Rise From the Humble

"Lord Shang, you are ridiculously praising me. Ping'an is ashamed and undeserved. His achievements are all due to the support of the people and the dedication of the soldiers."

Zhu Ping'an was modest for a moment, and then stated firmly, "However, the Zhejiang Army and I will do our best to fight to the death of every soldier to protect the safety of Suzhou and live up to the support and trust that the Shang Prefect has placed in us."

"Master Zhu, there is no need to be modest. Your performance is seen by everyone. As far as I can see today, your army has strict military discipline, high morale, and enforces orders and prohibitions. It is unmatched by ordinary armies. It can be seen that Zhu Ping'an knows his troops and is honest. He is the handsome man our Suzhou Mansion is short of." Zhifu Shang said with a smile.

"Uh, Ping'an, how dare you be called a handsome man? Mr. Shang's words are serious." Zhu Ping'an said with a bitter smile.

"I've always been outspoken, and I'm not afraid of your jokes. The local Arms and Preparations Department and the soldiers in the counties under it, alas... can't compare with your army. The commanders of the Department of Arms and Preparations and the counties under them deceive me into not knowing the troops. They had dinner with corpses one by one, prevaricating about military affairs, indulged in pleasure, intoxicated with fine wine and beautiful women, the soldiers followed the same example, military discipline was weakened, and the atmosphere was smoky. During this period, Japanese pirates often harassed southern Jiangsu, even if it was just a small group of Japanese pirates , with more than 8,000 soldiers and horses, they were helpless, afraid of the enemy and fighting, and allowed the people in our territory to be ravaged and humiliated by the Japanese pirates. After the Japanese pirates left the country, they pretended to send troops, brazenly claiming that they had driven away the Japanese pirates, and falsely reported their military exploits. Receive the reward bonus.”

"At first, I was deceived by them. Later, after receiving reports from the villagers and citizens, I conducted an investigation and discovered the truth. I was very angry. In anger, I dismissed several officers from their posts and sent them to prison for severe punishment. As a result, I was deceived by them. , Alas, it almost triggered a mutiny. There were Japanese pirates outside, and it would be a disaster if there was another mutiny inside. In desperation, I had no choice but to compromise, release them from prison, restore them to their original posts, and let them serve their crimes... As a result, hey, it is easy for a country to change its nature. It’s hard to change, or in other words, dogs can’t change from eating shit, they still have the same virtues and haven’t made any progress!”

"Master Zhu, before the expansion of the army, your Zhejiang army had less than a thousand people, but you bravely rushed to the reinforcements of Yingtian. Not only did you drive away the Japanese pirates, but you also wiped them all out. You are brave and resourceful, and you can also train troops. Compared with the army and preparations department, who are just sitting there with nothing to eat, Why can’t Mr. Zhu be called a handsome man?”

Magistrate Shang was indeed as he said, speaking outspokenly and revealing the shameful old stories of Suzhou Prefecture's Armed Forces Department and subordinate county commanders. It was obvious that he was extremely disappointed with the local officers and soldiers; It can be seen that Magistrate Shang admires Zhu Pingan very much and is also very satisfied with the Zhejiang army led by Zhu Pingan.

"Okay, Mr. Zhu, you don't need to be humble anymore. In the future, Suzhou City, I'll be looking to Mr. Zhu more."

Magistrate Shang stood up and bowed to Zhu Ping'an.

"Please, Mr. Zhu."

The subordinate officials of Shang Zhifu also stood up and paid a long bow to Zhu Ping'an.

"Master Shang, please get up quickly." Zhu Ping'an quickly stood up to help Magistrate Shang and others, and assured them, "Thank you very much, Master Shang and everyone for your trust. Ping'an and the Zhejiang Army will definitely live up to the trust of Master Shang and everyone." , we must ensure that Suzhou City is safe. If the Japanese pirates want to get their hands on Suzhou City, they must first pass through our Zhejiang Army. As long as there is a single soldier left, not a single Japanese pirate will threaten Suzhou City."

"Okay! With Master Zhu's words, I'm relieved." Magistrate Shang gave a high-five.

"Ten thousand stones of grain and grass have been deposited in the camp's granary. In the future, according to the supply of two stones per soldier, they will be supplied to the camp on time at the beginning of each month for your army to eat. The other two thousand taels of silver will be used to support your army's military needs. In the future, I The Suzhou government will support your army with three thousand taels of silver every month for military needs, please do not refuse."

As Magistrate Shang said, he took out a thick stack of banknotes from his sleeve, all in denominations of one hundred taels, and handed them to Zhu Ping'an.

It really deserves to be the first-class wealthy and romantic place in the world, and it really deserves to be the place where the richest man in the Ming Dynasty is located. Such a big deal!

Zhu Ping'an was immediately stunned by Suzhou Mansion's money-making ability.

"Thank you so much, Prefect Shang, for your strong support. The war is currently underway and it is the time to use the silver, so I won't refuse." Zhu Ping'an thanked him and took the money without refusing. "The Zhejiang army will repay the money with all their heart and soul."

A soldier eats 2 shi of grain and grass a month. The 10,000 shi of grain and grass supported by Suzhou Prefecture is enough to feed the Zhejiang Army's 2,000 men for two and a half months, saving the Zhejiang Army a lot of money. In addition, the 20,000 shi of grain and grass supported by Suzhou Prefecture are enough to feed the Zhejiang Army for two and a half months. The money was enough for the Zhejiang Army to build enough bayonets and small artillery. Now was the time to use money, so Zhu Pingan did not refuse.

"You're welcome, Mr. Zhu. Compared to the heavy responsibilities on your shoulders, our support is nothing. Besides, you are here to protect our safety. It is our duty to support you with some food, grass and silver." Magistrate Shang said.

Speaking of the important mission of the Zhejiang Army, Magistrate Shang explained it to Zhu Pingan in detail.

Suhu is ripe and the world is full.

There is no wealth in the world that is more abundant than in Suzhou, and no wealth in Suzhou is more abundant than Changmen. Changmen is the most prosperous area in Suzhou.

Tang Yin, one of the "Four Talents in Wuzhong" who passed away thirty years ago, wrote a poem called "Changmen Jishi", in which he wrote: "The paradise of the world is Wuzhong, and there is a Changmen in it, which is more heroic. Cuixiu Up and down three thousand buildings, there are millions of gold and water to the west and east. The market sales at the fifth watch have never been exhausted, and the dialects in the four distant places are always different. If the painter is asked to describe the painting, the painter should say that painting is difficult to work on."

The prosperity of Changmen can be seen from this. As the prefect of Suzhou Prefecture, Shang Zhifu knows the data of Suzhou City well.

The prefect Shang said that nine-tenths of Suzhou City's wealth is concentrated in the Changmen area, and other urban areas only account for one-tenth of Suzhou City's wealth, and the prosperity outside Changmen City is more prosperous than inside the city.

The ten-mile long street from outside Changmen City to Fengqiao, including Nanhao Street, Shangtang Street and Shantang Street, is backed by a river. The river transportation is developed and thousands of merchants gather here. North and south boats and foreign merchants gather here, and there are many shops. There are tens of thousands of them, covering all walks of life. It is more developed than the streets in Suzhou city.

When Japanese pirates plunder, they seek wealth, and their targets must first be the area outside Changmen, the most prosperous area in Suzhou City. During this time, many people also saw Japanese pirates inquiring about the situation in the Changmen area.

In addition, Japanese pirates came across the sea, went up the river, and plundered along the Grand Canal and other water veins. The intersection of the Grand Canal and our Suzhou water veins was outside Changmen. If the Japanese pirates came from the waterway, they would be the first to arrive. The place is also the Gate of Chang.

Finally, Magistrate Shang concluded that if Japanese pirates attacked Suzhou City, Changmenwai would definitely bear the brunt.

Fengqiao, where the Zhejiang Army was stationed, connected to Shedu and Changdang in the north, and to Jutang and Taihu Lake in the south. It guarded the waterways leading to Changmen, and was the only place where Japanese pirates could invade Changmen through waterways. Therefore, Magistrate Shang said that the Zhejiang Army has a heavy responsibility.

"Don't worry, Lord Shang. Only with responsibility and pressure can you have motivation. With our Zhejiang Army stationed here, we will not let a single Japanese pirate pass through Fengqiao and keep the west gate of Suzhou City safe." Zhu Ping'an said with a firm face.

"Very good. The west gate of Suzhou has been entrusted to your army." Magistrate Shang nodded vigorously.