ushernet Chapter 669: Two heads are not pleasing
Chapter 669: Two heads are not pleasing
Following Pang Huaiyi's old method, no unnecessary living facilities were built on the island. Instead, a large training area was developed. From then on, Dong Xian stopped going back to Liangshan. Now he is the commander of the Excitement Fleet.
Chen Er made a detour back to Wenzhou. Jiangkou was still the same Jiangkou, but Huang Fu didn't want to stay in Jiangkou any longer.
Huang Fu has always maintained contact with Dong Xian and Wu Jin. Dong Xian is currently in charge of more than 2000 people, and Wu Jin is the deputy commander of training in Zhangzhou.
The luggage shop was still handed over to Huang Er. Now, Huang Er is making a profit of over a thousand taels a year. Huang Er's income last year also exceeded 200 taels. Now, people at the dock are calling him "Master Huang".
Upon disembarking at Liangshan, Chen Er received devastating news: Chen Yu had passed away on March 3th.
This was the first relative to Chen Er to leave this world. Although they were not related by blood, in Chen Er's eyes, Chen Yu was his first relative in this world.
When he first arrived in this world and was in the midst of his great success, it was Qi Meier who took care of him first. The little girl's companionship gave him a sense of relaxation, while Chen Yu directly devoted himself to helping him start his business.
She was never as hesitant and timid as Qi Mei'er. She was decisive and straightforward with any problems. She would do what was assigned and speak up when she had difficulties. In the end, she even gave herself to Chen Er.
I can't quite describe how I feel. I feel a little sad, a little regretful, but mostly I feel sorry for her. She's only thirty-eight years old, which is still the prime of her life in modern times.
They had agreed to expand the luggage business once Chen Yu recovered, but in just six months, everything had changed when he returned.
Before he could even grieve upon returning to his residence, Xu Xinsu, who should have been at the Zhongzuo Palace, arrived, indicating that something terrible must have happened.
The Dutch fleet of nine ships and about 1000 men seized Penghu and sent two gunboats to blockade Zhangzhou Bay. Now no ships from Zhangzhou dare to go out. Xu Xinsu came to Liangshan by small boat.
Chen Er instantly flew into a rage: "Where is Lin Cong'an? Doesn't his Southern Fleet dare to go out either?"
In fact, Chen Er's words were quite impolite, but Xu Xinsu obviously knew that Chen Er was not feeling well. Having returned from Nagasaki first, he naturally received the news of Chen Yu's death.
"Dingzhi, don't rush to make a scene. Let's calm down and wait and see. Penghu has a patrol inspectorate."
Yes, Penghu is almost right between Taiwan and Fujian. It was because there were official Ming Dynasty institutions there that they didn't take action against it.
"I wonder if Second Uncle has negotiated with the Dutch fleet?" After Xu Xinsu's prompting, Chen Er instantly came to his senses.
“Zhangquan does not have a translator who understands Dutch, but I have already sent a ship to Nagasaki to ask my elder brother for help.”
"Has the Ming Dynasty reacted?"
"The imperial court ordered Fujian Governor Nan Juyi to drive the Dutch fleet out of Penghu. A few days ago, Fujian General Yu Zigao and Zhangzhou Garrison Commander Wang Mengxiong arrived in Liangshan Prefecture."
What are they doing in Liangshan?
The Dutch occupied Penghu and blockaded Zhangzhou Bay. This was all a matter between Fujian and Zhangzhou Prefecture. Chen Er was very curious about what these two people were doing in Liangshan.
"Not only them, but also the counselor of the Fujian governor, they are all here to recruit you and me."
"I've considered their offer to amnesty my second uncle, but I've only been in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou for a short time. What use would it be to them?"
“If you only train troops and sail the seas in Zhongzuo, or only run your workshops in Liangshan, they may not know you. But you sealed off the waterways of Liangshan and collected taxes. Now you’ve become famous.”
At this point, Xu Xinsu smiled and pointed at Chen Er.
"Ha, I didn't expect to become famous because of this. Second Uncle, what were their conditions?"
"Oh, Dingzhi also agrees to be granted amnesty?"
"It's not that we're comfortable being recruited, but having a title makes things much easier when we're out in the world. What positions have they given us, uncle and nephew, in Fujian?"
"Guerrilla commander of the Fujian Navy".
"Are we uncle and nephew both guerrillas? What kind of title is 'guerrilla'?"
Chen Er had been there for over a year and only had a basic understanding of the Ming Dynasty's military system, namely the garrison system. He was unaware that guerrilla warfare was conducted within the camp system.
"There's no certainty. A guerrilla could barely be called a general. Normally, we can recruit 900 soldiers to form a battalion, but I don't think the Fujian governor will give us any quota."
"If the Ming Dynasty doesn't give us any troops, we won't train them? That's a good thing. Please ask Second Uncle to go and make contact with them. Two guerrillas won't do; we need three. Let's also give Dong Xian the title of guerrilla."
Chen Er had long wanted to train an army. Unlike the navy, training a navy would only make him a pirate, but training an army would be a rebellion. No matter what, the Ming Dynasty would fight him to the death.
"It's settled, one position costs 20,000 taels of silver."
What? The imperial court offered to grant them amnesty, and they still had to pay money? This is truly a messed-up Ming Dynasty.
"No, we won't give it to them. We'll only move out when they bring us the three guerrilla officer certificates. Otherwise, let them fight it out themselves."
In the original timeline, Xu Xinsu bought a guerrilla identity during this incident, thus embarking on the path of a feudal comprador.
At that time, Xu Xinsu had no other way out. Now he has started to develop Taiwan with his relatives. As long as Taiwan is stable, he and his family will have a way out.
At this point, he was no longer so interested in being granted amnesty. Although having such a title was a form of protection, it was no longer important to him.
"Sir, the Assistant Magistrate and the Vice Prefect have come to pay their respects."
Before Xu Xinsu and Li Xi could finish their conversation, Li Xi came in to report. In this era, unless one was extremely familiar with someone, it was considered very impolite to visit without prior appointment.
What major event has occurred this time?
Wang Li, the commander of Liangshan Guard, suddenly trembled because he and Chen Er had started a trading company last year.
After establishing his trading company in July, Wang Li hurriedly acquired two ships' worth of goods and set sail before mid-September.
The goods, valued at less than 90,000 taels of silver, were brought back to the country in mid-December for nearly 300,000 taels of silver. After deducting taxes and expenses, the total profit was over 110,000 taels, of which Wang Li received over 70,000 taels.
Although he was the commander of a guard, Wang Li's family was considered to have a good year if they could earn three thousand taels of silver. With two ships, they earned seventy thousand taels of silver in less than ninety days.
The Wang family was overjoyed; they thought that if things continued like this, they would become incredibly wealthy in just a few years.
Normally, the merchants from Liangshan make money ship by ship, and although the officials are filled with envy and jealousy, they have no connections of their own and can only accept some bribes.
Maritime trade isn't something you can just do with a ship. If you don't have a way to go out to sea, you'll be robbed and killed by pirates.
But the commander who had conspired with Deng Bingxian to kill Chen Er had become a partner and made a fortune. This made the officials of Liangshan Prefecture restless.
At the beginning of this year, Yin Zhilu, the prefect of Liangshan, finally took office. As everyone knows, the second-in-command is always caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.