In Quanzhou, in a large mansion with nine in and nine out, important remaining figures of the Zheng family gathered together.

Zheng Zhilong first denounced Zheng Sen and Li Chengdong, and then scolded his subordinates who were left behind in Fujian one by one. He fought in Guangdong and Guangxi, relying on his huge financial and material resources and weapons advantages to suppress the famous Hunan Army Camp in Zhaoqing Prefecture. Unexpectedly, when he was full of ambition, bad news came from his nest, and Fuzhou was lost.

The officials who were trained were timid on the surface, but none of them were convinced. If Zheng Zhilong had not been unwilling to give up Guangdong and Guangxi, he would have been hesitant, and Zhejiang soldiers have been in Fujian for a month, and he still refused to withdraw his troops with luck, Fuzhou would never have been lost so easily.

Zheng Du was one of the three commanders, so he was naturally scolded, but he did not lower his head and look ashamed like his elder brother. Mr. Zheng stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Father, the situation is now hopeless. Although we are guilty, even if we kill all of us, we will not be able to return to Fuzhou."

Zheng Zhilong was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "Why, you kid are not convinced?"

"My father taught his son a lesson, and of course his son was convinced. But at the moment, the most important thing for us is to find a way to deal with the situation we want to be. Even if you want to chop your son's head, you have to wait until the crisis in our Zheng family is resolved." Zheng Du said something to Zheng Zhilong's heart. He snorted coldly and said, "What are you doing?"

"Hou Xuanyan's power is great, and our only advantage is the navy. Hou Xuanyan was strangled by our navy before, and hated him for coming in person, which shows the threat to him. It is better to send troops to make peace. Our navy will no longer lock in the sea, so that these six prefectures will not be attacked by him. Our Zheng family takes the six prefectures as the foundation and slowly plans to wait for the Qing Dynasty to go south, so that we can take the opportunity to retake Fuzhou again." Zheng Du talked happily, and from time to time he would glance at his elder brother coldly. Zheng Sen's face was gloomy and he didn't say a word.

On the contrary, Zheng Zhilong nodded frequently and said with a beard: "Your boy's words are quite reasonable. I just don't know if Hou Xuanyan would agree to be with us."

A sharp look flashed in Zheng Du's eyes, but it soon became hidden again and said with a smile: "In order to protect the Zheng family's foundation, my son is willing to go to Fuzhou in person to negotiate with Hou Xuanyan!"

"Okay! It's worthy of being my seed." Zheng Zhilong stood up happily, patted his shoulder and said, "I have a second child. It's really a good son that Mazu showed up and gave me."

Everyone in the hall gathered together to praise it. For a moment, all kinds of numb words filled the entire hall. A group of generals who had just escaped from Guangdong and Guangxi were as happy as if they had won a big victory.

Zheng Du gave a secret wink at his father. After seeing this, Zheng Zhilong waved his hand and said, "You all go out. My son will go to Fuzhou. I have a few words to say to him."

Everyone left the lobby one after another, and only two people looked ugly. One was Zheng Sen. His father favored the second son so much, which made him feel deeply in crisis. The other was Li Chengdong, who gave a speech to Hou Xuan. Li Chengdong knew that he would not have a good end and was likely to be sold by the Zheng family’s father and son. However, he was in the Zheng family’s camp, even if he wanted to escape, and once Zheng Zhilong gave up on him, there would be no place to accommodate him. Thinking of this, Li Chengdong’s hatred for Hou Xuanyan reached a new level.

In the lobby, Zheng Du looked around and saw that everyone had gone out, then stepped forward and said, "Father, my son is going to give a speech with Hou Xuan this time, and there is something else."

Zheng Zhilong's face changed slightly, and he said with a gloomy face: "Is it Li Chengdong's head?"

"Father is wise!"

......

Inside Fuzhou City, downstairs of Zhenhai.

After the Songjiang Navy, the second seaside navy of the court was formed in Fuzhou, with the new Fuzhou general serving as the commander of Shi Lang, the admiral of the Fujian Navy.

On the islands near Fuzhou, Zheng Zhilong's remnants were scattered. His navy lost the port of Fuzhou and was no longer able to lock the sea along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Songjiang navy slowly recovered the lost land at sea, and merchant ships traveling between Japan flourished here.

Near Fuzhou, because Fuzhou was captured, many of the Zheng navy troops from Fuzhou had to surrender to Hou Xuanyan. Under the guidance of Shi Lang's adaptation, these people began to radiate to the surrounding islands from Fuzhou, and seized territory in an inch of land.

In Fuzhou City, Hou Xuanyan walked downstairs and turned to the door of the Running Department. This place is backed by the sword pool, and you can enter the river directly from the waterway to the sea. It is also the location of Zheng Zhilong's Zhenhai Dock. Several new ships have not been repaired yet, and they are parked in the dock. With the sound of the horns, the boatmen are rushing to make progress.

After leaving Duke Ping, Duke Yue came. In ancient times, Fujian was the territory of Yue. Hou Xuanyan, Duke Yue, came to Fuzhou, which was in line with his title. After Duke Yue came, he did not seal the sea and banned ships. Instead, he rewarded ship craftsmen with good skills and gave them higher treatment than Zheng Zhilong. Naturally, no one of these ship craftsmen was lazy.

"I have been to many docks. I have to say that the Zheng family's Zhenhai dock is the largest and most efficient dock. If Zheng Zhilong is willing to change his mind and disband his troops and join the court, I am willing to keep him as the Minister of Works." Hou Xuanyan said in a playful tone.

The officials around him were very proud of their face and smiled and supported the jokes of Duke Yue. They were just dry and they were not interested in it. Duke Yue might have intentionally made peace, but no one was willing to be the first person to speak, so as not to be the scapegoat when the war reopened and would be pulled out as a scapegoat.

After Hou Xuanyan took over Fuzhou Prefecture, although Fujian was still in the hands of Zheng Zhilong, the army could enter Fujian from Ganzhou and Zhejiang at any time. Zheng Zhilong knew this well, so he was very tolerant on the ground and tried his best to avoid a complete decisive battle with Hou Xuanyan.

Hou Xuanyan could completely drive him into the sea from land, and Zheng Zhilong could also kill them from the sea backwards back to land, each with fear. Everyone in Fujian could see this subtle situation clearly, but no one pointed it out.

Although Zheng Zhilong lost his territory in Guangdong and Guangxi, if we really count it, his navy was everywhere on the islands of the southeast coast. Their ships were strong and powerful, and they fought on the sea for a long time, and they were a maritime force that should not be underestimated. If this force counterattacked desperately, Hou Xuanyan, who had just started, might not be able to withstand it. Of course, if Hou Xuanyan was determined to order an attack, the remaining six palaces in Fujian would soon be completely recovered. At that time, Zheng Zhilong had to retreat to the sea. If the fight started, it would inevitably lead to a loss-win situation, one was king on land and the other was dominant on sea.

Shi Lang, who was following the crowd, suddenly spoke, "Duke, I have something to say, "I don't know whether to say it or not."

The sentence "If you don't know whether to speak or not" was once rated as the most reflective of the Chinese character. The next sentence of the person who said this sentence is 99% to say.

"But it's okay."

Shi Lang hesitated for a while and said, "The court cannot suppress Zheng Zhilong, but it is not suitable to fight at this time. Zheng Zhilong has lost the capital to fight with the court. The six governments in Fujian are in dare not do evil. It is better to make peace for the time being." As soon as this statement came out, the generals next to Hou Xuanyan glared at the bold general.

Hou Xuanyan frowned and asked, "Tell me your opinion. If you don't die from a snake, you will suffer. Why don't I take advantage of his illness to kill him, but I will let him survive?"

Shi Lang felt a little regretful when his surroundings had poor vision, but at this time, he had to bite the bullet and say, "If we force him to a dead end, he fled to Dongfan Island and develop his power with this center, then the southeast coast will be difficult to be peaceful. In this way, the commercial tax has been reduced sharply, the court's income has decreased, and the southeast still needs to deploy heavy troops and be ready to fight at all times. After all, after the Zheng family gained a foothold in Dongfan Island, they will completely take the initiative. They have the final say to the battle or retreat." Hou Xuanyan became more and more interested in listening. He waved his hand to signal him to stop, and then said, "We will come to the pavilion, and you will talk slowly."

After all, this matter involves national policy, and there are too many people here, so there are inevitably idle people waiting to go and spread the news after hearing this. Especially in Fujian, it is difficult to ensure that the remnants of the Zheng family have not been mixed with so many officials.

When Shi Lang heard this, he was overjoyed. The Duke valued his opinion. Following Hou Xuanyan and his personal guards to Wanxiang Pavilion, Shi Lang stood aside, and continued to say last time: "But if the Duke no longer attacks and negotiates with Zheng Zhilong, let him open the southeast passage. Our merchants can make trade to Southeast Asia, and the commercial tax will not only double. Moreover, the six governments in Fujian will become a shackle for Zheng Zhilong. He is reluctant to give up these six useless ribs, so he has no intention of planning Dongfan Island. At that time, he will raise him in Quanzhou and other six governments, just like raising an eagle in a bird cage, and will be a bird that can be slaughtered by others.

Since we have made peace, we can develop the navy on a large scale. Once the time is ripe, we will be willing to promote the Fujian Navy and capture this beast for the Duke of the People."

Hou Xuanyan was moved when he heard this, but he still retorted: "We snatched his lair and Fuzhou, will he let go of his face and make peace?"

"The Duke of the State is joking. Fujian has always been the territory of the Ming Dynasty. How many years has he been Zheng Zhilong not a pirate? When was Fuzhou his territory? It was not after recruiting peace, but he was occupied by this beast for several years. This kind of maritime hero is accustomed to endure. Only after making peace can he acquire the goods of our Han people from the mainland and make money at sea. He is reluctant to give up the six prefectures of Fujian. In order to continue to make money, he will definitely compromise. Maybe, the Zheng family's messenger is on the way at this time."

Hou Xuanyan thought intently that what he said was really possible. Zheng Zhilong was not a tough guy. When Franji was strong, he defected to Franji, received the Catholic baptism, took the church name Jasper, and gave himself a foreign name, Nikola Yiguan. He also flattered the retired former shogun Hidetaka Tokugawa. Zheng Yiguan was summoned by the shogunate, and the Japanese regarded it as a glorious and prominent figure. He was often a local nobleman and was called the "old official". Later, he joined the sect of the pirate merchant Li Dan. At first, he worked as a translator and gradually became Li Dan's right-hand man and was deeply trusted by Li Dan. Then there were Yan Siqi, the Dutch Red-haired Fan, and the Ming Dynasty...

In later generations, he even surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. This man was either surrendering or on the road to surrender. Now his situation is not good, so it is very possible to choose to surrender.

Since that was the case, Hou Xuanyan began to think about it in his mind and temporarily made peace with Zheng Zhilong. Both sides would have benefits, but his interests were obviously greater. The power of locking the sea in the Age of Discovery was that even Zheng Zhilong, the culprit, could not think of how great it was. His navy blocked the Wusong River for several months, and the originally wealthy court immediately stretched out. The three urgent grand sages pulled off their beards and had no good idea.

"What Shi Lang said makes sense. If I keep you in Fujian, can you train a navy who can compete with him? How much time will it take? How much money and grain will it cost?"

Shi Lang knelt on one knee, looking excited: "In just five years, the general will surely calm the southeast and defeat the Zheng family!"

Hou Xuanyan was quite satisfied with the first time he heard it, but the more he listened, the more he became, the more wrong he was... Isn't this a replica of Ping Liao in Five Years?

"If it doesn't work for five years, I will fully support you. Except for the finances that require you Fujian to seek, you have all other policies and tilt them towards Fujian. What you want to do is to make the character Zheng Zhilong completely become an old news at sea within two years."

Shi Lang lowered his head, quickly calculating in his head, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Two years are just two years!"

Hou Xuan was so arrogant that he continued, "I want all Dongfan Island, Qiongzhou, Penghu! Red-haired Fans, Franji Fans, Japanese slaves, and pirates, all tremble when they hear the horns of the Ming navy; all the merchant ships passing by have to pay taxes to the court; those who I don't like will be bombarded into scum when they enter the sea; those who don't like me will be fed fish by ships when they enter the sea; within the four seas and eight wildernesses, my navy can land in battle, and let all countries come to pay tribute, whoever doesn't come kills his royal family and robs their princesses as my female slaves; under the cover of the sky, the place where the sun and moon shines, are our vassals."

Shi Lang stood there in a daze, looking at Duke Yue who was crazy with his face, his mind was blank. Is Hou Xuanyan a pirate or Zheng Zhilong? Shi Lang couldn't tell for a moment.

Hou Xuanyan patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Shi Lang, you have a long way to go. Don't kneel down and waste time. Go out and get busy. Come on, hurry up and run forward."

Shi Lang was sent out in a daze, and the afterglow of the setting sun in the distance was sprinkled on the sea. The blue and clear sky was dyed like blood by the setting sun. A gust of cold wind blew, and Shi Lang raised his spirits and thought to himself: I should do a good job of maintenance of the dock first. There are still many craftsmen in the workshop, and the recruitment of the navy has been short of a few to show how to put it in.

Some people have higher hearts than the sky, while others only look at their feet, step by step, and are extremely at ease.
Chapter completed!