Ming politicians

Sailing at sea is boring, and there is no fun at all. In this regard, the navy officers and soldiers are used to it. After leaving Penglai City, three warship formations entered the sea, everything became empty, and what they saw was the blue sky. White clouds, and the blue sea, occasionally you can see some small islands protruding from the sea.

The officers and soldiers of the navy were all prepared. The imperial court did not pay much attention to coastal defense, and never thought of dominating the sea. During the Wanli period, Japanese pirates plundered the sea. , Encountering the Japanese pirates' plunder, the common people suffered heavy losses, Qi Jiguang formed the Qi Family Army, and then completely suppressed the Japanese pirates.

When Zheng Zhilong was a pirate, he basically controlled the southern waters. Later, he accepted the imperial court's appeasement and became a general of the Ming Dynasty. However, the imperial court did not pay attention to the construction of the navy and had no time to take care of it.

The Jiangning Battalion has set up a naval division. It is uncertain whether they will encounter pirates, or other merchant ships or even warships during this trial voyage. , and made some general introductions to let everyone know that in places such as the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal, thousands of miles away from Daming, the navy is very powerful, with huge warships, and they often come here. This is Disrespect to the Ming Dynasty, if encountered, must be suppressed. The Jiangning Ying Navy must control the sea in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea to ensure the smooth progress of maritime trade. The most urgent task.

The majestic fleet looks so small on the sea, which also makes the officers and soldiers of the navy have a real awe of the sea in their hearts, most of the officers and soldiers of the navy.This is the first time I have seen the vast sea. Although these things are mentioned in the booklet, everyone will have this personal feeling after seeing it.

The trial voyage went very smoothly. I didn't meet any battle fleet, but I still met some merchant ships.These merchant ships, seeing such a huge fleet, have long been hiding away, and occasionally they can meet some fishing boats. According to the navy's regulations, these boats are the ships that the Jiangningying Navy needs to protect.

Due to time constraints, this test voyage cannot go too far.On November 25th, the fleet began to return. The Penglai formation and the Yantai formation will return to Penglai City, and the Weihai formation will go directly to Weihaiwei Wharf to participate in the port opening ceremony of Weihaiwei Wharf.

As the pilot warship for this test voyage, the Penglai No. [-] warship.It will also sail to Weihaiwei Wharf.

On November [-], the fleet entered Weihaiwei Wharf.

Xiong Zijian et al.They had already made preparations. After they participated in the naval trial ceremony, they hurried back to Weihaiwei Wharf to make the final preparations. The Governor's Office had already sent official letters to many prefectures and counties along the coast.It is clearly informed that Weihaiwei Wharf will be opened on December 13, [-]th year of Chongzhen.

In the official letter, it was clearly informed that all seagoing ships from overseas wishing to conduct business transactions with Daming must go to Weihaiwei Wharf to conduct transactions, and if they violated this announcement.Once discovered, the Daming Navy will take decisive measures to confiscate all commodities and impose severe punishment.

The official letter also specifically stated that Weihaiwei Wharf is the only wharf allowed by the Ming Dynasty to conduct overseas trade transactions. All overseas merchant ships that come to Weihaiwei Wharf for transactions will be protected by the Daming Navy. If the attack results in losses, the Daming Navy will definitely punish the opponent severely.

This is an official letter with a special meaning.

Su Tiancheng understood that this was also a warning letter issued by the Governor's Office. The initial warning was mainly from Zheng Zhilong from Fujian. Although they both belonged to the Daming Navy, the two pursued different interests. For personal interests, Su Tiancheng dominates the overseas seas, seeking the interests of the nation and the dynasty. From this perspective, Su Tiancheng will not be polite to Zheng Zhilong. Although Zheng Chenggong is a national hero, the history before that time is still happening today. completely changed.

If after the opening of Weihaiwei Wharf, Zheng Zhilong can accept it as soon as he sees it, and stay in Fujian peacefully, relying on the coastal waters of Fujian to seek some benefits, Su Tiancheng will not care, but if he wants to attack Weihaiwei Wharf and continue to dominate the outer sea Well, the navy of the Jiangning Battalion just found the target for the first battle, Su Tiancheng is no longer merciful, and will completely destroy Zheng Zhilong's navy.

The Weihaiwei Wharf revealed joy. The bustling crowds and merchants coming and going. In fact, before the opening of the port, a small number of merchant ships arrived at the Weihaiwei Wharf with tentative purposes. The owners of these merchant ships quickly discovered that This place is extraordinary, not to mention the huge pier, which can accommodate many large merchant ships at the same time. Just looking at the facilities around the pier, you can understand that this is a very formal trading place.

The Shipping Department of Weihaiwei City has already started working. Merchant ships entering Daming from the outer sea mainly bring in goods such as minerals, wood, spices, gold, jewelry, and rice, etc. There are also some precious goods such as ivory and blankets. They transported these items to Daming in exchange for goods such as porcelain, tea, and silk. These items, when shipped overseas, belonged to luxury accessories and were also lucrative commodities.

Since Weihaiwei belongs to the wharf allowed by the Ming court to carry out overseas trade, it is possible to purchase a large number of these goods needed by the ship owner here, and Qingzhou is the place where a large number of these goods gather. Porcelain, tea, silk and other goods from all over the Ming Dynasty will gather here. Qingzhou, for ship owners to purchase.

Anyone who is not a stupid ship owner knows that coming directly to Weihaiwei Wharf can make a fortune.

The goods transported to Weihaiwei Wharf are all taxed at a rate of 30.00%. This is something that makes many overseas ship owners very happy. The Daming Navy led by Zheng Zhilong collects taxes in the open sea that exceed [-]% of the value of the goods. , This is the reason why Zheng Zhilong's family became rich, but it also caused the maritime trade to slowly begin to shrink.

Overseas merchant ships came to Daming with untold hardships. After paying such a high amount of taxes, they entered the Daming trade, and they had to go to various parts of Daming to purchase goods. If they were not careful, they encountered bandits or even officers and soldiers. The loss, this kind of fearful transaction, ordinary people can't bear it.

The overseas merchant ships who came to test the deal also had the mentality of giving it a try. They managed to avoid the Daming Navy entrenched in the South China Sea and made a detour to Weihaiwei. The deal here almost drove them crazy. Countless merchants Waiting here to buy their goods, the goods on the ship have been traded at the fastest speed, and then they can purchase any goods they need when they go to Qingzhou, and there is a special transport team to help transport them, so there is no need to worry about bandits and officers and soldiers. All the way is smooth, this is the most ideal place for them to trade.

The purpose of commerce is to maximize profits and minimize risks. Only in such an environment can commerce and commerce truly develop. The establishment of Weihaiwei Wharf is for this purpose. Several overseas merchant ships that come to trade, also Knowing the work requirements here, from their personal experience, Weihaiwei Wharf has achieved this.

However, there is also a place of concern, that is, Weihaiwei Wharf. If it is attacked, nothing will exist. Overseas ship owners understand that maritime trade depends on power.

But they also heard that not far from Weihaiwei Wharf, there are special navy divisions. These sailors will not only protect Weihaiwei Wharf, but will also patrol the sea to combat pirates and any other threats to the interests of merchant ships. power.

Such news will naturally spread quickly.

Therefore, the official opening day of Weihaiwei Wharf is destined to be a feast.

The moment he got off the warship and set his feet on the ground, Su Tiancheng was particularly moved. Life at sea was indeed boring and boring. This also meant that the officers and soldiers of the navy would have to pay more sacrifices. A navy of 5000 people can adopt the method of changing defenses. Unless it is a large-scale naval battle, it will not be on the warships and patrol boats every day. In the future, the focus may still be on sea patrols to protect the safety of sea trade channels. .

The prosperity of Weihaiwei has exceeded Su Tiancheng's expectations. However, within a few months, the shops here have been full, all the shops have been built, and all 150 shops have been sold. In the market town of Wulidi, many houses are in the process of being built, and the market town that has been formed shows an unusual bustle. Above the market town, there are inns, restaurants, teahouses, brothels, etc., all available.

The radiation radius of Weihaiwei Wharf defined by Su Tiancheng is ten miles, but now the radiation range far exceeds ten miles. It is foreseeable that the prosperity here will even exceed Wendeng County in a short time.

Gu Xingsong, the county magistrate of Wendeng County, was also waiting at the pier. Because of his special relationship with Su Tiancheng, he is still somewhat powerful as a county magistrate. In addition, Gu Hengbo also came to Dengzhou. Several times, Gu Xingsong went to the governor's office in Dengzhou prefectural city. , to visit his younger sister Gu Hengbo, and see his nephew Su Mingliang. Sometimes, if he is lucky, he can also meet Su Tiancheng.

Gu Xingsong once mentioned that the construction of Wendeng County is a bit difficult, mainly because a lot of money is needed, so after the Weihaiwei Wharf starts operating, is it possible to consider giving Wendeng County Government a certain amount of income to help Wendeng County Government build better? Tian Cheng did not agree to Gu Xingsong's request, but allowed Gu Xingsong to arrange some officials from the county government at Weihaiwei Wharf to maintain the local order. The Department of Municipal Shipping was responsible for the salaries of these officials, and at the same time, from this point of view, Wendeng County was given some support , but Su Tiancheng also warned Gu Xingsong not to use power for personal gain when going there, and not to think that the relationship is different and do some illegal and disciplined things. (To be continued..)