Chapter 292 291 Mutation

In recent years, the Wei family has spent the New Year in Jiujiang Prefecture. The eldest brother and sister-in-law would return to Jiujiang Prefecture before the New Year to celebrate the New Year with their parents.

Wei Guangde has been in the capital for the past two years, so naturally he could not reunite with his family. This year, they are finally together again.

Wei Guangde is teasing his little nephew Wei Lin. With Wei Guangde passing the imperial examination, the eldest brother Wei Wencai naturally hopes that his son can have a promising future like Wei Guangde. Although he knows that his identity is destined to inherit the position of a hundred households, he still hopes that he can become a talent and become a unicorn.

The same procedure as Bengshanbao, worshiping ancestors, listening to the old father reciting the family history and remembering the ancestors, and reunion dinner

After the New Year, Wei Guangde finally had some free time. According to the time, he went to the Jiujiang prefectural government office to go through the procedures in mid-November. The emperor approved a two-month marriage period. Logically, considering the New Year and the Lantern Festival, he should return to the capital to resume his post in early February.

However, officials of the Ming Dynasty could be absent from work for three months, which was approved by the previous emperor and approved by his imperial pen. Wei Guangde naturally chose to consciously abide by this official rule and was absent from work for three months. Therefore, the time to return to the capital was set in mid-April, which was not the flood season, so he could take a boat north along the canal.

In mid-February, the court's official report came, and also brought about the final disposal of Wang Zhi.

On the 25th day of the first month of the 37th year of Jiajing, Wang Zhi was arrested and imprisoned in the Zhejiang Anchasi Prison, and the Japanese pirate leaders Ye Zongman and Wang Qingxi were also taken to the Anchasi Prison.

The ending was not beyond Wei Guangde's expectations. Wang Zhi was arrested and imprisoned. His future was already clear. He was still arrested after Hu Zongxian strongly protected him and requested the court to pardon his crime.

But Wei Guangde was now far away from the capital, so he naturally didn't know how to deal with Wang Zhi. The court was still divided into two factions.

One faction supported Hu Zongxian's view and advocated the surrender of Wang Zhi to eliminate the Japanese invasion along the coast as soon as possible, while the other faction, led by the Imperial Censor, firmly opposed the pardon of Wang Zhi, saying that Wang Zhi was the culprit of the Japanese pirates and must not be pardoned.

Hu Zongxian was also very anxious after receiving the news, and he quickly petitioned the court again to pardon Wang Zhi. He did not want to be labeled as disloyal and unjust in the future. Although he had killed Xu Hai before, if he killed Wang Zhi again this time, he would not be able to take off this hat anyway.

However, just when Hu Zongxian was about to submit a petition to protest, many people in the court claimed that the news that he had accepted a large bribe from Wang Zhi also reached his ears, and it was because of the large bribe that he tried to pardon the pirate leader.

After years of ups and downs in the officialdom, Hu Zongxian was shocked by the news and broke into a cold sweat. He destroyed the original memorial and changed it to say in the rewritten memorial that Wang Zhi was extremely evil and should be executed immediately, but the current situation along the coast was tense, so he asked to postpone the trial of Wang Zhi.

For a Japanese pirate leader like Wang Zhi, he was naturally not an ordinary person. It was impossible for the Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commission to try him alone. Naturally, he needed to be tried by the three courts before he could be convicted.

At this time, all Hu Zongxian could think of was to delay time as much as possible. If Wang Zhi died at this juncture, the great cause of suppressing the Japanese pirates would probably encounter a huge setback, because the previous strategy for the Japanese pirates was "suppression" and "pacification". Once Wang Zhi died, he could only fight the Japanese pirates to the death until one side was completely wiped out to end the war. No more Japanese pirates would believe in the court's path of appeasement.

It was just that Hu Zongxian had a beautiful idea. He hoped that after detaining Wang Zhi, the Japanese pirates at sea would collapse on their own because they had no leader, but it did not happen.

More than 3,000 Japanese pirates anchored outside Cengang were extremely angry when they heard that Wang Zhi was deceived and arrested by the court.

These people were all warriors who had fought for many years with Wang Zhi on the sea. Now that their old boss was deceived and imprisoned, they were full of energy and wanted to fight the Ming army.

The most unlucky one was Xia Zheng, the commander sent by the Ming army to Cengang as a hostage.

Wang Zhi's adopted son Mao Haifeng heard that his adopted father was deceived and imprisoned by the Ming court. He was so angry that his eyes turned red. He immediately tied Xia Zheng, who had just been drinking with him, to the bow of the boat, cursed the Ming army for being unfaithful, and then cut Xia Zheng with a broken knife.

It is said that Xia Zheng did not say a word until his death, because he knew that the court's tactics of luring Wang Zhi were too wrong, but he was also too depressed and could only die in silence.

Wang Zhi's death caused a new round of crazy revenge by the Japanese pirates. More than 3,000 Japanese pirates under his command were red-eyed and drifted on the sea, killing all the way.

Mao Haifeng knew that a large number of Ming troops were gathering around Hangzhou at this time, and he certainly could not attack the city to rescue his adoptive father. He chose to plunder other prefectures and counties to put pressure on the court to release people.

At this time, this group of Japanese pirates first attacked Chaozhou, killed and wounded many Ming troops, and then set sail to attack Fuzhou.

However, these news were not in the official newspaper, but were sent by Xu Bangrui, the Duke of Wei in Nanjing, by express boat.

The news here was chaotic, and it could only be said that it was roughly the same.

After receiving the news, Wei Guangde found a map and looked at it for a long time and could only smile bitterly. This group of Japanese pirates also knew how to avoid the real and attack the weak areas where the Ming army had no defense.

At this time, the whole of Zhejiang had already made full preparations to prevent the harassment of Japanese pirates, and the neighboring Fujian was obviously unaware of this. Mao Haifeng turned the target of looting to Fujian, and the consequences can be imagined.

Ruan E, who had just been transferred from Zhejiang to Fujian as governor, knew that he could not fight, so he chose to defend the city and abandon other prefectures and counties. Seeing that he could not capture Fuzhou, the bandits turned around and attacked Fuhai.

Fuhai County was totally unprepared for the Japanese pirates’ attack again. The county was destroyed, the county magistrate Ye Zongwen was killed, the Japanese pirates robbed the treasury and prison, killed more than a thousand men and women, and burned down countless government and civilian houses.

Soon after, this group of Japanese pirates split into several groups, and climbed steep places in Taizhou, Hui'an, Changle, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, etc., coming and going, and causing great harm to the local areas.

At one time, alarms were raised in various places, and urgent petitions for help were sent to the governors and governors. After hearing the news, the six ministries and the Censorate of Nanjing immediately reported the situation in Zhejiang and Fujian to the emperor.

The Japanese pirates, who had been stable for several months, resurfaced along the coast. Unlike the previous Japanese pirates who mainly plundered, they attacked and destroyed the local area, causing particularly tragic losses. Therefore, the Japanese pirates after the 37th year of Jiajing were also called "new Japanese pirates".

Although the capital had not yet responded to the news, the Nanjing Military Department had already sent a military order to Jiujiang Guard to gather troops and prepare for battle.

Jiujiang Guard is now an important mobile force in the hands of the Nanjing Military Department. Its location and transportation advantages determine that it can be quickly mobilized to the battlefield.

The current situation in Jiangnan has changed drastically. The first thing Nanjing thinks of is to mobilize Jiujiang Guard to assist Zhejiang and Fujian.

Years ago, after Wei Guangde reminded his father Wei, he told his uncle Wu Zhankui about this matter that night. The commander of Jiujiang Guard and the general officer of the thousand households held a secret meeting the next day and reported the matter internally.

When they heard that Wang Zhi was captured, many generals were happy at first, but they were not calm after hearing the following words.

If Wang Zhi's case is not handled properly, it may lead to a greater Japanese invasion. As generals, they naturally do not want the coastal area, which has been calm for several months, to be in turmoil again. It is better to lie at home peacefully. Why do they have to go to the coast to fight with the Japanese pirates?

The swords and knives on the battlefield are blind. Last time when the Japanese pirates were suppressed, a thousand households died in the garrison. No one wants to be the second unlucky guy.

So this year, the combat troops of Jiujiang Guard suffered. The holiday time was compressed to only three days. Although the team officer promised to pay more military pay later, who knows if there will be any silver in the end.

Cousin Wei Wencai and elder brother Wu Dong only stayed in Jiujiang Prefecture until the fifteenth, and then took a boat back to Pengze to train the right army thousand households.

Before the Nanjing military order arrived at Jiujiang Guard, Jiujiang Guard had actually prepared for war, although no one wanted the transfer order to really come.

As the war in Zhejiang and Fujian resumed, the number of ships traveling on the Yangtze River increased suddenly. Many weaving workshops in Songjiang, Suzhou and Hangzhou shipped goods in large quantities to avoid losses caused by the Japanese invasion.

The increase in merchant ships also facilitated the transmission of information. Before the report from the Nanjing Military Department reached him, Xu Bangrui sent someone to deliver the latest news.

The Japanese pirates invaded Wenzhou and Taizhou in Zhejiang, among which Yueqing, Linhai, Xiangshan and other places suffered the most serious damage. From Wenzhou and Taizhou in Zhejiang, they entered Fuzhou, Xinghua, Quanzhou and other places in Fujian, just like before, and all landed and burned and looted.

However, what made Wei Guangde feel a little relieved was that the latest intelligence showed that after the Japanese pirates looted, several groups of Japanese pirates regrouped outside Zhoushan Cengang, and at this time the imperial court's decree was also issued to the local areas.

As the new Japanese invaders arrived and the maritime threat resurfaced, the imperial court issued a strict order to severely reprimand Hu Zongxian, and dismissed the military posts of General Yu Dayou, Lieutenant General Qi Jiguang and others, and ordered them to wipe out the Japanese pirates in Cengang within one month.

So by chance, the regrouped Japanese pirates Mao Haifeng were besieged in Zhoushan Cengang by the troops of General Yu Dayou and Lieutenant General Qi Jiguang.

The Japanese pirates set up strict defenses in Zhoushan, especially around Cengang to fight against the Ming army.

Although the Ming army was brave, the Japanese pirates relied on the favorable terrain and killed and wounded many of the Ming army. In desperation, the Ming army had to consider a long-term siege of the Japanese pirates, hoping to completely wipe them out.

"The Japanese pirates are surrounded in Cengang."

Wei Guangde felt incredible when he looked at the letter in his hand. The ones fighting against the Japanese pirates were Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang, whom he knew well, and the Japanese pirates would definitely die.

Wei Guangde mentally sentenced the Japanese pirates, who he thought were the biggest threat, to death. Then he put away the letter and planned to write a letter with a smile on his face and ask someone to send it to Wei Laodi.

Now, apart from the women, he was the only male left in the mansion. Wei Laodi had already returned to the rear army to prepare for war, and so did his elder brother.

He wrote a letter and sent someone to send it out. He also planned to go to his uncle's house in the evening to talk about this matter.

The alarm was lifted, and the news from Wei Guangde made everyone in Jiujiang Guard breathe a sigh of relief.

The news brought back by Wei Guangde a few years ago predicted the resurgence of the Japanese invasion along the coast. Although it was taken seriously by the senior officials of Jiujiang Guard at that time, it was mainly because Wu Zhankui was very determined and trusted Wei Guangde completely and unconditionally.

For those who still had some doubts in their hearts, after seeing the military order of the Nanjing Military Department, their previous suspicions about Wei Guangde disappeared instantly.

Therefore, when the news from Wei Guangde this time came out that the main force of Wang Zhi's Japanese pirates was besieged by Yu Dayou's army in Zhoushan, no one doubted the authenticity of Wei Guangde's news.

What they were worried about before was that Wang Zhi's remnants would cause trouble after he was captured, so as to put pressure on the court to release him.

Don't underestimate the destructive power of these Japanese pirates. Merchant ships frequently travel on the Yangtze River. Jiujiang Prefecture has more or less heard from the merchants about the fierce fighting in Zhejiang and Fujian and how much loss they suffered.

This time, several county towns were broken in succession. The Japanese pirates not only robbed property and young and strong people, but also killed and burned cities wantonly, doing their utmost to destroy.

According to Wei Guangde's prediction, the Japanese pirates gathered again in Zhoushan. In addition to dealing with the looted property, they may also have the intention of going north to attack the coastal areas of Nanzhili and Shandong.

In fact, after looking through the map, Wei Guangde put himself in the shoes of the Japanese pirates. If he were the leader of the Japanese pirates now, what tactics would he use to increase the pressure on the court? Naturally, he would set his target on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Going north to enter Nanzhili, taking advantage of the dense rivers in Huai'an Prefecture to launch a surprise attack, and cutting off the Grand Canal in the middle, the consequence would inevitably be a shock to the world.

Historically, Japanese pirates appeared in Zhenjiang and Huai'an many times, causing the Grand Canal, which maintained the north-south transportation, to stop operating, and also caused the then Nanjing garrison and Zhongdu Fengyang officials to be severely reprimanded by the court.

However, it is obvious that there are also informants of the court among the Japanese pirates. Yu Dayou seized the opportunity to surround this group of Japanese pirates here. There is hope to eliminate the sudden war, as long as the Japanese pirates are surrounded and annihilated here.

Time has unknowingly entered April, and the day when Wei Guangde will leave home again and embark on the road to Beijing is not far away.

The offensive and defensive battle between the Ming army and the Japanese pirates in Zhoushan is still going on. The military report sent from Nanjing made Wei Guangde unable to understand what the new Japanese pirate leader named Mao Haifeng was thinking from the beginning.

According to the comparison of enemy and our strength, the Japanese pirates should wisely flee before the Ming army is surrounded, even if they have to leave the looted property.

But Mao Haifeng did not choose to leave after knowing that the Ming army was surrounding him, but fought a big battle with the Ming army in Zhoushan.

With the new battle report, after nearly a month of stalemate, the Japanese pirates finally chose to break out when the encircling Ming army was unprepared, while Mao Haifeng chose to stay behind until he was defeated and killed by the Ming army in Cengang, Zhoushan. Wei Guangde slowly came to his senses after the connection between the two.

I am afraid that Mao Haifeng had already made up his mind to die from the beginning. According to the news received before, the lobbyist sent by Hu Zongxian at first contacted Mao Haifeng, persuaded Mao Haifeng, and then persuaded Wang Zhi through him, which led to the current situation.

He is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty.

Wei Guangde smacked his lips and thought about it in his heart.

However, at this time, Wei Guangde was still considering whether he should write a letter to Yu Dayou to congratulate him on the great event of eliminating the Japanese pirates.

Although he did not eliminate them within the court's deadline, the time difference was not big. In terms of merit, Yu Dayou still did a great job.

However, the news from Nanjing shocked Wei Guangde again. The Japanese pirates who broke out had obviously abandoned most of their property. After breaking out, they did not choose to go north but went south to Fujian and Guangdong, continuing to burn, kill, rob and commit all kinds of evil along the way.

At the same time, the news that Wang Zhi was deceived and arrested by the government spread among the Japanese pirates. The Japanese pirate leaders of all sizes began to rob the coast under the banner of revenge for the "old ship owner". For a while, the Jiangnan coast was once again plunged into war.

What shocked Wei Guangde the most was a secret letter from Nanjing at the end of April, in which the court ordered Yu Dayou to be arrested and brought to Beijing for trial.