Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 398: Presentation
In the study room at the back hall of the Lu Palace, Zhu Yihai, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, sits at the top, with Xiong Rulin, Zhang Mingzhen and other civil and military officials standing on the left and right below.
"Nanzhili Governor Zhang Jiayu and Councillor Qian Sufan pay their respects to His Royal Highness Prince Lu."

"No need to be so polite, my two lords. Please stand up."

Zhu Yihai did not show any anger when he heard Zhang Jiayu and the other two call him the King of Lu. He called them and asked them to take a seat.
Everyone in the hall sat down, and Zhang Jiayu was about to bring up the idea of ​​sending troops, but before Zhang Jiayu could say anything, Lu Jianguo above him suddenly spoke up.

"The imperial court has defeated the Qing invaders, pacified the eight provinces, and won the hearts of the people. I started the uprising on the Yangtze River not to usurp the throne, but to save our Ming Dynasty."

"Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne in Guangzhou, the imperial court will continue its rule. I wish to submit a petition to withdraw from the vassal state and restore the unity of the Ming Dynasty."

The people below heard this, but before they could react, Zhang Jiayu's face changed immediately and he spoke directly

"This is absolutely not feasible!"

Xiong Ruolin, Qian Sule and others were all shocked when they heard what Zhu Yihai said. Zhu Yihai had never mentioned to them beforehand that he would return to his throne. But what shocked Xiong Ruolin and others even more was Zhang Jiayu's reaction.

Logically speaking, at this time, the court was divided into two parts. In order to unite the people, the Guangdong court should ask Lu Jianguo to abdicate and return to his fiefdom. However, Lu Jianguo was unwilling to do so.

However, it was Lu Jianguo himself who proposed to abdicate, and Zhang Jiayu, a minister from Guangdong Province, strongly opposed it.
Zhang Jiayu didn't care what the people in the field thought. The court had already ceased war with the Qing court at this time. He came to Zhoushan this time to use the name of Lu Jianguo to get rid of Tian Xiong and promote the court's plan in the southern Zhili and Zhejiang provinces.

If Lu Jianguo resigned at this time, how could he attack Ningbo?

Zhang Jiayu also realized that what he said was a little inappropriate at this time, and immediately said

"What I mean is that the matter of withdrawing the fief is a major event in the court, and it also involves the personal relationship of the royal family. This matter needs to be handled by the emperor and the prince of Lu personally, and it is not something that an outsider like me can pass on."

"Yes, I want to ask Governor Zhang to first..."

Lu Jianguo was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly. It was indeed no small matter to return to the throne. He should personally discuss it with Gui Fan.
Zhang Jiayu saw Lu Jianguo nodded, but before Lu Jianguo could say anything else, he immediately changed the subject and said

"In fact, I came here because I have an urgent matter to attend to, and I would like to ask the King of Lu for help."

"Tian Xiong, the general of Zhejiang Province, was originally a general of the Ming army, but he rebelled and committed a heinous crime. I have come here on orders from the court to request Zhoushan to send troops to kill this thief!"

"Well, I'm sure."

Zhang Jiayu was about to persuade him, but after hearing what Lu Jianguo said, his face was stunned. Zhang Jiayu looked at Lu Jianguo who looked calm above him and couldn't help but speak.

"Your Highness, why don't you ask why the court wants to eliminate Tian Xiong?"

"Didn't Governor Zhang say that Tian Xiong is guilty of heinous crimes? If he is guilty of heinous crimes, he should be killed."

Zhang Jiayu looked at Lu Jianguo, who looked as if it was a matter of course, and for a moment his face was a little confused.
In Zhang Jiayu's opinion, the biggest difficulty in asking Zhoushan to send troops this time is Lu Jianguo. On the one hand, Zhang Jiayu and Lu Jianguo's status are not equal.
On the other hand, Zhang Jiayu was worried that Lu Jianguo would take the opportunity to ask for too much and make some demands that Zhang Jiayu could not agree to.

But Zhang Jiayu didn't expect that Lu Jianguo would agree directly after he just brought up the matter.
Tian Xiong arrested Emperor Hongguang and betrayed his master for fame. Zhang Jiayu originally planned to use Tian Xiong as the public enemy of the Ming Dynasty to encourage Zhoushan to send troops, and even prepared to ask Zhoushan for food, wages and military supplies.
But at this time, all these preparations were of no use. Lu Jianguo did not even raise any conditions and directly agreed.

"The matter of sending troops will be discussed and handled by Governor Zhang, Elder Xiong, Elder Qian, and others. Regarding the return of the vassal state, I will contact His Majesty in person later, but please ask Governor Zhang to report this matter to the palace first."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhang Jiayu responded subconsciously, and then the room returned to silence.
Xiong Rulin, Zhang Mingzhen and others were totally unprepared for Lu Jianguo's sudden proposal to return to the vassal state. They were already somewhat confused at this time, and Zhang Jiayu had no idea what to say.

The purpose of his visit this time was to persuade Zhoushan to send troops. Before he could finish his words, Lu Jianguo had already agreed. The matter had been settled. What else did he have to say?

There was silence in the room for a while. Seeing that everyone in the room was silent, Lu Jianguo spoke again.

"Governor Zhang, do you have anything else to do?"

"I recently rehearsed a new play, The Return of the Soul, with Zhang Zongzi. Zhang Zongzi's Wuling Troupe is truly the best in the world. If Governor Zhang has nothing to do, you can watch it with me."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, I cannot delay any urgent matters, so I will not disturb Your Highness's leisure."

Zhang Jiayu looked at Lu Jianguo who looked regretful and understood what was going on. He immediately stood up and said goodbye.
After Lu Jianguo ordered Xiong Ruolin and others to cooperate in handling the matter of sending troops, Xiong Ruolin and others also bowed and left the study.
Zhang Jiayu left the hall. A cold wind blew outside the room. Zhang Jiayu also understood the state of Lu Jianguo at this time.

The imperial court is now in the south, and the whole country has submitted to it. However, after several years, the people of Lu Fan are still just guarding an isolated island.

Lu Jianguo obviously understood that it was impossible for him to compete with the court for legitimacy.
Lu Jianguo's behavior today is not only for Zhang Jiayu to see, but also for the court to see.

If Lu Jianguo completely surrendered his military power and indulged in pleasure at this time, he could still enjoy a comfortable and wealthy life in the future. If he still held on to the military power and wanted to negotiate with the court at this time, he would probably be courting his own death.
In the side courtyard of the royal palace, Zhang Jiayu and Xiong Rulin sat at the top, and on the left below were civil officials such as Qian Sule, Wu Zhongluan, and Shen Chenquan, and on the right were two Zhoushan military officials, Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian.
Xiong Rulin looked at Zhang Mingzhen below and spoke first.

"General Zhang was also in the palace just now. His Majesty the Regent has agreed to send troops. Do the two generals have any objections to the dispatch of troops?"

Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian looked at each other, and seeing Zheng Zunqian nod, he also spoke

"The court has issued an order, and we must obey it. I and the soldiers under General Zheng are ready to follow Governor Zhang to fight at any time."

"But Lord Xiong also knows the situation in our army. Our two armies don't have many soldiers. It may be difficult for us to complete the court's plan alone." "If we really want to attack Zhejiang Province, I'm afraid we have to order Zheng Cai and Huang Binqing to send troops."

Xiong Ruolin frowned slightly when he heard this. Zhang Mingzhen seemed to be trying to shirk responsibility, but Xiong Ruolin knew that what Zhang Mingzhen said was the truth.

Although Zhoushan is just an isolated island in the sea, the situation on the island is also extremely complicated at this time.
Today, the forces on Zhoushan Island are roughly divided into three groups. On one side are the civil and military ministers who followed Lu Jianguo from Zhejiang Province, such as Xiong Rulin and Zhang Mingzhen.

The other side was Zheng Cai, Yang Geng and others who joined the Lu Regent when they were in Fujian Province. The last side was Huang Binqing, the Zhoushan General who was appointed by the Longwu Dynasty and the Earl of Su Lu.

Xiong Rulin, Zhang Mingzhen and other Yuan officials seemed to be well-equipped with both civil and military skills, but in fact they were the weakest of the three parties. Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian had only more than 4,000 soldiers under their command.
The most powerful faction on the island at this time was Zheng Cai's faction. When Zhoushan attacked the coastal areas of Southern Zhili, it was almost all Zheng Cai's faction that sent out troops.
Of course, the spoils and captured items were almost all in the hands of Zheng Cai and others, and were basically not handed over to the Lu Jianguo court.
Although Zheng Cai and his men suffered a series of defeats along the coast of Southern Zhili, they still had 15,000 soldiers under their command.

Huang Binqing, the general of Zhoushan, who was in the middle, had 8,000 soldiers and was also the leader of his own army on the island.
Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian were able to basically obey the orders of Lu Jianguo, but Zheng Cai and Yang Geng were completely obedient to orders and did not listen to announcements. As for Huang Binqing, he did not even obey the banner of Lu Jianguo and formed his own faction on the island.

After Xiong Rulin and others returned to Zhoushan from Fujian Province, they soon discovered the domineering behavior of Zheng Cai and others.

The Lu Jianguo party also promoted Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian to Dukes, hoping to use this to check and balance Zheng Cai and Yang Geng, but it was useless.
Zheng Cai and his men did not even submit to the Guangdong court, which had superior military strength, so how could they recognize the two empty titles of Dukes conferred by the Lu Regent?
Besides, the reason why Zheng Cai and others joined the Lu Jianguo was to gain both fame and independence. How could they possibly obey the orders of Lu Jianguo and others?

Although the monthly food and salary subsidies from the Guangdong Provincial Government to Zhoushan were specifically assigned to Xiong Ruolin and others, in reality, after these supplies were transported to Zhoushan, most of the rice and grain still fell into Zheng Cai's hands.
If Zheng Cai had not been afraid that Lu Jianguo and others would complain to the Guangdong Provincial Court and cut off Zhoushan's food and wages, he would probably not have left even the remaining half for Zhang Mingzhen and others.

Xiong Rulin looked at Zhang Jiayu and said in a deep voice

"Zheng Yang and his men have always been domineering. Although Your Highness has issued an order, I'm afraid these two will not easily cooperate. I have no way to deal with them."

Xiong Ruolin already knew the court's plan. According to the court's plan, not only did they have to send troops, but they also had to capture the city. Zhang Mingzhen's 4,000 men were definitely not enough. Zheng Cai and others not only had to send troops, but also had to be the main force.
Zhang Jiayu's expression remained unchanged after hearing this. He thought for a moment and then said

"It's okay. I'll find a way to deal with Zheng Cai. I'm afraid Zheng Cai is already waiting for me to come over."

Zhang Jiayu learned about Zheng Cai's situation from Xiong Rulin and others. Xiong Rulin, Zhang Mingzhen and others left and began to prepare for the expedition. Zhang Jiayu rushed to Zheng Cai's mansion under the escort of soldiers.
In the back hall of the Zheng Mansion, Zheng Cai and Yang Geng sat on the left, while Zhang Jiayu sat on the right. In the huge back hall, there were only three people.

Zheng Cai naturally knew that Zhang Jiayu had arrived in Zhoushan. Xiong Rulin, Zhang Mingzhen and other cabinet ministers all rushed to the dock to greet him. Although Zheng Cai did not care about Xiong Rulin and other so-called cabinet ministers, he would not be so careless.

When Zheng Cai found out that Zhang Jiayu had rushed to Zhoushan, he immediately asked someone to find out what Zhang Jiayu was up to. But before he could find out, Zhang Jiayu had rushed directly to the mansion.
After Zhang Jiayu sat down, he got straight to the point and told Zheng Cai and Yang Geng about the imperial court's plan to send troops. However, Zheng Cai and Yang Geng frowned when they heard Zhang Jiayu's plan.

According to Zhang Jiayu, the imperial court's plan in Zhejiang Province this time is not a small-scale war. At least more than 10,000 troops will be dispatched.
Given the current situation on the island, most of the warships and manpower needed for this expedition to Zhejiang Province will probably fall on the shoulders of the two of them.

Zheng Cai frowned and said

"Why did the court suddenly want to kill Tian Xiong?"

"Because Tian Xiong intercepted the goods from the Maritime Trade Department."

Zheng Cai's eyes flashed with understanding after hearing what Zhang Jiayu said. The Maritime Trade Department has been established for several years. As someone who also started his career in maritime trade, Zheng Cai naturally knew the situation of the Maritime Trade Department.

As far as Zheng Cai knows, this Maritime Trade Division was the maritime merchant fleet formed after the palace incorporated the Zheng family of Fujian Province.
What these fleets did was no different from what they did when Zheng Zhilong was in power. They all transported goods from the Central Plains to various places in the ocean to earn huge profits for the palace.
The Maritime Trade Department is directly under the palace, and its profits are directly transferred to the palace treasury. Tian Xiong robbed the goods of the Maritime Trade Department without knowing the truth, which is equivalent to robbing the palace's money. The emperor in Guangzhou will naturally be furious.

Zhang Jiayu looked at the realization on the faces of the two people opposite him, his eyes flickered slightly. The court's elimination of Tian Xiong at this time was not only to expand the smuggling channels in Jiangnan, but also related to the court's subsequent plan to manage Nanzhili.

It was impossible for Zhang Jiayu to tell Zheng Cai and the others the true purpose of the imperial court. In fact, it would be useless even if he told Zheng Cai and the others.
For military leaders like Zheng Cai, compared to the so-called righteousness of the court, the reason that the palace's merchants' goods were robbed and they had to report it and retaliate was more convincing than anything else.

Yang Geng also spoke at this time

"The imperial court has many elite soldiers and generals, and Zhejiang Province has a large army stationed there. Why does the imperial court want us to send troops to Zhoushan?"

"The imperial court has just signed a ceasefire agreement with the Qing army. How can we go back on our word? Therefore, this matter can only be handled by Zhoushan."

Yang Geng and the others realized that the Guangdong government had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Qing several months ago, so they could not send troops. However, Lu Jianguo had not signed a ceasefire with the Qing, so he could send troops at this time.
Zheng Cai and the other two understood the reason why the imperial court sent troops, but they were silent at this time. Seeing the silence of the two, Zhang Jiayu also spoke directly

"All expenses of this expedition will be borne by the court. As long as Zhoushan sends troops, the court will pay 20,000 dan of rice and 10,000 taels of silver regardless of success or failure."

"Moreover, all the loot from this expedition will belong to Zhoushan. After the war, I can also resell the loot on Zhoushan's behalf. What do you think, generals?"

Zheng Cai and the other man showed some interest, but they still refused to speak. The conditions offered by the court this time were generous, but not enough to make them risk their lives.

Zhejiang Province is not what it used to be. After the confrontation between the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Qing government also gathered a large army in Zhejiang Province. Once they led their troops ashore, they might be surrounded by the Qing government army if they were not careful.

Zheng Cai has been attacking Jiangnan for many years, and he couldn't even defeat the Green Camp soldiers in the inland, let alone the border troops stationed in Zhejiang Province by the Qing court. Once they are held back by the Qing army, I'm afraid all the soldiers they brought with them will be wiped out.
Seeing that the two were still unwilling to speak, Zhang Jiayu's eyes turned and he spoke again

"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the people of the world have been convinced, and the imperial court controls eight provinces, while Zhoushan is just an isolated island overseas. The situation in the world is already clear. How long do you think the King of Lu can maintain the title of regent?"

"I think the two generals should also make some preparations for the future."

Zheng Cai and the other man's faces changed slightly when they heard this, and Zhang Jiayu looked at the two of them in silence, with a hint of smile in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)