Rise From the Humble

"Brother Mu, when the blacksmiths arrive, take them to the warehouse to check out the tattered armors and see if they can be smelted into iron pieces for armor. If possible, ask them to make them. The price is easy to negotiate, because the workload is relatively large. It is large and can be appropriately increased by 10% or 20% compared to the market price.”

Zhu Pingan called Liu Mu and made arrangements for him to be responsible for receiving the upcoming blacksmith.

Later, Zhu Ping'an called the commanders of each battalion and told him that he was going to Yingtian to wait for the imperial envoy. After arranging the training and other matters, he took ten guards to ride to Yingtian.

When we arrived at Yingtian, it was still early. Zhu Ping'an did not go directly to the Yamen of the Ministry of War. Instead, he went to the Yamen of the Provost and Inspectorate Office first, where he met with Mr. Zhang Zhitai and the two deputy envoys, and then went to have a few cups of tea with his colleagues.

"Haha, Zihou, congratulations. You are courageous, resourceful and capable. This time, in response to the Japanese invasion, you led the Zhejiang army to pioneer the Japanese pirates outside the city, and then galloped under the stars to annihilate all the Japanese pirates. You should be the first to take credit. , I think Zihou will definitely get a reward this time the angel comes."

After Zhang Zhengtai met with Zhu Pingan, he warmly asked Zhu Pingan to take a seat and said with a smile.

Zhu Ping'an was naturally modest, saying that Mr. Tai was over-rewarding. The credit for wiping out the Japanese pirates was the result of the concerted efforts of the government and the people, and he just happened to be there at the right time.

"You are talented but don't be arrogant, take credit but don't be arrogant. Haha, although Zihou is young, he has a good spirit." Zhang Zhitai stroked his beard and praised him again with a smile.

Zhu Pingan...

Next, Zhang Zhengtai informed Zhu Pingan that he, Deputy Envoys Hu and Bai had also received a notice from the Ministry of War, and they would also greet the angel. It was estimated that the angel would not arrive until tomorrow. Zhu Pingan could go to the Ministry of War to meet him first, and then return to the Yamen to rest. Waiting, let’s go together to greet the angel when the time comes.

With this arrangement in place, Zhu Ping'an naturally nodded repeatedly.

Afterwards, he went to visit the two deputy envoys. After having a few cups of tea with his colleagues, Zhu Pingan went to the Yamen of the Ministry of War.

After signing in at the Ministry of War, I learned that the imperial envoy was heading south along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and had arrived in Yangzhou in the morning.

The Ministry of War has already sent people to rush forward to greet the imperial envoy. No news has been sent back yet. I don't know whether the imperial envoy will take a rest in Yangzhou to recover from fatigue, or go directly to Yingtian.

"Because we don't know when the imperial envoy will arrive, Mr. Zhu can take a rest in the guest room of the Ministry of War, or you can go to the Jiaotai Department to take a rest. We will inform you immediately if there is any latest news."

The people from the Ministry of War said so.

"Thank you. I'd better go to the Nedai Division. If you have the latest news, please let us know. Then I will come with Lord Nedai and the others to greet the imperial envoy." Zhu Pingan said with a cupped hand.

"You're welcome, sir." The people from the Ministry of War returned the favor.

Zhu Pingan originally wanted to meet Zhang Jing and build up his goodwill and presence. Unbeknownst to others, Zhu Pingan was a prophet. Zhang Jing would soon become the number one boss in Jiangnan, and he would soon be appointed as the governor of Jiangnan. The governor The military affairs of the six provinces are dedicated to suppressing Japanese invaders.

He led the Zhejiang Army by himself, and it happened to be under the control of Zhang Jingzhi. Now he has established a good relationship in advance to facilitate future actions.

Unfortunately, people from the Ministry of War informed Zhang Jing that he was busy with official duties today and would not see any guests. Zhu Ping'an had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​​​improving his presence, said goodbye, left the Ministry of War, and returned to the Yamen of Naitai Division.

When leaving the Ministry of War, Zhu Pingan met several local officials who came to report to the Ministry of War.

Because they didn't know each other, but they were all wearing official uniforms. They were colleagues in the same dynasty. They bowed their hands to each other and nodded goodbye.

You could see that they looked a little worried, and they were probably a little scared about the angel's arrival.

The angel came this time to announce the decree and reward and punish the officials involved in the Yu and Japanese pirates.

The Shangyu Japanese pirates spread across thousands of miles, burning, killing, looting, and attacking cities and lands. Local officials in various places generally performed poorly, otherwise they would not have surrounded the Shangyu Japanese pirates.

It is reasonable for them to worry...

Because he didn't know whether the imperial envoy would rest for a day in Yangzhou or rush directly to Yingtian, Zhu Ping'an didn't dare to wander around. Don't miss the important event of welcoming the imperial envoy and be accused of neglecting and disrespecting the emperor, so he left the Ministry of War Yamen. He went directly back to Si Yamen, the prosecutor's office.

Zhu Ping'an had just returned to the Yamen when Chu Xiong came to the door carrying a box of tea with a smile.

"Haha, Zihou, this is West Lake Longjing in the Ming Dynasty. A relative of mine has a tea garden next to the West Lake. When I visited relatives a few days ago, my relatives forced me to give me a few kilograms. In the spirit of the principle that happiness alone is not as good as happiness among everyone. Spirit, I divided it into ten cans, and everyone in our yamen had a share. You were not here at the time, so I left it at my place. Today you are here, so I can make up for you."

Chu Xiong put the tea leaves on Zhu Pingan's table with a smile, and pushed Zhu Pingan forward without any explanation.

"This" Zhu Pingan said with a smile.

"Everyone has a share in this and that. Colleagues are just reciprocating as a courtesy. It would be pointless to refuse."

Chu Xiong glared.

"That's a bit less." Zhu Pingan continued with a smile.

Well.…

This turn was a bit sharp. Chu Xiong was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but point at Zhu Ping'an and laugh. He couldn't laugh or cry and said, "Zihou, Zihou, you are really worthy of the word 'thick', which caused us to bleed a lot of money to fund our military equipment last time. This time the lion opened his mouth again, this is the best Mingqian West Lake Longjing, you were a big carrot at that time. Each of you will be given a jar, which is enough for me to feel sorry for you."

"Hey, you are in the bustling city of Yingtian, enjoying your time of poetry and wine, and drinking whatever tea you want; I am training in the deep mountains and old forests, and the conditions are so difficult. Not to mention Longjing, even brick tea is rare. On weekdays, I wish I could make tea with tree leaves. Your jar of Longjing is only enough to drink for a few days. Besides, it is easy to move from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to move from luxury to frugality. After drinking your jar of Dragon Well, how can those tree leaves still go down? Mouth. You have to be responsible for me." Zhu Pingan laughed and cried.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault. I'll give you another bottle later." Chu Xiong begged for mercy, dumbfounded.

"Then I'd like to thank Brother Chu. You gave me this on your own initiative. I didn't force you." Zhu Pingan said with a smile.

After the laughter, Chu Xiong could not help but congratulate Zhu Ping'an again and again, "Zihou, this time the Japanese pirates besieged the city, you have done a great job. This time the angel came to announce the decree, Zihou will definitely be promoted to a noble rank."

"Back when you were in charge of military preparations, we were all a bit gloating about your misfortune, especially Zhang Chufeng, who often made sarcastic remarks. Now, let alone them, I'm jealous of you."

"Of course, I'm envious. It's because you have the ability. We don't have this ability. If it were us, we wouldn't be able to do what Zihou is. We are laymen when it comes to military affairs. Not to mention the meritorious service of annihilating the Japanese pirates, we can lead the team It’s good even if you pull it up and it doesn’t fall apart.”

Although Chu Xiong was envious, he was very clear-headed and knew that he and others did not have military talent.

"Brother Chu, thank you for the award, and I am just in the right place." Zhu Ping'an said modestly.

Chu Xiong patted Zhu Pingan on the shoulder, shook his head and said, "Don't be humble. There are over a hundred thousand soldiers in the city, and all the officials in the city, including us, are also present. Why didn't we take advantage of the opportunity?"

"Okay, I won't disturb you anymore. You've been training hard enough. It's hard to get some free time. Let's take a good rest." After greetings for a while, Chu Xiong stood up and left.

After Zhu Ping'an tried to persuade him to stay, he sent him outside the door.