I really don't want to be emperor at the end of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 249 8000 million taels of compensation
Chapter 248

Almost most of the warships of Zheng's fleet were relieved and scrambled to be the first. They hoisted the white flag with lightning speed, for fear that the Ning Navy would repent and not accept their surrender.

In fact, this can’t be blamed on them not being brave enough. Wars on the sea can rarely be changed with courage. The warships of the Ning Navy are faster than them, which means that it is not a good idea to escape. There is no way to fight this battle Fighting, even escaping can't escape, why continue to carry it to death and let others be slaughtered?

After receiving Cheng Shijie's order, the navy of Ning Navy stopped the attack. Some warships escorted the surrendered warships to Yecheng Port, and the other part put down their boats and began to rescue the sailors who fell into the sea. Seeing that they did not intend to kill them all , Zheng Daxuan, Song Fuguo and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and gave up their last thoughts. Let's be prisoners honestly. This is a good thing for him and his subordinates!
The number of warships that surrendered is actually not too many, only 160 or four.That is to say, in the short battle, nearly [-] warships were sunk by the Ning Navy Navy. Such efficiency makes people shudder.

At best, the number of warships that followed Zheng Zhilong would not exceed [-]. It can be said that Zheng Zhilong has lost the chance to make a comeback.

With the launch of Ning Haijun's rescue of the sailors who fell into the water, the sea battle that attracted national attention came to an end.

In this sea battle, Zheng Zhilong bet most of his belongings, none of the 68 warships with the most powerful firepower and the strongest defense capabilities were left behind, and all of them went to battle, and the Ning Navy Navy was also an elite force. As far as possible, all [-] warships that could continue to fight went into battle, killing blood and blood.

This is a naval battle in which the strength seems to be disparate, but the actual disparity is even greater. It can be regarded as a duel between the classical navy and the modern navy in East Asia. In the tragic contest, [-] warships of the Ning Navy had to give up after being severely damaged, and more than [-] sailors were killed or injured, which really made Cheng Shijie heartbroken.

But compared with Zheng Zhilong, his loss is not worth mentioning. Of Zheng Zhilong's 160 warships, 38 surrendered to the Denglai Navy in despair, and only 320 were ordered to escape with him. It is said that more than 2 warships were reimbursed by the Ning Navy in one battle, [-] sailors died, and more than [-] people became prisoners. It can be said that the seemingly powerful Zheng Group has now been interrupted Back bone.

"What? Zheng Zhilong was defeated again?"

In Batavia's Dutch East Indies Governor's Palace, Brewer's eyes were wide open, and he stared at the spies who came back to report in disbelief. He looked like he wanted to eat people!
"Yes! Zheng Zhilong disappeared after the defeat. Zheng's fleet has more than 100 main battleships, and nearly 2 people were captured by the Ning Navy. In this battle, the Ning Navy won..."

"No!"

Brewer let out a roar, and kicked over the coffee table made of rosewood. The exquisite tea set on the coffee table, which even the royal family and nobles in Europe might not have the blessing to enjoy, rolled to the ground and fell to the ground. smash.

Breuer had no time to feel sorry for the heavy loss he had unintentionally caused. Terrifying anger burst out all over his body, roaring repeatedly, and dropped several expensive tableware in a row.

"Damn Zheng Zhilong, why did he lose so quickly?"

Brewer never thought about it at all. He himself ordered the combined Dutch fleet to avoid fighting and rely entirely on the Zheng's fleet to fight the Ning Navy. Although the Zheng Group fought several battles with the Ning Navy, they all failed. Possesses huge capital, but loses confidence in war orders.

Brewer quickly calmed down after Zheng Zhilong's defeat and fled. He issued two orders, using Putmans and Sidney as the negotiators of the Dutch East India Company, preparing to restart negotiations.

The second is to go down and mobilize all the Dutch in all the colonies of the entire East Indies, and arm the indigenous tribes of the East Indies, preparing to kill them.

The Chinese in Batavia first felt the difference between the Ming army's rule of Batavia's west port area and the Dutch rule of Batavia.

Under the rule of the Dutch colonial government, the Port of Batavia was a busy port. Many ships would call at the Port of Medan every day. Most of the ships went directly to the Lion City via Batavia, or further away. Medan, too, has direct trips to Europe.

In fact, the trade in Batavia has almost nothing to do with the Chinese. They should be poor and rich. The Chinese will also be deducted wages by the Dutch in different ways.

Originally, there were less than [-] Chinese laborers who did not have the right of residence in the west port area of ​​Batavia. There are more than a thousand Chinese, and now it has increased to more than [-].

In addition to the increase in residents, the biggest change is that the appearance of the port has undergone earth-shaking changes. The port has become cleaner and tidy is only one aspect.

The biggest change is that more and more wooden houses have been built in the entire port, with carved beams and painted buildings, which are very characteristic of Ming Dynasty. The expansion of Yecheng Port is getting bigger and bigger, and the income of residents is also increasing, and the living conditions are also improving. Well, in the past, most of the Chinese in Batavia Westport carried bags for a living, and a small part relied on fishing for a living. There were no other jobs to choose from. Now it’s different. There are more and more jobs and more opportunities. more and more.

Although the Ning Navy and the Dutch East India Company have to collect taxes, they are very different in terms of taxes.In the past, the Chinese people in East India went fishing. Taxes were charged when fishing boats entered and exited the port. Taxes were charged when the fish they caught were brought back to the port. Taxes were also charged when the fish were brought to the market for sale. After a circle, the fish caught by the fishermen , In the end, it may not be enough tax money.

In Yecheng Port under the management of the Ning Navy, fishermen do not need to pay taxes when they go fishing, and the tax they have to pay when sending fish to the market for sale will not exceed 5.00% of the total price. Even if this is the case, more and more fishermen go fishing Most people apply to the newly established Port Authority, or become construction workers, or become freight workers, anyway, there are many jobs in this area.

There are many benefits to being a worker. Although compared with fishermen, workers have less freedom of working hours and work harder, but the risk of work is not great. It is very different from fishing at sea. The salary is still relatively high, and there is still a little surplus to maintain a family life, which is a dream for the residents of Yecheng Port.

Ning Haijun has been very experienced in port management, from Jinzhou Port, Lushun Port, Gaizhou Port, Haizhou Port, Phi Island Port, Jeju Island Port, Luzon Port, Zhenghe Port, and now because of Coconut City Hong Kong, there are already dozens of ports under the jurisdiction of the Ning Navy.

It is almost a replica of Jinzhou Port. The ordinary Chinese laborers who originally lived in the port, that is, the contractors, used to live in the shantytowns of the port. Of course, the living environment in this shantytowns is very bad.Ning Haijun took the replacement method, demolished them in the shantytowns, and opened up new residential areas farther from the port.

In this way, Lifu, who carries the bags, is farther away from home when commuting to and from get off work. It is about ten kilometers away, which is very inconvenient for the bag carriers.

Ning Haijun explained to them that the shantytowns are too close to the port, and they will definitely suffer heavy losses in the event of a war. In the newly built residential area, there are smooth streets, perfect sewers, and garbage storage places. Not only is the environment good, And these Chinese laborers immediately owned their own fixed assets.

Ning Haijun's strategic business purpose has always been very clear and accurate, even in Luzon, regardless of Wu Shangzhi, Li Guoqun and other wealthy Chinese giving gifts and money to Ning Haijun, Cheng Shijie is very clear that Luzon rich Chinese businessmen have too many , they are only allies, but cannot become the most backbone force.

The backbone of the Ning Navy, that is, the basic strength, comes from the common people. After the Batavian Chinese regained their Ming nationality, the biggest change is the poor civilian class. They were originally proletarians, but now they have become The propertied class, this asset, is their house.

The homestead distribution principle for the people in Yecheng Port is the same as that of Liaodong, and because there are fewer Chinese, the distribution standard is higher. Even if it is an ordinary bachelor with only one person in the family, the homestead allocated is two mu of land, and one to five people, then [-] Three mu of land, five to nine people, is five mu of land.

Whether the soil other than houses is used to grow vegetables, or to grow fruit trees, or to raise cattle and sheep, is all voluntary by the people. The houses built are mainly made of wood.

In this way, the Chinese civilians in Batavia are naturally willing to follow Ning Haijun all the way, because only Ning Haijun can guarantee that they live like human beings, and it is certainly impossible for the Dutch to let them live like human beings.

Residential areas also have corresponding supporting facilities, schools and hospitals. Of course, the schools and hospitals have not been built yet, and even the roads have not been fully repaired.

These Chinese people working in the port area, after get off work every day, return to their new homes, and they also volunteer to work overtime to build roads and drainage channels as soon as possible.

In Yecheng Port, under the escort of more than a dozen sea shark-class warships, the Jusha-class "Northern Zhili" warship Zhili began to slowly enter the port. Immediately, the sky was full of gongs, drums and firecrackers.

When Cheng Shijie arrived at Yecheng Port, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians came to greet him.However, the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians can hardly conceal the appearance of Yecheng Port being rebuilt after the chaos.

At this time, Cheng Shijie was not wearing an official uniform, but a military uniform, wearing the bright silver armor bestowed by Emperor Chongzhen. In fact, it was just a pair of paper armor painted with silver lacquer, which looked very gorgeous and eye-catching. In fact, the defense ability is not strong.Not to mention muskets, even bows and arrows can easily shoot a hole.

The main purpose of Cheng Shijie's military uniform is also to inspire the martial spirit of Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty really needs martial spirit. Affected by the policy of using literature to defend military affairs and the guard system, the concept of "a good man should not be a soldier, and a good iron will not be nailed" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. .

In fact, unless it was a private meeting, Cheng Shijie did not wear a military uniform. Generally speaking, Cheng Shijie had to wear a military uniform when attending solemn occasions. He used this method to revive Daming's martial spirit.

Of course, there is also the policy of Liaodong. Soldiers and military families have great tax incentives. In the past, as long as they were qualified, they wanted to marry their daughters to scholars.Now in Liaodong, the first choice for marriage must be the soldiers of the Ning Navy.

"Greetings to Hai Guogong, and the Commander-in-Chief!"

At this time in Nanyang, including East India, Cheng Shijie's reputation can be said to be very famous. Of course, from different perspectives, the views on Cheng Shijie are also different.In the eyes of the Dutch, Cheng Shijie is an out-and-out devil, but in the eyes of the Nanyang Chinese, Cheng Shijie is simply a Buddha of ten thousand families.

The Luzon incident has spread all over Southeast Asia, and of course there is the Batavia incident. In these rumors, Cheng Shi and Li Weiluan are also very famous. They say everything. Some people say that Cheng Shi belongs to Cheng Shijie. Adopted son, the number one general under Cheng Shijie's command, and Li Weiluan is even more incredible...

Of course, the current Batavian Chinese most want to see what kind of person their savior is. There are also many young people who are unwilling to become militia soldiers, but want to directly join Cheng Shijie and become Ning Navy soldiers.

"Greetings, Marshal, Hai Guogong!"

The Chinese in Batavia were very enthusiastic. If Cheng Shijie's personal guards hadn't lined up a wall, I'm afraid they would rush to Cheng Shijie's side.

Cheng Shijie took the lead to come to the location where more than [-] soldiers of the Yecheng militia were located. Now the militia training time is too short, and their energy and energy are far inferior to those of the jumping camp soldiers.

"Welcome everyone to join Ning Haijun!"

Cheng Shijie looked at the militia soldiers and said: "You are all rare good soldiers. You are welcome to join the big family of Ning Haijun. This commander is here, and all the people here are here. This commander knows what they care about. We are here. , we won’t leave, at least we won’t leave until Ning’s navy officers and soldiers are all dead.”

Cheng Shijie's words also touched the hearts of everyone.Especially the Chinese in Batavia, what they are most afraid of is being abandoned by the Ning Navy. Once the Ning Navy retreats, with the character of the Dutch, even if they want to die, it will not be an easy task.

"From now on, you are all glorious soldiers of the Ning Navy, and your real designation is the Ning Navy Coconut City Garrison Regiment!"

Cheng Shijie is actually thinking about a problem now, that is, Ning Haijun's adoption of Ming's military system is somewhat confusing, especially Ning Haijun's naval forces, like Li Zhixiang and Shen Shikui, their rank is the general soldier, but the problem is that if they are below the general soldier, if Some of the commanders of the strike squadron commanding the twelve warships had the rank of general and some had the rank of deputy commander, which caused great confusion.

Cheng Shijie had been thinking about this question when he fought Zheng Zhilong.

The military system of the Ning Navy needs to be changed.Especially for the Jusha-class warships, each warship has a full crew of 380 people, while the Sea Shark class has 300 people.The establishment is different, and the number of soldiers under command is also different.

Moreover, warships need to be organized flexibly, so according to the tradition of the army, it is natural to listen to whoever has the highest rank. However, the establishment of the Baizong, Bazong, and Qianzong of the Ninghai Navy's navy is different, and there is also serious confusion. .

Cheng Shijie decided to carry out comprehensive military reforms for the Ning Navy. Of course, the army cannot yet adopt battalion, company, platoon, and squad levels like later generations. Cheng Shijie decided to change the original garrison bureaus to garrison regiments.

The Yecheng garrison regiment is the first local defense force in the Ning Navy to establish a regiment-level unit.

"Willing to die for the commander in chief!"

"You don't die for me, you die for..."

Cheng Shijie pointed to the densely packed Chinese people on the port and said: "When the indigenous army or the Dutch army raise their butcher knives at us Chinese, when their shells cover the sky, you can rush up without hesitation, for this land, for this The people on this piece of land who supported us with their blood and sweat will die without hesitation!"

"For this land, for the people on this land who support us with blood and sweat, die without hesitation!"

The passionate roar was like a thunderbolt, shaking the eardrums of every soldier, and also shaking their hearts.

Li Sixi and Lin Bufan looked at each other, both showing ecstasy.

In fact, the current Chinese are all unable to get along in Ming Dynasty. In order to avoid taxes and make a fortune, they traveled across the ocean to Nanyang. In their hearts, no matter whether it is the imperial court or the government, no one has ever cared about them.Only Cheng Shijie ordered his army to die for them.

After a short speech, Xie Jinglin took Lin Bufan, Li Sixi, Li Shiji, Guo Bingren and others to greet Cheng Shijie: "Master, please allow me to introduce you, this Lin Bufan, who serves as the deputy director of the Coconut City Executive Committee!"

"Happy meeting!"

Cheng Shijie shook hands cordially with Li Sixi, Li Shiji, Guo Bingren and other Chinese representatives.

Cheng Shijie's principle is to read the report in the office. After arriving at a certain place, he definitely wants to go around first. When Xie Jinglin presided over the construction of Yecheng Port, he considered that it was impossible for the Ning Navy to station a large number of warships here all the time. The control of the sea has disappeared, so the port area and living area of ​​Yecheng, including the warehouse, are more than ten kilometers away from the coastline in a straight line.

When Cheng Shijie went to the port area for a temporary rest, the negotiators sent by Brewer came to Yecheng Port. Li Weiluan randomly found a small warehouse in the port and put it here.

This is a small warehouse with an area of ​​no more than fifty square meters, and it is a dilapidated warehouse. Although it has been renovated, there is a musty smell in the room.

Xie Jinglin and Cheng Shijie were sitting in a carriage to the port area, while Cheng Shijie was preparing to carry out reforms for the Ninghai Navy. Li Zhixiang, Shen Shikui and others were sitting on the huge carriage.

"Zhixiang, our navy needs reform!"

"I don't know how the commander-in-chief will reform!"

"Currently we have six strike squadrons. These six strike squadrons are unified and reorganized according to different construction times. It is not a big problem that they are all new ships now, but the longer the time, the more problems the old ships will be exposed. More and more!"

Cheng Shijie pondered: "This commander feels that all the warships need to be disrupted and reorganized!"

Li Zhixiang said: "Yes, the general has no objections!"

"The formation of sixteen warships that usually patrols is a bit too big, the sea is too big, we can't take care of too many places!"

Cheng Shijie thought for a while and said: "With the strength of the Dutch, they will not fight with us for the time being. At least for half a year, they will not have the strength. This commander thought that the warships could be disrupted and re-divided. First of all, the sea wolf-class warships of the [-] material level , Frequent patrols are enough, and it is more than enough to deal with pirates. Moreover, this Seawolf-class warship is relatively cost-effective, and the Jusha-class and Sea Shark-class warships are too expensive, and the army generals have already expressed their opinions!"

After discussing with generals such as Li Zhixiang, Shen Shikui, Li Fang, and Chen Shi, the future reorganization plan of the Ninghai Navy is as follows. First of all, each Seawolf-class warship, the fleet has the rank of lieutenant, the Sea Shark-class fleet has the rank of captain, and the Jusha-class fleet has the rank of captain. The captain is the rank of major, and the commander of each patrol squadron is concurrently served by the captain of the Jusha-class battleship, commanding four Seawolf-class ships, three Sea-Shark-class ships, and one Jusha-class battleship.

Eight battleships form a patrol fleet, consisting of four patrol fleets, including 32 Seawolf-class ships, twelve Jusha-class ships, and four Jusha-class battleships, forming a fleet of [-] battleships.

The commander of the fleet is at the rank of colonel. The first fleet is temporarily set up, permanently stationed in Luzon, and the second fleet is permanently stationed in Batavia West Port, also known as Yecheng Port.

The Third Fleet is permanently stationed with officers, and the Fourth Fleet is permanently stationed in Lushun.

Once needed in wartime, the four major fleets can come to support.

In addition to the four major fleets, the main fleet of the Ning Navy has also been established. So far, each fleet has lost the Seawolf-class warships and some Jusha-class warships.

Just when the plan for the reorganization of the navy was in the works, Xie Jinglin approached Cheng Shijie and told him, "Marshal, the Dutch are here to negotiate again! Shall we negotiate with them!"

"Let's talk!"

Cheng Shijie didn't stop talking, he couldn't stay in Yecheng for a few days, he had to take a break, he had to return to the capital immediately, this was the fourth edict, Cheng Shijie couldn't stay in Nanyang forever.

With Cheng Shijie's permission, Xie Jinglin returned to Yecheng Port, ready to start negotiations with Putmans.

"Mr. Xie, hello!"

When Xie Jinglin just arrived at the port, Putmans and Sidney rushed to greet him.

"You, Mister Messenger!"

Xie Jinglin smiled faintly: "What's the matter with you? Could it be that you are sending us a letter of war!"

"Mr. Xie, this joke is not funny at all!"

Putmans bowed and said: "First of all, Sidney and I, on behalf of the Governor-General of the Dutch East India, congratulate you on your extraordinary victory..."

"Thank you!"

Xie Jinglin looked at Putmans and Sidney, who didn't even have a teacup, and pretended to be angry: "Come on, let's serve tea. Our Ming Dynasty is a state of etiquette, and the two countries are fighting each other. Why don't you come here?" What are you doing?"

Soon, an attendant brought over two bowls of tea, which could barely be regarded as Gao Mo.

Putmans took a sip, his mouth full of bitterness.

"Mr. Xie, we would like to discuss with you about the ownership of the Batavia West Port Area. The Batavia West Port Area belongs to the Dutch East Indies. Can you give us back the Netherlands..."

"sure!"

Xie Jinglin smiled lightly and said: "It is not impossible to return the Batavia West Port Area to you, but the loss of the Luzon Immigration Bureau of the Ning Navy, the cost of sending troops by the Ning Navy, and the expenditure of the Ning Navy during this period must have a certain amount. Argument? Right?"

"That's a very reasonable request!"

In Putmans' view, Xie Jinglin or Cheng Shijie is willing to negotiate, which is a very good start.Now the Dutch East Indies colonial authorities had no more cards to play.

In the mainland of the Netherlands in Europe, the war of independence with the Spanish Empire has entered a critical moment. Even if the king of the Netherlands can issue a royal decree and launch a national mobilization.

But the problem is that the Netherlands has only over 400 million people, while the Ming Empire has [-] million people, which is more than [-] times that of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Even if the Ming Dynasty does not mobilize the whole country, only the Duke Cheng Shijie conducts war mobilization in the territory under his rule , That can also mobilize tens of thousands of troops.

Population is fatal to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Now the only way to resolve the immediate crisis is through negotiations.

Xie Jinglin said indifferently: "The Yecheng port area where we are now has a total area of ​​25 kilometers from east to west and 45 kilometers from north to south. Even if it is 680 million mu, according to our Daming's land price, each mu of land needs 12 to 500 acres. We will give you a [-]% discount for taels of silver, calculated on the basis of [-] taels of silver per mu of land, which is [-] million taels of silver!"

"500 million taels of silver? Oh God, are you crazy, or am I crazy!"

"Hans, don't worry, I haven't finished the calculation yet!"

Xie Jinglin said: "This is only the cost of the land in Yecheng Port. We, Ning Haijun, have built more than 500 houses in Yecheng Port, repaired two roads, and sorted out the waterway. All of this requires money, not counting. More, 300 million taels of silver, and you detained our Chengfeng, which caused the Chengfeng to be in the port for two months. Personally, 100 taels of silver is not too much, right?"

"This……"

"There are also artillery shells. We fought with your joint fleet of the Dutch East India Company and fired more than 380 cannons. Each shell cost 1000 taels. Let's count it as 9000 million taels of silver!"

"We, the Dutch East India Company, will not accept this result!"

"It doesn't matter if you disagree, we, Ming Dynasty, are peace-loving! We can adopt the second plan!"

"What plan?"

"We will collect taxes at Yecheng Port. When we collect enough 9000 million taels of silver, when will we return Yecheng Port to you Dutch!"

"This is impossible!"

"Then let's go to war!"

"God is merciful, thank you, this is not the attitude to solve the problem, let's take a step back!"

"Okay, what's your plan!"

"War reparations, we can pay you gold, how about a ton of gold at a time?"

"Where are you sending the beggar?"

One ton of gold sounds like a lot, but according to Daming's current bank exchange rate, it's less than one to twelve, that is to say, one ton of gold is equivalent to 32 taels of silver.

Although 32 taels of silver is a lot, it obviously cannot satisfy Cheng Shijie's appetite.

Xie Jinglin looked at Putmans and said, "If you haven't woken up, I suggest you take a bath in the sea and wake up!"

"That's too much. Although our East India Company has a market value of more than 6000 million Dutch guilders, our company's cash flow is far from that much. Even if we sell the Dutch East India Company, we can't afford it!"

Xie Jinglin recalled that Cheng Shijie said he wanted Sumatra, so he said: "Be realistic, if you can't meet our demands, then there is only war. Zheng Zhilong has already lost the battle, and you have no chance of winning!"

"We can..."

Putmans did not say what he said. The mobilization of war and the threat of war against the Ning Navy were in the hands of the Ning Navy.Now Batavia can face the threat of dozens of third-tier battleships. Once the Ning Navy Navy launches an attack on Batavia's east port area, they will not last long.

"We in Ninghai burn all our wealth, and you get nothing!"

"Yes, please feel free, we need land, and more importantly, the mineral resources here. If you have the ability to burn them all, who are you scaring?"

"One hundred and ninety million taels of silver is too much!"

"Then take a step back, only 5000 million taels of silver!"

"We still can't afford it!"

"My friends, you can sell us Sumatra!"

"How is this possible? This is the territory of our United Kingdom of the Netherlands!"

"I'm very sorry, this negotiation seems to be fruitless, I suggest that we should suspend the negotiation and let the war determine the ownership of Sumatra?"

"How much are you willing to pay for Sumatra?"

"Sumatra is full of land that is not suitable for farming. According to our preliminary estimates, there can barely be [-] million!"

Xie Jinglin's voice was full of delusion: "Sell us Sumatra Island for 8000 million taels of silver, and pay us another [-] million taels of silver, and this matter will be over!"

(End of this chapter)