029 Beset by Crises

Inside the main cabin of the flagship, Zheng Hongkui kept Zheng Sen with him and asked, "Sen'er, why are you not studying hard in Nanjing? Why have you gotten yourself entangled with Wang Lanping?"

Zheng Sen recounted his recent experiences, speaking with a touch of pride about his meeting with Wang Lanping in Huaining.

To his surprise, Zheng Hongkui was deeply displeased. "Sen'er, you have a lot of nerve! Do you know that recruiting soldiers privately is tantamount to rebellion? It is sheer madness! Stay away from this man surnamed Wang. Once we reach Nanjing, I am sending you back to Fujian to your father. Do not stay here and court disaster."

Zheng Sen grew anxious; he had finally found an opportunity to serve the imperial court and could not bear to give it up. He retorted, "I... I will not go. I am now a thousand-man commander, and I am going nowhere. I will stay with whoever protects the Great Ming. Right now, Scholar Wang is devoted to the Ming, and wherever he is, I shall be."

Zheng Hongkui roared, "You are delusional! You are young and have no idea how high the sky is or how deep the earth. Your father sent you to Nanjing to study, not to throw your life away!"

Zheng Sen stood his ground, his face hardening. "The Ming is in such chaos—what is the use of studying? Even if I were to pass the exams and become an official, I would only be wallowing with those so-called 'pure' scholars, achieving nothing. That is not the life I want."

Zheng Hongkui was truly incensed. "You brat, your wings have grown stiff, haven't they? You dare talk back to your fourth uncle? I am telling you, you will go back whether you want to or not. If you push me too far, I will have you escorted back under guard!"

Zheng Sen stiffened his neck. "Even if you force me back, I will return the moment I have the chance."

Zheng Hongkui was stunned. He could not fathom how his nephew, usually so respectful and humble, had changed so drastically in just a few months, turning against his own blood to side with that reckless Wang Lanping.

Seeing that force would not work, Zheng Hongkui softened his tone and chuckled. "Heh, fine. You have spirit. You are worthy of being a man of the Zheng family."

He stepped closer to Zheng Sen and lowered his voice. "Sen'er, your uncle does this for your own good. Let me tell you, this Wang Lanping is no good. I saw it early on. He used the battle at Huaining to withdraw his troops; under the guise of protecting the people, his true motives are suspicious—he is currying favor with the masses. Do you realize he is building his own prestige within the court? He has great ambition, and you must not follow him into madness."

Zheng Sen was shocked. These things were handled so secretly; his uncle was truly formidable to have perceived them. Although Zheng Sen was the eldest son of the eldest branch of the Zheng family, he had long realized that his father and uncle had no intention of saving the Ming dynasty. They only cared about preserving the Zheng family's reputation. Yet, the Zheng family had started as pirates and had only recently been granted amnesty by the court to become officials. If the Ming fell, they would have no foundation left. Would the Zheng family then surrender to the new dynasty and become turncoats? Zheng Sen refused to accept that.

Zheng Sen quickly defended Wang Lanping. "Uncle, I was with General Wang at Huaining defending against the Shun rebels. I know his every action clearly. If he had selfish motives, how could I not know? Besides, even if he did, it is still better than you people who hold massive armies yet sit by watching the outcome and preserving your own strength."

Zheng Hongkui was nearly choked with rage. This was no longer his nephew; this was a die-hard loyalist of Wang Lanping. He had to suppress his temper and said, "Sen'er, you are too young. You know nothing of the events behind the scenes. I will tell you this—do not repeat it to anyone—Wang Lanping is a brave general, and your uncle admires him, but this is exactly what will lead to his destruction. Do you know why?"

Zheng Sen turned his head. "Why?"

Zheng Hongkui pulled Zheng Sen into the depths of the cabin. "Do you know who the current Emperor is?"

Zheng Sen nodded. "I do. It is the Prince of Fu."

"Exactly. Do you know how the Prince of Fu ascended the throne? You don't. The intricacies are immense. When the Chongzhen Emperor met his end and the Crown Prince went missing, Nanjing fell into chaos. A country cannot go a day without a ruler. Deciding whom to crown was a major affair. The civil officials, led by the Donglin faction, insisted on the Prince of Lu; the military generals, led by Ma Shiying, wanted the Prince of Fu. Neither side would yield. The Minister of War, Shi Kefa, tried to smooth things over to appease everyone and suggested the Prince of Gui instead. Can you imagine what a mess it was?"

Zheng Sen had not realized this. He asked, "And then?"

Zheng Hongkui gave a soft laugh. "In this world, whose neck is thicker than military power? When Ma Shiying entered Nanjing, he had the commanders of the three garrisons stationed outside the city walls. Who dared to challenge him? The Prince of Fu’s ascension was an expected result."

Zheng Sen was puzzled. "What does the Prince of Fu’s ascension have to do with General Wang?"

Zheng Hongkui patted his nephew’s shoulder. "Sen'er, you are still too young to see through these things. What kind of person is the Prince of Fu? He grew up in the deep palace and trusts no one. He knows exactly how he got the throne. In truth, he is a puppet. The military power is held by Ma Shiying. Without military power, he is nothing as an emperor. So, he must find generals he can trust—his own people."

Zheng Sen began to understand. "Wang Lanping?"

Zheng Hongkui nodded. "Exactly. Ever since the Emperor heard from Liu Zeqing that there was a 'Scholar Wang' in Huaining, he immediately issued a decree for me to send the navy to retrieve him. Does that not strike you as odd? There are plenty of deputy commanders in Nanjing, so why did the Emperor do this? Do you know?"

Zheng Sen shook his head blankly.

Zheng Hongkui explained, "Because he looked at Wang Lanping’s record. He was the top scholar of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen. He rose through the ranks from the bottom and had just been assigned to Anqing, without enough time to join any cliques. That is what the Emperor values. He is building a pro-emperor faction. Do you understand?"

Zheng Sen suddenly realized, but then said, "If that is the case, Uncle, it should be a good thing for General Wang. To be so favored by the Emperor is something many dream of."

"Good? Good my foot!" Zheng Hongkui said. "The Hongguang Emperor is not the Chongzhen Emperor. That crown is heavy enough to crush him; no one else can bear it. The Emperor’s little scheme to recruit a pro-emperor faction is something I can see—do you think Ma Shiying and those commanders cannot? Will they allow their puppet to secretly cultivate his own strength? Impossible! Furthermore, Wang Lanping’s name is now known throughout Nanjing as a hero of the Ming dynasty. Can those commanders tolerate that? Wang Lanping is walking into his own grave. Once he enters Nanjing, he will never get out. Listen to your uncle: when you reach Nanjing, go back to Fujian. Do not get involved in this muddy water."

Zheng Sen finally understood completely. His uncle was not alarmist; these outcomes were truly possible. But having realized this, he felt he could not leave Scholar Wang. He had to warn him: they must not enter Nanjing.

Zheng Sen asked, "What about you, Uncle? What are your and my father's intentions? You are the Commander of Zhenjiang, and the Ming’s finest navy is in your hands. My father holds an army of two hundred thousand and over a thousand warships. If you both wholeheartedly supported the Emperor, how could the Ming not flourish? How could those treacherous rebels dare to play with the Emperor in the palm of their hands?"

Zheng Hongkui sighed with a sense of helplessness. "Yes, you are right. Our Zheng family has that strength. But you must know that the world is in total chaos. In the north, Li Zicheng has declared himself emperor; in the southwest, Zhang Xianzhong is playing warlord in Sichuan. Last month, we received news that the Qing army has crossed the Shanhai Pass. Li Zicheng abandoned Beijing and retreated to Tong Pass. None of these people are easy to deal with. Whoever wins will eventually march south to attack the Ming. Who can say who will ultimately prevail? How many more years of peace can the Ming have?"

Hearing his uncle, Zheng Sen immediately changed his expression. "Because of that, Uncle, you should urge Father to march north to restore the nation. Not to mention rebels like Li Zicheng, the Manchus entering the pass is a matter of great principle. Han land must never be trampled by foreign tribes. Even if the Zheng family is wiped out, there are the Li, the Zhang, and the Wang families. As long as the Han people are not extinct, the Ming will not fall."

Seeing his nephew’s iron resolve, Zheng Hongkui could only smile bitterly and shake his head. "Sen'er, any family in the Ming can afford to fail, except the Zheng family. The Zheng family started as sea pirates; if we fall, others will only kick us while we are down and laugh at our misfortune. The Zheng family would never recover. You are the most promising of our descendants; the family business will eventually fall to you. Your father and I have not built this legacy easily. Take care of yourself. I have said all I can."

Zheng Hongkui patted Zheng Sen’s shoulder, a trace of disappointment in his eyes, and walked out of the cabin, feeling dejected. He did not oppose Zheng Sen’s desire to sacrifice self-interest for the greater good; it was just that the current Ming was a heap of loose sand. He had the heart to kill the rebels but lacked the power to turn the tide. He had once thought of sailing up the Grand Canal to support Beijing, but none of the other major commanders in the south would join him. Without a combined land and sea effort, the navy alone would be useless. If Li Zicheng were to block the canal, the Ming navy would be trapped. The canal was not the Yangtze or the vast open sea; they could not maneuver freely. They would be annihilated in a dead-end, blocked at both ends.

Zheng Sen sat alone in the cabin, ruminating on his uncle’s words. Perhaps his uncle was right. The court was filled with mediocre officials, and the generals outside were acting in their own interests, with conflicting orders. The Emperor had a title but no power; his prestige could not command the masses, and his virtues were not enough to relieve the people’s suffering. In the end, it boiled down to one thing: the court lacked a powerful minister who could make the final decision and command the respect of all civil and military officials—someone who was also fiercely loyal to the Ming, lest they become another Cao Cao.

Zheng Sen mentally reviewed the current Ming officials he knew of: Ma Shiying was a petty man who had achieved his ambitions—a mere clown; Shi Kefa held a position but no power; Zuo Liangyu was a mere brute, incapable of governing an army, let alone restoring a nation; the Zheng family held onto their military strength, their loyalty always swayed by private interests.

Finally, Zheng Sen’s thoughts settled on Wang Lanping. Compared to the great officials of the court, he was the most insignificant. Could he reverse the current decline of the Ming? Zheng Sen was doubtful.

With a heart full of anticipation, Zheng Sen went to the deck at the bow of the ship, only to see Wang Lanping standing there alone, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

Hearing the uneven footsteps behind him, Wang Lanping did not turn around. He said calmly, "Zheng Sen, are you still my thousand-man commander?"

Wang Lanping knew that after his long private talk with Commander Zheng, he must have been subjected to plenty of political brainwashing. The sound of his footsteps—sometimes light, sometimes heavy—betrayed his hesitation.

Zheng Sen came to Wang Lanping’s side. "Why does the General ask?"

Wang Lanping pointed to the ships in the rearmost row. "Do you see those? I hear that during wartime, those ships are used specifically to detain and transport prisoners. My soldiers are currently being kept there by your uncle. They are not prisoners; they are heroes who have survived against all odds. Yet, I do not even have the power to win them this small honor. Look again at the Zheng family’s navy—how majestic and powerful it is. I also hear your father’s Fujian fleet is ten times stronger than this. Don’t you think that following a commander like me, who has neither troops nor power, is a path with no future?"

Zheng Sen smiled. "A future is earned, not inherited. The Zheng family is the Zheng family, and I am myself. I am loyal only to the Ming. As long as the General holds the Ming in his heart, I, Zheng Sen, will follow you even if it means death."

Wang Lanping nodded. "You have spirit. I was not wrong about you. However, our journey to Nanjing is fraught with danger. You must be prepared for the possibility of losing your head at any moment."

Zheng Sen was stunned. So he knew. "Since the General knows that Nanjing is a dangerous place, why not leave the ship now? With your talent, it would not be hard for you to accomplish something earth-shattering elsewhere."

Wang Lanping laughed. "The rot of the Ming lies not in the prefectures, but in the infighting within the court. That is the root. To reverse this, we must strike at the root; otherwise, everything else is empty talk."

Zheng Sen asked, "Then is the General not afraid that this journey will be fruitless? Ma Shiying rules Nanjing with an iron fist, and the various commanders hold themselves in higher regard than heaven. Are you not afraid?"

Wang Lanping laughed heartily. "Afraid? I haven't even frowned on the battlefield amidst flashing blades and swords. A few clowns are not worth mentioning before me. If I didn't even have this much confidence, how could I talk about restoring the Ming?"

Zheng Sen cupped his hands. "Very well. With those words, I, Zheng Sen, am willing to follow you through mountain and sea, through life and death, to defend the Ming with no second thoughts."

Zheng Sen thought to himself: So Scholar Wang had long anticipated the potential changes in Nanjing. He is not just a general who only knows how to break enemies on the battlefield; only someone with both courage and strategy can turn the tide.

Wang Lanping was also relieved. Zheng Sen was a talented general; with his sincere assistance, many troubles would be avoided. At the very least, the Zheng family would not become his enemy in Nanjing. The first person he needed to deal with upon arriving in Nanjing was Liu Zeqing. The Chongzhen Emperor had said: "Every civil and military official in the court deserves to die!"

Let that "death" begin with Liu Zeqing.

Ahead, the white waves surged, and the southeast wind blew hard. The sails of the fleet were fully hoisted, moving against the wind. Seven days later, the navy finally appeared on the river outside Nanjing.