Fuzhou City, Governor's Mansion.

This governor's mansion was originally a mansion built by the previous governor of Fuzhou, and later the governor was investigated by the imperial court for the crime of greedy ink, and this mansion fell into the hands of Zheng Zhilong and became Zheng Zhilong's governor's mansion.

After Liu Yan led his army into the city, at the request of Zheng Zhilong, he ordered the officers and men of the 12th Army of the National Defense Army to be stationed in the military camp in the city and took over the city defense of Fuzhou. At this time, the soldiers and horses of the Zheng army in the city, except for the three soldiers and horses of the Iron Man Army, the Black Fire Gun Team, and the White Slave Heavy Armor Army, the rest of the troops have all left Fuzhou City, as Zheng Zhilong said.

Liu Yan saw that Zheng Zhilong had shown his sincerity, so he ordered Wei Han, the chief military officer, to deploy all the soldiers to be stationed in the city, and after settling the soldiers and horses, Liu Yan took Wei Han, Bao Qiang, and the two battalion generals Bai Beiguan and Cheng Zhiyu, surrounded by Zheng Zhilong and others, to the governor's mansion.

Liu Yan saw that the people of Fuzhou were ruddy and neatly dressed, which showed that the life of the people here was still good.

It didn't take long for Liu Yan, Zheng Zhilong and others to arrive at the Governor's Mansion.

At this time, in a lobby in the middle courtyard of the house, two large tables of delicacies have been placed. Zheng Zhilong and others surrounded Liu Yan into the lobby, while Liu Yan looked left and right, very surprised by the decoration here.

According to Zheng Zhilong, this is just a "restaurant" for entertaining distinguished guests on weekdays, but inside you can see the pillars of golden silk nanmu, the carved windows of huanghuali, and the big eight-immortal table made of mahogany, which is enough for more than a dozen people to sit around!

The furnishings are even more luxurious, all kinds of antiques are displayed around, and even the maids standing next to them are wearing pearl headdresses and silk satin, which makes Liu Yan feel full of emotion in his heart: "It's still fast to make money from the sea, this Zheng Zhilong is the richest man in the Ming Dynasty!" I don't know how far we can get to talk today! ”

At this time, Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "Hehe, Pavilion Elder, please sit down." ”

Liu Yan also smiled and beckoned everyone to take their seats.

At the main table, Liu Yan naturally sat in the right position, Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Chenggong, and Zheng Zhilong's second brother Zheng Zhihu, third brother Zheng Hongkui, fourth brother Zheng Zhipeng, and fifth brother Zheng Zhibao as accompaniment, and Wei Han, the chief officer of the Twelfth Army of the National Defense Army under Liu Yan, and Bao Qiang, the deputy chief soldier, also sat at this table.

On the deputy table, Bai Beiguan, general of the left battalion of the 12th National Defense Army, and Cheng Zhiyu, general of the right battalion, sat on the upper seat, and Gan Hui and Chen Hui, general officers of the middle battalion of the Zheng army, as well as Zheng Xing, Zheng Ming, Yang Geng, and Zheng Cai, Shi Daxuan, chief officer of the left battalion of the naval division, Shi Lang, chief officer of the middle battalion of the naval division, and Hong Xu, chief officer of the right battalion of the naval division, accompanied them.

At this time, the maid on the side had stepped forward to pour wine for everyone, Liu Yan glanced at the delicacies on the table, and saw that the five representative dishes of Fuzhou had been placed on the table: Buddha jumping over the wall, chicken soup and sea mussels, light snails, lychee meat, and drunken chicken in the middle. There are also five bowls of Fuzhou outside: Tai Chi taro paste, pot side paste, meatballs, fish balls, and meat swallows.

In the outermost circle, it is the famous local vegetarian dish of Fuzhou, which is basically made of gluten, tofu skin, tofu tendon, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, fungus, etc. as raw materials, cleverly processed, cooked in a square way, the taste is very good, there are seven or eight delicious dishes such as Nanhai Golden Lotus, Half Moon Shenjiang, Shigu Sanxian, Yongquan Sansi, etc.

Seeing such a sumptuous delicacies, Liu Yan said with a smile: "Zheng Du is really polite, it seems that Zheng Du has put a lot of thought into today's reception banquet." ”

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "The elder of the pavilion came to Fujian in person, and the lower officials naturally want to be like this. In addition, Xia Guanhai prepared a troupe to help the fun, so I don't know if Fuzhou opera will enter the ears of the old man. ”

Fuzhou opera, also known as Min opera, in the Ming Dynasty, Kunshan dialect, Geyang dialect and so on were introduced to Fuzhou, and then Fuzhou dialect opera gradually emerged, this Fuzhou opera is one of the most popular.

"Hehe, since it was prepared by Zheng Du, it is naturally better."

Soon, a few servants were babbling and singing in the courtyard outside, and the doors of the lobby were all opened, as if a wall was open, and the courtyard outside was unobstructed.

Liu Yan listened to a few words, but he didn't understand very well, Zheng Zhilong on the side saw this and toasted with everyone, Liu Yan did not refuse, and for a while, the two tables were staggered.

After three rounds of drinking, Zheng Zhilong saw that the heat was almost over, so he said: "The elder of the pavilion must have brought the will of the imperial court to the south this time, I don't know what arrangements the imperial court has made for my Zheng family?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the people at both tables quieted down, and Zheng Zhibao, Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Xing, Shi Lang and others looked at Liu Yan one after another, and they were all apprehensive in their hearts.

Liu Yan smiled and said, "I don't know what Zheng Du thinks?" There are no outsiders today, so I can talk to my father. ”

Zheng Zhilong hesitated, and Zheng Chenggong on the side wanted to speak, but was preempted by Zheng Zhilong: "Ge Lao Mingjian, my Zheng family has more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, all of which are fierce soldiers who have followed the lower officials all the way over the years. ”

"In addition, my Zheng family is also in contact with Japan and Western countries, if there are no these soldiers in charge, those foreigners will jump up and down, not to mention making money to pay taxes to the imperial court, it is estimated that the southeast coast of my Ming Dynasty will not be peaceful."

"Therefore, the lower officials have the courage to petition the imperial court, can the more than 200,000 soldiers in the hands of the lower officials be reorganized into the garrison of Fujian and continue to defend Fujian for the imperial court?"

Liu Yan sneered in his heart after hearing this, this Zheng Zhilong's abacus beads are so loud, it is estimated that Beijing can hear it!!

In the final analysis, Zheng Zhilong just wanted to continue to retain the military power of more than 200,000 soldiers and horses, and retain the interests of the Zheng family at sea, but he just changed the flag of the imperial court's garrison and paid some taxes to the imperial court.

It's just that Zheng Zhilong's posture is very low today, and he even gave up Fuzhou City, which Liu Yan didn't expect, so Liu Yan's attitude is not too tough, so he thought for a moment and said: "Now that the implementation of the imperial court's military reform policy has come to an end, the next step, the imperial court will begin to use troops abroad, which means that the current fourteen national defense forces of the imperial court will be insufficient, so the meaning of this duke is to reorganize the elite soldiers under the command of Zheng Du into two national defense forces, as well as a new naval division, It was used in the war of the Ming Dynasty's foreign development. As for the garrison in Fujian, it was reorganized. ”

When the Zheng Zhilong brothers heard this, their faces were a little ugly, and several people subconsciously thought that Liu Yan wanted to use this method to consume Zheng Jun's strength, only Zheng Chenggong showed joy on his face, and obviously heard Liu Yan's words.

Liu Yan saw the expressions of Zheng Zhilong and the others, and said: "Zheng Du is also a heroic man who started from recklessness, and naturally he also has a heart for meritorious work. Imagine, if the imperial court reorganizes more than 200,000 elite troops into garrison troops, then in the future, these elite soldiers and strong generals can only continue to be stationed in various parts of Fujian, according to the compulsory military system newly promulgated by the imperial court, they will be retired one after another after two years, and these soldiers can receive some retirement fees in addition to what benefits can they have? ”

Zheng Zhilong was silent, indeed, now that the various systems of the imperial court are gradually improving, it is impossible for him to support the army and respect himself.

Liu Yan continued: "Zheng Du and the generals can't just think about themselves, if the army is reorganized into a garrison, you can indeed continue to lead the army and live a prosperous life in Fujian, but what about those soldiers who follow you from birth to death? They have no place to win military exploits, no place to receive rewards, they can only serve for two years, and then they have to go home to beg for a living, is this ending fair to them? ”

Gan Hui and Chen Hui, the general of the middle battalion, as well as the four chief officers of Zheng Xing, Zheng Ming, Yang Geng, and Zheng Cai, Shi Daxuan, the chief officer of the left battalion of the water division, Shi Lang, the chief officer of the middle battalion of the water division, and Hong Xu, the chief officer of the right battalion of the water division, were all thoughtful, and their faces showed a trace of guilt.

Although everyone wants to retain their authority and want to be prosperous and rich, many of those officers and soldiers in the army are brothers who were born and died, or even fellow villagers, if it is really like what Liu Yan said, those people will not be at peace in their hearts no matter what.

It's just that the Zheng Zhilong brothers still want to continue to fight for it.

Zheng Zhilong said: "Ge Lao Mingjian, it's just that most of the officers and soldiers in the army are children of Fujian, Guangdong and other places, if they are reorganized into the national defense force, the transfer of Tiannan and Haibei, I am afraid that the generals and soldiers will be difficult to leave their homeland." ”

Liu Yan immediately laughed and said, "A good man should be ambitious in all directions, how can he be greedy for the countryside!" ”

Zheng Zhilong's face suddenly turned red, and Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao also bowed their heads slightly.

Liu Yan continued: "The eldest husband was born in the world, and he should follow Wei Huo's example, lead 100,000 people across the desert, crisscross the four seas, ask for no ministers, conquer barbarians, exterminate Tartars, and raise the prestige of the Han family in the four seas, so that it is not in vain to come to the world!" ”

After Liu Yan finished speaking, Zheng Chenggong suddenly stood up excitedly and said loudly: "What the elder said is deafening, and my Han family boy should be like this!" ”

Then Zheng Chenggong hugged his fist at Zheng Zhilong and said: "Please make up your mind to accept the reorganization of the imperial court, and I am willing to join the imperial defense force together with your uncles and generals!" ”

Zheng Zhilong didn't speak, and the eyes that looked at Zheng Zhilong were also very complicated, in addition to anger and disappointment, there were also praise and expectation.

Liu Yan didn't urge, just looked at the father and son quietly. And the generals of the Zheng Army also looked at Zheng Zhilong, and everyone's hearts hung in the air.

After a long time, Zheng Zhilong looked at Liu Yan and said in an almost pleading tone: "Ge Lao, if my Zheng soldiers are reorganized into the National Defense Army, can more than 200,000 people and horses be saved?" How do you arrange it? ”

"Besides, what about my Zheng family's business at sea??"

In the face of Zheng Zhilong's series of inquiries, Liu Yan replied directly and positively: "The establishment of the national defense force is fixed, with more than 48,000 troops in each army, and 96,000 or 7,000 in the two armies. The situation of the Zheng army is special, and the imperial court can be appropriately relaxed, but the strength of each army is also about 50,000, and the two armies are 100,000 people, plus a new naval division that has been reorganized, the tentative strength is about 30,000, and the final strength of the Zheng army after the reorganization is about 130,000. ”

Zheng Zhilong's face was a little ugly, and he said, "In other words, there are 100,000 brothers to be dismissed?" ”

Liu Yan said: "Among the 100,000 soldiers, the Ministry of Defense of the Imperial Court will screen and select some soldiers as garrisons, and the rest will also be given generous retirement fees, and they will never be treated badly." ”

"Let's talk about the arrangement of the generals, after the reorganization, the two national defense forces and the new water division need a large number of excellent generals, after the generals graduate from the Huangming Military Academy, as long as the grades are qualified, they will be arranged to lead the army in the national defense force and the new water division, this can be assured to you."

Hearing Liu Yan's assurance, Zheng Zhilong and the others looked much better, and Zheng Chenggong heard that he was going to study at the famous Huangming Military Academy, and his heart was also full of expectations.

Finally, Liu Yan mentioned the interests of the Zheng family at sea: "Nowadays in the South Seas, merchant ships from all countries have to buy flags from the Zheng family, and the Zheng family also has a lot of business in Japan and the South Seas. ”

"These must be collected by the imperial court, and the imperial court will form a Nanyang trading company to take over the Zheng family's business in Japan, Korea and Nanyang, but among these earnings, forty percent of the net profits will be distributed to the Zheng family every year!! In other words, the imperial court will reserve forty percent of the Zheng family's shares. ”

"As for the passing flag money against the countries."

Liu Yan looked at Zheng Zhilong and said: "The imperial court will set up a navy department in addition to the Ministry of National Defense, which will be in charge of the Ming Naval Division, as well as various maritime affairs, and the collection of fees for Western countries will be handled by the Navy Department." This income will be collected as a court tax, and it is not appropriate to distribute it to the Zheng family. ”

When Zheng Zhilong heard this, his face was already ugly, and in this way, the Zheng family's loss was too great.

Liu Yan said: "Governor Zheng must understand that with the current financial resources of the Zheng family, it can already be said that it is a rich country, and in the future, forty percent of the income from overseas trade will be enough to make you rich for a lifetime, or even for several generations." Therefore, in the future, you should focus on your work. ”

"The first secretary of the Admiralty mentioned by this governor just now has not yet been determined, but before leaving Beijing, this duke has already submitted an agenda to the cabinet, that is, to recommend Governor Zheng as the first secretary of the Admiralty and enter the cabinet!"

Zheng Zhilong was stunned for a moment, and then stood up suddenly, Zheng Jun and everyone also got up, and Wei Han and Bao Qiang followed suit, maintaining a vigilance.

I saw Zheng Zhilong clenching his fists and saying: "Zheng Zhilong led his troops to accept the reorganization of the imperial court!" ”

Zheng Jun and the others also saluted, Liu Yan laughed and took Zheng Zhilong's hand and said, "In this way, my father has thanked Zheng Shangshu!" ”