Pi Island Port.
Looking at the ships getting closer and closer, Wang Yining, the magistrate of Dongjiang, smiled, put down the telescope, and breathed a sigh of relief.
From the depth of the waterline, he could already judge the ship's carrying capacity. Without waiting for the ship to dock, he knew it was fully loaded.
This winter, neither the Dongjiang Army nor the Liao people on the islands should suffer from the cold.
Burning coal for heating was already quite common in the Ming Dynasty, but for Dongjiang Town, it was still a huge problem. Especially for the people on the island, simply cutting down trees and collecting weeds was not a long-term solution.
The military and civilians of Dongjiang Town were blessed to have a far-sighted and thoughtful emperor, because Zhu Youxiao knew that North Korea had coal and iron ore, which were close to Dongjiang Town.
Not to mention the mineral resources in the heart of North Korea, even in Iju and Cheolsan, there is no shortage of these two things, and they are easy to mine.
At that time, Korea was not only submissive to the Ming Dynasty, but also hostile to the rising Later Jin.
Historically, if there had not been support from North Korea in terms of allocating idle land, helping with military pay, providing food, and replenishing weapons.
With the little money and supplies provided by the Ming court, Dongjiang Town had no possibility of expanding its strength and persisting for a long time, nor could it take in hundreds of thousands of Liao people.
Zhu Youxiao knew that Korea was a crucial link in his quest to trap the Eastern Tartars. He could neither allow the Jiannu to plunder too much from Korea nor allow them to surrender to Korea.
However, with the strength of North Korea, it is definitely not able to resist the Jiannu. The strength of Dongjiang Town is a very critical factor.
Therefore, as soon as the memorial from Denglai Governor Yuan Laoshi arrived, Zhu Youxiao immediately ordered the Ministry of War to draw troops from Dengzhen and Jinzhen, which were not on the front line, to help the Dongjiang Army establish the Central Association as quickly as possible.
Moreover, the additional troops in Dongjiang Town are temporary, and harassment is also a short-term tactic.
As long as financial resources permit, Zhu Youxiao will continue to expand the military strength of Dongjiang Town and completely destroy the Jiannu's hope of conquering Korea.
With such a plan, Zhu Youxiao had to consider the lives of the Liao people more, as they were a ready source of soldiers.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao sent officials from the Ministry of Works to recruit some miners and rushed to Yizhou and Tieshan to guide the Liao people in mining.
At the same time, Zhu Youxiao also maintained good relations with North Korea, although many officials believed that this was somewhat embarrassing for the Celestial Empire.
Oh my god! If it weren't for you guys being so incompetent and making the Ming Dynasty so poor, how could I be so shameless?
Zhu Youxiao felt that face and dignity could be changed flexibly. Sometimes you really need them, sometimes you can't have them even if you want them, and sometimes you can't have them at all.
As long as we can continue to save money and let North Korea continue to support Dongjiang Town, it would not be a big deal to condescend to it.
Wang Yining had no idea that the emperor had such a deep understanding of shame. He was just worried about the lives of the Dongjiang soldiers and civilians.
When the boat docked, Wang Yining went to meet it, but found that the first person to get off was Mr. Shen, Mao Wenlong's father-in-law.
"Hey, Lord Wang." Shen Shikui bowed and saluted. He used to look rough and fierce, but now he smiled very kindly.
Wang Yining returned the greeting and said with a smile, "Master Shen is so happy, he must have gained a lot in North Korea, right?"
"It's just so-so." Shen Shikui's expression betrayed him, even though he was being modest.
Once the maritime ban was lifted, merchant ships often docked at Lianpi Island, some going to Korea for trade, and some Korean merchants going to the Ming Dynasty.
Shen Shikui's business nature was awakened, so he left the army and returned to his old business.
Relying on his relationship with Mao Wenlong, he took some people to Korea to purchase ginseng, furs and mountain products, and then sold them to passing sea merchants, or sold ginseng medicinal materials under the control of the court to government officials.
Mr. Shen had made a lot of money over the past few months. Since it was a legal business, Wang Yining didn't interfere.
But Mr. Shen was not satisfied. He was planning to get a sea vessel and directly transport the purchased goods to Qingdao to sell them, without the middleman making a profit from the price difference.
In addition, Mr. Shen would often instigate Mao Wenlong to conquer places like Kuandian, where there were more ginseng and a lot of mountain products.
Watching Master Shen and his men carrying the goods away, Wang Yining shook his head and did not like this free-riding merchant.
"Greetings, Mr. Wang." A North Korean official came over, polite and humble in his words.
Wang Yining was not arrogant. He returned the greeting with a bow and said, "You are polite. Li Panyin, you don't have to address me like that. It's too polite."
Li Panyin smiled and nodded, his attitude unchanged, saying, "I heard that the Dongjiang army and civilians needed coal to survive the winter, and the county governor sent me down to inform you. I'm willing to deliver the coal to help."
Wang Yining bowed and said, "On behalf of the Dongjiang army and people, I would like to thank the Jin County Magistrate for his help."
Li Panyin pondered for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I wonder how I can buy a precious mirror from the Celestial Empire?"
Wang Yining blinked and understood the purpose of Li Panyin's visit.
Apparently, County Magistrate Jin wanted to buy the precious mirror, probably because he had seen the one bestowed by the Emperor on King Gwanghaegun of Joseon. However, this precious mirror seemed to be only available to the sea merchants designated by the Emperor.
However, Wang Yining didn't say that. He smiled and said to Li Panyin, "Isn't your country currently developing and setting up warehouses in Nampo and designating it as a treaty port? Once it's completed and opened, it will surely be a place where merchants will flock and all kinds of goods will be available."
Seeing the bitter look on Li Panyin's face, Wang Yining pointed out another way for him, saying, "If you are in a hurry, you can take a merchant ship to Qingdao or Shanghai. There will definitely be treasure mirrors for sale there."
Li Panyin nodded repeatedly, bowed his hands in thanks and said, "Master Wang, please take the trouble to arrange for a familiar and reliable merchant ship to ensure the safety of your property."
Wang Yining nodded in agreement, thinking that the prefect might also have ambitions to make a fortune in commerce besides buying mirrors. Li Panyin was a pathfinder, so he would first familiarize himself with the trade routes and operations.
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