Chapter 460 The undercurrent under the calm

The arrival of the queen marked the final completion of the new regime, and everything was settled.【】

Many changes have taken place in Jinling City.

Concubine Xu officially received the gold book and gold seal, was named queen, and issued an edict to the world.

With one family and one queen, two princes and two princesses, the Shanwang Mansion suddenly rose again and became the most prominent family of heroes in the Ming Dynasty.

But now the Xu family is only the first family in a symbolic sense. In terms of status and reputation, no one can match it. However, in the court, it no longer has the strong influence it once had. This is not just because the current emperor is a

A very strong emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang was also a strong emperor, but that did not affect the formation of factions among many courtiers.

The only reason is that the Xu family lacks a strong leader. Xu Huizu is a veteran who has been honed for many years in terms of his ability to run the army and his methods in the court. As the heir to the Xu family, he was taken over by Xu.

General Da was trained since childhood to be the unyielding leader of the Xu family, but now he has been ordered to shut himself up and think about his mistakes, and has done nothing.

Xu Zengshou may be a candidate who can barely be his man. With Xu Zengshou's prestige and qualifications, he can be convinced by the Xu clan forces and use them, but he died young. Xu Yingxu's abilities in all aspects are average.

, and he has been a local official without this prestige. And Xu Jingchang is still young. Although his uncle is no longer in charge, he is still alive, and his second uncle is also there. As a junior of the Xu family, he still has a long way to go.

The Jianjiu ministers are being regrouped, either relying on the popular Jingnan ministers, or relying on the Jianjiuchen who were reused by Yongle. In terms of generals, as the Xu family of Shanwang and the Li family of Cao Guogong have gradually faded out of the military, Qiu Fu, Zhu Neng and other Jingnan military ministers

When military generals first take office, they also need a process of testing, contact, understanding, and running-in. It takes a long time to form a new faction. The formation of military factions is much more complicated than that of the DPRK.

The Empress has frequently hosted banquets recently to entertain the families of the officials who contributed to the Jingnan and Jianjiu officials. She knows that although her husband has sat on the throne, he is still unable to control this huge empire. The emperor is aloof, and his decrees and decisions need to be made.

The ministers of Wu will carry out the execution, and the wives of imperial orders have a very strong influence on these ministers of war. Taking the wife route will help their husbands win people's hearts.

Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui now have to attend various banquets. The old ministers in Beiping express their friendship to the princes they are familiar with, and the old ministers in Jian use this kind of courtesy to express their loyalty to Emperor Yongle. The three princes sometimes have to

We went to banquets together, and sometimes we had to go to banquets separately. Due to his personality and physical reasons, the emperor's eldest son Zhu Gaochi, who was not well known to everyone, did not have many opportunities to show up.

However, even though he did not appear in public, the emperor's eldest son Zhu Gaochi still left a deep impression on everyone. A young man in his twenties was so obese, and whether it was his father or his brother,

They are all tall, sturdy, and brave people. Such an alien is indeed unforgettable at first sight.

However, although he was too fat, he was by no means a fool. During the limited banquets, Zhu Gaochi's demeanor and conversation left a deep impression on Jinling officials. He was a gentle and elegant person.

The prince was also a prince with a kind-hearted temperament, which won great favor from his ministers. Some people already praised Zhu Gaochi, saying that he was the same as Zhu Biao, the former Prince Yi, in terms of temperament, character and morals.

However, due to physical reasons, Zhu Gaochi did not make much public appearances. As a result, the second son of the emperor, Zhu Gaoxu, appeared to be extremely active. Perhaps he wanted to share the responsibilities for his eldest brother. After all, Zhu Di ascended the throne as the emperor in order to reduce the resistance to governance.

, carried out a bloody purge of the stubborn Jian Zhongchen faction. After arriving in Beijing, in order to restore the image of her husband, the Queen Empress is working hard to create a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere. She frequently entertains her wife. As a prince, attending more banquets will obviously have an effect.

to the same effect.

Today, it is rare for the three princes to show up together again, because the guest today is the auxiliary Duke Yang Xu. Perhaps many people still don’t know why Yang Xu, who was originally unknown, ranked sixth on the list of Jingnan heroes, but the three princes

The princes were insiders, and they knew very well how much contribution Yang Xu had made to his father's empire, and they themselves relied on Yang Xu's help to save their lives at least twice.

Therefore, as soon as the invitation from Duke Fu arrived, they immediately rejected all the conflicting banquets and attended on time. There were too many people at the banquet today, and the guests were three princes, so Xia Xun was not hosting a family banquet, but a private banquet.

After descending from the Juxian Tower, the emperor's relatives, distinguished ministers, and military officials gathered here. Several of them were Prince Consort, including the Prince Consort of Meiyin.

Mei Yin and Xia Xun only had a tentative fight and then stopped. Outsiders were completely unaware of the struggle between them. Even if they were aware of it, even if the two of them were fighting to the death in private, no one knew that a fight of this nature

At banquets, you will still invite each other, you will still talk and laugh, just like friends for many years. This is officialdom, a completely different battlefield.

However, there are still people who are not accustomed to the rules of this kind of officialdom. Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng have returned to Beijing, and they have also received invitations from Xia Xun. Zhu Neng came, Xu Jingchang came, but Qiu Fu did not come. The Fifth Army Governor's Mansion

There are three princes in total. Xu Jingchang is undoubtedly more on Xia Xun's side. He is from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, but in front of Zhu Neng and Qiu Fu, two veterans of the Peking Department who have fought many battles, he

This young boy has absolutely no qualifications to be on an equal footing with them.

As for Xu Jingchang, who is like his father, and whose emotions are more important than reason, he doesn't care and is too lazy to curry favor with the two senior officials. He and Xia Xun are relatively close to each other, and Xia Xun once risked his life to save his father, although he didn't

Success, he has to accept this love. Just based on this, he is much closer to Xia Xun. Besides, through his aunt, he also knows how many times Xia Xun has saved lives for the current emperor's family. This

The emperor's trust in the character is no less than that of Qiu Fu and Zhu Neng. He cannot fail, let alone himself.

Zhu Neng's attendance at the banquet was not for Xia Xun's sake. After Zhu Neng returned to Beijing, he already knew that Xia Xun whipped Zheng Xiaobu, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth Army, to death, and demoted Xie Guangsheng, the governor-general. Although the whole story was clear.

However, Xia Xun's unscrupulous methods made him feel very uncomfortable. In the past, Zhang Yu, who was the closest minister to King Yan and had the best friendship with Xia Xun, was worse than Qiu Fu. Now that something like this happened,

The feeling of incense that I had in the past has faded away.

However, there were three princes attending the banquet today. He and Zhang Yu were the chief guards of Prince Yan's palace at the beginning. The three princes were attending the banquet, so he had to come. This is also Zhu Neng's way of being mature and prudent. Even though he and Xia Xun had a relationship

There is no need for him to show such obvious contradictions. After all, officialdom is not a battlefield. To eliminate a person, there is no need to tense up. Besides, his displeasure only made him feel disgusted with Xia Xun, but he did not regard Xia Xun as a human being because of this.

Opponent.

Qiu Fu, on the other hand, obviously has a fiery temper and does not rub sand in his eyes at all. Whether Zheng Xiaobu dies or not is none of his business, and it is none of his business whether Xie Guangsheng goes to Lanzhou to have a meal and drink dew.

The Military Governor's Mansion hurriedly made a decision and went to the local area to receive and reorganize the army. Now he couldn't even remember what those named Xie and Zheng looked like.

But now that he has become the person in charge of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, anyone who touches him will not give him face, and he is too lazy to save face for the other party. Compared with Zhu Neng's sophistication, Qiu Fu chose tit-for-tat.

, he just wanted to tell Yang Xu clearly: You have offended me!

It's a pity that Yang Xu invited too many people today. Not to mention one missing Qiu Fu, even if ten Qiu Fu were missing, no one would notice him. What's more, today's focus is on the three princes.

.

※※

In the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army, Qiu Fu was summoning several governors of his office to discuss matters.

Governor Chen Xuan originally received Xia Xun's invitation, but unfortunately he was intercepted by people sent by Qiu Fu before he could go out. He had no choice but to send a family member to explain the situation to Xia Xun, and then followed the five

The lieutenant of the Military Governor's Office rushed back to attend the meeting. He was specially summoned today because Chen Xuan was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and had personally gone to the coast to defend against Japanese pirates. Qiu Fu summoned people to discuss this matter just to deal with Japanese pirates.

Qiu Fu will soon be sixty years old, more than twenty years older than Zhu Neng. Of course, Xia Xun, a young boy, is even less likely to be in his eyes. This is why he especially cannot forgive Xia Xun's offense: too

He didn't respect the old man. He didn't take Xia Xun's banquet to heart, but he always remembered what the emperor said. After he and Zhu Neng returned to Beijing, the emperor summoned him alone and specifically mentioned the construction of the navy and the fight against Japanese pirates.

The idea. Today he called Chen Xuan, the commander who knew the situation of the navy and the Japanese pirates, just to plan a counterattack against the Japanese pirates.

Qiu Fu sat on the throne and said to Chen Xuan: "When the emperor summoned him the day before yesterday, he mentioned the rampant Japanese pirates along the coast. How could it be so difficult to deal with a few bandits in a tiny country like Japan? Humph, I was a member of the Jian Dynasty, and I focused on suppression.

The disaster caused by the military! Tell me what you know about the situation to this governor, and I plan to attack the Japanese pirates who invade our sea areas head-on, eliminate the Japanese troubles, and alleviate the worries of the Holy One."

Chen Xuan said: "Grand Commander, the Japanese pirates are far less powerful than our Ming Navy. However, it is very difficult for us to deal with them. It is not easy to annihilate them and it is not easy to defend them."

"how do I say this?"

"Great Governor, when the Duke of Fu was ordered to recruit pirates from Anshuang Island last time, the official mentioned this matter to the Duke. The Duke also agreed with the difficulties mentioned by the official. Our guards along the coast...

"

Qiu Fu curled his lips and said disdainfully: "Yang Xu, hum, Yang Xu doesn't know anything about soldiers! What does a young boy know? I have been in the army all my life and have gone through hundreds of battles. Whether it is Bei Yuan's elite cavalry or the imperial court that has fought against me several times.

I have defeated large armies, but what do a few Japanese barbarians mean?"

When Sun Xuan saw that he was so arrogant, he quickly reminded him: "Captain, the naval battle and the land battle are two different things. When the Yuan people took over the Yuan Dynasty, it was the time when martial arts were at their peak. The iron cavalry traveled across the world and was invincible. But the two crossing

The Eastern Expedition was a complete defeat, we..."

Halfway through his words, he saw Qiu Fu's cold gaze and couldn't help but swallow the second half of his words.

Qiu Fu said calmly: "Don't say it if you try to build up other people's ambitions and destroy your own prestige. I have never fought a water war, and I have never fought with Japanese people. But, fighting, isn't that what it is?

Son, what's the difference between water and land warfare? Just talk about the situation along the coast!"

Chen Xuan said: "Yes, according to the official's understanding, these Japanese pirates are mostly defeated soldiers from the civil war, frustrated warriors, bankrupt businessmen, and farmers who have lost their land. They have no livelihood, so they gang up to invade my border. The official said that they are not our soldiers.

The reason why the division faces the enemy is because their ships are very poor. Their largest ship can only accommodate 300 people, smaller ones can accommodate more than 100 people, and even smaller ones can only accommodate a few dozen people.

Most of the ship is made of large logs cut into squares and joined together. No nails are used at the joints, only iron sheets are used. Hemp tendons and tung oil are not used to seal the gaps. Instead, grass is used to plug the leaks. It is labor-intensive and material-intensive, and it is not very strong.

, if our navy's warships catch up, they will fall apart as soon as they collide. Moreover, their sails and rudders are very crude. They can only sail with the wind and cannot cut the wind. When there is a strong wind or there is no wind, they can only

They can lower the sails and use the oars, so most of the Japanese pirates take advantage of the spring floods and autumn floods to invade our coast..."

Qiu Fu said impatiently: "Ships are used to carry people. It doesn't need to be explained in detail. What kind of weapons do they have and how are they used to fighting? Please tell me!"

When Chen Xuan heard this, his heart went cold. Governor Qiu was a complete layman in water warfare! In maritime warfare, the most important thing is the ship. The Japanese pirates' ship has not yet been fully understood, and one's own warships have not yet been fully understood, so it is time to study the opponent.

What weapons did they use and what tactics did they use? But when most of the governors asked, Chen Xuan had no choice but to change the topic and said: "Japanese pirates have hard bows and sharp arrows, and they attack when close to people. They are ferocious in nature and have excellent martial arts.

They are better than our coastal officers and soldiers. Some of them only have spears and hooks, but the better warriors all use three swords."

"Three knives?"

"Yes, it is a long knife, which is very fierce when cutting. It is also equipped with a small knife for miscellaneous purposes. In addition, it also wears a sharp blade. There are two types. The one about one foot long is called the Jieshou Dao, and the one that is more than one foot long.

It's called the emergency sword, and it's specially used for close combat."

Qiu Fu frowned and said: "The ships are scattered as soon as they are touched, and the weapons have no special features. How can they be allowed to cause harm to this day?"

Chen Xuan said numbly: "Because, if their ships can't fight, they will escape. The sea is so vast that it is difficult to catch up. They usually land to fight. Taking our eastern Zhejiang coast as an example, among the many sea guards, only Taicang and Guan

The two sea guards have all the ships, and the other guards are all land warriors. They can only defend the shore. But the coast is long and defenseless. Once they land, they will engage in close combat.

The Japanese often grouped into groups of thirty or fifty people, and each group was one or two miles apart, forming a long snake formation that stretched for dozens of miles. They did not attack large cities and towns, but only targeted villages, towns and small counties without city walls to plunder.

It is not easy to encircle or annihilate. Even if our troops are superior, it is impossible to quickly gather them where they land. Once they land and enter villages and towns, it will be difficult for us to give full play to our advantage in street fighting.

Occasionally, there is a large group of our troops nearby, which poses a serious threat to them. They can also coerce the local people and use the old, weak, women and children as human shields, putting us in a dilemma, so that we can break out of the encirclement and then start hide-and-seek again. Moreover, they have some local skills.

The traitor's spy can lead the way for them, so he is more familiar with the rural terrain than our guards officers and soldiers...

If all the coastal provinces work together to deploy and plan in a unified manner, set up defenses everywhere on the land, deploy troops to encircle and suppress them, and at the same time build more large ships to pursue and intercept them at sea and deny them a place to stay, it will be possible to severely defeat the Japanese pirates. However,
To be continued...