Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

The brothers Liu Wenbing and Liu Wenyao, one is introverted and capable, the other is rough and bold, and they are only a few years older than Zhang Shikang.

After all, they are all young people and have not yet been completely corrupted by the bad habits of officialdom.

As a relative by marriage and the cousin of Emperor Chongzhen, his loyalty was definitely beyond doubt, and the more Zhang Shikang looked at him, the more he admired him.

"What the two Xinlehou brothers said makes sense. The reason why we were obsessed with business before was roughly the same as your father, Shikang. I have nothing to do with the court, so what can I do?

It’s just that we are not as conscious as your father.

But now we have come to our senses, and to be honest, although we don't say it on the surface, we have long admired Shi Kang for his actions in the past six months, and this is not just empty talk." Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law of the emperor, said.

When the emperor initially promoted Zhang Shikang, most of the nobles and relatives were dissatisfied.

They believed that Zhang Shikang was a playboy, and once he was given an important position, he would definitely become like those people, enriching himself and bullying others.

But Zhang Shikang's actions over the past six months made them realize that they were really judging others by their own standards.

Not only were all the five million taels of silver raised from the fundraising used for the most important military and political affairs, but Zhang Shikang also trained an army strong enough to compete with the Jian Nu in just half a year.

After being appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army by Emperor Chongzhen, Zhang Shikang never abused his power to bully others, nor did he randomly stuff straw bags into the military camp.

The Battle of Jiazhuang and the Battle of Jingshui were fought beautifully and demonstrated the momentum of the Ming Dynasty. Everything showed that Zhang Shikang was different from those people, and even different from them.

He was really working hard for the revival of the imperial court. Compared to this, they felt ashamed of themselves for obstructing national policy for the sake of a small piece of family property.

It was not until the emperor's wrath hung over his head that he realized the mistake he had made.

Many nobles and relatives were embarrassed to say it out loud due to their age and reputation, even if they thought so in their hearts. Gong Yonggu's words really expressed the thoughts of most people.

"You are too kind, my Majesty. The state is in a difficult situation and Shikang is only trying to do his bit. This is all thanks to your Majesty's trust.

But you uncles and uncles don't have to belittle yourselves. You may not be able to contribute in the court, but who can say that you can't serve the country outside the court?" Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

This puzzled many people. In their inherent concept, to serve the country, one must either join the army or go into politics. How could there be a third way?

"All of my uncles and great-grandfathers have businesses in various places, so I think they all have their own unique insights into business.

Although the Ming Dynasty was large, the domestic market was only a small piece of pie, and it had to compete with gentry, bureaucrats and other merchants, so profits were naturally limited.

I wonder if you have ever been on a ship and seen the world beyond the sea.

There are silver mines of the Japanese on the coast of the East China Sea, Indonesians on the coast of the South China Sea, and Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Borneo have the Spice Islands that are needed by the whole world.

Most of the spices such as sumac and pepper in our Ming Dynasty come from Southeast Asia.

Going west from Malacca, there is the Kingdom of Manbasa. Eunuch Sanbao had been there before. It was a land full of black people. The land was fertile and there were many gold mines.

If you go east from the East China Sea, and then east again, cross the Pacific Ocean and reach the other side of the ocean, there are two larger continents.

There, there are inexhaustible silver mines, copper mines, cocoa, sweet rice, sugar, and rubber.

Although the Ming Dynasty was rich, it was nothing compared to these regions.

Uncles and uncles, think about it, if the Ming Dynasty can integrate these resources and exchange what it has with countries all over the world, how much profit can it bring?"

Zhang Shikang said a lot in one breath, all of which was included in the future blueprint he planned for the Ming Dynasty.

He is lazy, but his brain does not stop working even when he is lying down. As a war criminal of Paradox, he knows the approximate location of global resources.

Previously, we had no money, no people, no ships, and no nautical charts, so we could only sigh in despair.

The uncles in the room all understand the ways of business, and their loyalty is more trustworthy than that of ordinary businessmen.

These are a group of guys who are forcibly bound to the Ming Empire, even though they are somewhat short-sighted or have other problems.

But as long as they are guided a little, lured with benefits and intimidated with military force, who would dare to underestimate the capabilities of this group of people?

Of course, this is just his initial idea. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and it is still difficult to put it into practice.

All the nobles, regardless of age, were stunned by Zhang Shikang's words.

Some of them have some understanding of Southeast Asia and Japan.

Zhang Shikang mentioned so many places in one breath, some familiar and some unfamiliar to them, and he was so confident that there were gold mines, silver mines, and spices. These alone were enough to make them tempted.

"But Shikang, our Ming Dynasty has always had a sea ban. This is the ancestral system established during the reign of Emperor Chengzu." Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law of the emperor, frowned.

Liu Wenyao took over the conversation with disdain:

"Prince Consort Gong is wrong. The ancestral system is the ancestral system. If it is good for the court, then it is a good ancestral system.

But if this ancestral system hinders the revival of the imperial court, what is the point of it?

We have no grudge against silver."

The words were rough but the logic was valid. Everyone present nodded inwardly. Yes, skinning and stuffing people with straw was an ancient custom, and no one mentioned it.

"Don't worry about the maritime ban. Once I have dealt with domestic affairs, I will explain the pros and cons to Your Majesty.

However, even if our Ming Dynasty opens up to the sea, these resources cannot be easily transported to our Ming Dynasty.

There were many competitors, such as France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, etc.

From the Western Regions, you can go west by land to Europe, where there are many small countries and a loose alliance called the Holy Roman Empire, which are also potential competitors in the future.

Although these countries are not large, their power in terms of ships, artillery, etc. should not be underestimated.

They will not hand over the treasures in the ocean to our Ming Dynasty." Zhang Shikang thought for a moment and said.

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. They knew about the Franco-Dutch countries. The Franco-Dutch countries were still occupying the Ming Dynasty's Haojing. These people were playing tricks and they couldn't be driven away no matter what they did.

As for Great Britain and France, they have never even heard of them.

"Shikang, how come there is a country called the Holy Mule and Horse Empire? What's so sacred about mules and horses? There are more than a dozen in my house."

Liu Wenyao grinned.

"Indeed, I also feel that this country is neither sacred nor Roman. It is always in chaos and does not look like an empire at all," Zhang Shikang joked.

“Maritime trade needs to be backed by strong military power to seize profits from these countries.

If you want to have a strong military force, you must develop ships and artillery, which is not something that can be achieved in a short period of time.

However, the court now has some savings thanks to the capital of Shanxi merchants. In the future, I will ask Your Majesty to allocate some of the money to build a school dedicated to training military talents.

At that time, all uncles and aunts can send their sons to this school. After they finish their studies, they can serve the country and also serve as escort for maritime trade.

In this way, my nobles and relatives will work together with the court, share the joys and sorrows, and rely on each other.

This is the true meaning of resting with the country."

……