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

"Oh!~~" The crowd suddenly burst into surprise and they knelt on the ground to express their gratitude to Zhang Shikang.

Zhang Shikang just waved his hand and temporarily left the shipyard with his personal guards.

The salary he gave was a comprehensive consideration of the Zheng family's shipbuilders and the Portuguese shipbuilders. It is not easy to train a qualified shipbuilder, and it is not easy to retain one.

After all, they are all hired. If you pay them four taels a month and the Zheng family pays them six taels, which good shipbuilder would not want to go to a place with a higher salary?

Of course, signing an agreement is also a way, and Mo Wu’s previous proposal was due to this.

On the way back, Zhang Shikang said to Mo Wudao:

"We can't just build the Fukushima, do you see that galleon?

I'll leave you one, study it carefully, and if you can copy it, you can ask me for anything you want." Zhang Shikang pointed to the large ship docked at the port.

Those two galleons were naturally the wool he had fleeced from the Zheng family. It was said that they were captured from the Battle of Liaoluo Bay.

"I will study it carefully." Compared to before, Mo Wu seemed more excited than becoming the governor.

Whether it was due to his genes or atavism, he had always been interested in mechanical things. From another perspective, shipbuilding was actually a complex mechanical organization.

But he had already figured out the internal structure of the silk boat, so he wouldn't feel much of a sense of accomplishment even if he built it.

The galleon was different. He had heard before that another shipyard of the Zheng family was studying the imitation of this type of ship.

But in the end he was not selected and missed the galleon.

Now, Mo Wu not only got this opportunity again, but he is also the leader. It would be a lie to say that he is not excited.

Of course, Zhang Shikang also saw the enthusiasm in the other party's eyes, which was a good thing. Engineers should be obsessed with engineering.

"There is one more thing, which is also about the training of shipbuilders." Zhang Shikang's expression suddenly became a little cunning.

"Sometimes, you have to be more flexible. No matter how much we train, the best we can do is build a silk boat.

It is unknown how long it will take to figure out the galleon, so you can pick out some clever ones from among the shipwrights or apprentices.

Then they would find a way to send them to the shipyards of the French or the red-haired barbarians, and tell them that they would be well paid once they returned after completing their studies.

I don't need to elaborate on the specific arrangements, right?" Zhang Shikang glanced at Mo Wudao.

The most efficient way to accomplish a task is to do both things well.

Mo Wu looked as if he had suddenly realized something and quickly bowed to accept the order.

Mo Wu accompanied Zhang Shikang to the gate of the shipyard. When Zhang Shikang was about to get on the horse, Mo Wu mustered up the courage to ask:

"I have only met the Marshal once. How dare you entrust such an important task to me?"

In fact, Mo Wu had wanted to ask this question a long time ago. Although he could build silk boats, there were many shipbuilders who could build silk boats.

One million taels of silver, and he was in charge of an entire shipyard, with all matters, big and small, handed over to him to handle. This kind of trust was unmatched even among old friends of many years.

But this was the first time he met Zhang Shikang.

Zhang Shikang climbed onto Lao Wu and turned his head with a wicked smile:

"Because I believe in my own judgment. You will never let me down. Hahahaha."

After saying that, Zhang Shikang rode his horse towards the cannon foundry in Guangzhou, leaving only the Mo Wu pestle there.

Well, I will never let the Marshal down, Mo Wu said to himself.

It is a blessing to be trusted by others.

Zhang Shikang's words were indeed nice, but the real reason was that he simply couldn't find a more suitable candidate, and Mo Wu's ability was indeed acceptable.

Of course, leaving behind one million taels of silver was a huge sum of money for everyone, so he left behind two more Jinyiwei men.

But Mo Wu was unaware of this matter. This is the terrifying thing about the Jinyiwei.

You have no idea that the person chatting and laughing with you may be someone who is always monitoring you.

He may be your so-called friend, your subordinate, or your hired servant.

Zhang Shikang even recruited some women from the Jinyiwei, especially prostitutes, because the court could afford the same money as the clients.

Zhang Shikang was very fond of import and export trade, and he also knew that it was easiest to learn some secrets from someone’s pillow.

Of course, this is just his idea.

Zhang Shikang was not actually worried that Mo Wu would change jobs in the future, because the Zheng family would never give more than him, and he had no reason to.

After leaving the shipyard, Zhang Shikang went straight to the cannon foundry.

The cannon foundry in Guangzhou is not in as bad shape as the shipyard. The imperial court has been fighting wars in recent years, so there are still orders.

Moreover, this cannon foundry can indeed produce the best cannons that the Ming Dynasty can currently produce, but compared with those of the French and the Dutch, these cannons are still somewhat backward.

The largest cannon currently produced by this gun foundry weighs eight thousand pounds, but in terms of power, it is only comparable to the Portuguese 32-pound cannon.

However, this big guy built by the Ming Dynasty could only be used as a battery or city defense gun, while the Portuguese 32-pound cannon could be installed on warships.

Moreover, most of the cannons produced by the Ming Dynasty were iron cannons, and copper cannons could of course be imitated. However, due to the current situation of the Ming Dynasty's shortage of copper, Zhang Shikang had to keep one of the twenty 24-pound copper cannons obtained from the French for them to study and imitate.

As for the copper mine problem, it still cannot be solved in a short period of time.

Although it is possible to purchase it through the Zheng family, the middleman makes an unknown amount of money, and it would be a huge expense to buy it yourself.

Compared with this, it would be better to buy it directly from the Portuguese and then order the craftsmen to speed up the imitation.

Cannons are different from shipbuilding. As long as the technology is studied clearly and the Ming Dynasty finds a way to get copper mines, they can be directly replicated and produced in large quantities.

Of course, Zhang Shikang also dismissed the bureaucrats in the cannon foundry as usual and promoted a forty-something cannon craftsman named Xing Daolong to be the supervisor.

Factories like this should be led by experts. Those managers don't even know how to produce artillery, but they still want to meddle in this and that. Zhang Shikang can't stand this bad habit.

Zhang Shikang only stayed in Guangzhou for one day, and his only comment was that the food here was quite good, at least much richer and more delicious than that in Beijing.

That night, Zhang Shikang took out most of the treasures from the ten merchant ships and gave them to the Zheng family to pay for the small fleet in his hands and the advance payment for the reserved warships.

More than 1.2 million taels were given to the Portuguese, and 1 million taels were sent to the shipyard in Guangzhou. Of course, the cannon foundry would also receive 600,000 taels to expand facilities and improve new cannons.

The cash on the ten ships was no more than 16 million taels. As the valuables, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, etc. on the ships were already piled up like mountains in the capital, Zhang Shikang simply sold them directly to the Zheng family in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is a place with a mixed crowd of people from all over the world, so there is no shortage of buyers.

In order to avoid being cheated, he invited jewelry stores and antique dealers in Guangzhou to appraise the property. After paying all the above expenses, there was still more than 7 million taels of treasure left from the ten ships.

On November 17th, Zhang Shikang left Guangzhou.

More than nine months have passed since I left Beijing on the seventh day of February to escape the rebellion.

The New Year is coming soon and he has to go home.

……