Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Upon receiving Shang Kexi's order, Xu Ercheng took the opportunity of delivering food to ask Chen Shouzhen:
"Old Chen, I heard you've been here for over ten years."

Have you ever thought about going back?

Chen Shouzhen glanced at him and remained silent for a moment.

Sanchez allowed him to go back, but he was undecided about whether to return with the ship.

Having lived in Mexico for over a decade, he has completely adapted to the environment there.

If he were to return to the Ming Dynasty, he would feel somewhat out of place.

He particularly disliked the official air emanating from Xu Ercheng.

Faced with this person's question, he could only respond with silence.

Xu Ercheng could tell that Chen Shouzhen disliked him somewhat, but he didn't believe anyone could refuse an official position in the Ming Dynasty.

Seeing that Chen Shouzhen did not answer, he continued speaking to himself:
"You've been in Mexico for over ten years, you must still be single?"

"Don't you want to get married and have your own children to continue the family line?"

"To tell you the truth, as long as we go back, we will be rewarded with official positions for our merits."

"If we come to America again to establish garrisons in the future, we will be hereditary officials of the garrisons."

"You should know what a hereditary centurion position is, right?"

"If you perform meritorious service on this return voyage, the general will grant you the hereditary title of centurion!"

This promise made Chen Shouzhen's breathing become somewhat heavy.

As a Chinese man, how could he not know the significance of a hereditary centurion?

In the local Hundred Household Offices, they were practically local tyrants.

Yu Dayou, a famous general who fought against Japanese pirates, came from a family that held the hereditary title of centurion.

The thought of having the opportunity to become such a hereditary official was tempting even to Chen Shouzhen, who had always been lawless and yearned for freedom.

However, looking at Xu Ercheng's smug gaze, and the expression and tone that seemed to be bestowing favors upon him, he was struck by the sight.

Chen Shouzhen said stiffly:
"Not interested in!"

"I'm used to being alone and I just want to be a knight-errant."

He made a living through martial arts and longed to be a chivalrous hero like Zhu Jia and Ju Meng.

He never valued money and didn't care much about what would happen after his death.

Although he was somewhat tempted by Xu Ercheng's suggestion of a hereditary position as a centurion, he was unwilling to accept it at the cost of changing his lifestyle.
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Xu Ercheng never expected that Chen Shouzhen would still refuse the hereditary position of centurion.

He was furious and scolded Chen Shouzhen for being ungrateful.

If we didn't still need him to act as a mediator, we would probably have to get rid of him.

When reporting back to Shang Kexi, he also strongly criticized Chen Shouzhen for being rude and looking down on the official positions of the Ming Dynasty.

Shang Kexi frowned and said:
"He doesn't even want a hereditary centurion position. This person either only wants to be a wandering knight-errant or has other plans."

"Bring him over as a guest tomorrow, so I can weigh him!"

He ordered Xu Ercheng to invite Chen Shouzheng to the ship as a gesture of gratitude.

Xu Ercheng said reluctantly:

"General, that Chen fellow is ungrateful. Why take him so seriously?"

“He may not be willing, but there are many who are willing to do it; there are thousands of Chinese in Mexico.”

Shang Kexi began to scold him harshly:
"You know there are thousands of Chinese in Mexico, so why do you regard a wandering knight like Ju Meng as an ordinary person?"

"Zhou Yafu said that Ju Meng could rival a country, and you are even more capable than him?"

"And what exactly are you doing? You can't even recruit people properly?"

"Is he unsuitable to be an envoy and only fit to fight on the battlefield?"

Xu Ercheng blushed deeply, yet he couldn't refute it. No matter how he tried to explain, failing to complete the mission was his fault.

He did indeed underestimate Chen Shou-zheng and failed to recognize the potential behind him.

In Mexico, where you are unfamiliar with the country and its people, gaining the allegiance of someone who might be a Chinese leader is not much different from gaining the support of an enemy force.

He underestimated Chen Shouzhen so much that he failed to recruit him.

Fearing being reprimanded by his commander, Xu Ercheng did not embellish the story when he invited Chen Shouzhen next.

Chen Shouzhen was indeed bold; after refusing the offer, he boarded the other party's ship without changing his expression.

Shang Kexi looked at his lean and agile figure and laughed heartily, saying:

"Judging from Brother Chen's demeanor, he's clearly skilled in naval combat."

"His Majesty has ordered me to establish the North American Fleet, and he needs talents like you, brother."

"I wonder if Brother Chen would be willing to come and help me. I am willing to offer the position of boarding captain vacant."

"If one can achieve meritorious service, there is a possibility of winning the hereditary title of commander of a thousand households or the hereditary title of commander."

This offer is clearly more favorable.

However, Chen Shouzhen had come to realize these past few days that he was not cut out to be an official, and refused Shang Kexi's offer:

"I am deeply grateful for the general's kindness, but I have no desire to become an official."

"General, please speak freely; there's no need to mention your official rank."

He agreed to work for Shang Kexi, but refused his official position.
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Upon hearing this, Shang Kexi frowned, pondering whether the person was being sincere.

He wanted the loyalty of thousands of Chinese in Mexico, not just Chen Shou-zheng alone.

Given the current situation, he could only proceed cautiously, saying:
"Brother Chen is far away in a foreign land, and I'm afraid he doesn't know that the current emperor has re-enfeoffed viscounts and barons, and changed the hereditary commanders and centurions to hereditary viscounts, barons and knights."

"If you do not wish to be bound by the garrison, you may choose to change your title."

"Once you become a knight, you will have a fiefdom of at least ten square miles."

"A baron's territory is at most a hundred li, no different from a feudal lord who controls a county."

"Doesn't Brother Chen want to take his brothers to a free and unfettered land?"

The content of these words was something Chen Shou-zheng had never considered.

He had no idea that the Ming emperor had restarted the system of enfeoffment and was lavishly bestowing titles upon meritorious officials.

The lands of the Americas were so remote that it was virtually impossible for the imperial court to rule them directly. These areas were generally distributed and bestowed upon subjects who had rendered meritorious service to the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking of the numerous instances of discrimination he had faced from white people in Mexico, and the treatment of some Chinese people as slave laborers, Chen Shouzhen clenched his fist and pressed on:

"Does His Majesty really intend to grant me a fiefdom?"

Shang Kexi knew there was a chance when he heard the question, and laughed heartily as he said:

"The enfeoffment is certain; the King of Han has already established a fiefdom on Beihai Island."

“This area in northern Mexico was granted to the King of Zhou by the emperor.”

"He is a famous wise king, and his men are involved in this voyage."

As he spoke, he ordered someone to summon the registrar from the Zhou Prince's residence, who had also come to participate in the expedition and record the route of this journey.

This clerk praised King Zhou's virtue and even tried to recruit Chen Shouzheng on his behalf.

According to the rules set by the imperial court, the highest rank a vassal king could attain was the title of viscount. Moreover, in the Americas, vassal kings and their vassal nobles could establish separate territories outside the existing vassal states.

According to this clerk, the King of Zhou was praised to the skies, and he even promised Chen Shouzhen that if he made great contributions in the establishment of the Zhou vassal state, he would be granted the title of viscount in the future.

In fact, the Zhou prince was willing to marry a member of the imperial family to him to strengthen the relationship between the two sides.

Chen Shouzhen was flattered and never expected to be valued so much.

If he had been in the same situation in the Ming Dynasty, how could he have ended up in a foreign land, becoming an outcast overseas? (End of Chapter)