I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 112: The Japanese pirates committed an unforgivable crime, and we will gain great merit by killing them (-character chapter)

The Jinyiwei comrades had been in a desperate situation just now. Now they have a chance to breathe.

After a fierce battle, only forty Jinyiwei comrades were left who could still move.

However, there were still more than 200 Japanese pirates left from the first battle with the Jinyiwei. They were already entangled with the Jinyiwei and could not retreat. They simply fought to the death.

If the battle continues, the Jinyiwei will still be annihilated.

Although the more than 300 monks went out of the city to attack the Japanese pirates, distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

Tang Shunzhi had no choice but to order the remaining mandarin duck formations to form four complete mandarin duck formations and fight a desperate battle with the Japanese pirates.

Lin Shisan, Sun Yue and Shen Weijing were all covered in blood.

Lin Shisan didn't know how many pirates he had killed. Maybe two, maybe three. He was exhausted and wielded his sword powerlessly. He didn't even know who he was killing.

At this moment, thunder sounded suddenly!

"Don't panic, my comrades! The Guangxi Wolf Soldiers are coming!"

This is a woman's voice.

Lin Shisan turned around and saw five or six hundred Ming soldiers swarming behind him. These Ming soldiers were different from the guards.

Ordinary garrison soldiers wore mandarin duck-patterned battle jackets and military hats on their heads; they wore military hats on their heads, straw sandals on their feet, and long skirts that reached their knees.

The weapons used by ordinary garrison troops were mostly spears and waist swords; they were armed with javelins and short swords.

Ordinary garrison soldiers used iron-clad tiger-head shields; they held swallowtail shields.

Tang Shunzhi glanced back and said, "Brothers, the wolf soldiers are coming! We will win this battle! Cheer up and kill!"

The leading general among the wolf soldiers was riding a Yunnan-Guizhou pony, and she was a woman!

This woman was in her sixties, wearing a light cloth armor and holding a saber. She was really heroic and brave, and she was as brave as a man.

The woman's name was Madame Wa.

Mrs. Wa was the wife of Cen Meng, a native official of Tianzhou, Guangxi. As her husband and son died early, Mrs. Wa had to take charge of the state affairs herself and achieved remarkable political achievements.

In the 33rd year of Jiajing, Zhang Jing, then governor of Zhejiang, ordered the recruitment of wolf soldiers from Tianzhou to Zhejiang to fight against the Japanese invaders. Mrs. Wa wrote to the court and personally led the troops to the battle.

During the three years of fighting against the Japanese pirates in Zhejiang, Mrs. Wa became famous throughout the world.

Emperor Jiajing made an exception and first conferred the title of Lady Wa as a second-rank imperial lady, and then conferred the title of "Female Official Lieutenant General", a second-rank official.

She became the only woman since the founding of the Ming Dynasty to be both granted an imperial decree and appointed as a general.

People in the southeast call her "the Female General of Shizhu".

Mrs. Wa led more than 600 wolf soldiers and swept in from the rear of the Japanese pirates, like a sledgehammer hitting the Japanese pirates' buttocks.

In the words of later generations, both wolf soldiers and Shaolin monks were special forces.

The Japanese pirates were attacked from both sides and were immediately thrown into chaos.

The Japanese pirates regarded landing and robbing as business. They had already suffered heavy losses before they could capture Xuyi County. If they continued the war, they would only lose money.

So Nohara Mitsuharu waved his hand again and said, "Everyone retreat!"

1,800 Japanese pirates left more than 500 bodies under the city of Xuyi, and the remaining 1,300 retreated eastward.

Mrs. Wa did not pursue, not because she did not want to, but because she did not have the troops to do so.

When the Guangxi Wolf Soldiers left Guangxi, there were only about 2,000 of them. After three years of fighting in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Nanzhili, there were only about 1,200 left.

Of these 1,200 men, 600 have now been transferred to Taizhou to defend against the Japanese pirates.

The remaining 600 people were transferred to Huai'an Prefecture and ordered to repel the landing Japanese pirates.

There are now three or four gangs of Japanese pirates in Huai'an Prefecture.

The six hundred wolf soldiers were like the fire brigade of later generations. They would rush to any county town attacked by the Japanese pirates. They were seriously short of manpower.

If we don’t have enough troops, we can’t fight a pursuit and annihilation battle. As long as we drive the Japanese pirates away, we should stop while we are ahead.

Lin Shisan and others finally arrived at the gate of Xuyi City.

The fifty-nine-year-old Madam Wa bowed to Tang Shunzhi and said, "I am the female officer and the general, Madam Wa."

Tang Shunzhi bowed and said, "I am Tang Shunzhi, a doctor in the Military Affairs Department. I have long heard of Madam Wa's reputation. I am so sorry for my disrespect."

Mrs. Wa no longer had the heroic spirit she had on the horse. She kept coughing: "Oh, cough, cough, it turned out to be, cough, Doctor Tang."

Lin Shisan also bowed and said, "I am the General Flag of the Northern Pacification Division of the Jinyiwei, Lin Shisan."

Madam Wa frowned: "Jinyiwei? The Jinyiwei who arrested General Yu and General Qi? Did wild dogs eat your heads?"

Lin Shisan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and hurriedly explained: "It was the Nanjing Jinyiwei who arrested General Yu and General Qi. It wasn't our Northern Pacification Division."

Madam Wa looked Lin Shisan up and down and said, "You are covered in blood. You fought the Japanese pirates today. You are a real hero."

Lin Shisan said: "Luckily, Madam Wa rescued us. Otherwise, I and my fellow Jinyiwei would have died for our country today."

Madam Wa praised: "You are all Jinyiwei? You fought well. I think you are less than a hundred people, and there must be two or three hundred dead bodies of Japanese pirates under your feet."

Lin Shisan said: "This is due to Mr. Tang's proper command."

At this moment, a monk in his forties came over, making a Buddhist gesture with his left hand and holding a long iron-clad stick in his right hand.

Tang Shunzhi asked: "Who is the master?"

The monk introduced himself: "Hey, I'm He Lan! I'm from Shaolin Temple, Songshan. I'm Yuekong."

(Note: After some research, the monks who helped defend Huai'an during the Jiajing Anti-Japanese War came from the Northern Shaolin Temple in Songshan. The previous chapter said it was the Southern Shaolin Temple, which is wrong. It has been corrected.)
Lin Shisan was surprised and said, "Shaolin Temple is a small temple? Master, you are too modest. Why did you and your fellow masters come to Zhejiang to kill the Japanese instead of chanting in Henan?"

Tang Shunzhi explained, "Lin Chuanfeng, you don't know. In the 33rd year of Jiajing, the commander of the Central Army of Nanjing wrote a letter to Songshan Shaolin, asking it to send monks to Zhejiang to fight against the Japanese invaders. Shaolin readily agreed."

What Tang Shunzhi didn't know was that the Shaolin Temple's abbot, Master Tan Ran, sent his eldest disciple Yue Kong as the leader to select disciples to go to the southeast to fight against the Japanese. In order to ensure that every disciple sent out had the courage of ten thousand men, Yue Kong used the Shaolin rule of "fighting through the mountain gate before leaving the temple".

After selecting disciples to fight against the Japanese invaders, the Shaolin Temple provided each of them with a horse and a seven-foot-long, fifteen-jin-weight iron-clad stick.

In the past two years, the Shaolin monks, like the Guangxi wolf soldiers, have gained great fame in the southeast. But unfortunately, like the wolf soldiers, they are few in number.

Sun Yue said: "Isn't it said that Buddhism is based on compassion? Killing the pirates would be breaking the precept of killing."

Master Yuekong bowed and spoke with great force: "Amitabha. Killing with compassion brings about many lives."

"The Japanese pirates are not human beings, but demons from hell. It is the duty of Buddhist disciples to eliminate demons and monsters. Killing the Japanese to protect the people is the greatest compassion."

"We are practicing the Bodhisattva's way of killing. The Japanese pirates committed an unpardonable sin, and we have gained immeasurable merit by killing them."

Lin Shisan led the surviving Jinyiwei and bowed to Master Yuekong: "Master, be righteous!"

Yuekong returned the greeting: "Amitabha."

Mrs. Wa asked Tang Shunzhi, "You are a Langguan of the Military Affairs Department. Are you here to supervise the war in the southeast?"

Tang Shunzhi replied: "That's right."

Mrs. Wa complained: "Supervise the battle? Then supervise the food and wages? My wolf soldiers haven't seen food and wages or rewards for two months. I went to Zhao Zhenji to ask for it, but he always made excuses, saying that the finances in the southeast are tight and asked us to share the difficulties with him."

Lin Shisan watched from the side and saw that the wolf soldiers standing behind Mrs. Wa were all wearing straw sandals, and some of the soles were almost worn out.

Their kilts were also worn out.

Lin Shisan cursed in his heart: Jiangnan officials come to Beijing and just find a way to give gifts and throw away thousands of taels of silver. When we need money to fight against the Japanese pirates, they say they are going through the hard times together.

I'll blanch their mothers!
Suddenly, Lin Shisan thought of the Cheng Yi he had received.

When he was in Suqian Prefecture, he exchanged all the 15,000 yuan he had collected for silver bills for the convenience of carrying them. He put them all in his pocket.

Lin Shisan took out the stack of banknotes from his arms, many of which were stained with blood.

Lin Shisan said: "Of the fifteen thousand taels of silver, two thousand taels will be used to purchase weapons for Master Yuekong. The remaining thirteen thousand taels will all be used as military expenses for the wolf soldiers."

Mrs. Wa asked, "So much silver? Was it allocated to us by the court?"

Lin Shisan was too embarrassed to say that this was the money he collected along the way. He had to make up a lie: "These are the silver donated by officials and gentry along the way to fight against the Japanese. They are the right ones to give to the wolf soldiers and monk soldiers."

After two fierce battles last night and today, Lin Shisan, who originally loved silver, suddenly became detached.

In the turbulent times, people are as insignificant as feathers and their lives are as insignificant as weeds. What do you need so much silver for?
With these fifteen thousand taels of silver in his hands, he could only earn a little more interest and buy a few more good insects.

If it were handed over to Mrs. Wa, I wonder how many Japanese pirates could be killed and how many civilians could be saved.

In one’s life, circle of friends is very important.

When one's circle is full of people like Tang Shunzhi, Mrs. Wa, and Master Yuekong who are selfless and dedicated to their country, one's mind will naturally be purified. Lin Shisan couldn't be selfish in front of them.

The sickly Mrs. Wa took the banknote without hesitation and counted out two thousand taels and gave them to Master Yuekong.

Mrs. Wa said, "Thank you very much, General Lin."

Lin Shisan said, "I don't deserve the word thank you. It is the honor of Lin Shisan's life to be able to fight side by side with a contemporary Hua Mulan or Liang Hongyu like you."

"For saving my life today, Lin Shisan is willing to repay you with gratitude."

Madam Wa waved her hand and said, "Don't be polite. If you really have a conscience, tell the leader of your Jinyiwei to release General Yu and General Qi. The defeat in Taizhou is not their fault."

Lin Shisan did not agree rashly.

He knew very well that the imprisonment of Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang was involved in countless court struggles and factional strife.

Saving them is not that easy.

Wait until we get to Hangzhou and hear what Hu Zongxian has to say before making any plans.

At this time, a wolf soldier scout came to report: "Madam, Jinhu County is asking for help. A group of 1,500 Japanese pirates have entered Jinhu territory. They seem to be planning to attack Jinhu County."

Madam Wa bowed to Tang Shunzhi and the others and said, "The military situation is urgent. I will not enter the city. I must lead the troops to Jinhu County immediately."

"I heard that the Jinyiwei are the emperor's close associates. General Lin, can you talk to the emperor and ask him to build more capable troops? Don't let our wolf soldiers and monk soldiers run around all the time."

Establishing a new army was more difficult and more sensitive than rescuing Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang.

Lin Shisan could only perfunctorily say, "Ah, I will submit a memorial."

Mrs. Wa led six hundred wolf soldiers to Jinhu first.

Master Yuekong asked Lin Shisan: "Amitabha. Where are you going?"

Lin Shisan replied: "We are ordered to go to Hangzhou."

Master Yuekong said, "It's still eight hundred miles to Hangzhou. I'll send fifty warrior monks to escort you?"

Lin Shisan said quickly, "No need. You are fighting against the Japanese pirates in Huai'an, and you don't have enough troops. Although there are only about forty of my comrades left, as long as we avoid the large groups of Japanese pirates, we should be able to reach Hangzhou smoothly."

Master Yuekong bowed and said, "Amitabha. I will also go to Jinhu Lake to kill the Japanese pirates and create immeasurable merits."

Led by Master Yuekong, the monk soldiers left the city of Xuyi and headed eastward.

Lin Shisan sighed: "If every Ming army was like the Guangxi wolf soldiers and Shaolin monk soldiers, why would we worry about the Japanese pirates not being eliminated and the unrest in the north?"

After expressing his feelings, Lin Shisan led his surviving comrades back to the previous position to treat the injured brothers and collect the bodies of the fallen brothers.

In today's battle, among the more than one hundred Jinyiwei, twenty-five were killed and thirty-four were seriously injured.

Lin Shisan placed the wounded in Xuyi City for recuperation. The dead were placed in coffins first, waiting for the Jinyiwei to send someone to take the coffins back to Beijing.

People grow up. This fierce battle made Lin Shisan grow a lot.

It turns out that there are not only those stupid civil servants who only know how to fight among themselves in this world. There are also a group of backbones of the country who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the people.

Everyone planned to rest in Xuyi City for one night and then set out south tomorrow.

Lin Shisan, Sun Yue, Shen Weijing and Tang Shunzhi helped each other bandage their wounds.

Lin Shisan said, "Mr. Tang, I don't understand. Huai'an has a whole garrison, four thousand-household units, and eleven hundred-household units. There are more than ten thousand garrison troops in total. Did they just sit there and watch the Japanese pirates attack various counties at will?"

"Also, we attacked the Japanese pirates last night. We easily killed fifty of them. Why were more than fifty Japanese pirates able to run rampant in Jiangnan last year?"

Tang Shunzhi replied: "You have hit the nail on the head. The military system of the guards was established by Taizu. At the beginning, Taizu proudly said, 'We can support a million soldiers without spending a penny.'"

"But the military system of the garrisons has long been rotten and dilapidated. Soldiers have become slaves and hired farmers of the garrison commanders."

"If you were a soldier of the garrison, why would you go to war? Even if you win, the reward may not be enough to pay off the loan sharks you borrowed from your superiors."

"If you lose the fight, your head will be moved."

"The Shaolin monks are good at fighting because they have great faith in Buddhism. What great faith are you talking about with a bunch of rough guards? It's useless!"

"The Guangxi wolf soldiers are good at fighting, firstly because the people in their hometown are tough and brave. Secondly, they are paid by the imperial court. And Mrs. Wa never deducts money from them."

"Try allocating military pay to the garrison troops. The Ministry of Revenue allocated one million taels of silver, and first each provincial military commission office received one part, and then the military commission office received one part. Then the general, lieutenant general, deputy general, commander of each garrison, associate governor, assistant governor, thousand households, pacification officer, hundred households, and general flag officer received one part each."

"If it really falls into the hands of the soldiers, I'm afraid only a few copper coins will be left."

After listening to Tang Shunzhi's grand speech, Lin Shisan said with emotion: "According to what you said, the 300,000 garrison troops in the southeast are all useless and can't be used to fight against the Japanese pirates at all."

Tang Shunzhi nodded: "That's right! When the battle starts, they can stand and cheer, and play supporting roles. But expecting them to fight in the battlefield? No way!"

"If we want to accomplish the great cause of resisting the Japanese invaders, we must train a new army. The number of troops does not need to be large, 20,000 to 30,000 will be enough."

Lin Shisan asked: "No matter how weak the garrison troops were, they would not have allowed fifty or so Japanese pirates to run rampant in Jiangnan for several months last year. They were 300,000 people, not 300,000 pigs."

Tang Shunzhi smiled and said, "Now that we've come to this point, I'll make it clear to you."

"Fifty-three Japanese pirates passed through 17 prefectures and 58 counties. Seven prefectures and 31 counties reported that their granaries were burned or their silver vaults were robbed."

"Let me ask you. Were the granaries and silver vaults really burned down by the Japanese pirates? Were they robbed? Fifty-three Japanese pirates were born with supernatural powers. How could they carry away hundreds of thousands of taels of silver?"

Lin Shisan was stunned: "You mean, the local government embezzled money and put the blame on the Japanese pirates?"

Tang Shunzhi nodded. He took a sip of tea and said, "In addition, this battle also involves party disputes. Some people want Zhang Jing, Li Tianchong, and Wang Chonggu to die."

"Zhang Jing and Li Tianchong are two idiots. They originally wanted to let the invaders go and make up for the deficits of the local governments in Jiangnan. But they never thought that with such a big scandal in Jiangnan, would the people in the court still let them live?"

"Zhao Wenhua said that these two people are just keeping the enemy for their own benefit. It's not groundless."

"Only Wang Chonggu was a smart man. He led his troops to annihilate the fifty-three people. Only then was he safe and sound, and was promoted to the Ningxia Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, leaving the troubled Southeast."

Tang Shunzhi is talented, but not a cunning man. Today, he fought side by side with Lin Shisan. He already regarded Lin Shisan as a comrade-in-arms with whom he had shared life and death. He told everything he knew about the affairs in Jiangnan.

Lin Shisan was stunned when he heard this, and he sighed from time to time: "Ah? So that's how it is."

"Oh, how dare they!"

After a long conversation, Tang Shunzhi concluded: "This time the higher-ups sent you to the southeast to look for the auspicious white deer. Look carefully. Everything will be up to Hu Zongxian."

“If Southeast wants to break through, perhaps the key lies in that illusory white deer.”

"Alas, military and national affairs actually depend on so-called 'auspicious signs'. As a minister of the Ming Dynasty, I feel so sad and lamentable!"

Tang Shunzhi had a deep talk with Lin Shisan, who suddenly felt that he had a great responsibility.

Shen Weijing asked, "Mr. Tang, why don't you teach your Mandarin Duck Formation to the wolf soldiers?"

Tang Shunzhi explained: "Wolf soldiers are good at fighting, and their advantage lies in their savagery. The Mandarin Duck Formation will only restrict their strengths."

"In the final analysis, we still have to recruit new troops. If the new troops use the mandarin duck formation to fight against the Japanese pirates, only 20,000 to 30,000 people are needed, and the Japanese pirates in the southeast will be defeated."

Lin Shisan barely slept that night. He was still excited after the fierce battle during the day, where he killed two or three Japanese pirates.

Secondly, Tang Shunzhi's words touched his heart.

When he was in Beijing, he only thought about his pets every day.

He had too many things to consider during this trip to Jiangnan.

There was no conversation that night. The next day, everyone set out on the journey again.

They were lucky. During the 800-mile journey from Xuyi to Hangzhou, they did not encounter any Japanese pirates again.

July 13, the 35th year of the Jiajing reign. The lobby of the Zhejiang Governor's Office in Hangzhou.

Tang Shunzhi and Lin Shisan sat on the chairs, waiting for Hu Zongxian.

Soon Hu Zongxian walked in hurriedly.

Tang Shunzhi and Lin Shisan stood up and saluted him: "Hu Futai."

Hu Zongxian said, "Brother Tang, Brother Lin, please sit down. I read the military report a few days ago and learned that you were in danger in Huai'an Prefecture and had a bloody battle with the Japanese pirates. I am really worried."

Tang Shunzhi said without any modesty: "It was just a small battle, and the corner of my clothes was slightly dirty. Where are Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang imprisoned? I want to go see them, can I?"

Hu Zongxian immediately agreed: "Go ahead. They are imprisoned in the governor's office. The Nanjing Jinyiwei treats them as honored guests."

Hu Zongxian turned around and said to Lin Shisan, "Last time I asked you to find a white bow-tailed pigeon for me. This time I want you to find a white deer."

　Today I will resume writing 10,000 words. I have been feeling weak these past two days, so the update is lagging.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)