I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 438 King Osprey Loves to Eat Fish
On the canal north of Dongping Prefecture, an official ship was slowly sailing northward.

Shu Youliang walked out of the rear cabin holding a bowl of medicine that was as black as ink, walked forward along the left side of the ship, and came to the door of the front cabin. Wang Dagui hurriedly reached out to take it.

"Stop it! This medicine is hot. Be careful not to spill it if you keep switching it around." Shu Youliang shouted, and Wang Dagui quickly moved aside and continued to guard the cabin door.

Shu Youliang carried the medicine into the front cabin where Hai Rui sat, looking at piles of files and coughing from time to time.

"Master, take medicine."

Shu Youliang put the medicine on the table.

"Let it cool down first." Hai Rui rolled up the file, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and looked extremely tired.

"Master, Wang Duxian is in charge of Yanzhou, investigating the Kong family's dirty deeds. The ones who are hit hard should be Kong Zhenning and his men. It is said that the real power of the Kong family is controlled by him. Why do I feel that you are the one who is hit hard?"

Hai Rui was so used to bickering with him that he didn't even bother to open his eyes. He just snorted coldly, "How can you talk like that?"

"Master, I am speaking with my mouth. You have always been strong and healthy, and it is not a problem for you to live to eighty or ninety years old. You can even sit in the chair at my grandson's wedding banquet, so how come you caught a cold as soon as you left Qufu?

There must be something on his mind.”

"My Lord, I am worried about Prince An's recommendation to govern Shandong. He is young and energetic, and I am worried that he may not be able to handle some things."

"Master, look at what you are saying. Wang Duxian is young and full of energy, but he is a higher official than you. I am not young and full of energy, but I still have to serve you and boil medicine for you."

"You are getting better and better at talking, you dog. It's true that you and I, master and servant, have been through thick and thin together. We have walked at least ten thousand miles together. The journey is lonely, so we bicker and joke with each other, which makes us happy and comfortable."

Shu Youliang said happily: "That's right, Master, we should be happy as human beings!"

"How can I be happy when there are still so many people in the world who are being bullied and lack food and clothing?"

"Master, you have done what you should do. Now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is wise and a national chess player. I didn't know what was going on with these steps before, but now I realize that they were brilliant.

I read the "Huang Ming Dynasty News" a few days ago. Altan Khan wanted to suppress the bandits in Datong. Our army was ready to fight. Your Highness also mobilized General Qi's troops to attack them from behind. After a few words of rebuke, Altan Khan was so ashamed that he withdrew his troops.

Now Shanxi, Datong, Xuanfu, Shaanxi, Ningxia and other towns have reopened border trade. This is a great thing. "

Hai Rui opened his eyes and asked with great interest, "What's the good news?"

"I have not read much and am a coarse person by nature. But I also know one thing: once you lose face, it is very hard to regain it. In the battle of Datong Town, Altan Khan lost all his face. With the rise and fall of the situation, the face of our Ming Dynasty has increased.

"People who are out there rely on their reputation. Altan Khan's prestige was greatly damaged. He no longer had the energy to go south to invade the border, and was busy fighting among himself every day."

Hai Rui praised, "You are quite smart."

"Hey, Master, I have little education, but I am not stupid."

"You just said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a national expert at chess and plays it brilliantly. What do you mean?"

"Look, sir. The Jurchens in the east are defeated, the Tumen Khan of the Chahar tribe was beheaded, the Altan Khan in the west was defeated, the Spaniards who were robbing in the south were beaten up, the Annan Mo family is about to be destroyed, and Korea and Japan have calmed down.

If we count on our fingers, all the foreign threats to the Ming Dynasty have been suppressed by our Crown Prince. They have all been well behaved and will not have the energy to cause trouble for at least a decade."

Hai Rui's eyes lit up. Shu Youliang was just making wild guesses and he actually guessed something.

"and then?"

"Master, you scholars always say things like 'to resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the internal situation'."

"Zhao Pu of the former Song Dynasty said to Emperor Taizong of Song, 'If China is at peace, the barbarians will submit of their own accord. Therefore, if one wishes to resist foreign aggression, one must first bring peace to the country.'"

"Yes, that's the sentence. I just can't remember it. You always say 'If you want to conquer foreign enemies, you must first stabilize the internal situation.' But our Crown Prince did the opposite. He conquered foreign enemies first and then stabilized the internal situation."

Hai Rui stood up suddenly and stared at Shu Youliang. "You son of a bitch, I know exactly how much fat and lean meat you have in your stomach. You can't possibly think of such words. You must have heard someone say that and then put on airs in front of me."

"How is that possible! Master, how can you look down on me! I am also a person who reads the court newspaper and political reports every day and cares about current affairs." Shu Youliang argued cunningly.

Hai Rui thought about it and realized that those people were still around him. He was very familiar with Hu Guangsheng and the other three, and he didn't think that deeply about them.

Wang Dagui!
He was so shameless that he wanted to be his student, and he couldn't refuse. After all, he helped rescue Yang Yunpeng. Although he was paid for his work, how could he deal with those corrupt officials without using money?
Hai Rui temporarily stayed at Qufu Post Station. Wang Dagui helped out and handled the chores efficiently and methodically, much better than Shu Youliang and Hu Guangsheng who were just wandering around aimlessly.

Hai Rui also saw that this man had a loyal heart, was a kind person, and was the son of a military household, so he did not accept him as a student. Instead, he agreed to recommend him to study at the Xishan Military Academy and go to Beijing with him.

"Isn't it Wang Dagui who told you that?"

Shu Youliang rolled his eyes and said, "Master, what's wrong with letting me act cool again?"
When Hai Rui saw his expression, he knew he was right, "Go call him in."

"I trust outsiders and not my own people. Master, you treat me as an outsider." Shu Youliang muttered to himself, and went out of the cabin to call Wang Dagui in.

"Mr. Hai, what do you want to talk to your students about?"

Hai Rui briefly repeated Shu Youliang's pretentious words and asked, "You said these to him, right?"

Wang Dagui glanced at Shu Youliang.

He tilted his head back and turned to the other side, looking nonchalant.

"Yes, I mentioned it casually when chatting with Uncle Liang. It was unintentional, please don't take it to heart, Mr. Hai."

"I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Please continue to talk about your Highness's plan to first fight against foreign enemies and then stabilize the country."

Wang Dagui knew that Hai Rui was testing him, so he thought for a moment and replied, "Mr. Hai, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is wise and brave, and he is farsighted and thinks ten steps ahead.

The students dare to guess that your highness's strategy of attacking external threats first and internal threats later is that the external threats are simple, including the Japanese pirates, the Jurchens, Tumen Khan, Altan Khan, the Mo family of Annan, and Spain in the middle, all of which are in the open.

Foreign threats can be dealt with by tough tactics, such as reorganizing troops, raising food and money, and using both military and strategic means to eliminate them.

Secondly, there are complicated internal problems, such as salt administration, finance and taxation, land, official administration, royal family, etc., all of which are very extensive and affect the whole body. Therefore, when dealing with foreign troubles, Your Highness is bold and courageous. When dealing with internal troubles, he is cautious and moves step by step.

"First the external, then the internal. Once the external threats are eliminated, we can focus on dealing with the internal troubles. We will reform the old and rebuild the Ming Dynasty."

Hai Rui stared at Wang Dagui and spoke slowly, "There is something more important that you haven't said. Tell me now. In front of me, you must tell me everything you know!"

Wang Dagui hesitated for a while and replied: "By eliminating foreign threats and washing away the sands, we can gather military power, eliminate the inferior and retain the superior, and train a strong army. Students should understand the truth when reading history books. Only those who have strong soldiers and horses can be the true emperor!"

Hai Rui stared at Wang Dagui for three or four minutes, until Wang Dagui's back felt numb.

There are not many people in the world who dare to remain calm under Hai Rui's sharp gaze. Even if you have a clear conscience, you can't bear it! How many people in this world have a truly pure conscience?
Hai Rui sighed happily and said, "I never thought that during my visit to Yanzhou, I would actually meet a talent like Wang Zijian."

Shu Youliang curled his lips beside him, "Wang Duxian's nickname is Wang Osprey, what's so great about him?"

Hai Rui sighed slightly, a rotten tree cannot be carved!

He stretched out his hand, motioning Wang Dagui and Shu Youliang to sit down.

"Everyone sit down! Dagui, you and Youliang sit down and talk."

Hai Rui turned to Shu Youliang and asked, "Then do you know why Wang Zijian is called Wang Yuying?"

Shu Youliang thought for a moment and replied, "Wang Duxian likes to eat fish?"

(End of this chapter)