The Suzhou Imperial Envoy Residence became the Governor-General's Office that governed the military affairs of the six coastal provinces. Forty years later, the Nanjing Minister of War, Zhang Jing, also had this power in history. However, the overall defeat of the war against the Japanese finally brought him the end of being beheaded at the entrance of the food market. What about Governor-General Yang?
In the backyard of the Governor-General's Office. There was a pond under the hall. The water gurgled and was so clear that the bottom could be seen. Fish swam back and forth.
To the west of the pond, there was a secluded bamboo tree with a deep winding path. Passing through the path to the south, there were more than a dozen uneven flowering trees. They were like peppers, red and dewy, the shadows of the branches were sparse. If one were to wear Xie Gong's wooden clogs and wander back and forth among the green moss and fine rocks to admire the flowers, it would indeed look somewhat elegant. But Cheng Qiyun, who had always liked elegant scenery, was now buried in the mountains of files all day long. She simply did not have the leisure to care about these things.
"Second File Chief, there is news from Guangdong that the King of Manchu Cijia has been found and has been sent to the capital for temporary stay. Due to the rampant Japanese pirates, the Guangdong Navy is worried that they will go south with the current. A large number of warships patrol the inner sea. Two Western warships have appeared. When the six warships of the Guangdong Navy tried to approach, they turned around and left. Since then, they have rarely appeared in the Guangdong waters. "
"That's good!" Cheng Qiyun's beautiful face was a little haggard. Recently, she had to deal with too many official matters. Not only did she cancel her afternoon nap, but she also often stayed up all night. She was exhausted.
Cheng Qiyun sighed softly, "The Western Navy has stolen Manchu Cijia and needs some time to consolidate the situation. It's best if they don't cause trouble now. The burden on Lord's shoulders is too heavy. If something happens in Guangdong now, I'm afraid … it will crush him. "
In front of her was Wu Chen, the head of the internal Editing factory in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. He had a southerner's face and his eyes revealed shrewdness and alertness, "Second File Chief, there is another matter I need to report to Lord. The red-haired ghost has signs of developing towards Yizhou (Taiwan). A few days ago, three foreign ships appeared in the area of Jilong and Danshui. At that time, the ships of the Penghu Inspection Office were chasing the merchant ship of the great thief Bai Xiaocao. Both sides were attacked by foreign ships, so they turned to attack the red-haired ghost and damaged one of the foreign ships. Bai Xiaocao's merchant ship and the Inspection Office's warship also suffered losses, so the three parties retreated."
Cheng Qiyun's eyes flashed. Did the red-headed ghost want to invade Yizhou? He couldn't afford to be careless about this matter. However, he was currently unable to take care of the southeast. That area was Bai Xiaocao's sphere of influence, so he might as well secretly reveal the news to him. Furthermore, he could have the Penghu Inspection Division temporarily relax their search for him and use Bai Xiaocao's fleet to temporarily restrain the Westerners.
She picked up her brush and was about to write down the points one by one when she said, "Very well, this official will remember it. You quickly return to the southeast and keep watch. If there is any important news, report it immediately without delay."
"Yes!" Just as Wu Chen cupped his hands and excused himself, Meng Li, who was in charge of intelligence in Sichuan and Shaanxi, reported, "Lord Cheng, everything is normal in Sichuan. The handover of the military is smooth. The new Commander and Commander of Chengdu have taken office. They are now quietly dispatching the troops and changing the officers. There are no unusual movements from the King of Shu. He hasn't been feeling well recently. Last month, he entered the Qingyang Palace to fast and pray for blessings. "
Cheng Qiyun smiled coldly and said, "In the past, there was a prince who pretended to be crazy in order to avoid people's eyes and ears. How difficult is it to pretend to be sick? You have to be careful that he has other intentions. Remember, continue to inquire about the news. You must be very careful in your actions. If there is a fire in the backyard now, not only Lord Cheng can't stand it, but also our Ming Destiny Dynasty can't stand it. "
Meng Li knew that the 'pretending to be crazy prince' she mentioned was the old matter of the Prince of Yan who rebelled and usurped the emperor. He didn't dare to point it out and only responded respectfully. Cheng Qiyun thought for a moment and said, "How is Shaanxi? Is the change of crops going smoothly? "
Meng Li said, "The Shaanxi Minister's Office has spared no effort in promoting the new grain. Now the crops are growing well and the people's minds are stable. The squires who originally had some complaints about changing to foreign crops have now shut their mouths. They want to see this year's harvest first."
Cheng Qiyun smiled and said, "Very good, alas! This is probably the only news that will make Lord Cheng happy. The soldiers of the Jiangnan Guards are mostly good-looking but useless spear heads. Lord Cheng is about to be driven mad by this group of good-for-nothings. You can leave first. "
The door was gently closed with a 'cha' sound. Cheng Qiyun leaned against the back of the chair and closed her beautiful eyes to rest for a while. "As Lord Cheng expected, Liu Jin is seizing the opportunity to win over the middle faction of officials. The old officials in the court have also focused their attention on him. Dai Yi, Miao Kui, Mou Bin and the others are now all submissive to him on the surface, causing Liu Jin's arrogance to burn even more. Now they are just waiting for him to completely expose his rebellious ambitions. These things all have to wait for the right time. For now, they can just wait and see.
Right now, the only thing that worries Lord Cheng is the Wokou pirates! To fight a war, you need to use troops. But right now, most of the soldiers of the Jiangnan Guards are bears, and the generals are also bears. It's strange that a troop of three thousand soldiers was killed by two hundred Wokou pirates. With this kind of morale, I'm afraid even if Zhuge Wu Hou was alive, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood. My Lord is not a military general. Even if he was ten times braver than Guan Yunchang, leading such a group of bear soldiers, he would be at his wits' end. What should we do? "
A pair of long and curved eyebrows lightly knitted together. Cheng Qiyun racked her brains to think of a solution, "Train the troops? Where can we find the time to transfer the troops from outside? Where will we get them from? How will we settle the issue of the soldiers' pay? Pay … … Lord Cheng still doesn't know. Now the pay for the soldiers will not be able to be given out soon. Alas! What should we do? "
Her eyebrows knitted together. Dai Lou Er, who had always been resourceful, suddenly felt a sense of helplessness. Just like how she had peerless beauty and intelligence. She could call the wind and summon the rain in the world. But no matter how strong she was, she could not jump out of the world controlled by men. She could not control her own fate.
In close quarters combat, in the end, it all depended on strength. True strength!
* * *
Yang Ling was like a trapped beast, staring at the incomplete military map in front of him. Based on the knowledge he had, he had used red and blue to mark the locations of the Wokou pirates, as well as the Ming army's distribution of troops. But this way, the map was even more colorful, and it was dazzling to look at.
It was very simple. The Wokou pirates were not a regular army. In terms of strategy, they did not have a clear goal. They attacked as they pleased and changed their direction at will. Thus, it was impossible to predict the direction of their movements.
Because the Ming army's officers were corrupt and did not train well, their morale was already low. Often, when they were outnumbered, they would collapse at the first encounter. If they were willing to gather their courage and fight, the number of people who died would be far less than the number of people who were killed in the process of escaping. Moreover, they could still achieve victory in the end. But who would listen to such a simple logic? Who would be willing to be the brave warriors who did not fear death and charge first? They believed that they could escape. This kind of mentality caused the soldiers of the Guards Institution to be weaker than the strong people who had sworn to protect their homeland.
On the other hand, the Wokou pirates, regardless of whether it was the defeated daimyo soldiers or the ronin, or the fake Wokou pirates, who were originally the citizens of the Great Ming Dynasty, these bandits were always involved in the business of living on the edge of a knife. Under the survival of the fittest, each and every one of them were valiant and cruel warriors. Moreover, after a long period of fighting, they had developed extraordinary martial arts skills and a strong physique. There was indeed a huge difference in the quality of the soldiers.
Although the Wokou pirates were fighting everywhere, most of the Wokou pirates were in groups of one or two hundred people. They were easy to move around and did not have to worry about logistics. They went through prefectures and counties and did not support each other. The Ming army had to defend, intercept, and pursue. When the army moved, it was also a problem to support them. Once they were attacked, they were badly battered. This made Yang Ling very angry.
At this time, Yang Ling did not care about his appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks were thin, and the green stubble on his chin had not been shaved clean. He clenched his fist and lightly hammered the map a few times. He asked, "Official Bai, what else is the situation?"
Bai Zhong praised, "This is basically what this lowly official wants to report. In the end, the biggest problem lies in our army. The Wokou pirates know the geography and climate, the local customs, and the movements of the army like the back of their hand. They are able to travel long distances and set up ambushes. Instead, our soldiers are often ambushed on our own land. This lowly official is really … really ashamed. "
Yang Ling laughed bitterly and said, "Official Bai has just been transferred to Jiangnan. This matter cannot be blamed on you. Against the Wokou pirates, the main advantage our army has is on the sea. On land, the Wokou pirates are as fierce as tigers. Even when they are alone, they dare to hide in the forest and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. On the water, they lack firearms and armor. Their ships are too small, so they are almost always defeated. But now that the Wokou pirates have abandoned their ships and come ashore, our advantage no longer exists. "
He pointed at the map and called for a few generals to come closer. He said, "Look, these Wokou pirates and smugglers have conflicts and grudges with each other. Because of this, they each do their own thing and are unable to form a unified and purposeful military operation. Fighting on their own, they are like scattered sand. Admittedly, this makes it impossible for our large army to fight a decisive battle and end the battle quickly. But for the current military strength of the Jiangnan Guards, this is actually a good thing.
Otherwise, if the Wokou pirates really do gather their forces and engage in a large scale battle, it is not impossible for them to destroy our main forces. We need to take advantage of the Wokou pirates' current battle style and annihilate them separately. In this way, there is another matter that needs to be placed in front of us. That is the army! Does everyone think that the soldiers of the Jiangnan Guards will be able to accomplish this mission on their own? "
Bai Zhong Zan and the other senior advisors looked at each other in dismay. After a long time, Bai Zhong Zan carefully asked, "Does Daren want … want to transfer troops from elsewhere?"
Yang Ling nodded his head and said, "Yes, transfer troops! I originally wanted to transfer the 'Four Outer Families Army' to Jiangnan to suppress the bandits, but Jiangnan is mostly paddy fields and mountainous terrain. It is not suitable for the heavily armored and mounted Northern Iron Cavalry. Furthermore, they have the responsibility of guarding several important areas of the capital. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is not advisable to transfer troops. Everyone, where do you think is the most suitable place to transfer troops? "
Just as Yang Ling finished speaking, a major rushed in from outside. In his hand was an urgent military report marked with a special symbol. In a loud voice, he said, "Reporting to the governor, the military post station has sent an urgent military report."
Yang Ling raised his head and said in a low voice, "Read it!"
"Yes!" The Ming army did not have a special staff department. Most of the military analysis and planning came from the private advisors of the junior officers and high-ranking generals. Yang Ling used the opportunity of being the governor of the six provinces to set up a special staff department in the army. He named it the staff department to handle military and battle reports.
The staff officer took the reports and opened them, reading them one by one. "There is a group of 300 Wokou pirates with the Ming Wu Hua as the leader. They captured Xiangshan Island and then attacked land. They attacked Wenzhou and Taizhou. The governor of Taizhou, Wu Yuezhi, led 800 soldiers and strong people to attack. They were defeated at Diaoyu Ridge. Governor Wu died in battle. Now Wu Hua's group is attacking Huangyan."
Yang Ling had received a series of military reports and had heard of even more incredible battles than this. He had a clear understanding of the actual combat power of the Jiangnan army. He was not surprised to hear this. He only picked up a pen and made a mark on the map. Without raising his head, he said, "Continue reading!"
"There are 400 Wokou pirates in Rudong of Jiangsu. They have taken over Binhai Town. Captain Tang Zongsheng led the army to attack. They set fire to the houses and burned and smoked over 40 pirates to death. They captured over 20. The rest of the pirates broke through. Captain Tang led the army to pursue them. They were attacked at Xiaoyuling Ridge and retreated. The pirates stole the people's boats and escaped out to sea. They were intercepted by the Jiangsu navy. Three boats were destroyed and 79 people were killed.
The rest of the pirates escaped to Shanghai. "" The officials in Shanghai were ambushed by the pirates. More than 200 of the officials were killed and many drowned. The pirates used Shanghai as their main camp and split up to attack in all directions. Now they have joined forces with the defeated pirates in Rudong. The pirates gathered and worked together to attack Shanghai. The county magistrate, Gong Muwei, led the army to retreat. While escaping, he took the opportunity to burn a few of the pirates' boats. "
Yang Ling calmed himself down and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"The pirates, the Hōjō clan, led over a thousand men to attack Nanjiang at night. They killed the magistrate of Nanjiang and slaughtered the people of Nanjiang and Chuanjiang. They set up camp outside of Songjiang and challenged the soldiers stationed there. After failing to attack the city, they attacked Jiading and Taicang, killing people and setting fire everywhere.
The Taicang military commander, Lu Suo, led his troops to ambush them. In the midst of the battle, they killed Xiao Se, one of the pirates under the Hōjō clan. The pirates retreated and prepared to transport their loot back to the island. However, their warships were burned by the Patrol Navy. The Hōjō clan led his troops to escape to the south. The magistrate of Jiading, Chen Keming, led his troops to stop them. Together with the Taicang military commander, Lu Suo, they launched a pincer attack.
When the generals in the hall heard this, their spirits were lifted. This could be considered as the biggest victory in the war. They looked excitedly at Yang Ling. Yang Ling also revealed a look of joy. He cheerfully said to the advisor beside him, "Immediately draft a memorial. I will personally ask for the merit of the magistrate of Jiading and the Taicang military commander."
The advisor hurriedly agreed and picked up his brush to write. Yang Ling happily said, "The magistrate of Jiading is a scholar. With such a battle record, I don't know how many generals are ashamed. If all the soldiers along the coast have this kind of courage, why do we have to worry about the pirates not being wiped out?"
He sighed and said, "Everyone, now the flames of war are burning everywhere. After all, this is not the time to train soldiers. The action of borrowing soldiers is still imperative. Does anyone have any good suggestions?"
At this time, Cheng Qiyun hurriedly came from the back courtyard to the front hall. Currently, the Governor's aides and the generals of Jiangnan know that she is an important person in the internal affairs. Usually, she handles government affairs and analyzes the enemy's situation. She has taken on a lot of heavy responsibilities for Governor Yang and is his trusted subordinate. Her actions, intelligence and ability have won her the respect of all the officials.
Seeing her come to the front hall, everyone hurriedly cupped their hands to show respect. Cheng Qiyun hurriedly returned the greeting. Then with a serious expression, she said to Yang Ling, "Daren, the day before yesterday, more than 30 'Wokou' pirates in Ninghai raided the Marquis residence of the salt merchant. They slaughtered the entire Marquis family of more than 40 people. The women were raped and all their money was taken.
When they were escaping, they were discovered by the night patrol and captured six or seven of them. Only then did they find out that they were pirates, salt smugglers and idlers in the vicinity. When the foreign guards received this information, they stepped up their investigations and discovered that in the military reports from various places, a portion of the Wokou teams with less than 50 people are actually mountain bandits and unscrupulous people who have formed gangs. They take the opportunity to disguise themselves as Wokou to rob and kill.
They cover their faces as bandits and take off their headscarves as citizens. But most of them will not stray too far from their homeland. Their fighting power is even weaker. The patrol yamen can deal with them. I think we should immediately inform the staff to prevent the deployment of troops from being misled by these fake Wokou pirates. "
"Bang!" Yang Ling slammed his fist heavily on the table. For the past few days, all he had heard was unfavorable news. The generals were corrupted and afraid to fight, the soldiers were as timid as mice, and the evil deeds of the Wokou pirates that harmed the people everywhere. The people were treated horribly. All of this had long caused Yang Ling to feel depressed, anxious, and annoyed to the extreme.
At this time, when he heard that there were actually people from his country who took advantage of the situation and pretended to be Wokou pirates to do the same dirty and ugly business, Yang Ling's long-suppressed anger erupted. He flew into a rage and slammed his fist down so hard that the bones in his fingers almost broke.
Yang Ling glared at him with his bright red eyes and fiercely glanced around. He fiercely squeezed out the words from between his teeth, "Damn it! These bastards and traitors are even more hateful than the Japanese. "
Cheng Qiyun was dumbfounded. The usually gentle and refined Yang Ling could only smile bitterly and helplessly when faced with the stupid obstruction and hostility of the court officials. When he knew that the internal court officials, Wang Yue and Fan Ting wanted to kill him, he was still so calm and unperturbed. How could he say such vulgar words now? And that cold smile was actually somewhat ferocious, full of hatred and murderous intent.
The generals beside him usually used vulgarities. Even Bai Zhongzan himself did not use vulgarities. But as a military commander in the northwest, he had seen who knows how many rough generals under his command, so he did not find it strange.
Yang Ling laughed coldly and said with a murderous intent, "Come, send an order to the six provinces' Commandant's Office, Inspector's Office, and Administrative Commissioner's Office. Anyone who is caught pretending to be Wokou and robbing or raping women will be publicly beheaded and their property confiscated. Write a memorial to the Emperor to request that the families of these criminals will all be banished to lowly status and demoted to lazy people. They will not be allowed to marry for three generations! "
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