I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 448: Hu Zongxian Almost Made a Big Mistake
In Hong Kong City, at the Governor-General's Military Headquarters in Guangdong and Guangxi, in the signing room of the Nanhai Xuanwei Mission, an aide hurried in with an urgent report.

"Dong Weng, something happened in Guangdong."

Hu Zongxian raised his head from the pile of documents on his desk and asked, "What happened?"

"Seven days ago, a group of bandits from Fujian sneaked into Dapu and Pingyuan counties in Chaozhou, Guangdong, and ravaged four townships and eleven villages."

After listening to the aides' words, Hu Zongxian frowned and said, "Immediately transfer the guards from Chaozhou and Huizhou, and appoint Wu Jianping, the commander of the Chenghaiwei Coastal Defense Corps, as the commander to quell the rebellion."

"Yes."

After the staff wrote the military order and sent it out, Hu Zongxian asked again: "Did this group of bandits sneak in from Fujian?"

"Yes, Dong Weng."

Hu Zongxian stood up and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back.

"What happened in Fujian? It's been peaceful for so long, is there trouble again?"

When Hu Zongxian was in charge of the Southeastern Anti-Japanese Campaign, Fujian was one of the main battlefields, and famous generals such as Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou took turns fighting here. At the same time, many famous officials also served here, such as Tan Lun, Cao Bangfu, Wang Yi'e, and Wang Daokun.

The current governor of Fujian is Ling Yunyi.

"Mr. Dong," the staff reported, "Fujian pirates and mountain bandits have been eliminated. The biggest problem now is the mineral resources in the western mountainous areas. Gold and silver are profitable. In order to compete for the mines, local noble families have mobilized villages to fight and even disguised themselves as bandits. This has happened many times before.

I heard that Ling Futai rectified the silver and gold mines in Longyan, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Shanghang, Tingzhou Prefecture, and other places with ruthless means, which aroused some miners and villagers to become bandits. After being suppressed by Ling Futai several times, they had no choice but to go south to harass Guangdong. "

Hu Zongxian stood in front of the window, with his hands behind his back, and asked, "I am also familiar with the use of troops to suppress bandits. Don't the bandits know that Guangdong and Guangxi have gathered more than 200,000 officers and soldiers from the imperial court, and they still dare to rush into the edge of the knife?"

The staff glanced at Hu Zongxian's back and said cautiously, "Dong Weng, Ling Futai and Zhang Ge Lao are from the same class, and they are both from Taicang, Nanzhili, and they are both students of Xu Xiang. Previously, when he was the governor of Henan, he was impeached and awaiting investigation. It was Zhang Ge Lao who recommended him, and not only was he acquitted, but he was also promoted to the governor of Fujian.

I have heard that Ling Futai has the ability to help the world and has great means, but he is arrogant and bloodthirsty. "

Hu Zongxian turned around and stared at his staff.

"Arrogant and bloodthirsty? How can such a person pacify the locals? The best strategy is to combine hardness with softness, and to suppress and appease appropriately. Simply killing will only backfire."

The staff member hurriedly said, "Dong Weng is wise! Fujian was stabilized by Dong Weng with many capable ministers and famous generals after bloody battles. This is one of Dong Weng's meritorious deeds. If it is messed up by Ling Futai, it will probably not look good for Dong Weng.

The aide's words touched Hu Zongxian's heart.

Hu Zongxian would use any means to achieve his goals.

In order to suppress the Japanese pirates, he could disregard his reputation to curry favor with Zhao Wenhua, go against his conscience to get close to the Yan Party, and even resort to murder to help frame Zhang Jing.

Be able to accept advice and listen to various opinions.

You can be flexible and recommend a variety of talents
But he had a high opinion of himself and his impetuous character was somewhat similar to Xu Wei. In history, he was forced by Xu Jie and was abandoned by Emperor Jiajing, and he committed suicide out of anger.

The staff's words made Hu Zongxian feel more dissatisfied with Ling Yunyi.

"Write a memorial to impeach Ling Yunyi. As a governor, you are supposed to appease the people and pacify them. It's not like sweeping the floor and throwing the garbage into someone else's house. This governor will review it and issue it with his seal."

"Yes!" The staff member hurriedly bowed and saluted, with a proud look in his eyes.

Hu Zongxian immediately put the matter behind him. Two days later, Pan Yinglong returned to Hong Kong from Thang Long City. Hu Zongxian was overjoyed and held a banquet in the backyard of the headquarters to welcome him.

There were only two of them at the banquet.

After three cups of welcoming wine, the two started talking.

Pan Yinglong described how he conquered Thang Long City and destroyed the Mo family. Hu Zongxian applauded and was glad that he had sent Pan Yinglong.

If he had not come up with such a brilliant plan to capture Thang Long City in one fell swoop, and wait until the autumn and winter non-rainy season to capture Thang Long City, the March deadline would have become a joke!
"Come on, Feng Wu, you have worked hard and made great contributions. I'll toast to you!"

"Thank you, Lord Meilin!"

After the two of them had a drink together, Hu Zongxian briefly told Pan Yinglong about the recent matters at hand.

"The transformation of the chieftains in Guangxi has come to an end. The chieftains of Anlong and Shanglin, Yin Yangshi, sent this governor a letter, planning to besiege the country for half a year, cut off grain, salt, cloth, and all exchanges and trade.

A lot of people had been killed in Guangxi before, so Yangshi hoped to appease them and win over their hearts and minds. Now the only one who needed to be used was Luo Pangyao.

This Yao tribe occupied the Luopang Mountain area and often went north to harass Deqing and Zhaoqing, both of which were important gateways of the Xijiang River. All kinds of materials shipped from Guangdong to Guangxi were transported upstream along the Xijiang River.

Luo Pangyao has obstructed shipping on the Xijiang River several times, almost causing a shortage of military supplies on the Guangxi front. Now that Guangxi has been pacified for the time being, Yangshi has discussed with General Liu and has mobilized a large force to suppress Luo Pangyao before winter. "

Pan Yinglong listened quietly.

"A group of mountain bandits came from Fujian to Chaozhou Prefecture and plundered the towns. I sent troops with the Coastal Defense Corps and the River Camp Guard to suppress them. I also wrote a memorial of impeachment and sent it to you."

Pan Yinglong immediately asked, "Mr. Meilin, who are you impeaching?"

"Of course it was the Fujian Governor Ling Yunyi. He condoned the bloodlust and blindly used suppression. He also deliberately drove the bandits to Guangdong, which almost caused a big mistake and affected Guangxi's transformation of natives into officials and the South China Sea strategy. Naturally, I have to impeach him!"

Pan Yinglong was anxious, "Lord Meilin, have you sent the memorial?"

"We will set out that afternoon and order a ship to take us directly to the capital. The wind is blowing from the southeast, so we should be in Quanzhou by now."

Pan Yinglong stamped his feet repeatedly, his face flushed, "Lord Meilin, you shouldn't have written this impeachment memorial."

Hu Zongxian put down his wine glass and asked, "Why?"

"Lord Meilin, now that the Mo family has been destroyed and the South China Sea has been pacified, you should be recalled to the capital."

Hu Zongxian narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why are you so sure?"

"Mr. Tan has already entered the capital. How could Your Highness leave Mr. Meilin alone in the South Sea?"

Hu Zongxian understood what Pan Yinglong meant. Tan Lun used to be Hu Zongxian's deputy. Now Tan Lun was recalled to Beijing, but Hu Zongxian stayed in Guangdong. What would the government and the public think?
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not make such a mistake. He is a good student taught by the late emperor who was an expert in political politics.

Since he was going to be summoned to Beijing, whether to enter the cabinet or the supervisory office, it would be inappropriate for him to have a grudge against Zhang Juzheng. He had been unknown and kept a low profile in the past two years, but the prince's close ministers knew that the prince valued him very much, and he was also accumulating strength, and when the time was right, he would surely make a splash.

Ling Yunyi was his classmate and he was the one who recommended him to the post of Governor of Fujian. Would his impeachment letter be used as an opportunity to sow discord and muddy the waters?

Given my current status, a letter of impeachment may seem light, but it actually carries a lot of weight.

Hu Zongxian stood up suddenly and paced back and forth anxiously: "I was so busy the other day that I forgot about this.

And Mr. Changwen."

Hu Zongxian's eyes were stern.

He recalled it and realized that the aide's words were just right to lead him into a trap.

"Somebody come!"

Immediately, a trusted follower responded at the door: "Master, please give me your orders!"

"Go and invite Dang Rugui over."

"Yes!"

Pan Yinglong also knew this colleague, "Dang Changwen?"

"Yes, he has been with me for four years. Last year, I was ordered by the Crown Prince to go south. I didn't bring many staff with me, so I chose him to be the confidential scribe. I never thought that his true colors would be revealed in the end!"

Hu Zongxian briefly recounted what happened the day before.

Pan Yinglong thought for a moment and replied, "Mr. Meilin, Dang Changwen has been in office for four years, so he must have understood your personality. This time, he took advantage of your busy schedule to lure you into his trap. I guess he may have already escaped."

"How annoying! If he dares to escape, I will catch him!"

After a while, the confidant came to report: "Master, Mr. Dang left a letter and disappeared."

"Give it to me!" Hu Zongxian took the letter and opened it, he was so angry that he was fuming.

"I am so angry! This guy is scheming and lurking around me, plotting something bad!"

When Pan Yinglong took the letter and read it, he found it was nothing more than a letter expressing his deep apologies, saying that he was forced into a situation and asked Mr. Hu to show mercy and not to pursue the matter any further, and to give him a way out.

"Lord Meilin, who recommended this boy to you?"

"They are some fellow countrymen."

Pan Yinglong understood.

Hu Zongxian's fellow townsmen were mostly Huizhou merchants, and many of them were wealthy businessmen, who also provided a lot of help to Hu Zongxian's career. He had come here with a favor, so he had to acknowledge it.

As a result, he let a wolf into the house and recruited an insider.

"Lord Meilin, I don't think Mr. Dang deliberately lurked in front of you. Maybe someone caught him and forced him to do this.

Lord Meilin, it seems someone doesn't want you to enter the capital."

"High arch?"

The first person Hu Zongxian thought of was him.

While investigating the Gengxu Incident, Emperor Jiajing issued an edict to kill almost all the Shanxi Party and Shanxi merchants. Hu Zongxian, who was the Minister of War and Governor-General of Xuanda, Shanxi at the time, was the person who carried out the execution.

Gao Gong would definitely hold a grudge against Hu Zongxian for the blood feud with the Jin Party.

Pan Yinglong thought about it and finally shook his head: "Mr. Meilin, I think it is unlikely that the cabinet will take action. He was recalled to Beijing in the first year of Longqing and was appointed as the head of the Ministry of Revenue. After many setbacks, he finally surrendered to Xiyuan and was able to enter the cabinet and implement the new policy.

Although Duke Xinzheng was impatient, he had been in the political arena for many years and could still distinguish the important from the urgent. Moreover, his most important opponents at the moment were the other ministers, so why would he provoke Duke Meilin who was far away in the South China Sea?

If Lord Meilin returns to the capital and only joins the Supervisory Office, wouldn't he have provoked a powerful enemy for nothing? The loss outweighs the gain!"

Hu Zongxian nodded: "That makes sense."

He thought about it and found other people to be suspects, but none of them seemed like the right person. He was undecided for a moment and couldn't guess who it was, so he simply put the mastermind aside.

"Feng Wu, we'll talk about the mastermind later. Right now, I'm in a state of panic. If this impeachment memorial were to reach the capital, I'm worried that someone with ulterior motives would use it to stir up a conflict between me and Uncle Zhang, which would then make my relatives sad and my enemies happy!"

Pan Yinglong replied: "Mr. Meilin is right. Our top priority is to eliminate the impact of this urgent memorial. The north wind is blowing, and Mr. Meilin's memorial was sent to a fast sailing ship, which is extremely fast.

We can’t get it back, so we can only think of another way.”

He thought for a while and made a suggestion: "Mr. Meilin, why not seize on the Luo Pangyao incident and impeach Governor Yin, and then find a reason to impeach the Guangdong Provincial Administration and the Huguang Provincial Administration as well."

Hu Zongxian laughed: "Muddy the water!"

"Yes, Lord Merlin, if our opponent wants to muddy the waters, then we should follow their lead and make the waters even more muddy, until no one can see who is who!

But if he does so, Lord Meilin may be accused of being arrogant."

"It's better to be arrogant than to be used as a knife and have a fight with Uncle Zhang."

"Mr. Meilin is right. Your Highness the Crown Prince is wise. After seeing these memorials one after another, he will surely understand Mr. Meilin's painstaking efforts. I suggest that Mr. Meilin also write a private letter to Governor Yin, telling him the truth and asking for his understanding."

Hu Zongxian stroked his beard and said with relief: "Yangshi is my fellow villager, he will understand. Fortunately, Fengwu reminded me in time, otherwise I would have made a big mistake!"

Pan Yinglong reminded him, "Lord Meilin, now that this has happened, you can imagine that the court in the capital is undercurrents and crises are lurking everywhere. Lord Meilin, please be careful when you are summoned to the capital."

Hu Zongxian looked solemn, nodded heavily, leaned back in his chair, looked out the window at the gloomy and uncertain sky, and said slowly: "Who is trying to sow discord?"

(End of this chapter)