Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 195 Choice
In the back hall of the Zheng family, Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhibao sat on the left, and Zheng Chenggong was on the right. There was no one else in the hall.

The first person on the left, Zheng Hongkui, was looking at the letter in his hand. The more he looked at it, the angrier his face became. Zheng Hongkui suddenly slammed the letter on the table. Finally, he could no longer bear it and suddenly shouted angrily:
"Brother, you have surrendered sincerely, but they want to take you to the capital. Do those Tartars know what they are doing?"

"Once my eldest brother leaves, Fujian Province will inevitably be in chaos. Do these Tartars know what the consequences will be?"

"Damn it, these Tartars deserve to die"

Zheng Hongkui's face turned red, and his angry roar resounded throughout the hall.

Bolo and others believed that if Zheng Zhilong was captured, the Zheng army would be leaderless and would be disintegrated and annexed by the Qing court just like Liu Zeqing and others before him.

But they did not realize that Zheng's army was completely different from the armies they had annexed before.

Whether it is Liu Zeqing or Zuo Menggeng, the troops under their command are all land divisions. The Qing cavalry is sharp. If these people do not surrender, they will be caught up and defeated by the Qing army sooner or later.
However, Zheng's army had a large number of naval forces, which meant that even if Zheng's army could not defeat the Qing court, they could easily escape to the sea by boat. Could the Qing army still chase them into the sea on horseback?
It would be fine if Zheng's army surrendered, but if they didn't, the Qing government would have no way to deal with them in a short period of time.

Zheng's army was now in a state where they could attack or defend.

Zheng Zhilong handed over Fujian Province and went to Fuzhou alone to surrender, which showed his sincerity.

But at this time, he was detained by the Qing court and sent to the capital. Under such circumstances, who among the generals of Zheng's army dared to surrender to the Qing? Aren't they afraid that they would also be taken to the capital because of their admiration for the emperor's grace?
What's more, at this time, there are Lu Jianguo and Gui Jianguo in the city who are constantly trying to win over the generals, so the generals in the army have more choices.
Zheng Hongkui was sure that the two parties were probably busy making offers and trying to win over Shi Fu and others.

If Shi Fu and his men also surrendered to the Ming Dynasty with their soldiers, what would be left of the Zheng family? Nothing at all.

This is absolutely not okay!
"Third brother, what should we do now? My Zheng family now has hundreds of thousands of people and countless warships. Why don't we go directly to Fuzhou and force those Tartars to hand over my eldest brother?"

Zheng Zhibao also looked furious, and he slammed the table and stood up.
Zheng Hongkui's face was gloomy when he heard this, and he didn't react at all. What Zheng Zhibao said was just a delusion.
When Zheng Zhilong was alive, they had access to natural defenses, but still did not dare to face the Qing army. Now that the Qing invaders occupy the strong city and the advantageous terrain, can they defeat the Qing army?

Besides, can the Zheng family really mobilize the army under their command now?

When Zheng Hongkui thought of this, his expression became more gloomy and he said

"The most urgent thing is to never let the Tartars take my brother away!"

Zheng Hongkui looked at Zheng Chenggong opposite him and said

"Damu, you are my eldest brother's eldest son. Now that my eldest brother has been deceived and captured by the Tartars, you should be the head of my Zheng family."

"You will take over the position of the head of the family immediately, lead the generals of the Zheng family in the name of the eldest brother, and occupy various major cities."

"I have detained all the Tartar messengers and will send people to Fuzhou to negotiate. If they don't let your father come back, then not a single Qing soldier will be able to enter Zhangzhou or Quanzhou!"

Seeing that Zheng Chenggong wanted to speak, Zheng Hongkui said sternly:
"This is a time when the survival of our Zheng family is at stake. You cannot mess around. Damu, you must do as I say."

Zheng Chenggong looked at Zheng Hongkui, who had a gloomy expression, and was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he spoke softly.

"I can follow my uncle's arrangement and become the head of the family, but then, how will my uncle negotiate with the Qing invaders?"

"Should I submit a petition to the Qing invaders to request their release of my father? Or should I send troops to Fuzhou Prefecture to threaten them to release my father?"

Zheng Hongkui's face darkened when he heard this. These two paths were actually not feasible.

If they submit to the Qing court, the army will probably be in chaos before the messenger reaches Fuzhou.

Not to mention whether the people in the army were willing to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, even if the generals in the army were willing to surrender, their plan to rescue Zheng Zhilong could not be realized.

Since they have decided to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, why should they still listen to the orders of the Zheng family? The Qing court is not a small court like Longwu. Everything is decided by the Zheng family.

The Qing Dynasty had countless troops in Fujian Province. After they surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, they would naturally obey the orders of the Qing Dynasty. Who would fight against the court for your Zheng family?

Sending troops to threaten the Qing court was also not feasible. Even if Shi Fu and others were grateful for Zheng Zhilong's kindness and were willing to send troops to rescue him, the Zheng family had already sent troops to rebel. Why would Bolo let Zheng Zhilong go?
There is only one possibility for this method to succeed, that is, the Zheng family's coalition forces defeated the Qing Dynasty head-on in Fujian Province.
Only in this way can Bolo be forced to release Zheng Zhilong. But if the Zheng family army really had this strength, why would they avoid the Qing army like snakes and scorpions and directly retreat thousands of miles back to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou?
Zheng Chenggong looked at Zheng Hongkui, who had a gloomy expression, and said

"Uncle San, it's useless."

"No matter what, I will never surrender to the Qing Dynasty. I have decided to serve under Zhang Butang..."

After hearing what Zheng Chenggong said, Zheng Hongkui could no longer hold back his anger. He slammed the table and shouted angrily:
"Do you think now is the time for you to act as you please? Do you want to see my Zheng family fall apart?"

Zheng Hongkui's face was furious. Zheng Chenggong was the eldest son of Zheng Zhilong. Since Zheng Zhilong was not here at this time, Zheng Chenggong was the real head of the Zheng family.
At this time, only Zheng Chenggong could take over the name of Zheng Zhilong, inherit the remaining power and virtue of Zheng Zhilong, and continue to call on the Zheng family to serve.
If Zheng Chenggong chose to surrender to the Ming at this time, I am afraid that those people in the army would directly accept the canonization of Gui Jianguo and others without any worries about the Zheng family's kindness.
The young master of the Zheng family has surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, so it is only natural for them to follow suit. Once these people accept the title of the Gui Regent court, the Zheng family may no longer be able to command them.
Zheng Chenggong looked at the furious Zheng Hongkui, but there was no fear on his face. He said in a deep voice:

"Uncle San, don't you understand? From the moment my father went to Fuzhou to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, my Zheng family has been torn apart!"

"Besides, will those uncles in the army really listen to the orders of a scholar like me?"

"Uncle San, that's impossible"

When Zheng Hongkui heard what Zheng Chenggong said, his face suddenly turned pale.

Zheng Chenggong's words completely shattered the last bit of Zheng Hongkui's thoughts. Even Zheng Chenggong could see this, so how could Zheng Hongkui not know?
In fact, when Shi Fu and others jointly sent Gui Jianguo's envoys to Xicheng, he had already discovered that the Zheng family generals had changed their minds.
As for what I just said about letting Zheng Chenggong take over as the head of the family and command all the generals in the name of Zheng Zhilong's eldest son, it is just wishful thinking.
At this time, even Zheng Hongkui, the former Duke of Dingguo, could not suppress the generals in the army. How could Zheng Chenggong, a mere scholar, have the prestige to make the generals disregard their own safety and interests and obey his orders?

Everything Zheng Hongkui had done before was just to delay time. As long as he could delay until Zheng Zhilong returned, relying on Zheng Zhilong's decades of prestige and gratitude, Shi Fu and others would most likely obey his orders.

With the support of Shi Fu and other direct military generals, the Zheng family could once again fight against the rebels and maintain the Zheng family's momentum. But now Zheng Zhilong has been captured by the Qing court, and the Zheng family has lost even the last possibility of reconciliation.
Zheng Hongkui seemed to have lost all his strength. He suddenly slumped down on the chair, muttering to himself:
"On one side is the Zheng family, and on the other side is the imperial court. How can I choose?"

Zheng Chenggong looked at Zheng Hongkui, who was at a loss, with a complicated look in his eyes. He sighed and said

"Uncle San, there will no longer be any Zheng family in the future."

"My father and I have made our choices, now it's time for Third Uncle to make his choice."

After Zheng Chenggong finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Zheng Hongkui above him, and then turned around and strode away without saying anything more.

At Zheng Cai's residence, Zheng Cai looked at the letter in his hand, and the joy on his face could no longer be concealed
"Good, good catch"

"The Tartars are barbarians outside the Great Wall, and their natures are like jackals. How can these people be trusted? The Tartars just casually threw out the position of Governor of Fujian and Guangdong, and Zheng Zhilong was actually bewitched by him."

"Zheng Zhilong has fallen into a trap and is truly courting his own destruction."

Zheng Cai looked at the handwriting on the letter and sneered

Zheng Zhilong said in the letter that he admired the grace of heaven, so he decided to take the initiative to go to Beijing to pay homage to the Qing emperor, but Zheng Cai did not believe a word of it.

Zheng Zhilong acted in a domineering manner. During the previous dynasty, he killed cabinet ministers, wielded military power, and abused his power. Such a person did not even take the Zhu emperor seriously, so how could he admire any Tartar emperor? Zheng Zhilong must have been captured by the Qing court!

Zheng Cai's face was full of excitement, and he immediately realized that this was a great opportunity to win over Shi Fu and others. However, before he could figure it out, Zheng Sheng suddenly walked into the room.

Zheng Sheng bowed to Zheng Cai above him and immediately spoke

"Duke Zheng, General Zheng Lian sent a letter saying that the Lu Regent and his entourage arrived at Zhongzuo yesterday."

"Well, you're here for the best. It's really a double blessing."

Zheng Cai immediately stood up from the chair when she heard this, with a look of delight on her face.
Now that Zheng Zhilong has been captured, Shi Fu and others will probably be greatly disappointed with the Qing court. The army is in chaos now. At this time, Regent Lu has arrived at Zhongzuo, which is a good opportunity to recruit generals!
Zheng Cai was also excited when he thought of this, and immediately said

"Immediately send someone to Zhongzuo to inform Zheng Lian of the current situation, and have Lu Jianguo immediately send a special envoy to Anping to recruit and enthronize the generals."

"Let Zheng Lian tell Regent Lu not to be stingy with those titles now. What else does Regent Lu have left except these titles?"

Zheng Sheng heard Zheng Cai's arrogant words, but his face remained unchanged. He bowed and was about to go down to deliver the message, but before he could move, he was stopped by Zheng Cai.

"I asked you to contact Shi Fu, Yang Geng and others before. What is their attitude now? Are they willing to surrender to the Lu Regent?"

"All three of them refused to express their opinions, and still wanted to wait for Zheng Zhilong to return before making a decision. Shi Lang also hinted to me that Gui Jianguo offered his uncle the title of Duke."

Zheng Cai snorted coldly when she heard this, and her face darkened instantly.

This Gui Regent is really generous. First he was a prince, and now he is a duke. He really doesn't feel sorry for giving out titles.

Zheng Cai set himself the position of Duke of the State during the reign of the Regent of Lu. His original plan was to be promoted to Duke of the State himself, and then confer titles of nobility and baron on the generals. This way, he could control the other generals by manipulating the Regent of Lu.
But at this time, Gui Jianguo was driving up the market price, so Tong obviously couldn't use the title of Marquis to win over Shi Fu.
Shi Fu was the most elite soldier under Zheng Zhilong, and he was in urgent need of a land division. As long as there was a chance, he would never give up on winning over Shi Fu's troops.

Zheng Cai thought for a moment, made a decision, and said

"You will go find Shi Fu and the others and tell them that as long as they are willing to serve under the Lu Regent, Shi Fu can be made Duke, Yang Geng can be made Marquis, and Huang Ting can also be made Marquis."

Since Zheng Zhilong has been captured, whether the Zheng family surrenders or not, I am afraid that the Qing army will soon move south. Most of his subordinates are naval forces, but they are not good at land warfare. If Shi Fu can be pulled over by using the title of Duke, it will be a good deal.
Although Shi Fu's title of Duke would weaken his position in the Lu Regent Court, his subordinates are mainly naval forces, while Shi Fu's subordinates are mainly land forces, so there will not be too much direct conflict, and it can also share the pressure on the Qing invaders.
Zheng Cai thought about it and felt that the benefits of this matter should outweigh the disadvantages, so he directly said to Zheng Sheng
"When you send a message to Zheng Lian, tell him about the titles of these people, and tell him that I have promised the titles to Shi Fu and others in order to win them over. Ask Lu Jianguo to prepare the decree and bring it over."

"Let Zheng Lian and Lu Jianguo make it clear that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. These are the most elite soldiers under Zheng Zhilong's command."

"If he can win over these people, he, the regent Lu, will be able to gather tens of thousands of troops in an instant and become the next Emperor Longwu. This is not the time to be stingy with the title."

"Also, send a letter to the Zheng family and all the generals in the army, and tell them that I, Zheng Cai, will gather the people to discuss matters in three days!"

Zheng Cai waved his hand, looking very high-spirited, while Zheng Sheng spoke up at this time

"There is one more thing I almost forgot to report. Just now, the insider I bribed in Zheng Mansion sent me a message saying that Zheng Mansion has sent a letter to all the generals in the army, saying that they will hold a meeting in Zheng Mansion in two days, but it seems that the general was not invited."

Zheng Cai heard this, but her expression remained unchanged, and she sneered

"The Zheng family naturally doesn't want me to go, but they can't stop me."

"It seems that the Zheng family is also anxious. It's a pity that Zheng Hongkui is not Zheng Zhilong. He wants to recruit Shi Fu and others to continue to work for his Zheng family, but it is wishful thinking."

After losing Zheng Zhilong, the Zheng family has become the weakest party in Anping City. Although the Qing court has a bad reputation, it is strong in military and horses. The regents Gui and Lu also have the orthodox status of the court, but the Zheng family has nothing.

Most of the Zheng family's navy was in the hands of Zheng Cai, and most of the soldiers were in the hands of Shi Fu and Yang Geng. Now the Zheng family only had more than 10,000 Zheng family soldiers in the hands of Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhibao.
No, the Zheng family still has money, food, five fleets dedicated to maritime trade, and countless ship captains and helmsmen who are familiar with the Japanese shipping routes. But the Zheng family cannot protect so many things with just these 10,000 land troops!
When Zheng Cai thought of this, a trace of greed flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly looked at Zheng Sheng below.

"Since the Zheng family will hold a meeting in two days, you should quickly send a message to tell Zheng Lian that the special envoy of Lu Jianguo must arrive in Anping in two days."

Zheng Sheng responded in a low voice, bowed, and then hurriedly left.

As the various parties in the city took action, the troops outside Anping City were constantly mobilized, and Anping City suddenly became undercurrents.
I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival. Here are two zongzi. Do you think it is a sweet zongzi or a salty zongzi?
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(End of this chapter)