Brocade legend

Chapter 255 Pirate King

It seems that the momentum is almost ready, Jiangnan's errands are short of this last point, and they are done!

Before Lu Bing left, he went to visit Miss Meng. Miss Meng's younger brother was sensitive and eager to learn, and he had just been admitted as a scholar.

Lu Bing went to deliver some gifts, ate a bowl of wontons in chicken sauce, and hurried back to Jiangnan.

Lu Bing met Zhu Liu, Dong Hai, Liu Biao, Sun Quan, Shi Shi, Yang Sen, and Wang Zhi in secret at Taibai Tower in She County.

In a blink of an eye, it has been almost six years since Lu Bing and the others went to Jiangnan to meet Wang Zhi.

Now Lu Bing is nearly thirty years old, and as a second-rank official, he also has a short beard on his chin, making him more mature and stable.

Zhu Liu is now the governor of Nanzhen Fusi, Liu Biao and Sun Quan have also been promoted to Jinyiwei Hundred Households, Dong Hai, Shitou, and Yang Sen are all Jinyiwei Thousand Household Officers.

And Wang Zhi also grew from the 16-year-old boy back then to a 24-year-old youth, with the Japanese sword without sheath still hanging on his waist.

Now I sit down in the private room in Taibai Building again, and there are still those wines and dishes in front of me, "stewed soft-shelled turtle with ham", "braised civet cat in soy sauce", "pickled fresh mandarin fish", "Huangshan stewed pigeon", "ginger mother duck", "pearl duck". Shark's fin", "Hehe kidney", "Yuyuan steamed deer fetus"... and the warm Huizhou Jia wine... Everyone can't help feeling a little bit emotional.

In the blink of an eye, six years have passed...

Today's Jiangnan, there are few pirates and pirates, but the people's desire for wealth at sea is about to explode.Now is a good time for the last army to make a move!

In recent years, Lu Bing has never summoned Wang Zhi.Today, Wang Zhi saw Lu Bing and knew that it was finally time for him to make a move.

Today's Wang Zhi is already well-known in Huizhou, but compared to Zhu Liu, Dong Hai, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan's current reputation in Jiangnan, he is still far behind!

Lu Bing smiled and said to Wang Zhi: "Are you ready?"

"Ready! Master Lu, please order!" Wang Zhi said loudly.

"Okay, I'll let you become a Japanese pirate!" Lu Bing finally expressed his final plan.

Wang was stunned for a moment. A few years ago, Lu Bing did say that he would be a Japanese pirate. At that time, he thought it was just a test, but he didn't expect it to be true?

"What? If you don't want to go, I won't force you." Lu Bing said seriously.

"It's okay! I'm just a little scared." Wang Zhi made a joke with a stiff face.

"Brother... This is indeed a great sacrifice for you, but it can guarantee the peace of the southeast sea area of ​​Daming for 20 or even 30 years!" Lu Bing patted him on the shoulder and said: "In these 20 years, there will be success." Thousands of people have avoided being you because of you!"

"Master Lu, please order!" Wang Zhi said firmly.

"Okay!" Lu Bing laughed and said, "Actually, I don't want you to be a Japanese pirate, but a pirate."

Lu Bing told Wang Zhi his plan in detail, and everyone listened to him, and they couldn't help but gasp.

They thought that Lu Bing's plan was not small, but they didn't expect such a big plan!

It's really beyond imagination.

If this plan is successful... the whole world will change!
The party ended in a hurry, and Lu Bing, Zhu Liu, Dong Hai, Liu Biao, Sun Quan, Yang Sen, and Shitou left first.

Wang Zhi sat blankly for a long time, trying to digest the plan that Lu Bing said.

After a while, Wang Zhi let out a long breath.

He got up and called Ye Zi, Ye Zongman brothers and sisters, and Xu Weixue in.

Wang Zhi said: "In recent years, everyone's life has become better and better. Do you know why?"

Ye Zi smiled and said, "Because Brother Wang is amazing."

Ye Zongman smiled and said, "My sister is almost yours."

The two joked a little, seeing Wang Zhi's serious expression, he also put away his smile.

Wang Zhi said in a deep voice: "The laws of the Ming Dynasty are too strict for the people, and the slightest action will touch the law, and the imperial examinations are only open to those scholars who are full of sourness. I am stuck here, and I feel more and more depressed. We The present good life was given by Mr. Lu, but we didn’t earn it ourselves, so why don’t we go overseas and make a living, what can we do if we are only trapped in this small ‘pinch of soil’?”

"This..." Ye Zongman hesitated.

Wang Zhi continued: "Not all the business we have done in the past few years is legal. One day it will be exposed. At that time, we will not be able to run away. What we earn now will eventually be owned by the government. Why don't we get it early?" I sold my belongings and went to sea to earn some big money!"

"The sea ban is so strict now, let's go!" Xu Weixue was a little moved, but still worried.

"Actually, the sea ban is only strict on coming in, but not so strict on going out." Ye Zongman thought about the pros and cons, and said a little emotionally.

"Wherever Brother Wang is going, I will go there." Ye Zi said without hesitation.

"Since you are all going, then I can only follow." Xu Weixue said.

"Okay! But it won't work if there are only four of us, we need to find two more helpers." Wang Zhi said: "We sold the warehouse and went to Guangdong to build a big ship. Ye Zi stayed in Taibai Building..."

"I want to go with you too!" Ye Zi said eagerly.

"When we stand firm, we will come to pick you up naturally. If we fail, we can come back to have a meal with you in Taibailou." Wang Zhi persuaded patiently.

Ye Zi was reasonable when she heard it, so she had to agree.

Xu Weixue and Ye Zongman went to find two people who had a good friendship and good skills on weekdays, named Xie He and Fang Tingzhu.

Before leaving, Wang Zhi contacted one of the two important figures mentioned by Lu Bing through his previous relationship in the Jianghu.

In today's seas, there are two groups of pirates from the Ming Dynasty who are the most famous. One of them is Baldy Li from Fujian and Zhejiang, and the other is Xu Dong from Shexian County, Huizhou.

Xu Dong's pirate gang cooperated with Portugal at first, and later Japanese private businessmen joined in, with great influence.

Lu Bing asked Wang Zhi to contact Xu Dong and join Xu Dong.

After several years of interference by Zhu Liu, Dong Hai, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan, the maritime merchants of Ming Dynasty dared not go to sea, and the pirates at sea did not dare to come in. The gap created made the pirates urgently needed cargo ships to go to sea.

Xu Dong heard that a fellow villager wanted to join the gang, and that he was well-known in the rivers and lakes. Naturally, he welcomed it very much and agreed to protect Wang Zhi's boat at sea.

Wang Zhi and others called together a few unsafe guys in She County. After selling the warehouse, they went to the coast of Guangdong together.

Seeing that the matter had been accomplished, Lu Bing took Zhu Liu, Shitou, Yang Sen, Dong Hai, Liu Biao, and Sun Quan back to the capital.

Back in the capital, it has been Jiajing 19 years, Lu Bing went to Emperor Jiajing to hand in an errand, Jiajing Emperor once again promoted Lu Bing to be the governor and Tongzhi, from Yipin, he is still in charge of Jinyiwei.

At the age of 30, Lu Bing became a member of the first rank, took charge of Jinyiwei, and became a real minister of power.

Lu Bing and others left Jiangnan, and the coastal defense of Jiangnan was suddenly in disarray under the impact of undercurrents in the civil society, business circles, and official circles.Under the actions of many people with good intentions, smuggling is in a state of blowout.

At this time, Wang Zhi and others were driving a big ship, and they were the first to sail out of the sea. They were loaded with nitrate, silk floss and other items that were strictly prohibited from going to sea in the Ming Dynasty, and arrived in Japan, Siam and other countries for trade and profiteering.

In less than two years, Wang Zhi became famous among the pirates under Xu Dong's command. In addition, Wang Zhi donated money through charity, and many people were willing to make friends with him.

In only five or six years, Wang Zhi became a well-known sea merchant in the South China Sea. Because of Lu Bing's support, Wang Zhi obtained muskets and cannons that were more useful than bows and arrows at sea. After fighting, he established his position at sea.

Because Wang Zhi was also known as Wufeng, he was called "the captain of Wufeng" from then on.

Wang Zhi sent people to recruit soldiers and horses. Xu Weixue also called his nephew Xu Hai, who was a monk in a Hangzhou temple, and the two pulled out another fleet under Wang Zhi's command.

And Ye Zongman was not willing to be left behind, and also pulled up a fleet.

Since then, Wang Zhi's reputation has been shaken!Wang Zhisui made an evil plan, recruited exiles, seduced the Japanese slaves Taro, Jiro, Shisuke Shiro, etc., and built a huge ship with a 120-step joint boat, which could accommodate 2000 people and gallop horses.

Wang Zhi became the leader of the largest armed maritime group at sea, and accepted the invitation of Matsuura Takanobu, a Japanese daimyo during the Warring States Period, to engage in maritime trade based on Hirado Island, which belongs to the Hizen Kingdom off the coast of Kyushu, and Matsuuratsu, Japan's Satsuma Kingdom.

At that time, the coastal defenses of Zhejiang and Fujian were dilapidated during the ten years since Lu Bing left, and only one or two of ten warships and sentry ships remained.Most of the pirate merchants and rich families from Zhejiang and Fujian colluded with Japanese pirates, under the guise of Jidu, they built large two-masted ships to carry prohibited goods, and officials dared not interrogate them.

In the 25th year of Jiajing, Zhu Wan was admiral of Zhejiang and Fujian coastal defense military affairs, governor of Zhejiang, and defended against Japanese pirates.

After Zhu Wan took office, he adopted the suggestions of Qian Shigao and the local scholars to replace the ferry boats, strictly protect the armor, hunt down the treacherous Japanese, rectify the coastal defense, and strictly prohibit merchants and people from going to sea.

In April of the 27th year of Jiajing, he appointed Du Si Lu Ting to lead Fuqing soldiers to march from Haimen to capture the Japanese pirates' lair Shuangyu Port, capture the Japanese Jitian and the pirate Xu Dong alive, and fortify Shuangyu to block the Japanese pirates.All the criminals captured by the Japanese were executed.

Zhu Wan's actions violated the interests of the landlords and gentry in Fujian and Zhejiang. He also had conflicts with the host and guest secretary and Lin Maohe, a native of Fujian, over the handling of the Japanese tribute envoy Zhou Liang, which aroused the hatred of Fujian bureaucrats.

But Wang Zhi took the opportunity to take Xu Dong's power into his pocket and became the biggest power in the Daming sea area.

In July of the 27th year of Jiajing, the Ministry of Officials adopted Yushi, Zhou Liang from Fujian, and Zhongye Tongyan, who changed Zhu Wan into a patrol to weaken his power.

Zhu Wan was angry and went to the spring of the next year to discuss it, and stated six things: "Ming state affairs, constitutional style, discipline outline, key harms, disaster elimination, and heavy judgment".

In March of the following year, Zhu Wan captured 96 pirates including Li Guangtou, and executed them all.However, Chen Jiude, the censor, impeached him for killing, and the court dismissed Zhu Wan from his post.Zhu Wan committed suicide in anger, and the government and the public sighed for it.

Zhu Wan died, and Lu Bing was also very emotional. The two also went to the southeast to fight against the Japanese, but their results were very different. All of them made people sigh.

But Zhu Wan helped Wang Zhi a lot, because Wang Zhi got the news early, and Wang Zhi avoided Zhu Wan's siege.After Zhu Wan died, only Wang Zhi's family dominated the entire Daming sea area.

Wang Zhi obtained the monopoly position in the maritime trade between China and Japan, and the new ships entering the sea only dared to sail on the sea with the flag of "Five Peaks".

The foreign trade policies of the princes of Japan provided good conditions for Wang Zhi to live as a guest.

Wang Zhi was good at courting and making friends, and gained the trust of many Japanese. He settled in Hirado, Japan, hung up the banner of "King Hui", and used Hirado as his base to absorb pirate forces. He not only recruited domestic desperadoes, but also Using huge sums of money to collude with Taro, Jiro, and Shisuke Shiro of Japan's real Japanese sect as wings.

From then on, the Japanese pirates at sea were all under the control of Wang Zhi of Ming Dynasty, and they dared not go ashore to plunder wantonly, and the maritime merchants of Ming Dynasty wanted to go to sea to make money, they had to go through the two management cards of Daming Coast Defense and Wang Zhi, and there were large sums of money. Return to Daming's hands.

……

Since then, Lu Bing's astonishing grand plan in Taibai Building, Shexian County, Huizhou more than ten years ago has finally been completed.

Volume Four "Anti-Japanese War in the South China Sea" - End
(End of this chapter)