From the end of Jiajing to the era of great pirates

As soon as Xiong Tingbi got off the ship at Tianjin port, the eunuch summoned by the palace arrived.He had no choice but to say goodbye to Liu Ting and speed off to the capital alone.

I originally thought that Wanli was in an emergency, but when he arrived at the imperial city, he heard that the emperor was summoning ministers. Old Xiong was also confused and waited for an hour in the imperial city before it was his turn to be received.

On the way to Wanli's palace, I met Zhao Zhigao, who was the chief assistant at the time. The expression on the latter's face was a bit strange, but he still nodded when he saw the old bear.

Xiong Tingbi was also a little puzzled. He didn't have much friendship with this old man. This old man seemed to focus on resigning or scolding Zhang Juzheng. The latter devoted himself to evaluating officials' performance during the reform period. This old Zhao Fo had been with him for a long time. He was accidentally dismissed as a mediocre official by Zhang Juzheng, and Lao Zhao suffered from lifelong humiliation.

Lao Xiong didn't have much idea about this person, and when he first entered the officialdom, he took the path of being a favorite and a relative. He couldn't get along with the orthodox scholar-bureaucrats, and the friendship was just a polite greeting.It's just that the other party's expression was a little strange just now?

With doubts, Lao Xiong walked into the familiar emperor's bedroom and was startled when Wanli asked him directly.

"Fei Bai, you're here at the right time. Calculate for me, how much does it cost to build a naval army like the Zheng family's?"

"Well..." Xiong Tingbi was speechless for a moment.

The ancestor had given permission to borrow the Zheng family navy to attack Burma this time, but recently the ancestor's mind was not on the Ming Dynasty. He was a little absent-minded and did not consider many details.Therefore, the dozens of Galen ships dispatched this time were basically used for maritime trade, and more than half of the guns on them were dismantled. They could only be said to be merchant fleets, but they never thought that this would arouse the emperor's thoughts. .

As time went by, he and the emperor had a certain friendship, but he still didn't want the Zheng family to be at odds with the emperor.The main sworn brother said that even if the Zheng family rebelled, they would not be in this dynasty. They were waiting for an emperor who could only collect agricultural taxes to come to power.To be honest, Xiong Tingbi felt that there would be no such fool in the world. Maybe his ancestor was just confused and said it, but the Zheng family was willing to wait and there would be no conflict between the two parties. For him, this was the best situation.

Never thought that something went wrong on the emperor's side first.

The emperor wants to build a navy?Are you still targeting the Zheng family fleet?Isn't that too ridiculous?It was probably the gold and silver mountains of the Japanese country that gave the emperor confidence.After doing it for a long time, it was still the fault of myself.

"Your Majesty, the fleet mainly spends money on ships and cannons. When I was fighting the Japanese, the cannons played a greater role. One cannon costs a hundred taels of silver..." Xiong Tingbi was still thinking about it. Offering more money directly scared off the emperor, but he was interrupted directly by the emperor.

"Fei Bai, you only count the cost of the boat."

"From the ship?"

This is not easy to fool. Many of the shipyards mainly in Jiangnan are built by the Zheng family, and the prices are clearly marked. The emperor does not need to calculate, so he can just send a royal guard to take a look.It should be impossible to quote the price of the shipyard. "This is a little complicated. The main ship materials must be dried first and then thoroughly dried before they can be used. It usually takes several years. This part of the value is the most difficult to estimate. The source of the wood is simple. In the north of North Korea, I Towards the Liaodong border, there are a lot of big trees like this."

"Just tell me, how much can you save on the price tags of those shipyards in Jiangnan?"

"About a hundred taels. If they don't make any money, it should be around 400 taels per ship."

"400 taels?" This time it was Wanli's turn.

He calculated in his mind, it is said that the Jinshan Silver Mine in Japan can easily mine 50 taels of silver a year, and my mine tax and weaving tax have also begun to be collected. If you add it up a year, why can't there be 200 million?Doesn't that mean that even if Jiangnan Shipyard is not squeezed, a fleet can be assembled with one year's revenue?

"Fei Bai, you go back and ask the Zheng family how much ship materials they can prepare now, which can be used immediately. If they can get forty, no, thirty, just build the Galen ship for me immediately, I will Don't squeeze their profits, just pay the listed price." Wanli made up his mind.The navy was his dream. Since he could build one with one year's income, why would he not want to part with it?

"My lord, I obey the order." Lao Xiong obeyed the order, but he was complaining in his heart, for fear that the emperor would irritate the Zheng family.

Knowing the secrets of both sides and being regarded as confidants by both sides is really difficult. If I had known, it would be better to start the fight against Myanmar this time from the mountains and forests in the north.

When he returned to his residence, Lao Xiong hurriedly found someone to look for Zheng Jing. Fortunately, his sworn brother was in the Six Ministries watching politics and did not leave the capital, so he was quickly found.

Zheng Jing came over in a hurry. Seeing the solemn look on Old Xiong's face, he thought it was something big. He relaxed when he opened his mouth and said, "There are so many materials. Didn't you look at the Songjiang Shipyard? All the wood hanging out is spare wood. It can build galenines and flying shears. The emperor wants forty ships. There is no problem at all. If you place the order now, they can be built in about three months. If it were faster, it might be better than other shipyards, but the ships built are all the same."

"Then your Zheng family..." Xiong Tingbi looked a little hesitant when his adopted brother spoke so cheerfully.

"Hey, do you still think so long-term about things that will happen decades from now?" Zheng Jing said with a smile: "If that stupid emperor who is destined to appear will appear, then the whole world will be nervous. If he doesn't appear, it will be like this today. It's pretty good, but who expects chaos in the world? By then, the fleet passed down by Master Wanli will have long since fallen apart. Even if it can still be used, can he afford to maintain it? Don't waste this big order, not to mention, Our family is an imperial merchant!"

"Ah? Is that so? Then why are you so worried about your brother?" Xiong Tingbi slapped his forehead and felt as if he could see the sun from the clouds.

Zheng Jing further reassured him: "Those things I told you before were just to prepare you mentally, so that you wouldn't be frightened if something happened one day. I didn't let you get entangled here. Just like today, you should do whatever you want. The Zheng family will not make it difficult for you. Except for your ancestor, you don’t have to keep anything secret. If the emperor really wants to, he can directly invest in the maritime trade fleet. If he is willing, Zheng The family's fleet directly flies the dragon flag to represent the emperor's business. He can give this member to whomever he is willing to do without having to tell the ministers. Anyway, I, the Zheng family, just recognize it."

Old Xiong was comforted by his adopted brother and hurried to the palace to comfort Wanli, "Your Majesty, my adopted brother said that the shipyard has prepared a lot of ship materials. Forty ships are no problem. If your Majesty is in a hurry, please bring in a few more shipyards. They would not be happy to have His Majesty's grace."

When Wanli heard this, he was also happy. The fleet of his dream was finally built. He called Zhang Cheng and sent the decree to the cabinet.

As a result, the emperor's decree was rejected at the court meeting the next day.

This result made Long Yan furious.When Xiong Tingbi came to see the emperor the next day, he felt the emperor's anger even far away from the palace.

"I spent my own money and commissioned my relatives to build it! Are they still opposed? What are they opposed to? Which of their reasons can be put on the table? They are talking about the country's foundation. Chang Luo or Chang Xun succeeds. It's none of their business. What's the matter? What the hell does it have to do with my fleet? I'm really pissed off!"