After staying in Hangzhou for several days, what Xiao Feng was waiting for finally arrived.
Strictly speaking, it's a bit rude to say something is waiting, because there are still people here, five fresh graduates sent by Wudang Mountain.
The old Fox Valley Kyoshi is well versed in the essence of package allocation in vocational colleges - that is, the best place to find a job is where there are senior brothers and sisters.
Now Zhang Wuxin and An Qingyue are working under Xiao Feng. It would be outrageous if Xiao Feng didn't arrange a few employment places for graduates!
So when Xiao Feng wrote to him, hoping to lend him a few people, Gu Xuzi looked up to the sky and laughed, the sound shook the valley, and all the disciples thought that the master was about to achieve enlightenment and ascend.
Then Gu Xuzi quickly replied with the following content.
"Master Xiao, why are you talking about borrowing? This seems too foreign. I will select five of the disciples who are due to leave this year to serve under your account!
I hope they will be successful, and under your care, they will be able to make meritorious deeds and get official positions. This will not be in vain for the ten years of hard work of these children and the hopes of their families for their children to succeed! "
Xiao Feng smiled bitterly after receiving the letter. This was a warning to himself! You should give the people who work for you this time a civil servant's establishment. You can't return them to me after use like last time!
Although Wudang Mountain is a Taoist sect, it has always had a good relationship with the imperial court, relying on the fact that many Wudang disciples entered the imperial court to serve. Don't worry about big and small officials. The more students become officials, the more famous and developed the alma mater will be!
Apart from these five people, what Xiao Feng was really waiting for were several large ships, which carried horses bought from the Datong Exchange. From Datong, we rushed to Jining to board the boat and sailed down the river to Hangzhou.
horse transport
The boat is a special large boat. It does not need to be very high, but it must be very wide so that it can transport more. Ten large ships brought 500 war horses and 500 cavalrymen assigned by Qiu Luan according to the imperial edict.
In the cabin of the big ship, there are also two thousand steel knives forged from the World View in Beijing.
These steel knives have been improved by blacksmiths and fire masters. Although they are not as good as Japanese knives, they are not far away. At least they will not be cut or twisted after dozens of cuts.
In the north, five hundred cavalry may not be a big deal, but in coastal areas, a team of five hundred cavalry is extremely rare.
There were very few cavalry battles in coastal areas, because the main battlefield of Japanese pirates was the seaside. Even if they penetrated deep into the city, they would still retreat to the seaside if they could not fight. The cavalry fought on the seaside because there was too much mud and sand to run.
What's more important is that the Ming Dynasty's cavalry is too few, and there is not enough cavalry in the north. How can the rich ones be transferred to the south? If it weren't for the calm in the north and the large number of war horses coming to the mutual market, Xiao Feng would also have no cavalry.
But Xiao Feng didn't want the cavalry to go to the beach to fight. He went south this time with bait on him, and the enemy would naturally follow the smell and come to him. What he wants is mobility and super combat effectiveness in the city.
These five hundred cavalry, plus the remaining two hundred and seven hundred cavalry, are extremely mobile and are designed to deal with Japanese pirates who dare to attack the county town.
The biggest advantage of Japanese pirates in the past was mobility. They were a surprise attack, hit and run. Although they were all infantry, they took the initiative. The Ming army's defense line was too long, weak everywhere, and suffered losses everywhere.
But with these seven hundred cavalry, Xiao Feng can rush to help and offset the forced
Defensive passivity. Of course, after Qi Jiguang's Qi Family Army was established, he would be able to defeat the Japanese pirates without the need for cavalry.
But Xiao Feng is not Qi Jiguang, and he does not have Qi Jiguang's genius military command ability, so his fighting style is simple and crude.
I am faster than you, and I have more people than you. I have a wolf sword and a steel knife, and my weapons are no worse than yours. I have money to offer a reward, and I will behead anyone who dares to escape. I don’t believe I can’t beat you!
Xiao Feng took 700 cavalry, supplemented them with 2,000 infantry in Hangzhou, took the princess's large RV, and marching provisions, said goodbye to the picturesque Hangzhou, and fought all the way through Taizhou, Wenzhou, and all the way to Fujian.
Everywhere he went, Xiao Feng put the whole army first. Yu Dayou was more expert in fighting, but in organizing an army, Xiao Feng had mastered the art of military masters of the past dynasties.
The masters of the past dynasties organized the army. It sounds complicated to say, but in fact it can only be said in eight words: strict military laws, high rewards and heavy punishments!
For soldiers, you should not have your own thoughts. Whether it is daily drills or fighting on the battlefield, you must do whatever you are asked to do. Otherwise, it does not matter whether it is right or wrong, military law will be engaged!
You need to keep practicing, keep stimulating, and finally form muscle memory. When you get to the battlefield, you will forget everything else and just remember to obey the orders and swing the sword, that's enough!
The reward offered must be cashed, preferably in cash, not futures. Xiao Feng organized his army and focused on a rich man with a very high reward, but in fact Xiao Feng himself could not spend much money.
Because when a battle is won, there will be seizures, and the private gentry is happy to lose. In addition to the silver reward from the court, Xiao Feng will subsidize the excess.
Therefore, throughout the ages, armies that have been winning battles have not been short of money. On the contrary, armies that have been defeated repeatedly have to consume a lot of money.
amount of military spending.
So Xiao Feng fought and killed all the way. After he passed by, not only the local Japanese pirates were seriously injured, but the temperament of the local guardsmen also became much tougher.
As a result, the coastal areas where Xiao Feng traveled have greatly reduced the number of Japanese pirates in a short period of time. Although the goal of eradication has not been achieved, it can be regarded as a rare stable situation since the Jiajing Dynasty.
Yan Song's eyes were as wide as beanbags, waiting for Xiao Feng to go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to promote the conversion of rice to mulberry. But as soon as Xiao Feng escaped, he went directly to the coast, killing and killing all the way, but refused to stop in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
However, he won more battles than lost, and it was hard to find fault. Jiajing was watching the victory memorial, showing his junior brother's ability to the ministers every day, Yan Song finally couldn't help it, and decided to take action again!
A member of the Ministry of War issued a memorial to the incident: "Long live, although Xiao Feng's record is good, there are also hidden dangers during this period, so we must pay attention to it!"
Jiajing asked Yan Song to bring this guy into Xiyuan and let him speak at the Xiaochao meeting. Gei Shizhong is similar to a professional censor, who is responsible for impeaching others. However, Gei Shizhong only cares about matters related to his own department, while censor is in charge of the affairs of the world.
The Ministry of War talked eloquently about the matter: "Long live my lords, since Xiao Feng became the governor of Jiangnan, the war has gone smoothly and he has made great achievements. Long live has already issued an order to commend him. Your kindness is profound!"
However, Xiao Feng, as the governor, did not know how to avoid suspicion and rewarded the soldiers with his personal property. This is "a man can reward the army of the world"!
Moreover, Xiao Feng is both the governor and the tutor of the two princes. In this capacity, he privately rewards the three armies. What is his intention? Long live the investigation!
"
Good guy! All the ministers immediately raised their heads and looked at the Ministry of War.
Ding Rukui was even more horrified and stared at this subordinate in stunned silence. He didn't know when this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes completely surrendered to the Yan Party.
What is this crime? Reward the army of the world with a common man! This sentence was said by Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang back then, and he said it to Shen Wansan, the richest man in Ming Dynasty!
It is said that when the beggar monk Zhu Chongba attacked Zhang Shicheng, a smuggler of salt, Shen Wansan's family was just outside the city of Suzhou Prefecture. They had a house and fields, and their life was full of joy.
So Shen Wansan provided money and food to support Zhang Shicheng in protecting his family and the country. With the support of Shen Wansan's ability, Suzhou Mansion resisted for eight months. The beatings made Zhu Chong 80% angry and his urine turned yellow.
In the end, Zhu Chongba captured Suzhou and couldn't wait to settle the score with Shen Wansan. However, Shen Wansan's reputation among the people was pretty good. Zhu Chongba had just won the victory and was unwilling to bear too much infamy, so he planned to squeeze Shen Wansan and find some mistakes to deal with him.
The following dialogue is not real history. It is an imaginary dialogue scene based on some historical data. Please treat it critically.
Zhu Chongba said to Shen Wansan: "Look, just because you supported Zhang Shicheng, this battle was fought so hard and ancient buildings with a long history were destroyed.
I plan to rebuild the damaged Nanjing City Wall. The cause of this loss is half mine and half yours. You have to pay for it! "
Shen Wansan replied: "Although Long Live you are attacking Suzhou City, not Nanjing City, the damage to Nanjing City Wall actually has nothing to do with the common people.
But you have a big fist, so what you said makes sense. The common people are willing to pay to build the city.
.
Because the grassroots people have been robbed once by the righteous master of Long Live, so there is not much cash in hand, so let’s pay 30% first, and then give more to the grassroots people when their property is realized. "
Zhu Chongba was actually asking for a lot of money. He didn't expect that Shen Wansan was really so rich. He was even more unhappy when he could still come up with so much money after being robbed once.
When the Nanjing city wall was repaired, Zhu Chongba called for Shen Wansan again: "You said at that time that you would let me wait for your property to be realized. Now I want to reward the three armies. You can do something."
Shen Wansan was indeed very wealthy, and he thought that by completing the construction of the Nanjing City Wall, his sins had been fully offset, so he was a little arrogant and said casually: "This matter is easy to handle, you can tell me how to do it."
Zhu Chongba gritted his teeth and stretched out a finger. Shen Wansan also gritted his teeth and stretched out a finger.
Zhu Chongba laughed and said, "I'm talking about a million people! What do you mean?"
Shen Wansan breathed a sigh of relief: "I said one million taels, which is exactly one tael of silver per person."
Zhu Chongba was furious and threw away his job when he returned to the palace: "To reward a common man with all the troops in the world, does Shen Wansan want to rebel? Come here, arrest him and behead him!"
Empress Ma, who was eating at the same table, felt that her husband was a bit too unreasonable. It was like some places where people would scold others for not giving them money when they were given food. She didn't know if her husband had this style when he was begging for food.
"Chongpachi, it's not good of you to do this. You asked for money from others, and they gave it to you. They didn't ask for labor. You can say that he behaves arrogantly, but you insist on saying that they are rebelling. This is not good."
Zhu Chongba was very obedient to his wife, so Shen Wansan escaped from being beheaded and was eventually exiled.
At this time, the Ministry of War introduced this crime into the matter. Not only was it conclusive, but it also listed the good news reported by the Ministry of War from various places, followed by silver rewards and pensions, which were much higher than the normal standard of the imperial court.
Jiajing closed his eyes slightly, not knowing what he was thinking, and the ministers were also talking about it. This matter is indeed a big taboo, Xiao Feng doesn't look so stupid!
Several officials who had been governors along the coast shook their heads secretly. I really don't know what Xiao Feng was thinking. This matter was obviously a thankless loss! You have lost so much money, and you have been caught out by others. The result is only bad things but no good things!
Of course, this can boost morale and win a few battles. But what does it matter if we win or lose? This is not the key issue! Look, we have been losing battles along the coast for so many years. Who has been punished? Aren’t they all promoted safely?
The only one who died was Zhu Wan, who had fought a victorious battle, and the other who almost died was Zhang Jing, who had fought a great victory. What does this mean? It shows that winning or losing doesn’t matter, the important thing is not to make mistakes!
In the silence, Ding Rukui stepped forward. It's okay if he doesn't come out. This is a matter that the Ministry of War should take care of, and the impeachment of Xiao Feng is also a matter given by the Ministry of War. He must express something.
"Long live the war, I believe that the dangers of war cannot be treated as commonplace. As the governor, it is extremely rare for Xiao Feng to visit the front line in person.
The military at the various coastal defense stations was depleted and their morale was low. Xiao Feng could not resist the Japanese pirates without giving heavy rewards and punishments. Xiao Feng's consecutive victories also illustrate this method.
efficient.
Moreover, there is no evidence that Xiao Feng rewarded the three armies in his own name. If it was in the name of the imperial court, it cannot be said that Xiao Feng is just a common soldier, let alone that he has evil intentions. "
The Ministry of War obviously received strong support from Yan Song in the matter, so he was not afraid of Ding Rukui, his immediate superior, and protested loudly.
"Lord Ding, what you said is wrong. Zhang Jing had won a big victory before and did not offer any additional reward. This shows that large rewards are not necessary to win!
What's more, your Majesty said that the military in various places was depleted and morale was low, and the lower officials did not agree. All the military posts in various places are under the control of the Ministry of War. Doesn't your Lord's words mean that all the people in the Ministry of War are just drunkards and have failed to pay the favor of the emperor? "
Damn, that’s so cruel! All the officials looked at Ding Rukui. As a minister, it must be too painful to be stabbed in the back by one of his subordinates.
Regardless of the character of the person involved, these words are indeed extremely sharp and are indeed a professional way to find trouble.
You are the Minister of the Ministry of War. If you say that the guards you manage are all useless, doesn't that mean you are guilty?
Ding Rukui's eyes were burning, and he stared at Gui Shizhong. Gui Shizhong looked at him without fear, with a selfless and wide-open attitude in his heart.
The right minister of the Ministry of War, who was promoted by Ding Rukui, also stood up at this time. He first saluted Jiajing and then turned to look at him.
"You are using clever words to frame someone up! It is a fact that the guard's combat power is low. It did not happen overnight, and the imperial court is also aware of it.
If it weren't for the lack of combat power in the garrison, why would the imperial court establish a camp system to supplement its military strength? Nowadays, wars in the north are almost all based on camp troops. Isn't it because of the low combat effectiveness of the guards?
?
The camp system has been implemented since the time of the previous emperor. If it is said that this is the responsibility of the Minister of War, then wouldn’t the previous ministers before Ding have to be responsible for it? "
Ding Rukui breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his die-hard ally with relief. It's a pity that he has too few allies, while Yan Dang's allies are everywhere.
The left minister of the household department talked to the Yue people and said: "This is just a shirk of responsibility! The reason for the insufficient strength of the guard is because the Mongolian and Jurchen attacks have increased, and the soldiers of the guard are mostly infantry, which is difficult to resist.
Therefore, more troops were added to fight against the nomadic people. Today, along the coast south of the Yangtze River, there are mostly Japanese pirates and no cavalry. The guards are outnumbered and the enemy is small. They are completely defeated. It is because of the incompetence of the military department!
Our Ministry of Household Affairs wastes military expenditures every year to support the various military posts of the Ministry of War. Now that we are using troops for a short period of time, we actually think that the military is ineffective and morale is low. It is really unreasonable! "
Pan Huang glanced at Tan Tong and said nothing as usual. Tan Tong is obviously standing up for Yan Song. If Xiao Feng is here, he can still play the role. If Xiao Feng is not here, it would be too risky to step forward on his own.
What's more, it's not like Xiao Feng has no one here, so why should he go there...
"Master Tan, what you said is wrong, this, this is wrong! What kind of military expenses did the guardsmen spend on the Ministry of Household Affairs?
This, this, the guardsmen all farm their own land to support themselves! Has the Ministry of Household Affairs ever allocated a penny to any health center? "
Liu Tong was indeed very nervous when he spoke at the Xiaochao meeting for the first time. Not only was he stumbling a little, but his voice was also rising and falling. Jiajing raised his eyelids to look at him and then closed them again.
Tan Tong didn't expect that Liu Tong, a guy who had risen to the top by dragging his son-in-law's waistband, would dare to confront him face to face. He was furious in his heart, but he was very sincere on the surface.
"Liu
Sir, I know you want to protect your son-in-law, but everything must be done with reason and evidence.
How much fertile land did the guardsmen occupy? These fertile fields originally belonged to our Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Household Affairs gave them to the guards to cultivate for free. Aren't the fields money? "
Liu Tong was furious: "Don't you feel guilty when you say this? The guards' soldiers occupy the fertile land? Check the account books of the Ministry of Household Affairs! The fertile lands in the guards have been bought up by the local gentry!
The rest is just some thin ground! Those guardsmen could just rely on cultivating these thin fields and not starve to death, so how could they still think about fighting?
Food is the most important thing for the people! Do you understand that food is the most important thing for the people? "
Seeing Liu Tong gesticulating and spitting everywhere, Pan Huang coughed and said, "Liu Shilang, lower your voice, please be careful. It's unbecoming of a gentleman."
Talking about Tong is also popular. I didn't expect Liu Tong to be so arrogant. The key is that he exposed his own wounds! The good land in the Weisuo was bought by local tycoons. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household are both responsible for this!
As the left minister, he has been serving for many years, so his responsibilities are naturally greater than those of Liu Tong, the right minister who just came up!
But Pan Huang and Ding Rukui, who were most responsible, hadn't said anything yet. It seemed useless to hold on to this matter, so they could only glare at Liu Tong angrily.
Seeing that the topic had strayed, the man quickly bowed and saluted again, with an angry and decisive tone.
"Long live, please punish the Jiangnan Governor, Pifu Laojun, to win over the morale of the army and conspire against evil!"
This time, as if they had been well rehearsed, the strict party officials bowed and saluted together and responded in unison, with amazing momentum.
"Long live, please punish the Jiangnan Governor, Pifu Laojun, to win over the morale of the army and conspire against evil!"
