I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1001 Loyal Bones Long Awaited Before the King, Still Shining Like the Old Battle Saddle of Yesteryear.

Zhu Yiliu glanced at Han Qingde again before leading his group out of the Jinshan Prefecture dungeon.

Zhu Yiliu, the only prince within the fifth degree of kinship, could do whatever he wanted within the actual control of the Ming Dynasty. He was the emperor's only younger brother and was willing to personally come to Jinshan City to assume his fiefdom and make his own contribution to opening up the sea for the Ming Dynasty.

As long as this fact remains, the emperor will spare no effort to protect him.

Zhu Yiliu sat on the high platform of the Bell and Drum Tower in the main hall, which was the highest point in Jinshan City. He liked to sit here and watch the sunrise and sunset and the ebb and flow of the tide.

He was a little homesick. This was not a sign of weakness or shame. As a member of the imperial family, being sent to a godforsaken place like Jinshan Kingdom to serve as a vassal was a hardship for him. However, he was also reluctant to leave Jinshan City. He loved watching Jinshan Kingdom grow from nothing to something, bit by bit.

"Your Highness, it's a bit chilly." Meng Jinquan took a cloak and draped it over Prince Lu's shoulders.

"Jin Quan, sitting on the throne, I finally understand why my brother is so cold and ruthless," Zhu Yiliu murmured to himself, as if speaking to Meng Jin Quan, but more like speaking to himself.

Prince Lu, who grew up following his elder brother around, had heard countless words since childhood. He had forgotten them when he heard them, but now, as the ruler of Jinshan Kingdom, those forgotten words suddenly came back to him, as if they were engraved in his mind.

My elder brother once said: "Dust won't go away on its own unless you sweep it."

This may seem like a truism, but it actually reveals a fundamental truth: don't expect insects to suddenly realize their mistakes and reform themselves. You have to get rid of them, otherwise they won't die on their own. You need to have enough determination and courage to sweep away the dust.

There are five of the four major cases of the Wanli Emperor. In each case, His Majesty personally took charge and did not delegate the task to anyone else. He personally stepped in to be the one who swept the floor.

In the past, Shandong had many bandits. Shandong has unique natural endowments that could support all the people, but so many bandits were forced into it.

When Zhao Mu's father and his neighbors killed the landlord's entire family, he didn't become an outlaw or join the bandits, which was already a great honor for everyone.

My elder brother once said: Power is money, affairs, people, and laws, but in the end it is violence that one can control.

At that time, Zhu Yiliu was still very young, and his interest in birds and beasts far exceeded that in people. Back then, when his elder brother talked about the basic logic of power, Zhu Yiliu would just listen and deal with the monthly tests. But now, Zhu Yiliu has a much clearer understanding of finance, people, laws, and violence.

Financial power, administrative power, personnel power, the power to interpret the law, and the control over violence—these five things constitute the five cornerstones of power.

If a ruler cannot control everything, then he must completely control violence, and then gradually control a portion of the other four powers.

My elder brother once said: The relationships between people form small circles, and these small circles make up the great Ming Dynasty. The great Ming Dynasty is the public, and these countless small circles are the private. The public and the private are a contradictory yet unified community.

Those were the words his elder brother used when teaching him the theory of public and private, to help Zhu Yiliu understand the complex and relative concepts of public and private.

Even so, it was still a bit difficult for Zhu Yiliu. It was more fun to assemble models. Back then, it took Zhu Yiliu a full four months to assemble the model of the five-masted ocean liner.

Zhu Yiliu, who was under the protection of his elder brother, did not need to understand these things, but he still remembered these words. Today, he finally understood the true meaning of these words.

Within an organization, over time, interest groups formed one after another, maintained by unspoken rules. These small circles constantly erode public interests to satisfy private desires.

If someone wants to enter this clique, they must pay a sufficient price in their loyalty, exploit their subordinates, act recklessly and lawlessly, and engage in acts that embezzle public funds in order to satisfy the loyalty required by the clique.

This is why so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations and the provincial examinations, these brilliant individuals among the elite, did so many seemingly foolish things.

They could have exercised their power in a more fair, just, and lawful manner, but instead they chose to break the law.

That's not stupidity; it's an effort to squeeze into the inner circle, a concrete manifestation of those unspoken rules.

Often, as these small cliques develop, they gradually diverge from the mission and interests of the Ming Dynasty as the largest collective.

Because these cliques want to gain more privileges, the first step they must take is to muddy the waters. Only by thoroughly muddying the waters can they fish in troubled waters. In short, they must start fighting.

When the waters are muddy, infighting is necessary to reap the rewards, obtain sufficient benefits, and share them with others in the circle. Only in this way can the circle maintain its existence.

The existence of a circle is to protect the overall interests of everyone within it, and often the internal exploitation within this circle is more intense than that within the largest public circle.

Because there is no oversight within small circles.

When a clique cannot protect its own interests, it becomes unnecessary for the clique to exist. Examples include the Jin Party and the Jinshan gentry of the Jinshan Kingdom.

The Jinshan gentry existed to protect the interests of all the gentry exiled to Jinshan Kingdom, so they had to maintain the interests of their own circle by defying the King of Lu.

The Jinshan aristocracy's price gouging was actually a way of demonstrating their authority and demanding more benefits to distribute among their circle of friends. Those who acted as accomplices were simply people trying to squeeze into the circle themselves.

The development of the port would benefit everyone in the Kingdom of Jinshan, but the Jinshan gentry would take the biggest cut and make the King of Lu pay for it. The Jinshan gentry would benefit but also become the victims.

If this were in the heart of the Ming Dynasty, it would be perfectly normal, and the usual solution would be to negotiate and give them a little something.
But this is the Kingdom of Gold, a tiny place with only a few gold mines, unable to support a small clique.

Zhu Yiliu accepted the offer of 2 taels of silver per mu, but when it came to 12 taels of silver per mu, he had no choice but to kill them.

One must learn to eat in moderation.

In November, Zhu Yiliu held a public trial, sentencing, and execution for the entire case, making all the details of the case public. What angered Zhu Yiliu was that these remnants of the imperial family dared to insult his elder brother! What angered the people of Jinshan Kingdom was that these people actually hindered the development of Jinshan Kingdom!

When Prince Lu arrived, he didn't undertake a major construction project to build the Prince Lu's Palace. Instead, he built a port to accommodate the massive volume of goods coming and going after the establishment of the Pan-Pacific Trade Alliance. How many people can the expanded port support?

In order to get a little more, the Jinshan gentry actually forced the Prince of Lu to bow down. This was not just forcing the Prince of Lu to bow down, but forcing all the people of Jinshan to give them benefits and support them!

Amidst shouts and curses, Han Qingde and his entourage were dragged to the execution ground, where the executioner awaited His Highness Prince Lu's order to behead them.

On November 12th, the weather was not good. Before noon, Zhu Yiliu threw out the order and ordered the execution of the victim.

Before his death, Han Qingde suddenly remembered his father. His father had taught him the importance of knowing when to stop, but he had forgotten it because his father had forgotten it as well.

In fact, when Quan Tianpei found him and talked to him about lowering the price back to what they had discussed the first time, he had already decided to agree. But his desire to negotiate further only angered the Prince of Lu.

While it is true that members of the imperial family value their reputation, it would be even more humiliating for them to be disobeyed in this way without taking any action. Nobles would not tolerate being disobeyed.

"Click."

The boning knife pried open his spine, and Han Qingde immediately lost control of his limbs. He knew he was dead. With each rise and fall of the knife, he felt a dizzying sensation. In his last moments of consciousness, he felt hatred for his father.

He hated his father for being so audacious, for not leaving the market in time after making enough profit, for his father's insatiable greed, for not knowing when to stop, and for greedily putting all of Pingliang Prefecture's treasury into the gold and silver market.

A severe drought caused countless deaths from starvation, incurring the wrath of the Thunder God, who also banished him to this desolate land.

On November 13th, the heavens wept.

Dark clouds drifted in from the horizon, within which lightning flashed and thunder roared. Below the clouds, towering waves crashed against the harbor, and all the ships had taken refuge in the Jinshan Inner Sea to avoid the storm. The wind howled, and even the roadside trees were uprooted.

Rain and heat occur at different times, which is a typical climate in Jinshan City.

Jinshan City is a natural deep-water port because Haijiaobao has only one three-mile-long outlet to the sea. This Jinshan Strait, which is less than three miles wide, blocks the violent storms of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Inside this outlet, there is a bay with an area of ​​160 million mu, which provides sufficient shelter for ships.

Within the bay, fish farming, fishing, seaweed cultivation, and aquaculture are possible, and the entire Jinshan City is being built around this inner bay.

In the first year after His Highness Prince Lu arrived in Jinshan Kingdom, he killed Xie Ruixiang, the commander of the guards who colluded with the Mao people, and relied on the powerful navy to expand the area controlled by Jinshan City to 120 li. He forced the Mexican governor's office to pay tribute of 300,000 taels of silver every year, and carried out armed patrols of the three governor's offices in the East and West. He also killed the Jinshan gentry, who were greedy for profit.

These were the three initial moves by Prince Lu after arriving in Jinshan Kingdom. After these three moves were completed, a ruling class with Prince Lu as the absolute core and absolute authority was formed in Jinshan Kingdom, which presided over all affairs of Jinshan Kingdom.

Prince Lu is of noble birth. Even if he were a useless person, he would still obtain the status he deserves. He has the entire Ming Dynasty behind him. However, Prince Lu is not useless and does these things even better.

Everything went smoothly, except for one thing that bothered Zhu Yiliu: he had to work all day long, and he was almost as busy as a donkey in a mill!

The words that mocked his elder brother back then have struck him squarely between the eyebrows!
"If you send any more official documents, I'm going back to the Ming Dynasty! Don't send any more!" After finishing dealing with today's official documents, Zhu Yiliu slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Does this Wang Laowu steal Zhao Laosan's chicken and I have to deal with him too? What's the point of your Jinshan Prefecture?"

Quan Tianpei hurriedly said, "Your Highness, a fight broke out between Wangjia Village and Zhaojia Village over this chicken. There were more than 300 people present, three were killed and more than 60 were injured."

Quan Tianpei protected these Jinshan gentry not because he had any collusion with them, but because he had a way out. His Majesty had personally promised him that if things became unmanageable, he could return to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty would find another way to expand.

Quan Tianpei controls the gold mines and the distribution of goods in the Ming Dynasty. This is the biggest interest of the Jinshan Kingdom. The little bit of silver he colluded with the gentry is simply not worth mentioning.

Quan Tianpei protected the aristocratic clans to safeguard the basic stability of the lower classes in Jinshan Kingdom. If the aristocratic clans had been involved, this large-scale armed conflict would not have occurred.

These aristocratic families may not be good at much else, but they are absolutely adept at interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

Prince Lu naturally understood this principle, so he agreed to the aristocratic family's request in the first negotiation. However, the second price increase cornered Prince Lu.

"You're blaming me? If I don't deal with them, they'll be riding on my neck tomorrow and doing whatever they want!" Zhu Yiliu rubbed his forehead with slight dissatisfaction. Ever since the aristocratic families were arrested, small conflicts have escalated into major clashes one after another.

"Your Highness, I have a plan." Seeing that His Highness had a headache, Meng Jinquan took out a memorial and placed it in front of Prince Lu.

"Oh?" Zhu Yiliu's eyes lit up. He opened the memorial and read it for a long time. This memorial was indeed complicated, with nearly five thousand words, but it could be simply summarized in two words: Qin system.

Based primarily on military merit, a twenty-rank nobility system was established to restructure the overall order of the Jinshan Kingdom. At the same time, the regulations for land and residences were determined according to the ranking of the twenty ranks.

The social hierarchy and rank of nobility were clearly defined, and land and houses were designated according to their respective ranks.

The overall system was based on Shang Yang's reforms, combined with the current situation of the Jinshan Kingdom, and consisted of a complete set of laws and regulations.

"Jinshan Earl, please take a look as well." Zhu Yiliu handed the memorial to Quan Tianpei. The more Quan Tianpei read, the more terrified he became. He had underestimated Meng Jinquan; these scholars were all black-hearted. This system was perfectly suited to the Jinshan Kingdom, where private feuds outweighed public ones, internal pressure outweighed external pressure, and expansion outweighed management. But once this system was implemented, countless barbarians would die, because the heads of barbarians would determine the rank of nobility.

It truly is a case of one general's success built on the bones of ten thousand.

"I don't quite agree with this system, but it's the most suitable one right now." Quan Tianpei cautiously expressed his attitude, opposing it in principle but actually agreeing with it.

Qin's method was best suited for impoverished countries. At this moment, Jinshan was the poorest of the poor. The method of killing to gain military merit and thus establishing social status, land, and residences was perfect for expansion.

"What does Commander Luo think?" Zhu Yiliu withdrew the memorial and handed it to Luo Shangzhi.

“If Your Highness thinks it’s feasible, then it is feasible.” Luo Shangzhi answered Zhu Yiliu’s question without looking at the memorial, and then opened the memorial. The literary language seemed a bit troublesome, but Luo Shangzhi still understood it and saw some problems.

However, Luo Shangzhi did not mention that he was a general appointed by His Majesty to protect Prince Lu. After his three-year term, he would return to the Ming Dynasty and go to the South Seas to serve as the commander-in-chief of the South Seas Navy. In matters of state, Luo Shangzhi always obeyed orders.

This approach is good, but its only drawback is that it lacks sufficient institutional safeguards to prevent violence from spiraling out of control.

Looking at Luo Shangzhi's expression, Meng Jinquan felt somewhat helpless. The main purpose of his Qin law was not to take the heads of the barbarians, but to take Luo Shangzhi himself. To be precise, he wanted to keep Luo Shangzhi in Jinshan Kingdom.

The memorial contained flaws, or rather, a lack of sufficient constraints on the army, with the aim of showing Luo Shangzhi the benefits of being a general in Jinshan Kingdom, where he could do almost anything.

But Luo Shangzhi remained unmoved.

"Why don't Luzon, Palembang, and Kimchi use the Qin law?" Zhu Yiliu asked, expressing his doubts. This system was so suitable for expansion, yet Luzon, Palembang, and Kimchi did not use this method.

After a moment's consideration, Meng Jinquan said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Jinshan Kingdom is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and it is different from the Governor-General's Office. The governors-general have their own concerns."

The Prince of Lu's enfeoffment was a separation of the family, while the Governor-General's Office was the Governor-General's Office of the Ming Dynasty, which were completely different in nature.

Meng Jinquan carefully reminded Prince Lu that the governors-general were not unaware of the situation, nor did they not want to, but they could not do it. They could not act recklessly, otherwise their descendants would find it as difficult as climbing to heaven to return to the Ming Dynasty, and would gradually be assimilated into the local barbarians.

To avoid the regression that Yin Zongxin mentioned, the governors-general of the various governor-general offices dared not act so recklessly, as the Qin system was somewhat taboo.

Zhu Yiliu's status was different; no matter how much he misbehaved, he would not incur the emperor's wrath or fear. The descendants of the Prince of Lu's Mansion could always return to the Ming Dynasty, thus avoiding the problem of localization and degradation caused by the colonizers.

“In that case, Chief Secretary Meng shall take charge of this matter.” Zhu Yiliu considered all opinions and confirmed Meng Jinquan’s advice: to follow Qin laws and regulations and pave the way with military merit.

The Central Plains dynasties have been paving this way for over four thousand years. Our ancestors had already laid out the path for us.

The reason why the Governor-General's Offices of Luzon, Palembang, and Kinchi did not use this method is simple: they are not poor, they are not far from the Ming Dynasty, they are the most important link in the small triangular trade, they are the receiving areas for Japanese and foreign slaves, and they are the production areas for raw materials. They are rich enough that they do not need to use this method.

For the Prince of Lu, this was simply a matter of having no other choice.

The Jinshan Kingdom lacked a sufficiently powerful core for building a dynasty. Zhu Yiliu was the core of authoritarianism, but the system was another core. For the poorest of the poor, the Jinshan Kingdom could only use this method to divide social classes and then distribute benefits.

Quan Tianpei and Luo Shangzhi chose to leave, while Meng Jinquan and Zhao Mu stayed in the Imperial Study in the Qinwang Hall. Meng Jinquan handed the second half of the memorial to Prince Lu. How to restrain violence was an experience and lesson summarized by the Central Plains dynasties over more than a thousand years, and Meng Jinquan naturally had a plan.

“Your Highness, if we cannot retain Commander Luo, it will be a huge loss for the Jinshan Kingdom. I dare to say that once Commander Luo leaves, there will likely be more chaos.” Meng Jinquan sighed heavily. Luo Shangzhi’s departure after his three-year term will be the greatest test, even a life-or-death test, since the founding of the Jinshan Kingdom.

“I also wanted to keep him here, but Commander Luo’s ambitions lie elsewhere. In many discussions, he simply followed orders.” Zhu Yiliu said with some helplessness, “My brother has granted almost all my requests, except for allowing Commander Luo to remain at Jinshan.”

After a moment's thought, Zhao Mu said in a low voice, "Your Highness, can you promise Commander Luo that you will take Mexico within five years?"

"When General Luo returned to Southeast Asia, there was only Annam. Japan was barely clinging to life, and the Mughal Empire was a cesspool. Moreover, the key point is that so far, no silver mines have been found in the entire Western Ocean, but Mexico has silver mines, and there are three of them, each of which can be mined for hundreds of years."

"Commander Luo is eager for military achievements."

Luo Shangzhi did not crave unrestricted power; that was simply not a thing.

His Majesty has firmly bound himself to the dragon throne. Over time, His Majesty and the imperial power represented by the dragon throne have become one. Commander Qi, despite being the Duke of Fengguo, still strictly disciplines his subordinates, who dare not overstep their bounds in any way, except for one troublesome young master, Huang.

Meng Jinquan's efforts were misdirected. Zhao Mu, having come from a military background, knew perfectly well that young generals craved merit.

Amid the grand trend of the Wanli Reforms and the great upheaval of opening up the seas, securing three stable silver mines for the Ming Dynasty would be a great contribution to ensuring the Ming Dynasty's longevity for another century. It was impossible for Luo Shangzhi not to be tempted!

Within two to three hundred years, it was absolutely impossible for the Ming Dynasty to get rid of precious metal currency. The monetary system was still the fundamental national policy of the Ming Dynasty. Gold and silver paper money was an important supplement. Gold and silver paper money was a silver-based convertible paper money, but its foundation was still precious metals such as gold and silver.

If Commander Qi can become the Duke of Fengguo, why doesn't Luo Shangzhi want to be the Duke of Zhenhai?
“Jin Quan, you see, you’re not in the military, so you don’t understand what Commander Luo is thinking. Zhao Mu, you’re right.” Zhu Yiliu immediately confirmed that Zhao Mu’s suggestion was effective.

The Governor-General of Mexico, Peto, was indeed very submissive, but he felt more at ease knowing that the mining area was under the control of the Ming Dynasty.

"I'll have a detailed talk with Commander Luo." Zhu Yiliu immediately stood up and headed to the General's Mansion. This mansion was specially built for Luo Shangzhi by Zhu Yiliu's order, and Zhu Yiliu also arranged for many beauties from all over the world to reside in the mansion.

However, Luo Shangzhi disliked both beauties from all over the world and gold and silver treasures.

When Zhu Yiliu arrived at the General's Mansion, he checked the time. It was the time when Luo Shangzhi was practicing martial arts. Instead of having the palace servants loudly announce the arrival of the Prince of Lu, he went to the training ground of the General's Mansion.

Luo Shangzhi was clad in full iron armor, holding a twelve-foot steel spear horizontally in front of him, like a dragon poised to pounce. Unlike his refined and amiable demeanor in the Hall of Loyalty to the King, Luo Shangzhi now exuded a chilling aura.

Luo Shangzhi had no background in the army. He was neither a guest soldier of Li Chengliang in Liaodong, nor a cavalryman of Ma Fang, the King of the Northwest, nor a soldier of Qi Jiguang. He was a centurion. He had no money to bribe or donate for promotion. All he had was his martial prowess. He got to where he was today by relying on the blood and courage he still had from drinking blood with his spear.

"drink!"

The gun comes out like a dragon!

A loud shout shattered the silence of the training ground. The sharp point of the gun whistled through the air, like a dragon raising its head, and thrust out with the force of thunder.

Luo Shangzhi swung his arms, swaying the steel spear in his hands. The withered leaves and pebbles under his feet moved with the wind from the spear. Before the spear tip fell, the spear had already swept diagonally upwards, cutting through the swirling leaves. He exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and the spear retreated like a dragon with his body. Then, a cold light shot out again, as fast as lightning.

Zhu Yiliu had practiced martial arts since childhood. Seeing this scene, his eyes twitched. The seemingly simple five moves of stabbing, sweeping, flicking, withdrawing, and stabbing were something that Zhu Yiliu couldn't block even once. This sense of oppression came over him from several feet away.

"Splitting Mount Hua with all my might!"

Luo Shangzhi's words were like thunder, his voice like a deep bell. The gun barrel in his hand suddenly tightened, carrying immense force as it drew an arc and crashed down.

With a muffled thud, the spear tip struck the stone on the table, shattering it and raising a cloud of dust. The spear tip continued to vibrate and hum.

Finally, Luo Shangzhi finished demonstrating the thirty-six forms of spear technique, stood still, as steadfast as a pine or bamboo, as if cast in iron, like an iron tower. This was Luo Shangzhi's stance training, which he had practiced for more than twenty-three years.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" Zhu Yiliu clapped his hands repeatedly as he walked into the training ground after watching the martial arts demonstration. He said with great emotion, "With a peerless hero like General Zhu Yiliu, how can the Ming Dynasty not prosper?"

"Greetings, Your Highness." Luo Shangzhi had actually seen Prince Lu during his martial arts practice, but he couldn't stop because he was in the middle of it. When Prince Lu approached, he quickly paid his respects. In fact, Prince Lu's actions were a bit dangerous, as he had already entered Luo Shangzhi's attack range.

Luo Shangzhi's spear could not only be wielded but also thrown; although Zhu Yiliu was no fool, he was definitely not going to be able to dodge it.

However, His Majesty and Prince Lu, who are brothers, never had this sense of distance from childhood. When fierce generals such as Qi Jiguang, Li Rusong, Ma Fang, and Ma Lin were practicing martial arts, His Majesty never cared about their presumptuous act of appearing before the emperor in armor without being in battle.

After paying his respects, Luo Shangzhi put away his steel spear, removed his iron armor, and then hurried back to the training ground to pay his respects again.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. With firearms in vogue, martial arts training is mostly for strengthening muscles and bones, forging the body, and cultivating perseverance." Luo Shangzhi was quite modest. His martial arts skills were indeed formidable, but times had changed. Even heavy armor couldn't stop a nine-pound cannon or a flintlock musket, and a Pingyi musket could hit its target every time.

Zhu Yiliu gestured to Luo Shangzhi to sit down and talk, without further ado.

My elder brother once said: Weapons are ultimately for people to use. If the people are not good, no matter how good the weapons are, they are useless.

Even in the age of firearms, Luo Shangzhi could still shine brightly. Perseverance is a very precious virtue, and Zhu Yiliu could see the qualities of magnanimity and perseverance in Luo Shangzhi.

The battles of Pyongyang, Kaesong, Seoul, Incheon, and Busan were not won so smoothly without the pioneering efforts of Luo Shangzhi, Zhao Ji, and others who broke through the enemy lines. Firearms were a great asset, and the Ming army has always been a fierce force; it's just that they hadn't even had half a day's food before.

"Commander Luo, I have come to ask you to stay. I am prepared to take Mexico." Zhu Yiliu sat up straight, addressing himself as "I, the Lonely One," to tell Luo Shangzhi his determination. The Red-haired Barbarians were also barbarians, and the Golden Mountain Kingdom was destined to be built on the heads of barbarians.

Zhu Yiliu didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose: military merit, titles, land and housing system, elite naval troops, and the command of Lou Hu, the leader of the White Tiger Army. These were the conditions Zhu Yiliu offered to Commander Luo.

"Your Highness, I returned to the Ming Dynasty to repay Your Majesty's boundless grace, and I have no other intentions." Luo Shangzhi shook his head. If His Majesty needs him, he will go back. If His Majesty needs him to conquer Mexico, he is willing to be Bai Qi and kill until rivers of blood flow.

My iron armor is torn to pieces to repay my promise to you; the tiger tally is shattered, and the Jade Gate is cold.
Holding a gag in my mouth, I crossed the snowy Qilian Mountains at night; throwing my head, I startled the moon over the Tianshan Mountains.

The raging waves crash against the ship's side; I would gladly offer my crippled body to calm the turbulent sea.
His loyal bones were pledged to the king long ago, and the saddle he wore on his old campaigns still shines brightly.

Luo Shangzhi was from Zhejiang. He did not start out in the navy, but as a military officer in Datong in the northwest. He made great contributions in the campaign against the western barbarians. Later, he fought on the coast. These four lines of poetry are a reflection of his life and also the words of advice that His Majesty gave him.

In the nineteenth year of the Jiajing reign, before Mao Bowen's campaign against Annam, the Jiajing Emperor wrote a seven-character regulated poem entitled "Sending Off Mao Bowen." It was a customary practice for the emperor to present poems to his generals and officials on campaigns.

Your Majesty is not good at poetry, and your poems have no rules of meter or rhyme, and even the most basic parallelism is problematic, but Luo Shangzhi likes this poem very much.

Luo Shangzhi wasn't being tactless; he bowed again and said, "If Your Majesty commands, I am willing to brave all obstacles and return to Jinshan."

Zhu Yiliu's actions were somewhat like trying to pry open his elder brother's door, but he couldn't budge him no matter what he did. It was to be expected that he couldn't be pried open. As one of the 132 generals who led the Eastern Expedition, if he could be swayed by fame and fortune, he wouldn't be Lou Hu.

Admittedly, Luo Shangzhi longed for merit, but this longing was less than loyalty.

Loyal ministers and capable generals must be cultivated by oneself; there are no shortcuts.

(End of this chapter)