My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 391 The Annamite Army Marches South

As Su Ze left the Ministry of War, a resentful young man emerged from a corner.

Deng Yizan was assigned to the Ministry of War by Zhang Juzheng, and he was on tenterhooks for a while, fearing retaliation from Zhao Zhenji.

Especially today, when Zhao Zhenji came to the Ministry of War for a meeting, Deng Yizan thought that Zhao Zhenji would put pressure on the Ministry of War and make things difficult for him.

But in the end, Deng Yizan discovered that Zhao Zhenji didn't remember him at all.

As a Grand Secretary of the court, Zhao Zhenji naturally wouldn't care about a mere Hanlin scholar.

Zhao Zhenji had no reason to specifically send someone to make things difficult for Deng Yizan.

But what humiliated Deng Yizan even more than the suppression was being ignored!
This kind of disregard is the most infuriating!
The Ministry of War is extremely busy today, and Zhao Zhenji has come to the Ministry of War to discuss matters.

Given Deng Yizan's rank, he was not qualified to attend the meeting.

His jealousy intensified as he watched Su Ze emerge from the council hall.

So what if he passed the imperial examination one year earlier than me? Besides, Su Ze was only a second-class scholar, while I was the second-ranked scholar in the first class.

But I'm currently doing odd jobs at the Ministry of War.

Deng Yizan also attributed some of the reasons to Su Ze's agreement with Zhang Yuanbian.

After watching Su Ze leave, Deng Yizan returned to his public housing.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng treated his students quite well; Deng Yizan was assigned to the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War for observation and training.

This was partly because he was the second-place finisher in the imperial examinations, and partly because Shen Shixing was the Director of the Military Selection Department, and Zhang Juzheng also had the idea of ​​having Shen Shixing examine Deng Yizan.

When facing Shen Shixing, Deng Yizan adopted a more humble attitude.

Deng Yizan knew that Shen Shixing was a protégé of Zhang Juzheng and that Shen Shixing's official career was going well, so he naturally dared not neglect him.

Seeing Deng Yizan trying to curry favor, the other officials in the Military Selection Division all showed disdain on their faces.

This second-place candidate in the imperial examinations was notoriously ambitious but incompetent, and he was unwilling to do any of the basic work of the military selection department.

They spend all day in the public quarters talking loudly about politics and disturbing others from doing their work.

Everyone was hoping that he could finish his observation period as soon as possible and leave the Ministry of War.
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In contrast, Zhang Yuanbian was much more popular in the Ministry of Works.

Zhang Yuanbian chose to go to the Ministry of Works' Construction Department.

Wan Jing, the head of the Construction Department, is a good friend of Su Ze. He is currently overseeing the construction of the Zhigu Steel Plant. Zhang Yuanbian came to the Ministry of Works, relieving the shortage of personnel in his Construction Department. Wan Jing discovered that this top scholar was very quick to get the hang of practical matters.

Wan Jing said to Zhang Yuanbian, "Scholar, this Zhigu Steel Plant was built specifically for the Zhiwu Railway Company, and its main production capacity is to supply the rails for the Zhiwu Railway."

Zhang Yuanbian asked, puzzled, "Why is it that you want to set up the headquarters in Zhigu, General Wan?"

Wan Jing said:

“This steel plant is different from other industries; it requires a lot of coal and iron, so transportation is the primary consideration.”

“The steel mills in Gyeonggi have already consumed the transportation resources of Shanxi by supplying coal and iron there. If they continue to set up factories in Gyeonggi, it will only drag each other down.”

"But why is it located in Zhigu? There are no coal or iron mines in Zhigu."

Wan Jing said with a smile:

"Zhigu has no coal or iron ore mines, but Shandong and Liaodong do."

“Steel plants are located in ports, and coal and iron ore transported by sea can be delivered directly to the plants. This is even cheaper than setting up plants right next to coal and iron ore mines.”

"In addition, the steel plant was located in Zhigu, so the produced rails could be directly loaded onto ships and transported to Jiangnan to build the Wusong Railway."

Zhang Yuanbian nodded repeatedly. He realized that there was so much to learn just about site selection when setting up a factory, not to mention what happened after the factory was built.

Thinking about this, Zhang Yuanbian felt even more certain that choosing the Ministry of Works was the right decision.

Wan Jing attached great importance to this young top scorer.

Over the years, Wan Jing has increasingly discovered that building a factory is a rather profound subject.

How to choose a factory location, how to organize production, not to mention a large number of technical details.

Wan Jing opened up a new world and discovered how vast it was, but he soon found that the only person he could discuss this new world with was Su Ze.

The other colleagues in the Ministry of Works either lacked the knowledge or the ability; it was already quite an achievement for them to keep up with the current construction progress, let alone discuss specific matters with Wan Jing.

Therefore, Wan Jing highly valued Zhang Yuanbian, a top scholar in the imperial examinations, who was also studious and intelligent. He imparted all his experience from over the years to Zhang Yuanbian!
"Chairman, the Zhiwu Railway has requested a board meeting to discuss the matter of Zhigu Steel Plant acquiring shares."

Li Wenquan waved wearily, indicating that he understood, but his assistant continued:

"The directors of the Japanese Silver Company are urging us on. The imperial court wants the company to go to inland cities to buy up obsolete and abandoned breech-loading cannons, but the cost is too high."

"Several directors suggested that the chairman write to His Majesty, requesting permission for our Woyin Company to directly purchase breech-loading cannons from the government-run cannon foundry."

Hearing this, Li Wenquan had another headache.

He lost his temper and said to his assistant:

"Have these guys lost their minds? They actually want to force the imperial court to sell the latest cannons to the Japanese?"

Li Wenquan stated this time with a firm tone:
"There's no need to discuss this further! Tell them that the court has already raised many objections to our Wa Yin Company's permission to sell Portuguese cannons!"

Seeing that Li Wenquan had lost his temper, the assistant didn't dare to say anything more and had to leave to relay Li Wenquan's words to the other directors.

Li Wenquan let out a long sigh.

Just a few months ago, Li Wenquan was extremely proud of himself.

Li Wenquan was the chairman of the Woyin Company and the chairman of the Zhiwu Railway Preparatory Committee. At that time, people were discussing that, apart from the Ministry of Revenue, Li Wenquan was the wealthiest person in the Ming Dynasty!

At that time, Li Wenquan was naturally riding high.

He brought back a large amount of silver from Japan and immediately became a guest of honor among the powerful and wealthy in the capital.

However, Li Wenquan soon discovered that managing the Woyin Company and the Zhiwu Railway was extremely difficult!
After the Japanese Silver Company returned from its second voyage, it proposed to purchase breech-loading cannons directly from the Ministry of Industry. These directors had all been blinded by profits!
Li Wenquan is sober.

Li Wenquan was involved in the entire preparation of the Woyin Company, and he understood Su Ze's true intentions.

The Japanese Silver Company was not only a profit-driven company, but also had to assume certain functions.

Otherwise, why would the imperial court grant the Japanese silver company a franchise?
Unlike the other shareholders who were blinded by greed, Li Wenquan clearly understood that the Japanese silver trade was a money-making opportunity. As long as a merchant could safely sail to Sakai Port and return, he could make a fortune!
The success of the Woyin Company was not due to the company's own brilliance, but rather to the brilliance of Su Ze, who designed the company.

Without Su Ze's proposal to open ports, the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade would not have developed so rapidly.

If Su Ze hadn't proposed building the Ming Dynasty navy, the Ming Dynasty's shipbuilding technology wouldn't have progressed so rapidly, and it wouldn't have been able to mass-produce merchant ships bound for Sakai Port. If Su Ze hadn't proposed that the Ming Dynasty navy patrol the East Seas and lease Jeju Island to combat pirates, the Sakai Port shipping route wouldn't have been so safe.

It could even be said that Su Ze designed the arbitrage model of the Japanese silver company.

Sometimes Li Wenquan thought that even if a pig were in his position, the Woyin Company could still make money.

The more this was the case, the more cautious Li Wenquan became.

Therefore, when Su Ze expressed his opposition to the Ministry of Works directly casting cannons and selling them to the Japanese, Li Wenquan immediately aligned himself with Su Ze and opposed these greedy directors.

Li Wenquan began to ponder Su Ze's intentions.

He quickly called his assistant.

"Draft a proposal for the board meeting: our Japanese Silver Company should expand its trading posts to inland cities and establish trading posts to sell coastal goods."

The assistant looked at Li Wenquan with a puzzled expression.

Li Wenquan said:
"Tell the board members to take a longer-term view! How long can the Woyin Company's profits be sustained solely by silver trading?"

"The price we paid for the second sale of the breech-loading cannons was already much lower than the first sale. How much silver will these Japanese daimyo be able to come up with to buy firearms in the end?"

"Only in the inland regions of our Great Ming Dynasty can we find a much larger market."

“Opening up a trade route and trading post can bring stable profits to the Japanese Silver Company. These are the ballast stones of our Japanese Silver Company.”

"Of course, we don't need to go directly inland. We can start with the Yangtze River, go upstream, and establish trading posts in major cities along the river."

Hearing this, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief.

If it were just about establishing trading posts along the Yangtze River, it would indeed seem feasible.

The Yangtze River is navigable. The Woyin Company's ocean-going ships could be transferred at Wusongkou to ships suitable for Yangtze River navigation, and goods could be transported to inland areas via this golden waterway.

Li Wenquan's proposal was ultimately approved by the board of directors.

Establishing trading posts along the Yangtze River into the inland regions of the Ming Dynasty was actually a profitable endeavor.

Unfortunately, maritime trade cannot grow forever.

The Ottomans and the Portuguese are at war, and ocean trade has not grown this year.

The continued prosperity of maritime trade this year is mainly due to the expansion of markets in Southeast Asia and Japan.

However, such growth cannot continue indefinitely.

In contrast, the people in the inland provinces of the Ming Dynasty seemed to have more purchasing power.

Ultimately, Li Wenquan's proposal was approved. The Woyin Company would establish trading companies along the Yangtze River in Jiujiang, Hankou, and Yibin. These trading companies would be used to purchase the remaining breech-loading cannons in prefectural and county towns and garrisons, and to trade industrial products such as cotton cloth, soap, and steel products in exchange for these breech-loading cannons.

After dealing with the matters concerning the Japanese Silver Company, Li Wenquan went to the preparatory committee for the Zhili-Wuhan Railway.

This time, Li Wenquan made the final decision, confirming the plan for the Zhiwu Railway Joint Works Department to fund the construction of the Zhigu Steel Plant.

The steel plant was funded 60% by the Zhiwu Railway and 40% by the Ministry of Industry, which also provided technology. After its completion, the two parties each held a 50% stake.

However, Zhiwu Railway does not participate in the specific operation of the steel plant, but only accepts annual dividends.

The steel produced by the Zhigu Steel Plant will be supplied to the Zhiwu Railway first. The issue of the steel plant's shares will be discussed after the Zhiwu Railway is completed.

The representatives from Jiangnan were initially reluctant, as they originally wanted to build the steel plant at Wusongkou. However, Li Wenquan's thought-provoking question silenced them.

"Besides the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty, who else could build a steel mill of this scale?"

These representatives then realized that the steel plant was extremely technologically advanced, and that it seemed that only the Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty was capable of building such a large-scale, high-quality steel plant.

In other words, the Zhiwu Railway had no right to negotiate.

After Li Wenquan's scathing rebuke, the directors finally came to their senses and passed the resolution.

Anyway, the investment in building the steel plant is for producing steel needed for the railway. Once the Zhiwu Railway is completed, we can simply sell the shares.

Li Wenquan began to miss his days in Penghu colonization. "Being the chairman of that Japanese silver company is no human job!"

Just as Li Wenquan finished complaining, another official from the Ministry of War came to pay his respects.

Li Wenquan could only force himself to receive them. It turned out that the Ministry of War wanted to spend money to hire the Japanese silver company to transport a batch of grain and weapons to Guangxi.

Li Wenquan naturally couldn't refuse such a request and readily agreed.

However, this meant that the Japanese Silver Company's business plan for the following month would have to be drastically changed. Li Wenquan had no choice but to drink a cup of strong tea and pull himself together to allocate a portion of the already strained shipping capacity for trade with Japan to the Ministry of War.
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On March 25th, the Annamese Army of the Ming Dynasty's Beijing Garrison held a swearing-in ceremony in the capital. Crown Prince Zhu Yijun personally attended the ceremony and presented Commander Chen Lin with a military flag and order.

The Annamite army consisted of 5,000 men, divided into one cavalry corps, two infantry corps, and one artillery corps.

In addition to the Annamese army, two thousand wolf soldiers from Guangzhou were also dispatched to quell the rebellion this time.

Therefore, the Annamese army was expanded.

Zhu Shikun was also promoted and given sole responsibility for leading one of the reconnaissance squads.

During the oath-taking ceremony, Zhu Shikun saw his elder brother standing next to the Crown Prince, shouted "May the Great Ming be victorious!" and then embarked on the road to Zhigu.

The Annamese army marched for two days to Zhigu, and then, under the arrangement of the navy, boarded ships and headed south to Guangzhou.

However, after Zhu Shikun boarded the ship, he received new orders.

After arriving in Guangzhou, his reconnaissance officer did not disembark but continued by boat to Fangcheng, a small port in Qinzhou, Guangxi.

The reconnaissance team first entered Guangxi from Fangchenggang to gather intelligence for the main force's entry into Guangxi.

As a result, Zhu Shikun would have to travel by ship for a full month, almost crossing the entire sea territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Military orders are absolute, and Zhu Shikun had no choice but to accept them.
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On April 20, a large ship suddenly entered Fangcheng Fishing Port in Qin County.

During the Hongwu reign, the imperial court established a patrol and inspection office in Qinzhou, Guangxi.

During the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the abolition of the native chieftain system and the establishment of direct imperial administration were completed in Qinzhou. Qinzhou was changed to a county and placed under the jurisdiction of Nanning Prefecture in Guangxi.

After nearly two hundred years of governance by the Ming Dynasty, Fangchenggang had long since lost its barbarian customs and was no longer much like an ordinary fishing port of the Ming Dynasty.

Fangchenggang was just a fishing village and could not accommodate large ships to dock, so Zhu Shikun and his entire reconnaissance team took a small boat to reach Fangchenggang.

The moment Zhu Shikun stepped onto the land, he felt for the first time how wonderful it was to be grounded.

Zhu Shikun immediately ordered a rest. After the rest was completed today, the reconnaissance team would head north into the western mountainous region of Guangxi.

(End of this chapter)