The rise of the poor

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhua's words, Hu Zongxian immediately perked up. "Brother, I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!"

Under Hu Zongxian's expectant gaze, Zhao Wenhua stood up, patted Hu Zongxian on the shoulder, and slowly said, "Zihou has worked hard chasing the Japanese pirates and deserves a rest. I will immediately order him to be recalled. He should go home and spend time with his wife and children. His two little ones probably don't even recognize their father anymore. The Zhejiang army is the same; they've been away for too long and should also go home and enjoy family life! Meilin, what about you? I will give you an order: immediately mobilize elite troops and generals to pursue and annihilate the remaining Japanese pirates!"

"I will certainly live up to your expectations, sir!" Hu Zongxian hurriedly clasped his hands in a gesture of excitement, his expression confident and resolute.

Zhao Wenhua tugged at his sleeve and walked towards the desk. Hu Zongxian, knowing the situation well, stepped forward and laid out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for Zhao Wenhua. He diligently added a little water to the inkstone and held the ink stick to grind the ink.

Zhao Wenhua nodded in satisfaction. Hu Zongxian was sensible and knew how to handle things; he was a hundred times more pragmatic than Zhu Pingan.

If Zhu Pingan could be like Hu Zongxian.
Unfortunately, Zhu Ping'an was too stubborn. No matter how many opportunities he was given, he still wouldn't take the initiative to come closer. He was hesitant and awkward.

If Zhu Pingan had joined us earlier, what a wonderful opportunity this would have been! He would have been conquering cities and seizing strongholds while I was praising him from behind. He would have helped me secure the position of governor-general, and I would have helped him resolve the conflicts between him and my adoptive father and Donglou. For every merit he made, I would have reported ten. Once I had amassed enough political capital and wealth, I would have left my post and gone to the capital for further advancement. At that time, I would have promoted him to governor-general. Wouldn't that have been the best of both worlds? How wonderful!

such a pity.

However, even without Zhu Pingan, there is still Hu Zongxian.

"Merlin, do you know why I summoned Zhu Ping'an back and gave you this opportunity?"

As Zhao Wenhua picked up his pen and wrote on the paper, he examined Hu Zongxian.

"It's all thanks to the adults who took care of me." Hu Zongxian lowered his head and continued grinding ink, speaking respectfully to Zhao Wenhua.

“Good, there’s good news. I’d rather you take care of your own people. Merlin, you’re different from Zihou. Zihou isn’t really one of us, at least not yet. But you’re different; you’re one of us. The Japanese pirates in Tuolin were first defeated by Zhang Jing, which was a major blow. Now they’ve been beaten by Zhu Ping’an and are crippled. You’ve gathered your best troops and generals, so it’s the perfect time to reap the rewards. Fight well, and I’ll recommend you for credit.”

Zhao Wenhua nodded in satisfaction and quickly finished drafting the official document recalling Zhu Ping'an.

"Thank you for your care, sir." Hu Zongxian said gratefully.

Hu Zongxian knew why Zhao Wenhua had recalled Zhu Pingan and given him the opportunity to deal with the Japanese pirates. Zhao Wenhua's consideration for him was only one aspect; more importantly, Zhao Wenhua was greedy and coveted this victory.

Zhu Pingan's rescue of Songjiang Prefecture was mainly due to his own initiative. Zhao Wenhua was involved in the victory, but his involvement was limited.

Zhao Wenhua's connection to this victory was merely the official document he issued to Zhu Ping'an, which "ordered the Zhejiang army to monitor the Japanese pirates in Tuolin and to act as they see fit." This document simply facilitated Zhu Ping'an's movement in and out of Zhejiang.

The rescue of Songjiang Prefecture and the suppression of the Japanese pirates were not commanded or ordered by Zhao Wenhua.

At most, Zhao Wenhua gave Zhu Pingan a convenient credit for his victory, nothing more.

Zhu Pingan deserves the lion's share of the credit for this victory, while Zhao Wenhua's contribution is only minor.

Zhao Wenhua wanted more credit.

So, if we recall Zhu Ping'an and replace him with me, Hu Zongxian, and Zhao Wenhua gives me another order, that would be a great achievement in command, and that would be a huge accomplishment.

Now, I, Hu Zongxian, need this victory to secure my position as Governor of Suzhou and Songjiang. Zhao Wenhua also needs this victory. The position of Governor-General of Jiangnan is still undecided. Although Zhao Wenhua has a great chance and is arguably the most popular candidate, the appointment of the Governor-General remains uncertain until it is officially decided. If Zhao Wenhua gains points from this victory, then the appointment of the Governor-General should be a foregone conclusion, and he will secure it.

Therefore, Zhao Wenhua took Zhu Pingan back and gave himself this opportunity.

Of course, Hu Zongxian had been looking forward to this for a long time, and he felt no shame or embarrassment. "I am not doing this for my own wealth and glory, but for the sake of the Ming Dynasty. My ideal is to report to the Emperor and save the people!"

"Merlin, just name your numbers: how many troops, how much food and supplies you need, and I'll allocate them all for you."

“Zhang Jing is no good, but the wolf soldiers he brought in are undeniably fierce and capable of fighting, each one can take on ten. It’s a pity that I have only won over a few small tribes so far, with less than three thousand soldiers. I will put them all under your unified command.”

"And those three thousand Shandong spearmen, they are all good soldiers who are skilled in battle and obedient, so I'll give them to you as well."

"As for provisions, supplies, weapons, and armor, just take my order to the warehouse and take as much as you want."

To ensure a foolproof victory, Zhao Wenhua assigned the wolf soldiers and Shandong spearmen he had painstakingly won over to Hu Zongxian, opened the warehouse, and allowed Hu Zongxian to take whatever he wanted.

"Thank you, sir. Then I won't stand on ceremony. I've brought my spearmen and wolf soldiers with me. I also have three thousand elite troops in Suzhou and Songjiang, making a total of nine thousand soldiers. That's enough." Hu Zongxian said excitedly. With so many soldiers, there was no chance of failure.

"Only nine thousand soldiers? Well then, Merlin, I'll transfer another thousand elite troops from Hangzhou Garrison to you, making it ten thousand soldiers."

To ensure everything went smoothly, Zhao Wenhua added another order, transferring 1,000 soldiers from Hangzhou to Hu Zongxian, making it a round number, totaling 10,000 troops.

Zhu Ping'an achieved victory with only 3,000 Zhejiang troops, while Hu Zongxian had 10,000 troops, three times the size of Zhu Ping'an's forces. They were fighting against the Japanese pirates who had been crippled by Zhu Ping'an, so victory should be assured.

"Thank you, sir. Please rest assured, sir. Zongxian will not disappoint you. Please wait for my good news at your residence."

After receiving the official document, Hu Zongxian expressed his determination and confidence to Zhao Wenhua.

If I can't win by leading 10,000 troops against the Japanese pirates who have already been defeated by Zhu Ping'an, then I might as well quit being the governor of Suzhou and Songjiang!
"Very good, I await your triumphant return!" Zhao Wenhua was also full of confidence. He was confident in Hu Zongxian's abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken Hu Zongxian under his wing.

After Hu Zongxian left, Zhao Wenhua sat at home, ordering people to purchase delicacies from land and sea. He then summoned all the chefs from Songyuelou Restaurant to prepare a feast at his residence, awaiting Hu Zongxian's good news. He planned to invite Hu Zongxian over and give him a proper celebration. (End of Chapter)