When Emperor Chongzhen was conducting his own expedition, the Grand Canal in Beijing was already frozen. However, he finally chose to go south along the Beijing Grand Canal first. After reaching the ice-free waterway, he took a boat south to the Yangtze River, and then went upstream to Sichuan. From Sichuan, he joined Zheng Chongjian's troops and entered Yunnan together.
The reason for this choice is, after all, because of the supply of grain and grass supplies. In a circle, from the south of the Yangtze River and along the Yangtze River, these provinces can afford to supply the grain and grass supplies needed by the army, and the impact on local people's livelihood is also great. Just the smallest. In addition, the army will not be too tired when traveling.
However, in this case, arriving in Kunming, Yunnan is a matter of time, at least two months. But there is nothing we can do about it. Who made Yunnan, a place in the corner of the country, so far away?
Of course, it is also because it is too far away and the road is not easy to travel, so the news here is blocked. Otherwise, Emperor Chongzhen wouldn't believe it. Those chieftains would dare to rebel again if they knew that he led troops to fight so well?
No matter what, when I go to Yunnan this time, I will reorganize the territory of Yunnan and completely change the situation. If anyone disobeys, I will beat him. I, the Ming Emperor, have a golden finger and will not leave the problem to future generations. . By the way, let's see if Dongwu has a chance. If there is a chance, conquer it all this time, and Ming Dynasty will have an outlet to the Indian Ocean.
With these plans in mind, Emperor Chongzhen headed south.
…………
At the same time, Fujian coastal defense guerrilla Zheng Chenggong had arrived in Fujian and first visited the Fujian governor.
The governor of Fujian at this time was Wu Zhiping. In the original history, as far as he was concerned, he did not do much. When the Qing Dynasty moved south, he led the people of the province to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, then resigned and went into seclusion.
However, his son Wu Erxun was a famous loyal minister. In the 12th year of Chongzhen's reign, he passed the imperial examination, and in the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign, he was awarded the Jinshi Scholarship. When the capital fell in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign, he was in the capital and took advantage of the chaos to leave the capital and go south.
At that time, Wu Zhiping was worried about his son, so he entrusted Wu Erxun's friend Zhu Yuan, a Juren from Haining, to look for him. To show his determination to be loyal to the country, Wu Erxun cut off one of his fingers and gave it to Zhu Yuan to take back to his hometown in Zhouquan, Chongde, and wrote a letter home: "The country's hatred has not been over, and I will not pay it back!"
In the second year after the fall of the capital, Wu Erxun was seriously injured in the Battle of Yangzhou and eventually committed suicide by throwing himself into a well, leaving no trace of his body. The family buried a finger and a set of clothes that Wu Erxun had sent to him near Beidao Bridge in the north of Zhouquan Town. Later generations called this grave the "Yizhi Grave".
By the way, his good friend Zhu Yuan also died for his country when Hangzhou fell in the same year.
Of course, in this plane, none of this happened.
It can be said that Wu Zhiping received Zheng Chenggong cordially and praised him for being young and promising.
Having been the governor of Fujian for many years, he knows better than anyone how powerful the Zheng family is in Fujian. Today is even different from the past. Not only is the family leader Zheng Zhilong fighting for the country, but most importantly, Zheng Chenggong himself has a brighter future.
The name Zheng Chenggong was given by the emperor, and he was also chosen to accompany the prince. He stayed in the capital for several years. Now he has been directly selected by the emperor to serve as a coastal defense guerrilla. It can be said that this is a very high starting point.
Zheng Chenggong was not proud of his closeness to Master Zhongcheng. He knew that everything he was doing now came from his father's shadow. It was for the sake of his father and the emperor that he was so close to him.
For this reason, he made up his mind to complete the tasks assigned by the emperor beautifully.
After he conveyed Emperor Chongzhen's will, Wu Zhiping immediately agreed to cooperate fully without saying a word, allowing him to train the navy with peace of mind and complete the task assigned by the emperor as soon as possible: eliminate or expel the red barbarians occupying Taiwan.
He even said with righteous indignation: "These red barbarians look up to me, the Ming Dynasty, but they didn't expect to be so ambitious. They dared to collude with the Japanese country to oppose the Ming Dynasty. They are really brave!"
Zheng Chenggong also agreed, having already made up his mind not to expel them, but to eliminate them!
He left the governor's mansion soon after and traveled day and night to the base camp in Xiamen.
At this time, the person in charge of the Zheng family fleet was Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Chenggong's fourth uncle.
Before Zheng Chenggong arrived in Xiamen, he had already known from the imperial newspaper that the new coastal defense guerrilla was his nephew, so naturally he would not resist. Even after receiving the news, he led all his leaders out of the city to greet him.
"See my lord!"
"Meet the adults!"
"..."
They all watched Zheng Chenggong grow up, and when they met, they all saluted cheerfully. Zheng Hongkui didn't, but looking at the already vigorous Zheng Chenggong, he also showed a happy smile.
Regarding this, Zheng Chenggong didn't dare to be arrogant at all. He quickly got off his horse, clasped his fists and said, "Uncles, there is no need to salute. How about we go to the Yamen to discuss matters?"
When he first arrived, he asked for a meeting with the Yamen, which made those who greeted him feel a bit sudden.
When Zheng Hongkui saw it, he smiled and said, "No rush, we uncles have booked a banquet for you. Let's go and celebrate first!"
"Yes, the young master has now returned home in fine clothes, so we must celebrate it well!"
"That's right. How many years did your father spend before he became a guerrilla in coastal defense? Now the young master is better than his master. It's a gratifying thing. How about three big drinks first?"
"..."
Hearing these words, Zheng Chenggong had no choice but to raise his voice slightly and said seriously: "As I said just now, let's discuss matters in the Yamen first."
His reaction stunned Zheng Hongkui and others again. I just feel like he's a bit stubborn. Could it be that when a new official takes office, he has to burn three fires?
Seeing that his fourth uncle's expression was a little ugly, Zheng Chenggong knew that he was in a hurry, so he quickly explained: "I have the emperor's decree and I have something important to do. When I finish this errand, I will ask all uncles to come. You must get drunk before you stop!"
Things like taking the wind and washing away the dust must also be based on your own will. If the rightful owner is not happy, then it will be boring. What's more, there is the emperor's will, so no one dares to take it seriously. However, no matter what, there is always a bit of a loser.
This was because Zheng Chenggong had no experience. If it were his father, he would have agreed immediately and went to a restaurant to eat and drink together. They might even have three drinks before talking about business. This would take care of their face and not delay official business. Of course, although it is a bit informal, as long as things go smoothly, who cares about these details!
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the Yamen, and the seal of the coastal defense guerrillas was officially handed over to Zheng Chenggong.
In the lobby, Zheng Chenggong sat where his father once sat, Zheng Hongkui stood beside him, and the other leaders stood on both sides. Zheng Chenggong looked at all this and said with a serious expression: "The Denglai Navy is currently fighting the Japanese in Busan, Korea. The imperial court has received news that there are Hongyi warships and the Japanese navy attacking our Denglai Navy of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Your Majesty I decree that this general will destroy the red barbarians who are high-ranking officials in Taiwan to demonstrate our national prestige!"
Upon hearing this, everyone below was stunned.
Zheng Hongkui was the first to come to his senses and immediately asked: "How is your father? Is everything okay?"
"Probably not!" Zheng Chenggong immediately replied after hearing this: "The emperor has already made arrangements, and the commander-in-chief of the Denglai Navy must be able to handle it!"
This guy, after becoming an official, is really so business-like that he doesn't even call him "Dad" and just opens his mouth to be the commander-in-chief of the Denglai Navy? Zheng Hongkui thought in his mind and couldn't help but have some opinions.
But these things are not what he cares about most. He immediately asked Zheng Zhilong how the situation was over there. After learning that it should be fine, he felt relieved. If he came back to his senses, he would be annoyed.
Who doesn't know that the Denglai Navy is commanded by his eldest brother, and most of the warships and sailors are transferred from Fujian, and they are all members of the Zheng family. Even if others don't know, Hongyi definitely knows. He actually dared to collude with the Japanese country to deal with his eldest brother, this is amazing!
Compared to Zheng Hongkui's idea, the leaders below had different ideas and responded one after another.
"Sir, please don't get the wrong news. Hongyi is doing good business with us, so why do you dare to be my enemy, Daming?"
"Yes, we made several deals not long ago. Why did they go to collude with the Japanese country? Judging from the time, it should be impossible, right?"
"..."
Most of the leaders who said these words were those who dealt with Hongyi. As for others, they were less polite.
"What, are you just looking for a fight because you're itchy? How dare you make an enemy of us?"
"Since the Emperor has given the decree, then just destroy those red barbarians!"
"Even if we can't destroy them, we must beat them so that they will never dare to be enemies with my Ming Dynasty again!"
"..."
With a "pop", the gavel clapped, and the lobby suddenly became very quiet. Everyone looked at Zheng Chenggong in surprise. They did not expect that Zheng Chenggong would dare to clapped the gavel!
Zheng Chenggong didn't think much about it. It was so noisy just now that he couldn't talk about anything. Seeing that the hall was quiet at this time, he said seriously: "No matter what happens to Hongyi, the emperor's decree has been issued, and it must be handled properly. There is no room for discussion on this matter. The matter that needs to be discussed now is how to annihilate Taiwan." Member of the Red Barbarian!"
Seeing that no one below was speaking, he added: "Before coming here, I have already been to the governor's mansion. Lord Zhongcheng has promised that he will fully support me in wiping out the Hongyi!"
After he finished speaking, none of the leaders below spoke, and for a moment, the scene seemed a bit deserted.
Seeing this situation, Zheng Chenggong couldn't help but blush. I was thinking to myself, am I too young and looked down upon by them?
Thinking like this, he wanted to name him directly. Fortunately, Zheng Hongkui on the side saw what he meant, and immediately spoke first and said: "Sir, your father left something important for you before he left. I just remembered it and was afraid of forgetting it. You go to the back hall first." Come and get it!”
