"Brother, you are finally back. During this period, we have been extremely worried!"
Zheng Zhifeng was afraid that the head of the Zheng family would be tricked into the capital by the imperial court and suffer the same fate as Wang Zhi, who was murdered after being recruited. Seeing that Zheng Zhilong escaped unharmed, the generals who stayed behind in Kinmen felt relieved.
It is reasonable to think so. The Zheng family currently controls the entire Fujian Province and has the trading rights for most of the maritime territory. Zheng Zhilong has thousands of warships under his command, more than 100,000 men in armor under his command, an annual income of tens of millions of taels of silver, and a wealth of But the enemy country's great achievements shocked the master.
In Fujian Province, especially in Jinjiang, the hometown of the Zheng family, Zheng Zhilong is honored as the King of Fujian by ordinary people and court officials. His strength is evident!
Zheng Zhilong almost monopolized the Ming Dynasty's trade with overseas countries. Except for the northern seas, the rest were controlled by the Zheng fleet. Passing merchant ships must pay a set amount of silver to the Zheng family, otherwise they would be seized or sunk.
Officials have long written to the court, demanding severe punishment for the domineering and arrogant Zheng Zhilong. However, the war in the north is now in decline, and the court has no time to pay attention to it. There is neither enough military pay nor enough troops to attack Zheng Zhilong.
Just dealing with the Donglu who frequently entered the customs and the rogue bandits who wreaked havoc in various places made the whole court very busy. How could they still have the energy and financial resources to deal with Zheng Zhilong?
In view of the fact that he had not behaved particularly radically after being recruited, he had always stayed in a corner and concentrated on his overseas trade. With the Zheng family as a barrier, Hongyi no longer dared to come to make trouble, and the court had no fault. Care more and choose to settle the matter.
Some people believe that the Zheng family's misappropriation of sea tax revenue has led to a reduction in the imperial court's annual revenue.
But think about it from another perspective, if there was no Zheng family, would the sea tax really be collected?
Without the "screen" of Zheng Zhilong, the imperial court would have to use its own navy to resist Hongyi. Can it really beat the opponent?
Let alone the sea tax by then, even if it can be collected, the amount of sea tax will not be as much as the navy's expenses, and the final result will definitely be unable to make ends meet.
Zheng Zhilong did swallow the sea tax, but he also gained stability and security along the southeast coast. At least he would no longer be threatened by Western barbarians.
Calculating it this way, although it doesn't make money, it doesn't lose money either.
There are many fools among the officials in the imperial court. Fortunately, not all officials are fools. They can still figure things out, both internally and externally.
"Hahahahaha! Wealth can be gained through danger, why don't I do it well! This trip was not in vain, I have gained all my dignity! Now I am the dignified 'Zhen Hai Bo'!"
Zheng Zhilong didn't even return to the mansion in his hometown. He came directly to Kinmen because before leaving for Beijing, he had agreed with his brothers and staff at home that if the imperial court really intended to harm him, Zheng would have to deal with it.
Once information about the accident is received, Zheng's warships and merchant ships in Ningde, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Kinmen and other ports will be loaded with sailors and soldiers, pull anchor and set sail to the north to demonstrate directly to the court.
If possible, the Zheng family's army of 100,000 people would capture some important coastal area, such as Dengzhou, to force the court to compromise with the Zheng family and compensate for the serious losses caused.
There were more than two hundred warships gathered in Kinmen. After Zheng Zhilong went to Beijing with the order, they were all ready to sail at any time. Fortunately, when the family returned safely, the fleet had already been lifted off alert.
"Brother, has the court really made eldest brother an earl?"
Cousin Zheng Zhi'ao didn't believe that the imperial court would be so generous. Previously, his eldest brother led an army to defeat Hongyi and made great achievements for the imperial court, but the imperial court only rewarded him with a deputy general.
This time, before the eldest brother went to the capital, he received the imperial edict and was promoted to chief military officer. After he went there, he was actually regarded as "Zhenhaibo", which was simply incredible.
"That's natural. Master Qiansui said it himself, and the imperial edict has been issued. I have brought back the best brocade robes, but they are very beautiful!"
Zheng Zhilong became extremely excited when he mentioned this matter. He had previously wanted to become a nobleman and step into the ranks of meritorious officials, so that this title could be hereditary and rebellious, but he was too stingy.
Fortunately, although the prince was young, he was well versed in the ways of kings and ministers. He used every possible means to win over him, and his methods were really powerful. He gave him the title of earl as soon as he asked for it, and the price was just that he promised to undertake shipping errands for the court.
For Zheng Zhilong, he got the dazzling title of "Bo Zhenhai" at almost no cost. It was really worth it. Every time he thought about it on the way back, he couldn't help but feel happy.
"Incredible! Incredible! From now on, I, the Zheng family, will also have a noble title, and I can finally shine on the family lintel!"
Zheng Zhifeng also swept away his previous worries. When he saw this brocade robe, his eyes immediately lit up and he became lively. After a while, he could ask his eldest brother to lead everyone to his father Zheng Shibiao's place in the ancestral hall to tell his father the good news.
As a pirate, he didn't want to be an official, or even honor his ancestors. It was a lie that was self-evident. Everyone in the Zheng family hoped to be among the nobles.
But there was no way to give gifts, and there were always people in the court who looked at Zheng in a different light, and would be scolded from time to time, so the head of the Zheng family had a lot of merit, but he ended up with the title of deputy commander-in-chief.
"Tonight after bathing and changing clothes, I will report to my ancestors, and then we will have a big banquet, and the whole army will celebrate for three days!"
For the Zheng family, especially the young and old men of the Zheng family, entering the ranks of nobles is regarded as being recognized by the court. They no longer have to worry about their identity in the future, which is equivalent to using this title to completely cleanse their previous reputation. Hey hands.
Of course Zheng Zhilong was willing to do this, and the price he paid was very small in his own opinion. Even though he was considered one of the few people in the current dynasty, it was impossible not to be complacent.
"Brother Yingming, I will make arrangements right away!"
Zheng Zhiwan wanted to tell the chef and other people about this arrangement, and asked the chefs to prepare as many good delicacies as possible. This was considered a very happy event, and there was no war at the moment, so everyone had to drink until they were drunk.
There are mountains to eat, and the sea to eat. There is nothing else here in Kinmen. There are all kinds of seafood, fish, shrimps, shells, crabs, snails, all kinds of dazzling, enough to make people hiccup without eating rice.
"Brother, have you ever met Long Live Lord this time you went to Beijing?"
Zheng Zhibao is more concerned about this matter, because Fujian is far away from the capital, and many current news are not smooth. Many of them are based on rumors, and their credibility is very low.
After hearing this, everyone also put away their joy and looked at the head of the family with concern. Some people said that His Majesty had passed away long ago. Because the prince was young, they did not mourn in secret, otherwise the Donglu would surely sweep in again.
People in Fujian were panicking. The Clippers came from Tianjin to the "Jingshi Daily", which suppressed some of the rumors. However, only by hearing Zheng Zhilong's answer with their own ears can the Zheng family's senior officials be completely reassured.
"I saw it in the main hall. It's the same as what was said in the newspaper. Although it is alive, it has not yet awakened. Even the prince's supervisory country and the capital are different from the past. Going here this time can be said to be an eye-opener for me!"
In Zheng Zhilong's eyes, the emperor is just like that. In view of the previous situation, Zheng Zhilong hopes that this long live master will not wake up. If it is not possible, he can wake up later.
Compared with his father, the prince is smarter and has many tricks. He is even more hospitable to himself and generous with rewards. Whether it is errands or business, both parties have a happy conversation and are very speculative.
In Zheng Zhilong's view, the prince and he are more like people on the same road, that is, they treat errands as business. Before taking action, they must first weigh the pros and cons clearly, and it will be clear at a glance whether they will make a profit or a loss.
"Brother, please tell us and let us know, so that we can know something!"
Zheng Zhi'ao couldn't wait. The eldest brother had seen a lot and was not interested in many things. This time he was indeed very interested. There must be something they had never seen before, which made the eldest brother so happy and interested.
"Hey! Bring Uncle Ben's car! Well... that's the bicycle!"
Zheng Zhilong knew that the time to show off had come. He had endured a lot of hardships in the capital for this treasure, but now the hardships were finally over and he could show off in front of everyone.
Two soldiers, one behind the other, supported the pole with their shoulders. A two-wheeled object was tied with a rope under the pole, and there was a triangular frame connecting it in the middle. Everyone was confused.
This thing is novel, so novel that a group of people in the hall couldn't understand what this thing was used for...
According to the eldest brother, this is a car, but since it is a car, why do you let your men lift it up?
Shouldn't this be pushed?
Is it easy to "lift the car" in the capital?
After the soldiers gently unloaded it, untied the ropes, and put the cart in position, Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "This thing is the prince's imitation of the same thing in the fairy world. It only needs two wheels and it can run as fast as flying!" "
Originally, Zheng Zhilong didn't believe what the prince said, and his expression didn't match that of the group of people in front of him. It was only after watching Bo Dacaizi's demonstration that he understood the meaning of the phrase "There are people outside the world, there are people outside the world."
Zheng Zhi'ao's eyes widened and he stared for a long time. He couldn't believe Zheng Zhilong's words and wondered, "Brother, are you serious about what you said?"
From the Japanese country to Nanyang, across thousands of miles of ocean, passing through more than ten countries in various places, none of the high-ranking officials of the Zheng family are country bumpkins.
But after listening to Zheng Zhilong's words, everyone thought that pushing the car was okay, but it was really difficult to push it to fly.
If this was a trolley, what would it be called novelty?
There must be something special about this car that goes unnoticed!
Zheng Zhilong waited for a long time with a smile, looked around, and saw that no one dared to answer, then went down and pointed to the parts of the bicycle, and proudly explained to everyone: "Of course, seriously, this bicycle is for one person to ride, sit here, pedal with both feet Just push hard on the pedal and you can start quickly, with a speed comparable to a human running."
"Incredible!"
"What a masterpiece!"
"I didn't understand!"
"Me too……"
Everyone with brains pretended to understand and began to praise this thing.
The brainless ones are outspoken, they are all acquaintances, and they are not afraid of embarrassment.
It's time to show off the new driving skills he learned in the capital. Seeing this, Zheng Zhilong called to his men: "Come here, move all the bonsai in the yard and clean it up. Make sure there are no stones left!"
In Zheng Zhilong's opinion, this thing is much higher-end than any BMW. There are only ten of them in the entire Ming Dynasty. He is also the second person in the entire Ming Dynasty who can ride a bicycle. He is really among the top three!
With such a priceless treasure, I also have incredible driving skills. If I don’t show it off now, when will I do it?
Zheng Zhilong took off his brocade robe, wearing only the inner lining, rolled up his sleeves, tucked his trouser legs, moved his muscles a little as a warm-up, and then strode forward.
The action of getting on the car was done in one go. With everyone's full attention, Zheng Zhilong held the handlebar and the front wheel began to swing left and right for a few times before starting. The driving gradually became smoother, giving him a detached feeling of being able to drive easily.
The courtyard here is quite spacious and is mainly used for discussing military affairs, so it is not as cramped as Min's House. As long as the potted plants in the courtyard are properly decorated, you will not feel too awkward even if you ride a bicycle in the courtyard.
"It's so powerful!"
“It’s really an eye-opener for us!”
"How can you go straight without falling?"
"Hey! You can actually turn!"
"I don't understand!"
"I can't figure it out..."
Zheng Zhilong rode three times in the yard, and finally stopped when he felt that he had made enough publicity. Looking at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, he felt extremely satisfied. Now he finally understood Bo Jue's extremely arrogant expression that day. The expression is charming.
You can't buy this car even if you spend a thousand taels of silver, because there is no one for sale at the moment. Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong is even more proud. It seems that after a trip to the capital, he can show off in front of everyone for more than half a year.
"Brother, can you teach me? I want to try it too!"
Zheng Zhi'ao is very interested in new things, and the attraction of this car is extremely huge for him. If he can ride it, he will definitely be appreciated by everyone.
"Okay! Let's see what my good brother is capable of!"
Faced with his cousin's request, Zheng Zhilong naturally agreed immediately, knowing in his heart that unless there was an expert to guide him, even a light-footed person would find it difficult to control the car.
That day in the East Palace, I received help from the prince, and Bo Jue taught me by words and deeds for a long time, and then I learned to ride a bicycle. If it were the person in front of me, I would not only have to wait until that year and month.
Zheng Zhilong ordered the soldiers around him to protect him, not because he was worried that Zheng Zhi'ao would fall to the ground, but because he was afraid that the car would be damaged. It was very expensive and the parts were hard to replace.
As expected, when Zheng Zhi'ao got on the car, he wanted to move forward as easily as his elder brother, but he couldn't control the handlebars at all and swayed left and right. Even though he gritted his teeth, it was to no avail. In the end, he was barely supported by his own soldiers, so he didn't fall.
"Look ahead, relax your arms, hold the handlebars flat with both hands, keep your body centered, and push your feet lightly. Don't be nervous before you can move the car forward!"
This is Zheng Zhilong's experience, and it must be suitable for his own brother. The details will depend on his talent.
Zheng Zhi'ao nodded hurriedly when he heard this, feeling that what his elder brother said was true. He immediately cheered up and planned to start over, but after a while, he was so nervous that he completely forgot...
After another test drive, Zheng Zhi'ao felt a little dazed when he got out of the car. A dignified military commander could not drive such a light car. This result was really unacceptable to him.
Brother Shicai acted so skillfully, but when he got it into his hands, why didn't the car not obey his orders?
Could it be that this car has a close affinity with Big Brother?
If this is the case, then my performance just now is not bad!
Zheng Zhi'ao could only comfort himself in this way, otherwise it would be too embarrassing.
After him, anyone who is interested can go up and try. They are not outsiders, and Zheng Zhilong cannot refuse.
As a result, before the dinner, the chain of his precious car was kicked off...
