Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 191 Viewing the Ceremony
Anping City, the residence of the envoys. At this time, people gathered in the lobby. Officials in blue and red robes stood on both sides of the hall.

Zhang Kentang arrived in Anping on the 21st, and today, on the 23rd, he has been canonized. Although time is short, all those who should have come have arrived, and none of them have been seen.

The three generals from outside the Zheng army, including Shi Fu, did not show up, but Shi Lang, Huang Erhui and other nephews of the three families all appeared in the hall to represent the three of them.

Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Zhibao and other members of the Zheng family were also not present, but Zheng Chenggong was wearing a long shirt and sat on the upper left side, watching the ceremony silently.
Needless to say, Zheng Cai had already stated that he would join the Lu Regent, so it was impossible for him to appear at the scene of Gui Regent's pseudo-dynasty canonization.

In addition to these three parties, middle-level generals such as Hong Xishan, Liang Li, and Lin Xi were all present in person.

Although these people are not as powerful as Shi Fu and others, they have their own troops and do not have as many concerns as Shi Fu and other direct descendants.
Shi Lang and other generals in the army looked at Zheng Chenggong on the upper left with their eyes flickering. At this time, the situation in the city was complicated. Zheng Hongkui, Shi Fu and other parties were all unclear about their attitudes. The appearance of Zheng Chenggong here today made everyone in the city feel uncertain.
Zheng Chenggong himself was nothing special, but his identity was extraordinary. Zheng Chenggong was the eldest son of Zheng Zhilong. Even if the Zheng family planned to send a younger generation to watch the ceremony like Shi Fu and others, they should never send Zheng Chenggong.

I don't know what the Zheng family meant by letting Zheng Chenggong show up here at this time.

Everyone was guessing, but the place was silent, and the ceremony was going on in an orderly manner.

In the center of the hall, Zhang Kentang, wearing a Liangguan and a bright red crane robe, stood solemnly with his hands hanging down, while Zhang Tongchang took the silk imperial edict from the altar above and began to recite

"The emperor said, 'I only care about the military and the country, and I rely on the power of the Pingzhang. Now the Qing invaders are invading the south and are cruel to the people. Zhejiang and Fujian are in danger. I need good officials to serve me and guard the borders.'"

"Now there is Zhang Kentang, the former Minister of War, who is brave and loyal to the king, and can help the country with his virtues."

"I specially promote you to be the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, the Governor of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Jiangxi, to dispatch and supervise the troops and horses, to restore the money and food of various routes, and grant you the Shangfang Sword, to act at your discretion, and grant you the Python Jade and Gold Seal, and the Minister of Personnel and Military Affairs."

"Your servant Zhang Kentang accepts your order and thanks you for your grace."

Zhang Kentang looked solemn. After hearing the imperial edict, he knelt down in front of the table containing the imperial edict and gold and silver, and bowed to express his gratitude.

After Zhang Kentang accepted the order, he took over the governor's seal and imperial sword from Zhang Tongchang.
From this moment on, Zhang Kentang was no longer the Minister of War of the Longwu Dynasty, but became a cabinet minister of the Gui Regent court and the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian.
When everyone heard about Zhang Tongchang's official position, they were also shocked. Zhang Kentang was not only the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, but also the minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.

In other words, Zhang Kentang was not only in charge of military affairs in Zhejiang and Fujian, but also could decide on personnel appointments in the two provinces. He was a powerful governor.
Everyone looked at Zhang Kentang in the hall, and they were also thinking about something.

Yesterday, they suddenly received the invitation from the Governor General to attend the ceremony. Although they were a little surprised, they were not too shocked.
At this time, the Guangdong court was out of reach of Fujian Province, so it was only natural to establish a governor's office and re-establish the rule over Fujian Province.

What really surprised everyone was the governor of the Guijiang State Mission. Although the Guijiang State Mission was now free to move, in fact, every move could not be hidden from the people in the city.

Although the people in the city did not know the purpose of the delegation, they had already discovered that Liu Xiangke was in the city to inquire about the information of the former ministers.

At that time, there were two university scholars in Anping City, Zeng Ying and Lu Zhenfei, but the Gui Regent delegation chose to go to Tongan to invite Zhang Kentang back to be the governor.
Zhang Kentang was no unknown figure in Fujian Province. During the Longwu Dynasty, he was a staunch advocate of war.

The Gui Regent's delegation did not choose Zeng Ying and the other two who were close to Zheng Zhilong, but instead pushed Zhang Kentang, an old minister who had always been at odds with Zheng Zhilong. This also shows the attitude of the Gui Regent's court towards the Zheng family and the Qing invaders.
At this time, the ceremony of enthronement was over, and everyone thought that today's ceremony would end here, but at this time, two figures walked out of the back hall.

Zhou Hezhi and Xin Yigen, both wearing bright red Qilin military uniforms, walked out from the back hall and soon stood in the hall.
The generals in the field were also shocked when they saw the Qilin military uniforms on the two men.

However, before they could react, Zhang Tongchang in the hall took the imperial edict from the table and read it aloud again.

"The decree states that titles and salaries are awarded for merit, so those who have made contributions must be given higher titles; meritorious service is given to the powerful, so those with powerful families must be given special honors." "Now we have two ministers, General Dinghai Zhou Hezhi and General Dingyang Xin Yigen, who are honest and loyal. In times of danger, they rushed forward and fought against the invaders. Based on their meritorious service, they will be promoted."

"I hereby confer upon General Dinghai Zhou Hezhi the title of Doctor of Honor, the title of Pillar of the State, the title of Earl of Pingyi, and an official salary of 1,000 dan, which shall be inherited by his descendants from generation to generation."

"General Dingyang Xin Yigen was specially conferred the title of Ronglu Dafu, Zhuguo, Danghu Bo, with an official salary of 1,000 dan, which shall be inherited by his descendants from generation to generation."

"We, the ministers, will do our utmost to drive out the barbarians and recover our territory in order to repay the imperial court's great kindness."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hezhi and the other two also knelt down in front of the altar and thanked him respectfully.

There was silence for a moment, and then the crowd below suddenly started to make a noise.

They were not surprised at all when Zhang Kentang was conferred the title. Zhang Kentang was originally the Shangshu of the previous dynasty, a high-ranking and powerful minister. It was not surprising that he was promoted to a higher position in the new dynasty.

But the sudden promotion of Zhou Hezhi and his men shocked all the Zheng generals present.

Zhou Hezhi and the other man were no different from them before. They were just ordinary generals with titles during the Longwu Dynasty, but now these two people have transformed themselves and were directly conferred the title of earl!

The Gui Regent court actually started to confer titles in Fujian Province.

The eyes of the generals in the field flickered, and Shi Lang's eyes suddenly became hot when he saw the Qilin martial arts uniforms worn by Zhou Hezhi and the other man.

Wu Jisi did not lie to him. There really was a blank certificate of nobility among the delegation!

The enthronement of Zhang Kentang might have been decided in advance by the imperial court, but the enthronement of Zhou Hezhi and the others was definitely not.
His uncle Shi Fu and Huang Ting were famous generals in the court as early as the Longwu Dynasty, but even his uncle Wu Jisi had to ask Shi Fu about the number of soldiers before deciding on rewards.
Zhou Hezhi and Xin Yigen were just unknown men in Zheng's army. Why would the court specially confer titles of earl on them? They must have first defected to Gui Jianguo and his entourage, and that's why the envoys filled in their names and conferred them the title of earl.
Zhou Hezhi and his companions only had a few dozen small boats and two to three thousand men under their command. If they could be made barons, why couldn't Shi Lang!
Although Wu Jisi had told Shi Lang about this matter long ago, the impact of seeing Zhou Hezhi and the others wearing the bestowed robes and being conferred titles in public was far greater than what Wu Jisi could have said in private.

In the hall, Zhou Hezhi and the other two were conferred titles, and today's ceremony of conferring the title of Governor-General was officially declared over.

The delegation also arranged a banquet beside the house, but after Zhou Hezhi and the other two were suddenly conferred the title of Earl, the generals in the Zheng army were already a little absent-minded.
The audience had a quick feast, congratulated Zhang Kentang, Zhou Hezhi and other newcomers, and then left in a hurry.

The titles bestowed upon Zhou Hezhi and others have already made the people in Zheng's army tempted. That is a title, even if they certainly cannot get the imperial salary after being granted the title now, it is still a title, and it is a matter of bringing honor to the family!

Even if they had nothing, being able to wear this gifted robe and be honored in front of others was enough to make ordinary generals like Hong Xishan excited. They had fought in the army for many years, and what they wanted was to be honored in front of others and return home in glory.
They didn't dare to compare themselves with high-ranking officials like Zhang Kentang, and Zhang Kentang was not on the same path as them.

However, Zhou Hezhi and the others were not much stronger than them, and Zhou Hezhi and the others were now called the Lords.
Since Zhou Hezhi and others were both granted the title of Earl, if they surrendered now, would they also be granted the title of Earl?
After the banquet, none of the parties stayed for long. Shi Lang and others even toasted with a glass of water and left the table directly. They hurried back home and reported to Shi Fu and others about Zhou Hezhi's ennoblement.

Zheng Chenggong sat in a corner of the hall, drinking silently, with no one around him.

Originally, given Zheng Chenggong's status, no matter what, no one would ignore him. However, the situation in the city was different at this time. The people who came to watch the ceremony all ignored Zheng Chenggong who was sitting in the corner.

At this time, the number of people in the field gradually decreased. Only a few generals were left, pulling Zhou Hezhi and the two newly promoted earls to drink and have fun, wanting to inquire about the ennoblement.

Zheng Chenggong saw that no one from the delegation came to ask questions at this time, and his face finally darkened, and he stood up and left.
But as soon as Zheng Chenggong left the banquet hall, he was stopped by the guards waiting nearby, and then he was taken to the back hall of the mansion.
(End of this chapter)