Xie Ming

The Zheng father and son had different ambitions and differing principles.

When his son, Qiangqiang, argued with him about the greater good of the Northern Expedition, Zheng Zhilong was speechless with anger and resentment.

However, given the large number of people on the ship and the fact that everyone listens to what's going on, and to avoid giving the soldiers on duty at the rear any ammunition to criticize or express their jealousy, they took a few steps to lead the ship to a slightly more distant position at the bow before continuing their conversation.

"Humph!"

"A Northern Expedition? What a boastful tone." He turned to Du Zi, gesturing for him to follow.

"Yes, youthful arrogance."

"His mind is full of thoughts about his country and its people, yet he wields a three-foot sword, ready to cleave the heavens in two. Is that right or wrong?"

"Heh, heh heh heh"

"A pillar supporting the sky, a beam of purple gold spanning the sea, an iron needle stabilizing the sea, is a soldier who follows one's heart."

“Young man, having a bit of a bloodthirsty spirit isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

"It's a pity that if I were to command our 100,000 soldiers..."

"Sen'er, courage alone won't do, will it?!"

When his father, Zheng Zhilong, tried to test him, Zheng Sen, being straightforward and naive, presumptuously compared himself to General Xiao Lang, hoping to persuade him to join forces against the foreign invaders.

"Father, the Duke of Jingguo is now independently responsible for the defense of the Yangtze River."

"He single-handedly stopped the invading Tartar troops from the south."

"Father, Father, why not join forces with him?"

"In this way, the morale of the Ming army will surely be boosted, and they will soon be able to conquer the Central Plains and accomplish great things in one fell swoop."

"Father."

Zheng Sen was truly a child at heart.

But how could he bear it? These words only added fuel to the fire, further enraging Zheng Zhilong.

Hearing this, he suddenly turned around, his shoulder armor trembling and his robes flying, and angrily pointed a finger at his son's face.

"shut up!"

"Shut the hell up!"

Frustrated and panting, Zheng Zhilong could no longer contain himself and began pacing back and forth.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

"Yes, I didn't expect that, I really didn't expect that."

"I thought that the Hongguang Dynasty was finished this time."

"Who would have thought that the Duke of Jingguo would suddenly appear out of nowhere."

"Xiao Jingchuan!"

"This person is not to be underestimated. He is quite remarkable at such a young age."

"A monkey named Sun Wukong jumped out of Laozi's alchemy furnace."

"This is something he can do." He gritted his teeth in anger.

"Okay!" Suddenly, a twist of fate.

"Him? A mere child, how could he compare to me?"

"You traitorous brat."

"You still want your father to go and find him to join forces?!"

"Pooh!"

"Delusion!"

"wishful thinking!"

"It took me, Zheng Zhilong, decades to manage Fujian and finally gather these 100,000 Zheng family soldiers."

"Why should I become someone else's stepping stone, a stepping stone that gets nothing in return? Huh?!"

As he shouted and vented his anger, General Zheng's forehead veins bulged, and his face turned purplish-red with anger.

"Even if we unite our forces, don't forget that the northern and central plains, including Shanxi and Shaanxi, which were formerly under Li Zicheng's control, are now all under the Qing government's control."

“Their troops are endless.”

"It is true that we are dominant at sea, but once we reach the inland areas, our fighting strength will naturally be weakened. How can we then contend with the enemy?"

"You, you unfilial son."

"Are you trying to ruin the culmination of my life's work?!"

"猛" is a word used to describe something that is fierce and assertive, while "厉色" is used to describe something that is powerful and

"Father!"

"It's all up to us, Father!"

“If Duke Xiao is capable of saving a collapsing edifice, why can’t you and I, father and son, do the same? Son, I don’t understand!”

Zheng Sen, on the other hand, seemed to be the stubborn type. Even after he had said all that, he straightened his neck, turned his head away, knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in front of him, and continued to argue his point.

"Humph!"

"Can't figure it out?"

"Then you should think it over carefully!" "If I had known you would be so disobedient today, I shouldn't have brought you back from Japan in the first place."

"What do you know?"

"Seeing that brat climb to such a high position, with titles like Duke and the Xiao family army, I'm more anxious than you are!"

"But what's the use of being in a hurry?"

"Xiao Jingchuan, humph, he's just a bunch of rabble who took in some of Zuo Liangyu's surrendered soldiers from Hubei."

"Who does he think he is?"

"If this man is not eliminated, how will we ever get ahead in the court?"

"What's the point of talking about assisting the state or the ruler?"

“I have brought my troops north, a great undertaking, and I cannot do it for the sake of a mere empty title from you.”

"Power is only power when it is in your own hands."

“Take a good look. These people and soldiers behind you all need to eat and get paid.”

"Who wasn't born of parents and raised by parents?"

“I, Zheng Zhilong, cannot sacrifice someone else’s son for my own son’s wishful thinking.”

"You constantly spout about benevolence, righteousness, and morality, and about national righteousness, but have you ever considered them? Have you done right by them? Huh?!"

"Are the Qing soldiers so easy to deal with?"

"absurd!"

"This is absolutely absurd!"

To dissuade his son from his empty talk that would harm the country and the family, Zheng Zhilong, as a father himself, felt he had to swallow his anger and continue to scold and guide him.

But who is right and who is wrong is not so easy to distinguish.

“Father, the Ming Dynasty is in turmoil. Even for the sake of the court and the common people, our Fujian troops cannot stand idly by.”

"The Fujian navy was also the navy of the Ming Dynasty."

"Is that small, remote corner of the south the only place in your heart?"

"Since we have received the emperor's bounty, we should die for our cause, whether we are scholars or warriors. Even if we are wiped out, we will die a worthy death."

"I have long heard that the Xiao family army is disciplined and is truly a rare force against the Qing."

"Now, the country has fallen to such a state."

"Only by uniting to resist foreign enemies can we have no regrets about being sons of the Ming Dynasty."

"They insist on fighting amongst themselves and actually follow Ma Shiying's advice to plot against General Xiao Liang."

"Then, when the sky collapses and the earth cracks, the troops at the front will surely be thrown into chaos."

"It is not impossible for them to defect in the face of battle."

"If that's really the case, we've misled the country and its people, failed the Emperor's grace, and our Zheng family has truly become sinners for all time."

"Father, Commander."

After reciting his words of loyalty and righteousness, Zheng Sen slammed his head against the deck, the sound resounding.

"you!"

"You are presumptuous!"

Upon hearing his unfilial son speak like this, Zheng Zhilong was overcome with rage and kicked his son in the shoulder.

He was immediately kicked and knocked over.

"The north has fallen into enemy hands, and even Li Zicheng can't hold out. What are you anyway?"

"Do you even know how big the Ming Dynasty was, with its two capitals and thirteen provinces?!"

"Even if my Fujian soldiers are brave and willing to fight, what great role can they play?!"

"The tide has turned!"

"The Ming Dynasty was already dead when Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in the capital."

"Now we're just barely surviving, barely getting by."

"You fool! You unfilial son!"

"Even if I, Zheng Zhilong, am stupid, I will never allow you, you wretched child, to ruin the century-old foundation of my Zheng family in Fujian with your so-called courage!"

"You can forget about it, kid!"

"Even if Jiangnan is lost, I can simply take the emperor back to Fujian and still defend this territory, waiting for the right time to change things."

"Xiao Jingchuan, he's nothing."

"A young man who gains power will surely meet a terrible end."

"Sooner or later the Qing army will march south, and neither humans nor ghosts will remain."

"Someone is coming——"

"Here comes someone!"

"Tie up this rebellious son and drag him to the warehouse downstairs. No one is to release him without my order!"

Zheng Zhilong, enraged, seeing that his son was beyond redemption, flew into a rage and yelled at the soldiers on duty a short distance away, intending to have Zheng Sen imprisoned to prevent the entire plan from ruining. (End of Chapter)