The Rise of Ming Dynasty 1646

Chapter 274 Revitalizing the Economy
Therefore, when the Ming Dynasty engaged in naval battles with the Helan people, it usually had to use its numerical superiority and brisk arson ships to gain an advantage.

Back then, Zheng Zhilong assembled a fleet nearly ten times larger than the Helan people, controlled by large ships, and cooperated with a large number of arsonist ships to attack them before defeating them.

It's just that right now, don't say that the Ming Navy needs to bring out fifty large ships and hundreds of small boats, not even a warship of four to five hundred tons, and there will be no more than twenty or thirty fast boats set on fire.

Without a strong fleet, maritime trade would be impossible.Zhu Linmi sighed again, besides the Helan people, the fleet that Zheng Zhilong brought to Shandong is also a serious concern.

Now they should be expanding the military port and docks in Laizhou or Wendeng. When these logistics facilities are completed, Dorgon will definitely send these warships to harass the coast of Fujing.

There is only one solution to these troubles - to form a powerful navy.

As soon as Zhu Linmi entered the palace, Zhu Jizuo arrived with Bertman on the back.

The Dutch special envoy entered the main hall proudly, and just about to bow to salute, he caught a glimpse of Shi Lin who was glaring at him from the corner of his eye, so he had to kneel down reluctantly, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Coordinating Prince."

"Get up." Zhu Linmei stared at him and said, "Do you know why I invited you here?"

Bertman pretended to be smiling, "Is Your Highness going to sign a trade agreement with He Lan?"

Seeing that he was pretending to be confused, Zhu Linmei said coldly: "You and the Lan people are too presumptuous. How dare you sink a merchant ship transporting food for Daming by firing cannons on Nan'ao Mountain, and even hurt our officials in the Ministry of Rites."

Bertman put away his smile, "Your Highness, this time it was the Esibana people who violated the agreement and appeared in the waters of Daming without authorization. We just reminded them. As for the officials of Ming Dynasty on board, we never expected that."

"You also know that it is the Daming sea area?" Zhu Linmi's voice was still as cold as ice, "Then how does the East India Company plan to settle this matter?"

"There is nothing to settle." Bertman snorted arrogantly, "Your Highness, the trade agreement must be signed as soon as possible. I want to remind you that our fleet is near the Golden Gate."

"Trade agreement?" Zhu Linmi shook her head, "There is no trade agreement. Let me just say it straight. For this matter, the East India Company wants to pay Lu Wang, the Ming official who was injured by your artillery, compensation for soup and medicine. Wan Liang. At the same time, he submitted a document of apology to the Ming court.

"Also, you are prohibited from attacking merchant ships within [-] nautical miles of the coast of Daming. As for the messy matter between you and Ezebayana, you can handle it yourself."

Bertman thought he had heard it wrong, and it took him a long time to realize, "These conditions are impossible for the East India Company to agree to!"

He almost blurted out, "Is Your Highness out of his mind?"

Zhu Linmei smiled and looked at him, "Let me tell you, as long as Helan disagrees with one of the things I just said, there will be no business in Daming in the future."

"Your Highness, I might as well just say that the East India Company has actually monopolized Daming's overseas trade. If we disagree, what can you do?"

Zhu Linmi paused and said, "I will announce a sea ban."

"Sea ban?" Bertman was taken aback, "You can't do this, it will make you suffer losses..."

"It doesn't matter," Zhu Linmi shook her head, "Da Ming has been banned for 200 years before the Longqing switch, we have long been used to it.

"However, if the East India Company does not do business with Daming, how long can it last without going bankrupt?"

"You," Bertman became a little anxious after thinking for a while, "I remind you again, our fleet..."

"I've banned the sea, so what about your fleet?" Zhu Linmi leaned forward, "You have only two thousand soldiers on Dongfan Island. If you dare to go ashore and try to harass them, the Japanese pirates back then are your precedent."

"No, but..." Bertman's forehead dripped with sweat. They were rampant at sea, but they really didn't have the guts to challenge Daming ashore.

"I might as well tell you that there are not a few officials in the imperial court who agree with the sea ban. I will announce the sea ban tomorrow morning, and you will never be able to buy an inch of silk or two teas in the afternoon!"

"You...don't try to scare me!"

Zhu Linmei leaned on the back of the chair and said slowly: "Then you can try it."

Bertman was stunned for a moment, then changed into a negotiating tone, "I have to go back and discuss with the governor."

"I'll give you five days. If there is no reply after five days, Daming will announce a sea ban immediately."

"Five days, good..."

Seeing him, Zhu Lin was about to leave and return to Taiwan, and waved to him: "Oh, by the way, let me tell you Governor, if this matter satisfies me, I have another deal for him." However, it is not appropriate to push the Dutch too hard.

Bertman recalled the matter of exchanging grain for fine steel and fairy stone powder last time, and hurriedly turned back, "Please make it clear, Your Highness."

"I need copper, a large amount of copper, which can be traded in silk, tea, refined steel, etc."

Bertman was overjoyed. Although the Netherlands often transported copper ore from Dongfan or Japan to Daming, they were only sporadic transactions. If the Ming court could buy in large quantities, it would indeed be a good deal.

"I will definitely convey it to His Excellency the Governor."

After Bertman left, Zhu Linmei rubbed her forehead wearily.

It was really a last resort for him to use the sea ban as a bargaining chip just now, but now Daming needs maritime trade more than the Netherlands.But he also knew that the Dutch dared not gamble.Daming is the economic lifeline of the East India Company. If the Far East trade is lost, it will have an extremely negative impact on the maritime hegemony between the Netherlands and Britain and France.

Before he could take a breath, another official sent the recent expense list of the Ministry of Industry and the memorial to ask for money.

Looking at the numbers at the end of the list, Zhu Linmei couldn't help but gasp. In the last half month alone, the Fujing Military Bureau spent more than 3000 taels of silver.

Zheng Guangying specially sent Jin Yiwei's team to watch over at the Weapons Bureau, so it was assumed that no one dared to do anything here.

Zhu Linming looked carefully at the detailed items again, most of which were expenditures for repairing technical schools, renovating workshops, purchasing tools, and purchasing raw materials.It seems that the standardization of this process requires a lot of money.

Looking at the memorial to ask for silver again, the corner of his eye jumped even more—Xiang Feng and Xu Erlu made a total of 15 Type II Jaeger-by-guns, eight nine-pound guns, and twelve six-pound guns in the early stage of the budget. Pao, please allocate a total of [-] taels of silver.

There are still more than 200 million taels in the warehouse of the household department, but right now there are only outgoing items and no incoming items, so use a little less.

This is only one part of the Fujing Weapons Bureau. When the Military Weapons Bureau in Longnan, Ganzhou and other places completes the standardization of craftsmanship and starts to manufacture weapons in large quantities, I am afraid that so much money will be invested in it.

Zhu Linmei shook his head with a wry smile. He originally wanted to build a batch of steel factories, glass factories and the like in the near future, but at this rate of spending money, let's wait for a while.

He closed the memorial, and his determination to build a navy became more and more firm in his heart.With a strong navy, there is overseas trade that is not controlled by the Dutch, and the treasury can gradually be filled.

(End of this chapter)