Although he had just arrived in Dongfan, he relied on the massive wealth in his hands and the ease of relations after negotiations with Zheng Zhilong, so he could purchase materials from Fujian nearby, and there was no shortage of various materials on Dongfan Island.

really has his own territory, has his own army and people, everything can be decided by himself, and he no longer has to be splinted by the imperial court, which makes Chen Yue feel very happy.

The desolate Dongfan Island is like a blank canvas that you can draw by yourself, and the vast South China Sea is like a boundless grassland, allowing you to ride your own horses, and the vast wealth of the Nanyang Islands is waiting to be explored.

Crossing the boundless ocean, riding the wind and waves, defeating distant enemies, seizing massive wealth, and letting the ocean gallop by itself, this is a happy life!

However, Chen Yue's pleasure did not last long, and on the eighth day of the first lunar month, a clipper boat came from Zhoushan and brought news from the imperial court.

Shunxi coalition army merge, out of Sichuan to attack Jingzhou, Huguang 200,000 troops defeated, Huguang governor He Tengjiao martyred, the current thief army is in Huguang to attack the city and plunder the land, the Ming Dynasty has almost no available generals! Chen Yue, who was shocked by this news, was dumbfounded, and everyone in the Qi State Mansion was also shocked!

"The imperial court has just failed in the Northern Expedition and lost more than 100,000 troops, and now the 200,000 troops in Huguang have been defeated, this is really a leak and rain overnight!" Shan Minglei, the right chief of the Qi State Mansion and the pacification envoy, said, but there was no lack of schadenfreude in his words.

"With the current situation of the imperial court, I am afraid that I will not be able to suppress these hundreds of thousands of thieves in a short period of time, and the Huguang area is the heart of the Ming Dynasty, and it is an important granary.

Although my Qi State Mansion occupies the east, but if you want to develop and grow, you can't do without the support of the Ming Dynasty, if there is chaos in the Ming Dynasty, it will be very unfavorable to my Dongfan. And Qi Guogong, you were originally a courtier of the Ming Dynasty, and your ancestors were favored by the Ming Dynasty, and when the Ming Dynasty was in a deep crisis, they had to send troops to share the worries of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Qian Fenglin, the Zuo Changshi of the Duke of Qi and the prefect of Dongning, sighed.

"But we just occupied Dongfan Island, where can Guogong leave him?" Inspector He Ludao. At present, all the start-ups in Dongfan Island, Chen Yue is the absolute core of the Dinghai Divine Needle, how can he leave? Will the Dutch attack the Ming Dynasty, the Zheng family is eyeing the other side of the strait, and Dongfan Island has not really gained a foothold!

"There's nothing that can't be left," Chen Yue pondered for a long time, and finally spoke, "Although Dongfan Island is new, all systems are complete, Qian Changshi is a talent of thousands of miles, and with your assistance, it is really useless to govern the small Dongfan."

Although the Dutch have a lot of strength in Java and Malacca, after all, their homeland is in Europa, thousands of miles away, and they only have thousands of troops and dozens of warships in Java.

As for the Zheng family in Fujian, as long as I obey the imperial court's summons to take charge of the army, he will not dare to provoke Dongfan with Zheng Zhilong's ten dares! ”

Listening to Chen Yue's words, everyone also reacted, yes, Chen Yue's return to the imperial court this time will inevitably be reused, maybe he will master the entire Ming army, at this time, Zheng Zhilong is too late to tie Chen Yue, how dare he take the initiative to provoke?

And without the threat from other places, Dongfan Island can naturally develop healthily, and there is not much difference between Chen Yue's presence and absence.

People who have been with Chen Yue for a long time know that although Chen Yue, the Duke of Qi, has the heart of self-reliance, he is still concerned about the Ming Dynasty in his heart, and he can't let go of Chongzhen's father and daughter in Nanjing, so he no longer persuades.

As for Gu Junen, who joined the army in the Duke of Qi and was the same governor of Dongning Mansion, he wanted to speak and stopped, but because he was born in the Shun Army, he still didn't speak in the end.

And Li Yanzhi, the magistrate of the county, has not long defected to the Duke of Qi, and he does not have much say at this time, so he is reluctant to say more.

Now that it has been determined that the imperial court should be recalled, the affairs of Dongfan naturally have to be properly arranged.

Chen Yue decided that Qian Fenglin, the prefect of Dongning, was in charge of the civil affairs of Dongfan Island, in charge of immigration and governance, and that there would be Shandong immigrants gradually arriving in the spring, and the resettlement of immigrants was very complicated.

With Yang Zhengping as the head of the Soldiers and Horses Division of the Duke of Qi, he managed all the armies of Dongfan Island, and was in charge of recruitment, training, and defense matters; With Pan Xuezhong as the director of the Ordnance Department and the leader of the Dongning Mansion, he was in charge of the production of weapons, armor, vehicles and ships; With Ren Yu as the envoy of the Duke of Qi and the head of Dongning Mansion, he managed the finances of the entire Dongfan Island; He Lu is the supervisory envoy of the Qi State Government and the magistrate of Dongning Mansion, monitoring the entire Dongning Island and managing the judiciary.

There were more than 8,000 troops in Dongning Prefecture, and Chen Yue decided to bring only 3,000, including 2,000 veterans and 1,000 recruits, and the other troops stayed on Dongfan Island, and Yang Zhengping was responsible for leading the training, but it was unanimously opposed by everyone.

"There are hundreds of thousands of thieves in the army, what can you do with only 3,000 people? It is better to take all the troops out and leave only one or two thousand people on the island, and now it is the agricultural season, we can conscript the people of the island to serve, and it only takes a month or two to recruit a few thousand troops. Yang Zhengping persuaded.

Chen Yue shook his head: "There is not much difference between bringing three thousand people and five thousand people. I was called to lead the army, not to fight the thieves shirtless. It's not easy for us to accumulate some strength, so it's better to stay on the island.

Service is the rule of our Dongfan Island, all the people have to serve at least one month in the agricultural season, but now Dongfan is a start-up, can not overuse the people's power, everything to the stable development of Dongfan Island.

Three thousand, enough to keep me safe! ”

Seeing Chen Yue's insistence, after repeated persuasion, everyone could only reluctantly agree.

When the discussion was over and everyone retreated, Chen Yue left Gu Junen alone.

"Mr. Gu seems to have something to say just now?" Chen Yue asked with a smile.

Gu Junen opened his mouth to speak, and finally sighed, "My subordinates don't have anything to say." ”

"I know that Mr. Gu was born in the Shun Army and has a deep affection for Dashun, so I didn't take you with me on this expedition, please forgive me." Chen Yue said. People have feelings, Gu Junen poured a lot of emotion into the Shun army back then, and the reason why Chen Yue didn't take him was also a little uneasy.

"Guogong, you did the right thing, your subordinates were born in the Shun army, and they should have avoided suspicion." Gu Junen sighed.

Chen Yue looked at Gu Junen for a long time, and could only let him go.

"Grandpa Guo, my subordinates thought that you should take Gu Junen with you this time." Everyone retreated, but Liu Neng quietly walked into the room and suggested to Chen Yue.

"Huh?" Chen Yue looked at Liu Neng calmly.

"My subordinates have also paid attention to Gu Junen these days, and they are interested in talking to him and making friends, and they think they can understand his thoughts, so they have the courage to make suggestions to you." Liu Neng said solemnly.

"Oh? Tell me what Gu Junen thinks in his heart? Chen Yue asked with interest.

"Gu Junen is a person with great strategy and extraordinary ability, but he is quite arrogant and outstanding. Due to several failures in the imperial examination and dissatisfaction with various systems of the Ming Dynasty, Gu Junen thought that the Ming Dynasty was already terminally ill and had to change greatly in order to usher in vitality, but his hopeless career and full of talent could not be displayed, so he pinned his hopes on Li Zicheng, hoping to assist the Ming Lord to change the world and take the opportunity to display his talents.

However, because of his personality, he is not willing to do such a thing as Fengying, so in the Shun military camp, at the same time, his status is far below the incapable Niu Jinxing, and he is not even as good as Song Xiance, who is a fortune teller in Youfang.

From Emperor Shun Li Zicheng to Liu Zongmin and other generals in the Shun army, they did not find Gu Junen's true value, but were willing to listen to Niu Jinxing's flattery and Song Xiance's words.

In fact, Gu Junen was not very ambitious in the Shun army, but because he had already taken this step, he could not turn back, and he had to try his best to plot for Li Zicheng, which was actually a helpless move. However, if you want to say how much affection and concern he has for Shunjun, it is not like this.

Since he was coerced by his subordinates to Zhoushan to Dongfan, Guogong You have been very kind to him, and let him help set up many systems on Dongfan Island, which can be said to be very important. In the past half a year or so, he has also seen the courage of your Guogong and the strength of our Qi Guofu. He once said to his subordinates in private, saying that if you can change the Ming Dynasty and change the world, it must be you the Duke of Qi.

Therefore, his subordinates believe that Gu Junen has returned to his heart, and between the remnants of the Shun army, which is at the end of his rope, and the Qi State Mansion, which is rising in the east, he has already made a choice in his heart.

Gu Junen knows the Shun army very well, and having him to follow him will definitely get twice the result of annihilating the Shun army, so his subordinates think that you should take him with you. ”

......

Although the envoy of the imperial court has not yet arrived, since it has been decided to send troops, it is natural to prepare early, and the entire Pingnan City is suddenly busy. Chen Yue's army and entourage have been determined, but all kinds of materials still have to be prepared, although there are only 3,000 people to go on the expedition, it is still a troublesome matter.

Originally known as the city of Geranza, the city of Pingnan is a castle left by the Dutch and is full of exotic atmosphere.

After the capture of the city of Geranza, all the Dutch were driven out as slaves, and it became the capital of the Qi Kingdom.

The castle has three floors, the first floor is the barracks, where a battalion of soldiers is stationed, the second floor is the office of the various divisions of the Shogunate of the Qi State Mansion, where the directors of each department and a cadre of servants work every day, and the third floor is Chen Yue's residence.

Chen Yue has not yet married Princess Kunxing, and there is only one concubine Wu Wan'er by his side, as well as Kou Baimen, who has just arrived in Dongfan, and there are only more than ten maids and maids and maids.

Hearing that Chen Yue was going to go on another expedition, Wu Wan'er pulled Chen Yue's sleeve and wept silently, and even Kou Baimen, who was standing quietly, was also pale.

"The thieves in the west are raging, the Ming Dynasty is in danger, my father can't sit idly by, he can only obey the call of the imperial court, but it's just that you have to stay alone on Dongfan Island." Chen Yue stroked Wu Wan'er's hair and said guiltily.

"Grandpa, you are a hero who stands up to the sky, and it is Wan'er's blessing to be able to follow you, and it is not bitter at all!" Wu Wan'er raised her head, but there was a smile in her teary eyes, "Grandpa, you are going to do something big, how can Wan'er drag you back, you can go with confidence, everything in this mansion has me." ”

Chen Yue couldn't help but take Wu Wan'er in his arms, and his heart was very moved, since Wu Wan'er followed him, he had always gathered less and left more, and the days of staying together were too few.

"Grandpa, you went out with the troops, and the concubine didn't want to be idle, can you find something to do?" Wu Wan'er suddenly asked.

"What do you want to do?" Chen Yue asked with a smile.

"The concubine, the concubine wants to reopen the Four Seas business." Wu Wan'er looked at Chen Yue eagerly, looking a little apprehensive and full of anticipation.

Chen Yue was speechless for a moment, this Wu Wan'er is addicted to doing business! When he was in Beijing, Chen Yue led the troops to be locked up outside Beijing, and it was Wu Wan'er who single-handedly developed and expanded the honeycomb coal, and when he was in Nanjing, he and Princess Kunxing partnered to form the Sihai Firm of Nuoda, with a monthly profit of tens of thousands of taels of silver. Although she is a daughter, she is a good hand when it comes to business.

Thinking that she didn't know when she would be able to return when she went on the expedition, and it wouldn't be too boring for her to find something she liked to do, Chen Yue nodded slowly.

"Yes, but there is only one point, you must not compete with the people for profit, and you are not allowed to use the power of your own government to bully and dominate the market, everything must be legal and you must pay taxes according to the regulations!"

"Of course, of course. The concubine doesn't dare to do such a thing as competing with the people, this Dongfan Island belongs to our family, and the concubine doesn't dare to bully the market and ruin your name. The concubine is just idle and bored, and if our Qi State Mansion has some of its own industry, there is no need to let the people of Dongfan provide for it, wouldn't it also reduce the pressure on Dongning Mansion? Wu Wan'er said with a smile.

"Okay, good, what you said makes sense, tonight my father will reward you well." Chen Yue stretched out his hand and scratched Wu Wan'er's nose and said with a smile.

"Grandpa, you better let the girl from the White Gate serve you, the concubine has been a little uncomfortable in the past two days." Wu Wan'er showed a hint of shame on her face, but said.

"What's wrong?" Chen Yue hurriedly asked.

Wu Wan'er fell in Chen Yue's ear and muttered a few words quietly, only to hear Chen Yue's great joy, and picked Wu Wan'er up by the waist.

"It's great, it's wonderful!" Chen Yue shouted with joy.

"Miss Baimen has been here for a few days, and she has a deep affection for your grandfather, so let her serve you tonight." After being put down, Wu Wan'er said again.

Chen Yue looked at Kou Baimen with some interest, and saw Kou Baimen, who was dressed in white, his face flushed, like flowers blooming.

......

After sailing on the sea for ten days, the eunuch Zheng Xin and his entourage finally set foot on Dayuan Island and met Chen Yue, the Duke of Qi. To Zheng Xin's delight, after receiving the holy decree, Chen Yue immediately said that he would obey the will of the imperial court and go to Nanjing in a few days. This made Zheng Xin, who originally thought that Chen Yue would shirk in every possible way in the name of filial piety, very emotional, the name of the loyalty and righteousness of the State of Qi is really worthy of its name!

On the thirteenth day of the first month of the nineteenth year of Chongzhen, Chen Yue, the Duke of Qi, received the holy decree of the imperial court and left Dongfan Island. At this moment, the Ming Dynasty has been in trouble, Huguang and even Jiangxi and Henan are full of wars, and the Nanjing court is in despair.