Chapter 502 501 Several Parties

Zhang Lian did not continue to stay on the mountain, but took the two of them to see the harvest of this outing, and asked Tian Erzhuang to contact the boatmen who had experienced going to Nanyang among the boat people, to understand the situation, and to make arrangements for going to Nanyang.

The large group of people temporarily stayed on Dongfan Island. On the one hand, they needed to collect the supplies needed for navigation. On the other hand, they also wanted to familiarize their subordinates with navigation. Especially this time, many of the people who followed them appeared during the short journey from Fujian to Dongfan Island. experienced seasickness of varying severity.

If such people cannot get used to life on the ship and follow them on their journey, their lives will be in vain.

However, in Zhang Lian's mind, he naturally did not feel sorry for them, but worried that they would consume the fleet's supplies and waste manpower to take care of them.

Therefore, if there are still people who are seasick by then, he can only abandon them here and let them fend for themselves.

In addition, it is natural to think of some ways to collect more ships.

They escaped in a hurry this time, and their ships were not enough. Collecting more ships could carry more fresh water and food, and achieve a longer voyage.

At sea, he had already heard from Tian Erzhuang that on this vast sea, there were countless ships sailing at all times, and commerce was very prosperous.

These days, in order to familiarize everyone with life at sea, he has organized the fleet to go out for training twice, but only managed to grab one merchant ship, which should be a lucky ship from a certain maritime merchant from the Ming Dynasty.

But that's okay. After grabbing the lucky ship, his men can get started quickly, because many of them have experience in controlling it.

Naturally, a fleet of more than 2,000 people cannot run around casually. If they get lost on the sea, then only disaster awaits them. Fresh water alone is enough to kill them.

Every time they go to sea, the fleet must have a clear destination and follow the chart to find it. After arriving at the location, they must collect supplies and put them on the ship. Only by passing port by port can the safety of the fleet be ensured.

They were not worried about being discovered by the Ming court during this period. If the Ming court had continued to work carefully in Nanyang, those coastal merchants would have been wiped out many times.

They can still do maritime business secretly, which can only mean that Ming Dynasty has little influence in Nanyang. As long as they pass by, it will become very safe.

Dongfan Island, on the other hand, is too close to Mingting, so it is very unsafe.

Although there was no clear goal, Zhang Lian still knew one thing, which was to stay as far away from Ming Ting as possible.

Zhang Lian has made his choice. He does not plan to show up in the land of Ming Dynasty again in the short term, for fear of attracting encirclement and suppression by the Ming court army, but there are still many people in Ming Dynasty who care about him who don't know.

Zhang Nian has just received an imperial decree ordering him to be the governor of Fujian's military affairs. Now he is already a serious governor, responsible for Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

During this period, after learning that the remnants of Zhang Lian's fleet were sailing out to sea, he ordered the coastal prefectures, counties and garrison stations in Guangdong to pay close attention to the sea. The purpose was naturally to send troops to destroy Zhang Lian's fleet as soon as possible.

As a result, during this period of time, no trace of Zhang Lian was found, but the whereabouts of many Japanese pirate ships were found.

During this period of time, no trace of Zhang Lian was found, which made Zhang Nian feel very bad. What he was most worried about was that in such a situation, he would not know the whereabouts of his opponent.

Sitting in front of the desk, he quickly flipped through the official documents. At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the lobby, and an old man in scribe's uniform walked quickly.

"Mr. Jia is here. Please take a seat. Come and serve tea."

Mr. Jia was a Shaoxing master hired by Zhang Zhen with a huge sum of money. Not only was he proficient in matters such as criminal names, money and grain, and documents, but he had also followed his boss to border towns and seen battlefields, which gave him a layer of military experience.

"My boss, we just received news from Fuzhou Prefecture that a large number of Japanese pirate ships were found heading south. This is really serious."

Mr. Jia gave up his seat to Zhang Zhen and asked someone to serve him tea, but he had no intention of sitting down. Instead, he walked to the desk in a few steps, took out an official document from his sleeve and handed it to him.

"Fuzhou?"

Zhang Zhen's eyelids twitched slightly when he heard this.

After taking over Fujian, I found that the place is now a mess. I really have to admire the governor You Zhen for his skill. Another person might not be so good at it.

"So, the Japanese pirates plan to go south again and plunder Guangdong?"

After a long time, Zhang Zhen finally spoke.

"Master, I don't think so."

At this time, Mr. Jia stood in front of the desk and analyzed: "Previously, General Liu Xian led his troops to wipe out the Japanese pirates along the coast of Guangdong. He once reported the Japanese pirates to avoid the battle and retreat to the sea. He tracked down the enemy all the way to the vicinity of Chaozhou Prefecture and watched the traces of the Japanese pirates. Continue north.

A large group of Japanese pirate ships had also appeared near Quanzhou, so it must have been the Guangdong Japanese pirates. "

"You mean, the Japanese pirates want to loot Quanzhou Mansion?"

Zhang Zhen frowned when he heard this, then shook his head and said: "Although Quanzhou Prefecture is rich, the plague this time is not completely over yet, and the Japanese pirates may not dare to go even if they eat the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's courage."

At this time, whenever people hear that there is a plague in a certain place, they are afraid to avoid it. It is absolutely impossible for them to choose where to run at this time. In fact, for respiratory infectious diseases, even in later generations with advanced medical science, it is difficult to treat them. A kind of control.

"I'm talking about Xinghua Prefecture between Fuzhou Prefecture and Quanzhou Prefecture."

Mr. Jia shook his head at this time and said.

"Xinghua Mansion?"

Zhang Nian said with some disbelief, "Japanese pirates have invaded Xinghua Prefecture many times and were defeated by the army. How dare they attack Xinghua Prefecture?"

"The Japanese pirates in Fujian went south, while the Japanese pirates in Guangdong went north. It is hard to say that the two groups of Japanese pirates did not want to join forces. Judging from their marching routes, Xinghua Prefecture is the most likely target, as that place is very rich."

In response to Zhang Nie's doubts, Jia Lao analyzed slowly, "As far as I can guess, it is very likely that the Japanese pirates in Guangdong and Fuzhou were attracted by the Japanese pirates entrenched around Xinghua Prefecture."

In fact, there are traces of Japanese pirates in several coastal prefectures and counties in Fujian now, but the Ming court concentrated its army to encircle and suppress the rebel Zhang Lian some time ago, so it had no time to take care of these Japanese pirates for the time being, and only ordered the coastal prefectures and counties to close the city gates and strictly guard the city.

"Do they still want to capture Xinghua Prefecture?"

Xinghua Prefecture is Putian City in Fujian Province in later generations. This place is beautiful with mountains and rivers, outstanding people, and many talented people have been born and educated. It is known as a "famous state of literature".

Xinghua Prefecture is located to the south of the provincial capital Fuzhou Prefecture and to the north of Quanzhou Prefecture, so its language, culture and architecture are well integrated and combined with the characteristics of eastern Fujian and southern Fujian.

Xinghua Prefecture has jurisdiction over Xianyou and Putian counties. The original Xinghua County was abolished in the 13th year of Zhengtong, and the maps and books were merged into Putian and Xianyou counties respectively.

The current prefecture city is located in Putian County, close to the seaside, and is protected by Pinghai Guard stationed on the seaside.

In the eighth year of Yongle, more than 2,000 Japanese pirates landed in Pinghai, intending to plunder Xinghua Prefecture. They were fought back by Wang Mao, the commander of Pinghai Guard, and the Ming army. The Japanese pirates were defeated and fled in a hurry.

More than a thousand Japanese pirates were killed in this battle, and the Japanese pirates did not dare to reach out to Xinghua Prefecture for more than a hundred years.

It was not until recent years that the Japanese invasion of Zhejiang and Fujian resurfaced, and Japanese pirates landed from time to time to rob surrounding villages and towns.

"Boss, Xingquan Road is currently focusing on Quanzhou. Solving the plague should be the top priority. Xinghua Prefecture is empty at this time, and I am worried that there will be changes."

Old Jia stared at Governor Zhang Nie and said word by word: "Since the Japanese pirates have been rampant along the coast, there has never been a prefecture city lost."

Hearing this, Zhang Nie stood up.

Over the years, many cities have been captured by Japanese pirates, but these cities are all county towns, and there is indeed no record of prefecture cities being captured.

"Are you worrying too much, Old Jia?"

Zhang Nie still didn't believe it.

"The Japanese pirates have gathered so many accomplices, and their plans are not small, otherwise they would never be like this."

Old Jia just replied.

I have just taken over Fujian. Although it has been messed up by You Zhen, I can't lose a prefecture city in my hands anyway, otherwise the court will blame it, and there will be no mercy.

Thinking of this, Zhang Nie still considered it carefully and decided to send a general who is good at fighting to sit in Xinghua Prefecture.

"Mr. Jia, then you should write me an official document immediately, ordering Liu Xian to lead his army northward and go to Xinghua Prefecture to take charge."

At this time, Zhang Nie first thought of Liu Xian, who had led the government troops in Guangdong to fight against the Japanese pirates and won several battles beautifully.

"Okay."

Mr. Jia agreed, and after Zhang Nie gave up his position, he took the position of governor and started writing official documents.

Soon, a document was written and handed to Zhang Nie with both hands. When he reviewed it, Mr. Jia suggested: "At present, Yu Dayou, the deputy general of Nan Gan, has not yet issued an order to leave the control of this soldier, so you can order him to lead the Nan Gan troops to go together."

"This"

Zhang Nie hesitated a little. Strictly speaking, the danger of Xinghua Prefecture was just a guess.

It seems a bit of an exaggeration to order two generals to lead their troops based on a guess alone.

Liu Xian's side was easy to deal with. The Guangdong Army led by Liu Xian was needed to defend against the Japanese pirates along the coast, so the troops were dispersed to the cities of the prefectures and counties along the coast. Liu Xian himself did not have many troops with him, only a few thousand people, and the food and necessities could still support him. However, the army led by Yu Dayou had at least several thousand troops. Once this army moved, the daily consumption was incredible.

Although they ate the money and food from the court, they had to take it out of their own hands after all.

If they couldn't take it out, the soldiers would dare to make trouble with you these days.

Therefore, many times, these high-ranking bigwigs had to think more when issuing orders.

Don't let the Japanese pirates fail to be suppressed, and their soldiers mutinied because of money and food.

"Let's transfer Liu Xian first, and keep Yu Dayou's troops on hold for the time being."

Zhang Nie still made what he thought was the safest decision, but he didn't know that because of this decision, the most tragic bloodbath in the Ming Dynasty since the suppression of the Japanese pirates was doomed.

In Beijing, in the cabinet, the meeting chaired by Xu Jie and Yuan Wei finally made a decision.

"Since everyone has agreed, please ask Lord Yuan to draft a memorial and decide that Deputy Chief Censor Zhao Bingran and Assistant Minister Ge Jin will be the candidates for the Governor of Zhejiang."

The meeting finally ended. After several discussions, the candidates for the Governor were selected, and the task assigned by the emperor was completed.

Thinking of the news he had received earlier that Prince Yu's Mansion and Gao Gong would not get involved in this matter, Xu Jie could only feel a little regretful in his heart.

Originally, he wanted to push Gao Gong to Zhejiang, nominally to accumulate military merits for him, and the real purpose was of course to hope that he could stay away from Prince Yu.

Disciple Zhang Juzheng passed on the news from Prince Yu's Mansion. It has been many years, and His Royal Highness Prince Yu still thinks of Gao Gong first when encountering problems. This is not acceptable.

He Xu Jie felt that he could work under Prince Yu for another 20 years. With Gao Gong by his side, he would never be able to let go.

However, since they are not happy, forget it.

Naturally, no one else had any objection to Xu Jie's summary, and they all nodded with a smile.

Although the Japanese threat has weakened a bit now, it is still the primary trouble for the court. No one knows whether this job is easy to handle. It is very suitable for the Ministry of War and the Censorate to send people, so no one will object.

Zhao Bingran was recommended by Pan En. He is obviously Xu Jie's man. Perhaps he is the next Zuodu Yushi.

As for Ge Jin, it is hard to say. He doesn't seem to be attached to anyone. Although Yang Bo recommended him, it can only be said that the two are colleagues and have a good relationship.

No one has any objection to the two candidates. It depends on who the person in Xiyuan decides in the end.

After the cabinet meeting, the news naturally spread quickly.

Xu Jie immediately arranged for someone to pass the news to Prince Yu's mansion. Although Prince Yu is not in charge of the matter for the time being, as a minister, he should have a correct attitude and inform Prince Yu of all the major and minor events in the court so that Prince Yu can feel his meaning.

"Your Majesty, dismiss the Governor of Zhejiang and re-establish the post of Governor of Zhejiang?"

Zhang Juzheng looked at the note in his hand with some surprise. Previously, Prince Yu's Mansion had speculated who was most likely to go to Zhejiang to replace Hu Zongxian, but no one expected this result.

"Zhao Bingran, Ge Jin."

Wei Guangde nodded. He knew these two people, but he was not familiar with them. However, if they were to be the Governor of Zhejiang, both of them were suitable.

From the second-rank governor, Wei Guangde was very jealous, but he had no such opportunity at all, or the official position was too low.

"Ah."

The Prince Yu, who was sitting on the throne, stretched his back and stood up and said: 'Since it has been decided, we don't need to think about it anymore. Let's just leave it like this. I'm tired, so I'll go back to the back to rest. '

Watching Prince Yu leave, Yin Shizan, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng chatted for a while about other things, such as Chen Yiqin's mourning period was about to end, and the Prince's Mansion had received his letter asking about the arrangements for him in the court.

However, after discussing for a long time, the three of them didn't expect that there were any vacant positions in the court.

Maybe Zhang Juzheng knew, but he didn't say much.

"Return to the Hanlin Academy, or enter Prince Yu's Mansion."

Seeing that there were no vacancies in the court, Wei Guangde could only say.

"Perhaps, he will also be allowed to participate in the review of the Grand Ceremony."

Zhang Juzheng guessed that Chen Yiqin's official position during his mourning period was the fifth rank, and of course he would not be promoted half a level after the mourning period, and he would still be a fifth rank official, but the court was already full of carrots, and it seemed that there was no place to squeeze him in.

Thinking about Chen Yiqin's experience, he had been in Prince Yu's Mansion for a longer time than Gao Gong and Yin Shizhan, so his position in Prince Yu's mind was naturally very important.

Emperor Jiajing is now rewarding people in Prince Yu's Mansion and arranging official positions. It stands to reason that Chen Yiqin will be reused after returning to the court.

But there is no suitable official position, so the only way to reward Chen Yiqin is to participate in the review of the Grand Ceremony, waiting for the official position to be vacant during this period, and accumulating merit at the same time.

Even if there is a suitable official position in the court in the future, after Chen Yiqin is transferred, he can still be rewarded for his merits when the palace is re-recorded.