Quanzhou has been an extremely important trading port since ancient times. However, since the seventh year of Hongwu, the imperial court abolished the shipping department here, and due to the influence of the maritime ban policy, the place has become increasingly depressed and the people have become increasingly poor. Although it does not have the same name, After the change, it was still called Quanzhou Prefecture, but in fact it had been reduced to a county, and the garrison in the city was no more than a thousand people.
Generally speaking, no official is willing to serve in such a remote place that is not taken seriously and is plagued by Japanese invaders. This means that there will be no political achievements, and it also means that the official career will stop here and can only be a small county magistrate for the rest of his life. !
And Yang Zongtai, the magistrate of Quanzhou Prefecture, was the unlucky man who was sent to Quanzhou Prefecture as an official! Just because he didn't take care of his superiors well, he was "assigned" to this bitter and cold place. When he first took office, Yang Zongtai also wanted to make some political achievements, but the cruel reality soon woke him up: Quanzhou Prefecture had no money, and the deficit left by the previous county magistrate had not yet been filled.
Without money, the officials' salaries cannot be paid. If the salaries cannot be paid, the officials will go on strike passively. If the officials go on strike passively, the public security in the city will become worse. The worse the public security is, the more people will flee. If the people escape, there will be no one left. Paying taxes is an endless cycle with no solution.
Fortunately, Yang Zongtai still had some abilities. With his efforts, he could barely make up for the deficit of his predecessor. He no longer had to borrow money from neighboring counties to survive, and the salaries of officials were also guaranteed.
Night falls, Quanzhou City, the inner courtyard of the county government.
"Damn it, I'm going to be transferred out of this hellish place one day!" Recalling his experiences over the years, Yang Zongtai put down his wine glass angrily.
The officials who joined the officialdom at the same time as him now have higher positions than him, and some even have connections with the Yan family, and have been promoted along the way, and have risen to the top.
"Okay, drink less. You have to take turns later." Yang Zongtai's wife opened the door and walked in.
Yang Zongtai's wife was his childhood sweetheart and they grew up together. After Yang Zongtai obtained the imperial examination, he came to propose marriage. The couple grew up with each other and had a son.
"On duty, what shift are you on? Will anyone come to this damn place?"
Yang Zongtai looked at his wife, but still put down the wine glass.
"I have treated you badly all these years. I am not capable of being a husband. After being an official for so many years, I am still just a small county magistrate."
"Husband, don't say that. Being with you is enough for me. I don't dare to ask for anything else." Yang Zongtai's wife responded with a gentle smile.
"By the way, how is Lin'er? Have you not completed the homework I assigned?"
"Lin'er has gone to bed, and so have you. How old is he? Why are you giving him such difficult homework?" said his wife, with annoyance in her tone.
"It's also good to read more books. I hope he won't be like his father in the future."
"Stop being dejected. Didn't you say you had found a way before?" His wife came to Yang Zongtai and arranged his clothes.
"Oh, the price they ask is too high, forget it! Don't mention it anymore, I'll go on duty."
"Well, be safe."
…
"Faster, faster, faster!"
Qi Jiguang, the commander-in-chief of the Jizhou Army and the commander of the Dengzhou Guards, was anxiously mobilizing his troops to reinforce the direction of Quanzhou. After receiving the order from his immediate superior Hu Zongxian, he led more than 2,000 Qi's troops and ordered them to be stationed in Quanzhou Prefecture. The Ming army from the nearby guard station, with a total of more than 6,000 troops in three groups, rushed to Quanzhou City to help.
In the suburbs more than ten kilometers away from Quanzhou City, a group of Japanese pirates, totaling more than 5,000 people, were stationed here. Their leaders were Xu Hai and Chen Dong.
In the tent, the two leaders sat opposite each other. The table was filled with fine wine and delicacies, and there were captured women serving them diligently.
Xu Hai has a shocking scar on his face, which gives him a vicious look.
Chen Dong, on the other hand, is blind in one eye. The blind eye was injured by the Ming army's fire blunderbuss. In recent years, he has sent people to visit famous doctors everywhere, but the results he got are that there is no possibility of regaining sight.
Behind the two leaders, there are countless Japanese pirates in ragged clothes, holding simple weapons and looking dull. Among the Japanese pirates, the number of Japanese ronin is only a minority, and more are common people who have lost their livelihood due to the maritime ban policy and excessive taxes. In order to After a mouthful of food, they took up weapons.
"Why haven't they come yet? Have they been exposed?" Xu Hai frowned and picked up the wine glass, feeling hesitant in his heart.
"It can't be that fast. Brother, stop being suspicious and relax." Chen Dong, who was wearing an eyepatch, comforted.
"I don't know why, I always feel uneasy in my heart." Xu Hai picked up a bite of food with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
"This plan was personally planned by Mr. Wang Zhi, and it cost the lives of so many brothers! As long as we capture Quanzhou City, we can come and leave as we please from now on, and those Ming troops will never arrest us again. Not to us!"
Mentioning the Ming army, Chen Dong's tone was full of unforgettable hatred. These damn Ming soldiers blinded him in one eye and even killed the concubine he had plundered with great effort. However, as long as they break through When I arrived in Quanzhou City, I had the choice of beautiful women like that.
Thinking of this, Chen Dong felt a burning sensation in his lower abdomen, and his expression became more and more anxious, wanting to attack Quanzhou City immediately.
"Chief, they're here!" Soldiers came to report outside the tent.
"Please come in quickly." Upon hearing this, the two people in the tent looked happy and quickly stood up to greet them.
…
Capital City, Yangxin Hall.
Jiajing looked at all the important cabinet ministers kneeling in front of him, and couldn't help but have a flash of doubt in his heart.
"It's so late. The cabinet's duty has long ended. Do you have anything important to report to me?"
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
"This is a frontline battle report sent by Hu Zongxian, the governor of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang Province! Due to the urgency of the situation, we took our own initiative and did not ask the Supervisor of Ceremonies to approve it. We thought of presenting it to His Majesty."
As the chief minister of the cabinet, Yan Song was the first to speak tremblingly. When Lu Fang, who had been standing by Jiajing's side from the beginning, saw an imperceptible haze in his eyes.
"But you won?" Jiajing took the memorial from Yan Song and opened the envelope.
"Your Majesty, Hu Zongxian's Qi Jiguang led the army to annihilate more than 2,000 Japanese pirates in Fenghua, Ninghai and other places. In addition, we also found information about the Japanese leader Wang Zhi. The above is the battle history and the list of names."
After Yan Song took the lead to speak out, Xu Jie, the second assistant to the cabinet, also stepped forward to explain.
After Jiajing read the contents of the letter, he looked delighted, and then said: "Okay, everyone on this list will be promoted to a higher level! Let your cabinet handle this matter."
As if he suddenly remembered something, Jiajing added: "Also, tell Hu Zongxian for me that he did a good job! Forget it, I'll do it myself."
Then Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang beside him, coughed twice, then looked at the ministers in the cabinet, and warned calmly: "Okay, forget it this time, it won't be the same next time! No matter what, you still have to follow the rules Come with the process.”
"Yes, I am aware of my guilt." Yan Song was the first to kneel down and admit his mistake, followed immediately by a group of cabinet members who also knelt down behind him.
"Okay, let's get up. Is there anything else?"
"Your Majesty, there is no more!"
Just when the ministers were about to bow and leave, Jiajing spoke: "Zhang Juzheng is staying. I still have something to discuss with him."
Facing the jealous looks of two big bosses, Xu Jie and Yan Song, as well as Yan Shifan, Zhang Juzheng bowed in agreement.
"Your Majesty is very happy today!"
"yes."
Walking out of the Yangxin Hall, Xu Jie and Yan Song walked in front, supporting each other and greeting each other, while Yan Shifan and Gao Gong, who were following behind, looked at each other with disgust, simply snorted and turned their heads away.
