Qi Jiguang acted quickly. On the second day after he received Zhu Yijun's imperial edict, he led his troops south. Zhu Yijun's imperial edict to Xu De was even faster than Qi Jiguang. The content was simple: kill those who should be killed and capture those who should be captured.
When the imperial edict arrived in Fuzhou, Xu De immediately smiled. This was the Imperial Majesty.
If the Imperial Majesty was tough, the Imperial Majesty would be even tougher. A mere Japanese pirate was not worth the Imperial Majesty's concern.
Xu De took the imperial edict and went to find Zhao Lian. He handed the imperial edict to Zhao Lian. On the surface, this imperial edict was for Zhao Lian.
One had to know that Zhao Lian was the imperial envoy this time, and Xu De was only an assistant.
In fact, after knowing the Zhen family's specific situation, Zhao Lian regretted it a little. It would not be easy for him to use the Zhen family to get promoted.
However, Zhao Lian did not know that if Zhao Lian dared to do this, Zhu Yijun had already prepared the next one for him.
If Zhao Lian did not dare to do it, not only would he not have the chance to do it, but he would also be convicted.
The moment he received the imperial edict, Zhao Lian steeled his heart. It was rare to have a few chances to gamble in life. If he did not do it now, when would he?
After receiving the imperial edict, Zhao Lian looked at Xu De and said calmly, "Eunuch Xu, leave this matter to me, right?"
Xu De was stunned. This was the first time he saw Zhao Lian with such an expression.
Previously, although Zhao Lian gave Xu De the feeling that he was better at currying favor and making use of opportunities, he had seen many civil officials like this.
But this time, it was different. Zhao Lian gave Xu De a sense of sharpness.
It was precisely this sharpness that made Zhao Lian completely different. It was as if he had undergone some unknown changes.
"Of course!" Xu De nodded and said with a smile, "We will listen to Lord Zhao."
Zhao Lian nodded and didn't say anything else. Instead, he held the imperial edict in his hand and said to Xu De, "Eunuch Xu, let's go to the Governor's office!" After saying this, Zhao Lian stepped out of the door and led the way.
Watching Zhao Lian walk out, Xu De did not hesitate and followed Zhao Lian out.
In the Fujian Governor's office, Dong Chengwu looked at the imperial edict in his hand and sighed. However, he still opened his mouth and said, "Since His Majesty has decreed, we will naturally follow it!" After saying this, Dong Chengwu turned to Zhao Lian and said, "Lord Zhao, please give your orders!"
Seeing Dong Chengwu like this, Xu De smiled and said, "There is one thing I want Governor Dong to know."
"The Imperial Majesty has already sent Marquis Dingbei to lead troops to the southeast. If there are really Japanese pirates, Marquis Dingbei will deal with them."
Dong Chengwu was stunned for a moment. Then, with a joyful expression, he asked, "Is it Qi Yuanjing from Zhejiang?"
"Yes!" Xu De said with a smile.
Although Qi Jiguang was from Shandong, he became famous in Zhejiang. Coupled with his famous Zhejiang army, everyone had always called him Zhejiang Qi Jiguang and not Shandong Qi Jiguang.
"That's great! I have been friends with the Marquis for a long time. Today, my wish will be fulfilled!"
After saying this, Dong Chengwu laughed and said, "Since the Marquis has come to the southeast, you will definitely be able to shake the sea."
In fact, Qi Jiguang's reputation in the southeast was very high, especially in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian regions.
Many people here were spreading stories of how they followed Grandpa Qi to kill the Japanese pirates. There was even a Kunqu opera, and there was even a drama of Qi Jiguang beheading his son.
After destroying the Wala, Qi Jiguang was conferred the title of Marquis Dingbei, causing Qi Jiguang's reputation to rise even higher.
In addition, the imperial factory spared no effort in promoting Qi Jiguang to the Daming General. His reputation was comparable to the famous generals of the previous generation.
Some people even compared Qi Jiguang to Li Jing of Tang and Wei Qing of Han. All he lacked was the title of the Daming God of War.
Of course, this kind of promotion was basically done by Zhu Yijun.
Dong Chengwu loved martial arts. This could be seen from his sword. It was understandable that he loved martial arts and worshiped Qi Jiguang.
Xu De looked at Dong Chengwu and found it funny. He had arranged for the imperial factory to promote Qi Jiguang, but Xu De knew very well what kind of person Qi Jiguang was.
He was henpecked, shameless, and thought too much. He was a completely different person from the iron-willed Daming God of War that was promoted.
However, Xu De did not dare to say that it was arranged by the Imperial Majesty. Xu De did not dare to say anything.
Zhao Lian had no interest in Dong Chengwu worshiping Qi Jiguang. However, Qi Jiguang's arrival gave him a reassuring pill.
The Invincible Qi Yuanjing. This name really made people feel at ease!
"Inspector Dong, please mobilize your men to follow the imperial factory to seal up the shops and arrest the people. Seal up all the businesses of the Zhen family."
"Let's go to the Zhen family to arrest the people. We must not let one person escape."
Xu De and Zhao Lian did not have enough manpower to make a move on a big family like the Zhen family. They needed Dong Chengwu to mobilize his men.
As the Inspector of a province, he held great power in the military and politics. Mobilizing manpower was naturally not a problem. Dong Chengwu immediately nodded his head.
"No problem. This official will send someone to gather the men. We will go directly to the Zhen family!"
Very quickly, the Inspector's yamen's transfer order was sent out. Groups of Imperial Guards began to enter the city. It was as if a storm was brewing.
Xu De, Zhao Lian, and Dong Chengwu led their men and rushed to the Zhen family. Before the Zhen family could react, they surrounded the Zhen family's mansion.
Standing at the entrance of the Zhen family's mansion, Xu De glanced at Zhao Lian beside him and said, "Lord Zhao, give the order!"
Zhao Lian nodded his head and lightly waved his hand. Behind Zhao Lian, countless figures rushed into the Zhen family's mansion.
A clamor immediately rang out. At first, there were only screams of surprise. However, very quickly, there were sounds of killing. It was obvious that a fight had begun.
With regards to this, whether it was Xu De, Zhao Lian, or Fujian's Inspector Dong Chengwu, none of them were surprised.
Everyone present knew what the Zhen family did. However, when someone ran out, they were still shocked.
"Lord, Lord, there are Japanese pirates inside. We can't fight our way in. Send people over!"
Dong Biwu looked at the soldier who came to report. His face was about to drip water. Although he had only mobilized soldiers to defend the city, there were at least 300 of them. With so many people, they couldn't even take down a single Zhen family's mansion. It was really embarrassing.
At this time, someone came to report that the Zhen family's people had broken through the back door. Someone was trying to escape.
"Stop them. If the Zhen family's people escape, this official will have no choice but to wait and see what happens!"
After Dong Chengwu shouted, he pulled out the sword from his waist and said to the people beside him, "The rest of you, follow me!"
Seeing Dong Chengwu preparing to attack, Xu De and Zhao Lian were shocked. This Inspector really had some skills.
Dong Chengwu knew in his heart that the Zhen family's matter wouldn't implicate him. After all, the Zhen family had existed for many years. However, if the Zhen family's people escaped, then he would be in big trouble.
Xu De didn't dare to let Dong Chengwu go. If something happened to him, then there would be big trouble.
"Inspector Dong, Daming, it's not time for you to go into battle."
Xu De smiled and stopped Dong Chengwu. Then, he stretched out his hand and took out a whistle. He put it in his mouth and blew it. The whistle immediately issued a sharp sound.
It was unknown if this whistle was specially made, but it was strangely loud, causing the ears of the surrounding people to ring.
However, no one was in the mood to pay attention to this. Because after the whistle sounded, countless figures suddenly rushed out from the Zhen family's mansion.
Their attire was very special. Their upper bodies were all wearing black leather armor.
The lower half of their pants were also covered with knee pads. It had protective power and didn't affect their movements.
Some of them carried two swords on their backs. Some of them held longbows and went up to the roof. Some of them carried crossbows and advanced.
Some of them carried spears, while others carried shields. Seven of them covered the front of the mansion. Their speed was very fast, and their hands were also very long. These people climbed up the wall that was more than three meters high.
These people quickly rushed into the Zhen family's mansion. Their hands were strong and nimble.
Seeing that Dong Chengwu and Zhao Lian were looking at him, Xu De had no choice but to explain, "People from the inner factory!"
Xu De only said these few words and nothing more.
As the people from the inner factory joined the battlefield, the battle immediately became one-sided. Although these people with crossbows were moving forward quickly, their hands holding the crossbows were as steady as a dog.
Basically, every arrow didn't miss. As long as an arrow was shot, it would definitely hit the opponent. Many of them were killed in one shot.
These people seemed to like to shoot the head. Many arrows hit the forehead with incomparable accuracy.
They didn't know that the people in the action team were the best of the best. They had been trained since young and ate all kinds of nutritious meals as if they didn't cost money.
Their bodies were strong, their combat strength was valiant, and they weren't afraid of death. They all used death row prisoners to practice killing.
In close combat, the aim was to kill in one shot. What they played was speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness.
The crossbowmen in the action team were the best of the best. They didn't dare to say how far the distance was, but as long as it was within 50 meters, they could basically hit the target.
Now, everyone was playing a game called 'Headshot'. They would shoot the center of the forehead, and the more abnormal ones would shoot the eyes.
The fastest crossbowmen could shoot all 20 arrows in a breath's time, and all of them would hit the target.
When they reached the backyard, they finally found the reason why this battle was so difficult. It was because there were real Japanese pirates here!
No wonder the Zhen family was the first to resist. There were Japanese pirates hiding in the house. There was no way to explain it.
There were a lot of real Japanese pirates. There were dozens of them. They weren't afraid of death, and their swordsmanship was very good.
The people from the inner factory threw the crossbows in their hands behind them and directly charged forward with their weapons.
Seven people formed a group to attack together. There were people with shields, spears, machetes, and crossbowmen who specialized in shooting arrows.
Even if the real Japanese were not afraid of death, they could only be slaughtered by the inner factory's action team.
The inner factory had long passed the time to play with individual bravery. The inner factory's action team, which was trained for special operations, was like a bug in this era.
They moved quickly and killed without making a sound. Dong Chengwu's subordinates were stunned. Where did these people come from?
They were like killing machines.
They saw with their own eyes that one of the action team members crushed a real Japanese pirate's egg with a kick. Then, he stabbed his palm into the enemy's throat.
The real Japanese pirate fell to the ground like a shrimp. His body instantly bent over, and blood spurted out of his mouth. He flopped a few times and died. His throat was broken.
That strike, whether it was strength or accuracy, was perfect.