Xia Yan hesitated for a moment, but when he thought of Hu Zongxian's achievements during this period, and Yan Song's commendation by the emperor for his recommendation, he became a little jealous.
He read the letter again. It was very organized, and the things listed in it were indeed good strategies.
Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.
I will meet you tomorrow and present this letter to Your Majesty!
…
Zhao Wenhua was sitting in his mansion with his legs crossed.
Beside him stood a scholar. His clothes were not neat and tidy, and he even looked a little slovenly. He was in a bad mood, but his eyes radiated hope:
"Master Zhao, if you are appointed by Mr. Xia Ge, will you really reinstate me to your post?"
His name was Tang Shunzhi, because in the 19th year of Jiajing's reign, he and his colleagues submitted the "East Palace Chao He Shu" to request an audience with the prince. The furious Emperor Jiajing demoted his post to a civilian position. After that, he devoted himself to the study of classics and the art of war, and was quite successful. become.
He knew that Zhao Wenhua was not a good person, but he was also unwilling to sink like this. Especially when he heard that his hometown, Changzhou, was being harassed by Japanese pirates, he felt even more sad about his powerlessness.
And if you want to fight against the Japanese pirates, you must have an official position. No matter what it is, at least you have the possibility of being sent to the southeast to lead troops. It is better than being a commoner now and being unable to do anything.
So he wrote the article "Seven Things to Prepare for Japan" for Zhao Wenhua, which gathered his lifelong understanding of maritime affairs in exchange for his reinstatement.
Zhao Wenhua glanced at him and agreed simply:
"Don't worry, as long as I can be promoted, I will not treat you badly. I, Zhao Wenhua, keep my word."
The premise is, "I can get promoted."
Tang Shunzhi naturally heard it. He looked like he was hesitating to speak. He hesitated for a while, and finally said:
"Master Zhao, actually, I don't think it is necessary to add the 'sacrifice to the sea god'..." He actually only wrote six items, the first one was added by Zhao Wenhua himself, and this item was regarded by Tang Shunzhi as "of no use", and even This may also lead to failure.
"You are wrong." Zhao Wenhua smiled mysteriously:
"Just by adding this, the chance of success will greatly increase."
Although Zhao Wenhua is cunning, he is also good at figuring out his superiors. He has long sensed that Xia Yan does not like him.
But there was no way, Yan Song didn't want to see him even more. Even "tactics to please his wife" were sternly rejected by Yan Song's wife Ouyang Shi. There was no way to get her, at least Xia Yan could keep him here.
And when the news spread, he keenly realized that the opportunity had come.
Six things in this letter are to show Xia Yan his ability, and one thing is to please Emperor Jiajing.
In this way, he was 80 to 90% sure that he could take over.
Things didn't go beyond his expectations.
Through Xia Yan's recommendation, Zhao Wenhua successfully caught the emperor's eye.
Especially his few suggestions won Jiajing's heart. He not only pleased the gods, but also had practical strategies for fighting the enemy, so he was naturally promoted step by step.
In the 32nd year of Jiajing's reign, Zhao Wenhua served as the right minister of the Ministry of Industry and Governor of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangnan. He also controlled Jiangxi's military affairs and defended against Japanese pirates.
…
Daming, on an island on the southeast coast.
Dozens of people gathered in a cave. Among them were Japanese dressed as warriors, fishermen from the coast of the Ming Dynasty, and Xiyi people with yellow hair and blue eyes.
These are the leaders of various pirate forces, what Ming Dynasty calls Japanese pirates.
The so-called Japanese pirates are never a single Japanese. Their composition is very complex and their forces are complex. They are actually a large pirate alliance.
And with the sound of "King Hui is here!", a thin middle-aged man walked in. When the leaders saw him, they all stood up and saluted.
Without him, this person is the most powerful among all the people present, who also controls the lifeblood of weapons and can establish himself as King Hui, Wang Zhi!
After reminiscing about old times, they each sat down, but Wang Zhi did not start the meeting as they imagined. Instead, he suddenly turned to a Japanese samurai leader and asked:
"The internal treasure is crooked. I have emphasized many times that we are not allowed to attack Ningbo. Why don't you obey the order?"
In the previous all-out offensive against Ming Dynasty, there was no plan to attack Ningbo. However, this leader changed the direction without authorization and deviated from the attack position. This made Wang Zhi's anger surge in his chest.
The samurai leader looked a little unconvinced and was mumbling. After all, Wang Zhi had been in Japan for some years and could understand Japanese. What he said was:
"Ningbo Prefecture is the richest place along the coast. As long as we capture even one county, it will be as good as the ten remote villages you arranged for me to go to. Why can't we attack it? We came out just to seek wealth. Of course, where can we find it? Where does the money go?"
"I just didn't expect that the Ming army there was so capable of fighting, and most of my men were killed or injured." Fear and pain flashed in his eyes, but then there was a strong greed:
"If we attack together, we can definitely capture it. This mansion is simply a treasure trove of gold and silver. After we capture it, we won't have to do this desperate business anymore. We can just find a place to enjoy the glory and wealth."
Wang Zhi suddenly became angry.
He is a businessman, not a pirate. His purpose has always been to attack the Ming Dynasty's coastal defense, thereby forcing the Ming Dynasty to open the maritime ban, so that he can make money reasonably and legally.
However, by attacking Ningbo Mansion and offending Chen Guogong and Yue Guogong, the possibility of realizing his wish will be even slimmer.
What's more, since he has been sailing for a long time, he also has some doubts about the special attitude of the Luzon Governor's Palace towards the Yan family.
If it's true, then...
He recalled that when he was doing business in Luzon, he could not help but shudder at the big ships full of Franchise ships. Even he would not be an opponent of such a behemoth.
When he came back to his senses, his eyes became even more murderous.
It's not that you won't be allowed to rob it. After all, Wang Zhi also knows that there is no need to expect these pirates to have the same long-term ideas as himself. If they are not robbed, this already loose alliance will probably collapse immediately. But you have to aim at the target when you rob. The Yan family is rich, but if you rob them, are you looking for death?
Now it's better. After offending the Yan family, he also lost his troops and killed more than half of them.
Not only does he not repent now, he actually wants to incite more people to die.
What a waste...
Seeing that the leader was still talking, he lost all patience. With a movement of his palm, a cold light flashed through.
The leader's neck was covered with blood, and he fell to the ground with a bit of disbelief in his eyes, while Wang Zhi's eyes were filled with a bit of evil spirit:
"Anyone who doesn't listen to orders will be like him!"
"If you have money, you must also have life to spend it!"
No one around him dared to speak anymore. The leaders who were standing on one side looked at Wang Zhi with a little fear in their eyes.
"Two months later, launch another offensive." Wang Zhi looked around and said coldly:
"This time, we adopt a strategy of attacking in the east and attacking in the west."
(End of chapter)
