Chapter 981 The Guide, the Three Leaders
The sea breeze blew, and the fishy smell made Zhu Yi quite uncomfortable, as if he was in a garbage dump.
The boat moved slowly. Matsuki Yoshiko seemed clumsy steering the boat with one arm, but the boat was exceptionally stable. Zhu Yi let go of her hand and sat down.
Several ships in front slowly approached, and the two sides got close. Matsugi Yoshiko took the helm of the boat, and the Japanese pirates took Zhu Yi on board the big ship.
It is said to be a big ship, but in Zhu Yi's eyes it is just a medium-sized ship, and it looks quite old.
——Japanese pirates are not tolerated in Japan.
It is said that most of the real Japanese are losers in the internal struggle in Japan. They cannot find a place to stay in the country, so they come to the coast of Ming Dynasty to make a living.
Under the maritime ban in the Ming Dynasty, many people ventured out to sea to engage in smuggling business - these people lived with their heads hanging on their belts. When they encountered the Japanese pirates, the two sides hit it off.
——How can it be better to do smuggling business than to do business with no capital?
Thus the two merged and became the biggest scourge along the coast of the Ming Dynasty.
Those Ming people were familiar with the geography and the local garrison. They used their family connections to keep an eye on the actions of the officers and soldiers, waiting for an opportunity to bring the pirates ashore to plunder.
The officers and soldiers were already weak. According to a certain powerful official, the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were not even as good as the watchdogs in Xin'an Lane.
The guard dogs would at least roar a few times when they saw thieves approaching, but these officers and soldiers didn't even dare to roar and hid on the top of the city wall, trembling in fear.
After boarding the ship, Zhu Yi bowed and said, "Greetings, everyone."
More than a hundred Japanese pirates on the big ship stared at him coldly.
Zhu Yi smiled, he knew what these people needed.
Plunder!
Kill!
And, news.
Therefore, he is confident.
Matsuki Yoshiko boarded the ship and said, "Disperse!"
Only then did the hundreds of Japanese pirates disperse.
Someone handed him a stool and Zhu Yi sat down calmly.
Matsuki Yoshiko sat down. Compared with her youth, her face was much darker and rougher. The storms on the sea left indelible marks on her life and body.
"Speak!" Matsuki Yoshiko's voice is very special, slightly sharp and a little hoarse. The combination of the two forms a unique voice.
"The court is implementing a new policy, with Jiang Qingzhi as the leader." Zhu Yi said. He glanced at Matsuki Yoshiko to see if this woman was interested in this.
Matsuki Yoshiko said, "New Deal, Wang Anshi?"
Even the Japanese know of Wang Jinggong’s reputation?
Zhu Yi nodded, "Yes. After Jiang Qingzhi took charge of the new policy, the first thing he did was to clean up the land in the country."
He pretended to cough dryly, trying to observe Matsuki Yoshiko's reaction.
If Matsugi Yoshiko didn't understand this, she would be a bandit-like character and not worthy of his loyalty.
Song Muliangzi raised her eyebrows and said, "Most of the fertile land in the southeast of Ming Dynasty is in the hands of those scholars and officials. They are courting death!"
That's right.
Zhu Yi sighed, "He went south to Songjiang Prefecture for this matter. As soon as he arrived in Songjiang Prefecture, he was on the verge of a fight with the local gentry. Now Songjiang Prefecture is in chaos, and the local officers and soldiers are watching the excitement and have no time to care... Besides, the Japanese pirates have never been to Songjiang Prefecture..."
Japanese pirates... Song Mu Liangzi said coldly: "Songjiang Prefecture is deep in the interior of the Ming Dynasty. If you are not careful, you will be in danger of being surrounded. There are many people along this road, and it is easy to be exposed."
The Japanese pirates at this time became much more cautious after suffering a blow from Jiang Qingzhi.
The Japanese pirates in history were completely different. The officers and soldiers in the southeast were like mud, allowing the Japanese pirates to succeed repeatedly and run rampant. Later, small groups of Japanese pirates dared to go deep into the interior of the Ming Dynasty, showing off their power all the way, and no one... really no one dared to stop them.
You want to ask where the garrison is going?
Playing dead dog!
Even if they heard that there were only dozens or even more than ten Japanese pirates, the local generals would still huddle on the top of the city and tremble, and then say something...
——There are less than a hundred Japanese pirates, and if there are a hundred, they are invincible.
Then, the air was filled with a happy atmosphere... The local civil servants were looking for a scapegoat, but when they saw the Japanese pirates left, they reported to their superiors that the local officers and soldiers were afraid of the enemy like a tiger.
Shangguan was furious and replaced the general. But no matter who was replaced, it was still the same. This is not a problem of one person, but a problem of a group of people and a country.
It's rotten from top to bottom.
Qi Jiguang was ordered to suppress the Japanese invaders. He was full of hope to train the local officers and soldiers, lead by example, and inspire them to fight bravely. But he soon found out that he was wrong, and everything he did was useless.
The officers and soldiers still collapsed at the first touch...even more useless than the men who went to a brothel for the first time.
Qi Jiguang learned from his mistakes and simply abandoned the local officers and soldiers. He recruited a group of people in Yiwu and trained them from scratch. Then he came into being the world-famous Qi Family Army.
Purge, cleansing... none of them are as good as starting over again like Qi Jiguang did.
Jiang Qingzhi also thought about starting over, but he was not only facing the Japanese pirates in the southeast, but the whole world. The Ming Dynasty practiced the military household system, and countless people relied on the army for their livelihood. If he started a new business, how would the original officers and soldiers be resettled?
Millions of people, plus their families, are starving. Can you just sit back and do nothing?
No!
So Jiang Qingzhi came up with an emergency solution: clean up and rebuild.
Under his leadership, the Beijing Guard was completely transformed, but it was still far from what Jiang Qingzhi had in mind.
The officers and soldiers in the north at least still maintained some combat effectiveness, while the officers and soldiers in the south...
Zhu Yi knew the situation of the officers and soldiers of Songjiang Prefecture very well, so he smiled and said, "The officers and soldiers of Songjiang Prefecture are a mess!"
Song Mu Liangzi asked: "How does it compare to the coastal areas?" "Even worse!" Zhu Yi saw her continue, and his smile became more gentle, "Besides, I have quite a few connections in Songjiang Prefecture..."
With me leading the way, what are you worried about?
"Is there any opportunity recently?" asked Matsuki Yoshiko.
"Jiang Qingzhi has put the people of Songjiang Prefecture in a state of panic. He has brought a group of famous prostitutes from Qinhuai River to the south, planning to hold an Oiran Contest in Songjiang Prefecture... What a man!"
Zhu Yi glanced at Matsugi Yoshiko. To be honest, this woman's facial features were okay, but her dressing was speechless.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she could see her dark teeth, just like an old woman with all her teeth missing. Eyebrows… At first Zhu Yi thought they were broken, but when he looked closely, he realized they were painted eyebrows, and the real eyebrows were gone.
What kind of makeup is this?
One look at it at night can scare you half to death.
"Men like this." Zhu Yi said: "Jiang Qingzhi wants to create an atmosphere of peace and prosperity, and Songjiang Prefecture has never been attacked by the Japanese... never been harassed. Just when the whole Huating is immersed in the excitement of the Oiran Contest, let's launch a surprise attack..."
Song Muliangzi's eyes moved slightly, "How many troops did Jiang Qingzhi bring?"
Tsk!
Zhu Yi thought to himself, how can I explain this?
One thousand riders?
Would these Japanese pirates dare to go after hearing that there were only a thousand cavalrymen?
You have to know that those were not soldiers from the southeast, but the Beijing guards who followed Jiang Qingzhi in the north to kill the terrified foreign tribes on the grasslands.
Matsugi Yoshiko said coldly: "I will send people to the shore to get the news. If it is a lie..." She pointed to the mast and said, "There is a kind of punishment at sea. Use a knife to cut countless cuts on the skin of the person, pour sea water on them, and hang them on the mast. Once the body is dry, the salt particles will corrode the skin, making life worse than death..."
Is this also called torture?
You have never seen the methods of those clerks in Songjiang Prefecture. Telling them would make you feel ashamed... Zhu Yi inexplicably felt superior, "One thousand cavalry."
"One thousand cavalry!" Matsugi Yoshiko exchanged glances with the Japanese pirates.
"You step back."
Zhu Yi was taken to the stern of the ship.
"One thousand cavalrymen... When Jiang Qingzhi fought with us in Taizhou Prefecture, the cavalrymen were quite fierce." This Japanese pirate was called Xiaomu Chunsan, a member of Matsuki Yoshiko's family. He followed her for many years. When Matsuki Yoshiko returned to the coast of Daming, he made great contributions.
"Last time it was a fight between two armies, this time it's intentional versus unintentional. A surprise attack... the Oiran Contest will be exciting, right?"
"Yes." Xiao Mu Chun San said, "The prostitutes in Kyoto also have such talent competitions, and the streets are deserted. Qinhuai River is said to be the most prosperous place in Ming Dynasty, and the prostitutes are the most famous. I think the men in Songjiang Prefecture will forget themselves."
"One thousand riders..." Matsugi Yoshiko pondered.
If it were the officers and soldiers from the southeast, Matsugi Yoshiko would not have hesitated at all.
"If this man is reliable, we can follow him to raid Songjiang Prefecture. A thousand cavalrymen may seem fierce, but that is a busy city!" Xiaomu Chunsan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he was tempted, "Could Jiang Qingzhi still order his cavalrymen to charge in a busy city?"
"Even the Shogun wouldn't dare!" Matsuki Yoshiko narrowed her eyes, "This is feasible. Send someone ashore to get information."
"Yes."
Ogi Haruzo went to arrange the staff, and when he came back, he saw Matsugi Yoshiko and Zhu Yi having a good chat.
"Songjiang Prefecture is very wealthy. Take the Xu family for example... that is the home of the current cabinet minister. The Xu family's house is luxurious, and the luxury inside is unimaginable. There are countless money and grain piled up like mountains... and the calligraphy and paintings are countless!"
Zhu Yi said this while spying on Matsugi Yoshiko.
Matsuki Ryoko asked calmly, "How many are there?"
Zhu Yi said: "If it's less than a million, the leader can kill me immediately!"
He underestimated the value of one million yuan. According to Zhu Yi's speculation, the Xu family's assets were worth millions of yuan. The land could not be taken away. But antiques and other things were also valuable!
The Japanese pirates colluded with the local big families. How did the local big families benefit?
Sell stolen goods!
Dividends!
Many of the things looted by the Japanese pirates were handed over to local wealthy families at prices that were unbelievably low.
"We'll talk about this later."
Matsugi Yoshiko did not comment, which made Zhu Yi quite regretful.
In Zhu Yi's opinion, his current situation was directly related to Xu.
If that eldest son hadn't been such a coward, Jiang Qingzhi wouldn't have had the time to investigate the arson case.
Therefore, after Matsugi Yoshiko initially accepted him, Zhu Yi threw out the Xu family as a token of his allegiance.
Go loot!
Killing the so-called eldest son made the old thief Xu Jie heartbroken... Thinking of this, Zhu Yi's eyes turned, "Chief, Jiang Qing's new policy is unpopular, and the elder of the Xu family is incompatible with him. If he knew that his family was robbed by us... and his family members were killed, what do you think the elder would do?"
Don't you live to kill Jiang Qingzhi?
This is a great opportunity to strike at one of Jiang Qingzhi's mortal enemies!
"That elder is the leader of the Ming Dynasty scholars. All his family members were killed, so he will go crazy and attack Jiang Qingzhi. In addition, Songjiang Prefecture was attacked by us, and there were heavy casualties... Even if Jiang Qingzhi does not die, he will face siege from the world. Even His Majesty can't protect him!"
Matsugi Yoshiko clenched her right hand suddenly.
Zhu Yi smiled and thought to himself, I really do have a talent for being a lobbyist!
Matsuki Ryoko's breathing quickened for a moment, she stood up and reached out her hand...
She was too short, and this posture looked more like she was looking up at Zhu Yi.
Zhu Yi bent down, and Song Muliangzi stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder.
"From today on, you are the third leader!"
(End of this chapter)
