Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

"Are you sure Emperor Wei has really returned to Beijing?" Zheng Jing asked, staring intently at Yang Ying.

"My lord, I have already investigated and found out that not only the Emperor of Wei, but also several princes of the Wei royal family, including Prince Sumur of Liao, Prince Mailas of Qi, Prince Ergalang of Jin, Prince Biligendalai of Zhao, Prince Zhuosiji of Qin, and Prince Nagate of Tucheng, have returned to the capital with him. The Wei army returning to the capital numbered as many as 300,000, and their formations and marches were well-organized, clearly indicating that they were all battle-hardened elite soldiers," Yang Ying said, suppressing his excitement as he recounted the details.

Emperor Wei returned to the capital in triumph, seemingly having no intention of plotting against Taiwan! Zheng Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this. After careful analysis, he realized that the Wei army had been fighting for nearly three years, and the troops were inevitably exhausted and weary of war. Dongning had the sea as a barrier. Although the Wei army's land forces were strong, its naval forces were insufficient. If they were to actually cross the sea to fight, they might not be able to win. Moreover, they had already quelled the three forces of Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi, and Geng Jingzhong, and had gained a great deal. It was only natural for them to stop while they were ahead.

As the ruler of a region, Zheng Jing believed that the State of Wei had no intention of harming him, but he was not in a hurry to make a judgment. Instead, he ordered a meeting of his senior officials to discuss the matter.

"With 300,000 troops leaving Guangdong and Fujian, it seems that the Wei army is satisfied after annexing the southern provinces and has no intention of plotting against us for the time being," said Hong Lei, Minister of Personnel, who spoke first.

“Yes, Wei has always preferred to have members of the imperial family lead the army when it goes to war. Now, not only has the Emperor of Wei returned to Beijing, but also some influential members of the imperial family and princes have returned. It seems that we are safe for the time being,” said Xie Xian, Minister of Works.

As soon as the two spoke, they were immediately echoed by the crowd. Zheng Jing nodded repeatedly and asked Chen Shengwu, the Minister of War, with a smile, "Have there been any movements from the garrison troops in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou recently?"

"Your Majesty, I was just about to report to the vassal king that the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, Su He, has successively sent Generals Chen Hui and Wei Ming to garrison Zhangzhou, and Generals Bai Xianzong and Chen Zhong to garrison Quanzhou. Recently, the garrison has been making frequent moves, often showing off its power near the areas controlled by our army," Chen Shengwu replied.

"Hmm, has their navy made any unusual moves?" Zheng Jing remained unmoved after hearing this and continued to ask.

“Fujian does not have many naval forces. Suhe only ordered the surrendered generals Chen Zong, Zhang Jie, and Wu Sheng to patrol the waters around Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. These three were originally traitors of our army. They only had about 10,000 naval troops and more than 200 warships under their command, and all of them were old ships, far from enough to fight against our army.” Chen Shengwu scoffed when mentioning the Wei Army’s navy.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing burst into laughter. "I know the capabilities of Chen Zong, Zhang Jie, Wu Sheng, and the like. Su He thinks he can do anything to me with just over two hundred old warships? He's delusional!"

"I believe that Suhe's move is merely an attempt to force our army to abandon the newly acquired Zhangzhou and Quanzhou territories, and he has no intention of crossing the sea to take up the platform," said Ke Ping, Minister of Justice.

"Minister Ke is absolutely right! Your Highness, I believe that Dongning is naturally safe with the sea as a natural barrier, but the places our army has recently acquired, such as Kinmen, Tong'an, Tongshan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai, are located on or adjacent to the mainland. If the Wei army attacks, we may not be able to withstand them. We still need to negotiate with the Wei state," said Xie Xian, Minister of Works.

"Hmm," Zheng Jing's expression turned serious upon hearing this.

"Speaking of negotiations, I have something to report to the vassal lord. The Ministry of Rites just received a message from Wei Ting that the Emperor has issued an edict appointing Liu Maoxia, the Governor of Fujian, to handle all matters related to the Taiwan Strait negotiations. From now on, all talks will be held at the Fujian Governor's Office," said Ye Heng, Minister of Rites.

"This is outrageous! The vassal lord is a prince, yet the Emperor only ordered the governor of Fujian to make contact. Clearly, he doesn't take Dongning seriously. I believe the vassal lord should take advantage of the Wei army's return north to launch a military raid on the coastal provinces and demonstrate his strength to the Wei court!" General Liu Guoxuan roared. His deafening roar invigorated everyone present.

“The fact that the Emperor of Wei has only appointed Liu Maoxia, the Governor of Fujian, to handle the negotiations shows that he doesn’t take this matter to heart. I think this is a good thing. If the Emperor doesn’t care, the princes and nobles of Wei will naturally not take it seriously either. We can just occupy Kinmen, Tongan, Tongshan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai without returning them, and I doubt the mere Governor of Fujian can do anything to us,” Yang Ying continued Ye Heng’s words. Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, and Zheng Jing’s expression became even more delighted.

"My lord," said Chen Yonghua, a thirty-eight-year-old military advisor, "I believe we must not entrust the safety of Dongning to whether the Wei army cares or not. Regardless of whether the Wei army intends to harm us, we should strengthen our defenses. Only with a strong and well-equipped army can Dongning remain as stable as Mount Tai!" As the de facto "chief minister" of Yanping, his words immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.

Zheng Jing blushed. “Mr. Chen is absolutely right. We cannot take any chances. We must prepare for both peace and war. All towns must intensify their drills, and the islanders must also train during their off-season and be ready to join the army at any time!”

"The lord is wise!" Everyone agreed in unison.

"Mr. Chen, I intend to send Yang Ying to Fuzhou to reiterate our demands to Liu Maoxia, the Governor of Fujian. What do you think?" Zheng Jing asked Chen Yonghua again.

"I believe we can go, but the terms of the negotiations must be raised. We can propose to Wei Ting that we follow the example of Korea and simply become a vassal state and pay tribute! It would be best if Wei Ting agrees. If not, we can take another step and ask to borrow the lands of Kinmen, Tong'an, Tongshan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai to support our troops, which would give us room to maneuver," Chen Yonghua said eloquently. Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, he continued, "Now the entire mainland belongs to Wei, and Wei's national strength far surpasses that of Qing. It would be unwise to continue to harass the coast. We should buy time through negotiations. Luzon and Java are rich in resources and have many islands. Although they have been occupied by the Dutch and Portuguese, there are still many unclaimed islands that we can take over. We can also subdue the mountain tribes of Taiwan and use them for our purposes to expand our power."

“Mr. Chen is right. We must strengthen Dongning’s strength as soon as possible to resist powerful enemies. However, the situation in Luzon and Java is complicated and requires careful consideration. Subduing the mountain tribes of Taiwan is something we can do immediately. Didn’t Emperor Wei say he wanted to establish Taichung Prefecture in the Dadu area? We can just follow his orders. Hahaha~” Zheng Jing laughed heartily.

When Yang Ying went to Fuzhou, he presented a generous gift to Liu Maoxia, the governor of Fujian. Liu Maoxia also held a grand banquet to welcome Yang Ying. They both seemed very polite and enthusiastic, but in reality, the negotiations between Wei and Zheng were long and difficult.

Yang Yingxian proposed that Dongning follow the example of Korea, becoming practically independent and only paying tribute to Weiting annually. Liu Maoxia flatly refused, citing Emperor Qianyuan's prior decree to establish Dongning as a province, and only agreed to grant it provincial status. The two sides remained deadlocked, and finally Liu Maoxia conceded, agreeing that although Dongning would be a province, all officials within it would be appointed by Zheng and their appointments would be reported to the Ministry of Personnel for record-keeping.

Regarding the army, Liu Maoxia initially only agreed to a force of 30,000, but after repeated requests for instructions and continuous concessions, an agreement was finally reached for 80,000, which is basically the current size of Zheng's army.

The two sides reached a stalemate regarding territory. Wei Ting made concessions repeatedly, initially demanding that the Zheng family return five territories: Kinmen, Tongan, Tongshan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai. He then agreed to cede Kinmen and Tongshan to the Zheng family, only demanding the return of Tongan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai. However, the Zheng family still refused to return Tongan, Zhangpu, and Zhenhai. Although no agreement could be reached for the time being, it was clear to everyone that Wei Ting had made significant concessions to the Zheng family.

Regarding the handover of the Ming Dynasty imperial family, Liu Maoxia was extremely resolute, while Yang Ying's attitude was ambiguous, using the Ming Dynasty imperial family as a bargaining chip in hopes of gaining sufficient benefits.

In short, the Zheng family gained the upper hand in the negotiations. When the news reached Dongning, Zheng Jing was overjoyed, unaware that this was merely the calm before the storm.

(End of this chapter)