Seeing that Linhuai Hou seemed to have something to say, Zhu Ping'an asked Liu Dadao and others to escort the food and money in front, while he and Linhuai Hou slowed down their pace and lagged behind them by several meters, leaving enough distance for them to talk.
Sure enough, after exchanging a few pleasantries, Linhuai Hou sighed and said, "Alas, I regret not listening to my nephew's advice."
"What do you mean, uncle?" Zhu Ping'an asked softly, not knowing what Linhuai Hou meant.
"A few days ago, you suggested that I petition His Majesty to build more warships and restore the old quota, but I didn't listen to you. Once when I was having a drink with Duke Wei, I mentioned this, and I didn't expect that Duke Wei would remember it. He took your suggestion and petitioned His Majesty, and His Majesty approved it. I only learned about this yesterday when I received a report from the court. I heard that His Majesty also ordered someone to reward Duke Wei's residence in the capital with ice."
Linhuai Hou beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying that he regretted not listening to Zhu Ping'an's words. This achievement and reward should have belonged to him. If he could go back in time, he would definitely adopt Zhu Ping'an's advice and submit a memorial to the emperor.
So that's what it is.
To be honest, Zhu Ping'an was somewhat happy when he heard the news... He was not gloating over the fact that Linhuai Hou did not listen to his advice, but he was happy for the increase in warships at Jiangkou. With the increase in warships, the strength of the navy was enhanced, and the anti-Japanese force would also be strengthened, which was good news for the future suppression of the Japanese pirates.
"When we were having a drink, Duke Wei became absent-minded after listening to my suggestion and left in a hurry. At that time, I thought he was upset about the affairs in the rear house. Now I think he was just in a hurry to go back to submit memorials. This memorial thief. I must visit Duke Wei someday to ask for an explanation." Marquis Linhuai thought of the scene when he had a drink and shook his head repeatedly in regret.
"Uncle, calm down. Anger can damage the liver..." Zhu Ping'an opened his mouth and consoled softly.
Actually, it is not appropriate to blame Duke Wei too much for this matter. Although he submitted the memorial secretly, which was a bit unkind, after all, it was you who didn't want the suggestion first. If someone else wants the thing you don't want, it is not appropriate to blame him too much.
"This thief is the garrison commander of Yingtian. I must go to his house and ask for an explanation." Marquis Linhuai snorted.
Yingtian Defense? !
After hearing what Duke Wei said, Zhu Ping'an's eyes lit up. It turned out that Duke Wei was the garrison commander of Yingtian.
In Yingtian today, the most powerful or the most powerful are three people. One is the exhibition engineer, who is actually the Yingtian Military Minister, because the Yingtian Military Minister basically holds this position concurrently. Another is the garrison eunuch, and the third is the Yingtian garrison commander. The three of them jointly manage the affairs of Yingtian. Although the Yingtian Military Minister is the one who makes the decision, the other two people's voice cannot be ignored.
I am responsible for the military preparations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so I will definitely have to deal with them. No matter what, Duke Wei owes me a favor, so it will definitely be smoother when dealing with them in the future.
After feeling regretful for a while, Linhuai Hou squinted his eyes and looked at Zhu Pingan, praising him, "The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves ahead, and each wave is stronger than the last. My nephew has reached the fifth rank before he is even twenty years old. His vision and ability are truly admirable."
"Uncle, thank you for the compliment. I don't deserve it. It was just a coincidence last time." Zhu Ping'an said modestly.
"My dear nephew, you are too modest. Ahem, I regret not listening to your advice at the beginning. I wonder if you have any good suggestions regarding the current situation?" Linhuai Hou stared at Zhu Ping'an with his small eyes without blinking, and said expectantly.
Forehead
Is this why you came?! After hearing this, Zhu Pingan finally understood the purpose of Linhuai Hou's visit.
"Uncle, Ping'an has just entered the officialdom and has only some immature ideas. How can he make any good suggestions? The last time was just a coincidence..." Facing the expectant gaze of Linhuai Hou, Zhu Ping'an smiled bitterly.
"My dear nephew, you and I are uncle and son-in-law. There is nothing that cannot be said. Feel free to tell me what you think."
Linhuai Hou urged.
Well, now that things have come to this, what else can I do? Zhu Pingan couldn't help but smile bitterly.
However, Marquis Linhuai was from a noble family and a family of military generals. Some of his words might be more appropriate to be passed on through their mouths than to a civil servant like himself who had just entered the officialdom.
Zhu Pingan raised his head and looked at Linhuai Hou, "Uncle, Pingan does have some immature ideas, please give me some advice."
"My dear nephew, you are too polite. But there is no harm in talking. We can learn from each other." Linhuai Hou smiled and said repeatedly.
"Uncle, in today's situation, the issue that concerns your identity and responsibilities most is the Japanese invasion." Zhu Ping'an said softly.
"My dear nephew, what you said is very true. The Japanese invasion is becoming more and more serious. In coastal areas such as Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian, there are news of Japanese invasions almost every day. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese invasion has been the worst."
Linhuai Hou nodded and sighed.
"My uncle is now the commander-in-chief of the Left Army of Yingtian and the commander of the Left Guard of the Navy. Let's not talk about the Japanese invasion in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Fujian and other places for now, let's just talk about the Japanese invasion in the southern Zhili area. The Japanese pirates are now stationed in Baoshan at the mouth of the river, taking advantage of the sea and wreaking havoc in the southern Zhili area. Taicang, Yingzhou, Xuzhou, as well as Suzhou, Songjiang, Huaiyang and other places have all suffered from the Japanese pirates, causing heavy losses. The Japanese pirates roamed from one place to another. Due to administrative boundary restrictions, the government troops in various places fought separately and it was difficult to coordinate to resist the Japanese. As a result, they were taken advantage of by the Japanese pirates. They burned, killed and looted when the situation was favorable, and fled to another place when the situation was unfavorable. "The Japanese pirates are becoming more and more arrogant, and the losses in various places are becoming more and more severe. Ping An secretly thinks that Yingtian is a fundamental and important place, Zhenjiang and Jingkou are the throats of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, and Guabu and Yizhen are the gateways for grain transport. Why not follow the example of the eighth and ninth years of Jiajing and add a general officer stationed in Zhenjiang or Jinshanwei to rectify the Yangtze River and the sea, control the Huaihai, supervise the coastal defense, and govern the prefectures of Su and Song, and coordinate the official troops in various places in Nanzhili. In this way, Nanzhili will be a chessboard, move in unison, and work together to resist the Japanese pirates. Isn't it good? What do you think, uncle?"
Zhu Ping'an thought for a moment and spoke softly to Linhuai Hou.
As Linhuai Hou listened, his eyes became brighter and brighter, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Following the old precedents of the eighth and ninth years of Jiajing, we will add a general commander to command Huaihai, supervise coastal defense, and govern Suzhou and Songshan prefectures... In this way, we can change the situation where each place fights on its own, unify the military power of each place, and be of great benefit to resisting the Japanese. Because there are old precedents to follow, and it is not presumptuous, my nephew's suggestion is very good, very good..."
This suggestion is tailor-made for me, and it is much more valuable than the last suggestion to add more warships.
Marquis Linhuai praised Zhu Ping'an highly and was extremely satisfied.
Haha, Duke of Wei, you can steal my nephew, can you steal my nephew? I will make you pay in a few days...
Thinking about how the Duke of Wei would read the official report in a few days, Marquis Linhuai could not help but grin.
"By then, it may be difficult to get the position of general, but if uncle works hard to get the position of deputy general, there is still hope."
Zhu Pingan blinked slightly and said.
There is a sequel. When Linhuai Hou heard this, his eyes became brighter and his breathing became faster. Deputy General...
This is a chain of schemes... Marquis Linhuai was extremely satisfied with Zhu Ping'an's suggestion.