My Brother-in-law is the Prince

  After listening to Zhu Di, he looked at Zhang Anshi with piercing eyes, and said in deep thought, "Then what should we do?"

Zhang Anshidao: "I think that we can try our best to set up ports in all parts of the world and set up supply stations on various waterways and routes. Eunuch Zheng's next voyage to the West will have a greater responsibility. The good ports along the way Surveys must be carried out on the islands and islands, first to establish simple trading posts to ensure that merchant ships can pass through, and then, according to the situation, station troops, or send officials to manage.”

After a pause, he continued: "If it's really not possible, we can still divide the land, such as princes and bastards, we can divide the islands and various ports, not only make them guard one side, but also restrain them with Ming laws, and teach them to be responsible for the maintenance of the port. Supplies for trade."

  Now the clan of Daming has begun to spread its branches and leaves.

  The princes gave birth to more and more sons, and Emperor Taizu Gao was too partial to his descendants, so that he formulated a wonderful clan support policy.

  In addition to the prince's hereditary inheritance, the guards are also entrusted with entrustment. Even the prince's second son and concubine sons still inherited the title of the county king, and they were enshrined as usual, entrusted with fiefs, and protected.

  Now the princes everywhere have fiefdoms, but they also have quite a few sons. How to arrange these people has become a problem.

  Zhang Anshi's suggestion is to continue to divide and spread out.

  Let them occupy the star-studded ports and islands in the world, fight against nearby pirates, protect the routes, and multiply.

   There must be some disadvantages in such an approach. From the perspective of governance, directly dispatching officials to manage is the most direct way.

   But for this era, there are many benefits.

On the one hand, Daming is too far away from the harbors of the world, and it may take several months or even a year or two to convey government orders back and forth. This means that it is impossible for the imperial court to directly control the officials at each port. , It is necessary to give these officials enough power to make decisions, even...they are equivalent to the local emperors one by one.

  Since this is the case, it is better to divide it!

The land was given, the people gave it, and a sum of money was given to resettle them, so that the court could save support for these clansmen, and the land belonged to the clansmen and the county kings. They had to defend themselves, both to guard against the natives and to To resist the attack of pirates.

  In addition, they are far overseas, deep in the wild, and the only way to get supplies is the merchant ships along the way.

   Only by maintaining the port can they ensure that they can obtain supplies from Daming, goods from Ming, and even weapons, and ensure that they have an overwhelming advantage over pirates and natives.

   Coupled with enfeoffment, they also have a certain motivation to develop. After all, the more land, population and wealth they get, they are all their own, and they will leave it to their children and grandchildren in the future.

  If it is managed by officials, on the one hand, it is impossible to make the accompanying soldiers and officials agree with it. After all, officials will have to rotate sooner or later, and they cannot take root for a long time.

   On the other hand, there is no motivation to develop. After all, the wealth, population, and land obtained here are not their own, as long as they do not make mistakes.

  After listening, Zhu Di nodded and said: "So, the next voyage to the West will require a large-scale fleet?"

"Yes." Zhang Anshi said: "It should be bigger than before, and it needs to recruit a large number of craftsmen, guards, boatmen and sailors, and at the same time gather clan members and let them set off with the boat. The route to be taken will be determined."

  Zhu Di fell into deep thought.

  In fact, what Zhang Anshi said was simple, but in fact, Zhu Di knew better than anyone else that enfeoffing clan members along the way would entail huge risks in itself!

When they arrive at the place, they stay temporarily and let them disembark with their entrusted guards, servants, soldiers, and supplies, and start to build the port. Maybe in the end, they entrust a hundred. After a few years, the clansmen who can persist and survive, I am afraid There might only be fifty of them.

   After all, they are not princes, and they don’t set out with a few guards as their guards, and there are tens of thousands of horses at every turn.

   If the imperial court can leave them with a thousand people, it would be nice.

  Zhang Anshi looked at Zhu Di anxiously, but in fact Zhang Anshi also had his own selfish motives.

  The reason why he proposed to entrust the land of the county king, all over the world's ports and islands, actually has a huge relationship with Zhang Anshi's trade.

  What Zhang Anshi wants is not the trade of the entire Western countries, but the trade of the whole world within the four seas.

   This means that the entire Ming Dynasty needs to manage every seaport from Europe to Africa to Dashi and Tianzhu step by step!

  And this... will take decades, even hundreds of years, and even as long as Ming Dynasty exists, it will be unshakable.

  After all, there will be accidents along the way. It may be that a certain port is destroyed by an island, or it may be that a new power suddenly appeared nearby to threaten it.

   Once the later emperors of the Ming Dynasty felt that maintaining these was time-consuming and laborious, and wanted to discard them, Zhang Anshi's calculations might come to naught.

  If you want to completely control the ocean, you need generations of great emperors like Zhu Di, unwavering in this, and never discouraged no matter how many crises you encounter.

  Even if you suffer setbacks, you can send more powerful navy without hesitation, and use enough manpower and material resources to continue to maintain the lifeline on this vast ocean.

  And this... must be ensured, and the clansmen are divided out.

They are relatives, they are the same clan of the emperor, if the second son of His Royal Highness King Ning was killed by the nearby pirates on a certain island in the Tianzhu Sea, at this time, if the emperor wants to abandon him, he should first be far away in Lu Song's Prince Ning's mansion will be united with the enemy, hoping that the court can seek justice.

  The rest of the vassals, such as Zhao Wang, Han Wang, Zhou Wang, Prince and other clansmen, will also be sad when the rabbit dies and the fox will die. They strongly hope that the court will take action and must not be tolerated.

  In this way, rather than enfeoffment, it is better to say that the entire royal family of Ming Dynasty has been set up as a chain-link fleet.

No one is allowed to jump ship, everyone is the descendant of Emperor Taizu Gao, even if the royal family is thousands of miles away, a small forgotten island is being bullied by others, the Ming Dynasty, and even the vassal states all over the world, And hundreds of thousands of county princes and feudal lands scattered all over the place, no one should pretend to be blind.

  It is no longer a small forgotten island, it has endowed the entire Ming clan with a sense of family connection.

  The ancients had the concept of clan. The emperor is the head of the entire clan and has an unshirkable responsibility. If the royal family can be abused and killed at will, then... the ceremony will be broken.

  So don’t look at these clansmen, who may fight for the throne, but once the blood relatives are no longer threatened by each other, then defending the clan and maintaining the bloodlines become duty-bound instead.

   It's not so much enfeoffment, it's more like... Zhang Anshi hopes to turn these county kings into hostages, one by one **** in the land of the world.

  Zhu Di thought about it seriously, and then said after a long time: "Let's come up with a regulation. This matter... I'm afraid the kings will also criticize it."

Zhu Di obviously also thought of this level. For the kings, they are constantly expanding their domains in the West. Even if their eldest sons can inherit their own princes, those second sons can still get some favors of.

   But if the feudal lords go thousands of miles away, it's no wonder the vassals don't fry the pot.

  Zhang Anshi smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this minister's suggestion is actually for this reason. On His Majesty's side, entrusting the guards and craftsmen to the county kings is definitely a drop in the bucket. If there are hundreds or thousands of people, it is already a blessing."

"But the vassal kings are worried about their sons. I'm afraid they will find a way to increase the population for them. In this way, at least two thousand people can be gathered, which is enough to gain a foothold. But if all the ports in the world are controlled by the imperial court Undertake, then... the manpower and material resources required for this..."

Zhang Anshi paused, and then said: "Besides, it must be difficult at first. But once a foothold is established and a port is established, there will be more and more merchant ships in the future, and the constant businessmen will inevitably bring taxes and a lot of money. Merchant goods! Isn’t it a good thing for the princes of the counties? Naturally, it is difficult after all, but it is not difficult for the Taizu to start a business as a commoner?”

  Zhu Di looked at Zhang Anshi with burning eyes, he seemed to be persuaded.

Zhu Di nodded and said: "This matter...needs to be handled carefully. In the spring of next year, Zheng He's voyage to the Western Seas will need to expand the size of Zheng He's fleet. The manpower and ships needed must be handled in time, as well as medicines, weapons, The food needs to be taken care of first. As for the situation of the clan..."

  Zhu Di pondered and said: "Order Shu King Zhu Chun, Zhang Qing, and Zheng He to discuss and handle it as appropriate, and the crown prince will lead this matter."

  After hearing this, Zhang Anshi hurriedly said, "Thank you for your kindness."

  Zhang Anshi was in a turbulent mood.

  Although it is said to be done with caution, in fact, it has already been granted, but now His Majesty still needs to test the reaction of the kings.

  Now it is dominated by the crown prince, Shu Wang Zhu Chun, Zhang Anshi and Zheng He, these are not ordinary people. Let these four people decide, in a sense, it means that this matter must be carried out.

  After Zhang Anshi came down to court, he happily followed Prince Zhu Gaochi.

  Zhu Gaochi glanced sideways at Zhang Anshi, but smiled wryly: "You are going through a wave of ups and downs. I'm afraid it won't be long before the letters and lists from the kings will continue to flow in."

  Zhang Anshi smiled happily: "So...you have to have more children, and if you have more children...you can occupy the space, even if you lose it, you don't feel bad, unlike me... just one or two, the gold is very expensive."

  Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhang Anshi with helplessness, but said: "Tomorrow, the Japanese Palace will invite Uncle Shu Wang. He is not feeling well recently, so we should discuss it with him first."

  Zhang Anshi looked at Zhu Gaochi gratefully and said, "Brother-in-law has worked hard."

  In fact, Zhang Anshi also understands that the king of Shu is quite popular in the clan. Now, although he is no longer the governor of the left, he still manages the clan mansion!

  The duty of this clan mansion is to be in charge of the clan roster of the emperor's nine clans, to compile the jade records on time, and to record the descendants, names, titles, time of birth and death, marriage, posthumous title, and burial of the clan's children. Secondly, it is also responsible for reporting the request of the clan to the emperor; introducing talented people; recording the crimes and faults of the clan, etc.

  As long as the King of Shu is willing to support, the matter will be more than half successful.

  The two chatted for a few more words, and when they reached the gate of the palace, Zhang Anshi parted ways with Zhu Gaochi, but came to the prison without stopping.

   Here, Zhang Anshi is obviously very interested in those two Europeans.

   Entering the cell, Zhang Anshi sat steadily.

   Erdan and Donkey Ball seemed to feel the majesty of Zhang Anshi, and they both stood opposite Zhang Anshi with their necks slightly shrunk, looking uneasy.

  Zhang Anshi said with a smile: "Just to observe me, Da Ming, and risk being captured by my Da Ming. In my opinion, you two are not only bold, but also ignorant."

   Er Dan hurriedly said: "Your Highness, we have all been honest..."

   "You guys are dishonest." Zhang Anshi said bluntly, then stared at Erdan, and continued: "It's just that it's not convenient for me to talk about it when I'm in the hall, but now it's hard to say it when I'm here."

   Er Dan and Donkey Ball's expressions changed slightly, but they stopped talking.

Zhang Anshi said: "I hope we can be honest and honest. This time you came with the boat, and you obviously know about my situation. I... you can also go and inquire. I am a well-known virtuous king here. Like foreign monks, he has always been benevolent and kind.”

   Er Dan and Donkey Ball couldn't help looking at each other.

  After a long time, Du Dan said: "We boarded the ship for two purposes. One is to observe the relationship between you and the Venetians, and the other is...to observe the size and combat effectiveness of the fleet."

   "Venice?" Zhang Anshi muttered these three words, then stood up, pacing back and forth subconsciously.

  Obviously, Zhang Anshi didn't expect Er Dan's words at all, so he was a little surprised and said, "You're talking about the Republic of Venice?"

   Er Dan nodded.

  Zhang Anshi frowned and said, "Go on."

   Erdan looked at Zhang Anshi, and it seemed that at this time, he also felt that it was appropriate to be open and honest.

Immediately...he continued: "We found out that many of Daming's commodities, such as silk, tea, and porcelain, were resold by Venetian merchants, so...we have reason to suspect that the Venetians and Daming may have reached an agreement. Some kind of contract."

Zhang Anshi pursed his lips, thinking in his heart, this suspicion is reasonable, and the Venetians are also considered strange, they are a group of very pure businessmen, in the era of the Crusades, they were doing business with big cannibals, and at the same time Trade with the Eastern Roman Empire, and on the other hand, funded the Crusades for the Eastern Expedition.

  The land trade of the Ming Dynasty, after the Mongols and the Turks changed hands, finally fell into the hands of Venetian merchants, who then peddled these goods for huge profits.

   But for the feudal and conservative Europeans at that time, it was obviously normal for Venetian merchants to partner with others.

  After all...they have colluded with big cannibals, and even led the Crusaders directly to loot Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Rome, in order to make the Crusaders repay their debts.

   Speaking of colluding with heretics, this Merchant of Venice... can be said to be a professional.

  Of course, Zhang Anshi put on a calm and indifferent look on his face, and continued: "What does it matter?"

   Erdan took a deep breath and said: "It has a lot to do with it, because if these **** businessmen collude with Daming, we have reason to believe that they are here for Rome."

  Zhang Anshi: "..."

   Erdan explained with all her heart.

  Zhang Anshi, who knew little about Europe at the time, realized at this time that the Venetians were now in their prime.

  Through trade and war, their annual income is amazing, and their annual income far exceeds the income of France at this time.

  In addition, a large number of people were hired, plundered everywhere, expanded on the Mediterranean coast, and established many colonies.

At this time in Venice, the number of merchants exceeded 30,000, and its navy actually had a fleet of 3,300 ships, and its commercial income was even more frightening, reaching 1.5 million gold dakars per year. .

  After the continuous accumulation of wealth, the Venetians not only controlled a large amount of coastline, but also began to covet the Romagna, the territory controlled by the Pope of Rome at this time.

  For these businessmen, even the Pope, as long as they can generate profits, they are fearless.

   What's more, these people have long been associated with pagans, and the vast majority of businessmen do not believe in the Pope of Rome.

  When Du Dan talked about the Venetian merchants, he couldn't help gnashing his teeth, which shows how much he hates these heretics who are almost showing off their power in the hinterland of Rome.

  Zhang An Shidao: "You are afraid that we will unite with the Venetians! Well... this king understands what you mean. In this way... it seems that the Venetians...may be easy to deal with."

   After hearing this, Er Dan was stunned for a moment.

   Did he mean this?

  What he originally wanted to instill in Zhang Anshi was how these Venetians were lawless, how ignorant of moral values, and how they rejected God.

  After all, he already had a relatively in-depth understanding of Daming, and Daming had no contact with the Venetians.

  Because of this, he boldly instilled Zhang Anshi with a hateful image of the Venetian merchant.

   I didn't expect...Zhang Anshi could actually understand it the other way around.

   "They are all a bunch of liars and thieves." Du Dan said: "Your Highness is a kind person...should..."

  Zhang Anshi said indifferently: "But this king is also a pagan to you."

   "It's different!" Erdan gritted his teeth and said, "They are heretics, more hateful than heretics."

  Zhang Anshi: "..."

Zhang Anshi said: "But I'm different. Although those people look like liars and thieves, at least...they are businessmen. Businessmen talk about business, and they can always talk. And you...it seems that the king has nothing to do with you We can cooperate."

   Dope was shocked, and immediately said hurriedly: "Actually, we can also talk about it."

  Zhang Anshi sat down again, smiled and said, "Then what should we talk about?"

   Two eggs: "..."

  At this time, Erdan was still standing opposite Zhang Anshi, looking at Zhang Anshi who was sitting upright, and slightly raised his head to look at them, even Zhang Anshi had a rather easy-going smile on his face.

   Erdan didn’t feel that he was the one condescending. Instead, he felt the oppressiveness inherent in the superior from Zhang Anshi.