Warring States Eagle

Rested overnight in Mufeng Town, after Wang Hai packed the goods, everyone continued on the road.

This time the destination is Ningbo Prefecture.The route is like this, starting from Mufeng Town, taking a boat up the Yao River, arriving at Shangyu County, then boarding a boat along the Tongming River, passing through Yin County, and finally arriving at Ningbo Prefecture. The person Zheng Liang wants to meet this time is precisely In Ningbo Mansion.In fact, just from the geographical point of view, it is the fastest to land directly on the Zhoushan Islands near Jiaomen Mountain and Daxie Mountain and then rush to Ningbo Prefecture. Guard, for the sake of safety, Wang Hai chose to land directly in Hangzhou Bay, and then return to Ningbo, which is more appropriate.But Zheng Liang thought about it in private. It is estimated that Wang Hai was not afraid of being seized by the navy on the other side, but more likely because there were too many places to manage along the way. It is estimated that there will be no gains along the way, so it is a bit tortuous to choose such a route. route.

Along the river, it only takes less than half an hour from Mufeng Town to Shangyu County.Sitting on the boat and traveling all the way, Zhengliang really experienced the scenery of the water town.Small bridges, flowing water, people... The water town is like a hazy ink painting, simple and peaceful.The stone arch bridge leans on the clear water, either elegant or exquisite, and the worn railings are printed with traces of time, blending with the charm of the ancient town.Sitting on the boat, let the cool river flow through your fingers, refreshing your heart.Yingying clear water, leisurely wooden boat.The house is built near the water, and the water and water are connected.Walking in the ancient town, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, let the sunshine flow quietly on the skin, let the poetry dance in the heart.Feeling everything in front of him, Zheng Liang couldn't help thinking of a poem describing the scenery of a water town:

Years and evenings, the mountains are the same color, and the lake is flat and foggy.

Cold clouds, low pavilions and snow, the festival is quiet for sorrow.

The forest of bamboo and cypress stands erect, and Puhe Somoxiu.

Thin Qiong knows the strength of his feet, and the government is resistant to traveling.

At noon, the fleet docked at a pier.Not far from the shore is Shangyu County, and if you go down along the river, you will turn into Tongming River.got there.It will soon turn into a mountain trail for walking.Since there is Wang Hai's sales point in Shangyu County, the fleet paused at the pier for repairs.

Zheng Liang stood on the boat and looked at the gate of Shangyu County not far away.I can't help but think of its origin, or the humiliating records about it.According to historical records, it was in 1555 AD (the 34th year of Jiajing, that is, 15 years later).In southern China, there was an embarrassing incident that was rare in the history of war and was enough to make the Ming Dynasty ashamed: a group of Japanese pirates with only 53 people looted the three provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu, and plundered Hangzhou, Yan, Hui, Ning, Taiping and other prefectures There are more than [-] places in the county, which are close to the city of Nanjing, the capital of Liuzhou.This group of Japanese pirates traveled thousands of miles.It took more than [-] days to kill and injure four to five thousand officers and soldiers before they were surrounded and annihilated by the overwhelmingly superior Ming army.

It turned out that this group of pirates from Japan landed from Shangyu County, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province on June 34, 1555, the 6th year of Jiajing, which is the Shangyu County that Zheng Liang sees now.After they landed, they ran wild all the way, attacking small county towns, and fighting officers and soldiers when they encountered them.Offended Kuaiji County.He robbed Hangzhou.Thrust through Shexian County, Huizhou, to Jixi and Jingde, slaughtered through Jingxian County, went to Nanling, and arrived at Wuhu.Burn the South Bank and approach Taiping Mansion.Offend Jiangning Town and go straight to Nanjing.in.In the Battle of Nanling, Wuhu County Prime Minister Chen Yidao and his son led the "Wuhu Xiaojian".Fight alone, all die in battle.In the battle of Jiangning Town, the Ming army commanders Zhu Xiang and Jiang Sheng led the crowd to meet and resist, but they were unable to resist. In the end, Zhu Xiang died in battle, Jiang Sheng was injured, and more than 7 officers and soldiers died.

It is unbelievable that after this Japanese pirate unit consisting of only 53 people rushed to Nanjing, it started a jaw-dropping siege battle.Nanjing was suddenly attacked, and naturally the whole city was in an uproar.Zhang Shiche, Shang of the Ministry of War in Nanjing, hastily ordered the city gates to be closed, and ordered the citizens to prepare their own food and equipment to guard the city.Regarding the details of this battle, He Liangjun, a literati at the Nanjing Imperial Academy at the time, recorded in his notes: "The thieves only have 72 ears. The Nanjing soldiers fought against it twice, killing two commanders, and the sergeants died**** One hundred, none of these 72 people left. The thirteen gates of Nanjing were closed tightly, and the people of Qingcheng all ordered to go to the city. It’s not secret. On weekdays, all the honored and noble cavalry are embracing and galloping across the road. The soldiers ask for 72 grains per month, which is exactly what it is today. Today, [-] thugs knocked on the door. Yeah?" The Japanese pirates started to attack from the Ande Gate, and the defenders shot it from the top of the city with musket fire. Seeing that Nanjing could not be conquered, the Japanese pirates went to Yuling Pass.

Every time he thinks of this, Zheng Liang finds it inconceivable.Just imagine, Nanjing was the remaining capital of the Ming Dynasty, with a strong city wall and no less than 53 troops defending the city, not to mention the Ming army in the surrounding guards.It is shocking and funny that the Japanese pirate army with only [-] people dared to attack the city unscrupulously.The astonishing thing is that they are really defiant, and they regard the dignified Ming Dynasty as a "paper tiger", vulnerable to a single blow; the funny thing is that they are really daring to the extreme.

This arrogant Japanese pirate was wiped out in the end. On August 8th, under the pursuit of officers and soldiers, this group of Japanese pirates crossed Wujin County and arrived at Huishan Temple in Wuxi. They ran for more than 13 miles all day and night. Governor Cao Bangfu and deputy envoy Wang Chonggu led thousands of officers and soldiers to lay a net on land and by the Taihu Lake.As a result, the officers and soldiers captured and beheaded 180 people in Wulin Temple, and the remaining Japanese pirates fled to Maqiao in front of Hengjing and hid in a private house.The officers and soldiers used fire to attack, and the Japanese pirates couldn't resist and fought their way out desperately. After running a long way, they scattered and hid in the fields.When the leader of the army saw the "grass and dew moving slightly" in the field, he asked his men to shout in unison: "The thief is hiding in the field!"Although the ending is that the Japanese pirates were completely wiped out, the record of this Japanese pirate is: they ran rampant in three provinces for more than 27 days, killing and wounding 80 officers and soldiers, including a censor, a county magistrate, a second commander, and a second general in the Ming Dynasty.

Why are Japanese pirates so rampant?Zheng Liang looked at the bustling Shangyu County in the distance and began to meditate.The incompetence and inaction of the Ming Dynasty army were not only caused by the army, but also by other influences, including the loss of popular support.

First of all, the concept of army building is incorrect.The military service system implemented in the Ming Dynasty was the hereditary system of military households created by Zhu Yuanzhang. Sergeants were organized in the guards, and they garrisoned fields on weekdays and protected places in wartime.During the founding period of the Ming Dynasty, the total number of soldiers was as high as 180 million. If such a huge army cannot be self-sufficient, it is impossible to rely entirely on the support of the people.Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the hereditary system of military households to ensure that the army was amphibious in peacetime and war.Ordinarily, this method did play a positive role at the time.Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang once proudly declared: "I raise millions of soldiers. I don't need to spend a grain of rice on the common people." But the result was only feeding millions of farmers in collective farms.In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the guard army was no different from ordinary peasants and had no combat effectiveness.It is undeniable that the combat effectiveness of the army will definitely be due to hard work in the fields.However, by reducing training time and weakening professional strength, once a war breaks out, even the Ming army with excellent equipment and bright armor will not be able to beat the Japanese pirates with backward equipment and "naked buttocks".Qiu Ying, a famous painter in the Ming Dynasty, painted a realistic work "Picture Scroll of Japanese Pirates".Because Qiu Ying has experienced the suffering of Japanese pirates, he described the image of Japanese pirates vividly: hair shaved into a half-moon shape, upper body wearing single clothes, lower body only wearing loincloth, barefoot, holding a spear, bow and arrow and Japanese sword.In sharp visual contrast to the Japanese pirates with bare buttocks, all the soldiers of the Ming army on the picture scroll have distinctive armor and a well-organized lineup.Alas.Many facts about the middle and late Ming Dynasty.All proved that the seemingly powerful Ming army was no match for the Japanese pirates at all.For example: During the Jiajing period, a group of Japanese pirates landed near Zhoushan and Xiangshan, invaded Wenzhou and Taizhou, defeated the official army, and captured Huangyan County; a group of Japanese pirates surrounded Taicang County.Looted Pinghu, Haiyan, and Haining, killed hundreds of officers and soldiers; a group of 300 Japanese pirates.Defeated Tang Kekuan, deputy general of the Ming army on Chongming Island, and harassed Shanghai and Jiaxing; a wave of Japanese pirates attacked Jiaxing.After defeating General Lu Tong, the Ming army suffered more than a thousand casualties, and turned to plunder Haining, Yangzhou, and Taizhou, killing countless officers and soldiers...

followed by**.In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with some incompetent and virtuous kings ascending the throne, the officialdom gradually deteriorated. Coupled with the influence of the social atmosphere of emphasizing civility over military affairs, bad phenomena appeared within the army without exception.If the army is a huge machine, it is already riddled with holes and cannot function properly.For example, it is not uncommon for generals to deduct military pay, and overwhelmed soldiers abound, which makes it common for a large number of military households to flee.During the Jiajing period, the escape rate of military households was already frighteningly high, and a large number of guards were useless, and some guards had only a few people left.Even the Liaodong, Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong guards on the Binhai front line have only 30% of their soldiers left. What's more, because of the long peace, the quality of generals and soldiers is astonishingly poor. They don't know how to ride horses, they don't even know the flags, and drinking and bragging with their colleagues usually counts as doing their duty. The soldiers are even less effective in combat.Zhang Huan, a front-line official, once went to the emperor, and described the front-line officers and soldiers in this way: "Going into battle is like a child's play. The generals have no orders and the soldiers have no discipline. They often finish firing and releasing arrows far away from the enemy. Countless." Such a situation, isn't the root cause of investors?

In the end, the maritime embargo policy has lost the hearts of the people.Originally, the Ming Dynasty formulated a strict maritime ban policy in the hope that it would play a decisive role in the consolidation of coastal defense.However, since the direct target of the maritime embargo policy was the vast number of subjects rather than anti-Ming forces at sea, it not only could not become an effective means of coastal defense, but even intensified some contradictions in coastal areas.When people in coastal areas live by the sea, or engage in fishery production, or engage in maritime trade, which becomes their main source of livelihood, the promulgation and implementation of the sea ban policy of "no boards are allowed to enter the sea" is obviously contrary to public opinion. .This kind of practice is not only closed-door policy and self-aggrandizement, but also blocks the normal way of earning a living for the people in the coastal areas. How can it not lose popular support?

Therefore, when the Japanese pirates who came from the sea or even the land appeared, they had the advantage of the right time and place, like a fish in water.However, the official army representing the army of justice was unpopular and struggling.What caused the people to turn a blind eye to the Japanese pirates, and even some people still support the Japanese pirates?After a little analysis, it is not difficult to see that, on the surface, it seems that the people's awareness and vigilance are not high, and the people's national consciousness is not strong, but in essence, the root cause lies in the Ming Dynasty itself.

Those who lose the hearts of the people lose the world is a truth that has been proven countless times throughout the ages.But what if you know where the root is?The Ming Dynasty gradually entered a situation where corrupt Confucians were in power, and it was not something that a small shrimp could turn around.Even if you raise your arms and shout, it will only increase the jokes.

Holding on to the side of the boat with both hands, looking forward, everything around is peaceful and prosperous. Who would have thought that after a few years, this place would be in dire straits?

"Huh", Zheng Liang took a deep breath. With his own ability, he really couldn't change the structure of the Ming Dynasty, but at least, he had a chance to stop the Japanese pirates from flooding. Everything started from Japan.Come to think of it, without the help of real Japanese in the future, these "fake Japanese" along the coast will not be so arrogant? (To be continued..)

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