Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 389 Does Zhang Shiyuan really possess ancient books? A colossal object exists in the East! Neither a reef nor a ship!

For half a month in a row.

The Ocean Guard Fleet has made great progress. Each time they go out to sea for three days of training, they rest for one day in the garrison, and then spend another day familiarizing themselves with various maritime commands and combat details.

With the experience gained from the previous training of Qi Jiguang's army, they are now able to train the navy with great ease.

Compared to the pampered soldiers in the capital, these sailors from impoverished backgrounds were more hardworking and resilient than the original Qi Family Army.

Most importantly, these people have a strong sense of clan, and they are naturally able to unite when they go to sea.

In the past, Qi Jiguang relied on these people to build the Qi Family Army. By simply providing them with rations and sufficient military pay, they were invincible in dealing with Japanese pirates.

Today, the ocean-going fleet is further increasing its efforts to ensure that everyone can eat their fill.

These poor men from Yiwu and Yongkang had never seen anything like this before. For them, being able to have enough to eat was already an immense blessing.

In the ocean-going navy, not only will you be fed your fill, but you will also be fed well. Rice is unlimited, and there are plenty of vegetables and meats as well. Everyone can eat as much as they want.

Such good food resulted in the transformation of the three thousand sailors in the navy from being pale and thin to being plump and strong in just two months.

The nutrients they ingested initially turned into fat, but after training at sea, they were transformed into solid muscles.

Today is another day of setting sail. Qi Jiguang got up very early and stood on the deck, looking at the sailors who were busy preparing below. He couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

Having money is always a good thing!
He had led troops his whole life and had never seen anything like this, howling like a pack of well-trained wolves.

The soldiers recruited by the imperial court in the past were either there to make a living or were forcibly conscripted by the court. What kind of discipline and fighting ability could you expect from these people? It was already a blessing if they didn't cause a disturbance in the camp or run away on the battlefield.

But the ocean-going navy was different. In just two months, it had widened the gap with the ordinary Ming army. These people were truly fighting for themselves! Every one of them had a longing for a prosperous life in their eyes.

The imperial court opened the seas, presenting them with an unknown world, and Zhang Yunxiu painted a magnificent picture for them.

Qi Jiguang was responsible for leading these people to the sea to fight for the Ming Dynasty and to seize greater benefits for them!
To enable more people to have enough to eat and live a good life!

Qi Jiguang asked the young man beside him, "Si Zhe, we have already gone out to sea three times, and the catch of fish, shrimp and seafood is about 500,000 catties. The markets in Ningbo Prefecture are booming now, and other prefectures and states are also flocking to seafood. I suppose we have made a lot of money?"

The first voyage yielded about 100,000 catties. Later, the navy gained experience and added several cargo ships, so the catch naturally increased. 500,000 catties is a conservative estimate.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Jianxiu replied, "It's about 570,000 catties. In the past half month, our ocean-going fleet has earned about 13,000 taels of silver, all thanks to the concerted efforts of our officers and soldiers."

Zhang Jianxiu was somewhat surprised that he could earn so much silver simply by fishing without stealing, robbing, burning, killing, or looting.

Throughout history, military texts have revealed instances of armies enclosing land for farming, but these were merely for the purpose of providing sustenance for the soldiers. The military households of the Ming Dynasty evolved from this practice.

Making a fortune by fishing is something I've never heard of or seen before.

Qi Jiguang said with some surprise, "There are so many? And they're all one coin per pound?"

Five or six hundred thousand catties, at one coin per catty, would only amount to about five or six thousand taels.

Zhang Jianxiu said with a smile, "One coin per pound is the price we're selling at. We definitely can't sell it like this on ordinary days. It's not that we're greedy for money, but if we sell it too cheaply, grain merchants and traders in Jiangnan really won't be able to survive."

Lower prices aren't always better.

Having been around Zhang Yunxiu for so long, he naturally came to understand the principles of economics.

The ocean-going navy sold grain for one coin per pound, which completely shattered the price of grain. It seemed to punish unscrupulous grain merchants and gentry, but the majority of farmers in the country still grew the land. If the price really collapsed, the burden would ultimately fall on them.

When it comes to market prices, stability and reasonableness are the most important things.

Therefore, when selling seafood, ocean-going navies will also raise prices appropriately as demand increases.

Of course, this price increase is limited. The 13,000 taels of silver only amount to a little over two coins per catty on average, and the prices of various types of fish and shrimp vary depending on the species.

Qi Jiguang's face was flushed, and he looked slightly excited.

"Can you really earn so much silver?"

His original plan was simply to train soldiers while fishing at sea, and also to catch some food to supplement the soldiers' nutrition.

Unexpectedly, these fish catches alone could even cover several months' worth of military pay.

It must be known that in the past, it was extremely difficult for Qi Jiguang to raise military funds and provisions! Now, he only needed to go to sea to be self-reliant, which seemed like a dream.

Qi Jiguang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked in a low voice.

"Nephew Si Zhe, may we freely dispose of this silver?"

Whether such a large sum of money can be used is extremely important.

Zhang Jianxiu chuckled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. Xishan and His Majesty don't care about this little bit of silver. Let's use it as military pay."

Many military garrisons had precedents for land reclamation, and fishing was not much different in nature from land reclamation, so it was only natural that they could manage it independently.

Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment, then spoke almost without hesitation.

"I intend to distribute all ten thousand taels of silver to the soldiers. With over three thousand men, each of us will receive three or four taels to boost morale! What do you think?"

Zhang Jianxiu was quite surprised. This Qi Jiguang didn't seem as greedy as he had imagined. Wasn't he supposed to be a man who valued money above all else?
Other generals would at least have tried to gain some benefit for themselves from it.

Zhang Jianxiu naturally didn't care about the money. He smiled and nodded.

“Since you say so, Uncle, I have no objection. Normally, the soldiers’ pay is only six or seven hundred coins. Now, they are being paid three or four taels of silver at once. I’m sure the soldiers will be very grateful.”

In the early Ming Dynasty, the monthly salary of an ordinary soldier was one shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice, which, based on the rice price at the time, amounted to only about one tael (another unit of dry measure) of silver.

However, after the Xuande era, prices rose, but soldiers' monthly salaries did not. The same amount of rice could only be exchanged for 500 wen of silver.

Nowadays, many ordinary soldiers in the Ming army don't even receive 500 coins a month, and their wages are often deducted. No wonder there was a mutiny in Hangzhou a few days ago.

How can someone serve the court if they can't even get enough to eat?

Given this premise, one can imagine how excited the soldiers of the ocean-going fleet were when they received this sum of money.

These poor men from Yiwu and Yongkang received the reward money they had earned themselves before the ships set sail.

He held the few taels of silver in his hands as if afraid they would melt away.

With their calloused hands, they carefully wrapped the silver and kept it close to their bodies, as if it were their own talisman.

"How long has it been since we've seen so much silver? Our children will never go hungry again. For such kindness, Commander Qi and Vice Commander Zhang would gladly give me their lives!"

A young man burst into tears. He was only thirty years old, but the wrinkles on his face made him look like he was fifty or sixty.

Men are never short of strength, but they lack ways to earn money. If there is a job where they can earn more money by putting in the effort, they will do it even if they work themselves to death.

In the current state of the Ming Dynasty, if you can give the poor a full meal, they will be willing to risk their lives for you. If you also promise them generous rewards and a bright future, they will easily become devoted to you.

Qi Jiguang simply gave the soldiers their share, which greatly boosted the morale of the entire army. Everyone's eyes lit up, some with joy, some with tears of excitement, and they all put away the silver, temporarily suppressing their emotions.

Qi Jiguang stood on the high deck and waved his hand at the soldiers below.

"Setting sail today, whaling!"

Upon hearing this, the online trolls cheered and jumped for joy, their hands and feet moving swiftly.

The sails were raised again, and the ballistae on the deck were polished to a shine. From the helmsman to the helmsman, and then to the sailors, armored soldiers, and firearmsmen, everyone was in high spirits.

A dozen or so ships sailed away from Ningbo Port in a grand procession, and many people on the port were extremely excited when they saw it.

Everyone knows that the departure of the ocean-going fleet means that Ningbo will once again have high-quality and inexpensive seafood.

In just half a month, Ningbo Prefecture has formed an entire industrial chain, from seafood processing to transportation.

Whenever the ocean-going fleet has a successful catch, many locals will buy the seafood and take it home to process and sell it after drying.

These high-quality seafoods from the distant seas, accompanied by the promotion of the imperial court and newspapers, have become highly sought after by people all over the world.

This industry alone has enabled many people in Ningbo and the surrounding areas to become wealthy.

After several voyages, Qi Jiguang's fleet became very familiar with the sea routes and made records of all the islands and reefs, further improving and revising the original nautical charts.

The fleet sailed on until nightfall, and Qi Jiguang stood on the deck, occasionally taking out his binoculars to observe the surroundings.

After confirming the location using the compass, he quickly gave instructions to Hu Shouren beside him.

"There is a reef ahead. All ships must be careful. We will turn around and go around it. There is an unnamed island three miles away. We will dock and rest there tonight."

Hu Shouren was quite surprised. He looked at the boundless sea but couldn't see any clues. How did Qi Jiguang figure it out?
However, he did not ask any further questions, but instead followed Qi Jiguang's instructions and went down to inform the various ships about the matter.

Qi Jiguang only truly breathed a sigh of relief after all the ships had successfully navigated around the reef.

Hu Shouren stood on the edge of the deck, peered down, and immediately gasped, cursing under his breath.

"Father! If we had crashed, I don't know how many ships we would have lost today! What a close call!"

Now he admired Qi Jiguang even more. The dangers at sea were not only pirates, but also the wind, waves, weather, and the reefs that appeared from time to time.

Without proper guidance, venturing into the dark and crashing into these hidden reefs would often result in shipwrecks and loss of life.

At this time, an experienced guide is invaluable.

When Qi Jiguang returned to the cabin, he saw Zhang Jianxiu peacefully munching on chicken feet under the oil lamp, but Zhang Jianxiu looked lingering fear.

He slammed the nautical chart on the table and said, "Zhang Shiyuan is simply amazing. He's thousands of miles away, and I remember he's never left the capital. How could he possibly know where there are hidden reefs at sea?"

One or two times is fine, but many consecutive "miracles" made Qi Jiguang wonder if this kid could really be the "Heavenly Star".

Zhang Jianxiu spat out the chicken bone in his mouth, rinsed his mouth with water, and then slowly said.

"It's all from ancient books."

"You brat, are you making fun of me?" Qi Jiguang was somewhat angry.

Zhang Jianxiu spread his hands and said, "Uncle, go ask Shiyuan, he will definitely say the same thing."

Qi Jiguang thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said.

"That makes some sense. Shi Yuan said earlier that this sea chart is not perfect and has some flaws."

We have sailed many times, and about 80% of the nautical charts are accurate. The remaining minor discrepancies are understandable.

It seems this kid really did find some ancient book; things always change with the passage of time.

If he truly is the Star of Destiny, then we will surely be invincible.

This nautical chart is extremely complex, filling an entire box. It appears to be hand-drawn and copied. With such detailed charts, it would be virtually impossible to forge them.

Zhang Jianxiu nodded slightly, his expression strange.

"Uncle's thinking makes sense."

The fleet sailed at sea for several days without even going to the designated fishing area, and did not take action when it encountered schools of fish many times.

The sailors seemed a bit anxious. In their eyes, what had slipped away was not a school of fish, but silver coins swimming in the water!
Even so, Qi Jiguang remained calm and led the fleet to sail into deeper waters, areas the fleet had never reached before, and even further from the mainland.

The three or four days of continuous sea voyage had clearly left the sailors, who were originally living on land, exhausted.

However, the navy's generous treatment and rigorous daily training finally paid off.

Even if some sailors suffer from seasickness or are afraid of the sea, it is nothing compared to the hardships they endured in their hometowns.

Qi Jiguang made thorough preparations for this voyage, and the food and fresh water stored on the ship were enough to feed all the sailors for a month.

Two days later, Qi Jiguang gradually lost patience and spoke to Hu Shouren.

"If we still can't find any trace of whales today, let's turn back to the Zhoushan Inspection Office."

Further in lies the Pacific Ocean, as Zhang Yunxiu mentioned. If one encounters monsoons or ocean currents there, even the most detailed nautical charts will be of no use.

Hu Shouren's expression also showed some worry. He nodded and said, "This subordinate understands. Commander Qi, please rest assured. The brothers' morale is high, and nothing will happen for the time being."

When sailing at sea, the biggest fear is being attacked, but obviously modern ocean-going navies don't have this problem.

Zhang Jianxiu then took out his telescope and began to explore the sea.

"These whales are usually seen frequently at dawn and dusk, in areas where fish congregate. Most importantly, like humans, whales need to surface to breathe, and they often spout water columns that are as high as three stories. Their size is comparable to, or even larger than, that of a Fujian ship."

He had said this so many times that it was obviously memorized perfectly, but there was still no movement on the surface of the sea, except for the occasional white bubbles that surged, indicating that there were schools of fish below.

But at that very moment, they heard desperate shouts from the watchtower.

"There is a colossal object in the East! It is neither a reef nor a ship!"

Qi Jiguang was immediately startled, and Zhang Jianxiu also turned his telescope eastward.

Sure enough, on the azure sea, water columns shot up several meters high, and white mist rose up as well.

When the mist dissipated, a "black hill" suddenly rose on the sea surface. The vanguard boats that were scouting around came into contact with it first. Before they could react, the giant whale suddenly swung its tail and slapped the waves. The waves, which were ten feet high, crashed into the vanguard boats and almost capsized them.

Qi Jiguang's gaze sharpened, and his voice was incredibly penetrating.

"Pass on my order! Form the 'fish scale formation'! Use muskets to scare them, but do not kill them!"

(End of this chapter)