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Chapter 581 A combination of kindness and power

During the Ming Dynasty, due to the rules set at the founding of the country, the court's money was always tight. This is a well-known fact. But for the vast majority of people, it’s none of my business that the court doesn’t have money!

But at this moment, after Zheng Zhilong heard this, he subconsciously thought that this was not possible. How could he expand the navy and become a navy without money? The first thought that came to his mind was that I have money and I can pay for it.

But this thought only passed by in a flash. He was not a reckless man and said whatever came to his mind. At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly turned serious and said sternly: "Therefore, I am thinking of various ways to increase revenue and expenditure for the court and increase fiscal revenue. Only in this way can we pay the Ming army, improve the equipment of the Ming army, and Only by expanding and reorganizing the Ming army can we provide relief to the victims, increase the income of Ming officials, and build ships that can sail automatically without wind..."

He inadvertently added another temptation. When Zheng Zhilong heard it, he was really surprised and instinctively captured the information that Emperor Chongzhen wanted him to notice: a ship that sails automatically without wind!

The first feeling was that Zheng Zhilong thought how could this be possible? Ships on the water either rely on sails and wind power, or use a large number of people to row. How can there be a ship that sails automatically without wind? Could it be that I heard it wrong?

Emperor Chongzhen paid attention to Zheng Zhilong's expression while speaking, and also sensitively noticed the change in Zheng Zhilong's expression. Knowing that he heard what he should hear, he suddenly raised his voice and said: "...all of these things require the court to have money. . Therefore, if anyone wants to obstruct my national policy of opening up the country, I will never be lenient, and I will never be scrupulous about various things. Zheng Qing must also support this, right?"

Hearing this and seeing Emperor Chongzhen staring at him intently, an idea flashed in Zheng Zhilong's mind, and he immediately remembered what Zheng Zhibao had told him. Suddenly, he suddenly realized that the emperor had taken such a long detour because he wanted to impose a sea ban!

If he had not heard what Emperor Chongzhen said before, Zheng Zhilong would definitely be very conflicted. He finally defeated most of his opponents, and when he was about to collect protection fees at sea, the court wanted to impose a sea ban. Wouldn't this be taking food from him?

But now he has received an extra reward, and his son has also caught the eye of the emperor. He will have a bright future and will engage in half a lifetime of career. Under the leadership of the emperor, he will reach unprecedented heights and benefit all his acquaintances and brothers. Moreover, the emperor has made it clear that the court is short of money, and it is imperative to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. No matter who it is, if they interfere with this matter, they will surely bear the thunderous wrath of the court and the emperor!

As he said to Zheng Zhibao before, although he could dominate the sea for a while, he mainly had to rely on the government to have such an advantage. Under such circumstances, he saw the emperor staring at him with awe in his heart, and he did not dare to be negligent. He quickly replied: "Your Majesty has an order, and the general will obey it without hesitation!"

Emperor Chongzhen listened, nodded, and said with a smile on his face: "In that case, I am very relieved. By the way, does your brother Zheng Zhiwan like to hear gossip? Let me tell you, it is better for a man to have his ambitions in all directions. , what do Zheng Qing think?"

Although the emperor spoke with a smile, as if he was telling a joke, when Zheng Zhilong heard these words, he suddenly broke into a cold sweat.

You must know that Zheng Zhiwan just arrived in the capital yesterday and has just started to make some moves. The emperor can actually know that this...this...

Zheng Zhilong couldn't imagine it. Fortunately, he hadn't done anything yet. Otherwise, with the emperor's methods, he would definitely know everything. Faintly, he suddenly had the feeling that the emperor had told him so much because he was worried that he would have second thoughts and hinder the establishment of the sea ban. That's why he said so many words to advise himself. If he didn't obey, he would definitely be destroyed. The power the emperor holds in his hands is so great that he can hardly imagine it!

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong immediately bowed and said: "Your Majesty's lesson is that the last general must be treated as a good student, and when he leaves the capital, he must be taken back to do some serious work!"

Emperor Chongzhen could feel that Zheng Zhilong had no intention of resisting under his combined kindness and power. Of course, if he sees any loopholes that can be exploited in the process of implementing national policies in the future, he might still take advantage of them. But as long as he doesn't deliberately object, that's fine. Otherwise, it would be easy to kill Zheng Zhilong, but to quickly open up the maritime ban, his consent and support are still indispensable.

Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen nodded and continued to say with a smile: "I know that our warships of the Ming Dynasty are lagging behind compared to those of the Western Yi, at least not as fast as their warships in terms of speed. In the future, the warships of the Ming Dynasty will lag behind those of the Western Yi." If the maritime ban is lifted, it is very likely that troops will be deployed in Nanyang. When fighting for maritime hegemony, the ship aspect must be resolved!"

Seeing Zheng Zhilong's surprised face, looking up at him in a daze, Emperor Chongzhen knew that this topic was very attractive to Zheng Zhilong, so he continued: "So I invented a boat that can be driven automatically without wind and without manpower. , sailing against the wind, as usual. Further down, the ships are no longer made of wood, but armored warships. I already have ideas in my mind about these things. At present, I have ordered people to develop them, and it is estimated that it will not take five years. , the key parts can be made. This kind of warship, I call it a steam warship, what does Zheng Qing think of this name?"

Zheng Zhilong's mouth had opened wide when he heard it. If it had been before, he wouldn't have believed it at all. But on this trip to the capital, he saw too many new things, and he knew that these things were all made by the emperor. Therefore, when the emperor said it now, he was hesitant to believe it, and even had a desire in his heart that what the emperor said would come true!

As the emperor said, on the sea, Xiyi's ships, speed and artillery are indeed more powerful than those of Ming Dynasty. If we didn't rely on the numerical advantage of warships, if we didn't rely on the advantage of fighting in the local area, we wouldn't be able to defeat the Western Yi at all. But if we really want to have the kind of battleships the emperor mentioned, haha, the ones from Xiyi are really not enough!

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong responded respectfully: "Your Majesty gave me a name, it must be very good!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded after hearing this, and felt that he had said enough. He picked up an imperial edict from the imperial case and said: "I have prepared the imperial edict and will issue it to the world soon. I will confer He Qiaoyuan as the left minister of the household department and the emperor of the left capital. Shi, who is in charge of Fujian, is the governor of Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, and is dedicated to opening up the sea. I know the amount of sea tax in my mind, so as to fill the national treasury as soon as possible so that the court can have money to do things. Zheng Qing must do his best to assist Governor He. !”

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