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

Chapter 70: The leader of the Beggars' Sect is actually a...
Yang Bo led Wang Chonggu and Fang Xiang into the living room where he was staying.

Fang Xiang stated his purpose.

Yang Bo frowned: "Greatly reduce the number of garrisons? How much?"

Fang Xiang replied: "The cabinet said that at least 150 of the 230 garrisons should be reduced."

"Please ask Minister Yang to tell us which 150 forts to reduce, which will not only save military expenses, but also allow the northwest defense line supported by the garrisons to retain a lean skeleton."

Yang Bo glared at Fang Xiang and said, "Your Lord Yan's adopted son, students, and disciples have all gone to the southeast. So a large portion of the border defense budget will be allocated to coastal defense?"

There is now a dispute within the court over frontier defense and coastal defense.

Yan Song, the Imperial Household Department and even Emperor Jiajing himself were all in favor of coastal defense.

Their idea was to shift the Ming Dynasty's military spending to the southeast, open up sea routes after eliminating the Japanese pirates, trade with various countries, and alleviate the Ming Dynasty's increasingly serious financial crisis.

The coastal defense faction was right.

The Jiangchen Party headed by Yang Bo was a staunch frontier defense faction.

Their idea was to shift the Ming military budget to the Nine Frontiers, build a complete Nine Frontiers defense line, and completely solve the problem of repeated invasions by northern and northwestern grassland tribes over the past century.

The defense faction was also right.

Over the past month, the imperial court shifted military spending to the southeast and reduced military spending in the nine northern borders. Yang Bo was so angry that he pretended to be sick and moved into the Yong'an Zen Temple in Xiangshan.

The Minister of War claimed to be ill and was recuperating, which was a silent protest from the frontier defense faction to the coastal defense faction.

Seeing Yang Bo's angry expression, Fang Xiang quickly explained: "Minister Yang is wise. What Lord Yan meant is to first clean up the southeast and open up the sea for financial resources. Then use the financial resources for the nine frontiers."

Yang Bo said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense. The number of garrisons will be reduced by a maximum of 100. The Ministry of Revenue must allocate at least 2 million taels to build garrisons."

Fang Xiang said: "The Ministry of Revenue is short of money, the amount is two million taels."

Yang Bo interrupted Fang Xiang with a domineering wave of his hand: "If we ask Yan Maoqing, the God of Wealth of the Yan family, to take less salt tax in the southeast, the national treasury will easily have an extra two million taels of revenue."

"The Japanese threat will at most block the sea routes of the Ming Dynasty, causing the people to suffer."

"The Tartar threat will not only cause suffering to the people, but will also lead to the demise of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Don't you know how close our capital is to the grassland?"

Fang Xiang gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, I will overstep my bounds for once and make the decision for you. It will be two million taels. The number of garrisons will only be reduced by one hundred."

Yang Bo seemed to have anticipated this. He took out a "Northwest Tunbu Construction Map" and said, "I have long guessed that the emperor and the cabinet will reduce the number of tunbu. This is the construction map after reducing the number by 100. Take it back and show it to the cabinet."

Fang Xiang took the picture and left the living room.

Yang Bo's relative Wang Chonggu advised him: "Father-in-law, you and the emperor have been in a tantrum for more than a month. It's about time you go down the mountain and return to the capital."

Yang Bo nodded: "Yes, he feeds wild monkeys in Yong'an Zen Temple every day, and the Ministry of War is almost his!"

"Qi Jiguang was a sharp sword carefully cultivated and forged by Zhao Jin Lao Xiaguan to defend Ji and Liao. As soon as the sword was sharpened, they transferred it to the southeast."

Wang Chonggu interrupted, "Fortunately, Tang Shunzhi from the Zhifang Division was not transferred to the southeast. Tang Shunzhi is indispensable in planning the defense of the Nine Frontiers."

Yang Bo frowned, "They will be transferred sooner or later. The national policy has changed. The emperor has healed his wounds and forgotten the pain of the Gengshu Rebellion. From now on, it is a general trend that coastal defense will overwhelm frontier defense. Talents who can fight will be given priority in the southeast."

"We can only try our best and use our limited military budget to keep the grassland tribes out of the country."

Wang Chonggu asked: "When will you leave Xiangshan?"

Yang Bo thought for a moment and replied, "The day after tomorrow. I'll feed the wild monkeys in the temple for another day."

The next morning, Gouqionghu Hutong.

Lin Shisan had gathered all his brothers and sent them out to find out the whereabouts of Sun Wukong. Two hours later, they returned empty-handed.

Lin Shisan discussed with Sun Yue: "We have already searched the area within two miles starting from Gouqibo Hutong. No one has seen Sun Wukong." "If we want to find him, we have to expand the area."

Sun Yue asked: "Where will it expand to?"

Lin Shisan replied: "The entire South City."

Sun Yue frowned: "My Master, please don't joke with me. There are only eleven of us, and we have eleven mouths. Even if we spend three to five years, we can't find out everything in the whole South City."

Lin Shisan said, "There are only eleven of us. There is a man in the capital who has thirty thousand followers. He can help us."

Sun Yue was confused: "That man has 30,000 men? Which commander of the Beijing camp is he? They won't listen to a small flag like you."

Lin Shisan said, "No, that man is not the commander-in-chief. Come with me."

Sun Yue asked: "Where are we going?"

Lin Shisan replied: "Yihonglou."

Sun Yue smiled lewdly: "Go find some girls and relax before you get back to work? At this hour, those girls who worked so hard at night may not be up yet."

Lin Shisan cursed, "You dirty bastard. What are you thinking? I'm going to ask my master for help. My master knows that big shot who has 30,000 men under his command."

Lin Shisan and Sun Yue came to Yihonglou and found Zhang Bo, the big teapot. He told Zhang Bo about his difficulties.

Zhang Bo waved his hand and said, "What about Eunuch Huang and Li Butang? I don't understand. Just tell me what you need me to do."

Lin Shisan replied: "I remember you once said that you were friends with Yellow Beard, the leader of the Beggars' Clan in Beijing?"

Zhang Bo nodded: "We have some friendship. Do you want the Beggars' Sect to help you find the monkey?"

The Capital Beggars' Gang is divided into four sects, eight halls, and sixteen incense sticks, with a membership of over 30,000.

These beggars can be found in almost every street and alley in the capital.

Among 30,000 people, it is possible that a few have seen the escaped Sun Wukong.

Beggars eat everything. It is also possible that Sun Wukong had his skull opened by a greedy beggar, whose brains were eaten and whose meat was roasted.

Sun Yue helped Lin Shisan persuade Zhang Bo: "Master, you don't want to see my master lose his head for disobeying the emperor's order. Please help and beg that yellow-bearded man."

Zhang Bo said, "Okay. I'll go and ask Yellow Beard for you. First, prepare a plucked chicken and two pounds of tofu. This is the 'knocking ceremony' that is necessary when asking the Beggars' Gang for favors."

"Whether you are seeking help from the chief or an ordinary member of the gang, you must prepare this 'knocking ceremony'."

Lin Shisan quickly ordered Sun Yue to go to the street to buy a raw chicken and two kilograms of tofu.

Zhang Bo said, "Come on, follow me to Yangmeizhuxie Street. That's where Yellow Beard's treasured residence is."

In Lin Shisan's imagination, the residence of the chief of the Beggars' Sect should be a shabby land temple. Outside the temple stood ragged but muscular beggars as guards. The chief sat in the middle of the land temple, with a few little beggars beside him helping him catch lice.
Lin Shisan was wrong.

There is a respectable three-courtyard house on Yangmeizhuxie Street. Standing at the door are not beggars, but two servants.

Zhang Bo asked the servant to report. Soon, the servant let the three of them into the courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with beautiful maids in their teens and twenties. They were dressed lightly in the winter, outlining their beautiful figures.

The three of them entered a warm room and saw a handsome young man of about seventeen or eighteen wearing silk and satin, with his chest exposed, half lying on the legs of a forty-year-old woman.

Another old beauty in her thirties was cleaning the ears of the young man.

Zhang Bo glanced at Lin Shisan, then pointed at the young man and said, "This is the famous leader of the Beggars' Sect in Beijing, Yellow Beard."

Lin Shisan was shocked and blurted out, "But he has no beard."

Yellow Beard opened his eyes and said, "Why, there's a wife in your wife cake? There's fish in the fish-flavored pork shreds? There's a famous Guangdong dish called clay pot rice. Can you eat a child out of it?"

(End of this chapter)