I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 172: Immoral? No, no, no, I, Lin, am doing good deeds.

Lin Shisan and others came to Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang, as the deputy commander of Zhejiang Province and the highest-ranking military general of Ningbo, Shaoxing and Taizhou, dismounted from his horse and knelt down to kowtow to Lin Shisan.

Qi Jiguang said: "Your Majesty, I, Qi Jiguang, respectfully wish you the best of health."

Lin Shisan said, "Your Majesty, be well. General Qi, please get up quickly."

Wu Weizhong, who was standing by, was stunned. This copper merchant was the emperor?
Wu Weizhong suddenly reminded Qi Jiguang loudly: "General Qi, don't let him fool you! How could he be the emperor? The Jiajing reign is already 37 years old. He looks only in his twenties."

Qi Jiguang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I just greeted him as if I were meeting the emperor, because he is an imperial envoy. An imperial envoy is like the emperor himself."

Wu Weizhong was surprised: "Imperial envoy? Is he a member of the government family?"

Lin Shisan bowed to Wu Weizhong and apologized: "Patriarch Wu, I am here to visit incognito. I have no choice but to conceal my identity."

Wu Weizhong hated officials who told lies the most. He angrily asked, "Private visit? Visit what?"

Lin Shisan lied, "An official from Nanzhili reported that the Wu family from Kantou Village and the Chen family from Beilei Village in Yiwu were rebellious and had gathered to plot evil and were planning a rebellion."

"The court sent me to investigate the matter."

"According to my investigation, the two surnames in Kantou Village and Beilei Village are all loyal and righteous people, and they have no intention of rebellion."

While saying this, Lin Shisan gave Qi Jiguang a wink.

Qi Jiguang understood what he meant and said: "Chief Wu, Chief Chen, if you can lead the young men of the two clans to join our Ming army, you can show your loyalty to the court."

"If you join the army, the pay will be generous! In a word, as long as you join the Ming army, you will get a lot of money!"

Wu Weizhong frowned: "We will never join the Ming army! Because we don't trust the officials!"

Although Chen Dacheng and Wu Weizhong were sworn enemies, he now stood on the side of his mortal enemy: "That's right. Officials are always deceiving. Who knows what the government is up to in order to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

"As soon as we left, you sent troops in to occupy the copper mines in Babaoshan."

Qi Jiguang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Occupy the copper mine? Don't you even trust me, Qi Jiguang?"

Wu Weizhong said: "It's not that we don't trust you, General Qi, but we don't trust the officials above you."

"What dirty tricks do those turtle bastards have? Who knows, maybe you have been kept in the dark by them too."

Chen Dacheng asked: "Besides bullying the common people, what else can the government troops do?"

Wu Weizhong agreed: "That's right. Last time, the people from Yiwu Qianhusuo came to seize the copper mine. Before they started fighting us, they said, 'We don't dare to fight the Japanese pirates, but we dare not fight you poor Koreans.'"

"Listen. The government troops are all dogs. Although we are poor and miserable, we have backbone. It is impossible for us to leave good people to be dogs."

Chen Dacheng continued: "A good man does not serve in the army, and good iron does not serve in nails. This is what our ancestors said, it cannot be wrong!"

Wu and Chen were as stubborn as rocks.

Qi Jiguang said, "How about this, the imperial envoy and I will take turns staying in Kantou and Beilei villages for a few days and try to persuade you again."

Wu Weizhong said: "You are officials' family members. You can stay as long as you want, we can't stop you. But we don't have time to take care of you, we still have to fight!"

Lin Shisan said hurriedly, "Please listen to me. If you guys fight like this, I'm afraid everyone in both villages will be wiped out! Even if we get the copper mine, what's the point if almost everyone is dead?"

"I am an imperial envoy sent by the court. Why don't you give me some face? Let's sit down and have a good talk."

"The copper mines are all there. As long as the boundaries and wellheads are clearly defined and both sides are in harmony, then we can make a lot of money."

Wu Weizhong looked at the corpses and wounded soldiers scattered all over the ground. He knew very well that he could not occupy Babao Mountain alone.

For hundreds of years, the Wu and Chen families would always fight fiercely, then rest for a decade or so before fighting again. The cycle of fighting would repeat endlessly.

After two major battles in summer and autumn, Kantou Village has been severely damaged. It is better to negotiate while we have the upper hand.

Chen Dacheng’s thought was: Anyway, the copper wells in the mountains are now in the hands of Kantou Village, so negotiations will only benefit us, not harm us.

So the two of them agreed immediately.

Qi Jiguang ordered people to set up a tent on the Yaque Terrace.

Wu Weizhong brought a map of Babao Mountain, on which were marked 28 copper wells. These were small copper wells, and the copper production was not much different.

Qi Jiguang said to Lin Shisan: "You are the imperial envoy. You will preside over the negotiations and both sides should divide the copper wells amicably."

The Ming Dynasty had a system in which copper wells belonged to the imperial court, and the imperial court had strict mining bans.

Qi Jiguang had a plan: privately dividing the copper mine between the two villages is a serious crime. If the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up. You, Lin Chuanfeng, have many backers in the court and are deeply trusted by the emperor. You should be in charge of this matter.

How could Lin Shisan not know what Qi Jiguang was thinking?
Lin Shisan's idea was: General Qi is a talented commander, and we have to rely on him to quell the Japanese invasion. He must not get into trouble. I will take the blame for him. I will be in charge of the mine division.

Wu Weizhong asked: "How do we divide it?"

Lin Shisan asked, "May I ask how many people were there in Kantou Village before this fight? How many people were there in Beilei Village?"

Wu Weizhong replied: "There are 3,000 people in our Kantou Village."

Chen Dacheng replied: "There are 2,000 people in our Beilei Village."

Lin Shisan said: "For the time being, we will divide them according to population. The population ratio is three to two, and the mines are also divided three to two. Kantou Village will be allocated 17 mines on the east side of Babao Mountain, and Beilei Village will be allocated 11 mines on the west side."

Chen Dacheng naturally disagreed: "Six wells are missing. My Beilei Chen family has suffered a great loss!"

Wu Weizhong said angrily, "You don't accept it, right? Then let's fight. The worst that can happen is that we'll beat them all to a pulp. One life for another, if all of you in Beilei Village die, there will still be a thousand people left in Kantou Village! By then, all the 28 wells will belong to our Kantou Village."

Chen Dacheng actually knew that continuing the fight would only bring harm to the Chen clan members. It would be better to just give up.

Chen Dacheng turned his head and looked at Lin Shisan: "Master Lin, don't you think he looks like a negotiator? Negotiations, negotiations, there must be something to talk about!"

Lin Shisan said, "Chief Wu, let's do this. Please give me a favor and allocate a mine to Beilei Village to show your sincerity in making peace."

"Of the twenty-eight wells, sixteen belong to Kantou Village. Twelve belong to Beilei Village."

Wu Weizhong thought for a long time. Anyway, he had four more wells than his mortal enemy, so he could save face. If Beilei Village really fought to the end, Kantou Village would not have a good life either.

So Wu Weizhong agreed: "Okay, let's give Mr. Lin some face. We want sixteen wells, and we'll give you twelve."

The two sides reached an agreement and the fight was over.

The two villages began to collect the bodies and treat the wounded at the Yaquetai fighting arena.

In this fight, 120 people died in Kantou Village and 160 people died in Beilei Village. Countless people were seriously and slightly injured.

Lin Shisan and Qi Jiguang first lived in the ancestral hall of Kantou Village. For three consecutive days, they urged Wu Weizhong to bring his clansmen to join the army, but Wu Weizhong's attitude was extremely firm: only sons of bitches would join the army.

Lin Shisan and Qi Jiguang were very distressed.

In the ancestral hall that day, Qi Jiguang discussed with Lin Shisan: "If the Chen and Wu families are determined not to join the army, please ask Lin Chuanfeng to help and explain in the memorial to the emperor that the people of Yiwu are wild and difficult to tame, and are not suitable for military service."

"It would be better if the imperial court issued an order to order them to join the army. If they don't, it would be considered as disobeying the imperial order. Minister Hu would have to send troops to wipe them out."

"The situation on the anti-Japanese front is tense. The rear must not be in chaos again." Qi Jiguang clearly wanted Lin Shisan to bully the emperor.

Lin Shisan agreed immediately for the sake of the overall situation: "Okay, I'll submit it as you said."

At this moment, the Governor-General's Office sent a messenger, who presented a proposal for the treatment of the new army.

Lin Shisan and Qi Jiguang's eyes lit up after seeing this. Wow, Hu Bu Tang really spent a lot of money! He had a certain momentum of "this Bu Tang can't beat him".

If Wu Weizhong and Chen Dacheng saw such generous treatment, perhaps they would change their minds.

So the two of them found Wu Weizhong again.

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Chief Wu, congratulations!"

Wu Weizhong asked: "Where does the joy come from?"

Lin Shisan said, "The Governor's Office of Zhejiang Province has offered treatment to the new army. As long as you bring your clansmen to serve as soldiers, each person will be given three pounds of fine rice and a certain amount of meat and vegetables every day. I guarantee that you will have enough to eat."

"As for the salary, each person will be given three and a half taels of silver per month. That's forty taels of silver per year!"

"There is also a reward of silver. Every time you kill a Japanese pirate, you will get a reward of thirty taels of silver!"

"This kind of generous treatment is much more than what you can earn digging in the mines!"

"I heard that mining is a tough job. If you work in the mines for eight or ten years, you will definitely get the terminal lung disease. Why are you so stubborn?"

Wu Weizhong refused outright!

Wu Weizhong didn't trust the government at all: "Oh, the food and rewards for being a soldier sound very tempting."

"But I know the nature of the government!"

"If a war breaks out, the government will send us to dangerous places, use the Japanese pirates to eliminate us at once, and then send troops to Mount Habo to steal the copper mine."

"Oh! What a good plan!"

Lin Shisan said quickly: "I guarantee in the name of the imperial envoy that the Governor's Office definitely does not mean this."

Qi Jiguang agreed: "If you become soldiers, I will personally lead you and train you into an elite force that is invincible in every battle."

Wu Weizhong didn't believe it at all: "Officials have two mouths. They fool the upper ones and then the lower ones. Prostitutes in brothels also have two mouths. They swallow the upper ones and then the lower ones."

"What's the difference between an official and a whore? Anyone who believes a whore is a fool. Similarly, anyone who believes an official is a fool!"

Wu Weizhong's prejudice against the government is so deep, but it must be said that it makes sense.

Wu Weizhong took a sip of water and continued, "Rather than being a soldier and being bullied by the officials, it is better to guard the copper mine and earn a living in comfort!"

Unable to persuade Wu Weizhong, Lin Shisan and Qi Jiguang had no choice but to leave Kantou Village and go to Beilei Village to persuade Chen Dacheng.

Chen Dacheng's attitude was surprisingly consistent with Wu Weizhong's: if he was beaten to death, he would rather not join the army, and the government could not be trusted.

Lin Shisan had no choice but to secretly find Qi Jiguang to discuss: "General Qi, I actually have a way to make the people of the two villages agree to join the army. But this method is a bit insidious."

Qi Jiguang asked: "What method? Lin Chuan, please tell me."

Lin Shisan sighed, "Alas, the officials in Beijing all say privately that I, Lin Shisan, am a villain who abuses my power. This time, for the great cause of resisting the Japanese pirates, I may really have to become a villain."

"General Qi, I have been in Wunan for more than ten days and I have learned something. The biggest characteristic of Wunan people is that they will take revenge if they are wronged."

"Kantou Village and Beilei Village have been fighting for hundreds of years, isn't it just because of the word 'hatred'?"

"What if? I mean what if. A group of Japanese pirates sneaked into Babao Mountain and blew up the mouths of 28 mines, causing the Wu and Chen families to lose their livelihoods."

"Do you think they will hate the Japanese pirates to the core? Will they agree to join the new army and fight against the Japanese pirates and take revenge?"

Qi Jiguang was surprised: "The Japanese pirates will never obey our orders. Lin Chuanfeng means that we should let our people pretend to be Japanese pirates and blow up the mine?"

"This plan is so damn evil, no, it's brilliant!"

"When I came to Yiwu in the summer, I found out that it is an extremely difficult job for villagers with the surnames of Wunan to mine copper. Every now and then, there will be landslides in the mines and people will die. There is also evil energy in the mines that can cause people to get pulmonary blood disease."

"For the sake of the mine, the two families would fight with weapons every now and then, resulting in countless casualties."

"If this method can allow them to eat the emperor's food and enjoy generous treatment, and have the opportunity to display their abilities, kill enemies to serve the country, make meritorious deeds and get promoted, and bring honor to their ancestors."

"We are not committing evil deeds, but are doing good deeds!"

After Qi Jiguang said this, Lin Shisan felt relieved: "Yes, yes. Blow up the copper mine and guide them to join the army. It will benefit the country and them!"

"Besides, they are illegally mining copper, which is against the law. We are helping them to change their ways."

"Joining the army and killing the Japanese is the right path! Hey, if we two brothers make this plan, the light of the right path will soon shine on Mount Habo!"

"We are not imperial envoys or generals at all. We are living Bodhisattvas!"

The two of them became more and more excited as they talked, and they really thought of themselves as the Bodhisattva Guanyin who saves people from suffering.

Lin Shisan said, "How about this. I will use the excuse of leaving Yiwu for Beijing and pay for a buffet for nearly 5,000 people from the two villages."

"General Qi, you go and select capable soldiers, disguise them as Japanese pirates, and blow up twenty-eight copper wells."

Qi Jiguang said: "It's done! I think this will be successful. I'll trouble Lin Chuanfeng to go and deceive, oh no, save all the villagers of the two surnames."

"I will take the troops away for now. I will go back and disguise myself as a Japanese pirate. While the two families are having a buffet, I will go into the mountains and blow up the copper well."

After saying this, Qi Jiguang bowed and left.

Zhang Bo saw Qi Jiguang leaving, so he came to Lin Shisan and asked, "Why did General Qi leave? Did you two agree to deceive the emperor by saying that people from Yiwu are not suitable for military service?"

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "No."

After saying that, Lin Shisan laid out his plan in its entirety.

Zhang Bo's eyes widened after hearing this: "What? Blowing up a copper mine? How can you be so immoral now! Ha, the first priority in the officialdom is not to be afraid of immorality. No wonder you are so successful in the officialdom."

Lin Shisan said, "No, no. I am just trying to accumulate virtue."

Zhang Bo laughed out loud: "Accumulate virtue?"

Lin Shisan said, "Yes, Master. You see, the villagers of the two surnames are illegally mining copper and resisting the government. The government is now busy fighting against the Japanese pirates and has no time to spare to punish them."

"But the villagers of the two surnames have been violating the laws of the country for a long time. Sooner or later, they will be punished by the court."

"By then, there will be rivers of blood flowing between the two families!"

"I want to find a way to cut off their roots of violating the laws of the country and give them a bright future. Isn't this accumulating virtue?"

Uncle Zhang gave a thumbs up and said, "Yes, yes, our Lin Chuanfeng has really accumulated great virtue! He is simply a living Bodhisattva who saves all living beings!"

Lin Shisan smiled slightly: "Yes. In order to save them, I have to pay for the buffet out of my own pocket! Oh, I wonder if the money I brought is enough."

(End of this chapter)