Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1013 Jinyiwei

After entering the wing room, Shi Xian bowed to a man in the room.

"Shi Er greets His Excellency."

"Why didn't Second Young Master go to Yihong Courtyard today? Why did you have time to come and see me?" The man in the room was about thirty years old, slightly plump, dressed in silk and satin, with a round face and a friendly smile. He looked no different from a wealthy businessman.

"Sir, I have something important to report." Facing this man, Shi Xian, who usually looked like a rich second-generation man, did not dare to be negligent and said respectfully.

"Important?" The man narrowed his eyes and glanced at Shi Xian, nodded slightly and said, "Sit down."

"Thank you, sir!" Shi Xian then sat down below the man. After sitting down, he didn't beat around the bush and directly told the man the news he got from his father Shi Daxuan yesterday. After he finished speaking, Shi Xian specially explained, "Your Excellency, my father is quite worried about this matter and was reluctant to do it. However, he is a low-ranking official and has followed Zheng Zhilong for many years. Zheng Zhilong has spoken, and my father can't refuse even if he doesn't want to."

"I know this matter is not simple, and Zheng Zhilong has always been very selfish. He did not do this earlier or later, but at this time, and asked my father to do it. I am afraid there is something fishy about it! I thought about it all night last night, and I think this matter should be reported to you as soon as possible, so I came to find you. Please forgive me for my rashness..."

"Haha, if you have this intention, why be reckless? Well done!" The man smiled and waved his hand, his face becoming even more amiable.

Hearing the man say this, Shi Xian finally felt relieved and a smile appeared on his face.

The man comforted Shi Xian with a pleasant face and asked him carefully about what he had said. When they had almost finished talking, the man nodded slightly and picked up the tea beside him. Shi Xian tactfully stood up and said goodbye. The man stood up with a smile, walked up to Shi Xian, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him a few words. This made Shi Xian excited and he left happily.

After seeing Shi Xian off, the middle-aged man who had opened the door and swept the floor returned to the backyard and came to the wing room.

"grown ups!"

"Tell the brothers below to keep an eye on Zheng Zhilong, including everyone around him. Don't let go of anything, big or small. Report any news immediately!" The man's round face no longer had the kindness just now, but was replaced by firmness and decisiveness.

"Yes!" The middle-aged man bowed and left. After the middle-aged man left, the man changed his clothes, dressed like an ordinary person, left the house through the small door at the back, and went to another place.

This place is located in the north of the city, some distance away from the man's residence. After arriving there, the man asked to open the door. The person who opened the door saw that it was him and hurriedly welcomed him in. Then he took him to the second courtyard and brought him to a place to wait.

After sitting down, someone served tea, but the man did not touch the teacup at hand, and waited quietly. After a while, footsteps were heard from behind. Hearing the sound, the man hurriedly stood up with his hands hanging down. A tall man walked out from behind. This man was wearing an ordinary Taoist robe and had no accessories on his body, but he looked quite extraordinary at first sight, with a hint of the aura of a superior.

"I, Lu Hanzhou, greet you, Your Excellency..."

"Sit down!" the visitor said lightly, and Lu Hanzhou sat back. His behavior in front of this person was almost exactly the same as when Shi Xian met him just now, and he even seemed a little more respectful.

Lu Hanzhou's official position was not high, he was just a deputy captain, but he was different from an ordinary deputy captain. He was the deputy captain of the Fujian Jinyiwei Captain's Office. Moreover, the Jinyiwei had previously adjusted the members of the Fujian Jinyiwei internally, transferred many of them back to the capital, and then sent a group of people to replace them. Lu Hanzhou was ordered to be transferred to the position of deputy captain. In addition, the position of the Fujian Jinyiwei Captain was vacant now, so from a practical point of view, Lu Hanzhou was equivalent to the head of the Fujian Jinyiwei Captain's Office.

But even so, Lu Hanzhou was still cautious when facing the visitor. This gentleman was unusual. He was a high-ranking Jinyiwei in the capital who had just arrived in Fujian a few days ago - Commander Tang Tai. Because the Fujian issue was rather tricky, and the court had just appointed Governor-General of Huguang Hong Chengchou as Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, in order to cooperate with Hong Chengchou's work, Zhu Shenzui asked the Jinyiwei to strengthen the power of Fujian. So the Jinyiwei sent Commander Tang Tai to leave the capital and come here.

Tang Tai was considered an old member of the Jinyiwei. When Zhou Anmin was in charge of the Jinyiwei in Shanxi, Tang Tai served as a centurion under Zhou Anmin. Later, when Zhu Shenzhu entered the capital, Zhou Anmin's position rose, and Tang Tai was promoted from a centurion to a deputy centurion and took over the Jinyiwei in Shanxi. Later, he was promoted to a centurion and became a local leader of the Jinyiwei system.

After Zhu Shenzhui ascended the throne, Tang Tai was transferred from Shanxi to the capital and served as the pacification commissioner. After Zhou Anmin withdrew from the Jinyiwei under Zhu Shenzhui's arrangement, Tang Tai, as Zhou Anmin's old subordinate, was once again promoted from pacification commissioner to commander-in-chief, and became one of the senior officials of the Jinyiwei.

Facing such a big shot, who is also Zhou Anmin's confidant, how could Lu Hanzhou not be careful? Moreover, Lu Hanzhou knew the intention of putting him in Fujian, and he knew his importance in Fujian. Moreover, Fujian Jinyiwei did not have a regular commander yet. As a deputy commander, Lu Hanzhou had been eyeing this position. Once this was done well, it would not only be a great achievement, but also allow him to take a step forward. As long as he took the position of commander of Fujian Jinyiwei, Lu Hanzhou would have truly entered the ranks of the middle and high-level Jinyiwei, thus becoming the person who spoke for Jinyiwei in Fujian. Sitting halfway carefully, Lu Hanzhou reported to Tang Tai about Shi Xian's visit to him today, and detailed what Zheng Zhilong was going to do.

Facing his superiors, Lu Hanzhou did not hide anything. He not only told Tang Tai everything Shi Xian had said in detail, but also reported his recent surveillance of Zheng Zhilong and his men.

This report took nearly half an hour, during which Tang Tai did not interrupt Lu Hanzhou and listened to his story attentively. After Lu Hanzhou finished speaking, Tang Tai seemed to be thinking about something.

There was silence for a while. Lu Hanzhou held his breath and didn't dare to disturb Tang Tai. After an unknown amount of time, Tang Tai finally asked, "You have been in Fujian for more than a year. In your opinion, can Shi Xian be of great use?"

"My Lord, Shi Xian is a second-generation descendant. He is neither good at literature nor martial arts. He only relies on his father's influence. Moreover, although his father Shi Daxuan is one of Zheng Zhilong's eighteenth sons, he has not been doing well under Zheng Zhilong in recent years. His military rank and position are mediocre. He has some complaints about this..."

"These need no explanation. I understand them clearly in my mind. What I am asking is whether Shi Xian can be of great use?" Without waiting for Lu Hanzhou to finish his words, Tang Tai interrupted him with a wave of his hand and asked directly.

Lu Hanzhou hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "I think Shi Xian can be used!"

"Oh, didn't you just say that he was just a second-generation rich man, who was not good at literature but martial arts?"

"Sir, although Shi Xian has many flaws, he has one thing that is enough."

"Tell me carefully."

Lu Hanzhou said: "Although Shi Xian is neither good at literature nor martial arts, he is a little smart, which is fine. The key is that Shi Xian is still a wise man. He knows that the world belongs to the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, Shi Xian is different from his father. Although his father Shi Daxuan is slightly dissatisfied with Zheng Zhilong, Shi Daxuan, who came from a humble background, still has some fantasies about Zheng Zhilong and calls himself loyal. Even if he is suppressed by Zheng Zhilong, he just complains a little at most."

"But Shi Xian is different. He has no fear of Zheng Zhilong, and he hates him because of Zheng Zhilong. In addition, Shi Xian is devoted to his career and is unwilling to just hold a military post under his father. Therefore, when I tested Shi Xian, he quickly agreed to work for the Jinyiwei and help find out the news about Zheng Zhilong, becoming a nail planted by me."

"Since Shi Xian started helping me, he has been very active and dedicated. Moreover, he has a special status. He is not only familiar with the generals under Zheng Zhilong, but also often interacts with their descendants. In addition, Shi Xian has an elder brother, Shi Lang. Shi Lang and Shi Xian are brothers from the same mother and are three years older than Shi Xian. However, Shi Lang is different from Shi Xian. He is good at both civil and military affairs and can be regarded as a leader among the younger generation of the Zheng Group."

"Shi Lang joined the army at the age of seventeen, and followed his father to fight for Zheng Zhilong. He led the troops in every battle and made many military achievements. At present, Shi Lang has achieved a fifth-rank military position in Zheng Zhilong's army and was awarded the title of Huaiyuan Colonel, which is only one level lower than his father. This is enough to show that Shi Lang is not simple."

"In addition, Shi Lang and Shi Xian have a very good relationship and deep brotherly love. With Shi Xian here, we will have a great chance of winning over Shi Lang. Once we start, I think it is likely that his brothers will persuade Shi Daxuan. From this point of view, I think Shi Xian can be used and even more useful!"

"Okay!" Tang Tai clapped his hands and laughed. This was the answer he wanted.

He had been in Fujian for more than a month. During this month, Tang Tai had made a detailed investigation of the situation in Fujian, including Zheng Zhilong. He was very clear about his mission, which was to cooperate with Hong Chengchou to solve the problem of Zheng Zhilong.

But how could Zheng Zhilong be so easily dealt with? As a maritime overlord, Zheng Zhilong was no ordinary general. Although many generals in the Ming army, including the border troops, almost owned the army as private property, carefully trained their servants as the backbone of the army, and controlled the military power. But in fact, due to the military system of the Ming Dynasty, what they could do was still limited, and even if they had many servants and had their own troops, they could not achieve the level of the feudal lords in the Tang Dynasty.

But Zheng Zhilong was different. He had a lot of troops under his command. Although there were only 40,000 troops on the court's roster, Zheng Zhilong actually had an army of more than 150,000. In particular, such a large army was basically supported by Zheng Zhilong.

To put it bluntly, this army is the army of the Ming Dynasty on the surface, but in fact it is Zheng Zhilong's private army. Moreover, the generals leading the troops are all Zheng Zhilong's old men. From top to bottom, it is simply impossible to get through. The soldiers in the army only know Zheng Zhilong but not the court. What will happen if this continues?

The Ming Dynasty would never allow such a powerful person to exist. Moreover, Zheng Zhilong had no fear of the imperial court. He not only had his own troops but also pretended to obey the imperial court. In addition, he was currently occupying Fuzhou and Quanzhou, not only controlling most of Fujian, but also extending his hand to Guangdong. In addition, what he did in the South China Sea and his secret flirting with the red-haired barbarians in Xiaoliuqiu, did he really think that the imperial court was blind or deaf?

(End of this chapter)