2. Palace Discussion

  Although the Eastern Capital of Mingjing Chengtian Prefecture is considered the true capital of Taiwan, in reality, Anping Town Castle, where the Zheng family resided, was the real political center of Taiwan. Inside this ancient fortress, which was rebuilt from the Dutch-era Grand Officer He Lan Jie's castle, the Silver Bell Hall, where Zhu Jin governed, was now bustling with people, as almost all high-ranking officials of the Ming-Zheng regime had gathered here.

  The first station on the left is Chen Yonghua, who was later revered by the people as the founder of the Tiandihui, but compared to the image of Chen Jinnan in folklore, Chen Yonghua's true appearance at nearly forty years old was that of a Confucian scholar. Moreover, Chen Yonghua was respected as "Zheng's Zhuge Liang" only because he excelled in internal affairs, and had nothing to do with military strategy or espionage on the side of Zheng.

  Chen Yonghua was accompanied by the official Hong Lei (note: equivalent to the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel), who was the son of Hong Xu, a general under Zhu Chenggong. Hong Xu had rendered meritorious service in saving Zheng Jing's life, and as a result, his son Hong Lei also became a key minister on the side of the Zheng regime today.

  Hong Lei's side was Hu Guan Yang Ying and his fellow clansman Gong Guan Yang Xian, both of whom were old veterans from the military town of Rongzhou, known for their hot tempers and quick-draw skills. Even on ordinary days, they wouldn't easily get into disputes with their peers.

  Yang Xian was accompanied by Judicial Officer Ke Ping and Ceremonial Officer Ye Heng, both of whom were also from the same background as the Town General. They had always gotten along well, but Ye Heng's health had deteriorated significantly in recent years, and Ke Ping was also over 50 years old, so it was estimated that their retirement was imminent. The reason they were still present at the ceremony was simply because Zhu Jin was showing favor to the elderly.

  Standing at the end of the line of civil officials, it was actually Chen Yonghua's nephew, Chen Xiangwu, who was in charge of military affairs and was Zhu Jin's true assistant. Although he couldn't be promoted to a military officer immediately due to his shallow experience, his presence on the platform alongside the older generation proved his position in Zhu Jin's heart. With this favor as a guarantee, his promotion was only a matter of time.

  The position opposite Chen Yonghua was originally held by Zhou Quanbin, the military governor of the Fifth Army, but Zhou Quanbin had to surrender to the Qing court due to Zhu Jin's impatience in handling Zheng Tai's case, so this position became vacant. As for who could stand in this position, the generals of various garrisons of the Zheng army were all eager to try.

  The head of the five military governments was vacant, and the position of governor of each army was also vacant, so Liu Guoxuan, Chen Wenhuan, He You, Xu Yao, Hong Yu, Xue Jinsi and other generals and town generals were able to stand on the temple.

  All of them were dressed in crimson and purple, including Zheng Shengying from the Chengxuan Department, Chen Tingzhang from the Chayanshi Department, Feng Xigui from the Shenli Department, Li Jing from the Shangxun Department, Xu Mingting from the Zhongshu Department, as well as supervisors, monitors, and officials from the Six Ministries. Due to the importance of the matter, they were not allowed to participate this time. Instead, Feng Xifan, a palace guard standing at the gate with his sword, took advantage of the situation and squeezed into the ranks of high-ranking officials.

  However, when it comes to Feng Xifan, don't measure him with ordinary guards. He is actually the head of Zhu Jin's personal army and participates in some major military planning on a daily basis. His power is so great that even the first-class guards in the Qing palace can't compare with him. If you want to find an equivalent position, perhaps only the Inner Minister of the Qing court can be mentioned together.

  "The Emperor has arrived!" The eunuchs shouted, and with this announcement, everyone from Chen Yonghua down began to adjust their clothes to avoid losing etiquette. After a while, under the gaze of the officials, Zhu Jin appeared, and he walked up the steps and sat on the throne, just as the officials were about to shout "Long live the Emperor", they unexpectedly saw a small tail behind Zhu Jin. For a moment, everyone was stunned, but Chen Yonghua was able to seize the opportunity and lightly coughed to wake up the crowd, only then was the proper ceremony completed.

  In response to the sudden chill, Zhu Jin just smiled and let Zheng Kezang sit beside him. After seeing his son sit down, Zhu Jin, who was wearing a light yellow dragon robe with five claws, asked sincerely with a humble attitude: "Ministers, have you all read the letter presented by Geng Fan's envoy Huang Yong? What do you think I should reply?"

  "Wang Shang, Geng Jingzhong was forced to rebel against the Qing due to the pressure of Kangxi's reduction of feudal power. He had no choice but to join forces with Wu Sangui and start a rebellion. The so-called 'Rebel against the Qing and restore the Ming' is just an excuse for his separatist ambitions. Your Majesty must not be deceived by this."

  "The king is above, and what Yang Daren said is biased." Hong E was obviously not in agreement with Yang Ying's statement. "Although Geng Niujian wants the king to take chestnuts from the fire for him, this has never been a good opportunity for our army to return to the mainland. Moreover, after the Eight Banners Army entered the pass, their combat power plummeted, and they were able to take down Jiangnan, Huguang, and Yungui only with the help of the three feudatories. Now that the three feudatories have all rebelled, I think it will be difficult for the Tartars to hold on. Rather than waiting to see them succeed, why not take a share now?"

  "Wu Sangui marched into Yunnan and Guizhou to attack Sichuan and Hubei, Shang Kexi and his son Shang Zhixin could attack Jiangxi, Geng Jingzhong plotted against Zhejiang. I'd like to ask Mr. Hong, which place can our army take in the western expedition, and how much of the spoils can we get?" Ke Ping retorted. "Those people who change their minds every now and then just want to borrow our military strength, but as for territory, they may not necessarily give it to us."

  "It's not like Geng Jingzhong promised to give us all the warships along the Fujian coast." Zan Hua Chen Xiangwu, however, was considering this matter from another angle. "With ships, are we still worried about having no territory? Besides, Wu Sangui can fight, but whether Geng Jingzhong can fight is another story. Otherwise, why would he think of us?"

  "It's just that they're afraid we'll benefit, and then stab us in the back." Ye Heng curled his lip in disdain. "If he really wanted to work together with our army, why hasn't he sent someone to pay respects to the Regent?"

  As soon as this was said, the scene suddenly fell silent. Does Ye Heng's words make sense? Of course they do! There are still many Ming dynasty imperial family members left in Taiwan, and you, Zheng Jingxuan, say something about restoring the Ming dynasty, is it really that dangerous to come and pay respects to Ningjing Wang Zhu Tiegui, who is acting as regent? Obviously not. It's worth noting that back then, Li Dingguo and Li Laiheng caused so much chaos in the world, but in the end they were pardoned and became famous anti-Qing generals of the Yongli dynasty. You, Zheng Jingxuan, are just following in your father's footsteps, without too much blood on your hands. Now that you've suddenly woken up to reality, why wouldn't the Ming imperial family members, who have no way out, forgive you? But even though this makes sense, it's not actually the case. Even Zhu Jin, who claims to be the great general of the Ming dynasty and the Prince of Yanping, has some disloyal intentions towards Zhu Tiegui. How can we expect Zheng Jingxuan, who also has ulterior motives, to come to Taiwan and surrender?

  As for Ye Hen's slip of the tongue, thirty-three-year-old Zhu Jin was magnanimous and just smiled it off. At this moment, he was ambitious and had no idea of the decadence that would come later due to repeated defeats. He only saw him smile lightly and then turn his gaze to Wu Chen: "Liu Qing, He Qing, tell me about your opinions."

  "I think it's better to accept Geng Jingzhong's suggestion and send troops." Liu Guoxuan and He You exchanged a glance before responding. "Although the eastern Ning region has been developed since the previous king's rule, after all, it has only been more than ten years, with a total population of no more than 1.5 million and land of no more than 18,000 acres (note: one acre is approximately equal to 0.996 hectares). If we just watch the three vassals fight against the Tartars, regardless of who wins or loses, our army will not be able to gain an advantage. It's better to return west to the mainland and occupy more states and prefectures, so that there is room for maneuver."

  "Director Liu, what if the three feudatories are not willing to give me territory?" Ke Ping insisted on his own assertion. "Or do we still have to fight a battle with Geng Jingzhong?"

  "If Geng Jingzhong understood the situation, it would be fine. If he didn't understand the situation, he wouldn't have been able to get away with just a warning."

  "Isn't that letting the Tartars become fishermen?" Ye Heng also disagreed. "Moreover, when the time comes, we will be surrounded by enemies on all sides, has Lord Liu considered this thoroughly?"

  "What's there to fear with enemies on all sides?" Chen Xiangwu chimed in. "Aren't we surrounded by enemies now? Besides, with the Tartar army in front of us, I don't believe Geng Jingzhong and Shang Zhixin would dare to turn back. Even if we retreat a million steps, even if we retreat back to Taiwan, there's still the vast ocean separating us, what are they going to do, come chasing after us?"

  "What?" Zhu Jin looked at Chen Yonghua with an inquiring gaze. "How does Chen Qing see it?"

  "With ten years of accumulation, our army can win a battle." From the perspective of later generations, Chen Yonghua is actually similar to Zhuge Liang, both are high in political strategy and low in military strategy. And he agreed to go to war also had another consideration. "It's just best to take hands with Geng and Shang two vassals to do things together, so as to break the Tartar's boundary order along the coast."

  As soon as Chen Yonghua mentioned the sealed border order, Yang Ying, who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, also changed his original view: "In that case, sending troops out is indeed inevitable, but it's still best to make contact with Wushan and Wu Hai first."

  The Five Mountains and Five Oceans, also known as the Five Merchants of Ten Directions, refer to five business firms located in Hangzhou, namely Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo, and Tu, which mainly exported goods from Hangzhou and Xiamen to Japan. Later, the people mistakenly associated it with the ten halls of the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society), but unlike the speculation that Chen Yonghua founded it, the original leader was Zheng Tai, the uncle of Zhu Jin's wife, and its purpose was not to gather intelligence or sabotage, but to raise funds for Zheng's army. However, after Zheng Tai was killed by Zhu Jin and the Qing government implemented a ban on sailing, the Five Mountains and Five Oceans changed their name and gradually severed ties with the Zheng family, eventually merging with the "Hanliu" Hongmen (Red Gang) founded by Zhu Xie to form the precursor to the Tiandihui.

  "What?" Seeing Chen Yonghua, who was considered his right-hand man, also agreeing to send troops, Zhu Jin had actually already made up his mind, but he suddenly turned to Zheng Kecang. "Did you understand, Qinshe?"

  The officials were in an uproar, and it was already very impolite for Zhu Jin to let a teenager of over ten years old ascend the hall together. Now he's asking for the opinion of a little kid, is it possible that national affairs should be asked about by a child who still has milk on his lips? However, everyone present was a seasoned politician, and since the officials in charge of maintaining discipline in the hall were not present, although there were constant murmurs of discontent, no one would dare to argue with Zhu Jin without tact.

  "The young master has understood." Zheng Kezang nodded. "The several gentlemen are saying again, whether or not to take the opportunity to send troops to punish the Tartars."

  Zhu Jin was very satisfied with his son's answer and asked again: "What does Qin She think? Should we send troops or not?"

  "The son does not know whether to send troops or not," the ministers finally relaxed, but the next words left them stunned again. "But why go to Fujian? I seem to have heard someone tell the story of my grandfather's conquest of Nanjing, why didn't my father learn from his grandfather and take Zhoushan first, then conquer Southern Metropolitan?"

  Zhu Jin's eyes widened in shock, and Zheng Kezang's reaction completely exceeded his expectations: "Zhoushan, Southern Metropolitan Area."

  No, the prosperity of South Zhili is not comparable to that of Fujian, this poor mountain village. And don't worry about the territorial issue that Ke Ping has been emphasizing all along. So for a moment, Zhu Jin was dazed and didn't know whether to cry or laugh. At this time, he heard Ke Ping congratulating him: "Your Majesty, Yuanzi is naturally intelligent, it's a blessing for our kingdom."

  Everyone around thought Ke Ping was shameless, borrowing the flattery of a little kid to win Zhu Jin's favor, but they couldn't help but congratulate him one by one. Instead, Zhu Jin waved his hand: "A 12-year-old child occasionally saying something right doesn't deserve your congratulations, let's just discuss the matter at hand, and talk about whether it is feasible to take only Nan Zhili?"

  "I think Yuanzi's words still have room for discussion," Chen Xiangwu glanced at Zheng Kechang and thought to himself, if this child's idea can work, what do we strategists need to do? Based on this thinking, Chen Xiangwu raised an objection. "Now that Geng Jingzhong's large army is blocking our way, our province doesn't have to face the enemy directly. On the contrary, if our province takes Nan Zhili directly, it would be equivalent to covering up for Geng Jingzhong. Moreover, according to military strategy, supplies should precede troop movements, and the sea route from Taiwan to Nan Zhili is long and difficult to supply. If we suffer a setback, retreating would not be easy either!"

  Zhu Jin thought for a moment and indeed felt that there was some reason to it. He looked towards Wu Chen's side again, only to see Liu Guo Xuan and others also shaking their heads frequently. Thus, he made the decision: "Liu Guo Xuan, Chen Xiang Wu, you two, first take 100 warships from the naval and tower ship garrisons to prepare for use. Also, select 1,000 soldiers to follow me on a westward journey to meet with Geng Jingzhong at Jin Xia."

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