Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 113 Family Arrangements
Zheng Guohui was in charge of tens of thousands of troops, and it was a rare opportunity for him to spare a day to inspect the military camp in Tongzhou.

He left his third brother Zheng Guoguang directly in the military camp and let the captain Zhou Laonian to conduct training without worry. Those who needed to be on duty could be on duty, and those who needed to march could march. There was no need to give any preferential treatment and they could be treated equally.

This explanation
Zheng Guoguang was stunned by what he heard. He was not prepared at all and was about to be thrown into the military camp.

He had come here to see something new, but he was unexpectedly assigned to join the army. The excitement of wearing a military uniform had long since disappeared. He hurriedly shouted, "Second brother, wait a minute..."

"How dare you! This is a violation of the rules. You should bow... and then respectfully address him as General. Only speak after you get permission." Tang Laonian, who was standing aside, immediately shouted.

If he had not considered that he was the general's third brother, he would have slapped him and made him pay for it.

Zheng Guoguang was startled by the angry rebuke from the sullen-faced officer. However, his anxiety overcame his fear. He saluted and blurted out, "What do you think of this officer?"
"Your Excellency, General, I am completely unprepared. Can I go back and pack my things before returning to the barracks for training?"

"No, what are you going back for?" Zheng Guohui refused directly.

"But, mother doesn't know either. I'm going to report to father and mother and ask auntie to prepare some personal belongings, and also..."

"What else? Zheng Guoguang... who do you think you are to make demands on this general?" Zheng Guohui's face turned cold and he scolded him harshly.

"You must recognize your own identity. You are nothing but a bastard of my Zheng family. From now on, you will not be able to touch the real estate, fields, or other property of the eldest branch of the family.

It is important for people to know themselves. You are the son of a concubine, and you are of humble blood, but you don’t know how to work hard. Who gives you support?

This general is the eldest son of the eldest son. I joined the army at the age of 16 and have been fighting for five years. I have experienced hundreds of battles, big and small, and have finally achieved my current honorable position. I have crawled out of the pile of the dead several times.

Your brothers are working so hard, how can you deserve to live in luxury at home?

It’s time to wake up from the Spring and Autumn dream. If you can’t live like a human being, you’ll just rot and die in this military camp.”

These cold words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Zheng Guoguang's head, waking him up immediately.

His expression changed, and he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Please rest assured, General. I, Zheng Guoguang, am also a member of the Zheng clan. Even if I die of exhaustion, I will not bring shame to the clan, nor to General."

"That sounds like a human being." Zheng Guohui's tone softened a bit, and he explained solemnly;

“If a man is not polished, he will not become a useful person; if a tree is not pruned, it will not grow straight.

This general will keep you in the military camp to gain experience. This is to give you the opportunity to transform yourself from a rich kid and become tempered into steel.

If you can't practice it, it will just be slag, and it's no pity to throw it away.

How many people dream of the opportunity this general has given you, yet you have it within your grasp yet you don't know how to cherish it. Do you know your sin?"

Zheng Guoguang knelt down with a plop, clasped his hands together and raised his head. His still slightly childish face was firm, and he looked at Zheng Guohui with eyes full of awe and said;
"Please rest assured, General
I, Zheng Guoguang, swear hereby that no matter it is one year, two years, three years or even longer, I will never be afraid of the tempering in the military camp. I will definitely be tempered into steel, and even if I die, I will never bring shame to the Zheng family.

Zheng Guoguang is grateful for the general's painstaking efforts in cultivating him.

Please go back and help inform my parents. If Zheng Guoguang doesn't make a name for himself, he won't be able to go home and greet them."

This kid is also quite arrogant, and his words are very decisive.

Zheng Guohui said calmly, "I heard what you said. But to what extent can it be achieved? We need to observe carefully. You can stay in the camp and don't worry about the things at home."

"As you command, General."

Zheng Guohui nodded and ran out of the gate, leaving his third brother Zheng Guoguang standing there in a daze.

Right now
Zheng Guoguang felt his nose sore. What his second brother said was so depressing that he almost cried.

I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, only then did I swallow back the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I felt so uncomfortable holding them back.

On weekdays

Zheng Guoguang and his younger brothers and sisters chose to ignore these things. In the mansion, they were indeed the masters.

But there is a difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. If his father Zheng Shouren passes away, all the family property can only be inherited by his second brother Zheng Guohui. The illegitimate sons can only have a small courtyard and twenty or thirty acres of thin land.

Zheng Guoguang didn't know that his family had acquired another 100,000 acres of land on Chongming Island. He thought it was the same as the previous 5,000 or 6,000 acres.

If you really knew, you would probably go crazy.
No matter which child this happens to, they will not be able to get over it psychologically. The difference is too great.

As a child of Zheng Shouren, the second brother Zheng Guohui was able to inherit a huge family business of more than 100,000 acres, a fleet, a private salt business and dozens of workshops, and was rich in gold and silver.

He and his brothers could only inherit a mere twenty or thirty acres of thin land and a small courtyard, which would make anyone feel extremely unbalanced.

How to choose is a test of one's character.

Back to the mansion

Zheng Guohui went straight to the backyard, where his parents happened to be sitting in the living room, surrounded by several concubines chatting, and their children and grandchildren were serving them.

He walked forward and greeted them one by one, and nodded slightly to the concubines in his father's room. This made the women feel respected. They were surprised and happy, and hurriedly bowed in return.

Zheng Guohui accepted it calmly and told his parents what happened in the military camp.

His mother, Zheng Qian, didn't care. When Zheng Guohui quietly killed three relatives from her mother's side, an eldest brother and two nephews, she was just sad for a while.

Afterwards, he still supported his own son Zheng Guohui.

"Just kill them. They're useless anyway. The old one is useless. He's suffered for decades, and the two younger ones have grown up crooked. Killing them will save us the trouble."

Having said that, Zheng Qian's eyes were still red and she couldn't help but shed tears again.

Now that she knew that Zheng Guoguang was being sent to the military camp for training, Zheng Qianshi only sighed and said, "My son Jinghai, you are a man with great ambitions. This treatment must make sense. Mother supports you."

Over there

Master Zheng Shouren was reluctant to do so. His eyelids twitched twice and he turned to look at the woman standing beside him.

This woman was Zheng Guoguang's biological mother, the second concubine. Her face was pale at this moment, and she fainted with her eyelids drooping.

Fortunately, the maidservant nearby caught it, but there was inevitably a flurry of activity.

"My son Jinghai, I'm old and can't handle this sudden shock." Zheng Shouren thought for a moment and said, "Next time you make a similar decision, could you please tell me in advance?"

"Of course, father." Zheng Guohui stood in the hall, his cold eyes like a knife blade sweeping over his younger brothers and sisters, immediately scaring them so much that their faces turned pale.

The other concubines were so shocked that they dared not speak, and their faces turned pale visibly.

Zheng Guohui paused and said;

"It's a good thing for Guoguang to gain experience in the military camp. It's something others only dream of, so don't misunderstand me.

Without experiencing the bone-chilling cold, how can the fragrance of plum blossoms be so fragrant?

The fourth brother Guoyao will be 15 years old after the Chinese New Year, and the fifth brother Guotai will be 12 years old after the Chinese New Year. They should pay attention to strengthening their bodies and don't let themselves be thrown into the military camp where they cannot endure hardships.

Those who cannot become useful are just waste. What's the point of having them?

Guoyao doesn't need to enter the military camp for the time being. He will wait until the Jinling training class opens in March and go to school with Guoguang to learn something useful.

What do you think about this matter, Father?"

What do you think?
Zheng Shouren was also intimidated by his son's powerful aura and felt a little breathless, let alone the others, who had already lowered their heads in panic and dared not say a word.

Zheng Shouren sighed and said, "From now on, my son will be the head of the family, and you are the eldest son. You will decide how to act. After all, you are all descendants of my eldest wife, so please take good care of us."

"Father, Jinghai will naturally save it."

"Well, go and do your own thing. It's uncomfortable for the whole family to stand here. My son, you are a high official now, so you should know your limits."

"Father, Mother Na Jinghai is leaving."

"Well, go ahead. I'll send a few maids to your room later. They are all trustworthy people selected from the clan. It will be easier to have more people around to take care of you." Zheng Qianshi hurriedly gave another instruction.

Zheng Guohui bowed deeply and replied respectfully, "Thank you, mother. I will take my leave now."

It was not until Zheng Guohui left that the almost suffocating feeling of oppression quietly disappeared, and the women around Master Zheng Shouren began to gasp for breath.

Their faces were still filled with lingering fear.

Zheng Guoyao and Zheng Guotai were laughing just now, but now they have bitter faces and can't smile at all.

Because Zheng Guohui said

There were people in the back house gossiping about going to Southeast Asia, and Zheng Guoguang had heard about it, which was something that had been repeatedly forbidden.

It’s okay in the past, but if you do something serious that harms the Zheng family again in the future, you will be punished according to the family rules and there will be no mercy.

If any servant dared to gossip, he would be beaten to death and thrown into a mass grave to feed the wild dogs.

These words sent chills down their spines. Master Zheng Shouren himself had revealed this before, so he gave a wry smile, looked at his wives, concubines, and children, and instructed them:

"Did you hear that?

You guys are serious about what you say. It could be fatal. I advise you to just keep your mouth shut.

When Jinghai gets angry, I don’t dare to persuade him.

The servants in the mansion were also instructed again that they must not let the matter fall into the hands of this little King of Hell, and not a single word about him could be spread.

Alas...how can this child be so heartless.

Forget it. I am old and can't take care of so many things. I just ask you not to rush into the knife of the little King of Hell. There is no way to put your head back once it is cut off.

Okay? Your mother and I are tired, so let’s all go home.”

Everyone immediately dispersed. The younger brothers and sisters were already afraid of their eldest brother, and now they were even more frightened from the bottom of their hearts, like mice seeing a cat.

The fourth child, Zheng Guoyao, did not dare to resist and followed his crying biological mother to make preparations.

The Chinese New Year is almost here, and after the Lantern Festival it will be March. It’s not that long if you count on your fingers.

It has been so many years since he left, I don’t know when he will be allowed to come back?

It is necessary to bring a few more cotton-padded clothes with you, as well as quilts and other things. It is better to prepare them early so that you can find the right things when the time comes.

As for resistance, no one from top to bottom had ever thought about it. Zheng Guohui was so domineering that his family members really didn't dare to resist.

(End of this chapter)