Why did Chongzhen not allow Zhu Cilang to return to Beijing?
After Dorgon's men left, Zheng Zhilong fell into deep thought.
The more he thought about it, the less confused he became, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
"Shi Lang," Zheng Zhilong shouted outside.
With a squeak, Shi Lang opened the door and walked in: "My lord, are you looking for me?"
"Yes," Zheng Zhilong nodded, "Close the door."
After Shi Lang closed the door as instructed, Zheng Zhilong got straight to the point and said, "The Jiannu asked me to borrow 5,000 naval troops, and I want you to go."
"Ah...?" Shi Lang was stunned.
The news came so suddenly that he was not mentally prepared at all.
Smuggling to the Jiannu and helping the Jiannu fight are two completely different concepts.
The former only needs to ignore one's conscience, while the latter requires to lose all conscience.
"Sir, did you say something wrong?" Shi Lang asked in disbelief.
"That's right!" Zheng Zhilong said helplessly, "I wanted to refuse the loan, but the Jiannu threatened to expose me. So... I can only agree temporarily."
"But..." Shi Lang was speechless.
"The purpose of the Jiannu borrowing troops is to guard the port and prevent the Ming navy from attacking when loading and unloading goods." Zheng Zhilong explained, "After arriving in Liaodong, you only need to defend according to the Jiannu's requirements, and you don't have to take the initiative to attack."
Shi Lang still found it hard to accept. He frowned and asked, "Sir, the young master is about to go to Liaodong to fight. What should we do if the two armies meet on the sea?"
Zheng Zhilong was well prepared. He said seriously: "When you arrive in Liaodong, you must remember that if you find a warship flying the Zheng flag on the battlefield, do not fire or engage, just retreat."
"Sir! If we retreat, we won't be able to defend the port." Shi Lang reminded.
"If we can't defend it, we can't defend it. We are just going there to help, not to work for the Jiannu." Zheng Zhilong snorted coldly.
"But..." Shi Lang still felt something was wrong.
"No buts," Zheng Zhilong sighed, "If there were other ways, I wouldn't have agreed to the Jiannu."
"I...I obey your command." Shi Lang agreed reluctantly.
Zheng Zhilong had no choice, and he had no choice either.
The two are like grasshoppers on the same rope, and they can only go one way to the end.
"Oh, sir," Shi Lang reminded, "The young master came to see you just now, but I didn't let him in."
"You can let him come now." Zheng Zhilong ordered.
"Yes," Shi Lang turned around and sighed as he walked out.
Looking at Shi Lang's back, Zheng Zhilong also sighed.
His original intention was to take the salary from the Ming Dynasty and demonstrate his reputation as a loyal minister.
At the same time, he secretly made deals with the household slaves and earned money from the Jian slaves.
This is to achieve the goal of maximizing benefits.
What I didn't expect was...
The result of trying to please both sides is that both sides will have to help when they are in trouble.
To maintain the reputation of a loyal minister, one must obey the orders of the court.
Not only do we earn money from the Jiannu, we also have to help them fight wars.
How to end this situation?
Zheng Zhilong fell into deep thought again.
Now that the Jiannu people are on the decline, the best way is to abandon them and be loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
But the problem is...the Jiannu side has something on him.
Abandoning the Jiannu at this time will lead to backlash from the Jiannu.
Um?
Zheng Zhilong suddenly thought of the words that Dorgon had someone bring.
Why didn't the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty allow the crown prince to return to the capital, but instead left him in Nanjing without any care?
Could it be that... His Majesty is planning to change the Crown Prince?
Whether or not he had this idea had nothing to do with Dorgon.
Why did he say this?
Or... does this sentence contain the answer you want?
While he was thinking, Zheng Chenggong pushed open the door and walked in.
"Father!" Zheng Chenggong bowed to Zheng Zhilong.
"Well," Zheng Zhilong nodded and asked, "We will be heading to Dengzhou soon. Remember to say goodbye to your mother before leaving."
"In reply to my father, I have already said goodbye to my mother."
"Are the clothes and luggage ready?" Zheng Zhilong asked again.
"They were all prepared by my mother." Zheng Chenggong replied.
"Yes," Zheng Zhilong nodded again, took out a piece of paper from his arms and handed it to Zheng Chenggong.
It was a letter brought from the capital.
Zheng Chenggong opened it and quickly scanned it, then immediately frowned.
He was surprised and asked, "Duke Yansheng not only paid tribute to the Jiannu, but also funded the Jiannu with millions of taels of silver?"
Fujian is far away from the capital, and the news of Duke Yansheng being beaten to death had not yet reached Fujian.
"This is a handwritten copy of the letter. What do you think of it?" Zheng Zhilong asked.
"I think it's fake. Duke Yansheng would never do such a thing."
"I also think it's fake, but the fact that this matter has fermented must be someone's doing something behind the scenes."
Zheng Chenggong put down the letter and asked, "What does father mean?"
"There are bad people in the court! I am afraid that I will encounter this situation one day, so I ask you to be on guard in advance." Zheng Zhilong said meaningfully.
"Don't worry, father. I won't cause any trouble."
"That's good."
The father and son chatted for a while, and Zheng Zhilong suddenly asked: "Chenggong, tell me...Why didn't His Majesty let the prince return to Beijing? Why did he leave him in Nanjing and ignore him?"
Zheng Chenggong thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It is hard to predict the emperor's intentions. Your Majesty must have a reason for doing this."
Zheng Zhilong continued to ask: "Do you think it is possible for His Majesty to depose the Crown Prince?"
"No way?" Zheng Chenggong speculated, "The rule of the Ming Dynasty is that if there is a legitimate heir, the heir will be the heir, and if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the heir. The current crown prince is both the legitimate son and the eldest son, and he has never made any mistakes. There is no reason for Your Majesty to abolish his position as crown prince?"
"Even if Your Majesty has such a plan, it will be opposed by the civil and military officials in the court. You have to know that in the end, during the Wanli period, it was the emperor who compromised in the end."
"So I don't think His Majesty will depose the Crown Prince."
Zheng Zhilong hummed, and his thoughts began to fly.
He vaguely grasped something, but didn't hold it firmly, and the flash of inspiration escaped from his mind.
"Father," Zheng Chenggong began to bid farewell to Zheng Zhilong, "I have been ordered to go north, and I have come to say goodbye to you. I hope you will take care of yourself during this period and wait for your triumphant return."
After recovering from his shock, Zheng Zhilong came to Zheng Chenggong and patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, I'll wait for the good news of your triumphant return."
That afternoon.
Zheng Chenggong sailed into the sea and rushed along the coast to Dengzhou to prepare for the battle in Liao.
The next afternoon, Shi Lang left Fujian with 5,000 naval forces and dozens of cargo ships and headed for Haizhou Port in Korea.
This trip could not only smuggle goods, but also send troops to help the Jiannu fight.
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