"Presumptuous! How do you speak to the envoy of the Hou? The Marquis of Zhenyu has defeated the Tartars twice, and he is a meritorious minister to the court, how can you be allowed to be cheap? Go out and take your own leading stick. ”

Zheng Zhilong scolded the deputy general beside him sharply, and the deputy general just lowered his head and slipped out. Then, Zheng Zhilong smiled and apologized to the envoy of the Three Guards in front of him: "They are all rough people, and they don't cover their mouths, please don't be surprised!" ”

The envoy's brows furrowed, but in the end he endured it, after all, he was on a mission, and he couldn't spoil a big thing because of the anger in his heart, so he also smiled.

"The big marshal is serious, they are all straightforward men in the army, if this is also to blame, isn't it saying that the small belly chicken intestines are marked?"

Zheng Zhilong praised: "Good bearing! Then he immediately changed the subject, "To get back to the point, this time the marquis of Zhenyu asked for it, this marshal is not unable to consider it, after all, Fujian is a mountainous province, and the grain has always been received from the two provinces of Zhejiang in the south, and once the army is dispatched, the food will also be very expensive." Since the Marquis of Zhenyu proposed it, the Three Guards can solve it on their own, and they have to help my army with 500,000 stones, it is really for the sake of my Fujian's welfare, and I Zheng Zhilong has accepted this feeling! ”

The envoy listened quietly, and from Zheng Zhilong's tone, he felt that this person seemed to be very satisfied, so his angry mood calmed down a little, but then Zheng Zhilong's words changed, which made him gasp again.

"However, not only in the army, but also among the common people in Fujian, there are many hungry people who need relief, and they are afraid of 500,000 stone ......."

The envoy's temples jumped suddenly, this old man really didn't feel good, it seemed that he was ready to open his mouth, so after stabilizing his mind, he asked: "Please also ask the marshal to say an accurate number, and mark it to ask the marquis of Zhenyu to plan on his behalf." ”

"Good! Joyfully! Ben Shuai loves to deal with straightforward people like you. At the same time, Zheng Zhilong stretched out five more fingers.

The envoy was stunned for a moment and asked, "What does the big marshal mean, add another 500,000 stones?" "When he came up, it doubled, and Zheng Zhilong's appetite was really not small.

Who knew that Zheng Zhilong shook his head.

"No, no, it's not 500,000 stones, it's 5 million stones."

The envoy's hand trembled, and the tea bowl in his hand almost didn't hold it.

"Again, another five million stones?" He was shocked, although he was ready to deal with Zheng Zhilong's lion's big mouth, but he was still stunned at the moment.

Zheng Zhilong smiled and said: "The envoy misunderstood, it's not that another five million stones are added, five million stones are enough!" You also know that the Fujian family has a big business, even if these five million stone grains can survive next year, it will be good! ”

The envoy knew that this figure was far from the explanation given by the Marquis of Zhenyu when he came, not to mention whether he agreed or not, even if he searched all the rice warehouses in Nanzhili and Zhejiang provinces, he might not be able to get so much surplus grain.

"Yu Dashuai, I must have a lot of understanding of the stored grain in Zhejiang and the two provinces, but I'm afraid that I can't get this lot of grain. If the marshal insists on five million stones, I am afraid that this errand will be in vain. As he spoke, his face was full of gloom, as if he was worried about the punishment he would face when he returned in vain.

Zheng Zhilong was unmoved, and still counted the food required by all parties one by one, even if five million stones were not enough.

The envoy shook his head with a wry smile, "Don't say that you can't call the shots, even if you do the master, you can't get these five million stone grains, and the people of Zhejiang and Zhejiang provinces are afraid that they will starve to death." Please also ask the handsome to let one or two. ”

Zheng Zhilong's face still did not change, he hesitated in embarrassment, and it took a long time to stretch out three fingers.

"Then three million stones, three million stones, no less."

Seeing that Zheng Zhilong was still opening his mouth, the envoy had no choice but to spread his hands, "If this is the case, there is nothing that can be done under the mark, only one real number is said under the mark, one more stone, and the marquis of Zhenyu will no longer be able to take it out." ”

Zheng Zhilong raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and asked, "Oh? Tell me about it! ”

"A million stones!"

The envoy said with a straight face, and his tone was firm.

"The envoy is tired of traveling and boating, please stay in the post house to rest, and the specific number will be studied with the generals."

Zheng Zhilong suddenly had the intention of sending off the guest, the envoy didn't know what he meant, and it was not easy to chase and ask, so he could only obey the arrangement and go back to rest.

At this time, Zheng Zhilong's henchmen came to the front hall from the back hall.

Someone couldn't help but ask: "Dashuai, this shaft only gives one million stones, why should we talk to them, it is better to take it ourselves." If it wasn't for Zheng Hongkui's bad thing last time, one million stone of grain would have been shipped back to Fujian a long time ago, and would Li Xin's guy still use it as a favor? ”

Some people were also puzzled by Zheng Zhilong's lion mouth, "The marshal knows that the marquis of Zhenyu can't get this lot of food, and he still insists on three or five million, is it just a hypocrisy and a snake?" ”

After a long time, Zheng Zhilong pressed his hands and signaled everyone to silence.

"Ben Shuai and Li Xin talked, whether it was sincere or not sincere. The reason why he was asked for 5 million grain just now was completely a tentative move, and if he really had the sincerity of the peace talks, he would certainly come up with a reasonable bottom line. ”

Zheng Zhilong's suggestion quickly responded, "I see, the meaning of the handsome, if the shaft does not think twice and agrees, it will prove that the other party's peace talks are fake, and the delay is true." ”

"That's right, since today's special envoy insists on taking one million as the bottom line, it seems that Li Xin's guy may really have the heart to negotiate peace. However, it also exposed from the side that the Three Guards Army was strong and middle-class, and it had no strength and was completely involved in the situation in Fujian. ”

Zheng Zhilong nodded, and then someone suddenly jumped out, "Since the Three Guards are strong outside and middle-class, why don't we just take the opportunity to beat him all over the ground to find teeth?" Don't miss the opportunity, lose it again! ”

At this time, these words were immediately exchanged for a burst of ridicule, "The Three Guards are strong on the outside, are we fully prepared?" Let me ask you, seeing that it is about to reach the month of green and yellow, without the grain assistance of Zhejiang and Zhejiang provinces, what can we use to raise so many soldiers? ”

"That's not simple, Fujian has a population of one million, and each family has found a bucket of rice, which is not a small number when summed up!"

"Nonsense! When were you still in the grass? We are wearing an official uniform now, doesn't this make the world laugh and lose its big teeth? ”

"Laugh off the big teeth? Go and see, which official palace in official clothes is not a clever robbery? If you don't rob or steal, it's a shame! ”

The chaotic discussion in the hall made Zheng Zhilong upset, so he reprimanded sharply: "You know nonsense, can't you come up with an accurate idea?" ”

At this time, a lieutenant general who had been silent stood up and suggested: "Marshal, mark a suggestion, you can stop the army for the time being, and wait until you get this million stone of grain, and then make a calculation." ”

Zheng Zhilong raised his eyes and saw that it was his nephew Zheng Cai. This Zheng Cai is different from his father Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhilong is greedy for money and lustful and does all kinds of evil, and this Zheng Cai is very clean and self-conscious, since he joined the army as an adult, he wants to deny himself, and when there is no war, he only trains in the military camp, and never has the slightest slackness.

If it weren't for Zheng Hongkui who gave Zheng Zhilong a headache, he really liked this nephew. It is precisely because of this that Zheng Zhilong has never killed Zheng Hongkui, and even if he is dissatisfied with Zheng Hongkui, he has never been involved in this Zheng Cai.

"Oh? You mean, first cheat the grain into hand, and then move on to the army? ”

Zheng Cai said solemnly: "That's right, the so-called peace of Li Xin's family of the Three Guards is just delaying time, and now he is expanding sharply, and Jiangxi and Huguang have taken up most of his energy. This is also the bitter fruit swallowed by Li Xin's contempt for our Fujian, and today I know that my Zheng family is not a soft dough that can be pinched at will, so I remembered to make peace to delay time. Therefore, we can just take the plan and take his grain first, and then continue to march into Taizhou and Wenzhou, and then point the troops directly at Hangzhou. Forcing their sailors to fight a decisive battle with my Zheng family's sailors, as long as their sailors are completely wiped out in one battle, there will be no enemies of my Zheng family on the sea. And Li Xin lost his sailor, and the maritime frontier of the two provinces of Zhejiang and Zhizhi was equivalent to opening up to my Zheng family, and our sailor could advance and retreat at will, making it impossible to prevent it. After a long time, the Three Guards are tired of coping, and Nanjing may not be monolithic, at that time, we can take the opportunity to operate, so that those old men in Nanjing City will overthrow Li Xin......"

Speaking of this, Zheng Cai's blazing eyes faintly flashed a hint of pride.

"At that time, it is not impossible for our Zheng family to take the opportunity to enter Nanjing."

Zhengcai's words completely shocked Zheng Zhilong, what he thought before was nothing more than hypocrisy and wrongdoing, and then coerced Li Xin to curb the southward expansion of the Three Guards on the one hand, and squeeze more benefits from Zhejiang and Zhizhi provinces on the other. This is the end of the end, but what he never expected was that Zheng Cai's ambition was so big, not only to take this opportunity to suppress Li Xin, but also to stay in Nanjing, in order to take advantage of the situation that the north and south of the imperial court were not connected, and actually control the southeast half of the country. After this reminder, Zheng Zhilong's heart couldn't help but live.

"Good! According to what Zheng Cai said, he will first ask for a million stone of grain. ”

Three days later, Li Xin met with an envoy sent by Zheng Zhilong in Hangzhou, who spoke an incomprehensible dialect and was arrogant and rude. If it weren't for the accompanying interpreters, few of you would have been able to understand it.

Roughly speaking, "Our marshal said that one million stone of grain must be shipped within half a month and transported to Fujian within a month, otherwise the situation of the Japanese in Wenzhou and Taizhou will be corrosive, and they will have to insist on sending troops." ”

At this time, He Bin came to Li Xin's side and whispered: "This guy is a mixed race between a Japanese man and a pirate kidnapped girl, and he grew up in Zhu'er Island since he was a child. Why don't the generals kill this person's majesty, so that he doesn't know the height of the sky. ”

He Bin used to be one of the Eighteen Zhilong, and he was Zheng Zhilong's old brother, so he naturally knew his people well. Li Xin nodded after hearing this, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and he shouted: "Left and right, take this wolf to Ben Shuai!" ”