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

Chapter 1014: Announcement
When Tang Tai left Beijing, the commander-in-chief Wu Mengming specifically told him that after arriving in Fujian, he should not only find out Zheng Zhilong's background, but also find ways to divide and disintegrate Zheng Zhilong's internal forces, so as to cooperate with Hong Chengchou's next plan in Fujian.

Not only that, before Tang Tai left Beijing, Zhou Anmin also specially summoned him over and gave him detailed instructions. Tang Tai cared much more about his old boss Zhou Anmin than Wu Mengming. Although Wu Mengming is now the commander-in-chief of the Jinyiwei and Zhou Anmin is no longer serving in the Jinyiwei, you must know that the current Jinyiwei is still the same team as before Zhou Anmin. In addition, Zhou Anmin has a special identity, and his instructions are equivalent to the emperor's intentions. How could Tang Tai not care?

More than a year ago, the Jinyiwei secretly began to deploy in Fujian. Not only did they gradually replace most of the people in the Fujian Jinyiwei garrisons, but they also drew elite soldiers from all over the country to the Fujian Qianhu Garrison. Among them, Lu Hanzhou came to Fujian in this way.

The Jinyiwei below might not be aware of the reason for this, but Tang Tai, a senior member of the Jinyiwei, knew something or two. This arrangement was aimed at Fujian, and the most important group in Fujian was the group headed by Zheng Zhilong.

With the departure of Zheng Hongkui, the admiral of the Shandong Navy, to Europe, the imperial court had clearly stepped up its plans for Fujian. This time, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces were merged into Fujian and Zhejiang, a governor's jurisdiction was set up, and the famous Hong Chengchou was transferred as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. The emperor's intention to take action against Fujian, that is, Zheng Zhilong, was clear.

Zheng Zhilong relied on his own strength and was almost like a local emperor in Fujian. Not to mention ordinary officials, even the governor of Fujian could do nothing about Zheng Zhilong. You should know that Zheng Zhilong was not only rich enough to rival a country, but also had an army of 150,000. With such a strong army in hand, it was extremely difficult to deal with Zheng Zhilong.

It is totally impossible to rely on ordinary methods. Zheng Zhilong is not Mao Wenlong. This guy was born a pirate. He fought with swords and guns on the sea with his life on the line. Although he became an official of the Ming Dynasty and obtained a title of Ming Dynasty, he was still a ruffian in essence.

Yuan Chonghuan could kill Mao Wenlong with just a sword, but if he met Zheng Zhilong, let alone the sword, even if the emperor came in person, this old guy would dare to fight you to the death. Zheng Zhilong is not the kind of person who is willing to surrender. Does he really think that his 150,000 troops are vegetarians? If it really comes to this, even if Zheng Zhilong is solved, what about his men? Once a mutiny occurs, there will be no peace in the South China Sea, and no one can afford such a result.

After arriving in Fujian, Tang Tai began to prepare and at the same time conducted a survey of the Zheng Group. As time went by, a lot of information and data was placed on his desk, and Tang Tai felt that this matter was more and more difficult to do.

It was not difficult to deal with Zheng Zhilong alone, but the difficult part was how to deal with the subsequent affairs after dealing with Zheng Zhilong, including the problems of Zheng Zhilong's subordinates and the army. This matter must be handled with caution, and you must not be impatient. Moreover, Zheng Zhilong was not stupid, and he also had sources of information. Even if Zheng Zhilong could not figure out the true intentions of the court's arrangements, he felt that something was wrong.

With Zheng Zhilong's ability, it was enough for him to feel that something was wrong, and the news brought by Lu Hanzhou today also proved this. It seemed that Zheng Zhilong had already started to deal with some things. He also knew that with the arrival of Hong Chengchou, he would definitely cause trouble for him. Zheng Zhilong arranged these in advance to avoid being caught by Hong Chengchou, and he was also making necessary preparations.

Zheng Zhilong's actions show his attitude towards the court. If this cancer is not resolved, there will be no peace in the southeast. It is necessary to deal with Zheng Zhilong, but the key is to avoid the turmoil that the Zheng Group may cause while dealing with Zheng Zhilong. This is the key.

"Since Shi Xian is available, let's use him well!" Tang Tai said to Lu Hanzhou, "Before I came to Fujian, the Lord gave me instructions and gave me the right to act at my own convenience. The Jinyiwei are not particular about details. As long as they can get things done, they will do anything! The father and son of the Shi family and Zheng Zhilong are not in harmony with each other, this is our chance! Especially Shi Xian, we need to win him over. As long as the father and son of the Shi family stand on the side of the court, we will have a better chance. Not only the father and son of the Shi family, but also the other people under Zheng Zhilong are the same. If these people can surrender to the court, Zheng Zhilong will become a tiger without claws and teeth, and there is nothing to be afraid of."

"Your Excellency is wise!" Lu Hanzhou flattered him hastily, "I think so too, that's why I tried my best to win over Shi Xian. But your Excellency, the Shi family has followed Zheng Zhilong for many years, they have no shortage of money, so it's OK for Shi Xian, but it's a bit difficult for Shi Daxuan and Shi Lang, mainly because..."

Before he could finish, Tang Tai interrupted him and said, "What's so difficult about this? I remember that Shi Daxuan is only a garrison commander of Anyuan. Shi Lang's official rank is only the fifth rank. In my opinion, this is indeed a bit low. As long as the father and son of the Shi family can be loyal to the court and work hard for the court, what does a mere military rank and position mean? Tell Shi Xian that as long as the father and son defect to the court, a mere general guarding the country is not a big deal for the court. If they can do a good job, even the title of general guarding the country is not impossible."

"As for official positions, let alone the imperial court will have its own rewards. By then, let alone a third-rank military position, even a second-rank may be out of the question." Having said this, Tang Tai stood up and asked Lu Hanzhou to wait a while, then turned and went to the back. After waiting for a while, Tang Tai came back and gave Lu Hanzhou a box.

Lu Hanzhou took the box and looked at Tang Tai in confusion. Tang Tai nodded and asked him to open it. When Lu Hanzhou opened the box and saw what was inside, he was shocked. It turned out that the box contained a thick stack of official certificates. The so-called official certificate is actually an official's appointment letter, or a letter of commission in later times. This thing is a certificate of appointment, usually issued by the employing departments, and then approved by the emperor, stamped with a seal, and issued after review by the Ministry of Personnel as a certificate of official appointment.

However, the stack of certificates in Lu Hanzhou's hand was different from ordinary certificates. They were specially made blank certificates. The names and official positions on them were blank, but they were stamped with the seals of the Ministry of War and the General Senate. Looking at these certificates, Lu Hanzhou's eyes widened.

"Take these certificates. As long as you are a military officer below the third rank, you can fill in and save them to be effective. You should know who they are for and how they are used."

"I understand..." Lu Hanzhou nodded repeatedly. Although the certificates in his hand were light, they felt like a thousand pounds. As for the origins of these certificates, Lu Hanzhou didn't dare to ask more. Without the emperor's permission, Tang Tai could not produce these things with his authority. This alone was enough to show the court's attention to Fujian's affairs.

Seeing that Lu Hanzhou understood what he meant, Tang Tai nodded with satisfaction, and after explaining a few more things to him, he served tea and sent him away. After leaving Tang Tai, Lu Hanzhou was in a state of excitement, and he was more aware of the heavy responsibility on his shoulders. He carefully put away the box containing the certificate, and then quietly returned to his residence away from people.

A few days later, Lu Hanzhou met Shi Xian first and directly gave Shi Xian a fifth-rank military position with a certificate. When Shi Xian received the certificate with his name and military position written on it, he became full of energy and his face flushed with excitement.

You should know that although Shi Xian is the son of Shi Daxuan, he is an inconspicuous figure in the Zheng Group. Moreover, because he has no ability, he only relies on his father to hold a position in the army. In terms of official position, it is only the sixth rank. A sixth-rank military officer and a nominal position cannot be considered a real official position at all. This is why Shi Xian has always been dissatisfied.

And now Lu Hanzhou actually arranged for him to get a fifth-rank military position. You know, his brother Shi Lang's military position was just that high! Shi Xian was overjoyed to get such a military position right away. More importantly, Lu Hanzhou also promised him that as long as Shi Xian could pull his father and brother into the court camp and work for the court wholeheartedly, the court would never treat them unfairly. At that time, not only would Shi Daxuan's position as a general be satisfied, but even Shi Lang would be able to become a military commander, so that the Shi family could go from being a vassal of the Zheng family to one of the generals of the Ming Dynasty.

Such a good thing was like pie falling from the sky, which made Shi Xian dizzy and even more excited.

Not to mention that Shi Xian was extremely dissatisfied with Zheng Zhilong's tyranny and injustice, and his attitude towards the court was different from that of Zheng Zhilong and others. He was more inclined to surrender to the court. In his opinion, Zheng Zhilong's move would not go far. Since he had already surrendered to the court, he would continue to hold his own troops as before, and be hypocritical to the court. This would definitely not last long.

The current Ming Dynasty is not the same as before. With the pacification of the internal troubles of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has already begun to show signs of rejuvenation. Under such circumstances, the court will never allow Zheng Zhilong to continue to occupy the southeast as before, like a vassal.

There were two options before Zheng Zhilong. One was to establish his own regime and fight against the imperial court. The other was to serve as an official of the Ming Dynasty and sincerely surrender to the imperial court to continue the prosperity of the Zheng family.

These two paths are contradictory and can be said to be completely opposite choices. But Zheng Zhilong wanted both. He wanted to seize military power and continue to be his maritime overlord and local emperor, and he also wanted to get benefits from the court and enjoy wealth. How could this be possible?

You can't have your cake and eat it too. Zheng Zhilong was smart all his life but confused for a moment. He thought he could do this as he controlled the military power. However, his behavior has touched the tolerance limit of the court. Any unified country will never allow such a person to engage in divisive behavior. What's more, the person sitting on the throne now is not the Chongzhen Emperor of the past, but the Yongming Emperor of today!
Shi Xian was a smart man and a wise man. This was the real reason why Shi Xian was easily won over and worked for Jinyiwei when Lu Hanzhou sent people to win him over. He knew clearly that although Zheng Zhilong had a huge power, he was just a ruffian after all. He could be a pirate leader, but he had no chance of competing for the world. Moreover, the strength of the Zheng Group was no match for the court. Once the court had time to deal with Zheng Zhilong, it was easy to imagine what would happen to him.

(End of this chapter)