On the Boluo, Wang Rulong was impressed after hearing Jin Ke's words. He said, "Yes, although I am not talented, I have met countless heroes in the world, such as Marshal Qi, Governor Hu, Lord Tan, and General Yu. Although they all attach great importance to coastal defense, this kind of emphasis is to be wary of the ocean, alienate the ocean, and even fear the ocean. Only you are a hero who is truly close to the ocean and hopes to conquer it."

Before, they all privately believed that Zhao Hao was hiding his army overseas, but actually plotting against the country. But after talking to Zhao Hao heart to heart over the years, they felt more and more clearly that the lord they were loyal to was really not interested in the Ming Dynasty, and only wanted to dominate the Ming Dynasty's seas...

While this made them feel greatly relieved, they couldn't help but feel a little regretful in the dark corners of their hearts.

"You have all studied "The Theory of Sea Power" and now you are in charge of an area of ​​sea. Have you ever thought about the relationship between Ming Dynasty and the ocean?" Zhao Hao asked softly as if chatting.

The two of them were very alert because they knew that the young master was testing them. For generals of their level, this was a conversation that would determine their future.

Fearing that Wang Rulong might say something false, Jin Ke took the lead and said, "When I first read the Theory of Sea Power taught by you, I was very shocked.

But the more I think about it, the more I am convinced of your foresight - in this era when trade depends on the ocean, winning the ocean is more advantageous than winning the land! "

"According to your theory of sea power, how favored is God to China? We have a long coastline, vast territory, one-third of the world's population, and no powerful country next door. This has arranged a natural geography for the Ming Dynasty to be a great sea and land power, and has entrusted the mission of governing the world to China!"

"However, as I just said, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, through the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi, down to the Tang Emperor and Song Emperor, and even the Taizu of this dynasty, these kings who used the heaven and earth as chessboards, their world was always limited to the land of China. Therefore, their great achievements were only related to the land of China, and never had anything to do with the ocean."

"Only Emperor Chengzu had set his sights on the sea and built a vast sea for the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, at that time, there were only naval commanders like the eunuch Sanbao, but no business genius like the young master. Going to the West consumed the country's strength and was difficult to maintain. In the end, the sea charts were burned and the treasure ships rotted away and turned to ashes. The Chinese people's eyes returned to the land, and they became more and more complacent, like frogs in a well."

"It shouldn't be like this. We have such a long coastline and tens of millions of people who make their living from the sea. We should not only be a land power, but also a maritime power. Only when we give equal weight to both can we be called the Celestial Empire!" Jin Ke's words made Zhao Hao feel very relieved, because he had indeed opened his eyes to the world and set his sights on the globe, not just the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

"Yes, during the reign of Emperor Chengzu, it could be called the Celestial Empire." Zhao Hao nodded and said, "But there is no need to blame the ancient sages. After all, before the great geographical discoveries, the Age of Exploration had not yet arrived, and the world was indeed fragmented and disconnected. So their focus on China did not undermine their greatness."

After a pause, he said in a deep voice: "But now, Spain and Portugal have taken their warships and spread the flames of war all over the world. They have also boldly divided up the world and reaped endless profits. Their actions will continue to stimulate the rise of the great powers. In the future, there will be a stronger and more difficult empire rising up, which will completely crush the great powers that the two countries were unable to attack before. So in this era, no great power can remain immune! Standing still will only lead to being trapped in a dangerous city, losing power and humiliating the country, and even destroying the country and the race. Becoming a sinner of the country and the nation!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Rulong and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"

Wang Rulong's red beard was like a ball of fire jumping in the wind, and there was a flame burning in his eyes. He said, "No matter before Emperor Chengzu, any court that ignored the ocean after Emperor Chengzu was a reactionary court. Any emperor who implemented a maritime ban and ruined China's revival on the ocean was a tyrant!"

Jin Ke's face slightly changed. In the Ming Dynasty, it was politically correct to call the emperor a tyrant, and there was nothing wrong with that. But it was really audacious to call the court "full of righteousness" a reactionary court.

But he felt relieved when he heard this.

"Well said!" Zhao Hao clapped his hands and said, "Brother Wang always hits the nail on the head. You are absolutely right! Just as Li Zhuowu said, the world is now upside down, so the heroes feel resentful and the heroes feel helpless, and the people are driven to become thieves! Who is governing the world? The court! If the world is upside down, what else can it be but a reactionary court?!"

In the depths of this distant ocean, the aura of the Ming emperor completely disappeared, and he seemed to become as ordinary as the old man next door. Those topics that could not be easily brought up in normal times were no longer so taboo.

"..." Jin Ke and Wang Rulong's blood immediately boiled in their hearts. What the young master said touched their hearts!

The two of them and Zhu Jue, the three of them were originally officials appointed by the imperial court with promising futures, but in the blink of an eye, they were stripped of their official uniforms by civil officials on trumped-up charges and almost imprisoned! If it weren't for the young master taking them in, they might have become bandits.

Isn't this what makes heroes feel resentful and heroes feel helpless, and drives them to become thieves? !

"Young Master, why don't you kill his mother and put order out of chaos and remove the emperor's entourage!" Thinking of the old grudge, Wang Rulong still gnashed his teeth and said in hatred: "Return peace to the world!"

Jin Ke looked at Zhao Hao nervously. Although he had already made up his mind to follow the Master to the end no matter what, it was better not to rebel if he could...

"Then we can only celebrate Qingming Festival in the future." Zhao Hao laughed and said, "I'm kidding."

He knew that it was time to let his generals understand his thoughts clearly. Otherwise, if he allowed them to make random guesses, it would confuse people and cause trouble.

"In fact, both of you know very well that it is not the quantity of soldiers that matters but their quality. With the system, training, and equipment of our garrison, after ten years of accumulation and ten years of preparation, we may be able to strike directly at Huanglong and wipe out all the evil spirits." He suppressed his smile and said, "But the question is, what happens after that?"

"What happened after that..." The two were stunned by the question. Even someone as bold as Wang Rulong only thought about the Chenqiao mutiny, and had never thought about the issues after 'the return of the country to Zhao'.

"Of course, young master is here to govern the country and bring peace to the world..." Wang Rulong said in a voice as soft as a mosquito.

"That's the problem. The world is too ill for me to cure." Zhao Hao shook his head decisively and said, "When Wang Mang was in power, the Western Han Dynasty had been established for two hundred years. The Ming Dynasty was also established for two hundred years, and the accumulated problems were even more serious. However, I am far less capable than Wang Jujun. Wang Mang couldn't bear the burden, so I can't bear it even more. If I force it, I will only fail faster than him, and in the end it will benefit the villains for nothing!"

Having a clear understanding of himself is the main reason why Mr. Zhao can live to this day.

"You are too modest, sir. How can the miracle you have created in just a few years be compared to that of a second-generation rich man like Wang Mang?" Wang Rulong disagreed.

"If you really think so, remember this and never get involved in politics for the rest of your life." Zhao Hao looked at him steadily and said seriously, "Otherwise, your death will not be a pity, but it will be a great sin to implicate your entire clan."

"Yes, I will definitely take it as a warning." Wang Rulong lowered his head, sweating profusely, and dared not say another word.

"Don't worry. Political ability has never been a plus point in evaluating soldiers, but a minus point." Zhao Hao comforted him with a smile.

"Oh." Wang Rulong breathed a sigh of relief and turned into a submissive Wang Rumao.

Now even Jin Ke didn't dare to say anything. What the young master said was actually telling them not to have any more random thoughts and just obey orders and follow instructions.

"I'm only telling you this once, remember it firmly." Seeing that the beating was too severe, Master Zhao couldn't help but feel a little worried. If the two of you really tied your hands and feet and just did your job, it would be troublesome.

He could only sigh softly, lower his voice, and explained to the two people: "The current situation of the Ming Dynasty is a dead end. In fact, even us, and even the Jiangnan Group itself, are the product of the failure of the Ming Dynasty's politics. It is precisely because the court's decrees cannot leave the capital that we have the space to rise like lightning."

"Yes." The two of them nodded quickly to accept the instruction.

"For now, the only solution is to seek external help - expand abroad at all costs, use the excess profits from overseas trade to divert the rich's attention away from their own land. Use overseas colonization to give the poor hope. Relieve the pressure on the extremely involuted Ming Dynasty. Do you think that if we give the Ming Dynasty another piece of land as big as the Ming Dynasty, will everyone's life be better?"

"Of course." The two nodded and said, "But is it possible?"

"Yes, as long as we become a maritime power, we will be able to create another or even two Ming dynasties for the people of Ming." At this point, Zhao Hao could not help but say with longing: "By then, the Indian plains will be our granary, the isolated islands will have our pastures, the South American plateaus and the western prairies of North America will have our cattle. Gold from Japan, Peru, Luzon and the isolated islands will flow to Ming continuously. Indians will grow cotton for us, and Siberia will provide us with endless wood. Our sugarcane, spice and rubber plantations will be spread all over the South China Sea Islands. How could the Ming Dynasty by then still be the Ming Dynasty today?"

The two of them were completely fascinated and felt that the scene described by the young master was like heaven.

"Is that really possible?" Wang Rulong asked in a lost voice.

"This is not a foolish dream, because our enemies are too small compared to us. As long as we start to pay attention to the ocean, embrace the ocean, and conquer the ocean, we will surely be able to make the sun and moon of Ming Dynasty shine forever on the world!"

After a pause, he sighed and said:

"So our biggest enemy is the concept of the court and the people! We must do everything we can to break the all-round confinement brought about by the isolation of the country for more than 150 years! And we are the pioneers who will break the shackles first. Let us use groups of merchant ships, menacing fleets, and a mighty overseas army to open up vast and rich overseas lands, and cleanse the corrupt air at home. Let us make China a sea country and a people-sea country, and finally turn into a huge wave that sweeps the entire world - this is the only thing that will never be wrong!"

Zhao Hao almost shouted the last words.

Jin Ke and the other man could not help but kneel on one knee and swear in unison: "We are willing to sacrifice our lives for your great plan, even if it means sacrificing our lives!"

ps. Here is the third update. Now I’m going to bed.