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

Zheng Zhilong seemed to be very friendly to him because he could help the Zheng family gain fame, fortune, and even power in the court.

And this is based on the premise that there is no conflict between him and the imperial court.

But this is impossible. If he really wants to realize his plan of a strong Ming Dynasty, maritime trade is absolutely indispensable.

In other words, conflicts between the imperial court and the Zheng family will break out sooner or later, and there will have to be a resolution sooner or later.

His meaning was very clear. I want to build a navy for the Ming Dynasty. Don’t you want to make me your friend? Will you build this ship?

"Your Zheng family also made great contributions in this battle. When I return, I will ask for credit for the Zheng family from His Majesty.

Without saying too much, conferring a title of nobility is no problem.

As for the silk boat, I was just joking. I will never let my friend suffer. The court will give me money."

Zhang Shikang knew exactly what the Zheng family wanted, so he immediately threw out a bait covered in honey.

As it stands, if the Ming Dynasty wants to rebuild its navy, it can only rely on the Zheng family.

It's not that he didn't think about going to the Dutch, the mortal enemy of the Zheng family, but that was obviously even more unreliable. Not only would it provoke the Zheng family, but the Dutch might not necessarily be willing to sell their main warships to the Ming Dynasty.

There was continuous artillery fire outside the warship, but for a war with such a one-sided disparity in strength, Zheng Zhibiao didn't even need to command it personally. The fleet's first mate could handle it calmly.

Compared with the war, it was obvious that the difficult problem Zhang Shikang had just posed made Zheng Zhibiao more troubled.

In the Ming Dynasty, the so-called success and fame for a civil servant meant that he would be admitted to the cabinet as an advisor on confidential matters, and after his death, he would be awarded the title of Pillar of the State or one of the Three Dukes.

As for military generals, they would, of course, be granted titles. The so-called bringing honor to the family refers to this.

Although the Zheng family started out as pirates and were also maritime merchants, their position in the court was definitely that of a military general.

After all, the Zheng family had 3,000 warships of various types and an army of more than 200,000 people of all races. No one would believe that they were civil officials.

It is obvious that Zheng Zhibiao was tempted by Zhang Shikang's promise, or it can be said that Zheng Zhilong was tempted by the title.

However, building ships for the imperial court was not in line with the Zheng family's interests in the court.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhibiao said:

“What you don’t know, Marshal, is that the most important thing for a fleet is never the warships.

It’s the sailors, the gunners, the artillery, the ship’s technology and command and dispatch.”

He wanted to tell Zhang Shikang that ships alone could not constitute combat effectiveness. The combat effectiveness of a fleet was a comprehensive consideration from warships to all aspects.

At present, the Ming Dynasty has nothing except a lot of silver obtained from large-scale confiscations of property.

But does the Zheng family lack money?

Building ships for the Ming Dynasty will bring no benefit other than causing trouble for the Zheng family in the future.

But...big brother seems to be very eager to be conferred the title!

"Isn't this simple? Since we are friends, the Zheng family has so many sailors and gunners, so just give some of them to me.

I don’t want it for free, I have to pay for it!

And that title can be inherited by the next generation!"

As soon as the word "title" was mentioned, Zheng Zhibiao's eyes lit up. Knowing who Zhang Shikang was, he knew that this guy was tempted.

As for why they are making such excuses, it is very simple: the price is not enough.

That's easy, he still has some say in the court.

In fact, before the expedition, Chongzhen had agreed to the proposal to confer a title on Zheng Zhilong and even planned to issue an edict.

However, Zhang Shikang temporarily put this quota aside on the grounds of maximizing profits.

As he said, dangling fat in front of the dog's eyes is more effective than feeding it directly, so why not?

Doesn’t this mean there are a hundred more grain ships?

If you want to increase the price now, then give me a hereditary one. Look, this piece of fat meat is not only fat, but also braised. Tell me if it is delicious or not. Do you want to eat it?

Zheng Zhibiao swallowed his saliva, not knowing whether he was moved or not.

"I think it shouldn't be a problem to dispatch some sailors and gunners, but I still need to discuss the warships with my brother. I hope the commander-in-chief will understand."

“In fact, I have a very close relationship with His Majesty, so asking for a few more titles is not a problem.

You brothers, Biaozi, Huzi, and Baozi are all talented.

My Ming Dynasty needs talents like you!"

Zhang Shikang added a handful of honey to the braised pork.

He didn't understand why the ancients were so eager to pursue things like titles, as if a huge fortune was not as important as a title.

In his opinion, the title of the Ming Dynasty was just a title and there was no fiefdom. It had no other use except for an extra salary and a few privileges.

But now Zhang Shikang has carried out reforms all over the country, like plowing the land. No matter whether they are members of the royal family or relatives of nobles, they still have privileges, but not many.

Does the Zheng family need that little salary? Obviously, they don't.

But who can blame the ancients for liking these titles?

Those civil officials tried their best to enter the cabinet and be posthumously awarded a higher literary honor by the court, just like military generals wanted to be awarded a title.

This is all thanks to Confucianism!

This can also be considered the merits of Confucianism.

Before Zhang Shikang entered the court, Brother Chongzhen was limited by the requirements of ancestral rules and was very cautious and stingy about conferring titles.

But after being successfully brainwashed by Zhang Shikang, Chongzhen seemed to have opened the floodgates in bestowing titles, and in just two battles against the Jianlu, he bestowed more than thirty titles.

This almost exceeds the total amount of several previous emperors during their reigns.

Fortunately, except for himself, everyone else was a noble, and all of them were given the lowest level of earldom.

After all, things are rare and valuable.

Now he not only took out the hereditary rewards, but also conferred titles on Zheng Zhibiao, Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao.

Biaozi, how should you respond?

Zheng Zhibiao's breathing became heavy, his brain automatically filtered out his displeasure at Zhang Shikang calling them brothers Biaozi and Huzi, and only the word "title" remained, echoing in his mind.

The Zheng family is not short of money. The average annual profit from protection fees, maritime trade income, and inland shop income alone is 10 million taels.

Just as Zhang Shikang thought, after people have wealth, they want fame.

Zheng Zhibiao had originally planned to take part in the imperial court's military examination the following year, and according to historical progress, he did pass the examination.

What is it for? It's just a name.

Now that I can be conferred a title, why bother taking the military examination?

"Don't worry, Marshal. I will definitely speak well of you when I return.

I can’t guarantee more, but twenty silk ships, including the necessary gunners, sailors, and all the weapons and equipment such as muskets, rockets, and artillery that come with them.”

Zheng Zhibiao looked solemn and excited. He was an absolute direct descendant of the Zheng family, and he thought his brother Zheng Zhilong would not object.

After all, they were just twenty silk ships, nothing to be afraid of for the Zheng family.

Moreover, they only sell ships, not the construction technology of such warships, so the initiative is still in the hands of the Zheng family.

Zhang Shikang couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

He liked communicating with this kind of people the most. Compared with those guys in the court who were full of scheming, communicating with people who came from humble backgrounds would save him a lot of trouble.

What do you want? What can you give me? What do I want? Can you give it to me?

make a deal!

But his smile was not only happy, but also a little cunning. Seeing Zheng Zhibiao agreed, he said:

"It takes a lot of time to build a ship. I think this small fleet you brought is quite good.

Although they are not new ships, I don’t mind them! "

……