At the North Bay Pier, Ouyang Shuo was seeing someone off.
This person was middle-aged and had an ordinary appearance. If not for the general uniform he was wearing, he would have been mistaken for an ordinary farmer.
This general was the general that Ouyang Shuo had summoned through the summoning talisman — Shi Lang.
Shi Lang, also known as Duke Zhuo, was from Jinjiang, Fujian. He was a famous general in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. He had served as the deputy general of the Qing army, the commander of the Fujian navy, and other important positions. He was deeply trusted by the Kangxi Emperor.
Shi Lang was good at military management, especially in naval warfare. The troops under his command were known for their speed, bravery, and decisiveness. People gave him the nickname of "Thunderbolt of the Sea."
The most glorious thing in his life was leading the Qing army.
Shi Lang's attributes were also very dazzling. To be able to serve such a general, Ouyang Shuo's luck had turned for the better.
[Name]: Shi Lang (Imperial Level)
[Title]: Marquis Jinghai
[Dynasty]: Late Ming, early Qing
[Identity]: Shanhai City General
[Occupation]: Special General
[Loyalty]: 75
[Commander]: 88 [Force]: 85 [Intelligence]: 75 [Politics]: 70
[Specialty]: Naval warfare (Increase the range and power of cannons by 10, increase the speed of warships by 30, increase the defense of warships by 25, increase the morale of naval warfare by 35)
[Martial Arts]: Jinghai True Scripture
[Evaluation]: General Shi Lang was a man of few knowledge. He was very strong, proficient in formations, and good at naval warfare. He was familiar with islands and sea affairs. He dared to say what others dared not say and do what others dared not do.
When mentioning Shi Lang, players might not be familiar with him.
However, Zheng Chenggong, another famous general who recovered Yizhou, was praised by later generations.
Why?
Because Shi Lang had changed allegiance three times, served the Ming army twice, and surrendered to the Qing army twice, it inevitably attracted criticism from later generations. His position in history had always been controversial.
Was he a "hero" or a "villain"?
After Zheng Chenggong recovered Yizhou from the Dutch, he used it as the last base to resist the Qing. The Qing army sent troops to attack Yizhou several times, but they all returned in defeat.
In the 22nd year of the Qing Kangxi Emperor, Shi Lang led 20,000 elite soldiers and 300 warships to conquer Yizhou. With this achievement, Shi Lang was conferred the title of Marquis Jinghai by the Kangxi Emperor and reached the peak of his career.
From his personal ability to his achievements, Shi Lang was worthy of the praise of the world. What really aroused controversy was his repeated life experiences in the Ming and Qing armies.
Shi Lang was born in the late Ming Dynasty. In his early years, he was a subordinate of Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong's father. Later on, the Qing army marched south with irresistible force. Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the enemy at the last moment, Shi Lang also surrendered to the Qing army.
The Qing army ordered Zheng Zhilong to surrender his son Zheng Chenggong, but Zheng Chenggong was ashamed of his father's conduct, so he broke off relations with his father and led his troops to continue to resist the Qing. Zheng Chenggong thought highly of Shi Lang's ability to command troops and fight, he kept lobbying Shi Lang, inviting him to join the Anti-Qing Volunteer Army. After much consideration, Shi Lang decided to leave the Qing army and once again returned to Zheng Chenggong's anti-Qing army.
Shi Lang was a straightforward person who dared to speak his mind. Zheng Chenggong was also a straightforward person with a fiery temper. Therefore, it was inevitable that there would be conflicts between the two of them. By this time, Shi Lang was already dissatisfied with Zheng Chenggong because of his' great merit ', while Zheng Chenggong, because of Shi Lang's arrogance and despotism, gradually distanced himself from him.
Zheng Chenggong associated this conflict with the suspicion that Shi Lang was plotting a rebellion. In his anger, he ordered his men to surround Shi Lang's residence, and arrested Shi Lang, his father Shi Daxuan, and his younger brother Shi Xian.
After Shi Lang was arrested, he was imprisoned on a ship. Some of his former subordinates and trusted aides sympathized with him, so they secretly released him.
After escaping, Shi Lang returned to the inland and sought refuge with Zheng Chenggong's uncle, Zheng Zhibao. He asked Zheng Zhibao to mediate between the two of them. However, the unforgiving Zheng Chenggong did not buy it. Unexpectedly, he secretly sent assassins to assassinate Shi Lang, insisting that Shi Lang be put to death as soon as possible.
Because someone tipped off Shi Lang, his life was spared. But Zheng Chenggong, whose plan had failed, became even angrier out of humiliation. Unexpectedly, he ordered Shi Lang's father and younger brother to be executed. From this point on, Shi Lang and Zheng Chenggong had formed a blood feud as deep as the sea. With nowhere else to go, and with his heart set on revenge, he was forced to surrender to the Qing Dynasty in the eighth year of Shunzhi.
Therefore, the so-called repetition was in fact a last resort.
Not long after recovering Yizhou, Shi Lang submitted a "Chen Yizhou Abandoning the Advantages and Disadvantages", explaining the importance of Yizhou to Emperor Kangxi. He also suggested that Emperor Kangxi vigorously encourage the economic development of Yizhou and reduce taxes, in order to obtain a stable and prosperous Yizhou Island.
At the same time, he also strongly urged Emperor Kangxi to abolish the "Boundary Relocation and Sea Prohibition" order that had been in place for many years, and return the land to the people. Later, Emperor Kangxi accepted Shi Lang's suggestion and exempted millions of people from the suffering of migration.
From this, it could be said that Shi Lang not only had the merit of "recovering" the island, but also "protecting" it. It could be said that his contributions would last for a thousand years.
…
Shi Lang was summoned and immediately appointed by Ouyang Shuo as the commander of the Jiaozhou fleet. At the same time, Ouyang Shuo also directly conferred Shi Lang the military rank of third-rank general, [Henghai General].
Such treatment could be said to be an extraordinary honor.
Appointing Shi Lang as the commander of the Jiaozhou fleet was naturally also considered. Historically, Shi Lang was very familiar with Jiaozhou and the waters of Quanzhou, which would be of great help to Ouyang Shuo's future plans.
Shi Lang's mission was to train the Jiaozhou fleet into shape within half a year.
After obtaining the treasures of the North Sea Bay, Ouyang Shuo's ambition intensified. He was no longer satisfied with expanding the navy's three major fleets to their full strength within a year. Instead, he gave them half a year.
As for the Jiaozhou fleet's first fleet's commander-in-chief, Firework Freak, he would accompany Ouyang Shuo on the great ocean voyage. The first fleet led by Firework Freak was temporarily stationed at the North Sea Harbor.
Ouyang Shuo had his own considerations in choosing Firework Freak as his follower. The few naval generals in the territory were basically inshore or even inland river generals. There were almost no deep-sea generals.
Ignoring Shanhai City, even in the entire China, it was difficult to find a naval general who was adept at deep-sea warfare.
It was precisely because of this that the territory needed to nurture them themselves.
And compared to Cai Mao, Pei Donglai, and the other naval generals, Firework Freak was a player. Not only did he have terrifying talent, he also had a broad vision and knowledge that the ancients did not have. His growth potential was astonishing and he was highly malleable. He was naturally the most suitable candidate for the future deep-sea generals.
…
After sending Shi Lang off, Ouyang Shuo began to make preparations for the great ocean voyage.
Chang 'an Evening News and the other two local media outlets had been forcefully disbanded by Gaia, causing a huge uproar in the wilderness. Ouyang Shuo no longer paid attention to the fates of those people. There were naturally people who would take care of it.
The Bank of the Four Seas was once again on the right track. There was no need for Ouyang Shuo to worry. With Meng Zhida's setback, he would probably use it as a warning and carry out a drastic reform of the Bank of the Four Seas.
The affairs of the territory were managed by the four Division Heads and the various county governors. It was also orderly.
The first thing Ouyang Shuo needed to do was to distribute the millions of gold coins obtained from the North Sea Bay's treasure trove. The gems, jade artifacts, and other treasures in the treasure trove were evaluated to be worth more than 3.3 million.
Together with the 3.885 million gold coins, the total was more than 7 million.
Such a huge sum of money was coveted by the Division Chiefs and the County Governor. Unfortunately, Ouyang Shuo's words completely severed their hopes.
"The territory's budget has already been adjusted once, so there will not be a second adjustment. The 7 million gold coins obtained this time will be earmarked for special purposes. There will be a specific plan, "Ouyang Shuo said.
First, Ouyang Shuo would take out 2 million gold coins to support the expansion of the Mountain Sea Guards, Black Snake Guards, and the Military Intelligence Department.
The use of intelligence was becoming more and more obvious.
Ouyang Shuo did not hesitate to bet on the three intelligence agencies, hoping to receive a generous return. With this investment, the responsibilities of the three intelligence agencies would also undergo a slight adjustment.
First, the Mountain Sea Guards' activities would no longer be limited to the territory.
The two intelligence agencies, the Mountain Sea Guards and Black Snake Guards, would cover the entire China region. The difference was that the Mountain Sea Guards focused on the indigenous forces, while the Black Snake Guards focused on the player forces.
The two did not interfere with each other and worked together.
Other than that, the two intelligence agencies would extend their tentacles to the Yan Huang Alliance's territory this year.
Passively taking a beating was not Ouyang Shuo's style.
Second, the expansion of the intelligence agencies overseas.
Other than domestic intelligence, the Black Snake Guards would expand their international intelligence in Gaia for three years, gathering information in advance for the future wars.
Their first target was Annan, who had just been tricked by Ouyang Shuo.
Just this alone showed Ouyang Shuo's great ambition. The Black Snake's blood boiled when he heard this. As a former international mercenary, the Black Snake's international vision was unquestionable.
The Black Snake Guards would once again soar.
If he really wanted to achieve these two goals, two million gold coins was just the beginning.
Secondly, Ouyang Shuo would allocate 500,000 gold coins to the Chamberlain of Dependencies. The first half of the year would be the year that the Chamberlain of Dependencies led by Zhang Yi would show their strength. Ouyang Shuo naturally had to support them.
Lobbying, sowing discord, no matter which one it was, they all needed real money.
Next, Ouyang Shuo turned his gaze towards the Southwest University China Hall and the Military Martial Arts Hall.
At the end of the day, the two institutions were the blood producing machines of the territory. They were the driving force that supported the territory's development. Disregarding everything else, more than half of the civil and military officials in the territory benefited from the two institutions.
Although the institutions were a holy land of culture, it was too vulgar to talk about money.
In reality, that was not the case.
Recruiting hundreds and thousands of lecturers, improving the institutions' facilities, providing for tens of thousands of scholars, supporting students, etc. No matter which one it was, it was not a small expenditure.
The historical Jixia Academy relied on the financial support of the entire Qi Kingdom.
Thus, Ouyang Shuo did not hesitate to throw in another million gold coins, hoping that the territory would welcome the next explosion of talents. He hoped that the two institutions would truly become the top institutions in the Southwest region, or even the entire China region.
"Accept the talents of the world, be inclusive, with the momentum of a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, swallow ten thousand miles."
This was Ouyang Shuo's ambition.
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