Dominate the Country

"Sir, the general manager of the new recruits camp in Zhejiang, the prefects and county magistrates in Taizhou, Wenzhou, Chuzhou, and Quzhou, the local relief bureaus, camp affairs offices, land survey bureaus, brigade headquarters, and the British and French commercial offices in Ningbo... have come to ask for an audience."

Shen Guozhen had just returned from the government office. The doorman read out the list of people who came to ask for an audience in the book, and he almost couldn't breathe. A few days ago, the eyes of the whole world were on Fujian. The battle of the Fu Han Army to the south was unstoppable. The large area of ​​land in Fujian by the Qing Army was stained red by the Fu Han Army in a blink of an eye, but this did not mean that the job in Zhejiang was easy.

Compared with the handling of various local miscellaneous matters, it is easier to fight a war. Now, let alone Chen Min, the deputy governor, even Shen Guozhen is much busier than Chen Ming.

The Qing Dynasty's rule in Zhejiang was overthrown, and the checkpoints and lijin bureaus in various places were razed. The military and political blanks were filled by the Fu Han Army, but this was a matter for a province. It was unknown how long it would take for the Zhejiang government officials of the Fu Han Army to sort out everything accurately.

The Fu Han Army's overwhelming offensive gave Shen Guozhen and his men the greatest confidence, and the entire Zhejiang area was very stable.

Shen Guozhen was the Jiangnan Supervisory Censor. When the provincial officials had not yet been finalized, Shen Guozhen, who was stationed in Suzhou, was completely popular. In the absence of Chen Ming, no one in the entire Jiangnan was more popular than Chen Min in Nanjing City.

Shen Guozhen's position was unshakable.

It was hard to say how far he could go in the future. But at the moment, all the bureaucrats in Jiangnan had to live by the face of Shen Guozhen, the Jiangnan Supervisory Censor.

Dading after the chaos was the easiest time to make money. If there was a great god who could see through everything at this time, it would be something that would make countless people collapse. Moreover, the situation of the Fu Han Army was like the rising sun, and a large number of Qing officials also surrendered obediently. They surrendered to save their lives and to continue to be officials. Chen Ming had ordered that those with bad official reputations would not be hired, and their corrupt property would be recovered; officials with average official reputations would be used; and officials with good official reputations who surrendered were the most secure. However, even if they continue to be employed, after the initial panic period, officials will be moved. For example, Zheng Yan, the prefect of Jinhua, has now been transferred to Yanzhou Prefecture on the west side of Jinhua Prefecture. And the exact conclusion of this official reputation is not just to listen to the people, but also to see how Shen Guozhen, the supervisory censor, "sees".

On this visible and tangible golden road, there is no need to be a minister of the dragon, but a fly can still reach a thousand miles by following the tail of a horse! Even the garrison hopes to be more relaxed, otherwise it is not a taste to be stared at all day long.

After listening to the doorman reading the list, Shen Guozhen smiled.

Yan Jing, who was standing next to him, also smiled and said to Shen Guozhen, "Brother Nian, these people are here to pay their respects." Yan Jing is a descendant of Yan Hongkui's Yan family, but not a direct descendant. Yan Hongkui's direct relatives, like Lu Liuliang's descendants, were exiled to Ningguta and became slaves to the armored men, but the collateral relatives were not greatly restrained. Although no one in the Yan family has passed the imperial examinations in recent years, Yan Jing's knowledge is still good, at least better than Shen Guozhen, and he is familiar with the Jiangnan literati and some local conditions. Many people in the Yan family have already entered the officialdom. If Yan Jing's legs were not disabled, he would be a proper official now, instead of just being a staff member beside Shen Guozhen. "Anyone who comes can reply to the invitation, but I will block them today. Just say that Brother Nian still has official business to attend to, and I will go to greet them tomorrow. Duke Lu is very observant, so you must not be careless!"

"As for the vacant positions, why worry?"

"The current Chen Han is like the rising sun, and there are many people who want to come in to be officials. Even if these people are willing to serve, many have already been appointed. Brother Nian, as the Supervisory Censor, you have to take out two to establish your authority!" Yan Jing grabbed and pinched the invitation cards. He didn't believe that the owners of these invitation cards had already wiped their butts clean.

Shen Guozhen's smile on his face became three points more, and what Yan Jing said was very much to his liking.

After being taught a lesson by Chen Ming, Shen Guozhen decided to be a good official who was "honest and self-respecting". Honesty brings clarity and prestige. He, Shen Guozhen, did not understand many of the ways in the officialdom, but as long as he kept the four words "fairness and integrity", he would be able to deal with all "foreign enemies".

Moreover, as a former grassroots, Shen Guozhen himself has long been disgusted with the corruption in the officialdom. Although he also understands the truth that "the water is too clear to have fish", if he does not kill a few guys to scare the monkeys, he will be unworthy of being the Supervisory Censor.

If the Supervisory Censor in Jiangnan, a land of money and grain, cannot bite out a few termites, how can he be considered competent.

The two were chatting casually. Yan Jing knew very well how much effort Shen Guozhen had spent on political affairs these days, and deliberately flattered Shen Guozhen to make him happy. The doorman hurried back to report: "Sir, Wei Changkong, Sir, wants to see you..."

The doorman did not know what Wei Changkong's status in the officialdom of Jiangnan was, but Wei Changkong was definitely a famous figure among all the officials in the new government of the Fu Han Army. He was a warrior who led the dead soldiers to assassinate Liu Yong among the troops.

Wei Changkong did not ride a horse, but came in a carriage. He is now the director of the current Jiangsu Police Department.

Hearing that it was Wei Changkong, Shen Guozhen's heart suddenly jumped. He looked at Yan Jing and they stood up at the same time. They knew Wei Changkong's biggest task now. Shen Guozhen strode towards the small flower hall.

…

The good port of Quanzhou is now occupied by Zheng Ji.

The latter is from Haicheng, and is the son of Wan Yunlong. Wan Yunlong is nicknamed Wan Er Monk, but he is not a real monk. His surname is Zheng, and his original name is Zheng Honger. As the head of the Tiandihui, Wan Yunlong is a more powerful figure than Yan Yan. He will not take risks personally, but it does not mean that he has no real power at all.

After the Tiandihui in Fujian started the uprising, the two groups that made the most progress were Zheng Ji, who was the most direct of Wan Yunlong's direct line, in addition to Lu Mao who was strongly supported by the Fu Han Army. They went north from Haicheng and joined Chen Biao in Tongan to attack Quanzhou. After taking Quanzhou, they kicked Chen Biao back to Tongan.

Zheng Ji's territory was not large, but it was wrapped in the center of the Tiandihui righteous army. To the south were Lu Mao and Chen Biao, and to the north was Zhao Mingde, who was the first to attack Xinghua Prefecture. Unexpectedly, Xinghua Prefecture produced such a great figure as Chen Jie. From weak to strong, he forced Zhao Mingde out of Xinghua Prefecture and pushed Zhao Mingde into Yongchun Prefecture. Zheng Ji's territory bordered Chen Jie's in Quanzhou, and the two sides also fought twice, and Zheng Ji's army lost both battles.

The two failures directly discouraged Zheng Ji and Wan Yunlong behind him, so they simply occupied the precious land of Quanzhou and started the re-export trade. They were the first people in Fujian to collect tea and raw silk, and then transported them to Guangzhou and Macau by sea, or traded with foreign sea merchants. The territory was not large, but the oil and water were not ordinary enough.

Fujian's mountainous terrain determines the status of waterways in the transportation and trading of bulk goods in Fujian. There are three commercial ports along the coast of Fujian that have left their names in Chinese history books: Fuzhou has the Minjiang River, Zhangzhou has the Jiulong River, and Quanzhou is the Jinjiang River.

Lu Mao, who is entrenched in Zhangzhou, does not compete with Wan Yunlong. In addition, Wan Yunlong is of great significance to the Tiandihui. Zheng Ji's territory is not large, but he has sufficient money and food. He has a full 20,000 troops and a lot of Western guns and cannons. They also made a lot of guns and cannons themselves, and the iron materials were all good iron introduced from Guangzhou and Foshan.

Lu Guanheng, who transported 40,000 to 50,000 kilograms of good iron for Zheng Ji, is a small businessman and is not as old as Zheng Ji, but he is a real guest of honor in Quanzhou.

Zheng Ji took Lu Guanheng's arm and said, "Haha, Ximao, why are you so late!" Ximao is the name that Lu Guanheng asked someone to give him after he became rich. Lu Guanheng is from Xinhui, Guangdong. He is now 25 years old and just got married last year. Because he really made his fortune last year and had his first ship. Before that, he was poor and made a living by helping people guard closed shops in Guangzhou.

Lu Guanheng didn't know that his fate had been changed. In the original time and space, this one of the four richest merchants in the history of Thirteen Hongs was still poor and destitute until he was in his forties. He was unable to marry and have children, and had to go to Guangzhou to make a living. But in this time and space, he arrived in Guangzhou more than 20 years earlier.

Lu Guanheng, who was so poor that he only had a rotten life left, made his first fortune by transporting grain to Fujian through Genchuan after the Tiandihui uprising in Fujian. First it was grain, then iron materials, and finally guns and gunpowder.

"It's not that I'm dragging my feet, it's really that the government is checking closely, otherwise how could I linger and look back!" Lu Guanheng's words were full of emotion. The Guangdong government is not an idiot. Of course, they know that someone is transporting grain, iron materials, private salt, gunpowder, etc. to Fuzhou. The inspection in the Pearl River Estuary has never been relaxed, and it has become more and more strict. Lu Guanheng had no idea how much trouble it took to get this shipload of goods together, not to mention that he had to open up a sea route. The added value of this shipload of goods was too great.

"This time I brought a total of 200 muskets, six small and medium-sized cannons, 100 barrels of gunpowder, a batch of sulfur and saltpeter, as well as 600 dan of rice and 4,000 jin of iron." Lu Guanheng's ship was just a medium-sized Fuzhou ship, loaded with 50 metric tons of goods, which was already full.

"Have the grain ships from Siam reached Guangdong?"

"The grain price in Guangdong is lower than in previous years, all because of this Siamese rice."

"I am still in urgent need of guns, gunpowder, and pig iron."

"Portugal doesn't have that many guns, and the British are too far away. Now only the Dutch have goods, and the price is too high. The price of pig iron has also been rising, and the iron materials on the market are getting less and less."

"Buy as much as you can, don't be afraid of silver, as long as there is goods!"

The Fu Han Army has already reached Fuzhou and promised not to use force against the Tiandihui. But for matters of interest, gains and losses in the world, these words are like farts and have no real effect.

Wan Yunlong said to Zheng Ji: "My Zheng family's 'kingdom' can only rely on Chen Ming's trustworthiness. Is this kingdom still stable?" Zheng Ji is in urgent need of guns and pig iron now.

Who would be willing to go back to the past to be a slave when he lives a life of being the master of the house? Even though he knew that it was impossible, the father and son of the Zheng family were still reluctant to give up this foundation. There are many people who died for wealth and power in this world.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, how many heroes died for this? That is a fog covering the eyes. What seems to be a very simple multiple-choice question to outsiders is the most difficult choice in life in the eyes of the authorities. This requires great wisdom and perseverance, and not everyone can see through it.

…

In Fuzhou City, in the study of the general's mansion, there was a dead silence. Mingfu held the memorial and sat on the chair blankly. He sat there, sitting there, until his thin body seemed unable to support his head, and his head drooped weakly.

Fu Han Army, Chen Ni, really no one can control it. All plans have come to nothing.

Fu Han Army has already killed outside the city. They did not immediately launch an attack on Fuzhou, and the number of troops did not seem to be large, but no one dared to propose a night attack on them in Fuzhou City, which was as quiet as a mourning hall.

As long as someone dares to propose, Mingfu will be willing to do it even if it means death. There are still 30,000 Qing soldiers and militiamen in Fuzhou City, but they are like a stagnant pool of water, "all cowards and rats." Mingfu had killed two servants for no reason this afternoon. He was like a trapped beast, wandering around in the study, and only in the study. Even his personal attendants dared not go near him.

E Ning was completely at a loss, like a wooden man. He was in a daze for half a day.

Mingfu's psychological endurance was a little stronger, but he also thought of the countless doomsday records in history books. When the situation developed to the last and worst time, no matter how strong the city defense was, it would be useless without people's hearts.

Fuzhou was like this. No matter how favorable the terrain was, no matter how many soldiers there were, without fighting spirit, they would be a mob that could not be defeated.

When two dynasties compete and warlords fight, there will be a war to a certain extent, such as the Battle of Chibi during the Three Kingdoms period, the Battle of Luoyang during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the Battle of Xuanwu Lake during the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. At this point, it is time to decide the fate of the world. The winner will win the world!

Now the situation is bad, expecting Chen Ni to become the second Huang Chao or Li Zicheng is better than expecting a sow to climb a tree.

…

Haitan Island.

It was late at night, and the sea water hit the reefs on the shore, making a rustling sound.

The moon was round, and the moonlight sprinkled on the beach, dyeing the yellow beach silver.

Zhang Qiu was walking on the beach, and lights flashed on the sea in the distance, and patrol ships were on alert in the distance.

Haitan Island, which was very lively during the day, could not hear a trace of human voice now. Zhang Qiu also took advantage of the silence of the night and walked on the beach to slowly dissipate his unwillingness.

Tomorrow he will lead all his troops to the mouth of the Minjiang River, because today the secret camp received news that the Fujian Navy on Langqi Island surrendered.

Fuck your mother, Wu Bidada!

You shameless turtle, you actually surrendered? Damn it, damn it...

Zhang Qiu cursed Wu Bidada in his heart. What Wu Bidada was drugged by his son, Zhang Qiu didn't believe it at all. He just believed that Wu Bidada was timid, and surrendered obediently when he saw that things were impossible.

Thinking of the many times Wu Bidada had fought with him in the past two years, and the battle at Haitan, he didn't fight as badly as Wu Bidada, Zhang Qiu was furious.

In addition to the dispute of will, the more important one was the dispute of interests. The Fu Han Navy was originally a rookie in naval warfare. At the beginning, Chen Ming asked him for many veterans, so even if Zhang Qiu surrendered with his entire army, he didn't worry about his family's mark being completely wiped out. But the first battle of Wusongkou, the surrender of the Qing navy has greatly increased the strength of the Fu Han army; now there is the Fujian navy, which is as strong as Zhang Qiu, and the whole army surrenders, which will increase its strength even more.

The Fu Han navy is now fully capable of swallowing Zhang Qiu in one bite.

Zhang Qiu doesn't want to be swallowed!

He doesn't have Ling Liang's ambition, but for a foreign bandit family like him, it always feels bad to have his team swallowed.

"If my little sister can get pregnant and give birth to a son or a daughter..." Zhang Qiu doesn't have to do it so hard. But it's difficult for Lu Gong to have children. For so long, no one has gotten pregnant. So far, there is only one son with the original wife.

For an emperor who will compete for the world in the future, is one son reasonable? Ten may not be enough.

Zhang Qiu initially thought that Chen Ming had deliberately arranged it and didn't want Zhang, Shi, and Yao to get pregnant, but later he found that it was definitely not the case. But Chen Ming, a great man who built half of Chen Han's empire, really has a hard time having offspring.

"Alas..." Zhang Qiu sighed to the moon.