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

Chapter 1015 Differentiation
Lu Hanzhou not only used his official title to win over Shi Xian, he also made many promises to Shi Xian, and asked Shi Xian to use his status to win over his father, brother and some other people in the Zheng Group.

Shi Xian was naturally not good at fighting, and he didn't learn much from studying, but it was not difficult for Shi Xian, a playboy, to do these things. The members of the Zheng Group were extremely complex. In addition to some of Zheng Zhilong's diehards, there were also a large number of members after Zheng Zhilong annexed other pirate groups. These people had different thoughts, and many people did not agree with Zheng Zhilong's attitude towards the court. They believed that they had fought on the sea for a lifetime and finally had the opportunity to become court officials. With the change of identity, their mentality naturally changed.

Who would want to be a bandit if they could be an official? Isn't it good to live a stable life? And the peace has lasted for too long, who would want to risk their lives? Even among Zheng Zhilong's loyal subordinates, there were people who thought the same way, but because of Zheng Zhilong's prestige and the suppression of power in his hands for many years, they had no choice but to follow Zheng Zhilong.

Now that there is an additional way and a better opportunity, will these people be tempted? The answer is yes. Even if they themselves are not tempted, what about their children and family members? Are they not tempted? Shi Xian is very familiar with many people, especially the descendants of the Zheng Group who are of the same age as him. They often get together to drink and have fun together. He knows their minds too well. It is not difficult for him to convince these people. Shi Xian is absolutely sure.

This was indeed the case. After Shi Xian received his official certificate, he was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. Soon after, Shi Xian secretly contacted several descendants of the Zheng family group. After his persuasion, these descendants of the Zheng family group gradually expressed their intention to surrender to the court. In addition, Lu Hanzhou gave Shi Xian several more official certificates as an inducement. Within the Zheng family group, a small group that secretly colluded with the court and was at odds with Zheng Zhilong quietly emerged.

Half a month later, the new Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, Hong Chengchou, finally arrived in Fuzhou to take office. On the day Hong Chengchou arrived, officials of all levels in Fujian went out of the city to welcome him. In addition to the Fujian Provincial Governor, Zheng Zhilong, as a senior general and earl of the Ming Dynasty, was naturally in the front. Hong Chengchou did not put on airs as a governor. When he saw the officials coming to pick him up, he stopped the sedan chair from a distance, got out of the sedan chair and took the initiative to walk forward to greet them, and greeted the officials at all levels with a pleasant face.

Hong Chengchou was very friendly to officials at all levels. He not only talked and laughed, but also held everyone's hands and talked for a long time. He was especially friendly to Zheng Zhilong. He praised Zheng Zhilong with a smile and said in front of everyone that Zheng Zhilong was the pillar of the Ming Dynasty. Zheng Zhilong made an indelible contribution to the peaceful situation in the southeast today and was the pride of the Fujian people.

After the meeting, they came to the governor's office with the support of everyone. The people who were hosted by Hong Chengchou in the governor's office that day were very enthusiastic at the banquet. The atmosphere was harmonious with conversation and laughter. He also made a speech as the governor, which meant that he came to Fujian and Zhejiang to take office, and he would need to rely on you all in the future for Fujian affairs.

After the banquet, Hong Chengchou, who had drunk a few more cups, was obviously drunk, but he still insisted on seeing everyone off. After seeing off the guests, Hong Chengchou returned to the backyard of the Governor's Office. His stumbling steps a moment ago were now steady, and his eyes were shining brightly on his drunken face. How could he still be drunk?
Arriving at the backyard, Hong Chengchou stepped in. Tang Tai, who had been waiting inside, quickly stood up and saluted Hong Chengchou.

"Commander Tang, please take a seat."

"Thank you, sir..." After paying his respects, Tang Tai sat back. After Hong Chengchou sat down steadily, he directly reported to Hong Chengchou on the series of arrangements and progress he had made since arriving in Fujian.

As Tang Tai reported, Hong Chengchou listened carefully and thought attentively. After more than half an hour, Tang Tai finished his report. Hong Chengchou smiled and nodded in praise: "Commander Tang is indeed a capable man of the Jinyiwei. He has done so many things in Fujian. He is very efficient!"

"I am working for the court, so I will do my best. Before you come, my lord, this is all I can do now. I don't know what your lord's next plan is, and I will do my best to cooperate with you." Tang Tai bowed.

"No hurry..." Hong Chengchou smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, "You are doing well now. Since there is considerable progress, continue to follow your arrangement. Today, I met Zheng Zhilong. Although Zheng Zhilong came from a humble background, he is a man of eagle and wolf, and is not an ordinary person. Moreover, he is now the admiral of the Fujian Navy, in charge of the Fujian Navy and the Army. He has many soldiers and generals under his command. One move can affect the whole body. We cannot be reckless in this matter. We should take it slowly."

"That's what my lord said."

Hong Chengchou continued, "You used Shi Xian as a breakthrough point to win over the Zheng Group. This is a good idea. The imperial court gave you a certificate for this purpose. But in my opinion, this is far from enough. Zheng Zhilong is not ordinary to have achieved what he has today. Moreover, although these people you have won over are useful, they are not very useful in reality. Once I take action against Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhilong can still control most of the military forces of the Zheng Group. A few small-time chickens and pottery dogs cannot affect the overall situation."

"What does your Excellency mean...?" Tang Tai asked intently. Although he had won over a group of people in the Zheng Group with the help of Shi Xian these days, as Hong Chengchou said, these people were not the backbone of the Zheng Group. They were just the middle-level managers of the Zheng Group and their children.

It cannot be said that it was useless to win over these people, but the actual effect they played could not be considered decisive. Hong Chengchou was right. The undisputed core of the Zheng Group was Zheng Zhilong himself, and surrounding Zheng Zhilong were his three brothers, Zheng Zhibao, Zheng Zhiguan and Zheng Zhifeng.

Among them, Zheng Zhifeng is Zheng Hongkui, who has actually left Zheng Zhilong's group and is independent. Moreover, Zheng Hongkui, as the admiral of the Shandong Navy, was previously appointed by the court as the deputy envoy to Europe. Now he is thousands of miles away, so this person can be put aside for the time being. But Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhiguan are different. These two are Zheng Zhilong's right-hand men, especially after Zheng Zhihu died in the battle of Liu Xiang, Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhiguan's status has been further improved, assisting Zheng Zhilong in managing the navy and the army, and are the second and third in command of the Zheng Group.

In addition to the two of them, there are Shi Daxuan, Hong Xu, and Gan Hui, all of whom are old members of Shibazhi. Among them, Shi Daxuan was lured over because of Shi Xian, but because Shi Daxuan's position in the Zheng Group is not high, he is just a garrison, and is responsible for training troops. Compared with others, he has less military power. Judging from the number of troops he controls, it only accounts for a very small part of the Zheng Group.

In addition, there are Chen Ba and Chen Bao. Although they are not as senior as Shi Daxuan, they are Zheng Zhilong's confidants. Especially the latter, Chen Bao is currently stationed in Nan'ao. He is Zheng Zhilong's capable subordinate who controls the South China Sea and collects maritime tolls from ships traveling to various countries. Zheng Zhilong trusts him much more than Shi Daxuan.

These talents are the real core of the Zheng Group. As long as these people are determined to help Zheng Zhilong and are loyal to him, even if Zheng Zhilong is captured, the problems of the Zheng Group cannot be solved.

"We can continue to win over Shi Daxuan. We can keep this chess piece for now. Perhaps it will be of great use. But Shi Daxuan alone is far from enough. We need to think of more ways to get other people." Hong Chengchou solemnly instructed.

"This..." Tang Tai looked embarrassed. The progress in winning over Shi Daxuan was good. After all, Shi Xian was here. As Shi Daxuan's son, Shi Xian played a very important role. Moreover, Shi Daxuan himself was dissatisfied with Zheng Zhilong. As long as the conditions offered were sufficient and Shi Xian could persuade him, Tang Tai was very confident.

But he had no way to deal with the others. Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhiwan were both Zheng Zhilong's brothers, and even Hong Xu, Gan Hui, Chen Ba and Chen Bao were all Zheng Zhilong's confidants. They were all in charge of heavy troops and obeyed Zheng Zhilong's orders. It was not impossible to win them over, but Tang Tai had no way to control the success rate. He was afraid that if he failed, it would arouse Zheng Zhilong's vigilance, which would backfire.

"Hahaha, why do we have to just win them over?" Hong Chengchou laughed, "Can we only win them over to get what we want? Although the court has given us official certificates, the positions in the court are not given for nothing. Moreover, with these people's current status and position, let alone you, a mere Jinyiwei commander, even I can't give them more."

Tang Tai's heart suddenly moved, as if he understood something.

"What do you mean by differentiation?"

Hong Chengchou nodded with satisfaction. Although he had just met Tang Tai today and it was the first time he dealt with him, he had to admit that the court had made the right choice by sending Tang Tai to Fujian. As a senior member of the Jinyiwei, Tang Tai was meticulous and able to draw inferences from one instance. There was no need to worry about his loyalty. With such a capable person assisting him in Fujian, he would be more confident in dealing with Zheng Zhilong.

"Commander Tang understands it well, it is division!" Hong Chengchou said with a smile: "Although I am a civilian official, I have led soldiers and fought in battles, and I know the art of war. When two armies face off on the battlefield, the victory or defeat, apart from the strength of both sides, often lies in their own internal forces."

"Once there is a problem internally, the situation can be reversed in an instant. The Zheng Group is not an ordinary Ming general family, it is itself a pirate group, and Zheng Zhilong, as the overlord of the sea, controls the Zheng Group and is the undisputed core."

"The people around Zheng Zhilong are his minions. With these people, Zheng Zhilong can control the navy and the army, and he is self-reliant. He pretends to obey the court but secretly disobeys it, just like a vassal. To deal with Zheng Zhilong, you need to clip his wings first. If you can win him over, win him over. If you can't win him over, divide him. As long as Zheng Zhilong no longer trusts these people, then Zheng Zhilong's power will be divided. By that time, the entire Zheng Group will become a clay Buddha that is strong on the outside but weak on the inside and will collapse at the slightest touch. It will be much easier to deal with it this way."

Hearing Hong Chengchou say this, Tang Tai immediately understood what the other party meant, and couldn't help but admire him. These civil servants are really thoughtful! They saw through the fundamental problem of Zheng Zhilong's group at a glance. Why didn't he think of this step before? However, it is difficult to do it. Tang Tai carefully thought about these people at the core of Zheng Zhilong's group. What methods would they use and who would they attack first? Tang Tai couldn't help but concentrate on thinking.

(End of this chapter)