"The Emperor of Heaven, said: Nan'an Bo Zheng Zhilong..."
In Yangzhou City, Zheng Zhilong knelt in his mansion, welcoming the imperial edict from the imperial court.
Originally, his hometown was in Fujian, but unfortunately the court did not trust him, so he could only settle down in Yangzhou and take care of the pirate business.
Of course, it didn't matter. He originally wanted to go inland and abandon the sea, but now that he got what he wanted, he squandered it extravagantly.
Therefore, after the house in Nan'an County, he spent more than 100,000 taels of platinum to buy and rebuild it, intending to run it as his home base.
Unexpectedly, not long after, the imperial court issued an imperial edict.
"Brother, are we going to fight the Dutch?"
Zheng Zhihu on the side said excitedly: "We have long disliked this red-haired ghost, so we just hit him."
"Confused——" Zheng Hongkui on the side curled his lips and said: "The imperial court is eyeing Xiaoliuqiu and is preparing to take it down completely!"
"Not only the Dutch, but also our senior officials are unable to escape."
"What?" The brothers were immediately surprised, with angry looks on their faces.
The chief executive is a family business that has been run by the Zheng family for decades, and is home to tens of thousands of people. It is not only a supply point at sea, but also another home for them.
If the emperor took it away, wouldn't it be a waste of work?
"Brother, what do you think-"
Zheng Hongkui on the side ignored the angry brothers and immediately turned his head, looking at the contemplative Zheng Zhilong and asked.
The Zheng family came from a humble background, and their ability to make a fortune today is all due to the efforts of Zheng Zhilong, who is not only their elder brother, but also the head of their family.
Moreover, Zheng Zhilong is the one who has put the most effort into it.
"The imperial court actually wants it, so it has no choice but to give it to me."
Zheng Zhilong rubbed his temples, sat down on his own, and said helplessly.
It was only then that everyone noticed that his temples were turning gray, and he looked like an old man in his forties.
Even if you are pampered and well-off, it is difficult to make up for the hardships you suffered in the past.
"Brother, this is our foundation!"
Zheng Zhihu on the side couldn't help but said.
"It's just a deserted island with nothing. If it wasn't a stopping place, we would have abandoned it long ago."
Zheng Zhilong shook his head and said seriously: "Furthermore, we are now officials of the imperial court. Do we still dare to disobey the emperor's order?"
"Second child, third child, fourth child, you have bought a lot of land on the mainland. Are you going to throw it all away just for a mere desert island?"
"Then you hook up with me as a count?"
At this time, several people were silent and did not dare to say anything.
These family properties are nothing. The most important thing is the title. This is the foundation for the Zheng family to settle down and establish a family. It is just now that they have become a wealthy family. It would be a pity if they give it up easily.
"Hongkui, what do you think?"
Zheng Zhilong looked at his bravest brother and couldn't help but ask.
"Brother, I think the imperial court sent us to fight the Dutch for some other reason."
Although Zheng Hongkui was a rough man, he had been in the officialdom for many years and he still understood some of the holy ideas.
I saw him spread out and said: "The strength of the Donghai Navy is increasing day by day. Now there are thirty large ships and hundreds of small ships, equipped with artillery, which is almost the same as those of the Dutch."
"If you add the army, the Dutch will never be their opponents, and they will never dare to be called the opponents of the Ming Dynasty."
"What do you mean?" Zheng Zhilong squinted his eyes, revealing a glimmer of light.
"For the sake of trade with the Ming Dynasty, the Dutch will never fight to the death, so this war becomes a game."
Zheng Hongkui said loudly: "I'm afraid the emperor's intention is very clear. He wants to use the land of senior officials in exchange for the title of eldest brother."
“Isn’t it easy to just squat down the land under the hands of the Dutch and donate the land of the senior officials to create two or three counties?”
"Hahaha!" Zheng Zhilong raised his brows in joy and said: "With the addition of military achievements and the sacrifice of soil, how can I not be promoted to a count by one or two?"
"Yes, the eldest brother will become the Marquis by then."
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood and became happy.
Zheng Hongkui continued with a smile: "Besides, the imperial court only set up separate yamen. Our land and property are still there, but we can't control the people. The losses are minimal."
"We can also get a few viscounts by then. Here comes the baron."
As soon as these words came out, everyone stared blankly, not to mention their expectations.
Zheng Zhilong stroked his beard and showed a heartfelt smile.
Although there was only one step between being an earl and a marquis, nowadays, it is a world of difference.
Without him, who asked the emperor to come up with the trick of reducing the hereditary rank, only marquis and duke were reduced to baron and viscount, and the rest of the titles were only passed down for a few generations.
For the Zheng family, once they become a marquis, they will be a noble who is separated from the country. What is the land of a few counties? Even a few mansions are worth it.
"Okay, let the sons and daughters prepare. This time we want to let His Majesty know how powerful our Zheng family is—"
After discussing for a while, the Zheng family united in thinking and decided to use their ships to gain wealth.
Just when they were packing up and preparing to go south, a letter from Zheng Sen suddenly came.
Zheng Zhilong only disclosed this kind of private information to his most capable brother, Zheng Hongkui.
"Is this true?" Zheng Hongkui couldn't believe it.
"Is this true?" Zheng Zhilong said solemnly: "Although it is just information I have inquired about, it can be seen from the lines that the emperor personally revealed it."
No wonder the two of them were so surprised, the content of the letter was really unexpected.
Zheng Sen bluntly said that after the emperor decided to capture the high officials, he would establish a Taiwan government and build a new Nanhai Navy in Guangzhou.
In addition, Annan and other places are also coveted deeply.
Fortunately, Da Xi Gong believed that if he wanted to revive the Ming Dynasty, he must kill the chickens to scare the monkeys and seize the wealth.
And this chicken is the Dutchman who is currently in the limelight.
"Your Majesty has great ambitions!"
"This is also an advantage for our Zheng family. When it comes to the sea, who can compare to us?"
By the first lunar month, the north has become a land of snow, while the sea in the south is still rough.
Xiamen, the military garrison of the Zheng family.
Since joining the imperial court, the Zheng family has gained a banner and become more powerful. Otherwise, Zheng Hongkui would not have invited the Tang king to go south in an attempt to gain support.
However, it is precisely because of this that there are almost no pirate attacks along the coast of Fujian.
Although Zheng Zhilong started his career at sea, his thoughts are very traditional and he is extremely protective of his hometown.
With the unification of the Ming Dynasty, maritime trade became increasingly prosperous, but the prestige of the Zheng family did not decline.
This time the Spaniards went north and returned victorious, not only bringing a lot of wealth, but also frightening the sea urchins in South China:
The Ming Dynasty decided to eliminate pirates.
As soon as the news came out, merchants from all over the world rejoiced, but only the pirates cursed.
For the Dutch, this news has both advantages and disadvantages.