Xie Jin looked at Zhang Anshi who was eager to try.
But he seemed quite cautious.
After all, this is a secret report. If His Majesty knew that Zhang Anshi had tricked his words, Zhang Anshi would definitely be innocent, but he would be different.
But Zhang Anshi said it for this reason, and it was impossible not to admit it.
So, he just nodded.
Zhang Anshi immediately rubbed his hands excitedly and said with a smile: "I'm afraid Jiegong's move has his own thoughts."
Xie Jin smiled and said nothing.
Don’t you understand this idea?
Isn't the so-called mayor of a feudal town tailor-made for Java?
His Royal Highness, King Zhao, is the direct son of the emperor. Now he is very prosperous in Java. The mayor of this domain is obviously determined to win. It can be said that Xie Jin is in the capital and his heart is in Java. It is said that he was sent by King Zhao to the capital.
No detail is too much.
Zhang Anshi then continued: "Could it be that Mr. Xie's good intentions... are for His Royal Highness King Zhao?"
Jie Jin hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness the King of Song Dynasty made a serious statement. I am doing this out of a public spirit. What's more, this suggestion is on the surface to choose a wise prince and restrain the kings. But in fact, Your Highness... overseas is not as good as inside the customs. All the kings overseas are here."
It is a journey through all obstacles, and the difficulty of starting a business is truly unparalleled by ordinary people. Because of this..."
Xie Jin paused and continued: "So even if the court appoints a wise prince to restrain the kings, I'm afraid his authority is limited. The kings are all grass-headed kings. How can they listen to your orders? No matter what the order, I'm afraid
The other party has a reason to refuse, and I have lived overseas for a long time, so I fully understand this!"
"For example, if you summon him to Java, what can you do if he refuses to come because he is sick? If you teach him to come with some money and food, he will cry and complain, saying how hard he is and how miserable the domain is.
How can you do anything to him if he cries, makes trouble, and hangs himself? In the final analysis... the reason why kings are guarding overseas is to have no restraints. How can they be restrained by a canonization by the imperial court? "
Actually... what Xie Jin said is not wrong.
Jie Jin spoke sincerely, but he looked like Zhang Anshi had wronged him. If it were someone else, he might have felt ashamed and felt that he had misunderstood Jie Jin. This Xie Jin did not have selfish motives.
But who is Zhang Anshi? He is a colleague of Xie Jin. He is an official in the same dynasty and both are bachelors of Wenyuan Pavilion. At the same time, his interests are also overseas. How could he be easily fooled by Xie Jin?
So Zhang Anshi stared at Xie Jin with unknown meaning, smiled and said: "In my opinion, this is not Xie Gong's intention."
Xie Jin looked calm and said softly: "Oh?"
Zhang Anshi said: "For King Zhao, its essence is not to control the kings of the world, but to move the people."
Jie Jin's face trembled.
Zhang Anshi continued: "Let's talk about the current Jiangxi Chief Envoy. Jiujiang Prefecture and Nanchang Prefecture each have their own merits, but now Nanchang Prefecture is even better. Why is this? Jiujiang Prefecture can say that it has its own waterways and is close to Lushan Mountain.
The Yangtze River is a thoroughfare. But Nanchang Prefecture is the provincial capital. Jiujiang Prefecture can be said to have taken advantage of the convenient location, with merchants gathering and people flowing on the docks. Its taxes, money and food are not in the Jiangxi Chief Executive's Office.
Under the county. But Nanchang Prefecture is not as good as Jiujiang Prefecture in terms of geographical location and transportation, and the Ganjiang River it relies on is not as far away as the Yangtze River in Jiujiang Prefecture!"
"But for the city of Nanchang, it is enough that it is the jurisdiction of the Chief Envoy of Jiangxi Province. Therefore, in the eyes of the people of the world, do they know that there is Nanchang or that there is Jiujiang?"
Xie Jin's face changed slightly, as if he was suddenly struck by something.
Zhang Anshi continued with a smile: "I'm afraid Java has the same idea. As long as people go to the sea, they must choose a place to live. Java is not as connected to the Ming Dynasty by land as Annan is, nor is it a sea hub like Malacca. It is not as good as Sumatra.
Such a vast territory is not as rich in resources as Siam. Speaking of it, Java does have many disadvantages, even inferior to Luzon, which lives next to it and faces each other across the sea. But if Java takes advantage of the so-called "mayor" status
, became a "provincial capital", but for the soldiers and civilians who wanted to migrate, it became the best place. With people, there was money, food, and everything. Jiegong... I don't know if I am right.
"
"Cough cough cough..." Xie Jin coughed desperately.
Zhang Anshi said: "Jie Gong is really too worried about Java."
Jie Jin took a breath, then smiled bitterly and said: "This is called taking advantage of the situation. There are many vassal towns now, and relevant systems are indeed needed. Of course, if His Highness King Zhao can be one of the mayors of the vassal towns, it will indeed be of great benefit to Java.
The benefits. Your Highness the King of Song, I will not hide it from you. I believe that the vassals cannot continue to be disordered forever. Just like in the pass, if there is a capital, there will be a provincial capital, a prefecture, and a county. Sooner or later
, the same is true for all the vassals in the four seas. The current situation is actually a precautionary measure."
Zhang Anshi laughed and then said: "It's like a group of people are being chased by a tiger. You don't have to run faster than the tiger, but as long as you are one step ahead of the others, then... you will be the one who laughs last."
Xie Jin said: "His Royal Highness the King of Song...did you get certain promises from His Majesty?"
He looked at Zhang Anshi and felt quite nervous.
He actually knew very well that to a certain extent, King Song was also a strong competitor to King Zhao.
Zhang Anshi only said: "Your Majesty asked me to work hard."
Xie Jin nodded: "The four seas are too big to accommodate four vassal mayors. It seems that His Highness King Song is very likely to be one of them."
Zhang Anshi did not respond.
Xie Jin said: "King Zhao also needs to work hard."
After chatting for a while, Zhang Anshi took his leave and left.
Zhang Anshi had something on his mind in Wenyuan Pavilion, and he obviously began to care about the fate of the Zhang family.
It's not like he hasn't made preparations over the years, but now it seems... everything is mature.
When the next shift came, he immediately returned to the palace.
He called Zhang San in front of him and asked: "What is Changsheng doing now? Did he cause any trouble?"
Zhang Changsheng is now sixteen years old. In this Ming Dynasty, this age is considered an adult. He is about to marry a wife. The in-laws have also been found. His Majesty personally decided that she is the daughter of King Zhou.
This guy stayed in the palace for many years and was looked after by Zhu Di. He didn't leave the palace until he was twelve years old. Then he was sent to the model camp by Zhang Anshi to train. In four years, he gradually transformed from an ordinary captain to a
The team officer was later called back by Zhang Anshi and taught him to go to Jiangxi and work with Zhu Zhanji. It was said that he had reached the position of deputy station chief.
However, it seemed that nothing happened. Letters would come back on weekdays, but they were all addressed to his mother, Mrs. Xu, and not many letters were exchanged with his father, Zhang Anshi.
This kid is a little afraid of Zhang Anshi.
As the person in charge of the affairs of the Zhang family, Zhang San knew many things about the family that Zhang Anshi didn't know, so he said truthfully: "The Crown Prince is still in charge of the Jiangxi Chief Envoy."
Zhang Anshi said directly: "Call him back."
Zhang San said in surprise: "I heard that Prince Wang is doing quite well at Nanchang Station and is like a fish in water."
Zhang Anshi only glanced at Zhang San lightly and said, "Don't be nagging, I will be of great use to him then."
Zhang San didn't dare to say any more and quickly said yes.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Anshi summoned Zhu Jin again.
Instruct Zhu Jin and Qixia Trading Company to level a piece of land and prepare to build a mansion.
Zhu Jin was a little embarrassed and said: "Your Highness, are there any good places in the capital now? Any land that exists has been occupied by others long ago."
Zhang Anshi said without thinking too much: "Then find some places with crooked melons and cracked jujubes. Don't be too far away, and don't think the terrain is bad."
"This..." Zhu Jin didn't understand anymore and said with a grimace: "If we really build a mansion in such a place, can we still sell it?"
Zhang Anshi curled his lips and said with a smile: "You don't have to worry about this, the mountain man has its own magical uses."
Zhu Jin was puzzled, but he had no choice but to agree.
Another half month has passed.
Zhang Changsheng arrived belatedly and returned to the Song Dynasty Palace. He first went to greet his mother, Mrs. Xu, and then obediently came to the study to wait for Zhang Anshi.
Zhang Anshi went on duty and arrived at the study. He looked at Zhang Changsheng indifferently and said with his hands behind his back: "You're back?"
"Father..."
Zhang Anshi said with a gloomy face: "How is it going in Jiangxi?"
Zhang Changsheng said: "By the end of this year, the railway in Jizhou Prefecture should be able to be connected. My cousin..."
Zhang Anshi said with a straight face: "I want to call you Huangsun."
"Yes, the emperor and grandson are now going to Ganzhou Prefecture to explore the terrain. That section is the most difficult to repair. I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money and require the most manpower and material resources. But we can't ignore it. This is the road leading to Lingnan.
Important passage..."
Zhang Anshi said: "As long as we have the main money and sufficient manpower and material resources, these... are just a matter of time. Many problems will be solved sooner or later."
"yes."
Zhang Anshi looked at him seriously, and then said: "What about you, how are you doing there?"
"Me? I'm doing okay."
"What's the gain?"
"Reaping..." Zhang Changsheng thought for a while and said: "I did gain something. When I was in the palace, His Majesty told me many truths. Although I could remember them at the time, I didn't understand them very well. After that, I went to the Model
In the camp, I worked hard every day and suffered a lot, but I still didn't understand many things. After going to the Jiangxi Chief Envoy and dealing with all kinds of people, I gradually began to understand His Majesty's teachings.
.”
Zhang Anshi listened carefully and finally smiled and said: "People are trained in this way. A few days ago, the emperor's grandson also came to study and praised you well. It seems that you really learned
A lot of stuff went in.”
Zhang Changsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, with a bit of joy on his brows, and then said: "What is the purpose of your father calling me back this time?"
Zhang Anshi then suppressed his smile and said: "These days, I may have some changes. Of course, I can't say what these changes will be like now. But over in Xinzhou, Yang Shiqi wrote a letter, and the conditions are starting to mature.
, our Zhang family...it’s time to do something big."
"Ah..." Zhang Changsheng was a little surprised.
Zhang Anshidao: "Xinzhou has built so many shipyards. The shipbuilding industry can develop. On the one hand, there is indeed a huge demand for shipping. On the other hand, it is also the Song Palace that has been placing orders.
, do you know how many various ships the Xinzhou Palace has ordered in recent years?"
Zhang Changsheng said: "Son, I did hear that a lot of money was spent."
Zhang Anshi said quietly: "More than 40 million taels, this is the continuous expenditure over the years."
Zhang Changsheng couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.
Zhang Anshi couldn't help but feel a little sad and said: "This is money. I worked hard for my father and saved a penny or a tael. Do you think that this much money is just for the simple purpose of supporting Xinzhou's shipbuilding industry?"
Zhang Changsheng couldn't help but look a little solemn, and said: "Father, please give me some instructions."
"Nowadays, there are more than 400 large and small ships in Xinzhou, among which there are as many as 70 expensive iron-clad ships... With so many ships, it's time to put them to some use. The imperial court has been under pressure in recent years.
As for the Western Ocean, we, Xinzhou, must be prepared to sail to the Eastern Ocean."
Zhang Changsheng was stunned: "What does the father mean...to go to Japan?"
Zhang Anshi smiled contemptuously, and then said: "Who is the Japanese country? What I mean is...the ocean in the east, do you still remember your uncle Deng? He traveled thousands of miles and brought back those crops from all over the world?"
Zhang Changsheng nodded and said: "This... I heard it from my father and mother when I was a child."
Zhang Anshi said: "The goal is this ocean, so here in Xinzhou, we need to prepare people and recruit a large number of sailors and soldiers. Hundreds of ships will set off with supplies, weapons, medicines, and food. The scale should be within
With more than ten thousand people, after finding a place, they will first build a city along the coast and establish a foothold, and then..."
Zhang Anshi did not continue what he said next, but took a deep look at Zhang Changsheng and said meaningfully: "I, Zhang Anshi, have two sons, but there is only one real vassal territory of the Zhang family. If we add Oceania,
It would be inappropriate to split it into two. You are the eldest son and will definitely inherit the family business in the future, but your brother may not have such a blessing."
Zhang Changsheng wanted to open his mouth to say something, but heard Zhang Anshi continue: "But if you only inherit a family business, it doesn't mean anything. You are already a man. When your father was this old, you were overcoming obstacles.
, this family fortune was built from nothing. If you are ambitious, the sky is high and the sea is vast, there is a place for you to use it! Think about it for yourself, if you want to wait for death, that is up to you, but
If you want to imitate your father, you might as well... start a family business, ships, personnel, weapons, as much as you need, I will give you as much as you need, in addition to your uncle Deng, and the people who crossed the ocean.
There are many warriors, you can also ask them to provide you with some help, or even recruit some people to be your guides."
When Zhang Changsheng heard this, he immediately understood what Zhang Anshi meant. His Majesty sent the kings overseas to start their own businesses. But he was also sent overseas by his father to start his own business.
He lowered his head slightly, frowned slightly, and remained silent for a while.
Zhang Anshi said: "Why, are you timid?"
Zhang Changsheng shook his head: "It's not that I'm timid, it's just that there's something I can't figure out."
Zhang Anshi said: "Just tell me."
Zhang Changsheng pursed his lips at first, as if he was brewing something, and then looked at Zhang Anshi with piercing eyes and said: "Dad, tell the truth, is it... you haven't liked me since you were a child, so you are so harsh on me?
"
When Zhang Anshi heard this, he was speechless for a moment. In fact, he couldn't explain clearly. Before he got married and started a career, he subconsciously thought that if he had a child in the future, he would definitely be close to the child, and would never be like other fathers and sons who are separated from each other.
But until he got married and started a career, somehow, whenever he was in front of Changsheng, he would subconsciously act in a serious manner, as if an invisible wall had been built invisibly.
Zhang Anshi was silent for a long time, and he didn't know how to respond.
So after being silent for a long time, Zhang Anshi seemed to be angry and cursed: "Your mother, what are you talking about? Is it okay for me as a father to treat your second brother? How can I treat you two brothers more favorably than the other?
Are they all treated the same?"
Zhang Changsheng: "..."
Zhang Changsheng thought about it carefully and was actually convinced. What his father said was right. It seemed that he treated both his brothers the same, and no one was better. In this way, it didn't seem like he treated himself alone.
of disgust.
As a result, Zhang Changsheng felt a little relieved, and his aggrieved heart seemed to feel better.
So he straightened his mind, looked serious, and said: "There are so many ships, and our Zhang family has money. As long as we are willing to work hard to recruit people and have enough supplies, where can we go? It's just... that place
...Don't you mean it's far away? I don't know...if it's a barren land. After spending so much effort to cross the ocean, in the end, it may be just a barren land, or...it's only as big as Luzon.
Will I suffer a loss?"
Although Zhang Changsheng is still young, he can be considered a knowledgeable person now, so the issues he thinks of are also very practical.
Zhang Anshi said: "Don't worry, whoever takes the lead here will be rewarded a hundred times a thousand times! This little ship, money and food are nothing. During these days, you should go back to Nanchang Station first and continue to hone your skills. New
On the other side of the continent, we will continue to make preparations, and when the time is right, you will select some people to go."
After listening to Zhang Anshi's words, Zhang Changsheng no longer questioned and said: "Father, don't worry. When I was in the model camp, there were many brothers who had died. If I really want to go in the future, after they retire from the army,
I will teach them to be my right-hand man!"
"Also at Nanchang Station, my son also got to know a lot of civil servants. Who are courageous, who are careful, and who can stand alone? Although my son cannot say that he has any unique vision, he can tell a lot about them.
But Ba has some abilities."
Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "Don't brag yet. Since you are back, stay at home for two more days and spend time with your mother. She has been thinking about you. Also, don't tell her what I said today."
Zhang Changsheng left in a hurry as if he had been pardoned.
…
I forgot to ask everyone for leave yesterday. I'm very sorry. Due to special circumstances, I was delayed in typing, so I typed it in the early morning and then updated it quickly, keeping everyone waiting for a long time.