The setting sun was blood-red, like the neck of a decapitated person, the blood gushing out dyed half the sky red, crows flew over the dead branches, startling an old dog looking for food, the dog bared its ferocious fangs, growled hoarsely, and retreated into the shadows with its tail between its legs...
Zhu Ping'an, covered in blood-stained sunset, returned to Linhuai Marquis Mansion at the last moment before curfew.
The Linhuai Marquis Mansion is decorated with lights and is very lively tonight.
After returning to Jingxiang Garden, Zhu Ping'an learned that Linhuai Hou had been rewarded by the court and returned to the capital from Yingtian Prefecture today, bringing with him many specialties from the south. Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu also received some of the specialties, including water chestnuts, crabs, Yingtian brocade, etc. from Jiangnan.
After having dinner at Jingxiang Garden, Zhu Ping'an and Li Shu took gifts in return and went to the East Courtyard to visit Linhuai Hou and his wife.
"Fifth girl, you are really something. You just came, why bring anything with you? Your uncle came back from Yingtian this time and brought back a lot of little things. Rui Ge'er and Niuniu like them very much. Sixth girl also likes them very much. Qiuzhu, Qiuju, go to the warehouse and pick out the new and interesting little things that the master brought back. Pick some of each..."
The wife of Marquis Linhuai took Li Shu to the master bedroom to talk, while Zhu Pingan went to the study to talk with Marquis Linhuai.
"As soon as I entered the capital today, I heard about Yang Jisheng's impeachment of Lord Yan. It's ridiculous to try to shake a tree with an ant. I think Yang Jisheng has lost his mind. I also heard about the court trial today. This matter is unusual. I think some people will be implicated. Zihou, I know that you and Yang Jisheng are both disciples of Lord Xu, and you must have had some interactions before, but you must be careful now and make a clear line between yourself and Yang Jisheng, so as not to suffer an unprovoked disaster. It's not easy for you to be here today, so don't be confused."
After a brief greeting, Linhuai Hou went straight to the point and warned Zhu Ping'an and Yang Jisheng to draw a clear line between themselves and not to be implicated.
Of course, in fact, Marquis Linhuai was more worried that the Marquis Linhuai’s Mansion would be implicated.
"It's from Ping An Province."
Hearing this, Zhu Ping'an's eyelids rolled up, and he nodded calmly, a typical example of someone who says one thing and means another.
If you have different ideas and don't want to talk or argue, it's better to agree with words but mean something to save yourself the trouble.
This is what Zhu Pingan thought.
When Linhuai Hou saw Zhu Ping'an nodded in agreement, he stroked his beard with great satisfaction. He had originally thought that this would take some effort.
"My dear nephew, I have been an official for many years and I have some experience. As an official, you should kowtow more and talk less, do not seek merit, but avoid mistakes, only in this way can you have a prosperous career. You must know that there is no more good fortune, but more blindness and more failure; there is no more trouble, but more trouble and more trouble..."
Now that his worries were gone, Linhuai Hou, as an elder, half-showed off and told Zhu Ping'an some of his experiences as an official, the main points of which were to protect oneself, be good at seizing opportunities, not do things that would hinder others, etc.
Zhu Ping'an looked like he had benefited a lot, but he didn't agree with it in his heart. Being an official like Linhuai Hou said was just a typical idle job, doing nothing. What benefit would it bring to the country and the world? ! Being an official like this would make him a failure to the country and the people. Although he could have done no good or bad, he was guilty! Being an official like this would be worse than being like the drama "Seventh Rank Magistrate" sang: "If an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes."
"Uncle, I wonder what the situation in the southeast is like?" Zhu Ping'an couldn't bear to listen any longer, so he changed the subject.
"My dear nephew, you are asking about the Japanese invasion in the southeast, right?" Linhuai Hou took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Although the Japanese pirates occasionally attack the inland areas along the southeast coast, I think the Japanese invasion will soon be quelled."
Huh?! The Japanese threat is about to be quelled
Zhu Pingan heard this and didn't know what to say to Linhuai Hou. The Japanese invasion is almost over? According to the timeline, it won't be long before the Japanese invaders invade the southeast coast! The Japanese invasion during the Jiajing period lasted for more than ten years, which was longer than the Japanese invasion of China. It will take more than ten years to be pacified!
Seeing Zhu Ping'an's suspicious expression, Linhuai Hou could not help but teach him with the attitude of an elder looking at a younger generation and looking far ahead, "Zihou, you are not in the southeast, so you don't know what's going on in the southeast. The biggest threat to the southeast is the pirate leader Wang Zhi. At the beginning of the year, Wang Zhi annexed the pirate leader Chen Sipan from Fujian, and occupied Ligang, Zhoushan, with the most power among the Japanese pirates in the southeast. Wang Zhi is willing to be recruited. Now that the maritime ban policy has been relaxed, many local officials in the southeast have acquiesced to private maritime trade. The government took advantage of Wang Zhi's desire to be recruited and implemented the policy of using pirates to eliminate pirates, and ordered Wang Zhi to kill Chen Sipan and other pirates who attacked the mainland. Wang Zhi took the initiative to cooperate and worked very hard. He successively pacified Chen Sipan and other pirates who burned, killed and looted, and the threat to Jiangnan was greatly reduced. In this situation, either recruiting Wang Zhi or luring him to death, the threat to the southeast will be settled in the near future..."
Zhu Ping'an once again didn't know what to say when he saw the look in Linhuai Hou's eyes.
Although Wang Zhi had great expectations for the imperial court, he was only a large force among the Japanese pirates. Many other Japanese pirates did not obey him, such as Xiao Xian, Deng Wenjun, Lin Bichuan, Shenmen in Fujian, He Yaba in Guangdong, and even some of Wang Zhi's subordinates, such as Xu Hai, did not agree with Wang Zhi's ideas and did not obey his management. In fact, Wang Zhi could neither eliminate the pirates nor restrain his subordinates. Recruiting him would not quell the Japanese invasion, and luring him to death would only further stimulate the Japanese invasion.
Besides, Wang Zhi worked hard to evaluate other pirates in order to expand his power. However, Wang Zhi was not really interested in the peace. What he sought was "tribute". Wang Zhi wanted to establish a country with the Japanese pirates, seek independence and division, and then replace Japan's tribute position, trade with the Ming Dynasty, and monopolize the Ming Dynasty's overseas trade. In the later period, he raised the banners of "Jinghai King" and "Hui King", which meant that he established a country with the strength of the Japanese pirates. How can I allow others to snore beside my bed? Wang Zhi was so ambitious and colluded with the Japanese pirates. His hands were stained with the blood of the people of the Ming Dynasty. How could the Ming Dynasty recruit him
How can the Japanese invasion be put down so quickly
Historically, the Japanese invasion broke out violently and reached its peak along the southeastern coast, which was triggered by the offer of amnesty to lure and kill Wang Zhi.
"Since I entered Yingtian and became the commander of the Jiang River, I have driven out several groups of Japanese pirates along the coast. At that time, there were several sailing ships with several real Japanese pirates on board. The men had tattoos on their faces and bodies, and did not wear a group of robes. The banners were connected together without any sewing, and Japanese swords were hung on their waists..."
For the next half hour, Linhuai Hou boasted about his achievements, which made Zhu Pingan feel embarrassed.
We were just using warships to drive away a few broken wooden boats, not to annihilate them. It's as if we were commanding a million-strong army to pacify the Japanese pirates
However, being able to expel several gangs of Japanese pirates is not bad. At least it is not considered as just sitting there doing nothing and doing nothing.
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