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

Chapter 384 The Method of Fishing with a Net! Is he really Zhuge Liang?
Ningbo Ocean Fleet Guard?
Although Zhao Rui was a merchant, due to his relationship with Zhang Yunxiu and his affiliation with Xishan, he could be considered both a merchant and an official in Yingtian Prefecture.

Today, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau and Xishan Money Exchange can be considered behemoths in the Jiangnan region.

The Jiangnan Textile Bureau controlled the production of silk and cloth, and also supplied the capital and foreign trade.

Xishan Money Exchange has spread throughout the prefectures and counties. With the backing of the imperial court, people in Jiangnan are more willing to entrust Xishan Money Exchange with their money exchange, lending and other business.

Nowadays, the Yingtian Prefecture government office relies on Zhao Rui for coordination in all matters, from daily administrative expenses to emergency matters such as disasters and military supplies.

Even a few months ago, during the cold winter when the economy of Jiangnan was at its most depressed, all the expenses of people's livelihood had to be carried out through the funding channels of Xishan Money Shop.

The Xishan Money Shop and the Jiangnan Textile Bureau grew increasingly powerful, clearly threatening the power of some local officials. However, after Xu Jie and Wang Shizhen, the Jiangnan forces had become difficult to control, and the emperor could only gradually sideline them.

Furthermore, the imperial court's plan to prepare a new navy was clearly far from sufficient in the vicinity of Tongzhou.

Jiangnan was a vital economic center and the front line of coastal defense for the Ming Dynasty, making it the core area for the deployment of the navy.

Ningbo Prefecture is an even more crucial link in this process.

This place boasts a natural deep-water harbor and, since the early Ming Dynasty, has been the only official port for conducting trade with Japan. The Maritime Trade Commissioner's Office and Anyuan Post Station were also established here for many years and were already familiar with maritime trade affairs.
Until the rise of Japanese pirates at sea, Ningbo was also on the front line of resisting them.

The four garrisons of Changguo, Dinghai, Guanhai, and Linshan were stationed at strategic points, while the nine other garrisons, including Juexi, Qiancang, Dasong, and Guoju, were deployed around the perimeter. The officers and soldiers of these garrisons all had practical combat experience and were familiar with the coastal terrain and naval warfare.

The imperial court wanted to develop a deep-sea navy, and this place was naturally an excellent location, not to mention that Qi Jiguang planned to recruit new soldiers in the Yiwu, Yongkang, and Chuzhou areas.

With the veterans of Qi Jiguang's army, along with veterans from various garrisons, and additional soldiers from various places, as long as they are properly trained, it would be difficult for this army not to be fierce.

Zhao Rui naturally understood what Hai Rui wanted to ask, and he cupped his hands in greeting.

"The funding and provisions for this ocean-going navy come from three sources: one is the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue of the imperial court, another is the imperial treasury, and the third is the support from Xishan."

Although"

"Although what?" Hai Rui frowned.

Zhao Rui said rather awkwardly, "Although this ocean-going navy costs a lot of money, it is still affordable and will not affect the overall situation in Jiangnan."

"How much did it cost?"

Zhao Rui couldn't help but sigh and said, "It's about three times that of an ordinary garrison."

"Three times?" Hai Rui was startled.

A typical Ming Dynasty garrison had about four or five thousand men. The Ocean Garrison had even fewer men than a regular garrison. If you included both veterans and new recruits, it would be about three thousand men.

It's really strange that even with fewer people, the cost of money and supplies is still three times higher.

Hai Rui squinted and said, "Is there any suspicion of embezzlement or misappropriation involved?"

Zhao Rui shook his head with great certainty and said, "Absolutely not. The Ocean Guard is currently trained by Qi Shaobao himself, and Zhang Qianshi is in charge. The majority of the money comes from His Majesty and Xishan. No one would dare to embezzle it."

"Why is that?"

Zhao Rui thought for a moment and said, "I suppose it's because of the different training methods. The ocean-going navy trains elite soldiers?"

Hai Rui pondered for a moment and said, "A few days ago, there was a mutiny in Luomu Camp in Hangzhou, which was also quelled by Qi Shaobao. At that time, he was with these Yuanyangwei officers and soldiers."

"I suppose so." Zhao Rui nodded with a smile. "I have heard that the troops led by Junior Protector Qi are very powerful. When they arrived at Naluomu Camp, all the rebel armies, large and small, were intimidated by their momentum and immediately surrendered."

The Luomu Camp was stationed outside Yongchang Gate in Hangzhou. It was originally recruited by Hu Zongxian to quell Japanese pirates, and was later reorganized into Zhejiang soldiers.

Last year, in order to resolve the financial crisis, the imperial court decided to reduce military pay and adopt new currency for distribution.

The new money was only half the value of the old money, and this back-and-forth plunged many soldiers into poverty.

Luo Muying's approximately 5,000 soldiers, led by two battalion soldiers, bound and beat Wu Shanyan, the governor and censor-in-chief of Hangzhou.

This incident occurred at the beginning of the month. After the imperial court learned of this, in order to prevent mutiny among the troops stationed elsewhere, it granted Qi Jiguang the title of Right Vice Minister of War and concurrently Vice Censor-in-Chief to oversee the two Zhejiang provinces and gave him special authority to act as he saw fit.

This trip was not only to resolve the Hangzhou mutiny, but also to enable Qi Jiguang to better train his troops in Jiangnan.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Qi Jiguang immediately mobilized 500 ocean-going guards who were training to rush to the Hangzhou area.

Upon hearing this news, the soldiers of Luomu Camp reconciled with Wu Shanyan, but they still demanded an explanation from the imperial court.

But when Qi Jiguang led his troops to the camp, the soldiers were terrified and surrendered.

"This matter is not the fault of the officers and soldiers of Luomu Camp."

Hai Rui shook his head and said.

“It is only right and proper for soldiers to receive pay. If soldiers cannot support their families, why should they risk their lives for the court?”

Wu Shanyan was no benevolent person either. The court did indeed have a policy of withholding soldiers' response last year, but it was only a temporary measure. At the end of the ninth year of the Wanli reign, the Ministry of War even issued compensation money.

But this man embezzled the silver, nearly committing a grave mistake!

At the beginning of the ninth year of the Wanli reign, the Ming court was indeed short of money. Even though Zhang Juzheng practiced strict frugality everywhere, the court still could not make ends meet, and disasters continued to occur in various places.

How could the imperial court not know that unpaid wages might trigger a mutiny? But there was really no other way; it was simply a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

However, towards the end of the year, thanks to Zhang Yunxiu, the "God of Wealth," his hands were like knives, first scraping off a layer from the nobles in the capital, and then scraping off another layer from the gentry in Jiangnan.

After a series of operations, neither the national treasury nor the imperial treasury was particularly wealthy, but both were able to function normally.

However, with two capitals and thirteen provinces in the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible for the emperor and the chief minister's orders to reach every corner, making deception and cover-ups inevitable.

Wu Shanyan is a typical example.

“In the end, evil will be punished.” Zhao Rui said with a smile. “This man has already been escorted to the capital, and it seems that beheading him at the Meridian Gate would be too lenient a punishment.”

In the current situation, anyone who dares to embezzle Emperor Wanli's money is truly asking for trouble.

Hai Rui frowned again and said, "I have no doubt about the training level of this ocean-going fleet, but isn't the money and supplies spent on it too much?"

"Only by spending money can you train soldiers well."

Zhao Rui said with eyes full of envy.

"It is said that the soldiers of this ocean-going fleet can eat enough meat every day, which is the envy of many."

The military rations allocated by the imperial court were insufficient, forcing the ocean-going fleet to earn its own money.

He decided to lose weight after arriving in Jiangnan, and now he eats less and less meat.

"But three times is a bit too much."

Hai Rui still had some reservations.

But then he thought about it again and immediately let out a sigh.

"Enough, enough. There are too many things to handle, and it's beyond our ability to solve. We can only take it one step at a time."

Zhao Rui nodded and said, "Hai Xiantai is absolutely right."

On a certain part of the East China Sea.

Dozens of warships, arranged in groups of three in a triangular formation, sailed on the sea. The sea was turbulent, and the water was teeming with fish. Each warship was equipped with a helmsman and a lookout, with soldiers at the stern responsible for hauling in the nets. Two corporals, holding red command flags, stood at the highest point of the ship's side.

"Attention all ships! Today's training exercise requires completing the 'three navigations and three nets' within half an hour. The ship's deviation must not exceed two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), and the coordination error in net retrieval must not exceed three breaths!"

Qi Jiguang held a megaphone and loudly gave orders to the crew below.

Then the horn on the flagship was sounded, and the flag officers on each ship immediately waved their flags to convey the message.

"Southeast wind, level 3!"

The lookout called out the wind direction, and the helmsman immediately adjusted the rudder to stabilize the ship's speed.

Inside the cabin, there were still dedicated rowers, all shouting slogans in unison.

"One to the left, two to the right, let's move forward together!"

By adjusting the angle of their sails and following the ocean currents, the warships surrounded the school of fish, mistaking them for enemy forces.

"net!"

At the flagship's command, more than a dozen warships simultaneously cast their fishing nets.

This specially designed drift net makes catching large yellow croaker in the East China Sea much more efficient.

As the fishing nets were cast, the dozen or so warships coordinated perfectly, much like an army marching on land, quietly waiting for the fish to enter the "net."

Even when fishing, the soldiers of the ocean-going fleet did not slack off at all. Compared to the emaciated soldiers of other garrisons, these soldiers were all strong and healthy, which was obviously due to not only rigorous training but also adequate nutrition.

"Beat the net!"

At another command, the officers waved their flags in unison, and soldiers immediately charged in small boats. They charged as if they were going to kill the enemy, but they did not fire at the fish.

Soldiers weaved through the schools of fish, constantly striking the ship's planks with wooden mallets; the rhythmic sound echoed across the sea.

On the flagship, Qi Jiguang used binoculars to observe the soldiers' movements. He was very satisfied with their uniform military discipline, and the training over the past few days had not been in vain.

However, he had some doubts about this fishing activity.

"Si Zhe, will your method work? You think knocking on the boat plank can stun the croaker? Is there really such a good thing in the world?"

Zhang Jianxiu awkwardly said from the side, "To be honest, this is the first time I've used it. Shiyuan said that he learned it from an ancient book. This big yellow croaker is also known as the stone croaker. It lives in places where there are many bubbles on the sea surface and where seabirds gather. There is an auricle in the head of the big yellow croaker. When it is struck, it will resonate. After the yellow croaker is stunned, it will naturally be easier to catch."

"Is there such a thing?"

Qi Jiguang's eyes widened. He stroked his chin and beard, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly spoke.

"I've heard fishermen say that when they tap on the planks of their boats while fishing, they sometimes receive secret help from 'immortals'—could it be that they too have received inspiration from this ancient book?"

If we're talking about whether there's any precedent for using the method of tapping on a boat to attract fish, we could actually come up with a couple of examples.

In the old days, many fishermen would do this, but it was all a rudimentary, unorthodox method. No one ever delved into the reasons behind it, and they actually thought it was the Dragon King of the Sea or a divine intervention.

The answer will be revealed soon.

Under the hammering of twenty or thirty small boats, the large yellow croaker, which had been surrounded, stopped struggling and trying to escape. Instead, it slowly floated to the surface as if it had been hit on the head.

On the sea, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a pale white expanse appeared, densely packed and quite a spectacular sight.

"It really works!" Qi Jiguang exclaimed, his jaw dropping in astonishment. "Amazing!"

Zhang Jianxiu, however, was not surprised at all. He had long been used to Zhang Yunxiu's various strange actions, and couldn't help but remind him.

"Uncle, it's time to close the net."

Although this tacking technique is magical, it's not a true magic trick. Some fish have already been stunned, but time is limited. Not to mention the deeper parts of the water below the surface, it's difficult to catch them all by simply tapping the net with a small boat.

At this point, fishing nets become essential.

"First catch!"

"Second roundup!"

As the command flag was waved, the soldiers at the stern immediately rushed toward the fishing net ropes. They were all muscular and trained in the "triangle force" method. They worked in groups of five: two men bent their knees forward to pull the rope, two men lunged backward to push, and one man adjusted the angle.

The command flags waved rhythmically, and the soldiers exerted their strength in a rhythmic manner.

As the fishing nets were pulled in, layers upon layers of yellow croakers surfaced. The soldiers were happier to see these plump, white-bellied croakers than to see a bride on her wedding night, and they all roared with joy.

But the flag officer in command did not relax and kept shouting.

"Count the time it took to close the net!"

Fishing is not difficult for these soldiers, but since it is training, the difficulty must be increased.

How to do it quickly and well became the focus of the soldiers' attention.

Upon hearing this, everyone focused their attention and moved even faster. Even though the ropes made their palms red, no one was willing to relax for a moment.

Only after the last piece of net was hauled onto the deck did the lookout announce it loudly.

"The net was closed in half an incense stick's time, but the course veered off course by fifteen feet!"

Qi Jiguang put away his telescope and looked down at the ships, which were almost all fully loaded. He couldn't help but grin and laugh.

"Damn it, this is amazing! Shi Yuan said that going out to sea to fish and train the navy is a good idea. Training the troops is the priority and fishing is secondary. But I didn't expect that we could return with a full catch."

Just a few days ago I was arguing with that old scoundrel Yin Yangshi about allocating more meat to our Yuanyangwei.

"What we have today means we don't need to ask anyone for help. We can be self-sufficient; these big fish are enough to feed the garrison for more than half a month."

Zhang Jianxiu smiled and said, "What do you think of this method of practicing calligraphy?"

"Great! Absolutely fantastic!" Qi Jiguang exclaimed, not holding back his praise. "The gains from this expedition are no less than a great victory. The soldiers worked together seamlessly, each one meticulous in their duties."

They not only trained their skills and tactics, but also solved their food problem.

There is only one shortcoming.

"What are your concerns, Uncle?"

Qi Jiguang squinted and said, "This method of training soldiers by fishing is certainly good, but unfortunately it is not a strong enemy. Although sea fish are agile, they have no power to fight back. If you train too much, you will suffer when you go to the battlefield in the future."

In the past, Qi Jiguang led his veteran soldiers to "punish evil and promote good" all over the sea. They dealt with merchant ships and pirates at sea. They were like licking blood off their blades. Naturally, they were able to sustain their army through war and train a fierce and powerful force.

But that's no longer possible. The thousands of guards in the distant seas can no longer act under the guise of pirates, and going to sea rashly would arouse the suspicion of the Portuguese and overseas pirates.

Zhang Jianxiu thought for a moment and said, "Shiyuan also has a solution to this matter."

Qi Jiguang, who had been frowning, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed and scolded.

"This brat! Is he really Zhuge Liang?"

(End of this chapter)