Seiwa

The first month of the fifth year of Yongle

As more and more businessmen gather in Guangxi, Pingxiang County, Siming Prefecture has almost become a huge material circulation center.

The gold, silver, salt, and ironware transported back from Annan were exchanged for a large amount of grain and spices here, and some of them were sent to the conquering army as military rations.Part of it is transported to Nanjing with the timber, or sent to the seaport, and after being loaded on a ship, it is sent to Tianjin Wei by sea.

Zhu Gaosui has obtained his father's permission to supervise the construction of Beijing City together with the Ministry of Households and the Ministry of Industry.Under his activities, most of the wood sent to Tianjin Wei was purchased by the imperial court, and the price given was quite satisfactory.

Hubu Shangshu held out his chest, we are not short of money!

A large amount of grain also solved the urgent need of the court, and the situation of food shortage in some counties was alleviated, and the household department did not have to pinch its nose to distribute the grain seeds in the government treasury as disaster grain.

Knowing that Uncle Xingning bought the food from merchants, it was rare for civil officials who had disliked Meng Qinghe to say a few good words for him in court.

The army conquering Annan advanced by land and water, chasing Li rebels in Muwan River, Huangjiang River, Lujiang River and other places one after another, and finally met most of Li rebels in Lujiang River.

The Annan boat division gathered in the middle of the river, more than [-] river boats joined each other first, and the bandits on the boat beat the wooden war drums, and the noise was quite powerful.

If it was a small country in Linfeng or a chieftain who was used to being bullied, he might be so scared that he would turn around and run away when he encountered this scene.It's a pity that it was the Ming Dynasty army that fought against them, and it was the Ming army boat division that had been in charge of transportation since the beginning of the war.

Seeing so many Annanjiang boats lined up in the river, the eyes of the boat masters suddenly brightened.

For the boat master, what is in the river is not the enemy, but the shining military exploits!

Counting the number of boats in the river and estimating the head count, from the governor Liu Sheng down, all the mouths reached the ears.

"Captain, please ask the general army to attack!"

Liu Dudu's subordinates, Tongzhi, Qianshi, thousands of households, and hundreds of households, are all gearing up, wishing they could lead their subordinates to rush over immediately.Even the civil servants had red eyes and snorted air from their nostrils.

The military exploits are right in front of them, and there is no room for them not to be excited.

Such eagerness to fight is not all fanatical militants in the boat division, it is really stimulated by the battle on land.Watching his comrades line up to kill the enemy, they can be promoted to a higher level with a few knives, and they can get money, food, and cloth with their military exploits.

Later, seeing the bandit army again, Master Zhou instinctively counted the heads, converted them into military exploits, and then gritted his teeth.

The boat division can fight on land, and its combat effectiveness may not be weaker than that of the frontier army of the guard.Liu Dudu once took the initiative to ask for a fight, but was ruthlessly rejected by Shen Xuan.The reason is very clear, the boat division is mainly engaged in water warfare, and land warfare is unavoidably overqualified.

"Boat masters can fight on land, but the frontier troops of the guard are not familiar with water warfare. Your Majesty ordered Liu Dudu to come here, it will be of great use."

In Jingnan, the Yan army crossed the Yangtze River and met the boat division of the Southern Army. The battle was quite hard.Even if they won in the end, from the generals to the soldiers, they still have lingering fears when they recall the situation at that time.

I am not afraid of chopping people with a knife, and I am not afraid of being hacked. Seasickness is too bad.

After a period of time, the frontier troops who conquered Annan were more or less used to taking river boats, but some frontier soldiers still turned pale when they boarded the boats. If they fought on the water, they might suffer losses.

In contrast, the importance of the Ming army boat division need not be overstated.

Shen Xuan patted Liu Sheng on the shoulder, the mission of the boat master is arduous and the responsibilities are long and heavy, so there is no need to rush.Liu Dudu is a great talent, and there must be a time when he will make meritorious service. This commander is optimistic about you!

Liu Dudu was very excited, and said repeatedly: "Yes, my subordinates will definitely go all out!"

After stepping out of the military tent, it was only after being blown by the wind that he realized that he had come to ask for a fight, right?How did it come out like this?

In the military tent, after returning to the case, Shen Xuan unfolded the letter written by Meng Qinghe and read it carefully.

Zhang Fu and other generals were waiting at the side with indescribable expressions.

Those who are close to Zhu are red and those who are close to ink are black. It is indeed a famous saying.The friendship with Bo Xing Ningbo is irreversible, and Duke Ding's skill in fooling people is also rising steadily.

Look at each other, and communicate with the commander-in-chief in the future, you must be 12 very careful, you may be taken into the ditch at any time.

The righteous grandson of Emperor Gao, who is now the adopted son, has been honored as the Duke of the state, has made outstanding military exploits, and is taller than a human being.

Inhumans are not human on the battlefield, but they can instantly kill everyone off the battlefield.Such a gap can't inspire fighting spirit at all, but specifically hits people.

If such a person stood in front of him, would he let others live?

No matter how depressed Liu Dudu and the officers and soldiers were, they could not violate the general's order, so they could only honestly send people across the river, and send the army rations along the way.

Fortunately, An Nanjun was considerate and sent it to the door automatically.There are more than [-] ships in the river, waiting to add military exploits to the boat master.

"Let the boat master go to battle."

The commander-in-chief issued an order, and the boat division finally ushered in the dawn.Liu Dudu put on his armor himself, ordered his soldiers to beat the drums, and led his subordinates to attack the Annan Navy.

Compared with the number of warships, the boat division is at a disadvantage.

Compared with the size of warships and firepower equipment, the Annan army is not the opponent of the Ming army at all.

The warships of the Ming army were already equipped with artillery, firecrackers and large crossbows.Due to limited conditions, it is not as good as the bed crossbow and magic machine crossbow of the Song Dynasty, but it can also dig a hole in the wooden boat of the Annan people.

Annan's army was still at the stage where rivers and boats met each other and confronted the enemy with swords, guns, bows and arrows.In front of the Ming army's buildings and ships, it is not enough to look at.

The Annan army on board stood up,

Help fight?Don't even think about it.Stretching the neck may not be able to touch the ship's side of the building.If you get close, you will basically be tortured to death.

The Annan people showed great courage, perhaps because they imagined that they were invulnerable, just as Li Jishou declared that he would summon a land and water army of 700 million to bravely challenge the Ming army's boat division.

The boat master raised his hands up and down to welcome the Annan people's act of sending them to death.

Liu Dudu gave an order, and the building turned the ship sideways. Under the puzzled eyes of the Annan people, the remodeled hull raised the baffle, and several cannons opened their pitch-black muzzles.

The gunpowder was ignited, and the hot iron ball, carrying burning sparks, roared and smashed towards Annan Jiangzhou.

The accuracy of the artillery is not very good, and it hits the target repeatedly, which can only be attributed to the too dense Annan Jiangzhou.

There are too many boats, and if they are connected together, it is very difficult to miss them.

The Ming army on the building boat suddenly realized that he had become a sharpshooter, and he could sink an Annan people's river boat with three cannonballs.

Jiang Zhou broke in two and disintegrated instantly.The iron ball sank into the river and created a huge vortex, and Annan's army who fell into the water quickly disappeared.

The Annan people were frightened.They have seen the strength of the Ming army's cavalry and infantry, but they have never competed with the Ming army's boat division.

The scene in front of him completely overturned Annan people's understanding of water warfare.

It turns out that wars can still be fought like this?

Back then, when Emperor Hongwu competed in the Central Plains, he was a shortcoming in water battles. He suffered several losses in a row. The most thrilling time was that he was almost sent into the river by Chen Youliang's navy to feed the fish, ending the road to hegemony ahead of schedule.

After the establishment of the Dingdingtianxia, ​​after learning from the painful experience, he vigorously developed the shipbuilding industry, and ordered the coastal guards to train the sailors diligently.

After decades of development, the shipbuilding technology of the Ming Dynasty became more and more mature, the shipyards had a considerable scale, and the boat masters became more and more elite.It laid a solid foundation for Zheng He's voyages to the West during the Yongle period.

The predecessors planted trees, and the descendants took the shade.

Without Emperor Hongwu, there would be no Yongle Dynasty.

Without the accumulation of the Hongwu and Yongle periods, there would be no so-called flourishing age of benevolence and propaganda.

Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Yongle were indeed easy to kill, but without their butcher knives, how could the revival of Chinese civilization come about?

Bei Yuan is unfortunate, with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di around, the warriors of the grassland are doomed to only recall the glory of the past and the prosperity of Dadu in their dreams.

Annan was even more unlucky. The brightness of the small lanterns and the hundreds of watts of the big bulbs was higher than that.

After the Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle dynasties were brewing, the army of the Ming Dynasty led the world, and the navy was not far behind.After fighting the Japanese pirates, he finally showed his sword in Annan.

After the shelling ended, there was a strange silence on the river.

Except for Jiang Feng, there was almost no sound.

The Annan people who were not hit by the artillery became cowering, and their courage seemed to fly with the wind of the river. The Annan people who were far away from the Ming army's boat division even thought of running away.

"Bowmen!"

The flag was waved, the building boat moved away from the river, and more warships approached. The Ming army on board was in a group of five, manipulating the giant crossbow.

Accompanied by the sound of strings being twisted, a sharp arrow passed through the air like a rain curtain.

boom!

The crossbow arrows pierced through the river boat, and several unfortunate Annan people were nailed to the board of the boat before they could dodge in time.

Compared with cannons, the accuracy of bows and crossbows is several times stronger.

Panic, fear, despair.

Various emotions spread in Annan's navy.

"Don't panic, let's fight!"

The generals in Annan's army brandished long knives and killed two frightened soldiers one after another, to no avail.It just added to the fear of Annan's soldiers, and some of Annan's soldiers even jumped into the water directly from the boat, trying to swim to the river to escape.The result is naturally predictable.

The command flag on the building boat was waved again, the bow and crossbow stopped firing, and the sound of attacking drums sounded on the river.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The sailors in the cabin chanted and stomped hard on their feet.

The heavy drums and the sound from the chest brought the Annan people the greatest fear.

The boat began to accelerate.

"Rush the boat!"

Liu Sheng stood on the deck of the ship, with a black armor, a red cloak, a silver spear, and a resolute face.

The Ming army in the boat division let out a deafening roar.

"kill!"

With an astonishing fighting spirit, the Lou Chuan ruthlessly knocked over the two Annan River boats. Dudu Liu personally set up his bow and shot the enemy general Ruan Lei with one arrow.

On the river boat, holding a long sword and yelling, if you don't shoot him, who will you shoot?

Holding his neck that was shot through, Ruan Lei stepped back a few steps and fell into the river.

His death was just the beginning.

On the shore, the Ming army lined up, with artillery and crossbowmen standing in formation, cutting off the Annan people's retreat.

The Annan people couldn't beat the Ming army's boat division, and it was impossible to run away.

Shen Xuan put down his clairvoyance, Zhang Fu Mu Sheng and other generals also looked relaxed.

A battle without suspense, no need to bother to guess the outcome.

"Liu Sheng can be called a general." Xiping Hou Mucheng said, "Uncle Pingjiang has such capable people under his command, I didn't know."

Li Bin, Marquis of Fengcheng, said: "General Mu's subordinates are like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, watching the battle for days, I'm all in admiration."

"Shen Li is overrated." Mu Sheng smiled and waved his hands.

While speaking, more than half of Annan's army on the river had been destroyed, and the boats that hadn't fought against the Ming army's boat division turned around and fled.

Mu Sheng and the others stopped talking, and immediately ordered the artillery to be loaded and the crossbowmen to line up.

"put!"

Not even one of the thief boats on the river can get away!

Today's Lujiang is destined to be stained red with the blood of Annan people.

A few days later, the report of the battle against Annan's army spread to Pingxiang. Zhu Neng was surprised even if Meng Qinghe was not mentioned.

Five hundred thief boats, more than ten ships were captured, and the rest were sunk in the middle of the river. During the battle, the thief generals Ruan Yuanzi, Ruan Lei, and Ruan You were killed. Li and more than a hundred people were captured.

The boat master beheaded more than ten thousand, and the bandit army was drowned for nothing.

After reading the battle report, after a while, Meng Qinghe asked, "So, more than 100 prisoners were captured, and the others..." All ended?

Zhu Neng didn't answer, and handed the battle report to Meng Qinghe again, motioning him to read it again.

Only then did Meng Qinghe realize that he had missed a few words just now.

More than 100 thieves and generals who were captured were also beheaded for public display after the war.

So, in this water battle, apart from a dozen ships, there were no prisoners?

His eyes widened. He never knew that the Ming army's boat masters were so... fierce?

If you meet the infantry and cavalry of the Ming army, you are on the train to Yan Luodian, and if you meet the boat division of the Ming army, it is obviously upgraded from the train to the high-speed rail.

It is no longer a question of whether to die or not, but it is quite difficult to die slowly.

Putting down the battle report, he took a deep breath. Encountering such an army, the Annan people could be regarded as bad luck for eight lifetimes.

The courage of Li Jisha who dared to challenge Emperor Yongle is commendable!

It's not good to offend anyone, but to offend Zhu Lao Si, it's obvious that he wants to die.

On that day, the battle report of the boat division was sent to the capital with Zhu Neng's memorial.

Meng Qinghe has been hesitating whether to report the profit from the food exchange truthfully. After reading the battle report of the boat master, the pressure on his head suddenly flew away.

Compared with the record of conquering the army, what is it if you just made more profits?

There are officials who impeach the bully, but they can't find him.There is Cheng Guogong's guarantee, what else is there to hesitate?

Report, must report truthfully!

After the memorials and battle reports were sent out, Meng Qinghe was more motivated to work.The transactions in one county in Pingxiang gradually expanded to the entire Siming Mansion.The adjacent Taiping Prefecture and Nanning Prefecture also benefited from this.In Qinzhou and Guishun Prefecture, chieftains and border residents came to Annan in search of opportunities to make a fortune.

It is reported that Xingningbo not only buys timber, Annan's native products and Annan soldiers who escaped during the war can also be exchanged for money.

The seizures of the army continued to be transported to Pingxiang, and Meng Qinghe was not short of money.Whether it is wood or people, it is paid for with one hand and delivered with the other.

They all ordered Cai Fu to lead thousands of Ming troops to transport the brigade.Of course, without military exploits, there must be additional compensation.

After a long time, the Ming army, who was still able to move freely but could no longer go to the battlefield, automatically replaced the comrades who were still able to fight, and shouldered this task.

No one dared to take the idea of ​​​​this delivery brigade.

The wealth accumulated by the nobles of the Li family and Annan is indeed attractive, but if they are robbed, it is only a one-shot deal, and afterwards they have to worry about the retaliation of the Ming army.

Tongxing Ningbo's business is the one that can go on for a long time and make a fortune.From November last year to the present, the wallets of a large number of frontier residents and chieftains have been bulged through timber and local product transactions.Merchants who transported grain back from Siam and other places also made a fortune.

The salt wells found in Annan have been stationed by the Ming army, and they can be exchanged for salt instead of silk and porcelain.Although the quality of the salt is not high, merchants still flock to it.It cannot be transported back to Daming, and sold in Laos and other foreign countries, the price can also be doubled several times.

The same goes for ironware.

Meng Qinghe took time to meet with two big food merchants, and exchanged silk and porcelain for the whole shipment of spices and gems.The Dashi businessman proposed to change the tea, but Meng Qinghe refused.

Just kidding, I finally asked Zhu Gaoxu for help, and persuaded Emperor Yongle to issue an edict to limit the sale of tea, and the one who was on guard against was the cannibal!

Let them bring tea to Europe and help Europeans develop their sailing career?

Don't even think about it!

Meng Qinghe himself did not sell tea to the big cannibal, and even reminded the businessmen gathered here that if anyone sells tea to the big cannibal, the deal with him will be cut off immediately.

Although the outflow of tea cannot be completely banned, he will do his best to slow down the pace of Europeans opening new sea routes.

"Not trading tea, but also porcelain, silk, and all kinds of exquisite crafts."

With a smile, he gave a transaction amount that was enough to make the big food merchant's heart beat. Sure enough, all dissatisfaction was swept away, and the transaction between the two parties went very happily.

Two big food merchants left with a boat full of porcelain and silk, and the news spread quickly, and more merchants came.

Since the establishment of the Guangdong Shipping Department, it has ushered in the busiest period.

With the development of overseas trade and the opening up of new shipping routes by Zheng He's fleet, the shipping departments established in various places in the Ming Dynasty will follow the standards of the Guangdong Shipping Department one after another, ushering in business peaks one after another, and we will be happy and painful together.

In the first day of the fifth month of Yongle, on the day of the Queen's Qianqiu Festival, the news of the success of the Annan army and the memorial of Cheng Guogong arrived in the capital.

Looking at the document sealed and sent by the General Secretary of the General Administration, Zhu Di rubbed his eyes in a very non-dominant move.

Great victory in the land battle, very good.

The victory in the water battle is also very good.

Food is plentiful, which is good.

The profit is several times better.

The numbers listed above are really astonishing.

The profit from exchanging cloth and silk for grain alone exceeded the grain tax paid by the Ministry of Households for half a year.If wood and others are added... No matter how bad Emperor Yong Le is at mathematics, he can roughly estimate a number.

After the calculation, the whole person was petrified.

This is no longer a surprise, but a thriller.