This day,
Zhu Mo obtained what he desired: an official communication from the Ministry of War.
He was somewhat surprised. This time, the ministry had proactively issued the document, directly responding to the Korean kingdom's request to suppress Japanese pirates. He didn't even need to submit a request for it.
According to the official gazette, after careful deliberation by the Grand Secretariat, it was decided that the Zhoushan Office in Jiangnan would issue an arrest warrant, a 'jià tiē' (驾贴), and the Fujian and Guangdong maritime forces would simultaneously transfer troops to Tsushima to assist in the apprehension of Japanese fugitives and aid the vassal state in quelling the bandits.
Of course, any official would also notice another piece of news: the Emperor had bestowed a complete set of court music instruments upon the Korean kingdom and sent an imperial decree offering solace. It was this seemingly unrelated action by Jiajing that compelled Prince Yu and the Grand Secretariat to act with extraordinary speed, sending the message to Jiangnan via an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch.
With this official sanction, Zhu Mo found things much more convenient, and he prepared to capture several foreign powerful officials in one go.
The next day,
He arrived at the Hulushan Water Fortress, bringing with him Nali Xuan of Bianluo, allowing him to observe the drills of the firearm navy. He also gave him a Chinese name, Zhu Huai'en, akin to figures like Poguhua'en (朴固怀恩) of the Tang Dynasty.
He spent the entire day discussing military strategies with Yu Dayou, finally deciding to divide the forces into three routes:
The first route, personally led by Yu Dayou, would conquer several Japanese pirate strongholds in the southern provinces of Korea.
The second route, commanded by Lin Mingguo, would head south to attack Japanese pirate strongholds in Qiongzhou, then proceed to the northern and southern parts of the Mor and Li dynasties respectively, delivering a personal letter from Zhu Mo to Mo Jingdian and Zheng Jian.
The third route, led by Qi Jiguang and accompanied by five thousand volunteers under Yin Xiaohu, would march south from Jinshanwei, systematically clearing out mountain bandits and rebels along the coast, all the way to Guangxi.
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Finally,
After Yu Dayou pacified Korea, the navy would sail south to Qiongzhou, then jointly project national prestige in the South Seas, eventually reaching Malacca to submit a 'píng zī gōngwén' (平咨公文) from the Zhoushan Office to the Dutch East India Company.
This expedition was estimated to take at least half a year. Zhu Mo had initially wanted to go, at least to see Korea, but considering the precarious and dangerous domestic situation, he decided against it. Moreover, he had a hunch that after the Emperor's decisive stance, the enfeoffed nobles, the Yan family, and the vassal kings would be even more panicked, and disturbances were likely.
With everything settled,
It was already dusk.
Zhu Mo saw Nali Xuan filled with ambition and his spirits restored, and he couldn't help but feel happy for him. After all, this young man had suffered immensely, and Bianluo had always been loyal to the Great Ming, never once acting rebelliously. They were a vassal state second only to Korea.
Nali Xuan, having drilled all day, hurried ashore and exclaimed, "Scholar Zhu, the firearms used by the Great State's navy are so exquisite, and their training so proficient, it has already far surpassed that of the Franks. I wonder when we will have such a navy? With just thirty or forty ships, the restoration of our kingdom would be within reach."
Zhu Mo thought to himself: It's not that easy. While weapons are indeed crucial, willpower and strategy are the most important, and most importantly, it is the people...
He immediately smiled and said,
"Zhu Huai'en, you don't need to be too anxious. For those who accomplish great things, the first principle is to understand and employ people. You must immerse yourself and start from scratch..."
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Nali Xuan nodded and added,
"Scholar Zhu, I have been drilling with the infantry at the Northern Training Ground for several days. Can I stay at this water fortress for a few more days and train alongside the navy soldiers?"
Zhu Mo nodded, patted his shoulder, and said,
"Naturally, you can. When I go to Yunnan, you will still have to accompany me..."
...
Returning to Hangzhou overnight, there was indeed trouble.
Lu Kun had been waiting at the Northern Training Ground for over an hour. As soon as they met, he produced two pieces of paper and said, "Zi Xuan, we've found some leads. Take a look..."
The first was a tax declaration form from the customs office, listing many items. Among them, several were particularly striking: agate, ivory, white sandalwood, cinnabar, mercury, and other precious goods. The customs declaration stated 'Beixin,' which was the customs office at the mouth of the Hangzhou canal. Anything traveling on the canal was unavoidable.
What was strange was the second piece of paper, a signed order bearing the official seal of the Imperial Textile Bureau and signed by 'Du Tai.' The items on this form were even more shocking, listing: twenty logs of millennium-old 'yin chen mu' (阴沉木) from golden nanmu, six jin of golden monkey hair, eighty rhinoceros horns... all even more precious items.
"What? What does this mean?"
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Zhu Mo couldn't help but ask.
Lu Kun sighed and said,
"Zi Xuan, this was obtained by an old warehouse keeper from the Imperial Textile Bureau. The two lists are different, but they are for the same batch of goods, all sent from Yunnan and Guizhou five years ago. The original lists were long gone. This old warehouse keeper held a grudge and kept these... His name is He Changgen. He had committed an offense in his youth and worked as a warehouse keeper in the Nanjing Guard warehouse. Later, he moved to the Hangzhou Imperial Textile Bureau and became a minor supervisor. Over the years, he suffered much abuse from these people in the Imperial Textile Bureau. With no children, he's decided to go all out..."
Hmm,
Zhu Mo understood a little: the official tribute items stipulated by the court were only those on the customs declaration. Upon arrival in Hangzhou, after being tallied, they were loaded onto the canal. However, there were other, even more precious items that were not statutory tributes. After entering the main warehouse of the Imperial Textile Bureau, they disappeared.
So,
The key question is, who is this Du Tai?
Lu Kun continued,
"This Du Tai has a rather complex background. I spent money to find out that Du Tai's superior was Li Bin, who had served as a 'bing bi' (秉笔) in the Directorate of Ceremonial. He was promoted by Yang Jin... Later, Li Bin was exclusively in charge of palace procurement and collaborated with Liu Boyue, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, for many years. Du Tai, on the other hand, was Li Bin's trusted confidant during his procurement work... Zi Xuan, Liu Boyue, that is Yan Shifan's right-hand man." kuAiδugg
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"I understand..."
Zhu Mo sighed and said,
"So that's how they operate... But, Shujian, where did this millennium-old 'yin chen mu' come from? How could there be so much? Who took it? I've never seen it before?"
Lu Kun said,
"He Changgen said it came from the Dadu River. It was first taken downstream, and upon reaching Anshunchang, it was unloaded onto land. Then, it was carried by horse and shoulder, going through numerous twists and turns to reach Hangzhou. These 'yin chen mu' are extremely precious, and ordinary people would never see them."
Dadu River?
Dadu River...
Zhu Mo murmured for a while, then suddenly remembered something and blurted out,
"Isn't that the territory of the Yu Tonghai brothers, the Marquises of Yuexi?"
Lu Kun nodded and said, "Yes, 'yin chen mu' has always been produced there since ancient times..."
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As he spoke,
A trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
Zhu Mo understood that this matter was too difficult to handle. The people he was investigating were those even the Embroidered Uniform Guard hesitated to investigate. Once discovered, it would mean a threat to their lives. For Shujian to risk so much, it showed his resolve for reform for the people was even firmer than his own.
After a moment of contemplation, he interjected,
"Shujian, I can also see that these few items likely came from the enfeoffed nobles and the local chieftains... Ordinary people wouldn't be able to get their hands on these things. Look at this golden monkey hair; it only comes from Yunnan and Guizhou, and specifically from the territories of those local chieftains. And this rhinoceros horn also needs to be imported from India..."
Lu Kun gave a wry smile and said,
"Zi Xuan, these are probably just the tip of the iceberg... You said before that they were impregnable, and now I believe it. For the sake of these things, who wouldn't risk it?"