The sound of horses' hooves rumbled like thunder. 3,200 iron horsemen, just surrounded by Zhu Cihong, the prince of the Ming Dynasty, walked on the official road outside Nanjing.

Behind them, there were countless banners of various colors, and thousands of foot soldiers carrying firearms followed. The cavalry of the two associations and the fire soldiers of the three associations are escorting Zhu Cihong out of the city to the 30-mile suburbs to welcome Zheng Zhilong, the richest man in the Ming Dynasty.

These elite soldiers of the Five Associations, plus the Zhongshi Fire Gun Association led by Wu Sanfu and Zheng Sen to Zhenjiang to meet Zheng Zhilong, a total of 9,600 officers and soldiers of the Six Associations, is Zhu Cihong's old capital to dominate the southeast!

He now took out all the old books, and showed them to Zheng Zhilong in the best condition, of course, in order to discuss the dowry with Zheng Zhilong......

Naked marriage or something, that's the treatment that only Dolgon's daughter can enjoy - Dolgon is a poor regent, or a minority, Zhu Cihong is embarrassed to ask him for a dowry!

And Zheng Zhilong's daughter still wants to get married naked? Is Zheng's father Zheng the richest man embarrassed?

As for the amount of dowry, of course, it depends on the strength of the man. In the future, you have to look at the real estate certificate, you have to look at the diploma, you have to look at the annual salary or something. Now Zhu Cihong is the leader of the feudal country, the imperial city of Nanjing is his, and the Jinshi diploma is also issued by himself, so of course the annual salary does not matter...... As a national leader in a feudal society, what can really show strength is actually the barrel of a gun and a knife!

With guns and knives, there can be a feudal regime!

So Zhu Cihong took out all his old books and showed them to Zheng Zhilong at one time.

In front of the team that showed its strength, there were still many rumors running back and forth, constantly bringing the situation of Zheng Zhilong's brigade in front.

"Chitose Lord, the Zheng family's brigade stretches for twenty miles, and the forward has reached ten miles away!"

"Chitose Lord, the sentry has been deployed in all directions, and the idle people have been driven away."

"Master Chitose, General Zheng of Fujian is leading dozens of followers to come first!"

Hearing the return, Zhu Cihong reined in the war horse, then raised his right hand and gave the order for the whole army to stop. Then he said to Huang Binqing, the commander of the naval guard who went out of the city with him: "Huang Weishuai, you are quite familiar with Zheng Zhilong, right?" ”

"Master Chitose, Chen and Zheng Zhilong do have some friendship," Huang Binqing replied with a smile, "Back then, Chen and Zheng Zhilong dealt with the sea thief Liu Xiang together. That Liu Xiang is very powerful, attacking the coastal areas of Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang, and making the southeast unpeaceful. He and Zheng Zhilong were originally brothers, but later they turned against each other because Zheng Zhilong was cared for...... Speaking of Zheng Zhilong's willingness to be cared for, it is also a blessing for the court! If he and Liu Xiang make trouble together, there will really be no peace in all directions. ”

Zhu Cihong nodded, Zheng Zhilong's submission is indeed the luck of the Ming Dynasty - after all, it is the 17th century, and it is the era of the ocean!

And after Zheng Zhilong, the sea thief, returned to obedience, Daming had a bridge to overseas. Although Zheng Zhilong could not defeat the main naval fleets of the Netherlands, Spain, England and France. But the main naval force of the Chinese navy will not go around the coast of China, and it is not the 19th century. And the armed merchant ships of those maritime powers in the West off the coast of China encountered the fleet of the Zheng family, which was quite a headache.

Otherwise, with the strength of the Dutch East India Company, it would not have agreed to pay protection money to the Zheng family!

With the big card of the Zheng family, the Ming Dynasty was able to obtain the strength to resist the Qing Dynasty from the ocean, instead of dispersing the already thin anti-Qing strength for the sake of coastal defense.

"Huang Weishuai," Zhu Cihong smiled, "You and Bengong are honest, why did Zheng Zhilong get caressed?" What good is being caressed for him? ”

Huang Binqing smiled: "Zheng Zhilong is a maritime businessman, and he was cared for profit...... The profits of maritime merchants are in the business of sales. Silk from the south of the Yangtze River, porcelain from Jingdezhen, and lacquerware from Japan are all on the same route. Zheng's merchant ships could ship lacquerware from Japan, sell some of it in Ningbo, and then load it onto silk and porcelain from Jiangnan and ship it to Guangdong, Luzon and other parts of the South Seas.

Before Zheng Zhilong was appeased, his family's merchant ships could not run a whole route. After coming from Japan, you can only settle down on Dayuan Island, and then run to Dayuan and Ningbo by other ships, which is very inconvenient. ”

Zhu Cihong asked with a smile: "So as long as the southeast is firmly controlled by the imperial court, Zheng Zhilong is my loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty?" ”

"Ah, almost," Huang Binqing said with a smile, "It's still a thousand years old." ”

While the two were talking, there was a rapid sound of horses' hooves, and they saw dozens of horses galloping towards them, and it was the senior brother Zheng Sen who took the lead.

......

"Zheng Zhilong, the chief military officer of Fujian, knocked on His Royal Highness the Prince of Fujun!"

A tall man with a tan kneeling at Zhu Cihong's feet should be Zheng Zhilong, the richest man in the Ming Dynasty. And Zhu Cihong frowned a little when he saw him - how is it not like Zheng Sen! Why are you so dark? Was it sun-dried or born when pirates? If you were born, don't pass it on to your daughter......

He hurriedly looked at the crowd that followed Zheng Zhilong, they were all dark, only Zheng Sen and a middle-aged scribe in his forties (that is, Chen Jinnan's father) were a little whiter.

"Hurry up, get up!" Zhu Cihong laughed, and at the same time helped Zheng Zhilong and picked up his second father-in-law.

He found that Zheng Zhilong was much stronger than Zheng Sen, half a head taller than himself, and about the same height as Wu Xiang and Wu Sanfu.

"Let's go," Zhu Cihong took Zheng Zhilong's rough right hand, imagining Zheng Chagu's big hand, so he had to smile bitterly, "Zong Rong, it's not early, the weather is also very wet and cold these days, it's better to enter the city with the palace first." ”

As he spoke, he pulled Zheng Zhilong on the horse, first took him to see the 3,200 armor cavalry and 4,800 firecracker soldiers who followed, and then went to the Xianhe Gate outside Nanjing.

Xianhemen is at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, close to the eastern foot of Zhongshan Mountain, the scenery is good, so there are several gardens that originally belonged to Nanjing Xungui. After the destruction of those nobles, these gardens were also confiscated and redistributed. One of them was awarded to Huang Binqing, and now this house has been cleaned up by Haosheng for Zhu Cihong and Zheng Zhilong to rest.

Huang Binqing also has a double identity, which is the matchmaker who matches Zhu Cihong and Zheng Chagu - in fact, Zhu Cihong takes Zheng Chagu as a concubine, and does not need any matchmaker. But concubines can't ask for a dowry, and Zhu Cihong hasn't asked Wu Xiang for a dowry before.

So after Huang Binqing invited Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Sen, and Prince Zhu to serve tea in the inner hall, he didn't know how to speak for a while, but just said greetings.

After talking for a long time, Zhu Cihong was a little impatient, so he simply coughed, and asked Zheng Zhilong with a smile: "Zheng Zongrong, you are going to send a woman to the palace this time...... Isn't it time to talk about the dowry? ”

Yes? Trousseau?

Zheng Zhilong was stunned, and then glanced at Zheng Sen.

Zheng Sen hurriedly asked: "Chitose Lord, is the sister of the house an elected servant in the palace?" ”

"yes!" Zhu Cihong smiled and nodded.

"The choice of a waiter is a concubine......"

"But this palace will treat her like a wife!" Zhu Cihong said cheekily, "All the treatment of Sister Ling is like the crown princess, and she will be like the queen in the future." ”

Like a queen......

Zheng Zhilong frowned slightly, isn't "like a queen" just "like a lady"?

"Your Royal Highness," Zheng Sen saw that his father didn't speak, so he had to speak himself, "How much do you want?" ”

Zhu Cihong said with a smile: "I heard that the Zheng family has no less than one million acres of land in Fujian Province? ”

Zheng Zhilong frowned and replied: "The minister has indeed purchased more than one million acres of land along the coast of Fujian...... Does Chitose Lord want the land of his ministers? ”

The Zheng family's land in Fujian was not all purchased, but mainly embezzled by using the authority of the Fujian General Army. It is mainly distributed in Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Xinghua, Fuzhou and other four prefectures. Among them, the land in Zhangzhou, Xinghua and Fuzhou is not important to Zheng Zhilong.

However, the Jinmen Institute, Zhongzuo Institute, and Fuquan Institute to which Yongningwei belonged in Quanzhou, as well as the large areas of land in Tong'an County under the jurisdiction of Quanzhou Prefecture, were the fundamental places of the Zheng family!

The Zheng family's old nest, Anping City, Shijing Town, where the Zheng family's shipyard is located, is located in the center of this site.