Great Song Pirate

Chapter 377 Mr. Xu's Identity
When the Fubo Army gradually expanded their strength on Liuqiu Island, the situation on land was not affected by them at all. At least at this time, the bigwigs from various countries were still busy with their own affairs.

Xu Yi's cheap father-in-law, Huizong, didn't have the slightest sense of impending rain, and was still immersed in his so-called great achievements of Fu Yanyun, but he didn't know that these were just a few empty cities he bought back with a lot of money. He is still grateful, how could he have imagined that there is already a tiger on the side of the couch watching the land under his rule. This kind of rare plaything was sent to Bianliang City, this situation made Zhao Xu feel a burst of despair.

After Zhao Xu came back from the palace, he sat in the study for a long time without saying a word, holding the letter sent by Xu Yi in his hand, full of despair, every word in Xu Yi's personal letter was like A heavy hammer hit his heart. He had already completely despaired of what his father had done. He was born in the emperor's family, but he watched the empire step by step towards the abyss. He Shan, the vice president, was full of anger and anger, but he was powerless to reverse the situation. He even developed a kind of hatred. If he was not the prince, why would he think so hard about these annoying things?He even wondered why he didn't just dawdle around like those brothers, which would save him a lot of troubles, but why did he have to see it so clearly?
Zhao Xu put the letter away, put it on the candle and lit it, and watched the letter burn to ashes before he got up and came to the yard, drew out his sword and danced in the garden where there was still a thin layer of snow, Now he feels that he has matured a lot, he has learned to endure, instead of impulsively pointing out his father's mistakes like before, he can only use this way to sway the feeling of depression in his chest, the sword dances The faster he got, he didn't close his sword and stand still until sweat broke out on his forehead. He turned around and saw Zhang Hu standing quietly on the sidelines.

After Zhao Xu danced the sword for a while, he felt that the boredom in his heart dissipated a lot. Since the last time he took pictures of Zhang Hu going out, he hadn't seen him for a whole Spring Festival. After taking the towel handed over by Zhang Hu, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked, "When did you come back? Have you checked out what I gave you last time?"

Zhang Hu bowed slightly and replied: "The humble job has just come back, and the matter has basically been investigated!"

"Oh? You're not slow! Talk to me in the study!" Zhao Xu raised his hand and threw down the towel, leading Zhang Hu into the study.

After Zhao Xu sat down, Zhang Hu stood in front of him and said, "This time, I and Zhang Qing personally went to the Jiaodong area and contacted several old ministries of Zhang Qing. They have surrendered and drove away Zhang Qing." The Fubo army in the Qing Dynasty is working under them!"

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Then tell me about the background of this Fubo army?"

Zhang Hu quickly replied: "According to the news sent back by these people, this Fubo army is indeed very powerful. They should have been a pirate force in the two Zhejiang provinces, and they have just risen in the past two years. It is said that they are In the past two years, they have developed very fast. Before, they were only entrenched on a small island called Dulong Island. In the past two years, they have annexed several large sea forces nearby, and they have firmly become the overlord of the two Zhejiang provinces!"

"Oh? Then why did this man surnamed Miao give up his territory outside Zhejiang Province and go to Bohai Bay?" Zhao Xu asked with a frown.

"They didn't give up the outer seas of Zhejiang and Zhejiang. The man named Miao was not the head of the Fubo Army. According to the news that this Miao Fang was just the commander of a sub-team of the Fubo Army, and such a sub-ship like them There are still several teams, and the Miao Fang who expelled Zhang Qing is just one of them!" Zhang Hu explained.

Zhao Xuwen was startled, and immediately stood up and asked: "Is this Fubo Army so powerful? Then who is their leader?"

"The specific matters have not been fully investigated, but what is certain now is that the head of the Fubo Army should be Xu Cai, and this person has a high prestige in the old Fubo Army. Speaking of their big leader, they are full of praise, and their Fubo army is probably not small. This time they not only drove Zhang Qing away, but also occupied Zhang Qing's territory. It is said that before they arrived in Bohai Bay, they stopped by He also pulled out a generation of powerful black scarves in Yancheng, and uprooted the whole family of Sun Cheng, the leader of the black scarf army. This black scarf army has also been a well-known bully outside Huainan Road in the past two years. Unexpectedly, after meeting the Fubo army , was defeated by them with one blow, and there was no chance to resist at all. It seems that the combat power of the Fubo Army is by no means as simple as we used to think. According to those Zhang Qing's old troops, all the Fubo Army troops are very strong. Sturdy, they pay great attention to drills at ordinary times, they can be called an elite navy, and they not only occupied the Bohai Bay, but even two fleets went out to rob the coast of Japan and Koryo, which shows how strong they are Strong!

However, news came back from Zhang Qing's old department that their Fubo army was very cautious. Since they arrived in Bohai Bay, they never took the initiative to provoke the government. Unless they had to, they rarely went to land to plunder, and their military discipline was strict , strictly ordered the troops not to injure innocent people wantonly, and recruited a large number of young and strong men to join their Fubo army on land, and they usually focused on taking care of the merchant ships of the Jinren and Liao people passing by. They have basically gathered all the former members of Zhang Qing, and many of them were sent back to their lair after their selection. The resettlement on the island has won the hearts of these people. During this period of time, the development in the Bohai Bay area has been very rapid. Those people also sent back news that Fubo Army ships were equipped with a ballista that they had never seen before. It is very sharp to use. This kind of ballista can fire not only giant arrows, but also kerosene bombs or stone bombs. It is basically difficult for them to encounter opponents at sea by relying on this kind of ballista. This is why they can easily defeat Zhang. The important reason for the Qing fleet is that Zhang Qing deserved to lose. With Zhang Qing's previous strength, he could only lose against this Fubo army!
In addition, in order to thoroughly investigate the strength of this Fubo army, the humble official has now sent people to the Liangzhe generation to inquire about the news about this Fubo army. It is estimated that news will come back after a while, and we will know this by then. How powerful is the Fubo Army? "Zhang Hu told Zhao Xu what he knew.

After Zhao Xu listened to Zhang Hu's words, he nodded slightly to express his satisfaction, then he stroked his chin and said, "According to what you said, Zhang Qing's defeat was not wronged, this Fubo army should have come prepared, I The strange thing is that since this Fubo army has such strength, why haven't we heard of it before? Also, why this Fubo army can rise so fast, it's not surprising that they robbed the southern sea, but they Why go to the Bohai Bay where the ships are not busy, this makes people a little puzzled!"

After thinking for a while, Zhang Hu said: "I was also thinking about this issue when I came back from this humble position. Judging from their behavior, it seems that they are not willing to be enemies of the court. Judging from their behavior, they seem to be doing the same thing as Zhang Qing and the others, which makes people a little suspicious. We have never heard of pirates who want to act like this. Cai seems to be deliberately recruiting people to expand their strength and establish a foothold in Bohai Bay. In short, this Fubo army seems a little strange to people!"

Zhao Xu was now completely aroused by the Fubo army, so he confessed to Zhang Hu: "It's not difficult to find out about this matter. We have a friend in Hangzhou. It happens that his surname is also Xu. You might as well send someone to look for it." Just let him know, as he said, their Xu family has been doing business on the sea all year round, and there is also a business in Weihai Escort in Hangzhou, which is engaged in the business of escorting merchant ships at sea. If they can do this business, they will definitely It is only necessary to have contacts with these pirate forces on the sea. At least you should be familiar with the situation on the sea there. Maybe Mr. Xu will know something about this Fubo army, which can save you a lot of trouble. It has been more than half a year since the young master returned to the south, I really want to see him again! It's a pity that I can't leave the capital now, otherwise I really want to go to the south myself!"

Zhang Hu hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I have an idea in my humble position. I don't know if the prince has thought about a problem. I have always found this Mr. Xu a little strange. As a businessman, the prince has asked him several times that he is willing Helped him enter the official career, but he was rejected by Mr. Xu. If a merchant can get the favor of the prince, if he embarks on an official career, it should be a step up to the sky for their businessmen. Such a good thing, this Mr. Xu will not do it I am moved, if he is not a fool, I think that this person's identity must not be as simple as just a businessman! Moreover, many things Mr. Xu does seem to be related to the affairs of the sea. I have also inquired about it, and the prince is in Hangzhou. I met this Mr. Xu, and this Dulong Island is just outside Hangzhou Bay, and the pirate leader also happened to be named Xu. This seems to be a bit too coincidental. Mr. Xu was able to open an escort agency to escort merchant ships. If it is said that he has no friendship with this Fubo Army, I don't believe it, I think that even if this Mr. Xu is not the leader of the Fubo Army, he at least has something to do with the leader of the Fubo Army. Lord, think twice!"

After listening to Zhang Hu's words, Zhao Xu stood up and paced back and forth in the room. After a long time, he nodded and said, "You are really getting smarter now. Your analysis of this matter is good and makes sense! I used to As I said, Mr. Xu has a kind of temperament that businessmen don't have. If he is the leader of the Fubo Army, it can explain why he gives people the feeling of being in a position after a long time, and it can also explain why he is the leader of the Fubo Army. Why did he refuse to become an official many times! But in your opinion, if this Mr. Xu is really the leader of the Fubo Army, then why does he have any malicious intentions in approaching me?"

Zhang Hu immediately replied: "I didn't see it from this humble position. According to my humble position, this Mr. Xu and the prince should have a good relationship, and after he got to know the prince, he neither sought fame nor profit, but devoted himself to thinking about it." I am making suggestions for you, my lord, and I am also thinking about what our Great Song Dynasty thinks. I think that Mr. Xu will not have any unfavorable ideas for you, your lord. The current situation in the north also confirms his opinion. You can see this person's vision Absolutely no one can be compared, my lord, please forgive me for speaking bluntly. From the relationship between Mr. Xu and your lord, I seem to feel that he is deliberately helping the lord. If my guess is correct, the reason why he did this is probably because The hope of our Great Song Dynasty is seen in you, my lord, for this, I believe that my lord can trust this Mr. Xu!"

After listening to Zhang Hu's words, Zhao Xu felt that the boredom in his chest was relieved a lot. After thinking about it carefully, he suddenly walked to the bookshelf and took out a map. On the topographic map, Zhao Xu pointed to the location of Bohai Bay and laughed loudly: "I seem to have figured out this matter. This Mr. Xu is probably the leader of the Fubo Army you mentioned. If this is the case, then they and This battle by Zhang Qing was a bit wronged! If I think right, this Mr. Xu must have thought of something with us. Now the land of the Liao people has basically been in the hands of the Jin people, and here it is precisely It is the only way for the Jin people to go south to the sea. I think he must also want to use his power to control the throat of the Jin people on the sea. Our northern territory, as long as we control this place, we can still easily go straight to the back of the Jinren from the sea, amazing! This Mr. Xu is really amazing! No wonder he refuses to be an official, I think he should be preparing for this day Yes! It's just that he didn't know that Zhang Qing is one of us, that's why there was such a big misunderstanding!"

Zhang Hu looked down at the map on the table, and nodded along with Zhao Xu, expressing his agreement with Zhao Xu, and then Zhao Xu said: "The Fubo army has such strength, but it is rarely known to the government. They did it on purpose, otherwise, with their current strength, if they concentrate their forces to harass any place along the coast of the Song Dynasty, I am afraid that the government will be hard to resist. Controlling this place where the ships are not considered busy, the reason why they did this was because the Fubo army had no objection. In this way, their purpose is indeed worth pondering. To confirm what the young master said before, I think he must be preparing for Song and Jin's rebellion in the future!"

Zhao Xu leaned over the map, pointed at the area around Bohai Bay and said to Zhang Hu: "That's right! Although Bohai Bay is not valued by the Song and Jin countries at present, the location of this place is extremely dangerous, and it is my fate." The purpose of Zhang Qing's expansion of power here, it seems that the Fubo army has also seen this. The islands they currently control can be said to have firmly blocked all the sea outlets in Bohai Bay, and from this place Going south, you can attack Dengzhou, Laizhou and other places to control the Jiaodong Peninsula, go west and go straight to Cangzhou and even Yanyun, and even attack Laizhou, Jinzhou and Dadingfu on Zhongjing Road controlled by the Jinren. From this place to the north, Then you can directly hit the Tokyo area controlled by the Jin people in Liaodong. There is a Suzhou Pass, which is across the sea from Dengzhou in the Song Dynasty. It is a natural deep-water port. It has always been the port of the Liao Kingdom. Control, this is also an important place for the Jin people to regard as the rear. This place can be said to be the throat of the Jin people. It seems that the Fubo army will not invade the rich land in the south, and the purpose of sending troops to this place is obvious. They The goal is very obvious, which is to take root here and secretly expand its strength. As long as the Song and Jin countries turn against each other, I am afraid that they will immediately send troops to attack the rear of the Jin country. I didn't misread him, it's really a pity for my Song Dynasty that this person can't be used by my court!"

Speaking of this, Zhao Xu couldn't help sighing again, and Zhang Hu looked down at the map, smiled slightly and said to Zhao Xu: "If this Mr. Xu is really the leader of the Fubo Army, I will You don't have to feel sorry for the prince. Although he is currently a pirate, what he does is for our Song Dynasty. Even if he is not used by the court, he has not become the enemy of the current court. A force with such strength, judging from the relationship between the prince and him, once something happens, it will definitely be used by the prince, so it will be more beneficial to the prince and our Song Dynasty than him becoming an official, what a pity What do you say?"

After hearing what Zhang Hu said, Zhao Xu became happy again. He leaned over to check the map, then straightened up and said to Zhang Hu: "You should check the identity of Mr. Xu as soon as possible. If it is as you and I said If so, we might as well secretly contact the prefect of Hangzhou to provide him with a little more convenience and let him grow stronger. Also, you ordered Zhang Qing to continue his activities on Jingdong Road and pay more attention to the movements of the Fubo Army over there. If the Fubo army is really under the rule of Mr. Xu, let Zhang Qing serve under Miao Fang, and use his power on Jingdong Road to provide convenience for the Fubo army as much as possible. Since we can't control the Bohai Bay, we might as well put this Let them take control of the place!"

Zhang Hu immediately bowed to the order: "I obey! Please rest assured, my lord, I must find out the identity of Mr. Xu as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)