The Prodigal Son

With Zhao Luan's imperial decree, Qin Yu was no longer troubled.

After briefly calming himself, Qin Yu immediately summoned everyone, "Make preparations, we'll depart in a quarter of an hour for Raojin Naval Base!"

"Are we setting off now?"

Yang Jichun was slightly surprised.

Qin Yu nodded emphatically: "Yes, pack up and set off immediately, get to the Raojin naval camp as fast as possible! We're closer to the Raojin navy from here, and they have more troops! As long as we control the Raojin navy, the Yijin navy won't be able to cause any trouble!"

The navy of Da Ning was not exactly weak, but it was not strong either.

The combined naval forces of the two locations numbered approximately 50,000 men.

Among them, the Raojin Navy had 36,000 men.

Jiankou County is less than 300 li away from Raojin Naval Camp.

If we set off now and hurry along the way, we can reach the Raojin Naval Camp by tomorrow.

Yang Jichun's eyelids twitched, and he tentatively asked, "Does Your Excellency suspect that the naval forces of both regions are also involved in the salt smuggling case?"

"It's not a doubt, it's an inevitability!"

Qin Yu said solemnly, "With the smuggling of salt so rampant in Hai and Yuan prefectures, it's impossible that the naval commanders of those two prefectures were completely unaware of it. Yet, their reports to the court make no mention of it whatsoever. To say they have nothing to do with the smuggling case is something I simply refuse to believe..."

"Dr. Qin, oh no..."

Ruan Zhi still habitually addressed Qin Yu as "Qin Langzhong," but quickly realized his mistake and hurriedly changed his address, saying, "Lord Qin, may I interrupt for a moment?"

Now, Qin Yu is no longer just a court attendant!

This is the Grand Admiral of the Navy, and more importantly, he is also ordered to take control of the military and political power of the entire Kyushu!

Calling him "Qin Langzhong" is clearly inappropriate now.

"We're on the same side, you can call us whatever you want!"

Qin Yu smiled at Ruan Zhi, "What are you trying to say?"

Ruan Zhi smiled and replied, "The naval commanders of both prefectures have reported the problem of rampant salt smuggling to His Majesty, but they didn't describe it as serious..."

Not only them, but also the prefects of Hai and Yuan prefectures, including Shi Yi, the salt transport commissioner of Liangjiang, all submitted memorials.

Moreover, the imperial court would arrest some salt smugglers every year.

Of course, they now know that these people were just making routine reports and hadn't actually reported the actual situation.

They should also know that even if they don't report it, His Majesty can guess that there must be a lot of smuggled salt in these two important salt-producing areas.

Since ancient times, the problem of smuggled salt has been unavoidable in any salt-producing area.

If they don't report it at all, then they're truly incredibly stupid!

"That doesn't matter!"

Qin Yu waved his hand, "Regardless of whether they are related to the salt smuggling case, let's take control of the Raojin Navy first! We must be ruthless; the navy must not be allowed to fall into disarray!"

"Then shouldn't we go to Yijin first?" Yang Jichun frowned. "The Yijin navy has fewer personnel, making it easier to control!"

"I do agree that we should go to Raojin first."

Ruan Zhi continued, "Zheng Tingchao, the naval commander of Raojin, was the deputy commander of the Golden Armored Imperial Guards during the late emperor's reign. According to seniority, His Majesty should address him as his maternal uncle. His loyalty to the court should be beyond doubt!"

"Huh?" Qin Yu looked at Ruan Zhi in surprise. "He has this kind of relationship with His Majesty?"

"right!"

Ruan Zhi nodded slightly and continued, "Moreover, as far as I know, since His Majesty assumed personal rule, General Zheng has submitted a memorial to His Majesty every year, requesting that His Majesty appoint Yu Zhou, the Deputy Commander of the Raojin Navy, to succeed him and transfer him to the border army, but His Majesty has always refused..."

"Does that mean he doesn't want to be the naval commander at all?"

Qin Yu was surprised.

After all that fuss, it turns out I was just being petty?

"yes!"

Ruan Zhi nodded slightly, "I heard that General Zheng was also forced into this role back then..."

Years ago, the Crown Prince was assassinated in Haizhou, and the commander of the Raojin Navy was replaced. Zheng Tingchao was appointed as the naval commander of Haizhou in a time of crisis.

Zheng Tingchao became the naval commander of Raojin partly because of his position.

He was both the deputy commander of the Golden Armored Imperial Guard during the reign of the late emperor and the maternal uncle of the current emperor.

The late emperor had already begun paving the way for the current emperor, selecting generals who were either loyal to the court or had some connection with the current emperor or the empress dowager.

Another reason why Zheng Tingchao became the naval commander was his name.

Listen to the tide!

She had heard His Majesty say that the late Emperor had told Zheng Tingchao, who knew nothing about the navy, that his name alone suggested he was destined to be a naval commander!

Thus, Zheng Tingchao, who had never been in contact with the navy before, became the naval commander of Raojin without even realizing it.

Moreover, Zheng Tingchao's wife and children were in Jiangzhou observing mourning for his elderly father, and the imperial court could send people to detain his wife and children at any time.

If Zheng Tingchao had truly been using the navy to amass wealth, he wouldn't have submitted annual petitions requesting to be transferred to the border troops.

"Then we absolutely must go to Raojin!"

Having learned about Zheng Tingchao's situation, Qin Yu became even more determined.

As long as Rao Jin's navy doesn't fall into chaos, he won't have any worries about the rear!

"What about this side of the stream?"

Yang Jichun asked again, "Should we let those few people handle the administrative affairs of Jiankou first?"

Previously, during their brief absence, the administration of Jiankou was handled by a few minor officials who had been bullied by Gan Dacheng and others.

Once they leave, they probably won't be returning to Jiankou anytime soon.

I wonder if those minor officials can control the situation.

"Let them handle this further! And let Chen Bao temporarily assume the position of county magistrate!"

Qin Yu made a decisive decision: "Tell them that I trust them. As long as they can handle the situation at Jiankou well and ensure that no trouble arises there, removing the 'acting' title from their names is not impossible! But if they disappoint me, I will not give them another chance!"

"yes!"

Yang Jichun immediately accepted the order and left.

After Qin Yu gave the instructions, everyone immediately got to work.

Only Lü Si was unaffected, lovingly stroking Qin Yu's Xuan Chen gilded armor. He wanted to ask Qin Yu to let him wear it several times, but he was too embarrassed to say it.

"Stop touching me!"

Qin Yu smiled at Lü Si, "I'll lend you these for a couple of days later!"

"real?"

Lü Si immediately perked up.

"Of course it's true!"

Qin Yu smiled and said, "If someone tries to assassinate me, I can have you wear this armor to shield me from the blade."

"I……"

Lu Si's face stiffened, and he left the group chat cursing.

……

That same day, Qin Yu and his group headed towards Raojin.

In order to keep going, they hardly rested along the way.

They arrived in Raojin the following afternoon.

Raojin is located within Haijiao County and is the largest and most ideal natural port in Daning.

Raojin means abundant.

After Emperor Xiaowu conquered Haizhou during his southern expedition, he began to expand the port in Raojin.

By the early years of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, Raojin had already reached a considerable size.

Thanks to trade between Daning and the State of Chu, Raojin has also developed continuously in recent years.

It is said that Raojin's cargo port is always packed with ships.

The Raojin Naval Camp is about 30 li away from the Raojin Cargo Port.

"Sir, should we send someone to inform them first?"

As they approached the main camp, Yang Jichun suddenly asked a question.

"Need not!"

Qin Yu rejected the idea without hesitation, "Let's storm the naval camp! Find Zheng Tingchao first!"

Although Ruan Zhi said that Zheng Tingchao did not want to be the naval commander, who knew that this was not a scheme by Zheng Tingchao?

If Zheng Tingchao is also in cahoots with those salt merchants and corrupt officials, he might put up a stubborn resistance upon learning of their arrival.

This is someone who holds military power, not some minor figure like the governor of Linhai County.

To catch the thief, first catch the king!

As long as we take control of Zheng Tingchao before he receives any information, even if others are willing to resist, they will find it difficult to cause any trouble.

Be a petty person first, then a gentleman!

This is a very important matter; he must be careful!