I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 219: Duke of Wei Claims to Be Yue Fei's Reincarnation
After receiving the urgent letter from Zhang Juzheng, Cao Bangfu immediately went to visit Yang Jinshui of the Southeast Office of the Coordination Bureau.

Yang Jinshui lives in a house in Shanghai County. Compared with the magnificent and spacious shops in front, this house seems inconspicuous at all.

When Yang Jinshui heard that Cao Bangfu was coming to visit, he was only slightly surprised and immediately asked someone to invite him in.

"Eunuch Yang, this is an urgent letter sent by Zhang Taiyue."

After Cao Bangfu sat down, he went straight to the point and handed over the urgent letter.

Yang Jinshui took the letter and read it quickly. His expression remained neutral. He placed the thin paper lightly on the table and said slowly, "The Zhenwu Camp is causing a mutiny over military pay. They are desperate."

Cao Bangfu stroked his beard and said, "Eunuch Yang, they are desperate, which means that Lord Gangfeng and Prince Jian have found the real thing in Yangzhou."

Yang Jinshui replied: "Yangzhou City is not only the key to Lianghuai Salt Administration, but also the key to unlocking the situation in the southeast. Gao Xinzheng's investigation of the salt administration is nothing more than treating the symptoms, first getting some silver to fill the deficit in the national treasury.

But what His Highness wants is a long-term and effective new salt policy. The key to Lianghuai is Yangzhou, which is connected to Nanjing and Beijing. But Nanjing is close, and if Nanjing is cleaned up, the people in Beijing will temporarily stop.

Without any hindrance, the new salt policy can be implemented smoothly.”

Cao Bangfu nodded, "Eunuch Yang is right. The plan finally forced the guys in Nanjing to take desperate measures. But I didn't expect that they would cause another mutiny in the Zhenwu Camp.

It's really stupid!"

Yang Jinshui picked up the teacup and said calmly, "The Zhenwu Camp had mutinied two or three times before, and each time they succeeded. They have become accustomed to thinking that they will succeed this time as well."

Cao Bangfu remained silent, and in his heart he had great contempt for those people in Nanjing City.

They thought they were great because they had staged two or three military rebellions during the Jiajing period and had gained an advantage over the previous emperor.

It is now the Longqing Dynasty, and the people in charge are still in Xiyuan, but the methods are completely different. You are unaware of it and are still making trouble again without knowing the consequences.

His Highness is waiting for you to cause trouble!
If we investigate the salt administration, it is very likely that we will only investigate as far as Yangzhou.

After all, many things are done by the Nanjing nobles through their white gloves such as staff and relatives. When the time comes, they can silence these white gloves and cut off their connections, and they will naturally be able to escape unscathed.

Do some business and get some benefits. Which noble or imperial relative hasn't done this?

The nobles and relatives of the emperor in Beijing went even further. If the nobles in Nanjing were severely punished for the corruption in the salt administration, they would definitely not accept it.

But if they only punished Yangzhou and spared Nanjing, it wouldn't be long before they would secretly extend their hands to Yangzhou City, and then mess up the Lianghuai Salt Administration that had been sorted out with great difficulty again.

How to do?
Naturally, the Nanjing nobles would be charged with more serious crimes.

It is like in the 43rd year of Jiajing, when investigating a major case in Shanxi, if they had only focused on the smuggling of contraband, the Shanxi Party and Shanxi merchants would have only needed to throw out some scapegoats and reluctantly give up some money, and they would have been safe and sound and could have gotten away with it.

How could His Royal Highness the Crown Prince let them go so easily? He went straight back to investigate the Gengxu Incident.

Then they used treason and other fatal crimes to wipe out the Shanxi merchants and the Shanxi Party.

The city of Nanjing follows a similar pattern.

It's just a different method.

The nobles in Nanjing had no connection with the Japanese pirates, so they could not be investigated by tracing back the Japanese pirates. So they put pressure on them layer by layer, first sending famous officials such as Hai Rui, Wang Yi'e, and Xu Yangzheng.

After the first layer of pressure was applied, some of the nobles who could not keep their composure began to panic and secretly make small moves.

So Wu Shilai took advantage of the situation and made a big move. He let the river bandits sneak into Jiangdu City and wiped out the big salt merchant. The whole southeast was shocked, and the whole country was shocked.

Hai Rui and Wang Yi'e then took advantage of the situation to conduct a thorough investigation, not only into the Lianghuai salt administration, but also into matters such as grain transport and river defense.

Some nobles in Nanjing were even more anxious.

At this time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent Zhang Juzheng down.

This is a cabinet minister. What is he actually going to do under the name of paying homage to Xiaoling Mausoleum? Everyone knows that a big fight will definitely take place in Nanjing.

Finally, some nobles could no longer bear the desperation and instigated the Zhenwu Camp to riot for pay!
This is tantamount to a mutiny!
It gave Zhang Juzheng and others the best reason and excuse.

Cao Bangfu said: "Eunuch Yang, the situation is clear now. Zhang Taiyue is waiting for me to send troops over. Which troop do you think is better to send?" He said this not to ask Yang Jinshui for instructions, but to communicate with the de facto military supervisor.

After all, mobilizing troops is no trivial matter.

Especially since this time we are not sending troops to suppress bandits or Japanese pirates, but to send troops to Nanjing to quell the rebellion. This is a matter of great importance, and we must discuss it with the military supervisor sent by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to the southeast.

Yang Jinshui smiled lightly, "Futai Cao knows the answer, why would he ask us?"

Cao Bangfu certainly knew what was going on.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince temporarily moved himself to Shanghai, and also transferred the Zhenhai and Dinghai battalions to conduct exercises at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The intention was very obvious, that is, in the critical moment, part of the navy and the marine battalion of the Dinghai battalion, which had not much connection with Nanzhili, were transferred.

Something is happening in Nanjing now, and it's time to call them up.

After hearing what Yang Jinshui said, Cao Bangfu felt relieved.

"I will issue an immediate marching order to dispatch a naval force and a regiment of land troops from Dinghai Camp, led by capable and capable generals, to Guazhou immediately and hand them over to Zhang Taiyue for command."

Wang Yi'e in Jiangdu City also received an urgent letter from Zhang Juzheng and hurried to find Hai Rui and Xu Yangzheng.

"The Zhenwu Camp in Nanjing is rioting over pay?" Xu Yangzheng was shocked. "How dare these guys cause trouble like this!"

Hai Rui said calmly: "Acting like this is tantamount to mutiny. We must suppress it and punish it severely!"

Wang Yi'e asked hesitantly, "Lord Gangfeng, how about I send the Fubiao Camp to Lord Zhang?"

Hai Rui looked up at him and shook his head: "Our responsibilities are in Yangzhou and the Lianghuai Salt Administration. We will continue to investigate this case. The matter in Nanjing should be handled by Zhang Taiyue!"

Wang Yi'e smiled and nodded: "It's a coincidence that Mr. Zhang came."

Duke Wei’s Mansion in Nanjing City.

Duke of Wei Xu Pengju was furious in the flower hall, "Which bastard instigated and incited the Zhenwu Camp? Doesn't he know what time it is now?

If I find out who stabbed me in the back, I will cut him into pieces!"

Xu Pengju has always been a hot topic in Nanjing.

The Duke of Wei of the previous generation once dreamed one night that Yue Fei, a famous general of the former Song Dynasty and a loyal minister of all ages, was going to be reborn in his family.

Not long after, he was awakened by someone who said that the Duke's wife had given birth to a son, so they named him Xu Pengju.

Xu Pengju grew up and inherited the title. He always kept his father's words that he was the reincarnation of Yue Fei in mind. Then one year, Xu Pengju dug a tomb outside the city. There was a broken stele in the soil. He vaguely recognized a line of words on it: "The Tomb of Song Zhongxian Qin."

Xu Pengju dug up the tomb, threw the bones in the coffin into the river, and then spread the word that he had dug up Qin Hui's tomb and ground his bones into ashes in order to prove that he was the reincarnation of Yue Fei.

As to why Qin Hui was buried in Nanjing City, it is unknown.

However, Xu Pengju claimed that he was the reincarnation of Yue Fei and the most loyal and righteous minister of the Ming Dynasty, but his ability to lead troops in battle was far inferior to Yue Fei.

He waved his hands and shouted angrily in the hall.

The Nanjing nobles, led by Longping Hou Zhang Tong and Xincheng Earl Zhao Zuzheng, sat at the bottom and looked at each other.

Zhang Tong took advantage of Xu Pengju's pause and said, "Duke, now is not the time to pursue the matter. Let's pacify the Zhenwu Camp first. Elder Zhang should be in Guazhou now, and he will be in Nanjing in less than two days."

Xu Pengju was immediately discouraged. He put his hands behind his back, turned around in a dignified manner, and said in annoyance: "They are making trouble just to get money. Everyone should collect some money to appease these soldiers first. When the trouble is over, call the merchants in the city and distribute the appeasement money to them."

Zhao Zuzheng was delighted and said, "That's how it should be! We should pacify the Zhenwu Camp and let the people and merchants in the city live in peace. We don't ask them to pay tribute, but they shouldn't ask us to pay for it."

Everyone nodded and happily agreed: "Yes, that's right!"

The atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly changed and became joyous.

(End of this chapter)