Chapter 1050 1141 Planning the Old Port


The Li family and his son were still quietly training outside the city of Yongning Prefecture, and kept asking the chief envoys of Sichuan, Guangxi and Guizhou for money, food and supplies.

There are tens of thousands of games played, and people eat horse chews every day, which costs a lot of money.

Although Yunnan, which is just around the corner, has accumulated a large amount of supplies, Li Chengliang did not reach out to ask for it from Wang Ning.

When the official documents from the capital were obtained and the army entered Yunnan, these things were not readily available, but at that time it would be difficult to continue to ask for baggage from Sichuan and other places.

It’s not that they can’t get it, but they will become procrastinating. After all, after entering the territory of Yunnan, according to the rules of the Ming army, they should mainly raise funds locally.

Moreover, in the face of war, Li Chengliang would not focus on logistics. He would definitely focus on the front line and use his brain.

They naturally have the opportunity to delay.

If we can deliver one less batch, the burden on the local government will be smaller.

In the capital, the cabinet meeting on raising taxes in Yuegang was too late to be held. Because of the approval from the palace, the cabinet watched the Ministry of War and sent official documents to the southwest and southeast overnight.

To the southwest, it was natural for Li Chengliang to take over the command of the war in Yunnan, granting Li Chengliang the highest power, and even directly appoint officials for local military preparation.

Several provinces in the southwest also received official documents from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household, supplying military supplies in accordance with Li Chengliang's requirements.

This is what Wei Guangde promised him at the beginning, giving him all rights. If Li Chengliang cannot take Burma, there is no need to come back.

But on this matter, Wei Guangde struggled to get through Zhang Juzheng's ideological work, but was stopped in the military department.

Fortunately, Zhang Juzheng spoke, and the military department was reluctant to let him go.

Of course Wei Guangde lamented that before Liu Tai impeached Zhang Juzheng, the main crime was controlling the six subjects and encroaching on the emperor's power.

Unexpectedly, he would be able to see the benefits of controlling the six subjects so quickly.

At the very least, the probability of being stopped in the Sixth Subject is much smaller with Six Books.

In the past, they were only responsible to the emperor, so they could naturally deal with the cabinet's requests tactfully. The main thing was to see what the palace wanted.

Now, the cabinet can control the six departments.

The most important thing is that the cabinet ministers have the right to recommend the six ministers. With this, it can almost be said that the six ministers are subordinates of the cabinet, because nominally the cabinet and the six ministers are not subordinate to each other.

No wonder, people in later generations say that Zhang Juzheng was actually the most powerful prime minister in the Ming Dynasty.

If it were not for his intervention, Zhang Juzheng would definitely be the number one person in the court.

And now, at least two of the six will not completely obey his orders.

In the evening, Wei Guangde went home, changed his mind, and left the house to Zhu Heng's house.

There were only three people at the banquet, him, Zhu Heng, and Tan Lun.

"Brother Shinan, you can do whatever you want. Brother Zili and I will drink from this cup."

The three of them exchanged cups, but Zhu Heng was not in good health now, so he couldn't be allowed to drink more.

Tan Lun also has some minor health problems, but he returned to his hometown for more than a year to recuperate. In addition to his many years of military career and staying with military generals for a long time, he also has a spirit of unwillingness to admit defeat, so he is unwilling to hold on. Admit not being well.

"Ahem, inviting you two here this time has something to do with my body and bones."

Zhu Heng did not hold on, drank half a glass of wine, and grabbed the wine bottle from Wei Guangde He said after filling him up.

"What are your plans for the Ministry of Works and Shandai in the future?"

Zhu Heng asked after Wei Guangde put down the wine bottle.

Hearing that it was about the arrangements after the Ministry of Industry, Wei Guangde just thought about it briefly and said: "I plan to transfer Wu Guifang back to the Ministry of Industry to be appointed minister. He is the governor of water transportation and the governor of Fengyang, and his rank is sufficient. Got it."

"What about the position he vacated? This position is not easy. The main errands of the Ministry of Works are centered around the river work."

Zhu Heng said again.

"Let Jiang Zhi go. He is now in charge of the excavation of the Jia Canal. He is the Governor of Water Transport and the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Industry. He should raise his rank first.

But the position of Governor of Fengyang may have to be left to someone else."

Wei Guangde reached out and picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of food.

"Can the cabinet make it clear?"

Tan Lun looked at Wei Guangde and asked.

"I don't think there will be too much resistance in handing over the governor of Fengyang to someone recommended by Shu Da, right."

When Wei Guangde said this, he glanced at Tan Lun before continuing: "I plan to let Shu Hua unload too much The minister of Pusi went to Nanjing to serve as the minister of Dali Temple, seeking the position of Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment in Nanjing. "

Taipusi raised horses and was not under his jurisdiction. The previous minister of Taipusi was a brush and a fellow from Jiangxi.

In fact, Wei Guangde knew that Tan Lun initially planned to find an opportunity to transfer him to the Minister of War, and then seek to be his successor.

But Shuhua has a problem, that is, he has never actually commanded a battle, which means he cannot be regarded as a military civilian official.

This is not easy to push Shu Hua to the top.

Now the meaning of Wei Guangde's words is obviously to give up his idea and let him seek punishment from the Ministry of Justice instead.

In fact, from the phenomenon of Shuhua, a dwarf, being taller, we can think that perhaps because Jiangxi has been in peace for too long, there is no one among Jiangxi Jinshi who can take over the Ministry of War.

Unlike the Ministry of Industry, there are a lot of people who can succeed Zhu Heng.

“As for the Ministry of War, let’s look at abilities. Those with outstanding abilities can be used by Brother Zili with confidence.”

Wei Guangde continued to talk to Tan Lun.

After observing for so long, Wei Guangde finally gave up on arranging people from his fellow villagers to join the Ministry of War.

There really is no suitable person.

Hearing this, Tan Lun could only nod slightly.

On Luzon Island, although Yu Dayou did not wait for the order from the court, he knew to some extent Wei Guangde's follow-up plan.

Therefore, when the border demarcation work with the Spanish was underway, they did not forget to send the Ming army to contact the Luzon tribe in the Ming area in the north.

With the relationship of recruiting troops before, it is easy to contact other tribes in the interior through these tribes, thus connecting the northern number with all tribes.

Yu Dayou naturally did these things to clarify the rules of the Ming Dynasty for them.

The experience in the Southwest made Yu Dayou realize that if the interests of these tribes were not clearly explained, Luzon Island would become like the Southwest, where the chieftains would not accept the king's rule and would frequently cause rebellion.

Towards these local natives of Luzon Island, Yu Dayou showed both kindness and power. He not only extended olive branches and tried his best to recruit them, but also did not forget to show them the power of the Ming Dynasty's military.

The hundreds of warships and tens of thousands of soldiers alone were enough to intimidate these tribal leaders.

While continuing to build Tortoiseshell City, Yu Dayou also chose two ports with superior geographical locations in the north to facilitate the stronghold established by the Spanish to establish the Ming Dynasty's affiliated military port in Luzon.

Having only one Tortoiseshell Port is of course not enough. The Ming Dynasty still had to leave a navy fleet stationed on Dongfan Island, patrolling nearby and monitoring the movements of the Spanish fleet in the south, especially It was a Spanish treasure ship.

Yu Dayou is now mainly responsible for Chen Lin's affairs on the island.

Chen Lin is proficient in land and water warfare, and at middle age, he is considered a young general in the army. He is Yu Dayou's first choice to guard Luzon. As for Deng Zilong, he has returned to the ship and is learning to command the fleet from Wang Zhao and is familiar with the methods of water warfare.

Because once the official document from the imperial court comes down, according to the time calculation, if there are no accidents, there may have been movements in the southwest. Their fleet cannot return directly to the Ming Dynasty to rest, but will directly set off from Luzon and continue southward. Head to the Old Port.

Now the distribution of forces in that place is complicated. The nominal ruler of Old Port is the Bazhang Kingdom, but its domestic situation is critical. The ruler is eager to suppress the rising Matalan nobles, so they suddenly arrived there and The remnants of the Feilong Kingdom who had obtained a piece of territory did not bother to encircle and suppress them.

In the core area of ​​​​Old Port, it is still managed by a small circle of Chinese people, who only pay tribute to the Bazhang Kingdom on time in order to obtain safe asylum.

At the same time, in the northwest of Old Port, the rising Kingdom of Aceh is also eyeing Old Port. It seems that it will only wait for the civil strife in the Bazhang Kingdom to launch a raid and annex the Old Port area, and now it is seeking to expand in other directions.

In fact, twenty years ago, the Kingdom of Aceh tried to cross the sea to capture Malacca, which was occupied by the Portuguese. Although they almost succeeded, they were helpless in the face of the bastion built by the Portuguese under the city of Malacca, and they paid a heavy price. After that, they still failed to break through the city.

Later, after Portuguese troops from other areas arrived to support them, they had to gradually retreat.

Until now, the Kingdom of Aceh and the Portuguese in Malacca are still at war. Whether the armies of both sides encounter each other at sea or on land, it is bound to be a battle.

It is precisely because of the restraint of the Portuguese that although the Aceh Kingdom wants to annex the entire Sumatra Island, it is still unable to go south to seize the old port area until there is no civil strife in the Bajrang Kingdom.

What Yu Dayou is planning now is what attitude the Ming fleet, including the Portuguese and Bajrang Kingdom in Malacca, and the ambitious Aceh Kingdom will take towards the Ming Dynasty after it appears in the old port.

The Ming Dynasty's goal was Burma, not Nanyang. The Nanyang Navy had no time to waste in the old port.

Therefore, trying to avoid the outbreak of war around the old port is Yu Dayou's best option.

Yu Dayou couldn't help but think of what Wang Zhao said before, that he sailed the fleet into the bay and directly scared the Spanish fleet in Penga Yuclan Bay to the point of weakness.

Although it is definitely an exaggeration, where hundreds of warships are heading, not to mention covering up the sky and the sun, it is indeed quite bluffing.

“Then before going to the Old Port, first walk around Solo in Central Java, then go for a walk outside Malacca City, and finally dock at the Old Port.

As for the Kingdom of Aceh, when the fleet goes north to Myanmar, it will pass through the Kingdom of Aceh. At that time, the fleet will pass near Banda Aceh, which is enough to show force.

After this round, I believe that small countries like Nanyang will know whether the old port can be touched. "

Yu Dayou murmured in his mouth.

Although the Ming Dynasty has not cared about the countries in Nanyang for a long time, it is still easy to inquire about the situation in Nanyang.

Bazhang The area controlled by the kingdom is mainly Java and most of Sumatra, as well as some nearby small islands.

However, the nobility in the Matalan area on Java Island is now unstable and may launch a rebellion at any time. Therefore, most of the soldiers of the Bajrang Kingdom currently stationed on Sumatra Island have been transferred back to Java to prepare for possible rebellion.

The ambitious Kingdom of Aceh was restrained by the Portuguese and did not dare to launch another attack on the Old Port.

As for the south China Sea naval fleet's route, it goes south along Luzon Island, along Palawan Island and past Niwan, and then reaches Java.

Speaking of which, this arrangement is very smooth and will not waste time.

“Come here, call Deng Zilong.”

Yu Dayou suddenly shouted outside the house.

"Yes".

The soldiers outside the door agreed and hurried towards the harbor.

When Deng Zilong arrived, almost an hour had passed. He was called back by Yu Dayou's soldiers on the ship.

“Commander, I don’t know what the general’s orders are.”

When Deng Zilong entered the lobby, he clasped his fists and saluted.

“Can you understand the situation in Old Port with the person who was entrusted to you last time?”

The person Yu Dayou mentioned was naturally the envoy sent to the Ming Dynasty by the Feilong Kingdom. In the end, he was Jin Yiwei brought him back to the capital.

After confirming that they really wanted to surrender, they were sent to the southeast and handed over to Yu Dayou.

The purpose is self-evident, which is to let him contact his companions so that they can be easily recruited and surrendered.

Deng Zilong had been determined to stay in Jiugang, so it was natural to get more information from him, so Yu Dayou handed over to Deng Zilong.

"The general has already understood that their remaining troops are only 3,000 people, which is not as many as they boasted. There are not nearly 10,000 people.

They arrived there before , had a battle with the army of the Bazhang Kingdom, and many people died. Later, he wanted to get involved in the old port and fought with the Han people there.

The Han people had some firearms that were traded by Portugal or Spain, and some of them died. "

Deng Zilong learned about the situation. When he said it, Yu Dayou frowned.

With such important information, he didn't understand why Jin Yiwei didn't check it out.

Actually, this was Liu Shouyou’s own peck.

The man named Zhang Nan seemed cooperative from the beginning. After all, he came to surrender, and he acted as if he knew everything and said everything.

You don’t even need to be interrogated by the Jinyi guards, you can just pour the beans into the bamboo tube.

However, a small amount of them were fake, and Jin Yiwei was concealed.

For someone who is so cooperative, Jin Yiwei can't serve him with a torture device.

But Deng Zilong paid attention to it and invited him to drink for three days. When he was drunk, he asked questions. After asking him again and again, he discovered the flaw.

"There are more than three thousand people, that's good, they don't have to go back."

For the sake of the court's face, the capital has suppressed the news about Zhang Lian's old department.

As for these people’s hope of returning to the Ming Dynasty alive, in fact they did not exist in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty’s ruling class from the beginning.

To keep the secret, naturally everyone must die.

It’s not that Wei Guangde, Yu Dayou and others are cruel, but again, for the sake of the court’s face, these more than 3,000 people must sacrifice their lives.

Even if they survive the Burmese War, they can only live in Burma or Old Port, and will never be able to set foot on the land of the Ming Dynasty.

Thinking about the large number of people before, Yu Dayou still felt a little bit unbearable and wanted to send so many people to die.

“Plan it.”

I called Deng Zilong today to talk about going south to Old Port.

Some people know it, and some people Deng Zilong doesn’t know.

Although Nanyang is unfamiliar, I have seen the charts before.

As soon as Yu Dayou mentioned the planned route, Deng Zilong had an idea in his mind.

"When the time comes, you will serve as the vanguard and lead the fleet south. For the journey to Java Island, you can find a guide from the Sulu Kingdom. Maybe there are people there who have been to the Old Port."

"The general understands."

"Plan carefully so that you can serve as a guide for the group." (End of Chapter)

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