The rise of the poor

Zhu Pingan and Hu Zongxian chatted and ate as they finished their breakfast. Afterward, they went to the Dragon Pavilion together and stood behind Zhao Wenhua, waiting for the arrival of the imperial envoy.

While waiting, Yu Dayou came over to pay his respects to Zhu Pingan. Zhu Pingan took Yu Dayou aside and inquired about the recruitment and training of the Zhejiang Navy.

"With the provisions and silver provided by the Minister, three thousand strong and healthy young men from good families were carefully selected from the fishermen and rigorously trained. The twelve large Fujian ships and thirty medium and small Fujian ships allocated by the Minister last month have also arrived. They have been on board for a month now. After another month of training, I will be able to lead them to practice against pirates and small Japanese ships in the coastal waters. In another six months, I am confident that I will dominate the sea and become an iron gate for Zhejiang, smashing and sinking all the invading Japanese pirate warships into the sea."

Yu Dayou reported the truth truthfully, expressing his confidence with the air of a tiger perched atop a giant rock.

"What difficulties does the navy currently face? Let me see if I can resolve them." Zhu Ping'an placed high hopes on Yu Dayou's navy. To completely quell the Japanese pirates, a capable navy was essential.

"The main difficulty is the lack of ship-borne artillery. Naval warfare is different from land warfare. The more cannons a ship can carry, the better, and the larger the caliber, the better! Especially for our newly established navy, we need artillery to establish an advantage in naval warfare."

Knowing Zhu Ping'an's personality, Yu Dayou explained to Zhu Ping'an the difficulties the Zhejiang navy faced due to a lack of artillery.

"I believe that naval warfare and land warfare have something in common: firearms can be used in small ways to achieve small victories, used in large ways to achieve large-scale battles, and used in their entirety to achieve invincibility."

Zhu Pingan smiled slightly. He was more than qualified to speak on firearms; the future belonged to firearms.

"It is my fault. Your Excellency's emphasis on and application of firearms far surpasses that of our time. I have been showing off my limited skills before you."

Yu Dayou scratched his head, almost forgetting that the governor's Zhejiang army was fully armed with firearms, and that the importance attached to firearms was far greater than that of anyone else in the world, including himself. He realized that what he had just said was indeed wrong.

He said that naval warfare is different from land warfare, but he was comparing it with other armies. Other armies rely on cold weapons for land warfare, and firearms only account for one or two tenths of the total. But naval warfare is different. Naval warfare requires firearms, and the more cannons and muskets the better.

"No, no, you're not wrong. The current land warfare uses too few firearms, especially artillery, but the future will definitely belong to firearms. Of course, firearms need to be improved in terms of loading, rate of fire, range, and accuracy."

When Zhu Pingan talked about firearms, he spoke eloquently.

Yu Dayou also had considerable knowledge of firearms, and the two of them chatted enthusiastically about firearms for a while.

Of course, Zhu Pingan wouldn't forget the main business. He said to Yu Dayou, "I'll give you an order. Send someone knowledgeable about artillery to the Shaoxing camp to coordinate with the equipment battalion. Have them urgently produce one hundred different types of cannons to supplement the navy, and allocate eight hundred muskets as well. Gunpowder and projectiles will also be prioritized for you. Currently, the equipment battalion's production of firearms can't keep up with demand. Once production capacity increases, we'll prepare more cannons and muskets for you."

"Thank you very much, Minister Zhu." Yu Dayou's eyes were moist with emotion. Minister Zhu's support was truly immense, exceeding his expectations. He had received money, ships, and cannons as requested.
I, Yu Dayou, have had a turbulent life, serving you several times. When I served in Kinmen, I was stripped of my military post. When I served Mao Bowen, the Minister of War, and Zhai Peng, the Governor-General of Xuanhua and Datong, I was not given any recognition. My life has been full of ups and downs, and I have been repeatedly suppressed. I have never met you, my lord.

Finally, with an annual pension of fifty, I, Yu Dayou, have finally met my esteemed lord.

A scholar will die for one who understands him; this is what it means.

Yu Dayou excitedly pounded his chest and made a solemn pledge to Zhu Ping'an, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I will definitely train an invincible navy for you. If I fail to do so, please behead me."

"I trust General Yu. I have no interest in General Yu's head, but I am very interested in the heads of the Japanese pirates."

Zhu Pingan smiled and shook his head.

"I will definitely cut down all the Japanese heads for you, my lord! At any time, please give me your orders, my lord, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Yu Dayou pounded his chest in protest.

While Zhu Pingan and Yu Dayou were talking, Hu Zongxian would occasionally glance over in their direction.

Hu Zongxian understood perfectly what it meant that Yu Dayou had come to pay a special visit to Zhu Pingan: Yu Dayou had become Zhu Pingan's disciple.

Yu Dayou was a valiant general, capable of fighting tough battles and quite famous. However, he lacked strategic acumen and was unlucky. He won many battles but also suffered many defeats, and his official career was full of ups and downs.
However, it must be said that Yu Dayou is a man of great courage and decisiveness. As a disciple of Zhu Pingan, with Zhu Pingan's strategic guidance, he has a bright future ahead of him.

Zhu Ping'an is quite remarkable; he quietly recruited Yu Dayou, a formidable general. With such a capable general at his command, Zhu Ping'an is like a tiger with wings, and his future prospects are even brighter.

With such a great reputation, he is indeed not to be underestimated.

Hu Zongxian felt a little regretful. In fact, he also thought highly of Yu Dayou and planned to recruit him into his ranks after this promotion. In the future, he would need such a brave and skilled general to overcome difficulties.

In his view, a major problem with Yu Dayou's unsuccessful career was that he had no powerful backer. He was not rewarded for his merits, but punished, suppressed, and made a scapegoat when he made mistakes. Who else would he turn to if not a military man like Yu Dayou who had no powerful backer?

If Yu Dayou were to become his disciple, aside from the many advantages, at the very least, if he made meritorious contributions, he could recommend him for reward; if he made mistakes, he could speak on his behalf and plead for leniency. This would be of great benefit to Yu Dayou's career.

I had originally planned that after this promotion, I would have more say and then extend an olive branch to Yu Dayou.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Pingan had already gotten there first.

What a pity, such a valiant general.

However, it doesn't matter. There are plenty of capable generals. If I extend an olive branch, there will be plenty of people eager to take it.

Hu Zongxian felt a pang of regret, but then adjusted his mindset.

Angels, come quickly!
I can't wait.

"Damn Zhu Ping'an! Is that Yu Dayou next to him? Knowing full well that Zhu Ping'an has offended the Grand Secretary, he still dares to get close to Zhu Ping'an. He's really courting death. Just wait, I'll beat him to death!"

A faint voice drifted over.

Hu Zongxian turned his head and saw Luo Longwen with a gloomy expression.

Hearing Luo Longwen's words, Hu Zongxian felt contempt and annoyed, but of course he didn't show it on his face.

These fools, forming cliques for personal gain, only concerned with their own interests, neglecting public duty for private gain, and harming the public good for private gain! Now that the Japanese pirates are rampaging in the southeast, these fools are actually thinking of cutting off their own limbs. They are utterly stupid and utterly hateful!

The thought of spending my future with these idiots...
However, I'm different from them; I'm just using them! (End of Chapter)