Forbidden City, Wenhua Hall.
After the New Year, the weather was a little warmer. The snow began to melt, and the water dripped down the eaves as if it was raining.
Zhu Yijun quite liked this feeling. He stretched and stood up, walking straight to the door.
The sun was very good, and this kind of afternoon leisure time was also very comfortable. Zhu Yijun's mood was also a lot better.
"A secret memorial from the Imperial Majesty, Eunuch Xu!"
Zhang Jing walked in front of Zhu Yijun with a memorial in his hand and said respectfully, "Express express."
Zhu Yijun was stunned. What happened to Xu De that he actually needed express express express?
He reached out and took the memorial. The mud seal on it was very intact. Obviously, it had not been opened. Zhu Yijun reached out and tore the envelope, then reached out and took out the memorial inside.
In the memorial, Xu De described in detail the process of him and Zhao Lian's investigation.
From interrogating Cui Fu to arresting the He family, and then to investigating the Zhen family, everything was written in it.
Later, Xu De also detailed the difficulties he encountered and Dong Chengwu's worries.
After reading the memorial, Zhu Yijun reached out and put the memorial on the table, then reached out and rubbed his forehead.
"Li Dan!"
Zhu Yijun sighed. As a big eastern country, the figure on the sea was actually a pirate in the Age of Great Navigation. This was a kind of sorrow!
Among the many pirates who ran amok for a time, Li Dan was definitely the one who carried the past and opened the future.
Before Li Dan, the two most famous people were Wang Zhi and Xu Hai.
Wang Zhi was known as the Five Peaks Shipowner. No matter which country's ships wanted to do business in the Daming Japanese Empire, they had to fly the flag of the Five Peaks Shipowner and pay protection fees on time to prevent themselves from being robbed.
When Wang Zhi died, Li Dan successfully rose to power. With the help of the Japanese pirate groups, he organized an armed fleet and engaged in international trade between Japan, China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Tokugawa Ieyasu is said to have been funded by Li Dan when he unified Japan. In addition, he also engaged in piracy and plunder. Because of his fierce style at sea, he was nicknamed "Captain" by the Westerners.
China, also known as Jia Bi Dan Li Dan.
The word "Captain" was the name given to Han Chinese leaders during the Spanish rule of Manila.
Li Dan had successfully inspired his descendants. After his death, his adopted son rose to power. This person was Zheng Zhilong, the father of the famous Zheng Chenggong.
Li Dan's son, Li Guozhu, inherited his father's business and was also a famous sea merchant at that time.
Dong Chengwu was right. Li Dan was definitely a ruthless person. In fact, his relationship with the local government in Daming was quite good.
This was because in the later Ming He peace talks, Li Dan played a very important role.
The Dutch withdrew from the occupied Penghu and went to Taiwan. At that time, Daming did not recognize Taiwan as its territory. After going to Taiwan, the Dutch stayed there for 38 years.
Until 38 years later, it was conquered by Zheng Chenggong and became the territory of the Zheng family.
Recalling all this, Zhu Yijun sighed and said to Zhang Jing, "Go and invite Bei Ding Hou here!"
The Bei Ding Hou that Zhu Yijun mentioned was, of course, Qi Jiguang. In the current Daming, if there was anyone who understood the Japanese pirates the best, it would be Qi Jiguang.
At least Qi Jiguang understood their tactics and knew how to fight them.
These days, Qi Jiguang had been busy with military reform. It was not difficult to recruit soldiers in the capital camp. There was enough money, food, and manpower.
Now, Qi Jiguang's West Camp had begun training. The three vehicle battalions had a total of more than 100,000 soldiers. All kinds of cannons had also begun to be equipped.
The superior firearms made by the Armaments Department were also equipped. Qi Jiguang was very confident that he could train elite soldiers.
The cavalry might not be as good as the Tartars, but the cannon cavalry could definitely be compared to the Tartars, especially after they were equipped with superior firearms.
After being summoned by the emperor, Qi Jiguang quickly entered the palace. Compared to the depressed Qi Jiguang in history, the current Qi Jiguang walked with vigor and vigor, his red cloak fluttering in the wind.
As the saying goes, people are in high spirits when they encounter happy events. In history, after the death of Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang was constantly belittled, attacked, and humiliated.
As a person who had made great contributions to the country, it would be strange not to be depressed.
In this life, his treatment was completely different. He was the commander of the capital's West Camp, the official title of Admiral, the Crown Prince's Taibao, and the title of Bei Ding Hou. He was a close minister to the Emperor, and his military exploits were brilliant. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the number one person in the Daming military.
There were even people who guessed that once Qi Jiguang led his men to conquer the grasslands, it would be the time for him to become a Duke.
Zhu Yijun was also very concerned about Qi Jiguang's health. The Imperial Hospital gave him all kinds of nursing care, and the only thing Zhu Yijun lacked was to send a personal doctor to Qi Jiguang.
This also guaranteed Qi Jiguang's health, and he looked very energetic.
Seeing Qi Jiguang's state, Zhu Yijun's mood instantly improved.
He now had money, food, and a strong army. Although it was different from the strong army he wanted, in this era, it was a strong army.
In addition, he had a general like Qi Jiguang who could fight, so what did he have to fear?
Zhu Yijun suddenly had a feeling of being in high spirits. This feeling was very good!
"Qi Jiguang greets Your Majesty!" After seeing Zhu Yijun, Qi Jiguang hurriedly bowed.
Zhu Yijun nodded and said with a smile, "You may rise!" Then he turned to Zhang Jing and said, "Bring a chair for you, Qi!"
After waiting for Qi Jiguang to sit down, Zhu Yijun handed him the secret report from Xu De, then said with a smile, "You, take a look at this!"
After taking the secret report, Qi Jiguang took a quick look, and then his expression became serious.
"Your Majesty, what do you want to do?" Qi Jiguang did not express his opinion, but turned to ask Zhu Yijun.
However, Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "What do you think I should do?"
They had known each other for many years, and he had also given Qi Jiguang the treatment he deserved. Qi Jiguang also knew his temper, but Qi Jiguang could not change his cautious nature. Maybe it was because he had seen too many messy things in the first half of his life.
In fact, Qi Jiguang could be considered to have experienced Wang Zhi's matter personally. Apart from him, the person who knew what happened at that time was probably Xu Wei and Xu Wenchang.
Now, although Xu Wenchang's spirit was a lot better, Zhu Yijun still did not dare to provoke him with the Japanese pirates, especially when it involved the big families in Jiangzhe.
It was hard to say whether these people had anything to do with Hu Zongxian's death.
When Qi Jiguang heard Zhu Yijun's question, he said in a low voice, "I am a general, and the affairs of the country are not for me to concern myself with."
"However, I have something to say. The Jingdou West Camp is Your Majesty's army, the Daming's army. As long as Your Majesty's sword points, I will definitely lead them to kill the enemy for Your Majesty. Anyone who stands in my way will be swept away!"
Qi Jiguang now had the confidence to say this because he was strong enough. He had the confidence.
Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang and a smile appeared on his face. Qi Jiguang seemed to not say anything, but in fact, he had said everything.
Zhu Yijun nodded and then said, "The Zhen family is guilty of the most heinous crimes. I am going to order Xu De to punish the Zhen family according to the Daming Law."
"Thoroughly investigate the matter of the big families in Jiangzhe colluding with the pirates. Anyone involved will be severely punished."
"Now, let's talk about how we should defend against the Wokou pirates if they come."
Hearing Zhu Yijun say this and looking at him mockingly, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but feel embarrassed even though his skin was as thick as iron.
However, this embarrassment was fleeting. Qi Jiguang said in a low voice, "The Daming Law cannot be compared to the Jiajing era."
"There is a wise ruler and a good general. The situation in the southeast has not deteriorated. In recent years, the guards have also been cleaning up the pirates, and their military strength is still there. It is impossible for the Japanese pirates to wreak havoc in the southeast like they did in the Jiajing era."
"Once the Japanese pirates invade, the southeast can defend against them, and I can lead people to clean them up."
"With the Jingdou West Camp's current military strength, the Japanese pirates are not to be feared. We can defeat them in one go."
Qi Jiguang's words were very domineering. Now, Qi Jiguang indeed had the right to say such words. Back then, when the southeast was exterminating the Japanese pirates, the entire southeast was in ruins.
The imperial court was short of money and food. Yan Song was in power, and there were endless fights between the officials.
Now, it was completely different. The southeast was stable, and there were soldiers who could fight. Not to mention others, his Zhejiang soldiers were in the southeast. Many of his subordinates were also in the southeast. With them there, the southeast would definitely not be in ruins.
Even if the Japanese pirates invaded, they would have the power to fight them. They had money and food. What was there to fear from the Japanese pirates?
Zhu Yijun smiled as he looked at Qi Jiguang. The smile on his face was very radiant. He liked this kind of vigor. Sooner or later, the Great Ming Dynasty would have the confidence to not put anyone in their eyes, "Good, since my beloved subject has such words, it couldn't be better."
"Speaking of which, you haven't been back for many years. Do you want to go back and take a look?"
Zhu Yijun actually wanted Qi Jiguang to make a trip to Fujian to patrol the place. At the same time, he could intimidate the place.
Since Xu De was going to make a move, he naturally couldn't just touch the Zhen family.
With Qi Jiguang's current status and prestige, when he returned, he would definitely be able to intimidate the southeast.
At this moment, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh. He only had Qi Jiguang as his subordinate. If he had a few generals like Qi Jiguang, he would really be able to beat up whoever he wanted.
Speaking of beating up people, Song Yingchang's shipyard in Tianjin should have already started.
I'll let you show off for now. When my ship is out in the sea, I'll beat you to death.
I don't care if you are Dutch, British, or Japanese pirates. Whoever doesn't behave will be beaten up.
When Qi Jiguang heard Zhu Yijun's words, he was immediately tempted. Of course, he knew why the Emperor wanted him to go back, but he still wanted to go back.
Speaking of which, he hadn't been back for many years. Who wouldn't want to return to their hometown in glory?
Although he was from Shandong, he had stayed in the southeast for more than ten years. It would be good to visit his old subordinates.
"This subject understands the Emperor's decree. Thank you!" Qi Jiguang quickly bowed and said, "This subject will set off tomorrow."
Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Gather 5,000 soldiers!"
For Qi Jiguang, 5,000 soldiers were enough. The Jing Barracks was an elite troop with excellent equipment. With Qi Jiguang's command, the combat power of these 5,000 soldiers would definitely be able to make many people's eyes light up. Zhu Yijun had confidence in Qi Jiguang.