Section 52 Discussion

He slowly folded the letter neatly, folded it, and put it back into the envelope. With his sophistication in officialdom, he always had a way to shirk and delay any difficult government affairs. Anyway, no matter what big or important matter it was, it would always be done.

I couldn't resist the word "drag". After a few months, God knows what new trend was blowing in the court.

I'm afraid I have to show some achievements in Jinghai this time. The emperor has just ascended the throne and is working hard to govern - and he learned from the eunuch beside the emperor that the emperor is a very hard-working person. He keeps working hard

I'm afraid you can't get through by pushing the envelope and delaying. When the time comes, Gao Shunqin, a stupid young man, will be in trouble.

When I was rectifying the official administration of Guangdong and Guangxi, I offended many people. These people all had old friends and relatives in the capital. If I mishandled one of them and lost the Sacred Heart, I would have to hand over the bullets at that time, and the end would be unknown - lost.

Resignation from an official position is already the lightest punishment.

And Gao Shunqin's attitude is really difficult to estimate. This man is young and is an official on the road of public speaking, so he is very energetic - he himself has been a public speaking official, and he is well aware of the habits of public speaking officials.

Gao Xunjian hated the maritime merchants, pirates and Westerners very much. He made suggestions to himself several times, hoping to ban trade with the Portuguese. He had always been vague, and listening to the rumors outside, he seemed to be very dissatisfied with himself.

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Gao Shunqin hated the Portuguese: it was simply because the Portuguese had "big guns", "no one dared to get close", and they also trafficked in various prohibited items. Wang Zunde felt that it was largely because there was such a "big gun" on the ground in Guangdong.

"I don't want to be a king".

For Wang Zunde, although the Portuguese caused some trouble for the local area from time to time, on the whole, they were knowledgeable. The so-called intellectuals did not mean that they paid the annual land rent of 500 taels to Xiangshan County on time - this was very important to the whole province of Guangdong.

It's just a drop in the bucket.

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

Thinking again of the Portuguese hope to join forces with the Ming Dynasty to attack Liu Laoxiang - the other party said: Liu Laoxiang colluded with "Helan" who had plundered the coast and occupied Penghu to build a fortress during the Tianqi period, with the intention of harming the Ming Dynasty. Is this statement true or false?

Only God knows. Wang Zunde couldn't help but sigh: Things on the sea are really complicated, but the government knows nothing about this mysterious sea world.

He was pacing in the study, admiring the reflection on the bamboo curtain, and suddenly shouted in a loud voice: "Here comes someone!"

A valet appeared at the door in response.

"Go and invite Lu and Li Zanhua immediately."

He invited these two people to come here to hear their opinions on the affairs of Pingjing in Guangdong. He was not in a hurry to see Li Fengjie. If he went to see him now, he would be nothing more than "Mr. Wei's horse head". Of course.

, the governor is in charge of military affairs. As a governor who specializes in civil affairs, it is understandable for him to say so.

As for other provincial officials, big and small, they are all slippery loaches. Each one is better at shifting blame than the last. Wang Zunde, who has been an official for many years, knows that this is not the case in Guangdong and Guangxi, but everywhere.

If you want to get some practical advice, you can only rely on your staff.

These two people are his two confidants. Lu Yizhong has been a prefect for several times, and Li Xijue was a Jinshi during the Tianqi period. He has never been awarded an official position and has been living at home. Both of them are in their early forties and less than fifty.

They were in their prime of life and were full of energy. They both read poetry and books and had a deep understanding of various practical government affairs.

But these two Zanhua couldn't come up with any clever ideas for a while - strategies were based on intelligence. Without intelligence, they couldn't even tell who the enemy was, so there would be no strategy at all.

Since the end of Wanli, heroes from all walks of life have appeared on the sea, with many names. There are dozens of big stocks with names 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. However, it has expanded the fastest recently and has become a problem at the Pearl River Estuary, which is why it attracted people's attention.

Although Lu and Li wanted to share the worries of their host, they themselves did not necessarily know the pirates better than Wang Zunde, so how could they come up with suggestions? What Li Zanhua came up with was nothing more than the old experiences of Hu Zongxian and others in dealing with Japanese pirates.

Tricks. Can't come up with anything new.

Lu Yizhong, on the other hand, remained silent. In his opinion, Li Zanhua's strategies were feasible, but they could not solve the fundamental problem. His employer had no intention of large-scale eradication of pirates, and even if he wanted to, he would not be able to.

Because - no money.

Whether it is moving to the sea, intensifying the investigation of the export of goods on the shore, or training rural warriors along the coasts and rivers... all these measures require time and money. The current situation of the government is that it is short of money. Without money, nothing can be done.

The government had neither money nor time. Wang Zhitai felt that he had no time. Lu Yizhong was better than others in guessing. He combined the recent situation between the government and the opposition and the situation in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian, and quickly understood the actual thoughts of his employer

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Xiong Wenhuan cannot take away all the success in suppressing the pirates in the southeast. Since Zheng Zhilong's surrender, the giant bandits on the southeast coast such as Yang Liu, Yang Qi, Zhu Cailao and other groups have been wiped out one after another in two years. Xiong Wenhuan's "Fu"

His reputation as a capable foreigner has been recognized by both the government and the public.

Under such a situation, Liu Laoxiang, who continues to occupy and even expand in Guangdong, becomes an embarrassing contrast. The Taiwanese leader who governs Guangdong and Guangdong must do something.

Although he knew what his boss was thinking, coming up with ideas was another matter. He thought about the situation he was facing: It was not the Jiajing Dynasty now, and the court had plenty of money and food. It could build ships and train troops. Now Wang Zunde only had such a big plate, and he couldn't bloom on all sides.

Attacking from multiple directions, the only way is to find a painful attack, achieve a complete victory, and capture the bandit leader. Moreover, the imperial navy has always been weak in naval battles, so it must find a place where it can make achievements in land battles.

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

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

Of course Wang Zunde understood what they meant, but they had no idea where Liu Xiang's lair was, let alone the other gangsters.

Just as he was helpless, 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 to defend themselves. Just as it is no secret that the three big purple-branded businesses have Australian backgrounds.

"It should be Bo Pu. It is Bo Pu where the thieves stole the property. Lingao County was not captured." Li Xijue reminded, "Every money and grain should be paid in full."

"That's right." Lu Yizhong nodded, "The officers and soldiers encircled and suppressed Bopu, and they went to Lingao to do harm. This is a great benefit to the country and the people."

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

If the "pirates entrenched in Lingao" are suppressed, some people in the court will inevitably find fault with Guangdong for not reporting the fall of the county seat. Now it is enough to just mention it. What's more, Lingao did not fall.

This is not considered deceiving the court.

Thinking of this, Wang Zunde felt enlightened and felt like he could see the sun from the clouds. He nodded repeatedly but said no more words.

Lu Yizhong and Li Xijue knew that he had already approved the idea, but they still had to weigh the pros and cons. What they had to do now was to implement this matter first. Where did the soldiers, ships, and food and grass come from? What was needed?

How much? How to plan military pay and miscellaneous expenses... These details must be carefully considered one by one, and if necessary, several plans should be prepared. When it is actually implemented, it will be decided by the Taiwan maker.

They cannot do these things by themselves. Fortunately, there is a large staff team in the Governor's Mansion, ranging from retired officials who have served as prefects to frivolous writers who can only write lyrics and compose music.

There are quite a few capable people.

Lu Yizhong quickly summoned a dozen of Wang Zunde's most trusted aides to discuss the matter.

But his "cool plan" quickly aroused objections.

"Master Zhu Tai wants to exterminate the bandits in Lingao, which is very satisfying." Someone inside said, "I just heard that they have a way inside, so I'm afraid they won't be able to do anything easily."

Another aide said: "The Australians have a close connection with Gao Ju, and I heard that Gao Ju is related to Eunuch Yang in the palace. I'm afraid we can't figure out the inner connection."

As soon as they heard that there were still internal eunuchs involved, everyone couldn't help but fell silent. The days when the eunuchs were powerful were not long gone. It is true that the emperor passed away for nine thousand years after he ascended the throne, but the eunuchs of the Xinwang Mansion still have to exercise power in case of offending.

There is some unexplainable "internal picture" inside. I put some eye drops on the scenery, and everyone couldn't take it and walked around.

"It doesn't matter." Lu Yizhong said, "The high-profile backer, Eunuch Yang, was not eunuch Long from the Prince's Palace. When Wei Ni came to power, he asked for a job to avoid disaster. After the emperor ascended the throne, he did not have much presence in the palace.

power."

"Although he is a eunuch, he still has the mouth of a palace. He cannot offend easily." Some people still want to be cautious.

"No problem." Lu Yizhong said, "The thieves have nothing to do with Eunuch Yang. Gao Ju is Eunuch Yang's man. The Australians are just doing business with Gao Ju. Eunuch Yang has always understood how justice can be done to a group of pirates.

To embarrass the court officials?"

Gao Ji has a lot of contacts with Australians. Even if there are no Australians, the Gao family is well-known for "colluding with foreign countries". It is easy to find evidence that he "colludes with pirates". How could Eunuch Yang do such a thing?

Throwing yourself into a trap is putting the cart before the horse!

Eunuch Yang no longer has much power in the palace. If the Australians are finished, Gao Zhou is not finished. Since Gao Zhou is safe and sound, he should be given the benefits of Eunuch Yang, not even a penny less. Once the Australians are destroyed, they will be the pirates.

Could it be that Eunuch Yang personally went into battle to embarrass Wang Zunde? Wang Zunde was a top official in the imperial court and had always had a reputation for being honest and upright. He was not a powerful eunuch, so how could he come to this troubled waters?

As long as Gao Ji is not injured and the Gao family's wife passes away peacefully, Eunuch Yang will naturally not interfere. This is Lu Yizhong's plan. When the time comes, part of the Australian property in Guangzhou will be compensated to the Gao family. Even though the Gao family has some complaints

There is nothing to say - Gao Ji would not be so ignorant and go against the Guangdong officialdom.

"Furthermore, the Australians built a fortress in Lingao, which is the same trick as when the Francois occupied Haojing. At that time, the imperial court approved the Francois. Will it allow the Australians now?" Lu Yizhong reminded.

, "This matter must come to an end. It's better to do it sooner than later."

He analyzed it in this way, and everyone thought it was quite reasonable. No one objected to the campaign to suppress the bandits.

"How do you deal with this Australian iron ship?" someone asked. "I heard it is as high as a city wall, higher than the big plywood ships of the red-haired and Franco people. The navy has no ship to fight with it!"

"The so-called big iron ship is just a rumor heard on the street. It cannot be believed to be true." Lu Yizhong said, "Even if there is such a huge ship, the army can use fire ships to retreat. Furthermore, the king's division should advance by land and water at the same time. The sea route

It's just a containment, and the land route is the most important. As long as his Bairen Village is defeated on land, he will have no one to rely on on land and has no choice but to pull anchor and leave. Master Wang will be able to achieve success."

This idea is actually the idea of ​​"driving away": this is not an act of mercy or friendship, but is actually a correct assessment of local officials' own military strength. During the Tianqi period, 70,000 to 80,000 troops were used, and hundreds of warships could only "order"

The Dutch, who had retreated more than a dozen ships, were now even less likely to completely annihilate the Australians. Of course, expelling the Australians who had been entrenched in Lingao for many years could be considered a great achievement.

Lu Yizhong's plan was to try to "force back" the Australians and win a victory with as little loss as possible. Guangzhou was somewhat aware of the strength of the Australians in Lingao.

"There are only a thousand real men in Lingao." Lu Yizhong said, "The rest are mostly fake men who have shaved off their hair and joined the local traitors. The total number is no less than tens of thousands. However, men, women, old and young coexist, and they are nothing more than greedy men and thieves.

I only come to Lingao for a small favor, and I will never fight to the death for the Kun thieves. The heavenly soldiers of the imperial court will naturally disappear as soon as they arrive."

"Even if there are only a thousand people, it will not be easy to deal with them with the strong ships and powerful guns." One of the staff said, "I heard that they have large iron ships, as well as iron speedboats and mercenaries. They are invincible and should not be underestimated."

"I think we can also borrow troops. After all, the Australians have strong ships and cannons, and they also have iron clippers to help with their cannons." The man continued to suggest, "The Francois always ask for my help, and they are also respectful to the court.

Recently they have also offered artillery. If we borrow troops from them to help suppress them, our army can get twice the result with half the effort."
To be continued...