Ming politicians

A small fishing village three miles away from Penglai Water City, with a radius of ten miles, has been circled by Su Tiancheng. After the invasion of Dorgon, this small fishing village has almost no people inhabited, and the village has been burned. No one said that he would pay attention to the place, and no one understood why Su Tiancheng circled this place.

This place is under the direct jurisdiction of the Governor's Office.

In Su Tiancheng's plan, this is the largest shipyard in the Ming Dynasty.

Once upon a time, the Ming Dynasty had the world's largest navy, with 350 warships, 350 patrol ships, [-] large ships, [-] water transport ships, and a total of [-] large and small ships. Become a powerful fleet, no one can match, no one can compete.

It is a pity that the decline of the navy is also at an astonishing speed. In less than 100 years, the huge fleet ceased to exist. There are many reasons for this, mainly three aspects. The ceremony from the Ming Dynasty to the emperor , down to ordinary people, do not understand what sea power is, let alone maintain it. The second is the prevailing China-centric theory, which believes that the Ming Dynasty is the center of the world, and this is the richest and most powerful place. The cost is too huge, and the court is a little unbearable.

Even when Zheng He sailed to the West, the fleet led by Zheng He was mainly made of treasure ships. This type of treasure ship is not considered a warship in the strict sense. Strength is the main priority, and expansion and plundering have not been thought of, which has resulted in huge costs and losses outweighed the gains. Some people say that the purpose of Zheng He's voyages to the West was to find the missing Emperor Jianwen.

In the Wanli period, the navy was even more neglected.At that time, rebellions had already begun in various parts of Ming Dynasty. With Nurhaci establishing the Houjin regime, it was even more impossible for the imperial court to take into account the construction of the navy. They were busy fighting against Houjin and suppressing internal rebellions.Needless to say, during the reign of Chongzhen, the imperial court could not maintain the military pay of the sergeants. Whether it was cavalry, infantry or navy, the treatment was meager, and it was even difficult to support their families. possible things.

The officers and soldiers of the Navy were randomly transferred.Either they joined the ranks of cavalry or infantry, or because of the needs of the war, they became part of the army of other guards. More than [-]% of the remaining sailors became military households and were busy farming. The army also lost its combat effectiveness.

within a short period of time.The navy of the Ming Dynasty is dead in name only, and the guards along the coast are empty.In fact, the navy is low, the fleet has decreased sharply, the ships are damaged, there is no money to maintain and repair, the coastal defense line is gradually shrinking, and the coastal defense strategy has taken a big step back.It was also under such circumstances that Japanese pirates began to plunder. Unfortunately, the strategy of the Ming Dynasty to guard against Japanese pirates was still based on land warfare.

The rise of Zheng Zhilong is an exception.But Zheng Zhilong's navy, strictly speaking, is not the Daming Navy. Such a huge fleet belongs to Zheng Zhilong and the Zheng family, and does not fully obey the orders of the court. The entire fleet controls the sea trade and serves Zheng Zheng. The family has accumulated a large amount of wealth. So far, the Zheng family's trade income from the sea has even exceeded the total tax revenue of the whole year of Ming Dynasty.

In Su Tiancheng's impression, the total taxation of the Ming court is 200 million taels of silver each year, but this is only data on paper, because of the famines and wars in various places, it is far from possible for the court to get so much taxation , It can reach 2000 million taels of silver, even if it is very good, but the business taxes obtained by the Zheng family from the sea are as high as more than 2000 million taels of silver. In fact, the Zheng family is much richer than the imperial court.

Su Tiancheng is going to start building a navy, but the starting point is different. His standards are extraordinary, and he conducts according to the highest standard. The navy he builds must be invincible in the world, whether it is a warship, a patrol ship, or a merchant ship. , must be able to command the sea area and become the true overlord of the sea.

However, the difficulties Su Tiancheng is facing are also huge. The formation of the navy, the construction of warships, patrol boats, and merchant ships all require money. It is impossible for the warships and patrol boats to be rewarded in a short period of time. Merchant ships can be sold, and they can get silver taels directly. There is another biggest problem here, and that is the problem of talents.

In the Ming Dynasty, the outstanding naval general, Liao Ruoxingchen, really left his name. In Su Tiancheng's mind, he was Zheng Chenggong. Zheng Chenggong was the son of Zheng Zhilong. He was born in 1624 and is only 17 years old now. It is far from the time to make contributions.

Although there are many difficulties, Su Tiancheng is confident. He is aware of the great role of the navy, and he is even more clear that if he wants to become the overlord of the world, the navy is indispensable. Only with the navy can he achieve all his goals.

A day later, the generals above the commander of the Jiangning battalion and guards, the magistrates and county magistrates of Dengzhou and Laizhou all gathered in the Governor's Mansion in Dengzhou Fucheng.

This was the first time that Su Tiancheng called everyone after he came to Dengzhou.

The purpose of this meeting is to clarify the tasks. The half-year restorative construction has already shown results, and the next focus will begin to shift, and spring plowing is just around the corner. Construction in various places will inevitably affect spring plowing production. The common people have a short-sighted view, thinking that doing things in prefectures, prefectures, and counties can earn money, which is more cost-effective than farming at home.

The function of silver is mainly for circulation. If there is no real object to support, silver cannot be eaten or kept warm. What can be done with only silver? It supports the Navy, or supports Dengzhou, Laizhou, and Qingzhou. Even in the Ming Dynasty, there still needed to be sufficient items, all of which required the labor of the people.

"The meeting held at the Governor's Mansion today is very important. I need to emphasize the construction of Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou, including the construction of the Navy and the wharf."

"Dengzhou and Laizhou are in the process of construction. A large number of craftsmen and ordinary people are busy, but the spring plowing is coming soon. Now I heard some comments, saying that they can get money by following the government. After farming the land, you can earn money anyway, and you can buy grain, salt, etc. I am afraid that some of you have the same understanding, and when the time comes, you can just collect taxes according to the amount of cultivated land, and there will be no major problems."

"This kind of understanding and practice is completely wrong. Think about it carefully, if there is no food, what is the use of piling up money? Dengzhou and Laizhou are in the process of starting, and spring plowing production must not be delayed. , from March to May, unless it is a very important construction project, it cannot be stopped for the time being, and the rest will be temporarily stopped. The common people will all go back to farm, and the government must check to see There is no free land for cultivation, and if someone does not want to cultivate it, the government can take the land back."

"After the land is cultivated, various constructions can continue on a large scale."

"What I need to emphasize is the construction of the navy. Many people are skeptical about the construction of the navy, thinking that the role of the navy is not great. For so many years, the imperial court has had a powerful navy, but there is no What a substantive role, so the navy has gradually declined, until now, apart from General Zheng Zhilong in Fujian, there are also powerful navy, my navy in the Ming Dynasty, exists in name only."

"Over the years, the bandits have rebelled and been harassed by money. On the surface, the navy has indeed not played a big role, and the consumption of the navy is very high. Patrols at sea need money to support them. I believe that the purpose of my proposal to build a navy is to prevent Houjin's navy."

"Yes, this is a purpose, but the main purpose is not in this place. You must be clear, that is, the navy is strong, and it can support my country. With a strong navy, we have countless Qing’s wealth, why do I say this, I don’t want to explain now, even if I explain, you may not be able to understand, but you have to remember one thing, the construction of the Navy is the most important thing for the Governor’s Mansion in the future , Having a strong navy is the top task of the governor's office, and you must spare no effort to support the construction of the navy."

"Xiong Zijian is in charge of the construction of the Weihaiwei Wharf. The time is half a year. No matter what you need, just ask, and the governments at all levels in Dengzhou and Laizhou must satisfy it unconditionally."

"Sun Chuanting is in charge of the construction of a small fishing village near Penglai City. It will be the largest shipyard in the Ming Dynasty. All the warships of the Navy will be manufactured from there. I'm afraid you don't have half a year to build them. I'll give you three months. At that time, a large number of craftsmen and shipbuilding technicians will come in and start building my Ming warship."

"The construction of the shipyard and the wharf is currently the most important task. When necessary, most of the soldiers and newly recruited soldiers of the Jiangning Battalion can be devoted to it."

"When I was in Wendeng last time, I have already said that the salaries of officials in Dengzhou and Laizhou are too low, and they must be adjusted. This matter will be implemented now, and the salaries will remain the same. According to the rules of the court, the monthly allowance will be silver. 100 taels per month for magistrates, 80 taels per month for Tongzhi and Zhizhou, 70 taels per month for Tongju and county magistrates, 60 taels per month for county magistrates and masters, 50 taels per month for Dian Shi, and 30 taels per month for prefects and clerks. 20 taels per month, [-] taels per month for pawns, [-] taels per month for book offices, and five taels of silver per month for the rest of the yamen. Dengzhou and Laizhou follow this standard. As for Qingzhou, it will not be implemented for the time being. implement."

"When the salary is in place, the requirements will be different. If anyone does not follow the rules and will be severely punished, most of you have followed me for many years. If there are people among you who neglect political affairs and indulge their subordinates Don’t blame me for being merciless.” (To be continued..)