Ming politicians

Su Tiancheng arrived at Weihaiwei Wharf first.

A few months later, the situation here is very different, a fundamental change has taken place.

The huge wharf is in front of you. Six long embankments extend into the sea, extending far away. These embankments are used by large cargo ships. As for small and medium cargo ships, they use the channel on the right side of the embankment. , built a wooden boat, and the connected wooden boats are the place to download the goods. There is a stretch of tens of meters away, near the far right, and there is a dedicated passenger terminal, which was proposed by Su Tiancheng. In the early days of the sea ban, freight It can be carried out at the same time as passenger transportation, and the number of passenger transportation will not be large. It is not cost-effective to open a special terminal.

Many craftsmen and ordinary people are building houses not far away. These houses include warehouses, shops, houses, etc. As for the military camp more than two miles away from the wharf, it has been built long ago. The [-] Jiangning soldiers stationed here , has been stationed for a long time, because of the need to speed up the progress of the project, most of the Jiangning battalion soldiers have participated in the project, which can be regarded as military training for them.

The construction speed of the pier is very fast, every time Su Tiancheng comes, he can feel obvious changes.

This time when he came to the pier and looked at the surrounding facilities, Su Tiancheng understood that it was time for the pier to open, and it was already mature. However, there was still the biggest obstacle to the opening of the pier here, and that was Zheng Zhilong who was far away in Fujian.

Zheng Zhilong controls most of the sea routes, and the pirates on the sea are rampant. There is only one way for Weihaiwei Wharf to prosper quickly, and that is to open up overseas routes to Weihaiwei. Within this route, no one Dare to challenge, that's the only way.A large number of overseas merchant ships will flock here, and countless silver will flow into the Governor's Mansion.

This time will not be too long, and Su Tiancheng is not in a hurry, after the warships and patrol boats are built within the year.The navy has gone to the warships, and it is the best time to open ports when they can control the Bohai Strait, the Yellow Sea, and even the East China Sea.

The imperial decree of the Ming Dynasty to open the sea ban in Weihaiwei, along with the Dibao, went to various places in the Ming Dynasty, and there has been no reaction until now. This is also because Weihaiwei has not shown any movement, or the South will not believe it. Wei this place is banned from the sea.What effect can it have, or can have merchant ships go to Weihaiwei.

Su Tiancheng believes that someone must pay attention to Weihaiwei Wharf. Those overseas merchant ships will not miss any news. They will definitely send people to pay attention. Once the time is right, merchant ships will come to Weihaiwei Wharf.After all, formal transactions are much better than sneaky ones.Moreover.Transactions allowed by the Ming government can also be protected by the government.

After watching the entire construction of Weihaiwei Wharf, Su Tiancheng finally spoke to Xiong Zijian beside him.

"Master Xiong, you did a great job. You were able to basically build the pier in such a short period of time. You deserve a lot of credit."

"The lower officials dare not be greedy for merit. If it weren't for the supervision of the adults, the progress of the construction would not be so fast."

"Is there any problem now, my request, in December. Weihaiwei Wharf needs to be opened."

"There is no problem. We guarantee that the port will be opened in December. The problem I encountered was about the shops. Many merchants have come to contact me, asking for shops in Weihaiwei Wharf, which can be built by Xiaguan. There are not so many, it is impossible to be satisfied, if you build too many shops, you need a lot of money, as for housing, the lower officials don’t worry about it, if someone wants to live, they can build their own houses.”

Su Tiancheng looked at Xiong Zijian dumbfounded, Xiong Zijian couldn't solve such a simple matter.

"Master Xiong, the price of the shop can be denied."

"Come out, large shops are 10 taels of silver, medium-sized shops are 8 taels of silver, and small shops are 5 taels of silver. Weihaiwei Wharf currently has [-] large shops, [-] small shops, and [-] small shops. , there are less than [-] merchants that can accommodate, but there are more than [-] merchants that can apply to come in, it is really difficult to choose."

"Hehe, Mr. Xiong, I am envious of you becoming a rich man. Counting the shops, the value has reached 640 million taels of silver. This is not a small sum."

"My lord, I don't dare. I have to hand over all the silver to the governor's office. I don't dare to be greedy for ink."

"Hey, do you want me to remind you of such a simple matter? Sell the store and use part of the money to continue building the store. Isn't this problem solved?"

Xiong Zilong froze for a moment, then thumped his chest with his hands.

"My lord, the lower officials are stupid. I didn't think of such a simple thing."

"One thing you have to pay attention to is that there can't be too many shops. In my opinion, there are at most 150 shops here, and there can't be more. Merchants here also need to make money. There are too many shops. Their profits It is not enough, definitely not. In addition, warehouses should be built as much as possible, which can be leased. This is the fixed income of Weihaiwei Wharf. Don’t underestimate this income. If the wharf is prosperous, this income It can exceed one million taels of silver."

Xiong Zijian was stunned for a while.

"A grown-up is quick-witted, and the lower officials admire them. The lower officials didn't think of these things. I'm really ashamed."

Su Tiancheng didn't say anything, he was time travelling, if he hadn't considered the interests of the common people, he would have even made a lot of money from the land, but everything must be done in moderation, too much is too much, some benefits need to be given to the common people, In this way, the common people can support the government more and fully obey the management and dispatch of the government.

Two days later, Su Tiancheng came to the artillery base.

The artillery base built in Yantai is more atmospheric than the artillery base established in Dengzhou before the imperial court, and the production capacity is also many times stronger. These are the results of a large amount of investment. Over the years, in the development of artillery and firearms , Su Tiancheng did not calculate in detail how much silver was invested, but these investments have already received a clear return. The arms transaction has become one of the most important incomes of the Governor's Mansion.

When Bi Maokang and William accompanied Su Tiancheng to inspect the artillery base, Su Tiancheng briefly asked about the situation. As long as it was about the cost, laymen cannot guide experts. Artillery development is a technical job, so Su Tiancheng would not speak indiscriminately.

William took the initiative to introduce the technology of artillery development, but was stopped by Su Tiancheng with a wave of his hand. Su Tiancheng told William and Bi Maokang very seriously that since Jiangning Camp has a confidentiality policy, he is no exception. The technology of artillery production is from Jiangning Camp Top secret, cannot be leaked, and I have no right to know.

When Su Tiancheng said these words, William was dumbfounded and looked at Su Tiancheng. After a while, William became serious, with a sacred expression on his face. The military salute.

"My lord, this subordinate can't imagine that my lord's requirements are so strict. I swear to my lord here that even if my subordinate loses his life, the artillery technology must be kept secret and must not be leaked."

A smile appeared on Su Tiancheng's face. This was the effect he needed. In the entire Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou, he could not violate the regulations. They all had to abide by the regulations on the confidentiality of artillery technology. Who else could violate it? This attitude must have shocked William a lot. In William's eyes, he was the king of Dengzhou.

When leaving the artillery base, Su Tiancheng still made a request.

"Master Bi, William, I still have requirements. In terms of technology, I am a layman, but I know one thing. The power of artillery depends on its lethality. The longer the range and the greater the power, the more successful it is. So, I We can only put forward general requirements, that is, our artillery must continue to improve and become more and more powerful. As for the cost of silver, you don't have to worry, the Governor's Office will be satisfied."

"Master Bi, William, there is one more request. You must remember that at any time, people are the first. If there is a danger in the process of developing the artillery, the first thing to do is to save your life and don't worry about it." Equipment, and at the same time, the treatment of everyone in the base must be implemented. The core technology can only be in the hands of a few of you. The main duty of the guards around you is to protect you. If you have any requirements, just ask. The guards did it."

After Su Tiancheng finished speaking, before Bi Maokang could speak, William couldn't wait to speak.

"My lord, this subordinate has been in Daming for many years. This is the first time I have heard such words. My lord's words, I will remember this subordinate. I will try my best to develop the best artillery and firearms. This subordinate represents all the technicians and craftsmen. , thank you for your concern."

After William finished speaking, Bi Maokang also spoke.

"My lord, I will definitely follow your lord's request. At present, the base has sufficient funds and materials, but this year's production volume is a bit large, and I still need a part of refined iron. I have already asked Mr. He to purchase it." .”

The construction of shipyards, artillery bases and Weihaiwei Wharf, including the naval garrison in Penglai City, requires a large amount of materials. During the process of purchasing these materials, commerce and trade in Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou have begun to slowly develop. The huge business opportunities here have long attracted the attention of merchants from all over the world, especially the merchants in Fort Anning and Jingbian. They are very smart and keen. They know that wherever Su Tiancheng goes, there will be huge business opportunities, so It is said that most of the merchants started to set up shops in Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou, including Zhu Shenxun, Zhu Yousong, Qin Wang Zhu Cunshu, Rui Wang Zhu Changhao and Han Wang Zhu Danhuoji and other dignitaries.

Wan Chenggui, who lives in Qingzhou, never expected that the commerce and trade in Dengzhou, Laizhou and Qingzhou would develop so rapidly. All he had left for Su Tiancheng was his extreme admiration. (To be continued..)