General Constitution of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 162 Fishing in troubled waters
Early in the morning, the two carriages stopped outside Duke Cheng's mansion.

Mai Fu and Zhang Jia, Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, walked down from the carriage.

The entire Chengguo Mansion is like a tribute court, two rows of [-] scribes are copying Ning Jue's manuscript in the courtyard.

"Chenggong, Ning Qianxian, there was nothing serious at the mansion last night, right?"

Zhu Xizhong, who was wearing armor, patted the saber on his waist, and the armor on his body made a "squeak" sound.

"How many Japanese pirates dare to come to my house to make trouble?"

"Then Kemo is...?"

Zhang Jia glanced at Ning Jue whose eyes were bloodshot with some surprise.

Zhu Xizhong straightened his chest.

"My virtuous brother heard last night that there were Japanese pirates invading the city, and he was about to take to the streets with a knife in his hand to fight desperately with the Japanese pirates."

"I persuaded my virtuous younger brother to come back after trying to talk about it. My virtuous younger brother was worried about the people in the city, so I didn't sleep all night."

Hearing what Zhu Xizhong said, Ning Jue raised his head with difficulty and glared at Zhu Xizhong.

"Say it louder, how did you persuade me?!"

Mai Fu and Zhang Yan looked at Zhu Xizhong, Zhu Xizhong straightened his chest and said loudly: "I let the rope persuade me."

"Using a rope is called binding!"

Zhang Jia couldn't help giving a thumbs up when he heard the words.

"Ke Zhong, a civil servant, has the courage to kill thieves with his sword. This old man really admires him."

"Originally, the old man was a little worried, but it seems that the old man is worrying too much."

Both Zhang Jia and Mai Fu were worried and came to have a look.

Seeing that Duke Cheng's mansion was fine, Mai Fu sat aside and took a cup of tea, sipped a sip of tea and said, "Even though Ning Qianxian went out last night, there was no sign of the pirate."

"Last night, those thieves sneaked into the city disguised as ordinary people. They took advantage of the city gate to change defenses, and went straight out of the city. They didn't mess around at all. There must be an internal response in the city."

Hearing what Mai Fu said, Ning Jue calmed down a little.

Only Zhu Xizhong looked at Mai Fu in surprise.

"Then Lu Huai escaped from the city?"

Mai Fu nodded slightly.

"If I ran away, if I didn't run away, the city wouldn't be so quiet today. The matter of the students can be regarded as being directly overturned."

Mentioning this matter, Mai Fu's complexion couldn't help but sink.

If it wasn't for Ning Jue's book, there would be a lot of commotion if the students stopped taking the exam this time.

"Where did this group of thieves come from?"

Mai Fu and Zhang Yan exchanged glances, and then continued: "Zhang Huanggai, has Mr. Cheng heard of it?"

"Zhang Huanggai?" Zhu Xizhong frowned and muttered, "That name is quite strange."

Ning Jue snorted coldly and said, "It's right to be weird."

"Isn't Taizu Gao's name strange?"

"A good name, a good surname, and great fame are mostly due to the shadow of the ancestors. The weirder the name, the more poor the family. If you don't have real skills, you won't be famous."

Zhang Jia is also deeply concerned.

"What Ke Zhong said is true. In Jiangnan, that's pretty much what it means, but this Zhang Huanggai is still not right."

"How?" Ning Jue looked at Zhang Jia and Mai Fu suspiciously.

Mai Fu put down the teacup and looked up: "Because our family heard this name for the first time last night, it's not easy for him to make such a big commotion the first time he showed up."

Last night, Jinling's Ministry of War and spies from Jinyiwei and Dongchang combed through the whole night, and only found out the name of Zhang Huanggai.

This is also the reason why Mai Fu and Zhang Yan hurried over at dawn.

Zhang Jia glanced at Mai Fu, and Mai Fu said: "Cheng Gong was ordered to guard Nanjing, and Ning Qianxian entered the East Palace. They are all close people. Zhang Butang needn't be too taboo."

Zhu Xizhong waved his hand knowingly when he heard the words, and the maids who had been waiting in the hall withdrew one after another and closed the door behind them.

Only then did Zhang Jia say: "Mr. Cheng doesn't know that there are only two groups of pirates in the southeast sea."

"One is Xu Dong, and the other is Baldy Li."

"Last autumn, Zhu Fuxian and Lu Qian from Hangzhou broke into Shuangyu Port. At the beginning of this year, they chased the enemy to Zoumaxi and killed the two thieves. Although there are no leaders in the sea, most of them are Ye Zongman, Fang Tingzhu, and others who had some names in the early years. Chen Sipan and others."

Ning Jue asked suspiciously: "Isn't this Shuangyu Port in Zhoushan? Isn't their lair right under Zhu Fuxian's eyes?"

"Yes." Seeing that Ning Jue was about to speak, Zhang Jia immediately smiled and said, "Ke finally didn't think that Jiu Bian is the same?"

In fact, at the beginning, when the imperial court faced Japanese pirates at sea and northern captives in Liaodong on the grassland, they all treated them equally.

All use the same balancing tactics.

Focus on supporting a weaker one, fighting for the court, and when it is almost done, a newcomer will take over.

"But the north and the south are not the same thing at all."

On the prairie, there are a group of poor northern captives with only a pair of underpants left.

But the southeast sea is full of Han people, and they are here to make money.

In this way, the imperial court still supports one, isn't this the same as directly telling the later generations to go to the pirate who was supported by the imperial court?

Supporting a spokesperson outside the customs can change the town for 20 years of peace, and supporting one in the southeast sea, it will take five or six years at most.

Hearing this, Zhang Yan also showed a little bitterness on his face.

"The imperial court knows." Zhang Jia's voice paused, and continued: "It is precisely because the imperial court has already noticed that this matter is troublesome."

"The imperial court was aware of this ten years ago. Now there are so many Japanese pirate leaders in the sea, who they followed in the early years, and which battles they started to make their fortunes. Although the Ministry of War does not say clearly, they generally have a bottom line."

"Only this yellow cover looks like it came out of a crack in a rock."

Ning Jue frowned.

"Could it be that Zhang Huanggai is a real Japanese?"

Mai Fu snorted coldly and said, "True wo, if only a few real wolves are able to sneak into Jinling City, then we might as well chop off this head in advance and send it to the capital to apologize to the emperor."

After a long time, Mai Fu said sadly:
"I'm afraid that someone in our family is taking advantage of the troubled waters to fish."
-
On the waterway of the Yangtze River, a sharp-bottomed sea-going ship mingled with grain ships and headed straight for the mouth of the Yangtze River.

And in the middle of the cabin, hung a chart, a big man with bald head, wearing rattan armour, barefoot, cocking his legs, staring at Lu Huai, who was still the young minister of the Taipu Temple of the Ming Dynasty a few days ago, with a fishy smell all over his body.

"Zhang Gongfu..." Before Lu Huai finished speaking, the soldier guarding Zhang Huanggai stared at him, and then pulled out the waist knife in his hand: "I have been here Zhang Gongfu, Zhang Gongfu , Who is Zhang Gongfu!?"

This is actually Zhang Huanggai's doubt, who the hell is Zhang Gongfu? !
Our tuba is Zhang Huanggai!
Lu Huai was stared at by the guards and backed away again and again. He had long lost his old Confucian style, so he could only smile wryly: "Gong Fu... Gong Fu is... the name of Old General Huang. I can't just call the ship owner by his name, right?"

"Okay, Mr. Lu is a literati, you bunch of rough people, even if you tell me, you won't understand."

Seeing his subordinates asking his doubts, Zhang Huanggai looked at Lu Huai slightly.

"Mr. Lu, do you have something to tell us?"

"Ah, yes." Lu Huai stood up, then clasped his hands and said, "I would like to ask the captain to dock at Huating County before going out to sea."

Zhang Huanggai immediately became nervous.

"What are you going to do?!"

Lu Huai hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Yes... I'm going to help the ship's director!"

Hearing what Lu Huai said, Zhang Huanggai sat back in doubt.

"The superiors didn't let us meddle in so much business."

"Mr. Lu swears by his name all his life..." before Lu Huai finished speaking.

Zhang Huanggai pointed to the shrine in the distance.

Lu Huai will understand this.

"I, Lu Huai, swear to Mazu! I will definitely submit a certificate to the owner of the ship!"

I saw Lu Huai finish his oath in front of the statue of Mazu.

Only then did Zhang Huanggai feel relieved a little.

"Boss owner, there are 27 rice warehouses in the west of Huating City, I wish to lead the way for the captain."

After Zhang Huanggai looked at Lu Huai for a long time, he said, "Go to Huating."

"Here!"

The ship turned around and headed straight for Huating County. With Lu Huai leading the way, a group of more than 150 people quickly found the 27 rice warehouses in the west of Huating County.

There are only more than 27 subordinate officials guarding these 20 rice warehouses.

Naturally, he was no match for Zhang Huanggai and his group.

In less than half an hour, after leaving behind the three corpses, he turned his head and fled towards the county seat.

The smoke in the city was already rising, but Zhang Huanggai and his group showed no trace of fear on their faces.

Until the voice of his subordinates came.

"Captain! This warehouse is empty!"

"The three warehouses here are also empty!"

"..."

Zhang Huanggai's face changed suddenly, and he put the knife on Lu Huai's neck.

"You fucking dare to play me?!"

Na Lu Huai seemed to have expected this scene long ago, without any hesitation, he fell to his knees with a "plop".

"Boss, trust me! Don't take a grain of grain. We just burn the empty warehouse and leave. It's like brothers going ashore to exercise."

Zhang Huanggai kicked Lu Huai's chest.

"Fuck you, it's such a big sun, our brothers ran for dozens of miles, you told us this is exercise?!"

Lu Huai struggled to get up, and replied weakly: "Believe me for the last time, in a few days, there will definitely be more than these few warehouses of grain, and those who make big things don't care about small things, Captain!"

Everyone present looked at Zhang Huanggai.

Obviously, these sweaty Japanese pirates were already quite dissatisfied with Lu Huai.

As soon as Zhang Huanggai gave an order, Lu Huai was thrown into the Huangpu River to feed the fish.

Huating's beacon tower has been raised for a long time, but the pursuers have not come over for a long time.

Zhang Huanggai's brows gradually wrinkled.

"Let's trust you again this last time! Let's go!"

It wasn't until thick smoke rose from the granaries outside the city that the sound of soldiers being mobilized gradually came from the city.

It's just that although these sergeants made a lot of noise, no one chased after Zhang Huanggai and his party re-boarded the ship.

Huating is a big county.

There was a cavalry team of nearly a thousand people in the city.

No matter how old, weak, sick or disabled they are, they won't even see each other!

Zhang Huanggai's expression towards Lu Huai also became more respectful.

"Mr. Lu, are you deluded by the general army's eyes with magic?"

Seeing the change in Zhang Huanggai's attitude, Lu Huai breathed a sigh of relief.

"If we don't burn some empty warehouses, just relying on the few of us who want to go to Jinling to finish the errands we have to do, I'm afraid it will be more difficult than going to heaven."

"In this way, in less than a month, you will be the treasure in the eyes of the magistrates of the eight prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River."

(End of this chapter)