Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 55 Mazu, I’m ripe!

"You are Zheng Zhilong, why are you here so late?"

In the ambient lighting, the Divine Emperor, sitting high on the throne, looked down with a majestic gaze at the kneeling Fujian General at his feet.

Then the golden dragon with arms raised its head while winding and coiling.

The sound of a dragon's roar followed immediately.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, I, Zheng Zhilong, the General of Fujian, am late in arriving before the Emperor. I beg the Emperor Taizu Gao to forgive me. After receiving the imperial edict, I originally wanted to head north immediately, but it happened that a merchant returning from Southeast Asia reported that the Red-Haired People intended to march north in large numbers to harass the coast. I had to take precautions, which delayed me for some time."

Zheng Zhilong said tremblingly while lying on the ground.

He was completely frightened by the style of painting. People like them are extremely superstitious.

The two golden dragons on the arms of Emperor Taizu Gao in front of him made his legs weak.

"Has the red-haired man come?"

Yang Feng shouted.

This is the effect he wants.

Including his throne, they were actually just made.

Not only is it raised to the point where nine steps are required to get up and sit down, but the backrest is also very high, carved with various dragons and inlaid with various gems. To enhance the effect, various ambient lights are added, and then powered by solar panels. In the end, he looks like a character in a game.

Coupled with the two golden dragons and the faint smoke coming out of the incense burner, it is definitely a god.

"This one……"

Zheng Zhilong shuddered.

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Reporting to the Emperor Taizu Gao, the red-haired man learned of the Emperor Taizu Gao's arrival and knew that our Great Ming Dynasty's Protector God was protecting us, so he was afraid and did not dare to go north."

He said.

"Then what are those in Bengang across from you?"

Yang Feng sneered.

"Your Majesty, I originally wanted to wait until next year when I had enough warships before I could destroy them. The Reds have strong ships and powerful guns, and most of my troops' old ships are unusable, so I need to build larger ships. I have already built some, but I feel that they are not safe, so I will build more."

Zheng Zhilong said with cold sweat dripping from his face.

"Since you are the commander-in-chief of Fujian, you can indeed plan this matter yourself. It makes sense to be cautious, but the red-haired people have occupied the area for many years, and it is still not cleared out. It is due to the negligence of you, the ministers of the frontier. Moreover, the red-haired people are only a few thousand pirates. Now they not only occupy the territory of the Ming Dynasty, but also enslave the vassal states of Southeast Asia. You have sat on the sidelines for decades, and you are all just sitting on your posts and doing nothing. I am truly disappointed when I come to the mortal world this time. The entire court, including the civil and military officials, are all sitting on their posts and doing nothing. They all deserve to be killed.

But I also know that I can't blame you entirely, those emperors are also to blame.

I can't kill you all.

But now that I am here, you must be more alert from now on. If you do it again as you did in the past, I will kill your entire family.

I have said before, I will drink from the golden cup with you, but I will not spare you from the sword. If you are loyal to me and do your job well, I will give you wealth and honor. But if you treat me like a fool, sit in office and do nothing, or even harbor evil intentions, then I will not only kill all nine of your clans, but even ten of them."

Yang Feng said.

"I will follow the instructions of Emperor Taizu Gao."

Zheng Zhilong said to him with cold sweat dripping all over the floor.

"I heard you still believe in those heresies. Do you think I look like the devil they say I am?"

Yang Feng said.

Zheng Zhilong began to tremble again.

"Don't you worship Mazu? Why do you believe these things? Do you think Mazu doesn't know? I have some friendship with her in heaven. Do you think I can't clean up the mess for her?"

Yang Feng shouted.

Zheng Zhilong fell directly to the ground.

"Tai, Emperor Taizu Gao, I used to be a sea merchant. For the convenience of doing business, I pretended to believe in you. I have never dared to betray Mazu. If I dare to do so, my soldiers will not let me go."

He said.

He is telling the truth.

Although they are the type who don't mind worshipping an extra deity if needed, they are sincere to Mazu.

"Keep your head up!"

Yang Feng shouted.

Zheng Zhilong quickly raised his head.

Then he stared in amazement at the appearance of a figure next to the Divine Emperor.

"Today I have invited Mazu's true appearance for you to see."

Yang Feng sneered.

Then the Liu Tao version of Mazu projected next to him showed a kind smile.

"I will burn those heretical things when I return, and any of my men who dare to believe in them will be beheaded. I have never dared to betray Mazu. I really only pretended to believe in her for business purposes. I beg Mazu and the Emperor Taizu Gao to show mercy."

Zheng Zhilong was completely frightened and lay there kowtowed continuously, his head covered in blood.

"Okay, that's all you need to know."

Yang Feng shouted.

Then he quickly turned off the projector.

Ordinary is fine, no need for 3D. Besides, he is asking for Mazu's true appearance, not asking her to come down to the mortal world.

But this was a fatal blow to the people of southern Fujian. They might not be afraid of the imperial court or him as the divine emperor, but they were really afraid of Mazu's anger.

"What did you discuss with the King of Nanyang? What benefits did he promise you after he ascended the throne?"

Yang Feng said.

"Reporting to Emperor Taizu Gao, the Prince of Nanyang promised that if I aid him in the Northern Expedition to recapture the capital and succeed to the throne, he will grant me the title of Prince of Nanping, Governor of Fujian and Guangdong, and the title of Governor of Nanyang. He will also be granted the title of Governor of Fujian for generations, just like the Duke of Qian."

Zheng Zhilong said.

"What else is tacitly agreed to?"

Yang Feng said.

Zheng Zhilong quickly knelt down again.

"Replying to Emperor Taizu Gao, from now on, all maritime trade will be given to me. I am the Governor of Fujian and Guangdong and will manage the Southeast Asia. Naturally, I have the final say on maritime trade. If I forbid anyone from trading, I will say they are pirates and destroy them. However, this is too complicated, and I cannot do without the support of the aristocratic families in Fujian. Therefore, openly monopolizing it is not possible. But since I have been in charge of Fujian for generations, I still have the final say."

He said.

He really can't monopolize it.

Now he only collects tolls from those who go out to sea for trade, including those who pass through the Ming Dynasty waters overseas.

Or he is authorized to issue the flag. Of course, this flag must be paid for.

But to say that he monopolized maritime trade...

The aristocratic families in Fujian all stick together, and any clan can mobilize people to fight him to the death.

Even in this situation, he achieved it through a series of battles and exchanges of interests. To put it bluntly, he is now a compromise made by the major families in southern Fujian, and basically everyone can accept it reluctantly. He is not something that can really make other families surrender.

He is a leader.

But not the Lord.

"Forget about the hereditary rule of Fujian. I'm also planning to withdraw the Mu family's hereditary rule of Yunnan. It was originally a temporary measure. The court has its own rules. The Prince of Nanyang is ignorant and made a promise casually. I can't expect future generations to fix it. Moreover, if he dares to make such a promise, do you dare to take it? If I give your family a province to rule over, aren't you afraid that a powerful emperor will appear in the future and wipe out your family to regain control of Fujian?

You must have self-knowledge. As an official, you must know what you can and cannot ask for, and you must know the limits.

The ancestor of the Mu family was my adopted son, just like my own son. Are you and the Prince of Nanyang also like father and son?"

Yang Feng said.

"Emperor Taizu Gao taught me that I didn't dare to accept it at first, but I did it to reassure Prince Nanyang. Even if Prince Nanyang could really succeed to the throne, I wouldn't dare to accept it."

Zheng Zhilong said quickly.

However, he also understood that Emperor Taizu Gao was not trying to scare him. The Mu family could rule Yunnan for generations because Mu Ying was equivalent to Emperor Taizu Gao's biological son. In essence, it was the same as a feudal lord. He and the King of Nanyang were just cooperating for interests. If they really ruled Fujian for generations, after the overall situation was settled, they might really kill his entire family in order to regain power.

This kind of thing...

Grandpa Taizu has experience in this kind of thing!
“However, some of his promises can still be increased. Why can’t this maritime trade be given to your family?
It's just silver. How can a monarch be stingy with it?

I will make the decision for him. If you really help him in the Northern Expedition to recapture the capital and wipe out the red-haired people, then this maritime trade will belong to your family. You will have a monopoly on it, and I will back you up. Even if I leave, you will still have the support of the King of Qi. If those gentry in Fujian dare to object, let them come to me and see who is more stubborn, their necks or my sword."

Yang Feng said.

Zheng Zhilong was stunned.

"I thank the Emperor Taizu Gao for his grace. I and my descendants will go through fire and water for him."

He barely suppressed his ecstasy as he lay on the ground, trembling and thanking Him.

What a blessing from heaven!

This was to give him a franchise similar to that of the Dutch East India Company. From now on, only his family would be allowed to engage in maritime trade, and no one else would be allowed. Even if they wanted to do it, they could only rely on their family. He finally got what he had been dreaming about for half his life.

"Okay, you can leave."

Yang Feng said with satisfaction.

The consequence of not handing this matter over to Zheng Zhilong was that the maritime merchants would engage in internal competition. He was well aware of the kind of people those Fujian merchants were when they went out to sea. The first time the Dutch invaded Penghu, it was the Minnan merchants from Patani who led the way, and it could even be said that they were instigated by the latter. In this era, the Ming Dynasty was the exclusive supplier, and there were no competitors for tea, porcelain, and sugar, except for competition among internal merchants. Therefore, only a monopoly could maximize profits in external affairs.

If everyone goes to sell, the result will be that everyone undercuts each other on price, giving foreigners a better deal.

Guangdong businessmen will not cooperate with Fujian businessmen.

They would like to kill the Fujian businessmen and do it themselves.

All monopolized by one company.

This is my price.

It’s up to you whether you want to buy it or not.

Across the Channel, the Dutch earned four million guilders a year from sugar.

Do they grow their own sugarcane and make sugar?
There are so few Dutch people in total, how could they do it alone?

A bunch of Minnan people in the Minnan settlement area next to Fort Zeelandia were doing this for them. It was originally the trading base of Li Guozhu, the son of Zheng Zhilong's godfather Li Dan and later one of Zheng Zhilong's main opponents. It's just that he allied with Liu Xiang and followed the Dutch group and ultimately failed to defeat Zheng Zhilong, who had the official support of the Ming Dynasty.

So these guys are trying to sabotage each other.

You have to support the Zheng family's monopoly.

Then the emperor only needs to treat the Zheng family as leeks.

This is much easier than trying to do it yourself.

"Remember this person. If you need money in the future, just ask him to pay you back. You can even borrow from him. You don't have to pay it back anyway."

Yang Feng pointed at Zheng Zhilong's back and said to the King of Qi who was walking out from behind.

"Is maritime trade so profitable?"

Han Xin said.

"When we raided the homes of the nobles in Nanjing, we found silver, gold, and jewelry totaling over 40 million taels. But this amount of silver represents only three years' worth of maritime trade. All of this silver entered the Ming Dynasty through Guangdong and Fujian, and was then divided up among officials, merchants, and the gentry who supplied the goods.

Only more than 40,000 taels reached the court.

Moreover, the emperor could not see these 40,000 taels because 20,000 of them were used as wages for local officials and soldiers to guard against pirates.

The rest is also for local use.

So Wanli sent out tax inspectors, but they were instigated by local gentry to beat, burn, and drown the people in the river. In the end, the tax inspectors were afraid of death and did not dare to really touch the interests of those wealthy families. They only extorted 300,000 taels from them a year.

It’s still a drop in the bucket.”

Yang Feng said.

"So what if he refuses to give in?"

Han Xin said.

"How could he be willing to abandon his wealth and fortune? He used to be a merchant, or even a pirate. In those days, there was no difference between merchants and pirates. But now he is an earl and a general, with a huge fortune that can be passed down to his descendants. He is no longer in the past. He would have surrendered to the Qing army, but he could no longer bear to give up his wealth and glory.

Although his son had been resisting, even for decades, he surrendered.

However, he was soon executed.

We will promote him, no matter if it's a high position, give him a title, or make him a king, so that he can enjoy wealth and glory, bring honor to his family, and have a good family business. Then we will borrow money from him. When the court is short of money, we will lend him millions or tens of millions. He will not pay it back, and at most we will continue to promote him to a higher position.

If he lends money honestly, he will continue to live a prosperous and wealthy life. If he doesn't lend money, his property will be confiscated.

He will know how to do it.

Besides, if he could really monopolize the maritime business, it would just be a matter of raising prices.

It's easy to get back.

In addition, you have to rely on him to manage your State of Qi.

He has the power to send your people to America."

Yang Feng said.

Han Xin already knew where his Qi State was.

Although he was a little speechless, he had already begun to prepare for this fiefdom that he had never seen before.

It is indeed a foreign land, but with millions of immigrants it is not.

Therefore, the King of Qi has been recruiting people who are willing to develop this territory for him with great confidence. Thanks to his prestige, there are actually more than a thousand fools who were successfully coaxed into his side. Of course, most of them did not know how far away the place was.

After all, he offered a high price.

Each person was given 10,000 mu of land, 100 cows, and 50 male and female slaves.

Just give it when you get there.

Anyway, it's just an empty promise, just said casually.

As for now...

These more than a thousand people were his retainers, honor guards, and servants in the mansion.

He was different from Yang Feng. Yang Feng was just here for fun, and out of habit, he didn't care about these things at all. But he had planned to stay from the beginning, so not only had he built a palace, but he also kept a bunch of concubines, and in a few months, he would even have children. So, he had already prepared all the necessary things for a vassal king, and his servants were also officially guarding the King of Qi.

As a vassal king, he can have three guards, so he can continue recruiting.

Then sent to develop America.

Or the State of Qi.

Since he knew nothing about the sea, if he wanted to send the first batch of guards over, he could only find Zheng Zhilong. Although the latter had never been to America, he at least had ships and people, and he knew where it was and even had trade with America.

Of course, it was through the Spanish that merchant ships sailed from Acapulco to Manila every year.

Zheng Zhilong really has this ability.

(End of this chapter)