Lu Ming

In fact, there is another person who will gain a lot of invisible benefits in the matter of planning to enter Guangdong through the travel crowd: Xiong Wencan.

The reason behind this is very simple: as long as Cao Chuan leads his troops into the territory of Guangdong, Xiong Wencan's appeasement policy will be fully won and affirmed in the court - he would have given up without seeing Wang Zunde.

This kind of victory will definitely have political rewards: once Wang Zunde resigns in the future, then Xiong Wencan's promotion from Zhongyang committee member-level Minfu to a bureau-level governor of Guangdong and Guangxi will become the default consensus of the court and the emperor's first choice.

In the original history, Wang Zunde would die in office next year, that is, in 1630 due to overwork.

At that time, because Xiong Wencan was busy presiding over the overall situation of suppressing the bandits—after the recruitment, Zheng Zhilong, Li Kuiqi, Zhong Bin and others were in a mess in Minhai, and Xiong Wencan couldn't get away.So the imperial court appointed Wang Yehao, a native of Yuyao and great-great-grandson of Wang Yangming's younger brother Wang Shouwen, to serve as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Even so, only two years later, in 1632, as soon as Zheng Zhilong got rid of his superficial brothers, the imperial court immediately promoted Xiong Wencan to the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and the governor of Fujian.

Yes, that's right, Xiong Wencan first took over the military affairs of the three provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.The purpose of the imperial court's arrangement is very clear: it is to let Lao Xiong unify the military forces of Guangdong and Fujian, and get rid of the last big pirate Liu Xiang wandering around the coast of Fujian and Guangdong.

Later, if Liu Xiang hadn't cheated and kidnapped a group of officials Xiong Wencan sent to talk about recruiting, then the imperial court would not have sent Zou Weilian to take over Xiong Wencan's post as governor of Fujian in a punitive manner.

In short, even if it is a stumbling block that often encounters repeated and setbacks, Xiong Wencan's appeasement policy was, after all, the only practical way for the weak Ming government at that time to stabilize the sea.So in this regard, Lao Xiong has obtained a deep political reward: the governor of Guangdong is the pinnacle of his life.

And in the plane of Transmigration, Xiong Wencan's situation is ten times better than in history.The shock effect brought by the overnight rule of Fujian to the princes and emperors of the court far exceeded the "historical period".

Under such circumstances, Xiong Wencan, who has already freed up his hands and is waiting for a promotion, can rely on Jinghai's great achievements to succeed Comrade Wang Zunde who died of overwork next year, and by the way, also rectify those messy pirates and foreigners in Guangdong... ...There is no one more suitable for the position of Guangdong Governor than Lao Xiong. This plane does not need Wang Yehao to transition.

Regarding this aspect, those who are familiar with history will definitely make arrangements in advance.Although I didn't tell the old bear the truth about history, everyone's secret goal is also very compatible: the cross-travelers have now turned Fujian into a "familiar land", and the next step is to open up the "virgin land" in Guangdong and Guangxi, and the old bear will become the governor. Happy to cooperate again.

……

All of the above are the reasons why Xiong Wencan couldn't wait to ask Cao Chuan to go to Guangdong to eliminate Liu Xiang.Old Xiong immediately saw the huge hidden benefits that official document brought him: now as long as Cao Chuan goes to Guangdong to manage Liu Xiang, everything will be fine.

Chongzhen and the princes of the court are not fools.Everyone will acquiesce to Xiong Wencan's credit for killing Liu Xiang in the future—Old Xiong is Cao Chuan's "leader", without his nod, Cao Chuan would not have gone to Guangdong to suppress the bandits.

As for Wang Zunde... If he advocated appeasement like Xiong Wencan from the beginning, then Liu Xiang still has room to advance and retreat.

However, the wrong hard suppression policy and the delay in the early stage have caused Wang Zunde to be completely passive now: it is impossible for him to turn around and consider recruiting Liu Xiang now, because the officials and gentry in Guangdong are passionate, and the impeachment of him is already on the way. No one will give him time to take it easy to mingle with pirates.

In fact, when Lao Wang couldn't bear the pressure and held the meeting, he had already slapped himself and was eliminated.The initiative regarding Liu Xiang's matter has already fallen on other bigwigs in Guangdong and those big businessmen who are eager to restore the trade route and act as agents for cross-trading commodities.

Unlike Governor Wang, who is stubborn and old-fashioned and has no waist and legs, the rest of the officials in Guangdong and the businessmen they support are normal people.So when the official document arrived at the Governor's Yamen in Fujian, a visitor came to Dayuan Island, the home of the crossing crowd.

Rothschild had accurate information the moment the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.Then the family took advantage of the investment banks established in various countries to make a fortune in the foreign exchange market with a time difference—politics and military affairs are just means, and they will definitely be reflected in business in the end.

Although the merchants of the Ming Dynasty in this era do not yet have capitalist thinking, they plan ahead, plan ahead, and make friends and sell well. These methods are left over from the old ancestors.So just like Rothschild, some well-informed businessmen quickly sent envoys as soon as Wang Zunde finished the meeting.

After these envoys arrived at Dayuan by fast boat, they immediately informed the cross-travelers of Guangdong information, and some of them even showed the map of the residence of Liu Xiang's gang... At the same time, the envoys also reported their homes one after another. As expected, this group of people has the support of a "powerful person" in the officialdom behind them.

If you sell it, you should be paid.Fujian is just next door to Guangdong, and it will take a few days to get there quickly. In fact, the big businessmen in Guangdong have already known the tricks played by the cross-travelers in Fujian.

So at this time, the envoys professionally applied for a certain long-coveted commodity agency right - the money and channels my master had already prepared in Guangzhou, and now we are waiting for the general to send troops to set up Liu Xiang and open up business channels , everyone can make a fortune together.

... What can the time traveler say?Although there is a telegram, after all, people came to provide a lot of detailed information at the first time.Besides, the power of agency is originally intended to win over local snakes/leaders, and the first batch of people who can report to the officials are undoubtedly the most powerful local snakes.

So after the first secret meeting, Cao Chuan (pseudo), who had obtained all kinds of information, had a second and third secret meeting with Lao Xiong.

At the same time, the Imperial Navy Naval Port next door to Taijiang Chikan Shipyard also began martial law: Warships rushed back to their home port from other places to carry out a series of pre-war preparations such as maintenance and supplies, a large number of soldiers wearing sea soul shirts and some wearing green army uniforms More soldiers also poured into the military port from the barracks.

Then the traffic boats on the Taijiang River also became busy: military personnel wearing general uniforms rushed to the imperial city, and they knew they were going to a meeting.

To be honest, the people who traveled through the world did not expect this situation today.In the intelligence bureau's report to the cabinet, the most optimistic estimate was half a year later before the Guangdong side could not bear the pressure of Liu Xiang and issued an invitation.

Now it has been done suddenly in four months, but it makes everyone a little bit flustered.

But fortunately, the information advantage of Traversing the crowd is far ahead of the times.So when all the intelligence was collected, the cabinet, the intelligence bureau, the military, and the business department quickly held a special meeting to discuss a countermeasure.

So on the tenth day after Fujian Governor's Yamen received the official document, the personnel sent by the Ministry of Commerce and the Intelligence Bureau first jointly met with the envoys.

For these envoys, the crossing crowd first gave them the commodity agency rights they had dreamed of, and then made a request: the big men behind the envoys must persuade the governor Wang Zunde to write a letter to the court as soon as possible, and jointly recommend Cao Chuan as Nanao with Xiong Wencan Deputy Commander.

This condition is actually not harsh at all: Zheng Zhilong was also appointed to this official position by the court after fighting Liu Xiang a few times in history.

Of course, General Cao has a warm heart, and has never made it difficult for his friends to come out to hang out: Regarding this matter, General Cao will personally lead the elite to the Pearl River Estuary to show their strength to friends in Guangzhou.How it works next is up to you.

After listening to these benefits and conditions, several envoys agreed on the spot without a word, and then took the Clippers back to Guangzhou City to operate.

After the envoy left, the "Fast Fleet" consisting of two Youguang-class warships and four Taijiang-class frigates surged out of Taijiang in a threatening manner and went straight to Fuzhou City.

The preparations don't stop there: a slow, mostly transport fleet of support ships is also being prepared.The support fleet will set sail in the near future, and will eventually berth at the Guangzhou Wharf to provide supplies for the fast fleet.

That night, the fast fleet arrived at the official wharf outside Fuzhou City.

In the plan that Cao Chuan finally discussed with Xiong Wencan, the fast fleet responsible for going to Guangdong to make troubles would set off from Fuzhou City.It was a political show, and it was a statement: Old Bear needed this ritual to emphasize his exploits.

After resting in Fuzhou for two days, the familiar scene of seeing off again appeared early this morning: warships lined up, Lao Xiong led the officials out of the city, General Cao stepped forward to give the opportunity, and then drank the strong wine: "My lord, this is the end of the general." went!"

"Go, go, triumphantly as soon as possible."

……

The actual commander of the fast fleet is Wang Bo, a professional sent by the military, and the deputy commander is monk Sha Zhengmingsha, who is well-known in Fujian. In addition, there are a group of intelligence agencies and business people on board.As for the actor Comrade Zhang Dongdong... After the fleet set off, there was nothing to do with him. He was a tourist before the fleet moored at Baietan outside Guangzhou.

After departing from Fuzhou, the murderous fast fleet began to head south along the coastline.Although the southeast wind in July was not suitable, with the assistance of the gas power system, the fleet still rushed all the way to Xiamen Port at a high speed of [-] knots.

After staying at Xiamen Port for one night to replenish fuel, the fleet raised its sails and continued to sail in the direction of Guangzhou.

Chapter 378 The Fat Sheep

In the calm waterway of Liyumen, a string of sail gunships with white sails and slender hulls are passing in file.

Lei Yue Mun is naturally the later Haimen located at the eastern end of Hong Kong Island.The narrow seaway with a width of less than 500 meters is being pointed and commented by a group of sentimental people at the moment.

Since there is no longer a supply port after passing Xiamen, in order to save fuel, the fleet began to sail with sails.Even so, the fast fleet with structural advantages such as ship shape, rudders, and power sails still maintains a parity speed of 7 knots in the wind, far exceeding all ship types of this era.

After completing the more than 400-kilometer sea journey from Xiamen to Hong Kong in two days, the fleet arrived at Leiyumen in the early morning of July 7.

Originally, according to Commander Wang Bo's intention, now that they have arrived in Hong Kong, the fleet must take the southern route and go to Lamma Island to say hello to the leader of the Liu Da Gang—the location of the Liu Xiang Da Gang is no longer a secret. The main force is on Lamma Island.

Because Liu Xiang is a native of Lamma Island, he usually stays here when he arrives in Guangdong. What the 17th-century leader Liu would not have imagined was that in later generations, he would be mentioned in passing because he was the only two celebrities on Lamma Island...the other was Fa Ge.

Then Commander Wang Bo Wang's proposal was rejected.You must know that besides him, there are other casual passengers like Zhang Dongdong on board.Naturally, guests don’t want to go to some shitty Lamma Island: Now that we’ve arrived at Lei Yue Mun, wouldn’t it be good to go across the waterway to see Causeway Bay, Central, and Tsim Sha Tsui?

So Commander Wang could only be shamefully defeated by the tourists.Fortunately, the mission of this fleet was to open up the waterway of the Pearl River, not to destroy Liu Xiang's main force, so Commander Wang had no choice but to order the fleet to take the waterway of Leiyumen.

Less than ten miles after passing through Lei Yue Mun, you are passing through the thunderous Causeway Bay.Most of the passengers on the ship are now in their 30s. Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Chen Haonan, these terms are precisely the memories they can't erase when they were young.

However, the reality will definitely disappoint everyone. Causeway Bay, Central, and Tsim Sha Tsui across the waterway in the 17th century, where is the shadow of the Oriental Pearl Tower?What caught everyone's eyes was not towering buildings, but lush vegetation and dilapidated fishing villages; what appeared in the binoculars was not Brother Haonan in leather pants, but a sallow and emaciated fisherman who didn't have any pants to wear.

"It's so fucking boring. When I, Situ Haonan, retires in the future, I will develop this film!" Ma Yue, the deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau, was wearing a Nanjing satin robe, with a bun on his head and a SLR around his neck. I was resentfully putting away my phone, not planning to take any more pictures.

Yes, in the eyes of those who are accustomed to seeing the primitive scenery of the [-]th century, the vegetation on Hong Kong Island is really not worth wasting the memory of the mobile phone.As for the SLR, let alone, it is better to shoot some girls.

Hearing that the old horse was careless, another middle-aged scribe, who was wearing a straight dress, a square scarf on his head, and a cigarette between his fingers, suddenly yelled: "Old horse, you said that, everyone is witnessing today, when the time comes This piece of land will be given priority to you!"

It was Ding Liqiu who spoke.This gentleman originally served as the master of the general's mansion in Fujian, and also commanded the suppression of bandits in Longyan County.Ding Liqiu became the general commercial spokesperson of the General's Mansion as a result of opening up wasteland in Guangdong this time. According to the plan, he will be stationed in Guangzhou City to preside over the overall situation, and his position is very important.

Hearing Ding Liqiu's words, Ma Yue, who was so angry just now, shrank suddenly: "That's what Situ Haonan said, and it has nothing to do with me!"

A group of people at the bow burst into laughter...

In the old time and space, Hong Kong was a colony first, and then because of the two opposing camps of the East and the West, the bridgehead was squeezed into a highly concentrated deformed city.

However, in the plane of the time-travelers, there is no unique historical opportunity, and Hong Kong Island is just an ordinary island with a very low level of attention. No time-traveler will give up their land share in the metropolis to develop it.

After passing through Hong Kong Island, the fleet quickly passed through the narrow Kap Shui Gate.At this moment, the sea is calm and the majestic Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Tsing Ma Bridge are completely gone.

Passing the Kap Shui Gate is the trumpet-shaped Pearl River Estuary.According to the plan, the fleet now needs to take a turn around the Pearl River Estuary to say hello to the surrounding forces.So Wang Bo ordered the fleet to reduce its speed, increase its alert level, and pay attention to searching for abnormal situations.

Slightly slowing down the speed, the fleet taking the "zigzag" route sailed through Shenzhen Bay in the afternoon.Just when the watchman on the mast could see Longxue Island at the narrow mouth of the Pearl River, a message came from the frigate "Green Island" at the head of the fleet: Pirates were found.

……

Ge Erye is not in a good mood.

As the little boss of shopkeeper Liu's direct line, this is the third time he has led a team to the Pearl River Estuary to pump water.Thinking about those useless people who have never had a fat job so far, theoretically he should be elated.However, after counting the harvest in the cabin today, Ge Erye's mood suddenly became extremely bad.

Standing on the bow of his big bird boat, reaching into his crotch to scratch a few itches, Ge Erye, with his face rusted and yellow teeth full of yellow teeth, couldn't help stretching his neck towards the Pearl River.He now hopes that a few more merchant ships will come down from the upper reaches.

"Damn, the fat fish is getting less and less every day, and this land can't stay here anymore."

In clear contrast to the previous trips to set up cards to pump water, the number of merchant ships coming down from the upper reaches of the Pearl River has become increasingly scarce recently.Even if the pirates changed the way of "generating income" from robbery to pumping water, it did not stop the trend of a sharp decrease in merchant ships.

Glancing at the dots of fishing boats on the nearby river, Ge Erye was very preoccupied.

According to his life experience as a 35-year-old pirate, since the Dabang has been earning a lot of income in the Pearl River Estuary for several months, it is time to withdraw decisively... It doesn’t make much sense to stay any longer. Is the boat out?

However, shopkeeper Liu has no intention of leading everyone to turn around for a long time.

As a direct descendant, Ge Erye knew a thing or two about the plight of the shopkeeper.Those Yizhou Kun thieves with strong ships and powerful guns, who killed pirates like hemp, have now sealed off the sea route along the Chaozhou-Shantou line, and everyone can no longer go to Fujian as usual.

However, Ge Erye's news channels ended here, and a small shopkeeper couldn't think strategically like Liu Xiang himself.Er Ye just instinctively felt that if he continued to stay in Guangzhou, the situation would be a little bad.

"Hey, let's go west and have a look."

After contemplating for a while, Ge Erye shook his head and woke up.The next moment he shouted loudly to the helmsman at the stern, and by the way asked the flag bearer to issue flags to the other four clippers hovering nearby.

So the five ships on the east bank of the Pearl River began to cross the bow, and their destination was the west bank—Ge Erye planned to go to the west bank to try his luck, hoping to intercept some merchant ships smuggled south from Xiangshan County.

Just as the fleet sailed across the middle line of the Pearl River, a voice shouted from the binoculars on the mast: "Master, there are fat sheep!"

"Huh!? Fat Sheep is finally here?" Erye Ge was shocked when he heard the sound.He quickly jumped onto the stern tower, stretched his neck and looked north.

"The shopkeeper is wrong, it's the south!" The waiter in Wangdou shouted again at this time.

The second master turned his head when he heard the sound, and then he saw the top of a mast gradually appearing in the sky.

"What a pair of sharp eyes, boy, wait to receive the reward!" Ge Erye raised his head and gave a big praise... The boy in Wangdou is a local, a newcomer to the pirate gang, and he is very enthusiastic about his work.

Considering that the ships approaching from the opposite side were in a tailwind, while several of his own ships were in a crosswind, Er Ye made a decisive decision and ordered all the ships to continue turning, preparing to go around in a circle on the ocean, just in time to intercept the incoming ships.

However, at the next moment, the clerk shouted again: "Shopkeeper, there are a lot of fat sheep!"

"Ah!?" The second master was shocked.

But when he jumped onto the stern tower again and watched carefully with his hands on the awning, a gust of cold air rushed from the second master's tailbone to the top door: in just 2 minutes, the mast changed from a single mast to a mast. Row.What frightened Er Ye the most was that he saw some white reflections on the mast, which were soft sails!

"Idiot! Is there such a fat sheep?" Ge Erye would like to dig out the eyeballs of that fool in Wangdou - but all the ships with soft sails on the East Asian ocean are not Ge Erye's Ordinary goods dare to get their hands on it, not to mention that there is not a ship coming from the opposite side.

At the same time, the surrounding ships also began to wave flags representing danger: the old pirates in Wangdou realized that something was wrong.

"Turn the rudder, turn the rudder, go west!" The second master hurriedly opened his mouth and shouted, even his voice changed in panic.At this time, I don't even think about pumping water. It's serious to hide to the west to get out of the way.

However, the sky failed as people wished, and the string of masts on the opposite side, which gradually became clear, also changed its course slightly at this time, and rushed straight towards the pirates.At the same time, the surrounding pirate ships also sent out the Sky-Speeding Monkey signal, which represented extreme danger.

Ge Erye really wanted to kill the fool above his head now: the lookout posts on the surrounding ships must have found something that he couldn't see.

The next moment, Ge Erye, who was hugging the mast, stopped him.He suddenly thought of a problem: the current location of his fleet is at the mouth of the Pearl River 40 miles north of Macau, and neither the Frangji of Haojingao nor the rest of the Semu people have ever made any move to this place—this is It will anger the Ming government.

Even if the Frangji people go to Guangzhou City once a year to order goods, they will go on the Guangzhou Ship Fuchuan, and the plywood boats with soft sails will never go deep into the Pearl River Estuary.

Thinking of this, Ge Erye's snot and tears flowed out at the same time: He knew who was coming from the other side... "Let's lower the flag, quickly lower the flag! Send out flag flowers, run for your life in all directions, run for your life..."

In the frenzied sea breeze, Ge Erye hugged the mast and shouted frantically with all his strength.

And in his pupils that became bigger and bigger due to panic, a string of log-colored strange ships with faint black smoke and white soft sails were rushing towards him like lightning.

Chapter 379 Arrival

The fleet, cleaving the waves and sailing at high speed on the sea, quickly approached the five pirate ships that were running slowly, narrowing the distance between the two sides to the visual range.

On the bridge of the "Green Island" frigate at the head of the fleet, a middle-aged man in a blue navy training uniform with the rank of second lieutenant on his shoulders was watching carefully with a telescope.

This man has big ears, a simple and honest face, a straight figure, and a rigorous military appearance. He looks like a regular military officer.However, what outsiders don't know is that this simple-faced man used to be a murderous pirate.

This person is called Cao Hu, and he was the leader of a group of small pirates before.When Zheng Zhilong disappeared and Li Kuiqi's group split, Cao Hu went north to Fuzhou to join the army under the introduction of his old relationship Xu Xinsu.

After being recruited by General Cao, Cao Hu lost his trilogy and ships, and only got the official title of a foreign commissioner.

After observing the collapse of the Li Kuiqi Group on the spot, Cao Hu was sent to the naval training base of Da Yuan along with some other small bosses who recruited and surrendered.

The painful life of a military student has made many people think of quitting. Culture and military discipline are not a big problem for those young people, but for adult pirates who are undisciplined and their three views have long been fixed, it is a bloody bone scraping. scale.The word "reborn" is easy to say, but difficult to do.

More and more people quit one after another, including Du Dewei and Hu Ba, the famous students among the students. The seller became the boss with the silver.

In the end, there were not even half of the pirate officers who could persist until the day of the award.During this period, Cao Hu's successful graduation surprised everyone a little bit - don't look at him with a simple and honest face, but Cao Hu was a well-known cunning in the pirate gang back then.

After the official award, these former small pirate chieftains gained a new life, and they regained their titles and ships.Of course, the new parts are all soldiers who have undergone formal training and can be rotated at any time, and there is no such thing as a big brother or a younger brother.

After the 8-month short-term training course, these half-way officers began to rotate in various positions in the Navy.As for the future path, it depends on their good fortune: those who perform well will get the opportunity to study again and find their place in the empire's future naval construction.

Cao Hu is currently serving as the first officer on the frigate Green Island. This is the third position he has rotated after graduation.

As the fleet approached at high speed, every minute passed, the distance between the enemy and us would be shortened a lot.At this moment, in the lens of Cao Hu's eight-fold Zeiss telescope, the figures on the opposite ships were quite clear, and he could even see the face of someone who was jumping and shouting.

"It turned out to be a group-headed fish. I don't want to see my old friend again today." A smile appeared on the corner of Cao Hu's mouth, and then he put down the binoculars, turned his head and said to another officer beside him: "Captain, confirm that it is under Liu Xiang's command." Pirates, no doubt, I know the leader."

The officer standing next to him also put down his binoculars at the same time: "Well, we have also been recognized, and the other party is lowering the recognition flag."

The speaker was short and dressed in standard military uniform.Although this person is young, the colorful badges of qualifications on his chest represent far more seniority in the army than Cao Hu... Comrade Mao Wujian who was named by the emperor.