Chapter 146 Qi Jiguang: Annihilate the Folangji Armada! (Please order 5k!)
Luxurious cabin, carved railings and jade.
It is so luxurious that even the tableware on the table is made of pure gold and pure silver, giving it a sense of nobility.
If you didn't say this was a pirate's cabin, you would have thought it was some kind of palace.
‘Buy or sell?’
The moment he heard these two words, the confused Wang Zhi reacted immediately.
After all, he is also the pirate king of the generation who spans East Asia and Southeast Asia. In terms of personal courage, Wang Zhi's courage is definitely one of the best in the world.
Otherwise, it would not have been possible to go from a young man who just went to work in the sea to become the Pirate King today in just ten years.
I took a breath and calmed down.
‘How did Emperor Jiajing come to my ship?’
‘Why did Qi Jiguang call this strange man an immortal master?’
‘Immortal master? Isn’t he really an immortal?’
‘No, this Hu Zongxian has always been a liar. Could it be that he is someone who deliberately found someone to defraud me?’
Wang Zhi thought quickly in his mind, if he believed it so easily, he would not be Wang Zhi.
However, then I thought about it.
‘That’s not right, this is my ship. It’s impossible for anyone to touch it quietly, let alone enter the main cabin.’
For safety reasons.
Boss Wang has always been extremely secretive about the ship he is on.
In the entire fleet, there are nine boats that are exactly the same as the one Wang Zhi is on. From the appearance alone, outsiders can't tell which one is where Boss Wang is.
Moreover, all the entrances and exits on the ship are guarded by young men carrying guns, so there is no possibility of sneaking up.
Just as Boss Wang was thinking about his little ninety-nine.
Jiajing Immortal glanced at Hu Zongxian.
"Hu Zongxian, is there something wrong with your mind?"
The kneeling Lao Hu's heart suddenly pounded and he kowtowed quickly.
After all, just because a big pirate bribed me and was caught by the emperor on the spot, even if it was confiscated, I, as an official of the imperial court, colluded with the pirate to drink and have fun.
Giving yourself a chance to commit suicide is definitely not an exaggeration.
"My dear, I will die!"
"I dare to ask Your Majesty to investigate clearly. I absolutely dare not accept money from this thief!"
"Everyone in Zhizhe knows that Hu Zongxian and Wang Zhi are incompatible with each other. The purpose of coming here for the banquet today is to find out the true nature of the thieves so that they can be wiped out in one fell swoop one day!"
Wang Zhi was stunned for a while, and then looked at Hu Zongxian: I gave you money, but you damn bitten me back, open your mouth to be a thief and keep your mouth closed to steal people, when you called King Hui before, you were smoother than anyone else.
"Why not?"
"Even if you, Hu Zongxian, don't want it, you won't send these 50,000 taels to the capital for me?!"
Governor Hu was stunned by the Jiajing Immortal's words and his defense was broken.
Can it still be done like this?!
These words instantly opened up a new world for Hu Zongxian. He suddenly realized that if he could not give money to Zhang Shoufu himself, then he would give it to the emperor from now on!
"Idiot."
Throw the next sentence.
Then, Jiajing looked at Qi Jiguang who was kneeling aside.
"Are you Qi Jiguang?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Taibao, who was debating whether to send money to the emperor in the future, trembled and quickly said yes.
He had already learned from Zhang Juzheng's letter that he had been promoted from an unknown military attache to the deputy chief military officer of Zhejiang in just a few years, all because of the emperor's high regard.
"Well, not bad."
The main reason why Jiajing Immortal was promoted to Qi Jiguang in succession was because during break time, he heard from other emperors about going to Dengzhou Guard to steal a pole, so he remembered the name Qi Jiguang.
In Zhu Houcong's view, since he is someone valued by his master, he is a person with a predestined relationship, so he should naturally be used and reused.
"From now on, I will add the commander-in-chief of the left of the Fifth Army Commander-in-Chief to control the governor of Zhejiang."
Qi Jiguang, who was kneeling, was stunned.
‘???’
‘This, this is another promotion?!’
Above the Ming Dynasty military position, there is actually no official position such as Chief Military Officer.
There is no fixed rank for the Chief Military Officer. Initially, it was just a wartime official position, held by military generals sent by the imperial court to control troops and horses. Generally, they would be taken back immediately after the war. However, in the middle and late stages, in some border areas that have been disturbed for a long time,
, this chief military officer gradually replaced the commander-in-chief of Dusidu and became the highest military officer in the local area.
This operation is very similar to the governor system among civil servants.
At first, the governor only visited places on behalf of the imperial court. As time went by, he became a permanent resident, replaced the chief envoy, and became the local leader.
Therefore, although Qi Jiguang is now the deputy chief military officer of Zhejiang, his official position is not actually the deputy chief military officer, but a deputy commander of the Zhejiang Metropolitan Commander's Department.
And Tongzhi Zuo, who has now been promoted to the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army, controls the Zhejiang Commander-in-Chief, which is equivalent to being promoted from deputy commander-in-chief to chief military officer.
Of course, in terms of affiliation, he is still under the jurisdiction of Hu Zongxian, the Governor of Zhizhe. After all, the authority of the Governor of Zhizhe is to control the military affairs of Zhejiang, Fujian, Southern Zhili and other areas.
"I, Qi Jiguang, must die to serve the country! I will live up to His Majesty's grace!"
Qi Jiguang thumped his head, making a loud bang.
His kowtow is not a loss at all.
After all, Qi Jiguang this year was not yet thirty, and no general in his twenties could be found in the entire Ming Dynasty.
"Stop kneeling and get up and talk business."
Ji Boying patted Wang Zhi's shoulder, then pulled up a chair and sat down. Immortal Jiajing followed suit and also pulled up a chair and sat next to Ji Boying.
Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang and Xu Wei all took a deep breath before standing up. Of course they didn't dare to sit down, so they all stood with their heads down.
As for Wang Zhi.
Boss Wang took a deep breath, half of the cigarette burned, and then white smoke billowed out of his nose.
This operation is very familiar.
Obviously, as a business leader in East and Southeast Asia, Boss Wang has long seen tobacco similar to cigarette rolls from the Spanish, but he has never seen such refined tobacco.
He took off the cigarette from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and stared at Ji Boying and the Jiajing Immortal.
"I wonder what kind of deal your Majesty, Immortal Master, is going to negotiate with Mr. Wang."
Immortal Jiajing didn't say anything because he didn't know either. He just looked at the Pirate King, making Wang Zhi tremble all over.
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After all...
This is the emperor!
In Ji Boying's eyes, the emperor was a very ordinary creature.
But in the eyes of any subject of the Ming Dynasty, even a pirate king like Wang Zhi, the emperor is an absolutely supreme being.
"The Ming Dynasty can allow you to have freedom of movement and free sea trade."
The words are over.
Wang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and uncontrollable ecstasy appeared on his face.
He has been waiting for this day for too long!
Everyone knows that Wang Zhi is a great pirate who runs all over the southeastern coast, and he even established a 'country' in Japan. But in his heart, Wang Zhi still believes that he is a member of the Ming Dynasty, a descendant of the Han family, and a person who lives on land.
Descendants of Yan and Huang.
From the original historical line, it can be seen that Wang Zhi was recruited by Hu Zongxian when his army was strong and his horse was strong. It can be seen that Wang Zhi always wanted to go ashore.
Otherwise, with his strength at that time, thousands of people under his command, and massive amounts of silver support, he could live a happy life overseas, and the Ming Dynasty would have no way to deal with him.
"However, there are several conditions."
Ji Boying glanced at Wang Zhi, who was in a state of excitement.
Sure enough, whether you are a man or a woman, you are forced to go to the sea and have no choice.
"As long as the imperial court allows me free sea trade, I, Wang Zhi, will agree to it no matter what the conditions are."
Jiajing Immortal frowned slightly.
Of course he has heard of Wang Zhi's name. Based on his past attitude towards maritime bans, he must kill this smuggler until he dies.
"1. From today on, the weapons and firearms of all the subordinates under your command will be distributed by the imperial court, and they are not allowed to equip them privately."
"Two, from now on, your fleet is not allowed to privately collect goods from the people of the Ming Dynasty. The goods flowing out of the Ming Dynasty overseas will be purchased by the government from the people, and will be loaded and priced uniformly by the government."
"Third, all the silver you earn from overseas trade, whether you purchase goods from the Ming Dynasty and resell them, or resell firearms from Spain and other countries, will belong to the imperial court, and the imperial court will give you one cent of your trade volume every year.
For salary."
"In addition, from now on, any problems you encounter in maritime trade will be solved by the Governor of Zhejiang Province as soon as possible, and the entire Ming Dynasty will support you later."
"There is only one thing you have to do."
"That is to rapidly expand the scale of your maritime trade. What the Ming Dynasty wants is not only the southeastern coast, but also the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian Sea. I want you to expand the Ming Dynasty's maritime trade business to any sea area in the world.
”
"On the day you succeed, the imperial court will register you as the first-class Marquis of Jinghai. You will be hereditary and will not be replaced. Later generations will build a temple to worship you, and the incense will continue."
Wang Zhi, who originally had strong opinions on the first few sentences, became more and more excited as he listened to them later. Especially when he heard the last sentence, "Hereditary and irreplaceable", he no longer had any hesitation in his heart.
The whole person was like a turkey, instantly on fire.
Damn it!
Can I continue to be the Pirate King for the rest of my life?!
Even if you seem to be very prosperous now, you may be hacked one day and die without even a complete body. Boss Wang himself does this kind of thing often.
This is also the reason why Wang Zhi never takes his family into the sea, because he knows that the risk is too high.
Although the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish, but Boss Wang knows better that if his boat capsizes once in this storm, he will be doomed.
It’s still great to be part of the establishment!
A hereditary first-class marquis has been hard to find even with a lantern in the Wang family's eight lifetimes.
And...!
Boss Wang is also an idealistic person.
Since he is the Pirate King, his goal is naturally the boundless sea. Boss Wang has long been dissatisfied with toiling along the southeastern coast and has long wanted to further expand his business.
From Fo Langji's words, he had long known that in the waters on the other side of the continent, maritime trade between countries was in full swing.
It's a pity that I was just a private owner before, no one knew the truth, and I didn't dare to head west rashly.
But, it’s different now.
I suddenly transformed into the CEO of a state-owned enterprise!
There is a government that pays wages, so I’m afraid of being a jerk!
"How?"
Ji Boying calmly glanced at Wang Zhi, who was in a state of excitement.
Immortal Jiajing also looked at Wang Zhi, frowning.
Plop.
Wang Zhi, who had already stood up, knelt down again.
This time, the kneeling was sincere.
"My dear, Wang Zhi, I am willing to be loyal to my country and serve your Majesty through fire and water in this life, even if I die!"
"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"
'Bang' means banging your head and kowtow.
"Well, you go prepare it first and implement it in the next few days."
Ji Boying waved his hand.
Changing from a private enterprise to a state-owned enterprise is not an easy task.
First, Boss Wang has to kill a group of people, and then he has to parachute a few leaders.
"Yes!"
Boss Wang saluted and was about to turn around and leave.
Suddenly, he paused and thought of something.
"Master Immortal, Your Majesty, I still have a question."
"Can we sell domestic firearms to the Japanese country? The Japanese country is currently at war and has a huge demand for firearms, and the profits are huge. As long as I, Wang, directly raise the price, the price difference of five to ten times is not a problem."
"I have been reselling Folangji's firearms for the past few years, and the small amount has been enough for Folangji's gang."
Don’t wait for Ji Boying to speak.
"I'm sure!"
When the Jiajing Immortal heard the price difference of five to ten times, his eyes shone.
That's equivalent to throwing in a hundred taels of silver and getting back a thousand taels after changing hands. This kind of transaction is simply not that exciting.
The appearance of this chicken thief reminded Ji Boying inexplicably of Yingjiang in later generations. This dog eagle made his fortune from this thing, and in order to sell this thing, he went around doing coups every day wearing the skin of a world security guard.
"Hmm."
Ji Boying nodded slightly.
Wang Zhi then saluted and exited the hatch.
The moment he stepped out, Boss Wang felt like he was in a dream. He took a long breath and felt that the whole world had become clearer. He could finally take his family to visit Hangzhou openly.
‘This day is so damn bright.’
‘From today on, I am also a person with status.’
Wang took another deep breath and looked to the left and right with a sharp look on his face.
"Listen to me, no one is allowed to enter this door today."
"Anyone who violates this rule will be killed without mercy."
"Also, call the owners of each ship immediately."
At this time.
Inside the cabin.
"Master, is it too high to give him one cent of the total trade volume?"
Immortal Jiajing frowned, I bet he had been struggling with this matter.
But the Jiajing Immortal is also right.
If sea trade were to be completely liberalized, the annual trade silver would be in the hundreds of millions. Even a penny of profit would be millions of taels of silver.
"Do you think he, Wang Zhi, is a fool?"
"Since he is willing to join you and do things for you, he will naturally feel worried."
Jiajing was so smart that he instantly understood the meaning of the immortal master's words.
Wang Zhi definitely did not dare to take this one-cent profit. In the end, he would definitely write a letter to ask the Jiajing Immortal to take back this profit, and then give him a generous salary, such as setting an official salary of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver a year.
.
From beginning to end.
Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang were both listening, and they were both a little dumbfounded.
They had long known that the imperial court had hidden intentions of opening up the sea, but they never expected it to be in this way.
"Hu Zongxian."
Ji Boying looked over, and Hu Zongxian, who was in a daze, paused for a moment.
Anyone who is not a fool can see at this moment that Emperor Jiajing listened to this immortal master.
"Today's Wang Zhi matter is not allowed to be mentioned to anyone. On the surface, the imperial court still maintains a ban on the sea."
"And what you have to do is to cooperate with Wang Zhi to eradicate all other smuggling gangs in the country, especially the Liu family, regardless of their size."
"Smuggling in the Ming Dynasty, oh no."
"Only Wang Zhi can be allowed to conduct maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty."
Hu Zongxian was stunned.
‘???’
What does this mean?
Aren’t we going to impose a sea ban? If we open a sea ban, how can we still have smuggling?
“Didn’t hear clearly?!”
The Jiajing Immortal said something coldly.
Ding.
Hu Zongxian couldn't control his confused mind and thought clearly, so he immediately fell to his knees.
"My lord, Hu Zongxian, obeys the decree!"
"Just wait aside, I have something else to say to you."
Ji Boying withdrew his gaze from Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian took a deep breath and quickly stepped aside. He had the illusion that he had become the umbrella of the evil forces.
"From now on, you will begin to form and train the Ming Dynasty's navy. However, if necessary, soldiers, warships, and equipment will be reported to you as soon as they are available, and the court will not disapprove."
"You have only one responsibility, and that is to build an invincible navy. In addition to ensuring that Wang Zhi's merchant ships can sail unhindered on the sea, you also need to let ships from other countries see the flag of the Ming Dynasty.
Feeling frightened."
"Remember, the goal I set for you."
"Destroy the Folangji Armada."
The Ming Dynasty could not distinguish between Portugal and Spain, and they were collectively called Folangji.
In this era of the 31st year of Jiajing, that is, 1552 AD, the Spanish Armada was rampaging across the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. There were more than 300 battleships alone, and thousands of main battleships. The displacement of the entire fleet exceeded that of a later aircraft carrier.
The formations are all equipped with the most advanced artillery and weapons of this era, making them true ocean overlords.
"On the day of the meritorious service, I will grant you the rank of Marquis Dinghai, build a temple and a shrine, and receive incense and offerings from future generations."
No one should be missing from the pie that should be painted.
In an instant, Qi Jiguang was on fire just like Wang Zhi just now.
The bloodline nourished by this land of Kyushu has the inertia of protecting its descendants. Especially for a general, the hereditary title is a lifelong pursuit.
After finishing speaking, Ji Boying's eyes fell on Hu Zongxian on one side again.
"Zhu Houcong, you also need to hear clearly what I'm going to say next."
The Jiajing Immortal who was making soy sauce on the side also cheered up.
"Hu Zongxian, I know what you want to ask."
"You want to ask, since Wang Zhi is allowed to trade, why not just open the sea ban?"