Chapter 243: The idea of ​​keeping the enemy at bay

Until the end of the first month.

All parties in Beijing gradually withdrew from the New Year atmosphere.

The cabinet, headed by Gao Gong and leading the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate, began to vigorously rectify the administration of officials in the country.

As for the fact that Hu Zongxian, the former Governor-General of Zhejiang and Governor of Zhejiang, was first promoted to Minister of War and then retained in the Ministry of War in the capital, in charge of the suppression of Japanese pirates in the five southeastern provinces, there was some discussion inside and outside the court for a while.

only.

After all, Hu Zongxian was in the capital, so even if he was in charge of the troops in the five southeastern provinces to suppress the Japanese pirates, it was not a big deal.

Although the emperor was so gracious, people were somewhat envious.

But if Hu Zongxian was personally in charge of the five southeastern provinces, the situation would probably be different.

By then, I'm afraid the whole court will impeach and oppose him.

A provincial governor who personally commanded the military in five provinces.

Is this going to lead to the same disaster as the Tang Dynasty's vassal states?

Fortunately.

The newly appointed Minister Hu stayed in the capital, so he was constrained by the court and was not considered a serious matter.

The emperor also showed special favor to the newly appointed Minister of War, Hu, and awarded him a house in Xianyifang, Xicheng District.

Xianyifang is just opposite Xiyuan's Xi'anmen Street, and is separated from Xiyuan by Anfufang, so it can be considered a good location.

The house was originally confiscated by an official who committed lawlessness in the past.

Now I have a house and a new job.

Hu Zongxian quickly entered into a new role and identity.

This day.

The sky in the capital was clear, with no clouds in sight, the sky was azure blue and the sun was shining brightly.

Outside the Tonghui River Wharf in the east of the city, there is a pavilion surrounded by weeping willows.

Yan Shaoting and Hu Zongxian, along with several servants, served Qi Jiguang tea instead of wine and sent him and his companions back to Zhejiang.

"General Qi is returning to Zhejiang this time to recall the troops, reorganize military affairs, and then reinforce to quell the Japanese invasion in Nanzhili, Fujian, Guangdong and other places."

"The general has a heavy responsibility, and the battlefield is dangerous. I hope the general will take good care of himself. Minister Hu and I will take care of all matters in the capital, and we will never let the Shanzi Camp of the Qi Family Army be short of any military pay, food, and equipment!"

Yan Shaoting raised the teacup, smiled, and drank it all in one gulp.

Qi Jiguang nodded and said: "Runwu is concerned about me, I will do my best to never let the cabinet ministers, ministers, and Runwu lose face in the capital!"

Perhaps out of habit, Qi Jiguang still liked to call Hu Zongxian "Bu Tang".

But there is nothing wrong with this.

After all, he is the Minister of War.

It is also a department hall.

This end.

Hu Zongxian also said: "Yuan Jing must listen to the teachings of the emperor when he returns to Zhejiang this time. At present, the Qi family army's Shanzi Camp has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. It is a time of strength. We should guard against arrogance and impatience, and advance step by step steadily. Don't be greedy for the results of the battle."

Qi Jiguang bowed and said, "Don't worry, Minister. I will follow your advice. I dare not take risky actions when I see that the soldiers in the camp are strong and powerful, which will bring disaster to the soldiers."

After saying that.

Qi Jiguang drank the tea in the cup.

"The Japanese invasion in the southeast is not going away. We are waiting for the Shanzi Camp to reinforce our troops. I cannot stay here for long. We will leave today and report the victory to the ministers tomorrow to help them!"

Hu Butang was all smiles.

It can be said that his current position is inherited from the Yan family above and the Shanzi Camp under Qi Jiguang's command below.

When Qi Jiguang returned to the southeast, the more successful the battles he fought, the more secure his position became and the greater his contributions became.

Yan Shaoting laughed out loud: "Then I will stay in the capital, waiting for Brother Yuan Jing to report the good news. I will stay in the capital and wait for Brother Yuan Jing to wipe out the Japanese invasion in the southeast and return to the court to command the troops of the world."

Command all the troops in the world!

Qi Jiguang raised his eyebrows.

This is a path to becoming an official or a general that I had never imagined.

Hu Zongxian was also surprised and glanced sideways at Yan Shaoting who said this.

Hu Zongxian had always known that Yan Shaoting attached great importance to Qi Jiguang.

But he didn't expect that Yan Shaoting would value Qi Jiguang so much?

Command all the troops in the world.

What a high position that is.

But all this is a story for later.

At this time, Qi Jiguang bowed deeply, then led Zhu Yu, Li Yun and others out of the pavilion and walked towards the official ship docked at the Tonghui River Pier.

on the other side.

It is also a huge group of people.

The three old masters from the Mansion of Duke Chengguo, the Mansion of Duke Yingguo, and the Mansion of Duke Dingguo, brought their sons and wives to see off Xu Wenbi, Zhang Yuangong, and Zhu Shitai to continue south to Zhejiang to follow Qi Jiguang in quelling the Japanese invasion in the southeast.

Duke Dingguo Xu Yande patted Xu Wenbi on the shoulder.

"Back to Southeast, work hard!"

"Even if I lose my life on the battlefield, I will never lose the reputation of our Dingguo Mansion!"

The old man was talking with great passion.

Xu Wenbi rolled his eyes when he heard this.

The Duke of England Zhang Rong, who was standing nearby, also poked the frivolous Xu Yande with his elbow in dissatisfaction.

"You drank too much today! What depressing words you said!"

After scolding.

Zhang Rong looked at the three boys in front of him.

"All done well!"

"When we are on the battlefield, we must be brave and fight hard. Kill as many Japanese as possible and make contributions to the three of us proud!"

"General Qi's orders must be obeyed. If I hear that any of you three dare to disobey orders..."

"I will personally lead my men to the southeast to break your legs!"

These two old guys are both dishonest!
Duke Chengguo Zhu Xizhong cast a dim gaze at the two of them and snorted.

"Go ahead, don't listen to the shameless words of these two old guys."

"When you return, just follow orders and lead your soldiers well."

"We are all at home in Beijing, waiting for your victory news!"

Xu Wenbi, Zhang Yuangong and Zhu Shitai nodded repeatedly.

Seeing that Qi Jiguang was already leading his men towards the dock at the pavilion.

The three of them looked at each other.

Then, in full view of everyone, he knelt down in armor.

"A son will never disappoint his father."

"This time, we will go to the southeast to pacify the Japanese. We will definitely end the Japanese threat and pacify the southeastern sea area!"

"Before I can serve you, I hope you can stay at home and take care of your health. When I return, I will serve you again."

The three of them had been honing their skills in battle formation for the entire last year.

Today, he has long shed the impetuous arrogance of the rich and powerful sons of the past, and is now fully displaying his bravery.

Xu Yande and the other two old masters all had smiles on their faces and nodded repeatedly.

After Xu Wenbi and the other two finished their conversation, they turned around and left.

As for Xu Yande and the other two, their eyes were dazzled and their faces were filled with reluctance.

Accompanied by a long horn sound.

The official ship docked at the Tonghui River wharf, carrying Qi Jiguang and his soldiers who had received rewards, slowly raised its sails and headed south back to Zhejiang.

Over there, Duke Dingguo and others saw their son off and walked towards the pavilion.

Hu Zongxian looked at the three people, and then glanced sideways at Yan Shaoting.

But Yan Shaoting's eyes were already looking at a carriage beside the official road outside the pavilion.

See Hu Zongxian coming.

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "Please forgive me, Minister. I have a friend who has been waiting for a long time."

Seeing this, Hu Zongxian immediately waved his hand and said, "Now that I am in Beijing, it is convenient to discuss everything. Go and get busy."

Say it.

He also walked towards the three Duke Dingguo who were coming over.

Yan Shaoting took Yan Hu to the official road and walked towards Bai Fugui's carriage.

The Spanish businessman Bai Fugui, dressed in Ming Dynasty clothing, had already walked out and bowed to Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Fugui, I haven't seen you for a long time. It feels like a long time. I wonder how your business is going in my dynasty recently?"

After saying this, Yan Shaoting looked scrutinizingly.

Ever since the imperial court signed a contract with Bai Fugui for a southeastern silk trade of 500,000 rolls per year.

This guy became more and more successful in the Ming Dynasty, and everyone was willing to do business with him.

After all.

At the beginning, Bai Fugui won over that group of foreign businessmen to monopolize the Ming Dynasty's foreign silk trade, and even paid a deposit of three million taels. What he valued was reputation.

Even if the imperial court cuts off the silk business with him now.

Bai Fugui had already made back his investment a long time ago.

Bai Fugui, however, looked like a Ming Dynasty merchant. He bowed his head and said, "If it weren't for Yan Shidu's care, I'm afraid we wouldn't even have enough food to return home."

"Oh?"

Yan Shaoting asked calmly, "Brother Fugui, you are waiting here today, but what difficulties have you encountered in business? After all, Brother Fugui is now a friend of our Ming Dynasty's foreign business, so I will come forward to mediate some problems."

Bai Fugui shook his head repeatedly, indicating that he had not encountered any trouble.

He really had no trouble.

Now, every government office in Beijing is hoping that Bai Fugui, the foreign businessman who is rumored to have countless amounts of money, will come to them.

Seeing Yan Shaoting's puzzled expression.

Bai Fugui said, "In fact, with Yan Shidu taking care of us in the capital, our business is very stable. But this year, the silk in the southeast of Ming Dynasty will be woven, and we will have to ship it back to the European countries at that time, but..."

"Just what?"

Yan Shaoting asked casually.

Bai Fugui said, "But the tutor also knows that the southeastern coast of your Ming Dynasty is constantly plagued by Japanese pirates. Although I heard that the Governor of Zhejiang, Hu Zongxian, has recently been promoted to the Minister of War and is in charge of the southeastern war, the sea is already turbulent, and with the rampant Japanese pirates, we are worried..."

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "Are you worried that your ships loaded with cargo will be robbed by Japanese pirates?"

Bai Fugui shook his head and said, "No, no, no, ordinary pirates. Our merchant ships are also equipped with cannons, so we are not afraid of them. But maybe you don't know that there are also many people doing overseas business in the southeast coast of Ming Dynasty..."

Seeing Bai Fugui say this.

Yan Shaoting finally understood.

These people were not afraid of pirates on the sea, but they were afraid of the maritime merchants on the southeast coast who were also violating the imperial court and doing overseas business.

Those maritime merchants in the southeast?

Yan Shaoting's eyes gradually narrowed.

The blueprints of the treasure ships during the reigns of Taizu, Taizong and even Xuanzong were destroyed. It seemed that a group of sea merchants in the southeast had secretly colluded to seal and burn them.

The cotton cloth business in Songjiang Prefecture also seems to have been sold overseas and has made a lot of money...

Yan Shaoting immediately reached out and put his arms around Bai Fugui's neck.

He smiled and whispered, "Brother Fugui, I wonder if you have the courage to do a bigger business!"

Bai Fugui's heart skipped a beat.

Although the young man in front of him did not hold a very high official position in the Ming Dynasty, he was deeply loved by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

A bigger deal?
Bai Fugui immediately smiled and said, "Please give me your instructions. I will obey you without any hesitation."

Yan Shaoting raised his eyebrows: "Really?"

"Absolutely true!"

Bai Fugui patted his chest, making a thumping sound.

Yan Shaoting turned his eyes and said, "Brother Fugui actually does not only trade with foreign merchants from our dynasty, but also with merchants from your European countries, right?"

Bai Fugui nodded: "We all believe in the credibility of the tutor."

Yan Shaoting hummed: "If that's the case, since you trust me, I naturally can't let you be threatened by those greedy profiteers of our dynasty!"

Bai Fugui's eyes have become longer.

Could this young official of the Ming Dynasty get the emperor to issue an edict prohibiting those maritime merchants from dealing with them?

Yan Shaoting said quietly at this time: "I will issue an order that all merchant ships that are trading with foreign companies of our dynasty shall fly flags. Brother Fugui, you can recruit some people from the European countries who are struggling to make ends meet, raise the pirate flag, and then target the merchants of our dynasty! And if you encounter a ship with a foreign trading flag, keep it away."

After saying that.

Yan Shaoting's eyes were dark and murderous.

I have no way to control those maritime merchants in the southeast now.

But with Bai Fugui around, he can definitely bring in outsiders to give these profiteers and parasites who only care about enriching themselves and harming the country a good lesson.

Bai Fugui was shocked: "This, this, this... is this possible?"

The Ming Dynasty did have a navy.

Although they were not as capable of crossing the oceans and showing off their power as during the reigns of Taizu and Taizong, they were still not something that ordinary pirates could contend with.

Yan Shaoting patted Bai Fugui's shoulder heavily and said, "Do you know who is the Minister of War who is in charge of the troops of the five southeastern provinces to suppress the Japanese?"

Bai Fugui nodded heavily.

Yan Shaoting asked again: "Do you know who the general who just pacified the Japanese invasion in Zhejiang is?"

Bai Fugui was still nodding.

Yan Shaoting added: "Then do you know that the navy along the southeastern coast of our dynasty is now under the command of the new Minister of War, Hu Butang?"

Bai Fugui was still nodding.

Yan Shaoting smiled and said, "As long as you fight our smuggling merchants a few times and stay away from merchant ships flying foreign trade flags, they will understand what is going on."

Anyway, smuggling is not protected by Ming Dynasty laws or the imperial court.

This can definitely be done now.

But after the opening of the sea during the Longqing reign, it could no longer be done.

Because the maritime merchants who are engaged in smuggling now will be protected by the Ming Dynasty laws in the future.

But there is no need to wait until then.

It would be enough if we could suppress those maritime merchants along the coast, the gentry and dignitaries behind them, and even the man from Songjiang Prefecture, so that they could not even set sail.

Bai Fugui's face was full of hesitation and worry: "Reader... is this really okay?"

"Why not?"

Yan Shaoting raised his head and said in a serious tone, "Don't worry, just remember to keep it a secret. It's best not to tell anyone who does business with you."

Bai Fugui could only nod when he heard Yan Shaoting say this, and said with a folded hand: "In that case, I will go and quietly arrange it soon, but the Ming government..."

"I'll keep you safe!"

Yan Shaoting also patted his chest and said.

After that.

Only then did Bai Fugui feel relieved.

Wait until Bai Fugui leaves.

Yan Shaoting's eyes also became long-lasting.

There was something he didn't say to Bai Fugui.

He can now ensure that the pirates recruited by Bai Fugui will not be expelled by the Ming Navy.

But he would not guarantee that after he dealt with the smuggling merchants in the southeast, he would not use the pirates recruited by Bai Fugui as a credit to Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang and the Ming Navy.

Taking this opportunity, upgrade the Ming Navy to the Ming Navy?
That's a good idea.

Yan Shaoting nodded.

Then he returned to the city with his lackeys.

The first month of the year has passed and it is now the second month.

The spring examination of the 41st year of the Jiajing reign will begin soon.

As the chief examiner, I was busy for most of the month, and I was also confined in the examination hall for nine days without any contact with the outside world.

There are still many things to arrange before the exam begins.

Return to the house.

After Yan Shaoting discussed with Old Yan.

So he called his lackey Yan Hu.

"Go and arrange a carriage. I need to go to Xiyuan to see the emperor."

…………

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

(End of this chapter)