"I think, if Bai Xiaocao didn't lie, then the pirate ship didn't use all its cannons to attack. That kind of three-masted ship should be able to accommodate at least thirty-six cannons. They must have been worried that the cannons would be used up and couldn't be replaced. Yang, your ship is bigger than theirs, but you can only place the clumsy and difficult to move heavy cannons on the deck. This is a weakness. "
Adeni said intimately to Yang Ling. In public, she also did as the Romans do and called him Lord, but in private, she affectionately called Yang Ling, which was her exclusive title for her fiancé.
The two of them were shoulder to shoulder, and there was a large pile of drawings on the table, all of which were drawn by Adeni, and the shape of the ship was lifelike.
Adeni was dressed in snow-white Suzhou silk, which made her skin look as glossy and delicate as if it was melted amber, and also like a plump grain full of sunshine. Her figure was different from the slender and graceful women of the Central Plains, but her figure was curvaceous and her breasts were round. She was bright and beautiful with a bit of heroic spirit, extremely sexy and energetic.
One could imagine how many young officers would be charmed by her beauty when she put on a heroic navy uniform. No wonder she was able to successfully escape from da Gama's fleet. It was estimated that no soldier would want to see such a lovely girl sent to the guillotine.
"Well, that kind of cannon shock is too powerful." Yang Ling couldn't help but think of the Tatars at Chicken Crow Inn who didn't have fixed cannons and added too much explosives, causing the cannons to fly for a long time. He shook his head and said: "The deck can't withstand that kind of huge explosive force, but the cannon you designed …"
Yang Ling looked at a drawing and said: "I have ordered the military craftsmen to work day and night. Not only can it move the cannons up and down flexibly, but this sliding shock absorber can also minimize the vibration of the deck and the bearing of the ship. In addition, the Frang machine gun barrel is short and light, it should … be able to hold ten more cannons."
Adeni smiled and shook her head: "Dear Yang, our largest main battleship can hold 50 to 80 cannons. This largest ship is similar to your No. 2 ship, but your ship definitely can't hold so many cannons. Even if you change it to a Frang machine cannon with a mount, it won't work because the lower deck of your ship doesn't have cannons installed.
Of course, it would still take some time to modify the warship, especially the reinforcement of the deck. However, in order to deal with the upcoming sea battle, I suggest that we immediately modify a few of our main battleships. This way, we will be able to stand undefeated … undefeated … "
"Invincible!" Yang Ling replied with a smile. Then, he turned around and fetched a cup of iced sour plum juice from the table next to him, saying, "Come, have a drink to quench your thirst. You've been talking for the whole afternoon. I'm exhausted. As for the remodeling of the warships, go back and draw up a drawing. I will instruct the shipbuilders to immediately start remodeling the main warships of the Fujian Navy. At the same time, inform the various shipyards that all future warships and warships that have yet to be completed will be built according to this. "
"En!" Adeni smiled sweetly at Yang Ling's thoughtfulness, walked over obediently, and took the cup. She was extremely tall, not at all inferior to Yang Ling. The ratio of her upper and lower limbs could reach the golden ratio. Her pair of round and slender thighs were tightly wrapped in soft and silky silk, moist and plump, and had a unique charm.
"It's easy now that the cannon test has been successful. Now that the mold has been made, the uniform size of the various components has also been determined. The Bureau of Military Weapons has now stopped all other research and manufacturing work, and poured all manpower and material resources into casting the cannon components day and night.
At the same time, I ordered someone to urgently inform Qian Ning of Nanjing to have the Nanjing Bureau of Military Weapons suspend all matters there and focus on casting the Frang Cannon. I think the cannon made in a month will be barely enough to equip the Fujian Navy. With this power, I don't have to worry about the Manchurian Pirates. If they don't make trouble during this time, hehe, then the longer we drag it out, the stronger our power will be, and we won't have to worry about them. "
"I saw you organize the information. There's no need to be too anxious. After all, preparing for the Maritime Academy isn't something that can be done in a day or two. At the very least, we have to wait until the war is over and the sea ban is lifted."
"Well, Yang, I've read your trade policy. I have some ideas that I hope to discuss with you."
"Okay, okay, come, sit down and talk." Yang Ling let her sit on the chair and said with a smile, "Please enlighten me."
"Yang, the countries in the West have developed navigation, mainly to find gold, silver, and spices. Among them, the importance of gold and silver cannot be ignored. I see that a large part of your trade plan is to use the regulation of taxes to encourage people to barter and import a large number of raw materials. This is unreasonable. "
Yang Ling said disapprovingly, "Of course I know the importance of capital accumulation, but importing more raw materials, producing high value-added products, and then selling them out can save the country's resources at the same time. Is this not right?"
"I think … at least in the beginning, it is not right. First of all, from the perspective of the people, getting a pile of raw materials is far less than gold and silver to encourage them to continue to increase their enthusiasm for trade. In addition, from the information you sent people to collect for me, Ming Destiny does not produce much gold and silver. Once the sea is opened, the economy begins to recover, the population will increase, the town will be interested, and the business will prosper. Whether it is the government or the manor owner, it is inevitable that money will be used to replace the labor rent. This brings a serious problem: lack of money. "
Adeni said very seriously, "Gold and silver must not be regarded as a kind of metal that cannot be eaten or worn. As the most trustworthy currency, it can prosper or destroy the economy. This is a painful lesson that we have already encountered in the process of development. I don't want you … my husband, to make the same mistake again. "
Yang Ling's knowledge of macroeconomics and monetary theory was limited to what he had learned in school. Furthermore, he did not have any practical experience. It could be said that he had memorized some of the principles to pass his exams. Even though he was from the modern era, the modern economic theories that he had grasped might not be better than the people of this era.
So he didn't feel offended, but said modestly, "In this aspect … I actually don't know much about it. In fact, the number of our Ming Destiny officials who are proficient in this kind of professional knowledge is very limited, so the things formulated may naturally be wrong. I originally planned to improve it gradually in the process of practical application. You can tell me if you have any opinions."
"When the national trade first starts, there must be a rich person who first participates, and the consumption target tends to be high-end luxury goods that are not commonly seen in the country. This can't be stopped. If there is trade, it must first be driven by it. Wanting to trade raw materials from the beginning is eager for progress and eager for results.
Take us for example, in recent decades, the national silver production has nearly quadrupled annually, but it still can't meet the needs of circulation. Due to the lack of gold and silver, we can only reduce the quality of the currency, which leads to currency depreciation and soaring prices. A large number of small and medium-sized nobles went bankrupt because of inflation, causing insufficient land rent and industrial and commercial income. Government revenue plummeted, and social contradictions increased. Before we brought a large amount of gold and silver to the country through navigation, the country almost perished because of the lack of gold and silver.
No matter how many goods are produced, without currency to trade and circulate, it can only lead to the rich sitting on materials, and the poor empty-handed, and finally the whole country's economy comes to a standstill. Ming Destiny's banknotes have no credit ability to pay, and copper coins are backed by gold and silver. If such a huge country's economy develops rapidly without corresponding gold and silver reserves, it will eventually be more dangerous than the economic crisis in our country. "
Yang Ling knew that the countries in the future would have energy crisis and raw materials crisis, so his economic focus was on importing large amounts of raw materials, and put gold and silver in a relatively weak position. But he didn't realize that at least with the current processing capacity of Ming Destiny, raw materials still didn't need to be imported in large amounts from abroad.
If the cheap and convenient domestic materials were abandoned and the government intervened to force the people to use foreign materials that had to be shipped across the sea, causing the cost to rise, it was unrealistic in this era. As for promoting environmental protection and resource storage, not to mention that with the current production capacity, there would be no sequelae, and it would not be understood by the people, and it would inevitably be opposed.
In such a situation, if the currency was insufficient and prices rose, the poor people would be the first to bear the brunt and become the victims. What Adeni said was still light. At that time, not only would they not be able to fulfill their ambitions, but the good things that they originally wanted to do for the people would instead harm the people.
It seemed that copying the experience of the future and mechanically applying the modern knowledge that they had mastered could only end up in an unrealistic ending. Modern people, oh modern people, I was careless and almost made a big mistake. This mistake was not that I didn't use modern experience and knowledge, but it was precisely that I believed and showed off modern ideas and views.
He frowned and said, "Speaking of which, an economic reform should be more argumentative. It's best to try it out in some areas first. Because I know the future … uh … speculate about what might happen in the future, I ignored the current situation and characteristics. Well, I have to get in touch with Gu Daeyong as soon as possible. While it hasn't been promulgated, try to make changes. "
Seeing that Yang Ling readily accepted her advice, Adeni was very happy. She nodded with a smile and said, "Well, there are too many beautiful things in Ming Destiny. That is an irresistible temptation. Gold and silver will rush to Ming Destiny like a flood, and countries can't stop it even if they want to. You just have to pay attention to this, and when enough gold and silver flows in, the government will make appropriate adjustments.
Ming Destiny's silk, porcelain, and tea are regarded as treasures left in heaven in the West, and can be exchanged for huge income. When Ming Destiny's navy is strong, it can also control the Nanyang islands and the Indian Ocean region, and share the world with the West. Yang, you can't imagine how important the pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ambergris, and other spices in these areas are to the West.
It can be used as a condiment and used in perfume, medicine, and religious ceremonies, the most important of which is as a condiment. In the West, meat is the main food, but meat is cooked with salt, and the taste is bland. Since the Romans first tasted the wonderful taste of spices, spices have become an indispensable thing for us Westerners.
But spices are produced in the East, and spices produced in other places taste much worse. Although cheap, only lowly people use them. If you master these things, you will master the Western stomach. "
"Sigh, girls are extroverted! Western girls are the same. But she is so sincere to me, I am quite happy. But if I have a daughter in the future, if she dares to be so close to the Western devil, see if I don't strangle her to death. "
Yang Ling was thinking with a smile. Suddenly, he heard two knocks on the door. Turning his head, he saw Cheng Qiyun standing by the door, looking at them with a smile that wasn't a smile.
The two of them now had a layer of ambiguous relationship that no one knew about. Since they came back yesterday, they hadn't had the chance to talk in private. Seeing each other for the first time, it was inevitable that they felt a little uncomfortable. Yang Ling's face heated up. He stood up and coughed lightly. He walked to the table full of blueprints and sat down. He said in a serious manner, "Official Cheng, what's the matter?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. There is news of the East Sea's Lone Dragon Island that I need to report to Your Excellency!"
Yang Ling pretended to be professional, which was completely different from his frivolous and flirtatious attitude yesterday. Cheng Qiyun secretly 'despised' him, and then cooperated.
"Oh, come in, Adeni is not an outsider. Before preparing for the Maritime Academy, she also needs to be familiar with Ming Destiny's official actions and the situation among the people. I am going to arrange for her to be your assistant and let you guide her. If there's anything, just say it."
"Yes, sir!" Cheng Qiyun came in slowly and walked to his table. When her back was facing Adeni, she suddenly pouted her red lips and made a kissing gesture.
Is the taste of having an affair fun? Yang Ling was startled and couldn't help but stare at her reproachfully.
Cheng Qiyun enjoyed his reaction very much. Her eyes curved into a smile as she gave him a sly smile. Her watery eyes were filled with lust, making her look especially alluring.
'Eating from others' made Yang Ling speechless. He snorted, leaned back in the chair and asked, "What news is there about Lone Dragon Island? Didn't Cao Tianchong marry Beauty Wang? Rebelling again? "
"Yes, sir has guessed half of it." Cheng Qiyun's soft and delicate body snuggled into the chair. She glanced at him with her almond-shaped eyes and smiled charmingly and sweetly.
The more Cheng Qiyun teased him, the more Yang Ling ignored her with a straight face. He still asked in all seriousness, "He is alone, how far can he rebel? If it's against the fur seals … does it mean that the fur seals will not accept the surrender? Even if it's only in name, the fur seals won't even know how to judge the situation? "
"Sir, he is rebelling, but not against the fur seals, but … Western pirates!"
"Western pirates?" Yang Ling suddenly sat up straight and said sternly, "Speak clearly, what's going on? How did they find Cao Tianchong, what's their purpose? "
Cheng Qiyun didn't dare to blindly tease him and replied seriously, "Cao Tianchong's territory is between Beauty Wang and the fur seals. The west leads to Mount Putuo and the east to Shuangyu Island. He has always been the fur seals' front line. If the navy wanted to forcibly subdue Shuangyu Island, a large number of troops couldn't be hidden from them.
In such an important place, after they turned to Beauty Wang, the fur seals actually didn't take any action against this traitor. I was suspicious, so I bribed people to enter and become an informant. That's how I got the information in time. "
"The one who called for Cao Tianchong to surrender is the Western pirates now living in Luzon. Their leader is called Pedro." Cheng Qiyun paused here. Adni's body shook as expected. Yang Ling looked at her with pity and comfort, then said, "Go on."
"The main purpose of these foreigners in the East Sea is to plunder merchant ships and trade with Ming Destiny's smugglers. Their image and rumors of cannibalism make it difficult for them to gain the trust of the people, so they urgently need to find someone familiar with the situation in the East Sea and cooperate with the land and sea pirates and smugglers.
The fur seals and the snow cats are powerful and don't even put Ming Destiny's navy in their eyes. Naturally, they won't buy the Westerners' deal. Although the Westerners' gunships are powerful, they have too few warships after all. Moreover, they are far in the East, and ammunition supply is difficult. They also don't want to completely fall out with these two big pirates, so they can only find another ideal candidate.
Cao Tianchong was originally one of the fur seals, and after turning to Beauty Wang, he has cut off the fur seals' retreat. Beauty Wang has never regarded him as a confidant and is very wary of him. Caught in the middle, he is in a very difficult situation. At the same time, although his power is not big, he is still a famous pirate and is familiar with the situation in the East Sea and all aspects of relations.
Pedro sent a warship to recruit Cao Tianchong with the condition of showing off his military strength and money. Recently, Cao Tianchong is selling and disposing of some property, dismissing some old and weak soldiers, preparing to leave Lone Dragon Island, take his elite soldiers and his three ships, and join the Western pirates. "
Cheng Qiyun hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say anything about Yang Quan.
Yang Quan, as the second-in-command of Mount Putuo, patrolled Lone Dragon Island. These days, he has been having fun with women there. Women kidnapped from Japan, Korea, and Ryukyu, as long as they are good-looking, even if they have been taken in as wives or concubines by some small leaders, he will rely on his power to oppress and humiliate them.
Cao Tianchong, who has long been at the end of his patience, once he has made up his mind to betray Beauty Wang, he will immediately kill her as a sacrifice, cutting off his own path of retreat to make up his mind. Although he brought this upon himself, it is better to pretend that he doesn't know anything for the time being.
"Well … Do you have a countermeasure?" Yang Ling asked after pondering for a while.
Cheng Qiyun said: "With Adeni, our first batch of cannons can be equipped with the army within a month. We need some time. We don't know whether the Western pirates in Luzon and the Westerners in Manchuria have cooperated and communicated with each other.
If they have, and now with Cao Tianchong as a mole, then the two sides will cooperate, it is very likely that they will take the initiative to provoke our Ming Destiny. What I mean is: while Cao Tianchong has not left, we must attack Lone Dragon Island, and we must do it cleanly.
In this way, first, we can give Beauty Wang and Bai Xiaocao, who have already accepted the enlistment, a warning to prevent people from being half-hearted. Second, we can show off our military strength and force them to accept our conditions. Third, we can let the Western pirates not know our strength and not dare to act rashly. This will buy us some time. "
"Then … who will execute it? Zhejiang Navy? "Yang Ling basically agreed with her opinion and asked after thinking about the feasibility.
"Yes, Lone Dragon Island is not very dangerous. Moreover, Cao Tianchong is now a traitor to Fur Seal and Beauty Wang. It is good enough that they don't take the initiative to send troops to suppress him. There will be no help, and our navy can deal with them."
Yang Ling thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Since the Luzon pirates want to establish a spokesperson among the Han pirates, they will not sit back and watch them be attacked. If there is no actual agreement between the two sides, Cao Tianchong, who is fence-sitter, will not agree so readily. What if the Western ships appear to help them?
Your informant is on the island, and although he knows Cao Tianchong's every move like the back of his hand, he does not know whether the Western pirates have returned to Luzon or are stationed nearby in the vast sea. For safety's sake, let the Fujian Navy also send people to participate. It will be a good opportunity to train this group of soldiers. When will the troops be dispatched? If it can be delayed for a few days, I will first equip two warships and let them participate in the battle and escort. "
Cheng Qiyun thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Daren's consideration is still very thorough. Then let's do as daren says. I will send someone to inform the Zhejiang Navy to train and wait for the battle. After our ships have been refitted, we will encircle Lone Dragon Island. As for the specific details, I will go back and think about it carefully. "
Seeing Yang Ling nod his head in agreement, Cheng Qiyun got up and said goodbye. Bending her slender waist, using her body as a cover, her little finger quickly hooked Yang Ling's palm. Her eyes were faint, her red lips like chewing cherries, and her voice was as thin as gossamer: "Daren is so ruthless. Once you succeed, you give Yun 'er the cold shoulder, making me toss and turn restlessly, thinking about eyebrows …"
Unexpectedly, because they heard the Western pirates, Adni, who had been listening to their movements, vaguely heard a few words and asked suspiciously: "What did Daren Cheng say? What eyebrows? "
Cheng Qiyun calmly stood up straight and said to her: "I said, 'Only through the night will I be able to open my hatred, to repay the eyebrows that have not been unfurled in my life."
"Uh … What does that mean?" Although Adni understood Chinese, she did not understand Chinese poetry. She did not understand the meaning of these words and could not help but blurt out.
Cheng Qiyun sweetly said: "This is a poem, the meaning is … thanks to daren's care, promotion, and important position, as a subordinate, I am willing to do my best to assist daren in establishing a career."
"Oh, is that so."
Yang Ling listened to her full of nonsense and wanted to laugh in his heart. But when he raised his eyes to meet her eyes, he found that those eyes were as clear as water, as bright as oil, and there was not a trace of flirtatious frivolity in them. What was contained in them was mellow love and deep affection like wine.
"Only through the night will I be able to open my eyes, to repay the eyebrows that have not been unfurled in my life …" This was her vow.
He only gave her a little bit of affection, some love, but it made her feel so deep and distant that she vowed to repay it with her life? For a moment, Yang Ling's heart was surging, and he was a bit dazed.
Cheng Qiyun had already left, but there was still a faint fragrance left in the place.
Adni, who sent her out with a smile, turned around, pouted, and said angrily: "Yang, I want to learn Han poetry from you?"
"Ah? You want to learn Han poetry? "
"Yes, in case someone flirts with my husband in front of me and doesn't understand the meaning." Adni looked at him jealously.
Yang Ling realized that she was just pretending to be stupid. She was not someone who was easy to deal with.
In Factory Supervisor Yang's study, in the afternoon, there were no more words such as opening the sea, lifting the ban, quelling the Japanese pirates, Western pirates, artillery warships, and so on. The voices of a man and a woman in the room kept repeating: "The wind and rain at night … the sun hoes at noon … two yellow crows crying green willows … a branch of red apricot blooming over the wall …"
※ ※ ※
At the highest point of Lone Dragon Island, there was a tall flagpole.
On the flagpole, it was not Cao Tianchong's smooth sailing flag, but a naked male corpse.
It was unknown how long the corpse had been hanging there. Under the sun and wind, the water in the body had evaporated, and the corpse had become a little shriveled, but the naked corpse's surface was glossy.
The corpse became lighter due to the lack of water, swaying incessantly in the sea breeze. From time to time, it would hit the flagpole, making a slight 'bang bang' sound. The corpse was already hard.
It was Yang Quan's corpse. Because the body had been brushed with tung oil and smeared with pine resin, the surface of the flesh did not rot for the time being, but it had become a dried corpse. His eyes had been pecked away by seagulls, turning into two black holes.
Cao Tianchong stood under the flagpole, carrying a red tassel ghost head machete on his back, his hands on his hips as he looked at his subordinates who were constantly gathering. He saw some people pulling women, some carrying bundles, but they were still reluctant to throw away those jars and jars in their hands. He could not help but frown: this bunch of unambitious things!
He wanted to get angry, but after thinking about it, he held back. The Westerners said that three days later they would pass through the territory of the fur seal and the snow cat to pick him up and temporarily go to Luzon. But yesterday, someone suddenly came to inform him that they would arrive today. In a hurry, didn't he leave behind a lot of things that he had no time to deal with? His heart ached!
He looked back at the rudder mountain gate that he had painstakingly built, like a large manor on the island, and let out a long sigh.
Today, he was officially going to hang up the black skull flag and serve as a pawn for the red-haired ghosts from the distant West. Cao Tianchong put his hand on the awning and looked into the distance: the sea was calm, the blue waves gently undulating. It was good weather for travel.
At this time, the three fleets from Hangzhou Bay, Fuzhou Harbor, and Luzon Island were hurrying through the waves towards the same place: Lone Dragon Island.
Coincidentally, they had also chosen this day ….
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