You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 351 The affairs of the world are good because we are all intertwined.
The news of Wu Sangui and his son's defeat at the Xiang River acted as a calming agent, instilling fear in many forces in the south, who dared not openly resist Chiang Kai-shek's benevolence with force for a time.

Jiangning.

Jiang Qingyun stayed here, spending his days sightseeing and enjoying the beautiful scenery. He rarely concerned himself with politics, but he would summon Zhou Shao, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, to accompany him almost every day.

"The Prime Minister looks very well today."

"Haha, no more fighting, I'm feeling relaxed and healthy. Sit down, eat quickly, and then come with me to Qixia Mountain."

"Yes."

talking.

Jiangnan arrived carrying a pot of warmed wine.

Zhou Shao quickly stood up and accepted it, his attitude very respectful.

"Enjoy your meal, I'll take my leave now."

Jiang Qingyun decided to speak openly on his own.

"She is pregnant."

"Congratulations, Prime Minister! Congratulations, Prime Minister!"

Zhou Shao's words were very sincere.

……

Qixia Mountain
The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the ground is covered with maple leaves.

They stood guard on both sides of the mountain path.

Zhou Shao wiped his sweat and asked.

"Prime Minister, after the peace is over, how do you plan to settle Zheng Sen and Li Dingguo?"

"Let them stay in their lair."

"These two are both powerful figures of our time. If we don't force them to come to court, they probably won't behave themselves."

"Brother, some people say: the problem with everything in the world is that we are all interconnected. I think that's true, but the reverse is also true. The good thing about everything in the world is that we are all interconnected."

Zhou Shao seemed to be deep in thought.

"Please enlighten me, Grand Secretary?"

“As long as Zheng Sen and Li Dingguo publicly announce their change of allegiance and submission to the central government, the future situation will be one of mutual influence. I can then exert concrete influence on them and their subordinates through various political means.”

"Wonderful, wonderful."

Zhou Shao's eyes lit up; no one understood the political maneuvering of his sworn brother better than him.

When it comes to politics, the third brother is invincible!

……

There is a famous temple in Qixia Mountain.

Burning incense and praying to Buddha goes without saying.

Zhou Shao was very aware of potential crises, and he never mentioned the empire's political system. He knew that whether he advocated for a monarchy or any other system, it could potentially plant a landmine.

The human heart is a complex thing.

The third brother is complicated.

After finishing their vegetarian meal, the two strolled through the woods, where maple leaves were falling, creating a pleasant scene.

Jiang Qingyun looked into the distance and saw soldiers on several hilltops opposite him. He asked in surprise, "Did you set this up?"

"Yes."

Seeing that Jiang Qingyun remained silent, Zhou Shao continued, "I have heard about the assassination attempt on the Ninth Banner. The Prime Minister's safety is of utmost importance. Please be extremely careful."

"Yes, I have friends all over the world, and I have enemies all over the world."

Jiang Qingyun couldn't help but burst into laughter, and Zhou Shao also laughed out loud.

In politics, friends are practically enemies.

Their identities are constantly shifting; today they are enemies, tomorrow they are friends, and today they are friends, tomorrow they are enemies again.

"Prime Minister, I've always had a concern."

"speak."

"After the announcement of the united empire, will the morale of the Eight Banners army be affected?"

"That's possible, so I made two preparations: appeasement and suppression. The remaining Eight Banners forces number less than 10,000, and I've scattered them across three provinces and five locations, ostensibly for rest and reorganization, but in reality for vigilance. In case of trouble, they won't be all tied up and can be dispersed and killed. In addition, when the Huai River flooded in the summer, I had you recruit 7000 young men from among the refugees, do you remember?"

"remember."

“These people are trained in Baoding. When necessary, they can work with the garrison in the south of the city to suppress the families of the bannermen in the inner city.”

"The Grand Secretary is wise."

……

Several days later, at Yanziji Wharf.

A large ship carrying the Ming Dynasty envoys Ma Jixiang and Ke Erkun from the southwest arrived at the dock.

When they disembarked, Ke Erkun looked indifferent, while Ma Jixiang had a fawning smile on his face.

Zhou Shao understood perfectly.

"Welcome, welcome! A banquet has been prepared in the city. Please, gentlemen!"

"Governor Zhou, please."

"Please, Grand Secretary."

"No, no, Brother Zhou is highly respected and a pillar of Jiangnan. Please go first."

Korkun snorted coldly, shoved the two men aside, and strode ahead. The officials present were in an uproar, wishing they could rush up and beat this ill-mannered fellow. "Governor Zhou, please don't be offended. He's a Manchu and not very educated."

"It's alright, I know him."

"Oh?"

"Korkun, a Niru Zhangjing of the Zhenglan Banner, lived in the southeast corner of the inner city. He was the only one left alive in his family because he was involved in a case of treason. This case was personally supervised by the Grand Secretary."

"The Grand Secretary is wise."

Ma Jixiang's words clearly indicate that he is taking sides.

"Brother Ma, are you free the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes."

"I will take you to see the Grand Secretary first."

"Great."

Ma Jixiang was so excited he almost flew away on the spot.

……

The first day of October.

Zhou Shao walked hurriedly.

"Prime Minister, just now, four Zheng family warships suddenly arrived at Yanziji Wharf."

"The Zheng family has finally arrived?"

"Yes, but the visitors are not friendly. The Jiangnan Navy stationed in Chongming did not react at all beforehand, neither reporting it nor monitoring the navigation."

“Investigate and exile the naval officers involved. Whether they were negligent or incompetent, there is no need for them to remain in their posts.”

"As ordered."

"The Zheng family is arrogant, possessing ships, soldiers, and silver, and also controlling overseas trade. Zheng Sen is a young hero; why would he bow down to me? Sit down, and have some breakfast."

"What about the Zheng family's envoy?"

"Let them get ashore first, then hang them out to dry, and nobody pay any attention to them."

Jiang Qingyun laughed heartily. "Trying to mess with me, huh? You think you're some kind of ocean dragon? Try coming ashore! Even a bunch of mutts can chase you around."

……

Until noon.

Two pieces of news came in succession.

First, the Jiangnan Navy reported that yesterday evening, a fleet of unidentified warships broke through the mouth of the Yangtze River under the cover of darkness and sailed into the heart of the Yangtze River.

Second, Zheng's envoys landed.

Yanziji Wharf.

Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan swaggered off the ship and onto land.

Striding around like that is no exaggeration.

It is a normal reaction after a long voyage at sea; the nervous system is out of balance, and stepping on land feels like stepping on a sponge, causing the body to sway involuntarily.

"withdraw!"

At a single command, the docks were emptied.

Firecrackers, gongs and drums, soldiers, and civil officials all ran away, leaving Feng Xifan dumbfounded.

"Hey, hey, hey~"

Looking at the desolate dock, Feng Xifan was somewhat exasperated.

"Old Liu, aren't the people from Jiangning incredibly rude?"

"They're enraged and retaliating against our breach of the river defenses."

"The Jiangnan navy is nothing but a bunch of clay chickens and earthen dogs. Tell me, are we still going to talk or not?"

"You are the chief envoy, I will listen to you."

Liu Guoxuan was very unhappy. He thought to himself, "It was your idea to sneak into the Yangtze River and cause trouble. Now you want me to make the decision?"
Before coming~
The prince repeatedly emphasized that the principle of negotiation was: ask for the moon, think twice before acting, and consult with superiors before making any decisions. He added, "You, Feng Xifan, are relying on your father's favor; I won't follow you into trouble."

"Enter the city!"

"Yes."

Liu Guoxuan mustered 50 black slave musketeers and 50 sailors.

……

He swaggered around, cursing and swearing all the way.

Feeling snubbed, Feng Xifan vowed to give the extremely narrow-minded Chief Minister Chiang a particularly great embarrassment during the negotiations.

But no sooner had we entered the city gates than...
The onlookers suddenly erupted in thunderous laughter, and some scoundrels even mocked the black slaves' skin color at close range, displaying their licentious behavior and frivolous words.

Feng Xifan:
"shot."

The black slave soldiers did not react.

Liu Guoxuan quickly shouted a few words in Portuguese, and the black slave musketeers immediately dispersed the onlookers.

"What did you say?"

"I said, disperse the crowd, don't fire."

Why didn't you shoot?

"Lord Feng, this is Jiangning! Not Kinmen! We're here to negotiate, not to start a war!"

(End of this chapter)