Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 606
He slowly folded the letter neatly, folded it, and put it back in the envelope.With his seasoned experience in the officialdom, he always has a way of prevaricating and delaying any difficult government affairs.Anyway, no matter what the important task is, it can't resist the word "drag".God knows what new winds are blowing in the court after a few months.

This time, I'm afraid I have to show some achievements in Jinghai.The emperor had just ascended the throne, and he was full of vigor to work hard--and he learned from the eunuchs beside the emperor that the emperor was a very hardworking person.I'm afraid I won't be able to get past it if I keep pushing and procrastinating.At that time, it would be very troublesome for Gao Shunqin, a stunned young man, to play a bullet.

At the beginning, I offended a lot of people when I was rectifying the administration of officials in Guangdong and Guangxi. Resignation is already the lightest punishment.

And Gao Shunqin's attitude is really hard to estimate.This person is young and is an official on the road of speech, so he is full of arrogance-he has also been a speech officer himself, and he knows the habits of a speech officer.

Gao Xunyan hated all sea merchants, pirates and Westerners very much.He advised himself several times that he wished to ban trade with the Portuguese.I have been ambiguous all the time, listening to the rumors outside, I seem to be very dissatisfied with myself.

Gao Shunqin hated the Portuguese: it was simply because the Portuguese had "great ships and cannons", "no one dared to approach them", and they trafficked all kinds of prohibited things.Wang Zunde felt that it was largely because there was such a "dissatisfaction with Wang Hua" on the ground in Guangdong.

For Wang Zunde, although the Portuguese may cause some troubles to the local government from time to time, they are generally interesting.The so-called knowledge does not mean that they pay Xiangshan County an annual land rent of 500 taels on time-this is just a drop in the bucket for the whole province of Guangdong.

Recently, the Portuguese have repeatedly sent businessmen to Guangzhou for activities, presenting generous gifts to various parties—probably they have also heard of Gao Shunqin's recent movements, so they are stepping up their activities.

Then think of the Portuguese wishing to join forces with Ming to attack Liu Laoxiang—the other party said: Liu Laoxiang colluded with "Helan" who had plundered the coast during the Tianqi period and occupied Penghu and built a fortress, with the intention of harming Daming.Whether this statement is true or not only God knows.Wang Zunde couldn't help sighing: things on the sea are really complicated, but the government knows nothing about this mysterious sea world.

He paced back and forth in the study, admiring the reflection on the bamboo curtain, and suddenly shouted in a loud voice: "Come here!"
A valet appeared at the door in response.
"You go, immediately invite Lu and Li Zanhua."

He invited these two Zanhuas to hear their opinions on the matter in Pingjing, Guangdong.He was not in a hurry to see Li Fengjie, he went to see him now, this person was just another "Mr. Wei's horse head".Of course, the governor is in charge of military affairs, so it is understandable for him, a governor who specializes in civil affairs, to say so.

As for the other provincial officials, big and small, they are all slippery loaches.The ability to prevaricate and blame is getting bigger and bigger.Wang Zunde has been an official for many years and knows that this is not the case in Guangdong and Guangxi, but everywhere.

If I want to listen to some practical advice, I can only rely on my staff.

These two people are his two confidantes in the scene.Lu Yizhong served as a magistrate several times, and Li Xijue was a Jinshi during the Tianqi period. He was never appointed as an official and lived at home all the time.Both of them are in their early forties and less than fifty years old. They are vigorous adults. Both of them have read poetry and books, and they also have a deep understanding of various practical government affairs.

But these two Zanhua couldn't come up with any brilliant ideas for a while—the strategy is based on intelligence, without intelligence, it is not even clear who the enemy is, so there is no strategy at all.

Since the last years of Wanli, heroes from all walks of life on the sea have turned up, with many names, and there are dozens of big stocks with names left in official documents.However, the government knows very little about their actual situation, and most of them are hearsay.

As for Liu Laoxiang, it was only a force that emerged in the early years of Chongzhen, but it has expanded the fastest recently, and it seems that it has become a trouble in the Pearl River Estuary, which has attracted people's attention.

Although Lu and Li wanted to share the troubles of the proprietor, they didn't know the pirate better than Wang Zunde, so how could they make suggestions?Li Zanhua searched his brains and came up with nothing more than the old tricks that Hu Zongxian and others used to deal with Japanese pirates.There is nothing new to talk about.

On the other hand, Lu Yizhong remained silent.In his opinion, Li Zanhua's strategy is feasible, but it cannot solve the fundamental problem.His boss didn't intend to wipe out the pirates on a large scale at all, even if he wanted to, he couldn't do it--he didn't have money.

Whether it is moving to the sea, stepping up inspections on the export of goods on the shore, or training villages along the coast and along the river...all these measures require time and money.The current situation of the government is that it is short of money.You can't do anything without money.

The government has neither money nor time.But Wang Zhitai felt that he had no time.Lu Yizhong was smarter than others in guessing and thinking. Combining the recent situation between the government and the opposition and the situation in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, he quickly understood the actual thinking of his boss.

Xiong Wenhuan couldn't take all the prize of suppressing pirates in the southeast.Since Zheng Zhilong's death, the giant groups along the southeast coast, such as Yang Liu, Yang Qi, and Zhu Cailao, have all been wiped out within two years.Xiong Wenhuan's reputation as a "capable foreigner" has been recognized by the ruling and opposition parties.

Under such a situation, Liu Laoxiang, who continues to occupy Guangdong and even continues to expand, becomes an embarrassing comparison.The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi must do something.

Although I know the boss's idea, it's another matter to come up with an idea.He thought about the situation he was facing: it was not the Jiajing Dynasty, and the court still had a lot of money and food.Able to build ships and train troops.Now Wang Zunde only has such a big plate, he can't bloom in all directions, and attack from multiple directions, he has to find the right one to suppress the pain, come to a big victory, and capture the bandit leader.Moreover, the navy of the imperial court has always been weak in naval battles, so they must find places that can make meritorious deeds in land battles.

"It would be great if there was a place like Shuangyu or Tuen Mun." Lu Yizhong said.

Li Xijue immediately understood what kind of person he was, and he nodded and said, "Exactly."

Of course Wang Zunde understands what they mean, but they don't know where Liu Xiang's lair is, let alone other gangsters.

In desperation, Lu Yizhong whispered, "How about Lingao?"

The three of them nodded together.This place is perfect!

It is no secret in Guangzhou that the Australians built a stronghold in Lingao for self-defense.Just as it is no secret that the three big purple companies have Australian backgrounds.

"It should be Bopu. The thieves stole the property. Is it also Bopu. Lingao County has not fallen." Li Xijue reminded, "All the money and food should be paid in full."

"Extremely." Lu Yizhong nodded, "The officers and soldiers encircled and suppressed Bopu, and they are going to Lingao, which is a great benefit to the country and the people."

This is not only a matter of detail, but also the key point.

If the "pirates entrenched in Lingao" are suppressed, some people in the court will inevitably find fault with Guangdong's failure to report the fall of the county.What's more, Lingao did not fall, and this is not considered to deceive the court.

Thinking of this, Wang Zunde only felt suddenly enlightened, quite a sense of seeing the sun behind the clouds.Nodding again and again, but no longer speaking.

Lu Yizhong and Li Xijue knew that he had agreed to this idea, but they had to weigh the pros and cons.What I have to do now is to implement this matter first.Where do soldiers, ships, food and grass come from?How much do you need?How to plan military pay and miscellaneous expenses... These details must be considered carefully one by one, and several plans must be prepared in some cases.When it is actually implemented, it will be chosen by the masters of Taiwan.

These things can't be done by themselves alone. Fortunately, there is a large staff team in the Governor's Mansion, ranging from retired officials who were prefects to frivolous literati who can only write lyrics and compose music.Although there are mud and sand, fish and dragons are mixed, there are quite a few capable people.

Lu Yizhong quickly summoned a dozen or so of Wang Zunde's most trusted staff members to discuss the matter.

But his "ingenious plan" quickly aroused objections.

"Master Taitai wants to wipe out the gangsters in Lingao, it's very satisfying." Someone inside said, "I just heard that they have the way of the big family, I'm afraid they can't move easily."

Another staff member said: "Australians have a deep connection with Gao Ju, and I heard that Gao Ju is also related to Eunuch Yang in the palace. I'm afraid we can't figure out the internal joint."

As soon as they heard that there was still an internal prison linked to it, everyone couldn't help but fell silent.The days when eunuchs were so powerful are not long gone.It is true that the emperor went to be nine thousand years old after he ascended the throne, but the eunuchs in Xinwang's mansion also had to wield power.In case you offend some inexplicable "internal aspect" inside.Put some eye drops on the scene, everyone can't take it and walk around.

"It's not a problem." Lu Yizhong said, "The high-ranking backer, Eunuch Yang, is not the eunuch Long from Xinwang's mansion. When Wei Ni came to power, he asked himself to be idle in order to avoid disaster. After the emperor ascended the throne, he didn't have much in the palace. power."

"Although he is an eunuch, he is still the mouth of the palace. You should not offend easily." Some people still hope to be cautious.

"No problem." Lu Yizhong said, "The thief and Eunuch Yang have nothing to do with each other, and Eunuch Yang belongs to Gao Ju. The Australians are just doing business with Gao Ju. Eunuch Yang has always understood righteousness, how could he come for a group of pirates?" Embarrassing the court officials?"

Gao Ju has a lot of contacts with Australians, even if there are no Australians, the Gao family is also known as a big family of "collaborating with foreign countries".It is easy to find evidence that he "connected with pirates".How could Eunuch Yang do such a self-inflicted trap and put the cart before the horse!
Eunuch Yang doesn't have much influence in the palace anymore, and the Australians are finished, not by holding them high.Since Gao Ju is safe and sound, he should give him the benefits of Eunuch Yang, and he will not lose a penny or dare to lose.After destroying the Australian pirates, could it be that Eunuch Yang personally went into battle to embarrass Wang Zunde?Wang Zunde is a top member of the imperial court, and he has always been known for his incorruptibility and uprightness.He is not the eunuch in power, how could he come to this muddy water.

As long as Gao Ju is not hurt, let Gao's wife pass by peacefully.Eunuch Yang naturally wouldn't ask.This is Lu Yizhong's plan. When the time comes, the Gao family will be compensated for part of the Australians' property in Guangzhou. Even if the Gao family has some complaints, they have nothing to say--Gao Ju will not be so ignorant and against the official circles in Guangdong.

"Furthermore, the Australians built a fortress in Lingao, which is the same old trick that the Franji people occupied Haojing. At that time, the imperial court allowed the Frangji people, so why would they allow the Australians now?" Lu Yizhong reminded. , "This matter always has to be settled. It's better to be early than late."

He analyzed it in this way, and everyone felt that it made sense.There is no longer any objection to the attack on the Kun bandits.

"It's just how to deal with the iron boat of the Australians?" Someone asked, "I heard that it is as high as a city wall, higher than the big plywood boats of the red-haired men and the Franji men. The navy has no ships to fight against it!"

"The so-called big iron ship is just a rumor on the street. It can't be taken seriously." Lu Yizhong said, "Even if there is such a huge ship, the officers and soldiers can use fire boats to retreat. Moreover, the king's division will advance by land and water. Sea route It's just containment, land is the most important thing. As long as the land breaks his Bairen stronghold, he has no support on the land, so he has to pull the anchor and leave. Master Wang will receive his merits."

This idea is actually the idea of ​​"driving away": this is not a show of mercy or friendliness, but a correct assessment of local officials' military strength.During the reign of Apocalypse, the Dutch, who used [-] to [-] troops and hundreds of warships and could only "retire" a dozen ships, are of course even more impossible to wipe out the Australians now.Of course, the expulsion of the Australians who have been entrenched in Lingao for a long time can be regarded as a great contribution.

Lu Yizhong's calculation is to try to "force back" the Australians and win a victory with as little loss as possible.The strength of the Australians in Lingao is somewhat known in Guangzhou.

"There are no more than a thousand real beards in Lingao." Lu Yizhong said, "The rest are mostly fake beards shaved by local traitors. The total number is no less than tens of thousands. However, men and women, old and young, coexist. Those who come to Lingao because of their small favors and benefits will never fight to the death for the Kun bandits. The heavenly soldiers of the imperial court will naturally disintegrate when they arrive."

"Even if there are only a thousand people, relying on strong ships and powerful guns, it's not easy to deal with them." One of the staff said, "I heard that they have big iron ships, and there are also iron fast boats and Lianzhu guns. They are invincible and should not be underestimated."

"In my opinion, you can also borrow troops. After all, the Australians have strong ships and cannons. There are also fast iron boats to help." This person continued to suggest, "Franji has always asked for me, and he is respectful to the court. Recently, we also offered cannons. If we borrow troops from them for help in the suppression, our army will be able to get twice the result with half the effort."

"Franco's machine man Hongyi cannon, and a giant ship with splints. The inferior cannon of our army can be made up for." Many people agreed with this proposal at the moment.

"It's better to ask the master of Taiwan to come forward and call Zheng Zhilong to send a partial division to help in the battle. Zheng Zhilong's troops have been studying the sea for a long time, and they can be used as vanguards."

"I'm afraid that Xiong Xianxian will not. He relies on Zheng Zhilong to build the Great Wall of Minhai. Now that Li Kuiqi and others have not yet given the leadership, how can he be willing? Inappropriate or inappropriate."

Some people recalled the old tricks of Yu Dayou and Dong Long when they were hunting pirates in Humen during the Jiajing period, thinking that they could seduce foreign pirates and promise to cooperate with the attack by making huge profits from the cargo.

"This is inappropriate." Li Xijue shook his head, "The foreign pirates must not be seduced, otherwise the tiger will be rejected at the front, and the wolf will be attacked at the back door. Now it is not as good as it used to be. If you want to borrow a teacher, you can only use Franz's machine." people."

"How about borrowing a teacher and a Lanren?"

"This generation intends to occupy Penghu at the beginning, and borrowed from it. Is it allowed to return to Penghu?"

"This statement is wrong." The staff who made this suggestion thought they had a plan. "At the beginning, Helan people were willing to retreat to the high officials, and this dynasty allowed merchants to go to trade. Let's take this as a theory: If Helan If people don't borrow troops to help suppress them, merchants are forbidden to go to Daguan..."

"It's absurd!" Li Xijue had no choice but to refute such a high opinion, "Banning merchants and trading? Since Jiajing, the sea ban has been lifted, and the ban has been lifted. There has never been a real ban."

This method is also useful for dealing with the Portuguese.But Da Yuan is not Hao Jing—it’s just a stone’s throw away from Guangzhou.The coast of thousands of miles in Fujian and Guangdong cannot be banned at all.Besides, most of the people who trade in Dayuan are Fujian merchants, and Zheng Zhilong is the biggest merchant among them.

Zheng Zhilong would not pay attention to the orders of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the businessmen along the coast of Fujian would not buy it either.Xiong Wenhuan may not be willing to issue such an order for Guangdong.So the idea is completely unworkable.

"It doesn't matter if you borrow a teacher, once the troops are mobilized, where will the food and salary come from?"

This is the key to fighting.It is not that the imperial court has no army, but the army can only be regarded as alive.To let this group of armed beggars go out to fight, the first thing is to pay them. It is impossible to pay all the arrears, at least part of them must be paid, otherwise the soldiers will not want to leave; secondly, they have to pay settlement fees as usual, and there are also rewards ; After the battle, regardless of victory or defeat, the casualties must be compensated, and if the victory is won, there must be a reward for military expenses.

As for the food and grass needed for the battle, planning and preparations must also be completed.Soldiers can be half-starved and half-fed on weekdays, but they can't let people go hungry when they are fighting.The problem of grain and grass is relatively easy to solve in Guangdong. Generally, there are two crops a year in the local area, and the grain storage in the public warehouse is still abundant. There are also many warehouses in Qiongzhou Prefecture that are specially used to store military grain for Li Li, with tens of thousands of grains in stock all year round. Can call nearby.

"As for pensions and rewards, this is a matter for the future, so we can ignore it for the time being. We need to raise the expenses for the departure first." Lu Yizhong said.

"Now all the armies are in arrears for nearly half a year. Each soldier's military salary is equivalent to two taels per month, and they have to be repaid for two or three months. As for the settling allowance, each person gets another three taels. The soldiers have not moved, and each soldier has to pay at least seven taels , if you use 1 people, you will have to spend [-] before leaving the camp!" Some people were speechless as soon as they settled their accounts.

"You're not counting. There are ministerial fees for the march, and various expenses. The money is not worth [-] to [-], and it can't be dispatched." Some staff members have experience in the army. "As for the repair of artillery and ships, don't you want money?"

"You don't need to forget it." Li Xijue said, "During the Tianqi period, Governor Yu expelled the red-haired barbarians from Penghu, and spent nearly 40 taels in the treasury. This time the army will never be less than that time. The military expenditure will be at least 30 taels. Ten thousand taels. This is still strict, if it is lenient, it must be doubled."

(End of this chapter)