After Zheng Zhilong listened, he couldn't help frowning even tighter, and confirmed to Zheng Hongkui: "What? Named me the right governor of the water division, and led the water division north to Denglai? ”

"yes, that's it." Zheng Hongkui nodded hurriedly, and at the same time said with a smile, "Big brother, congratulations, this is the highest official position of our Zheng family!" ”

Who knew that Zheng Zhilong listened, but his face sank, and he shouted: "What is there to congratulate." Don't you know that our roots are here, not in the north! ”

Zheng Hongkui couldn't help but be stunned when he saw him react like this, and then defended: "What is the eldest brother afraid of, even if you lead the sailor to the north, isn't this place guarded by our own brothers?" It's still our foundation! ”

At this time, under Zheng Zhilong's command, there was a fleet of more than 3,000 large and small ships, including Han Chinese, Japanese people, Koreans, Austronesian language groups, black Africans, and other races, up to 200,000 troops.

Of course, it is impossible for all of these forces to be incorporated into his naval division. Otherwise, the court will not be able to explain. Therefore, the vast majority of his forces are attributed to his own individuals.

And what Zheng Hongkui said actually meant that after Zheng Zhilong led the sailors in the establishment to the north, their Zheng family could still control the entire southeast coast, and they didn't have to worry about losing their foundation.

However, when Zheng Zhilong heard this, he slapped the table and made a loud "pop" sound, then stood up and said in a somewhat stern tone: "What do you know? Do you only have that right governor in your eyes? Is that just an empty title, you know? If you want to talk about it, do we need it? Also, do you think you went to the north for fun? Do you think that after the court transfers me away, I won't have a crooked heart towards this side again? In addition, appoint a coastal defense guerrilla down, do you know what to do? ”

His movement was a bit loud, and even attracted two people, one big and one small. The older one is in his early twenties, and the younger one is probably only about fifteen years old.

This older one was a little surprised when he came in, so he immediately asked Zheng Zhilong, "Big brother, what happened?" ”

This person is Zheng Zhilong's fifth brother, named Zheng Zhibao. In the original history, although he did not surrender to the Manchus with Zheng Zhilong, he finally surrendered to the Manchus later. The result was also tragic, a Fujianese, a person from the sea in the south, was taken by the Manchus to the northernmost Heilongjiang and imprisoned to death.

However, at this time, he was studying in Nanjing Guozijian and now happened to be at home.

And the other small one is called Zheng Sen. If it was in the original history, it would have been renamed by Emperor Longwu, that is, the famous Zheng Chenggong. At this time, he was only admitted to Xiucai last year and became one of the 20 "Liao Shan Students" in Nan'an County. That is, the best students, the kind that can be received by the imperial court (in fact, there is a grain subsidy).

In the face of his father's anger, he didn't speak, just stared at his father and uncle curiously, a little bit didn't understand that his father, who had always been good-tempered, would lose his temper so much to his fourth uncle?

Zheng Zhilong looked at the two of them, then took a deep breath, tried to relieve his emotions, lowered his voice, and explained to Zheng Hongkui: "Let's drag this matter first, and wait and see." If Lord Zhongcheng urges me, he will say that he will wait for me to come back from the sea. I won't show up during this time. ”

Zheng Hongkui was reprimanded by him, thinking about it himself, and felt that the eldest brother was reasonable, so he agreed. However, when he saw Zheng Sen, he suddenly remembered, and said with a smile on his face: "Big brother, Lord Zhongcheng also said that the emperor heard that Sen'er is an extraordinary scholar, and he was the head of our Nan'an County last year, and he intends to call Sen'er to study in Jingshi Guozijian." ”

In the Ming Dynasty, there was such a convention, which would select the students of the prefecture, prefecture, and county, that is, those with excellent grades or qualifications in the Xiucai, and be promoted to study in the Jingshi Guozijian, called Gongsheng, which means to contribute to the emperor with talents. And after becoming a tribute, he theoretically has the qualifications to be an official.

Not to mention being an official, just being known by the emperor and wanting to go to Jingshi Guozijian by name is a huge honor.

Therefore, when Zheng Sen heard this, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, and hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Zheng Hongkui's sleeve, and asked repeatedly: "Fourth uncle, you won't lie to me, is this true?" ”

"Of course it's true!" Zheng Hongkui also had a feeling of honor, looked down at his nephew, and said with a smile, "What Lord Zhongcheng said himself, there will be no fake!" ”

When Zheng Sen heard this, he smiled happily, and immediately turned around and ran, and at the same time shouted excitedly: "I'll go and tell my mother to go!" ”

Zheng Zhilong looked at this scene and was a little surprised. When he saw that his eldest son had run to the door, he came back to his senses and shouted, "Come back!" ”

There was a hint of anger in his voice, which made Zheng Sen stand still, turn around, and look at his father a little puzzled.

Zheng Zhibao, who was standing on the side, was faintly jealous when he heard the conversation just now. You know, he is in his early twenties, just a showman, and he has left the relationship and studied in Yingtianfu Guozijian.

However, his nephew, who had just taken the case exam last year, had already reached the heavens, and the emperor also intended to let his nephew go to study in the Jingshi Guozijian. These are two levels entirely, and there is no comparison at all!

At this time, when he heard that his eldest brother suddenly had a tendency to go crazy, he was very puzzled, so he asked: "Big brother, what's wrong, such a big good thing, you should also make your sister-in-law happy." My sister-in-law has always admired my Daming, and if Sen'er has a chance, she will definitely be very happy. ”

Zheng Sen's mother, although she is a widow, has a heart for the Ming Dynasty. In the original history, even if Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Manchus, she did not follow, but expressed her attitude by committing suicide.

Zheng Zhilong listened to it and replied a little irritably: "What do you know? ”

After saying that, he sat down and wanted to take a sip of tea, but when he found that the tea had been drunk before, he was even more annoyed, and he threw the lid of the teacup and almost fell off the table.

The other three obviously saw that his mood was not right, and they didn't dare to speak, but just watched him quietly, waiting for him to speak.

After a long while, Zheng Zhilong seemed to calm down and suddenly sighed. His momentum is no longer the same as before.

Seeing him look at Zheng Hongkui, his tone was much calmer, and he asked him, "But what else is there news, about the emperor and Sen'er?" ”

Zheng Hongkui listened, nodded hurriedly, but he didn't dare to show his excitement as before, and replied quickly: "The angel interjected, saying that the emperor seemed to have dreamed of Sen'er, saying that Sen'er was loyal and patriotic, and he would have a great future in the future." He was worried that the small place was not enough to cultivate Sen'er, so he revealed this meaning, and wanted Sen'er to go to Jingshi Guozijian to study! ”

As soon as he heard this, Zheng Sen couldn't help but be very surprised, and he wanted to speak, but when he saw his father's appearance, he didn't dare to say it in the end.

After Zheng Zhibao heard this, he couldn't help but ask, "Really?" ”

Zheng Zhilong's eyes lit up slightly, but he recovered as before, a sneer appeared on his face, and he thought in his heart, such a naïve excuse is not to fancy the strength and wealth in his hands!

"Of course it's true. The angel himself said it! Does he dare to orchestrate the emperor? Zheng Hongkui turned his head to look at his younger brother and replied as a matter of course.

When Zheng Zhibao heard this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at his nephew, stretched out his hand to pat him on the shoulder, and said enviously: "Sen'er, you must have a great future in the future!" ”

"What's the future?" Before Zheng Sen could speak, Zheng Zhilong was a little annoyed and said first, "How naïve are you to believe this kind of thing?" Come, you come and try to dream? ”

Seeing him look so angry, Zheng Zhibao opened his mouth, but finally did not respond. And Zheng Sen's face showed a trace of grievance, feeling that his father had taken the wrong medicine today.

"Big brother, don't believe it!" Who knows, Zheng Hongkui replied, "It is said that at the end of last year, the emperor still dreamed of Taizu!" After teaching the emperor, the emperor made one attack after another, and he had turned the tide of the war in the north. It is estimated that it will not be long before the war in the north will end! ”

"What?" When Zheng Zhilong heard this, he was slightly surprised, but more of him didn't believe it, "What else can the emperor do?" has been on the throne for so many years, and he has not been tricked by that group of civil officials, and he has no opinions at all. Otherwise, what do you think is the reason why the important ministers of the court are exchanged and eat and drink so often? ”

He is the leader of a faction himself, and of course knows how important it is to have a stable underdog. If the people in important positions under him are often replaced by him, it means that there is definitely something wrong with him.

But Zheng Hongkui was not convinced when he heard it, and immediately told Zheng Zhilong everything he heard about the emperor's changes. The two audience members on the side also listened very attentively.

As a result, a series of things after Emperor Chongzhen crossed over, such as refuting Yang Sichang's rebuke to the outside must first be at ease, trying to protect Lu Xiangsheng, rectifying the factory guards, inspiring the morale of the Qin soldiers, and fighting a big victory, all of them were told one by one.

In fact, Emperor Chongzhen also sent people south after the Qin soldiers annihilated more than 5,000 Jianyu foot soldiers. After all, if there is a big victory, things will be different. Otherwise, just relying on the identity of an emperor, in today's world, how much deterrent power is there!

Zheng Zhilong listened quietly, and the more he listened, the more surprised he became. Because from the information he had, he felt that the current emperor was just a man with great ambitions and talents; However, according to Zheng Hongkui's description, it was really after Taizu fell into a dream, and his methods suddenly became clever. Don't...... Could it be that the emperor could really dream of something?

Thinking about this question, Zheng Zhilong, an old Jianghu still doesn't believe it. However, he didn't know that there could be such a thing as crossing in this world, and he didn't know how history would develop, so he became suspicious.

"Big brother, that's the way it is." After Zheng Hongkui finished speaking, he said to him, "As long as you don't want to rebel, I think it's a good thing that Sen'er is valued by the emperor, so it's better to push the boat down the river and pave the way for Sen'er." ”

At this time, the Ming Empire was full of rebels, so the word rebellion was already frequently mentioned. There were no outsiders here, so he spoke out without hesitation. In fact, Zheng Zhilong is here as much as the Emperor of the Earth.

After listening to his words, Zheng Sen stared at his father, with a look of anticipation, and suddenly interjected: "Daddy, the saints have teachings, and the people of my generation should establish their hearts for heaven and earth, establish their lives for the people, continue their studies for the saints, and open peace for all generations." How can you rebel and bring chaos to the world! ”

His words were faintly condemned. Obviously, the education he received since he was a child made him and his father's ideas not in the same way at all.

"Huh?" When Zheng Zhilong heard this, with a hint of anger, he snorted out of his nose, stared at his son, and thought in his heart, you Laozi and I have not rebelled, but now we are just recruited by the imperial court!

However, to his surprise, this time, Zheng Sen was not afraid of him, or rather, although he was a little scared, he still stubbornly looked up and looked back, and did not lower his head. It's quite a bit of a eaglet with hard wings, and it has its own independent opinion.

Zheng Zhibao on the side, although he is also a student, is much older than Zheng Sen, and he has not been affected by the teachings of any saints. just glanced at his nephew, with a hint of "you are still tender" in his eyes.

However, this time, Zheng Hongkui supported his nephew and spoke: "Big brother, our strength is actually at sea, if we rebel, the imperial court will definitely mobilize heavy troops to come over to encircle and suppress, do you think we can still stay in Fujian?" When the time comes, you will definitely have to leave your homeland and flee to the island, so what's the point? ”

At this time, even Zheng Zhilong still had no confidence, feeling that he could really occupy Fujian and resist the encirclement and suppression of the imperial court. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so cautious. His strength, as Zheng Hongkui said, is mainly a sailor, and he made a fortune at sea. If you rebel, you will have to retreat to the island.

And what the consequences of doing this will be, he, the pirate king, actually knows in his heart. Without the support of the mainland, one day in the future, he will be wiped out like the great pirates he eliminated, or he will be replaced by the second Zheng Zhilong.

Moreover, he was not sure that if he rebelled, the 200,000 subordinates would all follow him in rebellion. You must know that the reason why he stood out from the pirates back then was that he accepted Zhao'an, became a member of the imperial court, and used the righteousness and resources of the imperial court to deal with other pirates in turn to get to where he is today. He didn't dare to guarantee that there might be someone like himself among his men.

It's a little irritating to think about it like this. Seeing his son's expression staring at him made him even more irritable. However, he was a sane person after all, and after thinking about it for a long time, he made a decision: "It's still the same sentence, let's drag this matter first, I'll go for a walk." Send someone to find out the news from the north, keep an eye on the governor's mansion, and report any movement to me immediately. ”

Obviously, he still has to see what happens.

It's normal to think about it, this is a major event related to the future of their Zheng family, and making a decision in a hurry is not in line with his Zheng Zhilong's personality.

At this time when Zheng Zhilong really had to leave Anping Town and go to Dayuan, the northern, Jingshi, and Tianzi powerhouses finally escorted the eight Jin merchants and their comrades back to Beijing.