Chapter 979 1068 Zhang Wei Secret Discussion

Chapter 979 1068 Zhang Wei Secret Discussion

In the mid-sixteenth century, the Chinese coast was an era of pirates.

Japanese pirates, Portuguese, Spanish and other pirates all made a living on the Chinese coast, and the most powerful among them were of course Chinese pirates.

Perhaps, after docking, they were all decent businessmen, but once they arrived at the sea, a place full of violence and barbarity, they would turn into pirates who did all kinds of evil.

During the Jiajing period, Xu Hai and Wang Zhi dominated the ocean, while during the Longqing period, there were sea pirates Zeng Yiben, Lin Daogan, Lin Feng and others, all of whom were famous pirate leaders in the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong at that time. When they were at their strongest, they even besieged Guangzhou City and defeated the famous general Yu Dayou.

Lin Feng was from Raoping, Chaozhou, Guangdong. He went to sea at the age of 19 and led his people to travel the sea during the Jiajing and Wanli periods.

At the peak of his power, he had more than 300 ships under his command and more than 40,000 personnel.

In the second year of Longqing, Lin Feng led his people to capture the Shenquan Town in Huilai. In the second year, he plundered Chenghai and retreated to Guangzhou. During this period, Zeng Yiben had died in battle, and Lin Feng's power began to develop.

Lin Feng's arrogance attracted the attention of the Ming court. The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor of Fujian asked Yu Dayou to encircle and suppress Lin Feng with all his strength. Lin Feng was unable to do it alone and had to flee to Dongfan Wanggang through Penghu.

At this time, the southeast coast of the Ming Dynasty had formed a barrier because of the existence of the Nanyang Navy, which completely blocked the pirates outside and made it difficult to plunder the coastal prefectures and counties.

Especially during this period, because the Ming Dynasty opened Yuegang, a large number of pirates mysteriously disappeared, and Lin Feng's pirate group almost became the target of public criticism.

In fact, in the middle and late Longqing period, Lin Feng's pirate group had fallen into a deep crisis.

Due to the opening of Yuegang, a large number of Japanese pirates or smugglers abandoned their original business, contacted the sea merchants behind them in the past, and successfully washed their hands and went ashore by purchasing trade licenses, that is, the method of ship guides.

This is also the reason why, since the Longqing period, although there are still sea pirates from time to time, the warning of Japanese pirates has been greatly reduced.

These whitewashed pirates have become legitimate sea merchants, and are also requisitioned by the government from time to time. As the official navy, they have added a lot of auxiliary forces to ensure the court's control over the coast.

Therefore, it is not only difficult for Lin Feng to settle in Fujian and Guangdong, but also very difficult to recruit new reinforcements.

Anyone who wants to make money on the sea will naturally go to Yuegang to find opportunities, rather than running to be a pirate.

In just a few years, the number of pirates led by Lin Feng has dropped sharply from a peak of 40,000 to more than 10,000.

After Yu Dayou attacked Dongfan Manggang, when Lin Feng escaped from Dongfan Island, there were only more than 60 warships of various sizes and a population of about 6,000.

It can be said that in this era, there is no future for being a pirate on the coast of Daming.

But Lin Feng was a pirate registered by the Ming court. Even if he chose to surrender, he would most likely follow the old path of Xu Hai and Wang Zhi.

It can be said that Hu Zongxian's killing of Xu Hai and Wang Zhi did have a bad effect, that is, pirates dare not surrender.

Surrender means death, and stubborn resistance may lead to death, or survival, or at worst, escape to the South Seas.

The sea breeze blew up the sea surface and rolled up waves, and seabirds were flying in the sky, constantly making harsh calls.

On the sea north of Luzon, a huge fleet was slowly approaching.

Luzon, for Lin Feng, had heard of it countless times, but it was really the first time he came here.

He was not familiar with this place, so he could only urge his men to be alert and pay attention to every move on the island.

Manila is located in the west of Luzon Island. It is a natural harbor with unique advantages, which is why the Spaniards took a fancy to it.

However, Lin Feng was used to being a pirate, so he naturally knew that he would send out sentinels around, so he thought that the Spaniards should also set up sentinels in various directions of Luzon and send out a small number of sentinels to observe the surroundings.

In fact, when Yu Dayou attacked Wanggang this time, Lin Feng was able to lead the remnants to escape because he received an early warning before the attack was launched. Otherwise, he would be blocked in the port by the Ming navy, and it would be a situation where he could not escape even if he had wings.

"Boss, there are small boats coming out over there."

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed pirate pointed at a corner of Luzon in the distance and shouted.

"Send a few speedboats to chase them, and don't let them run away."

Lin Feng decisively issued an order, and soon the pirate ship issued an order, and four or five speedboats quickly chased them while the sailors paddled desperately.

Although the Spanish population in Luzon was small, Manila Governor Sander still set up many sentinels around Luzon, just like the reason why Yu Dayou asked Deng Zilong to establish several observation bases in the eastern part of Dongfan Island even if he couldn't find a good port.

Although the ship's navigators were the captured Spanish sailors, they were not stupid and would not take them directly to the port of Manila, allowing the pirates to easily attack the city they had just occupied.

Therefore, they took them to the sea area in northern Luzon where there were observation posts, hoping that the garrison would alert Manila.

However, their little tricks could not be hidden from Lin Feng.

He planned to attack Manila, but he did not plan to fight a big battle with the Spaniards, so it was extremely important to block the news of their arrival.

"Go cut off the nose of that barbarian and throw it into the sea. You still want to fool us."

Looking at the ship chasing after him, Lin Feng said with a mocking look on his face.

"Yes, big boss."

A pirate beside him agreed and turned to walk back.

Not long after, a shrill scream came from the stern of the ship, but after the sound of a heavy object falling into the sea, there was no other noise.

"Send two boats over, be careful there are still barbarians there."

Then, Lin Feng gave another order.

"Rest here tonight and go to Manila tomorrow."

In this era, it is actually very risky for sea-going ships to sail at sea at night, not to mention that it is still an unfamiliar sea area.

Coming from Dongfan Island and passing through the Bashi Strait, the group was already exhausted and needed a place to rest in order to prepare for the war ahead.

Although, in Lin Feng's view, as long as they could successfully attack Manila, with just a few thousand of them, it would be as easy as picking out a city garrisoned by hundreds of people, but the Yi people had sharp firearms, so he had to be careful.

It's just right to have a good rest here for half a day.

Half an hour later, the pirates who came ashore came back and said that they found no foreigners. Lin Feng then directed the fleet to move to the shore so that his men could take turns to go to the island to rest.

Even pirates like them are used to wandering on the sea. They will still feel a little uncomfortable when their legs leave the ship and step on the mainland. Their bodies are used to the swaying, so they will naturally react like this. It will be fine after half a day. .

Arriving on the island, Lin Feng quickly summoned his men to discuss a plan to attack Manila.

Naturally, the Ming court did not know that there were domestic pirates crossing the ocean to conquer Manila. If Wei Guangde had known about it, he might have prayed in his heart to help them succeed.

Because if Lin Feng established a foothold in Luzon, then Yu Dayou's Nanyang Navy could send troops to Luzon in the name of suppressing Japanese invaders to seize this unclaimed land.

At this time in the capital city, the streets were cleanly cleaned, and many intersections were decorated with lights and colorful decorations, making it look very festive.

This is all because Shuntian Prefecture notified the chiefs of each city below to clean the streets and arrange street intersections.

The reason is, of course, to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Wanli.

Early in the morning, the imperial court gathered to congratulate the emperor. Later, the ladies of various palaces in Beijing also entered the palace to pay their respects to the queen mothers of the two palaces and congratulate the emperor on his birthday.

The Ministry of Etiquette is responsible for the management, so naturally there is no need for the cabinet to dictate the matter. It is all done in accordance with the rules and regulations.

"Shandai, what happened in Myanmar seems to have spread in the capital."

The imperial meeting was over, and there was still a banquet given by the emperor, but there was more than an hour in between, so the three cabinet members chose to return to the cabinet to deal with some memorials.

On the way, Zhang Juzheng whispered to Wei Guangde.

"It's only a matter of time before the news spreads. So many people in the Fifth Army Commander's Mansion and the Ministry of War know about it. It's almost impossible to keep it a secret."

Wei Guangde smiled as expected. He also learned from Zhang Ji last night that there were secret rumors among Beijing officials that the imperial court might use troops against Burma and what the situation was there.

Wei Guangde didn't mind this.

If the news is kept secret, and then suddenly it is reported that the imperial court is going to send troops to attack Burma, it will be troublesome. Many officials who do not know the truth will definitely rise up to oppose it.

How could you attack the Ming Dynasty?

However, when Zhang Juzheng said this to himself today, it was obviously not as simple as simply conveying news.

"Shandai, a good friend came to my house last night to intercede for Yun, you see."

Zhang Juzheng did not hesitate, and lowered his voice and whispered to Wei Guangde.

Although Zhang Juzheng did not say in detail who it was and who he was interceding for, the meaning was still very clear when he said this.

"As long as there is no collusion with Mang Yinglong, it's just an oversight, just give him an order and then make external transfers."

Wei Guangde didn't want to cause trouble with Zhang Juzheng over some trivial matters. Although he once wanted to hold those people accountable, he chose to give up after calming down.

The relationship between the Ming Dynasty officials' township party and the same year was intricate and complicated, and touching one person might arouse dissatisfaction or even hostility from a group of people.

As long as he didn't collude with foreign enemies and betray the country, Wei Guangde felt that it wouldn't be a big deal to let him go.

"That's good."

In fact, no official these days would collude with foreign countries, do things that would condemn his ancestors, and betray his country for glory.

Not to mention scholars, even ordinary people will feel superior when seeing the barbarians, and completely look down on these barbarians from the West.

This is in sharp contrast to the society of later generations. After thousands of years, the Han people have developed strong national self-confidence and look down on foreigners at all.

Even when the Japanese pirates were rampant, this was still the case. They were not only cruel, but they were poor and crazy before they came to the Ming Dynasty to rob homes and homes.

When Wei Guangde said this, he naturally agreed with Zhang Juzheng's intention to handle it with care. It was just a matter of applying the imperial edict, and there would be no loss of meat.

As for external transfers, perhaps the officials in Yunnan are still eager to leave that inhospitable place. In fact, the officials in the Ming Dynasty all hope to serve as officials in the prosperous places in the south of the Yangtze River, and the southwest border is naturally not popular.

"I have sent a stern official document to Yunnan, asking them to summon all the propaganda envoys from the propaganda and comfort departments to Kunming to report on their duties. The war in Myanmar may be imminent."

After walking a few steps, Zhang Juzheng spoke again.

If those propaganda envoys were to go to Kunming, they would definitely not go, and the situation in Myanmar would be exposed.

Even if they send others to pretend to be consolation envoys, the Yunnan side has a way to find out their true identities and cannot hide them at all.

In fact, if someone came to Zhang Juzheng to intercede, it can be known that Yunnan still knew that the situation in Myanmar was a bit bad.

It's just that because the war did not spread to the Ming Dynasty border, Yunnan officials were pretending to be ostrich and unwilling to take charge of the affairs.

Perhaps he thought that if he could escape Yunnan as soon as possible, he could avoid this disaster.

But the imperial court had already noticed, and people here in the capital knew something was wrong, so they had to intercede first.

I think the news coming here should have spread to Yunnan.

"Three days later, Li Rusong, Li Rubai and Li Ruzhen will set off to inspect the guard posts in Sichuan, Guangxi and Guizhou, and half a month later Li Chengliang will also set off to inspect the southwest.

With Li Chengliang here, I think there won't be any big trouble. "

Wei Guangde said calmly.

"The person who fears the most criticism about this matter is actually the extra thousand Li family servants in the Beijing camp. If the news leaks, we don't know how the Metropolitan Procuratorate will impeach him."

Zhang Juzheng reminded.

Li Chengliang's servants were all cavalry, which was the predecessor of Guan Ning's cavalry in the late Ming Dynasty.

After receiving orders from Li Chengliang and the Ministry of War in Liaodong, they rushed to the capital at night and settled in the capital camp, which lasted only half a day.

Li Chengliang also knew that the matter was serious, so they entered the capital camp quietly. Except for some nobles serving in the capital camp, no one knew about their arrival.

This matter was naturally reported to the palace.

Otherwise, thousands of tough soldiers would appear outside the capital, and the Jin Yiwei might have started interrogating people long ago.

That is to say, now the palace has actually privately approved that the generals support their servants. After all, it is all for winning the war, otherwise they will never be accommodating.

"Only by taking care of the affairs in Myanmar as soon as possible can the stability of the court be maintained."

Wei Guangde whispered.

According to Li Chengliang's plan, he would not enter Yunnan directly, but would first patrol Sichuan and Guizhou and other places to gather people first.

This is also to save some face for the Mu family in Yunnan. Otherwise, if Li Chengliang enters Yunnan, it will be equivalent to directly taking away the military power that the Mu family has controlled in Yunnan for nearly two hundred years. It will also give a bad impression to Yunnan. Then It means that the imperial court no longer trusts the Mu family.

Such things that are not conducive to the stability of Yunnan are naturally what the court wants to avoid.

According to Wei Guangde's idea, the best reason for this matter is that Yunnan summoned various consolation envoys to Kunming.

When they came, they were naturally asked to tell the truth, and the court had a reason to send troops.

If they don't come, they will be exposed in reverse, and Yunnan can naturally mobilize troops to attack.

In short, if the Yunnan Mu family can successfully solve the Toungoo dynasty, Li Chengliang will not have to take action.

Once the war reached a stalemate, it was naturally unacceptable to the Ming court, so Li Chengliang sent all the armies from three provinces into Yunnan to attack Burma.

But now it seems that Zhang Juzheng wanted to let Li Chengliang intervene in advance, so he took the initiative to test it out.

"It's best to let Li Chengliang solve Burma as soon as possible and let him lead troops to station there for a period of time.

It's not far from the old port, just in time to see if Zhang Lian is really there.

The impact of this matter is too great. If one person is not good, the court will lose face. "

Zhang Juzheng said softly.

Wei Guangde knew what Zhang Juzheng was worried about and just nodded slightly.

The current chief assistant does not want any negative news to come out.