The prosperous times will inevitably bring about the prosperity of the commodity economy. The prosperity of commerce will inevitably lead to rampant smuggling trade.
The smuggling merchants of the Ming Dynasty often colluded with Japanese pirates. It is difficult to distinguish between real Japanese and fake Japanese. What is certain is that they will do anything for ill-gotten gains.
In the spring of the fifteenth year of Hongzhi's reign.
Fujian coastal area, Yongningwei.
Yongning is a larger acropolis in southeastern Fujian. It has five subordinate cities: Fuquan, Kinmen, Zhongzuo, Gaopu and Chongwu.
The chief general of Yongning Guard is Zhenfu You Tianjue.
Fifteen years ago, Chang Feng was ordered to go south to worship Mazu on behalf of Heaven. He and You Tianjue experienced the Japanese siege together.
When leaving, Chang Feng promised to put in a good word with the Ministry of War when he returned to the capital and promoted You Tianjue to the rank of commander.
However, Chang Feng's qualifications in the first year of Hongzhi were still relatively young, and his power and influence were far from what they are today.
At that time, Chang Feng casually said hello to the doctor of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War. The doctor immediately agreed.
But this is how civil servants do things. It’s easy to say anything in person. To really do things, sorry, you have to pay real money.
It’s not that I can’t do it, I’m just putting it off.
After Chang Feng said hello, he forgot about it and didn't ask again.
The civil servants of the Ministry of War delayed this for fifteen years. In fifteen years, You Tianjue did not receive any promotion.
It stands to reason that ordinary generals of the Guard Army, even if they are mediocre and have not achieved any decent military exploits, should be promoted to one or two levels in fifteen years.
You Tianjue suffered a loss because of his name.
The Wu Selection Department was in charge of the promotion of generals in Fujian. When he saw his name, he said: "It belongs to both heaven and the nobility. The name is taboo."
"The promotion list is presented to the emperor. If the emperor thinks his name is disrespectful, who will be responsible for Long Yan's anger?"
As a result, Brother You became the governor from the age of twenty-one to thirty-six.
You Tianjue didn't care at all if he couldn't be promoted.
He was not interested in promotion, the only thing he was interested in was fighting Japanese pirates in a fancy way.
In the main city of Yongning and the five other cities, he set up beacon piers imitating the Great Wall, and built watchtowers in each city.
If a Japanese pirate ship is discovered, the signal will be sent with smoke. The six cities support each other.
If the Japanese invaders forcefully attack, they will lose the city and hold on to it. When the Japanese pirates retreated, they took the initiative to attack and intercepted them in roundabout ways.
In addition to serving as the coastal defense force, You Tianjue's troops also served as the customs inspection team. Whenever smuggled goods are detected ashore, You Tianjue will send troops to seize them.
For fifteen years, whether it is Japanese pirates or smugglers, there has been a popular saying among them: "Ding, Ding, Ding, don't invade Yongning."
In the early morning, the red sun rises from the sea level and shines over Yongning City.
Thirty-six-year-old Zhenfu You Tianjue stood on the city wall overlooking the city.
There are six hundred boxes of silk, thousands of loads of tea, and countless porcelain in the city. This was just seized three days ago. This is the largest batch of smuggled goods that You Tianjue has seized since he was guarding Yongning.
Of course, the smuggling caravans are not free. There are a large number of real and fake Japanese guards.
In order to seize this batch of smuggled goods, You Tianjue suffered 400 casualties.
The actual number of staff in Yongning Acropolis is only one thousand. The remaining five cities have a total actual staff of only 2,000.
The four hundred casualties were a big loss to You Tianjue.
You Tianjue's son, eighteen-year-old You Jingwu, walked up to his father.
You Jingwu said: "Dad, the brothers responsible for escorting the smuggled goods to the Fuzhou Shipping Department are all ready."
You Tianjue said: "Let them set off."
You Jingwu sighed: "Alas. The things that the brothers seized with their lives will probably be shared privately by the father-in-laws of the Shipping Company."
In the early Ming Dynasty, the imperial court established three major shipping departments: Ningbo, Quanzhou and Guangzhou. In the eighth year of Chenghua's reign, in order to suppress Quanzhou's maritime merchants, the imperial court withdrew the Quanzhou Shipping Department and established the Fuzhou Shipping Department.
The Shipping Department is under supervision and supervision. Functions are similar to customs. It's an oil-and-water yamen.
The bosses of the three major shipping companies are all extremely wealthy.
One of Qian Neng's disciples got a job as a supervisory eunuch in Ningbo Shipping Department. When I left Beijing for my new post, I brought two boxes of clothes with me.
After serving for three years, he returned to Beijing with only twelve people in boxes containing silver.
You Tianjue said: "Whether the father-in-law divides things privately or not is not something we should or can manage. Just fulfill your duties and have a clear conscience."
At this moment, a scout general shouted: "Wolf smoke!"
You Tianjue looked up and saw smoke signals being lit in five directions: Chongwu, Fuquan, Kinmen, Zhongzuo and Gaopu.
You Tianjue frowned: "It's strange. How can the Japanese pirates attack five cities at once? How many Japanese pirates must land?"
At this moment, the soldiers on the observation deck of Yongning City shouted: "Japanese police! Japanese police!"
Dozens of Japanese pirate hachiman ships appeared along the coast. Countless Japanese pirates rowed small boats and swarmed ashore.
You Tianjue took a quick look and found that there were at least seven or eight thousand Japanese pirates who landed!
You Jingwu asked: "Dad, are they here for this batch of goods?"
You Tianjue said categorically: "Even if they come to pay birthdays, we can't let them take a step into Yongning."
"alert!"
You Jingwu guessed wrong.
The target of the Japanese pirates was not the smuggled goods seized in Yongning City.
In other words, this batch of smuggled goods was just the trigger for the large-scale landing of Japanese pirates.
For more than ten years, smuggling merchants and Japanese pirates have suffered enough from You Tianjue.
This time the goods worth 20,000 taels were seized by You Tianjue. The big boss behind the Fujian smuggling trade made up his mind to kill You Tianjue and destroy his Yongning Guards Army.
The Japanese pirates carried siege ladders and pushed door-ramming carts. Under the cover of big tubes, firecrackers, and bows and arrows, they launched a frantic attack on Yongning City.
You Tianjue is not afraid of losing the city gate. The city gate is a thousand-jin gate, with iron sheets wrapped in hard wood. The Japanese pirate's door-ramming car can't be easily knocked open.
Even if the city gate is broken open, there will still be a gate-blocking knife and carriage in the city gate hole.
Behind the Semen Knife Cart, there is the Wengcheng as the third line of defense.
What You Tianjue is most worried about is the failure of the city wall.
This battle to defend the city lasted from morning to dusk.
Ming soldiers on the city wall used bows, arrows, muskets, and iron cannons as long-range weapons to kill the Japanese pirates who followed.
The Ming soldiers used stinky hot gold juice, large rocks, and kerosene to deal with the Japanese pirates who had ants clinging to the city.
The Japanese pirates seemed crazy. Their attack was carried out without any regard for casualties, like a pack of mad dogs.
The number of Japanese pirates was nearly ten times that of the Ming army. Their large barrels, muskets, and bows and arrows caused heavy casualties to the Ming soldiers.
You Tianjue noticed something was wrong, and thought to himself: The Japanese pirates are attacking the city this time, as if they are determined to die together with Yongning City.
When Japanese pirates land, they always regard contact as business. Why did they engage in loss-making business this time?
You Tianjue didn't know that the Japanese pirates' target this time was the head on his neck.
The big boss of the smuggling business offered You Tianjue a high price of thirty thousand taels for his head. The living prisoners are fifty thousand taels. The "Big Boss" wanted to see You Tianjue chopped alive.
In addition, there is a huge reward of 200,000 taels for destroying and massacring the city.
Finally, the sun sets. It's getting dark. The Japanese pirates stopped attacking the city.
You Jingwu walked to his father's side: "Dad, I have already done the calculations. Eight hundred brothers were seriously injured today, and two hundred were killed in battle."
You Tianjue said: "The Japanese pirates who attacked the city suffered at least a thousand casualties today. It's really strange. Are these stupid Japanese pirates crazy?"
You Jingwu said: "Dad, before sunset, five cities were in danger again. It seems that they also experienced a tough battle to defend the city. I'm afraid they won't be able to rescue Yongning."
You Tianjue wiped the blood on his saber with a rag: "If it were normal, the Japanese pirates would have withdrawn long ago if they suffered such heavy casualties during their attack on the city."
"But now they are camping on the spot. It seems they want to continue to attack the city tomorrow."
"We have few soldiers. If they attack for three to five days at any cost, Yongning City will be defeated."
You Jingwu said: "Dad, I have an idea."
You Tianjue asked: "Oh? What method?"
You Jingwu said: "Their attack on the city should be to get back the goods seized by us."
"When we attack the city tomorrow, we will set those silk and tea bags on fire and throw them down the city."
"Firstly, a large number of Japanese pirates can be burned to death. Secondly, all the goods have been burned, and there is no need for the beasts to attack the city. They may die out."
You Tianjue praised: "What a brilliant idea! My son is simply my Kong Ming."
To prevent Japanese pirates from attacking at night. You Tianjue arranged for soldiers to take turns on duty on the city wall. He himself led the elite patrol of the four gates.
The night was uneventful.
At dawn the next day, the Japanese pirates began to gather to attack the city again. The offensive was similar to yesterday.
According to the plan suggested by his son, You Tianjue sprayed bolts of silk and loads of tea with kerosene, ignited them, and threw them under the city, forming a wall of fire to defend the city.
Countless Japanese pirates were burned to death. The Japanese pirates behind stepped on the burned corpses of their companions.
Such an ant-style siege at any cost, no matter how well-trained You Tianjue's troops are, casualties are inevitable.
Brother Paoze kept falling down after being hit by Japanese pirates' bows, arrows and blunderbuss.
There were even hundreds of Japanese pirates who once attacked the west city wall. You Tianjue led his troops to reinforce the west wall and fought bloody battles with swords before wiping out the Japanese pirates who had boarded the city.
The next day's battle was over.
Of the 800 warriors who defended the city, excluding those who were killed or seriously injured, only 400 remained.
In Yongning City, there lived a large number of family members of soldiers.
When the fighting got tense in the afternoon, even women and children went up to the city wall to help defend.
On the city wall, You Tianjue gradually came back to his senses.
He said to his son You Jingwu: "The Japanese pirates' target this time seems not to be the burned goods."
You Jingwu asked: "Dad, what is their goal?"
You Tianjue pointed at himself: "Their target may be this city or my head!"
You Tianjue knew that countless people hated him over the years, whether it was the Japanese pirates or the Ming Dynasty.
In the past fifteen years, You Tianjue may have killed tens of thousands of real and fake Japanese.
The seized smuggled goods may be worth millions of taels in total.
Many people are using their official connections to try to transfer You Tianjue away from Yongning Guard.
Fortunately, Fujian Governor Liu Chengan admired You Tianjue as a warrior and always protected him.
You Tianjue's enemies have powerful hands and eyes, and have close connections with senior officials in the capital.
Governor Liu Chengan's relationship is even harder. He was the teacher of the King of Chu and had the power of the vassal king as his backer. He was also good at communication and recognized Xiao Jing, the chief seal of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, as his adopted brother.
The capital issued orders many times to transfer You Tianjue away. All of them were forced back by Liu Chengan.
I, the governor Liu Chengan, am officially known as "Governor of Fujian and other places and also superintendent of military affairs." Fujian military affairs are under my jurisdiction. I won't let You Tianjue leave, and no one can try to transfer him away by any tricks.
The longer You Tianjue stayed in Yongning Guards, the more people he offended.
This time, someone was determined to take his life and solve the problem once and for all.
Let’s say that the Yongning city defense battle has been going on for two days.
You Tianjue only has 400 troops left. There are still five or six thousand Japanese pirates left outside the city.
Yongning will be captured in two days at most.
You Tianjue showed the ability of an excellent general.
He summoned one of his thousand households and ten of his hundreds of households to discuss matters.
You Tianjue said: "Everyone, this battle cannot continue like this. If we are trapped in the isolated city, the city will be destroyed and the entire army will be annihilated."
Xu Qianhu, his subordinate, said: "You can't abandon the city! You will lose your head."
You Tianjue said sternly: "Abandoning the city is what cowards do. Our Yongningwei brothers are all real men. We will live and die with Yongning City."
"It's just that we have to change our playing style."
Xu Qianhu asked: "How to change it?"
You Tianjue said: "Take the initiative! Attack the Japanese pirate camp at night!"
Xu Qianhu gritted his teeth and said, "Zhen Fu, are you crazy? There are only four hundred brothers left who can move. But there are five or six thousand Japanese pirates."
"A night attack may result in the annihilation of the entire army."
You Tianjue smiled slightly: "You think so, and the Japanese pirates think so too. They never expected that we would go out of the city to attack at night."
"Soldiers are crafty. Only by surprise can you win."
Xu Qianhu said: "Brothers, we all follow the orders of the governor. You tell us to go east, but we will never go west. You tell us how to fight, but brothers will risk their lives to follow you."
You Tianjue said: "Listen to what I have to say. Remember, we have two purposes for this night attack out of the city. The first purpose is of course to kill a large number of Japanese pirates."
"The second purpose is to attract the attention of the Japanese pirates and create chaos. Let the women and children in the city escape from the city at night!"
"Being a soldier eats food, licks blood on the tip of a knife, is loyal to the country, and is wrapped in horse leather. There is nothing to say."
"But we can't let those women, children and family members accompany us to die for our country!"
You Tianjue turned to look at his son You Jingwu: "I will give you the task of escorting the women and children out of the city. You must bring them safely to Jinjiang County."
"I can only give you ten robes. I can't come up with more."
You Jingwu said: "Dad, I want to go out of the city with you for a night raid. You should leave the matter of escorting women and children out of the city to others!"
You Tianjue pulled out his knife and placed it on You Jingwu's neck: "Military orders are like mountains. Anyone who disobeys military orders will be killed without mercy!"
You Jingwu gritted his teeth: "Okay! Don't worry, Dad, I will bring those women and children out of the city safely."
You Tianjue is a hero.
But heroes are not saints. Even saints have selfish motives.
He didn't want to see his eighteen-year-old son die with him in Yongning City.
On a spring night in the fifteenth year of Hongzhi's reign, each of the four hundred warriors of Yongning Guards in Fujian had a spear, a waist knife, and a bowl of wine in his hand.
You Tianjue stood in front of them, holding the wine bowl in both hands: "Brothers, the wind is rustling and the water is cold, and a strong man will never return once he is gone!"
"Drink this bowl of wine. I will still be a lord in my next life!"
You Tianjue actually knew it well. There is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves. Even if the night attack is successful, it can only buy one or two more days to defend the city.
As long as they can successfully create chaos and cover the escape of women and children, there will be no regrets in this battle.
You Tianjue roared: "Do it!"
Four hundred warriors drank it all in one gulp.
You Tianjue dropped the wine bowl on the ground. The four hundred warriors also threw their wine bowls to the ground, smashing them into pieces.
Over the past five thousand years in China, there have been many stories of such generosity and tragedy. There are many warriors who look forward to death like this.
The four major civilizations, ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, and ancient Babylon, have been lost in the long river of history.
Only Chinese civilization has been passed down to this day. Because China never lacks warriors who sacrifice their lives for righteousness.
Four hundred warriors descended from the city under the cover of night.
The Japanese pirates are different from the Japanese army. To put it bluntly, they are a group of pirates and bandits. There is no military discipline at all.
It was already midnight, and they were all fast asleep in their tents. The sentry on duty at the camp also slept like a dead pig with his bamboo gun.
You Tianjue personally stepped forward and wiped the neck of a sentry. Then he waved his hand towards his subordinate Pao Ze.
A one-sided massacre began.
Every Ming soldier held a piece of wood in his mouth to prevent him from making any noise.
Countless Japanese pirates had their throats cut by Ming soldiers in their sleep.
But the quiet slaughter didn't last long. The Japanese pirates discovered the Ming army attacking at night.
They shouted: "Tiklai donkey (there are enemies)." They got into a melee with the Ming army.
You Tianjue shouted: "Kill the enemy and earn a reward for your meritorious service! Brothers, kill!"
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty threw the wooden blocks in their mouths one after another, shouted "Receive the silver reward, kill!", and fought fiercely with the Japanese pirates.
In the first battle, the Japanese pirates were caught off guard and were at a disadvantage.
But the Ming army was too small in number. Gradually, Japanese pirates poured out from all directions of the camp, and the Ming army who was attacking at night was about to be surrounded.
You Tianjue made a decisive decision: "Don't be bitten to death by the Japanese pirates! Brothers, break out of the siege and return to the city!"
Let’s just say that the Japanese pirate camp has become a mess. You Jingwu secretly opened the west gate and led the women, children, old and young people out of Yongning City.
After walking west for more than ten miles, You Jingwu ordered one of his subordinates, Xiao Qi: "It should be safe. You can take your brothers and protect the women, children and the elderly to Jinjiang County."
Xiaoqi quickly asked: "What about Young Master Zhenfu?"
You Jingwu said: "I'm going back to Yongning City! This is a military order, you go quickly! Remember, don't stop on the way!"
Eighteen-year-old You Jingwu made his own decision: to go back to the city and live and die with his father and the robes.
On You Tianjue's side, the night attack team broke out in a bloody battle to the west. In the end, two hundred people returned to Yongning City.
This night attack not only killed thousands of enemies, but also burned a large number of Japanese siege equipment, and even set fire to the Japanese pirates' gunpowder pile.
Although more than half of the casualties were suffered, it was still considered a complete victory.
You Tianjue ordered his subordinate Xu Qianhu to check the number of people.
Xu Qianhu said: "Zhen Fu, there are only 203 brothers left who can be replaced."
You Tianjue gritted his teeth: "Then we will guard for one more day. Kill another 406 Japanese pirates!"
"Even if the city is destroyed and one's body is destroyed, the Japanese pirates must understand that if they run rampant in Ming Dynasty's land, they will have to pay the price with blood!"
All the robes expressed their opinions one after another: "Yes, if you hang yourself to death, you are not a real man if you are afraid of death!"
"Kill two and you won't lose, kill three and you'll gain blood!"
"After all, my wife and children have left the city. If I die, I can earn them a pension!"
At this moment, a voice sounded: "It's not 203 people who can still be replaced, but 204 people!"
You Jingwu came over.
When You Tianjue saw his son, his first reaction was to slap him in the face: "Pah!"
You Jingwu was stunned.
You Tianjue was furious: "Didn't I ask you to protect the women and children out of the city?"
You Jingwu said unconvinced: "The women and children have left the city safely and are out of danger. Father, why did you hit me?"
"Pah!" Another voice said: "The military order I gave you is to send them safely to Jinjiang County!"
"If you disobey military orders, you are not considered a soldier of the Ming Dynasty!"
You Jingwu's eyes were red: "Dad, when Huo Qubing was eighteen years old, he traveled three thousand miles to fight and was sealed as a wolf!"
"I am also eighteen years old. Although I cannot become Huo Qubing, I will not become a deserter who is greedy for life and afraid of death."
"Pa!" The third big dick came one after another. You Jingwu's face was swollen from being slapped by his father's big palm-like hands.
Xu Qianhu said quickly: "Zhenfu, stop fighting."
You Tianjue glared at his son: "You stay with me when we are defending the city."
In a blink of an eye, it was the third day of defending the city.
After two days of siege and the night attack last night, only 5,000 Japanese pirates remained.
Of the eight hundred warriors, only two hundred were left. The balance of power is still very different.
Fortunately, during the night attack, most of the Japanese siege equipment was burned and the gunpowder pile was also exploded. The big tubes and muskets also lost their fire.
The Japanese pirates could only rely on the three remaining siege ladders to attack.
The Ming army reluctantly held on for another day. At dusk, the Japanese pirates stopped attacking the city.
There were only fifty surviving Ming troops left in the entire Yongning City.
You Tianjue's face was covered with blood and his body was covered with injuries. He was leaning against the city wall with a knife in his hand. A day of desperate fighting had exhausted his strength.
He was so tired that he couldn't even say a word.
You Jingwu was also so tired that he lay sprawled on the ground.
Xu Qianhu suddenly shouted to You Tianjue: "Zhenfu, look!"
I saw a dozen more hachiman ships on the beach. Japanese reinforcements have arrived! Countless siege ladders and gunpowder barrels were transported ashore.
You Tianjue sighed: "The city is broken and the country is martyred, only tonight."
According to the reward offered by the smuggling merchant boss, You Tianjue alive is more valuable than You Tianjue dead.
A Japanese pirate came to the city on horseback.
The Japanese pirates actually have a Fujian accent. This man is a fake.
The fake Japanese shouted: "General You, in half an hour, we will set up the siege ladder and attack Ladi again. You can't defend Ladi!"
"Those who know the truth, surrender quickly. We will protect you from death!"
Xu Qianhu picked up a bow and aimed at the fake Japanese under the city.
But You Tianjue stopped Xu Qianhu: "When the two countries are at war, the envoys will not be killed. This is the rule of our Han family."
Then You Tianjue shouted something resounding to the fake Japanese.
"Listen to the Japanese pirates! This is the land of the Ming Dynasty. The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have the responsibility to defend the land!"
"Either win or die, there is no third way!"
After hearing this, the Japanese pirates rode away.
You Tianjue said: "The Japanese pirates must not be lying when they say they will attack the city in half an hour. We only have so many people left. There is no need for them to use any tactics to deceive the enemy."
"Brothers. After tonight, we will meet again at the Martyrs' Shrine!"
The few dozen remaining Paozes had gone through three days of bloody battles, and had long put life and death aside.
They expressed their opinions one after another: "If you enter the Martyrs' Shrine, you can receive incense for eternity! This life has not been in vain!"
"I killed more than twenty Japanese pirates in three days. I have already earned enough blood! I have my brothers as companions on the road to Huangquan. How wonderful!"
"I'll kill a few more Japanese pirates later. I'll make more money. If you go to heaven, you will be worthy of my ancestor! My ancestor crossed Fujian with Hu Meiping, the general who conquered the south!"
You Tianjue said: "Okay. Brothers, prepare to meet the enemy!"
"You Jingwu, follow me to the south city wall to have a look."
it's getting dark. The Japanese pirates set up siege ladders and prepared to attack the city overnight.
You Tianjue led You Jingwu to the south city wall.
You Jingwu asked: "Dad, why did you bring me here?"
You Tianjue picked up a rope from the ground. Without saying a word, he tied the rope around his son's waist. Then he tied the other end to the battlement.
You Jingwu shouted: "Dad, do you still want me to be a deserter?"
Sometimes, love for children and heroic ambition are not inconsistent. A father protecting his son is an instinct engraved in human DNA.
You Tianjue said something that has been recorded in history: "Those who try their best to defend the country are loyal, and those who sacrifice everything are filial. I want to be a loyal minister, and I also want you to be a filial son. I will have no regrets in this life."
After saying this, You Tianjue kicked his son off the city wall.
Half an hour later, the Japanese pirates' final offensive began!
You Tianjue gathered all the surviving brothers on the east city wall. Use iron and blood to make the final desperate struggle.
How can I say that I have no clothes? Be in the same robe as your son. The king raised his army and repaired my spear. I share the same hatred with you!
An hour later, the Japanese pirate leader finally climbed onto the wall of Yongning City.
The Japanese pirates compared the portraits and found You Tianjue's body.
You Tianjue's body was hugged tightly with the body of a Japanese pirate. His teeth bit the Japanese pirate's throat.
The Japanese pirates spent a lot of effort to separate the two bodies.
The Japanese pirate leader sighed: "Kaliwa (he is) Guan Yunchang."
The Japanese country is the sewer of earth's civilization and lacks literature and art. Since the popular romance of the Three Kingdoms was introduced to Japan in the early Ming Dynasty, it has become the most widely circulated book in Japan.
The so-called "famous generals" of the Japanese country even used "The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as their art of war.
Guan Yunchang is not only a hero respected by the Chinese, but also a hero respected by the Japanese.
Of course, it remains to be discussed whether these beasts on the floor of human morality are worthy of admiring Guan Yunchang.
The Japanese pirate leader said that You Tianjue was Guan Yunchang, and he was right.
In Chinese history, there is no shortage of heroes like Guan Yunchang. In other words, when the country is in crisis, every son and daughter of China is in charge.
This is the fundamental reason why this nation has stood firm for five thousand years.
The battle of Yongning is over.
When the reinforcements of the guard army arrived in Yongning, the Japanese pirates had already evacuated with You Tianjue's body.
You Jingwu is very lucky. After leaving the city, he took advantage of the darkness to escape.
It was because of You Jingwu's narrow escape that Liu Cheng'an, the governor of Fujian, learned the details of the Yongning city defense battle.
Half a month later, Liu Chengan's military report arrived at the Ministry of War.
"My minister Liu Chengan reported in tears. On the third day of March in the fifteenth year of Hongzhi, the Japanese pirates gathered tens of thousands of troops to besiege the six cities of Yongning, Fuquan, Kinmen, Zhongzuo, Gaopu and Chongwu. They mainly attacked Yongning Acropolis."
"The governor of Yongning Town, Fuyou Tianjue, led his soldiers to defend with all his strength. He arranged for soldiers to defend in shifts day and night, and personally led hundreds of elite troops to patrol the four gates. If there were police on one side, they would rush to rescue them."
"He also led his troops out of the city at night to break the siege and killed countless enemies."
"In the end, due to being outnumbered, the city was destroyed, the entire Yongning Guard army was wiped out, and Tianjue died for his country."
"Before Tianjue died for his country, he ordered his son to leave the city with a sword. He said: He who defends with all his strength is loyal, and he who sacrifices everything is filial. I want to be a loyal minister, and I also want you to be a filial son. Don't let me have any regrets."
Imperial Garden on the outskirts of Beijing.
Chang Feng still doesn't know the news that his old friend died in battle more than ten years ago.
He was riding and shooting with Prince Zhu Houzhao.
Chang Feng is thirty-seven years old. Seventeen years have passed since that crisis-ridden autumn night in the 22nd year of Chenghua.
Today's Chang Feng is no longer the high-spirited young man of twenty.
Seeing is a person who is about to enter his forties.
Stop talking about himself. His son, Chang Ponu, is already sixteen years old this year and is already an extraordinary and handsome young man.
Prince Zhu Houzhao was eleven years old. He stopped riding a mule and started riding a donkey instead.
Chang Ponu and Zhu Houzhao got along day and night, and they were so good that they only had to wear a pair of trousers.
Emperor Hongzhi found Zhu Houzhao as teachers for a group of contemporary great Confucians headed by Li Dongyang to teach him Confucianism. But he did not find a general to teach him how to ride and shoot.
This is not difficult for Zhu Houzhao. Zhu Houzhao asked his mother, Queen Zhang, to find an excellent riding and archery gentleman for him, a female gentleman at that.
This female gentleman is none other than Liu Xiaoyan, Chang Feng’s wife and Empress Zhang’s sworn sister.
Liu Xiaoyan is no longer the graceful girl she once was. She is the same age as Chang Feng, and her body has gained weight every year. At best, she is round and round, but at worst, she is bloated.
However, Chang Feng had a special liking for her white body.
Although she has gained weight, Liu Xiaoyan's riding and shooting skills have not decreased at all.
For more than ten years, she has been practicing archery to kill time when she has nothing to do at home. His archery skills are getting better and better.
Of course, after being married to Chang Feng for seventeen years, her eighteen-step leg-swinging skills on the bed have also become less and less perfect.
Liu Xiaoyan was wearing men's clothing and riding a horse. A hundred steps away, a hare scurried past.
Liu Xiaoyan took the bow and pulled the string, and the arrows shot out with a "whoosh" and "pop"! The hare in the middle.
Zhu Houzhao was the female gentleman's little fanboy. He shouted: "The Emperor's Auntie is amazing! The Emperor's Auntie's archery skills are invincible in the world!"
Liu Xiaoyan is Empress Zhang's sworn sister, so Zhu Houzhao always calls her "the emperor's aunt".
Chang Ponu also hurriedly flattered his mother: "My mother is like the Hua Mulan and Liang Hongyu of our time!"
Liu Xiaoyan said: "Don't rush to praise me. Your Highness, remember, in archery, you need to anticipate the enemy first. You can't just shoot the target to death."
"On the actual battlefield, the enemy is alive and so is the horse."
Zhu Houzhao nodded hurriedly: "Remember the imperial aunt."
Chang Feng looked at Zhu Houzhao and others from a distance, but did not step forward. His mission today is to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Not only Liu Jin and Li Dongyang understand that serving a good prince is the greatest future, but Chang Feng also understands.
In the past three years, he has consciously approached the prince. Apart from anything else, it is always good to look familiar in front of the future Emperor of Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Hongzhi's health was deteriorating, and although the officials in the capital never expressed it, they knew in their hearts that the emperor would probably fall apart within three to five years.
Many officials began to fawn over the eleven-year-old prince Zhu Houzhao.
Everyone has the same mentality: Only by currying favor with the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty can the future future be guaranteed.
The Chang family can be said to be the first to win in this regard.
Let’s say that the shooting time is approaching noon. A Han general rode up to Zhu Houzhao, then dismounted and knelt down: "Your Highness, Mr. Li asked you to go back to the palace and prepare for the afternoon class."
Zhu Houzhao's brows were furrowed: "Why is Mr. Li acting like a ghost?"
Having said that, he could only listen to Li Dongyang. He was afraid that Li Dongyang would go to Qianqing Palace again and criticize him in front of Emperor Hongzhi.
In his heart, young Zhu Houzhao hated his husband Li Dongyang so much that his teeth itched.
The cabinet composed of Liu Jian, Li Dongyang, and Xie Qian has become extremely powerful in the past three years.
Emperor Hongzhi was weak and sick, so many government affairs could only be handled by the three ministers in the cabinet.
Behind the cabinet is the entire civil service group, and behind the civil service group stands the entire Shilin.
The strength of the cabinet has caused the civil servants' clique to become increasingly uncontrollable.
Although Chang Feng fought hard for the power of the factory guards in the past three years, he could not resist the general trend of the court.
In addition, the official commander of Jinyiwei, Mou Bin, is a kind man. Kindness is sometimes another way of saying weakness.
The power of the factory guards still existed, but it was far less than it was during the Chenghua Dynasty.
After the hunting, Chang Feng, his wife, and son returned to their home.
The Chang family is still the same family, with no children.
No matter how hard Chang Feng tried, Liu Xiaoyan and Mrs. Jiu couldn't bear a son or a half.
Taoist Zhang gave Chang Feng a fortune telling and said that Chang Feng was destined to have an only son.
Chang Feng also accepted his fate. No more concubines were taken. Of course, it is also possible to go to Yihong Building to do some drinking from time to time.
I'm eating. A man came to Chang Mansion.
This person is Yang Tinghe, a bachelor of Zuo Chunfang.
Yang Tinghe has been promoted step by step in recent years.
The three elders of the cabinet are very optimistic about him and think highly of him. A few years ago, Li Dongyang recommended to Emperor Hongzhi that Yang Tinghe be responsible for editing the "Da Ming Huidian".
Half a month ago, the "Da Ming Huidian" was completed, and Yang Tinghe was promoted to Zuo Chunfang Bachelor for his merit.
If the Minister of Rites is only one step away from entering the cabinet, then the Grand Scholar Zuo Chunfang is only half a step away from entering the cabinet.
Yang Tinghe was only forty-three years old. It can be said that the future is promising and the future is bright.
Yang Tinghe came to Chang Feng with a sad expression on his face.
Chang Feng asked: "What's going on, Bachelor Yang? Which relative or friend in the family has passed away?"
Yang Tinghe took out a copy of the Ministry of War newspaper from his sleeve: "Brother Chang, You Tianjue died for his country!"
When we first offered sacrifices to Mazu in the south, Chang Feng, Yang Tinghe, and You Tianjue lived together and fought against Japanese pirates on the walls of Yongning City.
Hearing the news, Chang Feng couldn't believe his ears: "Who did you say died for the country?"
Yang Tinghe repeated: "You Tianjue died for his country."
Chang Feng quickly opened the newspaper from the Ministry of War. After reading the story of the Battle of Yongning, he fell down on his chair with a thump.
Yang Tinghe said: "I plan to deliver the memorial to the emperor. I request the emperor to grant You Jingwu, the orphan of brother Tianjue, the hereditary title of commander. You can sign with me."
Chang Feng sighed: "It's done. Alas"
Yang Tinghe added: "Fujian Governor Liu Chengan admired Brother Tianjue very much. After Brother Tianjue died for his country, Liu Chengan went crazy and sent troops from various Fujian ministries to actively look for Japanese pirates to fight. But the results were very little."
Chang Feng said: "Brother Tianjue died for his country, and I will take care of his son. When the emperor approves, I will give You Jingwu the title of commander and let him go to the capital. He will go to Jinyiwei to make up a thousand households."
Yang Tinghe said: "This is the best."
Chang Feng suddenly cursed: "The Tang newspaper said that it was Japanese pirates who attacked Yongning, and the culprits also fled back to the Japanese country."
"Oh, only God knows whether the culprit is a Japanese or a Mingren!"
Fifteen years ago, Chang Fengnan worshiped Mazu and learned about the existence of the smuggling maritime business group "Sihaihui".
Since Emperor Hongzhi had just ascended the throne at that time, there could be no chaos in the southeast. Chang Feng had no choice but to kill a group of cats and dogs from the Four Seas Society to vent his anger, without going into details.
Yang Tinghe also knew something about the smuggling situation along the Ming Dynasty. Many smugglers are actually the white gloves of civil servants in Beijing and China.
He smiled awkwardly: "The culprit is so crazy, I guess it must be the Japanese. The Japanese have always been no different from animals."
Chang Feng said: "That's all. Where's the memorial requesting for a hereditary military position? Give it to me and I'll sign it."
After sending Yang Tinghe away, Chang Feng tried hard to recall You Tianjue's appearance. It had been fifteen years since Yongning had been separated, and he couldn't remember You Tianjue's appearance.
He could only have someone carve You Tianjue's divine tablet and put a few sticks of incense on him as a memorial.
I know, I'm short of 700 words. Will make up for it tomorrow.
(End of chapter)
