After Zheng Zhilong heard this, he couldn't help frowning more tightly, and confirmed to Zheng Hongkui: "What? Make me the right commander of the navy and lead the navy north to Denglai?"
"Yes, that's it." Zheng Hongkui nodded quickly and said with a smile, "Brother, congratulations, this is the highest official position in our Zheng family!"
Who would have thought that Zheng Zhilong's face darkened after hearing this, and he shouted: "What's so congratulatory? Don't you know that our foundation is here, not in the north!"
Seeing his reaction, Zheng Hongkui couldn't help being stunned, and then argued: "Brother, what are you afraid of? Even if you lead the navy to the north, aren't our brothers guarding this place? It's still our foundation!"
At this time, Zheng Zhilong had a fleet of more than 3,000 large and small ships, with a military strength of up to 200,000 including Han, Japanese, Korean, Austronesian, African black and other ethnic groups.
Of course, it is impossible for all these troops to be integrated into his navy. Otherwise, the court would have no way of explaining it. Therefore, most of his military strength belongs to him personally.
What Zheng Hongkui said actually meant that after Zheng Zhilong led the navy in his establishment to the north, the Zheng family could still control the entire southeastern coast without worrying about losing their foundation.
However, after hearing this, Zheng Zhilong slapped the table with a loud "pop", then stood up and said in a somewhat stern tone: "What do you know? Do you only have eyes for the right governor? Then Do you understand that it's just an empty title? When it comes to salary, are we short of this salary? Also, do you think you go to the north just for fun? Do you think that after the imperial court transfers me, I won't be evil towards this place again? ? In addition, appoint a coastal defense guerrilla to come down. Do you know what to do? "
His movement was a bit loud, and even attracted two people, one large and one small. The older one looks to be in his early twenties, and the younger one is probably only about fifteen years old.
The older man was a little surprised when he came in, so he immediately asked Zheng Zhilong: "Brother, what happened?"
This person is Zheng Zhilong’s fifth brother, named Zheng Zhibao. In the original history, although Zheng Zhilong did not surrender to the Manchu Qing, he eventually surrendered to the Manchu Qing. The result was also very tragic. A man from Fujian, who lived near the sea in the south, was taken by the Manchus to the northernmost Heilongjiang and imprisoned until death.
But at this time, he was studying at the Nanjing Imperial College, and he happened to be at home now.
And the other little one is called Zheng Sen. If in the original history, it would have been renamed by Emperor Longwu, which would be the famous Zheng Chenggong. At this time, he passed the scholar examination last year and became one of the twenty "Lin Shan students" in Nan'an County. That is to say, the best students can receive a salary from the imperial court (actually, they receive food subsidies).
Faced with his father's anger, he didn't say anything. He just stared at his father and uncle curiously. He was a little confused and didn't understand that his father, who had always been good-tempered, would lose such a temper to his fourth uncle?
Zheng Zhilong looked at the two of them, then took a deep breath, tried to calm down, lowered his voice, and told Zheng Hongkui: "Let's put this matter off for now and wait and see. If Master Zhongcheng urges you, Just wait until I come back from the sea. I won’t show up during this period.”
Zheng Hongkui was scolded by him. After thinking about it for himself, he felt that what his elder brother said made sense, so he agreed. But when he saw Zheng Sen, he suddenly remembered and said with a smile on his face: "Brother, Mr. Zhongcheng also said that the emperor heard that Sen'er was an extraordinary scholar, so he wanted to summon Sen'er because he was the head of the case in Nan'an County last year. Study at the Imperial Academy of the Capital."
In the Ming Dynasty, there was such a practice that students from prefectures, prefectures, and counties would be selected, that is, those with outstanding academic performance or qualifications, to be promoted to the Imperial Academy in the capital. They were called Gongsheng, which meant contributing their talents to the emperor. After becoming a Gongsheng, you are theoretically qualified to be an official.
Not to mention becoming an official, just being known by the emperor and intending to enroll in the Imperial College in the capital is a huge honor.
Therefore, when Zheng Sen heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Zheng Hongkui's sleeve, and asked repeatedly: "Fourth uncle, you won't lie to me, will you? Is this true?"
"Of course it's true!" Zheng Hongkui also felt proud. He looked down at his nephew and said with a smile, "What Mr. Zhongcheng said personally cannot be false!"
After hearing this, Zheng Sen smiled happily and immediately turned around and ran away. At the same time, he shouted excitedly: "I'll tell my mother!"
Zheng Zhilong looked at this scene and was a little surprised. When he saw his eldest son running to the door, he came back to his senses and shouted: "Come back!"
There was a hint of anger in the voice, which made Zheng Sen stop immediately, turned around, and looked at his father with some confusion.
Zheng Zhibao, who was standing next to him, felt a little jealous when he heard the conversation just now. You know, he is already in his early twenties. He is just a scholar. He has no connections and is studying in Yingtianfu Imperial College.
However, his nephew had just passed the exam last year and had already gone to Datian Ting. The emperor also intended for his nephew to study at the Imperial College in the capital. These are completely two levels, there is no comparison at all!
At this time, when he heard that his eldest brother suddenly had a tendency to get angry, he was very puzzled and asked: "Brother, what's wrong? Such a great good thing should make my sister-in-law happy too. My sister-in-law has always admired me, Daming. , If Sen'er can make a difference, he will definitely be very happy."
Although Zheng Sen's mother was a Japanese, she loved the Ming Dynasty. In the original history, even if Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, she did not follow him. Instead, she expressed her attitude by committing suicide.
After hearing this, Zheng Zhilong replied a little irritably: "What do you know?"
After he finished speaking, he sat down and wanted to pick up the tea and take a sip, but found that the tea had been drunk before. He became even more annoyed and threw the lid of the tea cup away, almost falling off the table.
The other three people obviously saw that his mood was not right, and they did not dare to speak. They just looked at him quietly, waiting for him to speak.
After a while, Zheng Zhilong seemed to calm down and suddenly sighed. His momentum is no longer what it was just now.
He looked at Zheng Hongkui, his tone was much calmer, and asked him: "Is there any other news about the emperor and Sen'er?"
After hearing this, Zheng Hongkui nodded quickly, but he did not dare to show his excitement as before, and quickly replied: "The angel interrupted, saying that the emperor seemed to have dreamed about Sen'er, saying that Sen'er was loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and would have great potential in the future. Yes. He was worried that the small place was not enough to train Sen'er, so he revealed his intention and wanted Sen'er to go to the Imperial College of the Capital!"
When he heard this, Zheng Sen couldn't help but be very surprised. He seemed to want to speak, but seeing the look on his father's face, he didn't dare to speak in the end.
After Zheng Zhibao heard this, he couldn't help but asked: "Really?"
Zheng Zhilong's eyes lit up a little, but he recovered as before, with a sneer on his face. He thought to himself that such a childish excuse was not because he was interested in the military strength and wealth in his hands!
"Of course it's true. The angel said it himself! Does he dare to arrange the emperor?" Zheng Hongkui turned to look at his younger brother and replied matter-of-factly.
When Zheng Zhibao heard this, he couldn't help but turn to look at his nephew, reached out and patted his shoulder, and said enviously: "Sen'er, you will definitely have a bright future in the future!"
"What's the future?" Before Zheng Sen could speak, Zheng Zhilong answered angrily, "How naive do you have to be to believe this kind of thing? Come on, let's have a dream?"
Seeing him looking so angry, Zheng Zhibao opened his mouth but did not respond in the end. Zheng Sen's face showed a trace of grievance, as if his father had taken the wrong medicine today.
"Brother, don't believe it!" Unexpectedly, Zheng Hongkui replied, "It is said that at the end of last year, the emperor dreamed of Taizu! After teaching the emperor, the emperor took action one after another and reversed the situation in the northern war. It’s estimated that the war in the north will be over soon!”
"What?" Zheng Zhilong was a little surprised when he heard this, but mostly he didn't believe it. "What else can the emperor do? He has been on the throne for so many years, and he has been fooled around by that group of civil servants. He has no independent opinion at all. Otherwise, why do you think the important officials in the court have to eat and drink so frequently?"
He himself is also the leader of a force, so of course he knows how important stable subordinates are. If the people in important positions under him are frequently replaced by him, it means that there is definitely something wrong within him.
But Zheng Hongkui was dissatisfied after hearing this, and immediately told Zheng Zhilong everything he had heard about the emperor's change. The two listeners on the side also listened with great attention.
As a result, a series of things happened after Emperor Chongzhen traveled through time, such as refuting Yang Sichang's idea that one must first settle down the country before fighting outside, trying to protect Lu Xiangsheng, rectifying the factory guards, boosting the morale of the Qin soldiers, and winning a great victory, all were told one by one.
In fact, Emperor Chongzhen only sent people south after the Qin soldiers annihilated more than 5,000 Jianlu infantry. After all, if there is a big victory at the bottom, things will be different. Otherwise, just relying on the status of an emperor, how much deterrence would it have in today's world!
Zheng Zhilong listened quietly, and the more he listened, the more surprised he became. Because from the situation he knew, he felt that the current emperor was just a man with great ambitions and limited talent; however, according to Zheng Hongkui's description, it was really after Taizu fell into a dream that his methods suddenly became smarter. Could it be... could the emperor really dream of some things?
Thinking about this problem, an old Jianghu general like Zheng Zhilong still doesn't believe it. However, he didn't know that time travel could exist in this world, let alone how history would have developed, so he became doubtful.
"Brother, that's what happened." After Zheng Hongkui finished speaking, he said to him, "As long as you don't want to rebel, I think it's a good thing that Sen'er is valued by the emperor. It's better to go with the flow and pave the way for Sen'er."
At this time, the Ming Empire was full of rebels, so the word rebellion was already mentioned frequently. There were no outsiders here, so he spoke out without any scruples. In fact, Zheng Zhilong here is equivalent to the earth emperor.
After listening to his words, Zheng Sen stared at his father, with a look of expectation, and suddenly interrupted: "Dad, the saints have taught us that people in our generation should set their minds for the world, their lives for the people, and their future. The sage inherited his unique knowledge and created peace for all generations. How can he rebel and bring trouble to the world?"
His words contained a hint of condemnation. Obviously, the education he received since he was a child made him and his father think in completely different ways.
"Huh?" When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he snorted with a hint of anger, staring at his son, thinking in his heart, it's not like you and I have never rebelled, but now we are just recruited by the court!
However, what surprised him was that this time, Zheng Sen was not afraid of him. In other words, although he was a little scared, he still stubbornly raised his head and looked back without lowering his head. It's quite a bit like a little eagle with hardened wings and an independent opinion of its own.
Zheng Zhibao next to him, although he is also a student, is much older than Zheng Sen and has not been affected by the teachings of any saint. He just glanced at his nephew, with a hint of "you're still young" in his eyes.
However, this time, Zheng Hongkui supported his nephew and spoke: "Brother, our strength is actually at sea. If there is a rebellion, the imperial court will definitely mobilize heavy troops to encircle and suppress us. Do you think we can still stay in Fujian? When the time comes, I will definitely leave my hometown and escape to the island, so what’s the point?”
At this time, even Zheng Zhilong still had no confidence that he could really occupy Fujian and resist the imperial encirclement and suppression. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so cautious. His strength, as Zheng Hongkui said, is mainly naval and making fortune at sea. Once they rebel, they must retreat to the island.
As for the consequences of doing so, he, the pirate king, actually knew it in his heart. Without the support of the mainland, one day in the future, he will be wiped out like the great pirates he destroyed, or he will be replaced by the second Zheng Zhilong.
Moreover, he was not sure that if he rebelled, all 200,000 of his men would rebel with him. You must know that the reason why he stood out from the pirates back then was that he accepted the invitation and became a member of the imperial court. He used the imperial court's justice and resources to deal with other pirates and became what he is today. He couldn't guarantee that there might be people like him among his subordinates.
Thinking about it like this makes me a little irritable. Seeing the expression on his son's face staring at him, he became even more irritated. However, he is a rational person after all. After thinking about it for a long time, he made a final decision: "As I said before, let's put this matter off for now. I will go to the officials for a walk. Send someone to find out the news from the north and keep an eye on the governor's mansion. If there is any movement, report it to me immediately."
Obviously, he still has to look at the situation before deciding.
It's normal to think about it. This is a major event related to the future of their Zheng family. Making a decision in a hurry is not in line with Zheng Zhilong's personality.
Just when Zheng Zhilong really had to leave Anping Town and go to be a senior official, the powerful forces from the north, the capital, and the emperor finally escorted the eight major Shanxi merchants and their companions back to the capital.
