In the afternoon,
Hangzhou was also overcast.
Zhu Mo felt that something was about to happen, and was not even interested in discussing where to set up the silk trading post. He came to the lakeside with Li Zhi.
The spring chill was biting, and he gazed at the rippling water. He suddenly felt a sense of having lived through a lifetime, and sighed with emotion, "Zhuo Wu, do you think this reform is right?"
Li Zhi, the greatest eccentric scholar of the Ming Dynasty, upon hearing this, said sternly:
"Brother Zi Xuan, how can it be wrong? Since I started reading, everything I've seen is very different from the books. That means the times are also changing, and it's not up to people... Even if you, Zi Xuan, don't reform, someone else will... I, on the other hand, think it's best for you, Zi Xuan, to carry out the reform. If it were Gao Gong, or that Zhang Juzheng, it wouldn't be like this... How can patching things up prop up a collapsing mansion?"
Hmm,
Zhu Mo grunted, but didn't think about these words. Instead, a thought kept circling in his mind: what if the imperial farms couldn't be reformed? What would happen then? Would that be the end of the reform?
As he thought, he suddenly felt a trace of discouragement.
And at this moment,
Zhang Juzheng hurried over, his sleeves wide and his expression quite grave.
The two guessed that something important had likely happened.
As expected,
Zhang Juzheng took out an urgent dispatch and sighed leisurely, "Zi Xuan, take a look..."
The two opened it and glanced at it. Li Zhi exclaimed,
"We lost?"
Zhu Mo let out a long breath and murmured, "No wonder, no wonder, I've been feeling that something was going to happen..."
Li Zhi was already very panicked. Looking at Zhang Juzheng and then at Zhu Mo, he saw that both of them were completely calm. He couldn't help but admire them in his heart: these two are not scholars like me...
Zhang Juzheng shook his head and sighed, "The Wokou attacked swiftly and their tactics were skilled. I'm afraid even Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang can't withstand them... We, ah, will have to clean up the mess again..."
Zhu Mo sneered, "Brother Tai Yue, last time I told you I had news, I also told Qi Jiguang and the others. Perhaps Hu Zongxian didn't believe me..."
He pondered for a moment, thinking that with their current state of mind, they would surely fall into chaos when suddenly attacked. Taizhou Guard might already be in ruins. Hu Zongxian's indecision was probably due to Yan Song's scheme, but Qi Jiguang was a rare talent. He immediately said,
"Tai Yue, I'll go now. The reform cannot stop, you just have to worry about it more..."
Mm-hmm,
Zhang Juzheng thought of his formidable arquebusiers. With the army now defeated and the Wokou arrogant and exhausted, it was the perfect time to counterattack. He nodded,
"Don't worry, Zi Xuan. I've already sent people to the residences of all the vassal kings and princes to have them copy the donation registers. I've also sent an official document to the Imperial Clan Court to send them the archives of the Imperial Farm Bureau. Within a month, the general situation in the four provinces of Jiangnan should be clear..."
Alas,
the two looked at each other, both feeling that working in the Great Ming always brought unexpected problems, making it impossible to guard against. With this defeat, it would take another year or two to recover, and many important matters would be delayed again.
Not only that,
the defeat of the Taizhou army had the most terrifying impact on people's morale.
Thinking of this,
Zhu Mo said, "Brother Tai Yue, issue a proclamation. Also, let the soldiers patrol the city, and perhaps impose a curfew... At this moment, people's hearts must not be in chaos..."
Mm-hmm.
Zhang Juzheng was thoughtful and added, "The Governor, Lord Zhang, is also making arrangements. Zi Xuan, after you leave, the Jiangnan garrison will follow. You must not advance alone..."
Zhu Mo smiled, thinking: The two of us really get along. In the Great Ming Dynasty, I am very lonely...
But he replied,
"Alright!"
...
Zhu Mo brought Lu Kun and Li Zhi along, wanting them to gain some experience. After tempering themselves, they would be able to cast off their scholarly habits.
Returning to the drill ground, Zheng gathered the arquebusiers and loaded five cannons onto carts. Half an hour later, they set off from the southern suburbs. The wheels rumbled, and many common people who had heard of the Taizhou defeat saw Zhu Mo personally leading the team with cannons, and their fear subsided somewhat.
As dusk approached,
although they had not yet reached Taizhou Guard, they could already see many fleeing common people on the road, and occasionally a few defeated soldiers.
Under Lu Kun's questioning, they learned that Hu Zongxian had already retreated towards Mount Tiantai, while Qi Jiguang was leading the remaining volunteers in a breakout. It was also rumored that his forces were not entirely wiped out.
The three were slightly relieved.
Having witnessed firsthand the battlefield presence of people like Li Wenjin and Ma Fang during his previous trip to Xuanda, Zhu Mo was not flustered this time. According to the collected military reports, the Wokou had likely divided the Ming army in Taizhou into several parts. If they couldn't defeat Qi Jiguang, they would certainly not let Hu Zongxian go. And since Hu Zongxian was heading towards Mount Tiantai, the Wokou would likely pursue him relentlessly.
Thinking of this,
he immediately veered southeast, heading straight for the foothills of Mount Tiantai.
The next day, as darkness fell, it had been a day and a night. According to the defeated soldiers intercepted along the way, it was confirmed that Hu Zongxian's central army had not retreated successfully but was surrounded by Wokou and mountain bandits. More than six thousand men were trapped between Feilong Lake and Mount Tiantai.
Following the Ling River downstream, they reached the river mouth late at night.
Zhu Mo, Li Zhi, Lu Kun, and Zheng gathered intelligence. After Hu Zongxian was trapped, he quickly built wooden fortifications relying on the terrain, while the Wokou constructed simple encampments on three sides. They had been there for two days and two nights. As for Qi Jiguang, he had led the remnants of the volunteer army to break out from the north, making any rescue impossible.
There was also good news, which was:
It was rumored that Yu Dayou had already marched north from Fujian, and Jiangsu had also dispatched ground troops to the south. Zhang Han and Liu Yingjie were both officers from the nine garrisons. The reinforcements were about a day's march behind.
With this assurance, Zhu Mo judged that the Wokou would likely launch a general assault on Hu Zongxian's troops within six to seven hours. At present, the strategy should be to counter the surprise attack with a surprise attack. The cannons should be mounted on the hills north of the river mouth, and the arquebusiers should lie in ambush at the foot of the mountains. When the Wokou were lured in, they would be annihilated on the spot, and then the other two encampments would be breached.
...
More than an hour later,
Zhu Mo had, using the method employed by Li Wenjin that day, divided the twelve hundred arquebusiers into twelve teams, forming a crossfire net by utilizing the undulating terrain. The cannons, with a range of about two kilometers, could cover all three encampments.
As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) arrived,
Zhu Mo stood on a high mound, about to wave the command flag. Li Zhi and Lu Kun were also participating in a battle for the first time and were extremely excited. The arquebusiers, however, had experienced many battles and were very calm and orderly.
Just then,
a scout on horseback suddenly galloped over and shouted, "Lord Zhu! Governor Zhang's secret letter!"
Zhu Mo read it and then handed it to Li Zhi and Lu Kun. He suddenly felt that Zhang Han and Liu Yingjie were indeed different from ordinary people, and their friendship in Datong was not in vain, still remembering him at this time.
Lu Kun also felt quite emotional and said, "Zi Xuan, Lord Zhang Han is one of our own, after all. He asked us to wait for him to arrive. What do you think?"
Li Zhi, though a scholar, possessed more heroism than Lu Kun. He said decisively,
"We cannot. If we do not attack now, the trapped Ming army will face utter destruction. By then, even if we attack from behind, there will surely be countless casualties!"
Zhu Mo deeply understood this and, without another word, waved the command flag in his hand.