Rise From the Humble

"Hui Fuzun, everything in the four gates is safe and sound as usual. All the soldiers are on duty with all their heart. They are all full of energy and their eyes are as wide as copper bells. Let alone Japanese pirates, even a mosquito will not even think about flying into the city."

After a while, the guard who went out to check the situation came back out of breath and reported to Zhifu Zhao.

"Okay, good, good, one mind, the soldiers serve their orders, Jiaxing has no worries. This officer has ordered hot soup and hot dishes to be prepared for you. You can go down and enjoy your rest. This officer will not forget those who work hard."

After hearing the guard's report, Zhifu Zhao happily said three "good" words, heaved a sigh of relief, patted the guard's shoulder kindly, and gently asked him to go down and have a good rest.

The Fu Zun patted me on the shoulder, the guard was overwhelmed by the flattery, his face flushed with excitement and repeatedly expressed his willingness to die for the Fu Zun.

After the guard left, Zhifu Zhao looked around at the people in the conference hall, like an old lion with a gray mane, as the ruler of a government, he still had prestige, and all the people whispering under him stopped talking.

"I know, some of you say that you are overly cautious, make a fuss over a molehill, or even be as timid as a mouse..."

Zhao Zhifu cleared his throat, looked at the crowd, and said slowly.

After hearing what Zhao Zhifu said, all the civil and military officials in the meeting hall lowered their heads, not daring to look at Zhao Zhifu. They had ghosts in their hearts, and almost most of them said so, even if they didn't say it, they still thought so thought about it.

"It's normal for you to have such thoughts. After all, what I did was cautious to the point of timidity. The Japanese pirates who fled Suzhou only appeared in a small village in the north, and the number of them was unknown. After a while, people will go to the four gates to check, there are more than 2,000 soldiers and horses in the city, but they still send people to ask for help from the Yangcheng Guard at the first time, etc., so I will not blame you."

Zhao Zhifu spoke slowly, and finally glanced at everyone, and asked, "Do you know why this official is doing this?"

All the civil and military officials in the chamber did not know how to answer.

"I tell you. Because I am the magistrate of Jiaxing Prefecture, and as the lord of the prefecture, I am responsible for the safety of Jiaxing Prefecture, especially the tens of thousands of people in Jiaxing City. I have to be careful and careful, cautious and cautious. , even to the point of being as cowardly as a mouse. As long as Jiaxing Mansion has no worries, even if I am said to be as cowardly as a mouse, it is nothing." Zhifu Zhao said slowly with some emotion.

"Fu Zun has hundreds of thousands of people in Jiaxing Mansion in his mind. We are narrow-minded, so please ask Fu Zun to make amends."

A group of civil and military officials repeatedly confessed their crimes.

"It's okay, it's okay, the official has already said it, and I won't blame you for it. But..." Zhao Zhifu paused when he said this, his eyes were like fire, and he slowly scanned the crowd, bringing great pressure to everyone.

"My lord, please tell me, we must obey the orders of your lord." A group of civil and military officials stood up to express their views.

Zhao Zhifu waved his hand, ordered everyone to sit down, and then warned the civil and military officials present with a serious face, "However, you need to remember that we not only shoulder our lives, but also shoulder hundreds of thousands of people from Jiaxing Mansion. The lives of the people, you must be as careful as I am, be more careful, be more careful, be more careful! The Japanese pirates are not just idle thieves, they are cruel and good at fighting, burning, killing and looting. The news of looting under Yingtian City is familiar to all of you, right? The Japanese pirates occupying Tuolin as their lair did not give way. This group of Japanese pirates gathered 50,000 to 60,000 troops, and the Songjiang Mansion suffered greatly. The officers and soldiers suffered consecutive defeats. The number is broken, and the common people are reduced to the fish in the bowl of the Japanese pirates. Even Governor Zhang is very afraid, and he will not be able to attack. Don't underestimate Tuolin's rout of the Japanese pirates, don't think that they don't care about the fact that they are defeated, and don't think that they are few. Just relax your vigilance, and everything must be raised to the highest level."

"We will bear in mind the teachings of the Fu Zun, and we must be careful and careful, and cautious and cautious." A group of civil and military officials expressed their opinions again and again.

"Very well, now let's study the deployment of Jiaxing's defenses. My official is in the middle and directs. The specific supplies such as grain, grass, ordnance are in charge of Mr. Wang, and the departments of household, barracks, and workshops will cooperate with each other; the mobilization and command of troops and horses will be in charge of Mr. Zhang , all the generals here must work together, and when the Yangcheng Guard reinforcements arrive, I will explain to them, and Chief Zhang will also be responsible for mobilizing the command.”

Prefect Zhao sat down satisfied, and arranged for the defense of Jiaxing. A group of civil and military officials stood up from time to time to take orders.

"Everyone also discuss how to do better the affairs that you are responsible for and cooperate with." Zhao Zhifu ordered a group of civil and military officials.

At the end, Zhifu Zhao turned his head to look at the corner of the meeting room, and asked, "Secretary Sima, have you recorded what happened today?"

It turned out that in the corner of the meeting hall, there was a table case, and a clerk in his fifties was writing a book in front of the table case.

"Hui Fuzun, what Fuzun did and said today, especially Fuzun's emotional explanation to everyone and his stern admonition, has been recorded truthfully, verbatim."

Zhang Shuli stood up and replied.

"Good. Zhang Shuli is worthy of being born in the Sima family, with the style of a historian." Zhao Zhifu nodded in satisfaction after hearing this.

There are words and truths, the Japanese pirates attacked, I had the whole people in my heart, endured the humiliation, and did not hesitate to be stigmatized as a coward, but I was careful and careful to deploy defenses, so that Jiaxing Mansion avoided a catastrophe.

These records can not only be used as the basis for rewarding meritorious service, but can also be compiled into the local chronicles of Jiaxing Prefecture, and I will be immortalized with the local chronicles of Jiaxing Prefecture.

When Zhao Zhifu was complacent and all the civil and military officials in the meeting hall were brainstorming, a massacre was about to happen dozens of miles outside the city.

"The Ming army is about to arrive, hide carefully and pull up the rope! Brother Ma, you lead two hundred people to ambush in the back, and I lead the rest to ambush in the front. Flanker, kill him until the blood flows into rivers, remember not to kill him completely, if you want to keep dozens of him alive, I will be of great use." Hiding in the dark, Xu Hai whispered to a group of Japanese pirates.

"Okay." Ma Ye nodded, and led the pirates to move back.

More than a dozen Japanese pirates pulled up three hemp ropes as tripping ropes. In order to prevent being discovered by the Ming army, the hemp ropes were all dyed black.

The black tripping rope merged with the pitch-black night, like a giant beast with its mouth wide open.

"Drive! Drive! Drive!"

More than a hundred Ming soldiers rushed from the bottom of the high slope, not knowing what was waiting for them ahead.

They only knew that the government ordered them to seek reinforcements quickly, so how could they have thought that a group of pirates were ambushing them secretly. (end of this chapter)