At dawn, everyone was exhausted. Looking around, all you could see was the sea.

The icy sea breeze blew on the sea, and the lifeboat kept bumping in the rough waves of the North Atlantic.

Water droplets as cold as ice beads hit the face that was red from the cold from time to time, making people feel cold and painful.

Everyone was in despair. There were more than thirty people sitting on this ten-meter-long lifeboat.

Everyone was wrapped in heavy coats, except Mr. Astor.

His coat was snatched away by Dorgon, and now his lips are blue and his face is purple from the cold. If he continues like this, he will freeze to death.

Mr. Astor, who used to be aloof and aloof, is now huddled in a corner, trembling and begging: "Please, give me a piece of clothing."

I can give you money, no matter how much you want." For more than an hour, Astor kept repeating this sentence.

But no one listened to him, and no one looked at him twice.

Everyone knows that a warm coat is life now. Anyone without a coat will freeze to death.

No matter how good the money is, it is useless in this vast sea.

"Gather all the food and water. No one is allowed to move without me." Dorgon wrapped himself in clothes, and the cold sea breeze was like a knife blowing on his face, which was painful.

This reminded Dorgon of his hometown in Liaodong!

This is what the winter wind in my hometown in Liaodong looks like. When he was a child, Huang Taiji liked to slap Dorgon's ears with small willow branches when it was the coldest.

At that time, the ears were red from the cold, so there was no need to use any force on the small willow branches, just scratching the ears.

What a taste...! Just thinking about it made Dorgon shudder.

"Is it cold?" Mrs. Margaret Brown sat next to Dorgon. Now she was glad to have worn this mink coat.

"No, I remembered something from my childhood."

Ada searched people for food and water, and some of Astor's men even thought of taking two bags of bread when they came out.

I have to say that these guys are all far-sighted people.

In order to reward them, Dorgon gave each of them half a piece of bread. Astor also got half a piece.

"Sir! It's a waste to give it to this guy. He won't live for a few days." Ada glanced at Astor in the corner of the boat.

"If you can live a little longer, live a little longer. The things on the ship won't last long.

We need food!" Dorgon glanced at Astor, his tone colder than the weather.

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When Dorgon was studying Robinson, a piece of news broke in Paris, the capital of Europe.

Napoleon wanted to sell the Crimean Peninsula to a man named Ben.

The young men of Gurion founded a country called Israel.

Everyone is asking about this book.

Who is Gurian? But the answer has left many people scratching their heads. This guy is actually just a waiter in a Paris hotel.

Can a waiter afford a billion francs?

All fools know that this little guy is just a puppet. Being able to mobilize such huge financial resources is definitely not something that an ordinary waiter can do.

Zheng Sen didn't take this matter too seriously. After all, Li Xiao meant to cut Russia into as many pieces as possible.

There is an ethnic group different from Russia, living on Russian territory. They can only rely on the European Allied Forces behind them, which is an important force involving Russia.

Zheng Sen, who thought the problem was not serious, did not send a special report, but only mentioned a few sentences in the meeting report.

No one in the Ming Dynasty paid attention to this matter, because most people in the Ming Dynasty did not know who the Jews were and what kind of country Israel was!

When Li Xiao saw the words in the report, his jaw almost dropped.

These people actually want to establish the state of Israel?

Shouldn't this country appear in the Middle East?

"Commander, is there... any problem with this?" Sun Xing, who had just been transferred back from the Middle East to serve as the second assistant to the imperial court, looked at Li Xiao doubtfully.

Because Li Xiao's eyes have been stuck on this line of characters for five minutes.

"Of course there are problems, and they are big ones.

The Jews are an ancient nation, and their national history is almost older than our Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods.

Around the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a guy named King David made the Jewish country of Israel a powerful country.

Later, the Jews were exterminated and driven out of their own land. They wandered around the world for two thousand years, but their people did not change their beliefs for two thousand years.

Moreover, this nation is very smart and good at doing business. In Europe, they were the first to engage in loan sharking.

So far, they are the best in banking in Europe.

Don't look at me, they started banks earlier than our Ming Dynasty started money banks. These are a group of tough guys, if we let them build a country...!

The consequences are unpredictable!" Li Xiao closed the document and picked up the cigar on the table. Sun Xing immediately stepped forward and lit the cigar with a match.

"Commander, if you say that, my subordinates will also remember it.

My father was in charge of the job in Xinjiapo, and he also mentioned it to his subordinates. Those guys called Jews are indeed very smart. They are also very good at doing business.

About 60% of the goods produced in the Ming Dynasty were transported and sold by Jews. As far as doing business is concerned, whether they are Arabs or Europeans.

Even the Venetians, who are civilized in doing business, are not as good as the Jews. If my father hadn't suppressed them, they might have monopolized the overseas trading of Ming goods."

"Your father is right. Daming exports more goods every year than Badaling. If there is only one buyer, we will be led by their noses.

They may even join forces to lower our prices.

After all, old age is better. The officials have said several times that your father is over sixty years old. They hope to send someone to replace your father.

In the end, I suppressed everything. It was my fault to let a sixty-year-old man stay in that scorching hot place.

However, Xinjiapo guarded the throat of the two oceans, and it took several battles for the Ming Dynasty to gain a firm foothold.

I'm really worried about sending someone else. You should make this clear to your father.

Let him persist for another two years, and after two years we will find a capable official to replace him as the governor of Singapore."

Sun Xing's words reminded Li Xiao of Sun Ruyou.

This old guy is over sixty this year and has reached the time to enjoy his old age. However, due to the shortage of talents in his pocket, Li Xiao has no suitable replacement candidate.

Chen Tingjing may be a good candidate, but it's a pity that this guy is currently working in full swing in Huating.

Xinjiapo is the gateway to the Ming Dynasty, but Huating is the backbone of the Ming Dynasty. Both places are very important.

"Commander, what you said has gone a long way. This time I passed by Xinjiapo and met my father.

My father is very satisfied with being able to perform his duties in Xinjiapo, and he asked me to bring a message to the Marshal. If the court needs it, he can stay in Xinjiapo forever to repay the Marshal for his kindness."

"That's fair to say. When I was the governor of Shandong, your father was the governor of Denglai.

Jinshi in the 23rd year of Emperor Shenzong!

In terms of seniority, he is older than Zhang Huangyan. Now he is just the governor of Xinjiapo, which is a waste of talent!

If you weren't too old, your position should belong to your father. But after all, your father is also looking forward to letting you make a career.

Zhang Huangyan is fifty-six years old this year, and you are only forty-three now. Work hard!" Li Xiao looked at Sun Xing with a smile.

"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief, for your cultivation. Your subordinates will definitely be loyal to Commander-in-Chief and loyal to the Ming Dynasty." Sun Xing was very excited. What he said implicitly meant that he was the next chief minister of the Ming Dynasty.

The chief minister of the Ming Dynasty these days is different from the one during the Chongzhen period.

In those days, the chief minister was a hot potato. The emperor was difficult to serve, and the bastards below him were always making trouble.

As a result, the first assistant worked for a few days and then packed up and left. In the short seventeen years of the Chongzhen Dynasty, there were as many as nineteen first assistants.

The anxious emperor killed seven ministers of the Ministry of War in a row.

In those days, being a minister of the Ministry of War was really a high-risk profession.

Things are different now. Not to mention that Sun Chengzong held the position of chief minister until he retired, and is still living his old age in Yuquan Mountain.

As for the current chief assistant Zhang Huangyan, his position is as solid as a rock and cannot be shaken.

Li Xiao was also a good servant, and he basically used people without questioning others. Although there were conflicts within the court in recent years, compared with the Chongzhen period, he was dismissed from his post and sent to the army at every turn.

Or it would be much better to be taken to Caishikou and beheaded.

Zhang Huangyan is fifty-six years old this year. Even if he can work for another ten years, he is only fifty-three years old. He has an advantage in age and can afford to wait.

"What you said is interesting. Be loyal to me first, and then to Ming Dynasty. What do you mean?" Li Xiao looked at Sun Xing with a smile.

"To be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, you must first be loyal to Shangguan." Sun Xing stood up and answered at attention.

Li Xiao smiled slightly. In fact, Li Xiao does not have a fixed official position now. He used to be the Minister of the Ministry of War, but now he has simply given it to Ao Ye.

Li Xiu, who was far away in Europe, also held the title of Minister of the Ministry of War.

Talents without official positions are terrible. All the emperors in history did not have any official positions or grades.

Anyway, the history books don't say what rank the emperor was.
To be continued...