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Chapter 1320 Eastern Expedition 6
But no one spread the details behind these things. The newspapers were full of stories about me. I couldn't defend myself. No one believed me. Even my old superiors and colleagues in the Indian Ocean Fleet looked at me with amusement. It was clear that they were saying that I was too hypocritical. Excessive modesty equals pride.

Needless to say, behind the newspapers' desperate publicity there must be a smiling face that is too inconsistent with his actual age. People say that the emperor has a kind face and an even kinder heart, but the more times you come into contact with him, the more you find that smile creepy.

His Majesty the Emperor always speaks kindly. Every time he leads an army in person, he repeatedly emphasizes military discipline and will never allow any random harassment of the people to occur.

But on the battlefield, these good intentions suddenly changed. Bombarding the walls of the defenders might accidentally injure the people in the city. The emperor said that it was not called accidental injury, but the price of liberation.

In order to save more people from suffering, a small amount of bloodshed is unavoidable. So the artillery must not only fire, but also fire without any psychological shadow, fire happily, and the harder and more violently they fire, the more merciful they are.

He led pirates to the coast of America to rob villages and towns, forcing the Spanish fleet to assemble and encircle them, and accidentally injured many local people in the process.

There was no way, the pirates were real pirates, they didn't care about luring the enemy deep into their territory, they would just rob them of treasures and food, and if they didn't give them, they would just chop them up. In order to play the role well, I couldn't stop them, so I had to come up with a bad idea.

The Navy General Staff later raised objections, believing that they had allowed the troops to cause chaos. The military police also felt that this was inappropriate, and although it did not reach the level of military punishment, it was appropriate to punish them appropriately.

As a result, the investigation report was sent to the emperor, and the Navy Chief of Staff Zhu Haiou and the Military Police Commander Duan Wang Zhu Changying were scolded on the spot. The next day, the emperor specially convened a meeting in front of the emperor, and in front of all the ministers, he also scolded the Navy Left and Right Commanders Huang Nanping and Li Rumei.

The general meaning is that they are out of their minds, punishing their own generals for the lives of the American people.

According to the emperor's logic, the American people had never paid a single copper coin of tax to the Ming Empire, nor had they ever supported a Ming soldier. They had no right to enjoy Ming laws, and their life and death had nothing to do with the Ming court.

Emphasizing military discipline is only to facilitate combat and reduce trouble, and should not become a shackle for frontline commanders. If it is really necessary, massacre is not completely impossible, as long as the commander who gave the order can justify himself, there will be no punishment, only credit.

Then, newspapers across the country began to report on the ambush in detail, and the details of what drove the pirates to kill the local people were not deliberately omitted.

As a result, the reaction of the Ming people was almost identical to that of the emperor. They did not dislike this maverick decoy fleet commander. They compiled the contents of the newspaper into vernacular and preached them in restaurants and teahouses. They even published a picture book, euphemistically calling him the Huo Qubing of the Sea!
Setel wanted to be famous. He lost the chance to inherit the title. The only way to show his presence was to become famous. However, he didn't want to be famous in this way. The signs of manipulation behind the scenes were too obvious. Who would be happy to be used as a gun by someone? Even if the person was the emperor.

But he was powerless to resist. He could not ask why the emperor did this, and he dared not ask. He could only admit it shamelessly. But Settle also learned a technique that he had learned before, but never valued or understood, public opinion!

Newspapers have been around in the Ming Empire for a long time, even older than me. But over the years, I have been surrounded by newspapers almost every day, and I even wrote articles for newspapers when I was in school, but I have never discovered their true role.

It seems that these few pieces of paper, less than half of which are commercial advertisements, and the rest are occupied by current affairs, serial stories, common sense, and anecdotes, can indeed provide a lot of convenience, but it is indeed not very useful. But after this incident, newspapers are no longer what they used to be. It can actually make a person and some things quickly known and understood by the people of the whole country, and believe them to be true. The effect is second only to the imperial edict, and the speed of popularization is far faster.

It was terrible. Settle finally understood what it meant to be a force of opinion, and became more vigilant about politics. Isn't this just calling a deer a horse? But except for a few people, no one knew the truth, and they talked about it with great pleasure, and even studied it seriously, including top officials like Du Wenhuan.

If the newspapers wrote that he was a bastard who enjoyed killing people and had bad behavior, how would the people react? Most likely they would agree and be outraged. Then the emperor could naturally ask the military police to investigate and, if there was solid evidence, remove him from the military and send him to hard labor.

Look, just a few articles have turned me from a hero into an unforgivable villain. The key is whether people and things are really not cared about by anyone, and who can decide what to write in the newspaper and what not to write!
Does that round face that always has a hint of smile still have any kindness? If anyone still thinks it does, then their mind must be empty. How can a kind person do such a thing?
"It is a great honor to follow His Majesty in the expedition. As long as you are not blind or stupid, you will benefit a lot. Du has also had this honor and feels the same way! However, in this expedition, the army knew nothing about the local mountains, rivers, customs and people except for a few maps and hearsay.

Although according to intelligence, the Spanish defenders' weapons, equipment and tactics are relatively backward, it is their territory after all, and they have been operating for hundreds of years, so we cannot underestimate them."

Seeing that this junior also had a deep understanding of the ways of being an official and spoke with impeccable precision, Du Wenhuan dared not despise him any more. He hastily ended the test, tactfully raised the difficulties currently faced by the army, and then looked at Settle meaningfully.

"…Although the governor and I are both deputy commanders, I cannot match you in terms of seniority, experience, and reputation. The governor may as well speak frankly. As long as it does not violate the law, I should do my utmost to help you!"

Settle stroked his beard, hesitated for a moment, and again flattered himself, continuing to respond with a humble attitude. It sounded like he agreed readily, but in fact he didn't promise anything, which was very cunning.

"I want to borrow a few people from Commander-in-Chief Sai's fleet to serve as advisors. It would be best if they had been to the local port with the decoy fleet. You can be assured of their safety. They won't go to the front line. At the very least, they will be assigned by a commander."

The more ambiguous and slippery Settle was, the more polite Du Wenhuan's attitude became. There was no other way. The army knew too little about the American continent. It was not that they could not defeat the enemy rashly, but there was a certain risk.

Given the emperor's temper, he would definitely study the battle report carefully afterwards. If he found that the commander did not fulfill his responsibilities, he would still be criticized even if he won the battle. If he caused additional losses, he might even be punished.

I will soon reach retirement age, and being able to take command of this war is a gift and favor from the emperor. As long as I complete the task step by step, I will have a glorious career, and maybe I can even serve as a minister in the cabinet for a few more years.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider everything and not ignore any details. As for whether asking for money from the younger generation will lose face, there is no need to consider it at all. The emperor has always disliked officials who are too proud, and he himself has never taken his face too seriously. Everything is based on work, and there is no question of face.

(End of this chapter)