Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 582 Goal

The lobby of Qingluan Guard was brightly lit but filled with a solemn atmosphere. After entering Qingluan Guard, Chen Yonghua realized belatedly why Meng Bian brought him into Qingluan Guard.

So Chen Yonghua opened his mouth and asked in a low voice: "Master Meng, what is the important matter now?"

Meng Bian smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Mr. Chen, why worry? Just drink some water. There's no rush."

Seeing that Chen Yonghua was still a little uneasy, Meng Bian said, "Mr. Chen is the counselor of the Prince of Nan'an. Why did you come to Beijing quietly this time?"

Chen Yonghua hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "I came to Beijing to open a shop to sell rare items from overseas."

Meng Bian nodded, said "oh" meaningfully, then took out two pieces of paper from his arms and handed them to Chen Yonghua.

Chen Yonghua was a little confused, but he still took it and took a look. After reading it, he was shocked and stood up. It turned out that what was written on the paper was all his every move since he came to Beijing, even his conversations with those vendors were recorded clearly.

After reading it, Chen Yonghua narrowed his eyes and asked directly: "Master Meng, what does this mean?"

Meng Bian motioned Chen Yonghua to sit down and said slowly: "Oh, Mr. Chen, don't worry, I just want you to see, don't lie in Qingluan Guard."

"I just asked some questions. This shouldn't violate the law, right?"

"It's not against the law, it's not against the law." After Meng Bian finished speaking, he didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Mr. Chen, I know the purpose of your visit. You just want to know what the Western Barbarians talked about with His Majesty when they came to the capital, what the Western Barbarians wanted, and whether the deal was finally reached. Mr. Chen, do you think I'm right?"

Chen Yonghua saw that things had come to this point, so he sat down and replied in a steady tone: "It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, Lord Meng, please speak directly!"

Meng Bian was not in a hurry to hear this. Instead, he showed a bright smile on his face and said, "I just want to tell Mr. Chen that if you want to know these things, just ask me directly. Don't rack your brains to find out everywhere."

Chen Yonghua smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Meng is joking with me."

Meng Bian then put away his smile and said solemnly: "Mr. Chen, I tell you the truth, the Western barbarians came to the capital in the hope that the court would control the Prince of Nan'an. For this, the Western barbarians are willing to pay a large amount of money."

Chen Yonghua looked as if he knew it was true, and said immediately, "The Western barbarians are completely disloyal. They slaughtered Han people in Luzon in the past. The prince was furious and raised an army, and even the emperor sent his navy to help. I'm sure the court will not be deceived by the Western barbarians."

Meng Bian nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Chen can go back and let the Prince of Nan'an rest assured. How could the court believe the words of the barbarians?"

After hearing this, Chen Yonghua still didn't understand Meng Bian's real intention to find him, so he asked directly: "Lord Meng is in a high position and is very busy. I don't think he would tell me this specifically, right?"

Meng Bian looked at Chen Yonghua and said slowly: "Of course not. I hope you can go back and ask the Prince of Nan'an to send troops to capture Batavia and control Malacca (the old name of the Strait of Malacca)"

Chen Yonghua was stunned. The Zheng family was actually unable to build Dayuan and Luzon. Neither Chen Yonghua nor Zheng Chenggong were in the mood to compete with the Dutch for Batavia.

Because among all the places in Southeast Asia at that time, the Dutch were the strongest here. Although the Zheng family was close to the land and had advantages in terms of manpower, ships and supplies, once a fight broke out, the outcome was unpredictable. Even if they won, it seemed that the Zheng family would not get much benefit.

Thinking of this, Chen Yonghua laughed dryly and said, "This... I'm afraid it's not appropriate. Although these Western barbarians are barbaric and ignorant, they have just paid tribute to the court. If the prince attacks them, it will give people a reason to criticize them. If the censors report the prince again, it will be a troublesome matter after all."

Meng Bian shook his head and said, "Don't worry, some discussions in the court will not affect the prince."

Chen Yonghua was puzzled. He didn't understand why the emperor wanted to attack Batavia and control Malacca. Who was Meng Bian, the Blue Luan Guard? This was obviously not his original intention. The emperor must have been behind it. So, Chen Yonghua asked, "Why did the emperor want to attack Batavia?"

Meng Bian smiled meaningfully and said, "I don't know about this either, and Mr. Chen doesn't need to know. As long as Mr. Chen goes back and asks the prince to submit a petition and find some evidence of the Xiyi's crimes, the court will agree to the prince's request."

Chen Yonghua evaded the question a little, saying, "The Western Barbarians are far away in Batavia, not to mention from Fujian, they are also very far away from Luzon. If we send troops rashly, we may not be able to win."

"The Zheng family has a strong navy and is very experienced in sea navigation. However, the sea is rough and cannot be compared with the river. Who else can handle this matter except the prince?"

When Chen Yonghua heard this, he was about to refute, but was interrupted by Meng Bian, who continued, "If the prince agrees, Zheng Zhilong will be promoted and return to Beijing soon."

In fact, Meng Bian thought that even if he did not rely on the Zheng family's navy, he could rely on the national strength of the court, build a large number of ships, and then use the elite troops of the founding of the country to fight against the Western barbarians. It would be a piece of cake. However, this idea was rejected by Meng Jun.

Meng Jun’s idea is different from Meng Bian’s. Fighting at sea and fighting on land are two completely different things. Ships are one aspect, but more importantly, fighting at sea requires experienced sailors and generals.

Moreover, if the imperial court took action personally, there would be no room for turning back. Once it failed, it would definitely cause an uproar in the imperial court, and this might make future generations fear the sea. If the Zheng family dispatched the main force and the imperial court served as an auxiliary, on the one hand there would not be such a great risk, and on the other hand they could take the opportunity to learn experience in naval warfare.

When Chen Yonghua heard Meng Bian say this, he instantly understood the importance of the matter. He thought darkly that if he disagreed, the court might confer a title on Zheng Zhilong and secretly support Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Chenggong in their fight for control of the Zheng family.

But Chen Yonghua also could not agree with the Zheng family sending troops to fight to the death, and in the end the imperial court reaped the benefits.

So Chen Yonghua pondered for a moment and asked, "If the prince spent his family wealth and mobilized his clan army to capture Batavia, what would the court do?

Meng Bian said without hesitation: "Batavia can be ruled by the prince, but the court needs to station troops in Malacca, especially the strait, which the court must control."

Chen Yonghua nodded and said, "This matter is not something I can decide on my own. The prince needs to make the decision himself."

"That's natural"

After that, the two of them discussed some details in a low voice, and then Chen Yonghua said goodbye and left. He needed to rush back to Fujian immediately to discuss this sudden event with Zheng Chenggong. At the same time, an undercurrent surrounding Batavia was quietly surging.