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Volume 13: Reviving the Ming Dynasty Chapter 669: Government-Business Alliance

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    Hong Chengchou looked at the Fujian officials and the generals in several guard posts with a frosty face. He never imagined that such a tragedy would happen to greet his arrival.  Several towns near Quanzhou were attacked by pirates, resulting in many casualties and many women being brutally humiliated.  Compared with this, the money robbed by pirates is negligible. Is this the answer given by the tens of thousands of people in Fujian?

    But after all, Hong Chengchou was not a reckless person. He knew that everything now depended on the local officials, so he did not have a conflict with them on the spot.  After forcing himself to suppress the anger in his heart, he said coldly: "I'm afraid what happened this time cannot be explained by the thieves' cunning surprise attack, right? Tell me, what mistake did we make?" []

    Several civil servants looked at the military attach¨¦s, not without gloating in their hearts.  For a long time, the status of military generals has not been high in the eyes of civilian officials. However, in just a few years, with the changes in the court's policies, the status of military officers has been improved. This naturally tends to cause some conflicts in the local area.  Reflecting on current events, there has been a lack of cooperation between civilian officials and military attach¨¦s, and when something goes wrong, civilian officials like to put all the blame on military commanders.

    Of course, those military officers who held the positions of thousands of households in the guard station in such a remote place were no match for those civil servants. After looking at their half-shirking and half-ridiculing eyes, someone slapped the table and said angrily: "Although this is  No matter what the fault, other people are also responsible. When I first learned about this, I suggested that the people in those villages and towns should find a way to move into the city, but they just refused to do it, which led to  The people were killed by those thieves!"

    "Hmph, it's easy for you to say. How can those tens of thousands of people be moved? Not to mention that most of the people are unwilling to move to the big city. Even if they are really willing to follow orders, they can't do it in just a few days.  Yes. It¡¯s not like you soldiers didn¡¯t care about things, you were actually killed by those pirates, and you actually had the nerve to say something wrong about us!¡±

    "I" When the generals heard this, their faces became sad, and they really couldn't say anything to defend themselves.  Because it is indeed their responsibility to be driven directly into the inland by those pirates. This is also an indisputable fact.  But they also had troubles that they couldn't tell. None of the soldiers and horses under their command could satisfy them. They were all weak masters who could manage ordinary people and let them fight against the fierce pirates.  It's obviously unrealistic.  But they didn't know the attitude of the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court towards this, and they couldn't say it clearly for a while.

    Hong Chengchou sighed, then glared at the officials and said: "Now I am not asking you to argue and shirk responsibility. I just want to know how this failure was caused. We have to find out the problem.  So that we can avoid making the same mistakes again in the future." Now that's all he could say. Otherwise, I'm afraid nothing could be done and they would have to listen to each other.

    Since the superior officers who came here had said so, the real generals no longer concealed anything and spoke out the lessons they had learned happily: "Sir, the reason why those thieves were able to break into us so easily this time  In the hinterland of Fujian, apart from their sudden arrival and killing one of our undefended troops, the most critical thing is the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves. Not only do those red-haired men have sharp firearms and do not belong to Fujian, but more importantly  Or in terms of morale and combat effectiveness.

    "When they came ashore that day, we deployed an equal number of men and horses there. However, once we encountered the enemy, our officers and soldiers immediately fell into a disadvantage and eventually retreated. Only in this way will the thieves be able to easily  They have invaded the hinterland of Fujian. Sir, it¡¯s not because we are unwilling to use our heart, but the strength of the officers and soldiers in our hands is too weak, and we are no match for those thieves!"

    Since the civil officials saw that they did not put the responsibility on themselves, they stopped refuting, while Hong Chengchou frowned tightly.  Before coming to Fujian, Tang Feng had said something to him alone: ??"The officers and soldiers in Fujian may not be the opponent of those red-haired men. If you really want to defeat the enemy, you have to find another way. As far as I know, now  There is a group of people in Fujian that are very suitable for us to use, and that is the Zheng family who had submitted a memorial before. When you go to Fujian this time, remember to find them well and use their strength."

    It turns out that before coming here, Hong Chengchou was somewhat dissatisfied with Tang Feng's view.  How can local forces compare with the regular troops of the imperial court?  What's more, I heard that they had just suffered a defeat, so it was impossible to help him anyway. Moreover, if they really borrowed their strength, what would happen if the Zheng family became more powerful in Fujian and became too powerful to lose?  It was precisely because of several concerns that he had always had difficulty making this decision. Only because it was Tang Feng's order, he reluctantly kept it in mind.

      But after learning about the current predicament in Fujian and hearing about the incompetence of the officers and soldiers from the generals, Hong Chengchou's previous persistence was shaken.  "It seems that the Duke has a clear understanding of the current situation in Fujian. He knew that the government and the army were not good enough, so he thought of using the power of local powerful people to my advantage. But they have just been hit hard. Can they really help us?"  Turning around, Hong Chengchou couldn't help but have a wry smile on his face. The imperial court had to rely on local forces to defend the border. This was an embarrassing thing no matter what.

    "Sir" Seeing the change in the expression on Hong Chengchou's face, several officials looked at him with some anxiety, fearing that he would cause trouble for them in anger.  Although Fujian is located in a remote area, there was little to gain in the past, and more people came here because of oppression. However, after the changes in the court's policies in recent years, these officials have benefited a lot, and they naturally do not want to lose it now.  Got this good location.

    Fortunately, Hong Chengchou didn't mean to attack them. He was stunned for a moment and then said: "I will report this matter to the court. At that time, the court will make a fair and just decision on this matter. But you all also  The situation is excusable, so I will clarify it to the court and put in a good word for you."

    When everyone heard this, there was a burst of joy on their faces. Finally, the imperial envoy who came here was easy to serve.  But then, Hong Chengchou's next words made them feel uneasy again: "However, those were all things before I arrived. Now that I have arrived, I will never tolerate seeing such a loss of Ming Dynasty's prestige and power.  The people of the Ming Dynasty were humiliated and lost their lives again!"

    This put the military generals in a big dilemma: "But your lord, the combat power of our guards' officers and soldiers is reallyeven if your lord brought thousands of elites from the capital, in terms of weapons alone, their artillery is  And the muskets are far beyond what our people can match, how is it possible to win?"

    "The imperial court has also taken this into consideration. In addition to bringing men and horses, this time I have also brought you sufficient firearms. Perhaps you don't know this, but my Ming Dynasty's firearms have long been outmatched. Before,  It is precisely because of this that the Jin Kingdom was able to be destroyed." In order to boost everyone's morale, Hong Chengchou naturally wanted to express the true strength of the Ming Dynasty today.

    "Really?" Everyone was excited when they heard this, especially the generals, who were even more happy.  They knew the role of firearms in battle. If it weren't for the pirates' covering bombardment with firearms when they approached the coast, it would not have been so simple for them to successfully reach the shore.  And once it was difficult for them to even get ashore, how could it be possible for them to rob people and kill people?  As a result, even the civil servants became interested. Everyone looked at Hong Chengchou hopefully, thinking that he represented the emperor, so he couldn't just talk nonsense here, right?

    Hong Chengchou nodded solemnly, and then said: "Yes, this is true! The military strength of our Ming Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. Otherwise, why do you think we can destroy the Jin Kingdom, which has always been a worry for our Ming Dynasty?"  After boosting everyone's morale, he continued: "But based on this alone, we still can't defeat the red-haired man, because the imperial court wants to get rid of all these enemies who dare to invade our sea territory, so we can only  Relying on defense is not enough, we still have to attack. But according to your point of view, it is very difficult to fight with the officers and soldiers of the various defense stations in Fujian."

    Hearing this, the faces of several generals were filled with shame. Their soldiers were so useless that they really had no shame in dealing with them.  Let alone letting these people go out to sea to fight pirates in ships, even on land, when they see those tall, red-and-yellow-haired, weird-looking enemies coming to kill them, they will retreat.  If you want to expect these frightened soldiers to kill the enemy, it is more realistic to expect that the pirates will never come again.

    Seeing their confused expressions, Hong Chengchou expressed his thoughts: "As far as I know, there are many maritime merchants with their own power in Fujian. Why don't you find a solution with them? Hailing  The merchants are also going to sea, and now the appearance of the pirates has also affected their survival. Can we unite them to fight against the pirates?"

    "This" Several civil servants have never thought of doing this. Under the control of their inherent thoughts, they have always had prejudices against businessmen. Even if they have to rely on them to get benefits, they still look down on these businessmen in their bones. This is even more  It is impossible to ask them for help when you are in trouble.  But Hong Chengchou's reminder really opened a new door for them. This is indeed a good way to solve the current problem.

    "Your Excellency is indeed from the imperial court, and he sees things much more clearly than the lower officials. It is in vain that we have been officials here for many years, but we have not even figured this out. We will definitely do what your Excellency said and go to those large merchants."  Discuss this matter with him at his home.¡±

    "No, let me do this." Hong Chengchou said:He waved his hand.  Judging from the expressions of these people after hearing their suggestions, their relationship with these maritime merchants is not yet solid. It is difficult to expect them to persuade a powerful force like the Zheng family to be used by the court. The only way is to rely on them.  Alone.

    "A few people are actually very clear about their own situation. Seeing that the imperial envoy can take over this matter, they are naturally happy to see it happen.  But some people still worried and said: "Sir, Fujian has been a barren land for many years and has not been transformed into a king. If those maritime merchants did something to offend you with their own money"

    "Although I am not a prime minister, I still have a bit of tolerance for people. You can rest assured." Hong Chengchou smiled, and then said solemnly on his face: "But you still have to take this matter seriously. I am Ming Dynasty."  It is impossible to always ask them to help with this in our coastal areas. Since the current guards in Fujian are not strong enough, we should find other ways to find warriors who can fight the enemy. There are many bloody men in Ming Dynasty. Is it possible that Fujian is just a province?  Can't you raise tens of thousands of elite soldiers?

    "Now that the imperial court is reforming the guard system, you just take this opportunity to carry out reforms first. Not only will it be helpful for your own protection, but you will also be able to show your face to the imperial court."

    These words were both benevolent and powerful, and it was really difficult for them to refuse. After thinking for a while, both the civil servants and the military generals agreed.  It seems that after this lesson, the civil and military officials in Fujian also saw their own shortcomings and thought of changes.

    After meeting with Fujian officials and resting for one night to get rid of the fatigue from the journey, Hong Chengchou set up several tables of wine and food at the most famous Qingyuan Hall in Fuzhou to entertain the big businessmen from Fujian. Of course,  Including the Zheng family.

    At the beginning, the businessmen didn't know much about the imperial envoy's intentions, and were very cautious. They thought that he was so anxious to ask them to wait just to get some benefits, so they all brought a lot of banknotes with them.  Meaning meaning.  But after drinking for three rounds, the imperial envoy said what he meant, which shocked everyone.

    After holding the wine glass and gesturing to everyone, Hong Chengchou said: "You are all well-known figures in Fujian. And the reason why we are where we are today, I think no one understands it better than you, right? That's because of the imperial court  His wise decision opened up foreign trade on the sea. Of course, this is not enough. It also requires the efforts of each company, and" At this point, he paused slightly and looked at the surrounding merchants.  Seeing that everyone was listening carefully to his words, he then added: "and the smooth flow of sea routes. Now, a group of thieves have appeared along the coast of Fuzhou. They not only plundered everywhere on the sea, but also went ashore to kill people and plunder.  , this is really intolerable.

    "The imperial court has just sent me to coordinate all the military and political matters in Fujian. However, I also know that I can only rely on my own efforts to defeat those pirates, so I hope  Can you all help us! When you go out to sea for business on weekdays, you must have your own protective power. Although your power alone is not enough to fight against the pirates, as long as you and my government join forces, you will definitely have an advantage.  Yes. I wonder if you think my opinion is correct?"

    Those maritime merchants looked at the imperial envoy with some surprise. They did not expect that he, who represented the dignity of the imperial court, would actually ask for help. This was so flattering to them.  After the pirates appeared on the sea, these people wanted to unite. However, due to various reasons, this idea could only be an idea. The most critical one was not only their lack of trust in each other, but also the fear of the court's suspicion.  .  If the imperial court becomes wary of them and takes action against them, all these merchants will suffer.

    But seeing that even the Zheng family suffered this defeat, these businessmen were even more anxious.  Now that the imperial envoy sent by the imperial court actually asked them for help, of course no one would refuse.  Immediately, several people expressed their opinions: "Sir, we will definitely live up to your high expectations. I dare not say more. It is not difficult for us maritime merchants to gather one or two thousand ships. As long as you say a word, we will  I must follow the army to fight those red-haired men."

    "Okay, I'm very pleased that everyone can do this. If we can work together as one, why worry about the enemy not being defeated!" Hong Chengchou smiled happily.  The other businessmen naturally expressed their opinions one by one.  But among these people, there was a young man who did not follow what others said, but just watched silently, which was very conspicuous among the enthusiastic crowd.

    "Who is this?" Hong Chengchou soon discovered this special person and asked the people around him.

    "He is Zheng Chenggong, the young master of the Zheng family. The Zheng family lost a hand in the previous naval battle and lost many men, so they have no men left to help you." Someone immediately introduced him, with a still tone.  There is a bit of schadenfreude.

    "Oh? It's actually Zheng ??? people?  "Hong Chengchou was concerned, but he didn't say anything in person.

    After everyone made a performance, they left one after another.  When sending everyone out, Hong Chengchou said to Zheng Chenggong, who was somewhat isolated: "Master Zheng, please wait!" In the eyes of everyone, who were either confused or mocking, Zheng Chenggong followed Hong Chengchou to the quiet place on the other side.

    "I have heard about the Zheng family. You have made such sacrifices for the Ming Dynasty. The court and I admire you very much. But even though you have suffered such a setback, you don't need to be so depressed. The court will definitely give you a  Fair."

    "Sir, you have misunderstood. The common people are not unhappy because my Zheng family has lost many people. The rise and fall are determined by God. Our Zheng family can afford this setback. The common people are just" Zheng Chenggong said this, but  Somewhat difficult to export.

    "Oh? You have something to say, but it doesn't matter."

    "The villain is just not so optimistic about the views of adults and seniors. The combat power of those Western pirates at sea is far beyond ours, so just relying on this small number of troops is not enough to fight them.  I was worried that everyone would make the same mistake as my Zheng family, and I was also worried that everyone would not listen, so"

    "How do you say this?" Now Hong Chengchou did not dare to be careless. As he asked, he said: "If you have any opinions, please send me a message."
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