"Brother Mu, when the blacksmiths come, take them to the warehouse to check the broken armor and see if they can be melted down to make iron plates for armor. If they can, ask them to make them. The price is negotiable. Since the workload is relatively large, you can increase it by 10% or 20% compared to the market price."
Zhu Ping'an called Liu Mu, made some arrangements, and asked him to be responsible for receiving the incoming blacksmith.
Afterwards, Zhu Ping'an called the battalion commanders of each battalion and told them that he was going to Yingtian to await the imperial envoy. After arranging matters such as training, he took ten personal guards and rode to Yingtian on horseback.
When he arrived in Yingtian, it was still early. Zhu Ping'an did not go directly to the Ministry of War, but first went to the Ministry of Justice, where he met with Lord Zhang Neitai and two deputy envoys, and then went to his colleagues to have a few cups of tea.
"Haha, Zihou, congratulations. You are a man of courage, strategy and ability. During the Japanese invasion of Yingtian, you led the Zhejiang Army to drive the Japanese pirates out of the city, and then rushed to wipe out the pirates overnight. You deserve the first place in merit. I think when the angel comes this time, Zihou will definitely be rewarded."
After Zhu Ping'an paid his respects, Zhang Nietai warmly invited Zhu Ping'an to sit down and said with a smile.
Zhu Ping'an was naturally humble and said that the Prime Minister was too kind and that the achievement of suppressing the Japanese pirates was the result of the concerted efforts of all officials and people in the country, and that he was just lucky enough to be there.
"A man of great talent is not rude, and one who has made great contributions is not proud. Haha, although Zihou is young, he has a good character." Zhang Neitai stroked his beard and praised him again with a smile.
Zhu Pingan...
Next, Zhang Neitai informed Zhu Ping'an that he, Deputy Envoy Hu and Deputy Envoy Bai had also received a notice from the Ministry of War and that they also needed to welcome the angel. It was estimated that the angel would not arrive until tomorrow. Zhu Ping'an could first go to the Ministry of War to meet the angel and then return to the yamen to rest and wait, and then go to welcome the angel together.
This was a good arrangement, so Zhu Ping'an naturally nodded repeatedly.
Afterwards, he went to pay a visit to the two deputy envoys. After having a few cups of tea with his colleagues, Zhu Ping'an went to the Ministry of War.
After signing in at the Ministry of War, we learned that the imperial envoy had traveled south along the Grand Canal and had arrived in Yangzhou in the morning.
The Ministry of War has already sent people to rush forward to welcome the imperial envoy. No news has been sent back yet, so we don't know whether the imperial envoy will stop in Yangzhou to rest and relieve his fatigue, or go directly to Yingtian.
"Since we don't know when the imperial envoy will arrive, Master Zhu can rest in the guest room of the Ministry of War or go to the Ministry of Justice. We will inform you immediately if there is any latest news."
People from the Ministry of War said so.
"Thank you. I'd better go to the Neitai Office. Please inform us if there is any latest news. Then I will come with Lord Neitai and others to welcome the imperial envoy." Zhu Ping'an bowed.
"You are too polite, sir." The man from the Ministry of War bowed in return.
Zhu Ping'an originally wanted to pay a visit to Zhang Jing to improve his favor and presence. Others didn't know, but Zhu Ping'an was a prophet. Zhang Jing would soon become the number one boss in Jiangnan and would soon take office as the Governor-General of Jiangnan, in charge of the military affairs of six provinces and specializing in suppressing the Japanese pirates.
The Zhejiang Army he was in charge of happened to be under the control of Zhang Jing. It would be easier to build up a good relationship with him in the future.
Unfortunately, the people from the Ministry of War informed Zhang Jing that he was busy with official business today and would not see any guests. Zhu Ping'an had no choice but to give up the idea of showing off his presence, and left the Ministry of War and returned to the Neitaisi Yamen.
When leaving the Ministry of War, Zhu Ping'an met several local officials who came to report to the Ministry of War.
Since they didn't know each other, but they were all wearing official uniforms, and serving in the same dynasty were colleagues, they bowed to each other and nodded as they said goodbye.
You can see that they look worried, probably a little terrified about the angel's arrival.
The angel came this time to announce the imperial decree and to reward or punish the officials involved in the Japanese pirates in Shangyu.
The Japanese pirates from Shangyu roamed thousands of miles, burning, killing, looting, and attacking cities along the way. Local officials generally performed poorly, otherwise the Japanese pirates from Shangyu would not have been able to surround Yingtian.
It's understandable that they're worried...
Because he didn't know whether the imperial envoy would rest for a day in Yangzhou or go directly to Yingtian, Zhu Ping'an didn't dare to walk around rashly for fear of missing the important event of welcoming the imperial envoy and being charged with neglect and disrespect for the emperor. So after leaving the Ministry of War, he went straight back to the Ministry of Justice.
Zhu Ping'an had just returned to the yamen when Chu Xiong came to him with a box of tea, smiling.
"Haha, Zihou, this is West Lake Longjing tea from before the Qingming Festival. A relative of mine has a tea plantation by the West Lake. When I visited him a few days ago, he forced me to take a few pounds. In the spirit of sharing happiness, I divided ten cans. Everyone in our government office has a share. You were not here at the time, so I left it with me. Now that you are here, I can give you a share."
Chu Xiong placed the tea leaves on Zhu Ping'an's desk with a smile, and pushed him in front of her without any explanation.
"This..." Zhu Ping'an said with a smile.
"What's this? Everyone has a share. It's just a courtesy between colleagues. There's no point in refusing."
Chu Xiong glared.
"This is a bit too little." Zhu Pingan continued with a smile.
Well... …
This turn was a bit sudden. Chu Xiong was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help but point at Zhu Ping'an and laughed, saying, "Zihou, Zihou, you really deserve the name 'Hou'... Last time you made us spend a lot of money to fund military preparations, and this time you are asking for too much. This is the best Mingqian West Lake Longjing, and you were a big carrot. I'm heartbroken if I give you one can each."
"Hehe, you guys are living in the prosperous and bustling Yingtian City, enjoying poetry and wine and drinking whatever tea you want; but I'm training troops in the deep mountains and old forests, the conditions are so difficult, let alone Longjing, even brick tea is hard to find. Normally I want to make tea with tree leaves... Your jar of Longjing is only enough for a few days. Besides, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality. After drinking your jar of Longjing, how can I drink those tree leaves? You have to be responsible for me..." Zhu Ping'an laughed and cried poorly.
"Okay, okay, I'm wrong. I'll give you another can later." Chu Xiong begged for mercy with a helpless look.
"Then I would like to thank you, Brother Chu. You gave it to me voluntarily. I didn't force you." Zhu Ping'an said with a smile.
After laughing and joking, Chu Xiong couldn't help but congratulate Zhu Pingan again and again, "Zihou, you have made great contributions to the siege of the city by the Japanese pirates this time. When the angel comes to announce the decree, Zihou will definitely be promoted."
"When you were in charge of military preparations, we all gloated over your misfortune, especially Zhang Chufeng, who made many sarcastic remarks. But now, let alone them, I envy you so much."
"Of course, I envy you, but you have the ability. We don't have it. If it were us, we wouldn't be able to do what Zihou did. We are laymen when it comes to military affairs. Let alone annihilating the Japanese pirates, it's good enough that we can keep the team together."
Although Chu Xiong was envious, he was very clear-headed and realized that he and others had no talent in military affairs.
"Brother Chu, you are too kind. It's just a coincidence that I came here." Zhu Ping'an said modestly.
Chu Xiong patted Zhu Ping'an on the shoulder and shook his head, "Don't be so modest. There are more than 100,000 soldiers in the city, and all the city officials, including us, are present. How could we not have met them?"
"Okay, I won't bother you anymore. You've been training the soldiers and it's really hard. Now you have some free time, so take a good rest." After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Chu Xiong stood up and said goodbye.
After Zhu Ping'an tried to persuade him to stay, he sent him out the door.