Chapter 1406: The Age of Great Contention

With a soft sound, Zhu Hehao tossed the two memorials onto the table before him.

Of these two memorials, one was the resignation of Wei Zhongcheng, Chief Councilor of the United States; the other was the resignation of Zheng Xi, Chief Grand Secretary of the United States' cabinet.

The power struggle triggered by King Zhu Hehao of the United States taking up his throne had now been thoroughly decided by Shimazu Noji's surrender of arms. As the losers of this power struggle, Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi naturally had no choice but to flee with their tails between their legs.

What else could they do?

First, the tycoon king had already pulled popular sentiment to his side through the "marriage trials" — for those of middling economic means, whoever could solve their marriage problems was practically their own father!

And these were all gun-toting bachelors!

Second, the King of the United States had also steered popular sentiment and public will toward the battlefield! Once war broke out, the king's authority was bound to soar. And he had picked a soft target, so defeat was impossible.

Once the war was won, this King of the United States might well turn the United States into a kingdom!

Third, the King of the United States had somehow managed to win over Shimazu Noji, the "Queen of Jiaqing." With the support of this "Queen of Jiaqing," no one on the Celestial Dynasty's territory on the west coast of the New Continent could stop the king from steadily strengthening his royal power.

By this point, the only thing Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi, these two political enemies of the King of the United States, could hope for was to withdraw with their lives intact.

Zhu Hehao looked at the two uneasy leaders of the United States before him and suddenly laughed: "We do not accept your resignations. You shall both remain in your original posts!"

Remain in their original posts? Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi both felt a jolt in their hearts — was this to keep them hanging and continue the struggle sessions?

"Great King," Wei Zhongcheng said with a mournful face, "my father recently wrote saying he is old and frail, and wishes for me to return and attend him at his bedside. I must be a filial son, and can no longer be Your Majesty's loyal subject. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me for failing in my duty of loyalty."

Another great filial son!

Zhu Hehao nodded with a wry smile. He was a filial son himself — how could he stand in the way of another's filial duty?

"Since the Chief Councilor is so devoted to filial piety, We shall not detain you." Zhu Hehao said, "The United States of New Continent could not have reached its present state without the Chief Councilor's contributions. We had originally hoped to govern the lands of New Continent together with the Chief Councilor. How about this — We shall write to Our Imperial Father recommending the Chief Councilor enter service in the Great Ming. With the Chief Councilor's talents, entering the Grand Secretariat is only a matter of time.

Furthermore, the Chief Councilor's seat in the council shall be inherited by your son."

Zhu Hehao had given Wei Zhongcheng every possible way to save face, and had also sufficiently looked after the Wei family's interests — this showed that the tycoon king saw the nature of the United States very clearly indeed!

The United States, after all, could only be one nation by uniting the people and the strength of many families! This fundamental reality would not change just because Zhu Hehao drove out Wei Zhongcheng.

In fact, Zhu Hehao's expulsion of Wei Zhongcheng did not violate the rules of the United States, because he was the largest shareholder of the United States to begin with! He held 30% of the shares — the largest shareholder — so what was wrong with him controlling the council government?

What Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi had tried to do — hollowing out Zhu Hehao's power — was the real violation.

However, while Zhu Hehao could drive out Wei Zhongcheng, he could not strip the Wei family of their 1%, and even less could he kill Wei Zhongcheng, the former Chief Councilor. Otherwise, the other "shareholders" of the United States would all rise up against Zhu Hehao. Even if Zhu Hehao could suppress them all, the United States would no longer be a nation.

Wei Zhongcheng let out a breath, understanding that this tycoon king still played by the rules. He hurriedly stood and bowed respectfully in gratitude.

"Great King, I too am a filial son!" Zheng Xi had learned quickly enough. "My father is also old and frail, waiting for me to return and attend him."

"Uncle," Zhu Hehao cut Zheng Xi off with a laugh, "stop pretending to be a filial son. Everyone knows how much you anger my maternal grandfather. If you went back to serve him, the old man would lose years off his life! And my grandfather has so many sons and grandsons, he won't miss you. I think you'd better stay in New Continent."

Letting Wei Zhongcheng go while keeping Zheng Xi was, of course, a decision the tycoon king had made after careful deliberation.

First, because Wei Zhongcheng was more formidable than Zheng Xi. The Wei family held only 1% of the voting power in the council government elections of the United States of New Continent, yet Wei Zhongcheng had firmly held the post of Chief Councilor and even lorded it over Zheng Xi, who held 15% of the voting power — that alone said everything.

Second, both Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi had been sent by Zhu Cilang, so he could not drive them both away. Since he had to keep one, he naturally kept Zheng Xi, the easier one to deal with.

Third, Zheng Xi and his brothers controlled 15% of the voting power in the United States' council government! 15% and 1% meant very different things. Zhu Hehao could firmly suppress the Wei family's 1%, but with the Zheng family's 15%, he had to cooperate. And if he drove out Zheng Xi, there was a real chance of getting a Zheng Jiangong in his place! Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

So it was better to keep Zheng Xi propped up!

Hearing Zhu Hehao's words, Zheng Xi breathed a huge sigh of relief. He was no Wei Zhongcheng — old Wei had already entered service in the Great Ming before coming to New Continent. Zheng Xi, on the other hand, was just a poor student still in school. And Wei Zaode had few sons, so he could always arrange something for Wei Zhongcheng. But Zheng Xi's father Zheng Zhilong was different — Zheng Zhilong had far too many sons, and Zheng Xi was not favored. If he went back, wouldn't he be stuck on a cold bench for the rest of his life?

Zhu Hehao smiled: "Uncle, you shall continue as Chief Grand Secretary of the cabinet. A great war lies ahead, so we must maintain stability in the council government and the cabinet office. As for the post of Chief Councilor — Chief Councilor Wei, who do you think should take it?"

Wei Zhongcheng waved his hands repeatedly and said with a bitter smile: "Great King, ever since receiving my father's letter, my mind has been in turmoil and I have no heart for governance. I truly do not know who could serve as Chief Councilor now."

Zhu Hehao thought for a moment, then said: "The present situation is unlike any before — this is an age of great contention. Not merely a great contention within our Huaxia, but a great contention among all the nations of the world. And the land where the United States sits, though it seems tucked away in a corner, is in fact at the very center of this age of great contention!

Therefore, whoever holds the post of Chief Councilor of the United States must not only be thoroughly versed in governance, but also skilled in diplomacy and military affairs, and ideally understand the Great Ming court's strategy in this great contention.

For this reason, the new Chief Councilor should best be recommended by Our Imperial Father. Chief Councilor Wei, Uncle — what do you both think?"

Brilliant!

Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi immediately understood Zhu Hehao's meaning — the tycoon king still had to cling tightly to Emperor Zhu's thigh. Asking the Great Emperor Zhu to appoint the Chief Councilor was a display of loyalty and filial devotion.

But Wei Zhongcheng and Zheng Xi were still somewhat puzzled by Zhu Hehao's talk of an "age of great contention." The Warring States chaos was an age of great contention — but the Great Ming today was clearly a time of peace and prosperity. How was it a great contention?

"Great King," Wei Zhongcheng said — he would have to go back and speak with Emperor Zhu, so he needed to get this clear and not speak carelessly — "what exactly is being contended in this age of great contention you speak of? And who is contending with whom?"

Hearing this, Zhu Hehao laughed inwardly: This Wei Zhongcheng may be a rare capable official, but he truly is not suited to running the United States of New Continent in a contest for supremacy against New France, New Spain, and New England!

"Chief Councilor," he looked at Wei Zhongcheng and held up three fingers, "in this age of great contention, there are three things being contended. The first is this very New Continent where we stand! It is sparsely populated, vast in land, rich in resources — truly a blessed land under heaven. If the Celestial Dynasty gains it, the Celestial Dynasty shall rule the world! If the Westerners gain it, the Westerners shall command the globe.

In recent years, it is not only our United States of New Continent that has advanced by leaps and bounds — the Westerners' New Spain and New England have also been developing rapidly. New Spain's Christian subjects already number in the millions! New England's population has also reached several hundred thousand. New France, though sparsely populated, is skilled at winning over the Indians for their own use, and cannot be underestimated either.

Why is this king so eager to push eastward into the great mountains? Is it not to block the French and English from advancing westward? As long as the Stone Mountains remain in our hands, the United States of New Continent will not collapse. And as long as the United States of New Continent endures, we can remain undefeated in this age of great contention — at the very least, we can maintain the balance of the great contention!"

(End of Chapter)