Chapter 187: The Way of Mercenaries

"Ahem... Master Xu, I want to ask you, do you know about the mercenary of Folang Jiren? I heard Sun Yuanhua say that you are urging this matter? Tell me about it quickly." Yang Jing asked impatiently.

Xu Guangqi looked at the emperor in surprise, his head was short-circuited. The emperor hurriedly made a fuss for this matter? There were many disputes in the court about hiring Portuguese wars, but the struggle was not done later. Why was the emperor so interested in this matter?

"Your Majesty? Why are you so interested in this matter?" Xu Guangqi had to ask back.

"Master Xu, I'm going to tell you that I'm going to recruit and hire a group of Western warships and hire Westerners to fight for me..." Yang Jing expressed his plans.

When Xu Guangqi heard that the emperor was going to recruit Westerners, he immediately became interested and excited and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is indeed great. I think Westerners are indeed stronger than our dynasty in artillery, and this boat and naval battle are also stronger than our dynasty. It is definitely not possible to be able to fly a boat across the ocean without any real information. In my early years, I did report to the court that I could recruit and hire some Portuguese people to fight for our dynasty, either train soldiers or cast cannons. However, due to some objections in the court, this matter was left unresolved. Later, Liaodong was in a tight position, and the court recruited a group of Portuguese gunners, gun divisions, and taught us how to shoot cannons in the artillery battalion..." Xu Guangqi talked about this matter and immediately started to talk.

"Why did it end later?"

"Reply to Your Majesty, ah... it's difficult! The adults in the court think that this master of the barbarians would lose the face of our heavenly dynasty, which would make the barbarians know the inside story of our Ming Dynasty. Therefore, they are determined not to hire Portuguese people..." Xu Guangqi sighed when talking about this. If the court had always supported him vigorously, trained artillery soldiers and cast Folang machines with Portuguese, how could this Dongluo attack cities and plunder again and again?

Yang Jing was speechless. If the Ming Dynasty had always adhered to Xu Guangqi's suggestions, this history would have been rewritten! This history is really full of regrets!

"Master Xu, that means that our dynasty has indeed hired foreigners?" Yang Jing did not care about it. He was already very clear about the military gap between the Western and the Ming Dynasty. He knew that it was very necessary to hire mercenaries in the future, which could greatly accelerate his expansion at sea. There was no need to worry too much about the past. Now that he is the emperor, he has to do it according to his own wishes.

"That's true, Your Majesty, has it. Haha, when the war is in a hurry, all these matters are easy to discuss. Those who want to buy cannons will buy cannons immediately, and those who want to hire cannons will be hired immediately. They will pay diligently. Once the military situation slows down, we will immediately abolish our suggestions and do nothing. Alas..." Xu Guangqi explained to the emperor with a wry smile.

Yang Jie was also sweating all the time when he heard this. The elite of the Ming Dynasty was really not good. He was a typical temporary cram and broke up the bridge policy. After fighting, he remembered that his soldiers had not been trained and had not had any weapons.

"Haha, Master Xu, don't be discouraged. I won't care about his past events. I am now planning to hire a group of foreigners to fight for our dynasty. Since there were precedents before, it would be great. I don't have to worry too much. I want to know, does Master Xu have any tricks in this mercenary?" Yang Jingyi has made up his mind to use Western mercenaries to solve his military shortcomings, such as the shortcomings in casting cannons and cannon shooting, such as solving the problem of insufficient time for building ships. Now there is a lack of a channel, and this channel is here with Xu Guangqi. This is what Yang Jingyi cares about. Otherwise, who will he go there to recruit Western mercenaries?

"Report to Your Majesty, you want to recruit and hire Portuguese people to serve our dynasty. This is simple. As long as I write a letter to the Portuguese missionaries in Macau, there will be no problem at all. The key is the resistance of the court... I am afraid that it will be left alone as before..."

Xu Guangqi really had a way. He could get mercenaries with a letter. Yang Jie was very happy when he heard this and said, "The resistance from the court? As the emperor, I can still do this. Master Xu is relieved. I will support him fully and will never be as scammers as before. This time, I am preparing to hire foreigners in large quantities, including warships, cannons, and training gunners. The employment time is very long and the commission is very considerable. I also have to trouble Master Xu to make a match..."

The extremely excited Yang Jie immediately wanted to hire people, and the sooner the better.

Xu Guangqi was very happy when he heard the emperor's promise, and then heard a large number of employment. He was so stupid. For an emperor, what scale can be considered a large number?

"Your Majesty, how many Portuguese warships will be hired by Your Majesty?" Xu Guangqi had to ask how many people the emperor had in large quantities.

"Haha, the more, the better. Master Xu knew that I had responded to the envoy of the Ryukyu Kingdom and would expel the Japanese entrenched there. Although I have ordered the construction of warships, it will not be dispatched at the earliest next year. Therefore, it has been a little too long. My current plan is to hire a group of foreigners and warships to train me to train the newly recruited naval troops. In addition, we use Westerners to mix this new naval troops to expel the Japanese entrenched in Ryukyu. In this way, we can quickly complete the expulsion of the Japanese entrenched in Ryukyu, and we can also train the naval troops at the same time, killing two birds with one stone." Yang Jing introduced his idea, which was to use foreigners to train the naval troops for himself. This aid to Ryukyu was no longer a secret in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

After hearing this, Xu Guangqi said, "Your Majesty, you probably don't need to be so impatient, right? The Japanese have been entrenched for a few years, one year earlier, and a little later, and it's not a big deal..." Xu Guangqi felt that it seems that it is not worthy of the emperor's impatience, and he is so anxious to hire Westerners and warships.

When Yang Jie heard this, his master was also a shrewd guy. He immediately guessed that he was rushing to hire Westerners not to deal with the Japanese in Ryukyu. After thinking about it, he said softly to Xu Guangqi: "Actually, I am planning to cross the sea to Seoul in North Korea before the end of this year to fight with the Donglu in North Korea, so as to delay the time for the Donglu to enter the pass." Yang Jie told Xu Guangqi the reason for the incident.

Xu Guangqi looked at the emperor in amazement. Unexpectedly, the emperor's courage was not ordinary. He was forced to the edge of the Great Wall by the Donglu. The whole court was thinking about how to defend. His Majesty actually thought about fighting with the Donglu in North Korea. I have to say that His Majesty dared to think and do it.

Xu Guangqi was also aware of military affairs. After thinking about it for a moment, he understood the truth and said: "Your Majesty is that North Korea has now been occupied by the Eastern Captains. Fighting with the Eastern Captains in Korea. If the Eastern Captains do not come reinforcements, North Korea will reenter our hands and form a situation of encircling the Eastern Captains. If the Eastern Captains send troops to North Korea, it will not be completed in a year or two! The time for the Eastern Captains to enter the pass must be far away! Your Majesty, this move is really a stroke of magic!" Xu Guangqi understood the importance of North Korea and immediately praised the emperor.

Yang Jing smiled and said, "Haha, Master Xu, don't praise me. This strategy was designed by Master Sun. I think it is very necessary, so I immediately agreed to send troops to control North Korea by the end of this year and re-pland the East Gate. When the East Gate invades Korea again in the next year... Of course, it would be better if it didn't come. The East Gate itself would be trapped and died between the white mountains and black waters. If it comes, I will use the word "drag" in guerrilla warfare to drag the East Gate to North Korea, so that the East Gate can't stop. In this way, we can get a lot of preparation time for our dynasty. In this way, the chance of winning will be great if we fight the East Gate in the future!" Yang Jing explained softly.

"I'm a good plan, a good plan... I'm a great talent! In this way, the troubles of the Eastern Captain are not worth worrying about..." Xu Guangqi touched his beard, held his voice and cheered up.

"Haha, Master Xu, good plans are good plans, but there are also flaws in this. For example, how to transport troops? How to transport supplies? How to protect troops? How to protect troops? Even the navy needs to be used to attack the Donglu. These are not considered very well... At the beginning, I planned to use our navy to speed up the construction of new warships, or purchase merchant ships, and hire merchant ships. Now it seems that it is possible to hire a batch of Western warships and mix our navy to fight together. On the one hand, it can effectively attack the Donglu on the Korean battlefield, and on the other hand, it can effectively train the new navy, so that the navy can be trained as soon as possible, and also train a group of masters using artillery as soon as possible. In this way, I will not be afraid of fighting against the Donglu in the future."

"No, good, it should be like this. Westerners do have special skills in casting cannons. The casting of the Folang cannons is indeed powerful, farther than the cannons of our dynasty, and they should learn the skills of the barbarians. They control warships and naval battles. These barbarians are indeed more powerful than our dynasty. Thinking of these barbarians who travel thousands of miles to our dynasty, this boat must be very capable. It is impossible to cross the ocean without any ability. Your Majesty, I agree with Your Majesty's idea. This matter is completely feasible... However, I would like to ask, how will Your Majesty be prepared to hold the East Gate in North Korea?" Xu Guangqi saw the advantages and disadvantages between the barbarians and the Ming Dynasty very clearly, so he had to submit memorials to buy Western cannons and hire Westerners to train gunners. At the same time, he did not understand what the emperor's "drag" method in guerrilla warfare is.

"Haha, how to hold Donglu in North Korea? This is simple, can Master Xu see grenades?" Yang Jingai replied with a smile.

"Grenade... Oh! I understand, understand! Haha... In this way, the Donglu is really not enough." When Xu Guangqi heard the emperor talk about the grenade, he immediately understood the emperor's plan. Xu Guangqi had seen the power and combat method of this grenade. Although it was a little heavy and was thrown far, standing on the city wall and throwing it downwards can be done by women and children! It is no longer a matter for the old and young men. How many people do this Donglu have for the consumption of this grenade?

Yang Jie and Xu Guangqi began to laugh proudly, as if the Donggu was destroyed in an instant.

"Your Majesty! This matter is covered by the old minister. How many warships does Your Majesty want to hire and how many Portuguese people? The old minister will write to the Portuguese missionaries, as much as they need." Xu Guangqi was excited to talk with the emperor, and he also took on a big bag.

Yang Jing felt that he was looking for the right person. It seems that the matter of hiring foreigners was done. He said at the moment: "Hext warships, the more, the better, it is better to have more than twenty ships. I have already had a batch of gun casters and gunners here. I am going to add another batch. As for the number of people, the more people, the better. Anyone who can cast guns and fire cannons is needed. I want them all."

The twenty warships mentioned by the emperor did not scare Xu Guangqi to death. Although he had been mentally prepared, he was still scared by the super-large mercenaries like the emperor. There were at least a hundred people on this ship, and these twenty ships were more than two thousand people.

"Your Majesty, don't you have to do that?" Xu Guangqi also wondered. He was very confident. Now the emperor wants twenty ships. If he just turns Macau over, he can't even climb out twenty decent warships!

"Master Xu, you don't know that I plan to use these ships to quickly train my new navy. My navy has recruited thousands of people. If these twenty ships are divided, each ship can be divided into more than one hundred people. How can I not have twenty? Of course, the more, the better!" Yang Jingwei was thinking of working hard and working quickly. This scale and speed will suddenly rise. Next year, after his ship comes out, he can immediately start large-scale immigration. This is the fundamental solution to the problem in the late Ming Dynasty.

Xu Guangqi wiped his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, I'm daring to turn Macau over. I'm sure I can't find twenty Portuguese warships!" The emperor's request was far beyond Xu Guangqi's estimate. Xu Guangqi originally thought that hiring one or two ships was awesome. There was no way to know that the emperor would hire twenty ships at once.

"Haha, Master Xu, this doesn't matter! As long as the price is right, I believe that there is no Macau, there is no Nanyang, there is no Nanyang, there is no India, there is a suitable price, I believe that even the British, Spanish, Dutch, etc. will be happy to be a mercenary for me!" Yang Jing was full of confidence and knew that at this time, in the eyes of foreigners, money is everything. As long as there is money, those foreigners will take off their own national flag and become mercenaries for themselves. Yang Jing was prepared to spend all their money, place bets and do a lot of money! Use money to give birth to his own navy. By the way, the navy is a money-burning industry. If you don't dare to burn money, don't play with the navy.

Faced with the emperor's madness, Xu Guangqi was a little uncomfortable and felt incredible about the things the emperor said. The emperor actually knew Macau, Nanyang, and India, and said that there must be ships in these places. Is the emperor very familiar with these places?

"Okay, Your Majesty, I will try to hire more Western warships for Your Majesty... However, Your Majesty, I think that the hiring of Portuguese artillery masters is not necessary to be better. In fact, the current group of people is enough. Your Majesty can completely let them teach the gunners of this dynasty and let the gunners of this dynasty teach more gunners. This is enough. There is no need to hire many Portuguese. The same is true for this casting cannon. After hiring a group of casting cannons, you can cast them by yourself after learning the technology. There is no need to hire too many barbarians, which is a bit waste." Xu Guangqi did not dare to make a promise this time, so he could only try it. He gave his own opinions on hiring artillery masters and casting artillery masters. It is enough.

Yang Jie thought about it and felt that as long as the gunner training was in the right way, the rest were fed with a lot of silver. If there were too many people, he could not afford it. So he said, "Then I'll ask Master Xu for this matter. The matter of casting cannons and gunners will follow Master Xu."

"I obey the order." Xu Guangqi agreed.

"By the way, Master Xu, this matter must be kept confidential, especially the matter of sending troops to North Korea. Please keep it confidential for the time being. When it is almost done, the raw rice will be cooked. Even if the court officials oppose it, there is no way." Yang Jing was too lazy to talk to the court officials and was preparing to do these things in a solid manner. If the money is spent, there is no way for the court officials to oppose it.

Xu Guangqi was ashamed when he heard the emperor's words. What he said was too vulgar and he hurriedly agreed.

"By the way, Master Xu, this time I went to Macau to hire a Western warship. Master Xu has a reliable candidate. He must be focused on the court, be able to do things for me, understand my intentions, and be able to connect with people in Macau. He also has to understand Western things and the warships better. Otherwise, he will not be able to accomplish this!" Yang Jing remembered that he could not expect the elites in the court to negotiate with foreigners, otherwise, if he didn't say that he would be slaughtered by others, he would be regarded as a fool. His money was not cheated by Kaizi.

After listening to the emperor's words, Xu Guangqi thought for a long time and said, "Your Majesty, there is a person here who is more in line with Your Majesty's requirements. He is loyal to the court, can understand Your Majesty's meaning, and has a better understanding of the barbarians. He has contact with missionaries in Macau. At that time, the matter of hiring warships will be guaranteed." Xu Guangqi solemnly said that one person came out.

"Oh? Is this person reliable? Who is it?" Yang Jingwei was preparing to see if he was a celebrity in history. If so, he could judge based on his "historical achievements". If he was not a celebrity, he could only believe Xu Guangqi.

"Your Majesty, this person is Li Zhizao and Li Zhenzhi. This person will definitely be able to meet His Majesty's requirements." Xu Guangqi said solemnly.

Li Zhizao and Yang Jing did not remember that there was such a person in history, so he should be a less important person. I can only refer to his experience.

"Master Xu can tell me about his experience and background?" Yang Jing asked with a little doubt. This person is not a historical celebrity and has no "historical achievements" for reference. He can only ask about the information of Xu Guangqi.

When the emperor asked about this person, Xu Guangqi was full of confidence and said, "Your Majesty, this Li Zhenzhi, from Zhejiang, was born in the 44th year of Jiajing in our dynasty. He was a Jinshi in the 26th year of Wanli. In his early years, he studied under Limadu and knew more about Taixi. He bought Portuguese cannons in his early years and was very familiar with how to deal with Portuguese people. He served as the Shaoqing of Taipu Temple. Later, because he offended the eunuch Wei, he resigned and lived at home now."
Chapter completed!