Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

As soon as they met, Zheng Zunrang thanked Shi Jiuke repeatedly.

However, Shi Jiuke was confused by Zheng Zunrang, and asked, "Brother Zheng, you have completely confused my younger brother. How can you thank my younger brother for being so good?"

Zheng Zun was taken aback when he heard the words: "You don't even know?"

"Know what?" Shi Jiuke asked at a loss.

For more than half a month, Shi Jiuke has been rushing outside the upper door.

Zheng Zunrang slapped his thigh and said: "The capital is a great victory, Jiannu has been wiped out!"

"Great victory for the capital?!" Shi Jiuke was overjoyed when he heard the words, "Your brother really got what he said?"

"That's right, it's really thanks to you, brother." Zheng Zunrang said, "If you hadn't told me swearingly, the War to Exterminate the Slaves would definitely end in the first half of the year, and I wouldn't be able to raise capital in advance."

"It's all right now. It is estimated that your Shi family and our Zheng family have prepared the most money."

Speaking of this meal, he said: "This time, we must take as many shares as possible in the IPO of the Liangjing Railway. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Otherwise, merchants have the most sensitive sense of smell?

The Battle of Baliqiao had just ended, and even those treasonous ministers had not been liquidated yet. Merchants like the Zheng family and the Shi family were already coveting the business opportunities brought by the railway.

"That's what Brother Zheng said." Shi Jiuke also said.

"The construction of the Beijing-Beijing Railway has nothing to do with us. The Holy Majesty has already promised to the Wang and Hu families, but after the completion of the railway, our two families still have the opportunity to participate in the freight business."

After a pause, Shi Jiuke asked again: "Brother Zheng, how much capital have you prepared?"

"Not much, just 200 million." Zheng Zunrang asked with a smile, "How much have you prepared, brother?"

"Brother Zheng, I can't compare with you." Shi Jiuke waved his hand and said, "I can only squeeze out 100 million yuan, and I won't be able to get out any more."

Along with the development of industry and commerce, the wealth of the Ming bourgeoisie is growing at an alarming rate.

For example, the Zheng family in Kuaiji County, Chongzhen 17 years ago, made a few thousand stone rice wine when he died in a year, and the annual profit was only a few thousand taels of silver. After the order, the sales of Zhengjia Brewery rapidly inflated like a balloon, and now the annual profit has reached more than 200 million.

Of course, the vast majority of the 200 million profit should be attributed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the Zheng family only followed the soup and accumulated a lot of wealth in the past five years. The property was used as collateral, and the funds borrowed from industrial and commercial banks added up to a full 200 ​​million yuan.

In the past, the Zheng family really didn't dare to think about it.

Due to the fierce competition in the silk industry, the total output value of Shijia's silk reeling and knitting workshops cannot be compared with that of Zheng's brewing workshops. Fortunately, the profit margins are very large, so they have saved a lot in the past few years. In addition to the funds borrowed from several banks, 100 million yuan was actually prepared.

The key is that Daming allowed mortgage loans, which greatly accelerated the expansion of industrial capital.

"My dear brother, 100 million yuan is already quite a lot. In the past, only salt merchants could offer so much."

Zheng Zunrang laughed, and continued: "Then don't say much, let's leave quickly. Although the official document from the Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet been issued, it will not take too long, we have to go first."

"Brother Zheng, wait a moment and wait for my younger brother to talk to the manager of the silk factory."

Shi Jiuke immediately entrusted the affairs of the silk reeling factory to the steward, and then followed Zheng Zunrang back to Nanjing. After arriving in Nanjing, he took the gold ticket issued by the Industrial and Commercial Bank Nanjing Headquarters and went straight to Beijing by boat.

……

Outside the gate of Caochang, Longjiang Shipyard.

For half a month, Zheng Zhilong lived and boarded at the shipyard.

Moreover, Zheng Zhilong deliberately cut off internal and external news so as not to disturb him.

The reason why Zheng Zhilong is so worried is because the first steam-powered warship of Ming Dynasty has reached a critical juncture, and the moment to witness history and witness miracles is coming.

Early this morning, Zheng Zhilong came to the viewing platform of the shipyard to take a seat.

Amidst the sound of footsteps, a scholar from the Naval Academy hurried up.

"Grandpa." The scholar said excitedly, "Everything is ready."

"Very good." Zheng Zhilong sat on the grand master's chair, patted the armrest and said, "Pass my order, and the sea trial begins!"

"My lord has an order, and the sea trial begins!" Zheng Zhilong's order was passed down step by step, and soon passed from the viewing platform on the shore to the lookout post on the mast, and from the lookout post to the deck of the warship, and then from the deck. When it was transmitted to the power cabin, the sailors guarding the power cabin immediately opened the furnace cover and sent shovelfuls of anthracite into the furnace.

This batch of anthracite was mined from coal mines in Yongcheng County.

Along with the raging fire, the scale of the pressure gauge rose at a speed visible to the naked eye.

When the scale of the pressure gauge finally reached 1 scale (one atmospheric pressure difference), a sailor opened the valve forcefully, and the scalding high-pressure steam immediately entered the huge cylinder of the steam engine through the valve.

Driven by the high-pressure steam, the flywheel began to move slowly.

After a while, the flywheel rotates from slow to fast, and finally becomes very fast.

The rotation of the flywheel is linked with the propeller at the stern through the propulsion shaft.

Soon, the high-speed rotation of the propeller stirred the river water to generate huge propulsion.

Driven by this propulsion, the 2000-material warship began to move forward at a speed visible to the naked eye. Zheng Zhilong and others on the viewing platform immediately cheered, it really did, the steam engine warship really did!
From this moment on, the Daming Navy will enter an unprecedented new stage.

Just when Zheng Zhilong and other navy officers and soldiers cheered thunderously, another student came rushing in with a newspaper in his hand, and Zheng Zhilong's expression immediately became serious.

"what happened?"

"Who told you to bring the newspaper in?"

Before the students could speak, Zheng Zhilong reprimanded them sharply.

But the student gasped and said: "Grandpa, the capital has won a great victory, and Jiannu has been destroyed!"

"What? The victory of the capital, Jiannu was wiped out?" Zheng Zhilong turned his anger into joy, "This is really double happiness."

After a pause, Zheng Zhilong said with anticipation again: "Jiannu is wiped out, and the puppet Shun and Western thieves will become a disease of mustard moss. Daming can invest more troops and resources to open up the sea! It belongs to the era of our navy. It's coming, hahaha!"

Zheng Zhilong still clearly remembers what Chongzhen said to him at the beginning, the new route, the new continent, and South America and Oceania. There are too many seas in this world waiting for their sailors to explore, and there are too many new continents waiting. The soldiers of the new army of Ming Dynasty went to occupy it, and all of this is inseparable from the navy.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong couldn't hold back the eagerness in his heart.

Immediately said to Zheng Cai beside him: "Signature, let them turn on the power of the steam engine to the maximum, I would like to see how fast this steam engine can make a 2000 material warship run?"

Zheng Cai answered yes, and immediately issued an order with a flag.

Soon, black smoke billowed from the chimney of the test ship.

Immediately afterwards, the test ship accelerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Because the speed was so fast, a huge wake was drawn at the stern of the ship.

A small fishing boat that happened to pass nearby was nearly overturned by the wake.

Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but be overjoyed seeing this, this speed is much faster than Fengfan.

The key is that this thing does not need to be propelled by wind, and can be driven at any time.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong became even more looking forward to it.

The trials of the steamship must be completed as soon as possible.

Then transform the navy's large and small warships as soon as possible.

……

Zheng Zhilong and the students of the Naval Academy were very happy, but the officials in Nanjing were very distressed.

Because it was sent to Nanjing along with the Tang newspaper, and there was also a decree from the Holy One, requiring all officials in Nanjing to leave for Beijing within three days after receiving the imperial decree. Of course, the family members do not need to go to Beijing for the time being.

The meaning of Chongzhen is already obvious, that is, to return the capital and move the capital back to Beijing.

For Chongzhen, a traveler, moving the capital back to Beijing was a matter of course.

The reasons for moving the capital from Nanjing to Beijing can be summarized as follows.

First, it is an extremely bad choice to combine the political and cultural center of Ming Dynasty with the economic center. There is nothing wrong with it now, but it will overwhelm the city in the near future, especially in the seventeenth century when science and technology were not developed enough. Water supply, sewage and transportation will all become huge burdens.

The second is to promote the prosperity and development of the northern provinces.

Several provinces in Beijing, especially the Gyeonggi area, were massacred by Jiannu's six entry into the customs, coupled with the devastation of the peasant uprising. The recovery of the province's economy and people's livelihood has become extremely slow, which is obviously very unfavorable.

The third is balance, geographical balance is still very necessary.

As for the emperor guarding the gate of the country, it has actually become a false proposition.

Because it won't be long before Beijing will become the hinterland of Ming Dynasty.

To sum up, moving the capital back to Beijing can be said to be an inevitable choice.

But this frustrates those officials who prefer to make Nanjing their capital.

Even many scholars in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are full of complaints, such as Zhang Dai from the Finance Department.

Needless to say Zhang Dai's abilities, otherwise Ma Mingpao would not have valued him so much, but it is undeniable that Zhang Dai also pursues all kinds of enjoyment in life.

Zhang Dai is such a beautiful maid, good house, good fresh clothes, good plow garden, good vocal music...

If he goes to Beijing, more than half of Zhang Dai's hobbies will be wiped out.

In Zhang Dai's eyes, Beijing at this time is a barren cultural desert on the frontier.

So what's wrong with Nanjing?With a large population, prosperity, and rich nightlife, there is no other city in the world that is more suitable as a capital than Nanjing.

Why did His Majesty pay back the capital?

Why do you have to return to Beijing?
But there was no way, on this matter, Chongzhen had no intention of discussing with the civil and military officials at all, and directly forced the officials to go north with the central decree, and only gave them three days.

The civil and military officials had no choice but to go north.

Even if you object to returning the capital, you can only mention it after you get Beijing. After all, the Holy Majesty did not explicitly say that you should return the capital, but only said that you have important matters to discuss.