Chapter 154 Meeting colleagues on the road

The Ming army fleet arrived in Ping'an Town before dawn, but the subsequent situation made Li Weizheng and all the Ming army a little unbelievable. Thousands of small fishing boats appeared densely on the sea. On each fishing boat, fishermen shouted at the big ship with local knives, guns and spears. They were extremely excited. On the shore, more than a thousand Japanese pirates were also fully armed and were watching the Ming Navy's fleet vigilantly. Their ships docked on the shore and were ready for everything to fight.

The Japanese Japanese pirates on the shore are not worth worrying about. Compared with the Japanese pirates in the Warring States Period one or two hundred years later, the strength of the Japanese pirates in both force and strength is much inferior. The Japanese pirates formed in the Warring States Period mainly come from the army and samurai of various parts of Japan, and are professional soldiers. In addition, the Japanese pirates who were not afraid of death, the Japanese pirates were increasingly declining in the Ming army more than a hundred years later.

But now it is the early Ming Dynasty. The current Japanese pirates are just some mobs composed of wealthy families and pirates in Kyushu, Japan. Among them, there are many fishermen from the Ming Dynasty's desperate ocean. They are far weaker than those of the later Japanese pirates in terms of equipment and military training. What's more, it is the era when the Ming army has the strongest combat effectiveness. It takes no effort to annihilate more than a thousand Japanese pirates on Xiaoliuqiu Island with two thousand Ming troops.

But what caused the Ming army a headache was that these thousands of fishing boats were mostly Han people. The crowd was full of passion and blocked the sea. When the big boat crashed into it, I don’t know how many fishing boats would be overturned.

"Sir, these fishermen must have been bewitched by Japanese pirates, so they will persuade them." A hundred households stepped forward and asked for orders.

Li Weizheng nodded and immediately ordered, "The fleet was suspended!"

The fleet slowed down slowly and finally stopped in front of a thousand small fishing boats. Baihu jumped onto a small warship and sailed towards the fishing boat. The sea came from Baihu's stern shouts: "We are the Ming navy, and we are here to wipe out the Japanese pirates. Are you the people of the Ming Dynasty who do not want to serve the country, but will you help the evildoer instead?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the spears and javelins of the fishing boats shot at him one after another. Baihu was so scared that he hurried back to the cabin.

"It's useless." Lin Chao's father slowly appeared beside Li Wei. He sighed and said, "They were all voluntary. Although the Japanese pirates exploited them, they were at least allowed to go into the sea to catch fish. The Ming Dynasty was a death sentence. Many fishing boats were met by Fujian military ships on the sea and immediately beheaded and showed their heads. You are so aggressive that there is no way to live for them, and the same is true for me. I betrayed them and don't know how to survive."

Lin's father's eyes were filled with loss and bleakness. He shook his head and slowly walked towards the cabin with a hunchback. At this moment, a sudden terrifying shouts broke out from the shore, with muskets and killing sounds one after another. The navy who came by land cut off the retreat of the Japanese pirates. More than a thousand Japanese pirates gathered on the sea were not wary of it, and they were suddenly in chaos. Most of them ran to dozens of ships desperately.

The small fishing boats intercepting military ships on the sea were also in chaos. The fishermen's family was all in the town. The Ming army came to kill them, so how could they not harm the fish? Many fishing boats had already turned around. Seeing that the situation was turning favorable, Li Wei immediately ordered the hundred households to shout a few more words.

"Listen to the fishing boat in front, we saw that we were pitiful and couldn't bear to fight with the Han people. We finally gave you another chance. You should turn around quickly and leave without pursuing you. Otherwise, we will never let you go."

He shouted several times, and the fishing boats on the sea finally began to turn around and make way. The fishermen rushed to the shore anxiously, and they had to save their wives and children no matter what. The sea became empty. The Ming navy surrounded the Japanese pirates' ships in a fan shape. The artillery roared and the gun smoke filled the smoke. This time the Ming army was equipped with flowering bullets, which was specially made by the Baoyuan Bureau of the Capital, and was particularly sharp for naval battles. Compared with the Japanese pirates in the era of cold weapons, the Ming army's artillery had an absolute advantage. For a while, explosions on the sea surface continued, broken wood flew everywhere, and the Japanese pirates were blown to pieces and their bodies were broken, and blood stained the coast. In an instant, thirty Japanese pirates sank most of them.

The huge treasure ship rushed around, knocking over four or five Japanese pirate boats that escaped from the encirclement. The sea was full of Japanese pirates struggling to call for help, but they were shot to death on the sea by cold arrows.

The battle to destroy the Japanese pirates went very smoothly. The 1,500 Japanese pirates entrenched in Ping'an Town had been cleared out in just half a day. Except for dozens of people fled into the mountains, most of the rest died and five hundred people were killed and injured on land, and more than one hundred were captured. However, guns and cannons were not eye-catching, and more than two hundred fishing boats could not escape and overturned in the war. Li Wei immediately ordered the execution of more than one hundred prisoners of war and took the heads back to the capital to seek credit.

But Li Weizheng immediately encountered trouble. How to deal with the fishermen in Ping'an Town? More than 3,000 fishermen fled from the Penghu Islands and Fujian coasts gathered in this area, including 15,000 or 16,000 people. According to the sea ban issued by Zhu Yuanzhang, those who went to sea to die and could not be transported back. Then more than 10,000 people should be beheaded on the spot, but if they were killed, it would mean that the first batch of Han pioneers on Taiwan's island would disappear.

Li Wei was standing on the treasure boat and silently looking at the thousands of men and women who were driven to the seaside. Many women were holding children. Young people supported their elderly parents. They were standing by the sea. The sea breeze blew their hair and clothes. They were very quiet. Their eyes were filled with despair. They were all innocent ordinary people. They were once the people of the Ming Dynasty. They left their hometowns and fled to this land without a ban on sea orders. Their motives were far from the level of betrayal of their own country. Their motives were very simple, just to survive and to continue the way of survival of their ancestors. Moreover, even the Japanese pirates could tolerate them. How could Li Wei Zheng start to massacre his compatriots?

"Sir, be cruel! If you don't kill them, you will be caught by someone with your heart." A subordinate whispered to him: "Sir, if you don't kill them, you will be wasted all your previous efforts."

Li Weizheng was extremely conflicted. He knew that he would not be able to explain to Zhu Yuanzhang if he let these fishermen go. The facts were in front of him. These fishermen were not captured by Japanese pirates, but they escaped from the coastal navy of the Ming Dynasty and fled here with their families. In other words, they were criminals. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's harsh sea ban laws, they all committed unforgivable death penalty.

At this time, a personal soldier hurriedly came to report: "Sir, Lin Chao's father jumped into the sea and committed suicide."

Li Wei was shocked all over, and a look of pain burst out in his eyes. At this moment, he finally understood Lin Chao's father's silence and sorrow after boarding the boat. He knew that the result of his leadership of the Ming army was to let the Ming army massacre thousands of fishermen with the same fate as him. Conscience condemnation could only help him get rid of death.

"I'm sending my military orders, all the soldiers board the ship and return immediately!" Li Weizheng finally issued an order.

"Sir! You can't go like this."

Several subordinates were panicked, and they repeatedly advised: "Sir, if you let these fishermen go, you will be in danger."

"Don't say anything." Li Wei was waving his hand and interrupting them. He took a deep breath and said, "I must not massacre my compatriots. I will bear all the responsibilities alone!"

Half an hour later, the Ming fleet finally set sail. Suddenly, there was a slight commotion on the ship. Many officers and soldiers ran to the stern. They were all stunned by the situation in front of them. More than 10,000 fishermen on the shore did not leave. All of them knelt down. The scene of more than 10,000 people kneeling on the beach was very shocking. Li Wei was slowly walking to the stern. He silently stared at the fishermen on the beach that were kneeling all over the ground. He saw many children who were forcibly pressed to the ground by his parents to kneel down to him. Children! They would continue the fire of the Han people's pioneering on this beautiful treasure island. At this moment, Li Wei was never as clear as he is now, and his heart was never as calm as he is now. Perhaps he would become Zhu Yuanzhang's sinner, but he would not become a sinner in history. He had no regrets!

In early September, the Penglai Navy finally returned to Liuhe Port. Li Weizheng ordered his personal guards to go to the Ministry of War to deliver the heads and war reports of the Japanese pirates. He also ordered the fleet to guard the last batch of military rations this year to head north. He rode a horse and returned to the capital with more than a dozen personal soldiers. He wanted to report his duties to Zhu Yuanzhang himself. Two days later, Li Weizheng returned to the capital, which had been away for nearly ten months.

He entered the city from Jubaomen at noon. Compared with the beginning of the year, the capital seemed to have become more lively. There were many shops on both sides of Huashi Street, with rich goods. Zhu Yuanzhang's measures to open up business registration began to take effect. Moreover, the items in the shop seemed to have become fresher. You can see Shu brocade in Sichuan, Wu Ling in Suzhou, Duan inkstones from Zhaoqing, Guangdong and leather from the northwest. Many of them are high-quality goods used by wealthy families. Although they are somewhat inconsistent with the frugality and simplicity advocated by Zhu Yuanzhang, they really make people see the development of the Ming Dynasty's economy.

When walking through Huashi Street and at the intersection of Xufu Street, Li Wei suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked around and saw a carriage parked on the side of the road, with the curtains raised, and a person was waving to him.

"Mr. Li, it's me!"

Li Wei was just recognizing it, but it was the censor Xie Jin. He hurriedly urged him to step forward and bow and smiled, "Chief Xie, it's such a coincidence. I'll meet you here."

Xie Jin had no smile on his face. He looked left and right, then lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Li, you are about to have a disaster, why are you still as if you are fine?"

"What's wrong?" The smile on Li Wei's face also disappeared.

"This is not a place to talk, let's change the place!"

Li Weijing pondered for a moment and said, "The Gu Ji Pastry Shop on Fudong Street ahead is run by my relatives, and I'm waiting for the Censor to be released there."

There were people coming and going on the street. Li Wei was turning his horse's head and continuing to drive. After a moment, he came to Guji Pastry Shop. The pencil shop next to him did not open today. Guji Pastry Shop has not changed much compared to the beginning of the year. The customers are still lined up in long queues, and the pastries are still limited in quantity, which is very intimate. Perhaps this is the only way for a brand. It can defend quality, endure loneliness, and have a long-term vision. After accumulating for ten or twenty years, it naturally becomes a brand.

Before Li Wei was dismounted, her cousin Gu Ying, who was busy in the store, saw him at a glance. She immediately dropped her work and ran out in surprise, "Cousin, when did you arrive?"

Compared with the beginning of the year, Gu Ying also gained a little weight, but her eyes also added a bit of the cunning and shrewdness of a businessman. She is eighteen years old this year, and Yunying is still unmarried. Her parents are also anxious about her lifelong affairs. She has been on a blind date several times but has not succeeded. Unlike ordinary people's daughters, Gu Ying is the pillar of the family. Her marriage is the biggest loss of the Gu family, so it is best to find an honest and hardworking son-in-law to keep her daughter in the Gu family. Although she thinks well, she first needs her daughter to like her, so she can't find such a person for a while.

Li Wei turned around and saw that Jie Jin's carriage was coming from afar, and said to his cousin: "I just arrived. I want to meet an important guest from you. Have you seen that carriage? I'll bring the person in the carriage to see me later."

Seeing that her cousin had something serious, she did not dare to neglect her. She immediately led Li Weizheng into a reception room in the store and poured him a cup of tea, "Cousin sits first, I'll take him in."

Gu Ying hurried away. Li Wei was picking up the teacup and taking a sip of tea. He was thinking about the disaster that Xie Jin mentioned. He knew that what Xie Jin said should not be letting go of the fishermen on Xiao Liuqiu Island. It would take at least a month to be exposed. Xie Jin said either to bombard Busan or the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu. The latter is likely to be high. When he left the Ryukyu island, he submitted a memorial to Zhu Yuanzhang and put forward the view of immigrating overseas. Perhaps this point angered Zhu Yuanzhang, but this was just a test of his desire to establish a sense of maritime power in the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang's anger was expected.

Li Weizheng has repeatedly weighed the risks of how to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to relax the maritime ban. He is a very realistic person and will not follow the path of death and lose his life. The key is to pay attention to skills.

He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was an accomplished monarch, and after being angry, he would definitely consider his advice. Therefore, Li Weizheng adopted the "relieving power" response strategy. When he left the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu, he sent someone to send a report to Zhu Yuanzhang, which made him angry and could not find anyone. He then had some expectations for himself to fight the Japanese pirates in anger. After a period of time, his anger would slowly disappear, and he would send him the results of destroying the Japanese pirates in time. In this way, Zhu Yuanzhang's anger towards him was eliminated by half. Even if he was useless, he would at least not be pushed out and cut. Then he would take out his trump card and he could safely survive the disaster.

After a while, Gu Ying brought Xie Jin in. As soon as Xie Jin entered the door, he said, "Let's say a long story, I can only remind you. I don't know the deeper inside story."

Li Weizheng gave Gu Ying a wink and asked her to go out. Gu Ying went out and brought the door to them. Only then did Li Weizheng bow and thank him, "Li Weizheng is very grateful for the warning of Lord Jie."

Xie Jin sat down and shook his head and said, "It happened on the day you sent the report of the Three Kingdoms of Ryukyu. Originally, you attacked Goryeo without authorization, and the emperor kept silent. However, after your memorial was delivered, the emperor was furious. He heard that several eunuchs were almost killed by sticks because of a trivial matter. There are all kinds of rumors about the content of your memorial. I wonder what you wrote?"

"It's just a war report. When I found that Zhongshan Kingdom had an affair with Japanese pirates, I forced the king to issue a letter of guarantee that he would no longer collude with Japanese pirates, and rescued more than 10,000 Ming people who were captured as slaves." Li Weizheng tried to put it lightly. Of course, he knew what the problem was? But what he was concerned about is that now, did Zhu Yuanzhang's anger disappear part of it over a month?

"Does Brother Jie know that the emperor is still angry now?"

Xie Jin looked at him deeply, "This was just a matter of more than a month ago. Now no one has mentioned this matter anymore. I only remembered this matter when I saw you on the street. I would like to remind you again, someone still remembers it, and I remember it very clearly."

Li Wei was silent for a while, and suddenly asked again: "His Prince Prince is back?"

Speaking of the prince, Xie Jin couldn't help but sigh, his eyes full of worry and regret. He nodded silently and stood up and bowed, "Mr. Li, I have something to do, so I'll say goodbye first."
Chapter completed!