Inside the Catholic Church.
The six living people stared at the two corpses on the ground in complete silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Shi Lang was the first to react.
He came to Zheng Zhilong and whispered, "Sir, how do we deal with the body?"
Zheng Zhilong's body trembled slightly, he took a deep breath and exhaled heavily: "Don't make a sound, throw it into the sea after dark."
"Yes, sir." Shi Lang turned around and led the servants to clean up the scene.
Half an hour later.
The interior of the cathedral looked brand new, as if nothing had happened.
Only the faint smell of blood lingering in the air reminded everyone that two murders had just occurred here.
Shi Lang came to Zheng Zhilong and whispered, "Sir, before the second merchant committed suicide, he asked you to give the person behind him a chance to live..."
"If what they say is true, more people will come in the next few days."
Zheng Zhilong nodded solemnly: "This is exactly what I am worried about. I am not afraid that they will come for me, but I am afraid that they will come for Ming Yan!"
(Zheng Chenggong's courtesy name was Mingyan.)
"Ming Yan was just appointed as the deputy commander of the Fujian Navy by His Majesty not long ago. If this matter gets out, it will be detrimental to Ming Yan's future career."
"I think it may not be a bad thing." Shi Lang blinked.
"How do you mean?"
Shi Lang chuckled and said, "Please tell me the truth, sir. What is your attitude towards His Majesty appointing Ming Yan as the deputy general?"
Zheng Zhilong glared at Shi Lang, then sighed: "To be honest, I really don't want him to join the army!"
"In the Ming Dynasty, being a civil official is a hundred times better than being a military general. A word from a civil official in the court can make a military general run his legs off on the battlefield."
"But I couldn't refuse the situation at that time, so I had to accept the reward from His Majesty."
Shi Lang smiled again: "Sir, isn't this the opportunity?"
"What's the meaning?"
"My intention is to try to contact these businessmen and see what they are really up to. If they really want to harm Ming Yan, we might as well take this opportunity to ask for an imperial decree to remove him from his post as deputy general and have him go to Nanjing to seek refuge with his mentor Qian Qianyi."
"Qian Qianyi was nominally Shi Kefa's staff member, but in reality he was the prince's staff member. With this relationship, it would be no problem for him to get a position in the Nanjing court."
"This way, we can turn military commanders into civil officials! By then, Ming Yan will be in the court, and you, my lord, will be in the local area. We can take care of each other and support each other, and carry forward the Zheng family!"
After listening to Shi Lang's analysis, Zheng Zhilong's eyes lit up: "Great, it's really great! Someone prepare a banquet, I want to drink with Shi Lang."
Two days later.
Two men who looked like businessmen came to the gate of Anping Prefecture.
One of them held the visiting card and bowed deeply to the servant at the door: "Excuse me, is this the Zheng Mansion?"
The servants at the door were the same ones from last time.
One of the servants stepped forward and frowned, asking, "What's the matter?"
"We are merchants from Northern Zhili. My name is Dong Liao and his name is Dong Dong. We would like to meet with Mr. Zheng to discuss the trade of foreign goods."
......
Outside the gate of Anping Prefecture, a cold wind suddenly blew past.
The servant thought he had seen a ghost and took several steps back in fear before steadying himself: "You...you are not...not..."
"This is our first time here. Please inform the gatekeeper. If Lord Zheng doesn't see us, we will commit suicide on the spot."
The servant was frightened and ran into the mansion to report the matter.
Zheng Zhilong said calmly: "Let them come in through the side door."
After some greetings, everyone took their seats.
Zheng Zhilong spoke first: "Tell me, what do you want to do?"
"Dong Liao" smiled slightly: "We just want to borrow Mr. Zheng's fleet to smuggle goods to North Korea and make some money to support our families, that's all."
"This is a crime punishable by death. Aren't you afraid that I will expose you?"
"Don't be afraid. Our lives are worthless. Besides, Dong Liao and Dong Dong are just code names. If we are killed, there are still others. We can't kill them all."
Zheng Zhilong was silent.
At this moment, he had already guessed the forces behind Dong Liao and Dong Dong.
Who else could it be except the Jiannu in Liaodong?
Only their people can do such a thing.
"What if I don't agree?" Zheng Zhilong asked.
"We will die, and two other 'us' will come visit a few days later. Wearing the same clothes, saying the same things."
"You are forcing me!"
"Force? Has Lord Zheng forgotten his identity as a businessman? It is understandable that businessmen pursue profits. Moreover, in times of chaos, a person like Lord Zheng should store up food and wait for an opportunity to act, instead of blindly pledging allegiance to anyone."
"You guys go away. I don't want to kill anyone, nor do I want to be implicated by you." Zheng Zhilong said with a double meaning.
Dong Liao smiled brightly, "Don't worry, Lord Zheng. We have already made plans."
"Merchant ships loaded with goods from Fujian set out to sea, heading north to Jeju Island. After unloading the goods, Mr. Zheng's fleet could either return empty-handed or carry Korean furs, ginseng, rice, beans, and other goods."
"We can guarantee that the people on Jeonra Island will not leak the news. As for how Lord Zheng can keep it secret, that is not something we can worry about."
"Where is the reward?" Zheng Zhilong asked.
"For every thirty ships of cargo transported, we will pay an additional 100,000 taels of silver as a labor fee. If Lord Zheng decides to cooperate, we are willing to pay this silver in advance to show our sincerity." Dong Dong continued.
"Aren't you afraid that I might cheat?"
Dong Liao smiled slightly: "Although Lord Zheng has guns and cannons, he always emphasizes integrity in doing business. Since we have chosen Lord Zheng, we will trust you unconditionally."
Zheng Zhilong thought for a while and said, "I will give you an answer in three days."
"Thank you Lord Zheng for your hospitality. I am very grateful." Dong Liao stood up and bowed, and left a silver note of one thousand taels on the table before leaving.
After they left, Shi Lang came to Zheng Zhilong and said, "Sir, you..."
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. I know what's going on."
"But the court..."
"I told you, I know what's going on!"
Zheng Zhilong walked slowly back to the back hall, feeling uneasy.
Reason told him that he could not make this kind of money, but the temptation of one hundred thousand taels of silver was too great!
Is one hundred thousand taels of silver a lot?
It seems little, but it is actually a lot.
To put it another way, the annual salary for 5,000 soldiers is 100,000 taels.
Can you say this amount of money is small?
Of course not.
Just when Zheng Zhilong was hesitating whether to do this deal, two secret letters were delivered from outside.
Zheng Zhilong tore open the envelope and took out the secret letter. After quickly reading the contents of the secret letter, he stood there in a daze.
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