Jingming

Chapter 378
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reunion, but Yan Shifan was not sad at all because he left home, but was extremely excited.

He and Wang Xueyi left Beijing together with the envoy sent by Mo Dengyong, and the journey was not fast.Now in August, he has just passed Huguang.

"hot!"

"Come on! Get another bucket of ice for the young master!" Wang Xueyi said immediately.

Yan Shifan glanced at him: "Mr. Wang, this is impossible. You are the envoy of the Imperial Order, and I am the one who protects you because of your humble position."

"Why go out? I am going to a foreign country, and I have to rely on the general for everything!" Wang Xueyi changed his title again, and said seriously, "Come all the way south, the general is really versatile in both civil and military affairs, not inferior to Uncle Jingbian! The general is already Jane is in the emperor's heart and has made great achievements in Jiaozhi. I will rely on the general for support in the future!"

What happened that day was just a bit "stupid".

Along the way, I felt comfortable fawning over Yan Shifan, and now he is not so timid.

Yan Shifan felt very happy when he heard the general's title.

"What about Ruan Wentai?" Yan Shifan naturally gave the order, "Call him over."

If you want to go to Jiaozhi, you have to take the Lingqu channel to Guangxi.

Ruan Wentai was brought over quickly, with a heavy expression.

He is very familiar with Yan Shifan's identity, so he feels that it is natural for him to be dominated by Yan Shifan at the moment.

Yan Shifan drank tea and asked calmly: "Brother Ruan, have you made up your mind? What a person I am, but because of your scheme, I was expelled from the capital by your majesty. You are self-defeating and ruined your majesty's plan for the court. Don't even think about who else can speak for your master now."

Of course, what Nguyen Van Tai knew was another story.

Since the emperor had known for a long time that there was a problem in the grand arena but did not mention it, it was naturally useful.Now Nguyen Van Tai has cleverly solved this problem, which resulted in Yan Shifan being "exiled" and the British public security insurance being downgraded.Before leaving the capital, the capital was already in turmoil, with constant strife.

Regardless of anything else, it created an obstacle for the Minister of Rites who was likely to enter the State Palace, and Mo Dengyong's wish to be granted the title of Lord of Jiaozhi was thwarted.

At least in the short term, it is no longer possible. No one is willing to speak for them, and no one can care to speak for them at this time.

On the contrary, even if he made a lot of money, Ruan Wentai made it more difficult for Mo Dengyong to apply for the title. You can imagine the situation after returning.

But Ruan Wentai did not dare to mention the idea proposed by Yan Shifan to Mo Dengyong.

Seeing his appearance, Yan Shifan rolled his one eye: "You have stayed in the capital for almost a year, and you have a clear mirror in your heart. Your Majesty has clear rewards and punishments. Civil servants only compete for high positions serving His Majesty, and military generals are all looking forward to credit. After the battle in Yunnan, the Ming Dynasty gained two more marquises and an uncle, and Duke Cheng Guo also became a duke. Your master is a minister, and I, the general, show him the way."

"General Yan, if my lord is like this, how can I still subdue my subordinates?"

"Ministers?" Yan Shifan sneered, "Your Majesty has not yet enthroned you, but you have already regarded yourself as monarch and ministers. Anyway, this is indeed the reality now. But in this way, what can Mo Dengyong use to prove that he surrenders to the Ming Dynasty wholeheartedly? Just Pay tribute to some wealth? What kind of wealth does the Ming Dynasty lack?"

Ruan Wentai remained silent.

The clear path Yan Shifan showed him was to tell Mo Dengyong clearly about Ming Dynasty's current strength.Based on what he had seen and heard after staying in the capital for nearly a year, Ruan Wentai did have this judgment in his heart: the Ming Dynasty had really revived again.

The purpose of explaining his strength was for him to persuade Mo Dengyong to do the next best thing and stop expecting the Ming Dynasty to directly appoint him as the king of the country. Instead, he presented a list of hundreds of names in the land and asked for the establishment of a Xuanwei Division.In that case, the Ming Emperor would not have any worries about encouraging officials who usurped the court.

In this way, Yan Shifan, who "didn't want to" come to Jiaozhi, could soon be promoted and returned to the court because of his great achievements in Jiaozhi.

Yes, Yan Shifan has such a vindictive attitude now.

"It seems that you still don't understand the current affairs." Yan Shifan said calmly, "If you don't write a letter to persuade him first, I will tell him face to face when I arrive in Jiaozhi. If I stay in Jiaozhi for one more day, I will have less patience. . It’s okay if you are hesitant. If Mo Dengyong is also hesitant, I will report to your majesty, and Tian Rucheng will be fed by you. The people of Cochin are full of resentment, and everyone misses the virtues of the Le Dynasty. This is not the case that the descendants of the Li Dynasty are not dead. Really? Just support Zhengtong. Presumably Pinghu Marquis, Lingbi Marquis, and Pingnan Bo are looking forward to continuing their meritorious service, and the general military officers of Guangxi and Guangdong are also vying to fight."

Ruan Wentai's expression changed several times.

Yan Shifan's approach is completely different from Tian Rucheng's. The situation Yan Shifan faces and the information he knows are also very different from Tian Rucheng's.

But Mo Dengyong gave Tian Rucheng a lot of benefits. This is indeed a fact.

In the First World War in Yunnan, Lingbibo Pinghubo was promoted to a marquis due to his meritorious service, and Qu Zhinan was granted the title of uncle due to his meritorious service. Their achievements in defeating the three divisions of Mengyang, Mubang and Mengmi in ten months cannot be ignored by Jiaozhi.

Now Yan Song's way into the State Palace has been dug by Ruan Wentai. If he can add a new Xuanwei Division to the Ming Dynasty without using weapons, he can be promoted based on his merit.

"Let's talk about you again. As a result, I was unable to become the top scholar in martial arts and so prospered, and Wang Qin was sent overseas. As soon as Wang Qin and I arrived in Jiaozhi, we went to look for Ruan Gan. We don't care what your master does with you. But If he dares to kill the imperial envoys of the Ming Dynasty like Meng Yang, Mubang, and Meng Mi did, then it is not a question of whether he can still be the xuanwei envoy. I think it is better to become the chief envoy of Jiaozhi. I will be made a count for my merits. , that can make up for the loss of my young master never having a martial arts champion!"

After Yan Shifan finished speaking, he grinned and said in a cold voice: "When you enter Guangxi, you will know the truth! Ping Nanbo moved to Guangxi to be the chief military officer. That's what Lu Consort said to me! If I win the top prize in martial arts, at least I will He can be appointed to the fifth rank. Now, he can only serve as a small guard. If I, the young master, can speak a little more openly, do you think Mo Dengyong will lend you your head to appease my anger?"

Half truths and half lies, but Ruan Wentai doesn't have the ability to tell the truth.

Along the way, Ruan Wentai already knew that Yan Shifan was far more terrifying than he imagined.Intelligence is the least conspicuous advantage of him. The most important thing is that he and the sister-in-law of the Great Tomorrow are brothers, and they grew up together in Jinyiwei.

Yan Song was originally among the first batch of important ministers promoted by the emperor. It was purely because of his appearance that it was difficult for his son to pursue a career as a civil servant.But he has such a father and such a sworn brother. He has such close friendships with the descendants of the princes and nobles in the capital, and now he has arrived in Jiaozhi. There is really a devilish figure here.

At this time, his intelligence will exert great power.

Regardless of whether the Emperor of Ming Dynasty himself is plotting against Jiaozhi or not, Yan Song, his father and his son, and many of the Ming Dynasty's honorable ministers currently have the motive and ability to accomplish this.

He made a mistake in Ming Dynasty's Kyoto, which triggered the dilemma that Jiaozhi had to make an enemy of Ming Dynasty or surrender in a lower profile.

After he returned to Thang Long, his life or death was uncertain.

Now facing Yan Shifan's direct threat, Ruan Wentai could only say bitterly: "The foreign minister was really desperate that day. The young master refused to accept the lottery winnings. The foreign minister really didn't know how to calm the young master's anger?"

"You are pretending to be confused because you understand. As the son of the Minister of Rites, am I still accepting bribes from you to make things difficult for my father? What I want is my originally bright and promising future!"

Yan Shifan's domineering young master's attitude did not need to be pretentious at all: "You are a smart person. Today is the last time I will talk to you. If you masters and servants are sensible, you should quickly and fully exterminate the traitor before this young master arrives." Army, when I arrive in Jiaozhi, I will present my household registration list and ask for the title of envoy. If you don't know the situation, I will send people to find the descendants of the Li family when I arrive in Jiaozhi. The Ming Dynasty is waiting for the situation in Jiaozhi to be clear. If there is such a change, everyone will be blamed. over you!"

……

Yan Shifan walked slowly, appearing reluctant to leave Daming wherever he went.

But before he set off from the capital, the emperor's order had already led him to Guangdong.

This order was transmitted to Guangzhou much faster, so there were clippers from Guangzhou that had already set off for Cat Ba Island.

On Cat Ba Island, shopkeeper Wang now has a new secret identity.

He has an extra iron waistband with "Wai San Wu Jiu" and "Hai Xiao" written on the front and back respectively.

Sitting in the small shop of Huizhou Sea Trading Company on Cat Ba Island, Wang Zhi recalled the situation when he met Alfonso more than a month ago, and was still a little confused.

That day, he heard about an organization: the Foreign Inspectorate Factory, and then he became the small leader No. 359 of the Foreign Inspectorate Factory.Now, Wang Zhi has an establishment, and his identity is a seventh-grade Jinyiwei Xiaoqi officer, affiliated with the Foreign Inspectorate.

Then, he also heard a story about Alfonso.From a Portuguese general to a prisoner, then to the enshrinement of Huangming University and His Majesty's Western father-in-law, he finally became a maritime businessman who "drifted" to Japan and managed the relationship with the Zhejiang Shipping Company.

Only then did Wang Zhi realize how his organization came about: His Majesty admired the bold idea he proposed, but the plan was changed.Don't let Daming do the dirty work. Wang Zhi will be a little assistant and responsible for contacting Alfonso who is going to Malacca.

He felt that His Majesty's method was actually more dirty, but he liked it very much.

Although he has never met him, he went up to heaven to hear it, and His Majesty is a very down-to-earth person: if you want to plan for Nanyang, you need to use troops.A war is never tired of deceit, so it is natural to use tactics.What's more, Alfonso also handed him a secret letter written by the emperor. The words of encouragement included these words: There are heroes among the people, and I admire your courage to go to sea.The vast ocean has a lot to offer!I hope you will return to the court with meritorious service and share your experiences.

It has to be said that he is a very special emperor. Wang Zhi just thinks so. After all, this is considered eclectic, and he would write a personal and secret letter to him just because of his idea.

This also shows that at least Huang Mingji's sea trade company was obedient to the emperor and would report all important matters to him.

Naturally, Wang Zhi would not have thought that his reputation in His Majesty's memory had already been well known.

"Second brother, have you received any letters from fifth and seventh children?" Wang Zhi asked out of boredom.

"Brother Nao, how can it be so fast?"

As a small boss with a brand, of course he also needs to have downlines.And his first offline people are naturally a few younger brothers he trusts.

The fifth and seventh children he spoke of went to Malacca with Alfonso.

Wang Zhi counted the time, then frowned: "It's time for some news to come. It's not an ordinary ship trip. It comes and goes once, and two months is enough. Come with me, and I will take a few of them with me that day. Anyone who has met Viscount Alfonso must be trustworthy and we can put together a few boats to go to Malacca. When the time comes, let the third child go with him."

On the surface, he still works for Huizhou Sea Trading Company.There is an opportunity here to establish a stable trade route with Malacca, so of course we have to give it a try.

If Wang Zhi wants to have closer contact with Malacca, he needs to have more frequent merchant ships.

It is still in the development stage, and he is ready to recruit more people.Because the Ming Dynasty and Portugal had a war in Tuen Mun, Huang Mingji Sea Trade Company itself did not actually go to Manchuria.Those running over there used to be private merchants from Guangdong who were employed by Huang Mingji Shipping Company, but now there are more of them.

Wang Zhi knew that there must be people in the Huang Mingji Maritime Trading Company who were in contact with Nanyang.However, Wang Zhi is a newcomer and a small boss, and the rules of the foreign inspection factory require single-line communication, so he does not have that authority.

When Wang Zhi visited several maritime merchants on Cat Ba Island, he received a very helpless reply.

Although it is a good thing, the people who stay here are not the people who can really make the decisions in each company. They also need to go back and forth for instructions: the ship is very expensive, and Canada is also very far. When you go there, you have to take the goods with you. There are a lot of Everything has to be arranged.

When Wang Zhi returned to his shop, he was still frowning, and then he saw two people sitting in the shop.

It didn't look like he was here to discuss business. After seeing him, he was still sitting at the square table in the room, staring at him with sharp eyes.

"Who are you two?" Wang Zhi asked first, and then looked at the third child who was staying in the shop.

The third child shook his head nervously: "Brother Nao, I said we'll talk about it when you come back."

"Shopkeeper Wang, we two brothers have a big deal regarding struvite. That huge island is as vast as the Central Plains. Can we discuss it in detail behind closed doors?"

The person who spoke had a dark face, obviously the vicissitudes of life that come from being exposed to wind and sun and traveling across oceans.

When Wang Zhi heard this, he was stern and said calmly: "Oh? Brothers are open for business, so of course they are willing to hear the details. Third child, you go to Wanghai Tower with the second child, fourth child, and sixth child to book a banquet first. , I’ll talk to these two brothers first and then go there.”

After pushing away the other people in the shop, Wang Zhi said: "You two, please come upstairs. The people below don't know the rules, so they let the distinguished guests wait here. Please forgive me."

"Good to say."

On this island, most of the shops or houses built today have two to three floors, with tall wooden or stone piles underneath.

The second floor of Wang Zhi's shop is not only his living room, but also a small room for receiving guests. The sea can be seen through the windows.

Now after Wang Zhi went up, he went over and closed the window first.

Then he turned around and looked at the two of them: "My younger brother has also heard that the giant island seems to be different from the Central Plains. In the hot summer of the Central Plains, the giant island is like winter. Where did you two hear about that giant island?"

After hearing these words, the two men stopped being cautious. Instead, they both reached into their arms and each took out a sign.

Wang Zhi looked at the two signs and couldn't help but shrink his pupils.

The sign in the hand of the man on the left is made of ivory, with only two characters: Wai Yi.The other person has a dull bronze medal with Wai Thirteen on it.

Wang Zhi immediately knelt down on one knee: "The humble Wang Sui pays homage to the factory governor and pays homage to the superior officer."

"Sit down and talk."

After looking at Wang Zhi, the two of them sat at a more exquisite round table first. Wang Zhi stood there first and said: "Although I have received a mission from a humble position, there is no superior to tell me how to act. I didn't expect it to be the factory supervisor himself." I'm really scared. I've been disrespectful so much before, but I still hope that the factory supervisor..."

Before he finished speaking, the man waved his hand and said: "I am working for His Majesty overseas, so I won't do this. My name is Shi Bao, and I was born in Qiandi. As for him, you call him Walrus, and he will be your top line from now on. "

Hearing that he was from Qiandi, Wang Zhi clasped his fists again and then sat down: "The factory supervisor is here. If you want me to do anything for you, I will do it right away."

Shi Bao, who went south with Zhao Jun, the Jin Yiwei Lingnan Trooper, disappeared after the Tuen Mun naval battle.

Ten years passed by, and now he appeared in front of Wang Zhi, with a dark and ordinary face.

Shi Bao said simply: "You were ordered by His Majesty to join the Nanyang Branch. The thread is pointing to Manraka. Walrus also came from Manraka after receiving a secret order. First, let me tell you about the situation here for the past month or so. .”

Wang Zhi immediately made an introduction, and then said: "I am ashamed of myself. The Duke of Nan'ao County only conveyed His Majesty's orders. I can only use my own people to make some preparations."

But Shi Bao nodded: "Very good, it would be better if you develop more merchant ships to go south. I came in person today to let Walrus tell you more offline and contact information. The governor also came from outside Yunnan after receiving the order. I came here from the side, and I will stay here for the next year."

"With the guidance of the factory supervisor, I am overjoyed in my humble position!"

But Shi Bao kept a serious expression and said: "Since I happened to visit those merchants again today, you can go again tomorrow. The governor has already mobilized two ships and prepared a lot of silk, porcelain and tea. Walrus will come again Prepare a boat and prepare gems, agarwood, ivory, etc. Here, I will give you another 3000 taels of silver. Within half a month, you can take three or five more boats and go to Manlajia together. In the Foreign Inspectorate Factory, The Lord of Nan'ao County only knows your identity. After contacting the Lord of Nan'ao County, you can rely on these goods to ask him to complete the tasks assigned by His Majesty as soon as possible."

Wang Zhi was shocked.

After all, Alfonso has been gone for many years. When he returns this time, he must first gain trust.But now he needs to get it done quickly. I'm afraid that the inducement of this batch of goods passing from the north is not enough.

But this is also a test for Wang Zhi.

"I accept the order! We already have three ships and 3000 taels of silver. It doesn't take half a month. I will set off with Sir Walrus within five days!"

"Very good!" Shi Bao looked at him approvingly, "Walrus has been in Manlajia for more than six years, and you will discuss it together on the way. The situation in Cochin has changed, and the sooner the better. Tell the Lord of Nan'ao County, Qinghua It will be easy to capture, but Thanh Hoa will be empty to the south.”

Wang Zhi was shocked again. What arrangements had the court made to make the area south of Qinghua, outside the hinterland of Cochin, empty?
"I will do my best to repay the kindness of Your Majesty and the factory supervisor!"

"That's a good thing to say." Shi Bao finally smiled, and then said, "For so many years, you are the only person who has been personally appointed by His Majesty to enter the outer factory. You really can't betray His grace. Hai Xiao, someone who deserves His Majesty's special attention. , now everyone is famous in the world. I will wait and see what kind of achievements you can achieve. "

Wang Zhi couldn't help being stunned, looking at the curiosity, awe, and envy that was not hidden in the eyes of his online walrus, and unspeakable emotions welled up in his heart.

If what Shi Bao said was true, it would really surprise Wang Zhi.

Who are the people the emperor looks at with special eyes?Zhang Fujing, Yan Song, Xia Yan, Tang Shunzhi, Yu Dayou...

Is there another Wang Zhi now?

(End of this chapter)