Fortunately, Chen Lin was already in his sixties and had seen through many things. In this life of being tricked, Chen Lin had seen many strange things. From the initial anger, to the later drift, he no longer persisted in many things.
He had read some of Wang Yangming's books and was deeply influenced by Wang Yangming's thoughts. He believed that as long as he was upright, even if he used despicable means to achieve his goals, it was acceptable as long as he persisted in his heart.
But now, Chen Lin couldn't tell if he was the corrupt old man in their mouths or the scholarly general in the style of Wang Yangming that he once insisted on.
"Chao Jue, it looks like it's going to rain, and the wind is not small. You should quickly go into the cabin to take shelter!"
Deng Zilong walked out from the cabin behind Chen Lin and reminded him with concern.
Chen Lin turned around and saw his old comrade. He smiled bitterly and said, "This old man really hopes that the rain can wake this old man up and tell this old man what I am fighting for. What is the reason for fighting for my entire life? In the end, I can't even compare to a young man in his twenties. Fighting for forty years, Li Guang will not be able to be sealed!"
Deng Zilong smiled and comforted, "You're letting your imagination run wild again. That Xiao Ruxun may be an admiral and an Earl, but she's only in her twenties after all. You may be her subordinate in name, but Xiao Ruxun was born in the northwest, so she doesn't know a thing about water battles. She'll still have to rely on you. Us old brothers will all listen to you. With so many years of tacit understanding and experience, it's not something Xiao Ruxun can change with just a word."
"Even so, he is indeed the only general to hold the title of admiral in so many years. You didn't see Shi Butang's expression, he seemed to be on guard against this old man. He warned me several times to listen to Xiao Ruxun's orders, saying that he understands the current situation in North Korea the best and that I cannot act recklessly. This old man did not feel good when I heard that. This old man has risked his life for the Daming for forty years, but in the end, I am distrusted like this …"
His heart was cold …
Chen Lin did not finish her words, but her meaning was already clear. To be honest, Deng Zilong also felt that it was unfair for Chen Lin. She had fought for 40 years and fought in dozens of battles. How many contributions had she made? Just because of a small mistake, the merit of going through fire and water to quell the rebellion was written off. Don't you think that the imperial court is a little too biased?
Yes, Xiao Ruxun killed quite a number of Taowu, and even recovered Ningxia. It's a great achievement, but … but how can we, the old generals who have been preparing our troops for so many years, be inferior to Xiao Ruxun? In this world, how could Li Guang be the only one who was hard to seal? Chen Lin and I, Deng Zilong, are the same.
"Forget it, what's the point of saying all this? Xiao Ruxun is also from a family of generals, so he should at least know the rules. Moreover, his military achievements are indeed outstanding. Not only did he behead tens of thousands of people in Ningxia, it is reported that he has killed and captured 100,000 Japanese pirates in North Korea. His Majesty is very pleased. Now that Xiao Ruxun has won the Emperor's favor, how can old generals like you and I replace him? "
Deng Zilong was quite open-minded. Originally, he was still fighting with the Dongwu Kingdom in Yunnan. After defeating their invasion, he was summoned to the north by the imperial court. Before he had time to react, Deng Zilong met his old friend Chen Lin.
Chen Lin needed a capable assistant, so he transferred Deng Zilong over to be his deputy commander. It could be said that the two were brothers in the same boat. They were both people who had been reinstated after being removed from their posts. They also had outstanding military achievements but could never receive the treatment they deserved.
The two supported each other and worked together. Chen Zhao first brought 5,000 soldiers and more than 100 ships from his hometown in Guangdong. After arriving in Zhejiang, he organized the navy's command system that had been in chaos since the Jiajing era. He brought 400 warships and nearly 10,000 soldiers. The total number of the navy had already exceeded the Japanese pirate navy and North Korean navy combined. What was worth mentioning was that 3,000 of the soldiers were "Wolf Soldiers" that Chen Lin had transferred over with his own prestige.
The Wolf Soldiers were a legend in the Ming Dynasty's resistance against the Japanese. As early as the Jiajing era, under Yu Dayou's suggestion, Zhang Jing had transferred Zhuang soldiers from Tianzhou and other places in Guangxi. They were called the Wolf Soldiers, and together with the Tujia soldiers of Xiangxi, they were called the Wolf Soldiers.
The Wolf Soldiers were extremely valiant. They had once wiped out nearly 2,000 Japanese pirates in the battle of Wangjiangjing. They were the main force of the Ming Army before the Qi Army. The Wolf Soldiers that Chen Zhao brought were different from the ones in the Jiajing era. They were mixed with the Zhuang, Tujia, Miao, Yao, and other ethnic minorities in the southwest. However, their combat power was not reduced at all.
Chen Lin had also collected all the latest firearms that she could find along the coast and loaded them onto the ship. This was because Chen Lin had found out that Xiao Ruxun was a general who was extremely proficient in using firearms. If she knew how to use firearms, she might be able to talk to him.
Speaking of being careful, Chen Lin was actually quite cautious now. Unlike before, this young man who might be very arrogant above him was also in control of his army's supplies and equipment. If he offended him, even if the Han soldiers under him did not rebel, the Wolf Soldiers would definitely be unhappy and leave. Not rebelling was already giving him face.
These Wolf Soldiers were not like the soldiers of the Wei Institute who could be easily bullied. If you wanted to mobilize them, just official documents from the Ministry of War were not enough. They would not give a damn about you. You had to have prestige to make them submit and trust you. Furthermore, you could not be short on supplies and you could not deceive them. Only then would they risk their lives to fight with you. Otherwise, don't even think about it.
The worst thing was that their trust was very extreme. Once they trusted you, they would risk their lives to fight with you. Once they suspected you, they would not even try to save you even if you died in front of them.
The "cunning Hans" had made them suffer a lot. In order to gain their trust, Zhang Jing had to rely on a few major battles to establish his prestige, while Chen Lin had to rely on decades of military campaigns to gain their respect.
Chen Lin's order was to head straight to the Korean navy's base, Lishui Base. There, he would organize the navy, assign missions, familiarize himself with the situation, and prepare for battle. Because it involved a very large beach landing operation, Chen Zhao had mobilized the strong Wolf Soldiers. At this moment, Chen Lin did not dare to be careless. He rushed to Lishui Base at full speed, afraid that he would be late.
That was why it was interesting. Xiao Ruxun was worried that Chen Lin would take advantage of his seniority, while Chen Lin was worried that Xiao Ruxun would not respect his elders and embarrass him. Therefore, Xiao Ruxun had arrived at Lishui Base early in the morning, ready to personally welcome Chen Lin off the ship and leave a good impression in case he dawdled. Chen Lin also wanted to hurry over as soon as possible to leave a good impression on Xiao Ruxun that he was well-disciplined and energetic, so that he would not make things difficult for him.
Along the way, Chen Lin repeatedly reminded his arrogant subordinates to restrain themselves. Xiao Ruxun was young, but he was quite fierce and hot-tempered. He had killed mountains of corpses and seas of blood on various battlefields. He had killed tens of thousands of people, including captives, rebels, and Japanese pirates. If you were caught red-handed, you would be executed. Don't blame me for reminding you!
Chen Lin was famous for his hot-tempered temper. When he was angry, he dared to do anything. A hot-tempered general could naturally produce hot-tempered soldiers. They were good at fighting, but they had poor military discipline. They often harassed the people and so on. Chen Lin was also very protective of his subordinates, which was why he had been removed from his position many times. Therefore, he was afraid that they would run into Xiao Ruxun's gun, so he gave them a warning first.
As for how much they would listen, Chen Lin could not predict.
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