When Emperor Chongzhen was on his way out of the capital on his own expedition, a boat crossed the strait and arrived at the official.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong, who came here, had just sent away the visiting Dutch governor. He was drinking tea with his legs crossed and did not take the gifts seriously.
In the past, the Dutch were dissatisfied with him. For this reason, Zheng Zhilong used the help of the government to fight the Dutch several times. Even though they mobilized warships from Batavia in Southeast Asia, they still didn't fight him.
After defeating all the hostile forces, he can only do business by listening to Zheng Zhilong and paying protection fees. Otherwise, he has more than 3,000 large and small warships, which can drown any opponent alive.
He, Zheng Zhilong, doesn't care about Hong Mao's gadgets either. Today, his business ranges from Japan to Nanyang. If he doesn't pass through that area, what kind of things have he not seen?
Without an opponent, a master feels a little lonely. He can only enjoy the victory in front of him.
He was tasting the local Dahongpao from Fujian, and a beautiful maid was fanning beside him. There were ice cubes placed in the corner to cool down. Not many people had this kind of enjoyment.
But at this moment, a man hurriedly got off the boat that he had just arrived. Everyone he saw along the way respectfully called "Fourth Master".
Needless to say, the person who can be called Fourth Master is Zheng Zhilong's fourth brother Zheng Hongkui. After he asked where Zheng Zhilong was, he went directly to find it.
"Brother, there is news from the north!" Zheng Hongkui shouted loudly as soon as he entered the lobby.
This made Zheng Zhilong frown and said, "What are you talking about in a panic? Is there anything you can't talk about after I get back?"
Hearing the reprimand, Zheng Hongkui simply ignored it. He walked up to Zheng Zhilong and said loudly: "Brother, what a great victory for the imperial court! Tens of thousands of Jianlu were eliminated, and now the remaining Jianlu have escaped!"
"What?" Zheng Zhilong was very surprised when he heard this. Dahongpao stopped drinking. He put down the tea cup a little hastily and ignored it even after making a "pop" sound. He just stared at his fourth brother and confirmed with some disbelief, "What did you say? The imperial court can eliminate tens of thousands of captives? Is that right?"
The news that Jianlu was invincible had been heard even in the south of the Ming Dynasty. Anyway, the imperial court lost the whole of Liaodong, and then the Jianlu invaders invaded the pass, killing people, setting fires and grabbing things everywhere, and tried their best to torment the imperial court, but the imperial court could do nothing.
This was the southerners' impression of the war in the north, but suddenly, it was said that the imperial court had wiped out tens of thousands of captives, which was seriously inconsistent with their impressions. Anyone who heard the news for the first time was as surprised as Zheng Zhilong.
After Zheng Zhilong asked, he came to his senses and knew that his younger brother would not lie to him. He quickly changed his words and demanded: "Tell me the details of what you have inquired about!"
So, Zheng Hongkui told the story in detail. Even some of the news has been mentioned before. But Zheng Hongkui didn't mind the trouble and repeated it again.
He went on to talk about wiping out the Jianlu 5,000-foot infantry. Later, with the support of the emperor, he won the Battle of Tianjin, annihilating tens of thousands of Jianlu again, and even captured one of the Jianlu's, Gushan Ezhen alive, and rescued him. Nearly 200,000 people were killed and so on.
Previously, Zheng Zhilong had always felt that the angel's talk of wiping out five thousand Tatars was probably an exaggeration. Just like some people in the court, they all don't believe it. However, now we look at the events of this time in conjunction with each other, especially the war that followed and the rescue of nearly 200,000 people. This kind of thing cannot be deceived. There are also Tatars captured alive. That is what everyone has seen with their own eyes. See, there will be no falsehood.
"...Brother, don't you know that the Ministry of Punishment and the Yamen have made a lot of money for this?" Zheng Hongkui seemed to be a little excited when he said these things, "Throwing sandbags to hit those Tatars, each sandbag costs ten cents. , I really don’t know how they came up with it..."
Listening to him talking, Zheng Zhilong was thinking about something, but for a moment, he didn't answer.
At this time, it is basically certain that the imperial court does have the strength now to be able to fight Jianlu. It is stronger than before. In this case, wouldn't it be bad if I kept putting off replying?
He was still thinking, but suddenly, Zheng Hongkui broke another big news: "Brother, you will never think of why Jianlu is so powerful? Is it just that in the land of Liaodong, he has defeated the imperial court in succession in the past?"
Hearing this, Zheng Zhilong raised his head and looked at his brother. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes seemed to raise a question: Is there any special reason for this?
Zheng Hongkui understood his look and continued: "You must have never thought that the Shanxi merchants had collaborated with the captives to rebel a long time ago. They sold all the grain, iron materials, gunpowder and other military supplies in the pass to Go to Liaodong. He even inquired about news in the pass for Jianlu of Liaodong. Know yourself and your enemy, you know? Jianlu did this through Shanxi merchants. Does the elder brother know which Shanxi merchants are there? There are more than one, there are eight families who take the lead, tsk tsk, they can do everything. Come on, it’s really amazing…”
Hearing this, Zheng Zhilong felt a little harsh. Isn't it just smuggling? You are doing it yourself, right?
Zheng Hongkui did not pay attention to his brother's expression, but continued to talk endlessly: "...Brother, you don't know, do you know Chen Xinjia, the governor of Xuanda? There is also an assistant minister Yang Gebu, that Yang Sichang, all of these They were bribed by those Shanxi merchants. They spoke for them in the court, protected their unscrupulous smuggling, and even sent people directly to the Jianlu Army to inform them. That was the reason why Jinan fell to the vassal... "
Zheng Zhilong couldn't stand listening anymore, so he interrupted and asked: "What about the final result? Those Shanxi merchants were arrested, and Governor Xuanda and the cabinet ministers were dismissed from their posts and held accountable?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Hongkui looked at his elder brother with surprised eyes, as if he was looking at an idiot, and couldn't help but said loudly: "How can it be just dismissal from office? Brother, think about it, they did this, He was simply helping the Jianlu to seize the Ming Dynasty! So, the emperor issued an order and sent out three battalions to arrest all Shanxi merchants, as well as Governor Xuanda and the ministers of the cabinet. Do you know what the charges are? ? Collaborating with the captives to conspire! It’s a serious crime! Tsk, tsk, implicating the nine tribes, you really deserve it!”
Hearing this, Zheng Zhilong couldn't care less that the words were a bit harsh for a moment. At this time, he was very shocked. He didn't expect that the emperor would beat all of them as rebels, implicating the nine tribes! With so many people involved, even the cabinet ministers, the emperor's courage is really a bit big!
Just as he was thinking about it, Zheng Hongkui continued: "...Brother, you don't know that the money confiscated by the imperial court is transported to the capital one by one. That's enough money to count. I guess, compared to We have made much more over the years! Now everyone is saying that the emperor has become rich! Oh, by the way, when those Shanxi merchants and a group of generals and civilian officials were escorted to Beijing, guess what, they were angry The people of the capital were beaten to a pulp on the spot. No, not even a bit of meat was left. That street is now called the Jade Street! Tsk, tsk, if you have the opportunity to go to the capital in the future, you must go to that street to see... "
"That's enough!" Zheng Zhilong couldn't listen anymore and shouted loudly, which startled Zheng Hongkui. He immediately stopped talking and just looked at his elder brother with puzzled eyes.
After a while, he thought he understood the reason for his eldest brother's anger, so he quickly said: "Brother, we didn't do that kind of thing. What are we afraid of? Now the emperor still wants to reuse you, and Sen'er also needs the emperor's attention. We must. I said, don’t delay!”
There are some things that are hard to say even to brothers. Moreover, Zheng Zhilong also saw that his fourth brother was more interested in the imperial court, and he didn't bother to talk to him.
Therefore, he lowered his head and digested the news in his heart.
It can be said that the situation in the north has changed drastically, which was completely beyond his expectation. It can be seen from this that the imperial court is still very powerful and is not so weak that it can be exploited by mermaids. Although his power at sea is strong, if he falls out with the imperial court and without the government as a backing, those Western barbarians might have new ideas and want to help the imperial court deal with him. Such things have not never happened. Pass.
Not only these Hongyi, but also the Folangji people are now being crushed by themselves, not only because they are afraid of their three thousand warships, but also because there is a huge empire behind them.
If the imperial court is incompetent and I can deal with it casually, that's nothing. Even if the governor of Fujian comes to deal with him, it will not be that easy now. As long as he uses some tricks, he can still get out. He is not afraid of this.
For example, if people rise up and cause chaos, they say it is caused by the oppression of the Fujian governor, and let the Fujian governor suffer several defeats. Then, use money to campaign in the court and impeach the Fujian governor for his incompetence. Basically, the Fujian governor will be punished. .
But now, the imperial court can even deal with the Shanxi merchants who have united with the cabinet ministers and Governor Xuan, so can this trick still be useful? Will it not be discovered?
Thinking about this, Zheng Zhilong became a little worried.
To be honest, he just enjoys the life and power he has right now; it is best to keep it like this, dominate the sea, make a fortune every day, and collect money from the ground, what a great life it is!
However, now he has been targeted by the court. If he really had to lead the navy to the north, all of this would probably change. With the imperial court as a backer, there will be no problems at sea for a while, but the key is that if you go to the north, then you will be the imperial court's fish and meat. If the imperial court has any thoughts about him, it will be more difficult to escape from danger!
As the fourth brother said, although what he did was smuggling, unlike those Shanxi merchants, he did not harm so many people. He was just making money in another way, and even part of the money he made was used for the people of Fujian. On the body. Moreover, it can be regarded as protecting the security of the coast for the imperial court and suppressing the evil intentions of those Western barbarians.
However, since I have so much money, I can't help but think that some people may slander the emperor. If something goes wrong and they are interested in the warships and money in my hands, what will I do?
He was not absolutely sure that those subordinates were of the same mind as him. If the imperial court raises another group of people to take his place, it is also possible!
He thought about it, couldn't make up his mind for a while, and felt a little irritable. He was living a good life, but he had to do all kinds of things, which really annoyed him to death!
Zheng Hongkui, who was standing next to him, saw that his elder brother had not spoken for a long time. After waiting for a long time, he couldn't help it anymore and said to Zheng Zhilong: "Brother, we can't keep delaying this. It's been so long. You should do it anyway." We rushed back after receiving the news. Otherwise, the imperial court is not a fool, especially Mr. Zhongcheng, and he will doubt us. "
Seeing Zheng Zhilong looking up at him after hearing the sound, Zheng Hongkui persuaded him earnestly: "Brother, you should also think about Sen'er. You see, the emperor dreamed of Taizu, and the situation in the Northland changed so much; and The emperor also dreamed of Sen'er. To be honest with his eldest brother, the younger brother felt that Sen'er was extremely lucky. Maybe he would have a successful career from now on. Is it possible... could it be that you still want Sen'er to make a living at sea? ?The imperial court won’t always tolerate us getting rich, right? Someone will definitely inform us.”
If the situation in the north is bad, you won't be afraid even if someone informs you. After all, the court can't even take care of the north, so why should it care about things in the south?
After Zheng Zhilong heard what he said, he suddenly sighed and said, "Okay, then it will be peaceful!"
Obviously, he was persuaded. When Zheng Hongkui heard this, he couldn't help but be happy, he quickly agreed, and then hurriedly went to make arrangements.
However, what they didn't expect was that as soon as he arrived at the arrangement, his fifth brother Zheng Zhibao quickly reported another news: "Brother, Zhang Xianzhong and other rebels have rebelled again. Lord Xiong has sent someone to come and let us help him find a way. Save him."
"What? What's going on?" When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he was immediately surprised and asked quickly.
Zheng Zhibao quickly replied: "Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai and others have all rebelled. They were all recruited by Lord Xiong before. Now they have conquered many cities and made a big fuss. Lord Xiong failed to appease them, so he sent troops to pursue them. As a result, the officers and soldiers were defeated. , Zuo Liangyu even lost the seal of his chief military officer, and the chief military officer Hedai was even captured alive by Zhang Xianzhong and the others. Anyway, Mr. Xiong has no more recruits now, and he is afraid that the court will blame him, so he sent someone to ask for help. .”
"Absurd, we are not soldiers on the shore!" Zheng Zhilong said angrily when he heard this, "Besides, we are not in Fujian. My words are of no use in such a far away river and lake!"
Zheng Zhibao nodded and said: "Master Xiong is anxious. He knows that this matter is not trivial. The bandits have revolted again, and many local officials have been killed. In the blink of an eye, the Central Plains will be in chaos again. In addition, those people were originally him. The court will definitely accuse him of appeasing him, so of course he will be anxious."
This Xiong Wencan has lived in Fujian for many years, and he has lived a good life these years just by pacifying himself. Those thieves are murderous people, they even dare to dig up the imperial tomb, and they even want to recruit them. Now something happened again, right?
Thinking of these, Zheng Zhilong suddenly felt something in his heart. The north is in chaos again. Can the court still take care of itself? If I can't take care of it, can I live my own life again?
Thinking of this, he suddenly became a little happy. Because the more he thought about it, the more likely it was that he felt it was possible. If the imperial court does not suppress those bandits, the Central Plains will be in chaos again, and the imperial court will definitely not be able to take care of ourselves in Fujian!
Thinking like this, Zheng Zhilong wanted to cheat again. Even if Zheng Hongkui reminded him several times, he ignored it.
However, Zheng Zhilong did not expect that people from outside suddenly came to report that Jin Yiwei had arrived in Anping Town and came straight to the Zheng Mansion.
Suddenly, Zheng Zhilong was startled. The factory guard came to find him?
