I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 215 Yunnan Horse Strategy

Puzikou Camp, a horse training ground in the suburbs of Nanjing.

Lin Shisan was leading a dwarf horse toward Marquis Li Tingzhu of Linhuai and Earl Liu Shiyan of Chengyi.

This ponies are similar in size to mules, but have enormous tails. They are Yunnan horses.

Horses are classified into riding horses, draft horses, and pack horses.

Among packhorses, the Yunnan horse, a specialty of Yunnan, stands out for its exceptional endurance, making it ideal for transporting goods, grain, and supplies.

This batch of Yunnan horses was purchased from Yunnan by order of Yang Bo, the Minister of War. They were to be transported by ship from Nanjing to the Nine Border Garrisons for use as baggage trains.

However, when the Yunnan horses arrived in Nanjing, they suffered from diarrhea and were on the verge of total annihilation.

These five thousand-plus Yunnan horses cost the Ministry of War eighty thousand taels of military pay. This money was obtained by Yang Bo after much pleading and begging from the Ministry of Revenue.

They are the main force for logistics and transportation in the future border areas. What would happen if they all failed in Nanjing?
Xu, the official in charge of transporting Yunnan horses, searched all the veterinarians in Nanjing, but to no avail.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and he suddenly thought of Lin Chuanfeng, who was skilled at raising, playing with, and treating pets.

Of the six battalions in Nanjing, the Zhenwu Battalion is no longer in existence. Of the remaining five battalions, four are still under the control of the incompetent Duke Xu Pengju.

Only Puzikou Camp was under the jurisdiction of Marquis Li Tingzhu of Linhuai.

Lin Shisan then borrowed the training ground of Puzikou Camp from Li Tingzhu to centrally train this batch of Yunnan horses.

Xu, the head of the Ministry of War, was extremely anxious and came forward: "Commander Lin, is there any hope for these Yunnan horses?"

"If they all die in Jiangnan, I will have no choice but to jump into the Yangtze River to atone for my sins!"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "It's alright. The veterinarians prescribed three things. First, keep the stable dry and well-ventilated. Second, reduce fresh horse feed and increase dry horse feed. Third, add an appropriate amount of salt to the drinking water. Is that alright?"

Manager Xu nodded: "That's right. But these three prescriptions are useless. This batch of Yunnan horses is still running rabies."

Lin Shisan said, "If the horses have diarrhea due to an upset stomach, these three methods will definitely be effective. But the diarrhea in this batch of Yunnan horses is not due to an upset stomach."

"Treating livestock is like treating human illness; you have to find the root cause of the disease."

"The root cause of the diarrhea in this batch of Yunnan horses is that they are not used to the local environment. Therefore, the veterinarian's methods cannot stop the diarrhea."

Xu, the steward, grew somewhat anxious: "My dear Commander Lin, please stop keeping me in suspense. Can he be cured? And how?"

Liu Shiyan chuckled from the side, "Brother Lin, stop keeping us in suspense. Look how anxious Steward Xu is."

Li Tingzhu joked, "Our Manager Xu was so anxious he was practically pounding the ground and rolling around on the floor."

After the Zhenwu Camp mutiny, Lin Shisan broke ties with the high-ranking officials and nobles in Nanjing. Among the nobles, only Li Tingzhu and Liu Shiyan remained on good terms with him.

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Master Xu, don't worry. These Yunnan horses can be treated, and they are easy to treat."

“Go to Guanyao Mountain and ask the kiln manager for two hundred catties of white clay. Dilute it with salt water to a ratio of ten to one, and use the method of pouring it into the sick horse. Pour one large bowl of it into each horse each time.”

"Within seven days, these Yunnan horses will definitely stop having diarrhea, and their droppings will be warm and formed into clumps. They will all be able to run and jump freely northwards."

Xu, the chief clerk, let out a long sigh: "Oh my! Commander Lin is simply a living Hua Tuo and a living Bian Que in treating horses! On behalf of my colleagues in the Ministry of War and the soldiers of the Nine Border Garrisons, I thank Commander Lin! I kowtow to you!"

Lin Shisan quickly replied, "Please don't. It's just a small favor."

Chief Xu asked, "May I ask Commander Lin, why can Yunnan horses stop having diarrhea after eating white clay?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Yunnan produces high-quality white clay. Among them, the white clay from Jianshui is the most famous. The white clay used by the official kilns in Jiangnan almost all comes from Yunnan."

"These Yunnan horses were not used to the local environment, so they were given water mixed with soil from their hometown. What they were not used to became accustomed to."

"Many officials from the north would bring a jar of soil from their hometown to take up new posts in the south, in order to prevent diarrhea caused by the change in environment. They would mix the soil with water and drink it when they had diarrhea. The diarrhea would be cured immediately."

"Humans and horses have many things in common. This is one of them."

Xu, the steward, suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. Oh dear, I should treat Commander Lin to a good drink."

Lin Shisan said, "Come on. I've long heard that Chief Xu of the Ministry of War's Carriage and Horse Management Office is an honest and poor official. He's in charge of the procurement of military horses, which can easily cost tens of thousands of taels of silver, but he doesn't embezzle a single coin."

"Since an honest official like you has come to Nanjing, it is only right that I invite you."

Just then, Sun Yue rushed over in a panic: "Master!"

Lin Shisan asked, "What's wrong?"

Sun Yue replied, "Mr. Xu from Minister Hu's staff has arrived at the town government office. He says he has important business with you."

Although Xu Wei held no official position, he was a confidant of Hu Zongxian. He was extremely busy in Hangzhou. His trip to Nanjing must have been for an important matter concerning the resistance against the Japanese pirates.

Lin Shisan bowed to Li Tingzhu and Liu Shiyan, saying, "My lords, I shall take my leave now."

Li Tingzhu was a man of both literary and martial talents, like Confucius with a sword at his waist. He had a close relationship with Xu Wei. Li Tingzhu said, "Give this to Mr. Xu."

Lin Shisan rushed back to the town government office: "Mr. Xu, it's been a long time."

Xu Wei smiled and said, "General Yu and General Qi asked me to give you their regards."

Lin Shisan saved Qi and Yu's troops last year. The two were very grateful to him.

Lin Shisan said, "The Marquis of Linhuai also asked me to give you his regards."

The two sat down. Zhang Bo, Sun Yue, and Li Gao stood behind Lin Shisan.

Xu Wei went straight to the point: "Today I want to talk to you about the top secrets of the Ming army in the southeast. Please excuse me."

Lin Shisan turned his head and said, "You all go down first."

After everyone left, Xu Wei said, "Do you know that last year, Tan Lun and Tan Zili signed a military pledge on behalf of the Yu and Qi troops in Yongshou Palace?"

Lin Shisan nodded: "I've heard of this."

Xu Wei said, "Now that Qi and Yu's troops have sufficient provisions and supplies, and their military equipment is complete, and the soldiers' training is finished, it is time to launch a decisive battle against the Japanese pirates along the Zhejiang coast!"

"In the past two weeks, several small groups of Japanese pirates have landed in Taizhou, totaling about a thousand people. That's too few. What Minister Hu wants is a decisive battle that can be won in one fell swoop."

"Don't you have a channel that provides false intelligence to the Japanese pirates? This time it will come in handy. Think of a way to lure all the Japanese pirates who frequently travel along the Zhejiang coast to Taizhou."

Lin Shisan took a sip of tea: "I understand. You and Minister Hu want to fish for me. You want me to cast the bait for you."

"It takes a thousand days to train an army, but only one day to use it. The same goes for cultivating false intelligence channels. This year, I've used over twenty pieces of genuine intelligence to gain the trust of the Japanese pirates. It's time to close the net."

Xu Wei smiled and said, "If you can lend Minister Hu a hand in this matter and lure all the Japanese pirates active along the Zhejiang coast to Taizhou, then you will be a great hero in the fight against the Japanese pirates."

The two began to plan how to catch the wicked Japanese pirates.

Lin Shisan said, "Having handled intelligence work against the Japanese for so long, I've come to a conclusion. The Japanese pirates treat looting on land as a business. Their lives are their capital."

"If we want them to invest heavily and deploy a large force for a landing, we need to offer them substantial rewards." "Two years ago, the imperial court opened three ports for trade with the Portuguese."

"We can release some intelligence. The imperial court has just finalized a major trade deal with the Portuguese. The total value of the goods is four million taels."

"This shipment includes top-quality silk, top-quality tea, top-quality porcelain, and a large quantity of exquisite jewelry and jade ornaments. The delivery location is Taizhou."

"The textile bureau and a large number of private merchants are transporting goods to Taizhou. They are stockpiling goods in Taizhou city, waiting for the Portuguese to arrive and settle the goods."

After Lin Shisan finished explaining his bait, Xu Wei nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent. If you were to work in the Zhejiang-Zhili Governor's Office, you could at least serve as a clerk in charge of military strategy."

"But simply releasing the news isn't enough."

Lin Shisan chimed in, "That's right. Since it's fishing, we have to bait the area. We need to give the Japanese pirates a little something. The Governor-General's office will have to spend some money. They'll have to spend at least 100,000 or 200,000 taels of silver to buy goods and get them to the Japanese pirates' mouths."

“We’ll lay our traps on both ends. I’ll have Wenyuan Xiuju send false information to the Japanese pirates. No, not send it, but sell it. This information will fetch a high price. Ten thousand taels directly.”

"Furthermore, the Japanese pirates are different from our Ming army. Under the leadership of Minister Hu, the Ming army in the southeast is now united as one. The Japanese pirates, on the other hand, are divided into many factions."

“I’ll have Wenyuan Xiuju sell the same goods multiple times. The money from those sales will probably be enough to cover the Governor’s Office’s expenses for purchasing goods to send to the Japanese pirates.”

Xu Wei gave a thumbs up: "You've got the same idea. You're the one who should be my chief advisor in the governor's office."

Lin Shisan said, "Besides using 100,000 taels of real goods as bait, we also need to create the impression that merchants are transporting goods to Taizhou on a large scale."

"Hey, how could I forget about that!"

Xu Wei asked, "What is it?"

Lin Shisan said, "The Ministry of War has purchased five thousand packhorses from Yunnan, which are transiting through Nanjing. I can borrow them for use. Let the packhorses carry a large number of cargo packages and parade them around Taizhou."

"There are many spies and informants recruited by the Japanese pirates in the Taizhou area. Let's use a smokescreen to mislead them. That way, they'll believe the false information we release even more!"

Xu Wei gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant idea. But will the Ministry of War be willing to lend us these horses?"

Lin Shisan said, "I need to ask Xu, the head of the Ministry of War. I've been helping him treat the diarrhea of ​​these Yunnan horses these past few days. He should be willing to do me that favor."

"The early pacification of the Japanese pirates in the southeast will also benefit Minister Yang of the Ministry of War. Only when the Japanese pirates are pacified can the court's military expenditures be tilted towards the nine border regions."

Xu Wei said, "I also wrote to Minister Hu to inform him of your plan. Oh right, I remember that you people who specialize in secret missions always give code names to these kinds of plans."

Lin Shisan thought for a moment and said, "Let's call this plan the Yunnan Horse Strategy."

Xu Wei said, "Okay."

That night, Lin Shisan invited Steward Xu to the town government office and hosted a private banquet with a top-class feast.

Manager Xu said, "I promised to treat you to drinks. How could I let you spend the money?"

Lin Shisan said, "I have a favor to ask of you tonight."

Manager Xu said, "You just did me a great favor. My horse in Yunnan improved after drinking water from the white clay pot at noon. You asked me to do something, so why would I ask for anything? Just tell me."

Lin Shisan then recounted how he had borrowed five thousand Yunnan horses from Master Xu to fight against the Japanese pirates.

However, he did not say that these Yunnan horses were used to create a false impression and mislead the Japanese pirates. Instead, he said that these Yunnan horses were used to transport anti-Japanese weapons and provisions.

Lin Shisan did not distrust Xu, but the Yunnan horse strategy was a top secret, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

Manager Xu frowned: "Five thousand bolts, borrow them all? I can't make that decision myself. I have to ask Minister Yang for instructions."

Lin Shisan said, "The Ministry of War also has pigeon stations in Nanjing. With a round trip and Minister Yang taking two days to consider, he should be able to reply to me within eight days."

Director Xu nodded: "It should be possible."

After the two finished their meal, Xu, the head of the department, immediately went to the Ministry of War's pigeon station in Nanjing to write a message to Yang Bo for instructions.

Lin Shisan then had Li Gao bring in the "owner" of Wenyuan Xiuju—Hojo Koji.

When Lin Shisan saw Hojo Koji, he smiled and said, "So, have your two sons gotten into Jinling Academy yet?"

Hojo Koji bowed deeply and said, "Thank you so much, Commander Lin! Jinling Academy is an official school with great scholars teaching there. When my two sons achieve their goals, they will become true citizens of the Ming Dynasty!"

When Lin Shisan tried to persuade Hojo Koji to surrender, the condition he offered was that Hojo Koji's enormous fortune, accumulated over the years by selling intelligence to Japanese pirates, be preserved. At the same time, he promised to make Hojo Koji's son a true citizen of the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Shisan then asked, "I heard you bought another thousand mu of fertile land in Chuzhou?"

Hojo Koji nodded: "Nothing can escape Lin Qianhu's eyes. Over the past year, I have gradually used all my cash to buy fertile land in the capital of the Ming Dynasty."

"I wanted to reassure Commander Lin with this. I have no intention of returning to Japan in this lifetime. I am willing to be a compliant subject of the Ming Dynasty."

"You can trust me."

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "An old senior member of our Embroidered Uniform Guard named Yu once said that trust is a ridiculous kind of goodwill."

"I think there's something going on between us."

Hojo Koji was extremely grateful: "You are my second parents. I would do anything for you, even go through fire and water."

Lin Shisan said, "There's no need to go through fire and water. I've been feeding you this intelligence channel with real information for a whole year. Now it's time to put it to good use."

"Come here."

Hojo Koji walked up to Lin Shisan. Lin Shisan whispered the Yunnan horse strategy to him.

Koji Hojo was the one who carried out the transmission of false information. Lin Shisan could only tell him the truth.

He wasn't afraid of Hojo Koji turning against him. Hojo's two sons entered Jinling Academy, ostensibly for education, but in other words, they were under house arrest.

Furthermore, Lin Shisan also knew that Hojo Koji had indeed used all his money to buy fertile land in the capital of the Ming Dynasty and built two large houses.

A person like Hojo Koji, who values ​​money above all else, would never abandon his property in Mingjing and his son to go through the trouble of telling the truth to the Japanese pirates.

After hearing what Lin Shisan said, Hojo Koji exclaimed, "Commander Lin, you've got quite the generosity!"

Lin Shisan said, "It's not my grand gesture, but the Ming army's grand gesture. The Ming army is strong and well-equipped, and they will completely quell the Japanese pirate problem in Zhejiang province within this year."

"If this had happened three years ago, even if our plan had succeeded and lured a large group of Japanese pirates to land in Taizhou, those incompetent garrison troops would have been helpless."

"Things are different now. The Ming army in Zhejiang has been completely transformed!"

Koji Hojo nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes. Commander Hayashi is right."

Lin Shisan rebuked him: "There are some things I'd better make clear. What I just told you is a top secret of the Ming army."

"If you waver and reveal this matter to the Japanese pirates, your two sons will lose their lives, and all your properties in the Ming Dynasty will be gone. You will suffer the agony of being torn to pieces."

Hojo Koji said, "Don't worry, Commander Lin. I'm not that stupid!"

(End of this chapter)