It dawns early in summer, just after Mao hour, and the sky is already slightly bright. At Mao ten minutes, sparse silhouettes of people in twos and threes begin to appear in the alleys of Hanwu, and they swarm hurriedly onto the streets that have been cleaned overnight. , not long after, a surging flow of people formed on various streets, rushing to the workshop area in the northeast of Hanwucheng. Life is very monotonous these days, and there is almost no entertainment at night. Most workshop workers go to bed at dusk and get up at dawn. In order to increase their working time, the workshop owners do their best to increase their wages and provide free high-quality breakfast. Therefore, the workshop workers in Hanwu always got up and rushed to the workshop. At the Dingsheng Pier in the inner harbor, three sail warships slowly docked in the morning breeze. Looking at the font size on the ship's side, one could tell that they were warships of the Dongxing Fleet. Liu Siwu, dressed in military uniform, stepped onto the pier, took a deep breath, and then said : "What time is it now?" The guard quickly responded: "Report to the commander, it is a quarter of an hour before Chen time." "Let's go, have breakfast first." Liu Siwu said and strode forward, the iron palms of his moire leather boots were on There was a clanking sound on the cement road, and a group of guards quickly followed. Yun Xiaozhou, the guard company commander, quickly followed up and tentatively said: "Commander, it's still early, there is a restaurant in Nancheng that serves authentic spicy soup "No." Liu Siwu said without hesitation: "We must get to the General Military Mansion at four o'clock." In fact, there are many restaurants and breakfast shops near the Hanwu Port Pier, and most of them are open all night. , however, they are dressed in military uniforms, which is not suitable for dining at the dock. Originally, warships were not supposed to come to Hanwu Port. There was Qiming Military Port on the north side of Pingshan. However, he was unwilling to disembark from Qiming Military Port. Not to mention that he was not willing to deal with Li Jian more. It was not that he had a bad relationship with Li Jian. Since the eighth year of Jiajing, the two of them had been working together. Although there were many overt and covert fights, it did not affect their relationship. The relationship is just that the two of them now have heavy weapons. But I have to stay a little farther away. There were many sedans and carriages soliciting business on the pier. When Liu Siwu and his party saw them, several carriages quickly came up to them, but the sedans did not move. These bearers knew that it was impossible for the officers and soldiers of the escort to ride in the sedans. , this is the rule. Sun Xiaojun, the driver of the carriage, could tell from a distance that this was a senior officer who must have escorts in the other party's group. But when he walked closer and saw a shining golden star on Liu Siwu's shoulder straps and collar, he couldn't help but wipe it. Eye. The officers and soldiers of the escort team are rich and like to ride in carriages, and they always have a lot of money for carriages. Coachmen have always been the favorite customers to attract. Coachmen generally know the rank of the Guards, but the Guards officers wear gold stars. This was the first time Sun Xiaojun met him. He heard that he was the highest-ranking officer in the escort. Jumping out of the carriage, he bowed with some restraint and said, "As a military master, how about going to the General Military Mansion? It's a long way" Liu Siwu stopped and said, "How much is it?" " "The military master can reward you as much as you like," Sun Xiaojun said with a smile on his face. "No, please make it clear." Liu Siwu said with a smile: "If you give me less, you will grind your teeth in vain. If you give me too much, we will suffer." Seeing that Liu Siwu was young and had an easy-going tone, Sun Xiaomao felt a little relaxed and said with a smile: "The army and the people are in a good relationship. The escorts are the soldiers of our common people. How dare you open your mouth" This is an old man. Liu Siwu was too lazy to grind his teeth with him and said straight away: "Five cars, two silver coins " "Okay." Sun Xiaojun immediately smiled and turned around to greet the carriage. Because there were many people on the street rushing to work in the workshop, the carriage did not go very fast. At three o'clock in the morning, Liu Siwu got off the carriage just a stone's throw away from the General Military Mansion. Just as he got off the carriage, he saw a horse galloping towards him. Glancing over, he saw Wu Zishun, and he couldn't help but raise his hand excitedly. Wu Zishun had already seen him on the horse. He immediately reined in the horse and said calmly: "Arrived early in the morning?" This is not nonsense! Liu Siwu replied lazily. He had long been accustomed to this pockmarked person's cold temper. He immediately smiled and said: "You have no scruples about whipping up your whip and urging your horse on the street in front of the General Military Mansion?" "Young Master doesn't have that many things." Rules." Wu Zishun jumped off the horse, held the reins, and walked forward slowly. He had vaguely guessed that Yi Shizi Zhu Houye was attacking King Yi, and Hu Wanli was about to take action, but for a moment, he I don¡¯t understand, where will Dongxing Port start? Wu Zishun didn't say much. Liu Siwu knew very well and was not surprised. He just walked side by side with him slowly. When they arrived at the gate of the General Military Mansion, Li Jian also arrived on horseback. He jumped off his horse and rushed When Wu Zishun nodded slightly, he looked at Liu Siwu and said, "I heard when I came back that you had another girl?" "What do you mean you have another girl? This is the second girl." Liu Siwu glanced at him sideways. , replied: "Is yours also a girl?" "Hi, I have been away from home for two years."?Look, the second one must be a big fat boy. "Li Jian smiled. "Pull him down. Liu Siwu curled his lips, rolled his eyes, and then said: "Will the young master allow us to take concubines?" "The wives of senior officers of the escort team are all maids of Hu Wanli or his wives and concubines, which is also the marriage Hu Wanli refers to. They really don't dare to take concubines casually, so Liu Siwu asked this question. After thinking for a while, Li Jiancai said: " The young master is generous and will not interfere with the matter of taking concubines. " "missing. "Wu Zishun rarely spoke up and said: "I heard from Mr. Xue that Xiaoliuqiu is going to follow the Ming Dynasty's rules. People must have no heirs before they are allowed to have concubines. " "Are we childless? Liu Siwu blinked his eyes and said. Wu Zishun glanced at him and said, "How old are you?" " "Not young anymore, twenty-six already. Liu Siwu laughed and said, "Do we have to wait until thirty?" " "The first priority of Dongxing Port now is to develop its population. Li Jian considered it and said, "This rule is not good. You have to talk to the young master." " Li Fenglie walked out of the gate at this time, glanced at the three of them, and said with a smile: "You three, please wait in the study, the young master will be here soon. " "Feng Lie, ask someone to make two buns for cushion. I haven't eaten breakfast yet. "Liu Siwu said carelessly: "I don't know how long the discussion will take. " He has realized that Hu Wanli's summons this time must be a big move. Li Fenglie smiled when he heard it. He said: "The autumn wind has come to the General Military Mansion, and you are really there. "With that said, he ordered the porter: "Hurry up and get two steamed buns quickly. " "mean. "Liu Siwu murmured. "It's really not stingy. Li Fenglie smiled and said: "There are no big meat buns in the General Military Mansion, they are all made from small steamed buns. They are oily when you bite them. We are considerate of you." " Several people entered the General Military Mansion chatting and laughing. When they waited outside Hu Wanli's study, Liu Siwu had already devoured two big steamed buns with a bowl of cold white rice. Li Jian deliberately distanced himself from him and chuckled: "Fortunately, It's at the General Military Mansion. If they saw you eating like this on the street, no one would dare to send their children into the escort team. " "This is a white-flour steamed bun" "Liu Siwu said something halfway before he quickly stopped talking. Hu Wanli had already hurried up the corridor. The three of them hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and saluted in unison, saying: "Young Master¡ª¡ª. " Hu Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Go in." " Entering the study room. Hu Wanli sat directly at the main seat and said straight to the point: "I plan to establish two private ports in Qingniwakou (Dalian) of Jinzhouwei, Liaodong Province, and Jimo (Qingdao), Shandong Province. " Regarding the waters of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Siwu, Li Jian, and Wu Zishun all knew it with their eyes closed. When they heard this, the three of them were greatly surprised. It would be okay to build three private ports in the south of the Yangtze River. After all, they are far away from Beijing. However, building private ports at Jimo and Qingniwakou is equivalent to building private ports under the nose of the capital, which can threaten the capital of the Ming Dynasty at any time. Isn't this forcing the Ming Dynasty to go to war with Dongxing Port? He didn't react. What was Hu Wanli's intention? Even if he wanted to impersonate King Yi Zhu Houye, he couldn't force the court to start a war with Dongxing Port. Besides, Zhu Houye had just attacked King Yi. What was his intention? Jiancai said: "Master, the escort has developed rapidly in recent years, but the imperial court is not idle either. The naval forces in South Zhili and Northern Zhili are now very large. To establish a private port in the north is tantamount to forcing the imperial court to go to war. The subordinates are not afraid of war, but if there is a war, the development momentum of Xiaoliuqiu will inevitably be interrupted "Liu Siwu said eagerly: "Master, do you want to destroy the two newly built fleets of the imperial court? " Wu Zishun glanced at him and considered, "Master, once the war breaks out, the trade of the three private ports of Macau, Xiamen, and Ningbo will inevitably be cut off. Should we delay it for another two or three years? " "If you delay it any longer, it will only become more cruel. "Hu Wanli said in a deep voice: "Let's ignore the three private ports for the time being. Xiaoliuqiu has already had enough reserves in recent years. If we stir it up, we can focus the attention of the government and the public on the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea. " After hearing these words, Wu Zishun immediately understood that this was to divert the attention of the court! Unexpectedly, Hu Wanli then said: "On the pretext of starting a war with the Ming Dynasty, cut off the supply of all weapons, ammunition and food to the Japanese country, and send people To Ashikaga Yoshimi, he said he was in urgent need of silver and joined forces with him to attack Ouchi Yoshitaka " Hearing this, the three of them were confused for a moment. What did Hu Wanli want to do? Is he going to fight the Japanese country or the Ming Dynasty? After a long while, Liu Siwu said: "Master, who is Xu? Who is real? " "We all have to win. Hu Wanli glanced at the three of them as he spoke and said, "Wu Zishun, tell them about Yi Wang Zhu Houye in detail." Hearing this, Wu Zishun couldn't help but be stunned, and then realized that it was impossible to hide this matter from Liu Siwu and Li Jian. Even if he succeeded by luck, Hu WanHe also needs a bodyguard to protect his throne. This is a good thing for him. At least he doesn't have to worry about being silenced afterwards. However, the more people know about this matter, the greater the risk. He can't help but look at Hu Wanli. Hu Wanli nodded slightly, then picked up the tea cup and sipped the tea in a slow and orderly manner. To change the situation, he must first stabilize the military morale of the escort team. If the military morale is stable, the people's morale will naturally be stable. If Xiaoliuqiu is destroyed because of the change, If there is internal strife, then the gains outweigh the losses. Therefore, this matter must be told to Liu Siwu and Li Jian. After Wu Zishun finished speaking about the situation of King Yi Zhu Houye slowly, Liu Siwu and Li Jian both looked surprised. It goes without saying that Hu Wanli wanted to seize the Ming Dynasty. After a long while, Li Jian said: "Young Master If he pretends to be the King of Yi, Zhu Houye, and continues to do so, this is a bit unfair to the young master. With the development speed of Dongxing Port, in ten years, he will definitely be able to compete for the Zhu family's world in an upright manner. " Ten years later, God knows what will happen in ten years. What will it be like? Besides, ten years later, he was already forty-seven. If we fight for the world for a few more years, we will be at least fifty. By then, the entire Ming Dynasty will be beaten to a pulp. Besides recuperating, what else can he do? Can't wait, he really can't wait now! As for the impostor, he is not aggrieved. Anyway, he came from time travel. In this world, his surname is Zhu or Hu. What difference does it make to him? It doesn't matter what your last name is in this world, what's important is that you can control this world! To control a prosperous and prosperous country instead of a country that has been beaten to a pulp, any demolition and reconstruction is all nonsense. The population cannot grow in a year, not in a few decades. It cannot develop at all. ??Besides, even if it is to tear down and rebuild, what kind of country can he build? Capitalism, socialism? Constitutional monarchy? That's all nonsense. The Ming Dynasty's system is already very good in this era. He can keep Xiaoliuqiu as a pilot project, but he will never dare to try it in the Ming Dynasty. I was lost in thought for a long time while holding the tea cup. Hu Wanli gently put down the tea cup and said: "One general's achievements are so great that thousands of bones are withered. How can a change of dynasty not be a river of blood? If you can usurp the world at the smallest cost, what does a little loss count?" After a slight pause, he Then he continued: "There is one more account. Have you calculated it? How much is the annual salary of the escort? It has exceeded two million taels! One hundred thousand regular troops is almost the limit that Dongxing Port can bear. In other words, Ten years later, the size of the escort can only be maintained at around 100,000. With 100,000 troops sweeping across the Ming Dynasty, it will be able to destroy the Ming Dynasty, but now the Ming Dynasty is not the end of the world." Hearing what he said, the three of them were speechless. The current regular strength of the escort is 60,000, and the annual military salary is at least 1.6 million. This is obvious. There are also garrisons from various places in Southeast Asia. The two million is really not empty. In addition, a large number of warships, firearms and ammunition Military supplies also cost a lot of money. If it weren't for the plundering of Southeast Asian countries and Japanese countries in recent years, Dongxing Port would not be able to support such a large-scale expansion of the escort. Although Dongxing Port's sea trade profits have grown rapidly in recent years, the Guards are simply a gold-eating beast. If the number of troops is expanded to 200,000, the annual military expenditure will be at least five to six million, which is simply unimaginable. It is obvious that reducing military pay is not an option at the moment. However, there was one more thing that Wu Zishun had to remind him. After hesitating for a long time, he said cautiously: "Master, once there is a war with the two naval forces of the imperial court, will the imperial court threaten the young master's family in Xi'an?" Speaking of this, Hu Wanli couldn't help but secretly sigh, and the image of the cheap second brother Hu Wanshan appeared in front of his eyes. He originally asked Hu Wanshan to meet Xi'an and flee south with his family, but it failed. Now there is no chance of rescue. Xi'an is really It's too far away, and the family will be implicated by him sooner or later. After pondering for a while, he said slowly: "Probably not. The imperial court would not dare to use this to anger Dongxing Port until the last moment. After all, Dongxing Port did not openly rebel. I told Yan Shifan about this." Wu Zishun said this. Are you disapproving of it and haven't openly rebelled yet? What does it take to be openly rebellious? Jiajing is really determined, how can Yan Song keep it safe? He was also helpless about this matter. Just a reminder, he was just afraid that Hu Wanli would be blamed in the future. "Okay, this matter is forbidden to be recorded." Hu Wanli said, waving his hands, and said: "You go down and make a plan first." "I obey my orders." The three of them stood up quickly, then saluted and left. After leaving the General Military Mansion, Wu Zi broke up with the two of them. Now that Hu Wanli had made a plan to usurp the throne, and started to implement it, he had to redeploy his manpower to Jianchang Mansion, and not a single detail could be missed. Hu Wanli definitely wanted to go to the south city of Jianchang Mansion, so he couldn't make any omissions. Liu Siwu and Li Jian went directly to the Hanwu Fleet Headquarters in Beiying - in fact, it was the original Second Division Headquarters. They entered Li Jian's signing room, and Liu SiwuHe sat down and said unceremoniously: "In the past few years, the Hanwu fleet has been wandering around the Nanyang area. It is not familiar with the situation of the Japanese country. The battle against the Japanese country will be left to my Dongxing fleet, and the two naval divisions of the imperial court will be dealt with by you." " The Nanyang Fleet has also been transferred back" Li Jian looked at him and said: "The situation in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea is familiar to the Dongxing Fleet. Let's mix it up. Besides, do you know why the young master fought against Japan?" For what?" Liu Siwu leaned back in his chair lazily and said lazily, "Is it for the Ouchi family's Iwami Silver Mine?" "You kid" Li Jiancao asked. He closed the door with the cattail leaf fan, then turned back and sat down and said, "The young master wants to secretly trick Chen Cang into attacking the two imperial naval forces in the north, and make it look like building a private port at Qingniwakou and Jimo." , attract the attention of the court, and then calmly arrange things in the south, and fight against the Japanese, firstly to prevent the Japanese from making small moves at critical moments, and secondly, for money. Although Dongxing Port has sufficient reserves in recent years, once the war starts, all of Ming Dynasty will be lost. Trade will be cut off, and trade with Japan will naturally be cut off as well. In recent years, you should know better than me the amount of silver imported by Japan every year. Once there is a big fight with the Ming Dynasty, no one dares to say who will win or lose, and any accidents will happen. It's all possible. The more money, the better. It's a guarantee of at least military expenditure." Liu Siwu nodded slightly. The Japanese country's silver production has greatly improved in recent years. The annual import to Xiaoliuqiu is about one million taels. This amount. The source of the money cannot be cut off. After pondering for a while, he said: "To build a private port at Qingniwakou and Jimo, the young master is preparing to fight a protracted war? But the Japanese want a quick victory!" "That's right." Li Jian said with a smile: " That's why I said I wanted to mix it up." Liu Siwu didn't accept this, but moved to another place according to the wind and lowered his voice: "You said, the young master is really willing to pretend to be someone else?"