Rebuilding the Han Dynasty's Legacy

  Since Zhu's successful recovery of Taiwan, the commercial wharf built by the Dutch outside Anping Castle was completely closed. Later, although the Anping (Dafen) port was reopened on the north side of Nanwan Island with the establishment of the Yingui Pavilion, officials and civilians under the Zheng regime could only land at small fishing ports and civilian ports such as Heliao Port, Xigang Port, and Zhugan Port on the inner side of the Taiwan Strait. This rule also applied to Chen Xiangwu, who had traveled to Annam, Champa, Batavia, and Luzon for over a year after leaving the island. However, before Chen Xiangwu could even rest from his long journey, he was summoned home by Chen Yonghua as soon as he returned.

  "Uncle, nephew hasn't congratulated you on getting a good son-in-law yet!" Chen Shangwu's words were full of sourness, but thinking about it, back then the uncle and nephew were both under Zhu Jin's command, each holding great literary and military power. Now, the uncle was still flourishing without limit and had even taken Zheng Kecheng as his son-in-law, while the nephew could only roam around Jianghu. This comparison made their attitudes different. "This celebratory wine will have to be drunk at a later time."

  "It's always a good time to drink," Chen Yonghua didn't take Chen Zongwu's slight sarcasm to heart, and instead asked directly without waiting for him to sit down. "It's been many years since you left, have you figured out the situation in Nanyang? Is there anything that can be used by our province?"

  Chen Xiangwu's face turned solemn, he hadn't expected Chen Yonghua to be so anxious, and asked: "My nephew also heard on the way that Quanzhou abandoned its siege, causing the victory to slip away, but things have actually reached such a critical juncture?"

  "People without long-term plans must have near worries." Chen Yonghua's face was gloomy. "The grain and grass in Qiongzhou are not sufficient, even if Wang Shang can defeat the more than 100,000 Qing troops in Zhangzhou, he will inevitably be unable to advance an inch further. It can be said that our province's counterattack in Fujian and Guangdong has completely failed, and with Wu Sangui's death, Zhou Yu's army will be defeated soon, so we must make thorough considerations!"

  "My uncle is right." As the saying goes, "Under the overturned nest, there are no intact eggs left." Chen Xiangwu had been praising Zhu Jin's paintings for many years, and naturally, he was not a narrow-minded person. "This time, my nephew traveled to Nanyang and found that foreigners were intervening everywhere, leaving little room for our province." Chen Xiangwu continued, "The Dutch are in Batavia and Aceh, the Portuguese are in Malacca, and they have deep roots; the French occupy Macau and support the Nguyen lord in Annam, their plans are grand. Although the British and French came later, they also frequently appear in Siam and Champa, these foreigners come from afar, their ships are sturdy, and their large ships with multiple layers of cannons are naturally advantageous. Although for now, the two barbarians are only seeking profit, if we allow the British and French to gain a foothold, it will be like the story of the Dutch and Portuguese all over again."

  "Is there no room for maneuver at all?" Chen Yonghua was somewhat incredulous. "What if our lord were to rise up in arms and retake Luzon or Batavia? The Chinese people of both places have been slaughtered by the two barbarian tribes, if our lord were to avenge them, could we not sweep them away with one blow?"

  "There is no room to say that there is none, but choosing Luzon or the Red Barbarians is not the best strategy." Chen Xiangwu responded. "Batavia is thousands of miles away from Dongning, and military tactics have long said that if you fight for ten miles, you will lose your general. The Red Barbarians are waiting to be lazy, our province is laboring to conquer far away, what's the outcome? I'm afraid not even one shipload of grain will arrive, and our province will face the danger of total annihilation. As for Luzon, although it is closer than Batavia, but fighting on the open sea, ships are the first priority, compared to the large ships that roam the vast ocean, how can our warships compare? Uncle should know."

  "Are you being overly pessimistic?" Chen Yonghua's eyebrows furrowed. "Our army is here to avenge the Han people, we are a mighty and dignified force, even if we can't take down their fortresses and large ships for now, it shouldn't be a situation where we're in danger of being defeated."

  "Although Uncle said that the military commander is in charge, it seems that Uncle has not yet figured out how to fight a war." Chen Xiangwu's words were quite impolite, and if they had been spoken during the stricter early Ming dynasty, he would have been guilty of disobedience. "What is the king's army? To comfort the people and punish the guilty. To save the people from disaster? But has our province's army ever encountered anyone who surrenders at the mere rumor of our approach in Fujian and Guangdong? During the Song dynasty's recovery of Youyan, were there any Han people who voluntarily surrendered? No, nothing like that happened. In order to survive, they could shave their heads under the Tartars' brutal rule, so why couldn't they also kneel down and beg for mercy under the Red Barbarians or the Luosong Barbarians? Therefore, 'to offer food and drink, to look up with hope', is just empty talk, and cannot be used as a chip to determine victory or defeat."

  A round of applause came from the inner room, Chen Xiangwu was stunned, and then saw Zheng Kechang walking out of the inner room: "Father-in-law, Chen Zan's words are very reasonable. External forces cannot be relied upon, only when one's own strength is strong can it be fundamental."

  Chen Xiangwu stared at the scene in shock, he never thought that Chen Yonghua would collude with Zheng Kecang. Just as his emotions were surging, Zheng Kecang rushed towards him and said: "Don't blame your brother-in-law for this, it's all my own idea."

  Zheng Kezang gave a step down, even if he was unwilling in his heart, Chen Xiangwu had to follow him down, so without thinking much, he rushed towards Zheng Kezang and bowed deeply: "I didn't know the Crown Prince's grandson was here, please forgive Xiangwu for speaking out of turn."

  "They are all relatives of our own family, why must we be so polite?" Zheng Kezang waved his hand, seemingly suggesting but actually ordering Chen Yonghua. "Father-in-law, why not order someone to bring up wine and food? I'd like to have a drink with Second Brother, don't mind, do you?" Chen Yonghua wouldn't mind, nor would Chen Xiangwu dare refuse, so they set up the wine table on that side, and the three of them sat down together. "Second Brother, according to what you said earlier, this South Ocean vassal state won't have any more room to intervene?"

  "It's not that there aren't any," Chen Xiangwu hesitated for a moment before sharing some of his insights and understandings from his travels. "Nowadays, the new king of Cambodia, the fourth generation of Preah Thong, has the heart to restore the country's former glory, but with the monarch being young and inexperienced, there are also powerful ministers and generals vying for power, causing Cambodia to be divided in all directions. This must be a place where we can take action." It was as if the floodgates had been opened, and once Chen Xiangwu started speaking, he couldn't stop, pouring out his thoughts incessantly. But this could also be understood - after all, learning the arts of war and governance from the imperial family wasn't easy, and besides, a person who has been silent for too long must have some desire to share their thoughts with others. "What I just said about Cambodia can be considered one place, another place is in Annam... no, it should be Binh Thuan."

  Who is Bin Tong Long? Zheng Kezang was confused, so he looked back at Chen Yonghua, and Chen Yonghua was also puzzled. Chen Xiangwu explained: "It's Champa, also known as Lin'an. In the sixth year of Emperor Chenghua of the Song Dynasty, the king of Annan destroyed Champa and established a new royal family to guard the old territory. For two hundred years, the people of Champa have been submissive to Annan but have always dreamed of restoring their country. Now that the lord of Annan, Zheng, and the lord of Nguyen are at odds, the national strength is weak, so Bin Tong Long naturally rekindled his dream of restoring his country. However, relying solely on Bin Tong Long's power is not enough; if our vassal state can lend him a helping hand..."

  ??”

  Tr?nh C?i fell into deep thought. The North-South confrontation of the Later Lê dynasty had lasted for more than 50 years, with both sides having their own attacks and defenses. What would be the consequences of intervening at this time? Both the Annamese lords Nguy?n and Tr?nh claimed to follow the Qing court as the orthodox authority; would they treat Ming-Tr?nh like a dish on the table? If Ming-Tr?nh intervened, would it conflict with the Portuguese who supported Nguy?n lord?

  Seeing Zheng Kezang in deep thought, Chen Xiangwu's old habit recurred: "Descendant, if one stroke can't write two Zheng characters, it must be that Lord Zheng is delighted to see our clan able to restrain the southern Tran lord. In this way, the grain, wood, coal and iron from Annan will flow into our clan continuously."

  ??”

  Tr?nh C?i nodded quietly, compared to the surrounding forces, taking Cambodia or Binh Thuan as a breakthrough was the best choice. As for the mutually beneficial diplomacy between Annan and Zheng's masters, it was just one of the incidental benefits. It was indeed worth trying, but since Zhu Jin was still around, such a decision could not be made immediately. Therefore, Tr?nh C?i did not give Chen Xiangwu a clear answer, instead he faintly raised a question.

  "Second brother, I don't know if this trip will pass through Longya Gate? If our clan occupies this island, what will the future prospects be like?"

  "Station troops in Tamsui?" Chen Xiangwu's eyelid twitched. "This place is extremely important, it is a must-contend place for military strategists, but taking the island is easy, however, it concerns the vital interests of various barbarians, if they join hands to attack because of this, our province is far away, how can we provide relief?"

  This answer is another version of the useless debate on dispatching troops to Mount Bozhou. Zheng Kezang furrowed his brow, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Chen Yonghua sitting beside him and couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart: "His Majesty is still at war on the mainland, our vassal state does not actually have the power to get involved in Southeast Asia, so it's just idle chatter. Second brother doesn't need to take it seriously."

  After finishing speaking, Zheng Kezang turned the tables and smiled as he poured wine and served dishes for the two of them. After eating a few mouthfuls to fill their stomachs, Zheng Kezang suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked at Chen Xiangwu with a serious expression: "Second Brother, although our territory is not yet destitute, we have reached a point where our resources are strained. As for how to recover the mainland and break through the Tartars' blockade order, I think the best plan is to use spies."

  Chen Yonghua and Chen Xiangwu listened quietly, Zheng Kecang's tone was firm, apparently not seeking their opinions: "Father-in-law, second brother, how much do you know about the Han Liu organized by Grandfather back then?"

  The two Chen exchanged a glance, both of whom had entered the Zheng army's central government during the Zheng Jing era, so they knew something about the Han Liu Hongmen organization, but not much: "It should be the secret spy left by Guo Xingye back then. However, since Wang Shang and Zheng Zhilong fought for power that year, Han Liu has not listened to orders anymore."

  "Brother-in-law is right, but past events cannot be pursued. Re-examining the rights and wrongs of the past will not bring any benefits." Zheng Kezang's eyes gleamed as he looked at Chen Xiangwu. "Second brother, for now, Father King will not reuse you, but you are in your prime and it is time to do something with your life. Staying at home and reading books is a waste of talent. I don't know if you are willing to help me rebuild Han Liu." Chen Xiangwu was shocked, his eyes wide with surprise. He had not expected Zheng Kezang to summon him like this, but before he could open his mouth, he heard Zheng Kezang continue. "Second brother, I know that this matter is of great importance and you need to think carefully about it. But for the sake of our clan's future, while we still have control over Qiongzhou, it is relatively easy to mobilize the population. You must make a decision quickly. As the Tartars have been in China for a long time, the people's hearts are no longer with the Ming dynasty." Zheng Kezang stood up and knelt down towards Chen Xiangwu, who was shocked and immediately tried to pull him up, but Zheng Kezang held firm to the ground. Helpless, he could only make a corresponding bowing gesture. "I entrust the future of our clan to you."

  "Uncle!" Chen Xiangwu looked at Chen Yonghua helplessly, one side was his nephew and the other side was his son-in-law. Chen Yonghua could only cover his face and sigh. Seeing that Chen Yonghua didn't speak up, Chen Xiangwu gritted his teeth. "Descendant, I..."

  ??”