A cool breeze blew from the sky, making the sea tremble and let out a sigh of contentment.

"What a big ship!" Li Yingmei sighed in surprise. She didn't even notice it when she was far away. Only when she got closer and boarded the ship again did she really feel how huge the ship was.

"If we hadn't pretended to be pirates and were afraid of revealing our true identity, we could have sailed a ship many times bigger than this!" Zhou Xi had already lowered the mast and gathered around to flatter him.

"Why pretend to be pirates and fly the flag of the Ming army? Isn't it more powerful?" Li Yingmei asked puzzledly.

"This -" Zhou Xi hesitated for a moment and said, "The fear of alerting the enemy made the Tartars on guard, and it would be inconvenient for them to do big things in the future."

"What big thing are you going to do?" Li Yingmei was a little excited. "Is it to attack Shandong, or to directly defeat Beijing?"

"It should be——"

"Zhou Xi, go wipe the deck." The officer's order made Zhou Xi swallow his words and left with a smile.

"Little sister." Li Maolin came over and greeted, "Come into the cabin, the people in the box should be awake."

"A female Tatar can be thrown into the sea." Li Yingmei curled her lips and entered the cabin obediently.

A series of orders were given to pull up the anchor and hoist the sails. The four warships responded to the flags and galloped southward from slow to fast.

"I don't know when the war will start in the north. I'm waiting on this small island. It's really boring." The bearded officer called Deng Xian. In fact, he was not old, but his image gave people an old feeling. When he got on the ship, he saw Gu Yinghui.

After showing the token, he knew that this person's identity was not simple, so he asked insinuatingly.

"Almost." Gu Yinghui was completely relaxed at this time and was in a particularly good mood. Although she did not dare to say too much, she still revealed a little bit, "Big things in the south can be decided. His Highness Min will soon point his sword to the north, and the general will have an opportunity to make contributions.

It'll be there soon."

"Haha, I don't dare to call myself a general." Deng Xian smiled, cupped his hands, and said, "By your blessing, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time!"

"By the way." Gu Yinghui asked, "How did you arrange this trip?"

"The order we received is to send you all directly to Chongming, and then there will be another ship to escort you." Deng Xian answered truthfully: "It's just that this ship has been nearby for seven or eight days. We still need to return to the base to replenish food and supplies.

freshwater."

"The general is an expert in sea navigation. We just follow the arrangements." Gu Yinghui smiled peacefully, pointed to the ship behind and asked: "Are the people on the ship from Shandong who are going to Guangzhou?"

"It's them." Deng Xian frowned and said, "They are people in the world of Jianghu who are unruly and unruly. When they met them at the beach, something almost happened."

Gu Yinghui also showed an unhappy look. She snorted and said, "No wonder His Highness said that they are capable of fighting fiercely, but their battle formations are useless. They don't know it yet."

"Everyone claims to be highly skilled in martial arts. In my opinion, a group of soldiers can beat them to the ground." Deng Xian was also a little disdainful. "They are fighting in the battle formation. How can they have a chance to fight alone and show off their moves? Shandong

Humans can’t do it.”

Gu Yinghui just wanted to agree, but she saw an unhappy look on Li Maolin's face not far away. He couldn't help but smile lightly and said: "You can't say that. If they are trained and equipped with the same equipment, Shandong can also produce powerful troops. Well, Shandong

But there have been many good men."

"It's just a legend, but Qi Shaobao was born in Shandong. He commanded the Dengzhou, Wendeng, and Jimo camps to fight against the Japanese pirates." With a look of reverence on his face, Mr. Deng said, "It's not my intention to be a marquis, but

May the sea be peaceful. I respect Qi Shaobao the most."

"Have ambitions." Gu Yinghui nodded in appreciation and said: "When you meet a hero, it is a man who has made great achievements. When his name is left in history, the general will use today's words to encourage him, and he will have a bright future in the future."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir." Deng Xian bowed his hands, apologized, and went to the helm to take command.

"He said Shandong people are not good." Li Maolin came closer and said angrily: "Shandong hero Wu Erlang, Shandong hero Qin Qiong, Shandong hero..."

"He's not saying that Shandong people are not brave enough, but that they fight in battle." Gu Yinghui explained: "Although I am not very proficient in military affairs, I also know that the famous generals in ancient times who charged into battle no longer work. Fighting relies on coordination.

The era of cooperation and individual bravery has passed."

"How can those who have practiced martial arts be the same as those who have not?" Li Maolin shook his thick arm and said, "I can fight three or five by myself, how can other soldiers do it?"

"You still don't understand the current combat mode of our army." Gu Yinghui didn't want to talk too much to this rough man. As soon as her body and mind relaxed, sleepiness came over her, and she said perfunctorily: "You will understand when you go to the battlefield and see it.

That’s it. Well, I’m going to take a nap while you and your sister work hard for a while. Those people are very important, so we must not have any accidents.”

Li Maolin agreed, turned around and left with some unfinished thoughts.

Gu Yinghui called a few more of his subordinates. They were all well-trained and more reassuring than the Li Maolin brothers and sisters. After careful instructions, he went to the cabin to rest.

"Mr. Fang, you, you want to harm me?" In another cabin, Wu Yingxiong has woken up. The rope on his leg has not been untied, and his hands have been freed. After two cups of tea, his mind has become much more flexible and his eyes are wide open.

Fang Guangchen asked.

"Your Majesty's words are serious." Fang Guangchen looked calm, fidgeting with the folding fan, and said unhurriedly: "This is the prince's intention. Hasn't the letter been read to the Crown Prince?"

"Because the prince is in the tiger's den, the prince is not free in everything." Li Shu interjected: "Wouldn't it be better if the prince can escape and return to Guizhou to reunite with his family? The princess is worried about the prince's safety, but she has been doing it all day long.

I’m crying!”

Mentioning his mother, Wu Yingxiong sighed helplessly and said, "Just escaping from the capital like this, how is it different from rebellion?"

"The prince is worrying too much." Fang Guangchen's contemptuous eyes flashed away, and he said: "I have left a letter in the palace, saying that the prince took his wife and children to Guizhou to celebrate his father's birthday. How can the court not recognize the current situation?"

"This year is my father's fiftieth birthday!" Wu Yingxiong murmured, suddenly raising his head and asking: "Wife and children? Sir, you mean to kidnap the princess and my two sons?"

"That's natural." Fang Guangchen smiled proudly, opened his fan and said, "The prince's wife and children are next door now, and the family is together. What else does the prince have to worry about? However, the princess still needs the prince's comfort.

, don’t think too hard and do something stupid.”

After Wu Yingxiong heard this, he hurriedly stood up and took steps, but his legs were tied and he almost fell. Li Shu quickly helped him up.

"My son, please don't blame me for offending my humble position." Fang Guangchen cupped his hands and waved.

Two big men stepped forward, untied the rope from Wu Yingxiong's legs, and locked his ankles with a pair of delicate anklets. In this way, if he couldn't take a step less than one foot, he couldn't run fast or jump high, so he didn't have to go too far.

I'm worried that these hostages might do something unexpected.

Wu Yingxiong glanced at Fang Guangchen with some resentment. He turned around and walked slowly out under the supervision of two big men.

"If they knew that it fell into the hands of the Ming army, would they have anything to think about?" Li Shu asked worriedly.

"Since ancient times, the only way to die is to die." Fang Guangchen sneered and said, "The prince does not have the courage. As for the princess, how can she be willing to give up her own flesh and blood? Therefore, it is okay to meet, but it must be strictly monitored. And the time cannot be too long.

Then they will be looked after separately, the younger one will stay with the prince, and the older one will be left with the princess."

"We don't have to worry about it. Of course, someone will think carefully." Li Shu suddenly smiled with relief and said: "Master Gu will definitely do his duty and explain to His Highness Min. I just don't know what His Highness Min wants the Manchu princess for. Do you want to do it?"

Humiliate her and make the Qing court lose face?"

"Don't talk nonsense." Fang Guangchen gave Li Shu a warning look. He said thoughtfully: "How can His Highness Min be as short-sighted and shallow as you? I guess His Highness Min will treat her kindly. Such great wisdom, courage, and greatness

My mind is not comparable to that of you and me. Well, don’t make random guesses in the future, as it will only cause trouble."

"Young man, I understand." Li Shu's heart trembled. He realized that he had been a little rash and hurriedly learned the lesson.

……………

Xiamen.

Zheng Jing had already inherited the title of King Yanping and the honor of the national surname Lord, but Zheng Jing could not inherit all of his father's military generals. The twenty-one-year-old young prince Zheng Jing walked back and forth on the ground, listening to the statement of his guard Feng Xifan.

, the face is cloudy and uncertain.

"Now that the imperial court is strong and has taken over Fujian Province, Jin and Xiamen are too close to the mainland. Why don't the officers and soldiers want to return to their homeland?" Feng Xifan cleverly avoided the main reason for the continuous defections of Zheng Jun in Jinxia and blamed it on the imperial court, "The imperial court

He also repeatedly introduces policy temptations. If this continues, the morale of the military will be difficult to stabilize."

Zheng Jing stopped walking, lowered his head and looked at his toes, his thoughts surging. Two years ago, 19-year-old Zheng Jing was entrusted by his father with the important task of taking charge of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Jinsha for the first time. In order to live up to his father's expectations,

Zheng Jing needs to do a lot of work every day because he is the prince of Yanping County. He has a very strict father who is also full of hope for him and requires him to assume his responsibilities.

However, he made a mistake that was not considered serious at the time, and everything changed. His father had no intention of tolerate this mistake, and wanted Zheng Jing to die to apologize. Zheng Jing did not want to die, so he refused his father's order...

…Not long after, my father passed away. Someone pretended to pass on my father’s will and wanted to take advantage of their father-son feud to seize his land and property.

So, he raised an army in mourning to take back his things, and succeeded... But the surroundings still seemed to be surrounded by dangers, so Zheng Jing needed to establish his authority. In order to maintain the unity of Zheng's army and to establish supreme authority like his father, he was convinced that

It has to be done, and there's optimism that it won't be difficult.

After taking action with the idea that long-term pain would be worse than short-term pain, Zheng Jing discovered that he had unexpectedly many enemies. Zheng Zanxu, Zheng Mingjun, and Chen Mang were able to confuse so many people. Traitors and half-hearted people are at odds with each other.

The ground is popping up, and every day people come to report that new people are trying to rebel.

More and more people are defecting, and the number of ships outside the port is decreasing every day. Although the organized rebellion is gone, the escapes in twos and threes are getting more intense. Even if Zheng Jing orders all the ships to be guarded, it is of no use. Every night

Some soldiers of the Ming Army escaped from Xiamen holding wooden planks. If they were good at water, they simply swam directly to the mainland.

Feng Xifan's voice is still ringing, "Today's Dongning is far overseas and is not part of the territory. It also has a vast territory. If it is managed carefully, the foundation for eternity will be established."

Zheng Jing looked at Feng Xifan with some doubts. He carefully managed Taiwan, firstly to consolidate the foundation, and secondly, to move soldiers and civilians to Taiwan to prevent defections. However, it was not outside the territory, but it violated his father's purpose.

Zheng Chenggong has repeatedly declared to the world that Taiwan has always been China's territory. He once sternly pointed out to the Dutch colonists: "Taiwan has been operated by the Chinese for a long time, and it is the land of the Chinese." He also pointed out that the Dutch should return it to its original owners. This

It's a matter of course.

"Your Highness." Feng Xifan calmly faced Zheng Jing's question and continued: "The imperial court has collected all the deserted soldiers and generals. Its intentions are unpredictable, but its intentions are clear. If Your Highness opens the country to Dongning, why would you admire the vassalship or envy it?

You are in Zhongtu!"

Zheng Jing let out a long sigh. He was indeed resentful that the imperial court used the threat of seizing the title as a threat. Now that it had surrendered and accepted the rebels and expanded its strength, it was inevitable that he would not be willing to unify by force in the future.

"Jinsha can be abandoned and Dongning can be managed, but we cannot secede the imperial court and falsely claim to be the founder of the country." Zheng Jing had already made up his mind and made a decisive decision.

The Zheng Army's officers and men were mainly from Zhang, Quan, Chao, and Hui. Their attachment to their homeland was one of the main reasons why the imperial court took advantage of them and used them for a long time to lure and recruit them to surrender. Now that the Zheng Army's strength has been greatly reduced, it is difficult to compete with the imperial court, and Zheng

The scriptures also know that at this time, the morale of the army was unstable and it was unwise to secede the imperial court.

"Retreat to consolidate our base and wait for the times to change." Zheng Jing sat back in his chair and said slowly: "In the letter from Minfan, in addition to interceding for the defecting generals, they also agreed to trade with each other. Dongning's initial operation requires
To be continued...