Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 588
"Against Anglicanism!"

"For the 'National Covenant'!"

"Clap clap-"

In May of the 19th year of Apocalypse, and in June of the Western calendar, Charles I increased his involvement in religious affairs in various places due to his successful trade with Daming.

Faced with his "disrespect", the unbearable Scottish people chose to revolt thoroughly, and the Scottish uprising officially broke out.

They called themselves the 'National Covenant', the Scottish Covenanter Army, and in the face of the riots in Scotland, King Charles I of England mobilized a British army stationed in the north on July 23 to start the war.

However, when the British army approached Berwick, the Scots Oathkeeper army suddenly attacked them, successfully repelled them and invaded England.

The failure of this suppression brought a serious crisis to the autocratic rule of Charles I, and the criticism of him in the Congress also increased.

Facing this matter in history, he chose to convene the parliament in April of the second year after the incident broke out, hoping that the parliament would collect taxes to quell the Scottish uprising.

It's a pity that in the face of Charles I's ideas, the Parliament of the Kingdom of England chose to refuse to levy taxes, and raised the issue of the rights of the monarch and parliament, hoping that Charles I would accept a system similar to a constitutional monarchy.

In this regard, Charles I disbanded it in early May in a fit of anger.

Since this parliament existed for less than a month, it was known as the "short-term parliament" in history. At this time, the Scottish uprising army captured Newcastle, a large city in northern England, and other places.

At the same time, riots broke out among artisanal workers and urban civilians in London and other places in the UK, and a peasant movement broke out in the east.People everywhere submitted petitions calling for a parliament to be called.

Seeing that the situation was so turbulent, Charles I could only sign the "Berwick Peace Treaty", and was forced to agree to pay the Scots 850 pounds (about 2800 taels) per day until the peace treaty was signed.

It's a pity that even Charles I didn't have this sum of money, so he was forced to convene a new parliament to discuss tax collection when he was desperate, known as the long-term parliament in history.

However, this is the embarrassing situation caused by the absence of foreign aid in history, not the situation that Charles I is currently facing.

Since Ming Dynasty provided 300 million taels of low-interest loans to Britain, France, Holland and Switzerland, and 100 million taels were used by the four countries to purchase arms.

Therefore, now Charles I not only has weapons and equipment that can equip a 1-man army, but also received a low-interest loan of 50.

These loans were used by him to purchase various goods from the Daming Imperial Store last year, and then sold them in the country. Therefore, the royal family has accumulated a small treasury of 10,000+ pounds.

With money and weapons, in the face of the Scottish uprising, Charles I chose to send a garrison armed with flintlocks to march into Scotland.

"put!"

"Boom bang bang-"

On the Dumfries Plain, facing the charge of tens of thousands of Scottish oathers, the British army equipped with two thousand flintlock guns used the line tactics used by the Ming army and the Swedish army.

When the Scottish Oathkeepers charged 150 feet in front of them, a whistle was heard and the British opened fire.

The bullets roared and the artillery fired, and countless Scots fell for a while. The Yanshan artillery and flintlock guns that knocked people into the air and killed them became sharp weapons that dampened the morale of the Scots.

It was just a volley of guns, and the Scottish oathmen who did not have much armor fell down one after another, but the people behind them continued to rush up one after another.

By the time they had reached a hundred feet, the casualties had reached [-]%, and morale began to suffer.

"put!"

"Clap clap-"

The British army using linear tactics is still pulling the trigger, and in the face of flying bullets, countless Scots continue to fall.

"We're about to win."

Looking at the Scottish Pledgemen army whose casualties exceeded [-]%, the British captain Weddell put down his binoculars, with a smile on his face.

The battle went as smoothly as he expected, and the Scottish Oathkeeper army couldn't resist the combination of linear tactics and flintlock guns.

However, the number of the British army was too small after all, so when the Scottish Oathkeeper army suffered nearly [-]% of the casualties, the cavalry successfully rushed in front of them.

Although Charles I had the money to raise a garrison of fusiliers, he had no money to raise a cavalry.

Without the support of the Parliament, the British army could only use flintlocks to counterattack the hundreds of Scottish cavalry.

Fortunately, at this time, the artillery was successfully fired for the second time. With the sound of "boom, bang, bang", the morale of the Scots continued to collapse as the companions around them continued to die.

Hundreds of cavalry withdrew from the battlefield after encountering British resistance, preparing for a second charge.

Seeing this, Wedel also pulled out the saber from his waist: "For the royal family..."

"put!"

"Clap clap clap..."

The war lasted for an entire afternoon, until three thousand reinforcements sent by Charles I arrived on the battlefield, and the Scottish Oathkeeper army finally couldn't bear the pressure and was defeated and suppressed.

When the sun sets and the setting sun is like blood, the war is completely over.

The Scots' weapons were discarded on the ground at will, and the blood from the wounds of the corpses flowed unscrupulously on the Dumfries Plain.

The plain was already littered with corpses, and there was no breath of living people.

This battle represented the successful suppression of the Scottish uprising by the British army, and it also delayed the outbreak of various movements that were supposed to break out in Britain.

It's just that everyone knows that if the pressure cooker is continuously pressurized, even the pressure cooker will eventually turn into a bomb under the pressure.

The result of the suppression of the Scottish uprising did not eliminate the contradictions within the United Kingdom.

Not only did the contradiction not disappear, but it aggravated it.

However, for Charles I at this moment, he only felt the charm of "private money".

"I think I need to talk to Daming about trade in detail."

In St. James's Palace in London, when Charles I was satisfied with the charm of "private money", he couldn't wait to send his own letter to Daming.

Standing beside him, the Home Secretary also suggested:
"Da Ming's Imperial Store has not yet opened in London. Although we don't know where they have arrived, maybe we can try to make a suggestion to Daming that the tax revenue from the Imperial Store will be directly handed over to the royal family."

"Give it to the royal family?" Charles I was a little moved, but asked again: "How much tax can a shop bring me?"

"According to the tax payment of the Daming Imperial Store in Portugal this year, it should not be less than [-] pounds." The words of the Minister of the Interior shook Charles I instantly.

At this time, the financial revenue of the United Kingdom was only more than 100 million pounds. [-] pounds was very small for the country, but it was a lot for the royal family.

If Daming can open a few more imperial stores in England, each of which can carry [-] pounds, then at least Charles I will not have to keep looking at the parliament's face financially.

Thinking of this, Charles I couldn't sit still, he couldn't help standing up, then walked a few steps in St. James's Palace, turned around and said:
"I will write a letter myself, and you have someone send it to Daming for me."

"As you wish, Your Majesty..." The Minister of Internal Affairs nodded, and Charles I no longer hesitated, and wrote a letter to explain his thoughts to Daming.

The letter written by him himself was sent to Daming by a British ship the next day.

The internal situation in Britain is only a microcosm of Ming's influence on Europe, and the real change is on the frontal battlefield in Europe.

Starting from the first month of this year, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the independent Portugal, which have changed their costumes and received support from the Great Ming saltpeter trade, have attacked Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and other countries of the Hasburg family.

On the frontal eastern battlefield, facing Gustav II and the Swedish army who were equipped with flintlock guns, the Catholic League continued to retreat. The war had already reached Vienna in June.

On the frontal western battlefield, Spain's offensive against France was thwarted, and the Netherlands invaded Spain's West Netherland territory.

In the rear of Spain, Portugal relied on the mountains to defend the Spanish army. For a while, the Catholic League fell into an embattled situation.

The Holy Roman Empire was retreating steadily, and the financial debt of the Spanish Empire soared from 19 million pesos before Xu Xiake's arrival to more than [-] million pesos in September [-], and the country's financial bankruptcy was imminent.

At sea, due to the continuous attacks of the French, Dutch, and British navies, and the loss of Portugal, a powerful blood treasure, Spain's maritime defenses also retreated steadily.

For a while, Madrid, the capital of Spain, seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds of war, and the whole city was full of haze.

On September [-], facing the weakness of the frontal battlefield, Spain had no choice but to dispatch [-] soldiers from various governorships in the New World to return to the mainland to fight against Portugal.

With the withdrawal of [-] soldiers, Spain's strength in the New World was further weakened, while Qi State used tractors to frantically reclaim wasteland in Chengshan Prefecture.

Not only that, a boatload of people who migrated from Daming also began to log in to Qi State, becoming Qi State nationals while also increasing Qi State's national strength.

As of the [-]th day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, the number of migrants arriving in Qiguo from the Ming Dynasty exceeded [-].

Although it can't provide so many ripe lands, Kim Hyun has his own way of governance.

Guodian buys grain from farmers, and then distributes the grain to the citizens of Qi who have no cultivated land according to the rationing system, and then asks each city to send hunting teams to hunt thousands of bison every day, transport them back to the city, and distribute them to the people of Qi.

Due to the shortage of grains, not only the 10,000 citizens and [-]+ natives were "forced" to eat a small amount of grains and beef, but even the local reformed-through-labor workers in Qi State also suffered from such treatment.

The only ones who did not have this kind of treatment were the Yingzhou reform-through-labour workers who were sent to Pingling Mansion and Jinshan Mansion to dig gold, silver and coal mines.

60 Yingzhou labor camp workers worked as miners and railway workers in Jinshan Prefecture and Pingling Prefecture, while local labor camp workers worked as land reclamation workers in Chengshan Prefecture.

The development of Qi State has been on the right track, and its national strength is also thriving.

The construction of the second batch of industrial zones has begun. It is estimated that in the 21st year of Tianqi, the annual output of Qi State tractors will reach 1 units, and the number of various trains and ships will not be less than [-].

These various situations were unveiled on September 19, 26, and it was the Western Fleet that arrived at Tianjin Port at this moment that unveiled it.

"Boom!"

"Bang bang bang-"

With the sound of three consecutive rounds of six-shot and eighteen-gun salute in Tianjin Port, Tianjin Port also welcomed his "old friend" who had been away for two years.

Counting from the departure of Apocalypse in November 17, the Western Fleet has left Daming Kuai for 23 months.

Facing the long-lost "hometown", the decks of the fleet ships were full of Ming soldiers waving and shouting to the shore.

At this moment, they can't wait to return home immediately. No matter what method they use, they want to see their relatives as soon as possible.

In Daming, there is never a shortage of people who like to watch the excitement, so the pier in Tianjin Port is full of people, tens of thousands of people are crowded on the pier, and there are tens of thousands of people outside the pier.

Through the "Da Ming Pao", they successfully learned about the difference of the voyages of the Western Ocean Fleet this time, and they also knew that the place where they lived was called the Earth, which was an irregular elliptical sphere.

That is to say, it is actually achievable to go the opposite way, and the first fleet of Ming Dynasty to achieve a round-the-world circumnavigation is the current Daming Sailing Fleet.

"Entering the port!"

"Entering the port, entering the port!"

Looking at the majestic fleet, all the people on the pier started discussing excitedly.

Many people are already ready to ask the feelings and knowledge of the disembarked soldiers, and some scholars who specialize in compiling strange stories are waiting early.

Under the watchful eyes of all of them, the Western Fleet anchored at the port, and the soldiers of the Ming army who participated in this expedition also got off the ship one after another.

It's just that compared to the more than 5 people who went there, the number of Ming troops who came back was less than [-].

Many people are commenting that there are many fewer people. They only think that they have encountered a shipwreck. Only the officials who are responsible for welcoming the ships going to the west this time know that the soldiers who disappeared on the ship have stayed in Nankunlun and Qi.

They need to stay in the local area for one to two years, and then wait until soldiers from other Dudu's mansions change defenses with them.

"My subordinate Xu Xiake (Huang Fei), I have met His Highness the Crown Prince, His Highness is a thousand years old..."

When Xu Xiake and Huang Fei, who got off the boat, found that it was not Zhu Youjian but Zhu Ciran who was the prince who came to greet them, they subconsciously glanced at each other, and then immediately saluted Zhu Ciran who was coming.

The 17-year-old Zhu Ciran faded away from the youthfulness of the year, and stepped forward to help the two of them very skillfully:
"Okay, okay, finally wait until the two return with the army, let's go! Let's go to the Yamen to talk about what we have seen and heard along the way."

Zhu Ciran knew that there were many people, and what he asked was important, so he arranged for the two of them to follow him to the Tianjin government office without any explanation.

Seeing this, the two also knew that Zhu Ciran probably wanted to ask about the state of Qi, so they honestly went to the Tianjin government office with Zhu Ciran.

Compared with the three of them rushing to the Yamen, the officials and soldiers of the Western Fleet left behind completely let go.

After getting off the boat, they were entertained by the officials of the Ministry of Rites and ate their fill, discussing anecdotes along the way with them, or some animals similar to the mythical beasts in ancient books.

The surrounding officials, common people, and wealthy businessmen listened very seriously, and what they said was also very excited.

For those who have been away from their hometown for nearly two years, even though they have not yet returned to their hometown, but facing so many Ming people who speak the same language, they still have a feeling of returning home.

They talked to each other excitedly, and Xu Xiake on the carriage also answered many things that Zhu Ciran wanted to ask, which naturally included things about Qi.

After hearing this, Zhu Ciran didn't say anything, but became silent instead.

This kind of silence was not broken by Zhu Ciran until everyone got off the carriage and came to the meeting hall in the backyard of the Tianjin Government Yamen.

"So in your opinion, as long as the population migration is not curbed, ten years from now, there will be a million people in Qi?"

"Return to Your Highness... that's right." Xu Xiake bowed in response, he dared to say that it was because Zhu Youjian had told him that he didn't have to hide it from the emperor and prince.

He had to let the prince and the emperor know that going to the domain by himself was not to suffer, but to enjoy the blessings.

"Qi State's national policy... is more open than that of Ming Dynasty..."

After listening to what Xu Xiake said, Zhu Ciran could only hold back this sentence.

His words also made Xu Xiake and Huang Fei nod their heads in agreement. After all, drawing on a piece of white paper basically depends on the master's idea.

Compared with Qi State, Daming has been painted with rules and regulations. It is doomed that the owner can only paint within the frame. Once it exceeds the frame, the painting will be messed up.

"In your opinion, what are the national policies of the Qi State that can be adopted by my Ming Dynasty?"

Zhu Ciran leaned forward, obviously attaching great importance to this question.

But facing his question, Xu Xiake and Huang Fei looked at each other with bitter expressions.

With this bitter look, the two of them told Zhu Ciran about all the policies and systems of Qi State.

Sure enough, after they finished speaking, Zhu Ciran frowned.

Qi State's policies are very good, but they basically don't apply to Ming Dynasty.

Among other things, the land in Qi State is all public ownership, but what about Daming?

Although the whole world is owned by the Son of Heaven, the cultivated land in the hands of the common people is in the hands of the common people and the gentry, except for the military and immigrant fields, and the other nearly [-] million mu of cultivated land.

The land under public ownership in the Ming Dynasty is only [-] million mu of military farmland and immigrant farmland.

If you want to implement public ownership, who will take over the [-] million mu of land in the hands of the gentry and common people?Who dares to accept it?

Besides Qi's state-run system and individual system, does Ming need to copy it?Can you copy it?
There are 7000 million people here, such a large body, it is simply not enough...

The Qi State can use it because the quantity of goods produced by workers is in advance.

For example, this month, factories in Qi State produced goods used by 30 people, and the wages of workers are high, but there are only 27 people in Qi State, which means overproduction.

If it was Daming, then the market price would definitely be chaotic.

But if it is the Qi State, then the Qi State can completely fill this market gap through immigration in the future.

Daming has enough workers right now, and there are more than 500 million workers recorded in imperial stores and officialdom alone.

Who is supporting these more than 500 million workers?It is impossible to rely on the Ming market to support them, and the markets that support most of the workers are overseas markets.

The market with a population of 3000 million under the command of the Little Western vassals, and the market with a population of 600 million in countries such as Siam, Ganbozhi, North Korea, Boni, and Sulu.

There are also population markets in Levia, Europe and other places.

Daming almost ate more than 500% of the world's maritime trade, which fed more than [-] million workers, as well as tens of millions of mulberry farmers and food farmers.

Lee's North Korea has no sense of existence right now, but it imports millions of shi of grain from Shandong and Yingzhou in Ming Dynasty every year.

They had no gold or silver, so Korean people would go to Yingzhou or Shandong to work as miners, or to work in the cement plant run by Huangdian in the south of the country.

The hardest and most tiring work is currently being done by North Korea. With the support of Ming Dynasty, the king of North Korea, Li Ji, also wiped out two groups of conservative officials and further abolished the army.

In North Korea right now, due to the absence of the two invasions of Hou Jin and the food provided by Ming Dynasty, the population has recovered to about 400 million, but the number of their troops has only remained at 2.

To put it bluntly, the vassal states in East Asia belonged to the countries that were under the strong control of the Ming Dynasty.

The reason for not annexing them is because Daming's energy is outside.

As long as the population of Ming continues to increase, the influx of Ming population will always assimilate these countries.

At that time, even if they have separate country titles, they will still be countries under the Da Ming suzerain-vassal system.

In this situation, it is as if Ming is a combination of the United Nations and the Five Permanent Members, and the vassal state is a member country.

But the difference is that Fan Guo honestly recognized Daming as the boss.

Daming does not interfere with things other than trade. Even if it trades locally, the trade will also pay taxes to the local royal family.

To provide jobs to the people of the vassal state, to win money from the vassal royal family, to deter the country as a whole with force, and to integrate culture, this is the Daming vassal system.

What the Ming Dynasty had to do was to maintain this system, and then appropriately reduce taxes and reduce the burden on the people, but at the same time, it could not make the court too poor.

As long as there are no economic problems and most of the political problems can be covered up, the system can last for a long time.

But this has advantages and disadvantages.

The first is that Daming needs to take care of the vassal state, and the second is that Daming is too large. Even if it eats up the vassal state market, it cannot solve the domestic population problem.

For Daming, industrialization will only progress more and more slowly, because there are not so many markets in the world for Daming to eat.

Therefore, public ownership is doomed to be difficult for Daming, which already occupies one-third of the world's population, with the existing productivity.

The teaching Zhu Youjian taught Zhu Ciran was to develop technology, and now it seems that the only way for Daming to go is to develop technology.

First use the resources in the territory. If the population growth rate is slower than the technological development rate, then Ming Dynasty can last for many years.

Thinking of this, Zhu Ciran rubbed his brows, in the eyes of Xu Xiake and Huang Fei, this action looked very much like the former Zhu Youjian.

"I have a general understanding of the matter. You guys should take a good rest and go to Beijing to catch up with Uncle Qi Wang sometime."

Zhu Ciran did not entangle too much, but after learning about the situation in Qi State, he comforted the two to have a good rest, and then got up and prepared to walk out of the yamen.

"Congratulations to Chitose..."

"No need to send."

Xu Xiake and Xu Xiake got up and saluted in return. After watching Zhu Ciran leave the Yamen with their own eyes, they breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few words of greetings, and then went back to their courtyard in Tianjin to rest.

Yards in Tianjin are not expensive, and the two spent a lot of time planning their third voyage to the West, so buying a yard in Tianjin is a must.

For Xu Xiake, there were too many things he wanted to tell about this journey. After returning to the mansion, he immediately began to read his "Travel Notes" to check if there was anything missing.

Compared with him, Huang Fei handed over the letter he had already written to the servants in the mansion after returning to the courtyard.

The servant got the order, took this letter and sent it to Liaodong...

　PM update 04:30
　　
　
(End of this chapter)