Golden Palace.
Zhu Zaihou flipped through the memorial submitted by Qi Jiguang.
According to Qi Jiguang's statistics, the Ming Navy had a total of more than 30,000 people and more than 300 patrol ships.
As for the cannons, there were only 130 or so. Other than some small boats that were less than 100 feet long, the vast majority were left behind from Zheng He's era.
Zhu Zaihou frowned and paced in the palace.
How could Qi Jiguang not guess what Tian Zi was thinking? He was also anxious.
The number of people in the Great Ming Navy was indeed not small, but the number of cannons and warships was truly not something to be complimented.
In comparison, the navy was indeed easy to train, but the difficulty lay in the warships.
Without battleships, how could they conquer other countries? However, the development and maintenance of each battleship was extremely costly.
And this was also the main reason why Great Ming's cannon ships were decreasing.
Qi Jiguang cupped his hands and bowed." Please put it down, Your Majesty. I have already seen it. Zheng He's treasure ship and the ships of the same era are not too badly damaged. They only need to be repaired once and can be used again."”
Zhu Zaihou's face turned solemn as he shouted,""What Zhen wants is not to make do with it, what Zhen wants is a Ming navy that conquers all countries and razes the four seas!”
"If you don't have money, I can allocate funds, but if you spend the money and don't see the effect I want, that's your fault!”
"This lowly subject obeys the decree!"
"Retreat!"
……
Baiguan retreat, Qi Jiguang, Sheng Duanming, Fang Dun, Wang Shouren and other people were summoned by the emperor into the Yangxin Hall.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live our Emperor.”
Everyone shouted, but they did not hear Tian Zi's response.
Cao Zhengchun handed the Xuan paper painting to the Minister of Works and the Navy Governor.
When they saw the battleship and cannon drawn on the paper, they were so shocked that they were speechless.
" Your Majesty, this, this is…" Sheng Duanming's hands trembled as he gripped the paper tightly.
Wang Shouren was shocked and exclaimed,""This item is comparable to an item made by the gods!”
"Your Majesty, did you draw this?”
On the paper were the designs of the ironclads and cannons.
Every step and the development process were drawn in detail on the Xuan paper.
The ironclad ship that Zhu Zaihou drew was actually just a metal ship. On the basis of a wooden ship, it was wrapped in iron to make it tougher and more defensive. It was not a steam-powered ironclad ship.
Ironclad ships were Zhu Zaihou's ultimate goal. Ironclad ships were just a transition…
The shipborne artillery was more suitable for ships.
The firearms of the Ming Empire were already very powerful. It was not difficult to perfect and reform them!
"Not bad."
Zhu Zaihou nodded slightly and suddenly stood up.""This is a secret of the Ming Dynasty, and only I and my beloved ministers know about it.”
"If this thing is leaked, all of you will be beheaded and your three clans will be exterminated!”
"We will obey." The ministers present replied in unison.
Zhu Zaihou walked to the front of the ministers and said sternly,""I have summoned all my beloved ministers here today. Other than this matter, I also have an important task for you.”
Wang Shouren, Qi Jiguang, and the others looked at the blueprint in their hands and could not suppress the excitement in their hearts. They said,"Your Majesty, please instruct me."
Zhu Zaihou nodded slightly and said solemnly,""Qi Jiguang, Sheng Duanming, listen up!"
"Your humble subject is here."
"Artillery and warships are important weapons of the country and cannot be lost. I will allocate 10 million taels of silver and order you to focus on developing ironclad warships and ship-borne artillery!”
"Within half a year, I want to see ironclads and cannons dominate the world!”
"If you need money, I will give it to you. If you can't complete it, you'll be punished!"
Qi Jiguang and Sheng Duanming looked at each other, then cupped their hands and said,""We will obey."
Now, the blueprints for ironclads and cannons were already available, but they lacked time to produce them.
Sheng Duanming and Qi Jiguang looked at the blueprint in their hands with burning eyes and swore in their hearts,""I will definitely build a sea armored lion for Great Ming and sweep the four seas for Great Ming and His Majesty…"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue, Fang Dun, hesitated and bowed."Your Majesty, Your Majesty has allocated a total of twenty-five million taels of silver. The national treasury is already stretched thin. If you continue…"
Without waiting for Fang Dun to finish, Zhu Zaihou scolded him sternly,"The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of my national treasury. No matter when, if there is no silver, I believe that you will have a way to gather it!”
"In short, when Zhen needs money, the Ministry of Revenue must take it out at any time!”
"Otherwise, what use do I have for you?"
For a moment, Fang Dun was speechless. From the literal meaning, it was obvious that he wanted to make things difficult for him.
However, since Zhu Zaihou told him so, he naturally did not really want him to steal.
Looking at Fang Dun's aggrieved face, Zhu Zaihou's expression softened slightly."Minister Fang, don't be too rigid!”
"Zhen believes that the merchants in the world have plenty of money to gather for my dear minister!”
After saying that, Fang Dun seemed to have touched on Tian Zi's thoughts and his eyes lit up,"Your Majesty, you mean…"
Seeing that Fang Dun had understood, Zhu Zaihou nodded slightly and said,"That's right. Otherwise, why would I summon all my beloved ministers?”
As the saying goes, those who are involved are confused, while those who are not involved are clear. Now, Qi Jiguang and the others were looking at them with confusion, not knowing what the emperor's intentions were...
The measurement of the land in the world indirectly guaranteed the lives of most of the people, and also increased the taxes of the Ming Empire.
However, a small stream of water could not solve the disaster of drought! Only strong medicine could cure him.
"Wang Shouren, Fang Dun, listen up. I order the two of you to carry out business reforms, build banks, and improve business taxes.”
"Make sure that there is a breakdown of goods and taxes, so as to avoid tax evasion and random taxation.”
"Your Majesty," Wang Shouren cupped his hands and bowed,"I have something I don't understand."”
"What is Your Majesty's intention in building the bank?”
In his opinion, the purpose of building a bank was to issue new banknotes and make it convenient for the people to exchange silver.
Its main purpose was not to solve the current situation of Da Ming having no money to use.
Zhu Zaihou smiled and said in detail,""The bank can be used to deposit silver. It is divided into fixed and current deposits. The longer the deposit is, the more interest there is.”
"When the commoners are unwilling to deposit silver, they can withdraw the interest and the principal.”
Hearing this, Fang Dun's eyes lit up and he said excitedly,"Your Majesty is wise. In this way, Great Ming can use the silver in the bank first…"
Without waiting for Fang Dun to speak, Zhu Zaihou said sternly,"Big mistake! This is really an unwise move!"
"The silver deposited can be used to lend money to the common people to develop businesses. The bank will make a detailed record of all those who borrow money and collect a certain amount of interest and principal every month.”
"Anyone who has a criminal record in the Ministry of Justice or the government office is not allowed to borrow money from the bank.”
In this society, agriculture had always been valued while commerce was suppressed. Only Emperor Long Qing strongly encouraged commerce.
For a moment, Wang Shouren and the others couldn't react.
Zhu Zaihou did not look at their complicated expressions and said sternly,""Merchants have always been disliked by the world and are at the bottom of all trades.”
"But don't forget, among all taxes, only the taxes paid by merchants are indispensable!”
The words of the Son of Heaven enlightened everyone!
Zhu Zaihou fixed his eyes on Wang Shouren and Fang Dun and said seriously,""If the two beloved ministers can complete this matter, from now on, Great Ming will not lack money!”
The conversation in the hall today and the actions of the emperor had shocked them too much.
It was hard for them to imagine that the emperor was only ten years old, yet he could see through this matter so thoroughly.
To be able to take out such a blueprint of the Heavenly Ghost Axe, it was shocking!
"We will definitely not disappoint Your Majesty.”
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