Chang Yu's good news is: "Our family is about to get married, but because...ahem, Zheng Zongbing, you know, so very few people know about it, except for the emperor, there are only three or five people!"
Are you surprised or surprised?
Oops, Zheng Zhilong was startled and quickly congratulated him. It was not uncommon for eunuchs to get married, let alone such a big eunuch. Of course, he also understood the reason for Chang Yu's secret marriage. After all, his status was too high and the influence was too great.
It's just that they are getting married, and they don't treat you as an outsider, so why don't you express your feelings?
Therefore, Zheng Zhilong immediately expressed that he must go for a wedding drink.
There is no one who doesn’t follow the rules when it comes to drinking wedding wine, right?
Smart people always speak to the point, and they don't need to explain what they mean by words. They are both seasoned, and they don't need to hear anything when they open their mouths. They already know what the other person means by the smell of their breath.
There was no official airs and no outsiders, and the two of them talked about more and more topics. They talked about the situation at the border and the situation in the Yellow River. Then they talked about Jing Xiang, then about Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan, and finally they talked about the Ming Dynasty's current predicament and future hopes. As well as policies towards neighboring small countries, "Once the civil strife is over, it will be time for the Ming Dynasty to become powerful all over the world. At that time, it will have to rely on General Zheng. Whether the Ming Dynasty can become famous and famous is closely related to the Zheng family!"
Zheng Zhilong's eyes suddenly lit up. After chatting all night, his mouth was dry and his tongue was dry. He drank an unknown amount of wine and his head was dizzy. He finally heard this sentence and had been waiting for this sentence.
"The Zheng family swears allegiance to the imperial court, and the only thing the Governor will do is follow his lead!" Zheng Zhilong quickly stood up and bowed to Chang Yu.
Chang Yu waved his hand for him to sit down, and then raised the wine glass: "This glass is first dedicated to you, the Zheng family, for your contribution to the Ming Dynasty."
Zheng Zhilong quickly raised his glass and drank it, and Chang Yu personally filled it up: "This glass is dedicated to the Ming Dynasty Navy!"
Zheng Zhilong was startled! Chang Yu let out a long sigh: "My wish in this life is that the Ming Dynasty Navy will return to its former glory!" Zheng Zhilong gritted his teeth, said nothing, and did it again!
He knows what Chang Yu means!
Daming Navy! The most powerful navy of this era!
The Celestial Dynasty has had several glorious moments for thousands of years. Some history fans say that the Qin and Han Dynasties were the strongest, some say that the Tang and Song Dynasties were the most prosperous, and some say that the Ming Dynasty was the most awesome!
Each dynasty has its own advantages, but there will be some controversy if it is said to be the most powerful in the world at that time.
But there is no dispute that the Ming Dynasty Navy was the most powerful navy in the world at that time.
Of course, I am talking about the Ming Dynasty Navy in the early Ming Dynasty.
The predecessor of the Ming Navy was Zhu Yuanzhang's Chaohu Navy. From Zhu Yuanzhang's Poyang Lake Battle at the end of the Yuan Dynasty to Zheng Chenggong's recovery of Taiwan at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty had not lost a single defeat in three hundred years!
During this period, we have fought against pirates, Japanese pirates, Dutch and Portuguese. Whoever fights whom will win!
The peak was during the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Navy had nearly 4,000 ships, including 1,350 cruisers and 1,350 warships. There were 400 ships at the Xinjiangkou Naval Base in Nanjing. Large ships and 400 water transport ships, in addition to a large number of cruisers and messenger ships, these are just warships. If there is a war, the number of people along the river and sea that will be requisitioned can easily exceed 10,000! The world-famous Zheng He's fleet on his voyages to the West was nothing more than a mobile fleet in the Ming Empire's navy.
As the old saying goes, the higher you climb, the harder you fall. No matter how high you are at the beginning, you will be in decline later.
It began to decline during the Zhengtong period, and reached the bottom during the Jiajing period. The specific reasons were diverse, complex, and unavoidable. First, the coastal guard stations were empty, and wages were low and unable to support the family. Nine out of ten stations were empty. Second, the battleships were seriously damaged and the fleet was reduced. In the early Ming Dynasty, there were 700 warships in Zhejiang, less than half in 1440. There were 400 warships in Xinjiangkou, Nanjing, but in 1474 there were only more than 100 warships. The Dengzhou Guards were navy farmers, and in the early Ming Dynasty there were more than 100 warships. By 1503 there were only three ships!
At the same time, the shipbuilding industry also began to decline. During Zheng He's voyages to the West, the treasure ships with two thousand materials were slowly rotting at the base. By the beginning of the 16th century, the largest warships of the Ming Navy were only four hundred materials, and they were still made of old ship wood. Materials modified.
The third reason is that the Ming Dynasty's coastal defense strategy regressed and the coastal defense line shrank. In the early Ming Dynasty, the imperial court adopted an offensive and defensive strategy. In response to the maritime threat of Japanese pirates, thousands of warships were dispatched to sea patrols every year, namely spring patrols and summer patrols... However, after Renxuan, the Ming Dynasty began to close the sea, and the ocean-going fleet was recalled. The manufacture of ships stopped, many naval bases were abandoned, and the navy became the marine police... By the end of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the symbolic navy in Nanjing, Zheng Zhilong's navy was left, and its predecessor was a pirate!
As people of later generations, we all know the importance of a strong navy. Whether you are self-defense, want to expand your territory, or want to do some trade, the navy must exist and must be strong!
And now as the last navy master of the Ming Dynasty, Chang Yu naturally values the Zheng family!
No one in this era knows the importance of the navy better than him!
Therefore, he must make good friends with the Zheng family, and no one can stop him!
It was past midnight, and Zheng Zhilong and Chang Yu were chatting happily in the Yamen, and their emotions were very high. The two had the same ideas and ambitions. The sparks colliding were very hot, so hot that Li Muchian couldn't even get a word in. He could silently help the two of them pour wine, but Chang Yu's face was red from drinking, breaking his drinking record.
In the dead of night, when the topic was getting heated, someone interrupted.
The capital is locked and closed after dark, and no one can enter or exit except for a limited number of people. What if there is urgent news at this time, and whether it is a verbal message or a secret message, it is confidential and cannot be passed on to anyone at will, so Chang Yu Liudongchang Fanzi and Jinyiwei were on duty at the city gate. If there was any emergency, they would be sent to the Yamen immediately.
This is coming!
An urgent message from Puzhou.
The other side of the Yellow River is the place that the court is most concerned about right now. Any disturbance there can touch the court's sensitive nerves.
An army of thieves surrounded Hejin!
Chang Yu had already heard this news from Jin Yiwei's eight hundred miles emergency report, so why did it come again, because this time it was a personal and secret letter from Li Yan.
He told Chang Yu that the situation was a bit out of control and he was going to play a big game!
Li Yan's confidential letter made Chang Yu silent and even frowned. Nothing that makes Chang Yu frown is a trivial matter. Li Yan said that he should make it big, which goes against the original strategic policy. Although the court has a main war faction, Emperor Chongzhen also wants to fight, and he himself wants to fight, but only in a partial way. The war was used as a bargaining chip to lower Li Zicheng's conditions. After all, peace talks were the most in line with the current national conditions and the most beneficial to the country and the people.
If an all-out war really breaks out, it will be out of control. Then the environment for peace talks will be gone. If the war continues endlessly, it will bring disaster to the country and the people. The current financial strength of the court cannot support it. After all, there is more than one thief in the family. Try your best to kill this one and leave the rest. Where are you, waiting for him to take advantage?
The imperial court was confident about this matter, Chang Yu was confident, and so was Li Yan, but suddenly he said he was going to make it big, which naturally made Chang Yu a little embarrassed.
The general was not satisfied with the order of the foreign emperor. Li Yan won Chang Yu's trust and was appointed governor of the Yellow River by the imperial court. He had full authority to command all defense and war operations on the Yellow River front. At present, he said that the situation was out of control and it was most likely that the chaos was caused by attacking the imperial court. Perhaps an all-out war is the best way to control the situation!
Although he has great confidence in Li Yan, if a full-scale war breaks out, the situation will become complicated and chaotic. He is afraid that his plan to get married will be shelved and he will have to go to the front line to command operations.
How to control the situation from getting serious? Although the court wanted to lower the price, it could not mess up the peace talks. Chang Yu frowned in thought. Zheng Zhilong looked at him and asked no questions. He knew the rules. Anyone who could pass the hands of this eunuch was Don't ask a single word about confidential and important matters that shouldn't be asked.
Chang Yu handed the secret report to Li Muxian beside him: "One side has a long-lasting reputation."
Li Muxian frowned when he saw it, and Chang Yu didn't hurry to urge him to raise a glass and start having sex with Zheng Zhilong again.
"Li Shuai is obviously forced to do so, but once...it is not in the interests of the court." Li Muxian breathed out: "But it is not difficult to resolve this situation."
"Come and listen to what the Taoist priest has to say."
Li Muxian smiled slightly and handed the secret letter back to Chang Yu: "Why not show this secret letter to Song Xiance."
Chang Yu was startled and then realized!
What was the original purpose of starting the war? Earn chips to lower the price!
At this time, Li Zicheng's whereabouts are unknown, Wu Sangui's army is gathering at Tongguan, and Li Yan is besieging Dali. At this juncture, is the pressure from the court or Li Chuang's group greater?
Isn’t this the best time to apply pressure and negotiate to lower the price?
"Taoist priest is brilliant." Chang Yu gave a thumbs up. Zheng Zhilong didn't know what they were talking about specifically, but after hearing Chang Yu's praise, he raised his glass to Li Muchian. The three of them chatted for a while, but when they saw that it was too late, they He said to Zheng Zhilong: "After the morning court tomorrow, the emperor will summon Zheng Zongbing to the palace to meet the saint. It should not be too late today. Zheng Zongbing should rest early."
Then Zheng Zhilong stood up and said goodbye. Although he still had unfinished thoughts, he had endless aftertaste. Chang Yu also ordered the Yamen fanzi to send him back to his home. This also made him feel very face-saving, and the little eunuch was also very interesting.
