Yan Yingyuan and others were originally just names in the "History of the Ming Dynasty" to Chen Shuren.

Apart from knowing that they were very reliable in terms of national integrity, Shen Shuren knew nothing about other talents, such as military commanding and other practical abilities - only Yan Yingyuan could definitely have some "aura of commander".

After sitting down and having an in-depth chat, Shen Shuren's understanding became richer, and those names became real images of flesh and blood.

By the way, a strategic plan for recruiting talents and cultivating power gradually became clear in his mind and became more and more complete.

When leaving the Nanjing Libu Yamen, riding on horseback, Shen Shuren couldn't help but think:

"The people I have recruited today are all loyal ministers and righteous men who helped King Lu's regime resist the Qing Dynasty after the fall of Nanjing.

We have also read the information of some other officials from Xu Shiqi before, and they are all loyal and reliable people. Unfortunately, their official positions are already on the high side now, and we, a fifth-grade prefect, cannot persuade them.

For example, in history, Huang Binqing, a general from the Tang royal family who was attacked and killed by Zhang Mingzhen due to internal strife between Tang and Lu. Although this man died in the civil war, his attitude towards resisting the Qing Dynasty was still determined. It is a pity that he is now General Ning Shaotai. Zhang Mingzhen's official position has been raised by three levels, and I am not qualified to win over him..."

Thinking of this, Shen Shuren also concluded a pattern in his heart:

Historically speaking, the generals of the Lu family of the Southern Ming Dynasty were generally the lowest in rank today, because the Lu king's legitimacy was low, his power and base were small, and he could attract few talents.

People who had already held high official positions before may have surrendered when Nanjing fell in history and did not survive to join King Lu. There was a process of reverse elimination.

The talents under the King of Tang now have slightly higher official positions than those from the King of Lu lineage, the King of Lu lineage is higher, and the King of Fu lineage is the highest (Beijing officials in Beijing are not included in the discussion).

After understanding this, Chen Shuren's road map became clear: when he wanted to recruit reliable talents, he had to go against this anti-elimination route and look from the back to the front.

Now he is only the prefect, and he is only qualified to find people from King Lu's family.

After he is appointed as a military commander, he might be able to recruit some of the lower-level generals from the Tang royal family in history.

When he is promoted to governor again, he can consider the backbone of the Tang family, and even some people from the Lu family...

As for the King Fu clan, it probably cannot be conquered by relying on officialdom struggles. After all, you have to be the head of the Six Ministries in Nanjing to be able to talk about this.

By the time Chongzhen died, more than three years later, Shen Shuren was only twenty-four years old.

No matter how he achieved meritorious service and promotion through official struggles, it was impossible for him to let Shi Kefa and Ma Shiying follow his lead at the age of twenty-four. What's more, Shi Kefa was still his old boss at the beginning of his career.

Therefore, the last remaining thing, the "final kick" in the future to unify the military power in the south to resist the Qing Dynasty, can never be guaranteed by officialdom struggle, but can only be guaranteed by force.

Official battles and pulling people are just the "passing and assisting links" before the final kick.

"I have to take advantage of the last three years before Chongzhen's death to get promoted as soon as possible. In any case, I must save the Han people's military force that was consumed due to the internal strife between Tang and Lu in history, and try to win over them and unite them under my own command, so that they can be unified in dealing with the outside world in the future. Fighting Tartars.

From now on, I have to save those people who were internally consumed by King Lu's sway... To achieve this step, I must at least be the governor before Chongzhen's death! It's best to be the governor! With one more official position, there will be resources. The more fame we have, the more strength we can unite!"

Chen Shuren secretly made up his mind, and his desire to be promoted and gain power has never been so swollen and urgent.

But he is not ashamed of this. He knows that every step he takes is for the sake of national justice and to unite more united fronts, not for selfish desires.

What's wrong with wanting to be promoted? He was promoted to serve the people of the world.

…

After leaving the household department, Shen Shuren had no time to spare and soon went to see Zheng Chenggong again.

The mansion that the Zheng family bought in Nanjing was much more luxurious than that of the Shen family.

Ever since he knew that his son would study in Nanjing all year round and there would be no danger, Zheng Zhilong was very willing to spend money. Not only on his son's life, he was also willing to make friends with various figures in Nanjing's official circles, regardless of whether they had real power or not, more or less. All can share some benefits.

If Zheng Chenggong hadn't been just fifteen years old when he came, now a year and a half later, he would still be only sixteen and a half years old. Seventeen years old is considered too young.

Otherwise, Zheng Chenggong could easily get an official position just by relying on the Zheng family's own operations, and it would not be Shen Shuren's turn to sell this favor.

Of course, Shen Shuren also knew that Zheng Zhilong had not offered Zheng Chenggong a foreign official position so far, and there was another layer of worry, that is, he was afraid that after leaving Nanjing, it would be less safe to go to other places, and there would be no one to look after him and he would be easily retaliated against.

The Zheng family is so rich, powerful and armed, and they also have many enemies. The deeper they go into the interior, the less control the Zheng family has over the situation.

Now that he, a quasi-ally, is helping to take care of and protect the family, the Zheng family can rest assured.

As soon as they arrived at the Zheng Mansion, before Shen Shuren got off his horse, he saw Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui coming out to greet them. Apparently, they had already received the letter of approval from Wumei Village.

The personnel arrangements of the Zheng family are still the same - the fourth child, Zheng Hongkui, is assigned a military post and travels outside to make contacts and handle relations with all parties. The second and third children follow the eldest brother in leading troops in Fujian. This time, it is Zheng Hongkui who is still in charge of sending his nephew to take office.

"How good is Shen Futai? Shen Futai is really a hero among people. He has been in the fifth rank of government after not seeing you for just a year and a half. I have to work hard to take care of my nephew."

Zheng Hongkui was the first to say some kind words, and he didn't drop his book bag with any false jealousy. At first glance, he looked like a vulgar military general.

The only difference from back then is that now he no longer dares to call Shen Shuren "nephew".

Chen Shuren didn't put on any airs, and continued to carry people in fancy sedan chairs: "Uncle Shi, we have not seen each other for a year and a half, and you have been promoted to guerrillas by Du Si. I'm afraid it won't be long before you become a general." In terms of rank, he is still higher than my nephew."

Dusi and garrison are fifth-level military positions, while guerrillas have fourth-level military positions, and generals are third-level. Theoretically, after Shen Shuren's military preparations are completed, they will be on the same level as Zheng Hongkui's current guerrillas.

But in fact, Zheng Hongkui obviously would not accept this kind of compliment. Everyone knows what they are doing: "Shen Futai, please don't be rude to me. Is the military position comparable to the civil service? If you are so polite, you don't regard us as your own."

The two sides stopped being hypocritical. Zheng Chenggong, who was on the side, also took the opportunity to salute Shen Shuren: "From now on, I have to rely on Shen Futai for guidance. I only want to defend the country and kill the enemy to make meritorious service."

Shen Shuren quickly stretched out his hand to help: "Hey, why are you like this, dear brother? Let's just talk about our friendship in the Imperial College. You and I both come from the family of Chang Wu Shan. If he teaches us personally, then we will be classmates for life. We will call Shen again in the future. I’m so annoyed at Futai!”

Zheng Chenggong then followed the trend and called him Brother Shen.

While maintaining friendship, the Zheng family invited Shen Shuren to sit inside the house. The two sides discussed some specific personnel appointments, and Shen Shuren also explained the situation thoroughly.

Zheng Chenggong went through the normal channels, and was supposed to be an official of the eighth rank at most, and he was promoted to official positions.

This time, I tried every means to give him a boost. Shen Shuren used money and connections to get him a seventh-grade patrol officer under the Hubei Yanfa Road. He would later be responsible for anti-smuggling on the rivers in Huangzhou and Wuchang.

Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong were almost shocked when they first heard this term. Apparently they had a great misunderstanding of the authority of this official position.

"Yanfa Road?! How is it possible? There is a huge shortage of people in the world. Isn't it because of the raging bandits and the precarious situation of local officials that the vacancies are serious? The officials of the Yamen of Yanfa Road don't have to go into battle to face the bandits. , how come there is a vacancy?"

Zheng Hongkui asked the question very quickly, obviously unable to understand it at all. Although Zheng Chenggong didn't say anything, his eyes were full of doubts and excitement.

Chen Shuren raised his hand in an understatement to calm down: "Don't worry, you have misunderstood the salt method. I'm afraid you are comparing it with the Lianghuai Salt Method here in Nanzhili.

The difference between salt production in salt-producing provinces and salt production in non-salt-producing provinces is several times greater. Huguang does not produce salt, so it relies on Huaiyan salt to help Chu or Sichuan salt to help Chu. Therefore, Hubei salt Fa Dao only has the authority to arrest smuggling in the Yangtze River.

The reason why Damu Xiandi was arranged there this time was because he and Jiang Shilang of the Ministry of Household Affairs got through and asked for clarification. After the imperial court officially launched the levy of gold, it was because there had been no special yamen for tax inspection and anti-smuggling.

Therefore, Huguang, Nanzhi and other places will split some personnel from the Yanfa Road Yamen, which has always been experienced in anti-smuggling, to temporarily take charge of the anti-smuggling and tax evasion work. In Hubei, the key is to blockade the Huangzhou-Wuchang River.

You, the Zheng family, make a living on the water. If Brother Damu can work in such a yamen, you must be willing to help him out and help him achieve success as soon as possible. If there is an anti-smuggling blockade, you can also attack the thieves. Navy and transport fleet, why worry about not being promoted as soon as possible?

This kind of official position is much safer than being the magistrate of a county to be recovered in Suizhou or Huangzhou. Isn't it wonderful that I can make meritorious deeds without worrying about my safety?"

Chen Shuren's operation was obviously a matter of careful consideration and considered all the pros and cons.

He can also directly arrange for Zheng Chenggong to start as a county magistrate, but will Zheng Zhilong agree? Can he rest assured? Once the Zheng family's power goes deep into the mountainous area, the sense of control will be greatly reduced. Zheng Zhilong will be uneasy and will inevitably cause trouble in the future.

Finding a job for Zheng Chenggong to beg for work on the water would put the Zheng family at ease. Letting Shen Shuren do what he wanted would be an extra favor.

Moreover, the official positions in Yanfa Road have a much better reputation than those naval officers who directly lead troops. After all, they are nominally fat and short-term civil servants, so they are so face-saving!

Zheng Zhilong cares about face very much. He already has real power, military strength, and money. The Zheng family now lacks the face of a literary and officialdom.

After listening to it, Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Chenggong were still a little dazzled.

Zheng Hongkui had done a lot of buying officials, and he knew the market situation. He sighed from the bottom of his heart: "If you want to buy a magistrate, you will probably need tens of thousands of taels of silver. Under the Yanfa Road Yamen, even if you are a member of the seventh rank, ten I'm afraid tens of thousands of taels won't be able to stop it, right?

Why do you have the nerve to let Shen Futai pay for such a large amount of money? I will send the money as soon as I get back! It's too heavy, too heavy, we can't bear it."

Chen Shuren stopped him from taking out the money and said softly: "Hey, we are all working together to serve the country. What money are we talking about? If you are serious, why not put some effort into 'how to help Brother Damu perform meritorious service in the future'.

For example, when I was in Huangzhou last year, I only relied on various firecrackers and ordinary ordnance to kill thieves. Fortunately, Liu Xiyao despised me last year and took the initiative to lure the enemy to annihilation. If I had to attack the city personally and storm the city, I'm afraid this thief hasn't been eliminated yet.

If some Hongyi artillery can be used to attack the city, wouldn’t it be even more powerful to achieve success in the future, and get twice the result with half the effort..."

After hearing Chen Shuren's hint, or even explicit statement, Zheng Hongkui reacted immediately.

After thinking for a while, he simply set a high price within the scope of his authority: "This is what it should be! Shen Futai is right, we don't talk about money, talking about money is vulgar.

Well, since my nephew can be favored by the Salt Law Anti-smuggling, our Zheng family is willing to provide ten cannons captured from the Hongyi people, plus thirty elite warships, as well as soldiers and weapons, in fact, at the disposal of Shen Futai. Patrolling Huangzhou-Wuchang River."

Zheng Hongkui specifically emphasized the ten original Hongyi artillery pieces, and then told Chen Shuren that there were other domestically produced imitation Hongyi artillery pieces or heavy-duty Folang machines on the thirty warships, but the quality was not as good as the original ones. So good.

Chen Shuren was a little surprised. After asking a few more questions, he learned that these original goods were seized by the Zheng family from the Dutch during the Battle of Luowan eight years ago——

In the autumn of the sixth year of Chongzhen (1633), in order to dominate the East China Sea and the South China Sea, the Zheng family had a bloody battle with the Dutch fleet, which occupied a large part. The Zheng family also suffered a lot of material losses and dispatched hundreds of arson ships, but in the end they won the battle. war.

On the Dutch side, they were besieged by an overwhelming number of arson ships, and were eventually sunk and stranded. They burned one captured Galen ship and lightly damaged several others. They were defeated and returned to the main force (the Dutch fleet had 9 Galen ships at the time).

From the stranded, sunk and burned captured warships, the Zheng family was able to capture a batch of cannons that represented the best technological level in the West in the 1630s. When converted, they were roughly equivalent to 12-pound to 24-pound cannons.

This is much more powerful than the homemade Hongyi cannons currently in service in the Ming Dynasty or the Manchu Qing Dynasty. For Shen Shuren's great favor, he directly took out ten original Dutch heavy naval guns, which is already very sincere.

Compared with these things, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver are nothing.

After hearing Zheng Hongkui's bragging and showing off, Shen Shuren was speechless:

"This...how can I be so embarrassed? It's just to check whether there will be any private merchants who steal money in the future. How can I use such a good heavy artillery?"

Zheng Hongkui: "You deserve it! This is what Shen Futai deserves. When the time comes, I can use it to blast He Jin and Lin's old nest. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"

Chen Shuren: "Then I have to be shameless and disrespectful."

An exchange of interests ended in a harmonious atmosphere where both the guest and the host enjoyed themselves.

That night, Shen Shuren brought the Zheng family and the group of men he had just recruited in the morning to Meilou for a feast.

Zheng Chenggong also became familiar with Yan Yingyuan, Zhang Mingzhen and other civil and military personnel for the first time, and everyone built a team and established a good relationship.

At the banquet, Shen Shuren also further explained to Zheng Chenggong and Zheng Hongkui the benefits of the Lijin policy to the court and the exchange benefits it would provide to the Zheng family in the future, so that the Zheng family fully supported this matter.

From now on, the Zheng family's "Shanwu Road" caravan that goes to the mainland along the Yangtze River to purchase goods will also promise to take the lead in paying taxes according to regulations - Shen Shuren also promises to do everything in an honest manner and will not increase prices or exploit them outside the law.

The initial tax rate for Lijin is actually not high, which is very conscientious.

Historically, in the Qing Dynasty, the tax rates became higher and higher later on. This was mainly due to repeated tax collections and local governments arbitrarily raising tax rates.

Therefore, as long as Shen Shuren promises to handle official business, the Zheng family can completely bear it.
Chapter completed!