King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 439 Hunting Shanglinyuan

All the paperwork and approvals regarding sea trade have now been completed, and now comes the practical part.

In fact, even the Jinling Navy and the Zhejiang Navy, Zhu Jinghong had specially said hello, asking them to pay extra attention to his fleet.

This also means that Liu Xiang is officially going to do business, and he is here to collect money at this moment.

Of course, the cash of 10 taels was not handed over directly to Liu Xiang. Instead, the silver was transported to the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue, and then the Ministry of Revenue issued an "IOU" to Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Then Liu Xiang took the "IOU" and the documents from the Ministry of Revenue and went directly to the Jinling local government office to withdraw 10 taels of silver.

This saves you the trouble of transporting money.

Of course, normally this cannot be done, and Zhu Jinghong also asked for permission from the emperor.

When Baochai returned to her bedroom, looking at the 10 taels of orders in front of her, she still felt particularly painful.

Since entering the prince's palace, she has put a lot of effort into getting money. Now that she is going out for 10 taels at a time, it is really hard for her to accept it.

This is also human nature, but Baochai is different from ordinary people in that reason will not be blocked by personal emotions.

So she picked up the gold seal, dipped it in the ink pad herself, and then put it on the list.

In the past, Ying'er would do these processes for her, but today she did it herself, just to experience firsthand the feeling of spending 10 taels.

"You and Wen Xing... take it to the bank in person and let them carry the money!" Baochai said calmly.

After all, it was 10 taels of silver. Even with the princess's seal, it would be difficult for the people in the warehouse to believe it.

Ying'er and Wen Xing are Baochai's personal maids. Only when they take the order together can they prove that this is indeed the princess's wish.

Ying'er picked up the 10 tael bill. Although it actually felt light and airy, it made her feel that it was extremely heavy.

"Go quickly!" Baochai said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Ying'er took the list, called Wen Xing and went to the warehouse.

The people in the warehouse took the order and started taking the money according to the order, while Liu Xiang and his guards "received the goods" outside the warehouse.

Seeing the boxes of silver coming out of the warehouse, Wang Yiping, the manager of the warehouse, still felt uneasy, so he sent someone to Yin'an Palace to ask for instructions, even though he was sure that this was the princess's intention.

This actually shows the truth. Baochai's power comes from Zhu Jinghong, so everything depends on Zhu Jinghong's wishes.

Of course, Wang Yiping finally got a positive answer, which made him feel at ease.

Finally, Liu Xiang took the money and was escorted by the guards to the household department. Everything went smoothly.

Soon the next day came. Liu Xiang took a dozen eunuchs and guards from the palace and rushed to Jinling Yingtian Mansion with Xue Pan.

While Liu Xiang and Xue Pan were on their journey, Zhu Jinghong entered the palace to report yesterday's situation to the emperor.

Logically speaking, he should have entered the palace yesterday afternoon, but he drank too much and lay down.

Entering the palace and outside the Qianqing Palace, the emperor was meeting with ministers.

So he could only wait in the side hall and chat with the young eunuch on duty.

He waited for half an hour before the eunuch came to tell him.

In the Nuan Pavilion, Zhu Xianming was drinking tea. He had finished what he should do in the morning, and he could relax during the lunch period.

So at this time, he was admiring the treasure newly sent by King Zhongshun, which was an authentic work by He Zhizhang of the Tang Dynasty.

After looking at it again and again with a magnifying glass, Zhu Xianming still couldn't be sure whether this thing was real.

Hearing the footsteps coming from outside, Zhu Xianming immediately put down the mirror.

Zhu Jinghong was seen entering the palace and then paying homage to the emperor according to the etiquette.

"Kowtow to the emperor!"

"Get up!" Zhu Xianming said calmly.

After getting up, Zhu Jinghong said straight to the point: "Father...son has asked clearly. The reason why Ye Hebu is willing to send troops is actually to gain some benefits!"

"On the one hand, I think that the Ming Dynasty can supply food and grass, and on the other hand, I can..."

Zhu Jinghong repeated what Ye Hemingen said word for word, and by the way, he mentioned the famine in Ye He's tribe in the past two years.

The spies of Fusi in Nanzhen are almost all over the tribes and chieftains of various states, so Zhu Xianming still has some understanding of the general situation of Ye He's tribe.

Life is very difficult for these people. I think they have been carrying it for two years, but now they really can't carry it anymore... Zhu Xianming thought secretly.

"What do you think?" Zhu Xianming asked calmly.

"My son is stupid, how can I have any opinion!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xianming asked: "If you agree or disagree, what else can you say?"

"Oh... my son thinks that we can give them a chance. If it works well, let them beat it. If it doesn't work, just push it back!"

"Ok!"

After responding, Zhu Xianming said again: "There is a secret here... take a look!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong became more and more frightened, feeling that the old man had thought too highly of himself these days.

"Dad...this is not good!"

"Have you done too many bad things?" Zhu Xianming asked calmly.

"Uh...this..."

"Stop talking nonsense, this is the navy's army reorganization charter drafted by the Fifth Army Commander's Office. Take a look at it carefully!"

The construction of the navy was promoted by Zhu Jinghong. Throughout the 11th year of Zhengtong, the Governor's Office of the Fifth Army and the Ministry of War were busy with this matter.

It is indeed very tedious to understand the actual situation of soldiers' military status, the number and conditions of existing battlefields, artillery and related ordnance, etc.

What Zhu Jinghong is looking at at this moment is what he has sorted out this year.

Nowadays, the imperial navy has three branches, namely the Liaodong Navy, Jinling Navy and Zhejiang Navy, with a combined actual strength of nearly 3 people.

The size of the navy of 3 men was indeed crude compared to the size of the Ming Dynasty.

Regarding warships, the three naval divisions combined have more than 80 ships, but only more than [-] ships are truly capable of combat.

Among these more than 80 warships, the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Commander's Office also conducted ratings and divided them into three grades: A, B, and C.

What needs special explanation is that the Class A warships are designed to compete with the most advanced warships in the West, and the Ming Dynasty does not have even one now.

The Ming Dynasty only had 27 of its second-class warships compared to the outstanding Western warships.

Class C warships were compared with ordinary Western warships. The Ming Dynasty had a total of 58 warships.

After reading it carefully, Zhu Jinghong had to lament that compared with the Western countries that dominated the world, the navy of the Ming Dynasty was really too weak.

Taking the Spanish Navy in southern Luzon alone as an example, they have sixteen Category A warships, thirty Category B warships, and fifty Category C warships.

Nowadays, the Spanish Armada is competing with other powers in the Atlantic Ocean. The only partial division stationed in Luzon is stronger than the entire navy of the Ming Dynasty.

Now on the ocean, in addition to Spain, there is Portugal, as well as Britain and France, which occupy India.

Now the Ming Dynasty is surrounded by powerful enemies. If it does not adjust its national strategy, it will be on the road of no return if it takes another hundred years.

About 10 minutes later, when Zhu Jinghong raised his head, Zhu Xianming asked, "Have you finished reading?"

"finish watching!"

"What do you think of the opinions of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion and the Ministry of War?"

These two organizations naturally came up with ways to strengthen the army. They just bought warships and recruited soldiers, and then there was nothing more.

"Son, don't dare say nonsense!"

Although he wanted to express his opinion, Zhu Jinghong said this first.

"Whatever you say, I don't let you make the decision!"

"Yes!"

In this new field, Zhu Jinghong feels that there is no need to hide his weakness, because this is an opportunity to show that he is irreplaceable.

After pretending to read it twice, Zhu Jinghong said: "My son thinks that the first important thing... is to pay more attention to the navy!"

"The emphasis on the Navy...isn't enough?" Zhu Xianming obviously disagreed with this statement.

In the past year, in order to sort out the situation of the navy, the Fifth Army Commander's Office and the Ministry of War spent a lot of effort. The surveyors went back and forth more than a dozen times, classifying, summarizing and judging...

"It's not enough!"

In response, Zhu Jinghong analyzed: "Take the Liaodong Navy as an example. The dignified admiral is only in the fourth rank, and the commander of the Liaodong Dusi is in the third rank!" "Do you think the Liaodong Navy should be the same as the Liaodong Dusi?" Zhu Xianming asked in return.

"No... my son thinks that we have to move up a level, and there is nothing wrong with being a third-grade admiral!"

However, the fact is that now the chief military officer of the Beijing Camp is only a third-rank officer, and he has to be held by the governor Qian Shi concurrently.

Seeing that the emperor had doubts, Zhu Jinghong said: "Dad, you also know how much Spain, Portugal, and Britain and France attach great importance to the navy now!"

Zhu Xianming has always understood the situation in the outside world, and he has gained a lot of knowledge in the past year. Now he understands the situation in Western countries.

"Only by giving enough benefits can the navy build well and earn money for you!"

In fact, Zhu Xianming already knew the importance of the navy. He only wanted to increase the admiral of the navy to the third rank. He still needed to discuss it with the courtiers.

"Also, my son thinks that instead of building three naval divisions at the same time, we should concentrate our superior financial resources and build a strong army first!"

"Yes!" Zhu Xianming nodded slightly, which he quite agreed with.

"Which navy will be strengthened first?"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Just the Liaodong Navy. They are the closest to Japan. They are well trained and can be used to try their skills!"

"It makes sense!"

Although the emperor did not express his position clearly, Zhu Jinghong could confirm that he listened.

"There is another thing that my son thinks is inappropriate!"

"Say!"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "The regulations stated how many warships to buy. Although it is convenient to buy them directly, my son thinks... it is best to build the ships yourself!"

"First, it's too expensive to buy. It would be cheaper to make it yourself!"

"Second, I, the Ming Dynasty, will definitely face off against the Westerners in the future. If they don't sell warships to us, we won't panic if we can build them ourselves!"

After hearing this, Zhu Xianming nodded again.

He also has long-term goals and knows that Zhu Jinghong is right.

Compared with upgrading the level and prioritizing the strengthening of Liaodong, the third suggestion put forward by Zhu Jinghong is obviously much more troublesome.

Shipyard, who will build the ships?How to build a good boat?Where to build ships?How much money will it cost?

These are all problems, and they are very troublesome to solve. Zhu Xianming's head was pounding.

But even with his big head, as an accomplished emperor, Zhu Xianming knew that this was indeed the truth.

"We don't even have a single Class A warship from the Westerners. If there really is a fight... I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to win!"

"Don't say we are going out to get benefits then, I'm afraid we will all become someone else's fat!"

Although Zhu Xianming had the advantage of being ahead of his time, he could only see for another three and a half decades, and he could not see clearly on a hundred-year scale.

"It's unfounded to worry... Even if our navy is not strong, why should we be afraid of them in land warfare?" Zhu Xianming said solemnly.

"You should be lenient if you expect the enemy...In the long run, you have to be big!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

The pattern needs to be big...

This was not the first time Zhu Xianming heard these four words, and they all came out of Zhu Jinghong's mouth, just because others were not so bold.

"You little bastard, you are so impudent!"

"Look, Dad, you can't stand a single word from your son. He's really a bit too big-hearted..."

"Huh?" Zhu Xianming glared.

"My son is talking nonsense, my son is farting randomly..." As he said this, Zhu Jinghong also slapped himself in the mouth.

"That's enough...besides this, what else is there to say?"

I thought Zhu Jinghong had finished speaking, but who knew he really had something to say.

"My son thinks... we need to pay more attention to the training of naval personnel!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming suddenly laughed.

"How dare you, a talented person who doesn't study, talk about talent cultivation?"

"Dad, you can laugh at me, but you can't say that what your son said is wrong?"

This makes sense. Zhu Xianming then suppressed his smile and asked, "How to cultivate it?"

Originally, Zhu Jinghong wanted to set up a school, but he felt that it was too big a step, so he said: "Choose some people from among the nobles and go to the navy to serve and watch and learn. After a long time, they will be good at it!"

Zhu Xianming agreed with this and believed that in addition to cultivating talents, it could also strengthen the court's control over the navy.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Xianming said: "The Navy has always been weak and is located in a remote location. I'm afraid not many people are willing to go!"

Decline has always meant that there is no future, and remoteness means that life is poor far away from home. It is only human nature that noble children do not want to go.

"Tell them what's right, and they'll still be willing to go..."

"There is no need for many people, just a few people will go. When the time comes, we will give him a rapid promotion. Others will see the benefits and will naturally be willing to go!"

Although this is the truth, it is not easy to persuade people to go over.

The sons of honorable nobles join the Dragon Imperial Guard, and then are released to the pro-army and Beijing camps. This is the currently recognized "right path", just like the right path of academicians.

The most difficult thing to change in this world is people's mindset.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"Um...it's gone for now!"

Hearing that Zhu Jinghong had nothing to say, Zhu Xianming felt a little disappointed at the moment. In essence, he still wanted to hear Zhu Jinghong's opinion.

"Go back if you have nothing to do!"

"My son retire!"

After Zhu Jinghong left, Zhu Xianming took He Zhizhang's "authentic handwriting" aside, then picked up paper and pen to write.

"Third-grade admiral, first reform Liaodong, build warships, and cultivate talents..."

The four opinions put forward by Zhu Jinghong were all written down by Zhu Xianming, and then he stared at them for a long time.

"This kid is obviously uneducated and has some crooked talents... It's so strange!" Zhu Xianming smiled unconsciously.

Originally he planned to take a rest in the afternoon, but after hearing Zhu Jinghong's words, he changed his mind.

"I have given you an oral order... to have several governors from the Fifth Army Commandery Mansion come to discuss matters!"

"Yes!"

Let's say that Zhu Jinghong left the Qianqing Palace and met the prince not far away.

"Thirteenth brother!"

"Fourth Brother!"

After moving out of the palace, Zhu Jinghong mostly went to Shanglinyuan. The two brothers didn't have many opportunities to meet each other, and overall they were a little bit different.

"I heard that you sent people to do business. Is your palace really so short of money?"

"Fourth brother, it is indeed..."

But before Zhu Jinghong could speak, Zhu Jingyuan continued: "If you have any difficulties, just tell your brother, can I still help you?"

"The majestic prince started doing business just for a little money. How can you show your face by saying this?"

This was the way of thinking of the ancients. In an era that valued scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, even serious businessmen would be criticized by the world, let alone someone like Zhu Jinghong who was directly involved.

Zhu Jinghong said nonchalantly: "Fourth brother, what's the point of having face? Besides, I don't have any face anymore!"

This... left Zhu Jingyuan speechless.

"Fourth brother, are you okay? If nothing happens, I have to go to Shanglinyuan. I have an appointment with someone to play polo today!"

In fact, apart from preaching, Zhu Jingyuan also had a lot of things to do with him.

"Thirteenth brother, I will go hunting in Linyuan the day after tomorrow. Fourth brother wants to ask you for a favor!"

"Fourth brother, that's all you command!"

"Well... you know, I'm not good at riding and shooting, so when the time comes, can you..."

"Can you please give it to brother...even more!"

(End of this chapter)