Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 109 Compliance is the only way forward
Zheng Zhilong, or rather, the newly appointed coastal defense guerrilla Zheng Yiguan, walked through this vast and unfamiliar palace city, wearing a brand-new but uncomfortable fourth-rank military officer's robe with a qilin insignia.

His steps were steady, each step measured as if measured with a ruler. This was a habit he had developed over more than ten years of sailing the seas. Whether his feet were on a swaying deck or solid ground, he could not lose his composure.

However, only he knew that beneath his official robes, his undergarments were already soaked with cold sweat.

For him, this trip north was nothing short of a high-stakes gamble that spanned life and death.

At first, when the all-black ship with a ferocious flying fish carved on its prow appeared, ignoring all the checks in Anping Town's outer harbor and heading straight for the Zheng family's exclusive dock, the entire harbor fell into an eerie silence.

That wasn't a ship from the Fujian Navy, nor was it a ship from any merchant house. The Imperial Guard flag fluttering in the sea breeze was like a cold and powerful hand reaching out from the capital, gripping everyone's throat.

Two groups of people disembarked from the ship.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man dressed in a bright red flying fish robe with a cold and icy expression. Behind him were twelve menacing guards, each step of which produced the sound of metal clanging.

Beside him, following closely behind, was Xiong Wencan, the Fujian governor, dressed in a blue official robe.

This powerful regional official, who was usually the undisputed leader in Fujian's political circles, now acted like a lackey, a forced smile on his face, sweat beading on his forehead, and he didn't even dare to meet the eyes of the person in charge.

This scene made Zheng Zhilong's heart sink.

Xiong Wencan was the middleman who helped Zheng Zhilong accept the offer of amnesty. The two had a close relationship and made deals with each other privately.

But now he was acting like a servant, accompanying a ruthless figure from the capital to his door. The person who came must be of very high status!
A bone-chilling coldness rose in Zheng Zhilong's heart, a chill that made his hands and feet go numb.

coming!

It's finally my turn!

These two thoughts were like two icy currents from the north, instantly penetrating his entire body. His first reaction was not to overturn the table and kill someone, but to realize with absolute clarity that the emperor was about to make a move against him!
The Ming Dynasty is now riddled with problems. The emperor has already devoured all the fat sheep on land, and now, he, the fattest shark in the sea, has finally been targeted!
Sending a butcher to host a banquet—do you even need to think about what dishes will be prepared?
Seeing Zheng Zhilong's pale face and stiff body, Xiong Wencan quickly spoke before Tian Ergeng could, his voice hoarse as he tried to smooth things over: "General Zheng, please don't panic. This is Commander Tian of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He has come to... to convey His Majesty's grace."

Zheng Zhilong couldn't even manage a cold laugh; his throat felt dry.

Tian Ergeng completely ignored Xiong Wencan's preamble. He stared directly at Zheng Zhilong with his hawk-like eyes and spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. His voice was not loud, but it silenced everyone.

"Zheng Yiguan".

“His Majesty said,” Tian Ergeng paused, then said, word by word, “you are a vital asset to the nation.”

A powerful weapon of the nation!

These four words did not bring Zheng Zhilong any joy; instead, they made him break out in a cold sweat even more profusely.

The fear did not dissipate; on the contrary, it reached its peak.

Because he understood the chilling meaning behind those four words: the emperor knew everything about him!
Tian Ergeng continued in his emotionless voice, "His Majesty also said that it is not a blessing for the country if its weapons are covered in dust. The reason for summoning you to the capital this time is that there is a momentous matter concerning the fate of the nation that he wants to discuss with you personally."

After he finished speaking, he fell silent, simply looking at Zheng Zhilong quietly, like a stone sculpture waiting for a response.

There were no threats, no appeasement, only an unquestionable order from the Forbidden City.

Zheng Zhilong's mind was racing, but he was only thinking about one thing: how to survive.

The emperor offered no explanation, for he needed none; Tian Ergeng's arrival itself was an act of defiance.

To Zheng Zhilong, the phrase "a matter of national destiny and earth-shattering importance" sounded more like an unpredictable judgment, capable of bestowing upon him a high position or condemning him to utter destruction.

The decision rested entirely with the young emperor who was far away in the capital.

Revolt?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Zheng Zhilong nipped it in the bud.

Could his proud fleet and followers really be a match for that ruthless new ruler?
He had no doubt that if he refused, the next thing to come from the north would be a thunderous blow from the entire Ming Dynasty, regardless of the cost!
Compliance is the only way forward.

Faced with this incomprehensible and irresistible absolute power, all past strategies, courage, and cruelty seemed utterly insignificant. Zheng Zhilong bowed deeply to Tian Ergeng, a gesture he had never performed before, with perfect clasped hands.

He simply did not believe that the Ming emperor would talk to him about "expanding the territory and expanding the seas." To him, it sounded more like saying to a knife, "I'm going to use you to kill people, so you'd better be sharp."

But he also felt a surge of ecstasy!
He had repeatedly condemned the corruption and inefficiency of the court, but this new emperor demonstrated astonishing efficiency and determination through iron and blood.

More importantly, the emperor actually sent the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to invite him, instead of issuing an imperial edict through layers of bureaucracy!
In the emperor's eyes, Zheng Zhilong was not a Fujian guerrilla who could be easily dismissed, but a person worthy of his direct confrontation using the most powerful and forceful means!

This is the ultimate deterrence, but isn't it also the ultimate form of importance attached to it?

Zheng Zhilong came from humble beginnings and believed most in the importance of practicality.

In his view, those so-called gentlemen in the imperial court who spouted classical Chinese phrases were no different from the rotten fish and shrimp in the ocean that made a lot of noise but had little meat.

This new emperor has only been in power for a year, but when he takes action, he acts like the most experienced old fisherman, catching the fattest fish with every cast of his net.

The eight prominent Shanxi merchants secretly smuggled military equipment, grain, and ironware to the Jurchens from beyond the Great Wall during the years when goods were scarce in the north.

For years, court officials impeached officials, but all they received in return were some minor reprimands.

But when this new emperor made his move, it was with overwhelming force!
Within a month, these eight behemoths that had been entrenched in Shanxi for nearly a century were uprooted!
The intelligence network he established in the capital reported that the main culprit would be executed by slow slicing, his entire family would be wiped out, and his property would be confiscated. The cruelty of the methods and the astonishing efficiency made Zheng Zhilong realize for the first time that the idea that "the emperor is far away and the mountains are high" no longer existed.

If the Shanxi merchants' case still had a righteous justification of colluding with the enemy, then the Jiangnan grain merchants' case was purely a bloody display of imperial scheming.

This year, the northern region suffered a severe drought, leading to widespread displacement of people.

Grain merchants in Jiangnan hoarded grain and colluded with local officials to watch grain prices soar, intending to reap huge profits.

Such things are perfectly normal during years of famine, but this emperor was not normal. He bypassed all the formalities before the emperor and sent Tian Ergeng with his secret police to the south to arrest people on a list.

When the largest grain merchant in Suzhou Prefecture was raided, it is said that his servants and guards tried to resist, but were killed on the spot by the imperial guards, and blood flowed like a river.

In just half a month, several major grain merchants in Jiangnan were beheaded, and all the grain they had stockpiled became "imperial grain" and was directly transported north.

When Zheng Zhilong received these messages, he was sitting in his mansion in Anping Town, drinking the fine wine he had obtained from the Westerners. As he listened to his subordinates' reports, he felt as if the wine in his glass had turned the color of blood.

He was afraid.

For the first time, he clearly realized that his vast wealth and 30,000 followers were just as vulnerable in the face of the Ming emperor.

The emperor dared to touch even the Shanxi merchants and the gentry of Jiangnan, so what was he, a pirate leader who had just been granted amnesty? If he defied the imperial decree, the fate of the Shanxi merchants and grain merchants today would be the fate of his Zheng family tomorrow!

However, Zheng Zhilong had to admit it!
This is what it looks like to do great things!
Zheng Zhilong rose from a penniless pirate to become the maritime overlord he is today not because of his gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility. He also believed in strength and efficiency, and he despised the corrupt state of affairs in the Tianqi court where civil officials and eunuchs bickered with each other.

This new ruler is young, decisive, and ruthless; he only cares about results! He will stop at nothing to achieve them!
Following such a master is certainly risky enough to mean certain death, but if you gamble right, the rewards will be unprecedented!
So he accepted the imperial decree and embarked on the journey north with Tian Ergeng.

Along the way, Zheng Zhilong became even more convinced of his judgment.

The official boat he was on traveled north along the Grand Canal. In the prefectures and counties he passed through, the docks were orderly, and the officials and tax collectors who checked him were much more restrained than he remembered.

Zheng Zhilong understood clearly that this was not because the local officials had suddenly changed their ways, but because the emperor's sword had already made them feel the pain.

At this moment, walking on the white jade imperial road leading to the Wenhua Hall, feeling the invisible yet heavy imperial authority coming from all directions, Zheng Zhilong's last bit of hope had dissipated.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the arrogance and unruliness that came from his humble origins, and what welled up in his heart was an unprecedented humility and focus.

He knew that what followed was a dialogue that would determine the future of himself, his entire family, and even the entire southeastern coastal region.

He cannot afford to make a single wrong move.

(End of this chapter)