In the middle of May of the fourth year of Chongzhen, Nanjing City.

Liu Yunwei had been in Nanjing for more than three months, during which time the officers and men of the Hanwei Army's pacesetter battalion and Feiyu battalion had gone out in all directions in the southern provinces to complete the examination of the troops and generals stationed in various places. At the same time, Shi Kefa also led 1,000 soldiers of the Hanwei Army to inspect the rule of civil and military generals in the southern provinces.

During this period, it was found that 17 generals, 26 garrisons, and 71 thousand generals were suspected of accumulating family members, eating empty salaries, and not repairing military equipment.

After that, Liu Yunwei ordered Lu Ying to send generals at all levels of the Feiyu Battalion to rush to various places to reorganize the generals in the places where the generals were guarding, check the actual number of soldiers and the status of military equipment, train the soldiers stationed there, and comprehensively improve the combat effectiveness of the garrisons in the southern provinces; At the same time, it is also necessary to re-promote generals at all levels according to the training conditions of the garrisons in various localities, and rebuild the military garrison system of the southern provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

At the same time, Shi Kefa also continued to send back good news all the way, and a total of more than 200 civil ministers and military generals at all levels who were found to have corrupted and perverted the law, and these criminals were dismissed by Shi Kefa on the spot, and the criminals with relatively minor corruption cases were sent to Nanjing by Liu Yunwei, the prince of Zhenguo.

And after Liu Yunwei met those criminal officials, after examination, he found that dozens of criminal officials with serious corruption circumstances were all huge corruption without exception, and the smallest amount of bribes also involved millions of taels of silver!

Seeing this situation, Liu Yunwei couldn't help but be furious, and said to Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, and Qian Qianyi, who came to jointly examine the convicts: "With such bastard officials, how can I not be corrupted in the affairs of the Ming Dynasty!" ”

Therefore, Liu Yunwei ignored the dissuasion of Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, and Qian Qianyi, and immediately ordered the beheading of all the dozens of criminals with serious corruption circumstances, and hung the heads of these criminals on the east city wall for public display.

All of a sudden, the people in Nanjing City were boiling again, and countless people poured into the streets, coming to the east city wall to watch the heads of those corrupt officials, and praised the wisdom of Zhenguo Gong and the Shengming of Chongzhen Emperor.

In late June of the fourth year of Chongzhen.

Lu Ying and Shi Kefa led their troops back to Nanjing City successively, and returned to Liu Yunwei, the prince of Zhenguo.

Liu Yunwei saw that the matter in Jiangnan was about to end, so he began to plan for the return of the army to the north.

That night, Liu Yunwei set up a banquet at the Yamen of the Political Envoy Division, and invited Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, Shi Kefa, and the chief soldier Huang Degong over, and said goodbye to everyone. And Lu Ying, the chief military officer of Tongzhou Town, was on the side.

During the banquet, Liu Yunwei smiled and said to everyone: "Everyone, the things in Jiangnan have been going smoothly in the past few months, and the achievements are obvious to all. ”

After speaking, Liu Yunwei got up and saluted everyone.

Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, Shi Kefa, and Huang Degong hurriedly got up and saluted, and said one after another: "Eradicating the Donglin rebel party is what everyone wants, and the public merit of the town and the country is in the future, and we are far from being able to wait!" ”

"Haha!"

Liu Yunwei said with a smile: "Where will my father have any merit in the future, it is a blessing not to leave a stench for 10,000 years!" ”

Liu Yunwei picked up his wine glass and continued: "This time, my father has killed all sides in the southern provinces, and he has made countless enemies, and angry officials are everywhere. The duke does not ask for anything else, as long as the system set by the duke can continue, and the government will not be ruined, the situation that has just been built in Nanjing will run smoothly, and there will be no longer party contention! ”

Shi Kefa sighed sincerely when he heard this: "Zhenguo Gong is dedicated to the country, he is really a model for us!" ”

At this time, the affairs of government affairs were almost finished, and everyone was in a good mood and began to stagger, and there was a sound of laughter and laughter in the banquet.

Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, Shi Kefa, Huang Degong and others toasted Liu Yunwei and Lu Ying one after another, and then this opportunity was practiced for the two.

And Liu Yunwei and Lu Ying also did not refuse to come, clinking glasses with everyone again and again.

At this time, Ma Shiying said with a smile: "Dare to ask the prince of Zhenguo, I don't know when the army is going to set off?" We can also lead the officials of Nanjing City to march for the town and the country! The rest of the people also stopped the colliding wine glasses and looked this way.

Liu Yunwei said with a smile: "Hehe, since the affairs of the south have been almost done, my father is not going to stay in Nanjing City." Bengong decided to lead the army to leave Nanjing City and go south to Guangdong the day after tomorrow! ”

"What!"

"Zhen Guogong is going to Guangdong?"

"What's going on in Guangdong?"

For a while, everyone was very surprised, and they didn't know why Liu Yunwei, the prince of Zhenguo, suddenly wanted to go to Guangdong.

Gao Hongtu on the side suddenly thought of something, and said tentatively: "Zhen Guogong went south to Guangdong this time, is it for the new Guangdong general Zheng Zhilong?" ”

Liu Yunwei smiled and didn't say anything, just picked up the wine glass and touched the glass with Shi Kefa beside him, and drank a glass of wine together.

Lu Ying smiled and said, "Hehe, that's the case, you don't have to be too surprised, in fact, there is nothing wrong." It's just that two days ago, when Zhen Guogong and I talked, he talked about the feat of the Three Treasure Eunuchs who went to the West seven times during the Yongle period, and then sighed that now the Daming Sailor is gradually declining, and it is no longer the prestige of the past. Even the Battle of Liuluo Bay, which defeated the Dutch before, was Zheng Zhilong's private soldiers as the main force, and our army's battle losses were even higher than those of the Dutch! ”

Lu Ying paused and continued: "It is precisely because of this that the Duke of Zhenguo has seen that the Dutch and the Francophiles are becoming stronger and stronger, and they have been running rampant on the southeast coast since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and even occupied the treasure island of Taiwan for a time!" I, Daming, can't just reinvigorate the garrisons everywhere, and the Daming Naval Division must also regroup. If the Ming Dynasty does not have a strong sailor to guard the sea frontier, then how can I protect the sea frontier of China? Therefore, Zhen Guogong is ready to rebuild the Daming Water Division! ”

Everyone was even more shocked when they heard this, they didn't expect that Zhenguo Gong would not only reorganize the troops in various places, but also rebuild the Daming Water Division!

Ma Shiying and others secretly said in their hearts: "Zhenguo Gong first spared no effort to eradicate the Donglin Party, not only raised a large amount of money and grain, but also cleared the way for the implementation of the policy of integrated grain collection in the country, and raised the money and food needed for the reconstruction of the Daming Water Division; And the implementation of the policy of integrated food payment provided maintenance funds for the re-established Daming Water Division! Zhen Guogong, this is one ring after another, interlocking! ”

For a while, the image of Zhenguo Gong Liu Yunwei became more mysterious in everyone's hearts, and in everyone's cognition, every decision and even every sentence of Zhenguo Gong Liu Yunwei was full of deep meaning, and it would never be done casually!

"However, how is Zhen Guogong going to rebuild the Daming Water Division? You must know that building a warship is not something that can be completed in a short time, and building a good warship is measured in years! ”

Qian Qianyi said worriedly, and the rest of the people also said that building a warship is not a simple matter, and it should be considered in the long run.

Liu Yunwei said with a smile: "You don't have to worry about this matter, this time my father is just going to Guangdong just to start, and the specific affairs of rebuilding the Daming Water Division still need to be handled by Zheng Zhilong, the general soldier of Guangdong." ”

At this time, everyone reacted, wasn't the battle of Luowan won by Zheng Zhilong's army?

Moreover, Gao Hongtu, Ma Shiying and others also thought of a point, that Zheng Zhilong, the general soldier of Guangdong, was still the righteous brother of Liu Yunwei, the prince of Zhenguo, and the relationship between the two was extraordinary. When Zhenguo Gong went out to Liaodong several times, whenever there was a shortage of money and food, Zheng Zhilong sent a huge fleet to transport money and food for Zhen Guogong; This time, when Zhenguo Gong implemented the new policy in the southern provinces, Zheng Zhilong directly raised 50,000 troops to respond!

"But in this way, the elite garrisons of all parts of the Ming Dynasty are gathered in the hands of Zhenguo Gong, and more than ten general officers under Zhenguo Gong are all fierce generals who can fight habitually! And after the reconstruction of the Daming Water Division, nine times out of ten it will be in the hands of Zheng Zhilong, the general soldier of Guangdong, Zheng Zhilong is the righteous brother of Zhenguo Gong, and he is looking forward to it! In this way, the army of the Daming Waterway is all in the hands of Zhenguo Gong! ”

Thinking of this, Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, Shi Kefa, Huang Degong and others present were all shocked into a cold sweat, and sat on the seat like a pins and needles, as if Zhenguo Gong had become a powerful minister of the government and the opposition at this time.

Just when everyone was drinking cautiously, Shi Kefa suddenly stood up. Seeing this, everyone around them was numb, for fear that Shi Kefa would say something that would annoy Liu Yunwei, the prince of Zhenguo.

"Zhen Guogong! The old man heard that the Duke of Zhenguo had promised His Majesty that after clearing the Donglin rebels and exterminating the Mongolian tribes and the Korean State, the Duke of Zhenguo would lead a large army to garrison outside the Saiwai, and guard the frontier for the dynasty to be a barrier forever, and he would no longer go south to enter the customs in this life! Zhen Guogong, but is there really something? ”

Lu Ying, who was on the side, was furious when he saw this, stood up suddenly, glared at Shi Kefa with an angry face, and was almost about to pull out his knife and cut someone. Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, and Huang Degong were all broken, and when they saw this situation, they didn't know what to do, and they all spoke out again and again, saying that Shi Kefa was drunk and arrogant, and he couldn't do anything.

Liu Yunwei looked at everyone's expressions, where did he not understand what everyone was thinking in their hearts?

"Haha!"

Liu Yunwei looked at the righteous and awe-inspiring Shi Kefa, suddenly laughed, drank all the liquor in the cup, and then stood up suddenly, and said loudly: "My father has always been true to his word!" Yes, what Master Shi said is indeed true, and this is what this duke wrote in His Majesty's recital. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Yunwei said loudly with a proud face: "After the traitors in Donglin are ambushed, the ministers will do their best to raise the army of all towns under their command, and the troops will go out to conquer the Mongolian tribes and the Korean country in two ways, so as to open up the territory and defend the frontier for our emperor Ming!"

As for the ministers, they will also be stationed in the border fortress for the rest of their lives, and they will no longer go south to enter the customs for eternity, and they will defend the territory and sweep the four scales for our emperor for the rest of his life! ”

Liu Yunwei finished reciting the oath he had recited, his eyes swept over the shocked Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, and Huang Degong, and then looked at Shi Kefa, whose eyes were slightly red, and said with a smile: "This oath is a promise made by this father to His Majesty, and this father will definitely abide by it!" When the army goes out, I also invite you to gather in the capital, and when the army goes out to conquer outside the fortress, no matter whether the prince lives or dies, it will be goodbye to you forever! ”

After speaking, Ma Shiying, Gao Hongtu, Qian Qianyi, and Huang Degong looked adored and were speechless for a long time, and Lu Ying and Shi Kefa were in tears and couldn't cry.