The spoils sharing meeting officially began, and even Zheng He subconsciously pricked up his ears.
Although he has been doing logistical work, Zheng He and his soldiers also shared the great success of conquering the capitals of the two countries.
Personal friends are personal friends, and it is better to distinguish things like military merits clearly.
Looking at the group of generals with expectant faces, Chen Kan asked with a smile: "Who do you think should be the first to take credit for this trip to Nanyang?"
As soon as these words came out, Song Qing and Tan Cong puffed up their chests at the same time.
Both of them are strong contenders for the first victory. One commanded the front army to raze the city of Malacca to the ground, and the other held back the entire army of Sumatra.
From the perspective of results, Tan Cong's results were greater, but from a strategic perspective, Song Qing's influence was even more far-reaching.
Comparing the two, it is difficult to tell which one is higher and which one is lower.
As for the others, it was rare that they did not make any statement.
Even Dou Xing, who had the least dealings with Tan Cong, did not speak at this time.
After all, although his contribution to breaking Bolinbang City is not small, everyone knows how much water there is in it.
Chen Kan's eyes glanced back and forth between Tan Cong and Song Qing, and said with a slight smile: "Song Qing, your subordinates suffered the greatest losses in this battle, and the strategy of dividing the troops was yours. I, the commander-in-chief, designated you as the first contributor."
Song Qing grinned, cupped his hands and replied: "In this case, the general will be disrespectful."
Chen Kan nodded slightly and turned to look at Tan Cong.
Tan Cong wasn't upset that he didn't get the first prize, and looked at Chen Kan with a smile.
"Tan Cong, although you commanded the navy under your command to annihilate Malacca, although it was a great achievement, in the final analysis, you still took advantage of the firearms. It is not considered your real ability, so you are ranked second. Do you have any opinion?"
"The general will have no objections."
If you can't get the first prize, it's not bad to get the second prize. After all, Tan Cong himself knows that he really took advantage of firearms when he conquered the city of Malacca.
It is no exaggeration to say that with the firepower of the Ming army, even if a dog is put there to command, the final result may not be worse than his.
Tan Cong made no sense, Chen Kan looked around at the other generals in the tent.
He muttered: "This is the third grade..."
Chen Kan hesitated to name the third-class meritorious person, and a group of generals immediately held their breath.
Chen Kan smiled slightly, turned to look at Zheng He, and asked with a smile: "Why don't General Zheng take the third-class credit?"
As soon as this statement came out, the generals in the hall couldn't help but be stunned, and their eyes couldn't help but look at General Zheng He who was also stunned by this statement.
Meeting the gazes of a group of generals, Zheng He and Chen Kan looked at each other, and a touch of emotion suddenly appeared on their faces.
Chen Kan nodded with a smile and continued: "General Zheng He, please."
Zheng He stopped squirming, nodded heavily, and then stood up.
He knew why Chen Kan gave him the opportunity to take credit for the soldiers.
This is a disguised form of giving him an opportunity to show mercy.
The reason why Chen Kan did this was to prepare for his next voyage to the West.
The navy officers and soldiers under his command have been swimming with him on the sea for more than three years. When they return to the Ming Dynasty this time, they must be rotated with other navy officers.
If he wants to go to sea again, he needs to bring a new group of people.
It is said that it is better to use the old than to use the new. Although the naval officers and soldiers under his command cannot go to sea with him again, these naval officers in front of him are all elite.
If he could recruit these soldiers to serve under his command, he would not have to worry about being blocked outside the strait the next time he went to sea, and his footprints would surely reach further afield.
So, this is a small opportunity to show kindness, but it is also a big favor.
When Zheng He stood up, Chen Kan sat back on the main seat and looked at Zheng He quietly.
Zheng He glanced around the tent and narrowed his eyes slightly.
After a moment, he said in a deep voice: "Wang En, Dou Xing, Housong Masako, Li Xuan, Du Yu, come out..."
The person whose name was called by Zheng He took a step forward, joy flashing in his eyes.
Zheng He smiled calmly and said: "Except for Your Royal Highness, you are all ministers of the Ming Dynasty. This time you came to Nanyang and achieved fruitful results. I would like to ask for credit for you. What do you think?"
Hearing this, everyone except Hosatsu Masako bowed to Zheng He and said in unison: "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Zheng."
After counting the third-level credits, Zheng He continued to spit out a series of names. It was not until all the generals who came to the tent today received the credits that the banquet truly reached its climax.
The division of the spoils is completed.
The next thing is to ask the secretary to submit the merit reports of the generals to the Ministry of War. After being reviewed by the Ministry of War, they are sent to the imperial court for Zhu Di's review.
When Zhu Di was sure that there was no problem, he would issue an imperial edict, and the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, which was in charge of the world's troops, would discuss merits and reward them.
The calculation of military achievements in the Ming Dynasty may sound a bit troublesome, but compared to previous dynasties, the military system in the Ming Dynasty was actually the simplest.
After everyone's contribution was determined, it was like a big stone falling to the ground, and the atmosphere in the camp became even more heated.
The smile on Chen Kan's face has not disappeared today.
Holding the wine glass, Chen Kan was about to get drunk with Zheng He when a harsh sound suddenly sounded in the tent.
"Your Majesty, now that the war in Nanyang is over, can you please ask your Majesty to return north as soon as possible?"
Masako Gomatsu, who had just been listed as third-class meritorious service by Zheng He, stood up from the corner.
Then, Chen Kan's good mood was successfully shattered with one sentence.
Chen Kan stopped moving his hands and glared at Song Qing angrily.
He complained in his heart: Why didn't Song Qing kill all the Japanese people?
Song Qing: "?"
"Envoy?"
Gomatsu Masako continued to speak, mist gradually began to appear in her eyes.
Chen Kan's face froze, he sighed secretly, and replied: "Prince, please don't worry, our Ming Dynasty's strategic deployment in Nanyang has not been completed yet. Moreover, the fleet returning north and setting off the army cannot be completed overnight. Please wait a moment, Princess." Be more understanding.”
After listening to Chen Kan's nonsense, Masako Housong suddenly started sobbing.
"Your Majesty, there is chaos in my country. I am afraid that the people are now in dire straits. Now more than half of the two thousand soldiers under my command have died fighting for the Ming Dynasty. I do not dare to ask for merit in the imperial court. I only hope that your Majesty will have mercy on you." , quickly lead the troops to relieve our Japanese people from hanging upside down, my maid, thank you!"
Gomatsu Masako sobbed and bowed down.
When he did this, the originally lively banquet suddenly fell silent.
Chen Kan was angry and couldn't help but glare at Song Qing again.
Song Qing: "?"
"No, we have to find a way to kill the remaining Japanese pirates. Leaving them alive will sooner or later be a disaster."
Chen Kan's mind was spinning, and he quickly thought about how to kill Masako Gomatsu together.
Mainly because the identity of Gomatsu Masako as an envoy is too annoying.
If Gosatsu Masako was killed in public, Chen Kan could not guarantee that every soldier under his command would keep it secret.
If the news that he killed the envoys without permission was reported back to the Ming Dynasty, his political enemies and the old masters in the Ming Dynasty who were full of morality and justice could drown him in their saliva.
Moreover, Ming Dynasty still needs to maintain a reputation of benevolence and righteousness in front of the people of the world.
After pondering for a moment, he still couldn't think of any way to justifiably kill the envoy. A look of embarrassment appeared on Chen Kan's face, and he hesitated: "Your Highness, today is a celebration banquet. You get up first. We can discuss the dispatch of troops later, okay?" ?”
Gomatsu Masako stood up and noticed that everyone was staring at him with strange expressions, and even looked weak and unable to take care of themselves. She said pitifully: "I wonder when the envoy said we can talk later? "
Chen Kan frowned and replied calmly: "Let's wait until the celebration banquet is over."
Housong Masako bit her lower lip lightly, and said with a smile on her face, "Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for your mercy."
Chen Kan almost vomited.
He didn't understand what kind of mental state this woman was in.
In full view of everyone, he acted as if he was her benefactor.
No, we must find an opportunity to kill him.
Let it go, Chen Kan endured both physical and psychological discomfort, and said in a deep voice: "It doesn't matter, this is what I have promised you a long time ago. I will discuss the matter of returning to the army with the generals later, and you will also come on."
The banquet has now progressed, and after Song Masako made such a disturbance, Chen Kan no longer wanted to continue drinking with Zheng He.
He gave Song Qing a look and said calmly to everyone: "I will go out and get some fresh air. Everyone, please continue."
Chen Kan walked out of the commander's tent, and Song Qing, who received Chen Kan's signal, reluctantly followed Chen Kan out of the commander's tent and walked into the military formation.
After leaving the commander's tent, Chen Kan finally couldn't help but scold Song Qing.
"Didn't I tell you to kill all the Japanese people? What do you mean by keeping a woman like this to punish me?"
Song Qing felt a little aggrieved, like a primary school student who was being scolded, and said in a low voice: "The general did not expect this to be the case. The general has really killed the Japanese people. They are very lucky. It’s also hard to make things too obvious.”
"What a waste!"
After cursing Song Qing, Chen Kan couldn't help but frown.
If I had known that Japanese people were so tough, I should not have given them a chance to reveal their identities as envoys. Instead, I should have killed them all as pirates.
In this way, even if the news spreads back to China, it can still be defended with the word "uninformed".
But now, the identity of their envoy is known to everyone. For a while, Chen Kan really had nowhere to start.
Song Qing stood in front of Chen Kan with an eyebrow raised, and carefully looked at Chen Kan's face, and a cruel look suddenly appeared on his face.
"Commander, why don't you ask your subordinates to bring a few trustworthy brothers and bring them..."
"shut up!"
Song Qing was interrupted impatiently by Chen Kan midway through her words.
He now wanted to open Song Qing's skull to see what his brain was made of.
If it could be that simple, would he still have to worry about it?
Even Chang Ning, a woman with a homely life, could think of causing a shipwreck to kill the North Korean envoy, but Song Qing, a grown man, could only think of killing and killing.
Song Qing shrank his neck and asked, "Commander, what can you do?"
Chen Kan glared at Song Qing with hatred, and after thinking for a moment, he waved to him impatiently.
"You are like this..."
Chen Kan whispered a few words into Song Qing's ear. Song Qing's eyes suddenly widened and he couldn't help but hesitate: "Commander, is this possible?"
"Just go if I tell you to do it. Why are you asking so many questions? Get out..."
Chen Kan didn't give him a good look. After cursing, Song Qing immediately ran away with his head in his hands.
Back in the camp, the banquet was coming to an end.
In fact, from the moment Chen Kan left the banquet, the banquet was over, but he didn't say anything to let everyone disperse, so everyone could only wait.
Seeing Chen Kan leaving and returning, Zheng He stood up, cupped his hands towards him, and said calmly: "Master Marquis, I'm going to see how the sons and gentlemen are transporting the goods, so I'll take my leave."
Chen Kan nodded: "Zheng Shuai, walk slowly."
As soon as Zheng He left, all the soldiers under his command also said goodbye and left.
In an instant, everything was empty.
Masako Gomatsu lingered and refused to leave, looking back three times every step of the way, which was really heartbreaking.
But Chen Kan was very firm in seeing off the guests, so she could only reluctantly walk out of the tent.
The guards quickly cleaned up the mess in the tent.
Chen Kan told Zhang Dong: "I'll take a nap and call me later."
After Zhang Dong agreed, Chen Kan leaned on the soft couch and began to fall asleep.
Now that the affairs in Nanyang are over, it is time to discuss the matter of returning to the north.
Chen Kan's and Zheng He's fleets belonged to two different formations, so it was definitely impossible to go together. Besides, manpower was needed to transport goods.
Chen Kan's fleet was established during wartime, and transferring goods was an illegal operation. He could only leave as many ships as possible for Zheng He, and then take away as many people as possible.
Fortunately, all the way south, the supplies in the cabin were almost empty, and there was room for people in the cabin.
In the evening, Zhang Dong woke up Chen Kan on time.
There was no need to rush Zheng He's men to discuss the matter of returning to the north, so Chen Kan only called for officers from more than a thousand households under his command.
The envoy Gomatsu Masako was also present at the meeting.
A huge torch was lit, illuminating the entire tent like daylight.
When Chen Kan saw that everyone was here, he raised his hand to signal everyone not to be polite, and then glanced at Song Qing.
Song Qing nodded imperceptibly.
Chen Kan withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "Now that the war is over, it's time for us to leave, but the transfer of goods from Manchuria and Sumatra cannot be done by Zheng Shuai's fleet alone, and His Majesty's support is unknown. I want to leave two treasure ships, half of the cruise ships and the lucky ships for Zheng Shuai to transport his goods. I have called you here because I want to hear your opinions."
Chen Kan didn't lie. What the military wanted was to convey the matter in the shortest possible time, so there was no need to lie.
As soon as these words came out, the navy generals couldn't help but look at each other.
Song Qing, the deputy commander, was the first to speak: "Commander, if we leave so many ships, it will be difficult for the fifteen thousand people under our command to be transported back. The ship can accommodate so many people, but there will be no food, grass and supplies." The place is ready.”
Chen Kan nodded, Song Qing's question was on point.
An army of fifteen thousand people needs to consume a very terrifying amount of food, grass and fresh water every day.
However, Chen Kan had already known something about this matter.
Since the grain and fodder transported by ships at sea are not enough to allow the army to return to the capital in one go, then they can make up for it halfway.
There is no shortage of food in Annan and Lingnan. In these two places, rice can basically be harvested twice or three times a year.
When the army moves northward from the South China Sea, it can stop at Annan or Guangzhou Lane for supplies.
Although this is against the rules, Chen Kan has never been a rule-abiding person.
In addition, many of the business names under Chen Kan's name have branches in major southern ports such as Guangzhou and Quanzhou.
Even if the local government was unwilling to provide food, Chen Kan could still barely afford to support this army of 15,000 people by using his private business.
However, Chen Kan has no plans to speak out about these things for the time being.
Masako Gomatsu is still here, and he has prepared a big show for this woman tonight.
The drama has not yet begun, so it is better not to alert the enemy first.
Therefore, Chen Kan turned his head, looked at the other generals, and continued to ask: "Do the others have any problems? If so, if you raise them now, you can think of ways to deal with them."
After Chen Kan finished speaking, Tan Cong took a step forward and asked: "Master Hou, it is already the turn of spring and summer in the Ming Dynasty. According to the general's experience, this season, there are inevitably strong winds, huge waves and thunderstorms on the sea. If we stay With so many ships, if they encounter such extreme weather while sailing at sea and the ships are damaged, we don't have replacement warships. Wouldn't this lead our brothers to a dead end?"
Tan Cong's worries were not unreasonable, but when the problem was raised, it was necessary to find a way to solve it, so Chen Kan didn't worry too much.
With Song Qing and Tan Cong proofing, a group of generals immediately raised all the issues they were worried about.
Behind Chen Kan, a scribe who looked like a secretary wrote down all the people's problems on a huge wooden board. He only waited for the questions to be raised before thinking of solutions one by one.
It can be said that the meeting has now officially entered a critical moment.
But at this critical moment, a soldier suddenly rushed into the tent in a hurry.
"It's not good, Marshal, it's not good..."
The soldier looked panicked, as if he had just been bitten by a dog.
The generals who were speaking enthusiastically suddenly stopped.
Chen Kan frowned in dissatisfaction and scolded: "What kind of panic is this? The commander is currently conducting a military meeting. Who allowed you to come in?"
The soldier knelt in the tent and shivered, and just kept shouting that something was wrong.
The leader of Chen Kan's bodyguard walked out with a fierce expression on his face and was about to throw the soldier out of the tent.
At this time, Chen Kan quickly called him out.
Then he winked at the generals.
The secretary had the foresight to turn over the wooden board. This move could effectively prevent military secrets from being leaked.
Chen Kan sat down on the main seat, frowned and asked: "What happened, are you so panicked?"
The soldier raised his head and said urgently: "Commander, someone is detained in the city."
"Why should I take it seriously? If someone is detained, can you just bring him out?"
Chen Kan stopped impatiently, and the soldier hurriedly said: "We can't bring him out, Marshal. The one being detained is not one of ours, but..."
Chen Kan asked impatiently: "What is it?"
The soldier glanced anxiously at Masako Gomatsu, who had been huddled in the corner without saying a word since entering the tent.
Just at this glance, Housong Masako suddenly felt an unknown feeling in his heart.
The soldier waited for a long time and finally told the truth: "Come back to the commander-in-chief, it was the Japanese envoy who was detained, not our people. Our people went to ask for it, but the Sumatra officials had a very tough attitude. I don’t want to let him go.”
"What?"
Masako Gomatsu in the corner suddenly exclaimed and said in disbelief: "How is that possible?"
Chen Kan pretended to frown and asked, "Tell me, what exactly is going on?"
The soldier took a cautious look at Song Masako, and suddenly said with a look of sadness and anger: "Commander Rongchen, today several soldiers under the command of Her Royal Highness the Queen said they wanted to go to the city to have fun, and I thought that Bolin State City is now under the control of our Ming Dynasty. There shouldn't be any trouble, so I let them go.
But who knew that when they entered, they began to rob the Sumatran people in the city and raped several women, causing those women to commit suicide in shame.
Those Japanese people also... also said that they were honored guests of the Ming Dynasty, and it was their honor to fall in love with their women. Then, they were detained by Sumatra officials, saying... He said he wanted the commander to give them an explanation.
Call your subordinates to come down and ask the commander why he promised in advance that as long as they gave up the treasure house, they would keep the whole city in peace, but now he went back on his word? "
From the soldiers' intermittent narration, the generals finally understood the general idea, and their expressions instantly became strange.
Chen Kan's face turned livid, suppressing great anger, he turned to look at Housong Masako and said: "Your Highness, I respect you as a royal daughter, but I have repeatedly said that since I was stationed in Bolin State City, No one is allowed to disturb the people, and violators will be punished without mercy. I never thought that no one under my command has violated military orders, but the troops under His Highness’ command have given me a surprise. I hope that Your Highness the Queen will give me an explanation for this matter."
Gomatsu Masako was already in a panic after listening to the soldier's story. Now that he heard Chen Kan's questioning, he looked even more desperate.
It's impossible. She has clearly told her soldiers countless times not to violate the laws and regulations set by the Ming army under any circumstances. Violators will die. How could someone sneak into the city?
This is impossible, and it shouldn’t be?
Feeling so flustered in her heart, Gomatsu Masako couldn't care less about pretending to be weak at this moment.
He hurriedly trotted to the tent and saluted Chen Kan: "Your Majesty, there must be something hidden about this matter. Please let your envoy go into the city to find out. If this matter is true, I will definitely give you an explanation." .”
Chen Kan snorted coldly with a livid face, and said in a suppressed voice: "I will go with the princess. It's best to have a hidden secret in this matter, otherwise, your highness, don't blame me for being cruel and ruthless."
Gomatsu Masako nodded frantically, took a deep breath, turned around and trotted out of the handsome tent.
She couldn't help but panic when something like this happened.
Chen Kan's military order was placed, not allowing anyone to harm the people in Bolingbang City, but it was destroyed by her men.
Not only did he disobey Chen Kan's military orders, but he also caused loss of life.
If this is not handled well, even she may be implicated.
Because if this matter spreads out, others will not blame them on the Japanese people, but will only think that Chen Kan has gone back on his promise.
To put it more broadly, it was the Ming Dynasty that went back on its promise. Who would dare to surrender to the Ming Dynasty in the future?
And the people under her command did it. How could the Ming Dynasty tolerate her when she suffered unprovoked disaster?
