How can one be Emperor Chongzhen without money?

Chapter 145 Get on the bus first, then weld the doors shut! (Fifth update, please subscribe!)

"Hahaha……"

Just as everyone was eyeing their "elder brother" and waiting for his ideas, Zheng Zhilong, who had been silent for a while, suddenly laughed out loud. The laughter wasn't loud, but in the quiet room, it sounded a bit jarring.

The group was a bit confused.

Zheng Zhilong didn't even look at them. His bright eyes were fixed on Jeju Island on the map. He slowly said, "Ah Sheng, you see things clearly. This is indeed a huge hole. Emperor Chongzhen and those officials in the capital might not be unable to see it, but they are in a hurry for money right now and can't care about so much."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning serious: "But we absolutely must fight for Jeju Island!"

Everyone was stunned.

Zheng Zhilong stood up, walked to the map of the sea, and slammed his finger heavily on the location of Jeju Island: "Why are we fighting for it? It's all for Liu Xiang! This island blocks our way to Japan! If Liu Xiang takes it, our business will collapse by at least 30%! This is going to kill us!"

He straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the people in the room, a wildfire gleaming in his eyes: "Besides, you only see the risks in this huge hole, but what I see is a tremendous opportunity!"

He walked back to his seat, leaned forward, and lowered his voice: "The emperor and those upright officials are worried that there will be too many princes and they will become worthless in the future? Good! Perfect! I, Zheng Zhilong, will be the first and only prince on the seas of the Great Ming Dynasty!"

Hong Xu didn't quite understand: "Brother, this..."

Zheng Zhilong grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Their rules have loopholes, so we'll exploit that! But I don't just want this title; I want it to be one that no one else can bestow upon! At that time, I will be the only Sea King in the Ming Dynasty!"

Yang Tiansheng's eyes lit up, as if he had suddenly found Zheng Zhilong's weakness.

Zheng Zhilong continued, speaking quickly and clearly: "Our plan will proceed in three steps."

"The first step is to spend money! Spare no expense to get ahead of Liu Xiang and seize the title of 'Prince of Jizhou'! We need to make it seem like we're determined to get it, so that the court and Liu Xiang both think that I, Zheng Yiguan, am obsessed with this prince! Liu Xiang doesn't have as much money as I do. If I'm willing to spend it all, he definitely won't dare to go all the way... He's the kind of person who lacks that ruthlessness when it comes to crucial moments."

"The second step is to wait for the imperial decree to be issued and the title of prince to be obtained. Immediately, through connections in the capital, use money to incite those upright officials to criticize this 'buying an island to be granted a title' rule! Say that it has violated the ancestral system and defiled the prestigious title!"

"The third step is to keep throwing money at it!" Zheng Zhilong's eyes gleamed. "I'm going to use silver to push the court, or even get the court to go with the flow, and issue an imperial edict: This is a one-time exception, and there won't be any more! Slam this door shut for me!"

He slammed his fist into his own palm: "From this day forward, on this vast sea, there will only be one prince, Zheng Zhilong! Liu Xiang and Li Xiang will forever be inferior to me! I will call the shots on this sea!"

The secret room was eerily quiet. Hong Xu, Shi Daxuan, and the others gaped, stunned by this audacious, almost arrogant plan. Only Yang Tiansheng slowly stroked his beard, his eyes filled with admiration.

“Brother…you got on the carriage first…and then pulled the carriage board off!” Yang Tiansheng sighed.

“That’s right!” Zheng Zhilong stood up, his aura imposing. “I want the title of Prince, and I want this unique honor even more! When I become the only Prince of the Ming Dynasty in the world, hehe… I can stand on equal footing with the kings of Korea, Ryukyu, and Annam, the generals of the Tokugawa family, and the governors of Batavia and Luzon! Maybe I can even surpass them!”

His brother, Zheng Zhibao, looked pained: "Brother, at this rate, won't we spend millions of taels of silver?"

Zheng Zhilong waved his hand: "Silver is meant to be spent... As long as I can dominate the Southeast Sea, what are a few million taels? Ten million taels would be worth it!"

"Ten million taels?"

"Isn't this too much?" "Brother, our total reserves are about this much..."

Hearing his men muttering, Zheng Zhilong burst into laughter again: "Don't worry about me squandering all our savings... As the saying goes, money lost can be regained!" He glanced at his men, "You only see the money flowing out like water, but you don't see how it can come back like a flood!"

"Brother, what do you mean by that?" The people below all looked at Zheng Zhilong with confused expressions.

Zheng Zhilong chuckled: "If Chongzhen could sell islands and princes, why can't I sell official positions and titles now that I'm a prince? I, the Prince of Jeju Island, am a vassal lord on par with the King of Joseon... I own a vassal state! Can't I sell a few official positions and titles?"

That's right! How could we forget about that? Everyone under him admires Zheng Zhilong; otherwise, how could he become the "Big Brother"?

Zheng Zhilong added, "Besides selling official titles in Jeju Island, I can also sell official titles in the Ming Dynasty and make money from the imperial court!"

"How do you sell official positions in the Ming Dynasty?" Someone immediately prompted Zheng Zhilong, a shrewd man, to ask.

Zheng Zhilong laughed and said, "Of course, we'll take the route through Korea and Liaodong!"

"Which route should we take?" Yang Tiansheng asked in surprise. "Brother, do you intend to fight the Jurchens in a real battle?"

Zheng Zhilong waved his hand and laughed, "Old Yang, don't worry! I, Zheng Yiguan, don't have the guts to fight the Jurchens to the death, but I not only have the guts to make money by fighting the Jurchens, I have a lot of guts!"

"Elder brother, what do you mean...?"

Zheng Zhilong stroked his long beard and said, “Haven’t you all figured it out yet? This emperor is making money by any means necessary, and most of it is going into that quagmire of Liaodong and Korea… To put it bluntly, half the wealth in the world is going down there. How much profit can be made from the military supplies in Liaodong and Korea? We have ships and men, we can get muskets from Japan, rice from Annam and Siam, cannons and gunpowder from the Westerners, and we can use large ships to transport all of these to southern and western Liaoning and Korea. We can also help the court transport troops and generals… With these abilities, it shouldn’t be difficult to get a high-ranking official position in charge of the navy and the supply depot, right? At that time, I’ll sell official positions in the Ming navy while making a fortune from the military supplies… As long as the war to pacify Liaodong drags on for a few more years, won’t we get back a few million taels of silver?”

Zheng Zhilong's words convinced everyone, and their earlier reluctance to part with the money vanished. It turned out that "buying the king" wasn't just about spending money; it was about investing heavily—it was a golden goose!

“Alright,” Zheng Zhilong said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious. “It’s settled then. I have to go to Beijing myself! Old Yang, you hurry up and make arrangements. Pick the most capable people and prepare the most presentable gift list. Bring cash, treasures, and rare items from Southeast Asia. We need to be quick and set off before that Liu Xiang realizes what’s going on.”

"Yes, elder brother, I'll take care of it right away." Yang Tiansheng bowed and accepted the order.

Zheng Zhilong then looked at Zheng Zhibao: "Fifth brother, after I leave, the family is in your hands. Keep a close eye on the merchant fleet, the warship fleet, and the businesses in various places. There can't be the slightest mistake."

"Don't worry, brother!" Zheng Zhibao patted his chest. "With me here, Anping Fort is safe!"

"Hmm." Zheng Zhilong nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "Also, immediately send someone by sea to deliver a message to your second brother, Zhihu. Tell him to put aside what's happening on Dayuan Island for now and quickly bring back a few fast boats to help you guard the house. I'll feel at ease if you two brothers, one guarding the land and the other watching the sea."

"Understood! I'll send someone to find Second Brother right away!" Zheng Zhibao replied.

“I’ve remembered it all,” Zheng Zhilong said, his gaze sweeping over his trusted confidants. “This time, Yang Junshi and I are heading north to secure a prosperous future for our Zheng family and for all of us brothers! I entrust the affairs of the family to you all!”

"We will obey our elder brother's orders!" everyone replied in unison, their morale soaring.

(End of this chapter)