Mrs. Rebirth

"He's gone?" Lu Zheng turned around and asked.

"Well, I came to inquire about the news." Zuo Shaoqing smiled lightly, picked up Zuo Xiaolang and walked to Lu Zheng's side. He looked at the circles on the huge sea chart and asked in surprise: "What are these?" ?”

The deputy general at the side immediately replied: "Thanks to the third master, these are all asked from the mouths of those spies you caught. Although they may not be true, they are better than us looking for them at sea aimlessly."

"These are the dens of pirates?" Zuo Shaoqing went to the chart and looked carefully. There were several circled places, far apart. It seemed that each pirate had its own sphere of influence.

"It's almost the same. Master Lu means to take this opportunity to take the sailors to practice at sea. There are many problems exposed in the last trial. It's just a good time to test the results."

Zuo Shaoqing turned his head to Lu Zheng, got his affirmative reply, and asked with some worry in his heart: "What if I fall into the trap again? I may not be lucky enough to find you next time."

Lu Zheng frowned: "Do you think I'm a fool? If you make this mistake once, you underestimate the enemy. If you make this mistake twice, you're stupid!"

Liang Qi ended the verbal fight with Song Hanlin, leaned over and put Zuo Shaoqing on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Lu! As long as these pirates don't get together suddenly, neither party is enough to pose a threat to us, and this time Going to sea is not just for the Crane City Navy."

Lu Zheng pinched Liang Qi's arm with two fingers, and Liang Qi wailed in pain, and hurriedly moved his arm away from Zuo Shaoqing's shoulder.

Song Hanlin snorted contemptuously, and his gloating expression was clearly visible.

Zuo Shaoqing didn't have time to speak for him, so he asked: "The other naval battalions go to sea together?"

Lu Zheng nodded, "The most important thing in war is tactical coordination. Invincible warships and brave warriors are not enough."

During this period of time, the treasury in charge of Zuo Shaoqing has shrunk at an extremely fast speed, and most of the gold and silver have been invested in the manufacture of warships and equipment.

Lu Zheng only handed over less than one-tenth of the property in the two raids on the pirate's lair, and handed over the rest to Zuo Shaoqing, who donated all of it before he even had time to warm it up.

It's not that the imperial court did not allocate military expenses, but firstly, it came slowly, and secondly, the funds were limited, and each sum had to be carefully reviewed before it could be used. With Lu Zheng's temperament, he would definitely feel that it was greatly restricted.

"When are you going to leave?" Zuo Shaoqing asked with a straight face, his voice was still a little hoarse, even Zuo Xiaolang realized that something was wrong with him.

Several generals looked around and retreated collectively in a tacit understanding. Before Liang Qi left, he winked at Zuo Shaoqing ambiguously.

When everyone was gone, Lu Zheng pulled Zuo Shaoqing back to his seat, hugged the father and son together in his arms, and said in a low voice: "In a month or so, it will be the coldest time in winter. We will stay at sea a lot, so we will set off in two days."

"So fast? Everything is ready?"

Lu Zheng kissed him on the cheek, "Of course, don't worry, this time I went to the nearest pirate stronghold, a month's round trip is enough."

There was no charcoal stove in the study, and Zuo Shaoqing felt a little cold, so she leaned closer to Lu Zheng's arms, "It will be Chinese New Year in a month."

Every year at the end of the year, the officials of the fourth rank and above must return to Beijing to report on their duties. After that, there will be the New Year's Eve banquet and the ceremony of the first day of the new year. They must not be absent without reason, so Zuo Shaoqing still has to return to Beijing at the end of the year.

"I will try to come back before the year." Lu Zheng looked down at the big and small in his arms, with tenderness in his eyes, "Just take the little things back to show mother."

"Speaking of which, the old lady has been here for a long time. When did she return to Beijing?"

Half a month ago, they received a letter from the old lady. She was actually in Youxi Town at the time, saying that she had attended Qu Changqing's wedding and acted as the officiant, giving Zuo Shaoqing enough face.

I still remember that the old lady wrote a lot of words of concern for him in the letter. At that time, he was very moved. Later, I found out that the old lady inquired a lot about his childhood in Youxi Town, especially after he lost his mother. The matter made the old lady very angry.

Probably because it was the place where Zuo Shaoqing lived since he was a child, the old lady stayed in Youxi Town for a long time, and even bought a quiet yard, where she tended flowers and vegetables, as if she was leisurely looking at Nanshan.

"It's coming soon, just this month, the government of Zhen Guo cannot be left alone to take charge of the overall situation."

Zuo Shaoqing feels a little guilty, if Lu Zheng marries the daughter of everyone, at this time, the Zhen Guo Gongfu will not lack a hostess to welcome and send him off, and the old lady will not have to work hard.

If Lu Zheng knew his thoughts, he would definitely be dumbfounded. Did he think anyone could be the mistress of the Duke of Zhen?Even if he really married a woman, it would be just a display, and it was impossible for her to take over the housekeeping rights.

In Lu Zheng's eyes, the married woman is not as good as the servant girl in the Duke's mansion, at least the latter's loyalty does not need to be questioned.

On the day of Lu Zheng's trip, Zuo Shaoqing took all the officials of Crane City to see him off. Compared with the last time, this time the people in Crane City knew that Duke Zhen was going to lead his troops to encircle the pirates.

Most of the merchants in Crane City have overseas business, and some of the people make a living by fishing, so they are the most supportive of Lord Lu's efforts to eliminate pirates.

Both Wang Xu and his son had the experience of being hijacked by pirates, so on the day of the trip, they specially sent a whole ship of supplies, saying that they were doing their best to support the navy's expedition.

Zuo Shaoqing became more and more cordial towards the Wang family when he saw him being so upbeat, which made the other merchants feel remorseful. Why didn't they expect to be able to give gifts like this?

Not only has it been sent to the hearts of Lord Lu and Zuo Zhifu, but it can also be famous for thousands of miles. This deal couldn't be more cost-effective.

Ever since, in the following years, whenever the navy went to sea, the merchants in Crane City would spontaneously raise supplies, which not only improved the living standards of the soldiers, but also saved a large amount of expenditure for the treasury.

Gradually, this kind of atmosphere spread in the major port cities along the coast, which gradually raised the status of the navy. After a long period of tempering, the army became more and more brave. That's another story.

As soon as Lu Zheng left, Zuo Shaoqing didn't have time to spare to mourn the spring and autumn, because the election meetings of major commercial firms were about to begin, and this was the first time he had come into contact with so many businessmen, and secret investigations were indispensable.

On the appointed day, the Yellow Crane Tower was sealed off by the government, the lobby on the first floor was arranged as an empty meeting hall, and the second and third floors were prepared to entertain everyone for dinner after the business was over.

It can be said that Zuo Shaoqing's way of entertaining makes every businessman who comes feel proud. Normally, they would not be ranked high if they invite the prefect to have a meal, but now they are invited by the prefect to invite them. What a big deal Save face.

There are hundreds of large and small commercial firms in Crane City, Zuo Shaoqing asked He Min to invite all the hundreds of people registered with the government.

Of course, most of them were used as witnesses, and less than ten commercial firms were eligible to run for election. Zuo Shaoqing did enough superficial work to avoid being accused of favoritism.

"Master Zhifu is here..." As soon as Zuo Shaoqing's sedan chair reached the door, the merchants waiting outside greeted him enthusiastically, almost blocking a road.

The bearer who carried the sedan chair pressed down the dumplings, and a young man in an official robe appeared in the eyes of everyone. Not everyone present had seen Zuo Shaoqing, but no matter whether they had seen it or not, they were all recognized by him. Young and Qingjun were shocked.

Even though Wang Xu has dealt with Zuo Shaoqing a lot, every time he sees him, he secretly sighs: How did such a smart and handsome child grow up?Comparing with those sons of my own family, it is really enviable.

"Master Zuo!" Everyone saluted together, and Zuo Shaoqing smiled kindly in a row: "You don't need to be too polite, and it is also your support for me to show you face."

"It should be..."

"Master Zuo's sincere invitation is our blessing."...

In terms of appearances, these people who are confident in the shopping malls may not be worse than those in the officialdom. Zuo Shaoqing kept a faint smile on his face and walked into the restaurant amidst compliments.

After everyone was seated, Zuo Shaoqing waved his hand, and the scene immediately fell silent. He said, "The purpose of inviting all shopkeepers to come here today is very clear. I think everyone knows it. I know it. I made a proposal in the memorial before." Everyone has a lot of complaints about restricting the import and export of maritime merchants, but as a parent official, I have to consider it from the perspective of the people of the country. For the interests and safety of the central government, it will inevitably damage the interests of some maritime merchants. Please forgive me .”

What Zuo Shaoqing said was extremely loyal and righteous, no one dared to say that he did something wrong, and the high-ranking magistrate had the confidence to explain and apologize to them, which already made everyone restless.

There were praises and compliments everywhere again. At this time, no one would be stupid enough to stand up and accuse Zuo Shaoqing of harming their interests. Otherwise, wouldn't they become sinners who harmed the country and the people?