Under the punishment of the imperial edict, he finally told everything, including the collusion between the nobles and Shanxi merchants, bribery of border generals, trade with various Mongolian tribes, and transportation of iron tools and gunpowder to them.

After Emperor Chongzhen saw the confession, he was furious. He really did not expect that the nobles not only traded with Donglu, but also bribed the border generals, and finally colluded with the White Lotus Sect.

This was a serious crime, and Emperor Chongzhen could not suppress it even if he suppressed it. At this time, the ministers in the court all petitioned for severe punishment.

Even if Emperor Chongzhen wanted to protect the other nobles, there was nothing he could do. Duke Cheng, the Duke of England, and a large number of marquises and earls were all involved in the case. They were arrested and interrogated. The nobles who were severely injured after the Tumubao Incident passed by

This purge is even weaker.

Lu Changfeng was responsible for inspecting the property of nobles in Dengzhou Mansion. With such a person of his own, Li Yi would certainly not let go of this opportunity.

He mobilized money and food to buy the properties and shops of the nobles in Dengzhou at very low prices. He also took this opportunity to buy all the more than 30 ships owned by the nobles to prepare for the opening of his own shipping route.

Prepare.

After this series of events, the Anxin Chamber of Commerce finally cleared out the black sheep like Xungui. Although their power was very helpful to the Anxin Chamber of Commerce in its early stages, not only helping the Anxin Chamber of Commerce to open business routes across the country, but also acquiring stores at low prices.

, allowing the Anxin Chamber of Commerce to gain a firm foothold across the country.

Now that without Xungui, Anxin Chamber of Commerce will use its own influence to operate. This is a challenge, but Li Yi believes that Anxin people who yearn for wealth will definitely overcome difficulties and make Anxin Chamber of Commerce continue to grow and develop.

On this day, Li Yi and Lu Changfeng came to a shipyard on the beach of Dengzhou together.

This place originally belonged to the official shipyard of the Ming Dynasty, but in recent years, because the sea areas around the Ming Dynasty have been occupied by Zheng Zhilong and other large-scale merchants, the business here has also shrunk rapidly, and together with the imperial court's financial crisis, it has fallen into a state of neglect.

However, although the shipyard is abandoned, the identity of the craftsmen as craftsmen is not easy to get rid of.

Li Yi and Lu Changfeng walked into the shipyard and were very surprised when they looked at the magnificent factory building.

The steward of the shipyard, Mr. Wang, who followed beside him, introduced the situation of the shipyard diligently.

Li Yi has always attached great importance to the development of the shipbuilding industry. After settling in Anxin, Li Yi established a dock in Baiyangdian and recruited craftsmen to build some light boats for fishing. However, these craftsmen were not dismissed later, and

It is to select a few highly skilled people to focus on the study of shipbuilding.

This time Li Yi brought three craftsmen from Anxin who were proficient in shipbuilding. Their skills were passed down from generation to generation. Although many skills were lacking, they still mastered the technology of wooden boats of various specifications.

Later, after An Xin's research, they developed several models of heavy transport boats and light assault boats, and Li Yi also planned to use these two ship types as research directions.

Although the craftsmen have experimented with various models and achieved results in shipbuilding technology, they have not been put into practice after all. After much thought, Li Yi decided to start allocating manpower and material resources now to build a shipyard in Dengzhou to prepare for the future of the sea.

Preparing for trade.

Although Denglai Shipyard is not well-known, it has considerable shipbuilding capabilities, especially in the construction of heavy sea ships. It has mature technology and has made considerable achievements in giant ships. It has built small Fu ships and bird ships for the Ming Dynasty.

Characteristic sea ships.

Li Yi's idea is very simple. To build a shipyard from scratch, not to mention the huge difficulties that will be faced, time cannot wait. No matter how much money is spent, it is difficult to obtain skilled craftsmen and technical reserves in a short time.

Yes, a considerable amount of time is needed. But if you buy Jiangnan Shipbuilding, train a large number of qualified shipbuilders, gradually apply some advanced shipbuilding technology, and secretly build the required warships, it will be the best solution.

choose.

He does not have high expectations. He does not want to build an invincible fleet as soon as possible and dominate the sea. His shipyard mainly provides ships and frigates for trade. He does not expect how fast the technology of the shipyard can improve, or even

Agreeing with the continuous testing of new warships, he only hopes to build a maritime fleet belonging to the Anxin Chamber of Commerce within a few years.

Of course, the research work will not stop. Not only will it not stop, Li Yi will also add navigation and shipbuilding knowledge to middle schools and universities to cultivate reserve talents.

Considering the three aspects of speed, stability and load capacity, Li Yi felt that the sand ship was the most suitable as a merchant ship. The sand ship has a flat bottom, square bow and square stern, and is a very typical Chinese ship type.

The ship shape characteristics of sand boats are very suitable for northern navigation in shallow and sandy beaches. Because the bottom of the boat is flat and wide, and the hull is flat and light, it not only has a strong ability to resist quicksand, but also can sit upright on the beach and be stranded without capsizing.

Once the danger of quicksand is over, the lightweight sand boat hull can quickly set sail, so it is not a big deal if it is slightly stranded, and normal navigation can be restored quickly.

Moreover, the characteristics of the flat bottom and square bow can also withstand the rolling head waves that are common in the northern seas, and have anti-wave effects. Point-bottomed ships are most afraid of such rolling head waves. When the wind direction and tide direction are different, the sand boat can still maintain safe navigation.

The lightness and shallowness of the sand ship make it have a shallow draft, but because of its rectangular cross section, it has a certain load capacity. A ship with this rectangular cross section has a large restoring force when rolling in the water.

, has good dynamic stability, is very stable, and has good seaworthiness. It is known as the most stable sea-going ship among Chinese sea-going ships.

In addition, this kind of ship has very good dynamic stability when loading and unloading, and the accident rate when encountering wind and waves is also very low, only two thousandths, so it can be said to be very suitable as a seagoing ship. Most importantly, this

Sand-planting ships are one of the most familiar ship types in Denglai Shipbuilding.

The order of building a sand ship is the same as that of ordinary Chinese sea-going ships, including laying the bottom, installing foot beams, bulkheads, ribs, and pressure ribs; installing bilge plates on both sides, and body plates...

With the financial crisis of the Ming Dynasty, the income of these parasitic craftsmen in the shipyard has also shrunk significantly. With the social turmoil, their lives are getting harder and harder day by day. They all look at Li Yi and others with numb expressions, their faces

There is some hope. Apparently they also want the shipyard to have a good owner so that they can make money from work and support their family.

Li Yi nodded to them and said to Mr. Wang: "You go to Anxin's shop in Dengzhou City to get silver. A master craftsman in the shipyard will receive six taels of silver per month, an ordinary craftsman will receive four taels of silver per month, and a skilled boatman will receive three taels of silver per month."

, distribute the money to them, and tell them that any familiar shipwrights and craftsmen can be introduced to them, and we will accept all who come."

Manager Wang quickly nodded in agreement and said: "My little benefactor is really kind-hearted. In the past, the master craftsman only earned fifty taels of silver a year, but now he can actually earn more than sixty taels a year. They must be very grateful."

Li Yi smiled and said: "We in Anxin respect craftsmen the most. You must not only prepare the shipyard well, but also inform them of Anxin's philosophy and let them become members of Anxin."

Manager Wang quickly agreed.

Li Yi wanted to move forward, but Manager Wang pulled over an old man with gray hair and said to Li Yi: "My dear benefactor, this is the craftsman with the best craftsmanship in the shipyard."

Li Yi smiled when he heard this and said: "What do you call the old man?"

The old man knew Li Yi's identity and said timidly: "The villain Zhang Shanban."

Li Yi heard this and said: "Mr. Zhang, what kind of work is this shipyard doing recently?"

Zhang Shanban said: "Nowadays, all the maritime merchants have gone to the south to build ships. All our jobs in the north have been taken away by the south. Among them, Baoshan Shipyard and Longshan Shipyard in Nanjing are said to be very busy, but our bosses here also see that

I don’t have much work anymore. I just make a living by repairing merchant ships.”

Li Yi nodded and said: "There is plenty of wood in the south, and there are many ports such as Songjiang, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou. Naturally, there are more workers. But in the future, you will be busy, and naturally the wages will be more."

Manager Wang took the opportunity to tell Zhang Shanban about Li Yi's monthly wages. Zhang Shanban immediately burst into tears and said, "My boss is a kind-hearted person, and the great craftsmen in the south only earn less than five taels of silver per month."

, we old immortals can pay this price, and we will definitely live up to our employer’s kindness in the future.”

As he spoke, he knelt down and kowtowed to Li Yi.

Li Yi stepped forward to help Zhang Shanban up and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, there is no need to be so polite. Our Anxin Chamber of Commerce is different from other businessmen. We have to pay attention to rules and regulations in everything we do. This salary is just a basic monthly salary. If we develop

New technology or working quickly will naturally be rewarded. But if you make a mistake, you will definitely be punished. This is a reward and punishment system."

Zhang Shanban had never heard of this word, but he understood what Li Yi meant and said with a smile: "It's good to have a rules. The boss offers such a high salary, so everyone will try their best to do things. Even if they make mistakes,

, and of course he will be severely punished, we all understand."

Li Yi smiled and said: "It's great to understand. The reward and punishment system will be handed over to Mr. Wang tomorrow. You should study hard and master it before you can work."

"You still want to endorse? Many people are illiterate. What should we do?"

Zhang Shanban was a little surprised. He had never seen such a boss. Instead of letting them work quickly, he asked them to endorse it.

Li Yi smiled and said: "I will ask the Anxin Chamber of Commerce to send two teachers to teach you how to memorize the reward and punishment system. There is also a confidentiality agreement, which you must also memorize."

Hearing that there was another one to bear, Zhang Shanban asked: "What is this confidentiality agreement?"

Li Yidao: "The confidentiality agreement is a stipulation in three chapters. You cannot disclose the shipyard's affairs to outsiders. If you violate it, you will be investigated and punished."

Zhang Shanban nodded after hearing this and said: "Then I will make it clear to those bastards today."

Li Yi nodded and said: "Since Mr. Zhang has the best craftsmanship and is an old man in the shipyard with high moral character and respect, he can naturally be a manager. From now on, I will receive ten taels of silver per month, so I hope you won't be too dissatisfied."

When Zhang Shanban was at his most glorious, he could only earn 60 taels of silver per year. Now he actually earns 10 taels of silver per month, and 120 taels of silver per year. He has never seen such a generous Dongjiang, and his boss said

There will be rewards for good work, and they will definitely be there when the time comes.

With a smile on his face, Zhang Shanban said: "Don't worry, boss, as long as I'm here, there won't be any mistakes."

Li Yi smiled and said: "I am naturally very relieved when Mr. Zhang is doing things. But I plan to build a sea-going ship. Does Mr. Zhang have any suggestions?"

Hearing this, Zhang Shanban said: "My boss is the right person to ask. I have built not thirty but twenty ships in my life, so I naturally understand. If it is a merchant ship, a sand ship is the most suitable. All you need to do is prepare the wood and recruit

A shipwright can build one in ten months, but our shipyard can build three sand ships at the same time, with a carrying capacity of about one thousand stone, which is most suitable as a merchant ship."

Hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Li Yi's face and he said: "This is excellent. It's just that the maritime business is not calm. If we want to build a warship, what is the most suitable one?"

Zhang Shanban said: "In our Ming Dynasty, most sea ships were modified into warships. If so, naturally there can't be more artillery than specialized warships. Specialized warships can build Haicang ships. Haicang ships are smaller than Fu ships.

, with a draft of seven to eight feet, it can sail when the wind is light, and can ram enemy ships. It can be equipped with fifteen to twenty artillery pieces, and only needs fifty to sixty people to operate flexibly.

There is also a bird boat, which is named because it sails quickly on the sea and looks like a seabird flying at high speed on the sea. The bird boat is huge and can be equipped with firepower. It has good combat power in offshore waters and is excellent.

Battleship."

Li Yi listened and said: "In Mr. Zhang's opinion, which one is more suitable?"

Zhang Shanban said with a smile: "My boss, there are two Haicang ships in the shipyard that have not yet been completely built. If they can be built according to warships, they will definitely be launched by the end of this year."

Li Yi did not expect such an unexpected surprise. Hearing this, he asked: "Is there such a good thing?"

Zhang Shanban said: "This is strange to say. The He family of Baoding Prefecture made a large sum of money to build two sea-going ships, but they couldn't make the balance due to their sins, so the two half-built ships were parked in the shipyard.

Inside."

Li Yi said: "In this case, we must complete the construction of these two ships as soon as possible. When the work is completed, the rewards will naturally be indispensable."

Zhang Shanban said with a smile: "My boss is so heroic, so we will naturally pay attention. In fact, there are more than two Haicang ships in the shipyard, and there is also a Western sail warship."

Hearing that there were Western warships in the early shipyard, Li Yi was very curious and asked Zhang Shanban to take him to have a look.

This battleship is a Europa ship, a merchant ship that was later intercepted by pirates and converted into a warship. Because Western sailing battleships can travel quickly against the wind, Ming Dynasty was very interested in it, so he tried to get it.
To be continued...