Chapter 361: Using Jin Yiwei to kill reactionaries
Li Tianchong, the left commander of the Jinyi Guards, saw Zhu Houzhao's inquiry and hurriedly replied: "Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, Zhu Wan has arrived at Haimen and is mobilizing warships. When Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lu Tiang arrives to transport the Quanzhou ship, he will immediately enter Beijing Shuangyu Island. Right now Wei Yigong, deputy envoy to the sea route, has collected enough food and grass in Haimen, and the naval forces along the coast from Haimen to Dinghai have completed training.”
After finishing speaking, Li Tianchong couldn't help but ask one more question: "Your Majesty, now that the Japanese pirates want to attack Ningbo, do you want Zhu Wan to send troops back to defend Ningbo, or should we go back to Hangzhou to avoid the Japanese pirates?"
Although most of the smugglers on Shuangyu Island are pirates from various countries, including Chinese, in the Jiangnan area and in the mouths of many Ming officials, these pirates are still called Japanese pirates.
Because the main force of these pirates are down-and-out samurai hired or colluded from Japan.
These warriors often robbed the coastal people on behalf of the pirates or the squires behind the pirates, so that the term "Japanese pirates" became widely circulated among the coastal people.
Even Li Tianchong, the left commander of the Jinyi Guards, also involuntarily called these pirates Japanese pirates because he had received intelligence about Japanese pirates attacking fishermen for a long time.
Zhu Houzhao also decided to call these pirates Japanese pirates, and decided to let the court officials do the same. The reason was naturally to prepare for the future control of Japan.
After all, Japan began to restrict trade with Ming Dynasty, which reduced the flow of silver from Japan to Ming Dynasty, thus affecting Ming Dynasty's interests.
Therefore, Ming Dynasty naturally could not allow Japan to impose trade restrictions on Ming Dynasty.
Li Tianchong suggested that Zhu Houzhao let Zhu Wan mobilize troops to return to Ningbo and suggested that Zhu Houzhao return to Hangzhou. Naturally, this was because Jinyiwei intelligence had reported that the Japanese pirates were about to attack Ningbo, and the purpose was to capture the Supreme Emperor Zhu Houzhao alive. As the person responsible for Zhu Houzhao's safety, he was naturally unwilling to let it go. Zhu Houzhao was in danger.
Zhu Houzhao always thought that after he opened the sea, he could really completely avoid the Japanese chaos that occurred after the middle period of Jiajing in history.
But he now finds that he may be able to prevent large-scale Japanese rebellion, but it is impossible to completely eradicate the emergence of Japanese pirates.
Because even if you open the sea, you can't stop the lawless people in the mainland who want to trample on the law and engage in smuggling, and you can't stop the down-and-out samurai in Japan from colluding with the Westerners and ambitious mainlanders who have always wanted to plunder the interests of the Ming Dynasty and do something illegal. business.
But in any case, Zhu Houzhao believed that with his current foundation in the Ming Dynasty, he should be able to deal with these lawless people well, letting them know the power of the court and the power of the people behind the court who want to pursue tranquility and peaceful life.
"No, there may be news of Japanese pirates attacking in Ningbo. You can tell Zhu Wan. However, you should also pass on my decree to him and ask him to continue attacking Shuangyu Island. He should not be distracted by my presence in Ningbo."
Although Zhu Houzhao was already the Supreme Emperor, he abdicated on his own initiative and was not forced to abdicate. He also controlled military power, so he still called himself "I" according to the old habit, and no one dared to say that he was wrong.
In addition, he still referred to his instructions as edicts.
Of course, Zhu Houzhao was unwilling to leave Ningbo at this time, which did not mean that he was really not afraid of the so-called Japanese pirates.
Rather, he believed that the Imperial Guards he brought as the leading troops of the Guards were well-equipped and were elites selected from the wars such as the counterinsurgency in northern Saibei, the recovery of Jiaozhi, and the expedition to the West. They should not belong to these Japanese pirates. opponent.
For this reason, Zhu Houzhao decided not to leave Ningbo for the time being. It might be a good way to let the Japanese pirates come to their doorstep to annihilate them. Secondly, Zhu Houzhao believed that only by staying here could these Japanese pirates attack Ningbo, which would also help Zhu Wan. Shuangyu Island can be recovered at minimal cost.
Due to the opening of the sea, Ningbo City today has become a metropolis of the Ming Dynasty. There are many ship masts outside Ningbo City, just like a forest. The streets and alleys are crowded with brocade clothes, just like the green wild flowers in the mountains and rivers. The railway tracks stretch from the town to the city like Wolong. In the port, cement roads are like capillaries running between tall buildings, disappearing into the sky.
Zhu Houzhao was sitting in a bamboo sedan, escorted by imperial guards in brocade clothes, walking through the city alleys. When he saw a good food shop, he would stop in the sedan to take a picture. After eating to his heart's content, he went to an elegant garden to enjoy the scenery. , Ningbo City's dignitaries naturally did not dare to refuse to welcome him, and businessmen did not dare to refuse to let him eat.
Besides, Zhu Houzhao still paid.
But after Zhu Houzhao visited with such great fanfare, the people of Ningbo City still knew that the Supreme Emperor was still visiting Ningbo City.
Most of the people in Ningbo City were very willing to have Emperor Zhu Houzhao stay in Ningbo City.
Because the current Supreme Emperor Zhu Houzhao is a flow body.
There were many people who came to Zhu Houzhao, and not all of them came to Zhu Houzhao to redress their grievances. After all, the Ming Dynasty had not yet developed to a time when the gap between rich and poor was very large and class conflicts were extremely acute. Moreover, Zhu Houzhao had Jin Yiwei secretly cause a lot of incitement. After public opinion slandered his shameless scholar, most of the people who came to see Zhu Houzhao came with reverence and just wanted to see this great man who once changed their destiny.
"Your Majesty, the road ahead is blocked. When the people in Ningbo heard that you were out, they came from all over the country to see you." Zhang Juzheng, the prefect of Ningbo, came over at this time and said to Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao looked up and saw that there were indeed people outside the fence, and even the boats were full of people.
At the same time, the vendors who followed the flow of people had begun to unload their goods and set up stalls. Some nearby teahouses and restaurants were also full of customers. Naturally, none of the boats was idle. It seemed that wherever Zhu Houzhao went, he would become a tourist. In markets, consumption becomes more active.
Zhu Houzhao had no choice but to get off the sedan chair and greet these people. During the days when he was stationed in Ningbo, the flow of people in Ningbo Prefecture increased five or six times compared with the past. This caused the prices of goods in Ningbo Prefecture to rise a lot. economy.
Moreover, Zhu Houzhao himself did not get free money when he inspected the place. When he saw the school, he asked the inner treasury to donate silver dollars to a building and named it "Zhu Houzhao Building" himself.
In addition, I saw that private charities would also invest tens of thousands of silver dollars, and I saw that some good shops directly blocked angel investors from spending tens of thousands of dollars in investment.
Fan Qin, the right minister of the Ministry of War, who resigned, wanted to build Tianyi Pavilion. Zhu Houzhao gave him 50,000 silver dollars and encouraged him to collect books from all over the world. Huangdian, which specializes in manufacturing mechanical watches, holds half of its shares in Fan's business to help him run Tianyige.
Because of this, merchants and people in Ningbo Prefecture built libraries and libraries one after another to echo Zhu Houzhao. In order to strengthen the local economy, guide business development, promote the emergence of more brand products in Ming Dynasty, and even derive cultural symbols of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao will set up corresponding awards such as top 50 watch stores, clothing stores, gourmet stores and so on wherever he goes. He will award tens of thousands of silver dollars to stores that win this honor to promote their development.
Precisely because Zhu Houzhao visited the local area and spread money everywhere and extended kindness, local businessmen and people were even more grateful for Zhu Houzhao's kindness.
The number of scholars who came to visit Zhu Houzhao only increased instead of decreasing because of their admiration for him.
Looking at the overcrowded city of Ningbo, Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied. He knew that this was the result of his painstaking efforts to reform the Ming Dynasty for decades. With the popularization of education and the real benefits being obvious, sometimes, some people with ulterior motives wanted to slander it at will. It’s also very difficult for me.
After all, although Zhu Houzhao controlled most of the empire's wealth, he did not use this wealth to enjoy himself blindly, but instead fed it back to the people.
Of course, wherever Zhu Houzhao goes, it is still very tiring for local officials.
Although Zhu Houzhao's arrival increased the flow of people and increased economic income, it also increased the difficulty of management. It also made them worry that their poor management would lead to people going to seek grievances from the Supreme Emperor again.
However, it is difficult for people to make everyone satisfied with themselves, and the same is true for Zhu Houzhao. He benefited people all over the world, but not everyone in the world praised him highly.
For some southern nobles who were eager to continue enslaving the common people, the idea of equality brought by Zhu Houzhao made them lose the opportunity to use the clan laws and rural treaties to enslave the common people at the local level, making them unable to be superiors to others. They are very wealthy, but it still makes them uncomfortable to have to respect the migrant workers who carry manure, pave roads and build bridges.
Zhu Houzhao's frequent presence in Ningbo Fucheng made Wan He, a gentry who had been in contact with the Shuangyu Island pirates, aware of this, and he couldn't help but find Cao Cai, a businessman who was in contact with Shuangyu Island:
"Go quickly and tell Feders that the Supreme Emperor is still in Ningbo City. It seems that the attack on Ningbo Mansion has not been discovered by the Imperial Guards. Now the Supreme Emperor is still visiting Ningbo City with great fanfare."
In fact, although Zhu Houzhao pretended not to know that there was a police force in Ningbo Prefecture, he had already ordered his people to be tight on the outside and tight on the inside. Therefore, soon after the businessman Cao Cai sent someone to contact the pirates on Shuangyu Island, Jinyiwei found He captured Cao Cai and escorted Cao Cai to Li Tianchong.
Li Tianchong quickly found out some secrets through interrogation, and hurriedly reported to Zhu Houzhao:
"Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, according to Cao Cai's confession, former Shanxi Right Councilor Wanhe colluded with the Japanese pirates on Shuangyu Island. Moreover, there is a secret contact point for the Japanese pirates in Baxiang Town, ten miles away from Ningbo Fucheng."
After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but nodded: "No wonder Fan Qin said that the richest family in Ningbo is the Wan family, with no less than thirty ships going to sea. But I found out from the Ningbo Shipping Department's tariff records that the tax paid by these Wan families is only the third. Fourth, it seems now that the Wan family is indeed a restless family.”
"Then what should we do now?" Li Tianchong asked.
"Collude with the Japanese pirates and plot to kill me. What else can I do? Dress up as a Japanese pirate with guards in royal robes and wipe out the Wanhe family. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will let the people of Ningbo City see Wanhe's head at the city gate!"
The man named Cao Cai is not dealt with yet, as well as the Japanese pirate smuggling stronghold in Baxiang Town. They are not dealt with yet, so as not to let the Japanese pirates who attack Ningbo notice them. When the Japanese pirates attack Ningbo come, they will all be caught! ”
Zhu Houzhao ordered that he was the Ming Dynasty Emperor and had no responsibility to catch typical legal cases. Naturally, he did not need to expose the evidence that these coastal nobles colluded with Japanese pirates and then hand it over to the Secretary for processing, and the existence of the Jin Yiwei in his hand Just do these dark things behind your back.
When the people redressed their grievances, it was like putting the case in the open. Zhu Houzhao couldn't openly break the law, but now that he knew secretly about the Japanese comrades of these coastal nobles, he could naturally handle it directly with Jin Yiwei. .
When the tide had just receded, and the night was so deep that even the waning moon was pressed into the sea water, a group of Japanese guards dressed as Japanese pirates rushed into Wanhe's manor, and quickly killed Wanhe's wealthy family with their dazzling Japanese swords. The slave's neck was wiped off, blood instantly splattered on the white wall, and a shrill scream could be heard.
Japanese pirates must look like Japanese pirates, and the Jinyiwei generals pretending to be Japanese pirates will naturally not be as benevolent as they usually do when they raid homes and kill the entire Wanjia family in a river of blood.
Wan He looked at these vicious Japanese pirates and was stunned for a moment, because he never thought that he would be robbed by Japanese pirates after having cooperated with Japanese pirates for so many years. He couldn't help but asked loudly: "Who do you belong to, Shuangyu Island?" Mr. Li is Wan’s brother. You are not giving them face by doing this!”
Phew!
Jin Yiwei Yu Zhen stabbed Wan He in the stomach: "Collude with Japanese pirates and harm the people. You wouldn't have thought that one day you would end up with the same fate."
According to Zhu Houzhao's instructions, the selection of Jinyiwei selected a group of surviving young children and girls from some villages and towns that had been plundered by pirates, Japanese bandits, and barbarians, and brainwashed them with various information about pirates, Japanese bandits, barbarians, etc., so that People in Jinyiwei hate those who do evil very much.
Today, the same is true for Yu Zhen. Thirty years ago, he was the son of an ordinary boatman in Fujian. However, his family was robbed and killed by Japanese pirates at sea, causing him to lose his parents. He was rescued by the coast guard who came to the sea and has since entered the Jinyiwei system.
Now, when facing a Japanese squire like Wan He, Yu Zhen still had deep hatred. He stabbed Wan He several times until he was exhausted, then he put the knife away and another Jinyi guard also came to chop him. , venting long-suppressed hatred.
Wan He didn't realize until he died at the hands of whose hands he died, but now that he was dead, he naturally could no longer tell the story.
"Japanese chaos! This is Japanese chaos!"
Zhu Houzhao said to Zhang Juzheng, who has gained experience in decentralized areas and is now in charge of Ningbo.
Naturally, he would not admit that Jin Yiwei did it.
Zhang Juzheng was not able to expose that this was the work of the Jinyiwei, and he also knew that these nobles deserved their crimes, so he also agreed: "What the Supreme Emperor said is true, this is indeed caused by the Japanese pirates' rebellion, and the lower officials have ordered everyone to strengthen their vigilance. ”
Zhu Houzhao nodded without saying much.
When Liu Cheng, a gentry far away in Haimen, learned that Wan He had been killed by Japanese pirates, he was both shocked and angry: "Sent people to ask Mr. Li's family. Didn't they say they wanted to attack Ningbo Mansion? Who asked them to rob Wan Hezheng?" Home! A bunch of people who don’t know the king. The law tells them to treat the nobles with courtesy. Why don’t they listen? Are they trying to force the entire southeast to fight against the Japanese? If it gets to that point, let’s see how they survive!”< br>
Of course, in fact, what Liu Cheng didn't know was that some Japanese pirates plundered the nobles during this period not because the Japanese pirates did not know the situation and the interests, but because their supreme emperor Zhu Houzhao was secretly making trouble.
(End of chapter)