Good morning Daming

Chapter 1044: Unrivaled Sea Battle
The summer sun scorched the stone slabs, and the horse's hooves stepped on them and then quickly lifted up, making the sound of the hooves become more rapid.

"Step aside!"

The knight on horseback galloped through the alley, causing a flurry of speculation.

"What is this for?"

"It looks like the messenger."

"How can there be a messenger who walks through a small alley?"

"We are the closest to Xiyuan."

"Is there an emergency military situation?"

"He came from the south. What kind of urgent military information could there be in the south?"

The messenger galloped all the way to the outside of the Western Garden, dismounted, verified his identity, and said he was going to Zhilu.

"Not going to Yongshou Palace?" asked the guard who brought him into the West Garden.

According to the procedure, the messenger should go to Zhilu first. The prime minister of Zhilu would filter the information he brought, give preliminary opinions based on the importance of the matter, and then report to Emperor Jiajing.

But if there is an emergency, the messenger can go directly to Yongshou Palace.

That is to say, you can avoid Zhilu.

For example, Jiang Qingzhi's trip to the south was like this, but what he did left everyone speechless... He wrote a letter, not a memorial. It was only natural that he did not go through Zhilu.

"Go to Zhilu."

When the messenger arrived at Zhilu, Yan Shifan was there.

"Where?" Yan Shifan asked.

Yan Song coughed dryly and came in from behind.

"Dad, you take a rest." The weather was hot and Yan Song had not slept well recently. In addition, he followed the Taoist priest and worked day and night, so his face looked a little pale.

"Hangzhou." The messenger handed over the memorial.

"Didn't go through the Ministry of Public Security?" Yan Shifan said the procedure, but he tore open the letter containing the memorial without hesitation.

"Yes." The messenger was ordered to deliver the memorial. "I was ordered to deliver the memorial directly to the Zhilu."

Yan Song sat down and felt uncomfortable all over.

He was holding the teacup, and when he noticed Yan Shifan's body trembled, he asked, "What's the matter?"

Yan Shifan looked up at him and waved his hand. His attendants took the messenger out. Only the father and son were left in the duty room. He said softly, "As soon as Jiang Qingzhi arrived in Hangzhou, officers and soldiers of the Zhejiang Navy mutinied and set sail with more than ten warships."

Yan Song rubbed his aching temple and asked, "Mutiny?"

"Jiang Qingzhi led the navy to pursue them." Yan Shifan's eyes were brighter, "Governor Lin Xi of Zhejiang, Provincial Secretary Zhou Wang, and Commander Mao Shunchang accompanied them."

Yan Song raised his head slowly, his eyes becoming more solemn, "Where are the rebels going?"

"The prefect of Hangzhou judged that he must have gone to join the Japanese pirates."

"Japanese pirates... I remember that the Zhejiang navy and the Japanese pirates haven't fought for many years. They are called mud?"

"Exactly."

Yan Song took a deep breath and said, "Jiang Qingzhi was careless!"

If we attack with a pile of mud and encounter Japanese pirates...

"Chen Zheng and King Jing are also here."

"Hurry and report to His Majesty!" Yan Song stood up suddenly.

Yan Shifan coughed dryly. "Dad, I think the Jinyiwei or Dongchang people should be here."

"You have to act accordingly!" Yan Song frowned, "Remember, His Majesty's eyes are as sharp as lightning, don't have any sneaky thoughts."

"What can I do?" Yan Shifan said, "Jiang Qingzhi is far away in Hangzhou, and we can't reach him. If anything happens, it's his decision, what does it have to do with us?"

"Zhou Wang!" Yan Song called out Zhou Wang's name. "This person is close to you. If Jiang Qingzhi gets into an accident this time, it's inevitable that someone will use Zhou Wang to put the blame on you or us."

"Dad, don't worry." Yan Shifan said, "If something happens to Jiang Qingzhi, I bet those people will be busy celebrating, busy counterattacking, and forcing His Majesty to revoke his order. As for us, we can use this opportunity to recuperate."

"Without any time to recuperate, when that time comes, the only thing we can do is... seize the time to strengthen our family. Then, we will be besieged by the scholars and officials."

Yan Song went to see the Taoist priest. Yan Shifan sat in the duty room for a while and suddenly laughed, "This man has been so successful that he really thinks he can do anything. That's the sea, a place that makes people shudder just by looking at it. Those old men who have been sailing on the sea for decades have said that every time they go out to sea, they experience disasters. Jiang Qingzhi, are you likely to survive this disaster?"

The Taoist priest has received a secret report from the Imperial Guards.

"The navy mutiny and Chang Wei Bo's arrival in Hangzhou happened almost at the same time. Chang Wei Bo hadn't settled down yet, so he led the navy warships to pursue. Lin Xi, Zhou Wang, and Mao Shunchang were accompanying them. In addition, Mr. Chen and King Jing were also accompanying them."

Lu Bing lowered his head. He knew the importance of the matter.

First, this was the first mutiny in the Ming navy. In the past, some small-scale incidents were mostly covered up and suppressed by the navy. After the Jinyiwei found out, they reported it to the Taoist priest, who also chose to keep the peace.

"Is this a show of force for Qingzhi?" Emperor Jiajing narrowed his eyes. "Those people in the court will make a fuss. Go ahead! The weather is hot and I am bored. I just want to see the monkeys make a fuss!"

But Jiang Qingzhi went out to sea!

"Your Majesty." Lu Bing felt that he had to remind his brother, "The Zhejiang Navy fears the enemy like a tiger and has been living in peace with the Japanese pirates for many years."

——That's just a pile of mud! Jiang Qingzhi went out with a pile of mud that couldn't be helped. If he encountered the Japanese pirates...

The three great men of Zhejiang's civil and military affairs were on the boat, the imperial teacher Chen Zheng was on the boat, and even the prince was on the boat.

Plus Jiang Qingzhi, the only famous general and new policy ruler in the Ming Dynasty.

Once the Japanese pirates wiped out the enemy, Lu Bing felt that the shock to the current situation would be no less than the Battle of Tumu.

Although the loss of troops was not even a fraction of that in the Battle of Tumu, the prince and the new policy leaders were killed or captured by the Japanese pirates. Once the news spread, the Confucians would launch a frenzied counterattack.

The force of this counterattack was sharper and more violent than the impact caused by the Battle of Tumu.

Lu Bing looked up, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"Worried about the Japanese pirates?"

"Yes."

Jiang Qingzhi was unrivaled in land battles, but that was a naval battle!
Isn't my brother worried? Lu Bing was puzzled.

Or is it that Brother Nai is on guard against himself and doesn't want me to know what he is thinking?
Lu Bing's heart trembled.

"Go!"

"Yes."

Lu Bing took his leave and walked through the palace with a heavy heart.

In midsummer, the flowers and trees in the Western Garden were in full bloom, and the eunuchs were busy sweeping the grounds or pruning branches.

After seeing Lu Bing, the eunuchs on the roadside quickly moved away.

"I have met His Highness!"

Lu Bing looked up when he heard the voice.

Prince Yu was walking towards this side with a few eunuchs.

When he saw Lu Bing, Prince Yu stopped and gave way silently out of habit.

He has always lived in the palace as an unknown person. Not to mention the powerful Jinyiwei commander Lu Bing, even if he met the big eunuchs in the palace, Prince Yu would choose to bow his head.

It's like he is a child who can be bullied by everyone.

As per convention, Lu Binghui would immediately bow and pass by indifferently.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Lu Bing bowed.

Prince Yu heard Yang Xi's light exclamation and looked up, only to find that Lu Bing was bending down and lowering his head.

This is an unprecedented gesture.

Prince Yu was startled, lowered his eyes and bowed his head.

Still the same.

But he couldn't help but wonder why Lu Bing was so humble.

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander Lu." Prince Yu said.

Lu Bing stepped forward and said in a gentle voice, "The world is hot, Your Highness should walk slowly."

After saying this, Lu Bing bowed again and made a respectful gesture of leaving.

Prince Yu turned around and looked at Lu Bing's back, "Yang Xi."

"I am here." Yang Xi said, "Your Highness, Lu Bing seemed respectful just now, no, he was more respectful than ever before."

"Did something happen?"

Prince Yu felt nervous and hurried to Yongshou Palace.

"How is father?" Prince Yu asked anxiously when he saw Huang Jin.

"Your Majesty is well." Huang Jin said.

"Father." Prince Yu shouted towards the hall.

"I'm not dead." The Taoist was sitting in meditation, his peaceful mind was interrupted by this shout, and he said unhappily.

Prince Yu breathed a sigh of relief and then greeted him.

After some questions and answers, Prince Yu couldn't help but ask, "Father, is there something important happening today?"

The Taoist priest was silent for a moment. "There are mutinies among the officers and soldiers of the Zhejiang Navy. Your uncle is leading the fourth brother to pursue them. I'm afraid those mutinous officers and soldiers will defect to the Japanese pirates. The two sides will join forces..."

Huang Jin noticed that Prince Yu's body relaxed immediately, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "Don't worry, father, my cousin and the fourth brother are definitely fine."

"Oh! How do you know?" The Taoist seemed calm, but he was actually very worried.

"My cousin once taught me and Old Four how to fight at sea."

"That idiot knows about naval warfare? What did he say?"

"There is nothing special about naval battles. It all depends on which side has thicker gun barrels and which has more guns. My uncle also said that bigger is better and more is beautiful..."

Battleship fans of later generations sang this song and engaged in heated debates with each other on forums.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Long Wilbur."

Jiang Qingzhi's messenger arrived.

Huang Jin took the letter and turned to enter the hall.

I don't know when Taoist got up and walked behind the door. He took the letter, opened it and took a closer look.

The beard couldn't help but curl up.

——My first priority when I go south this time is to clear out the pirates along the coast. Someone in Nanjing cursed me, saying that I would definitely die at sea if I went south to open the sea this time.

——These people think that the navy is corrupt and cannot be relied upon. If we want to open the sea, we have to wait for the navy to be rebuilt... This will take at least three to five years. Your Majesty, do you still remember what happened when Emperor Yingzong rebuilt the treasure ship and prepared to go to sea to show his power?
How could the Taoist forget? He said sarcastically, "It would be fine if a government servant dared to rebel. But it actually spread to the southeast, with the court officials pretending to be stupid and the local officials aiding and abetting the tyrant, deceiving the emperor on the throne. But the emperor chose to... endure it. Why did all this happen?"

——Smuggling overseas is rampant in the southeast. This time when I go south, the ones who want to kill me the most are not the powerful people who own huge amounts of land and population, but the forces involved in smuggling overseas.

"Smuggling, smuggling, the word 'private' comes first. For the sake of personal gain, those people dare to do anything. The danger of this idiot's trip... is no less than the Northern Expedition."

There was more worry in the Taoist's eyes, and he lowered his head and continued to look down.

"If I go out to sea, someone will stab me in the back. They hope that I will die at sea, and that the Japanese pirates and pirates will defeat me. But this is just wishful thinking!"

The Taoist recited his cousin's words softly.

"There is nothing special about naval warfare, except that the big can defeat the small, and the many can defeat the few. Some people say that I am not familiar with naval warfare, and that the navy is corrupt and cannot be relied upon. The navy is corrupt, can it be worse than the Beijing Guards back then? As for some people saying that I am not familiar with naval warfare, that is even more of a joke."

The Taoist looked up.

There was more light in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, your attainments in naval warfare are even greater than your attainments in land warfare!"

(End of this chapter)