"Recruitment? Never! Nie Yunhai shouted, "Lord Wang, to say something taboo, the army in Hengzhou is now only obeying your orders. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info The court has one eye open, and it's okay to close one's eyes, but you have to recruit another 30,000 soldiers, but you have touched the bottom line of the court! ”

"I'm looking at the recruiting line!" He Hailong instead supported, "In this troubled world, only the more troops the safer, besides, there are so many thieves in the world, Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000 army broke through Xiangyang, so what about him with 300,000 troops to attack my Hengzhou?" ”

Just when everyone was making noise in Hengzhou's Guiwang Mansion because of the recruitment of soldiers, Zhou Renyuan and his entourage had already arrived at FJ Fuzhou Port.

The wharf of Fuzhou is full of lights, and there are many soldiers. The people cheered, and the prince and the prince went to Fuzhou together, which was something that had not been done since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

FJ Governor Zhang Kentang was slightly nervous, the court's will was for the prince to tour the south to represent the herdsmen of the Son of Heaven, but Zhang Kentang vaguely felt that it was not so simple for the prince and his party to come to FJ.

A cannon rang out, and Zhou Renyuan stepped out of the cabin with this holy decree in his hand and Zhu Cihong in royal clothes. "Long live the emperor! Prince Chitose! Chitose Wang! Zhang Kentang led the FJ officials and generals to the ground and shouted.

"Fengtian carrier, the emperor edict said, the crown prince, the king of Yongming County is the Qincha, patrolling the sky on behalf of the sky, shepherding the south, and calming the four people. The relevant people in the court should remember their duties, reward their merits, punish their crimes, and send them everywhere, such as I am here! Chin this! Zhou Renyuan finished reciting the holy decree.

The officials on the ground shouted in unison: "Obey the order!" ”

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, please get up, General! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been tired from the journey, so arrange for me to rest first! Zhou Renyuan said.

Zhang Kentang had already arranged the manor of a wealthy man in the city, Hao Cai, as a messenger, and hurriedly led Zhou Renyuan and his party to Xingyuan.

As soon as Zhou Renyuan entered the manor, the small bridges and flowing water, the rockeries were stacked, the yard was full of strange flowers and plants, and more than a dozen maidservants knelt in the courtyard to greet them and did not dare to raise their heads.

Zhou Renyuan nodded and said to Zhu Cihong, "His Royal Highness the Prince, what do you think of the courtyard here arranged by Lord Zhang?" Are you satisfied? ”

Zhu Cihong nodded, "Yes, it's a bit like Jiangnan Villa." ”

"That's good, Lord Zhang bothered! You've got a good arrangement! Zhou Renyuan smiled at Zhang Kentang.

Zhang Kentang's heart blossomed, and he hurriedly replied, "This is the duty that a minister should do, and it is an honor for the people of Fuzhou that the prince and the prince are satisfied!" ”

"However, a few of these handmaidens who can cook are left, and the rest are returned, and all the guards at the door are removed and replaced by the royal guards and personal guards brought by the king." Zhou Renyuan commanded.

"Yes! Be! Zhang Kentang hurriedly agreed.

"And tell all the adults and generals outside the door to go back and rest, and the prince will come back tomorrow to ask!" Zhou Renyuan continued.

"But the officials in Fuzhou have already arranged a reception banquet for the prince and the prince in Zuixiangju, which is ---," Zhang Kentang hesitated.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Lord Zhang, this king was negligent, it is still early, the prince and this king must go to the banquet in the evening, remember that the dinner party should not be extravagant. Zhou Renyuan said with a smile.

"When the time comes, the ministers will come to pick up the prince and the prince." Zhang Kentang's heart was relieved.

"Okay!" Zhou Renyuan nodded.

In the Fuzhou Governor's Mansion, civil officials of all sizes crowded into the lobby chattering non-stop. This one said, "Lord Xu, what is the purpose of the prince and his entourage coming to our FJ?" The one who said, "Mr. Wang, you have a lot of roads in the capital, so you don't have any inside information?" ”

At this time, Zhang Kentang coughed impatiently twice to signal everyone to be quiet, "Everyone is scattered, don't be late at night for the prince and the prince in Zuixiangju!" ”

In the governor's study, Zhang Kentang left Wang Yongji, the envoy, and Mao Ke, the political envoy, talking in a whisper.

"Lord Wang, how is it, is there any news from the capital?"

Wang Yongji was in his early sixties, and he touched his beard, "I am a member of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, and my nephew who is a foreigner doesn't understand very well, but he only says that the prince and his party are on a normal patrol." However, he emphasized that he should not offend the young little prince, saying that he was very saintly, and it was okay to make a big fuss in the court, and he stayed in the palace overnight! ”

"No wonder!" Zhang Kentang said.

"What? What did Master Zhang find? Wang Yongji and Mao Ke said curiously.

"Today, in the courtyard of the shopkeeper Hao, the little prince who arranged me to do things, as if he was the real Qincha, and the prince was not displeased at all, but listened to the little prince." Zhang Kentang told what he saw today.

"Listening to what Lord Zhang said, is it true that the prince is really in charge of this trip?" Wang Yongji and Mao Ke are both old officialdoms, and they are thinking about it right now.

"I think that's what happened?" Zhang Kentang nodded.

"And what is the purpose of their trip?" Mao Ke asked.

"We don't know much about this prince, we only know that he is the fourth son of the prince of Hengzhou, who is still young, and he is just a weak crown." Wang Yongji said.

The three of them thought for a long time, and suddenly Wang Yongji's eyes lit up, and he said, "It can't be related to the affairs of the north, right?" ”

"What? Something to do with the North? Lord Wang, are you saying that you want to transfer my FJ's soldiers to the north to fight the thieves or slaves? Mao Ke exclaimed.

"I won't be able to transfer troops!" Wang Yongji said slowly, "Didn't our former governor, Lord Xiong Wencan, say that he would exterminate the thieves? Not two years ago, he was transferred to the north to suppress thieves and surrender Zhang Xianzhong, Zhang Xianzhong surrendered, but rebelled again. In the end, Governor Xiong was defeated, and he was beheaded by the imperial court. Will the imperial court still believe in FJ soldiers? ”

"Could it be that Lord Wang is talking about silver? It's a pity that our FJ got the silver to hand over to the imperial court, and there are still three transactions in last year's taxes! Zhang Kentang said.

"We don't! But there are people who have it, and they are rich enough to rival the country! "Wang Yongji sold a pass.

"You mean Zheng Zhilong?" Zhang Kentang and Mao Ke understood at once. Speaking of FJ's civilian system, Zheng Zhilong was originally a pirate, and was recruited by Xiong Wencan, the former governor of FJ, to become FJ's chief soldier, because he had more than 100,000 sailors and 3,000 large and small warships.

A few years ago, he defeated the Dutch fleet that once roamed Southeast Asia, and became the first overlord of the East HN Sea, controlling all maritime trade rights. All traders had to have the arrows distributed by Zheng Zhilong to do business, and the total annual trade amounted to 10 million taels of silver. But the Ming Dynasty couldn't get a single tariff, and all the taxes flowed into Zheng Zhilong's pocket.

By controlling trade, Zheng Zhilong made an annual profit of three million taels of silver, excluding the expenses of the army, while the income of the entire country of the Ming Dynasty at that time was only four million taels. But Chongzhen has no way to deal with Zheng Zhilong, first, he has a lot of troops, these people are all pirates, follow Zheng Zhilong to the north and south, and are quite loyal to Zheng Zhilong.

Second, Zheng Zhilong is located in the southeast, and the coastal area is safe, socially stable, and the people are prosperous. He also led the landless Han people to develop Taiwan and became a pioneer in the development of Taiwan.

But these can't hide the fact that he seized the southeast, so FJ's officials and Zheng Zhilong became two systems, Zheng Zhilong did not interfere in FJ's civil affairs, and the hand of the imperial court could not reach into Zheng Zhilong's sailors. The two sides only maintain a not-so-friendly relationship with each other on the surface.

"If the prince and his entourage are here to target Zheng Zhilong this time, there will be a good show to watch!" Mao can gloat.

Zhang Kentang frowned and knocked on the table, "Master Mao, be cautious!" No matter how you say it, they are the prince and the king of the county, you must not be disrespectful! ”

Mao Ke's old face flushed, and he hurriedly said, "Yes, yes!" The lower official lost his words! ”

"However, even the emperor can't do anything about Zheng Zhilong, what can the prince and the prince do to deal with Zheng Zhilong?" The three of them couldn't help but fall into deep thought again.

"Just rely on my three-inch incorruptible tongue!" In the Qin Cha Xingyuan, Zhu Cihong was also asking Zhou Renyuan the same question. Zhou Renyuan replied.

"What? The fourth uncle can move Zheng Zhilong with just a few words? Zhu Cihong was very puzzled.

Zhou Renyuan smiled, "I have long studied Zheng Zhilong, he was born as a pirate, he was a powerful man at sea back then, and he had many generals, and he could build his own country overseas with his strength, but why did he accept Zhao'an?" ”

"Why?" Zhu Cihong's eyes were full of curiosity.

After all, he has been adrift overseas all the year round, and he still hopes that one day he can return to his roots and return to his hometown. What he cares about is to get a good future for himself and the Zheng family, so that he can return to the mainland in style and glory to his ancestors. Zhou Renyuan took a sip of tea and looked at Zhu Cihong.

"But he is now the chief soldier, and he wants money and money, and he wants an official position, which should be said to be a complete merit. Why would he listen to you and me? ”

"As long as people ask for something, they must have weaknesses! What is a total soldier? There are no less than a dozen large and small general soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and he is satisfied with his Zheng Zhilong's strength to be the chief soldier? Besides, he doesn't even have a title, although the title is just an honor, but you look at how many civil and military generals have worked hard to earn a title and pass it on to their children and grandchildren since the founding of the Ming Dynasty. ”

"But we don't have the will to knight him!"

"Of course we don't! However, we can give Zheng Zhilong the hope of being knighted, only when he sees hope, his heart will definitely loosen. ”

After Zhou Renyuan and Zhu Cihong finished talking, they saw that it was still early, changed into civilian clothes, and took Mozhu, Shen Tieshan and a few guards out of the Qin Errand and walked towards the street.

"Mozhu, have you pulled down your homework in the past two days?" Zhou Ren asked Mozhu as he walked.

Mo Zhu said with a bitter face, "Lord Wang has arranged too much homework for me before leaving, and it is really hard to recognize words, but I can read "Thousand Character Text" now!" ”

"Hmm!" Zhou Renyuan nodded, "There is growth, you must know that you must be literate by my side, and you will also be able to write articles in the future." Hey—it's all my fault, it's also that I didn't set an example before, and I didn't take you well, otherwise I would have sent you to the palace sect a few years earlier, and you would have already had the knowledge of showing talent! ”

"N-no! Little prince, this is not your fault! It's all the little stupid, and the little one will definitely study hard and won't let you down! Mo Zhu hurriedly replied.

Zhou Renyuan smiled and touched Mozhu's head, "Okay! Be ambitious! ”

Shen Tieshan and several other guards already knew that Zhou Renyuan was quite gentle to his subordinates and had no arrogance, not to mention that Mozhu had been Zhou Renyuan's playmate since he was a child, and Zhou Renyuan loved him very much.

Zhu Cihong was stunned, don't persuade the eunuchs who serve him in the palace, even if he has a few younger brothers and sisters, he doesn't dare to do such a move, what he has been instilled since he was a child is the hierarchical concept of monarchs and ministers, in fact, he is still a half-old child, so Zhou Renyuan's appearance is not only like a teacher who can teach him different knowledge, but also like a gentle brother next door, although Zhou Renyuan is his cousin. He couldn't help but be a little envious of Mozhu.

On the streets of Fuzhou, there are many foreigners shopping, including Caucasians, Spaniards, Dutch, dark-skinned Luzon and Siamese, RB and North Koreans. Zhu Cihong and his entourage were both curious and a little nervous when they saw so many foreigners.

Zhu Cihong smiled and explained to them: "You see that this one wearing a kimono is an RB person, that is, what we call a Dongying person, the one with a hat is a North Korean, those with dark skin are Luzon, and the one with braided hair is a Siamese, but those white people I know they are Franco, I don't know if it's Portugal or Spain!" ”

"Yo! This boy has seen well, and he can even know Portugal and Spain. A heroic young man with a waist knife passing by said. Have you ever been on a sea cruise? ”

Zhou Renyuan saw that there were several people who looked like family members behind him, with dark complexions, strong physiques, and waist knives, and they looked like they had been killed at sea all year round.

Shen Tieshan and several guards hurriedly blocked in front of Zhu Cihong and Zhou Renyuan. Zhou Renyuan saw that this young man was ill and had no malice, and waved his hand to signal them to retreat. Laughing, "Where?" Where? I have only heard people say that where I have traveled on the sea, but I really want to take a boat to see the boundless sea, and Cao Mengde of the Three Kingdoms has a poem: the east is adjacent to the Jieshi, in order to view the sea. The water is surging, and the mountains and islands are sturging. The trees are overgrown and the grass is abundant. The autumn wind is bleak and the waves are surging. The journey of the sun and the moon, if out of it; The stars are splendid, if out of it. Fortunately, even ya, the song is a song. If we can see the sea, it will be worth our trip. ”

"Childe is right, only on the sea can I show my man's pride. Zheng Sen admires! The young man complimented.

"What? Your name is Zheng Sen? Zheng Zongbing's eldest son? Zhou Renyuan was ecstatic, this Zheng Sen was the later Zheng Chenggong, Zhou Renyuan has always wanted to find an opportunity to contact Zheng Chenggong, who knew that I met on the street today, God help me!

"It's Zheng Sen below, could it be that Gongzi knows him?" Zheng Chenggong said.

"I didn't know each other before, but now I know each other, don't you? Haha--" Zhou Renyuan said with a smile.

Zheng Chenggong was amused by his witty answer, and laughed, "This son is really funny." Look at a few people with extraordinary temperaments, who are either the children of official eunuchs or wealthy families. Say, what do you want to do, I can help you, I just need to say it in front of my father, to ensure that your business is prosperous, and you will be profitable. Who told us to fall in love like this? ”

"Major General, refresh! Let's find a piece of land to talk about? Zhou Renyuan saw that Zheng Chenggong had already taken the bait, and hurriedly gave Zhu Cihong a look.

Although Zhu Cihong didn't know what his purpose was for befriending Zheng Chenggong, he hurriedly cooperated, "That is, our family has silver, but we can't find a good business, this is not my brother and the young general hit it off at first sight, strike while the iron is hot, let's find a better teahouse and chat while drinking tea." ”

"This--" Zheng Chenggong hesitated a little, he originally came out to buy something, and it was her mother's thirty-sixth birthday in two days, and he wanted to buy a gift today as a birthday celebration for her mother, "Okay, since we have a fate, let's go to the Windward Building to sit." ”