Chapter 459

Zheng Zhihu nodded repeatedly as well, "Exactly, exactly. Big Brother, perhaps you should stop drinking in the future."

Bang!

Zheng Zhilong slapped the table, glared at his three younger brothers, and said, "Is that my fault?"

"If it isn't your fault, whose fault is it?"

Zheng Zhilong: "……I admit there is some responsibility on my part, but the greater part lies with that surname Su fellow playing tricks! Who doesn't brag a bit when drinking? I just thought he was a decent person and wanted to take advantage of the drunkenness to build a relationship with him. Who knew he would set a trap for me!"

Once he started talking about the matter just now, Zheng Zhilong's anger flared up again.

At the banquet table, he had been cornered by Su Qiao in an instant; he had no choice but to sign the military pledge.

Among the three younger brothers, it was the third one, Zheng Zhihu, who remained the calmest.

He spoke up: "Enough. That surname Su fellow has no martial ethics, deliberately forcing Big Brother to sign a military pledge. Even if not this time, he will likely set a trap for Big Brother later. What we should consider now is how to fight this battle against the Dutch and achieve a great victory!"

"So we ignore the matter of the military pledge?"

"How can we ignore it? It's already signed, so stop dwelling on it. As long as we win, isn't that great merit?"

"Easy to say, but the Dutch are not some soft persimmons. Don't look at our numerous ships; our firepower and size cannot compare to theirs."

Zheng Zhikui sighed and said.

At this moment, Zheng Zhilong had also calmed down and spoke: "Didn't that imperial envoy Su Qiao say earlier that Great Ming has already built new warships and cannons at Jinwei? If they can truly hold their own against the Dutch warships, even if slightly inferior, our chances of victory are extremely high!"

"Big Brother, do you still believe his words?" Zheng Zhibao asked with some dissatisfaction.

314, Quanzhou Assistant Prefect Wang Da!

Zheng Zhikui stood up, broke off a few banana stems, threw one to his elder brother, and distributed the rest among the other brothers.

Sitting in the chair, he spoke while eating the banana: "I estimate he wouldn't lie to us about this matter. After all, this cannot be hidden. If we want to know, we can send someone to investigate, and we will immediately know the truth."

"Exactly. If he were truly trying to fool us, it would be useless. If we expose him, he gains nothing!"

At this moment, Zheng Zhibao reached out and scratched his head. "If it is true, then our odds of winning are high. Even signing a military pledge would be fine; it would actually be great merit!"

"Yes! If we truly establish merit, Your Majesty and the court will surely reward us. That would truly bring glory to our ancestors!"

Zheng Zhikui finished the banana in three or four bites, his face also filled with longing.

The Zheng family had no thoughts of rebellion. Even becoming pirates was only because during the drought, people in their hometown could not survive, so they took them out to venture and become pirates together.

Otherwise, who among decent people would become pirates!

Even if the Zheng family were considered decent pirates relatively favorable to Great Ming, one could not say they were truly decent!

Deep down, they were not the kind of people who would remain content!

Of course, the Zheng family's desire to serve the country, become high officials, and bring glory to their ancestors had never changed.

It could be said to be their obsession.

Otherwise, the Zheng family, truly sea dragons, could have occupied a large overseas territory, established a kingdom, and ruled their own land!

Having such strength yet not doing so reveals their intentions.

Of course, there was also a small part of the reason: a lack of confidence.

After all, at this time, Spain and the Netherlands had already extended their reach into the Asian region.

Compared to nations, they were ultimately a weak force.

The younger brothers immediately began discussing this matter.

Hmm, how much great merit could be obtained, enough for everyone to share?

Whether the Zheng family's overseas power could expand accordingly, and so on.

Listening to this made Zheng Zhilong's head spin, so he quickly slapped the table.

Bang bang bang!

"Enough!"

"This matter cannot be done on a whim; it must be planned carefully!"

Zheng Zhilong hesitated for a moment before speaking to his three younger brothers.

The three younger brothers were not people who lacked judgment. Hearing their elder brother's words, they quickly nodded and said, "Big Brother, rest assured. We are not stupid; we won't be fooled by that milk-faced brat!"

Zheng Zhilong's face instantly turned black.

If you aren't stupid, then I am stupid?

I was fooled by that milk-faced brat!

"Get out!"

Although they did not know why their elder brother suddenly became angry, everyone quickly left.

……

Leaving Zheng Fu, Su Qiao and Liu Rushi boarded a carriage and slowly made their way to the post station.

At the banquet, Su Qiao and Zheng Zhilong had drunk quite a lot together.

Even though the alcohol today was not as strong as in later generations, drinking too much still made one feel dizzy.

Originally, it was agreed that Su Qiao would accompany Liu Rushi out to relax today.

Who knew that upon meeting Zheng Zhilong, everything turned upside down.

Liu Rushi did not get angry either. After all, in her mindset, men are the masters and must do great things; women should not meddle casually.

It is enough to simply manage the trivial matters of the household.

As for getting angry, she was pampered by Su Qiao every day, as if she had fallen into a jar of honey; where would there be any anger to generate?

The only thing was curiosity. She was curious about this Zheng Zhilong and the Zheng family. Why did Su Qiao's eyes light up upon hearing the other's name, and why did he attach such importance to building a relationship with him?

Inside the carriage, with nothing to do, Liu Rushi asked while rubbing his head.

Su Qiao chuckled: "You are from Jiangzhe. Do you not know Zheng Zhilong and the Zheng family?"

"It seems I have heard this name. It is said he was once a pirate, but I know nothing else, so I am asking my husband!"

"Alright, since you want to ask, then I'll tell you about this Zheng Zhilong."

It must be said that when Su Qiao first met Zheng Zhilong, he was quite astonished as well.

Both he and his son are famous figures in the history books.

Especially his son Zheng Chenggong, who in one stroke recovered Taiwan, keeping Taiwan from leaving the embrace of the Chinese nation.

Although Zheng Zhilong is not quite as famous as Zheng Chenggong.

But the Battle of Kinmen truly relied entirely on Zheng Zhilong to be considered won, severing the colonial tentacles of the Dutch.

Of course, these things have not happened yet, so Su Qiao could not tell Liu Rushi about them.

However, he could tell Liu Rushi about how the Zheng family "stirred up trouble" on the seas, transforming from an original "honest man" into a pirate overlord that no one on the sea could ignore.

Liu Rushi, who had never really understood the Zheng family very well, finally understood why Su Qiao valued the Zheng family so highly.

This Zheng family, truly is not simple!

Setting aside that all four brothers of the Zheng family are fierce and ruthless men, their abilities are also unmatched.

……

Su Qiao and Liu Rushi had just returned to the relay station, planning to rest for a while.

This official of Quanzhou Prefecture, also the Quanzhou Assistant Prefect Wang Xiaonian—oh, that's not right, it should be Wang Danian!

When Assistant Prefect Wang Xiaonian was young, his family hadn't given him a very good name, and by the time he passed the imperial examination as a jinshi and was about to enter officialdom, this name became a problem instead.

Listening to it, it just doesn't sound very steady or reliable.

Can such a person be an official?

The ancients were actually very picky about appearances and names.

Especially emperors—look at the great figure Zhong Kui, why was it that despite his learning, he couldn't pass the imperial examination?

Wasn't it simply because the Tang emperor of that time felt his appearance was unacceptable, an eyesore!

Speaking of names, in fact from ancient times to now, there has been this saying: "Zhang wu chaoting, gou wu guan!"

Those surnamed Zhang never became emperors, those surnamed Gou never became officials!

Hmm, gone off topic again.

After Wang Danian changed his name, although this name was not bad.

However, he still wasn't valued much—at least he wasn't favored by the capital officials, who could blame him for being an outsider.

So after a discussion, the Ministry of Personnel just shuffled him off to Fujian here.

Wang Danian didn't pick and choose either, and was very capable, without any grievances, so he put down roots here in Fujian, starting from a Seventh Rank minor County Magistrate.

In just a few years, he rose to become a Fifth Rank, Senior Grade Assistant Prefect of a prefecture.