Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 174 Public Opinion
In the lobby of Zheng Mansion, Zheng Zhilong sat on the main seat and glanced at everyone in the hall.

On the left of the hall is Zheng Hongkui, and below him are Zheng Zhibao, Zheng Cai, Zheng Tai and three other members of the Zheng family. On the right is Shi Fu, and below him are Huang Ting and Yang Geng.

It can be said that at this time, all the people with real power in the Zheng family are in the hall.
Zheng Zhilong glanced at the silent people in the hall, and without further ado, he sat down and spoke directly.

"I have called all of you here today because I have something important to discuss with you."

When Zheng Hongkui heard what Zheng Zhilong said, his face immediately darkened, and the other people in the hall also had slightly strange expressions on their faces.

Although Zheng Zhilong said it was an important matter, in fact, everyone in the field had already known about the matter from various channels.

Zheng Zhilong ignored the expressions of the people below and spoke loudly

"Yesterday I met with the secret envoy of the Qing court. The Qing court wanted to surrender me by offering me the position of Governor of Fujian and Guangdong. The Qing court promised to hand over the two provinces to me, Zheng."

"Now that Longwu has fallen and the Ming court has dispersed, I, Zheng, want to join the Qing court for the future of my Zheng family. What do you think?"

As Zheng Zhilong finished speaking, everyone on the field secretly said in their hearts, "As expected!"

Everyone in the hall looked at each other, and then they all kept silent. There was silence in the hall for a while.

Zheng Zhilong saw that everyone was silent, and his heart sank. He had clearly made arrangements before, but he didn't expect that at this moment, it would still be like this.

Zheng Zhilong's face remained expressionless. He glanced down and said:

"Third brother, you are the Qilin of the Zheng family, you are known for your talents, what do you think?"

Zheng Hongkui was the first to advocate the establishment of the throne during the Longwu Dynasty and was granted the title of Duke of Dingguo. Although he was abolished at the end of the Longwu Dynasty, he was still the only one of the two people in the Zheng family who was granted the title of Duke of Dingguo.

Zheng Hongkui is second only to Zheng Zhilong in terms of identity and status. Therefore, even though Zheng Zhilong knows that Zheng Hongkui will not say anything good, he must ask Zheng Hongkui's opinion first.
Sure enough, when Zheng Hongkui heard Zheng Zhilong's question, he immediately spoke

"Since my brother has asked, I should give you my sincere advice."

“Human life in this world is like morning dew. If we can establish achievements and leave our name to future generations, we should not take it lightly.”

"Brother, you are in a time of national crisis and hold a high position among the ministers. If things are impossible to do, I dare not make empty remarks. However, brother now leads hundreds of thousands of soldiers, ships fill the sea, and food and money are sufficient. If you can assist the wise monarch and use it as a call, the heroes of the world will surely respond."

"When the time comes, you will be able to pursue Xu Wei and be admired by the world. Why do you have to submit to the Qing court? I don't want you to be my brother."

Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Hongkui, who looked sincere below, but a trace of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

He didn't know how many times he had heard Zheng Hongkui say this. It was the same thing over and over again. It was really pedantic!
Although Zheng Zhilong was annoyed in his heart, he remained calm on his face and spoke softly

"What my third brother said does make sense, but Longwu has been destroyed, and the people of the Ming court have also scattered, either surrendering or fleeing. It has long been on the decline. Now I don't even know where the Ming court is, so where can I find a wise ruler to assist me?"

"Since the Jiashen Incident, the whole country has been in turmoil. It is like the Qin lost its power, and the Qing government seized it and chased it. It has already seized two-thirds of the country. Now if we use our Zheng army to fight against all the troops in the world, I am afraid we are not capable enough."

"Now, we should take advantage of their opportunity to recruit us. We should choose the right time to make our entire army loyal to the emperor, abandon the dark and join the light, and then serve the emperor. This is what the heroes of the ancient times did."

Zheng Hongkui's heart sank when he heard what Zheng Zhilong said, and he immediately spoke

"But we must also be concerned about it..."

But Zheng Hongkui was interrupted by Zheng Zhilong just as he opened his mouth.

He asked Zheng Hongkui not really to seek his opinion, he asked Zheng Hongkui first because Zheng Hongkui's status in the Zheng family was indeed high enough, and he had to show his closeness to him.

Now that I have heard what Zheng Hongkui said, how can I let him continue to talk nonsense?
Zheng Zhilong thought of this and waved his hand and said

"Okay, I understand what you mean, Third Brother. Fourth Brother, what do you think about this matter?"

Zheng Zhilong interrupted Zheng Hongkui and looked directly at Zheng Zhibao below without waiting for him to speak.
Zheng Hongkui was upset when he saw Zheng Zhilong skipping over his words, but he could only sit back in his seat and look at Zheng Zhibao below.

Zheng Zhibao saw the gazes from his two brothers above him, and he was in a dilemma.

Zheng Zhibao thought for a moment with a gloomy face, then his expression straightened up and he said

"Zhibao has been under the protection of his two elder brothers since he was young. Zheng's own two elder brothers are at the helm. Zhibao will follow the decisions of his two elder brothers and have no opinions at all."

"My two brothers are the pillars of our Zheng family. I believe they will be able to make a careful consideration whether to surrender or not. However, there is only one thing. After all, the Qing court is a barbarian outside the Great Wall. They are cunning and cannot be trusted."

"My elder brother is the leader of the Zheng family. Even if he wants to surrender to the Qing, he must not go in person."

When Zheng Hongkui heard what Zheng Zhibao said, his heart sank immediately, but Zheng Zhilong's face was relieved. At least this fourth brother did not openly turn to the third brother.
Zheng Zhilong's eyes turned, and then he said

"Fourth brother, you worry too much. In the past, when the Ming court tried to persuade our Zheng family to surrender, it was me who personally went to the Fujian Provincial Governor's Office and surrendered to the Ming court. This is how our Zheng family prospered over the past decade."

"When I surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, I went there in person. Now I should also go there in person to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. This is the only way to show my sincerity."

Zheng Zhibao was stunned when he heard this, and he didn't know how to respond. He could only look up at Zheng Hongkui.

What Zheng Zhilong said made so much sense that he was speechless for a moment.
When Zheng Zhilong saw Zheng Zhibao looking at Zheng Hongkui, he snorted in his heart and became more and more convinced that what his fourth brother said must have been instigated by the third brother.
Zheng Zhilong thought of this and did not give Zheng Hongkui and the other two a chance to speak. He looked directly at the person below Zheng Zhibao and said

"Sixth brother, what do you think? What is your opinion on this matter?"

The sixth brother mentioned by Zheng Zhilong is Zheng Cai
Although Zheng Zhilong called him his sixth brother, Zheng Cai was completely different from Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhibao.
Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhibao are brothers, but Zheng Cai and Zheng Zhilong are just brothers of the same clan.

When Zheng Zhilong gradually became powerful on the sea, Zheng Cai also led his people to surrender. After that, he always followed Zheng Zhilong and changed from a pirate to a noble earl of the Ming court.

In his early years, Zheng Zhilong swore brotherhood with Shibazhi at sea. Even people with different surnames could become brothers, let alone people of the same clan like Zheng Cai. Therefore, after Zheng Zhilong renewed his generation relationship with Zheng Cai, he directly recognized Zheng Cai as his sixth brother.
Zheng Cai had served under Zheng Zhilong for many years and had outstanding abilities. He was also trusted by Zheng Zhilong because of his family relationship with him. Zheng Cai was in charge of most of Zheng Zhilong's navy, including 500 to 600 large and small ships.
Zheng Cai saw Zheng Zhilong looking at her, and then glanced at the silent crowd in the field. His eyes turned, and his face was embarrassed.
"Brother, you know me well. I have always only been good at doing business and managing ships. But we were all Ming officials before. If we suddenly surrender to the Qing, it might...probably cause some criticism."

"But what I just heard from my brother is also very reasonable. The situation in the world has changed suddenly, and we should make preparations for our Zheng family early. However, surrendering to the Qing Dynasty is a matter of great importance. My brother suddenly asked me this question, and I was confused for a moment. I really couldn't think clearly about this matter in a hurry."

Zheng Hongkui, who was standing above, looked at Zheng Cai, who was in a dilemma, and raised his eyebrows slightly. He did not expect that Zheng Cai would secretly oppose this matter.
Zheng Cai seemed to have said everything, but in fact he said nothing. He said that rebelling against the Ming would cause controversy, and that surrendering to the Qing was also a way to make early plans for the Zheng family. He said both sides of the story.

Zheng Cai was always cunning, and he didn't believe that Zheng Cai really had no opinion on surrendering to the Qing Dynasty. However, he could understand Zheng Cai's actions at this time. Although Zheng Cai looked like a member of the Zheng family, he was actually just a general under the Zheng family, no different from Shi Fu and others.

How could he dare to go against Zheng Zhilong's will when Zheng Zhilong's attitude was clear? Being able to stay out of both sides was actually a statement.
Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Cai who was in trouble below, and his face darkened. This was different from his previous arrangement!
Zheng Zhilong stared at Zheng Cai for a moment, and seeing Zheng Zhilong staring at him with a sullen face, Zheng Cai's face suddenly became tense.

Zheng Cai's face showed a look of panic, and then he suddenly looked up at Zheng Hongkui.

When Zheng Zhilong saw Zheng Cai's eyes on Zheng Hongkui, he became angry and looked coldly at Zheng Hongkui on the left.

Zheng Zhilong now understood why Zheng Cai did not follow the order he had given yesterday.

It's the third brother again. The third brother is really too outrageous. In order to oppose his surrender to the Qing Dynasty, he even dared to contact the generals in his army privately.

Did the third brother really think that he didn't dare to deal with him?

When Zheng Hongkui saw Zheng Cai's gaze, he frowned slightly. What did Zheng Cai mean? He had never looked for Zheng Cai privately.

But Zheng Hongkui stopped talking just as he was about to speak. What could he say now? Zheng Cai just gave him a look. No matter what he said at this moment, it would only make things worse.

Zheng Hongkui looked at Zheng Cai who was looking at him, frowned, and looked back coldly.

Zheng Cai is too cunning. I need to tell my elder brother about this and ask him to be more careful about this person.
But when Zheng Hongkui saw the cold look from Zheng Zhilong, he smiled bitterly in his heart. With Zheng Zhilong's suspicion of him, this matter might not be clear.

Seeing Zheng Hongkui remaining silent, Zheng Zhilong snorted coldly, thinking that Zheng Hongkui had tacitly agreed to the matter.

He glanced at Zheng Cai below and spoke in a cold voice

"Since you haven't made up your mind, Sixth Brother, then think about it slowly and carefully, but don't get distracted."

Zheng Zhilong spoke very slowly, almost word by word. His cold words echoed in the hall. When the generals on the right, such as Shi Fu, heard his words, their faces changed slightly.

"Yes, I was caught off guard by the suddenness of the situation. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, brother."

Zheng Cai's expression immediately tensed up when he heard this. He quickly stood up and replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. His face was pale, and anyone could see that Zheng Cai was panicking.

"Sit down, we are all brothers, why do you need to reply?"

When Zheng Zhilong saw Zheng Cai standing in the hall with sweat on his forehead, a look of satisfaction flashed across his face, and he spoke softly:

Zheng Cai heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, and bowed to Zheng Zhilong above him before sitting back on his chair.
However, Zheng Cai seemed to be too hasty when she sat back on the chair. When she swung her sleeves, she almost knocked over the cup on the table. A puff of tea splashed out of the cup, and the cup lid and tea bowl collided with each other, making a slight tinkling sound.

Zheng Cai saw everyone's eyes on him and seemed to be getting more nervous. He quickly reached out to put the tea bowl on the table in place. However, his forehead was already covered with sweat, and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Zheng Zhilong looked more and more satisfied when he saw Zheng Cai, who was busy and flustered. He stopped paying attention to Zheng Cai and looked at Zheng Tai, the last person on the left.
"Eighth brother, what do you think about joining the Qing court?"

Although Zheng Zhilong called Zheng Tai his eighth brother, in fact, Zheng Tai, like Zheng Cai, was also a member of the same clan as Zheng Zhilong.
Zheng Cai was in charge of most of the navy under Zheng Zhilong, while Zheng Tai was in charge of the maritime trade business of the Zheng family.

Zheng set up the Ten Businesses of Land and Sea, specializing in maritime trade and various businesses. Among them, the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth were divided into the Five Businesses of Land, and the five elements of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and trustworthiness were divided into the Five Businesses of Sea. The combination of the two is the Ten Businesses of Land and Sea.

The five land merchants were responsible for purchasing goods needed for sea trade from various provinces on land, while the five sea merchants were actually five trading fleets.
After purchasing goods, the five merchants from the land would transport the goods from various provinces to the coast of Fujian Province, while the five merchants from the sea would load the goods onto ships and sell them to foreign countries after receiving the goods at ports such as Quanzhou Yuegang.
Zheng Tai is the person in charge of the ten marine and land businesses of the Zheng family. He is in charge of many marine trade businesses of the Zheng family and is also a very core person in the Zheng family. That is why he is qualified to be in the hall today.
At this time, Zheng Tai saw Zheng Zhilong's gaze and his heart immediately tightened, but Zheng Tai's face remained calm. He turned his eyes and said

"The matter of surrendering to the Qing Dynasty is of great importance. This important matter will be decided by my elder brother. I dare not speak rashly."

When Zheng Zhilong heard Zheng Tai and Zheng Cai's almost identical remarks, his expression immediately darkened. The arrangement he had made earlier had won the unanimous approval of Zheng Cai and others, instead of making them afraid to say more. What exactly did these people want to do now?

However, before Zheng Zhilong could get angry, Zheng Tai spoke again.

"But I just heard from my brother that the Qing court seems willing to hand over Guangdong Province to my Zheng family. I am responsible for the maritime trade of my clan, and I dare not say anything else. If my Zheng family can really take over Guangdong Province, then my Zheng family's maritime trade business will surely increase several times!"

After hearing what Zheng Tai said, Zheng Zhilong finally smiled. He looked at Zheng Tai below and spoke loudly.

"Eighth brother has indeed seen the Earth Spirit!"

"The rise of the Zheng family is entirely due to maritime trade. Fujian Province is mountainous and narrow, with few resources. Previously, all the goods needed for maritime trade came from Jiangnan and Guangdong Province."

"If our Zheng family can control Guangdong Province this time, then all the goods of Guangdong Province can be taken by our Zheng family immediately. Then we can produce and sell them by ourselves. Our Zheng family's maritime trade business can immediately increase several times and our strength will increase greatly."

"After my Zheng family takes control of Guangdong Province, we can not only easily obtain various goods, but also control the circulation of goods in Guangdong Province."

"By then, the Portuguese, Dutch and other foreigners will not be able to obtain even an inch of silk from the coast of Fujian and Guangdong without my permission."

"As long as we drive out and control those foreign merchants, our Zheng family will be able to dominate the seas and monopolize the ocean trade. By then, the entire ocean will belong to our Zheng family. The profits will be ten times greater!"

Zheng Zhilong was also excited when he said this.

As long as he gets the position of Governor of Fujian and Guangdong promised to him by the Qing court, Zheng Zhilong will immediately become the overlord of Nanyang, and at that time all the Dutch red barbarians will kneel at his feet.

This is also the reason why Zheng Zhilong was so eager to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. As long as they were willing to give him the two provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, it would make no difference to him whether the people they were loyal to were Ming or Qing!

Zheng Tai looked at Zheng Zhilong with admiration in his eyes, and nodded repeatedly with an expression of admiration.

But Zheng Tai smiled bitterly in his heart. He was different from Zheng Hongkui and others. Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Cai were either close relatives of Zheng Zhilong or held military power.

But he was just a businessman, with no power or military power in the Zheng family. What else could he do except obey orders when Zheng Zhilong gave his orders in advance?

He was sure that if he did not follow Zheng Zhilong's advice today, his position as the head of the ten marine and land forces would be over after the meeting.
If Zheng Zhilong wanted to replace him as the head merchant of the ten trades, no one would come out to stop him.

Zheng Zhilong didn't care what Zheng Tai was thinking. He became more and more excited as he spoke. After he told his plan, he looked at the three people on the right without hesitation and said:

"Shifu, what do you think?"

"I will obey the Duke's order."

As soon as Zheng Zhilong finished speaking, Shi Fu, Huang Ting and the other two on the right stood up at the same time as if they had made an appointment, and responded in unison.
(End of this chapter)