Xie Ming

Zheng Zhilong's son, Zheng Sen, was known for his upright character and conduct.

This time, Xiao Jingchuan plotted to use the emperor's decree to force the Fujian navy to come north and assist him.

Zheng Sen was twenty-one years old, and he and Xiao Lai were close in age.

Xiao Lang greeted the guest at the bow of his ship, putting on a warm and welcoming demeanor. Apart from his own ambitions, he was also genuinely sincere, hoping to find out if he could bring this young man under his command to discuss important matters.

So, he wrote a series of polite words, first offering a noble title to entice her.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Sen was extremely surprised.

Unexpectedly, I received such kindness upon our first meeting.

So, looking rather flustered, he hurriedly bowed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Ah, this.

"In the end, on behalf of my father, I respectfully thank the Duke for his kindness in promoting me!" His words did not seem like empty words.

"Hehe, get up, get up quickly." Xiao Jiang hurriedly helped him up, showing the utmost respect and courtesy.

"In the future, we will serve as generals in the same court, working together with one heart and one mind to achieve great deeds on the battlefield, thus demonstrating the true nature of men, huh?!"

"As for your father, my dear brother, when you go back, please give him my regards."

"The older generation is getting old, so it's understandable that they're cautious."

"However, I, Xiao, eagerly await..."

"I still hope that your Fujian naval force can withstand the northward invasion and fight together against the enemy."

"Those who aspire to establish merit and fame in the north, to become soldiers and generals, should not leave now; what are they waiting for?"

Kind words and gentle persuasion likely imply a degree of encouragement.

After all, Xiao Jingchuan was willing to set aside past grievances and win over Zheng Zhilong in order to bolster the army and prepare for a new round of Northern Expedition in the spring of the following year.

If this contact yields positive results, then I will be happy to have achieved my goal.

As for being granted titles and promotions, those are merely formalities.

If it were just a marquisate, it would bring in a large army and navy. General Xiao would make a sure profit from this deal, and he would probably be laughing in his sleep.

"Yes! What the Duke says is absolutely right."

"When I return home, I will tell my father about this and do my best to persuade him so that my Fujian army can set off as soon as possible."

Zheng Sen spoke with absolute certainty about this situation.

In fact, he has always been concerned about the greater good of his country and its people.

His mindset was completely different from his father's, who held military power and watched from the sidelines as the two sides fought.

This time, having been summoned, his only wish was to reconcile with Xiao Jun and join forces in the Northern Expedition to repay the country's kindness.

Therefore, Xiao and Zheng, once they met, felt a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose, which made them very happy.

"Hehe, okay, okay."

"I'm waiting, ha ha ha."

Xiao Chu burst into laughter, his face showing obvious excitement.

And so, going with the flow, I felt that we were worthy of conversation, so without further ado, I quickly dropped the subject.

"Oh, right, there's one more important thing."

"This time, I have specially summoned my virtuous brother to the north to discuss the matters just mentioned."

"Actually, there is another matter that can only be accomplished with your help, my virtuous brother."

His words were steady and appropriate; there was not a single fault to be found in his statement.

Hearing this, it wasn't surprising that Zheng Sennian had just made a promise of benefits.

It is said that there is no such thing as a free lunch; without such a follow-up, it would be illogical.

"Oh? This?"

"Your Excellency, please feel free to speak your mind."

"I will do my best."

Zheng Sen tentatively agreed, but will inquire about the specific details later.

"Yes, that's right."

"As you can see, the current situation of North-South confrontation is a reality."

"In the fierce battle of Huaibei, whether it was the Jurchen invaders or our Ming army, they were indeed locked in a fierce struggle, facing each other head-on."

"Xiao's military tactics were stretched thin, barely managing to maintain the situation. He had already exerted all his strength and often felt that he was stretched thin."

"As for the northern part of the enemy's territory, the entire Shandong region is now in enemy hands, and it is completely difficult to take care of it." "The former General Huang Degong, the former commander of Chuzhou in Huaibei, recently sent a letter to the court from the south."

"His army suffered nearly half its losses in a previous fierce battle in Jinan."

"General Huang led from the front, sustaining seventeen wounds from swords and arrows."

"In his urgent letter, he said that after his army had circled around Qingzhou for nearly a month, it had gathered its old troops and had already gathered nearly 10,000 more soldiers."

"The original intention was to take advantage of the fact that the bandit leader Dodo had gone south and left Shandong, to regroup the army and recapture Jinan."

"But, well, things didn't go as planned, and things ultimately didn't go as intended."

"Jinan is an impregnable city, making it difficult to achieve any success."

"Moreover, this exposed their movements, and Beijing, in response to the situation in Shandong, urgently dispatched troops to surround and suppress them."

"Without any other choice, the old general begged the court for permission to urgently board a ship in Dengzhou or Ninghai and return south by sea."

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"This situation can be forced, but this principle cannot be ignored."

"Well, let alone his more than 10,000 soldiers, if they can really return south, they will be able to enter the country safely."

"Then, it will certainly be of great benefit to the combat strength of our army in the future."

"Even if he only had ten or a hundred riders with him, General Huang's contributions to the country are commendable."

"From both a moral and logical standpoint, their schemes should be supported by some form of assistance."

Xiao Jingchuan recounted the whole story of Huang Degong's affair to him.

He spoke with an air of righteous indignation, yet also appeared quite anxious.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Sen remained silent, his brows furrowed, and he did not speak further.

At this moment, he was weighing the pros and cons in his mind, and proceeded with caution in his words and actions.

This would avoid causing unnecessary trouble for the Fujian Navy.

Seeing this, Xiao remained unmoved and continued to embellish the story, exaggerating the bitterness.

"Uh"

"Hehe, but that's easier said than done. Right now, all three of our armies are facing off against the enemy."

"It is simply not possible to gather so many warships for this journey in such a short time."

"In other words, if we are talking about reliable and easy access to sea routes, then the Fujian Navy's warships are the safest option."

“Brother, I’m afraid we can only turn to you for help in this battle.”

"After such a arduous journey, traveling north by sea to Dengzhou and Ninghai in Shandong, I fear that my only hope lies with you, brother!"

“Look,” Xiao said, pressing for the text.

As expected, Zheng Sen guessed that this was the reason for his request.

However, he was troubled and worried.

Ultimately, the mobilization of troops in a single town in Fujian was controlled by the father-in-law.

What he can do, and what he deserves, is rather limited.

Such a momentous matter, if not reported to my father, how could he possibly accomplish it with his own abilities?

After careful consideration, his son remained calm and focused, not uttering many words of shirking responsibility, as maintaining order was of utmost importance.

Whether it will succeed or not remains to be seen until we are freed from here and return to Fujian, at which point we can discuss and plan accordingly.

"Ah, I see, that's how it is."

"Lord Duke, I am honored that you have entrusted me with such an important matter."

"Zheng Sen has risked his life for us; how could we dare to be negligent in the slightest?!"

"Uh, no, but..."

"To be honest, I only have a limited number of naval warships with me this time."

"If we want to gather more than ten thousand troops..."

"My lord, if you trust me, please allow me to return to Fuzhou by ship and inform my father of General Huang's military situation."

"Whether the journey north will proceed smoothly will take at most half a month. I will give the Duke a definite answer."

Even if... even if the Fujian fleet is prevented from heading north in large numbers due to obstacles.

“I, Zheng Sen, will also obey the Duke’s orders at that time to fulfill this order and this situation.”

A heart full of patriotism, a sincere desire to serve the country. (End of Chapter)