Early the next morning, Zhang Zhong came to kowtow to pay homage.
The two sat down to drink tea. Zhang Zhong changed into a set of clean clothes and looked in high spirits.
"How did Eunuch Zhang sleep well last night? He looks good." Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
"More than good? This is the most comfortable and solid sleep I have had in more than a month. When I saw the Duke, I felt relieved." Zhang Zhong said with a smile.
This is not a lie. Last night was indeed the most restful night for Zhang Zhong and others. After seeing Zhang Yanling, the Duke of the country would return with him to quell the rebellion. With the Lord Protector taking action, why worry about the rebellion?
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "That's good, but it's a pity that you can't stay for a long time, and I can't keep you for a long time. Otherwise, you can sleep here for a few more good nights."
Zhang Zhong smiled and said: "There's nothing we can do about it. We have to do something big first. Lord Guo, when are we going to leave?"
Zhang Yanling said: "I have already made arrangements and will set off in the afternoon. I will ask someone to take you around the city later, which can be regarded as a trip to Nanyang. As for me, I will write a memorial for you to take back to you.
Your Majesty, I will give you a banquet at noon so that you can taste the local flavor. The seafood here tastes good,"
Zhang Zhong heard that the words were wrong and he was surprised and said: "My lord, what kind of memorial are you writing? Can't you see the emperor? You won't return to the country with your slaves to quell the rebellion, right?"
Zhang Yanling chuckled and said: "Zhang Zhong, I'm afraid I won't be able to return home to put down the rebellion in person. I'm about to attack Guli Port. That should be the last battle to open up trade routes. At the last moment, we can't give up halfway."
Zhang Zhong was stunned, stood up and said in shock: "My ancestor, the emperor is eagerly waiting for you to go back and turn the tide. If you don't go back to quell the rebellion, won't Zhu Chenhao be unstoppable? What should we do?
?Besides, the Emperor’s will... If you disobey... I’m afraid it will be bad.”
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "Zhang Zhong, our Ming Dynasty is full of talents, and there are many people who can quell the rebellion. The emperor just preconceived that only I can quell the rebellion, but in fact it is not the case. I will write it down in the memorial. I will advise the emperor
Appoint Wang Shouren to lead the army in countering the rebellion. From what I know about him, he will definitely be able to complete this important task and he has the ability."
Zhang Zhong was speechless and almost cried.
"Zhang Zhong, I can understand your mood, but think about it, I led the Ming fleet on a campaign for more than a year, and finally reached the last moment, how could all my previous efforts be wasted? The emperor asked me to return to the country to quell the rebellion. Of course I should return immediately to help, but I
If they leave, many of the occupied ports will be recaptured by the Folangji people. Moreover, Zhu Chenhao's rebellion is actually a matter of
I don't think it's serious. It doesn't threaten the Ming Dynasty. As long as the imperial troops mobilize for encirclement and suppression, and there are capable people to direct and dispatch, it will be calmed down soon. There is no need for me to rush back. The emperor was panicked, so he thought
It is safest for me to go back. I will make it clear to him in the memorial. You don’t have to worry." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
Zhang Zhong sighed: "I don't know what to say. I only know that Zhu Chenhao is very aggressive. The ministers in the court said that after he captured Nanjing, half of the Ming Dynasty was in danger. The emperor was very worried. This kind of
At that time, the Duke refused to go back to quell the rebellion. Your Majesty... Your Majesty will definitely blame you. I don’t understand, is this Nanyang thing more important than my Ming Dynasty’s quelling the rebellion? There is a fire in the backyard, why don’t you go back to save it?
"
Zhang Yanling's face darkened and she shouted coldly: "Bold. Zhang Zhong, are you scolding me?"
Zhang Zhong hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, saying repeatedly: "I don't dare, I don't dare. How dare I do this? I admire and respect the Duke. I owe everything I have today to you. How dare you be rude to the Duke? I'm just a slave.
I can't figure it out, and I'm worried that this matter will cause trouble for the Duke."
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Zhang Zhong, there are some things that you may not understand even if I explain them to you. I can only tell you that the things here are more important than returning to the Ming Dynasty to quell the rebellion. Naturally, I want to have the best of both worlds, but unfortunately I can't
With the art of clones, things can only be done one by one. As for the emperor, I will explain it clearly."
Zhang Zhong kowtowed and said, "In this case, I have nothing to say. The things that the Duke of the country considers are naturally right."
Zhang Yanling frowned and said: "Get up. Don't worry, I won't let you go back empty-handed. I have ordered Zhang Yin to lead the Liaoyuan armored warship to follow you back home. Zhang Yin has followed me in the war for many years. With him and Wang Shouren joining forces,
The rebellion will definitely be resolved. Three armored warships, together with other ships, are enough to compete with Zhu Chenhao on the Yangtze River.
I will also mobilize some private forces to supply firearms, artillery and shells to the counter-rebellion troops. I believe that Zhu Chenhao's rebellion can be quelled quickly without me returning. Zhang Zhong, you don't have to worry too much. Yes
I won't go, and it's not because of your negligence. The emperor will not do anything to me, and the emperor will understand my arrangement."
Zhang Zhong heard what Zhang Yanling said and knew that the Protector must have thought clearly about it last night. Otherwise, it would be impossible to make such detailed arrangements. Although he still believed that only Zhang Yanling's return to the country could the rebellion be suppressed, because he knew that Zhu Chenhao
He had seen Zhu Chenhao's warships on the Yangtze River lined with sails and masts, stretching for more than ten miles. He also knew the emperor's anxiety and fear.
However, since Zhang Yanling has made his decision, he can only accept this result. Moreover, Zhang Yanling also allocated a warship and sent Zhang Yin back with him. He also said that there would be other measures. I hope these measures will be effective.
As for using Wang Shouren to lead the army, Zhang Zhong couldn't understand it at all. Wang Shouren was a scholar and had no reputation. Why could he suppress the rebellion? The Duke of Guo didn't know how he came to this conclusion.
…
In the morning, someone took Zhang Zhong to the Colombo Port and wandered around for a while. Zhang Zhong was not in the mood to appreciate any local scenery. After wandering around for a while, he asked to come back. After sitting at his residence, he thought about it and decided to go see Zhang Yanling.
See if there is any other way.
As soon as he entered the courtyard where Zhang Yanling lived, he heard Zhang Yin's loud voice coming from the house.
"My lord, I will never agree to do this. I can't leave. The enemy is at hand. There are more than 20 French warships in Guri Port and Goa Port, plus ships from the Garo Empire. There are many forts in these two ports.
, the city is also extremely strong. The total strength of the opponent may be tens of thousands. We only have a total of 3,000 combat troops and only seven warships. This is already a disadvantage. If the Liaoyuan leaves again, won't it be even more of a disadvantage? I firmly disagree.
You do this."
Zhang Zhong was shocked when he heard this. Only then did he understand what kind of enemy the Duke of Guo was facing. The number of enemies they had to face might be ten times as many. In this case, the Duke of Guo also allocated a
This is the limit of what he can do to bring a warship back to the country with him to put down the rebellion. Wouldn't this be harming the Duke of the country? He actually still harbors dissatisfaction in his heart. He really shouldn't.
"Brother Zhang Yin, since the emperor asked Eunuch Zhang to deliver the decree, he must be worried. We cannot ignore the emperor's feelings. We cannot let Zhang Zhong return empty-handed. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to explain. You go back and fight the rebellion with Wang Shouren. I
I feel relieved.
At that time, you were in charge of the waterway attack, and Mr. Wang was in charge of the land encirclement and suppression. I believe you can drive Zhu Chenhao back to Nanchang and back to Poyang Lake. You have been with me for many years, and I have absolute trust in you. This is also an opportunity for you.
" Zhang Yanling's voice came.
Zhang Yin said: "I don't want this opportunity. If I leave and something goes wrong with the Duke of Guo, I will regret it for the rest of my life. I don't need to pay attention to the request of the court. Without even an imperial edict, I am just a soldier."
There are no soldiers, and the court can't say anything. Who knows if it's a fake imperial edict? Even if it's not a fake imperial edict, there is no imperial edict, just a mouthful? This will have no impact on the Duke of the country."
Zhang Zhong's face turned pale, and his body instantly became limp.
Zhang Yanling's voice came: "Hey, having said that, if you do that, wouldn't you cheat Zhang Zhong? He will have to bear the responsibility of losing the imperial edict. He might lose his head. I can't do that. I did it yesterday
I have been thinking about it for half a night, and I cannot use this as an excuse. I will make it clear to the emperor in the memorial, and the emperor should understand me. If the emperor really thinks that I am disobeying the decree and is unhappy, then he can only leave it to him.
Already."
"Master! But..."
"Needless to say, I know you are worried about the next decisive battle with the Folangji. We already have a disadvantage in terms of military strength. The impact of missing one warship is indeed great, but it is just a greater disadvantage. That's all.
At this point, we can only accept the reality. We just need to be more cautious and plan more carefully. Brother Zhang Yin
, Don’t worry, I’m not a fool. I can do whatever I can, and if I can’t do it, I can bang my head against the iron plate. In short, I will consider the things here. But you, who has a heavy responsibility,
There can be no mistakes. If you can quickly quell Zhu Chenhao's rebellion with Wang Shouren, the emperor will not blame me for disobeying the imperial edict. Do you understand?"
"Hey! Mr. Guo, why are you doing this?"
"Brother Zhang Yin, don't say anything. Send the order quickly, load up the supplies, and set off in the afternoon. By the way, after you return to Daming, you will inform Mr. Xu, and Youtang and the others that the firearms and heavy artillery of Xishan Manor will be given priority to supply counter-rebellion soldiers and horses.
, there is no need to be stingy. To ensure the success of counter-insurgency, it is important to ensure rapid counter-insurgency." Zhang Yanling said.
Zhang Yin was silent for a long time, then sighed: "It's a humble job... just follow orders."
Zhang Zhong, who was listening to the conversation in the yard, rushed into the house, knelt down in front of Zhang Yanling, and wailed: "The Duke of Guo, my ancestor. From now on, I, Zhang Zhong, will work as a horse for the Duke of Guo. I am loyal."
Geng Geng. Your Majesty loves your slaves so much that I will never be able to repay your kindness even if I die."