’ intention is to build railways, what is its real purpose? It is to win people’s hearts!”
Zhu Zhanji calmed down and listened carefully.
Zhang Anshi continued: "What is the human heart? Things like the human heart cannot be rushed. Now you only want to drag the people to the construction site to build the railway, but you don't know... This is cause and effect. If I were
You, let me do one thing."
Zhu Zhanji stared at Zhang Anshi steadily and said, "Uncle, please stop showing off."
At this time, Zhang Anshi finally uttered two words: "Build the city..."
"Building a city..."
Zhang Anshi said with a smile: "Every station that passes through a county can use the surrounding land for development and build a new city. In the new city, there must be many facilities, such as hospitals, schools, and inspection departments to ensure
Public security, even a charity village, and even... a theater. With these, merchants can be attracted to hold some markets. In short, everything is mainly to benefit the people."
Zhang Anshi paused and continued: "In this case, if some of the people around us are seriously ill, we will find a way to show them. If there are children around who have nothing to do, we can also provide them with some superficial education. Another example is that every night, the theater troupe
Set up a stage and play and sing. Of course, you don’t want the serious kind of playing and singing. Who would listen to those elegant things? You need those who usually perform in the countryside and hire them. Anyway, they are just teaching everyone.
Happy, happy."
"Three feet of ice does not freeze in a day. We are patiently erecting these skeletons one by one at the planned station. Naturally, people will run here. Over time, they will be able to hear and see it, and then... again
Spend money to hire laborers, and even set up some small businesses
Square, when the railway is built in the future, these people can still be around the station, loading and unloading goods, or doing some small business. In short, it is to teach us that the new city near the station is different from other places. As long as people gather in groups
, the people’s hearts are already there, why are you still worried about not having any labor?”
After hearing this, Zhu Zhanji showed a trace of confusion, and then said: "Uncle, new city? These stations in various prefectures and counties... If they are all new cities, what about the old city?"
Zhang Anshi smiled and said, "What does that have to do with the Railway Department? If the local prefects and county magistrates are really capable and can make the land they rule peaceful and peaceful and the people live and work in peace and contentment, then naturally their old city can be maintained."
Or when
The local gentry and aristocratic families did not oppress some of the people, or even, as they usually said, they were charitable and had no disputes with the people. How could this old city and other local people easily leave the place where they had always lived?
"
"But if they are just using the guise of benevolence, justice and propriety, but not doing human affairs, then the people are rushing to the new city at the station, and we still care whether the old city is dead or alive? This is their business. Anyway, as long as people come,
They were placed under the 100-household offices of the Railway Department’s Thousand Household Offices and the 100-household Office of the Hundred-Household Office, and they were the people under the rule of the Railway Department.”
Zhang Anshi continued meaningfully: "We can also build cities, which can replace the previous prefectural and county towns. Since ancient times, many urban areas have been built on water. It is not just the people who need water. The most important thing is,
A large number of people rely on the transport capacity of rivers to communicate with each other. Now that the railway has been built, the railway line is essentially equivalent to a river."
Zhu Zhanji frowned and said: "If this is the case, if the Jiangxi Railway Department continues to build the railway, won't it mean that hundreds of new cities will be built?"
Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "Why not? After the railways have been built, there will be no need for merchants to do business with them. If the railway company invests another sum of money to provide the people with some of the most basic services, then... there will be no need for people to do business.
Yes, when there are people, there is a city, when there is a city
, subordinate to the Railway Department, which can truly replace the old officials in the future. If not for this, do you think that my uncle is so full that he must let you come to Jiangxi to preside over railway affairs?
If this thing is done, it will be a lasting achievement."
After a pause, Zhang Anshi glanced at Zhu Zhanji meaningfully, and then said: "If it doesn't work out and your majesty has wasted so much money, to be honest, your majesty will be angry to death. When the time comes, Long Yan
How can you be so angry? Who can withstand such thunderous fury? But Zhanji, you are different. Even if the sky falls, His Majesty will not be able to chop off your head."
Zhu Zhanji: "..."
Zhu Zhanji sounded moved and confident.
But the more I listened to it, the more I felt something was wrong.
He discovered in vain, this is why my uncle called me here?
Zhang Anshi saw that he was starting to fall into deep thought, so he laughed and said: "Haha, uncle, don't take it seriously. All in all, you and my uncle and nephew are in dire straits right now, and we can only move forward."
Zhu Zhanji said: "I gradually understood. From this point of view, what uncle said is not unreasonable. It's just that this new city..."
At this point, Zhu Zhanji paused. Obviously, he also hoped that Zhang Anshi could give him some effective opinions on this matter.
Zhang Anshi then smiled and said: "Well... uncle also has some ideas, come on, come on, you see, I have the planning map of the new city here, even if it is a template, the general plan of the new city can be based on this, and then according to
Just follow the terrain and make some repairs. Zhanji, my uncle is so worried about you."
As he spoke, Zhang Anshi took out many drawings like magic.
Zhu Zhanji was stunned. He obviously knew that all of this was done deliberately by Zhang Anshi. From asking for land along the line, to planning the station, to the new city, not a single thing was left behind.
When Zhang Anshi carefully spread out the drawings, Zhu Zhanji couldn't care about anything else and quickly put away his thoughts and lowered his head to look at the drawings seriously.