I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 943 What a huge case!

The fisherman who came up was Fang Zhiyuan. He and Wang Shiqiu were once military students of the Jinyiwei and had served as guards for Hai Rui together.

When Hai Rui was investigating the major case at Confucius Mansion in Qufu, the two of them were by his side.

Later, the two of them rotated back to the Jinyiwei as usual, but they parted ways not long after that and pursued their own careers.

The Marine Corps is a new branch of the military that is even newer than the Navy and is very short of manpower.

Wang Shiqiu was a hereditary deputy captain of the left garrison of Jinzhou, Jinzhou Guard. He was not only skilled in martial arts, but also knew how to sail since he was a child. Later, he was sent to the Jinyi Guard by his uncle.

Now I see that all branches of the military are thriving, there is a shortage of people everywhere, and there are plenty of opportunities. After some selection, I felt that the Marine Corps was the right fit, so I applied to be transferred to the Marine Corps.

After the fifth year of the Wanli reign, the army basically had no major battles to fight, but the Marine Corps was extremely busy.

The Yanzhou Islands need to clear out the natives who refuse to submit to the king; the Toungoo Mang clan in Pagan need to be punished from time to time; the Indian countries need to be frequently made aware of what free trade means; the pirates in the Arabian Sea need to understand that even if they hide on the shore, the Ming father will make them understand what the king's law means.

There were constant battles, big and small.

Wang Shiqiu was a very capable person. He joined the Marine Corps and started as a battalion commander. He constantly made military achievements and was then promoted to regiment commander. He made great achievements again and entered the Hongwu Military Academy for further studies. He was then promoted to division commander.

In the Ming Dynasty's navy and army, the regiment level is the most basic and stable military unit.

The division level is called a combat unit.

As the name suggests, it is a military unit that is formed only during combat and will be disbanded when it is no longer fighting.

Fang Zhiyuan stayed in the Jinyiwei and was later transferred to the General Security Bureau. His main responsibility was to spy on whether there were any conspiracies or crimes such as treason and treason in various places.

However, these sea guards still keep in touch with Shu Youliang and each other.

To put it bluntly, these are all resources.

Hai Rui, Duke of Hai, was promoted all the way until he became the Grand Secretary and Chief Censor.

Although everyone knows that he is ruthless and will not consider old friendships and protect everyone's future.

But Shu Youliang was a famous "socialite" in the capital and the court. There was no one he didn't know and no relationship he couldn't reach in the Western Garden, the Cabinet, the Military Government, the Censorate, the Xuanhuiyuan, Luanzhou, and Huzhou.

He could talk to Zhang Xiang, Tan Gong, Qi Rongzheng, and Governor Yu.

Do you think we should win over such a person?

Moreover, everyone has served as a guard of the Duke of Hai, and they have a rare comradeship. After returning to the Royal Guards, they went to different branches and departments of the army, and they might be resources that can be used.

Do you want to keep in touch?
The two sat down at the back of the cockpit and chatted quietly.

"Old Wang, I didn't expect that your Marine Corps would be transferred here!"

"We had just returned from a mission in Chanzhou and Yuzhou, and were preparing to disband at Dagu Port and return to our respective units. Unexpectedly, we received an order. I took the two battalions on a train in Tianjin and transferred to Dezhou. We got off the train at night and boarded this small steamer, traveling day and night all the way south.

The order I received was to follow the instructions of the General Security Bureau.

I received the latest order in Liaocheng to pick up people here and have you as guides to quell the rebellion. I never expected that the guide would be you, Brother Fang."

Fang Zhiyuan looked around and saw that the entire cockpit was filled with reliable people.

"At the beginning of last year, our General Security Bureau discovered a group of bandits hiding in the Yimeng Mountains in Shandong, waiting for an opportunity to commit crimes.

In order to find out who is behind this, we have been keeping them hanging.
Now it’s finally time to close the net.”

Wang Shiqiu was greatly shocked. "Is there still such a madman? And he is hiding in Shandong?"

Shandong, located in the heart of the Central Plains and the "suburbs" of the capital, has always been a key area for prevention and investigation by the imperial court. Yet, there is actually a group of bandits hiding there?
Is it true that the more dangerous a place is, the safer it is?

"Shandong previously had the Confucius Mansion case, which was one of the four major cases during the Wanli reign, along with the three major cases in Jiangnan.

In that major case, nearly 3,000 wealthy and powerful families in Shandong were executed, and countless gentry and landlords were killed. In the two years before and after, 12,000 people were beheaded and hanged, and more than 100,000 people were exiled.

There must be some fish that have slipped through the net, and they have a deep hatred for the court and the new policy!
Moreover, in the eyes of many people, the Confucius Mansion is a place of immortality. It is said that the emperor was determined to abolish the Duke of Yansheng and to transform the Confucius Mansion in Qufu into Shandong Normal University.

In the minds of many people, this is tantamount to overturning the shrine they have worshipped for generations."

Wang Shiqiu and Fang Zhiyuan can be said to be the early participants in the Confucius Mansion case. They saw with their own eyes that Hai Gong opened up the deep well that had been covered for hundreds of years and was rotten and smelled terrible, exposing all the ugliness inside in broad daylight.

Wang Shiqiu shook his head and sighed, "I can't believe it has been so many years and the aftermath is still not over."

"They have been worshipping that clay Buddha for thousands of years. They have also been drinking that soup of human blood and flesh for hundreds of years. Some of them must be unwilling to accept this."

Fang Zhiyuan glanced around again, hesitated for a moment, and for the sake of his old friend, he quietly leaked some inside information, "Brother, these rebels, in addition to the support from the north, are said to have support from the south."

Wang Shiqiu was even more shocked. "The south? The south has been mowed back and forth so many times like mowing the grass, and there are still people who are unwilling to give up?"

"Man, cut off the old and the new will grow again. There are always people who are pretentious and greedy and never satisfied."

"Hiss, it's still more fun to fight outside. Even though you have to risk your life, there aren't so many twists and turns."

"That's right. You have made great military achievements in this battle. I heard that you are now a colonel and a division commander? Your promotion to general is just around the corner."

"You are not bad, old fellow. I heard Hu Guangsheng talk about you, and you have been promoted to colonel.

Colonel of the General Security Bureau, you are one level higher than me. You have made a great contribution this time, so you should be awarded a gold star? From now on, when I see you, I will salute you first. Hello, sir!"

Fang Zhiyuan laughed and waved his hand, with a bit of complacency and reserve on his face, "It's just a joke."

Led by two guides, six boats sailed into a river branch.

"Put out the fire and the stove. Don't let the black smoke float out and be discovered by the enemy."

The captain, first mate and chief engineer immediately carried out the order. Five minutes later, the six plumes of black smoke that had just been floating in the reed marshes in the river branch had all dissipated.

Fang Zhiyuan took out a hand-drawn sketch and explained the situation to Wang Shiqiu, his chief of staff, two battalion commanders and two combat staff officers.

"There are 427 bandits in total, hiding here, 50 miles away from us.

In theory, it would be the quickest and most convenient to take a steamboat, and we could just block them at their door. But the steamboat made too much noise, spewing black smoke during the day and fire at night, and could be seen from thirty miles away. By the time the steamboat arrived, everyone had already fled.”

Fang Zhiyuan pointed to a river branch and drew a circle on it with his finger.

"We will land here and march quickly along the lake embankment. It is 27 kilometers from here to there. It is now four o'clock in the afternoon. We will set out in an hour and must arrive at the designated location before three o'clock in the morning, deploy our troops, and surround these bandits.

After breakfast, we will launch a surprise attack on this group of bandits at daybreak and make sure to wipe them out completely.

The steamer will pretend to continue southward and anchor fifteen kilometers west of the river branch. When we take action, the four ships will approach this river branch at the fastest speed to block the bandits' escape route on the water.

So, Commander Wang, you must leave two on the steamer."

"Okay." Wang Shiqiu nodded, "I'll assign tasks later."

Fang Zhiyuan looked around at everyone and continued, "According to reliable information, this group of thieves has 120 Longqing Type 2 smoothbore rifles."

Everyone was stunned.

The Ming Dynasty produced nearly two million Type 2 Longqing smoothbore rifles in the past ten years.

After the fifth year of Wanli, new firearms using smokeless gunpowder were gradually equipped in the army and navy, but production was limited, and only some elite troops such as the field army and the marine corps were given priority to be equipped.

Most of the army and navy, as well as the garrison troops, guard troops, and cavalry troops were still equipped with the Longqing Type 2 smoothbore rifle.

The Ming Dynasty monitored this type of weapons very strictly, and any possession of more than ten weapons was considered a major case.

Now a group of thieves actually have 120 guns in their hands.

This is so scary.

Wang Shiqiu shouted loudly: "Our duty is to obey orders and resolutely fight the enemy. The rest is not our business, we should not ask! And don't worry about it!"

Everyone quickly responded, “Yes!”

Fang Zhiyuan continued to introduce the situation. Wang Shiqiu asked the chief of staff to bring the combat staff and the sketch to immediately draw up a combat plan based on the situation.

The two battalion commanders immediately arranged for the troops to have dinner, check their equipment, and prepare for a night march.

Wang Shiqiu pulled Fang Zhiyuan aside and said, "My old brother, how come you still have 120 Longqing Type 2 smoothbore rifles?"

"Brother, that's why I transferred you here from Tianjin.

Not only are you Marines, you have just returned from combat missions in Chanzhou and Yuzhou."

Wang Shiqiu nodded, "Yes, our division's four regiments were transferred from Liaodong, Guangdong, Fujian, and Jinghai the year before last, gathered in Changguo Port, and from there went to Chanzhou and Yuzhou to carry out combat missions.

Not only does it have nothing to do with Shandong, it also has no ties with Jiangnan.

Old Fang, this case is a mystery."

Fang Zhiyuan leaned close to his ear and whispered, “After the emperor inspected the Jingyang Lake and Guangping Lake farms, he should take a boat directly south along the canal to inspect the Nanwang Lake Farm.

I didn't expect him to suddenly return to Jinan, take a train to Qingdao and Weihai, and then you were transferred here, and then he returned to Jinan."

Wang Shiqiu touched his chin and said, "Brother, this case may seem to be a great achievement, but the risks are also high. I'm worried that if I don't understand something, I might accidentally lose some witnesses or physical evidence, which would affect your important plans."

"You, Old Fang, are testing me again. Let me tell you, first, we must capture the bandit leader Kong Xiuwen. Second, not a single one of the 120 muskets must be missing!"

Wang Shiqiu bowed and said, "Old brothers still remember the old friendship. With your two words, I know what to do. I will be careful when reviewing the combat plan and assigning combat tasks later."

Fang Zhiyuan patted him on the shoulder and went back to work.

That night.

The reed marsh in that river branch was filled with a stench. More than 400 people had been eating, drinking, defecating and urinating here for several days. The fish were fattened, but the smell was concentrated here and was quite sour and refreshing.

Chen Daya said to Kong Xiuwen, "Brother, we have been in this damn place for six days and are about to get sick."

Tong Xiucai also said: "Yes, big brother, the morale of the army has been a little unstable these past two days. Some brothers have secretly colluded and are preparing to go to nearby villages to steal food."

Kong Xiuwen's eyes widened, "Steal food! Do they need food? They want to go to the village to find women!
Damn, can’t you stand being without a woman for a few days?

Keep an eye on them, if anyone makes any rash move, kill them."

Kong Xiuwen had a gloomy face and made a gesture of wiping his neck.

After everyone's emotions had stabilized, Kong Xiuwen informed them of the situation.

"Everyone, I just received news today that Emperor Wanli suddenly went to Qingdao to appease his navy."

"Is there something wrong with the navy?"

Kong Xiuwen waved his hand and said, "We have no control over what happens to the navy, and we don't want to control it.

What is certain now is that Emperor Wanli took the train back to Jinan, then took a boat along the Daqing River to Zhangqiu Town, where he met up with a large group of people. He will head south tomorrow and reach Nanwang Lake the day after tomorrow.

Tell my brothers to be patient for three more days, and wealth and glory will be within your reach!"

Chen Daya, Tong Xiucai and Liang Dongliang looked at each other and showed joy on their faces.

"Good! As long as there is accurate information!"

"Three days is three days. As long as Emperor Wanli comes, we might as well wait for another three days."

"It would be easy if we had a specific date. If it was like the past few days, we wouldn't know when it would end, that would be a real problem."

At four o'clock in the morning, five hundred Marines quietly surrounded the gang of thieves from three sides, with eight light machine guns set up in vital locations, ready to be deployed at any time.

At 5:20, the sky in the east began to turn blue, and the sky and the earth went from pitch black to hazy and indistinct, as if the dark curtain covering everything was about to be lifted in the next moment.

"Pfft!"

Three red flares flew into the sky.

Boom!

Da da!

Fierce gunfire suddenly rang out on three sides.

(End of this chapter)