Chapter 602: The New World is a treasure land bestowed by God on Ming Dynasty

While the victory report of the Suzaku Navy led by Yu Dayou was still spreading rapidly on the sea, another victory report was delivered to Zhu Yijun first.

In early July, a fleet sailed into the waters off Sulu Port. A squadron of the South China Sea Navy that was patrolling in the area was startled. The other side was also startled and quickly launched three flares into the air, thus clearing up the misunderstanding.

One of our own!

However, the Zhongying Navy was a little confused. All the ships coming from the east by sea were Spanish ships. They were here to take over the defense from the Suzaku Navy. They had also encircled and annihilated one of them two months ago, but they were a little short of meat, with only five Spanish ships, and three of them were Carrick sailing ships of less than 300 tons.

So skinny! Not at all chewy.

I thought I had finally gotten a piece of good meat, but it turned out to be one of my own.

When we approached to make contact, we found out that it was a speedboat sent by the Qinglong Navy to report victory, which had been sailing in the Pacific Ocean for two months.

The left battalion led the Qinglong navy’s victory report ship and stopped in Sulu City for two days. Then they turned north and arrived at the northern island of Luzon.

Now it has become the overseas territory of Luzon, directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, and jointly “developed” by the Ministry of Finance and the Navy. The big island in the north is called North Luzon Island, the big island in the south (Mindanao Island) is called South Luzon Island, and the middle is called the Sulu Archipelago.

The guide boat of Zuoying led the victory ship of Qinglong Navy to a large bay on the west side of the southern part of North Luzon Island. There was a new port here called Bayang City. The port and city were integrated and it was the administrative center of North Luzon Island.

Because the new city was built north of the local Bashi River, it was called Bayang.

After a day’s rest in Bayang, the Zuoying guide boat led the victory ship to continue northward, heading straight for Xiangjiang Port.

After reporting to the South China Sea Navy Commander’s Office at Xiangjiang Port, it was guided by two speedboats and continued northward with the wind. Twenty days later, it arrived at Dagu Port, went ashore and transferred to a river transport centipede ship, heading straight for Tongzhou, where it was picked up by the Right Army Governor’s Office and the urgent goods were delivered directly to Xiyuan.

Zhu Yijun was preparing to leave the capital with Zhang Juzheng for a tour to Luanzhou in the east. When he received the urgent news, he immediately issued an imperial decree to postpone the tour for two days and invited four advisors to the Ziguang Pavilion.

After the emperor and his subjects finished their greetings, Zhu Yijun said happily, “Four old gentlemen, Li Chao of the Qinglong Navy has sent back a report of victory. This is a great joyous event. I want to celebrate with you.”

The four of them looked at each other and said, “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“Congratulations, haha, this is a great joyous event. With the discovery of the New World, the people of the Ming Dynasty have gained another prosperous land. The vicious cycle that has troubled us for thousands of years can be alleviated for four or five hundred years.”

“Vicious loop? Your Majesty, may I ask what this vicious loop is?” Zhang Juzheng asked curiously.

“After a long period of unity, there will be division; after a long period of division, there will be unity. Why? Because in a peaceful and prosperous era, land annexation is inevitable. The various measures taken by wise rulers and capable ministers can only delay annexation a little.

But human greed is endless. If you have 10,000 acres, you want 100,000 acres. If you have 100,000 acres, you want 500,000 acres. Just like Prime Minister Xu.

Now the newspapers call him the Prime Minister of Ten Thousand Acres. He has been in power for twenty years and the Xu family owns four hundred thousand acres of fertile land, which is rare in all dynasties. “

Most of the wealthy and powerful families in the south of the Yangtze River, led by Xu Jie, were put into the basket of the day-long case of treason by the Fuxing Society. More than 7,000 officials, celebrities, and Confucian scholars were beheaded, strangled, and thrown into the market. 24,000 people were exiled to Annan, Sanbao, Gansu, and Ningxia.

The Xu family’s house was confiscated, and Xu Jie now lives in the Xu family ancestral hall, being taken care of by several nephews and grandchildren.

His three sons, Xu Fan, Xu Kun, and Xu Ying, his younger brother Xu Zhi, and his grandsons Xu Yuanchun, Xu Yuanxia, ​​and Xu Yuanqiu were all arrested for various cases.

Xu Fan and Xu Kun were beheaded and thrown into the streets.

Xu Ying was exiled 5,000 miles to Sanbao Prefecture; Xu Zhi was exiled 3,000 miles to Ningxia; Xu Yuanchun, Xu Yuanxia and Xu Yuanqiu were exiled 3,000 miles to Gansu, Liaodong and Annan respectively.

The Xu family only had one grandson left, Xu Yuandong, who was studying at Chongyi Public School in the capital.

Now their various crimes are being publicized by the Taichang Temple as negative examples, and are being promoted over and over again.

Zhu Yijun continued, “The longer the world is at peace, the more people like Xu Jie and the Xu family will appear, and the more land they will annex.

Why were there constant civil unrests in the southern Jiangxi area and the Xunyang area of ​​Huguang? From the Hongzhi period to the Longqing period, there were many capable ministers like Yangming Gong who came to pacify the country, but they could only temporarily calm the situation for a few years before it would flare up again soon.

Why? “

The four of them were silent.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard and said, “Your Majesty, I previously thought that the reason why the chaos in Gannan and Xunyang was so difficult to control was simply because the government was not clear and the government was oppressive, which made the people take risks.

Later I realized that the ultimate reason was land annexation.

The landless people in Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian and northern Jiangxi, or those who were forced to abandon their land due to excessive taxes and levies, became refugees and poured into the mountainous and densely forested southern Jiangxi, a no-man’s land bordering Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian and Guangdong.

The same is true for Xunyang. Landless or landless people from Henan, Hubei, and Shaanxi turned into refugees and poured into Xunyang, a mountainous area with long roads and a no-man’s land between Hubei, Shaanxi, and Henan.

“Tough government is as fierce as a tiger, and annexation is as vicious as a wolf.”

Zhu Yijun nodded and continued, “More and more people are landless, and natural and man-made disasters have forced them into a desperate situation. The Red Eyebrows and Green Forest Army, the Yellow Turban Army, the 18 rebel kings at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and Huang Chao, all united for a long time and finally divided. Then there was the Guangwu Restoration, the Three Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, all divided for a long time and finally united.

Looking through many historical books, it is nothing more than this vicious cycle. The aristocratic families and powerful people wanted to embrace all the land in the world and get rid of all tax responsibilities.

As long as the people have a meal, they will endure it silently. But when they have no other way to go, they are not afraid of death, but how can they be afraid of death? “

Hu Zongxian nodded solemnly: “Your Majesty is wise. The lessons of history are vivid in our minds. The lessons of the past are a lesson for the future. The Ming Dynasty should take this as a warning.”

Zhao Zhenji stroked his beard and said, “Your Majesty is wise, he has seen through the shortcomings of the past dynasties, and he made plans. First, he promoted industry and commerce, that is, to promote new productivity and find a way to make a living for the people.

Now we are also managing the South China Sea and making expeditions to Gen and Xun continents. This is a plan for a hundred or a thousand years.”

Zhu Yijun looked at the four people and said in a serious tone: “The four old gentlemen are all wise and capable counselors who can understand my good intentions. If the monarch and his subjects work together, the Ming Dynasty will have more hope.

Qi Yan, call in the military academy that reported the victory. I and the four old gentlemen want to hear the victory report from Li Chao across the Pacific Ocean.”

“According to the order!”

Soon, three military students were brought in, all dressed up. One wore a green robe with a bear patch, and two wore green robes with tiger patches. They knelt and saluted.

“I, the commander of the front garrison of the Qinglong Navy, Du Lieutenant Du Shiling, the commander of the front garrison of the Qinglong Navy, Lieutenant Zheng Bailin, Ye Tianxian, pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”

“No need to be polite! I’m here to meet the four old gentlemen.”

“Your subordinates Du Shiling, Zheng Bailin and Ye Tianxian pay their respects to the four advisors.”

Hu Zongxian spoke on behalf of the four people, “No need to be polite.”

After greeting each of them, Zhu Yijun said to Qi Yan, “Please bring a stool for each of you three. We will have a lot to talk about today, so let’s chat slowly.”

Du Shiling and the other two thanked him again and sat down one by one.

“Okay, I can’t wait, I can tell you now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Du Shiling first told how Li Chao led the Qinglong Navy to discover Songmen Bay and built the first city of the Ming Dynasty in Genzhou, Taiping City. Then, based on this, he sent troops to attack the Spanish port of Acapulco, and then released the captured officers, letting them return to Mexico City and bring a letter to the Spanish Governor of the New World, formally declaring war on Spain.

Then they moved south and bombarded Panama City.

Du Shiling introduced that the main force of the Qinglong Navy blocked the Panama Port, and fifteen Spanish warships and merchant ships were blocked inside. After a fierce battle, three ships were sunk, four were seriously damaged, and the rest surrendered.

After the siege lasted for more than ten days, Panama City suddenly became plagued by malaria, which affected the Qinglong Navy. Fortunately, the navy had the secret medicine of the King of Medicine (artemisinin), and after taking the medicine, more than half of them recovered quickly.

However, many people died of malaria in Panama City, and the city could no longer hold on, so the governor had no choice but to order a surrender.

“Your Majesty, four old gentlemen, we entered Panama City, interrogated local officials, and asked the interpreter to translate the archives in the city. We learned that Panama City was established by the Spanish in 1519 and was the base for Spain to invade the Pacific coast of southern Xunzhou (South America).

Starting from 1519, Spain continued to advance along the coastline towards the southern Sunda continent. In the place they called Peru, they destroyed a country called Inca and occupied that place.

The Spanish gathered the large amount of gold, silver and jewelry looted from all over Xunzhou in Panama City, then transported them by land to Porto Belo in the east, and then transferred them to Havana, where they gathered with other Spanish fleets in the New World and returned to the Spanish mainland together.

Du Shiling took out a list and raised his hands above his head.

“Your Majesty, this is the list of seized treasures that General Li asked me to bring back. Please take a look.”

Qi Yan stepped forward to take the list, walked up to it, and presented it with both hands.

Zhu Yijun took it and glanced at it.

It was all gold, silver and jewelry. The damn Spaniards had been robbers in the New World for fifty or sixty years and had made a fortune from the robbery.

Now you must put down your evil hands, the Ming Dynasty, which is here to eliminate violence and uphold justice, is here!

Zhu Yijun nodded calmly: “Well, the Spaniards still have some assets.

They have been robbing in the New World for so many years. Do they really think that there is no one in the world who can rule them? Do they really think that no one will uphold justice and fairness?”

Zhu Yijun handed the list to Hu Zongxian and asked the four of them to pass it around.

“Du Shiling, continue.”

“According to the decree!
After General Li led us to occupy Panama City, we learned that there was the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru to the south, so he led the main force south and quickly reached the port of Callao, south of Lima, the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

That was where the Spanish shipped Peru’s wealth to Panama. We quickly occupied the Port of Callao and obtained a lot of information about Peru.
Your Majesty, there are many mountains and deserts there, with little rain and drought, but there is a lot of gold, silver, copper and saltpeter in the mountains.”

After reading the list of treasures delivered by the Qinglong Navy, Hu Zongxian, Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji and Tan Lun were all shocked by the records.

What a generous deal! How could the distant New World be so rich?
With this return, the Qinglong Navy has already earned back half of its investment. This is just one trip, and there is still a long way to go!
Now I heard Du Shiling say that Peru in Xunzhou is rich in gold, silver and copper. This means we have stepped into a mountain of gold and silver again.

People say a steady stream of water leads to a long lasting flow, but yours is a flood that lasts forever!

Zhu Yijun said: “I don’t care about gold and silver, they only play a role in currency circulation. What I care about is copper and saltpeter.”

Yes, the current smelting technology is not up to standard. The steel produced contains too many impurities. When the mold is cast, there are many sand holes. If it is used to cast cannons, it is easy to explode.

Iron is easy to rust, especially naval guns, which rust faster in the salty and humid environment of sea water and sea breeze.

In contrast, copper is easy to mold and cast, and is not prone to sand holes. It has good ductility, and the bore can be easily polished very smoothly, which is more conducive to precision. It is not easy to rust and has better durability.

Therefore, in history, Europe began to take the bronze cannon route. The cannons used in the Nazi Empire and the American Civil War were basically bronze cannons.

But there are too few copper resources in the Ming Dynasty. Not even enough to make copper coins, let alone cast cannons?

Which country in the world has the largest copper reserves? Peru, Chile and Australia, with Russia in fourth place.

Now that we have Peru, is Chile far behind?

And saltpeter.

This stuff is an important component of black powder. Even if it is advanced to smokeless gunpowder, it is also an important raw material, ammonium nitrate
But when it comes to saltpeter, the Ming Dynasty has never been rich in it.

Sulfur is easy to say, as there is plenty of it in volcanoes, not to mention charcoal.

It was saltpeter that had always been a source of worry for the Taibusi Gunpowder Bureau, which produced gunpowder.

Now Xunzhou Peru (including Chile) has the world’s largest reserves of copper and saltpeter, which helps the Ming Dynasty make up for an important shortcoming.

“Gold and silver are helpful to the economic development of our Ming Dynasty.

Copper and saltpeter are of great help to our industry, especially the military industry.” Zhu Yijun looked at Hu Zongxian and the other three and said firmly, “There is also Genzhou, the endless fertile land, which is the treasure land bestowed by God to our Ming Dynasty.

If God doesn’t take it, he will be blamed for it!
Genzhou and Xunzhou are ours, and no one can snatch them from us! The Rong government will immediately work with the Military Governor’s Office to dispatch warships and merchant ships, and then work with the Imperial Household Department and the Imperial Government Department to dispatch supplies and craftsmen to organize the second expeditionary force.

Well, we need to mobilize at least 300 large ships, 30,000 soldiers and civilians, and sufficient supplies and equipment to head east on a favorable day to seize the precious land bestowed upon us by God!”

Hu Zongxian quickly replied: “As you wish!”

After chatting for a while, Zhu Yijun asked about the indigenous people of the New World. Du Shiling immediately replied: “Your Majesty, we found local indigenous people near Taiping City. They are very similar to us. Some people say they are the descendants of the Xia and Shang dynasties.”

Survivors of the Xia and Shang dynasties!

The person who came up with this idea is a genius!

Think about it, the oracle bones have not yet been officially excavated, only a small amount has been unearthed and used as the medicinal material “dragon bones”.

Later, when oracle bones were excavated, the largest number of discoveries were made in Anyang.

They asked people to secretly dig out some of them, and then secretly transported them to Genzhou and buried them somewhere. Twenty or thirty years later, oracle bones were unearthed in Anyang and Genzhou.

If two pieces of oracle bones are placed together, which one do you think is from Anyang and which one is from Genzhou?
There are also bronze artifacts from Sanxingdui, which look like the long-lost brothers and sisters of the Inca and Mayan civilizations! Regardless of who influenced whom, the question is whether they are a family.

We are a family, so it’s easy.

“Send an order to Cai Maochun of the Imperial Academy, asking him to organize a research group to prove the thesis that the natives of the New World are the descendants of the Shang Dynasty. How could the Spanish be willing to give up such a good land as the New World? There will be more bandits who want to share the fat meat from us in the future.

We can’t let them get away with it! We must first stand firm on the principle of justice, and then we will have a legitimate reason to act in the future!”

“According to the order!”

(End of this chapter)