Chang Qingyun smiled bitterly: "People in the Ming Dynasty don't tell secrets. Last night, the governor's office received news from Gaoyao County that the general named Cao was leading dozens of people to cause trouble outside the city and was related to Jin Yiwei.
Master Xiong was afraid that it would be embarrassing if the two sides were to stalemate, so he asked me to rush over and be the middleman. Before we even arrived at the pier, we heard the sound of multiple rounds of muskets, and then the group of soldiers retreated like ducks.
I was in the city, and I was already convinced - when I escaped with my life in the midst of thousands of troops, the sound of this continuous cannon was very familiar. Just on the ground in Guangdong and Guangxi, how many people could be dispatched so easily with the force of one ship?
Out of ten soldiers, only the chiefs are the only ones."
Thorpe nodded, building friendship and complimenting the other party. It seemed that Chang Qingyun's stay in the Lingao Prisoner of War Camp was not in vain.
"I immediately reported back to Mr. Xiong, saying that Lin Baihu and his party from the Jinyi Guards had many people and strong martial arts. They had already eliminated dozens of Qiu Ba. However, the Cao man was not good at fighting. There were probably waiting for people and horses on the upper and lower waterways.
I am afraid that some of you will not give up, so Lord Xiong sent me here early in the morning, either to ask you to show your support and give the woman to General Cao. Lord Xiong is willing to give you five hundred taels of silver; or to ask you to be a little more tolerant.
To change things, I will send someone here to take you back to the provincial capital via the mountain path, and just let the boat go back." After saying this, Chang Qingyun smiled self-consciously, "But I am afraid that the chief will not agree to these two conditions."
Thorpe smiled and said: "Since you know that there are repeating guns, there is no need to mention the surrender and escape."
He asked again: "Do you know who that woman is?"
"Students don't know."
"She used to be Mrs. Ru of Gao Shunqin, the imperial censor of Guangdong." Thorpe said, "Speaking of it, she is the same as you. She has been reduced to such a state. It is not justified to push her back to the fire bed instead of saving her.
.”
Chang Qingyun said: "She is just a woman, and besides, she is just a concubine."
Thorp was secretly despised. He saw Chang Qingyun looking up at him: "It's a trivial matter for Mr. Cao. I forgive the villain for being brave, but with the dignity of a leader, I come to Zhaoqing in person. I'm afraid that Zhaoqing and even Guangdong and Guangxi will suffer another unwarranted military disaster."
"
With a "swipe" sound, Lin Ming immediately pulled out the Xiuchun Dao in his hand and blocked the exit of the cabin. Xie Peng also pulled out his revolver.
Chang Qingyun did not look back: "Chief, although the student does not understand military affairs, he also knows that Zhaoqing cannot withstand the attack of the Song Dynasty army. He is just punishing himself with defeat. But he has been so kind to Master Xiong, and there is really nothing he can do to repay it.
.If Lin Baihu is successful and is buried here today, it can be regarded as being loyal to Master Xiong. I just want to say something for the sake of these two people. If the leader can listen and deal with it, the student will die without regrets."
"Go ahead," Thorpe said. "You know the policy."
"Yes." Chang Qingyun seemed to have gone back to the days when he shaved his head, wore coarse clothes and was called "9763". "Master Xiong has long admired..." He seemed to be thinking about the words. "The style of all the leaders -"
"What? Old Xiong wants to treat us to dinner?" Cummins interjected and asked.
Thorp smiled and said: "Old Bear's guests have been invited just now. Please stop hesitating. After all, what message does Old Bear want you to convey?"
Chang Qingyun calmed down and his speech became fluent: "Master Xiong has long praised Lingao, saying that you are 'benevolent and virtuous' people, and you are by no means ordinary businessmen..."
When Thorpe heard this, he thought it was a sign of recruitment. He listened patiently.
"... You are all Chinese Miao descendants, of the Yanhuang lineage. You are all loyal and commendable people who sailed an iron ship through thousands of miles of waves to return to your motherland. If you can rest your swords and serve the imperial court, you will naturally have a bright future..."
The news that Chang Qingyun brought was indeed the news of recruiting security! Thorpe thought to himself, this is not new. Xiong Wencan started his career by recruiting security for the "Ju Canal". As the largest "sea pirate" in Guangdong and Guangxi, he said that he would not do this.
The brain is impossible.
He originally planned to reorganize the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi and then proceed gradually, but yesterday's conflict on the dock forced his plan to be advanced. Zhenkun is not uncommon in Guangzhou, and there are several upright ones who go in and out of the city.
He interacted with officials and merchants. However, this is Zhaoqing, a battleground for the military strategists of Guangdong and Guangxi. He really traveled thousands of miles to penetrate this place, so there is no need to say what his motives are.
Xiong Wencan's ability is limited, but he still has self-awareness. Back then, he couldn't defeat Zheng Zhilong in Fujian Province, let alone the Kun thief who was more than ten times more powerful than Zheng Zhilong and ruled Hainan!
Sooner or later, the matter of the bandits cannot be concealed. Now that the Donglu and the rogue bandits are having a fierce quarrel, the court is too worried to care about the affairs in Hainan. If the court can calm down, there must be an explanation.
Xiong Wencan knew that the current imperial court was in a state of ruin. The emperor had to work hard to govern, but he couldn't use his strength - or in other words, he was using it in the wrong place. He knew the way of being an official and knew that he wanted to continue to hang out in the officialdom.
, we must not follow the emperor to "work hard to govern", as that will only make things worse. What's more, the national affairs are becoming increasingly difficult, and the emperor is eager for success and has an impatient temper. If something goes wrong, he is not a tolerant person.
monarch……
You can only try to whitewash it: as long as you don't cause trouble when you take office, you can continue to work peacefully.
The destruction of Zheng Zhilong was a big blow to him. Although he had a "thief against thief" attitude towards the Zheng Zhilong Group, Zheng Zhilong still worked very hard to destroy other pirates after he was appeased. It can be said that both sides
A "win-win" was achieved. Xiong Wencan was promoted to Guangdong and Guangxi, and Zheng Zhilong's "performance" was indispensable.
The destruction of Zheng Zhilong also declared that the Kun thief had become the largest "giant bandit" on the southeast coast. It also made Xiong Wencan's strategy of "controlling thieves with thieves" designated by Xiong Wencan in the past completely bankrupt.
As a rising star, the thieves not only easily defeated Zheng Zhilong's main force, but also forced the landing of Liu Xiang's troops. Originally, Xiong Wencan had almost reached an agreement with Liu Xiang to recruit security, but it was destroyed by several armed parades in Chaoshan by the Kun thieves' fleet.
As a result, the largest maritime force in Guangdong and Guangxi, Kun Thief, became the most concerned object of Governor Xiong. He had already learned a lot about the situation in Hainan from the merchants who had been to Lingao, and had also sent spies there. The result was promising.
There is worry.
What worries him is that the Kun thieves are already an enemy country in Hainan. They openly call themselves the Song Dynasty, collect taxes and train troops unscrupulously. The court officials are just like decorations. The most important point is that the huge appetite shown by the Australians scares him somewhat.
The so-called huge appetite does not mean "being an emperor" - this kind of slogan is not worth mentioning. In the famine years, hundreds of poor farmers rebelled with hoes and shouted a few words, "Emperor takes turns, come to my house next year". That is a common thing, and it is not
People take it seriously.
The problem is that this group of Australians have the strength but are not in a hurry to do so. According to Xiong Wencan's experience, if a team can pull up thousands of troops and capture several county towns, the leader will definitely be crowned emperor, not king.
.However, the bandits obviously have tens of thousands of troops, and they are the largest fleet on the southeast coast, but they do nothing. Even the officials of the imperial court let them stay in the yamen and dawdle - this made Xiong Wencan hesitate: This
Building walls high, hoarding grains widely, and becoming king slowly were the goals of the Emperor Taizu of this dynasty, Long Xingshi.
Fortunately, the Kun bandits are now entrenched in Hainan, which is like a separatist regime. However, the taxes have been paid and the imperial decrees can be passed down. This shows that the Kun bandits have no intention of starting a rebellion on their own, and it is still possible to recruit them.
If you can recruit Ankun thieves, it will be a big problem for the already struggling court - Guangdong, as one of the only sources of salary for the court, can no longer withstand the torment. It will be a great achievement for you to appease the place.
.
Naturally, with Xiong Wencan's knowledge, he knew very well that this group of thieves was by no means a mere creature in the pool. They could not be trapped by high-ranking officials and generous salaries. Sooner or later, they would raise their flags to rebel - but that would only take a few years at least.
What happened next, I may not still be in Zhaoqing presiding over the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Therefore, he decided to appease this "giant canal" at any cost this time in exchange for temporary peace. As for the future, let's talk about it in the future.
The recruitment conditions proposed by Chang Qingyun were very generous: as long as he accepted the recruitment, the imperial court would set up Qiongshan Deputy Commander-in-Chief in Hainan. Wen Desi or Ma Qianju would be appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chief. If they were unwilling to take up official positions, they could also appoint others.
Zhenkun will be in charge; the Guangdong government will grant a one-time reward of 30,000 taels of silver to Fubo's army; one thousand of Fubo's soldiers can be selected to be registered as officers and soldiers, and will be paid by the court on a monthly basis; Australians can continue to be stationed in Hainan.
Except for the taxes payable, the appointment and dismissal of local officials and the postal transmission, other government agencies do not interfere. As for Australians, they can enter and leave Guangzhou at their own convenience.
Thorpe thought to himself, good guy, this is tantamount to fully acknowledging the fait accompli! It can be regarded as a clear path. He knows very well that if it were a few years ago, this condition might still be negotiable, but now Hainan Island has to do with the Senate.
It is said that just like clothes that are too small for a growing boy, Hainan's many inherent bottlenecks in the development of industry are beginning to be exposed. The Senate has already determined that Guangdong will win. In this situation, I am afraid that few people will negotiate for peace.
It’s a recruitment issue.
Thorp shook his head slightly: "Although I alone cannot make the decision on this matter, I am afraid that the Senate can only accept Lord Xiong's kindness."
Chang Qingyun had served in Lingao, so he was not surprised by this result. However, Thorpe's statement made his heart sink, and he said in a trembling voice: "So, the Senate wants to..."
Thorpe nodded: "Since Mr. Xiong gave me papaya, we will naturally repay him with Qiong Yao. Please Mr. Chang tell Mr. Xiong: Guangdong and Guangxi are not only hot in Australia, but also full of miasma. It is not a safe place for an official. And I heard that this year's
There is something strange in the sky in Guangdong, and there may be heavy snow and severe cold that has never happened in a century. We pray that everything will be safe for you, Sir, and that you will be promoted to a higher position."
Chang Qingyun nodded and said: "Students understand, thank you leaders for your kindness." (To be continued)