With the Ming Dynasty's active participation in world maritime trade, the Age of Discovery had already begun ahead of schedule.

More and more people want to buy a ship and join in the maritime trade.

For all merchants involved in maritime trade, the Ming Dynasty is the starting point of this trade.

As long as you buy enough goods in Ming Dynasty and then resell them to other places, you can make huge profits.

The great European nobles have been investing in Zhao Yuanhong over the past few years with this in mind.

Although there are not many ships traveling directly between Europe and Ming Dynasty, there are now stable routes, but it takes a little longer.

Because the Suez Canal has not been opened yet, it would take about two years for a ship to travel directly there.

A round trip takes four years.

However, in the eyes of many European aristocrats, four years is absolutely worthwhile.

Because they have dozens of large ships, if they are filled with luxury goods from the East, they can definitely make a lot of money, even comparable to the wealth of a country.

It sounds a bit ridiculous, but it's not an exaggeration.

In history, 300 years later, there was a ship called Gothenburg. It was owned by the Swedish East India Company and was the company's second largest ocean-going merchant ship. It was 58.5 meters long, 11 meters wide, 47 meters above the water, 5.25 meters deep, with a total sail area of ​​more than 1,900 square meters and a displacement of 1,150 tons.

With the help of strong westerly winds, the Gothenburg rounded the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean. The continuous south wind brought it to Java, Indonesia. It was already August 29 of that year.

Because she missed the monsoon, the Gothenburg had to stay in Java for eight months.

After setting sail again, the merchant ship docked at Huangpu Wharf in Guangzhou.

Swedish merchants purchased 700 tons of goods, including 370 tons of tea, accounting for 52.86%, 100 tons of porcelain, accounting for 14.28%, as well as silk, rattan products and other goods.

However, when the Gothenburg was returning to a place 900 meters offshore with a full load of cargo, it somehow entered the "Hannibaldam" reef area. The merchant ship collided violently with the reef, the hull broke, seawater poured in, and the ship began to tilt and sink.

Seeing this, other ships nearby that came to greet the merchant ship immediately launched a rescue operation. All the crew members were rescued, but unfortunately all the goods on the ship fell into the water.

The value of the goods on board the Gothenburg was estimated at 250 million Swedish silver coins, equivalent to Sweden's annual GDP at the time. After the merchant ship sank, the Swedish East India Company organized manpower to salvage 30 tons of tea, 80 pieces of silk and a large amount of porcelain, which only accounted for 8% of all the goods.

Even so, after the auction, the funds raised not only made up for all the losses, but the company's shareholders also received a 14.5% dividend.

And this is the discounted price after the product has been soaked in water.

Therefore, it is natural for European nobles to support Zhao Yuanhong.

Due to the strong power of the Ming Dynasty, there were many regulations restricting exports, and these restrictions were once spread to the whole world through official bulletins. Anyone engaged in maritime business knew about this.

It takes two years to reach Europe by ship, but by ship and horse, it takes less than a year to get from Europe to Ming Dynasty.

For European nobles, Zhao Yuanhong's status as a Ming noble naturally allowed them to avoid many export restrictions, allowing them to obtain sufficient profits.

Although Zhao Yuanhong had developed Constantinople quite well in recent years, it was obviously just a barely sufficient way to keep the Byzantine Empire alive.

In Zhao Yuanhong's heart, he wanted to use Constantinople as a bridgehead for the Ming Dynasty.

Because in his opinion, the Ming Dynasty will one day enter Europe, and the existence of Constantinople will make the Ming Dynasty's entry into Europe smoother.

Therefore, Zhao Yuanhong wanted the Ming Dynasty to be able to use the joint fleet of these European nobles and also send some troops over.

For the Ming Dynasty, which had a population of nearly ten million, it was easy to send an expeditionary force of tens of thousands. And these tens of thousands of troops were not a small number in Europe and could definitely affect the overall situation in Europe.

Zhao Yuanhong felt that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would definitely support his idea.

…

If Zhu Ying knew what Zhao Yuanhong was thinking, he would naturally support it.

For Zhu Ying, developing Europe was an inevitable thing, and tens of thousands of soldiers were not many for the Ming Dynasty.

Beijing Shipyard.

Zhu Ying came here to inspect, because around the beginning of spring, the Ming fleet would set out for Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Because they need to travel on the ocean, the bottoms of these ships will be reinforced.

For example, a relatively thin iron plate is installed in the wading area to prevent some small collisions from destroying the hull.

Of course, the ships here at the Beijing Shipyard are only a small part of the fleet, and other ships are being reinforced and repaired in other shipyards at the same time.

In addition to reinforcement and repair, these ships also carried propellers, but they were not propelled by steam, but by human power.

At the bottom of the cabin, there are two rows of bicycle-like structures, which are the source of power for the propeller.

Twenty crew members can ride together, just like riding bicycles in later generations, providing power to the propeller by pedaling.

This power is naturally not as fast as a steam engine, but with this additional design, if the propeller and sail work at the same time, the speed can still be much faster.

And it won't be complicated to switch to a steam engine later.

"Your Highness, the seventeen small ships of the Imperial Shipyard will be launched in two days."

"At present, all aspects have been repaired and reinforced, and have passed three inspections. Now we are mainly waiting for soldiers and horses."

Listening to the report from the shipyard officials, Zhu Ying nodded slightly.

In addition to sending troops to Dongsheng Shenzhou this time, it is also used to measure the route.

If the sailing distance is within the range that a steam ironclad ship can withstand, a single load of coal can reach the destination.

Then a coal station will be built in the port of Dongsheng Shenzhou to replenish steam ironclad ships.

Under this circumstance, it would only take more than a month to reach Dongsheng Shenzhou from Ming Dynasty at the speed of a steam ironclad ship.

In this way, it will be easier for the Ming Dynasty to develop the entire Dongsheng Shenzhou.

"Your Highness, will these ships reach Dongsheng Shenzhou in a few months?"

The person who was speaking was Xu Miaojin. This time when leaving the palace, Zhu Ying would also go to Prince Zhongshan's Palace with Xu Miaojin.

"Of course, they will definitely be able to reach Dongsheng Shenzhou. If everything goes well, they will return to Daming before winter this year."

"By next year, perhaps our steam ironclad ships will be able to get through."

Zhu Ying said with a smile.

There was a gleam in Xu Miaojin's eyes.

"That's great. I wonder if I can go there too." Xu Miaojin sighed subconsciously.

Since being with Zhu Ying, Xu Miaojin has lived in the palace. This is similar to her previous life, but after a long time, she felt a little bored.

Due to the development of trains in the Ming Dynasty, traveling has become popular among the wealthy people in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yingke really didn't interfere in the tourism sector at all. It was just a sudden craze.

The price of taking the train may seem expensive, but in fact it is a very low price considering the travel expenses.

The most important thing is that it is relaxing. Even if the destination is far away, you can basically get there by sleeping on the train. Naturally, this will attract more people to join this way of travel.

In order to relieve the boredom in the palace, Zhu Ying would always have reports from various places delivered to the palace.

These local reports will contain many local customs and practices, including some interesting things happening at the moment, which can also help people entertain themselves and understand what the current Ming Dynasty is like.

Tourism is not uncommon in the reports of various parties, and many cities with small populations want to boost their economies through tourism.

With the first person trying it out, more people will naturally get involved.

For local officials, people's livelihood and economy are one of the political achievements they attach great importance to.

If the income of local people increases, the possibility of promotion will be greater.

As Zhu Ying's concubine, Xu Miaojing naturally wanted to travel. She grew up in the capital and had hardly ever been to other places.

Zhu Ying naturally heard Xu Miaojin's voice, even though it was a little soft.

Only then did he realize that apart from that trip to Annan, he seemed to have hardly been out.

When he went out that time, his concubines were all very happy.

Thinking of this, Zhu Ying turned around, grabbed Xu Miaojin's hand and said, "There will be a chance."

Palace of Prince Zhongshan.

As the heir, you, Xu Huizu, are now fighting in Tianzhu with Lan Yu, and the reason you came here this time is obviously because of the relationship between Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou.

Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou had a very good relationship with their eldest sister Xu Yihua, so they also had a good relationship with Zhu Di.

Xu Yingxu was fond of martial arts, while Xu Zengshou was fond of literature.

The two men were respectively the Assistant Governor-General of the Central Army Governor's Office and the Assistant Governor-General of the Right Army Governor's Office. Of course, these official positions were granted through recommendation.

"Fourth brother, do you think the crown prince will come today? It's almost noon, why hasn't anyone come to inform us yet?"

"Maybe the Crown Prince changed his schedule at the last minute and won't come."

In the lobby, Xu Yingxu looked at the sky and said to Xu Zengshou impatiently.

Xu Zengshou was holding a book, and he couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "Second brother, why are you so anxious? If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't come, what can we do? We can only wait for the next time."

"This time, it was my younger sister who spoke up. His Royal Highness is probably going to come over. After all, His Royal Highness has always loved me very much. Maybe he was delayed a little because of the things going on at the shipyard."

Although Xu Zengshou grew up in a family of nobles, the house he lived in was filled with books. In his spare time at home, he would invite wise men to his home to discuss classic stories about successes and failures from ancient times to the present, tirelessly.

Historically, when Zhu Di raised his army to quell the rebellion, Xu Zengshou was the most diligent and loyal, and had secret dealings with Zhu Di. After being reported, Emperor Jianwen imprisoned him. When Zhu Di's troops entered the Jinchuan Gate and Emperor Jianwen was about to commit suicide by burning himself, he killed Xu Zengshou at Youshun Gate. Zhu Di was very sad and mournful about Xu Zengshou's death.

Although Xu Yingxu is the second elder brother, he has no opinion of his own. After listening to his fourth brother's words, he felt a little more at ease.

"Fourth brother, do you think we can succeed this time? Although the Crown Prince loves me, Dongsheng Shenzhou is a popular place now, and everyone wants to go there."

“Whoever arrives first can grab a piece of land and build a family business.”

"My eldest brother went to Tianzhu. According to this, he is likely to establish a principality in Tianzhu. If we go to Dongsheng Shenzhou, I am afraid His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not allow it."

Xu Yingxu was somewhat worried.

After hearing his second brother's question, Xu Zengshou simply put the book away.

"This banquet for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince seems to be asking about our trip to Dongsheng Shenzhou, but in fact it is to help my brother-in-law."

"Now that Japan has been annexed by the Ming Dynasty, my brother-in-law's vassal state in Japan is naturally in an awkward position. Previously, most of the vassal kings wanted to go to India, which is a large enough place to establish a new vassal state."

"But according to the Japanese way, if the Ming Dynasty occupied India, then the vassal states and dukedoms would have to move away. At least this situation will not change while the crown prince is in power."

"However, Dongsheng Shenzhou is different. It is too far away and its territory is vast. Even if the imperial court wants to control it, it is powerless."

"In the barbarian lands that have not been educated, all of them are just people who eat raw meat and drink blood. It is difficult for the imperial court to educate them now. Therefore, establishing a vassal state is the best choice. It not only guarantees the rule of the imperial court, but also does not consume too much burden on the imperial court."

"So, when the Crown Prince comes over, there will be no problem with my brother-in-law's affairs, and our going with him. Second brother just needs to enjoy lunch quietly."

Hearing his fourth brother say this, Xu Yingxu felt a little puzzled.

"If that's the case, why did my brother-in-law go through so many roundabout ways and ask my younger sister through us, and then invite the crown prince to a banquet? Isn't this unnecessary?"

"Could it be that the Crown Prince still won't allow my brother-in-law to go to Dongsheng Shenzhou?"

Xu Zengshou was quite speechless, but seeing his second brother's puzzled look, he could only explain: "Second brother, don't forget that there were some conflicts between my brother-in-law and the crown prince back then."

"Even though all these years have passed, who can say that the Crown Prince has forgotten? This is a matter related to the inheritance of the family, so of course we need to make more preparations."

After hearing this, Xu Yingxu finally reacted.

Not long after, someone was heard in the front yard reporting that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to arrive.

The two of them hurriedly led their servants forward to wait for the greeting.

Zhu Ying brought Xu Miaojin over for dinner, which was also considered a return to her parents' home.

However, Xu Da's wives and concubines all died young, so Xu Miaojin and his brothers and sisters had already lost their parents. This is also the reason why Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou have a good relationship with their eldest sister.

Xu Miaojin was obviously very happy to return to Prince Zhongshan's Palace, and went to her room first.

Even after she got married, she kept the boudoir she had lived in before.

During the meal, Xu Zengshou did not deliberately talk about Zhu Di, but just talked about some family matters.

The only one mentioned was the eldest sister Xu Yihua.

Some things don't need to be said explicitly, as long as the meaning is conveyed. If they are actually said out loud, it would be discouraging. Xu Zengshou understands these social ways much better than his second brother Xu Yingxu.

Besides, they could not control the Crown Prince's thoughts. If he did not want Zhu Di to go to Dongsheng Shenzhou and Tianzhu, no one could change it.