"Gentlemen, my purpose in coming to Yunnan and Guizhou, as Lord You mentioned, is to apprehend the fugitive Suo Zha. Today's situation is precisely for that purpose..."
Zhu Mo pondered for a moment, thinking, "Based on Mu Chaobi's attitude towards the Yan family, he's not entirely aligned with them... I should emphasize the severity of the situation to gauge his ambitions. How loyal are his subordinate commanders? Is there a possibility of a sudden change in leadership? Furthermore, what are these old esteemed officials planning? Could they be distancing themselves from the Yan family?"
With this in mind, he continued:
"Gentlemen, you may not know this, but when I proclaimed the imperial decree in Ryukyu, this individual actually took the Ryukyuan Chancellor Mao Longxuan hostage and opened fire on my fleet! Is such a heinous act in accordance with diplomatic norms? Consider this, for the sake of the Great Ming's prestige, I cannot simply let him go... Unfortunately, relying on his powerful ships and cannons, he managed to escape... He fled to Malacca, then rendezvoused with another notorious bandit, Meiluo, from the Franks, and instigated Mang Yinglong to invade northward..."
As he spoke, everyone from Mu Chaobi downwards felt uncomfortable. Thinking of Suo Zha, who had been ravaging the East Sea since landing in Nan'ao eighteen years ago, single-handedly dominating the maritime trade and benefiting all those with power, it was indeed a dire situation. Yet, such a formidable figure was being relentlessly pursued by this young Zhu Mo, making him appear extremely disheveled. Moreover, the profits from maritime trade had now been brought under the imperial court's control.
Many of them had also been involved in transporting Yunnan and Guizhou specialties overseas, and their thoughts turned to these matters, causing them some unease. They grumbled to themselves—
You plan to capture Suo Zha with only three hundred men?
Won't you seize military authority and then use the Yunnan and Guizhou guards? Once you gain merit and control Yunnan and Guizhou, you'll implement reforms. Where will we find a way to survive then?
At this thought,
They couldn't help but steal glances at Mu Chaobi, hoping he would step forward to intervene.
But Mu Chaobi feigned ignorance, though he was already cursing inwardly—
His original plan was to leverage Mang Yinglong's current offensive to raise a large army, use Wang Daren to oust You Juxing, gain complete control, and then feign cooperation with the Yan family. While confronting Mang Yinglong, he would apprehend all dissenting elements in Yunnan and Guizhou, firmly securing control of the region. Afterward, he would publicly perform sacrifices to Emperor Jianwen in Yongchang Guard, creating a situation to counter Zhu Mo's reforms.
In this way, he would be stronger than the Yan family in the eyes of Prince Yu, and thus have a greater say. When Prince Yu ascended the throne, a single imperial decree would abolish the reforms, and then they, the esteemed officials, would eliminate the Yan faction, restoring the empire to the state it was in during Emperor Jianwen's reign. At the very least, if the imperial court situation changed, he could establish himself in Yunnan and Guizhou, support a prince as successor, and still make a profit. This was the intention of most esteemed officials after the Jingnan campaign. However, Zhu Mo's arrival disrupted this sequence, leaving him in a difficult predicament.
Because, if he still wanted to proceed with his original plan, he would have to eliminate Zhu Mo. And currently, unless absolutely necessary, he dared not openly defy Emperor Jiajing. But if he allowed Zhu Mo to lead, and Zhu Mo colluded with You Juxing to control the situation and then implement reforms, targeting him first, wouldn't that be disastrous?
At this moment,
While deep in thought, he heard Zhu Mo speak again:
"Gentlemen, some of you might be thinking, what can a few hundred men do to apprehend Suo Zha? I can tell you, it's naturally impossible. But Yunnan and Guizhou are the Great Ming's Yunnan and Guizhou. I firmly believe that the Yunnan and Guizhou Guards are the strongest forces in the empire and will surely crush the invading barbarians. At that time, I will capture Suo Zha and bring him to justice. Of course, this will depend on your efforts. After all, Suo Zha is the number one enemy of the Great Ming!"
Mu Chaobi listened to his eloquent speech, and a flash of inspiration struck him—
Why not lead the army with him? Upon reaching Yongchang, he would first imprison Zhu Mo and then issue a general call to arms, forcing the Emperor to execute Zhu Mo for his crimes, thereby "clearing the sovereign's surroundings." This would win the hearts of all scholars and officials in the empire. Then, he would lead everyone in sacrificing to the Crown Prince, with Prince Yu and Yan Song echoing his call, forcing the Emperor to retract the reforms and return to ancestral customs. If the Emperor refused, then he would have to abdicate, and he would still be the foremost esteemed official, and Prince Yu would have to grant him a royal title...
With this thought,
He let out a hearty laugh and said,
"Precisely! Gentlemen and soldiers, Scholar Zhu is a rare talent of our time. The reforms he champions benefit all four classes of people! Since he is here in Yunnan and Guizhou today and also holds the position of Minister of War, let us invite Grand Scholar Zhu to preside over the overall situation! I, Mu Chaobi, will be the first to support him!"
After a moment of thought, Wang Fu and He An, his trusted confidants for many years, immediately understood his intentions and loudly declared:
"Yes! Please let Grand Scholar Zhu preside over the overall situation!"
"Grand Scholar Zhu to preside over the overall situation!"
"Grand Scholar Zhu to preside over the overall situation!"
"Grand Scholar Zhu to preside over the overall situation!"
"..."
You Juxing vaguely suspected that Mu Chaobi might have some ulterior motive, but he couldn't figure it out for the moment. He could only say, "Your Grace, gentlemen, the court has its laws. For military matters in Yunnan and Guizhou, it is still Your Grace who presides... Grand Scholar Zhu, what do you mean?"
He was reminding Zhu Mo: Do not fall for Mu Chaobi's scheme! If the soldiers are not motivated, and you are left alone, how will you fight Mang Yinglong? If you return defeated, will we not have to submit?
Zhu Mo had carefully observed the expressions of Mu Chaobi and the generals. Hearing Mu Chaobi's words now, he had guessed his intentions—
You openly ask me to preside over the overall situation, and the generals are all obedient to you. Am I not just a fool then! I won't be able to command anyone, won't that be a great joke? Even worse, you might directly have the Burmese kill me, which is not impossible...
If you, Mu Chaobi, had no ulterior motives, you would have echoed my words now. I didn't ask you to support the reforms; I only asked for your support in apprehending the Franks. If you are unwilling to say even this favorable thing, it shows you are determined to oppose the reforms... If I believed you, I would have lived in vain...
But he knew that in this land of Yunnan and Guizhou, this person was absolutely decisive. His ten or so trusted guards commanders and the seventy to eighty thousand troops they commanded meant that a direct confrontation would be impossible...
Then how should I make him submit?
At this very moment,
On the main hall of the Governor's Yamen, Zhu Mo felt stumped for the first time. He regretted not bringing more firearms, preferably some cannons, which could have provided some deterrence. And now, with Mu Chaobi so fierce and his officers united, he was helpless against him?
He immediately coughed and said,
"Perhaps that's not appropriate? The court has its regulations, and the inspecting censor is present. How can I overstep my authority? How about this? Let Your Grace continue to lead the military, and I will serve as an advisor on the side?"