Tang Tong was very surprised to see Tian. Although Tian was still a royal relative, he no longer had the advantage in front of Tang Tong. Everyone knew that the Ming Empire was already in a precarious situation, and the royal relatives of the past were no longer the powerful families. Therefore, in order to continue the status of a big family as before, the Tian family had to find a backer again.
At this time, the Tian family couldn't help but feel fortunate that they had a family relationship with Tang Tong. Although they looked down on the Tang family after they became rich, they still had business dealings with Tang Tong later, so they did not completely break off the relationship. This time, Tian's visit was not because the Tian family was anxious to establish a friendship with Tang Tong, but because he brought the imperial edict of Emperor Chongzhen.
Concubine Tian understood the troubles of Emperor Chongzhen very well. Although Tian Gui was not a very talented woman, she was a smart person as she could hold the emperor's favor firmly in the palace. For the benefit of her own Tian family and to help Emperor Chongzhen solve some of his troubles, Concubine Tian gave Emperor Chongzhen an idea, which was to recruit Tang Tong, the overseas king. Not only Tang Tong's forces should be recruited, but also the Zheng family's forces should be recruited.
This was not a big deal, but it could bring some relief to the Ming Empire. At least, if Tang Tong and his men accepted the amnesty, they would not attack the Ming Empire within a certain period of time. Faced with this completely powerless situation, Emperor Chongzhen finally adopted Concubine Tian's plan and issued an edict to reward Tang Tong as the official King of Tang and Zheng Zhilong as the King of Xi. The two groups of people holding the imperial edict left the capital almost at the same time.
The one who brought the imperial edict to Tang Tong was Tian. This was a task actively recruited by the Tian family. The current Emperor Chongzhen no longer had much money, but as a royal family that had been in power for more than a hundred years, there were still many things in his collection. Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to take them out as rewards. If other people received the rewards from the emperor, they would definitely be very happy, but Tang Tong did not regard the emperor as superior, so he naturally did not take Chongzhen's reward to heart.
Emperor Chongzhen's decree to confer the title of prince on Tang Tong and Zheng Zhilong was indeed not reassuring, at least for Zheng Zhilong it was not a big deal, but Zheng Zhilong did not see this point and was overjoyed when Emperor Chongzhen conferred him the title of Prince of Xi. No matter what, for a man who was born as a pirate leader, it was already remarkable that he could climb to this point today. It was not impossible for Zheng Zhilong to run to Africa and become the king. Now, with an imperial decree from Emperor Chongzhen, he, Zheng Zhilong, was a prince in name only, and he no longer had to worry about others saying that he was a local emperor who proclaimed himself behind closed doors.
But what Zheng Zhilong didn't expect was that the strength of his subordinates was not small. First, Tang Tong was the key figure in Tang Tong's forces, and Tang Tong had never been at ease. When Emperor Chongzhen did this, he completely reduced the possibility of Zheng Zhilong and Tang Tong cooperating to the lowest level. They were all princes and had the same status and position. From then on, Zheng Zhilong had to obey Tang Tong's command and control with peace of mind. Not to mention that Emperor Chongzhen would not believe it, Tang Tong himself would not believe that Zheng Zhilong would still be at ease as his rich man. You know, Zheng Zhilong himself is an ambitious person.
After Zheng Zhilong was recruited by the Ming Dynasty, he was a guerrilla general from the beginning. Over the years, the power of the Zheng family has grown greatly. If all the troops were mobilized, they would have an army of 100,000. Although he had long been out of the control of the court, Zheng Zhilong did not give up the identity of a guerrilla general. No matter what, with such an identity, even if he was a pirate, it was a legitimate license to plunder. If Tang Tong's power had grown faster and he had been suppressing the Zheng family, Zheng Zhilong would not have been so honest and been a rich man for so long.
When Tang Tong met Tian, Tian took out the imperial edict of Emperor Chongzhen at the first opportunity. Tang Tong was different from Zheng Zhilong. The power in Tang Tong's hands was huge enough to destroy a country. Before knowing Tang Tong's true intentions, Tian would not take out the imperial edict, because once Tang Tong did not accept it, the Ming Empire would lose the last bit of its face.
It is said that Tian and Tang Tong are old friends since childhood. The friendship between them is different from that of others. The people who came out to announce the decree this time all borrowed the merchant ship of the Sou family caravan. Otherwise, other people's ships would not be able to leave that sea area. This is all thanks to the old friendship between the Tian family and the Tang family.
Coming back to Daming City in Nanyang, I saw the tremendous changes it had undergone. I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. It had been a few years since I last visited. This place had become even more prosperous. Along the way, I saw not only the tall buildings lining the streets, but also the horse-drawn carriages plying the broad avenues. The people seemed to be living happily, and there was also the bustling atmosphere of merchants and the well-ordered public order.
Although the population here was far smaller than that of the capital, the capital had been plagued by war for years, and its prosperity was far inferior to that of Daming City. Tian, who hadn't seen the hustle and bustle of life for a long time, also wanted to live here. At the same time, he envied Tang Tong's achievements even more.
Because they were more or less friends, Tang Tong personally came to the port to greet Tian. Given Tang Tong's current power, not many could enjoy such treatment. From the moment they met, Tang Tong and Tian chatted about their recent lives and family matters. Tang Tong didn't ask Tian's purpose for coming, and Tian didn't bother to discuss his purpose. Tang Tong knew that Tian enjoyed a good life and couldn't tolerate even the slightest hardship. This time, he must have had something to do. However, despite being old friends, Tang Tong didn't have much friendship for Tian. His initial acquaintance with Tian was purely for business.
Since Tian hadn't explained his mission to Tang Tong, it could only be a personal relationship. So, Tang Tong welcomed Tian to his manor instead of arranging a hotel. Tian had stayed at Tang Tong's manor a few years ago, and this time, he found it even more renovated. Not only was the environment beautiful, but it also felt luxurious, with a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles. While somewhat incongruous in some respects, visually, it was truly stunning. The large expanses of glass and marble accents immediately made Tian feel like his so-called home had become something special.
Just like an old lady.
Although the majority of the Tang family's manor was occupied by women, the outer perimeter housed security personnel, along with areas for the family and their families, and also for entertaining guests. Because the manor spanned several acres, there was ample space for the guests and the family's quarters to be separated by a considerable distance. In the guest quarters, the Tang family's women were generally invisible. While the manor's routes were simple, they exuded grandeur.
Seeing how luxurious Tang Tong's manor had become, Tian sighed for a while and also had an urge to live here. However, this was not what Tian admired the most. As long as there was enough money, such a luxurious place could be built. What made Tian admire the most was that the women who appeared around Tang Tong were all so outstanding. After Tang Tong introduced those women, Tian couldn't help but open his mouth wide, thinking that his childhood friend was really smart. He was really a master at playing with women. He even came up with the name of a secretariat. I really don't know what tricks this secretary is playing. Tian muttered secretly in his heart as he and Tang Tong walked into the luxurious reception room.
After playing in Daming City for more than ten days, Tian still failed to find out Tang Tong's attitude towards the court. However, Tang Tong had already learned about Tian's mission through intelligence. Naturally, Tang Tong would not take the reward from Emperor Chongzhen seriously. What Emperor Chongzhen did was a disguised form of amnesty. This kind of amnesty was acceptable when the power was still weak, but Tang Tong was in such a situation now. Regardless of whether he was willing or not, the people under Tang Tong would definitely not be willing.
Tang Tong is no longer an individual now. His every move represents the interests of a large group of people. The interests of this large group of people under Tang Tong are inconsistent with the current policy of the Ming Dynasty court. The Ming Dynasty court represents the interests of the landlord class, while Tang Tong's subordinates represent the interests of the emerging bourgeoisie and are the political representatives of those businessmen. What they ultimately want to do is to limit the political policy of imperial power, which is an irreconcilable contradiction with Emperor Chongzhen, who is determined to revive the Ming Dynasty.
After all, Tang Tong has all the experience of his life. Although he is not a qualified figure in politics, with hundreds of years of experience, Tang Tong knows very well how to make choices. As for Emperor Chongzhen, in Tang Tong's heart, Tang Tong still sympathizes with this extremely tragic emperor in history. Although people in later generations have attacked Emperor Chongzhen's actions a lot, it is undeniable that Chongzhen is really not an emperor who deserves to destroy the country.
Given the environment he was in, the ministers around him who were only concerned about their own selfish interests had already hollowed out an empire. Coupled with the extreme annexation of land and the interests of those big people, Emperor Chongzhen was unable to reverse the decline of the Ming Empire even if something big happened. To be honest, unless Emperor Chongzhen also had the experience and knowledge of later generations like Tang Tong, this was not the most unfortunate thing for Emperor Chongzhen. The most unfortunate thing for Emperor Chongzhen was the rise of the Jiannu people and the encounter with the Little Ice Age. Without this group of barbaric blood-sucking insects and the natural disaster of the Little Ice Age, a diligent emperor like Chongzhen might not be able to revive the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, Tang Tong had no hostility towards the tragic emperor Chongzhen.
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