Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 423 I hope Hai Bo is calm

  Fang Jifan and Zhu Houzhao resigned first.

  They waited for a long time outside the Meridian Gate, and then saw our Minister of War, Ma Wensheng, come out.

   Ma Wensheng frowned. The Ministry of War is really troubled. The front foot is going to the West, and the back foot is suppressing Japanese pirates.

  Haven’t the Japanese pirates been suppressing them all the time? After so many years of preparing Japanese guards, intermittently, they are also suppressing thieves.

  Although the effect was a bit weak, but today, for some reason, His Majesty became furious and scolded him all the time.

  Ma Wensheng was a gentleman in the Hongzhi Dynasty, and everyone who met him was usually polite, but he didn't know what happened to him today.

   His Majesty ordered the Ministry of War to prepare its own Japanese guards and mobilize elites to prepare for the suppression of thieves. It seems that they want to make a big move.

From Fujian to southern Zhili and Zhejiang, including the Shandong line, the imperial court set up a total of 15 Beiwo Guards, with a theoretical staff of 50,000 people. Of course, Ma Wensheng estimated that the actual number is only 30,000. , the other 20,000 is just the amount on the books.

   But no matter what, His Majesty is urging, obviously wanting to wipe out the Japanese pirates, it is difficult... This is really difficult!

  The Japanese guards don’t have ships that enter the deep sea, so they can only guard in the near sea. The Japanese pirates come and go without a trace, how to fight?

Fortunately, there are some elite soldiers and strong generals here in the Ministry of War. In order to go to the West, seven or eight seagoing ships were built, but these are mostly auxiliary horse boats, and the ships are not big. It's not impossible to suppress the navy.

   But when he stepped out of the Meridian Gate, he saw Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan standing here, and they looked at him in a tacit understanding.

   Wait for me?

  Why do you feel a little guilty?

   "I have seen His Highness the Crown Prince!" Ma Wensheng stepped forward and saluted.

  Zhu Houzhao looked at Ma Wensheng with a smile.

  Fang Jifan said at this time: "I have seen Ma Gong."

  Ma Wensheng looked at Zhu Houzhao, then at Fang Jifan, they were all laughing, very happy.

   Ma Wensheng's heart sank to the bottom: "I don't know if His Highness is here, what can I teach you?"

  Zhu Houzhao said: "Father ordered you to suppress the Japanese?"

   "Exactly." Ma Wensheng said with shame: "I'm really ashamed, old minister..."

   "Just in time, we also suppress the Japanese, what a coincidence."

  In Ma Wensheng's heart, it was as if ten thousand muddy horses were running past.

  It sounds very familiar. At the beginning...it seems that the people from the Ministry of War and Xishan also sailed to the West together.

  Is this... an enemy?

  Looking at Ma Wensheng, who had an extremely ugly face, Zhu Houzhao said unceremoniously: "It's really a narrow road to the enemy."

   "Where is it?" Ma Wensheng said hurriedly: "Your Highness's words are wrong, and they are all for His Majesty."

   "That's good." Zhu Houzhao seemed to be waiting for this sentence, and said, "Then you can lend me some boats."

"What?"

  Everything else is easy to talk about. When Ma Wensheng heard the boat, his face fell down: "There is no boat, where did the boat come from?"

  Fang Jifan said with an innocent look on his face: "I still said that there are no, there are seven or eight ships parked at the Shipping Department of Ningbo City, all of which are newly built horse boats with thousands of materials."

   Ma Wensheng's heart skipped a beat, and he straightened his face immediately: "Nonsense, this is the imperial ship, not my official's ship. My official is the Minister of the Ministry of War. This ship will go to the West in the future."

   "Borrow five and pay them back in three years." Zhu Houzhao stretched out his hand, too lazy to compare with him.

   Ma Wensheng was shocked: "The minister has to give a speech to His Majesty, let alone prepare Japanese guards..."

   "Father is too stingy." Zhu Houzhao said without hesitation; "Let's just say, let's give these five ships."

   "It's really not the minister's ship, it's not the minister's decision." Ma Wensheng said with a bitter face.

   "It's just a loan." Fang Jifan chimed in: "It's fine if you don't borrow it, but Ma Gong, His Highness the Crown Prince is a small-minded person. You know it after thinking about it. He will take revenge and his character is relatively poor."

   "..."

  Ma Wensheng and Zhu Houzhao looked at each other in blank dismay.

  Although Zhu Houzhao knows that this is a strategy, but listening, I always feel...

   "Your Majesty has to play." Ma Wensheng gritted his teeth.

  Fang Jifan said: "How about three?"

Ma Wensheng said righteously and sternly: "I am a minister of the imperial court. The sea-going ship is called the Ministry of War, but in fact it is owned by the imperial court. If Your Majesty wishes, no matter how much you want, the Ministry of War will give it as much. Your Highness and Uncle Xinjian don't want it." It's hard for the strong."

  Zhu Houzhao really wanted to ask his father for it, but his father was stingy and asked before he resigned, but Emperor Hongzhi meant to train the soldiers first, and then talk about it later.

  The most fearful thing about this kind of thing is when the time comes.

  Zhu Houzhao was not a patient person. Seeing Ma Wensheng arguing with him for so long, he lowered his face and asked, "Would you not give it?"

  Fang Jifan also raised his eyebrows, pulled Zhu Houzhao's sleeve and said: "Then don't talk to him, Your Highness, go back and take the account book and write it down."

   The two of them struggled to leave.

   Ma Wensheng wanted to vomit blood!

   What do these words mean? What's the matter with the old man?

  This old man is working for the imperial court, and he is impartial and selfless.

  Hey, why didn't you explain clearly?

  Listen to my explanation.

   Seeing that people were about to leave, Ma Wensheng couldn't help it: "Your Highness."

"What?"

   "One ship!" Ma Wensheng stretched out a finger.

   Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan looked at each other, and they both saw a glimmer of light flashing past each other's eyes!

  Actually, their goal is just one ship, and it’s good to have one ship. Everything is difficult at the beginning. The so-called five ships are just asking for prices and paying back the money when they land, a routine.

  Zhu Houzhao laughed: "Okay, one boat."

   "Borrowed, you have to pay back!" Ma Wensheng did not forget to ask: "Your Highness must keep your word."

   "Okay, Bengong..."

  Fang Jifan said: "You still can't trust the character of His Highness the Crown Prince? Even if you can't trust His Highness the Crown Prince, can't you still trust me, Fang Jifan?"

   "..." It's okay if you don't say it, but if you say it, Ma Wensheng will be even more uncertain and flustered.

   In fact, borrowing a boat is all right, just make a report to His Majesty.

   But the problem is that all the ships of the Ministry of War have to go to the Western Ocean. In order to go to the Western Ocean, the Ministry of War had to spend a lot of effort to bargain with the Ministry of Households to get the money and food! The Ministry of Households is crazy, screaming for people's fat and people's ointment every day. When they see people in the Ministry of War, they want to smoke. Now that the imperial court's expenditure is stretched, how dare I be generous at this time?

   Just such a ship, I don’t know how many soldiers and civilians searched for it.

   Ma Wensheng sighed in his heart, not to mention that the Ministry of War is also going to suppress the Japanese pirates. The ship is already very nervous. There are only seven ships, and you took one of them. What should the Ministry of War do?

  The goal has been achieved, Zhu Houzhao and Fang Jifan didn't care how Ma Wensheng felt, and left happily.

  On this journey, Zhu Houzhao actually has no confidence: "Give Tang Yin a boat, and he can destroy the Japanese?"

"Don't be afraid, you can take Hu Kaishan with you. I can't afford to support Hu Kaishan. The minister eats with a bowl. What do you think he takes? He takes a washbasin, which is the kind of washbasin that I use to wash my face. Keep it In Beijing, it’s too wasteful, let him go with Xiao Tang and make the best use of everything.”

  When Zhu Houzhao heard about Hu Kaishan, he couldn't help being a little unconvinced: "Wine bag and rice bag."

   "But, rely on them?"

   "The next step is to recruit soldiers. This soldier has also thought about it, so I will recruit 300 people, and a boat is barely enough..."

   "Only three hundred?" Zhu Houzhao raised his eyebrows and said, "Is the Zhenguo Mansion so shabby?"

Fang Jifan was a little embarrassed, and said: "Soldiers are expensive, but not so much. Even if there are many soldiers, do we have so many ships and horses? It takes money to raise soldiers. Your Highness, Your Majesty only allocates so much for your township mansion." What is enough money and food?"

  Zhu Houzhao said without thinking too much: "We can pay for the money ourselves."

  Fang Jifan looked at Zhu Houzhao with contempt: "You dig it out."

   "Bengong... I don't have much money." Zhu Houzhao looked ashamed.

   Without money, you still compare blindly? Damn it, Fang Jifan wants to cheat on his money too?

  Fang Jifan said: "This soldier, I have thought about it, our soldiers are recruited from Yiwu County and Yongkang County."

   "Why there, Zhejiang people, they...are not as brave as the northerners."

Fang Jifan shook his head and said: "People in the north are not good at boats, but in the south there are dense waterways, and people need boats to travel. Almost every village and every mile has ponds and lakes. They urinate and swim in the rivers and lakes. different, but at least they all understand water."

"These two counties have many mountains, and they can't support themselves with a few acres of land. Therefore, most of the strong men in the counties ignore the rules of the court and open mines privately to make a living. , so for mining disputes, there will often be large-scale fighting, and they will fight desperately, and they will not stop if dozens of people die every year."

"Fighting in the sea requires courage. Miners must be strong and strong, and they must be water-based. Since the eighteenth generation of their ancestors, they have small-scale combat experience every year. The eighteenth generation of ancestors have passed down countless battles by word of mouth. Experience, recruiting them, you don’t have to worry about not having elite soldiers. Besides, the northerners are tall, and if they are tall on the ship, they are useless and take up too much space. Has your Highness heard of them? They are short and smart.”

   "Really?" Zhu Houzhao was amused, and gestured to Fang Jifan with his hands on top of his head, and said proudly, "I am shorter than you."

   "..."

  Fang Jifan said: "Be serious, we are talking about national affairs."

   "Okay, everything is up to you."

  This time, the Zhen Guo Mansion has something to do.

  The emperor personally made a promise that the Zhunzhen government would recruit naval forces to equip Japanese guards, and distribute money and food every year according to the standard of guards.

   Less is a little less, but this is equivalent to the money and food of 3,000 people.

  Of course, if you want to train elite soldiers, the so-called 3,000 people's money and food alone are not enough, so you have to reduce the scale.

  First recruit 300 people to see.

  Zhu Houzhao said triumphantly, "After training, Tang Yin can go to sea to fight."

  Fang Jifan said sternly: "Your Highness, no, we still have a lot of things to do if we want to wipe out the Japanese pirates completely. Have you ever thought about it, Your Highness? Why... the Japanese pirates are rampant, and they are banned again and again?"

   "..." Zhu Houzhao fell silent.

  Fang Jifan said: "Because of the interests, as long as private individuals go to sea and still make considerable profits, Japanese pirates will never be banned, and they will never be suppressed."

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  (end of this chapter)