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

Chapter 1017 Officialdom Rules
A hint of murderous intent flashed across Zheng Zhilong's face. He could not tolerate what Chen Bao did. If everyone followed Chen Bao's example, how could Zheng Zhilong be the boss? How could he suppress his subordinates? Today, Chen Bao was able to embezzle so much money without his knowledge. If he was not punished, someone else would do the same thing as Chen Bao. By then, the entire Zheng Group would collapse.

"What do you think about the three feet six issue?" Zheng Zhilong asked.

Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhiwan looked at each other and said in unison: "This man must not be allowed to live! Kill him!"

"kill!"

Zheng Zhilong gritted his teeth and uttered the word, with a fierce light in his eyes.

Because of the change in status over the years, everyone became an official of the imperial court. The Zheng family group gradually became stable. Many people, including Zheng Zhilong, gradually learned how to be an official. The bandit spirit on them was much less than before. But don't forget that Zheng Zhilong is still the overlord of the sea. A tiger wearing a monk's robe and eating vegetarian food does not mean that the tiger is no longer a tiger. Once it is provoked, the tiger will still show its claws and still eat people.

Zheng Zhilong's current status and position were earned through his years of life-and-death battles. You should know that there were several people who were stronger than him back then, and there were also many people who had more senior subordinates than him. But why was Zheng Zhilong the one who had the last laugh?

Chen Bao was his confidant, but once he did something that touched Zheng Zhilong's fundamental interests, Zheng Zhilong would be ruthless no matter who you were. Don't forget that some of the big pirates who were swallowed up or even killed by Zheng Zhilong were certainly Zheng Zhilong's enemies, but some of them were Zheng Zhilong's sworn brothers or even benefactors.

In order to climb up the ladder and gain greater benefits, Zheng Zhilong could even kill his brothers and benefactors, let alone a mere Chen Bao? Chen Bao was so bold that he secretly embezzled so much money behind his back. How could he not kill such a person but keep him alive?

"Brother, I will take people to Nan'ao and bring you Chen Bao's head!" Zheng Zhibao said, patting his chest, and Zheng Zhiwan beside him was also eager to try.

Zheng Zhilong raised his hand to interrupt Zheng Zhibao's next words, and after thinking for a while, he asked, "Besides you two, who else knows about the three-foot-six incident?"

"This..." Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Zhiwan looked at each other and said hesitantly, "I'm afraid many people know about this now. This news came from Nan'ao. We brothers also heard about it and asked people about it before reporting it to you, big brother."

"This is difficult..." Zheng Zhilong frowned slightly. It would be fine if the matter of Chen Bao was discovered by himself or his two brothers in secret, but the news came from Nan'ao, and after changing hands several times, it is estimated that there are not a few people who know about it.

Judging from the situation, perhaps Chen Bao, who is now in Nan'ao, also knows that the news of this matter has leaked out and has been known by Zheng Zhilong. Chen Bao has been with Zheng Zhilong for more than one or two years. He was his close follower when Zheng Zhilong started his career. Later, Zheng Zhilong saw that he was brave and good at fighting and was loyal to him, so he promoted him step by step to his current position.

Chen Bao was considered a powerful figure in the Zheng Group. Chen Bao knew too many people in the Zheng Group, and there were several people who were on good terms with him. Since he already knew about Chen Bao, Chen Bao probably also got the news. Based on Zheng Zhilong's understanding of Chen Bao, this bastard would never surrender. Regardless of whether Zheng Zhibao or Zheng Zhiwan went to Nan'ao, Chen Bao would definitely take action.

If the news had not leaked out, it would be fine. No matter who I sent to Nan'ao, I could take Chen Bao down by surprise. I could kill him or chop him up at any time. But now the risk of doing so is too great. Once Chen Bao is prepared, he may even do something desperate. Not only will I not be able to take him down, but the people I sent may even become Chen Bao's hostages to threaten me.

Zheng Zhilong was a shrewd and calculating man, and he considered issues much more deeply than others thought, otherwise he would not have become the overlord of the sea with just an island, and now he has become a senior general of the Ming Dynasty and holds a title.

He knew Chen Bao very well and knew that this guy was not a good person. Moreover, conventional means would not work in the current situation. If he wanted to deal with Chen Bao, he could only use force decisively and strike with lightning speed to catch Chen Bao off guard before he could react.

After concentrating and thinking for a while, Zheng Zhilong decided to use the most reliable method to deal with Chen Bao. He immediately said, "Old Five!"

"Here!" Zheng Zhibao responded quickly.

"You take a navy to Nan'ao. I will let Hong Xu and Gan Hui lead a navy each to assist you. After arriving in Nan'ao, take my warrant and let Sanchiliu meet you. If he shows up, capture him directly and bring him back to Fuzhou..." "What if he doesn't come?" Zheng Zhibao asked.

"You're not coming?" Zheng Zhilong grinned and said, "If you don't come, then I'll take Nan'ao. I want to see how many soldiers in the Nan'ao garrison dare to follow this bastard in rebellion! By then, you don't have to bring him back. Just chop off his dog head!"

"Yes!" Zheng Zhibao responded loudly, rubbing his hands and saying, "Brother, just wait and see. I'll take care of this."

"Brother!" Zheng Zhiwan said at this moment, "Isn't this too much of a move? If it was in the past, it would be fine. You can deal with Chen Bao in any way you want, but don't forget that there is a governor in Fujian now. Although you control the Fujian navy and army, the most important official in Fujian is still Governor Hong. Once the navy is used to directly attack Nan'ao, the cause will be from the unknown Governor Hong..."

"What are you afraid of!" Zheng Zhibao said nonchalantly, "He's just a governor. If big brother gives him face, he's the governor. If you don't give him face, he's nothing! Besides, this is our Zheng family's own business. Hong Chengchou has no right to interfere!"

"Fifth brother, Governor Hong is not an ordinary civil servant. Not to mention that he is deeply favored by the emperor, he is also a governor-general who led the army. In the past, he commanded large armies to encircle and suppress bandits in the northwest and the Central Plains. Moreover, according to the current official system of the court, Governor Hong is the highest military and political chief of Fujian and Zhejiang. Although my eldest brother is the admiral of the Fujian Navy and is in charge of the army, he is granted the title of Jinwu General and the title of Earl, and his status is equal to that of Governor Hong. In fact, Governor Hong still has the power to supervise the Fujian army. If this matter is not reported to Governor Hong, if Governor Hong reports it to my eldest brother, I am afraid there will be some trouble in the court."

"What kind of trouble can there be?" Zheng Zhibao felt that Zheng Zhiwan was too cautious. Over the years, the Zheng family had been the local tyrants in Fujian. Relying on the troops in their hands, even the governor dared not say anything. What? Now that Hong Chengchou has come, they have to be restrained? Besides, Chen Bao was originally Zheng Zhilong's subordinate. Zheng Zhilong's decision to deal with Chen Bao was their internal affairs. How could Hong Chengchou care?

"Brother! I think no matter what, we have to give Governor Hong an explanation. After all, Governor Hong has just arrived. If there is a disturbance in this matter, it will not be a good thing for you, brother." Zheng Zhiwan did not even look at Zheng Zhibao. In his opinion, Zheng Zhibao, a muscular and simple-minded man, did not understand the ins and outs of this matter. Hong Chengchou was not a governor, he was the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. In the officialdom, face is important. If you give face to others, they will naturally give you face. If you don't even say hello, it is equivalent to slapping Hong Chengchou in the face. Once this kind of thing is done, the two families will become enemies in the future.

Besides, Hong Chengchou was a civil official. The Ming Dynasty always valued civil officials over military officials. It was better not to offend civil officials. Moreover, it was not difficult to get Hong Chengchou's tacit consent. Just find a suitable reason and give him some money to shut him up. If they could not easily take Nan'ao, Chen Baogou would be desperate. With Hong Chengchou on their side, it would be much easier to deal with the aftermath.

“Fourth brother…”

Seeing that Zheng Zhiwan still insisted on obtaining Hong Chengchou's consent first, Zheng Zhibao was very dissatisfied. Just as Zheng Zhibao was about to continue to refute, Zheng Zhilong raised his hand to interrupt him.

Frowning slightly, Zheng Zhilong thought carefully and felt that Zheng Zhiwan's words made some sense. Although he was not afraid of Hong Chengchou, the other party was the governor after all. It was indeed a bit excessive to send troops to Nan'ao without even saying hello. If Hong Chengchou was dissatisfied with him because of this matter and even impeached him, it would be a real trouble.

What's more, when Hong Chengchou came to Fujian to be the governor, Zheng Zhilong went to greet him in person on the first day of his appointment. After all, Zheng Zhilong was a senior general and earl of the Ming Dynasty, so he still had to give him some face in the officialdom. In addition, Zheng Zhilong knew that Hong Chengchou was a favorite of the current emperor, so it was better not to offend such a person. If he could win over Hong Chengchou and bring him to his side, it would be of great benefit to the Zheng Group in Fujian.

"In your opinion, what's the appropriate reason for this?" Zheng Zhilong asked Zheng Zhiwan.

Zheng Zhiwan smiled and said, "This is simple. Chen Bao has caused great public outrage in Nan'ao over the years, and people have been suing him. I'm afraid you have a lot of complaints in your hands, as well as evidence of Chen Bao's crimes. Isn't the court reorganizing its army now? You can use this as a basis to punish him based on these crimes, and compile a list of his crimes and send it to the Governor's Office. In this way, Governor Hong will naturally not refuse."

Zheng Zhilong immediately laughed. This was a good idea. Chen Bao had committed countless crimes in Nan'ao. In recent years, countless people came to Zheng Zhilong to sue Chen Bao. If Zheng Zhilong hadn't protected Chen Bao, this bastard would have committed more than ten heads.

It was natural to use this reason to deal with Chen Bao. As the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, Hong Chengchou would certainly not refuse and would naturally agree with Zheng Zhilong's action against Chen Bao.

However, Zheng Zhilong felt that it was not enough. He felt that it was not enough to deal with Chen Bao just by charging him with crimes. After thinking about it, Zheng Zhilong ordered Zheng Zhiwan to sort out Chen Bao's crimes as soon as possible and submit them to the Governor's Office, and then privately send 10,000 taels of silver to Hong Chengchou as a gift. As long as Hong Chengchou accepted the silver, not only would he solve Chen Bao's problem without any worries, but he could also take this opportunity to win over Hong Chengchou, which was killing two birds with one stone.

Zheng Zhilong's method made Zheng Zhiwan applaud, and he nodded repeatedly and said that he would do it. Seeing that his eldest brother and fourth brother had already discussed it, Zheng Zhibao no longer objected. He now had only one idea in his mind, which was to lead his troops to Nan'ao as soon as possible to capture Chen Bao and even chop off the head of this bastard. In addition, there is another important point, that is, the silver that Chen Bao has embezzled over the years is as much as 4 million taels! If you add the silver that Chen Bao has obtained by various means over the years, you can imagine how rich Chen Bao is. These riches are really too tempting. After solving Chen Bao, these silvers will belong to their Zheng family. As the fifth child of the Zheng family, he should get hundreds of thousands of taels or even more, right?
(End of this chapter)