Yang Zhen could not confirm whether Xu Tingxuan heard the previous conversation between Yang Zhen and Shen Zhixiang.

However, Xu Tingxuan obviously heard Shen Zhixiang's words, which were half instructions and half statements.

I saw him walking quickly in front of Yang Zhen, kneeling on one knee on the ground, bowing to Yang Zhen and clasping his fists, saying: "Thank you very much for your trust in my father, Governor, thank you very much for your support to my father!"

"Okay, okay, get up, get up!"

Yang Zhen stepped forward with a smile and helped him up, and then said to him: "This is what your father deserves. - Well, you and Yongzhong go out of the house to invite Mr. Hong and his followers.

Let’s take a rest in the guest house of the main town house. Just tell him that I will ask him to go ashore and have a rest, and I will send someone to send a boat to take them south early tomorrow morning!”

When Xu Tingxuan heard what Yang Zhen said, he immediately lowered his head and answered yes, then turned around and went out with Shen Yongzhong.

Of course he heard clearly the conversation between Yang Zhen and Shen Zhixiang, and he didn't miss a word.

It's just that he hasn't come back to it yet, and he hasn't tasted another flavor of the conversation between Yang Zhen and Shen Zhixiang just now.

Xu Tingxuan didn't taste it, but Yang Zhen knew it clearly in his heart.

After Shen Zhixiang was granted the title of Xiang Pingbo, he still hoped to have all his troops and serve as the commander-in-chief of the army.

But for Yang Zhen, this is impossible.

At least under the current circumstances, this is impossible.

If Shen Zhixiang was granted the title of Uncle Xiangping and then served as the commander-in-chief of the army, then the so-called Xushun soldiers under his command would not be divided.

This is not a situation Yang Zhen wants to see.

In the process of forcing Shen Zhixiang to return to the Ming Dynasty anyway, the rift between Xu Tianchong and Shen Zhixiang has been planted.

Under the current circumstances, the most beneficial thing for you, and also the most beneficial thing for Jinhai Town, is to promote Xu Tianchong to the rank of Chief Military Officer.

Doing this is tantamount to setting up another banner among the former Xushun Army or the former Dongjiang Town Army, or setting another example that can be imitated and followed.

Once Shen Zhixiang's troops were divided, his strength was weakened.

Secondly, he won over Xu Tianchong and his troops.

With these two benefits, why not?

"Uncle, you have been granted the title of Lord Xiangping. If my nephew-in-law gives you the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Army, it will certainly lower your status, uncle!"

After Xu Tingxuan and Shen Yongzhong left, Yang Zhen looked at Shen Zhixiang, who looked a little lonely, and said to him with a meaningful smile:

"The five routes in Jinhai Town are actually equivalent to the five associations mentioned in the past. They were all deputy generals of the association at first. Later, as affairs became more complicated and their powers increased, they were renamed one. Or the deputy general of the first association. Now, the officers

There are many soldiers but few, so in order to encourage progress, we call him the General Soldier of the Union Guard. How can such a General Soldier of the Union Guard match the title of my uncle, Count Xiangping?"

"Well, haha, it's not that Shen also wants to lead the army, but, alas, to be honest with you, Commander-in-Chief, Shen had a falling out with the imperial court because of the imperial edict of a commander-in-chief. Isn't this right?

The last commander-in-chief who had the imperial seal has now become a problem for Shen."

Shen Zhixiang obviously still has not completely given up the idea of ​​continuing to lead the army.

But Yang Zhen would not agree, at least not now. He wanted to take another look at Shen Zhixiang, so he smiled and said to him:

"A commander-in-chief with an imperial seal? Haha, uncle, you are the uncle of Xiangping who has been conferred by the Holy Spirit! Even if you have ever thought about being a commander-in-chief and fulfilled this wish, there will be many opportunities in the future! Moreover, if you want to If you do, you must also be a general guard general officer, only then can you be worthy of the title of Lord Xiangping!"

When Shen Zhixiang heard what Yang Zhen said, he stared with joy and said, "Well, in the opinion of the governor, do I still have this chance?"

"Of course! When you have merit commensurate with it in the future, or in other words, when you wait for the soldiers and horses of Jinhai Town, and wait for your nephew and son-in-law to make immortal contributions, then the opportunity will come. At the very least, there will be no Far away!"

Shen Zhixiang originally looked expectant, but when he heard Yang Zhen say this, he took a deep breath, calmed down again, smiled and said:

"Well, it's hard to say. It's true that Mr. Shen has the title of Uncle Xiangping now, but he has a few people under his command. They have nothing to do all day long. When will he be able to achieve the level of merit you mentioned? ?

"If I continue to rely on you, the governor, to share the merits with your subordinates, how can Shen be so shameless? That's all, that's all. From now on, under your protection, the governor, I will live in peace and contentment as a rich man who hangs on his armor and doesn't care about worldly affairs. "

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Yang Zhen heard Shen Zhixiang say this and immediately laughed.

"Why is the governor laughing?"

Shen Zhixiang was also very amused. When he saw Yang Zhen laughing, he asked casually.

"My uncle is Uncle Xiangping of the Ming Dynasty. Although the holy will has placed you under the jurisdiction of my nephew-in-law, how can the dignified Uncle Xiangping be a wealthy man who lives in leisure and does not care about worldly affairs? That is. Uncle, you want to do it, but how can a nephew-in-law let a hero like my uncle live in peace and quiet?"

"What do the Governor mean by this?"

"Haha, my nephew-in-law heard that the Tatars originally sent my uncle here, mainly to allow him to prepare a shipyard in Jinzhou Bay, supervise the construction of warships, and build a navy. Isn't my nephew-in-law right about this? "

"That's right. It's true. Huang Taiji did summon me specifically for this matter and asked me to lead my troops to Jinzhou City. They said it was to move the defense, but in fact it was to build warships and rebuild the navy. "

Having said this, Shen Zhixiang looked at Yang Zhen, smiled, and then said: "Speaking of which, this matter is also related to you, the governor. When you led your troops to take the sea route and attacked the rear of Liaonan, you really scared Huang Taiji. .

"Haha, I later heard that the Commander-in-Chief had kidnapped the only remaining Liaohe naval force in Tianzhuang Terrace. When Huang Taiji learned about this, he was really furious.

"After that, Huang Taiji asked his Ministry of Industry to collect and select a group of shipwrights and carpenters from the Han and Korean soldiers under the Eight Banners, and assigned them to me. He asked me to build a large number of ships and form an army as soon as possible."

After Shen Zhixiang said these words with a smile, he looked at Yang Zhen, laughed, and said: "Then Huang Taiji originally wanted to build ships to deal with you, the governor, and to deal with the pirates on both sides of the Liaohai Sea who have joined you, the governor.

"Of course, in the past, they were said to be pirates, but in fact they were all brothers of Dongjiang. But the result was unexpected. In the end, it was self-defeating. Everything belongs to you, the governor. It is really God's will!"

While talking about these things, Shen Zhixiang shook his head and smiled bitterly.

In his view, there was indeed an element of providence in it.

With Huang Taiji's strong support, if he is given another three to five months, Jinzhou Shipyard's warships will be able to build more than a hundred warships. By then, when his men and horses are on board, they will be dragons on the sea.

At that time, whether he continues to work for the Manchus to exterminate pirates, sell himself at a good price and return to the Ming Dynasty, or return to Dongjiang and establish himself as king, all the decision-making power will return to his own hands.

However, what once made him extremely regretful was that he did not have those three to five months.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

After hearing what Shen Zhixiang said, Yang Zhen laughed again. After a while, he stopped, and then said to Shen Zhixiang:

"Yes, in this world, there is indeed God's will. It is precisely because of this that you and my nephew can stand side by side."

At this point, Yang Zhen said calmly: "Uncle, uncle, what my nephew-in-law said just now about making immortal contributions is exactly what he was talking about! It should be noted that today's world is no longer the world of horseback warriors in the past.

.

"If we in Jinhai Town can have an invincible navy across the ocean, this ocean will be our ocean, and this world will eventually be our world! When the time comes, it will not be a problem to have a mere general officer guarding a certain place.

?!"

Yang Zhen's performance made Shen Zhixiang a little stunned for a moment, and he didn't know how to respond.

After a while, he asked tentatively: "Captain, what do you mean by this? With an invincible navy, this world will be ours?"

"Hehehe, what does nephew-in-law mean? Uncle, you might as well think about it carefully after you go back."

Regarding Shen Zhixiang's question, Yang Zhen did not answer him directly, but continued what he had said before: "Uncle, you are familiar with shipbuilding matters, and the Jinzhou Shipyard was built by you. Therefore, I would like to invite you to Jinzhou.

Take charge of the entire warship repair in Jinhai Town. If our navy in Jinhai Town can sail across the four seas in the future, it will be all thanks to you, uncle!"

"this--"

"Haha, uncle, you have also seen that today my nephew-in-law appointed Zhang Degui as the general guard of the South Road. After Lao Zhang followed me into Songshan, he did not fight a single battle, but why did he gain the respect of my nephew-in-law and get the honor of

People from all walks of life recognize him because he carefully manages our army's ammunition, food and fodder. It is a huge credit to him to take care of this clearly!"

"Okay, Governor, Shen understands what you said. In this case, how could Shen not appreciate the promotion and not obey the Governor's arrangements? However, if Shen is to be the one to preside over this moment, what else should the Governor give Shen?

A good name is good."

Shen Zhixiang understood Yang Zhen's determination, but he also hoped that Yang Zhen would call him a famous teacher.

Yang Zhen had already thought about this, and immediately said with a smile: "That's exactly what it should be, that's exactly what it should be. My nephew-in-law is planning to set up a separate ship management office under the Jinhai General Town, which will be fully responsible for the entire Jinhai Town.

Repair and construction of warships and transport ships, including but not limited to Jinzhou Shipyard.
Chapter completed!