Zheng Zhilong's mansion is extremely incommensurate with his identity as a sea owl, walking in the quiet and elegant Jiangnan courtyard, Hou Xuanyan thought that he had returned to Suzhou.

"Ping Guogong's mansion has the charm of a small garden in Gusu City, and it seems that Guogong is also an elegant person."

Zheng Zhilong raised his head and laughed, and said: "This is all built by the children indiscriminately, today's banquet is your brother Hou, I know that you are from Jiangnan, and you like this tune, so let them come to this courtyard." ”

Hou Xuanyan looked around, and there was a person next to him who was about the same age as himself, and his eyebrows were heroic, and he tended to follow behind him. This should be Zheng Chenggong, but I didn't expect the country surname to be quite emotional, and he built this courtyard in Fuzhou.

Zheng Chenggong's mentor is Qian Qianyi, and under the influence of his ears and eyes, he naturally admires the humanistic style of Jiangnan.

After the guests and hosts sat down, Zheng Zhilong clapped his hands, and there were pretty maids wearing flowers and butterflies, pouring wine and dishes. Zheng Zhilong and Hou Xuanyan raised their glasses and drank a drink, pressed his thick hands on the table, and said loudly: "Brother Hou, the few battles you fought in Jiangnan are beautiful, and we are also happy in Fuzhou." It's a pity that we have few soldiers, and several vassal kings in Liangguang are also ready to move. I have written many times to raise troops to the north, even if I help you fight an adjutant, I am willing. However, His Majesty thought more carefully than us, and decided that the time to go north had not yet come, and the government and the opposition unanimously decided that you have the ability to win, and sure enough, Your Majesty's vision is accurate, and I, Zheng Zhilong, am convinced. ”

Hou Xuanyan sneered in his heart, but he pretended to be complacent on his face, and said with a smile: "Brother Zheng praised it falsely, and the younger brother only won by luck, relying on the desperate efforts of my soldiers." You can rest assured that with my Hou Xuanyan for a day, the Qing soldiers don't want to cross the river again. ”

"Heroic! I like people like Brother Hou, alas, at the beginning I strongly asked Your Majesty to confer you as a Duke of Wu, but unfortunately the ministers desperately opposed, and then I had to compromise with Your Majesty, Brother Hou made great achievements in the world, and only then did I seal a Wu Yuebo, fortunately, you have a big bearing, don't care. ”

Hou Xuanyan secretly gathered his strength, held the wine glass, and scolded the eighteenth generation of Zheng Zhilong's ancestors in his heart. Wu Guogong, that was Zhu Yuanzhang's title back then, and the territory he occupies now is very similar to Zhu Yuanzhang back then. This Zheng Zhilong looks coarse, but he didn't expect that there would be such a vicious calculation, since Hou Xuanyan saw through his poisonous plan, he naturally refused to be fooled.

He stood up, raised his glass and said, "The title of Wu Guogong, except for Emperor Taizu Gao of this dynasty, I don't think anyone else can be used." ”

Zheng Zhilong hurriedly smiled: "Oops! It turns out that there is such a taboo, I have never read a book, and I have been begging for a living in a barbarian land overseas, which is a big crime, a big crime. ”

Hou Xuanyan lowered his head to eat vegetables, looking like a big old man in the barracks, ignoring the delicate maid around him and covering his mouth and chuckling.

After eating, with a touch of his hand, Hou Xuanyan snorted coldly: "I thought that Your Majesty felt that my merits were only worthy of being an earl, but it turned out that someone was secretly blocking it." I, Hou Xuanyan, want to see who is so kind, I might as well let him go to Jiangbei to fight a few battles with the Qing soldiers. ”

Zheng Zhilong's face was cloudy, and he smiled embarrassedly: "What Brother Hou said is that I don't think these people are general, and the national disaster is at the head, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty is still the first enemy, and the others can be let go." ”

Zheng Chenggong, who was listening at the end of the seat, was disappointed, he originally thought that although Hou Xuanyan killed his mentor's family, what he did was a heroic man who saved the time. I didn't expect it to be the same as my father, and he was also a selfish and self-respecting general. Listening to the conversation between the two people, what they said was nothing more than the gains and losses of personal fame and fortune, and he felt disappointed. This is the current important minister of the Ming Dynasty, the situation has been so rotten, what hope is there?

Hou Xuanyan deliberately tarnished his image, and he became more and more similar to Zheng Zhilong in his words, Zheng Zhilong secretly calculated in his heart that this kid was also a restless master. If he doesn't let go at all, he really leaves the world and ignores it, and learns from Zuo Liangyu to avoid confrontation with the Qing soldiers under the pretense of Qingjun's side, and I can't stop him.

Thinking of this, Zheng Zhilong himself intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to the sea.

This move is in Hou Xuanyan's arms, and now the situation on the sea, Zheng Zhilong is like a treasure. He needs Hou Xuanyan to be in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to block the Manchu Iron Horse for him, after all, in today's Fujian, he is a well-deserved Fujian grass king. But when the Qing soldiers came, he was not sure that the fierce Manchus would tolerate him continuing to be an unnamed king of Fujian.

Zheng Zhilong's words were wild, Hou Xuanyan listened to them with relish, and he finally couldn't help but interject: "There are many natural ports in Suzhou and Songjiang Mansions, if you want to block the Qing soldiers, you might as well train sailors, and you have the opportunity to transport troops directly from the sea to the area of Gyeonggi Zhili." It can even directly hit Jiannu's lair, and even Liaodong can raid it. Jiannu rode and shot with a heavy bow horse, and on the water it was like a crab with its claws removed, so I was going to train the sailor, and I asked Pingguo Gong to help me a lot. ”

Zheng Zhilong originally thought that he just wanted to let the wealthy merchants in the area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province enter the sea so as to collect shocking business taxes, and he had decided to give up some business roads. Who knew that Hou Xuanyan was a sailor when he opened his mouth, and the combat power at sea was Zheng Zhilong's hole card, so he naturally hoped that no one would be able to touch it. But Hou Xuanyan's words were convincing, and he looked like he was not stingy, as if the Southern Ming Dynasty court was a little disobedient to him, and he was going to raise troops to go south.

Zheng Zhilong, who weighed it repeatedly, still decided that he was the dominant position on the water and could not lose it. He turned his heart and said: "What Brother Hou said is true, since this is the case, as long as my brother needs a water master, I will send someone to Fuzhou to tell me." I will definitely send troops to help my brother dig up their lair. ”

Hou Xuanyan had long known that he would not agree to develop a water master by himself, and he didn't think about it, and he asked you to take Jinling by water twice, but you didn't dare to go, and you still bragged about it here. He smiled and said, "With the words of Pingguo Gong, I am relieved." ”

After three rounds of drinking, Hou Xuanyan's face was flushed, and he got up to leave. Zheng Zhilong had a stomach matter, and he held back to discuss it with a few brothers and nephews, and sent him out of the door with a few words.

After getting on the horse, Hou Xuanyan stood up drunk and said to Qin He: "Inquire about Lu Zhenfei's house, let's go and visit." ”

This meeting with Zheng Zhilong, Hou Xuanyan was quite satisfied in his heart, because he didn't want to have a meal to bring much benefit. The ultimate goal is also to confuse Zheng Zhilong, so that he does not dare to tease himself easily, and don't use his meager strength at sea. After all, for a long time in the future, his main battlefield will be in Huguang.