Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

The morning glow on the horizon gradually faded, and dots of silvery white floated on the dark blue sea.

The waves hit the rocks on the seaside. A square brick city is located on the east side of Shenzhi Island. This is the gateway to the East China Sea of ​​the Ming Dynasty. It slowly wakes up in the early morning.

Since the Governor's Office had just distributed military pay yesterday, many energetic soldiers had returned from the fireworks field in the north of the city, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.

In the past, they were the lowest-ranking military households in the country, but after they came to station here in the East China Sea, they became wealthy customers or benefactors in the eyes of North Korean women. After all, rich people really are the boss.

As for the emperor who distributed military pay to them on time every month, he was naturally their wise king, an emperor who could make them loyal from the bottom of their hearts.

"You are so rough every day, how much monthly salary is enough for you to squander?"

"No matter how rough it is, it's still better than before. What's more, the emperor also deposited foreign funds for us!"

"You can't always compare with the past. Look, Liu Daniu hasn't spent a penny yet, and now he's planning to buy land and a house when he returns home!"

…

There were daily drills on the campus. When Zhao Baihu saw several of his soldiers going to the fireworks field to deliver silver coins, he couldn't help but preach.

It's not that I want to teach anything, but I saw that they always spend their silver dollars on women, so I thought that it would be wise to ask them to be more restrained and save some money to go back to their country to marry a wife and have children.

Xiaoqi Wei Dayan is their leader, and he is also a real thorn in the side: "Zhao Baihu, aren't you saying that we should carry forward the spirit of 'talk will harm the country, and work will rejuvenate the country'? Don't worry, Liu Daniu will This kind of behavior will only take advantage of the imperial court. I am a person who wants to do practical things for the imperial court. I am a good soldier only if I receive rewards from your majesty!"

"You want to receive His Majesty's reward? Just brag!" Zhao Baihu glanced at Wei Dayan and said with great disdain.

Wei Dayan was a hot-blooded young man. He immediately wiped his nose and said arrogantly: "Zhao Baihu, you probably don't know what I did back then?"

"You are a stinky soldier. You are not even a small flag in the country. What can you do?" Zhao Baihu didn't expect that this thorny head wanted to brag, so he immediately attacked him directly.

Several other sergeants also laughed at them. It was indeed impossible for them to have any future in the country.

Not to mention that there is no chance to make meritorious service. Even if he does make meritorious service, it usually won't fall on him. There are really too many connections in the army.

Wei Dayan pointed at his own eyes, but said very seriously: "Zhao Baihu, I do not have a military position in the country, but do you think my eyes are big? My ancestors have been a member of the inspection army for generations. Wanping Divine Eye, that’s why I’m called Wei Big Eye! This time it’s our turn to search the passing ships, I can guarantee that not even a hair can pass through!”

"Just blow it!" Zhao Baihu looked at Wei with big eyes, but he still didn't believe it.

Wei Dayan also wanted to leave some extra money to take back home, so he raised his chin and said provocatively: "If you want me to gain something today, how about you invite me to Jin Qiaoqiao for a romantic night?"

this……

The sergeants who were watching knew that Jin Qiaoqiao was the pillar of the fireworks field. The jade whistle blew people intoxicated. They heard that she was once a maid of the Joseon Palace, but she was exiled to Jeju Island because of the jealousy of the princess.

Due to so many people visiting, the price of a night now exceeds one silver dollar, or even two silver dollars.

Although they actually have the spending power, compared with having a full month of romance and having three minutes of happiness, they still choose the former.

"Our court has a heavy reward for smuggling food and weapons, and now it is even more valued by His Majesty. If you really have this ability, I will give you three nights in a row with her, let alone one night!" Zhao Baihu made a direct promise after adding it all up. .

Originally, their anti-smuggling operations here could catch some fish that slipped through the net, but since the officials of the Shanghai Shipping Department and Ningbo Shipping Department were reshuffled, the merchant ships coming here are becoming more and more legal.

In particular, after learning that there were unscrupulous businessmen selling Ming women to Japan, various shipping companies searched merchant ships more carefully, and the rewards given to shipping companies increased.

Because of this, it is almost impossible for them to catch the fish that slips through the net, and now those who can catch the fish that slip through the net will receive a heavier reward.

Wei Dayan actually knew that everything was slowly getting better, but when he thought about the cheating scholars that Shuntian Mansion could not prevent, he knew that after all, dogs could not change and eat shit: "It's a deal!"

Things didn't work out as expected, even a search of the three ships turned up nothing.

"We are all old acquaintances, why don't we check this ship? It's so laborious!"

"The governor has an order. Anyone who dares to redeem his position will be killed! Even if I agree, the soldiers below dare not agree!"

"Okay, I am a law-abiding citizen anyway. You should investigate carefully. If you really find out anything, I will kill myself to apologize!"

…

Due to the considerable profits from maritime trade, there were often many familiar faces coming and going, and a steward named Xu struck up a familiar conversation.

In fact, these should not be underestimated. These people can have more or less connections with several thousand households, and can even move out of the Duke of Wei's mansion.

Xu Shiying's situation is quite special. Their Dingguo Palace and Wei Guogong Palace are from the same ancestry, so they have to give some face when encountering Wei Guogong's ships.

The cargo on the ship was piled neatly, including common silk, ceramics and tea, and there was nothing suspicious about it.

Dong Dong...

Suddenly, Wei Dayan found an abnormal wooden board on the floor of the cabin. He knocked hard and found that the sound was dull and obviously different from the surrounding wooden boards.

He immediately summoned his companions to study the strange board.

After some hard work, they finally removed the wooden planks on the ground, revealing a modified cabin entrance.

The cabin was dark and narrow, but filled with bags of grain. These grains were piled neatly and extended to the deepest part of the cabin.

"Capture everyone immediately!" Zhao Baihu came over and saw the situation in the cabin. He was slightly stunned at first, and then ordered angrily.

At other times, food smuggling might not be as serious as it is now, but now that the imperial court has made it clear that it wants to go to war with the Ouchi family, this kind of smuggling of strategic materials is simply treason.

Wei Dayan seemed very excited, not because he could sleep with Jin Qiaoqiao for three nights, but because he had made a contribution to the court by catching the big fish this time.

"I want to see your governor!" Butler Xu didn't look scared, he looked deep and strange.

He put his hands behind his back, raised his chest and raised his head, his eyes scanning the faces of the soldiers present, as if to declare to them his unyielding and arrogance.

"Now how to do?"

"Seeing that he has a relationship with our governor?"

"This is an act of treason. Can the Governor still help him?"

…

Wei Dayan was the hero who discovered the smuggling of grain. Now that he saw the other party's confident and fearless appearance, he suddenly felt unsure, but he did not think that the other party could get away with it.

Not to mention that the Governor is loyal to the emperor, even if the Governor dares to protect Butler Xu, now that there are thousands of people talking here, Xu Shiying may not dare to do such a treasonous act.

Zhao Baihu hesitated for a while, but finally chose to report it.

"It is impossible for our governor to collude with you!" Huo Hai strode to the dock after receiving the news, but said coldly.

Butler Xu knew that Huo Hai was a general and hurriedly took out a letter from his arms: "This is a letter from Duke Wei! Please also pass it on to Governor Xu, I believe he can spare my life for the sake of Duke Wei!"

"If the Duke of Wei dares to commit treason, there is no reason to speak of it here, let alone you as a merchant, don't you think that our governor can commit treason with you?" Huo Hai glanced at the letter that was handed over, but asked with suppressed anger.

Butler Xu's face instantly turned pale when he saw Huo Hai's gaze, without a trace of blood. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't even say a complete word.

yes!

This smuggling of grain has been defined as treason. Xu Shiying is the emperor's minion, so what reason is there for betraying Wei Guogong's face?

It's just that he doesn't want to die.

Butler Xu's body began to tremble, and he could no longer control his thoughts. This letter was already his last trump card. If all his cards are useless, how can he save himself?

"Death to the traitor, let's hit the road!" Huo Hai immediately pulled out the knife from his waist as if he saw a dead person.

"No... don't!" Butler Xu looked up and saw the knife being pulled out, but his voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

He tried to stand up and escape, but his legs were unable to move as if he had lost consciousness. He could only sit helplessly on the ground, letting despair and fear engulf his heart.

Huo Hai's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he seemed to cut it off very decisively.

puff!

A stream of blood spattered, and Butler Xu's head rolled to the ground. His eyes were open in disbelief, which immediately shocked everyone present.

Huo Hai picked up Butler Xu's head and said loudly to the soldiers present: "The governor has an order. The East China Sea Governor's Mansion is sworn in with the traitors. Even if his father comes, it won't work!"

"We, the Governor-General of the East China Sea, are sworn in with the traitors!" Wei Dayan and others shouted with passion in their bodies.

With this lesson learned from the past, any merchants who were later found to be smuggling and wanted to use the back door were all searched and executed directly by the soldiers.

The governor's back door is not open, and other generals have no reason to protect those with connections.

Most importantly, this has been defined as an act of treason. Now the officers and soldiers of the East China Sea Governor's Mansion are shouting loyalty to His Majesty every day, and they are already making preparations to invade Kyushu Island at any time. How can they allow rice grains to be transported to Kyushu Island?

At the same time, a merchant ship sailed alone under the afterglow of the setting sun.

Suddenly, a three-masted sailing ship appeared on the horizon and came riding the wind and waves. Then the sound of cannons was deafening, and the shells cut through the sky with a sharp sound and violently attacked the merchant ship.

The crew panicked and fled in all directions.

The ship's hull shook violently, fire exploded, and the cargo on the deck flew away, before slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea. The crew members jumped into the sea to survive, but the waves were rough and the chance of survival was slim.

In the end, the smuggling merchant ship disappeared into the vast sea, but the ship never appeared, only debris and wreckage floating on the sea.

The Ming Dynasty's blockade of smuggled rice was not only at sea, but also various municipal shipping departments have also begun to take action and are working hard to put an end to smuggling.

Shanghai County, on the pier.

Xu Hong learned that another merchant ship smuggling rice had been found, so he boarded the ship to check it out in person.

The officers of Songjiang Guard stood majestically on the bow of the ship, their eyes like torches scanning every crew member. The exposed smugglers were kneeling on the deck, not daring to raise their heads and trembling all over, as if waiting for the final judgment.

One of the smugglers, who seemed to be the leader, began to beg for mercy with a trembling voice: "Prefect Xu, please have mercy on me! The young ones were also confused for a moment, and they embarked on this road of no return. Please have mercy on Prefect Xu and let us go." If you are lucky enough to survive, you will be rewarded generously!"

His words were full of fear and regret, as if he was only now realizing the seriousness of his crime. He kept kowtowing, even getting blood marks on his forehead, hoping that Xu Hong would treat them leniently because it was their first offense.

Other smugglers followed suit. They knelt on the ground and begged with tears in their eyes: "Master Fu Zun, we really know we were wrong! We will never dare to do it again! Please spare us this time!"

"Traitors, die! Take them all back. I want to see how many people dare to take risks to transport rice to Japan!" Xu Hong naturally couldn't walk past these traitors, and he gritted his teeth.

Since Japan has mined a lot of silver and is now hungry for food, more and more merchant ships are taking risks under the bewitchment of Jiang merchants, officials and gentry groups.

But now the Shanghai Shipping Department and the Ningbo Shipping Department have stepped up their inspections. Once they discover that grain is stored in the modified cabin, they will directly arrest people for treason.

In order to deter latecomers, they only need to report to the two governors, or they can directly execute the traitors on the dock, and the blood will stain a corner of the dock red.

In fact, it is not only the maritime and municipal shipping departments that are taking action, but local governments have also joined in.

Yangzhou Prefecture was originally the hardest hit area for illegal salt sales.

Since Yangzhou Prefecture is east of the East China Sea, it only needs to build a private dock to transport grain to sea ships, and then directly to Japan's Kyushu Island.

Originally they disdained this kind of business, but now that illegal salt has been cracked down by the court, they decided to take risks and make huge profits by smuggling rice.

When night falls, on the pier.

The two cargo ships have been loaded, and this time they are carrying full of food and are preparing to set sail. The smugglers were busy making final preparations, but they did not expect the sudden attack by officers and soldiers.

Weng Peng, the deputy transshipment envoy of Huaidu and Huaidu, led the officers and soldiers to move quickly. Some of them were responsible for surrounding the dock and cutting off the smugglers' escape routes, while others rushed directly to the cargo ship with the intention of controlling the smuggled materials on the ship.

However, the smugglers were not unprepared. Seeing that the situation was not good, they immediately organized a resistance.

For a moment, the pier was filled with fire and the sound of swords clashing one after another.

The smugglers brandished their weapons and desperately resisted the attacks of the officers and soldiers. Some of them were strong and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the officers and soldiers; others hid in the dark and fired cold arrows to attack the officers and soldiers.

Faced with the fierce resistance of the smugglers, the officers and soldiers of Yangzhou Prefecture did not back down.

With their close cooperation and extraordinary courage, they gradually gained the upper hand. The officers and soldiers used their shields to block cold arrows and stabbed the smugglers with their spears. Every attack was full of strength and determination.

In the fierce battle, the soldiers of Yangzhou Guard showed excellent combat qualities.

Not only are they brave and good at fighting, but they also know how to take advantage of terrain and tactics. Sometimes they dispersed their attacks, leaving the smugglers to focus on one thing and the other; sometimes they concentrated their firepower to attack a stubborn defensive position.

After a fierce battle, the smugglers' resistance gradually weakened. Some of them were subdued by officers and soldiers, some fell to the ground injured, and more were killed directly by the heroic Yangzhou guards.

In the end, the operation against treasonous smuggling was successful when all smugglers were apprehended.

"Sir, we caught their leader!" A hundred households took the leader over from the boat, but they wanted to claim credit.

When Weng Peng saw the little old man being escorted over, he was very surprised and said: "Are you Gao Heng?" (End of Chapter)