Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 338 I’m Short of Money

The Ming Dynasty officials as a whole lacked a global perspective.

This is beyond doubt.

Take Shen Tingyang for example. In his mind, the whole world is the Ming Dynasty and its surrounding grasslands, deserts, oceans, and islands. Anything farther away is not within his consideration.

This is not to say that he was unaware that there were vast landmasses in the far distance, but because of thousands of years of inertial thinking, he never took those places thousands of miles away into account when considering the internal affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

Even after Zhu Cilang finished speaking, his first reaction was "TW has already finished the war, why do we have to fight with the Dutch?"

It's just that the world has changed.

As the oceans have transformed from natural barriers into pathways, connections across the world have gradually strengthened.

As a result, certain internal issues have become deeply connected with other countries.

Just like the financial issue, in the past it has always been a game between the central government and local forces.

But in the late Ming Dynasty, the attitudes of various colonies towards foreign trade, the monopoly of ocean trade routes by the great powers, and even the wars between the indigenous regimes on both ends of Malacca would have a huge impact on the Ming Dynasty's finances.

However, these were never considered by the emperor and his court officials.

However, the current rulers of the Ming Dynasty are...
Zhu Cilang not only had a deep understanding of the connections of the entire world, but also knew what impact Europe, thousands of miles away, would have on the situation in the Ming Dynasty.

In the original history, the Dutch took advantage of the intermission of the Eighty Years' War to start large-scale colonial activities near the South China Sea. Squeezed by them, the Zheng family could only shrink to the coast and reluctantly accepted the Ming Dynasty's amnesty.

Later, the Qing Dynasty basically unified the country, and the Zheng family had to find another base. At the same time, three Anglo-Dutch wars broke out in Europe. The Dutch, who were already on the decline, were no longer able to take care of things thousands of miles away.

But the current situation is somewhat different from history.

At this time, the Dutch had just burned the last of Spain's invincible fleet, and it would take the British several years to challenge the overlord of the ocean.

In the absence of any involvement, the Dutch, as the current maritime hegemon, will probably not sit idly by and watch TW be retaken.

In a month or two at most, war will surely break out again along the coast of the Ming Dynasty.

"Bring in the Dutchman."

After explaining the current situation in detail, all the ministers in the room looked worried, while Zhu Cilang, who had been in a bad mood before, seemed to be about to do something interesting.

About half an incense stick's time later, Caron's adjutant was brought into the house. After seeing the clothes and attire of everyone in the room, he immediately bowed to Zhu Cilang.

"Stessen, the adjutant of the Governor-General of the East India Company of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

After these words fell, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but smile.

Without this man, the remaining Dutch warships would not have been able to escape, but the process would definitely not have been so easy.

But after doing such a big thing, this guy actually reported for a position in the East India Company. Did he still think he could go back to work there?

Stetson naturally knew these things.

He used the name of Kalon to make the soldiers of Fort Zeelandia lay down their arms, and helped the Ming army capture the Dutch fleet.

After doing all this, it was obvious that there was no place for him in the Dutch sphere of influence, and all the things in the past had become a thing of the past.

But when people are in danger, they will always regard everything they encounter as a life-saving straw.

Although Stetson knew at this time that the Ming Dynasty was not afraid of the East India Company, after hearing that the Ming Emperor was bloodthirsty, he could only rely on these things.

"Okay, you have done a great deed this time, I will grant you wealth and honor."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift. I will definitely."

Hearing that the Ming Emperor was going to reward him, Stetson felt as if he had been pardoned. However, who would have thought that before the ceremony was over, another voice was heard coming from him.

"Don't thank me yet. There is something important that I need you to do. I will thank you after you return safely."

Return safely!

People can always discern the key points of words according to the current situation.

The moment before, Stetson was still looking forward to the level of wealth and glory that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would talk about, but the next second he was so frightened by these four words that he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, I really want to serve you, but I usually help Kalon manage the territory, and I know nothing about fighting."

"Don't worry, I have more than tens of thousands of generals. Even if you really want to fight for me, I'm afraid it won't be your turn."

After the words fell, Stetson breathed a sigh of relief.

He had heard that the Qing people would use prisoners as cannon fodder. Now that he heard that the Ming emperor did not need him to go to the battlefield, the nervousness in his heart was mostly gone.

But he still didn't quite understand the foreign emperor in front of him, so he naturally thought things were simple.

"I need you to deliver a letter to Batavia."

"Your Majesty! I am still valuable! I am still valuable!"

If someone else had yelled loudly in front of Zhu Cilang, they would have been beaten with sticks at the very least. But when the guards rushed out, they saw His Majesty just waved his hand gently, and did not seem to be angry at his disrespect.

"I had originally planned to help Du Chen manage the Ming Customs after you returned, but now it seems that you don't have the heart to do so."

"Your Majesty, you misunderstood!" Stetson kowtowed three times, and after he stood up, he continued, "I am very happy to have the opportunity to serve you this time, but after all, I am irreconcilable with the Dutch. If I go to Manila again, I will die, but it will be a great sin to delay your mission."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers in the hall looked disgusted. People like Shen Tingyang, who cared about their country, even closed their eyes without paying attention to the rules in front of the king.

Shameless people can be found everywhere, but due to different cultural accumulations, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness have always been regarded as universal values ​​in China.

Even the most shameless people will use high-sounding reasons to cover it up tightly. How many people dare to expose their dirty side nakedly?

However, Zhu Cilang finally understood the extreme egoism of Westerners. Seeing that the ministers in the room were nauseated as if they had swallowed a fly, he just smiled and talked to himself. "It doesn't matter. I had spread the news before you arrived. Caron was killed by a cannon. Those warships were captured by our army during the battle. And you were just sent back by me to deliver the message."

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty had already said so much, and Stetson naturally no longer had the courage to refute. Fortunately, after hearing these words, he also knew that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not regard him as a disposable message delivery tool, and then he asked hesitantly.

"Your Majesty, I think you are sending me to Batavia for more than just delivering a letter."

"Your purpose this time is threefold. The first is to tell them about the Ming Dynasty's use of 70 to 80 double-decker warships and hundreds of other merchant ships to besiege Taiwan. The second is to tell them that the Ming Dynasty is trying to get in touch with the Spanish and the British. As for the third."

At this point, Zhu Cilang's expression suddenly became strange. Without waiting for the ministers to weigh it in their hearts, he continued, "You have to let the Batavia Council know that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a profit-seeking person. As long as the conditions are right, he is not opposed to doing business with anyone, including the Netherlands."

It is obvious that Zhu Cilang is gambling.

Given the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, he did not have the ability to engage in a large-scale war with the Dutch at sea, but at the same time, he also knew that the Ming Dynasty still maintained a powerful and mysterious image in the minds of Westerners.

This image lasted for a long time, and it was not until after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 that it completely collapsed.

So he gave the Dutch two choices.

Either go to war with the "powerful" Ming Dynasty and watch the British, who were still confined to India, interfere with this lucrative trade route; or accept the fact and seek compensation through commercial dealings.

In Zhu Cilang's view, a country based on commerce is extremely lacking in courage. In layman's terms, it bullies the weak and fears the strong.

If they encounter a weak one, they will naturally go all out and use all their might, but once they encounter an enemy capable of causing them damage, everything will be done with extreme caution.

This has been a consistent practice among Western countries, and even America later on did not change this ingrained habit.

Of course, the Dutch are now at their peak, and even though Zhu Cilang has a deep understanding of their national character, he is not completely sure whether this plan can succeed.

But then again, even if he failed, the price Zhu Cilang would have to pay would only be Stetson.

The war with the Dutch had been in his plan for a long time and he had been preparing for it. With the current maritime strength of the Ming Dynasty, it could afford to fight a naval battle with the Batavia Council.

As for financial issues.
"Lord Shen, Lord Zheng, the Spanish are not too far from Ming. After Du Chen finishes the negotiations, you two will lead our Ming fleet to the South Seas."

After sending Stetson away, Zhu Cilang began to explain the situation to Shen and Zhen.

Obviously, this is to create the illusion that Ming Dynasty has strong maritime power, and its purpose is to provide some circumstantial evidence for Stetson in this way.

But when the two of them were concentrating on every word of His Majesty's words, Gu Yuanjing, who was standing aside, was somewhat puzzled.

Today, so many people have gathered to welcome the triumphant army in order to demonstrate your Majesty's military prowess. The small meeting to be held later is to deal with the Dutch.

But what does this have to do with him as the Governor of Guangdong?
Does Your Majesty also intend to let me lead the troops to war?
"I understand. On the surface, this is to blame the Spanish for the massacre of Ming people in Manila, but in reality, it is to show the Dutch the strength of our Ming navy."

"Well, that's basically how it can be understood. Du Chen will naturally focus our goal on the Dutch during negotiations. However, we can't let it go easily. We must at least let the Spanish make some gestures."

"Yes, I understand."

Gu Yuanjing really had no interest in the conversation between Zhu Cilang and Shen Tingyang, but just when he was concentrating on guessing his majesty's thoughts, his name finally rang out in the room.

"Gu Aiqing."

"The minister is here."

When he heard His Majesty calling his name, Gu Yuanjing immediately stood up from his seat.

However, he had been speculating for a long time but still couldn't find any clue, and he couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"I feel a little tired these days."

Zhu Cilang naturally noticed Gu Yuanjing's reaction, and after he stood up, he asked with a smile.

But Governor Gu was no ordinary man after all. He immediately covered up his slight distraction with an extremely standard answer.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. I originally thought that a war with the Dutch was inevitable, but after hearing your majesty's plan, I finally understood what it means to have a thorough plan. I was trying to understand the mystery behind it, but I was a little distracted."

In response to such an answer, Zhu Cilang just smiled faintly. Then he did not dwell on why Gu Yuanjing was distracted and went straight to the point.

"Whether this succeeds or not, the trade route from the mainland to Southeast Asia will be controlled by the Ming Dynasty itself."

At this moment, Gu Yuanjing was no longer absent-minded as before. Although His Majesty deliberately paused for a moment, he still couldn't figure out what this matter had to do with him.

In essence, trade routes are something that merchants have always paid attention to. A governor like him only needs to make sure there is no trouble in the area under his jurisdiction, so why would he pay attention to these things?

"However, overseas is not peaceful after all. We still need the support of our navy when we go out to sea, so I want to try it on a small scale first, and then do other things after we understand the internal situation."

Well, then what?
The more Zhu Cilang spoke, the more confused Gu Yuanjing became.

What Your Majesty talked about were all business matters. A scholar like him knows nothing about it. Even if he really knows something about it, how could he possibly get involved in it?

"As for how to try this on a small scale, I plan to learn from the Westerners and set up a company. Those who are willing to invest can be supported by the navy to explore trade routes for our Ming Dynasty."

Invest in shares.

For Gu Yuanjing to be able to reach such a high position as a general, reading comprehension is naturally a necessary skill. Otherwise, let alone those obscure official documents, he might not even be able to pass the imperial examination.

By now he naturally understood that His Majesty was raising money through such a strange method. However, most of those merchants were as stingy as iron roosters. How could he possibly get money from them with such sweet words?

"I intend to divide this share into one thousand shares, and first take out two hundred shares for the gentry in Guangdong and Fujian to subscribe. The time will be set on the day when my Ming navy sets sail."

What about Zhejiang and Nanzhili?

As soon as Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Gu Yuanjing, who was from Zhejiang, immediately thought of his hometown.

However, His Majesty did not mention these two places, so he did not dare to ask more questions. After all matters were explained, he thought of a way to turn around.

"Why not find two locals for the tribe first?"

(End of this chapter)