The rise of the poor

Upon hearing Zhang Juzheng ask if Zhu Pingan had a chance, Xu Jie, who was drinking tea, put down his teacup and slowly shook his head. "At least for now, Zihou has no chance to be seated. However, when the position of governor-general changes hands multiple times but still fails to eliminate the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan, then Zihou will have a chance to compete."

"That's a real pity. Zihou has made numerous military achievements. If Zihou had taken over as Governor-General of Jiangnan, I believe he would have been able to quickly quell the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan," Zhang Juzheng said with some complicated feelings.

"Zihou is indeed capable, but while ability is important, it cannot determine everything."

Xu Jie gazed out the window and spoke slowly.

Zhang Juzheng was deeply moved, and so was Zhu Pingan; his own experience was no different.

For a moment, the study fell silent.

Outside Jiaxing City, in the temporary camp of the Zhejiang Army, soldiers were training enthusiastically in the cold wind.

Zhu Pingan toured the area and was very satisfied. After continuous battles in southern Zhejiang, the newly recruited soldiers had become veterans.

The morale of the Zhejiang troops is high.

Of course, with frequent drills, the Zhejiang army also suffered heavy losses of gunpowder and firearms. There was no way around it; elite musketeers were trained with gunpowder and bullets, and this couldn't be spared. Zhu Ping'an would not do something that would cause more harm than good.

Fortunately, the Zhejiang army eliminated the Japanese pirate stronghold and captured a lot of supplies, which greatly replenished the Zhejiang army's treasury.

With the money, the equipment battalion worked overtime to produce firearms and gunpowder. Although there was still a considerable shortage of firearms, a significant amount of gunpowder had been replenished. Based on the current firearm consumption of the Zhejiang army, it was enough for the Zhejiang army to fight continuously for ten to fifteen days.

"Report!!!!!"

After verifying his identity, a Zhejiang scout galloped into the camp, dismounted, and rushed to Zhu Ping'an's tent to report important military intelligence.

"Please come in. It's Erniu. Is there any important military intelligence?" After the scout entered the tent, Zhu Ping'an recognized him by name with just one glance and asked if he had any important military intelligence to report.

Scout Erniu was surprised that Zhu Pingan could call him by name, and immediately straightened his chest excitedly. "Report, yes, there is important military intelligence. The lord ordered us to monitor the Tuolin Japanese pirates day and night. As expected, thirty-two Japanese ships arrived from the outer sea today, with more than six thousand real Japanese reinforcements. The Tuolin Japanese pirates led them to their Tuolin pirate stronghold, and the Japanese pirates are even more powerful than before."

"Very good, go downstairs and have a hot meal, then get some rest." Zhu Pingan patted Erniu on the shoulder.

After Erniu left.

Zhu Pingan stroked his chin and pondered. The arrival of reinforcements from the Japanese pirates in Xuhai was exactly what Zhu Pingan had expected.

Compared to Wang Zhi, Xu Hai could be considered a traitor, but he was closer to a collaborator, leading Japanese pirates to burn, kill, and plunder in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ping'an preferred to eliminate Xu Hai.

Now that Xu Hai's reinforcements have arrived, we should take advantage of their unstable foothold and launch a surprise attack to deliver a heavy blow.

If Zhang Jing hadn't been defeated by Zhao Wenhua, the main army would have already surrounded the Tuolin Japanese pirates by now. They wouldn't have allowed the real Japanese pirates to join forces with the Tuolin pirates so easily. They would have ambushed the real Japanese pirates on their way to the Tuolin pirates' lair, catching them off guard, and then the main army would have surrounded the Tuolin pirates and launched a annihilation campaign.
pity!

What a pity!

With Zhang Jing, the military leader in Jiangnan, brought down by Zhao Wenhua, the Jiangnan military, lacking a leader, could no longer organize a multi-pronged encirclement.

Although Zhao Wenhua held the authority of a military commander, he was only a military commander; his official rank and title were insufficient to command and mobilize the various armies in Jiangnan, and his authority was not legitimate.

In addition, Zhao Wenhua was the culprit who framed and brought down Zhang Jing. Zhang Jing had a close relationship with the Wolf Soldiers, who hated Zhao Wenhua at this time. Zhao Wenhua could not command the Wolf Soldiers at this time and even had to be wary of them rebelling against him.

Besides the wolf soldiers, many of the guest soldiers transferred by Zhang Jing, as well as the officers and soldiers of the garrison, were hostile to Zhao Wenhua.

After all, Zhang Jing was their old leader. Although he was strict with them, he also took good care of them. At least he made sure to pay them the back pay and repaired their armor and weapons as much as possible.

Zhao Wenhua used false accusations to bring down Zhang Jing, their former leader who had treated them fairly well. How could they not harbor hostility towards him?

As for why it's called a frame-up!

They knew perfectly well whether Zhao Wenhua was framing Zhang Jing. They were all actual participants in Zhang Jing's plans and arrangements. The claims that he was "raising Japanese pirates without fighting," "fearing Japanese pirates without fighting," and "raising Japanese pirates wasting money" were all nonsense and pure slander!

Everyone knows what kind of fighting ability the garrison soldiers have. When they fought against the Japanese pirates, how could they possibly be a match for them? It's not like they haven't fought the Japanese pirates before.

How could they possibly defeat the Japanese pirates?

Can we manage without deploying troops? We must bring in capable generals and soldiers to fight the Japanese pirates!

If we don't mobilize troops and rely solely on the garrison soldiers to fight the Japanese pirates, what is that if not a reckless war?! What is that if not courting death?! What is that if not looking for defeat?! If we hastily send troops to fight the Japanese pirates recklessly and lose, wouldn't that embolden the Japanese pirates and greatly damage our own morale? Then it would be even more difficult to wipe out the Japanese pirates in the future!
It was precisely because the garrison troops could not defeat the Japanese pirates that Governor Zhang dispatched Shandong spearmen and Guangxi wolfmen as guest troops. Before the Shandong spearmen and Guangxi wolfmen arrived and were reorganized and trained with the garrison troops, Governor Zhang ordered the garrison troops and the prefectures and counties to prioritize defending the cities and not to go out to fight the Japanese pirates without his orders.

There's nothing we can do about it!
Moreover, after the Shandong spearmen and Guangxi wolfmen arrived and were reorganized, Governor Zhang went into battle and won the great victory at Wangjiangjing!
However, Governor Zhang, the old leader who had defeated the Japanese pirates and won the great victory at Wangjiangjing, was framed and impeached by Zhao Wenhua and brought down!

How could they not be hostile?

Winning over these hostile guest soldiers and garrison troops will depend on Zhao Wenhua's skills, using money, power, and benefits.

Therefore, it will take Zhao Wenhua quite some time before he can command these guest soldiers and local garrisons.

Thinking of how Zhao Wenhua had ruined the perfect opportunity to encircle and annihilate the Japanese pirates from Tuolin and Xu Haihuo, Zhu Pingan couldn't help but curse inwardly. "A treacherous minister! He's more trouble than he's worth, bringing disaster to the country and its people! Who knows how long the process of annihilating the Japanese pirates from Xu Haihuo will be delayed! The common people will have to suffer even more from the pirates' ravages!"
It's a pity, and it's infuriating.

At this moment, Zhu Ping'an desperately wanted to be appointed governor-general, so he could leverage his historical knowledge and foresight to swiftly quell the Japanese pirate raids in Jiangnan and restore peace to the people of Jiangnan. (End of Chapter)