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

Chapter 966 Zheng Hongkui Enters Beijing

Zhu Shenzhu was extremely angry. He even planned to send the Jinyiwei to Fujian to capture Zheng Zhilong and deal with him directly.

However, this idea was suppressed by Zhu Shenzhu as soon as it came out. It was not so easy to capture Zheng Zhilong. Zheng Zhilong was not the Mao Wenlong of the past, and he did not have Mao Wenlong's loyalty and fear of the Ming Dynasty. Yuan Chonghuan could use an imperial sword to forge an imperial decree to kill Mao Wenlong, but if the same thing happened to Zheng Zhilong, let alone killing him, I am afraid that Zheng Zhilong would turn against him on the spot and strike first.

You have to know that Zheng Zhilong was born as a pirate, and he fought his way out of the sea with his bare arms and sword. There are very few people who can achieve such a level in the "promising" career of pirates. Apart from the great pirate Wang Zhi during the Jiajing period, there is only Zheng Zhilong.

Moreover, after being recruited by the imperial court, Zheng Zhilong transformed himself from a pirate to an official of the Ming court, and all his subordinates became official soldiers. With the support of the Ming court, Zheng Zhilong took ruthless actions against his former competitors in the name of eliminating the pirates in the South China Sea and stabilizing the coast of the Ming Dynasty. In just a few years, the pirates who were at odds with Zheng Zhilong were either annexed or eliminated one by one, thus completely fulfilling his intention of fully controlling the South China Sea.

Now Zheng Zhilong is the overlord of the South China Sea. The entire Fujian Navy is under his command. He has countless elite soldiers and generals under his command, and his military strength is very strong. This is why Zhu Shenzhu specially awarded Zheng Zhilong the rank of Jinwu General (Admiral) when he awarded military ranks. This rank is already the top in the Ming Dynasty. There are only a few people who are equal to him, including Wang Jinwu, Zhou Anmin, Hei Yunlong, Wu Xiang, Qin Liangyu and others.

The reason for this arrangement was that Zhu Shenzhui also wanted to recruit Zheng Zhilong. After all, Zheng Zhilong's Fujian Navy played a very important role and was an important military force for the Ming Dynasty to pacify the South China Sea. And there is another point, that is, Zhu Shenzhui has a special feeling for Zheng Zhilong's son Zheng Sen (Zheng Chenggong). After all, Zhu Shenzhui has a great liking for this national hero in history books in later generations. He doesn't want to force him too much because of Zheng Zhilong, so he adopts a conciliatory policy, intending to appreciate Zheng Zhilong. If Zheng Zhilong understands this truth and works for the country as loyally as Zheng Hongkui, what does a mere military rank or even a title and wealth mean?

But I didn't expect that Zheng Zhilong would do such a thing. This was not only deceiving the emperor, but also had evil intentions. If Zheng Zhilong continued like this, the situation would be extremely dangerous. With such a powerful navy and a large number of land forces stationed in Fujian, once Zheng Zhilong rebelled, the southeastern half of the Ming Dynasty would be in complete chaos.

Given these reasons, it was impossible to capture Zheng Zhilong with just a few Jinyiwei and an imperial edict, and even if they succeeded by chance, it would lead to terrible consequences. Regardless of whether Zheng Zhilong was dead or alive, his subordinates would inevitably rebel. Once a rebellion broke out, not only Fujian would be in chaos, but also Zhejiang, Guangdong and other places adjacent to Fujian would be in chaos.

In addition to the maritime power that Zheng Zhilong possessed, if he and his subordinates became pirates again, there would be no peace in the coastal areas of the Ming Dynasty, and the consequences would probably be more serious than the Japanese pirates' rebellion. In addition, there is Zheng Hongkui in Shandong. Although Zheng Hongkui is not Zheng Zhilong, his loyalty to the court is real, but after all, he is Zheng Zhilong's brother. If Zheng Zhilong rebels, what will Zheng Hongkui's attitude be? Even if Zheng Hongkui stands on the side of the court for the sake of justice, how do the civil and military officials in the court view this matter? Will it have a great impact on the Shandong Navy? These are uncertain variables.

If Zheng Hongkui and even the Shandong Navy were affected because of Zheng Zhilong, then all the hard work Zhu Shenzhui had done over the years would be wasted. Not only would the current foreign trade suffer a huge blow, but the Ming Dynasty's finances, which had just recovered, would be in trouble. Moreover, the strategic deployment in Liaodong would be in big trouble. Without the absolute suppression of the Shandong Navy, the significance of the garrison in Pi Island would be almost wasted. In addition, the strategic and economic blockades of Liaodong would collapse completely, which would directly affect the entire war situation.

As an emperor, Zhu Shenzhu knew that he could not act on impulse. Although he hated Zheng Zhilong so much, he wanted to bring this bastard to Beijing and ask him in person why he was so greedy? Why couldn't he be loyal to the court? Why did he keep the enemy and deceive his father? He wanted to dig open this bastard's chest and take out his heart to see if it was black.

Zhu Shenzhui suppressed his anger and after weighing the pros and cons decided not to take any action against Zheng Zhilong for the time being. After all, the consequences of taking action against him now would be too serious and the Ming Dynasty could not withstand such setbacks.

But not taking action against Zheng Zhilong did not mean that Zhu Shenzhui would do nothing. He asked the Jinyiwei commander-in-chief Wu Mengming to enter the palace that day and explained everything to him in detail. He asked the Jinyiwei to quietly send more people to Fujian to closely monitor Zheng Zhilong and his family and subordinates. This matter had to be done carefully and secretly, and no move of Zheng Zhilong could be let go. In addition, without his own order, the Jinyiwei were not allowed to take action against Zheng Zhilong without authorization.

After arranging the Jinyiwei, Zhu Shenzhu then prepared to adjust the officials in Fujian. Originally, Fujian officials had been adjusted once since Xiong Wencan, but the adjustment was not large, just filling a few vacancies and adjusting a few officials.

But this time it was different. Zhu Shenzhu planned to let Xu Xiancheng, in the name of the Supervisory Office, use the previous Jiangnan case to jointly send inspectors from the Censorate to Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces to assess officials, and use this as an excuse to replace officials in these provinces.

On the surface, it was aimed at four provinces, but in fact it was aimed at officials in Fujian. The other three provinces were just a cover. In the coming year, the court will gradually replace and adjust local officials in Fujian, especially in Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Fuzhou. Among these officials, those who have connections with Zheng Zhilong or have even been secretly bribed by Zheng Zhilong are the top priority.

By adjusting and replacing these officials, the court would be able to strengthen local control over Fujian and weaken Zheng Zhilong's influence over Fujian, thereby allowing the court to have stronger control over these areas.

In addition, Zhu Shenzhu also planned to split and mobilize Zheng Zhilong's subordinates one by one, and gradually infiltrate the navy and army controlled by Zheng Zhilong by cutting off their limbs and mixing sand with the Fujian navy. Of course, this is not easy to do, and the action cannot be big, otherwise Zheng Zhilong is not stupid, he will soon realize the court's intentions towards him, and it is hard to guarantee how he will react. Because Zheng Zhilong's identity has changed now, he is no longer a pirate, but a general and official of the Ming Dynasty. Even if the court mobilizes his subordinates to a small extent and appoints other generals to Fujian, Zheng Zhilong has no reason to object on the surface. This degree must be grasped well. To put it bluntly, it is the way of boiling a frog in warm water. Zhu Shenzhu is ready to use a few years to lay out this bureau, and when the time is ripe, it will be the opportunity to really take action.

A few days later, Zheng Hongkui in Shandong suddenly received an imperial edict asking him to return to Beijing. After receiving the order, Zheng Hongkui did not think much about it. He arranged the things at hand and set off for the capital excitedly. He arrived in the capital soon.

Now Zheng Hongkui is not only the admiral of Shandong Navy and General of Cavalry (with the rank of Lieutenant General), but also holds the title of first-class viscount.

Compared with Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Hongkui's title was lower, but Zheng Hongkui was satisfied. You know, when he was under his elder brother Zheng Zhilong, he was just a character with a low sense of existence. His military rank was not high, just a centurion, and he had no title. It was not an exaggeration to say that he was just muddling through.

Thanks to Xu Xiancheng's recommendation, Zheng Hongkui had the opportunity to catch the emperor's eye. After coming to the capital from Fujian, he was entrusted with the task of establishing the Shandong Navy at the emperor's instruction. He then assisted Li You in making great contributions in the tactic of crossing the sea to attack the north, which led to his later rapid rise to prominence.

Zheng Hongkui was now considered a senior general in the Ming Dynasty military, and the Shandong Navy under his control was one of the two most important navies in the Ming Dynasty. Compared with Zheng Zhilong's Fujian Navy, the Shandong Navy also shouldered the heavy responsibility of foreign trade. In recent years, Zheng Hongkui had been enjoying his job in this position, and his official position and rank had risen straight up like an elevator. At present, his military rank and title were only one step lower than his elder brother Zheng Zhilong, and there was no difference in other aspects.

Unlike Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Hongkui was obsessed with officialdom, but he had a higher degree of recognition for the imperial court. Moreover, as a well-educated person, he was a grateful person and more loyal to the Ming Dynasty. In his opinion, a scholar would die for his confidant. As a pirate, Zheng Hongkui had both the temperament of a scholar and the loyalty of a gangster. In his heart, Emperor Zhu Shenzhu was his mentor and the only one he was loyal to.

After arriving in the capital, Zheng Hongkui immediately submitted a memorial to the palace and went to the palace to meet the emperor that afternoon.

Zhu Shenzhui met Zheng Hongkui in a side hall. Since Crown Prince Zhu Minlan had already enrolled in the military academy, he was the only one present at the meeting.

"Your Majesty, your servant Zheng Hongkui pays homage. Long live the emperor..." After entering the side hall, he saw the emperor waiting for him with a friendly face. Without saying a word, Zheng Hongkui stepped forward and paid homage. This honest guy knocked his head on the ground with a bang, which made Zhu Shenzhui very satisfied.

"My dear Zheng, please get up quickly." Zhu Shenzhui said hurriedly. At the emperor's signal, Lu Jiude beside him quickly helped Zheng Hongkui up. When Zheng Hongkui got up, his forehead was red and swollen.

"My dear Zheng, does it hurt when you hit your head like this?" Seeing his appearance, Zhu Shenzhui joked with a smile.

Zheng Hongkui grinned and said, "Your Majesty, I was born in the countryside, and I am here today because of your Majesty's kindness. Your Majesty treats me like a son, and I am willing to die for your kindness. I am happy to see your Majesty, so what does it matter if I kowtow to you a few times?"

"You are such an honest person." Zhu Shenzhui sighed in his heart, stood up and took Zheng Hongkui's hand, and said kindly: "It has been two years since we last met. I really miss you. Did you have a smooth journey to Beijing?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I set out for Beijing as soon as I received the imperial edict. The journey from Shandong to the capital was smooth. Your Majesty, I miss you very much." Zheng Hongkui showed his emotions and said sincerely. His right hand was held by the emperor, and he was so excited that tears were about to fall.

Zhu Shenzhu personally pulled him aside and pressed Zheng Hongkui's body to let him sit down. After he sat down, he also sat down in the main seat beside him.

(End of this chapter)