Salvage the crew and repair the warship.

Li Yi asked Zhu Qilong to transport fifteen thousand taels of silver from the ship and give it to Shi Daxuan.

Seeing Li Yi being so happy, Shi Daxuan thought for a while and said: "I don't have enough warships, but I have long wanted to grab a few more. Now that I got my wish, I don't need this money."

The ten warships captured this time were equivalent to tens of thousands of taels of silver, which was quite a fortune.

Shi Daxuan didn't want to eat and take it at the same time, breaking the rules of the world, so he wanted to return the money.

Li Yi heard this and said with a smile: "Boss Shi is doing this in a noble and upright manner, but we had already negotiated the conditions, the employment fee of 20,000 taels, and Boss Shi did this, and I have become a dishonest villain."

Shi Daxuan laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "You are not a gangster, what do you care about these things? Just take these fifteen thousand taels of silver. If others gossip, I will naturally tell them the truth, and I will never let you lose it."

Lose face."

Li Yi shook his head and said: "All the warships captured this time were given to Boss Shi, and the fifteen thousand taels of silver were also given to Boss Shi."

Seeing that Shi Daxuan still wanted to refuse, Li Yi smiled and said: "If Boss Shi really feels that he deserves it, then do me a favor."

Hearing what Li Yi said, Shi Daxuan smiled and said: "I think you also have a bold temper, but I like you very much. If you have anything to help, just let me know."

Li Yi said: "Brother Shi may not know that I am the head of the Anxin Chamber of Commerce."

Hearing that the young man in front of him was actually the head of the Anxin Chamber of Commerce, Shi Daxuan was slightly startled, obviously not expecting it.

Li Yi said with a smile: "Before the Anxin Chamber of Commerce, the maritime trade was controlled by nobles, but in the future we have to rely on ourselves. Brother Shi also knows that we now only have three warships.

We don’t have a foothold in the vast sea, let alone maintain trade routes, so I want to get rid of Brother Shi and do a favor to protect the Anxin Chamber of Commerce."

Shi Daxuan's heart moved. He must know that the sea is controlled by the Zheng family. He can no longer do the business of grabbing goods by licking the knife. This is when he is short of work.

If he could become the guard of Anxin Chamber of Commerce at this time, he would get a lot of income on weekdays, which would be enough for his fleet to grow.

Thinking of this, Shi Daxuan said: "Brother Li thinks highly of us brothers, and I am very grateful. But since we are talking about business, there must be business rules. I wonder what price An Xin is offering?"

Li Yi smiled and said: "10% of Anxin's profit from each trade."

In the past, the nobles earned no less than 4 million taels of silver every year by transporting goods from the Anxin Chamber of Commerce to Japan and North Korea. Now that the shipping route to Nanyang has been opened, the harvest will definitely double and reach 8 million taels.

two.

And one achievement is 800,000 taels, which is not a small income for Shi Daxuan, who is now broke and about to break up.

After turning around and discussing with the two leaders for a long time, Shi Daxuan said: "Since Brother Li thinks highly of us, we brothers will take over this job. From now on, as long as there are merchant ships on the sea with the flag of the Anxin Chamber of Commerce, we brothers will fight for their lives."

, but also take good care of yourself.”

Li Yi was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "With Brother Shi's help, I can rest assured about the maritime trade. The fifteen thousand taels of silver today, even if I give it to Brother Shi to reward my brothers and finance the repair of the warship, this is

In order to allow Brother Shi to better protect Anxin Merchant Ship, I hope you will not refuse."

Now that the conversation has come to this point, how can Shi Daxuan postpone it?

Seeing how Li Yi not only gave him a good job, but also gave away money, Shi Daxuan, a man who had fought in both the north and south, was deeply moved by his magnanimity, and his favorable impression of Li Yi greatly increased.

Things went smoothly, and Li Yi personally sent Shi Daxuan home.

Li Yi stood on the deck, with the sea breeze blowing and the humidity thick.

Watching Shi Daxuan's fleet leave, He Yaowu and He Yaozu walked over, glanced at Zhu Qilong who was watching them warily, and did not dare to step forward.

Li Yi turned around, looked at them with a smile on his face, and said: "Second Master He, Zu Yao, you and I will be our own family from now on, why should we be so indifferent to others."

After hearing Li Yi's words, the fierce light in Zhu Qilong's eyes was restrained.

He Yaowu and He Yaozu then walked in, bowed and said: "Young Master."

Li Yi quickly stepped forward to support He Yaowu and said: "Why is this happening? Why is it happening like this?"

He Yaowu said: "Today our merchant ship is facing a catastrophic disaster. It is all thanks to the young master's rescue. He is willing to take in our two brothers regardless of past grudges. We feel ashamed."

Next to him, He Yaozu looked at Li Yi and said: "Second brother and I have already agreed that we will work with you from now on. In this case, there must be respect, so calling you Young Master is our decision. I hope Young Master will not refuse."

."

Li Yi nodded and said: "Master He is willing to follow me to do something in my career. This is what I think about day and night. The matter of Anxin Chamber of Commerce going to Nanyang has not been settled yet. It is precisely because of the lack of familiarity like Master He.

The sea is a person who often trades by sea. If Mr. He is willing, I would like to leave the opening of the sea route and the control of this route to you, what do you think?"

He Yaowu was naturally excited when he heard that Li Yi directly entrusted him with such an important task.

He has been at sea for ten years, just to sail the sea and make great achievements. Now that his fleet has been severely damaged, it can be said that there is no possibility of turning around without any family as a foundation. And if he joins the Anxin Chamber of Commerce

, you will have a powerful backer, and you will definitely be able to do a great job.

Thinking of this, He Yaowu said: "Young Master trusts me so much, so I can't be stingy anymore. I am willing to donate all the remaining ships in my hand to the Anxin Chamber of Commerce for free."

Li Yi was a little surprised to hear that He Yaowu was so generous. He didn't expect that He Yaowu not only really opened his heart, but was also so heroic.

Without waiting for Li Yi's persuasion, He Yaowu said: "By joining the Anxin Chamber of Commerce, Anxin and I will be prosperous from now on. In this way, the elders of Anxin Township who I offended at the beginning will not doubt my intentions."

Li Yi didn't expect this. Hearing this, he secretly thought that He Yaowu had a seven-orificed exquisite heart and thought in such detail.

Hearing this, he said: "Since Mr. He has said these words, I can't stop him. Let's do this. The old house and workshop of the He family will become the family business of the He family. From now on, with me, Li Yi, here, the He family will

They are the wealthy gentry of Baoding Prefecture."

Hearing these words, He Yaowu looked ecstatic and said: "Thank you, Master."

Li Yi turned his head and looked at He Yaozu and said: "When you wanted to join the Fuguo Society, I was very concerned about the resettlement of the victims. Now that everyone is finally over, I want you to return to the Fuguo Society.

National Society, share some things with Xiaoyu."

Although He Yaozu stayed at sea for more than a year, he did not like the life of fighting and killing. Instead, he wanted to join the Fuguo Society and become a scholar who could help the country and the people and save others.

Li Yi now gave him such an opportunity, which was very important to He Yaozu. His eyes were red at the moment and he said: "I will definitely do my best to assist the state and social affairs."

Li Yi said with a smile: "But you can't be exhausted, I want you to help me do things."

The three of them laughed, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

After this matter was resolved, Li Yi naturally had to write two letters, one to Lu Changfeng and one to Zhou Yanru, hoping that they would help give He Yaowu and He Yaozu a way to atone for their sins.

Fortunately, He Yaowu not only engaged in trade at sea, but also had many conflicts with pirates. Therefore, if Li Yi had built momentum and used merit as a boost, he would have been able to escape his charges and live in peace in various counties in the Ming Dynasty.

When the matter came to an end, Li Yi naturally led the fleet northward and returned to Dengzhou.

Since he came to Dengzhou, Li Yi naturally wanted to see his shipyard.

The shipyard is now managed by Chief An Xin. Following Li Yi's instructions, he used bribery, deception and other methods to recruit many shipbuilding craftsmen, many of whom were craftsmen in the government camp.

You must know that most of the ancient craftsmen were inherited from father to son, but some officially lost technologies are still retained among the people. They have a family background and have superb skills in their hands. The craftsmen are also arrogant in their hearts, but in Anxin Lixian Corporal

, under the strategy of high-paying recruitment, the craftsmen had no reason to refuse, and they came to join us one after another.

In this way, the Dengzhou Shipyard is still under repair, but the craftsmen are ready and can build three sail warships at the same time.

Dengzhou Shipyard already had certain shipbuilding capabilities. Li Yi improved the shipbuilding drawings he bought from the Dutch, and imitated the Spanish sailing warships in his hands to start building his own fleet.

However, shipbuilding cannot be effective in a year and a half. The investment in this matter is huge, and it will take several years to get a return. There are still great risks involved, so except for An Xin, who has deep financial background and deep background, really no one can do this.

Do.

The equipment upgrading of the Anxin Railway Brigade is still continuing, but what Li Yi urgently needs now is a powerful fleet.

You must know that only by controlling the sea can Anxin's goods be able to circulate throughout the world. When the pirates can be defeated, the waterways to Nanyang can be maintained, and the goods from Nanyang can be brought back, the fleet can be further developed and the trade tentacles of Anxin Chamber of Commerce can be further expanded.

Stretching toward America and distant Europe.

And all this requires a powerful fleet, a fleet that can defeat Spain and declare the country's majesty across the ocean.

But now, Li Yi first needs to build a fleet that can eliminate pirates and help Anxin get rid of Zheng Zhilong's blockade.

In Li Yi's conception, this fleet was mainly composed of sail warships, equipped with Anxin artillery, and assisted by large Fu ships and some small Haicang ships.

He Yaowu accompanied Li Yi to visit the shipyard. He could see Li Yi's ambition, and Li Yi's ambition also made him extremely excited.

A huge fleet and fierce naval battles are what He Yaowu dreams of.

He secretly decided in his heart that he must make achievements and accumulate qualifications in the future. When the fleet is formed, he must become the governor of this fleet.

Inspired by this dream, He Yaowu did not accompany Li Yi back to Anxin, but stayed in Dengzhou to repair warships, build a fleet, and plan to open up a trade route to Southeast Asia.

Li Yi and He Yaowu returned to Baoding Prefecture. As He Yaowu returned to the ancestral home of the He family and gained five workshops, the He family finally revived in Baoding Prefecture.

The big families in Baoding Prefecture welcome the return of the He family. They are now tightly bound by the Anxin Chamber of Commerce, and they are worried all day long, lest they lose their bones like the He family and be swallowed up by Anxin.

The return of the He family means that Li Yi not only will not kill them all, but also treats his former enemies so favorably, which makes the big families in Baoding even less able to resist Li Yi.

He Yaozu went to Shanghai for more than a year and grew rapidly. So Li Yi asked him to join Fuguo Society as a manager to help Xiaoyu take on some things.

But he did not stay in Anxin for long before Li Yi received an imperial edict calling him back to the capital.

Li Yi returned to the capital to attend the court meeting.

It turned out that Emperor Chongzhen was very happy that three million taels of silver were recovered this time, and he naturally wanted to reward him based on his merits.

Li Yi looked at Zhu Youjian, who had a cold look on his face, and knew that he was actually not satisfied because the money recovered this time was half of what he expected.

But he asked Shi Kefa and Li Yi to go south to collect taxes, on the one hand to replenish the national treasury, and on the other hand to find a way to re-enable Li Yi.

Therefore, in order to achieve his own goals, Zhu Youjian could only build momentum for Li Yi.

Shi Kefa made meritorious service and was named the censor of Qiandu, finally becoming a fourth-rank official.

As for Li Yi, Emperor Chongzhen originally wanted to reinstate the official, but was strongly opposed by Han Xu, Li Biao, Qian Longxi and others.

Wang Yongguang and Wen Tiren did not come forward to stop him. In terms of seizing political resources, they had the same idea as Han Xu and others, which was to find ways to deal with Li Yi and keep this fourth-rank official in his position.

Both of them were opportunists in the court and had low moral character. Many ministers in the court looked down upon them.
Chapter completed!