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

Chapter 217 Throwing out the bait
The following day, the eunuch's residence in Nanjing.

Lin Shisan got up and led Wang Xiaochuan and Hu'er to practice Baduanjin in the back courtyard.

Yang Jinshui passed by and said, "These two kids are pretty good at the Eight Pieces of Brocade. Sitting naked on the bench, they're quite skilled."

Lin Shisan said, "This method of strengthening the body was learned from Chang Qingyun, the commander of our elephant training institute."

Yang Jinshui sighed, "Alas, it has been almost half a year since Governor Lu and Commander Chang passed away one after the other."

"Oh, by the way, did you hear about the murder that happened in Nanjing yesterday? The big tea merchant Hu Dusi was killed and his head was removed."

"That's exactly what his name meant. He died in a muddle."

"Hu Dusi is the brother-in-law of Yang Zuotang of the Ministry of Revenue. The people in the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing and Yingtian Prefecture are investigating this case like madmen."

Lin Shisan said calmly, "Ah, in the great city of Nanjing, the secondary capital of the Ming Dynasty, at the foot of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, such a shocking case has actually occurred?"

“These desperate criminals must be executed immediately upon capture.”

Hu Dusi was actually killed by Japanese pirates at the behest of Hojo Koji, at Lin Shisan's request.

I, Lin Shisan, cannot kill you high-ranking officials and cronies who collude with the Japanese, nor will I use the Japanese pirates to kill you.

Yang Jinshui said, "That man surnamed Hu deserves to die. Back when I was in charge of the Textile Bureau, there was a year when silk production was low. I discussed with him about buying some silk to replenish the warehouse."

"This guy clearly had ten thousand bolts of silk, but he just wouldn't sell them to me. Later I found out that he was planning to smuggle that batch of silk to Japanese pirates."

Lin Shisan sighed, "Alas. Actually, I've gained some insights after a year of intelligence work on Japan. Japan is a small country, and the Japanese pirates aren't even part of Japan's army; they're just bandits."

"For the mighty Ming Dynasty, eradicating the Japanese pirates along its own coast would be as easy as turning one's hand."

"But what's truly worrisome is the presence of traitors! Traitors of all sizes have formed a web. Some are secretly hindering the great cause of resisting the Japanese pirates, some are providing intelligence to the pirates, some are trading with the pirates, and some are finding various ways to fund the pirates' military expenses."

"Minister Hu's resistance against the Japanese pirates was ostensibly against the pirates themselves, but in reality, it was an enemy within the Ming Dynasty!"

"The Japanese pirates are only a minor threat. The real threat lies with those who disregard the fate of the nation, collude with foreign enemies, and seek only their own selfish interests!"

Yang Jinshui exclaimed, "Brother Thirteen has great insight. That's exactly right."

"Take that incident when fifty or sixty Japanese pirates roamed Jiangnan and even reached the gates of Nanjing. With so few people, we could drown them with a single spit from each of our Ming Dynasty members."

"To put it bluntly, those fifty or sixty Japanese pirates were regarded as 'balancers' by people with ulterior motives. It was their secret indulgence of the pirates that led to this farce."

As the two were talking, the gatekeeper reported: the owner of Wenyuan Xiuju requests an audience with Commander Lin.

Yang Jinshui said, "You go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll go back to my study to handle official business."

Before long, Hojo Koji arrived in front of Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan turned to Hu'er and Xiao Chuan and said, "You two are doing a good job with the Eight Pieces of Brocade. Go find your mother first. Tell her I said so, and she'll reward you both with a big bowl of honey."

Wang Xiaochuan led Hu'er away, hopping and skipping.

Lin Shisan asked, "How is it?"

Koji Hojo replied, "Mikamisaka Torato's men have already left with the intelligence. Tonight, I'm going to entertain Muto Badger's men on a pleasure boat. I'll continue to sell my intelligence, which is worth four million taels."

"In addition, I sent six girls to the coast to make contact with the Japanese pirates. They were to sell intelligence to the seven strongest groups of Japanese pirates along the Zhejiang coast."

"In less than half a month, the news that Taizhou will stockpile a large amount of goods will spread to all the Japanese pirates."

Lin Shisan nodded in satisfaction: "Good."

Yunnan Ma Ce has already taken the first step. The next step is to take the second step: to throw out bait and verify the authenticity of the intelligence with the Japanese pirates from the side.

Lin Shisan really bled this time.

He arrived at Lin Youniu's bedroom. Lin Youniu was sitting in a recliner, slurping tea.

Lin Shisan asked, "Father, do you have 50,000 taels of silver on hand?"

Lin Youniu nodded: "Yes."

Lin Shisan said, "Give them all to me. I need them very much."

This time, Lin Shisan planned to spend his own money to buy bait to deceive the Japanese pirates.

Lin Youniu didn't even ask Lin Shisan what he intended to use the money for. He simply took out a stack of silver notes: "These are all Guangyuanji's instant-redemption silver notes. A total of fifty thousand taels."

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "You used to value a single coin more than the moon. How come you don't even blink when you give me tens of thousands of taels of silver now?"

Lin Youniu cursed, "Why do you talk so much? If you don't want it, give it back to me."

Lin Shisan said, "Don't worry about that. I have a very important use for this money."

Lin Youniu said, "Yes. I'll leave all the money I earn to you sooner or later. As long as you don't use it to patronize girls on the Qinhuai River and use it for good, I can give you everything I have."

Lin Shisan took his father's 50,000 taels of silver notes and found Zhang Ruhai, a silk merchant in Nanjing.

This man, Ru Hai, is not like Hu Dusi, who has been beheaded. He is a legitimate imperial merchant, whose ancestors for three generations supplied goods to the Imperial Textile Bureau.

Lin Shisan cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Zhang, I've heard so much about you."

Zhang Ruhai knelt down respectfully: "This humble subject, Zhang Ruhai, greets Commander Lin."

Lin Shisan helped Zhang Ruhai up: "Please, no need for formalities. Mr. Zhang, please sit down. I want to discuss a business deal with you today."

Zhang Ruhai sat down. Lin Shisan personally poured him a cup of tea: "How much does a bolt of silk cost in Nanjing these days?"

Zhang Ruhai replied: "Lower-grade silk costs six taels per bolt, medium-grade silk costs ten taels per bolt, and upper-grade silk costs twenty taels per bolt."

Lin Shisan asked, "Do you have two thousand bolts of high-quality silk? Sell them to me."

Zhang Ruhai asked in surprise, "What does Commander Lin need so much silk for?"

Lin Shisan was most adept at lying through his teeth: "The old gentleman should know that when an official is transferred to Nanjing at the same level, it is equivalent to being demoted and exiled."

"I was demoted to Nanjing because I offended someone in the imperial court. I have been in Nanjing for a year now, and the person I offended is dead."

"These next few days I'm going to make some connections in the officialdom and try to find a way to be transferred back to the capital."

"Since it's about making gifts, it's natural to spend some money. Giving silver is too conspicuous; it's better to give top-quality silk."

Zhang Ruhai immediately agreed: "Leave this to me. I'll go back and arrange for two thousand bolts of top-quality silk to be prepared for you."

Forty thousand taels of the fifty thousand taels have already been spent.

That afternoon, Lin Shisan instructed Sun Yue: "I'll give you two thousand taels of silver. Go and buy ten thousand felt bags for livestock to carry goods. Fill nine thousand of those bags with dry grass and transport them to the military camp at Puzikou."

Sun Yue accepted the silver note: "Master, rest assured. Money makes things easier. I will definitely get this done before nightfall today."

That evening, Lin Shisan arrived at the Puzikou military camp.

Nine thousand felt sacks were neatly stacked, filled with hay. The sacks were so bulging that one might mistake them for containing valuable goods.

Marquis Li Tingzhu of Huaiyin walked over and asked, "Brother Lin, what are you doing with so many felt bags?"

Lin Shisan replied, "Well, I have my own reasons. Your Excellency need not inquire further." Li Tingzhu said, "Why are you being so secretive? You can't even tell me?"

Lin Shisan smiled slightly: "My lord, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

Sun Yue came forward and said, "Master, how did I do on this mission? I haven't spent all of the two thousand taels of silver; I still have four hundred taels left."

After saying that, Sun Yue handed the silver note to Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan put away the silver notes and turned to ask a soldier in charge of the stables, "Has the diarrhea of ​​the Yunnan horses completely stopped these past few days?"

The sergeant replied, "Ever since we used your method to feed them white clay water, they have been getting better day by day. Now their diarrhea has completely stopped and they have regained their strength."

Lin Shisan nodded in satisfaction: "Good. Take good care of these Yunnan horses for me, I'll need them in a while."

The following morning, Hojo Koji went to the town hall again and found Lin Shisan, presenting him with a stack of silver notes: "Commander Lin, Mutō Badger's men have fallen into the trap and paid the silver to buy the information."

"This is five thousand taels from Mikami Sakatora and ten thousand taels from Muto Badger. That's a total of fifteen thousand taels. Please keep it safe."

Deceiving Japanese pirates into buying false intelligence brought in a lot of money.

Koji Hojo is a businessman. Lin Shisan needs to give him some incentives.

He took out a 1,000-tael note and a 500-tael note from the banknotes and handed them to Hojo Koji: "You are the person who handled the sale of false information. This 1,500 taels is yours."

Koji Hojo withdrew his hand: "You've already shown me great kindness by sparing my life. How could I possibly accept your money?"

Lin Shisan replied, "This is silver given by the Japanese pirates; why not take it?"

Over the next two weeks, Hojo Koji sent Lin Shisan a series of messages: more than ten powerful Japanese pirate groups along the Zhejiang coast had bought false intelligence, earning a total of 90,000 taels of silver.

Lin Shisan took 50,000 taels out of the 90,000 taels and returned it to his father, Lin Youniu.

He also gave Hojo Hiroji a share of 9,000 taels.

The rest was given to Zhang Bo for safekeeping, to be used as operating expenses for the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Nanjing.

Everything is ready; it's time to cast the bait.

Three days later, Lin Shisan hired two thousand grooms and led five thousand Yunnan horses out of Nanjing.

Of these 5,000 Yunnan horses, 4,800 were carrying felt bags stuffed with dry grass.

The other two hundred Yunnan horses carried the two thousand bolts of high-quality silk that he had just bought.

Lin Shisan instructed Li Tingzhu to dispatch two thousand soldiers from the Puzikou camp to escort him along the way, leading a large Yunnan cavalry force out of Nanjing in a grand procession.

At the city gate, an old man asked a middle-aged man, "What's going on here? Such a large caravan, carrying so much cargo. And so many soldiers escorting it."

The middle-aged man shrugged: "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

As luck would have it, Lin Shisan, who was riding on horseback, overheard these words.

Lin Shisan laughed and said, "Old man, the imperial court has reached a deal with the Portuguese worth several million taels of silver. We're on our way to Taizhou to deliver the goods!"

The gossips of ordinary people are varied and numerous. Before long, this news will spread like wildfire throughout Zhejiang and Hebei.

Lin Shisan led his cavalry all the way into Zhejiang Province, and paraded around in several prefectures and counties where there was no Japanese pirate threat.

Many Japanese pirate spies in these prefectures and counties witnessed all of this and rushed to the coast to report the news.

In an inn in Jinhua Prefecture, Lin Shisan secretly made contact with Xu Wei.

Lin Shisan asked, "Is Qi Bu ready?"

Xu Wei nodded: "The Qi army is ready to fight at any time and launch a decisive battle against the Japanese pirates along the Zhejiang coast. However, the Japanese pirates do not seem to have made any move yet."

Lin Shisan said, "These cunning and vicious fish won't bite unless they get the bait. It's time to release the bait."

After saying that, Lin Shisan unfolded a map: "Where are the thousand scattered Japanese pirates who landed first?"

Xu Wei said, "It's about thirty miles from Taizhou City. Qi Jiguang ignored these bastards for the sake of the bigger picture. They really had a field day, burning, killing, and looting around Taizhou City for more than half a month."

Lin Shisan nodded: "Alas. In order to achieve a complete victory against the Japanese pirates, we must sacrifice one hundred innocent civilians."

Xu Wei nodded: "There's no other way. If we want to completely eliminate the Japanese pirates, someone has to make a sacrifice. I once thought of sending a group of death row inmates to Taizhou to be executed in the autumn."

"But I'm also afraid that the condemned prisoners might be tempted by the silk and develop evil intentions."

Lin Shisan gathered the two thousand grooms: "Gentlemen, there is an extremely dangerous matter at hand, and we need one hundred people to step forward."

"There is a shipment of goods that needs to be transported to Taizhou, where Japanese pirates are active. There is a high chance that we will encounter them."

"You should know the consequences for ordinary people when they encounter Japanese pirates."

"Therefore, I will give each of you one hundred taels of silver if you are willing to do this errand."

One hundred taels is an amount that ordinary people can't earn in a lifetime.

Let alone a hundred taels of silver. Ordinary people can't even save a string of copper coins after a whole year.

This hundred taels of silver was enough for them to change their lives, buy some good paddy fields, and become self-sufficient farmers. They would no longer need to pay rent to the landlord.

Of the two thousand people, eight hundred immediately stepped forward, fearless of death.

Lin Shisan said, "Gentlemen, I'll say it again. This mission to transport goods to Taizhou is probably a death sentence! Are you sure you want to go?"

A coachman shouted, "If you keep your promise and deliver one hundred taels of silver to our family, we are willing to go!"

Lin Shisan nodded: "Alright. But I don't need that many people. I only need one hundred. Let's draw lots! Come on, prepare seven hundred long lots and one hundred short lots."

"Anyone who draws a short-term contract will go to Taizhou to deliver goods."

After the draw, the one hundred grooms happily received their short lots.

Lin Shisan couldn't bear to watch them.

He comforted himself: To do great things, one must have a ruthless heart.

He raised his head and said, "Those who draw the short lot, leave your name and place of origin. I will send one hundred taels of silver to your family within ten days."

"Gentlemen, if you encounter Japanese pirates, do not risk your lives for your wealth! The goods carried by the Yunnan horses belong to the imperial court, but your lives belong to yourselves!"

"If you see any Japanese pirates, run away immediately. Don't worry about the horses and goods."

"Even if you run away, I will still pay you the hundred taels."

The final step of the Yunnan Horse Project was to deliberately expose the caravan carrying two thousand pieces of fine silk to more than a thousand scattered Japanese pirates.

Once the Japanese pirates take this bait, they will surely be convinced that the intelligence they bought is true.

Since ancient times, people have died for wealth, and birds have died for food. At that time, large groups of Japanese pirates will surely swarm and land along the Zhejiang coast.

Qi Jiguang's army then had the opportunity to wipe them out completely and eradicate the Japanese pirate threat along the Zhejiang coast.

(End of this chapter)