Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Zheng Zhilong frowned when he heard this.

"What is the identity of this person?"

Although he was stripped of his title, as the head of the Zheng family, he had strong military forces and power, and not everyone in Quanzhou Prefecture could match him.

The housekeeper of the Zheng Mansion was an old man in his fifties. He had followed Zheng Zhilong for nearly twenty years, and his expression was steady and intelligent.

Zheng Zhilong did not get angry because he knew that the old butler would not let in just anyone.

The old butler walked up to Zheng Zhilong and whispered in his ear:

"Master, it's the envoy of Jianlu."

Zheng Zhilong's brows furrowed even deeper.

"Tartar? Why are the Tartars looking for me?"

"Maybe he knows the master's current situation. If the Ming Dynasty does not tolerate our Zheng family, the enemy of my enemy will become my friend." The old butler guessed.

As a Han Chinese, Zheng Zhilong was somewhat contemptuous of the Jurchen Tartars. After all, under the influence of Confucian scholars for so many years, the Tartars were barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood.

But Zheng Zhilong hesitated for a moment, and finally accepted the steward's advice and decided to meet him first.

after all.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

It didn't matter whether they were friends or not, but Zheng Zhilong understood that there was no way the Tartars could cross the Ming border wall and then make a long raid to Quanzhou to attack his Zheng family.

This means that I might be very important to the Tatars.

This is the bargaining chip, a bargaining chip against the Tartars and also a bargaining chip against the Ming Dynasty court.

It is unknown whether the imperial court would change its attitude towards me if it knew that I had come into contact with people from the Qing Dynasty.

Zheng Zhilong changed his clothes and then went to Living Room No. 3 to meet the Tartar envoy.

The visitor was a Han Chinese in his thirties, who looked quite clever. When he saw Zheng Zhilong, he immediately bowed and saluted, saying:

"I am Chen San, nice to meet Mr. Zheng."

"Who sent you?" Zheng Zhilong said expressionlessly.

He didn't even return the greeting, but asked directly as soon as they met.

"Master Zheng, I'm here on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty." Chen San was not angry, and bowed again respectfully.

"Isn't your Emperor of the Qing Dynasty outside the Great Wall? The distance is so far and we have no trade relations. Why do you come to me?" Zheng Zhilong asked again.

"Of course it's a great thing!" Chen San continued with a smile on his face:

"I heard that Master Zheng was not only questioned by the traitor Zhang Shikang, but also stripped of his title by the tyrant emperor. When the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty learned of this, he felt it was unfair for Master Zheng."

Chen San knew that if he didn't explain his purpose quickly, he would probably be kicked out immediately, so he no longer cared about the basic negotiation process and told the truth.

"Then what?" Zheng Zhilong had a clue in his mind when he heard this.

This is to win him over.

"Master Zheng, you should know that the tyrant emperor is suspicious, ambitious, and stubborn. Anyone he dislikes will be eliminated by him sooner or later on a trumped-up pretext.

Master Zheng has done so many things for the violent Ming court, and has made great contributions and efforts. However, that tyrant easily deprived Master Zheng of his title, which shows that he really does not take you seriously.

Are you really going to sit there and wait for death?

Mr. Zheng should know that the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty have been enemies for many years. The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty means that if Mr. Zheng is in trouble, His Majesty will certainly not sit idly by.

This is a handwritten letter from the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Please have a look, Master Zheng." Chen San said as he carefully took out a letter from his chest pocket and handed it to the old housekeeper.

The old butler took the letter and presented it to Zheng Zhilong.

"Serve the tea." Zheng Zhilong felt a little warmed in his heart after hearing what Chen San had just said, so he said to the old housekeeper while opening the letter.

The envelope was stamped with the seal of the Qing Dynasty, so it seemed to be from the Qing court. Zheng Zhilong read it carefully and his impression of Huang Taiji improved a lot.

As the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji's words were never arrogant and were always respectful, which was in stark contrast to Emperor Chongzhen's contempt for Zheng Zhilong and his arbitrary deprivation of his title.

Huang Taiji recounted Zheng Zhilong's great achievements over the years, and stated that Zheng Zhilong was a rare hero who should not be subject to the rule of a tyrant.

Zheng Zhilong enjoyed the flattery very much. After all, ever since the pirate came ashore, the Ming officials he came into contact with all despised his past and rarely mentioned it.

For Zheng Zhilong, it was naturally a happy thing to be praised for his past.

Huang Taiji stated the pros and cons in the letter, and if they agreed, it would be a win-win situation, and the cooperation could be on an equal footing, that is, the Zheng family did not have to be loyal to the Qing Dynasty, but could be considered an ally, working together to deal with the tyrannical emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the villain Zhang Shikang.

This made Zheng Zhilong feel like he was basking in the spring breeze, and he felt that Emperor Huang Taiji was much better than Zhu Youjian.

Of course, Huang Taiji also gave a second plan. If the Zheng family wanted to submit to the Qing Dynasty, he, Huang Taiji, would naturally welcome them with open arms and open feet.

If the Zheng family could submit to the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji guaranteed that he, Zheng Zhilong, could continue to lead the Zheng family's army, and would give him the highest title that the Qing Dynasty could give - Prince.

This made Zheng Zhilong look a little excited.

There were also royal titles distributed from the Qing Dynasty in recent years, such as Kong Youde and Shang Kexi, but without exception, they were all princes.

He was a king of a different surname, and a prince at that. This appreciation had far exceeded Zheng Zhilong's expectations.

Even though the Qing Dynasty was just a small country, what if it entered the country?

"Your name is Chen San, right? Steward, give him one thousand taels of silver."

After reading the letter, Zheng Zhilong even had a smile on his face, and he really put on an act of being rude at first and respectful later in front of Chen San.

These words made Chen San's face full of surprise and he hurriedly thanked him, thinking that he was worthy of being the head of the Zheng family, as his casual rewards were all at the level of one thousand taels.

As a spy, the salary he received from his superiors was only fifty or sixty taels a year.

"I have read your Majesty's letter, and I think it is very pertinent. Please tell your Majesty that if he really has the ambition to enter the pass, the Zheng family will help him..."

"Cough cough cough-"

Zheng Zhilong was about to continue speaking when he heard the old housekeeper coughing. He immediately realized that he had been influenced by the nice words in the letter and quickly changed his words:

"But this is a big deal after all, and let me think about it."

Chen San was a little anxious when he heard this, and immediately replied:

"Master Zheng, the reason why His Majesty has made such a condition is precisely because of the current situation. You have been through many battles and should understand that opportunities are fleeting.

To be honest, Mr. Zheng, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty has already mobilized the entire country to send troops. Please reply as soon as possible, Mr. Zheng. If you miss this opportunity, I am afraid you will not be treated that way. "

After saying that, seeing that Zheng Zhilong still had no intention of agreeing on the spot, Chen San had no choice but to withdraw for the time being.

"What did you mean, housekeeper? I think Huang Taiji is sincere, and the situation is indeed like this.

The emperor of the Ming Dynasty really looks down on us!" Zheng Zhilong said angrily.

If giving the Zheng family four titles was an honor, then being deprived of all titles so quickly was a laughing stock among the nobles of the Ming Dynasty.

And how glorious it was in the past is as ridiculous now.

Zheng Zhilong had been the Pirate King for so long and had been a hero all his life, how could he endure such humiliation?

The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not trust him and looked down on him. In fact, Zheng Zhilong did not take the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty seriously and they had never even met. It was just a matter of each side benefiting from it.

Now that we have broken up, the Qing Dynasty has come over so warmly and treated us with such courtesy. Why not surrender?

"Master, this is a big deal anyway. You'd better ask the second, third, and fourth masters for their opinions!"

The old butler risked overstepping his authority and gave Zheng Zhilong earnest advice.