Daming Crazy Emperor

Chapter 399 The Virtue of Japanese Pirates

Winter in Wen Guogong's mansion seems to come later than that in Liaodong.

This is roughly affected by the surrounding sea area. After all, sea water can absorb heat and cold.

Therefore, the temperature changes in places near the sea are generally slower than those inland.

However, once the cold winter comes, it is quite cold.

When the November of the Ming calendar arrived, it began to snow heavily in Duke Wen's mansion.

After a heavy snowfall, the temperature plummeted and the water surface began to freeze.

Taichang got up early in the morning, seeing the sudden whiteness outside, he couldn't help being excited.

Now it's all right, with such a heavy snow, it must be freezing outside.

He ran to the outside yard to take a look, and sure enough, the water tank in the middle used to test the temperature had already frozen inside.

Moreover, the ice seems to be very thick.

He walked forward, clenched his fists and smashed the ice hard, but there was not a single crack in it, and the entire ice didn't shake at all.

This proves that the ice in the tank is at least a foot thick.

With such a low temperature, the surface of the lake should be frozen, and I can finally collect ice cubes!
He was about to ask Cao Huachun to inform Yuan Keli, but Cao Huachun and Liu Shiyou, one with a mink coat and the other with a fox fur cape, ran over in a hurry and quickly helped him put it on.

Cao Huachun helped him dress and said worriedly: "Your Majesty, my servant and Ruoyu are taking clothes with you. Why did you run out? You may not know it, but it was suddenly cold last night. If you What should I do if I catch a cold?"

The ice is so thick, how can I not know?

Hearing this, Taichang smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, my health isn't that bad, you should hurry up and ask someone to inform Li Qing, let's go to the lake to have a look."

They lived in Wen Guogong's mansion, and Yuan Keli arrived soon.

Not long after, they got into the carriage and set off.

As expected, the lake was frozen at this moment, and the ice layer was relatively thick. Many Japanese pirate prisoners had already been escorted by the guards to collect ice on the lake.

In fact, collecting ice cubes on the lake is a very dangerous thing, because the lake surface will be exposed after taking ice cubes. If you accidentally fall down, you will freeze to death if you don’t drown.

Fortunately, Yuan Keli was well prepared.

He not only ordered people to make many sleds like small boats, but also prepared a strong rope for each captive.

These ropes were all tied around the waist of the captive and connected to the sled.

In this way, even if these captives accidentally fall into the water, they can quickly climb up the sled with the help of ropes.

If you just fall into the water for a while, you won't be frozen to death, and you will be fine if you change into dry clothes quickly.

Taichang looked at the thick cotton coats of the same style on these prisoners, and couldn't help being surprised: "Li Qing, you even gave each of them a set of cotton coats! This is a lot of money, right?"

Yuan Keli said indifferently: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the money belongs to them, not to the officials. They borrowed money from the Daming Bank to buy them, and they don't need to borrow money to buy them." , I don’t care if I can’t stand the cold.”

Uh, well, I seem to think too much.

These Japanese pirates have nothing to pity on.

Taichang nodded slightly, then raised his binoculars to scan.

There are quite a few captives collecting ice on the lake, densely packed, probably thousands of people, and there are hundreds of sledges collecting ice alone.

They can collect ice cubes very fast, as long as the sled is pulled to the area where the wooden frames are densely packed, a few people lift the waist-thick wooden pier and shake the ice cubes out of the wooden frame, and then a few people use the special The hooks of the two hooks worked together, and the three-foot-square ice cube was hooked onto the sled.

A dozen or so people cooperated, a few sled pullers, a few wooden pier lifters, a few ice hookers, and a few hookers out of the wooden frame to brush the salt water. Their movements were as swift as machines.

Taichang looked carefully for a while, and then asked: "Li Qing, are these prisoners honest now?"

Yuan Keli nodded repeatedly and said: "These captives are honest now. They have also seen the strength of Shenjiying, Shenwuying, Dongyang Navy, and Beiyang Navy. If they dare to be dishonest, what will happen to them? clear."

Japanese pirates actually have this virtue.

If you don't frighten them and do them to despair, they will pretend to be grandsons in order to make a comeback, and they will deal with you in turn.

Once they are frightened and desperate, they will become real grandchildren!

At least, before they feel unsure about overthrowing you, they are real grandsons.

It's like the bad country of later generations. After they are frightened, they can do whatever they want, and they are no different from real grandchildren!
These captives are like this at the moment, they work so quickly, they don't need whips at all, they are all working hard.

Of course, we must show people some hope, and it’s okay not to give people a little hope.

If there is no hope at all, and the only thing to do is to work until you are exhausted, then people will not care about your strength or not.

Taichang thought for a while, then asked again: "How do you plan to arrange these prisoners?"

Yuan Keli said without hesitation: "Wei Chen has already ordered people to issue a notice that these prisoners are paid for their work, but at this moment only wages are counted and they will not be paid. If their wages accumulate to 100 taels, they will be paid." If they can redeem their bodies, they will be free, and the ministers will take their families over and let them live a normal life."

Uh, 100 taels to buy freedom?
Is this a bit much?
Taichang was stunned for a moment, and then asked: "How much do you calculate a month's wages for people? They have to work for several years to accumulate the 100 taels?"

Yuan Keli still didn't hesitate to say: "The wages are not calculated on a monthly basis, but on a volume basis. Anyway, there is a lot of work here, whether it is building a city, digging an ice cellar, repairing roads, logging, opening up wasteland and farming, etc., it is all paid on a monthly basis. As for wages, as long as they are diligent enough, it is not a problem to earn two or three taels of wages a month, but if they work hard, it is possible to earn four or five taels of wages a month."

Well, it's no wonder that these people are working desperately, probably they want to be free as soon as possible.

Taichang raised his binoculars again to look carefully at the expressions of these captives, and couldn't help but nodded slightly.

These people are really working hard, and there is no resignation on their faces, and there is even a little hope in their eyes.

It seems that these Japanese pirates are really scared of being raped, and they are honest, and they have become real grandchildren.

The Japanese pirates have the virtue of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. As long as Daming maintains a strong strength, these grandsons will not dare to rebel!

At this moment, the ice cellar has been built, and there are ice cubes. It is no problem for Western companies to catch a large number of fish in the waters of Dongying. It is time to go back.

Once the idea of ​​returning to Beijing popped up this time, it was impossible to contain it.

After all, he has been away from Beijing for too long this time. Counting from last September when he set off to fight as a teacher, he has been away from Daming for more than a year!
It's nothing to think about it, once you think about it, your mind will be full of thoughts.

He really misses his family too much, he really misses his children too much.

He really wished he could set foot on the Aegis ship immediately and head straight for the capital.

However, he suddenly remembered that he had already thought about it at the beginning, and when he went back, he had to bring enough seafood so that his wife and children could eat enough!

The seafood here is delicious.

And now there are already ice cubes, so it doesn't matter how much seafood you catch.

Thinking of this, he waved impatiently: "Go, go to the pier, let's go fishing!"

He is the current emperor, so it's no problem if he wants to fish some seafood to bring back.

At this moment, the Western Company has almost explored the fishery resources in the waters around Wen Guogong's mansion, and he can have whatever he wants.

Taichang fished for three full days with five large fishing boats, until all the fishing boats were almost full, then he ordered people to stuff the catch with ice, and then he took the Beiyang Navy fleet with five large fishing boats. The fishing boat went straight to Daming, and went straight to the direction of the capital.

Uh, the catch of the five large fishing boats is more than five million catties, and he only has a few concubines and children in total. Can he eat it all when he takes it back?

In fact, he was not only brought by his own family.

Anyway, he decided to bring them, so he just brought enough.

He had thought it all over, and when he returned, he would give tens of thousands of catties to each of his cronies!
(End of this chapter)