"In the past, the Xia thief Chen Zhou was on the river, and the south of the Yangtze River was in panic. The land of Taizu Longxing was also in danger. Moreover, the transportation of money and grain by water was completely cut off, the capital was devastated, and the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil. Therefore, in order to eliminate the Xia thief, the waterway was renovated. More important than land.”
Yang Sichang drifted away.
The continuous victory in suppressing the rogue bandits in the northwest made him truly feel that he was the Optimus Pillar of the Ming Dynasty, able to support the building when it was about to collapse.
He proposed to Chongzhen how to deal with Xia Guo.
That means starting from the water.
But what he said is not wrong.
Although Shandong is adjacent to the capital, it seems that the dawn is coming and the Ming Dynasty is still in the throat.
But in fact, everyone knows that it is the wealth of Jiangnan that maintains the national destiny of the Ming Dynasty.
As long as Jiangnan is there, Ming Dynasty will be there. Otherwise, Daming would not be able to survive even one day.
But the reality is that the communication channels between Jiangnan and the capital are controlled by Xia Guo.
Xia Guo could break it off whenever he wanted, but Ming Dynasty had no way to do it.
The monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty had long had enough of this feeling of life and death being controlled by human hands.
Although Xia Kingdom has not made things difficult for Ming Dynasty regarding the canal, no one can guarantee whether this day will come.
The first thing the emperors and ministers of the Ming Dynasty did when they woke up every day was to pray to heaven and their ancestors, hoping that the water transportation would be safe and sound.
From this aspect, taking back control of the canal is even better than annihilating the Xia Kingdom.
Xia Guo's strength has been deeply remembered in the Ming Dynasty.
Even if all the troops that wiped out the northwest bandits were mobilized, they might not have any chance of winning.
Once the war drags on for a long time and the canal is blocked, the Ming Dynasty will be the first to collapse.
Therefore, if you want to deal with Xia Kingdom, you must have a complete strategy.
Yang Sichang thought of a way.
The new angle made Chongzhen particularly excited, and he immediately showed an attitude of humbly accepting advice.
"However, the Ming Dynasty Navy has been weak for a long time. I am afraid that I am no match for Xia Jun!"
Yang Sichang said hurriedly: "Your Majesty is busy with many things and has no time to take care of him. But he doesn't know that there is a capable general available to mobilize him. This person's strength is still higher than that of the Xia Kingdom Navy. If he operates properly, he will definitely achieve extraordinary results."
Chongzhen became more and more excited.
"Oh? I wonder who the generals Aiqing mentioned are?"
Yang Sichang is full of confidence.
"The person Wei Chen is talking about is the Zheng family from Fujian."
Upon hearing this name, Chongzhen couldn't help but frown.
"Fujian officials often say that this Zheng family is actually a pirate. He is unruly and has no law. The situation is so great that it is difficult to control it. How can he be trusted?"
Yang Sichang really didn't know how to complain about this emperor with political mysophobia.
"Your Majesty, although Zheng was born in a rough place, his loyalty to the emperor can be seen from heaven and earth. In the past, he took the initiative to serve, and even assisted the governor of Fujian to repel the red-haired people and ensure the peace of our maritime territories. Now he is even more proud of my official position in the Ming Dynasty. , work conscientiously and do not dare to neglect. If Your Majesty can be kind to you, Zheng will definitely serve you to the death."
He emphasized again: "The Zheng family is running rampant on the sea, and even the red-haired Fans can't stop them. As long as the Zheng family takes action, the Xia Kingdom's navy will definitely be embarrassed. If the Xia Kingdom's navy is defeated, then the Xia Kingdom's navy will be defeated." Songjiang Prefecture is about to be restored. Behind the Xia Kingdom, there are even more beacons and smoke, making it difficult to look at the beginning and the end. By then, my imperial army will have wiped out the northwest bandits, and we will take advantage of the situation to march eastward, and the Xia bandits will be wiped out soon."
Yang Sichang spoke eloquently and explained Tongti's strategy in detail.
A clear picture unfolded in Chongzhen's mind, making him instantly cheerful.
Chongzhen is relatively familiar with Zheng's situation.
Indeed, as Yang Sichang said, since the Zheng family was recruited, they have been keeping their peace and have never caused trouble again.
That Zheng Zhilong even built a mansion in his hometown, and he was quite eager to return to his roots.
Such people are obviously easier to control.
Moreover, Chongzhen had seen a secret report from Jin Yiwei, detailing Zheng Zhilong's acceptance of the imperial appointment.
I was so happy and overwhelmed that I even paid homage to my ancestors.
This is enough to show that Zheng Zhilong is an official fan.
In this case, Yang Sichang's strategy is more likely to succeed.
Dealing with others, Chongzhen may be in trouble. But to deal with official fans, Chongzhen should not have too many methods.
"The theory of loving you and seeking the country is unparalleled in the world. Once successful, the Ming Dynasty will surely be forever. The achievements of loving you, even the King of Zhongshan, cannot match them."
Seeing that Chongzhen actually compared himself with Xu Da, Yang Sichang was really elated, but on the surface he had to remain humble.
"Cheating Kangxi"
"I don't dare to be greedy for God's merits. I just want to devote myself to your majesty and serve your majesty as hard as a dog or horse."
Chongzhen felt more and more comfortable.
"In that case, let's follow Aiqing's plan and give him Zheng Zhilong an official title."
Seeing that Chongzhen fully accepted his suggestions, Yang Sichang was very satisfied.
"Your Majesty, if you want to win people's hearts, you might as well be generous with kindness. In my opinion, a gift from the Duke is not a bad idea."
As soon as these words came out, everyone present could not help but be shocked.
This is to confer a knighthood on Zheng Zhilong!
In the more than 200 years since the Ming Dynasty, except for the founding heroes and the Jingnan heroes, there have been very few people who can be crowned knights.
Yang Sichang's method really cost a lot of money.
But what he said is right. If you want Zheng Zhilong to sacrifice his life, how can you do it without bleeding heavily?
Although Chongzhen was stingy by nature, he also knew that whether he could destroy Xia Guoquan depended on this.
He gritted his teeth and decided to be generous.
"Pass on my edict to confer Zheng Zhilong as the Marquis of Jingnan. After his success, he will be separated from the country."
Chongzhen reserved a hand and made Zheng Zhilong a marquis.
As for the Duke, he regarded it as a reward for the success.
It can be said that this hand is really skilled in drawing pie.
Eunuch Huang Ping left the palace.
As a celebrity next to Wang Chengen, Huang Ping was also a man of great influence in the palace.
Seeing him approaching slowly, all the eunuchs guarding the palace gate looked flattering.
"Oh, Eunuch Huang is able to go out of the palace to buy things again. Only you have a keen eye for pearls and can you please our ancestors."
Faced with the flattery, Huang Ping was extremely humble.
"My elder brothers are very complimentary, but my younger brother is just a little bit more agile in his legs and feet."
He looked at one of them.
"Brother Chen, is your cough better? Is the medicine you took last time still enough? Can I bring you some more?"
The eunuch named Chen immediately burst into tears.
"Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Huang. We slaves are like weeds. How can we deserve Eunuch Huang's kindness?"
As he said that, he reached into his sleeves and wanted to take out the money.
But he was stopped by Huang Ping.
"Why do we care about these little things? As slaves, we are always very cautious, for fear of doing something wrong. We should take care of each other and depend on each other for life. Brother Chen has to bury his younger brother, right?"
The eunuch surnamed Chen was even more moved, so he quickly opened the palace door and respectfully sent Huang Ping out.
Seeing Huang Ping walking away, all the eunuchs guarding the door started talking.
"Among the people in this family, they are the most contemptuous of others. Whenever someone becomes successful, he would like to treat others like ants. Only our Eunuch Huang is upright and treats us handymen like us."
"Who says it isn't? Nowadays, who doesn't miss Eunuch Huang?"
"If Eunuch Huang becomes a big boss in the future, and we can work under him and obey his orders, it will be a wonderful life!"
