Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 109: The Seventh Rank Official of the Prime Minister’s Concierge

"In this case, the actual people in charge of the affairs in the guard are not the commander, the commander, the commander, etc., but the palm seals and scripts that Master just mentioned?"

"That's right, the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards is a secular position. Take General He from Zhoushan as an example. His family is the hereditary Commander-in-Chief of the Suzhou Guards. But now he is serving in Zhoushan. How can he manage the affairs of the Suzhou Guards?"

"So that's it." Ever since he had Xu Xinlan by his side, Lin Hai felt deeply that he knew nothing about the Ming Dynasty Guards, so he kept catching this old master on the road to desperately seek advice.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, Lin Hai then asked: "Then can I understand it this way? If we use the analogy of county government, the seal of Wei is equivalent to the county magistrate, the official letter of Guan Cao is equivalent to the county magistrate, and the official letter of Guan Tun is equivalent to the county magistrate. In the main register.”

"The metaphor of Dong Weng is very appropriate, but there are more than two assistant officials in the Wei palm seal."

Xu Xinlan's mouth was dry as she spoke, so she took a sip of tea and continued: "Nowadays, there are many redundant officials in the guard station. In addition to the palm seal command and the script command, there may also be salt patrol command, thieves catching command, etc. , these can be regarded as assistant officers of the palm seal, it is not surprising that there are more than a dozen commanders in one guard."

Lin Hai nodded frequently while listening, and then continued to ask: "Is there a leader like Dian Shi in the guardhouse, as well as officials like the third class and the sixth room?"

"Dong Weng's question is a good one." Xu Xinlan picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of tea. "There are no third-class yamen servants in the health center, but there are all six-room subordinate staff..."

In this way, Lin Hai caught Xu Xinlan and asked for advice every day... When the Fenyang arrived at Zhaobaoshan at the mouth of the Yongjiang River, Xu Xinlan felt that her words were almost dry. This boss of hers was really too easy to learn.

You know, many officials were like Lin Hai with a dark eye before taking office. Otherwise, why would they need staff?
However, Xu Xinlan thought about it again and felt relieved that it was a good thing that Lin Hai wanted to make progress in this way, and he could live up to his brother's ardent expectations.

After arriving at Zhaobaoshan, because the Fenyang and Ganfu were inconvenient to navigate in the Yongjiang River, Lin Hai left Zheng Tingqiu to guard the ship, and took only a few people such as Xu Xinlan, Feng Yidao, and Ruan Mei to transfer to a small boat to Ningbo Fucheng.

During those days in the Japanese country, Lin Hai found that Lao Ruan, the youngest son, was not only handsome, but also very measured in what he said and did, and he was not afraid of the stage. To be honest, being the team leader was a bit unworthy.

In addition, he was from Kuaiji, could speak Wu dialect, and was familiar with the geography and customs of eastern Zhejiang, so he kept him by his side as a personal companion. In his spare time, he also taught him a few words and wanted him to help him run errands. , responsible for daily liaison with Zhejiang officials and Shanyin Wu Mansion.

Several people found an inn to stay in Fucheng, Ningbo. Later, Lin Hai and Xu Xinlan each wrote a greeting note and asked Ruan Mei to send the generous gift to the home of Xie Sixin, Hong Chengchou's confidant.

Youdao is "the third-grade official of the prime minister, the concierge, the prince, the prime minister, and the county guard." In ancient times, the confidants of powerful officials, including domestic slaves, were extremely powerful, and sometimes even had greater power than the actual power of the second official.

Typical examples of the Ming Dynasty are the three famous domestic slaves You Qi, Song Jiu and Wang Wu during the Wanli period. The masters of these three were Zhang Juzheng, Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue respectively. At that time, the Manchu ministers were all regarded as brothers, and the frontier army commanders He even bowed to him.

As a close confidant of Ningshao and Zhejiang Coastal Defense Road, Xie Sixin, although not as good as Wu, Qi and Jiu, is still a well-known figure in Ningshao and Zhejiang. He receives greeting cards, invitations, etc. every day. There are many comments.

On this day, Xie Sixin returned home after handling his official duties. As usual, he lay on a wicker chair and listened to the housekeeper read the post. When he heard the greetings from Lin Hai and Xu Xinlan, he immediately smiled and said: "It seems that this person named Lin is very popular with shopkeeper Xu." You value me so much that I sent my second son with me last time, and this time I sent my younger brother."

The housekeeper also smiled: "Isn't that right? This Lin Qianhu is also quite handy."

"Oh? Really?" Xie Sixin straightened up from the wicker chair, "Bring me the gift list and let me take a look."

The housekeeper then handed over the gift list, and Xie Sixin took it and looked at it. His eyes immediately went straight: two taels of ambergris, two packs of fried sea rat, 200 taels of grain silver...

The so-called fried sea rat is actually dried sea cucumber, which was considered to have similar effects to ginseng in ancient times. It has always been a high-end seafood exported by the Japanese country. Together with dried abalone and shark's fin, it is known as the third grade of tamasu. It has always been highly regarded by the wealthy coastal families of the Ming Dynasty.

Xie Sixin wanted to win over this wealthy Qianhu, so he said to the housekeeper: "Go to the place where the two of them are staying in person, and send Lin Qianhu's edict, petition, and official seal there, and then reply to my post. Invite them both to come home for dinner tomorrow."

The next day, Lin Hai and Xu Xinlan arrived at Xie Sixin's house for a banquet on time.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, both parties have finished their polite words.Xie Sixin said to Lin Hai: "Lin Qianhu has taken office as a new official. Is there anything I need Xie's service for?"

Now that the gifts have been given, Lin Hai was naturally not polite to him: "Old Master, this junior wants to privately recruit some additional soldiers outside the guard station. I wonder if I can make it easier for this junior?"

Xie Siwenyan frowned and said: "These days, I only hear about people who live on empty wages, but I don't hear about anyone raising private soldiers. What is Lin Qianhu's plan?"

"That's right. This junior came from Fujian this time. I heard that the bandits in Dongfan have been making some changes recently and may want to invade the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang."

Lin Hai said and added: "As you know, I am planning to do some business in Zhoushan. If I am robbed, it will not be worth the loss. Therefore, I am willing to spend more money to raise more soldiers for myself and Hong Daozun."

"So it's because of this." Xie Sixin said, turning to Xu Xinlan and smiling, "Don't the pirates in Dongfan know Shopkeeper Xu very well? I'm afraid Lin Qianhu is overly worried."

Only then did Lin Hai know that Xie Sixin didn't know about Zheng Zhilong's murder of Li Dan, so he briefly told it.

Xu Xinlan is also someone who knows how to get things done, and continued Lin Hai's words: "My brother also has some eyes and ears on the Zheng thieves. It is estimated that in March next year at the latest, the bandits from the East will be plundering Fujian and Zhejiang. I'm afraid that the imperial court will be very careful. It takes some effort.”

Hearing this, Xie Sixin suddenly became nervous. Hong Chengchou was the deputy envoy of Zhejiang Sea Route, and he was in charge of the entire coastal defense of Zhejiang. So he asked Lin Hai and Xu Xinlan what was going on over there.

Lin Hai then repeated Yang Ce's words, and added some words about Zheng Zhilong's lavish purchases of firearms and training of men and horses, and then said: "Old Master, please think about it, it's impossible for Zheng Zhilong to really do good things when he spreads his wealth in Dongfan. ?”

Xie Sixin nodded repeatedly: "If the Dongfan bandits want to come to Zhoushan, they must come from the sea. If Lin Qianhu wants to recruit some sailors privately, he can just go to the fishermen to recruit them, but he doesn't know what to do with Xie?"

This question was a good one. The main reason why Lin Hai asked Xie Sixin for help was because he wanted to recruit not only sailors but also land soldiers.

Army soldiers need barracks and school grounds, which are already available in Zhoushan. Lin Hai doesn't plan to rebuild them, and he doesn't have the time.

It's just that although Zhoushan is a remote place overseas, it guards the sea gateway in eastern Zhejiang. In addition to Zhoushan Zhongzhongsuo, there is also Zhoushan Zhongzuosuo on the island, both of which are affiliated with Dinghaiwei.

What's even more terrible is that General Ning Shao has also moved to Zhoushan since the second year of Longqing, so it is not Lin Hai's territory there.

Therefore, although Zhoushan's geographical location is good, it also has a problem for Lin Hai. After all, private land soldiers cannot be as hidden as private sailors. In any case, they can't hide it from He Rubin, the general, and the Zhoushan Zhongzuo Institute who is at the same level as Lin Hai. Thousands of households.

This matter is likely to bring unnecessary trouble to Lin Hai, so he wanted Xie Sixin to come forward and talk about it.As a confidant of Ning Shao's army and deputy envoy of Haidao, his words in Zhoushan are very important.

"Old Master, I only have two ships now, so I can't defeat the Zheng thieves at sea anyway. Therefore, I want to recruit some private land soldiers and station them in Zhoushan. Firstly, I can protect my own property, and secondly, I can follow the orders of General Hong Dao to go to other places to suppress the enemy." Thief." Only then did Xie Sixin understand Lin Hai's appeal and immediately said: "The land soldiers are not as good as the sailors. Just recruit some fishermen. If the land soldiers are not trained, they will not be able to go to the battlefield. According to Master Xu, Zheng Thief will be killed next year. The coast will be invaded in March, and I'm afraid you won't have time to practice after recruiting troops, so I'm afraid it won't be able to help."

Lin Hai heard the words and replied: "That's why the juniors are so anxious and want to recruit troops for self-defense as soon as possible. In my humble opinion, if you want to quickly form an army, recruiting farmers is not possible. It is better to recruit miners. These people are used to working together." Working hard can help you adapt to military life faster."

Hearing this, Xie Sixin glanced at Lin Hai and thought that this merchant from thousands of families was no stranger to military matters.

Because Hong Chengchou liked to talk about military affairs, Xie Sixin also read several military books on weekdays. In addition, he had practiced with Hong Chengchou for several years at the Ningshao Military Preparation and Zhejiang Coast Defense Road, so he was no stranger to military affairs.

Later, when Hong Chengchou became the governor of Jiliao, Xie Sixin was his mastermind. He served as a soldier in the army and became close friends with Wu Sangui.

It's just that compared to his boss and friends, Xie Sixinyijie's staff has much more backbone.

After the Manchus entered the customs, both Hong Chengchou and Wu Sangui approached him, but not only were they rejected, but each of them liked to write a spicy satirical poem.

Xie Sixin pondered for a moment and said: "If we want to recruit miners, we must have Hong Daozun travel to Wenzhou County, but this is not something Xie can do."

Hearing this, Lin Hai understood clearly that those who can mine these days are not ordinary people. Who can recruit the miners that they want to leave, so they must have official approval.

When Qi Jiguang went to Yiwu to recruit miners, he first obtained a Wenqi from Bingbeidao, then went to the local magistrate, and then successfully recruited four thousand miners.Qi Jiguang was already a staff general at that time, and he, Lin Hai, was just a member of a thousand households. He didn't have the approval to go to the mines to recruit troops?
"In this case, I would like to ask the old master to help the junior to find out Hong Daozun's tone. If there is any reason for this matter, the junior will state his feelings to Hong Daozun in person."

The so-called stating one's feelings is nothing more than giving a gift.

"This is easy to talk about, but the recruitment matter is quite sensitive. Xie can only convey Lin Qianhu's intention. Whether he agrees or not depends entirely on Hong Daozun." Xie Sixin continued, "It's just that Hong Daozun is currently accompanying the new inspector to Wenzhou. We are reorganizing military affairs in Taiwan, Taiwan and other places, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to come back until the end of the month.”

Lin Hai was speechless when he heard this. Every time he came to Ningbo, this traitor was not there. He always had to wait ten days and a half to see him.

However, he also knew that in the Ming Dynasty, there were a lot of welcomes and receptions in the officialdom. According to the custom, the governor and the Zhengyin officer of the Second Department of Bu'an visited places, and local Taoist priests, prefects and other officials had to accompany them.

The most deceptive thing is that the Ming Dynasty also set up a patrol censor in the local area, consisting of thirteen supervisory censors.

Although the rank of the patrol censor was only seventh grade, he was ordered to visit the place and patrol on behalf of the emperor. He was responsible for everything from official administration to military administration, farming and mulberry, Qiangu, criminal names, and schools. He made decisions on small matters and focused on major matters. His actual authority had long since disappeared. Under the governor.

This patrol censor is a cheat. His term is only one year, so every year when a new patrol takes office, Hong Chengchou, a coastal defense minister, has to accompany him around the coastal provinces. Who says that a small official has great power?

One of the big reasons why Lin Hai wanted to donate his official position in Zhoushan was because it was an island, and there were generally few officials passing by, so the number of things to welcome and send him off would naturally be much less.

Hong Chengchou was not here, so Lin Hai had no choice but to say, "In that case, I can only wait for Hong Daozun to come back."

Xie Sixin said: "Since Lin Qianhu has received the official seal, he might as well send the red notice of appointment to Zhoushan first, pick a date to go to the Zhongzhong Institute to take office, and wait until Hong Daozun comes back to recruit troops."

The so-called red notice of arrival is a notice sent to the government office before a new official takes office, informing him on which day he will arrive, so that local officials, rural eunuchs, famous elders and other relevant people can prepare.

After the past few days of Xu Xinlan's cramming education to him, Lin Hai no longer looked down upon this. He knew that a series of prescribed actions were inevitable for a new official after he took office, so he just happened to finish these things while Hong Chengchou was away. good.

"What the old master said is true. This junior will write the notice of appointment today and send it to the Zhongzhong Institute early tomorrow morning."

"Send someone to inform you after choosing a date. If Xie is free, I will accompany you to Zhoushan."

Lin Hai was overjoyed when he heard this. The reason why he gave Xie Sixin such a generous gift was because of Xu Xinlan's guidance.

But Xu Xinlan's original intention was to ask Xie Sixin for a letter similar to a letter of introduction, so that everyone in Zhoushan would know that her boss had someone up there.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Xie would actually be willing to go to Zhoushan himself. It should be noted that going to Zhoushan requires crossing the sea. Many people in this era regard the sea as a dangerous journey. It is indeed not easy for Xie Sixin to do this.

Lin Hai couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it's true that money can make all the difference. It seems that power and money are attracted to each other. He wants to make friends with Xie Sixin, and Xie Sixin doesn't want to make friends with him.

"Thank you, Old Master, for your kindness." Lin Hai raised his hands and said to Xie Sixin, "Why don't we just ask Old Master to set a date for this junior, so as not to miss Old Master's business."

Xie Sixin immediately took the imperial calendar and decided to send Lin Hai to Zhoushan to take office on the auspicious day of the zodiac six days later. On that day, both the guests and the host had a great time.

After leaving Xie Sixin's home, Lin Hai did not stay in an inn, but moved into Simingyi in the west of Ningbo Fucheng.With the imperial edict, personal report and official seal, he is considered to have official status certificate. According to regulations, the post station should be responsible for food, accommodation and transportation on the way to his appointment.

That night in the guest room of Simingyi, Lin Hai asked Xu Xinlan to write a red notice of appointment with a red pen, stamped it with the official seal, and asked the Yicheng to send someone to Zhoushan.

After Ren Hong's notice was sent out, Lin Hai remembered that Wu Mengren had said that he would come to ask for a wedding drink when he took office, so he wrote an invitation by hand and asked Ruan Mei to rush to Shaoxing Prefecture overnight to post it.

Three days later, Ruan Mei came back from Wu Mansion in Shanyin and said that Wu Mengren could not come to the wedding banquet.Because the old man of the Wu family, Wu Youfu, passed away a few days ago, everyone in the Wu family is currently observing mourning.

Wu Youfu is already eighty years old this year, which in ancient times could undoubtedly be regarded as a happy event.

But for Lin Hai, it was really not a coincidence that the old man died. If Wu Mengren could also come, then he could almost walk sideways in Zhoushan from now on.

But it's not bad to have Xie Sixin give him a platform. After all, Zhoushan is not as good as the mainland. There are no prefectures and counties, only guard posts, and in addition there is a general's mansion.

According to Xu Xinlan, as long as Xie Sixin is willing to go to Zhoushan to drink his wedding wine, from now on he, Lin Qianhu, will only have to support He Rubin, a general with the rank of deputy commander, in Zhoushan.

Other military attachés, including several generals under the generals and Qian Hu, who was on the same level as him at the Zhoushan Zhongzuo Institute, did not dare to rub his tiger's beard easily.

(End of this chapter)