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

This... Master Zhang... is too stingy, right?

"Your Highness, why are you in a daze? Tell me what you have learned in the past six months."

After Zhang Shikang finished talking with Emperor Chongzhen, he turned his attention back to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang quickly and quietly hid the banknote, and then said very respectfully:

"In reply to Master Zhang, Master Xu and I have been studying Zizhi Tongjian for the past six months.

I have already learned the history of the Jin Dynasty. If you love someone without the right way, it will only harm him.

What this means is that if elders do not love their children in the right way, they will actually harm their children.

besides……"

"Master is not talking about these nonsense. Have you forgotten about maritime affairs and firearms?" Zhang Shikang interrupted Zhu Cilang while eating.

At the beginning of this year, he took Zhu Cilang and Princess Kunyi to Tianjin. It was also from that time that he discovered that Zhu Cilang was not only very interested in maritime affairs, but also had an obsession with firearms.

Zhang Shikang was quite surprised at the time, and thought that Brother Chongzhen had been brainwashed by Confucianism and had never been interested in maritime affairs or firearms, so he was taking a different approach.

Before he went to fight the bandits, he specifically instructed Zhu Cilang to study maritime affairs and firearms in his spare time. If he didn't understand something, he could ask the eunuchs in the palace to ask Bi Maokang and others.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang glanced at his father secretly and seemed a little hesitant.

"Why are you looking at me? Just answer whatever Wuji asks." Emperor Chongzhen said unhappily.

Zhu Cilang then had an idea in his mind and immediately replied:

"Master Zhang, in addition to studying Zizhi Tongjian in the past six months, I have also studied a lot of issues related to maritime affairs and firearms.

I know what warships our Ming Dynasty’s navy currently has, such as the No. 1 Fuchuan, No. 2 Fuchuan, and the Zengchuan.

The current flagship of our Ming Dynasty Navy is Gousheng.

The Zeng ship was the main warship, equipped with cannons, rockets, muskets, and other firearms.

Our navy also has a galleon, but I found that the firepower of the galleon is greater than that of our silk ship.

Moreover, galleons have many sails, which makes them very suitable for sailing in seas with different wind directions.

There are also wave-opening boats suitable for reconnaissance, as well as small and medium-sized bird boats, fire boats, and mother-and-child boats.

"But Master Zhang, the cannons on our warships are all small-caliber iron cannons. Cilang thinks it would be better if they could be replaced with large copper cannons from the Manufacturing Bureau."

Zhu Cilang was very knowledgeable when talking about maritime affairs, and even Emperor Chongzhen looked at him with awe.

When Zhu Cilang talked about Zizhi Tongjian, he showed no expression, as if he was reciting it mechanically. But when he talked about maritime affairs, although his eyes lit up, his whole temperament was completely different.

"However, Cilang feels that the size of the silk ship is still not big enough. Even if it is replaced with the 18-pound copper cannon that Master Bi of the Manufacturing Bureau has successfully trial-produced, it can only be equipped with 20 guns at most.

It would be great if we had more galleons, Master Bi said. The galleon in our Tianjin Shipyard can be equipped with thirty 18-pound bronze cannons.

Master Zhang said that fear comes from insufficient firepower. If we have more Galen warships, our firepower can be increased by 50%!"

"Well, not bad, not bad. My teaching you was not in vain! Go on, what else have you learned?" Zhang Shikang nodded and responded casually, then continued to attack the food.

Since the court's financial situation improved, the food in the palace has also improved dramatically.

Zhang Shikang actually had seafood on the dining table in the capital, and the imperial chefs of the Imperial Kitchen were very skilled in cooking, so every dish was delicious and tasty.

Emperor Chongzhen would occasionally eat some vegetables, but he preferred to eat the potatoes he grew himself, and even ate a piece of boiled sweet potato.

Zhang Shikang didn't eat the potatoes because he felt that they lacked an important ingredient - chili peppers. He heard from his brother that he would start growing chili peppers this year.

"Ciyang also learned a lot about the situation in the East and South Seas from the Deputy Admiral Ma Tong of the Navy.

Vice Admiral Ma said that the main trading area in the East is Japan. Japan issued a national isolation order a few years ago and now has very little trade with the Ming Dynasty.

However, Japan allowed the red-haired barbarians to trade with them. However, the red-haired barbarians were constrained by Hai Qingbo and had to give part of the profits from the East Asian trade to Hai Qingbo.

There are three important trade centers in Southeast Asia, one is Luzon, one is Batavia on Java Island, and the last one is Malacca.

Vice Admiral Ma also told me that if our Ming Dynasty were to march into Southeast Asia in the future, the French and the red-haired barbarians would be our Ming Dynasty’s biggest enemies, especially the red-haired barbarians.

They controlled the most important waterway to India, Libya and even Europe, namely Malacca.”

At this point, Zhu Cilang seemed to feel a little dry in the mouth, so he took a sip of the tea and continued:

“However, Vice Admiral Ma also said that the current navy of our Ming Dynasty is still not strong enough.

He said that the red-haired barbarians actually had more powerful warships, which were double-decker like our Ming Dynasty's Fu ships, but had more cannons and greater firepower.

Cilang feels that with the current warships of our navy, we still have to rely on Haiqingbo to barely compete with the red-haired barbarians. "

What he said was true. Zhang Shikang had a new respect for Zhu Cilang. Without leaving his house, this kid had understood the general situation overseas and the gap between the Ming navy and the Europeans.

Although his views are still a bit naive, they are at least better than those of Brother Chongzhen.

“I am quite satisfied that you have learned this knowledge.

However, you can't be proud. Let me teach you another lesson.

Remember, there are no eternal friends between countries, only eternal interests.

For example, the Red-haired Barbarians will become the enemies of the Ming Dynasty in the future, but you cannot ignore them now.

Now the Zheng family is the common enemy of the imperial court and the red-haired barbarians.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

So don't spread rumors everywhere, the red-haired barbarians are now our friends of the Ming Dynasty."

After Zhang Shikang had eaten and drunk his fill, he summarized Zhu Cilang's speech, and Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement in an obedient manner.

Emperor Chongzhen did not express any opinion throughout the whole process. Firstly, he really knew nothing about maritime firearms and was not very interested in them. Compared with this, he was more interested in handling state affairs and studying farming.

There was another important reason why he did not intervene.

He spent ten years proving himself to be a failed emperor. How could a failed person train a qualified successor?

Therefore, he asked Zhang Shikang to take Zhu Cilang out to travel more often, hoping that Zhu Cilang could learn from Zhang Shikang the thinking method that could solve problems efficiently.

Whether it is maritime affairs or firearms, as long as we don't let the court fall into wars and endless struggles like he did, we will do better than him.

After three rounds of drinking, there was the usual fireworks celebration outside the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chongzhen took the lead in walking out of the hall, followed by Empress Zhou and other concubines. Zhang Shikang also walked out of the hall with Chen Yuanyuan and other women.

Soon, fireworks bloomed in the night sky of the palace, still so gorgeous.

Dong Xiaowan hugged Zhang Qixue and whispered to Liu Rushi:

"Sister, did you see Princess Kunyi's expression just now?

Does it seem like you have... that intention towards our husband?"

……