Ming Zuo

Chapter 748 Embassies and Consulates

"The army must belong to the country, otherwise the old days of the Three Kingdoms at the end of the Han Dynasty and the feudal towns at the end of the Tang Dynasty will inevitably repeat itself. At that time, the country will be torn apart and the wars will continue, and it will only be for foreign enemies to take advantage of it."

Zuo Menggeng's words were powerful.

Beside him, Zheng Zhilong was submissive, with an unnatural expression on his face.

Following Zuo Menggeng, walked around Shandong, and saw more of Shandong, Zheng Zhilong felt guilty from the bottom of his heart.

He thought of the future, so he tested Zuo Menggeng.

But Zuo Menggeng's words put Zheng Zhilong into a dilemma.

beep beep beep...

The sharp whistle interrupted Zheng Zhilong's reverie.

He looked up, and on the valley field not far away, a hundred or so soldiers were practicing.

During this period of time, he had already understood the military system of the new army and knew that it was a company.

What shocked him was that he was not in the military camp at this time, but in the farmer's grain field.

The new army was dispatched by Zuo Menggeng to help the people harvest food. While busy, they did not interrupt their training.

Even in the valley field, even without weapons and armor, these soldiers still practiced very seriously.

Although there were only a hundred or so people, the queue was strict and the pace was uniform.All kinds of transformation methods are dazzling, and the speed is extremely fast, which has reached the point where there is no time.

Although Zheng's ability on land is average, Zheng Zhilong also knows what it means for an army to be able to change formations at such a speed.

Combined with what Zuo Menggeng said just now, his heart is even more stressed.

Looking at Zheng Chenggong, who was kneeling beside Zuo Menggeng and making tea for Zuo Menggeng attentively, he felt a little more at ease again.

This time the rush harvest was very timely. With the help of the army, all farmers from all over the country managed to put grain into storage.

The property can be preserved, and there is no need to worry about starvation. The people's love for the new government has reached an unbelievable level.

At this time, no matter who wants to make an enemy of Shandong, these people will actively fight to defend the regime.

"According to statistics, the total output of winter wheat this year is [-] billion catties, which is [-] million catties more than last year. Given that the cultivation methods and climate environment are not much different between this year and last year, it can be inferred that the increase in production basically comes from seeds improvement."

Chen Zilong ran over to report the data to Zuo Menggeng.

In an era of frequent disasters, food production can still increase, which is definitely great news.

With more food, more people can be fed.And the problem of the most scarce labor force in Shandong can be greatly alleviated.

It was precisely because of the lack of food before that Shandong was both open and rigorous in absorbing migrants, always paying attention to the number of migrants.It is afraid that the limit of food supply will be exceeded, causing a social crisis.

"We still can't relax our vigilance. God has become more and more evil these years, and no one can tell what kind of catastrophe there will be in the future. In any case, food is very important. It is necessary to ensure the output of the fields, and to develop more Multiple sources of food sources."

Zuo Menggeng has read too many materials about how terrible the natural disasters in the late Ming Dynasty were.

It is not an exaggeration to describe this era as the end of the world.

In his memory, Shandong has not been affected by the disaster in the past few years, and it seems that there will be several catastrophes in the future.

At this time, there is no other way. On the one hand, we have to fight against the heavens, and on the other hand, we have to find more ways to survive.

Europeans were able to survive this difficult period through colonization. Although the Chinese do not advocate colonial plunder, they can find sufficient supplies from overseas.

At least the past few years of aquaculture and marine fishing have proved that abundant food can be obtained from outside the land.

When he returned to Linqing, Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua joined hands to find him.

"Commander, that Anthony Van Diemen made a proposal. The Dutch intend to set up a business house in Shandong and take charge of our trade on the spot. We discussed it and found that this matter is beneficial but harmless, so we are ready to agree. But Mr. Hou said that this is a first-of-its-kind move, and it is best to go through your review."

Zuo Menggeng nodded, highly appreciating Hou Xun's maturity.

Although they are all aboriginal officials, Hou Xun has one more mind than others.

He asked: "Since the Dutch plan to build a business here, can we have the same measures?"

Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua looked at each other, they really hadn't thought of this.

"Since ancient times, only barbarians from all over the world have come to pay tribute to the Celestial Dynasty. If it is not necessary, the Celestial Dynasty has rarely sent envoys to foreign lands."

When talking about the historical materials of missions to foreign lands, the first thing Liao Zhongjian and others thought of was Su Wu shepherding sheep.

"You guys... where have you learned the art of war? How can you forget the truth that knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to win every battle?"

After being reprimanded, Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua were very ashamed.

"We will reply to the Dutch and set up a business office in Batavia."

"That's not enough."

Zuo Menggeng stopped them.

Now that the Dutchman has made a request, he intends to follow suit.

"Go and talk to the Dutch. We can set up embassies with each other. We can send ambassadors to each other. Although the embassies are on local territory, they exist as our own land. Both sides must ensure the safety of the other's embassy and must not violate it. In the future Any exchanges between the two parties, including political, economic, military, diplomatic and civil disputes, can be handled and taken care of by the embassy.”

Hearing Zuo Menggeng's thoughts, Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua were greatly surprised.

They were still very young, and they didn't understand the benefits of it for a while.

But Zuo Menggeng understood the truth too well.

"On the surface, an embassy can be regarded as a representative of a country in the territory of another country, and can communicate and exchange smoothly with the country where it is stationed on behalf of its own country. But in fact, the embassy, ​​envoys and staff of the embassy can be regarded as their own. Eyes and tentacles, not only can keep an eye on every move of the host country at any time, but can also do some actions in private."

He made it so clear that Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua didn't understand the benefits of it, so they just found a rope and hanged themselves.

"Don't worry, Commander, we will definitely handle this matter beautifully."

Both Liao Zhongjian and Chonghua understood that the purpose of the embassy revealed by Zuo Menggeng, I believe the Dutch would not be able to comprehend it in a short time.

And this time difference is enough to reap huge benefits for Shandong.

After they found Anthony Van Diemen and explained Shandong's idea, the other party agreed on the spot.

Sending envoys to other countries is actually very common in Europe, and Shandong's approach is just a step further, also considering the reason of distance.

As a country of business that has always dreamed of in-depth exchanges with China, the Dutch are eager to establish more in-depth ties.

　Thank you Wei Ai Qinger for the reward!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)