flstandardbreds Chapter 180 The Zheng Family's Envoy
Chapter 180 The Zheng Family's Envoy
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Just as Liu Ye was putting in all his effort to have a big showdown with Liu Xiang, a special and mysterious guest came to visit Lingao, which took him by surprise.
The person responsible for making the connection was no ordinary individual; he was actually an advisor to Xiong Wencan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Anyone who could get the Governor-General to intervene was certainly no nobody, and the Governor-General's face couldn't be ignored. Liu Ye received them at Nanyuan Garden, with all of his high-ranking officials in attendance.
In truth, Liu Ye had a pretty good idea of where this guest came from. Governor-General Xiong Wencan had just been transferred from his post as Governor of Fujian to Guangdong and Guangxi, and he hadn't yet had time to build up his local connections and influence; however, he had a much wider network in Fujian. Although Liu Ye was nominally his subordinate, they didn't have much of a personal relationship, so this sudden visit was somewhat abrupt. The person who had earned Xiong's such attention and sent someone to Lingao to introduce him to Liu Ye was already quite obvious.
Sure enough, the guest introduced himself: "I am Zheng Zhiwan, a subordinate of General Feihong. Greetings, Lieutenant General Liu."
Those who knew his worth were all moved upon hearing this; this General Feihong was none other than Zheng Zhilong, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Fujian. Because of his nickname Feihuang, he was commonly referred to as General Feihong in the Fujian area.
Although Liu Ye's official rank was slightly higher on the surface, Liu Ye was not so foolish as to measure the strength of the two sides by their official ranks. He smiled and said, "So you are General Fei Hong's envoy. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please have a seat."
After Zheng Zhiwan was seated, Liu Ye asked unhurriedly, "General Feihong and I are in Guangdong and Fujian respectively, and we have no prior contact. May I ask what advice you may have for me?"
Zheng Zhiwan cupped his hands and said, "I would not come here without a reason. I have come here on the behalf of the general. I have a request to ask of General Xia. Please grant us this request for the sake of Governor Xiong."
"Let's talk things over. What is it?" Liu Ye crossed his legs, shifting to a more comfortable position. His expression remained unchanged, but in his heart he thought: If it's an unreasonable request, even Chongzhen's face wouldn't matter, so what does Xiong Wencan's face count for?
"Liu Lieutenant General's men fought against Liu Xiang in the Pearl River Estuary. One ship bravely took on five ships. The battle was brilliant, and their reputation spread far and wide. Even our general, far away in Xiamen, heard about it."
"Oh?" Liu Ye wasn't surprised. Two of Liu Xiang's men had escaped, so the news must have spread. It wasn't surprising that Zheng Zhilong knew. What he was concerned about was what demands Zheng Zhilong would make. It would be great if he took the initiative to request an alliance.
"I've heard that General Liu's secret weapon for taking on five opponents single-handedly is the ship's cannons, which are incredibly powerful. If General Liu is willing to part with them, my general is willing to pay a hefty sum to purchase them."
Zheng Zhilong had no shortage of ships or men, but what he lacked most was excellent cannons. The cannons cast by the imperial court were too cumbersome and impractical for use as naval guns. The cannons of the foreigners were good, but there was currently commercial competition between the two sides, so even with money, they couldn't be bought. At this time, the combination of old lock-ships and cannons appeared out of nowhere, making a stunning appearance and catching the eye of Zheng Zhilong, who was eager for cannons: he had plenty of these ships with a displacement of four or five hundred liang (approximately 200-250 tons), and if he could equip them with such lightweight cannons, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Therefore, after learning of the outcome of this battle, he couldn't wait to contact Xiong Wencan and, through him, purchase cannons from Lingao.