Emperor Ming Dynasty

Chapter 833

"It's rare for a child to enter the Imperial Prison, and for an official to be unavoidable."

Zhang Qi glanced at everyone and smiled lightly.

Obviously, the official status here does not refer to the official position, but refers to the imperial merchant status of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In an instant, everyone's breathing became short of breath, and their eyes were wide open.

The identity of an imperial merchant is worth tens of thousands of gold. If it doesn't matter, it can't be bought even with money. This bait is really too big.

Naturally, everyone patted their chests, as if they were going through fire and water in the service of the emperor.

It is more convenient to use merchants to obtain information than official dispatch.

This is also a coup used by the emperor.

In the 17th century, after being far away from the mainland, all merchant ships could carry goods or become pirates, and moral laws were reduced to decorations.

Their intelligence network is far more extensive than that of the imperial court.

After these people left, the three co-organizing ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs came over, puzzled and said:

"Young mansion, in recent years, the Xiyi people in Taiwan have purchased less and less sugar, and the price has been decreasing. Why are you still greedy for Luzon?"

"Luzon is different from Taiwan."

Zhang Qi shook his head, then sat down, Niu drank a cup of tea, and then said slowly:
"As far as I know, the Spanish and Portuguese were greedy for sugar profits and tried to immigrate to the so-called New World, so the export of white sugar became less and less."

"With less exports, we can only ship to inland sales."

"And if the sugar from Taiwan is not enough, you have to add the sugar from Manila."

"This is called expanding domestic demand, understand?"

Learning the nouns he stole from the emperor, Zhang Qi held his head high.

The other three co-organizing ministers didn't know what to do, so they could only bow down.

The white sugar that first appeared in the Western world was basically purchased from China through the Arabs as a transit.

In the second half of the 17th century, the black slave trade flourished.Latin America, especially the West Indies and Jamaica, were greatly developed, which caused the price of sugar to plummet.

So cheap that by the beginning of the 19th century, the British consumed about 9 kilograms of sugar a year, about 25 grams a day.

In this case, the export of white sugar must be sluggish day by day, which is predictable.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was reluctant to part with such a huge profit, and the emperor was even more reluctant, so they could only target the locals and export to domestic sales.

Until then, it will be difficult to meet the needs of the people with today's sugar production, so the land must be prepared in advance.

Once the emperor has an idea, it will be implemented by the court immediately.

Therefore, the cabinet asked the Spanish ambassador to Beijing to make an apology on the grounds that Spain had slaughtered our people, and to pay with blood, and to hand over the officials and troops who slaughtered.

The Spanish ambassador naturally shook his head in denial, and would never admit it, let alone hand it over.

At this time, after notifying the ambassadors of several other countries, Daming had a legitimate reason to send troops, and he couldn't wait to ask the navy to go south to force the Spaniards to surrender.

With an order, the East China Sea Division will go south to Fujian to join the South China Sea Division.

Thirty ships, 5000 people sailors and sailors sailed towards Fujian in the wind and waves.

Standing on the bow of the ship, with the sea breeze blowing, Shi Lang looked serious, his eyes full of thoughts.

Two years ago, after Zheng Zhilong retired, he went to Beijing to retire. Most of his relatives, friends and old friends also left with him, leaving only a few young and strong.

In order to avoid suspicion, when Zheng Zhilong recommended his successor, he did not recommend his brother, but let Shi Lang, who was not far and near, serve as the chief soldier of the East China Sea Division.

He and Zheng Zhilong are both from Quanzhou, so they defected to him when they were 17 years old. Whenever it comes to battle, they must take the lead and make many military exploits.

Excellent among the younger generation.

At only 36 years old, he was recommended as the general soldier.

Such a great kindness made him more involved with the Zheng family.

"Chief soldier, why do you still have to listen to the South China Sea Navy when you go to Fujian this time?" The general at the side couldn't help complaining.

"Don't talk about that." Shi Lang frowned and said, "He's a young man with a good family background, and he's from a relative, so you must not offend him."

Hearing this, several generals restrained themselves.

Shi Lang said leisurely: "He has been blowing the sea breeze in Penghu for five years, and he only became the commander-in-chief this year. It is already too late."

Hearing this, no one spoke.

The chief soldier of the South China Sea Division they were talking about refers to Sun Lin who just took office at the beginning of this year.

At only 26 years old, he served as the chief soldier, and he only had a baron on him. No one would dare to believe it.

But, that's the reality.

Before serving as the general soldier, Sun Lin served as a guerrilla general in Penghu, responsible for the coastal defense of the entire Taiwan government.

Due to the absence of harassment from pirates and the prosperity of the Taiwan government, the number of people in Penghu County has continued to increase. In just a few years, it has exceeded [-].

Not to mention the Taiwan government, the number has reached 500,000. As a result, the Penghu Navy was renamed the Taiwan Navy, and the highest officer was changed from a guerrilla general to a general.

After that, Sun Lin built a large navy camp in Penghu, which is also considered a credit. At the beginning of the year, he served as the commander of the South China Sea Division, responsible for the coastal defense of the entire Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian provinces.

It's so logical that there is no doubt about it.

Of course, what makes people angry is that in this joint battle between the two armies, the commander-in-chief is Sun Lin, and the deputy commander is Shi Lang.

No matter in terms of seniority or age, Shi Lang was above Sun Lin, but the latter leapt to the top instead, which made him helpless.

After riding the wind and waves for several days, the Donghai Navy arrived at Xiamen Island.

Compared with the Zhoushan Islands where the East China Sea Navy is stationed, although Xiamen is a little smaller, it is close enough to the mainland, and the land is fertile, making it a prosperous naval city.

To Shi Lang's surprise, Sun Lin, the new South China Sea Admiral, was standing on the pier, wearing a short black jacket, with a rough and dark face, and a big smile.

"Shi Zongbing, don't come here unharmed!"

Sun Lin greeted him enthusiastically, and put his arm directly on Shi Lang's shoulder. Before Shi Lang could react, he was enthusiastic:
"I have prepared a lot of meat for my brothers, and I can drink freely. The camp room is also ready. I can check in directly tonight. The bedding is all new..."

"Let me tell you, the mats in Fujian are comfortable to sleep on and don't scratch. I also prepared a wild deer just to entertain you..."

Shi Lang was stunned.

Do I know you that well?

"You haven't taken a shower yet, have you? Come on, I've got hot water ready."

Sun Lin led the generals to a bathhouse: "You have to take a bath in hot water, it's not good if you catch a cold."

In this way, Shi Lang didn't have time to say a word, Master Donghai had a hot bath, wine and meat, and a warm bed.

The next day, everyone gave thumbs up and praised: "The South China Sea Navy is open and bright—"

Because the Nanhai Division and the Donghai Division were originally from the Zheng family army, and many of the generals in the Donghai Division were from Fujian, so verbal communication was not a problem.

At noon, Shi Lang immediately realized that something was wrong, the morale of the army had been bribed by the opponent.

Good guy, the grievances along the way have been washed away, what can I say as the chief soldier?
"Brother Sun is too polite." Shi Lang got off the donkey along the slope, laughing loudly, "This must have cost a lot of money!"

"Not much."

Sun Lin showed his white and neat teeth, and felt Shi Lang's closeness: "It's only a few thousand yuan."

"This--"

Shi Lang was shocked, what a big deal!My annual salary is only so much!
Unexpectedly, Sun Lin bowed his hand: "Sprinkle water——"

"Brother Shi, let me tell you that for this Southern Expedition, the Ministry of Households directly allocated 300,000."

"I only have 10,000 people, more than enough."

Shi Lang fell silent. He looked at Sun Lin, lowered his head again, and didn't want to speak.

Good guy, I sent out 300,000 directly before the battle was fought. If I win this, is it still worth it?
Seeing Shi Lang's expression, Sun Lin saw that there was only a little joy in his shock, and he suddenly thought about it.

He served as a gendarmerie in the army when he was a teenager. Relying on his status, he was not afraid of anyone, and he was rampant, which can be described as majestic.

When I got older, I decided to come to the Navy for training. These years have been very clear to the hearts of the people.

Ordinary soldiers might be excited by money, but for a navy commander like Shi Lang, only the rank and title can greatly increase his interest.

With a lot of thoughts, Sun Lin suddenly asked: "Brother Shi, please forgive me for taking the liberty, but I don't know what your title is?"

When Shi Lang heard this, he felt displeased. Didn't you ask the question knowingly?

But he was in the city, and he just said indifferently: "It's hard to say. A few years ago, Xiyi, who followed the Marquis of Nan'an to attack Taiwan, got mixed up with a viscount."

"I'm a baron!" Sun Lin said without hesitation, "For an official position like ours, this title is too low?"

"No way, military merit is here."

Shi Lang echoed, feeling a little uncomfortable in his heart.

This Zongbing Sun was also lucky. He happened to meet the native kingdom of Taiwan's northward invasion, led the navy to participate in the war, and won a baron.

"You also know the identity of my brother, and I will not hide it from you."

Sun Lin gulped down his wine, turned his head, and said in a low voice, "This time when we go to Luzon, the imperial court should talk about three meritorious deeds, but it's different for us."

"Oh?" Shi Lang became interested, and said in surprise: "Isn't it just some Xiyi? The foreign land, can you still promote the title?"

"Hey." Sun Lin said quickly: "I heard that His Majesty attaches great importance to this trip to the south, and the promotion should be nine out of ten."

As he said that, he actually patted Shi Lang on the shoulder, and said: "Brother, if he goes south this time, if it goes well, wouldn't it be easy to catch a mere earl?"

"At that time, there will be a few more barons and viscounts in the army, and it will be a matter of course."

This secret, if others say it, Shi Lang must be a big ear, a mere barbarian, can make him an earl?
How many earls are there in the entire Ming Dynasty?Which one was not killed out of the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood.

But Sun Lin is different. This kid is a relative, and he is well-informed with gossip, so he must have something to rely on.

Thinking of this, the smile on Shi Lang's face became more real, and his tone became more gentle, even a little low: "Brother Sun, this time I'm going south, I'll listen to you."

"When the time comes, we will fight side by side, so we need to take care of you!"

"That's it!" Sun Lin also said sincerely: "If the governor's mansion loses my brother's title by then, I will go to Beijing to meet the emperor in person to complain—"

Now, the relationship between the two became more and more harmonious.

The next day, after Shi Lang sorted out his psychological problems, he saw an infantryman marching towards Xiamen Island with his head held high and his chest held high.

"Brother, this must be 3000 people!" Shi Xian, who was the head of the army, sighed: "I never thought that this kid can command infantry."

"It seems that this battle is not small!"

"It seems that the commander-in-chief is very prestigious. If we let the brothers make a fuss, maybe you will be the commander-in-chief then."

"Shut up—" Shi Lang immediately scolded: "What nonsense, Zongbing Sun and I are brothers whose blood is thicker than water, no, we are closer than blood is thicker than water, don't you want to provoke our relationship."

Shi Xian was startled, and said in disbelief: "Brother, I am your real brother!"

"If you talk nonsense again, it won't be enough if you don't keep it clean."

Shi Lang snorted, and then walked towards Sun Lin in the distance with enthusiastic steps.

"Brother Sun Xian, why do we still have infantry this time?"

"Brother, going south this time is different."

Sun Lin said somewhat mysteriously: "Although it is said to intimidate the Spaniards, there is no guarantee that there will be no conflict."

"I heard that the Spaniard is stubborn and has a big temper. Let's pass it on. He may turn a blind eye, but wait until the infantry comes ashore."

"If you fire a few shots and kill a few people, Spain will definitely give in out of breath. When the time comes to show our country's prestige, what is a mere count?"

Hearing this, Shi Lang was elated.

For soldiers, the larger the scale of the war, the more opportunities to make meritorious deeds, and thus justifiably get promoted and make a fortune.

At this time, he wished that Spain would send out tens of thousands of men. When the time comes, the navy and the infantry will be at the same time. Wouldn't it be safe to be an earl?

Sun Lin glanced at these thousands of people, feeling quite proud in his heart.

This time, in order to hide the truth from those Xiyi people and make them think that it was a threat rather than a war, the [-] soldiers of the Beijing camp did not go with the Donghai navy.

Instead, they took the Beihai Navy's ship and went south, arriving in Xiamen a few days in advance.

It was the first time to command [-] Musketeers, which made Sun Lin quite excited: "I hope the Spaniards will always be so ignorant, and the Beijing camp will be able to stand up!"

After appeasing Shi Lang, Sun Lin met several businessmen who had important information about Manila.

Spanish rule in the Philippines dates back to 1571.

Li Gaisi entered the mainland from Manila, invaded and occupied the Philippines, and then built castles and forts on the south bank of the Pasig River in the center of Manila.

Since then, it has become the capital of the Spanish colonial authorities.

"Manila is the largest port in Luzon Island. At the dock, there are about [-] Han Chinese, Yi people, and some natives..."

"How many troops does the Spaniard have?" Sun Lin asked directly.

"There are only less than 5000 whites, while the native soldiers have about [-] people, who are dedicated to dealing with us Han people."

The businessman said angrily.

"Where's the weapon?"

"It's not as good as ours in Ming Dynasty. They are all arquebus guns and only a dozen cannons. But there are many merchants in the port. The Governor's Mansion can recruit Spanish merchants to help..."

Hearing this, Sun Lin calmed down immediately, and his side had the upper hand. .

(End of this chapter)