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

Chapter 283 Heroes Step Forward
The emperor's question weighed heavily on Zheng Zhilong's heart like an invisible mountain.

His blood surged through his veins, making a rumbling sound that made his eardrums buzz.

In an instant, two completely opposite emotions clashed fiercely in his heart, almost tearing his reason apart.

One of them is "fear".

He knew better than anyone how powerful the Dutch were in Dongfan.

Those red-haired barbarians, their "gallen" warships are as sturdy as iron, with dozens of cannons lined up on their sides, powerful enough to tear apart any Fujian ship.

This was no ordinary pirate force; it was a regular expeditionary force.

To wage war against them would be a war between nations!

If defeated, not only would the Zheng family's decades-long legacy be destroyed, but he himself would also face utter ruin.

Secondly, however, was an even more intense ecstasy.

Expand territory!
These four words held a fatal allure for a ruthless hero who rose from humble beginnings to power through bloodshed and violence.

All he ever sought in his life was to secure a high position for his wife and children, and to bring glory to his ancestors.

However, if he could recover lost territory for the Ming Dynasty and drive the barbarians out of the sea, it would not be just simple wealth and glory, but an unparalleled achievement comparable to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing!
His name will be etched in history, shining as brightly as the sun and moon, for posterity to admire.

This kind of glory that will be remembered in history is enough to make him throw away all his worries and risk his life!

Fear and ecstasy were like two giant pythons, tearing wildly at his heart.

Large beads of sweat appeared on Zheng Zhilong's forehead, sliding down his dark cheeks. He could even feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest at an unprecedented speed.

Just as he was struggling with his inner turmoil and was almost overwhelmed by the immense pressure, the emperor's voice rang out again.

"I know what you're worried about."

Emperor Chongzhen slowly walked down the steps and came to stand in front of Zheng Zhilong. He looked Zheng Zhilong straight in the eye, and his deep eyes saw through all the struggles in his heart.

"You are afraid of not having enough money, of the ships not being able to keep up, of not being able to win the battle, and even more afraid of those civil officials in the court who are trying to sabotage you."

Every word the emperor uttered struck Zheng Zhilong's deepest anxieties precisely.

Zheng Zhilong felt a chill run down his spine and dared not answer, so he could only bury his head even lower.

"Since I have asked you today, I have already considered your options." The emperor's voice was calm and unhurried, yet firm and resolute.

"From this day forward, all customs revenues from the Maritime Trade Offices of Songjiang, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou, after deducting the salaries of officials, will be allocated to you to cover pre-battle military expenses. If that is insufficient..." The Emperor paused, "My imperial treasury will be readily available for you. Newly built warships at the Tianjin Shipyard will also be prioritized for your use."

The emperor's words sent a chill down Zheng Zhilong's spine.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The customs duties collected by the Maritime Trade Office amounted to a huge sum of millions of taels of silver every year!

The emperor didn't even blink and allocated all the money to him as military funds.
The emperor seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "I could have entrusted this matter to the new navy, but they are novices in naval warfare. This matter cannot be left to you. I trust you, but I also know that you may not have enough confidence in me."

These words were like a key, instantly unlocking the last shackle in Zheng Zhilong's heart.

The emperor knew!

He knew that his former subordinates still harbored doubts and hesitations.

But instead of blaming him, he moved him with such honesty and immense trust.

A surge of hot blood rushed from Zheng Zhilong's chest to the top of his head.

In a moment of impulsiveness, the gambler's bloodlust of a maritime hero was fully unleashed.

Zheng Zhilong abruptly left his seat, knelt on both knees, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement:
"Your Majesty! Your subject... Your subject's family still has accumulated cash of about three million taels over the years! Your subject is willing to donate it all, not for any other reason than to help Your Majesty... to help our Great Ming Dynasty, and to forge the divine might of our Celestial Empire! Your subject is willing to stake your life and fortune on Your Majesty's great ship!"

There was silence in the hall.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zheng Zhilong, who was kneeling on the ground with a flushed face, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

He slowly stepped forward, personally helped Zheng Zhilong up, and said with a smile, "Good! With Minister Zheng's heart, what great things cannot be accomplished! I grant your request. I will put the three million taels on your tab!"

Then, he raised his second finger.

"I hereby grant you the power to make decisions on your own initiative! From the day you set sail, all military and political affairs at sea will be under your sole control, without the need for you to report to me on every matter. As for the court..." The emperor sneered, "With me here, no dissent will reach your ears. Just go ahead and do your job; I will take care of any worries you may have!"

These words completely dispelled Zheng Zhilong's fear of factional strife within the court.

Then, the emperor's tone became serious, "I do not want you to start a war immediately. The Red-haired Barbarians have been entrenched in the East for more than ten years, and we know very little about their city defenses, military strength, and deployment. To attack rashly is a major taboo in military strategy. My first task for you is to know yourself and your enemy."

"I order you to use all your merchant ships and connections within six months, disguised as fishermen and merchants, to infiltrate Dongfan. I need to know how many cannons Zeelandia has, how many soldiers are in the garrison, their food reserves, fresh water sources, the port's hydrology and tides... I need to know everything! This matter concerns the lives of thousands of soldiers and the success or failure of the national war, so it must be detailed and without error!"

A grand strategy is instantly transformed into a concrete and feasible first step.

This quickly calmed Zheng Zhilong's fanatical heart. He realized that the emperor in front of him was not a reckless man who loved grand achievements, but a strategist who planned every move meticulously.

Fear has vanished, ecstasy has settled.

"Your subject, Zheng Zhilong, obeys the decree!"

His forehead slammed heavily against the gold brick, the sound as resounding as iron, echoing throughout the entire hall.

"From this day forward, I will be Your Majesty's sharpest blade! If I cannot present the truth about the Eastern Barbarians to Your Majesty within six months, I... will offer my head in vain!"

"Rise," the emperor said, his voice filled with satisfaction.

Zheng Zhilong slowly stood up. He thought that today's meeting had concluded this momentous matter, and he was about to bow and ask for permission to leave so that he could immediately begin making arrangements upon returning home.

However, the emperor did not let him leave. Instead, he turned around and walked back behind his desk, his expression several times more solemn than when they were discussing the war.

"My dear minister, don't rush off."

Zheng Zhilong's heart stirred, and he immediately stood at attention with his hands at his sides, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

He knew that the emperor's expression meant that the main event of today's audience might have only just begun.

The emperor was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts. Finally, he raised his head and steered the conversation toward a situation that Zheng Zhilong had never touched upon before.

"Minister Zheng, I ask you: Why is it that our Great Ming's silk, tea, and porcelain are sold all over the world and sought after by all nations?"

Zheng Zhilong replied without hesitation: "Your Majesty, thanks to the abundance of our Celestial Empire's resources and the exquisite skills of its craftsmen, this is unique and unmatched by any foreign barbarian."

"Well said." The emperor nodded, then his tone shifted sharply, "But what if... foreign barbarians try every means to smuggle our silkworms and tea trees back to their countries and try to grow them themselves? What if they bribe our artisans with large sums of money to use them for their own purposes and manufacture them themselves?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong was struck dumb, as if by lightning.

He had never thought about this question.

In his view, these things were born and raised here, they were created by nature, how could outsiders possibly learn them? That was simply a fantasy.

Seeing his astonished expression, the emperor sighed softly, his eyes revealing depth and worry.

"Never underestimate human greed and wisdom. You can see the huge profits behind silk and tea, and foreign barbarians can see them too. If they can buy today, they will want to steal tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, they will want to grow and produce their own, and eventually... they will rival us, or even replace us."

The emperor stood up, walked to Zheng Zhilong, and spoke in a heavy tone.

"Let's talk about silk first. Do you think that the silk of my Great Ming Dynasty is truly unique? Let me tell you, you're wrong! Utterly wrong!"

"Hundreds of years ago, the Byzantine Empire acquired our silkworm eggs and silk reeling techniques through smuggling. Today, the silk industry in France, Italy, and other regions is quite large. The reason why our Ming Dynasty silk can still sell well in Europe is simply because they have not yet mastered more complex weaving methods, and because our production volume is huge and the price is cheap. Our silk monopoly has long been a mere formality!"

These words struck Zheng Zhilong like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

He had never heard of this before!

It turns out that the foundation of their proud, unique business had been undermined hundreds of years ago!

A cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost." The emperor's voice pulled Zheng Zhilong back from his shock. "As for the silk, I have a brilliant plan to ensure its continued prosperity in Europe. However, that is ultimately a remedial measure."

The emperor's gaze fell on the steaming teacup on the table, and his tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a murderous aura:
"What I really want to talk to you about today is this tea! With the lesson of the stolen silk in mind, we must ensure that our tea is absolutely flawless, keeping enemies out of our borders!"

Zheng Zhilong was shocked, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out on his back.

"Currently, the profits from tea are not as great as those from silk. But I can assure you, once Europeans become accustomed to drinking tea, its profits will far exceed those of silk. We must not repeat the same mistake!"

"Therefore, I will set up three barriers!"

"The first decree is a ban on the production areas! I will issue an edict designating the core production areas of all top-grade teas, such as Wuyi Mountain, Junshan Mountain, and West Lake Longjing, as royal forbidden zones, jointly guarded by local officials and garrison troops. Within a radius of ten miles, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter. No tea seedlings or seeds are permitted to leave!"

"The second step is to keep the technology secret! All tea masters who have mastered the core tea-making techniques, whether they are government or private, must be registered with both the Maritime Trade Office and the local government. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will assign special personnel to monitor and protect them and their families on a long-term basis. Anyone who attempts to contact or bribe foreigners will be executed without mercy upon discovery! If any tea master dares to privately exchange techniques, their entire family will be exterminated upon verification!"

The resolute decision to "exterminate his three clans" sent a shiver down Zheng Zhilong's spine. He sensed the emperor's unwavering and iron-fisted will in this matter.

"This third and most fundamental step is to 'determine its life or death'!" The Emperor's gaze became incredibly profound. "Minister Zheng, you must remember this: from this day forward, I will decide whether any tea exported through official channels is 'dead' or 'alive'! Whether it's tea cakes, tea bricks, or loose green tea, it must be 'dead tea' that has undergone complete processing and has been deprived of all life! No tea seedlings, tea seeds, or even unroasted raw tea leaves—these 'living things' that still have a breath of life—not a single leaf may leave the pass!"

"This matter will be under the overall responsibility of the Maritime Trade Commissioner, who is in charge of you! The Embroidered Uniform Guard will fully cooperate with you. Anyone who disobeys this order, whether merchant or official, will be punished for treason!"

Zheng Zhilong was terrified and momentarily lost his sense of where he was. He stared blankly at the emperor before him, his mind filled with the thunderous scheme.

If his previous success in deciphering the "Silk Cutting Talisman" and planning affairs in the Eastern Barbarian lands had already led him to regard His Majesty as a master strategist who could win battles from afar, then now, upon hearing that this "strengthening the foundation and purifying the source" policy would not only target silk and tea but also apply to porcelain and all the finest crafts and commodities of the Ming Dynasty, he truly understood that the young emperor's vision had already pierced through the battlefield and the imperial court, reaching the deepest roots of the circulation of goods and the craftsmanship of all trades!

Such foresight and such a grand strategy far exceeded the limits that this powerful and ruthless figure, with his decades of experience, could possibly comprehend.

In his eyes, he was just a passerby standing at the foot of the mountain, while the one on the throne was a towering, solitary peak that made him feel apprehensive even when he looked up at it, its summit hidden from view!

At this moment, the emotions within my heart underwent their final transformation.

From the initial use and being used, to awe, to worship, and now... it is a deep, heartfelt, and utter submission.

Zheng Zhilong remained deeply shocked and speechless for a long time.

He felt that the world he had built up with all his life's experiences, thoughts, and ideas had been completely shattered by His Majesty in just one hour, and then reshaped in a magnificent and unprecedented way.

Just then, the emperor looked at his distraught appearance and suddenly laughed.

That smile softened the previous chill and solemnity, carrying a hint of friendliness and insight.

"What? Are you frightened by my words?"

The emperor walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a relaxed tone, "These principles are not so profound. They are simply the business principles of 'what others don't have, I have; what others have, I do better; what others do better, I do cheaper; what others do cheaper, I switch to.' However, ordinary merchants seek the profit of their own family, while I seek the profit of the nation and the profit of future generations."

He helped Zheng Zhilong up, but a sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.

Lately, Zhu Youjian has increasingly felt powerless.

Many of his visionary ideas and policies diminished as soon as they left the capital, and by the time they reached the local level, they were often reduced to rigid implementation and lost their soul.

This was not because the officials were disloyal or foolish; on the contrary, they were among the most intelligent people in the Ming Dynasty.

But their minds are still imprisoned by this era.

When faced with an imperial edict, they can see "what it is" and "how to do it," but very few can understand "why it is."

The gap in thinking is the biggest obstacle.

The recapture of Dongfan and the opening of maritime trade were far more complex than simply reclaiming an island and increasing tariffs.

This is the first step in reshaping the entire maritime power structure in East Asia.

If the implementers only see it as a large-scale bandit suppression or territorial expansion, they will be at a loss everywhere and completely unable to grasp the far-reaching plan of establishing a trade center and radiating influence throughout Southeast Asia.

Zhu Youjian could no longer gamble that his subordinates would "understand implicitly".

Since words and memorials cannot fully convey his intentions, let them see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears!
Therefore, a few days ago, Zhu Youjian had already made a decision in his heart: from now on, all the young and important officials he selected who were to be sent out to take charge of their own affairs must first stay in front of the emperor and accompany him for a period of time.

He wanted to use his words and deeds to instill his vision and perspective into their very being, so as to cultivate a group of pillars of the empire who could truly be of one mind with the emperor.

Zheng Zhilong, a maritime tycoon who was not yet thirty years old, ambitious and destined to control the Ming Dynasty's navy for decades, was the most perfect and urgently needed first candidate for this "personal instruction from the emperor" strategy!
Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian withdrew his thoughts and turned his gaze back to Zheng Zhilong, becoming deep and solemn.

"I believe in your strong ships and powerful cannons, and I also believe in the bravery of your Zheng family army. But what I want is not just a victory." He stared into Zheng Zhilong's eyes and said, word by word, "What I want is a commander who can fully understand my intentions and carry out my grand maritime plan to the end, not just a brave and fierce general."

Having said all that, the emperor's intentions were now crystal clear.

“So,” Zhu Youjian’s voice softened, “that’s settled then, Minister Zheng. You don’t need to return to Fujian for now. Stay in Nanjing and come to the palace every day to assist me in the Wenhua Hall. You will observe how I govern, how I review memorials, and how I discuss matters with my ministers. I will tell you everything I think and everything I am about to do.”

"When you truly understand why I have made this arrangement, and where my grand strategy is headed, then it will not be too late for you to head south."

The accompanying counselor personally imparted his knowledge and skills!
When these words come from the emperor, it is no longer a simple favor, but a recognition of his qualifications!

This means that the emperor believed that Zheng Zhilong had the potential to become a commander who could be "of one mind and one heart" with the emperor!

Zheng Zhilong was no fool; he instantly understood the emperor's expectations and cultivation behind this action, which went far beyond personal favor!

The emperor is grooming him to be a true "disciple," a "confidant" who can understand and execute his grand ambitions!
Throughout history, has any monarch ever treated a commoner who rose from humble beginnings with such sincerity and placed such high hopes on him?

Overwhelmed by immense emotion and excitement, like a flood bursting its banks, Zheng Zhilong's tiger-like eyes welled up with scalding tears.

"His Majesty!!"

He suddenly knelt down again, his voice already choked with sobs.

"Your Majesty! In the past, many people in the martial arts world and the imperial court said that I was a hero and a tyrant in Fujian! I am not! From today onwards, I am the Emperor's disciple! If we are talking about mentors, Your Majesty is my mentor!"

Months ago, I was merely a lowly guerrilla commander in Fujian. It was Your Majesty who promoted me to the position of Director-General of Maritime Trade and granted me the title of Vice Minister of Revenue. If we speak of patronage, Your Majesty is my only patron! If we speak of factions, I am only willing to be a follower of Your Majesty!

(End of this chapter)