Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Chapter 235 Chapter 230 Four Battleships
Quanzhou Prefecture, Jinmen Office.

Jia Ying was dressed in bright armor and a dark red cloak, standing on a rock, looking across the sea.The left and right are not far apart, there are soldiers in armor, and there are two generals in armor behind them.

"How long has the Penghu Inspection Department been abolished?" Jia Ying's voice suddenly sounded in front of him.

Hearing this, a general behind him hurriedly replied: "Return to Governor, it has been 36 years since the 31th year of Xuanlong."

31 years, which means that the imperial court has banned maritime trade for more than 30 years.

"Now the Penghu Islands are occupied by that group of bandits? What about Dongfan Island?"

"My lord, Yao Fanzi, one of the nine great pirate leaders, occupies the Penghu Islands. He has eight generals under his command, and he is also known as the Eight Great King Kongs. He has nearly ten thousand bandits under his command, including Japanese slaves and Silla Baekjes. The survivors. Dongfan Island is not under their control, and the island's native Daduer vassal state often conflicts with it, and both sides can do nothing to each other."

"Nearly ten thousand people?" Jia Ying asked suspiciously.

"Returning to my lord, the nearly [-] people also include ordinary people living on the Penghu Islands. Most of those people are cadres who moved over from the land, and many of them committed crimes in the countryside, and later dragged their families along. They all moved there. There are also some people who were forced to be taken over by the Penghu Inspection Department in order to fill the border."

Jia Ying nodded, this is plausible, if a pirate is so powerful, then the court officers and soldiers will continue to huddle on land.

"Where are the Taixi people? Didn't they reach out to Dongfan Island?"

"I have been here a few times, but they were all repelled by the joint efforts of Yao Fanzi and Daduer Fanguo." The general replied.

After asking some questions, Jia Ying fell silent.

In the past half a month, he set off from Zhenhaiwei, headed south all the way, and inspected most of the coastal guards in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. It's not difficult to imagine the situation.

Except for the Jiangnan navy under Nanzhili, which still maintains a certain combat power, most of the other coastal guards don't even have a decent warship, mostly fishing boats, Wupeng, and most of the Jiangnan navy Already exist in name only.

For the situation that the navy is facing today, the local government guards must have a reason, but the most fundamental reason is the imperial court.

From the moment the sea ban was issued, the end of the Jiangnan navy was already doomed. They couldn't even get out of the sea, so what do they need warships for?
In order to be able to survive, these officers and soldiers of the guards sold the imperial ships to the local wealthy merchants at a price.Dagan's sea area has changed from the original coastal defense to the current coastal defense.

Sailors can't go into the sea, so are they still called sailors?

If you want to eradicate pirates, you must have a ship. There is no shortage of shipbuilding technology and docks. Although more than [-] years have passed, there are still many craftsmen alive in the world, and craftsmen are generally family-based. , father to son, son to grandson, as long as those craftsmen and families are still there, they can build warships at any time if they want.

The key is the lack of money.

The official warship quotation given by Longjiang Shipyard, a warship with 74 materials, the cost is 30 taels, nine thousand dollars, a warship with 150 materials is 22 taels, a warship with [-] materials is [-] taels, just listen This number is cheap.

But in fact, will there be such a good thing?
The bottom material of a nanmu tank boat costs 120 taels of silver, and the cheaper fir and pine wood costs 75 taels, and this is just a tank boat driving on the canal. How about replacing it with a warship?
After Jia Ying revealed his intention to build a ship, Longjiang Shipyard sent a list of quotations shortly after.

A warship with a width of two feet and eight feet and a length of ten feet requires 360 taels of wood, 190 eight taels of tung oil and 190 taels of munitions and equipment, and 480 taels of labor. For seven people, the required labor cost is 670 yuan.

A total of 370 taels of silver.

This is only the pure cost. The casting cost of the artillery equipped on the warship needs to be calculated separately. After all, only the Ordnance Bureau is qualified to cast the artillery. The equipment fee charged by the Longjiang Shipyard is only to install the cast artillery on the warship. That's all.

Don't shells and ammunition cost money?Also, according to Dagan's existing warship configuration, a large warship with more than 120 materials needs at least 120 firearms hands. The actual cost of a firearms is less than four taels of silver. About three taels should be able to win, the minimum configuration of 360 is [-] taels.

There are also soldiers' weapons and armor costs, all of which require silver.

According to this calculation, to build a warship ten feet long and two feet eight feet wide would cost at least 2000 taels of silver.

A ten-foot-long warship would be close to six hundred materials. Jia Ying does not need such a large warship. The bigger the warship, the better. Without flexibility, driving out can only scare the enemy.

It is still necessary to focus on small and medium-sized warships. Those with more than 150 materials belong to large warships, those with [-] to [-] materials belong to medium-sized warships, and those with less than [-] materials belong to small warships.

The smaller the ship type, the lower the cost. There is no difference in the model, which is almost equivalent to a half price reduction. The price of 300 materials is more than 800 taels, the price of 150 materials is less than 500 taels, and the price of [-] materials is about [-] taels.

Jia Ying plans to build one to three fleets, one fleet with one large ship, four to six medium ships, and small ships depending on their missions. Generally, they can be equipped with 150 or [-] ships with eight to ten warships. Two, and several small boats.

The cost of such a fleet is about 2 taels of silver, and three fleets are about 6 taels of silver.

It seems that the cost is not much, but it is only spent before going to sea, and the maintenance fee, depreciation fee, and military salary are the most important things.

A navy ranges from 2000 to 6000 people, and three fleets have [-] to [-] people. In addition to the reserve force for landing operations, the three fleets can maintain their strength at around [-], and they will not be able to support any more. get up.

A soldier is calculated based on the lowest salary standard of the Dagan frontier army, which is 15 taels, and 1 people is 15 taels.

Counting all the miscellaneous things, it is impossible to do it without an initial investment of more than 20 taels of silver.

And in the later stage, I am afraid that he will have to invest 10,000+ taels every year. For such a big matter, he can't make the decision, and the imperial court should make the decision.

However, he can do the previous things first, and when the navy fleet becomes a fact, even if the court is reluctant, I am afraid that it will not have the heart to dismiss it easily, after all, it is all spent money.

"Song Lun, has there been a letter from your brother?" Jia Ying turned around and asked another general beside him.

Jia Ying didn't know many people in the Navy. Song Lv had followed him, and in a sense he had joined him, so he wrote a letter of divorce and transferred Song Lun to go south.

As for the transfer order, as the chief officer of the Ministry of War, he just needs to make up a copy later.

As for Song Lu, it was Qi Yaozong, the veteran of the Navy who helped him go to Dengzhou to ask Lin Ruhai to recommend him.

"Returning to my lord, I just received a letter from Shandong. Elder brother has already seen Lord Qi, but Lord Qi asked my elder brother to ask my lord, if he goes south, what position will he take?" Song Lun replied.

Will any job.

This is to ask the official to come.

Qi Yaozong is now an acquaintance of the commander of the guard, and further up is the commander of the guard, but if he is just a commander of the guard, he may not be able to impress him.Now Ye Baichuan is already Jane's minister in the emperor's heart, as long as he waits for a few years, he will be promoted sooner or later, so why come to the south to suffer?
If it goes up further, it will be the Dusi Yamen.

Zhejiang Dusi may soon have a vacancy, but if Jia Ying is an official in the Ministry of War, it is still difficult to recommend an official of the Dusi level.
However, he is still the governor of the Jiangnan Navy. Although this governor is limited to maritime affairs and is not as good as the serious governor and governor, he is also qualified to sit on an equal footing with the officials of the capital, so he can take advantage of it.

"My lord, Master Jia Yucun sent someone to send an invitation card, inviting you to Fuzhou Mansion, to talk about it at the Buzheng Yamen." Xi'er walked over and said.

"Fuzhou Prefecture?"

Although he has been busy with maritime affairs in recent days, he still pays attention to the movements in the court.

After the rebels retreated, Lin Ruhai and Jia Yucun, due to their own reasons, have been busy in the Naton area, changing rice into mulberry, and temporarily stopped. The chaos caused a big wave of rendering.

The imperial court ordered Feng Jicai to be an imperial envoy, responsible for investigating the corruption of officials in the south of the Yangtze River.Jia Yucun was the first to bear the brunt. Although Lin Ruhai was sent by the emperor, he was inevitably implicated. Some people in the court have already asked the emperor to order punishment.

All the big families in the south of the Yangtze River who participated in it were also implicated. The Jia family dragged Jia Ying's luck, so naturally they ranked first, and there was also the Zhen family.

It is worth mentioning that the Zhen family did not accept Jia Ying's suggestion at the beginning as a concession. On the contrary, they felt that the Jia family had betrayed the old relationship between the two families for many years, and even broke off the relationship with the Jia family after that. As for the connection of the clan, when Jia Ying set off on the expedition that day, all four families came to see him off, because the Zhen family was the only one missing.

And his family's affairs are more serious, not only the land invasion case, but also the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau corruption case that was brought out because of the robbery of the first batch of silk shipped to Guangzhou.

The sons of the Zhen family, using the contacts accumulated in the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau for many years, not to mention selling officials and nobles, are also suspected of colluding with weaving officials for corruption and oppressing the people, buying silk cloth from the weavers at low prices and selling them to the Weaving Bureau at high prices And it's shoddy.

Jia Ying didn't know if the Zhen family regretted not listening to him at this time, and the Zhen family never came to the Jia family after that, but there was a letter from Jinling that someone from the Zhen family seemed to have come to Beijing.

The pool of water in the Dagan officialdom has never been really calm, there are only invisible waves, which eventually turned into a hurricane and tsunami, Jia Ying is not surprised.

Yu Ze of Zhen's family is still there, and I'm afraid he won't be able to fall for a while, but he is definitely bleeding heavily.

When Jia Ying brought people to Fuzhou Buzheng Yamen, Jia Yucun hadn't seen him yet, but he met an acquaintance first.

"I never thought that I would meet an old friend here. Brother Xixian, are you alright after a long absence?"

Gong Shangren also seemed a little surprised at this meeting. After being stunned, he greeted him with a smile on his face: "I heard that you were promoted to the governor of the navy. Why did you come to Fuzhou if you didn't go after pirates?"

Jia Ying smiled wryly and said: "Brother Xixian, if you are not in charge of the family, you don't know how expensive the firewood is. I want to go to sea to suppress the bandits, but I need a boat and soldiers. The incident in Zhejiang is so troublesome. If you want to come, you will also hear about it. However, tens of thousands of bandits, relying only on the dozens of dilapidated warships of Zhenhaiwei and Chongmingwei, went out to sea rashly, and they were not killing people."

After hearing this, Gong Shangren frowned slightly: "The Jiangnan navy has a solid foundation. It's only been 30 or [-] years, and it's already reached this level?"

Gong Shangren has been an official for so many years, and spent most of his time in Shanxi. He really doesn't know much about the situation in Jiangnan.

However, as far as he knew, before Emperor Xuanlong moved the capital, all the sailors in the south of the Yangtze River stayed, and none of them went north. They were all established in the later stage. Thinking about how prosperous the maritime trade was in those days, you can know what kind of maritime military power is needed to maintain this grand occasion.

It is said that a lean camel is bigger than a horse, but in the past 30 to [-] years, even if you are a prodigal, you have not lost so fast, right?

Jia Ying nodded with a serious expression: "It's only worse than you think. The navy of the Haijiang Garrison is almost becoming an army. Half of the officers and soldiers have never even been in the water since they joined the army. They are completely landlubbers." . Some of the original wealth of each guard is gone, and there are two or three dilapidated boats. In this situation, how can I lead troops to suppress bandits?"

Gong Shangren said heartbrokenly: "Liu Bai, although I have never been to the sea frontier guard, but from what you said, I can generally guess that it must involve the corruption of generals in the army, you can't ignore it! "

Although Gong Shangren has not known Jia Ying for too long, it is not difficult to get a glimpse of Jia Ying's temperament from the words when they get along with each other on weekdays.

In Gong Shangren's impression, let's not talk about Jia Ying's ability to govern, but the other party is definitely a smart person, but he doesn't like to meddle in his own business, and only sweeps his own one-acre three-point land, which is not within his scope of authority. Things, usually do not interfere.

Jia Ying said with a bitter face: "Brother Xixian, the imperial court asked me to suppress bandits, but you asked me to investigate corruption. Just to complete the important task entrusted to me by the imperial court, I have been devastated. From coming to Jiangnan to now , I haven’t had a good rest for more than a month. If I continue to hold on to those old debts of Chen Guzi’s rotten seeds, will I still be able to suppress the bandits?”

When Gong Shangren heard the words, a look of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he couldn't force Jia Ying to do anything, everyone insisted on different beliefs.

"I haven't asked Brother Xixian, why did you come to Fujian?"

Gong Shangren replied: "The imperial court ordered a thorough investigation into the corruption of the Sanggai special funds in Zhejiang and Fujian. As the head of the Fujian Cleaning Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs, I was naturally sent down."

"Are you alone?" Jia Ying asked.

Gong Shangren shook his head and said: "Your Majesty ordered Prince Zhaohe to inspect on behalf of the heavens, Feng Jicai was an imperial envoy, and the chief officers of the Zhejiang and Fujian Divisions of the Ministry of Household Affairs were as assistants to come to the south of the Yangtze River to investigate the corruption case of Sanggai money transfer. I just It’s just a step ahead.”

"Where is Prince Showa?"

"How would I know His Highness's itinerary?" Gong Shangren shook his head and said.

Then he said: "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing, Prince Suzhong will also come."

Yang You?This is an investigation, not a war, why did His Majesty send him here?
"Is there any progress in Fujian?" Jia Ying asked, paused, and then said, "If it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."

"No inconvenience." Gong Shangren shook his head and said:
"I can't get involved in the affairs of the adults above. I just check the accounts. The Fujian Chief Secretary's farmland register does not match the annual tax. As far as Dian University scholar Yuge’s hometown is concerned, their family alone has owed the court three years of taxes, and nearly [-]% of the farmland in Fuzhou Prefecture belongs to the family.”

"Will the imperial court move at home?" Jia Ying asked.

"Your Highness means to act impartially, but I'm only responsible for checking the accounts. I'm afraid I will have to wait for His Highness to make a decision on the follow-up matters." Gong Shangren replied.

After a hasty farewell to Gong Shangren, Jia Ying met Jia Yucun in a private house next to the Chief Secretary's Yamen.

"Brother Yucun, what's the matter with you calling me from Quanzhou in such a hurry?"

"My dear brother, please take a seat first. This is the newly picked Wuyi rock tea, and I invite you to taste it." Jia Yucun greeted Jia Ying while pouring a cup of hot tea.

"Soft, bright and uniform, with red edge and cinnabar color, this is the Dahongpao of Wuyi Mountain. Brother Yucun is so delicious, and there is no shortage of filial piety anywhere." Jia Ying did not refuse. After riding for a long time, he was also a little thirsty. .

"You can't treat yourself too badly when you're alive. You should still enjoy it, how about it?" It was obvious that Jia Yucun was anxious.

"I told you last time that I don't know how to make tea, but I will take a few catties of this tea with me later." Jia Ying poured herself another cup and talked to Yucun, never being polite, everyone is a layman , can't do it.

"Finally, why are you looking for me? If it's okay, I have to go back to the barracks in a hurry. There are so many things in the navy that I haven't sorted out yet, so I don't have time to delay here."

Jia Yucun looked up at Jia Ying, and asked slowly, "Your Majesty sent Prince Showa to Jiangnan to investigate the case, have you heard?"

"I just found out just now." Jia Ying played with the teacup in his hand and replied calmly.

"I'm dissatisfied with my virtuous brother, I'm afraid I'll encounter another hurdle this time." Jia Yucun sighed leisurely.

Jia Ying smiled, looked at Jia Yucun and said, "Seeing you are so relaxed, I thought you weren't worried at all."

"It's just a matter of having fun."

"Why, Mr. Li Ge in the capital didn't send you a letter?" Jia Ying asked curiously.

Jia Yucun shook his head, "The world is a game of chess, and I'm just a black piece on the chessboard. I can throw it away at will. Mr. Wang is far away, and he can't take care of this side for a while. Sigh!"

After hearing Jia Yucun's words, Jia Ying was taken aback.

Will Li Endi abandon Jia Yucun?If even Jia Yucun was abandoned, would the officials in Jiangnan also be abandoned by him?
But without the support of these local officials, can he still sit firmly as the chief assistant?
What is he trying to do?
"Why did Yucun say that? Li Ge is an old man who is the head and assistant. He won't be able to protect the people around him." Jia Ying pretended not to understand.

Jia Yucun glanced at Jia Ying, and he could tell that Jia Ying's heart was wrong, but he didn't care about it.

"I heard that Prince Suzhong will also accompany him to the south this time, and it is His Majesty's intention."

"Brother Yucun, what do you mean?" Jia Ying sort of guessed what Jia Yucun was talking about.

Jia Yucun didn't answer directly, but asked: "I heard from Mr. Lu of the Nanjing Military Department that my virtuous brother wants to build a new type of warship?"

Jia Ying took a deep look at Jia Yucun, did not speak, and waited for the other party's follow-up.

"I am originally from Huzhou. When I was dismissed last time, I was the magistrate of Taizhou and the situation of the Haijiang Guard. I also know a thing or two. If my brother wants to build a ship, I am afraid that there is still something missing."

"what?"

"silver."

"The imperial court doesn't attach much importance to coastal defense. The name of the navy is famous but not real. That's why this change in Zhejiang happened. Last year, brother Ru Hai transferred grain from the south of the Yangtze River to the north. It was me who led the way. The imperial court is now I still owe a lot of money to the big families in the south of the Yangtze River and those wealthy merchants, and given the current situation of the household department, I am afraid that they will not easily transfer the money to help my virtuous brother rebuild the navy."

This is also what Jia Ying is worried about.

"What can you do?" Up to now, there is nothing to hide.

"The local rich families in Fujian, they have plenty of silver."

"Will they be willing?" Jia Ying said with a smile, as soon as she dozed off, someone gave her a pillow.

"It's up to them. This time, His Majesty ordered a thorough investigation into the corruption of local officials in the two provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian. Those big families are now in danger, and they are asking everywhere. Now they have money and no land to spend."

"But I remember that brother Yucun is not a parent official in Fujian."

Jia Yucun replied: "But I still have Sangai's errand. I had an agreement with Brother Ruhai at the beginning. He was in charge of Zhejiang, and I was in charge of Fujian. Those aristocratic families made a lot of money in Sangai. As long as this matter is seized, no matter whether it is the imperial court or the local government, they will not be able to get around me, and here I have the account books for the Sanggai special funds that Feng Jicai wants."

Jia Ying remained silent.

Seeing this, Yucun continued: "Those aristocratic families are just the afterglow of the doomsday, grasshoppers after autumn. As long as there is a straw that can save their lives at this time, they will never give up this opportunity."

"Wouldn't it be cheaper for them?" Jia Ying raised an eyebrow.

Jia Yucun sneered and said: "The officials sent by the Ministry of Household Affairs to check the account books have been here for a few days. How can those aristocratic families have no reason to occupy Fujian for so many years? Right now we are fighting for time with the imperial envoys sent by the imperial court."

Yucun didn't have a famous saying about what he would do, and Jia Ying didn't ask, but he could guess a little bit.

It is nothing more than an empty glove white wolf, asking the big family to return the money that was greedy for Cong Sangai, and promising empty words, so that the big family will shed some blood, and Jia Yucun will destroy the account books in their hands to keep them safe.

But if you can escape the present, you can't escape the sins you did in the past. In the end, you will lose both people and wealth.

It's a good plan.

"The person in charge this time is Prince Showa, I'm afraid Yang You is the one"

"Young brother, don't refuse. Since I mentioned this matter to you, how can I be unsure? I don't know, even I have heard the news that the Suzhong Palace and Li's Palace have a good relationship. His Majesty sent Prince Suzhong to come Come on, it’s just that this matter is too involved, and even affects the person in the current dynasty.”

Yucun's words contained a bit too much information.

In this way, His Majesty still wants to protect Li Endi?Why?
But these are not things he wants to consider.

"Where did Yang You go?"

"He is in Nanjing, and Prince Showa is also with him." Jia Yucun had already sent people to find out.

"I'll rush back to Nanjing immediately. I'll talk to Yang You about your matter, but I can't guarantee anything." Jia Ying hesitated for a moment, then said.

"Just try your best. If it doesn't work, it's my fate." Jia Yucun seemed to be very open.

"Brother Yucun, with all due respect, even if this hurdle is really hard to pass, it is not necessarily a bad thing."

"How to say?"

"The court situation is turbulent. If you think about it, you can see it clearly. If you are in it, even if you pass this test, there is no guarantee that you will not be implicated next time. It is just a matter of time."

Jia Ying stood up, looked down at Jia Ying who was sitting on the chair, and said, "Get out early, maybe there is still room for change?"

Jia Yucun smiled wryly, shook his head and said: "Brother, I don't know how dangerous the court is, but how can I sail in the sea, if I don't advance, I will retreat. If I am dismissed again, I am afraid that I will never have a chance to recover in this life. "

"You help me accomplish this, and I will give you a guarantee. If you are dismissed a second time in the future, I can help you deal with it." Jia Ying said word by word.

"Of course, you can do this matter openly. There is no need to cover it up. I will report to His Majesty and explain this matter. If there is any guilt, you and I will share the responsibility."

Hearing this, Jia Yucun stood up, looked at Jia Ying and said, "How lucky is Yucun to meet a good brother in this life."

"A word is settled!"

"A word is settled!"

That night, Jia Ying hosted a banquet for Gong Shangren in the largest restaurant in Fuzhou Fucheng. During the dinner, the two lost their words because of drunkenness. OK, I can help you get in touch.

That night, the conversation between the two in the private room was spread by someone with a heart.

The play had to be a full set, and on the second day, Jia Ying took Gong Shangren to visit Jia Yu Village, and the three chatted for half a day before leaving the house.

In the afternoon of the same day, Jia Ying took a boat from Fuzhou to the north and set foot on the way back to Jinling.

When passing by Hangzhou, Jia Ying turned to meet Lin Ruhai again, and by the way, he also met the three Hongyi people who he placed in the Hangzhou station.

"Why, have you found the person you are looking for?" Before leaving, Jia Ying entrusted the matter of finding someone to the Hangzhou government office through Lin Ruhai's relationship.

Missionary Horn said disappointedly: "There is still no news, God bless, I hope they are all safe."

At this moment, Xi'er came in and whispered in Jia Ying's ear, "Second Master, Master Lin sent someone to tell you that there was news from the Suzhou Mansion that three Thai and Westerners appeared in the Wujiang Generation of Suzhou a month ago. Later, it seems that they met their companions, and they went to Jinling with the boat."

Jia Ying nodded, then turned to Horn and asked, "How many companions do you have?"

"Your Excellency Earl, we set out from Guangzhou with 11 people. On the way, one of our companions got dysentery and died. When we arrived in Hangzhou, there were only nine people left, and we were dispersed after that."

"My subordinates have received news that someone once saw a group of Taixi people in Suzhou Mansion and went to Jinling by boat. If you are willing, I can take you to Jinling to find people."

"Oh, really? Is Jinling the capital of your country? I heard that it is the largest city in the East." Horn said with a look of surprise, and ran away his companions.

"It's the old capital, and it's really prosperous there."

"When are we leaving?"

"immediately."

On the river leading to Jinling, boats on the left and right rowed to avoid the middle of the river, allowing an official ship to pass. Jia Ying and his party were on board this boat.

"Horn, tell me about Europa. I'm very curious about it." On the deck, Jia Ying and missionary Horn stood side by side on the stern of the ship, looking at the scenery on both sides of the river.

"Honorable Earl, I will know everything you want to hear."

"Well, let's talk about it, is your Netherlands as prosperous as Dagan?"

"No!"

Horn shook his head and said: "If the Netherlands is as rich as your country, we won't go far away. In Europa, there are oriental legends everywhere. There are spices that can be seen everywhere, and you can find gold by bowing your head. People in the east are all dressed in expensive clothes, and they wear expensive silk, and they can support the people of their own country without going to sea.”

Horn, more like an oriental fan, opened the conversation without a moment's pause.

"Then now that you have arrived in the east you have dreamed of and seen the scene here, what do you think?"

"Tell me the truth?"

"of course."

"It's not the paradise in my dream." Horn was a little sentimental.

Jia Ying asked curiously, "Why?"

"When we set off, there were a total of nine merchant ships, but when we arrived in India, there were only three left. The rest were taken away by the Sea God. Among them, some were my believers, as well as my relatives and friends."

After being silent for a moment, Horn suddenly laughed again and said, "It's not the paradise in my dream, but it is the most prosperous country in the world. I still like it here. Unfortunately, your emperor doesn't allow us to go ashore to preach."

"Haven't you already built churches in Xin'an County and Xiangshan County? One cannot be dissatisfied." Jia Ying shook her head and said.

"By the way, what does India look like now? Has the Taj Mahal been built? And the East India Company today, are you Dutch or English?"

"Taj Mahal? Are you referring to the ancient castle that Shah Jahan built for his dead wife? Oh, of course, Shah Jahan has been dead for many years. As for the East India Company today, there are many Co-existing, not in the same place, the most powerful is naturally the English and French companies, our country has declined, and the business in India has naturally been taken away by others."

The French East India Company was established, so the time should be later.

In Jia Ying's memory, the East India Company was first established by the English, followed by the Netherlands and Portugal, and France after the three.

There should be two more behind, but Jia Ying can't remember which small country they are.

If this is the case, then the flintlock gun that got up early should have come out.

Jia Ying looked at Horn and asked, "Horn, the reason you survived that day was because you were carrying firearms, right?"

When Horn heard this, he immediately shook his head like a rattle, and said that carrying firearms was prohibited among the people. Before leaving Guangzhou, someone had warned them that if they were caught, they would be decapitated.

"Horn, the Lord will punish you for lying." Jia Ying said leisurely.

(End of this chapter)