Gu Yanwu smiled and said, "The rest are okay, but it seems that he has never seen the commander in charge so shameless?"

Zhou Xian raised his eyebrows, "What are you saying? This is called a wise and wise man. Zhongqing, write a letter to Yao Qisheng and Gao Qi in my name to see if they can provide some support to Han Kuo? Also, let Hou Fangyu come back from Dingtao! He has done a good job during this period, and it is too incompetent to keep him there. Besides, Han Kuo also needs someone to help him plan."

Gu Yanwu frowned and said, "General, is it really going to go to war with Heyi?"

Zhou Xian nodded, "Our army took Kagoshima, which is equivalent to cutting off the Dutch's trade route from Batavia to Japan. Sooner or later they will take action. Before, thinking about the restraint of Aima against the Blue Sultanate and Yachi and Johor, the Dutch had no time to take care of us for the time being. But who knew that they were too unscrupulous and were taken down by the Dutch in one round. Now, the Dutch only had two enemies left in Southeast Asia. One was the Spaniards in Manila, and the other was us. How do you think the Dutch will act next?"

Gu Yanwu shook his head and said, "I really don't know this. I am well-read, but I really know nothing about this military. The commander-in-chief should not keep it a secret, just tell me directly!"

Zhou Xian smiled and said, "If it were me, I would have to pick up soft persimmons first. The Spanish had less than 200 servants in Manila, and they could take it without much effort. After taking Manila, whether it was our army that attacked the south in Nanlu County or the north in Ryukyu, the Japanese army would be much closer. The Spanish should have felt the threat, otherwise they would not have so hurry to seek cooperation with Qi Guoyong."

Gu Yanwu asked: "Master General, are you going to accept the advice of the Spaniards and assist them in defending Manila? According to Qi Guoyong, although there are not many Spaniards in Manila, their castle is tall and strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Qi Guoyong has thousands of soldiers under his command, and only one thousand is enough to help them defend. If the Dutch could not even conquer Manila, let alone other places."

Zhou Xian shook his head, "That day, Spain invaded Luzon, burned, killed, looted and committed all evil. Isn't the reason why Brunei and Sulu came to China for help because of this? Now Qi Guoyong does have thousands of soldiers in his hands, but more than half of them are soldiers from Brunei and Sulu. Will they be willing to let them save their enemies now? It is not wise to be wronged by the Spanish. Because if we want to gain a completely foothold in Nanyang, we must maintain closer ties with the two countries, rather than driving them at will against their will."

Gu Yanwu said: "Supervisor, what about private matters! You also know that our current maritime trade is mainly done by the Spanish. If they are driven out of South Asia by the Dutch, our maritime trade will be reduced by at least half. Now, Liaoning, North Korea, Shandong, every place, and every aspect requires money, and that impact is really great."

Zhou Xian smiled and said, "Don't worry! It won't be that way. In fact, I hope the Dutch can successfully take Manila and then we will take it from them."

Gu Yanwu's face changed, "Does the Commander-in-Chief want to get Manila?"

Zhou Xian nodded, "Not only Manila, but also the entire Luzon Island. Now our trade volume with the Spaniards is too large to start a war rashly. But if Manila is taken away from the Dutch, we will manage its operations and continue to be a port for trading with Spain. Even if the Spaniards are dissatisfied, they will be forced to accept it in the end. Luzon Island is warm and humid, with rich resources, and suitable for farming. At that time, tens of thousands of people will be moved to reclaim wasteland. Perhaps in a few years, it will become a granary for supplying the Central Plains. By the way, did Ma Shaoyu write? How did the purchase of food and grass from Annan and other countries be carried out?"

Gu Yanwu said: "Everything goes well, the first batch of 50,000 stones of grain has set sail, and there will be more in the future."

Zhou Xian nodded, turned his head over and said, "Food is of great importance. You can't rely entirely on the south side. It's better to have more sources. Zhongqing, now the opening of schools and newspapers is basically on the right track. You can recommend someone to replace you!"

Gu Yanwu was stunned for a moment, "General, that subordinate..."

Zhou Xian said slowly: "Now that most of the rebel army has retreated to the north of the Yellow River, the northernmost section of Henan Province is actually under our control. You should try to go to the supervisor and be a acting prefect there!"

Instead of Zhou Xian’s imagination, Gu Yanwu looked worried, “Master General, can you not go!”

Zhou Xian was stunned for a moment, "What, you don't want to!"

Gu Yanwu shook his head, "If he could serve as the prefect of a place, his subordinates would certainly be very willing. However, his subordinates had never handled government affairs seriously before, and he had never been a county magistrate in a place. If he rashly became a prefect, his subordinates would be unsure and others would not be convinced. Besides, Zhangde was on the front line and his subordinates were not in military affairs. Once he missed the major affairs of the commander, his subordinates would not be able to afford to be guilty."

Zhou Xian shook his head and said, "It is precisely because Zhangde Mansion is on the front line of confrontation with the Qing army that it is your turn. As long as you can stabilize the situation over there, no one can say anything if you take over as the prefect in the future. If you miss such an opportunity, you will not have it again."

Gu Yanwu clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, the Governor, for your attention, but I still want to start little by little."

Zhou Xian frowned. He wanted Gu Yanwu to take over as the prefect of Zhangde Mansion to assist Yan Yingyuan in the Daming Mansion where he was located to resist the Qing army.

It’s not that Gu Yanwu is outstanding in handling political affairs, but that he deserves Zhou Xian’s full trust.

But what Zhou Xian didn't expect was that Gu Yanwu would be so thin-skinned, but he just gave up such a good opportunity because he was worried about other people's words.

In this way, I have to find another person.

After a long time, Zhou Xian sighed and said, "Okay! You go to see Chen Zilong with me first. If he is willing to go, you can go to Ling County to be a county magistrate and take over the matter of relocating the disaster victims. Otherwise, you still have to go to Zhangde Mansion."

Gu Yanwu clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, the governor, I understand."
Chapter completed!