"Xueyan, the business is quite big?" Wei Xueyan hurriedly handed over his hands and smiled humbly: "They all rely on the cultivation of the prince. Without the support of Yizhou soldiers, the small ones would never have achieved what they have today." "Of course there is an opportunity. "It's important, but you have to be able to seize the opportunity. I see you have acquired millions of acres of land, what business experience do you have?" Zhang Ke asked with a smile. If others asked, Wei Xueyan would still hesitate to avoid revealing business secrets, but if Zhang Ke asked, how could he dare to be negligent. "My lord, to be honest, I have inquired about it. There is a kind of precious wood on the island, called cypress. It is light red in color and has a fragrance. It can be used as furniture and building materials. No, in the past hundred years, gold wire from Yunnan and Guizhou and other places has been The nanmu and rosewood were all used up, so I had to transport wood from Nanyang. I thought of buying fields and forests along the way. I would first cut down the wood and then sell the land." Zhang Ke heard this. He couldn't help laughing and scolding: "You Wei Xueyan, you actually swallowed the fattest piece yourself and threw the bones to others!" "How could you? Your Majesty, you can't unjustly accuse the younger ones." Wei Xueyan argued. Said: "This is a matter of mutual consent between you and me. The little one is not trying to trick anyone. Besides, to open up fields, trees must be cut down first. The little one is helping those who come after them." Wei Xueyan said righteously. The harsh words made Zhang Ke laugh again: "Serious words and charming words, Sage Kong despises people like you the most, but I, the king, do appreciate it." !" Wei Xueyan kneeled on the ground. Said happily. Indeed, he never dreamed that it would be because he auctioned the most land. I was overjoyed to be summoned by Zhang Ke. "Get up, I have a business here, and I want you to do it." Wei Xueyan's eyes lit up, and sure enough, the prince would not summon him in vain. "Please tell me, Your Majesty, I will fight to the death." "Haha, fighting to the death is not a big deal. It's just that this matter is a bit difficult." Zhang Ke immediately told him the situation. "Don't you want to do the timber business? I happen to have a kind of timber here. It is extremely valuable, but it can only be grown in Nanyang, not at all to the north. I want to open a plantation in Batavia specifically to plant rubber trees. Far away. We are separated by an ocean. We have to deal with the local indigenous people and plant the trees well. It's a heavy burden." After listening to Zhang Ke's introduction, Wei Xueyan frowned and searched for Batavia on the vast map. When he saw it. At this time, my head also buzzed, and it was no exaggeration to say that it was the end of the world. After thinking for a moment, Wei Xueyan gritted his teeth. Said: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will do a good job. I will never let you down!" Zhang Ke did not nod hastily, but asked: "Do you have any strategies? Tell me and listen?" Wei Xueyan He had long wanted to develop overseas. After thinking about it for a while, he said: "Your Majesty, Batavia is located far away. The climate is very different. I thought I could use heavy profits to win over the natives. Let them help with the work, and then gradually immigrate. , and then get rid of the natives." "Okay, this is a good idea!" Zhang Ke said with a smile: "Go ahead and do it, the Batavia garrison will support you. I bought a rubber tree, but it may not be the best rubber tree. I think we should send people to South America to find the best rubber tree and transplant it. "No problem," Wei Xueyan agreed, and he sighed: "Your Majesty, I have long heard missionaries say that their fleet traveled far across the ocean and circled the earth under our feet, proving that the earth is round. I was fascinated by it when I was a child. As a kingdom in heaven, is it possible? Don¡¯t you have the courage to sail around the world? I am willing to invest 200,000 taels to recruit the best sailors and use the strongest ships to sail around the world. If the Yi people dare to do it, so will we! Zhang Ke couldn't help but applaud, and smiled happily: "Okay, as far as your courage is concerned, I have chosen the right person. No matter what happens, I will be responsible for it." Going on a round-the-world voyage, unexpectedly Wei Xueyan took the lead. Zhang Ke was very satisfied. In fact, Zhang Ke also noticed that he had Shanxi merchants, Southeast maritime merchants, and many Hui merchants under his command, but overall, Zhang Ke was dissatisfied with them all. Although these people are braver in pioneering and have a longer-term vision than the gentry and landlord class, they all have high ambitions and low ambitions. They talked about a thousand, but when they did it, they didn't even have eight hundred. For example, after Songjiang opened the sea, Zhang Ke encouraged them to be enterprising, to establish their own shipping routes, and to trade with the West. But now, if Zhang Ke hadn't taken the initiative to attack the Dutch, half of the trade routes in Nanyang would still be in Western hands. Clutching inside. Of course we can¡¯t just blame these people, theyHer family is extremely wealthy, she grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, and her relationships are extremely deep. It is very easy to make money, but where can you easily take risks? It just so happens that in this age of great navigation, what we need are adventurers. ?Open up new trade routes and explore the unknown world. Brave, greedy, enterprising, unconstrained by morality, and do whatever they can Zhang Ke saw hope in Wei Xueyan. They are young, visionary, and bold. As long as they are given appropriate support, they can definitely make a breakthrough. . After meeting Wei Xueyan, Zhang Ke decisively issued an order to encourage overseas expansion. Anyone who takes the initiative to go to sea, find unknown islands, retrieve rare animals and plants, open up trade routes, seize territory, and discover gold and silver mineral deposits will all be given priority. Reward, and depending on the merit, rewards will be awarded, and the highest can be a knighthood! This order was so extraordinary that it immediately caused huge waves. Many people think that the Chinese are a mainland nation. Although this is true, there are a large number of people living on the coast of China, especially on the southeastern coast. The number of these people is far greater than the population of those so-called ocean countries, and there are many ambitious people among them. After hearing Zhang Ke¡¯s order, the southeast became lively, and many young people organized fleets. With the protection and support of the imperial fleet, they decisively began to march towards the South China Sea. Thousands of islands are waiting for them to be discovered. Although exploring the sea is dangerous, it is easy to die. But there are also some successful ones among them. "If someone finds a deserted island, he or she will be rewarded immediately. Some people simply became the masters of an island. In turn, they recruited immigrants from the country, worked together to open up fields, grow food and cash crops, and within a few years, they became rich. Successful examples have prompted more people to go to the ocean. With them taking the lead, Zhang Ke¡¯s other plan was quickly implemented. ? Developing overseas requires manpower. There is not enough manpower in the southeast, and the price is expensive. Everyone set their sights on the Central Plains. The place is suffering from war, and there are countless refugees every moment. It doesn¡¯t cost much to recruit refugees. As long as you can solve the food problem, a large number of people will follow you. Starting from the sixth year of Chongzhen. The rate of overseas immigration is increasing day by day. By the seventh year of Chongzhen, almost one million people had gone overseas, including 300,000 on Japan Island, 100,000 on Jeju Island, more than 400,000 on Taiwan, and more than 100,000 on Batavia and other places. The huge immigration work has promoted the rapid development of maritime power. Within a year, tens of thousands of ships of various types were launched. For a time, there was a shortage of wood supply. The shipyard cannot start work. For this reason, Zhang Ke issued a special order to reward Westerners for selling timber to the Ming Dynasty, and the tariff was adjusted to zero. Even timber merchants can enjoy trade benefits. This is a big deal. Western businessmen are risking their lives to deliver high-quality timber to the Ming Dynasty. In fact, they also knew that if Ming Dynasty had wood, it would build more ships, which would eventually threaten their status. But so what, the benefits are there. If you don't do it, someone else will. Why bother with money? Among the merchants who sold timber to the Ming Dynasty, many were red-haired Dutchmen, and many people at the customs were astonished. If Zhang Ke knew about it, he would just laugh at how strange they are. You must know that in history, the Dutch competed with the British for maritime hegemony. Dutch businessmen were greedy for the high interest rates on British war bonds, so they bought a large number of bonds and helped the British defeat the Netherlands. Businessmen have no motherland, and it has been the same throughout the ages. Overseas development is in full swing, and the shipbuilding industry in the Southeast is booming, which has led to industries such as military industry, textiles, tool manufacturing, etc., and the entire social structure of the Southeast is changing rapidly. With the rise of factory owners and workshop owners, the status of merchants is relatively backward, more and more workers have appeared, and scattered handicraftsmen have been strongly impacted. Education has become more popular, and reading is no longer for the imperial examination, but has become a necessary course for a person. Only by reading and understanding the changes in the world can we seize opportunities for wealth. Only by mastering a skill can we make a living. Relatively speaking, traditional scholars spend their whole lives focusing on eight-legged essays, but they have no use for them. They either live in drunken dreams and curse desperately. For example, the newly formed Fushe has a large group of such scholars. Or you can secretly learn some skills, such as accounting and financial management, and then you can work comfortably as an accountant in a commercial bank. It will make a lot of money, but it is better than sitting around and living in vain. In short, the original system of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce was completely diluted, and businessmen who had the courage to explore overseas and factory owners who controlled the manufacturing industry became the main force of progress. Whether it is the government, soldiers, financial institutions, or social education, they all revolve around them. The rise of emerging forces has made Zhang Ke very motivated. That¡¯s right, history is here.His hands were twisted, and he was convinced that as long as he found the direction, the Chinese would not be worse than anyone else. Any reform in a closed environment will either follow the path of the rise and fall of dynasties, or it will only fail. With the overseas development, it is equivalent to opening up the two lines of Ren and Du. With room for maneuver, Zhang Ke can turn his attention back to the Ming Dynasty. Let us see what Chongzhen has been doing in the past two years! Since he appointed Yang Sichang as the Grand Scholar of Dongge and also in charge of the Ministry of War, and entrusted Yang Sichang with the task of suppressing thieves, Chongzhen has been looking forward to news of victory. Chongzhen tried his best to meet any request of Yang Sichang. When he wanted money, he emptied his own funds and gave him money. When he wanted people, he tried every means to give them to him. When he wanted power, Chongzhen gave Yang Sichang the sword of Shang Fang. His favor for him was so great that even Wen Tiren, who was the chief minister, also Envy, jealousy and hatred. With Chongzhen's immense trust, Yang Sichang did quite well at first. Although he did not wipe out the bandits, he at least killed them and made them run around. It seemed that victory was in sight. Especially Yang Sichang and Hong Chengchou set up an ambush and killed the bandit leader Gao Yingxiang in one fell swoop, which shocked the world. Chongzhen excitedly ran to the Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to his ancestors. Weeping bitterly, praying to the ancestors for blessing. ????????????????????? Just work harder and work harder. Success will not be far away. The idea is always beautiful, but the reality is extremely cruel. After Gao Yingxiang's death, Li Zicheng inherited the position of King Chuang. This was a more ferocious and cunning enemy. Li Zicheng took advantage of the loopholes in the court's layout to decisively attack Kaifeng and win a battle. Kaifeng was captured and King Fu Zhu Changxun was captured. Just outside Kaifeng City. Li Zicheng listed Fu Wang's sins, and without mentioning any of them, he cut off a piece of Fu Wang's flesh. The fat man weighing more than 300 kilograms was cut into a bloody gourd, and only a human head remained. He sent someone to deliver it to Emperor Chongzhen in the capital. Li Zicheng didn't think it was enough. In less than two months, he sent out a surprise attack on Xiangyang and killed the king of Xiangyang Zhu Yiming. Another prince died tragically and lost his vassal in succession. It was like a heavy hammer hitting Chongzhen. heart. The emperor, who was just in his early twenties, was aging rapidly and looked like a man in his thirties. "Your Majesty, this old slave has something to do." "It's my companion." Chongzhen managed a rare smile and said, "If there is anything unlucky, tell me, I can bear it." In an instant, Wang Chengen's nose felt sour. , almost cried. ' "I'm going to report to you, your Majesty, Yang Ge Lao Wu vomited several liters of blood a few days ago. He has died of illness. This is his suicide note." Wang Chengen raised the cyan memorial in his hand high. Chongzhen hesitated for a moment, then took it in his hand and unfolded it to take a look. " A strange disaster fell from heaven, and suddenly hit Xiangfan. I vomited blood and was heartbroken. I tied myself up and waited for death. There is no other explanation" After reading this, Chongzhen's eyes turned red. He threw the memorial to the ground and cursed: "You bastard." You dare to argue when you are about to die. Is it a strange disaster from heaven, or is it because the general is incompetent? If you die, it will be an advantage for him, otherwise he should be cut into pieces by a thousand swords." Hearing the screams, Like streaks of thunder. Wang Chengen clearly remembered that not long ago, he had advised Yang Sichang in his handwritten letter: "Since you resigned from the court on the 6th of September last year, for more than half a year, you have been thinking about me every day. You have worked hard with the soldiers, and your beard and hair have turned white. , I feel deeply in my heart. I also heard that you have careful arrangements and strict rewards and punishments, and I am deeply comforted by your intention to pacify the invaders and bring peace to the people" "In a short period of time, I fell from heaven to hell. Treating people like this, let alone a minister, even if he is physically disabled. Even the eunuch can¡¯t stand it! As soon as the excessive thoughts changed, Wang Chengen hurriedly did not dare to think about it anymore, but just lowered his head deeper. He knew Chongzhen too well. This sensitive and fragile emperor was like a chameleon. Any more words he said would lead to death. Seeing that Wang Chengen was silent and had no one to discuss with, he could only issue an order and call Wen Tiren over. Not long after, Wen Tiren came in a hurry and took a seat. Chongzhen sighed: "Mr. Wen Ge, I called you here in the middle of the night, which made me suffer." "I don't dare, your majesty, the old minister, is old and can't sleep. However, your majesty works hard day and night, which makes the old minister feel distressed." He said. Wen Tiren even deliberately wiped the circles under his eyes. Chongzhen smiled bitterly: "I don't want to be like this. However, the country is not so powerful. Now that Yang Sichang has passed away, who do you think Aiqing can take over as the governor of the bandit suppression?" "This" Wen Tiren was immediately stopped by the question. There was no doubt that, The most suitable candidate is Zhang Ke, but in recent years, Zhang Ke and Chongzhen have become increasingly estranged. The two sides beat drums and bought sweets, and each went about his own business. I heard that Zhang Ke was obsessed with sending troops overseas, and he wanted to be an overseas emperor based on his appearance. Chongzhen mobilized Liaodong troops several times, but Zhang Ke always responded with falsehoods, which made Chongzhen boss lose face. If notThe rogue bandits were getting more and more violent, and Chongzhen really wanted to attack Zhang Ke. In this case, it is definitely a huge risk to use Zhang Ke, but who else can be used if not! After thinking about it, Wen Tiren gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, when it comes to leading troops in battle, Anton King Zhang Ke is the best choice." Upon hearing this, Chongzhen heard a flash of displeasure and said angrily: "I have long ago After issuing the decree, Zhang Ke either said that he was sick or that he was short of food and grass, but he could spend any amount of money to fight on his own. I, I am deeply disappointed. " Wen Tiren has been serving Chongzhen for several years, and he has already figured out this man. The emperor's thoughts, he only said disappointment, but in fact it was hope, but he couldn't wipe it off his face! "Your Majesty, I think this is easy. I just need to do something about the title of King Andong." Chongzhen was puzzled and asked: "How to change it?" "Just remove the word 'An' and grant him temperance. The power of the three armies allowed him to destroy the bandits, and I thought he would succeed immediately." (To be continued)