Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 190 Masaomi
Anping City, November 21st, a dozen riders and horses galloped towards Anping
Zhang Kentang and his party entered the city without any hesitation. They followed Liu Xiangke directly to the west city and soon entered the envoy's residence.
Zhang Kentang sat in the back hall of the mansion for more than a quarter of an hour, and finally saw a tall middle-aged man walk into the hall.

When Zhang Kentang saw the peacock robe on Zhang Tongchang, he knew that this man must be Zhang Tongchang, the chief envoy of the Guijian State Mission.

After the two parties exchanged greetings, Zhang Kentang asked

"I heard from Censor Liu that Minister Zhang brought letters from Elder Lu and others. Can I take a look at them first?"

“As it should be”

Zhang Tongchang heard this and knew that Zhang Kentang would probably still want to verify their identities, so he nodded and took out a few letters from his sleeve.

Zhang Kentang took the letter, took out the letter written by Lu Daqi and read it carefully. He also looked at the private seal at the end for a moment, and then his expression relaxed.
Zhang Kentang put down the letter, but his eyes were slightly red. He suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to the west.

"We are lonely ministers in the sea of ​​sin, and now we have a king."

Zhang Kentang's body trembled slightly, his heart was filled with mixed feelings of sadness and joy. His determination to spend all his family wealth to recruit soldiers, his despair when he heard about the suffering of the late emperor, his panic when he insisted on maintaining the army, everything finally made sense at this moment.
We have a king, and our Ming Dynasty has another king

Zhang Tongchang also looked solemn, standing to one side. He looked at the gray-haired old man in front of him, and a sense of respect rose in his heart.

Spending all your wealth to recruit soldiers for the Northern Expedition may sound simple, but when you actually do it, you will realize how much it will cost.

Since Jiashen, it is not uncommon for people to refuse to serve the Qing Dynasty. These people rely on their accumulated family property to live a wealthy life, leisurely living in the countryside, and often regard themselves as remnants of the Qing Dynasty.

Compared with those who shaved their heads and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and were eager to serve the Qing court, these people can certainly be called righteous and loyal, but what good are these righteous people to the world?

What is really rare in the world is a minister like Zhang Kentang who would rather spend all his wealth to restore the country. Only such a person can be called a minister of a superior country.

But unfortunately, there are very few people like Zhang Kentang in this world. At least Zhang Tongchang has only seen Zhang Kentang so far.

Zhang Tongchang had just heard Liu Xiangke's report and learned that Zhang Kentang still had more than 3,600 soldiers under his command. He decided to appoint Zhang Kentang as the governor.
After the Longwu court was disbanded, this man was still unwilling to disband the Northern Expedition Army, which shows his firm will.
And right now they need such a determined person to serve as the governor!

Zhang Tongchang thought of this and said without hesitation.

"I'm sure that Censor Liu has also told Mr. Zhang about our situation on the way. We are coming to Fujian this time not only to confer titles on the Zheng family, but also to establish the Fujian Provincial Governor's Office on behalf of the court."

"Mr. Zhang is highly respected and well-known in Fujian. He is the most suitable candidate here. Mr. Zhang is willing to accept the position of Governor of Fujian Province of the imperial court."

Zhang Kentang was silent for a moment, but suddenly shook his head and said

"Regarding the imperial delegation, I have heard from Censor Liu that the most important purpose of the delegation's visit to Fujian this time should be to win over the Zheng family's soldiers. As long as the Zheng family's soldiers do not rebel, the land of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou can still be controlled by the imperial court."

"The delegation should prioritize this matter at this time. I have a bad relationship with the Zheng family. If I were to serve as the governor at this time, it might affect the court's efforts to win over Zheng Hongkui and others."

"I have lived in Tongan for a long time, and I know that there are still two former Longwu University Scholars, Zeng Ying and Lu Zhenfei, in Anping City."

"These two are also well-known and trusted ministers, and they have a close relationship with the Zheng family. If Minister Zhang appoints these two as governors, it will help to win over the Zheng family."

Zhang Tongchang was more and more satisfied after hearing what Zhang Kentang said. Liu Xiangke only told Zhang Kentang that they were going to Fujian to confer the title of Zheng Zhilong, but he did not tell Zhang Kentang that they also had the mission of containing the Qing army in Fujian Province.
However, Zhang Kentang was able to consider the overall situation and voluntarily give up the position of governor. This shows that he is truly an upright and just official. He is truly the best candidate for governor today.
Zhang Tongchang no longer hesitated and disclosed all the arrangements made by the imperial court for Fujian Province.
"The current situation is like this. Zheng Zhilong has surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. We have reserved the position of Governor of Fujian Province for Zheng Zhilong's son Zheng Chenggong, so the governor must not be someone close to the Zheng family!"

"Mr. Zhang is now the most suitable candidate. May I ask Mr. Zhang if he is willing to serve the Ming Dynasty again and govern Fujian Province?" Zhang Tongchang said with a serious expression.

Zhang Kentang heard what Zhang Tongchang said and knew that the court had already considered the matter of Fujian Province comprehensively, so he did not hesitate and spoke directly.

"The court has not despised me as an old minister and has suddenly given me the responsibility of being a frontier official. I will do my best to defend the country."

In fact, Zhang Kentang had no other choice at this time. Tang and Lu had been fighting for power for a long time. He was a minister of the Longwu Dynasty and even became the Minister of War during the Longwu Dynasty. If he had not been forced to do so, he would not have been willing to surrender to Lu as the regent.

Gui Regent was supported by Lu Daqi and others, so he naturally inherited the legal system of the Longwu Dynasty. Now that Gui Regent was an option, how could he possibly vote for Lu Regent?
Besides, the money and food of his army now all depend on the thousand taels of gold brought by Liu Xiangke. Who else can he turn to if not Gui Jianguo?

Zhang Tongchang was delighted when he saw Zhang Kentang agreed, so he said directly:
"Okay, if that's the case, then we will immediately inform all parties in the city, and the day after tomorrow we will bring out the imperial edict and banner to officially confer the title of Lord Zhang, and at the same time establish the Governor's Office of Fujian Province."

Zhang Kentang was slightly surprised to hear Zhang Tongchang was so anxious, and said

"The most important thing right now is to win over the Zheng family's army. To be on the safe side, we might as well test the attitudes of Zheng Hongkui and others towards this matter. There is no need to rush to confer the title on me."

Zhang Tongchang also reacted and realized that Liu Xiangke might not have told Zhang Kentang about the news of Lu Jianguo, so he explained the situation of Zheng Cai and Lu Jianguo to Zhang Kentang.

"According to Zheng Cai, Lu Jianguo will arrive in Fujian Province soon. We are setting up the Governor's Office now to compete with Zheng Cai for the hearts and minds of the generals in Fujian Province!" After listening to Zhang Tongchang's words, Zhang Kentang had the same reaction as Shi Fu and others at the beginning, and he was a little speechless.
Previously, they were worried that the imperial court would be scattered and there would be no more righteous cause to call on the people of the world. Suddenly, two imperial courts emerged, claiming to be the orthodox courts, and they wanted to compete for the hearts of the people in Fujian Province.
It can only be said that in today's world, there are indeed many orthodox Ming

Zhang Kentang quickly gathered his thoughts and asked again

"What is the attitude of Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong now? What is the attitude of generals with other surnames such as Shi Fu?"

"We have been in constant contact with various parties over the past few days. Zheng Hongkui is too selfish and may be difficult to persuade."

"Zheng Chenggong is a sincere man who is loyal to the court, but he has other concerns."

"Among the Zheng family's non-Zheng generals, Shi Fu and his three men are the worst. We have put in a lot of effort these days, but the three men still refuse to express their opinions. I'm afraid they are still waiting to see the situation."

"I am in a hurry to establish the Governor's Office in order to establish a system and to recruit generals from the Zheng family army."

Zhang Kentang thought for a moment and then said

"I am in Fujian Province, and I know more about Zheng's army than Bieshan."

"The situation in Zheng Zhilong's army is extremely complicated. Zheng Zhilong is more like the leader of the Fujian army than the commander of an army. Shi Fu and the other two are Zheng Zhilong's direct subordinates. I'm afraid they won't easily express their opinions before they get any news about Zheng Zhilong."

"I think we don't need to put too much effort on Shi Fu and the other two at this time. Instead, we should try our best to win over the middle-level generals of the Zheng family. These people are easier to win over."

Zhang Kentang looked at Zhang Tongchang who was thinking about something.

"May I ask Bieshan, this time when we enter Fujian, in addition to the rewards given to the Zheng family, does the court have any rewards for the other generals in the Zheng army?" Zhang Tongchang, who took the name Bieshan

Zhang Tongchang saw that Zhang Kentang seemed to hesitate for a moment, so he informed Zhang Kentang of the court's reward arrangements. Since it had been decided to make Zhang Kentang the governor, the court's arrangements for Fujian Province could no longer be concealed from Zhang Kentang.
"This time when we enter Fujian, His Royal Highness the Regent has issued a batch of blank certificates, which can confer titles of Duke on two, Marquis on three, and Earl on five. As long as the generals of Fujian Province meet the military strength requirements, they can all be awarded."

"But His Highness has also instructed that it is best not to give out titles indiscriminately. I have promised Shi Fu the title of Duke, but Shi Fu still refuses to express his opinion."

Zhang Kentang was stunned when he heard what Zhang Tongchang said. He was shocked by the generosity of Gui's government. Then he looked at Zhang Tongchang deeply.

He originally thought that the Gui Regent court had only sent Zhang Tongchang and dozens of other people to Fujian alone, and that they probably did not hold much hope for Fujian Province.

Zhang Tongchang and others should be unimportant ministers in the court, but at this time he discovered that Zhang Tongchang's position in the court was probably extraordinary.

These are ten dukes and marquises. Even though there is a tendency for titles to overflow, it is not easy to confer such a large number of titles.

Zhang Tongchang was able to decide on the rewards of so many dukes and marquises on his own, and his position as governor was also decided by this man. This shows how much trust His Royal Highness Gui, the Regent, had in this man.

Zhang Kentang's mind was filled with thoughts, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke again.

"Since the imperial court is planning to establish a governor's office right away, why don't we take this opportunity to win over the generals in Zheng's army!"

"During the Longwu Dynasty, I was ordered to organize an army for the Northern Expedition. Although I was blocked halfway, I also got to know some people in Zheng's army."

"General Zhou Hezhi of Dinghai and General Xin Yigen of Dingyang, these two have served under my command before, and they are both loyal generals who are loyal to the court. I can come forward to recruit these two people."

"Since Minister Zhang intends to invite all parties to attend the ceremony and set up a governor's office, why not take advantage of this opportunity to confer titles on these two men? When the Zheng army sees these two men being conferred titles, they will surely believe in the court's sincerity even more."

Zhang Kentang saw the hesitation on Zhang Tongchang's face and spoke again

"I am not saying this to ask for a title from the court or to build a personal favor. Zheng Zhilong may return to Anping at any time. Once he comes back, I am afraid we will no longer have the opportunity to win over Zheng's generals."

"Shi Fu and his men certainly have more soldiers, but if we can win over three or five mid-level generals like Zhou Hezhi, we can be as powerful as Shi Fu."

"We will also need to contain the Qing army in Fujian Province. The most important thing right now is to recruit enough people as soon as possible."

Zhang Tongchang finally stopped hesitating and said

"Okay, then ask Mr. Zhang to come forward and recruit these two generals. When we watch the ceremony the next day, we will confer titles on them both to serve as examples!"

Zhang Tongchang and Zhang Kentang had already made their decision, so the delegation also took action and invited all parties in the city to come and watch the ceremony.

(End of this chapter)