Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 287 Is this a gift from the imperial court? The Ming people have gone too far in bullying us!
After leaving the restaurant, Deng Yu's face reeked of alcohol, but his slightly flushed cheeks still couldn't hide the shock on his face.

The captain, who was waiting outside the restaurant with his horse in hand, looked quite puzzled and said with some resentment.

“Lord Commander, these merchants from the Western Hills are so unruly. Not only did they not send anyone to invite you, they also put on airs and made you come to them yourself.”

"Just because they have Zhang Shiyuan backing them up, they've become so arrogant, a mere bunch of merchants."

Since the Xishan fleet arrived at Yuegang, the Zhangzhou Garrison has provided them with many conveniences, but these people seem to have no gratitude at all.

The soldiers in the garrison still harbored some discontent.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Deng Yu was terrified. He slapped the captain on the head, gritted his teeth and tried to explain, but hesitated. Finally, he mounted his horse and said with a serious expression.

"Don't mention this matter again. All matters concerning the Xishan fleet must be reported to me. You must not easily cause trouble."

The captain, having been inexplicably reprimanded, sighed heavily with a bitter expression, and lowered his head to mount his horse.

On the way back to the garrison, Deng Yu felt the silver in his pocket bulging, making his stomach ache.

Most of the items here are silver notes, along with a pile of loose silver, totaling about a thousand taels.

Frankly speaking, this amount of silver far exceeded Deng Yu's salary, and even the combined amount of gray income that Ming Dynasty officials tacitly accepted didn't amount to this much in a month.

He was indeed a commander of a thousand households in Zhangzhou Garrison, but Yuegang was under the watchful eyes of countless people and was an important place where various forces competed. How could he dare to be too flamboyant in his daily life?

This thousand taels of silver was just one source of income.

As Qi Jiguang said at the dinner table, it is the principle of "not letting the ox work but not letting it eat grass".

Qi Jiguang's sailors were already unparalleled in the world, and now that they were starting to "trade" (trade), it would be a piece of cake for them.

It's easy to imagine how terrifying the income of the Xishan fleet will be in the future.

Evening in Yuegang was still bustling with activity. The streets were filled not only with Han Chinese merchants going out to sea, but also with Portuguese, Japanese, and other foreigners. The seawater churned under the moonlight, and a bright moon hung high in the sky, creating a scene of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle.

However, Deng Yu couldn't calm down. The silver in his arms felt incredibly hot, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

Qi Jiguang's voice echoed in my head.

"The land of Fujian and Guangdong has never been very prosperous. First, it was occupied by the southern barbarians, and later it was plagued by miasma. When the people of Fujian and Guangdong could not afford to eat and had nowhere else to go, they would go to sea to make a living."

Having enough to eat is the most important thing in the world, and His Majesty is well aware of this.

However, opening the sea to the sea rashly would have far-reaching consequences, and it was not something that could be done lightly.

You are a commander of a thousand households in Zhangzhou Garrison. You may not seem like a big shot, but you hold the key to the imperial court's maritime trade.

This money is not meant to encourage you to embezzle or break the law, but rather to give you some breathing room, allowing the people of Fujian and Guangdong to catch their breath, and ensuring the court has access to fresh resources.

This is a great thing that can't be openly discussed.

Deng Yu knew that if he hadn't once been Qi Jiguang's subordinate, Qi Jiguang would never have said such a thing out of trust in him.

But he would rather not hear those words today.

The risks inherent in those three simple words, "lifting the sea ban," are far too great.

During the Longqing era, the officials of the court argued fiercely about opening up the seas, causing unrest in the various garrisons along the coastal areas.

If you're not careful and get caught up in something like this, it's a disaster you can never escape.

Deng Yu naturally didn't think that Qi Jiguang was forging an imperial edict, but he really didn't quite understand the Wanli Emperor's secret plot.

"Lord Commander, we have arrived."

Seeing Deng Yu stop his horse in front of the garrison, the captain couldn't help but remind him, somewhat puzzled.

Deng Yu then came to his senses, looked up at the plaque above the gate of the garrison, and sighed heavily.

"Go in, we'll have a feast today, but no alcohol allowed."

The captain's face lit up with joy, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"I will take care of it immediately!"

As Deng Yu watched his subordinates leave in high spirits, his eyes grew increasingly serious.

Even if he hesitated, there was nothing he could do.

He naturally dared not disobey Qi Jiguang's words, and once he received the silver, there was no turning back.

He turned his head to look at the boundless, surging sea, sighed heavily, and plunged into the dark gate of the garrison.

"Lord Qi, when a ship sailing from Yuegang is fully loaded with cargo, it can only earn a few thousand taels of silver per ship. Even a fleet of twenty or thirty ships, after deducting the escort ships, can only earn forty or fifty thousand taels of silver."

This also needs to take into account all the losses and the crew's wages and bonuses.

Inside the study, Hu Shouren, wearing reading glasses, had spent his life on the battlefield, never imagining he would end up as an accountant.

"We are quite different. Our ships have a large carrying capacity, and the Japanese have a lot of silver on hand. They exchange everything for real gold and silver, as well as spices and products from Southeast Asia. Each time a ship goes to sea, it earns tens of thousands of taels of silver."

Unlike ordinary seagoing vessels, Qi Jiguang's ships were all Fujian-style ships with a capacity of 2,000 liang (approximately 1,000 tons). Apart from firearms and other supplies, their carrying capacity far exceeded that of civilian seagoing vessels.

Not to mention, Qi Jiguang's voyages were tantamount to getting something for nothing, using the excess goods produced in Xishan, such as briquettes, silk fabrics, and glass, to exchange for spices and silver from the Japanese and Portuguese.

It was a highly profitable business.

"Tell me, how much silver did we earn this time?" Qi Jiguang asked directly, somewhat exasperated.

Hu Shouren squinted, searched through the ledger, did some simple calculations with the abacus, and then came up with a number.

"Reporting to Lord Qi, after deducting losses and costs, we earned approximately 400,000 taels of silver on this voyage."

"hiss--"

Qi Jiguang gasped; the number was simply too terrifying.

"As expected, Shi Yuan was right. The most profitable business in the world is robbery. The stolen silver is extremely profitable. I remember that even a first-rank official in the imperial court only earns a little over seven hundred taels of silver a year."

Even if the officials in the imperial court were thinking of making money, it would take a lot of effort to get more than 400,000 taels of silver.

"It's truly astonishing that we can earn so much silver on a single voyage of only about ten days!"

Of course, this number is somewhat special, as it was the result of open robbery by Qi Jiguang and others. Normal maritime trade would not yield this much, and the amount of silver that could be earned was more than an ordinary farmer could earn in a lifetime.

"No wonder," Hu Shouren sighed. "The imperial court has repeatedly issued orders to ban maritime trade, yet maritime trade has never ceased."

"Heh~" Qi Jiguang sneered, "No wonder, all those officials in the court who were born in Jiangnan act as if they've been stepped on when the sea is opened. It's such a big piece of meat, if it were me to cut it off, I would have to struggle with it."

Historically, Qi Jiguang was not a clean and honest official like Hai Rui.

On the contrary, he never shied away from embezzling money in order to make up for the lack of military pay and improve the treatment of his soldiers.

He had even used warships as seagoing vessels for trade before.

This time, I'm essentially going back to my old profession.

However, according to historical records, Qi Jiguang lived in poverty in his later years, even to the point of being destitute and needing help from relatives and friends.

If he were truly a corrupt official, why wouldn't he have kept some money for himself?

As later historians have noted, Qi Jiguang was a man who "used most of the wealth he amassed for military and national purposes." He was all too aware of the importance of silver to a powerful army.

Holding such a large sum of silver was something Hu Shouren had never dared to dream of before. If Qi Jiguang's army had been able to earn so much silver earlier, the Japanese pirates could have been eliminated much sooner.
However, this sum of money was also a hot potato, since they were going to sea in the name of Xishan.

Hu Shouren hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lord Qi, could you report a lower figure to the capital?" He seemed rather embarrassed.

"It's not that I'm greedy, but that my brothers are struggling to make ends meet. Over the years, many of Qi Jiguang's troops have died or grown old, and the little reward the court gives us is just a drop in the ocean."

"It's not easy for my old buddies to have this much income."

Before Hu Shouren could finish speaking, Qi Jiguang waved his hand with a smile and said, "Let's do it the same way as last time. According to His Majesty and Shiyuan, we can pay less. One hundred thousand taels will be enough. The rest is up to us. We can recruit more people, repair ships, or distribute them to our brothers. It's all up to us. Don't worry."

"Lord Qi!" Hu Shouren's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's four hundred thousand taels of silver, which adds up to nearly a million taels a month. Is the court just going to throw it away like that?"

"Hey~ It looks like a lot, but it's only for this one or two times," Qi Jiguang reminded him. "Once we resume normal trade with Japan, there will be no more income like this. His Majesty and that young Shiyuan certainly won't care about such petty gains. If we can open up trade, the amount of silver we earn will be far more than a million."

Hu Shouren took a deep breath. He felt as if he had fallen into a great upheaval. This upheaval was not as intense as a battlefield, but it was subtly turning the entire Ming Dynasty upside down.

Qi Jiguang said with great emotion.

"The brothers of Qi Family Army have followed me, Qi Jiguang, for so many years and have suffered a lot. Now that I am old and the brothers are old, and the court has no money to reward them, we will earn a living for the brothers ourselves."

His Majesty and the Prime Minister should both have seen this.

Hu Shouren's eyes were a little red. This time, there were more than two hundred people on the sea. Although it was a bit too many, after deducting the cost of repairing the ships and replenishing supplies, each person would receive nearly a thousand taels of silver, enough for them to buy land back in their hometown and live a good life.

He nodded vigorously and said.

"Thank you, Lord Qi!"

Qi Jiguang chuckled and said, "Why thank me? After you've taken care of things, come with me to the capital to properly express your gratitude to His Majesty and the Grand Secretary, and kowtow a few more times."

He thought for a moment and added.

"As for Shi Yuan, I am his uncle, so I cannot kowtow to him. It is only natural for him to help his uncle."

Hahahaha~"

After saying this, Qi Jiguang let out a heartfelt and proud laugh.

It is only natural for the imperial court to reward meritorious service, and to bestow rewards according to the magnitude of one's achievements.

But now the court is becoming increasingly corrupt, and even such ordinary things are difficult to do.

Especially in the military, the upper-ranking military officers were better off, as the emperor would remember them to some extent, but the lower-ranking soldiers suffered greatly. They not only shed blood and risked their lives, but in the end, their rewards were pitifully meager.

Why was Qi Jiguang's army so powerful?
Qi Jiguang's military leadership was one aspect, but another was that he was good at managing money and could pay his soldiers enough wages.

"The Ming army is invincible when its pay is not full, but when it is fully paid." This is not just empty talk.

Tonight, Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren hid in the study and looked at the account book over and over again.

Qi Jiguang, slightly intoxicated, would take a sip now and then, his face beaming with pleasure.

Hu Shouren also squinted his eyes, as if he could see the good days ahead for the Ming army.

With such efficiency in earning money, and with the intervention of Emperor Wanli, Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Shiyuan, the Ming army's full pay would no longer be an unattainable dream.

For military figures like Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren, there was nothing more wonderful than this.

Just as the two were still enjoying themselves, a cautious knocking sound came from outside the door.

Who dares to disturb us?

Qi Jiguang's tone was quite displeased. The two of them had returned to the ship to avoid being disturbed or overheard by others, and this late-night visit was rather abrupt.

The sounds outside were slightly trembling.

"Sir Qi, it's me, I'm Hu Xiaosi, Corporal Hu Xiaosi."

Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren exchanged a glance, both quite puzzled. Hu Shouren nodded and said...

"Hu Xiaosi? Then come in and talk to me."

Of the more than two hundred soldiers in the Qi Family Army, Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren were both people whose names they could recall, and they naturally also remembered Hu Xiaosi.

Hu Xiaosi cautiously pushed the door open and entered. After closing the door, he immediately knelt down with a thud.

"Commander Qi! General Hu! It is a capital offense for me to disturb you so late at night, but there is something I really can't keep to myself and I have to tell you two superiors."

Qi Jiguang frowned and said, "Tell me the truth about what you want."

He was very kind to his old brothers.

Hu Xiaosi wiped away his tears and said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's all because my family is useless. Speaking of which, I have an older brother who was once under Qi Jiguang's army. Later, he got old and returned to his hometown to settle down."

But he had been a soldier since childhood, so he couldn't grow crops or scheme for success.

Over the years, the rewards given by the imperial court have long been spent.

"My brother is very skilled with a musket, but he has no use for it back in his hometown."

After explaining for a long time, Hu Xiaosi finally revealed his purpose for coming.

"This was originally the destination for us soldiers. Soldiers have always been considered inferior, but now there is a turning point. Commander Qi and General Hu are leading us to sea to fight Japanese pirates. Not only can we relieve our frustration, but we can also earn money."

The brothers were naturally happy after dividing the silver, but when they thought of their old comrades, they felt a pang of sadness.

He rambled on a bit, but the meaning was quite clear.

Qi Jiguang and Hu Shouren exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

It's like someone just handed you a pillow when you're sleepy. They're planning to expand their manpower, but to increase manpower, two things must be met: one is that they have enough ability, and the other is that they are trustworthy enough.

Many people in the world want to go to sea, but very few can meet these two conditions.

Drawing troops from the military is one method, but it's too obvious and doesn't align with the court's secret plans.

But for soldiers returning home, it was an excellent option.

Suddenly, a bold idea came to Qi Jiguang's mind.

This also coincided with the secret edict sent to him by Emperor Wanli and Zhang Shiyuan!
Kyoto, Japan.

Nijo Castle.

In the Imperial Palace's rear garden, hundreds of chrysanthemums are blooming in competition, and the "White Peony Chrysanthemums" under the covered walkway exude a refreshing fragrance.

Such a garden is clearly not something that ordinary people can enjoy in Japan today.

Oda Nobunaga, dressed in a brocade hunting robe, stood barefoot on the wooden corridor, toying with a freshly picked purple chrysanthemum in one hand and holding a memorial to the emperor (similar to a memorial to the emperor in the Ming Dynasty) in the other, his thin eyebrows twitching.

“When Sanjiro spoke with me before, I thought he was just too young and was exaggerating.”

He threw the official document on the ground, stomped on it hard, and still said, not satisfied.

"Unexpectedly, the Ming people have humiliated us in this way, truly believing that we are easy to bully!"
If it weren't for those scoundrels like the Mori and Uesugi families causing trouble, how dare the Ming people be so arrogant!

Once we have unified Japan, we will personally lead our troops westward and make this Celestial Empire bow its proud head!

Standing below the stage was Shibata Katsuie, a general under Oda Nobunaga. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the crushed official document.

He knelt on one knee, placed his left hand on his knee, lowered his head, and quickly said.

"Please calm your anger, my lord!"

(End of this chapter)