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Chapter 138
"There is someone else...can the students ask for advice in person?"

But Wang Zheng didn't think so. Xu Guangqi was in charge of all the projects, and no one else came to point fingers.Those strange books were also written by him, and even the fonts were exactly the same. He pretended to be someone else because he thought he was too stupid and refused to formally accept him as a disciple.

"...You will know one day. Now come with me to meet the guests, keep your mouth shut, and don't say a word that you shouldn't say or ask!"

This time, Xu Guangqi was really confused. The emperor made it clear that he should not tell anyone about the origin of the drawings and books for the time being. Faced with further questioning, he could neither admit nor deny, so he simply stopped talking and huffed with his hands behind his back. Walk to the pier.

"This ship is really weird. The sails are all soft. Have you ever seen it before?" Wang Zheng didn't care much about Xu Guangqi's attitude. He followed behind and looked through the telescope. Soon there was another problem.

"It's like the one used by the Folangji people. When their big ship is running, the sails cover the sky, but the operation is extremely cumbersome. I don't know why Governor Yuan used it on the new ship." Although Xu Guangqi is not much older than Wang Zheng, he has a lot of knowledge. Much more.This is not talent, but education.

He was born in Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, which is a bustling dock. He saw merchants from all over the country and various ships since he was a child.After I became an adult, I traveled to Guangdong and Fujian. Not only did I get to know Buddhist monks, I also saw Portuguese ships, and I had a preliminary understanding of their sails, which was a good time to use them.

"Since the Folangji people can travel thousands of miles with this sail, there must be something unique about it!"

Wang Zheng was different. Although he was born in a scholarly family, he was in a relatively isolated inland and couldn't see many new things.However, he has richer associations than Xu Guangqi, is better at discovering advantages, and is not conservative.

The Governor Yuan mentioned by both of them was Yuan Keli, the Governor of Water Transport.After a deep talk with the young emperor in the first year of Jingyang, he rushed into Tianjin Guards without hesitation, and started the preliminary work of building factories and ships with a battalion of cavalry soldiers and more than a dozen shipbuilders. In the past three years, he almost never left, let alone Returned home.

The reason why we are so dedicated and dedicated comes from only two words, the kindness of knowing and meeting others and being like-minded.Since the 24th year of Wanli, when Emperor Wanli was dismissed from his post as a civilian because he accused Emperor Wanli of doting on the harem, manipulating power and neglecting the country, and neglecting the imperial court, his originally fiery heart for governing the country gradually became cold, and he never wanted to step into the court again.

But a few words from Emperor Jingyang made it slowly burn again. It wasn't that the new emperor was eloquent, but he captured the essence.If you want to strengthen your country, you must get rid of its shortcomings. If you want to get rid of the shortcomings, it is not enough to fight in the court. You must have military power.

The most important thing is that the ultimate goal of doing all this is not to dominate the government and keep one word, but to eliminate foreign aggression and make the country rich and powerful.Not just words, but detailed planning steps, which has to be believed.

Of course, I'm not completely convinced.The new emperor disagreed with the theory that if he wanted to be strong, he had to rob other people's food. The main reason was that it was too naive and had no moral integrity.

But if you think about it carefully, it makes sense, and there is no better way to replace it.Will it succeed?Sometimes Yuan Keli is more anxious than the emperor, eagerly waiting for the day when it will come true, and wants to see the final answer.

As long as people have hope, they will have motivation. Once they have motivation, they will not feel tired in anything they do, and they will be very serious.With the drawings and specific plans given by the emperor, the shipyard was built very quickly. It took only half a year to take shape, and it was possible to try to build small sailing ships.In fact, when Yuan Keli first took office, he was enthusiastic but lacked confidence. There was only one reason: money!The Governor of Water Transport is a fat man. There are many ways to make money, but there are also many eyes on him. It is very unreliable to try to secretly build a shipyard and build large ships by embezzling public funds.

Not to mention the Ministry of Household Affairs, there is no problem in building canal ships, but as long as the word "sea" is touched, they will immediately fall out. Not only will they not pay a penny, but they will also be impeached to ensure the accuracy. Maritime transportation is currently a taboo and cannot be touched.

The emperor did say that he would support it with internal funds, but the emperor could not act arbitrarily in government affairs and had to consider the attitude of the civil and military officials of the court.Often what is said to be accomplished today may not be accomplished the next day due to the firm opposition of certain officials.There are so many such precedents in history that anyone who believes them will die without a burial place.

It turned out that this time was really an exception. With the resignation of Tianjin Health Tax Supervisor Ma Tang, the new tax superintendent quickly came to pay a courtesy visit and quietly put down 3 taels of cash in addition to being polite.

At the same time, we promise to come every three months. If you don’t have enough money to ask for it in a hurry, don’t be polite.His work as a tax collector can be delayed, but the work at the shipyard cannot be delayed for even a quarter of an hour.It’s not just about money, you can ask for help no matter what kind of trouble you have.

He will never refuse within the scope of his ability, and it doesn't matter if he exceeds it. It only takes three or four hours to return to Beijing quickly. The Li Supervisor will come out to entertain the guests, and Jin Yiwei and Dongchang will take action to play martial arts. As long as they don't rebel Conspiracy, no matter how big the problem, can be settled!

For a sixth-grade eunuch to boast so widely, it was definitely not because of his own great ability, but because of his support, such as Si Li Jian, Jin Yi Wei and Dong Chang. The fundamental reason why these three powerful yamen condescended to assist was the emperor in the Forbidden City.

Asking for people to give people, asking for money to get money, and asking for policies and policies. Yuan Keli felt that if he could not achieve results, he would not be dishonoring the emperor's trust, but would be dishonoring his ancestors.This job not only needs to be done well, but also exceeds the quota, and even less than the quota will not work.

In addition to accelerating the shipbuilding progress, how can a shipyard that builds sea-going ships exceed its mission?The answer is only two words, smuggling!

The emperor had said at the beginning that internal funds could only be used as start-up capital and could not be borne for a long time. For this reason, he also granted the power to act expediently.He hinted that he could not only collect bribes like his colleagues, but also run smuggling operations. As long as most of the money was spent on shipbuilding and training navy, he would not be held accountable.

What do you rely on for smuggling?The canal will definitely not work. Every penny there has an owner, and if you want to redistribute it, someone has to spit out the meat that goes into your mouth.So we can only take the sea route, buy goods from Tianjin Wei, ship them to the south for sale, then purchase the goods from the local area and transport them back to sell them again. We can make money on both ends and don’t have to pay a penny in business tax!
What kind of goods should be purchased and sold to the south for the most profit?At this time, the tax supervisor spoke again. He said that he didn't need to worry about anything. He only needed to prepare the ships and manpower, and the appropriate goods would be delivered when the time came.

In the spring of the third year of Jingyang, when the sea ice had just melted, a river fleet came from Tongzhou along the North Canal. The warehouse was filled with farm tools made of fine steel, crystal clear glassware, various styles of The self-ringing bell, an unsigned letter and three and a half boys.

(End of this chapter)