Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 115 Bandit Governor Yuan Chonghuan, Savage General Chen Jisheng

Fuzhou, the Ye family mansion—yes, the very family of Ye Xianggao, the famous Grand Chancellor of the Ming Dynasty! After the 36th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, due to the deaths or refusal of other cabinet members to join the cabinet, Ye Xianggao presided over the government alone for seven years!

At this moment, light singing and dancing filled the Ye residence. On the stage, scantily clad dancers were performing energetically, and the most sought-after courtesans, whom ordinary people could only dream of seeing even with a fortune, were now being offered in droves.

Furthermore, they might very well be sent to someone's bed tonight. The so-called courtesans are nothing but a joke in the face of the real powerful and wealthy.

"Master Zeng of the Zeng family from Wushan has arrived!"

"Master Xu, the owner of Tao Garden, has arrived!"

"Master Lin of the Lin family from Shuixi Lin Village, Nanyu, Minhou, has arrived!"

"Master Deng of Zhuyu, Minxian County, has arrived!"

The Liu family of Fenggang, the Xu family of Luozhou, the Sun family of Lianjiang, the You family of Ningde, the Zheng family of Anping in Jinjiang, the Hong family of Nan'an, the Yan family of Yuegang, the Li family of Haicheng, the Wu family of Haicang, the Su family of Shima, the Jiang family of Yongding, the Qiu family of Shanghang, the Liu family of Masha in Jianyang, the Huang family of Shaowu, the Lin family of Putian...

All the prominent families in Fujian had arrived. The courtesans' hearts pounded with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Having worked in the pleasure quarters, they were well-informed and knew the province's powerful families like the back of their hand. These families, whose mere presence could shake the entire province, were all gathered here today.

If they could catch the eye of any of them, redeeming them from their servitude would be a piece of cake. So the dancers performed with even greater fervor. Unfortunately, their performances seemed to be ignored. The heads of the various families seemed to completely disregard their existence, instead gathering in small groups around tables and whispering amongst themselves.

"Patriarch Ye, I wonder why we have been summoned here by the higher-ups? Is it to force us to donate?" Xu Zhi asked in a low voice.

Ye Hong, the current head of the Ye family and nephew of Ye Xianggao, shook his head slightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am merely following the Governor-General's orders to prepare this simple feast for you all. As for what Governor-General Yuan has instructed me to do, I truly do not know."

"With your family's connections, how could you not know?!" Zeng Xibing exclaimed in astonishment.

Ye Hong's face turned ugly. People forget you when you're gone. After his uncle passed away last year, his family was in dire need of support. Although they were rich, they were no longer respected. Who would take him seriously anymore? But he couldn't say these things out loud. If he did, the other families would not only not pity him, but would also take advantage of the Ye family's weakness and devour them alive.

It was under these circumstances that he desperately tried to curry favor with figures like Yuan Chonghuan, hoping to obtain some official position. A family without several officials was truly vulnerable to being bullied to death!

"Governor Xiong of Fujian, General Chen, Commander-in-Chief of Fujian, and Governor-General Yuan of Guangdong and Guangxi have arrived!!!"

As the gatekeeper shouted, the heads of these powerful families rose to greet them. Two high-ranking officials in red robes walked side by side outside the Ye residence: one was burly and muscular, his robe embroidered with a golden pheasant; the other was shorter but very strong and muscular, his robe embroidered with a crane, revealing half of his body.

Behind them was a general in full armor, presumably the newly arrived Fujian Commander-in-Chief Chen Jisheng. I heard that this guy was a savage who ran away from Liaodong!

"Tiantantantan!"

The sound of orderly footsteps rang out, and a contingent of over a hundred guards stormed in. The Ye family's servants tried to stop them, but the guards immediately covered their mouths with their large hands, rendering them unable to utter a sound before knocking them to the ground. The family heads were startled; though they maintained a facade of composure, their hands and feet trembled uncontrollably beneath their long sleeves.

Ever since that incompetent Yu Zigao ruined the navy, the emperor was furious and immediately replaced the leadership of Fujian with a new one: one from Guangdong and Guangxi, one from Sichuan, and one from Liaodong, and they even brought troops with them! They're not easy to deal with!

These families in Fujian have been keeping a low profile and being extremely cautious lately. They dared not cause trouble until the situation became clear and connections were established. Who would have thought that even after going to such lengths, they still couldn't escape their fate! Heaven have mercy! Although rumors are circulating in Fujian that Yu Zigao's defeat was due to these people betraying information, this is slander, blatant slander!

It's clearly his own fault for being useless! It's all his fault! Zheng Zhilong's highway robbery has greatly impacted their businesses, hasn't it? They all wish Zheng Zhilong were dead! However, it's not impossible that the Yan family of Yuegang, the Li family of Haicheng, the Wu family of Haicang, and the Su family of Shima might be colluding with pirates, but we can't implicate everyone!
Seeing that the atmosphere was not good, Ye Hong had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, bowing obsequiously and saying, "My lords, I have prepared some simple wine and delicacies and have been waiting for you for a long time. Please take a seat."

"Of course, I love fine wine!" Yuan Chonghuan laughed heartily, putting his arm around Ye Hong's shoulder as they walked inside. The atmosphere eased slightly, but Ye Hong felt extremely uncomfortable. Governor Yuan's fingers felt like iron claws, digging deeply into his shoulder, and he didn't know what he was trying to do to him.

After finally settling down, Ye Hong was freed from his restraints, but felt half of his body go numb. He cursed inwardly, but outwardly maintained a semblance of decorum. "My lords, would you mind summoning a few courtesans to entertain me?" Ye Hong asked, bowing his head.

Chen Jisheng's eyes lit up, but he hesitated to speak first. He thought the women of Jiangnan were indeed beautiful and delicate, unlike the women of Liaodong, ravaged by wind and snow. Although he wasn't a savage, he certainly didn't know how to enjoy life like these southern bandits. He had traveled thousands of miles to Fujian to fight, and who knew when he would die? What was wrong with indulging in some pleasures before he died?
Damn it, the emperor is indeed righteous and appreciates Old Chen, but isn't he overestimating him? The entire Dongjiang Town only has three large Fujian ships, and the rest are just a bunch of flat-bottomed sand boats and small sampans. What good are they? Even if he brought them all, they wouldn't be enough for a single volley from the great pirate Zheng Zhilong!

Besides, flat-bottomed sand barges are for inland waterways, and Fujian-style ships are for ocean voyages. Neither of them is suitable for fighting in coastal waters, so what's the point! He hid by day and went out at night, referring to the star map, hiding here and there, and finally managed to sneak from Liaodong to Fujian.

If it were a boarding battle, he felt that ten Zheng Zhilongs wouldn't be a match for him. But if it were a proper naval battle with cannons exchanging fire, then let him die. Not only were their ships inferior, but their cannons were also not as robust and sturdy.

Therefore, after meeting with Xiong Wencan and Yuan Chonghuan, Chen Jisheng proposed: If you want to fight Zheng Zhilong, build ships! At least build three hundred large bird ships, and then you'll have a chance to fight.

"General Chen, how much does one of your big bird ships cost?" Yuan Chonghuan asked.

“I asked, and the official mints are worth one thousand taels, while the private mints are worth two thousand taels.”

"That's three hundred thousand taels?!"

"Three hundred thousand taels? Fine, but wait ten years!" Chen Jisheng said with a sneer.

"Can't we expand the shipyard?" Yuan Chonghuan wasn't stupid.

However, Governor Xiong Wencan dealt him another blow: "Governor Yuan, the total tax revenue of Fujian in a year is 520,000 taels, and at most only 150,000 taels can be kept. These 150,000 taels have to cover the military pay of Fujian garrisons, the maintenance of warships, the salaries of Fujian officials, and the relief funds after hurricanes and tsunamis. In fact, it has long been insufficient to cover the expenses. Local governments are doing their best to maintain the revenue."

However, although little remained in Fujian, very little was shipped out! Only 10 to 15 taels were actually shipped out from Fujian, of which only about 1 to 2 taels were actually received by the central government due to losses such as "departmental expenses" and "fire loss".

Yuan Chonghuan was appointed directly from his hometown in Guangxi by imperial edict, while Xiong Wencan came from the capital. Yuan Chonghuan was not familiar with the situation in the capital, so he asked unwillingly, "Could it be that His Majesty ordered me to eliminate Zheng Zhilong, but the court has not allocated any funds for my military pay?"

Xiong Wencan forced a smile and said, "His Majesty didn't order you to wipe out Zheng Zhilong, but to use force to promote cooperation and assist me in pacifying him. The court has the funds; the accounts have been drawn up, but the money is still owed. Perhaps it will be allocated after the summer tax is collected."

"Still have to wait?" Yuan Chonghuan frowned, then smiled mysteriously and boasted, "General Chen, if I could get you a few hundred ships, you could take down Zheng Zhilong, right?"

"I never said that. Besides, where did you get the boat?!" Chen Jisheng was taken aback.

"Then don't worry about it, I have my own way of handling this!"

“Even with a ship, it would take at least a year of training, no… at least six months, right?” Chen Jisheng said.

……

At the Ye family residence, Yuan Chonghuan refused the company of the courtesans, saying with a smile, "This governor is hungry. As for beauties, let's eat our fill first. When you're well-fed and warm, you can think about lustful desires!"

Seeing Yuan Chonghuan's lewd smile, Ye Hong could only awkwardly force a smile and personally pour wine for Yuan Chonghuan. Yuan Chonghuan picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

puff!

Yuan Chonghuan spat out the wine and cursed, "What is this crap? It's so bland it's practically filthy! Is this how you locals treat your governor? Are you looking down on me?!"

(End of this chapter)