Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, in the suburbs of Zhejiang, the military camp where Qi Jiguang's troops were stationed.
Early in the morning, Qi Jiguang walked out of the camp and inspected the situation in the military camp.
Not far away, you can see many soldiers lined up neatly on the school field, going through daily drills, and the shouts of killing are deafening.
After stopping to watch for a moment, Qi Jiguang nodded, then looked away, leading his guards to the next place.
Since all the Japanese pirates along the southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty were wiped out by Hu Zongxian, Qi Jiguang and his troops have fallen into a state of "doing nothing".
Despite this, Qi Jiguang did not slack off at all and continued to train the army as usual.
With the tempering of several battles, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers under Qi Jiguang's command is now not inferior to that of Ming Dynasty's Nine-Border Frontier Army.
In addition, the national treasury is getting full day by day, and things like arrears of military pay have not happened for a long time.
After inspecting the army's drills, Qi Jiguang planned to return to the camp. At this moment, he heard a rush of footsteps.
Afterwards, a few soldiers in robes and belts quickly came to Qi Jiguang, knelt down on one knee, and reported in a deep voice: "General, the governor has sent someone here, saying that there is something extremely important!"
Hearing this, Qi Jiguang, after pondering for a moment, said in a deep voice: "Well, I know, General, bring the people here!"
After Qi Jiguang finished speaking, he returned to the camp with a few personal guards.
Not long after, under the guidance of several soldiers, the visitor entered the camp where Qi Jiguang was located.
After entering the camp, the visitor looked at Qi Jiguang who was sitting in the main seat, leaned down, and saluted respectfully: "I have seen General Qi!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang put down the book in his hand, turned his gaze to the visitor, and asked, "Did the governor send you here?"
When the visitor saw this situation, he did not dare to hide anything. He immediately lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Exactly!"
After the visitor finished speaking, he took out a token from his sleeve that could prove his identity.
Seeing this, the guards on the side immediately stepped forward, took the token from the stranger's hand, and respectfully handed it to Qi Jiguang's hands.
After carefully examining the token, Qi Jiguang confirmed the identity of the visitor.
Afterwards, Qi Jiguang looked the visitor up and down, then turned to ask: "Is there anything you, the governor, need me to do?"
Hearing this, the visitor shook his head in a subtle way, and then said: "General Qi, I'm telling you the truth, the governor did not explain the specific situation, but just asked you and General Yu to go to the Governor's Mansion as soon as possible! "
Hearing this, Qi Jiguang turned his eyes away from the stranger. After pondering for a moment, he gave instructions: "Well, I understand, General. Please tell the Governor, and I will be there right away!"
When the visitor heard Qi Jiguang's words, he quickly bowed his hands to Qi Jiguang, lowered his head, and said respectfully: "General Qi, you're welcome. I will tell you what you said truthfully!"
After that, the visitor did not stay in the camp for too long, but left under the escort of the soldiers.
After the visitor left, Qi Jiguang summoned his personal guards and gave instructions: "Come, prepare your horses and go to the Governor's Mansion!"
The guard on the side immediately looked stern when he heard this, and responded in a deep voice: "Yes, General!"
…
When Qi Jiguang came to the Governor's Mansion, he happened to meet Yu Dayou who had just arrived.
While the guards at the door came in to report, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou began to chat about the matter.
Yu Dayou looked at the Governor's Mansion in front of him and took the lead in provoking the topic: "Speaking of which, the Governor hastily asked us to come to the Governor's Mansion. What is the reason? Is it possible that the Japanese pirates have resurfaced?"
After Qi Jiguang heard what Yu Dayou said, he thought about it for a moment, shook his head, and then said: "I can't see it. Since the imperial court lifted the sea ban, we will never see Japanese pirates again!"
Qi Jiguang paused for a moment when he said this, and then continued: "I think there are probably bandits appearing somewhere again, and the army needs to be used to suppress them!"
Yu Dayou quite agreed with Qi Jiguang's words. He nodded and said in agreement: "Well, that makes sense. Bandits should have appeared somewhere again!"
At this moment, the guards who had previously entered the governor's palace to report came to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, leaned down, and responded in a deep voice: "Two generals, the governor is waiting for you in the meeting hall. You can go in!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou looked at each other and, under the guidance of the guards, walked towards the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion.
After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou entered the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion, they looked at Zhao Zhenji, who was sitting at the top, and saluted him respectfully: "I have met the governor!"
Zhao Zhenji seemed to be quite excited about the arrival of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou. He waved his hand and said: "Sit down, everyone, sit down!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
After answering, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou each sat down in their seats. After they sat down one after another, a servant soon came forward and brought a cup of hot tea to Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.
Then, Zhao Zhenji, who was sitting at the top, glanced at Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, and said unhurriedly: "I am calling you here this time because I have an extremely important thing to inform you. you!"
When Zhao Zhenji said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "Not long ago, the transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel came down!"
Before Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou couldn't help but have some doubts on their faces.
Immediately, the two of them looked in the direction of Zhao Zhenji and asked, "Ministry of Staff?"
Zhao Zhenji took in the expressions on the two men's faces, nodded, and then explained: "The news I have received so far is that Mr. Hu Ge personally recommended you to His Majesty as the first candidates for military training!"
"Next, you will leave Zhejiang and go to the capital to be responsible for military training full-time!"
…
The news brought by Zhao Zhenji was too shocking for Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou. It took them some time to fully digest it.
Afterwards, Qi Jiguang was the first to react, and looked at Zhao Zhenji with a look of disbelief, and said cautiously: "Master Governor, you mean, Mr. Hu Ge..."
Before Qi Jiguang finished speaking, Zhao Zhenji, who was sitting at the top, nodded and said decisively: "Yes, you heard it right, it was Mr. Hu Ge who recommended you to His Majesty!"
After the news was personally confirmed by Zhao Zhenji, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou looked at each other, and they both saw excitement in each other's eyes.
Since the imperial court allows them to train troops, it means that there will be a big move next, which means that the opportunity to make achievements is coming!
Shortly after this, Zhao Zhenji looked away from the two of them, changed the subject, and continued: "In short, you should complete the handover as soon as possible. In addition, list all the people you think are available to me. Come out with a list!”
After Zhao Zhenji finished speaking, he waved his hand, and soon a subordinate staff came forward and prepared paper and pen for Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou.
Seeing this, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, after thinking about it for a long time, used a brush dipped in ink to write down names one after another on the paper.
After a long time, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou put down their brushes one after another and handed the completed list to Zhao Zhenji.
"Your Majesty the Governor, here are the available people who have been sorted out by the lower officials!"
After that, Zhao Zhenji took the lists from Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively and began to browse them carefully.
"Wang Rulong, Hu Shouren, Chen Ziluan, Wu Weizhong..."
Seeing this situation, Qi Jiguang on the side simply introduced the people on the list to Zhao Zhenji: "Sir Governor, this Wang Rulong was born on the 19th day of the first month of the second year of Jiajing. He personally killed two real Japanese in Huajie Street, Taizhou, and was a thief. The first one, and his subordinates beheaded twenty-one others, very brave, and Hu Shouren..."
During this process, Zhao Zhenji discovered that Qi Jiguang was very knowledgeable about the information about his subordinates. He even remembered such trivial information as his birthday, the number of people in his family, and their names very clearly.
The qualities that Qi Jiguang displayed impressed Zhao Zhenji with admiration. With his previous outstanding military exploits and the recommendation of Hu Zongxian, the Minister of Civil Service, Qi Jiguang's future prospects are bound to be limitless!
Zhao Zhenji knew very well that at present, Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou had been firmly branded as Hu Zongxian!
After all, Hu Zongxian, as the immediate superior of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, led the army to annihilate the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast with the two men. Now, Hu Zongxian has entered the cabinet and became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
For Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou, the favor of this promotion is not unimportant.
After all, not everyone can ask Hu Zongxian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, to come forward in person and recommend the appropriate candidates to His Majesty, even if his teacher Yan Song comes!
Then, Zhao Zhenji suppressed all the chaotic thoughts in his heart, looked at the two of them with a warm smile on his face, and then spoke.
"Since the imperial court asked you to go to the capital to be responsible for military training full-time, you must have a heavy responsibility. How can you do it without anyone available!"
After Zhao Zhenji pondered for a moment, he waved his hand and gave instructions: "In this way, you can bring some subordinates over then!"
After Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou heard Zhao Zhenji's words, gratitude suddenly appeared on their faces. They quickly stood up from their seats, bowed to him and said, "Thank you, Lord Governor!"
After all, for a frontier official like Zhao Zhenji, the imperial court suddenly transferred two of his capable men from Zhejiang to the capital. This move would inevitably lead to a decline in the combat effectiveness of the Zhejiang army.
Therefore, Zhao Zhenji could completely use the reason of guarding against Japanese pirates to preserve his strength and let Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou go directly to the capital without bringing any of their subordinates.
But now, Zhao Zhenji did not choose to do this, but gave the two of them a convenience, allowing them to choose their subordinates at will and go to Beijing together.
In the final analysis, the whole thing was nothing more than Zhao Zhenji wanting to do a favor along the way.
After all, now, all the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast have been wiped out, and there is no need for so many elite soldiers and generals for the time being.
If they take the overall situation into consideration and let Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou choose capable subordinates at will and go to the capital to train troops together, then when the news spreads, they will be able to gain some impression in His Majesty's mind.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Zhao Zhenji glanced at Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou respectively and gave instructions.
"Okay, that's it for the time being. You go down and prepare. When the time comes, just send someone to deliver the list to me!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
When Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou heard this, they immediately leaned down and cried with gratitude.
…
After watching Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou leave, Zhao Zhenji also stood up from his seat and headed towards the study room of the Governor's Mansion.
After returning to the study, Zhao Zhenji methodically dealt with the official documents on the desk that were sent by the officials of the Governor's Mansion.
Then, there was a knock on the door. Seeing this, Zhao Zhenji put the brush in his hand aside and said: "Come in!"
After getting Zhao Zhenji's permission, the visitor pushed the door straight in. Then, he quickly came to Zhao Zhenji, leaned down, and reported respectfully: "Your son sent someone here from the capital. A letter for you!"
After the visitor finished speaking, he carefully took out the envelope from his arms and handed it to Zhao Zhenji.
After Zhao Zhenji heard the news, he couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart, his face became extremely solemn, and he said to himself: "Could it be that something happened?"
Zhao Zhenji thought this, and became more and more uneasy. Then, he snatched the envelope from the stranger's hand. The signature on the envelope was Zhao Dingzhu, the eldest son of Zhao Zhenji.
Afterwards, Zhao Zhenji suppressed his inner uneasiness, eagerly opened the envelope and browsed the contents.
"Father, you are in good health recently. The reason why I took the liberty to write to you is because I have something extremely important to tell you!"
"Not long ago, His Majesty personally sent someone to express condolences, and sent a reward of eight thousand taels of silver, as well as gifts that were said to be specially selected by His Majesty from the internal funds, including a blue and white porcelain vase..."
After Zhao Zhenji read the letter written by his eldest son Zhao Dingzhu to him, the hanging heart in his heart finally fell away.
"Huh, okay, nothing happened!"
After Zhao Zhenji finished his emotion, he couldn't help but feel very good, because according to what his son Zhao Dingzhu said in the letter, his Majesty sent someone to send a very generous reward to his family members in the capital!
In Zhao Zhenji's view, the rewards given by His Majesty are secondary. The most important thing is that His Majesty is taking this opportunity to express the importance he attaches to Zhao Zhenji and to warn those in the dark not to act rashly.
"It seems that the choice to report the Weaving Bureau case to His Majesty truthfully was indeed the right choice. I should have officially entered His Majesty's sight now!"
"Zhao Zhenji, you must not slack off, work harder, and strive to one day be able to successfully enter the cabinet like Hu Zongxian!"
After Zhao Zhenji encouraged himself in this way, he began to reprocess the official documents on the desk.
There is no airtight wall in the world. Soon, the news that Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou were recommended by Hu Zongxian and were about to go to the capital for military training reached the ears of Zheng Michang and He Maocai.
In the room, Zheng Michang and He Maocai gathered together, sipping tea from cups and chatting.
"The Governor-General became the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but he didn't even think of helping us. Alas, Lao He, it seems that the two of us will have to stay in Zhejiang for the rest of our lives!"
Zheng Mi Chang put the teacup in his hand back to its original position, looked at He Maocai and complained.
Hearing this, He Maocai glanced at Zheng Michang and comforted him: "Old Zheng, you know, Old Yan Ge and the others still need us to play a role in Zhejiang, and the Governor is Mr. Yan Ge's student... …”
When He Maocai said this, he paused for a moment and continued: "When the Governor was still in Zhejiang, he treated us very well. After all, this involved the appointment and dismissal of officials. Even if the Governor was willing, Mr. Yan Ge and the others would not I won’t agree!”
"Besides, if we can keep our current position in this big plan, it's already pretty good!"
After hearing what He Maocai said, Zheng Michang couldn't help but feel a little discouraged, and turned to say: "Hey, Lao He, you are right, I am too greedy!"
Seeing that his persuasion had an effect, He Maocai shook his head inconspicuously, and continued to add: "Okay, don't think so much, let's get drunk tonight!"
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
At this moment, Jiajing was sitting on the dragon chair, reading with special concentration the list of officials who had been dismissed in this major plan sent by the Ministry of Personnel.
After the name of each deposed official, the specific reason is also written.
"These damn morons, with their salary from the imperial court, only know how to push the envelope all day long, and do nothing serious. They can even say such stupid things as not asking for merit, but asking for no fault!"
After Jiajing glanced through the above content, he slammed the table and said in a deep voice.
When Lu Fang, who was waiting at Jiajing's side, saw this situation, he immediately stepped forward and carefully comforted him: "Your Majesty, please calm down and don't get angry because of this!"
"Just wait. After a while, the imperial court officially implements the examination method, and you will suffer it!"
Then, Jiajing looked away from the desk and looked at the scenery outside Qianqing Palace, thinking this.
At this moment, a few eunuchs were seen entering the Qianqing Palace holding a stack of memorials sent from the Supervisor of Ceremonies.
The leading eunuch, after entering the Qianqing Palace, looked in the direction of Jiajing and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, here is the memorial sent by the Superintendent of Ceremonies!"
Hearing this, Jiajing nodded slightly, pointed to the writing desk on the side, and then ordered: "Okay, let's put it here for now. I will take a look at it when it comes down!"
When the leading eunuch heard this, he immediately lowered his head and respectfully responded: "As you command, Your Majesty!"
After the eunuchs put the memorials in their arms on the desk beside them, they left one after another.
Before he had taken a few steps out, the leading eunuch seemed to suddenly remember something, and turned back again, pointing to the top letter of the memorial and reporting respectfully.
"Your Majesty, this memorial was sent to the imperial court by Zhao Zhenji, the governor of Zhejiang Province and the governor of Zhejiang Province. Both the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies believe that it should be left to you to make a decision!"
"Well, I understand, go down!"
After listening to the eunuch's report, Jiajing had a look of interest on his face, waved his hand, and gave the order.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the eunuch left the Qianqing Palace, he saw Jiajing picking up the memorial sent by Zhao Zhenji from the desk beside him, with a look of interest on his face.
"Since the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies both believe that this matter should be decided by me, then let me see what Zhao Zhenji wrote in it!"
After he finished speaking, Jiajing opened the memorial and browsed the contents, only to see what was written above.
"Your Majesty, the price of silk has been rising all the time. A piece of high-quality silk can be sold for as much as fifteen taels of silver. The increase in the price of silk has also caused the price of raw silk as a raw material to skyrocket. Now, a pound of raw silk costs The price has reached three to two or five cents!"
"When the common people see the profits from this, they will flock to plant mulberry seedlings. I am worried that there may be a shortage of food in Zhejiang in the future. The imperial court has always implemented a policy of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business..."
After Jiajing finished browsing the last word of the memorial, he put it aside and commented: "Well, if you can think of this, Zhao Zhenji has a long-term perspective!"
"When the fleet led by Gu Yan finds sweet potatoes, corn and other crops in America and promotes them, we will no longer have to worry about food shortages!"
Seeing this, Lu Fang, who was on the side, immediately stepped forward and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, may I ask what Zhao Zhenji wrote in the memorial?"
Hearing this, Jiajing glanced at Lu Fang and explained in a leisurely manner: "Right now, the price of silk has been rising all the way. Zhao Zhenji is worried that people will see the profit and will rush to plant mulberry seedlings. When the time comes, , there will be a food shortage in Zhejiang!"
Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said and after thinking about it for a moment, she agreed: "Your Majesty, I think Zhao Zhenji's words are true. At present, the market prices of silk and raw silk are soaring. Those who previously followed the government's instructions and planted mulberry seedlings The people will definitely make a lot of money!"
"The people who have tasted the benefits will definitely expand the scale of planting mulberry seedlings in the coming year. As a result, the number of people willing to plant seedlings will be greatly reduced. If things go on like this, there will definitely be a food shortage!"
"If unfortunately there is a natural or man-made disaster, the people of Zhejiang will suffer!"
After Jiajing heard what Lu Fang said, he pondered for a moment and then ordered: "Well, Lu Fang, when the time comes, we will take this matter together with the war with Anda Khan of the Tumote tribe next spring. Let’s put it on the cabinet agenda, I want to hear their opinions!”
When Lu Fang heard this, she immediately looked stern and responded in a deep voice: "I obey, Your Majesty!" (End of Chapter)
