While Zhu Ping'an was like a yellow bird, patiently waiting for his chance in the dense forest, the officials in Yingtian City had already become increasingly critical in their accusations against the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai, with their saliva almost drowning the two men.
"You are helping the tiger, you are making your loved ones sad and your enemies happy, you are aiding the Japanese..."
"Sending soldiers to guard the beggar who asked for a fight, you are destroying the morale of the defenders and the overall situation of the defense. We seriously suspect that you are doing something shameful with the Japanese pirates outside the city..."!
"Master Zhang, Eunuch He, you can't let Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai act unreasonably..."
The Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai were surrounded by a group of officials, and they were trying desperately to avoid the flying spit.
"There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. The civilians are avoiding the defense of the city, and it is abnormal for these beggars and ruffians to volunteer to fight. Moreover, it is even more abnormal for them to specifically ask for help in defending the city gate. We suspect that there is something wrong with these beggars and ruffians. To be more precise, we suspect that these beggars and ruffians are the accomplices of the Japanese pirates outside the city, and they intend to work together with the Japanese pirates outside to plot against us Yingtian."
The Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai could no longer bear the accusations and ridicules from the crowd, and they pulled sour faces while explaining the reasons to the officials around them who were accusing them.
"If something is out of the ordinary, there must be something fishy going on!? You are just making things up and using specious arguments to undermine the overall situation of defending the city!"
"Man is born good! Can't you allow beggars to repay kindness?! Can't you allow prodigals to return home?! The ancients said it well, a prodigal who returns home is worth more than gold. These are the words of our ancestors. Do you think the words of our ancestors are abnormal? You are a great treason if you dare to say so!"
"You say that there are problems with the beggars and ruffians who volunteered to fight, and suspect that they are the accomplices of the Japanese pirates. Do you have any evidence? If you don't have any evidence, then don't smear them. Not only will it hurt the good intentions of the beggars and ruffians who volunteered to defend the city, but it will also undermine the overall situation of defending the city, making their loved ones sad and their enemies happy!"
Not only did the officials refuse to listen to the explanations of Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai, they also intensified their accusations against them.
Suddenly, saliva splashed towards the two of them like a storm, making them extremely embarrassed.
However, not everyone criticized the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai.
For example, after listening to the explanations of Duke Wei and Marquis Linhuai, Zhang Jing, Hu Zongxian, Yu Daxian and others felt as if they had been told off. They could not help but look solemn and began to speculate carefully. The more they thought about it, the more solemn they became.
What the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai said was a possibility. If the beggars and ruffians were really the Japanese pirates' accomplices, and they were working together with the Japanese pirates outside the city, then Yingtian would be in great danger.
"It is better to believe it than not. We should send troops to guard and identify them. Otherwise, if they are the Japanese pirates' internal accomplices, our Yingtian will be in danger. The Japanese pirates have already besieged Yingtian, and we, the officials of Yingtian, have already failed the grace of the emperor. If we let the Japanese pirates break through the city gate, we will become unforgivable sinners of the Ming Dynasty. Who among you can bear this responsibility?"
Marquis Linhuai stepped forward, glanced at the officials who were accusing them, and spoke sternly.
"You are exaggerating! What does it mean to believe something is true rather than not? Haha, how is your behavior different from Qin Hui's "false accusation"? Do you want to let the tragedy of Fengbo Pavilion happen again?"
"You send troops to detain people without any evidence. This will discourage them from repaying their gratitude and returning to their original intentions. It will also discourage the people who want to help you defend your country. You are digging your own grave and destroying the Great Wall..."
The officials around who were accusing the two men were not willing to be outdone. They raised their heads, put their hands on their hips, pointed fingers, and spat everywhere.
"What Fengbo Pavilion tragedy? We are only guarding and identifying them, not killing them. If they are not the Japanese pirates' accomplices, we will naturally reward them generously. If we find that they are the Japanese pirates' accomplices, we will cut off the roots and eliminate the hidden dangers as soon as possible, so that they will not cooperate with the Japanese pirates outside!"
Linhuai Hou was a rather stout man, and after exchanging sharp words with his colleagues for so long, he was somewhat out of energy, especially when he got excited. He began to pant while speaking, and his momentum was not a little suppressed.
Finally, Marquis Linhuai couldn't stand the accusations and squeezes of his colleagues, and he gritted his teeth and shouted: "Let me say one more thing. This is what my nephew, Zhu Ping'an, the deputy director of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provincial Criminal Inspection Commission, told me and Duke Wei the other day! My nephew compared the battle records of the Japanese pirates in Shangyu for several months and found that the casualties of the pirates in the battle with the coalition forces of Miao Yin and Zeng Qianhu were abnormal. The Japanese pirates lost 24 people in the great victory, setting a record for their highest casualties since landing. In the past, they only lost a few people in each battle. My nephew seriously suspects that the Japanese pirates have escaped. These 24 casualties have actually sneaked into Yingtian City in advance."
"Yes, what Linhuai Hou said is true. Yesterday, my nephew Ping'an warned us a lot! He also reminded us that there were 24 Japanese pirates who sneaked into the city, but there are more than just these 24 Japanese pirates. These 24 Japanese pirates will certainly use huge sums of money and beautiful women to coerce and bribe the ruffians and other scums in the city who have ulterior motives and are afraid of chaos in the world to cooperate with them! My nephew told us to thoroughly investigate anyone who approaches the city gate and beware of the Japanese pirates working together to plot against our Yingtian secondary capital. , and harm the people of Yingtian! This matter concerns the reputation of the court, the lives of millions of people in the city, and the survival of Yingtian! Linhuai Hou and I have to pay attention, take it seriously, and insist on it! Three days ago, all of us present ignored the warning from nephew Ping'an that the Japanese pirates would harass Yingtian, and rejected the nephew's suggestion to set up an ambush and eliminate the Japanese pirates, which led to today's disaster! This time, are we going to make the same mistake and ignore and reject the warning from nephew Ping'an again?!"
Duke Wei also stood up and spoke in a righteous and emotional voice. In order to increase his persuasiveness, he also brought up Zhu Ping'an, and some of his words were copied from what Zhu Ping'an had said to them that day.
"ah?!"
"What? Is this Zhu Ping'an's reminder?!"
When the officials heard Zhu Ping'an's name, it was as if they were slapped in the face by dozens of slaps at a speed of 80 miles per second! They had deliberately chosen to forget Zhu Ping'an's name before!
At the beginning, Zhu Ping'an reminded that the Japanese pirates from Shangyu would come back to harass Yingtian, and suggested setting up an ambush to eliminate the Japanese pirates.
But they treated it as a joke! Because Zhu Ping'an was the top scholar, he was very popular. Almost everyone had laughed at Zhu Ping'an to some extent, like the Zhao Kuo of the modern era, the God of Literature who came down to earth with his head on the ground, etc.
result.
The joke was actually on me...
So, like ostriches, they deliberately buried the three words "Zhu Ping'an" deep in their hearts to avoid being embarrassed.
Now when they heard Zhu Ping'an's name, the shame buried deep in the hearts of all the officials erupted like a volcano. They all blushed and felt so ashamed that they no longer had the face or confidence to blame the Duke of Wei and the Marquis of Linhuai.
Hearing Zhu Ping'an's name, Zhang Jing and Eunuch He looked at each other, strengthened their determination, waved their hands to call over two brave generals, and ordered them to select 800 elite soldiers, equip them with bows, crossbows and muskets, and carry out the task of investigating and identifying beggars and ruffians.
"Don't reveal any flaws. Just say that your superiors appreciate their gratitude and their spirit of volunteering to defend the city. Not only will they agree to their request to help defend the city gates, but they will also be rewarded handsomely. Each of them will be given a set of armor, weapons, and fifty taels of silver. Then, in the name of taking them to receive the reward, they will be dispersed and led into the area surrounded by heavy troops, forcibly detained, and strictly screened." Zhang Jing ordered.
"Yes!" The two generals took the order and left.