Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Youjian was very pleased with what happened at the Navy Ministry.

This time, he did not personally intervene, but relied solely on the actions of Zheng Zhihu and others to suppress the conservative faction in the navy.

This means that the talents he cultivated can finally be put to good use and are capable of replacing the old guard in the court.

When there are more and more such talents, his various ideas for the Ming Dynasty can be truly implemented.

Some of the ministers in the court already knew that the emperor was cultivating new talent.

Although the nobles in the capital were a little slow to react, they eventually caught on after the meritorious officials from Liaodong were successively appointed to positions in the court.

In particular, the fact that Zheng Zhihu served as the Chief of Naval Staff with the rank of Earl truly surprised them.

Although this position was newly created after the emperor ascended the throne, it was not specifically reserved for nobles.

However, the fact that Zheng Zhihu, a former adjutant general, obtained an important position in the Navy Ministry by virtue of his status as a newly nobleman was something to be wary of.

With the added rumor that Sun Chengzong would succeed the Governor-General of the Beijing Garrison, these nobles began to realize that the meritorious officials of the restoration were vying for power.

They gathered at the Duke of England's residence and complained to Zhang Zhiji:

“Those people in Liaodong have just become nobles and they can’t wait to grab positions.”

"The Emperor really trusts them, actually giving them the military power of the Beijing Garrison."

“That Sun Chengzong was from the Donglin Party, and there were even rumors of him purging the court of corrupt officials during the Tianqi era.”

“These restless civil officials should not be given the Beijing Garrison.”

They requested an audience with the late Duke Zhang Weixian to ask him for advice.

However, Zhang Weixian was already terminally ill and was just clinging to life.

With the British justly establishing a vassal state in Annam, Zhang Zhiji was absolutely unwilling to bother his father with this matter, much less to go against the emperor who was heavily relying on the newly rich.

His brow furrowed, and he spoke to these people with apparent deep concern:
“My father is seriously ill and really can’t handle this kind of thing.”

"He is also incapable of serving as the Governor-General of the Beijing Garrison."

"If any of you are interested, I will submit a petition on behalf of my father to recommend you."

"But I'm sorry, I can't help with anything else."

These words are also true. If Zhang Weixian were to pass away, his influence with the emperor would be far from sufficient to determine the selection of the governor of the Beijing garrison.

The group came to the Duke of Ying's residence to see Zhang Weixian. Only this meritorious leader, who had served four emperors and helped three emperors ascend the throne, could influence the current emperor.

But no matter what they said, Zhang Zhiji refused to let them see him. Zhang Weixian's influence with the emperor was his own responsibility; he wouldn't waste it on something unrelated.

After seeing these people off, Zhang Zhiji said to Zhang Weixian, who was lying in the backyard sunbathing and could barely move:

"Father, those people have left. They should have gone to the Duke of Cheng's mansion."

Zhang Weixian hummed in agreement, indicating that he already knew.

It seems that they don't care at all about these nobles supporting the Duke of Cheng.

However, Zhang Zhiji, feeling somewhat resentful of his past glory as the leader of the nobility, inquired:

Are we just going to stand by and watch?

"Aren't you going to do anything?"

Zhang Weixian's narrowed eyes suddenly widened, and he stared at his son, warning him:
"You are not allowed to do anything!"

"Anyone who dares to misbehave will be expelled from the family."

"How is the matter of establishing a fiefdom in Annam progressing?"

"Any news about Shize?"

Zhang Zhiji hurriedly reported:

"Shize won several battles in Annam. He said the new army equipped with new muskets was very powerful and asked us to buy more new muskets and ammunition."

"There are many unruly natives in the Thanh Hoa and Nghe An areas that were granted to us, and we need to conquer them by force." "Currently, Shize is cooperating with the Marquis of Yangwu in Nanyang to send the Annamese over there."

Zhang Weixian nodded and said:
"Send it over!"

"Move more of our Zhang family's children and tenants over there."

"It would be best if more than half of the people in the territory were Han Chinese, then I would feel more at ease using them."

"For our Zhang family, the most important thing right now is to establish our own territory."

"Don't worry about any other messy things."

Zhang Zhiji understood this principle, but still asked:

"Don't you even want your status as the leader of the nobility anymore?"

"Just stand by and watch the Duke of Cheng's mansion bask in its power?"

Zhang Weixian shook his head and said:

"Being powerful requires resources. With the Duke of Cheng's fiefdom, how long can he be powerful?"

"The further north you go, the harder it is to support people. The Cheng Gong fiefdom is even further north than the Jiangling Gongdom, and its fiefdom can only support a few hundred thousand people at most."

"It's far inferior to our fiefdom; managing the fiefdom well is the real priority."

He paused for a moment, catching his breath, and then continued:
"Moreover, the current emperor is re-establishing the rites and music system, which will change the way nobles and meritorious officials play their games."

"Who will be the leader of the nobility in the future will depend on the Council of Nobles."

"Only those with many supporters in the noble council, who can command a large following, can represent the nobility."

"The current emperor has long been wary of this, dividing meritorious officials into founding heroes, pacifying heroes, governing heroes, and restoring heroes. There are also titles such as Fengtian, Shuntian, Chengtian, and Zhongxing, which prevent the nobles from uniting as one."

"At most, we'll be vying for the position of leader of the meritorious officials in the Jingnan Campaign, which won't affect anyone else at all."

"Don't worry about what the Duke of Cheng does, just go to the Noble Council and secure a seat so that the Duke of Ying's vassal state won't be bullied."

"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask His Majesty directly. His Majesty also needs people in the Council of Nobles."

He had no expectations for his son's political abilities and sent him to be the emperor's mouthpiece.

Zhang Zhiji was naturally dissatisfied with the way his father positioned him.

But who told him to fail to demonstrate his abilities?

He ultimately followed his father's advice, resigned from his nominal position in the Five Armies Commandery, and went to work for the Noble Council.

Zhu Youjian was very satisfied with his choice and allowed him to participate in welcoming the King of Joseon as a member of the noble council.

This message came from Korea. Under immense internal and external pressure, the King of Korea has decided to come to the Ming Dynasty to pay homage and explain himself to the noble council.

Accompanying him were Korean nobles such as Mao Wenlong and Cui Nanyi.

The council of nobles will hold a special meeting and, in its capacity as the parliamentary committee of nobles, submit a bill to determine the status and position of these nobles.

The Court of Colonial Affairs and the Privy Council are already eager to weaken Korea.

The recently reorganized Navy Ministry is even planning to establish a naval base in Korea as a springboard for attacking Japan.

This time, the Ming Dynasty aims to completely eliminate the threats from Korea and Japan, making them, like the surrendered people of Annam, an asset for the Ming Dynasty's overseas expansion.

The actions of the Matsumae Domain in Annam, led by Japanese samurai, greatly pleased the nobles of Southeast Asia.

These people worked very hard at some of the dirty jobs that they didn't want to do.

Therefore, the Navy had a suggestion: to recruit more Japanese domains to surrender, and then transfer them to the South Seas after they submitted.

Compared to the hot Southeast Asia, many nobles preferred to go to Japan.

In particular, the new nobles who came from Liaodong were very enthusiastic about conquering Japan.

Some even coveted land in North Korea, intending to choose it as their fiefdom. (End of Chapter)