After seeing off Li Dingguo's envoy, the next day, news came from Chaozhou that Zheng Xiyuan was about to give birth this month.

Pregnancy lasts ten months and gives birth once. A woman giving birth to a baby is not only the birth of life, but also takes a great risk. It is like a trip to the palace of Yama. Therefore, in ancient times, birthdays were also celebrated by the father worrying about the mother.

Talk about difficult days.

Chen Kai knew the due date, but he was busy with official duties. In August, it was the beginning of the army sweeping across Fujian. Years of preparations were about to break out at this moment, so he couldn't help but leave Chaozhou for the time being. After a month, the army swept across Fujian, and it was almost

The Qing army was squeezed into some corners in the north and west, and there were still some hard bones to gnaw on, but the overall situation was basically settled.

Big things are about to happen in Fujian, but Chen Kai still wants to rush to Guangzhou as soon as possible. His mind is full of this year's big outbreak, and his hands are busy with these things, so when the report from Chaozhou arrives,

Chen Kai suddenly remembered it, and he couldn't help but feel guilty, filling his whole heart for a while.

"Tell Madam, you will have a good life, and I will go back when things get done here."

"Replying to the master, my wife said that she wants the master to focus on military and national affairs and not to be distracted."

"Well, tell Madam, I'm at the rear, well fed and warmly clothed, so don't worry. Major events in Fujian will be decided, and all that's left is time."

The servant who reported the news returned, but Chen Kai had difficulty concentrating for a while. According to his earlier agreement with Zheng Chenggong in Jianning Mansion, both central and southern Fujian were already under the control of the Ming army. The only thing missing now is western Fujian.

and the three prefectures in northern Fujian. Jianning Prefecture, which Zheng Chenggong mainly attacked, did not need Chen Kaixiang's help. As long as Huang Ting's troops arrived, Zheng Chenggong had 20,000 troops in his hands, and he could try to fight the Qing army decisively; while Shaowu Prefecture

Over there, we also need to wait for Wang Xiuqi's troops to arrive. As long as the force is suppressed, Gan Hui and Wang Xiuqi are both veteran generals, and there will be no tricks left for the defenders to play.

As long as the Shaowu incident is completed and Gan Hui goes south to cooperate with Huangshan, the defenders of Tingzhou Prefecture will not have to worry. At that time, Chen Kai can set off to complete the last major event of the year.

September passed day by day, and the battle reports on the battlefields on all fronts were constantly being compiled. First, Huang Ting rushed to Jianning Mansion with his troops and horses, then Lin Xishan arrived at Louchuan Town, Renwu Town and Yiwu

Zhen followed closely and rushed over.

At the same time, Wang Xiuqi's troops relied on the water transport of the Min River to gallop towards Shaowu Mansion. The army quickly merged with Gan Hui. Once the two units joined forces, they immediately defeated the Qing army in the Nakou area, Shaowu Mansion's Green Camp and Shi Fu's right wing.

Lu Zhenbiao had to retreat from Fucheng and fight against the trapped beasts with Fujian Tibiao and Zuolu Zhenbiao who had fled here.

The Qing army still had a lot of troops in Shaowu Prefecture, but according to Gan Hui's report, most of the Green Camps where Yang Minggao and others fled from Xinghua and other prefectures brought their families with them, and they carried a large amount of gold, silver and jewelry, even for ordinary soldiers.

It took them several years or even more than ten years to save military pay. These troops were fattened by Chen Kai. The officers and soldiers were probably thinking about protecting their family property. When they defeated the Qing army in Rukou, they took the right road sign.

Hands, their performance is even far inferior to the ordinary green battalion soldiers of Shaowu Mansion.

This is obviously not Shi Fu's level. However, if the soldiers have no ambition to fight, it will be useless no matter how strong their abilities are. What's more, Shi Fu has always been a naval general, and he is not very good at land warfare.

There is no news about Shaowu's progress. On the ninth day of September, the Double Ninth Festival, on this day when there is one less person planting dogwood everywhere, Generals Guo Tai and Yu Kuan, the generals of the Sanheba Assistant Guards, led their two thousand troops to attack Dapu.

In Yongding County, Tingzhou Prefecture in the northern part of the county, the two hundred Green Camp soldiers who were still living in Yongding County returned to their hometown despite the Fujian Green Camp fleeing north and west, which reflected the humanistic care of feudal society.

The Tingjiang waterway was opened. On September 15th, the grain and grass going north from Sanheba replaced the land transportation in Zhangzhou. The Ming army in Huangshan Division quickly launched operations after having more grain and grass supplies, and quickly recovered Wuping west of Shanghang County.

County, Wuping Qianhu Station and the Junmen Ridge Pass at the junction of Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. Moreover, the front was pushed north past the Huanggong Ridge line, further reducing the living space of the Qing army in Tingzhou Prefecture.

Good news came frequently here, and good news soon came from Shaowu. After the two Ming armies, Gan Hui and Wang Xiuqi, approached Shaowu City, they quickly launched an offensive and quickly broke through the defenses of Shaowu City.

After the army entered the city, Gan Hui's men dug out a draft of a report written by Yang Minggao to Liu Qingtai on behalf of Yang Minggao in the area where Fujian Tibi was stationed earlier. The general content stated that the Qing army fought many fierce battles with the Ming army in Shaowu.

The victory was more than the defeat, but the Ming army was strong. Tibiao and other troops had been fighting and fleeing from Xinghua Prefecture. Now the soldiers were exhausted and could no longer fight, so they had to retreat to the borders of Jiangxi for the time being. I asked Liu Qingtai to write a letter to the governor of Jiangnan and Jiangxi.

The Yamen and the Jiangxi Governor's Yamen asked the Jiangxi government to raise food and grass for them.

In Shaowu Prefecture, the checkpoints between Fujian and Jiangxi provinces include Yunji Pass, Shantou Pass, Tieniuguan, Shanguan, Huangtuguan and Ganjia Pass. This Qing army retreated in an orderly and planned manner.

They did not abandon these passes, so that they could defend themselves by holding counterattack routes when facing the Qing government. However, as Shaowu Fucheng was recovered by the Ming army, Gan Hui's troops moved south as planned, and Wang Xiuqi did not rush to attack these dangerous passes.

Instead, we divided our troops to collect the Guangzhi, Taining, Jianning and other counties of the prefecture, and prepared to pull out these nails one by one after we established a firm foothold.

Shaowu's affairs were settled, and Chen Kai set off again to Jianning Mansion. After meeting with Zheng Chenggong, he hurried back to Quanzhou. Then he ordered Zhongjing Bolin Xishan to be in charge of local affairs in Funing Prefecture, and Zhangquan Road Ye Yi

Yun was stationed in Yanping Prefecture to support the battlefields on all fronts, Jianping Marquis Zheng Tai was in charge of the Zhongzuo Office and Zhangquan Prefecture, and Zhongzhen Bo Hongxu was in charge of stationing in Fuzhou Prefecture to support various departments and a series of personnel orders.

In fact, these people are already working in various places. This is nothing more than delegating their autonomy and no longer allowing them to continue to be fully responsible for the affairs of each place.

After giving the order, Chen Kai set off back to Chaozhou. The ship quickly sent him back there. Back at home, Zheng Xiyuan was still nursing the baby, but the birth was imminent, so it would only take a few days. However, Zheng Xiyuan still had some health problems.

I wonder why Chen Kai came back in a hurry, lest she delay Chen Kai's military affairs.

"I naturally hope that my husband can be by my side every day, but the state of affairs is like this, and my husband's talents are looked up to by the world. Too many people are looking at my husband to win over me, whether it is me or the child in my belly.

, you can’t be too selfish.”

The more he spoke, Zheng Xiyuan's voice became smaller and smaller, as if he had spent a lot of energy to speak out the words and was almost exhausted by now.

Chen Kai sighed, his heart filled with guilt again. He stretched out his arms, hugged Zheng Xiyuan, and gently stroked her hair, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

His return this time is indeed not for Zheng Xiyuan's production. Preparations have already begun in Chaozhou. The army is gathering, food and grass transportation, ship dispatching, weapons preparation, many things are busy day and night, in order to be able to get there as quickly as possible

He prepared everything and rushed to Xinhui before the Qing reinforcements arrived.

Because there, a tragic tragedy is about to take place!

Everything is already being mobilized and should be completed within about ten days. During this period, Chen Kai still has one important thing to do. He will go back to his hometown and set off again the next day. This time, he will go north to Sanheba.

, in the small village where they met last time, Hao Shangjiu had been waiting for a long time.

"Hao Shuai has already thought it through."

Sitting there, Chen Kai smiled and looked at Hao Shangjiu - in fact, when Hao Shangjiu heard that Li Dingguo had started sending troops, he had already begun to be quite touched by what Chen Kai had told him last time.

, opening trade restrictions is a statement. Now, although Li Dingguo is advancing slowly, he is advancing step by step, has entered the Guangzhou area, and besieged Xinhui, the southern gateway of Guangzhou. According to Chen Kai's estimation, Hao Shangjiu has not been there these days.

He tried to sleep well, but until the letter he sent a few days ago arrived, Hao Shangjiu's sleeping problem probably became more serious.

Without a pair of panda eyes, Chen Kai glanced at Hao Shangjiu. However, since Chen Kai entered the room, Hao Shangjiu had always maintained a calm expression. If others were okay, Chen Kai was not less friendly at the beginning.

The look on the face of a customer-dealer seems to be one of self-imposed self-reliance and helplessness from the bottom of his heart.

"Why."

A sigh, helplessness that could no longer be wrapped up, poured out along the opening of the tear.

Last time, here, Chen Kai admitted that he sent people to Guangzhou to spread rumors. At that time, Chen Kai clearly pointed out the chaos in Guangdong this year. Thinking about it now, Li Dingguo should have already sent people to talk to Chen Kai at that time.

Kai or Zheng Chenggong mentioned the reason for joining forces.

Guangdong was in chaos as expected, and Li Dingguo's devastating march in western Guangdong really shocked Hao Shangjiu, making his mind more vivid. At the same time, he was not very clear about the activities of Chen Kai and Zheng Chenggong in Fujian. It was only in August.

, it can be seen that the Qing government's rule in Fujian was like a crumbling shabby house that was kicked down by the Ming army. The news obtained showed that the Ming army almost recovered the entire Fujian Province in just one month.

land.

Such momentum was even more frightening than Li Dingguo's performance in Guangdong. During this period, Hao Shangjiu had not had a good night's sleep, and his mind was full of how to weigh things. Just like that, until Chen

Kai's letter arrived, and after reading it, he had no choice but to come as promised, and even arrived early, lest he find any fault with the cunning and wise guy in front of him.

"The general has been forced by Chen Fujun to the point where he can hardly survive with the Tatars. What else can he do?"

Hao Shangjiu had nothing to do about this - he was Li Chengdong's old subordinate, and he followed Li Chengdong to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Anyway, he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty again when the Qing army in Guangdong was strong. This plan was capricious, and if it weren't for this

After he captured Chengxiang County, the Qing government had already planned to replace him with the Navy as a deputy general. But later, Chen Kai established a foothold in Chaozhou, and he hooked up with Chen Kai again. Shang Kexi was

He was already worried about many things happening around him. Even if he did not betray the Qing court during the Guangdong chaos, the Qing court would probably do the same thing to him afterwards.

To put it bluntly, during this meeting, Hao Shangjiu just wanted to get a condition that was consistent with his thoughts. As for whether he should do it anyway, it is actually a matter that needs no further explanation.

"Then make a condition."

I won’t talk about other places, just Fujian and Guangdong provinces. Now the general trend is with me. Chen Kai just sat there, looking at Hao Shangjiu with a smile on his face, and laid out the transaction in a simple and clear way.

Chen Kai was so straightforward that it really stunned Hao Shang for a long time. But when he thought about it, although the man in front of him was a civil servant, he was completely different from ordinary civil servants. He acted more like a cunning businessman than a cunning businessman.

It was those Confucian scholars who were walking around, but he seemed a little less like himself at the moment.

Looking at Chen Kai, Hao Shangjiu's eyes kept hitting Chen Kai, but in fact this was just to cover up his inner entanglement and impetuosity.

The conditions had been thought of long ago, but when it came time to put it forward, Hao Shangjiu still hesitated for a while before saying it. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he was a gambler, putting the last word

All the belongings were placed on the gambling table.

"To restore the title of Marquis Xintai, I want a palace's territory and establishment to support the army. In addition, I have the final say in matters in the jurisdiction. I will appoint officials, generals and schools, and taxes will not be paid. We can discuss the issue of sending troops for war.

However, I am solely responsible for whether to send troops or not, and for the command of my troops on the battlefield, and others have no right to interfere."

Hao Shangjiu's condition is nothing more than to be a local emperor. After hearing these words, Chen Kai raised his eyebrows, but shook his head and replied without any doubt: "Xintaihou can, this official can apply to the imperial court

, the imperial court has no reason not to agree. As for the other dispatches of Huizhou General Soldiers, I will give you a Huizhou Town and a Huizhou City Guards Association, with a strength of 5,000 troops. However, Huizhou Prefecture cannot give them all to you.

You will be assigned to the six counties of Shan, Boluo, Changning, Heyuan, Heping, and Longchuan to assign generals and soldiers. I will hand over your current three counties to Uncle Zhongkuang. You have caused trouble for others for several years, and you will have to compensate for it.

People are jealous. You must apply to me for appointments as generals and schools. You, a military general, have no right to appoint civilian officials. Taxes must be paid, and every month I will give you the original salary and give it to you. As for recruitment, you must listen to me."

"no!"

As he spoke, Hao Shangjiu stood up subconsciously, put his arms on the table, and leaned forward. In response, Chen Kai just looked at him coldly without saying a word, but later on, Hao Shangjiu was not embarrassed.

He sat back down again without any embarrassment.

"You know that I have an army of 20,000 to 30,000 men gathered in Chaozhou Prefecture, ready to attack at any time; you also know that Fujian is about to be liberated, and Guo's army can also enter Guangdong to fight at any time; you also know,

This is the only way you can go, otherwise next year, the Tatars will most likely attack you first, because they no longer dare to attack my twin bastions."

Chen Kai spoke eloquently, and Hao Shangjiu couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth a few times. He felt cold all over, as if he had no clothes on and was standing naked in front of Chen Kai, letting him look up and down.

This is the general trend, and it is also a dangerous predicament that he will almost inevitably face. Putting himself in his shoes, he can naturally see it clearly. However, Chen Kai can see it equally clearly, even more clearly than him. Once it is put on the table at this moment, his sky is full of

The asking price is bound to shrink a bit.

"Okay, I can give you the power of appointment as a civil servant, but..."

"There is no but, Hao Shangjiu, you hear clearly, I am not bargaining with you. Now, you have only one way out, and that is to listen to me properly. Naturally, I will not begrudge the benefits I can give you. If not

Be obedient, even if I don’t send troops to attack you now, you won’t have to visit me again next year, it’s that simple!”

Chen Kai's attitude was very tough, and he even pinched Hao Shangjiu's weakness. At this time, Chen Kai no longer paid attention to Hao Shangjiu's movements, but only focused on his micro-expressions. Those who saw it,

Sometimes it was a wolf that pounced ferociously at a pitiful rabbit not far away, and sometimes it was a rabbit that was running away in a hurry to avoid being pursued by the wolf. Brutality and cowardice repeatedly appeared in Hao Shangjiu's expression.

, it was not until a long time later that he seemed to have too much inner drama and was tired of acting, and he returned to the helpless look he had just now.

"What benefit can you give me?"

Hearing this, Chen Kai showed a smile, and then solemnly spoke to Hao Shangjiu: "Your jurisdiction is in Huizhou Prefecture, along the coast. Your goods can be shipped by Guangdong Trading Co., so you can avoid the

Pay. Moreover, flying the flag of the Zheng family will make you safer at sea. At least along the coast and in Southeast Asia, there are not many people who dare to stroke the beard of a tiger."

"However, you must remember that from today on, you are my Chen Kai, just like your old master's adopted son Li Jianjie." At this point, Chen Kai sneered and then continued.

: "To be honest, I like subordinates like Li Jianjie very much, because he is an upright and loyal man. As for you, I also hope to see something worthy of appreciation from you. Even, without saying whether I appreciate it or not, as long as

If you are willing to obey, I, Chen Kai, will naturally not be stingy."

………………

The negotiation ended quickly. When Chen Kai returned to Chaozhou by boat and transferred to Sanheba, he secretly discussed it with Zhang Jin. The latter was not at all interested in him using the unrecovered areas of Huizhou as bargaining chips.

It feels incredible. As for the reason, they understand each other tacitly.

Chen Kai has seen the scenery on both sides of the Han River countless times over the years as the boat sails on the Han River, but his mood is different every time, and there are inevitably big or small differences in his feelings.

Soon, Chen Kai and his party returned to Chaozhou Fucheng. Who knew that after getting off the boat, there were already servants waiting at the pier. When they saw Chen Kai, the first thing they did was to prostrate themselves to the ground and congratulate Cheng Kai: "Congratulations.
Chapter completed!