Chapter 230: Smuggling continues, the court is furious

Chapter 230: Smuggling continues, the court is furious

Chapter 230: Smuggling continues, the court is furious

What happened in Hezhou Port spread quickly to all directions.
The people of Hezhou cursed loudly, and so did the merchants.
Because there are more and more fishing boats and merchant ships piled up, the upstream and downstream rivers are blocked.

As a result, the express ships carrying military equipment were unable to enter the naval port in the afternoon.
Finally, after much coordination, it was able to dock at the civilian port.

The cargo is unloaded here and then pulled onto the ship using a flatbed cart.

The setting sun slowly sank into the horizon like molten gold, and the sky was dyed with a brilliant orange-red.
The afterglow fell on the earth, giving the busy port a soft and warm glow.

The breeze was blowing gently, bringing a bit of coolness, but it couldn't blow away the tension in the air.

Li Jinglong stood at the dock, his figure lengthened in the sunset, sweat running down his resolute face.
Looking at the truckloads of weapons entering the ship, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked at Lu Yunyi on the side with gratitude:

"Yun Yi, luckily you are here, otherwise I don't know what to do."

Li Jinglong's hands were shaking at this moment, and his face was filled with lingering fear.
The 30,000 elite troops of the Ming Dynasty are now in his hands.

If the weapons are not ready to be loaded onto the ship, it will delay the trip at best, but it will be a huge loss.
I don't know how many people saw that he was young and were ready to laugh at him, but fortunately, the first hurdle should be passed.

Lu Yunyi's face was calm, and he spoke calmly:
"Duke Cao, I was also like this when I led troops for the first time. I was so flustered that I was shaking even on my horse.

But later I figured it out and realized that if it was wrong, it was wrong and I could just correct it.

We are not on the battlefield now, Duke Cao can do whatever he wants, even if he makes mistakes."

Li Jinglong seemed to remember something and nodded heavily, with a trace of regret on his face:
"Yun Yi, you are right. I was also in the battle when we attacked Nahachu.

At that time, the Duke of Song asked me to lead a group of soldiers to train them.
But I was too scared at that time and didn't dare to take the job.

Now that I think about it, if I had taken the job then, I would probably be much more relaxed now."

Lu Yunyi smiled softly after hearing this:
"Duke Cao, looking ahead and behind is a taboo on the battlefield.

Your Majesty did not stop me from going to the southwest. I think it was for training. I can study it later.

As long as you are willing to learn, it is never too late. "

Li Jinglong nodded in agreement.

Time passed, the sun set, and in a blink of an eye, the sun went down the mountain, and the sky became dark.

All the weapons from the capital have been transported to the troop transports.
The smuggling in Hezhou Port has also been counted, and the bodies and other items will be transported to the Hezhou government office.

Order was gradually restored at the port, and the dried-up river began to be cleared.

More than 30 warships of the Beijing Army are ready to set off at any time.

At this moment, on the warship where Lu Yunyi and others were,
The prefect Chen Xu came with his officials to pay farewell and expressed his gratitude to Li Jinglong, Lu Yunyi and others.

He also said that the couplets in Qiufeng Pavilion yesterday would be widely publicized to restore some of Hezhou's reputation, and asked the army to allow it.

Lu Yunyi and others naturally had no objection to this.

Before leaving, the prefect Chen Xu once again expressed his gratitude to Li Jinglong for his rescue.
He said that if he had the chance to visit Beijing in the future, he would definitely visit Duke Cao's mansion.

Li Jinglong gladly accepted it and said that the court would not mistreat officials who worked hard.

This made Chen Xu ecstatic. It was like a promise.
After nearly twenty years in the officialdom, he finally has a backer.
For Chen Xu, this smuggling of files brought both blessings and disasters.

An hour later, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The sails were spread out, and with the help of the oars,

More than 30 warships began to move slowly, slowly leaving the Hezhou military port.

The lights on the ships were bright, making the slightly gloomy river surface today crystal clear and sparkling.

The ship disappeared from sight.
Chen Xu let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat emotional:
"Fortunately, a large army passed by. If it weren't for Duke Cao's protection, I would not have been able to survive this disaster so easily."

The master standing beside him pursed his lips, reached out his hand and gently stroked his long beard, saying comfortingly:

"A person who is lucky enough to rise to a high position is blessed by heaven. Although the road is bumpy, he will eventually reach a high position.
Now with Duke Cao's support, there is a lot to be done in the future."

Hearing this, Chen Xu pursed his lips and smiled happily.
Soon, the smile in his eyes faded away, and turned into a bone-chilling coldness, and his voice was also a little cold:
"That's all for the future. The most urgent task is to find out the owners of those merchant ships.

Find out who is escorting these smuggling ships.”

As he spoke, Chen Xu clenched his hand tightly, emitting a cold air:

"No matter who is behind them, I will not tolerate them. If they destroy my career, don't blame me for destroying their lives!!

Pass the order down, arrest all the owners of the merchant ships, torture them severely, and find out who is behind this!"

"Yes!"

"We also sent someone to carefully investigate the river transport records.
Through the merchant ship names and records we checked today, we can infer the dates and ships of past smuggling incidents."

The master standing beside him looked puzzled, bowed slightly, and asked tentatively:

"Sir, if you continue investigating like this, it may cause a bigger disturbance."

"I want to cause a stir. The bigger the incident, the more people are involved, and the safer I will be.

It might even lead to great achievements.”

There was a hint of doubt in the master's eyes, but he soon reacted and smiled:
"The wisdom of the superior is beyond our reach.

Then why don't you find a righteous person to claim the responsibility, so that it can be counted as a public achievement for Hezhou."

Chen Xu's eyes flashed with solemnity and he shook his head:
"It is not beautiful to do so much.
It is better for us ants to not play tricks in the court, just follow the rules and then issue the reward."

"Yes!"

The troop transport slowly sailed away from Hezhou, breaking through the waves.

Lu Yunyi stood alone on the deck, his posture upright.
He stared at both sides, and the city of Hezhou gradually blurred in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The flames danced on the outline of Hezhou, and were gradually swallowed up by the surrounding darkness.

The sky was as dark as if it had been splashed with ink. The stars had not yet appeared, leaving only a deep blue-black color.

The surroundings were gradually falling into darkness, with only a few lights flickering on the wide river.

Liu Heiying stood beside him, holding a handful of dried fruits in his hand, eating them with a smacking sound, and asked thoughtfully:

"Brother Yun'er, what do you think will happen to those smugglers? How will the court punish them?"

Luo Yunyi's eyes were empty and his voice was vague:

"Dispose? How?

The garbage boats caught nowadays are just small fish and shrimps.
The real mastermind is still at large.

As the saying goes, every policy from above has its countermeasures.

If the garbage ship channel is blocked, there will be other channels. There is a saying that is very true. "

"What?" At this time, Li Jinglong walked over and asked with a smile.

Lu Yunyi looked back at him and said with a smile:
“When profits double, some people will take risks.

When profits doubled, they dared to risk execution.

And when the profits are tripled, they will trample all laws,

Now, the money earned from sea trade is ten times greater.”

Li Jinglong and Liu Heiying both fell into silence, feeling a little heavy-hearted.

After a long while, Li Jinglong finally spoke slowly:
"Will smuggling never stop?"

Lu Yunyi sighed, his expression a little vague:
"Of course, there are always people who dare to take risks, and they are important figures in the court.

As long as the dispute in the court is not resolved, smuggling will not stop.

We can only kill some, shock some, and defend some."

At this time, Liu Heiying suddenly waved his hand and threw the dried fruit peels in his hand into the river.
"Why worry about this? Our most urgent task is to go to the southwest and fight a good battle.

Beat the crap out of that Silunfa.
Then you will return victorious, get promoted and make a fortune!"

Liu Heiying's voice was so powerful that Lu Yunyi couldn't help but smile.

Li Jinglong, who was standing on the side, also smiled bitterly and sighed:

"You are more carefree. My honor and disgrace are tied to the court, so I have to think about these things."

At this point, Li Jinglong couldn't help but laugh. He raised his hand and scratched his head, his face full of confusion:

"But I just can't understand why people always use me as a tool."

After saying this, the three of them laughed. Li Jinglong took out a document from somewhere and handed it to Lu Yunyi, looking a little embarrassed, and said softly:
"Yun Yi, please help me look at this document. This is the troop statistics of each warship.
The fleet has replenished some supplies in Hezhou, but I am at a loss as to how to distribute and place them."

Lu Yunyi took the document and looked surprised:

"For something this important, shouldn't we wait for Governor Xu to come back and take care of it personally?"

Material distribution has always been an offensive job.
At this moment, Lu Yunyi couldn't help but think that it was Sima Xu who asked Li Jinglong to do these offensive things.

Li Jinglong explained: "There are some medicines and food and daily necessities among them. They will be used in the next two days.
So the quartermaster distributed it and asked me to make a decision, but I don’t know anything about it.
So I came here to ask you to check if there is anything wrong.
If anyone wants to take advantage of the absence of Governor Xu and Duke Shen to do something, I will never forgive him."

After hearing this, Lu Yunyi suddenly understood and felt relieved:

"Only part of it?"

Li Jinglong nodded repeatedly, feeling a little embarrassed:
"If Yun Yi doesn't mind, I would like to observe and learn a thing or two."

Lu Yunyi blinked his eyes, thinking that he was here to learn from him. He suppressed his smile and nodded:
"Naturally."

"Great!"

As Lu Yunyi said this, he walked into the cabin, and Li Jinglong quickly followed him.

But suddenly he found that Liu Heiying was still standing there and did not follow him.

He turned around and shouted, "Black Hawk, don't you want to come and study with us?"

Liu Heiying shook his head like a rattle, with a look of resistance on his face.

Lu Yunyi smiled on the side and said, "Let's go, he can do it."

The smile on Li Jinglong's face disappeared in an instant, and became stiff. He pursed his lips slightly and quickened his pace.

It was still dark, and the sky was a deep, tranquil blue.
A few white clouds floated leisurely, but in this dark sky,

They also seem to have lost the brightness of the day, becoming dim and hazy.

Just when this tranquility was about to be broken,
On the broad official road outside Yingtian City, there suddenly came a burst of rapid and powerful horse hoof sounds.

The sound was faint at first, like an echo in a distant valley, but in an instant it surged in like a tide.

The guards at the city gate were already a little drowsy due to the darkness of the night and were suddenly awakened by the sudden noise.

Their eyes suddenly widened, the blurry scene in the distance reflected in their pupils, and their sleepiness instantly disappeared, replaced by nervous alertness.

They stood up quickly, gripped their weapons tightly, leaned forward slightly, and looked into the distance.

Soon they saw the person coming, and when they saw the familiar armor and the road, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The soldiers guarding the city really wanted to roar.

But they had been at the city gate for many years and knew the importance of it. They also knew that the person who came at this time must be an extraordinary person.

As expected, a man below quickly left the team and shouted towards the city gate:

"Duke Shen is here, please open the door quickly, we have important business to attend to in Beijing!"

As he spoke, the soldier took out a token from a bag on the side and held it high.

The guard at the city gate was still staring blankly, without any reaction for a moment.

The city gate guard who heard the sound rushed out and kicked at them again and again, cursing:
"What are you standing there for, hanging basket!"

As the token was lifted into the air, the sound of the door closing slowly rang out, and the side door slowly opened.

More than a hundred people swarmed in and ran towards the imperial city without any stopping!

Less than half an hour before dawn, the group quickly arrived at the Imperial City.
After the announcement, Duke of Shen Deng Zhen and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army Xu Sima walked quickly into the palace and soon arrived at the Wuying Palace!
The lights were bright here, and the guards on duty had serious expressions on their faces. Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, was pacing slowly in front of the door, holding a sharp long knife.
Seeing Deng Zhen and the other two coming, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked:
"What happened? Why are you rushing back to Beijing?"

As he spoke, Guo Ying waved his hand, and a soldier in armor entered the hall to report.

Guo Ying blocked the entrance to the hall, forcing the two to wait here.

Duke Shen Deng Zhen had a solemn expression on his face. He sighed and gave a brief account of what had happened in Hezhou.

Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding, had been stationed in Liaodong for several years and was well aware of the smuggling issue.
Deng Zhen told him that he wanted to see what he thought.

Wuding Hou Guo Ying's face was extremely solemn, with a sharp murderous look flashing in his brows, and he asserted:
"You guys came back too late. You should have come back to report as soon as the incident happened.
Then block the news, block the front and back rivers, and explore various ports."

Deng Zhen and Xu Sima looked solemn and did not refute.
After a night of running around, they figured out some things.

Just then, the guard came out, bringing with him a red-robed eunuch.

"Duke Shen, Commander Xu, His Majesty is calling you in."

Soon, Duke Shen and Sima Xu walked into the Wuying Hall, followed by Guo Ying.

The Ming Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was leaning over the table with a calm expression.

He held the memorial in his left hand and wrote gently with the red brush in his right hand.

On the table not far away, the Crown Prince Zhu Biao was also like this.

There were memorials piled on his desk, enough to bury him, and he was frowning at the moment.

Hearing the footsteps, Zhu Yuanzhang did not look up, but quietly finished reviewing the memorial.

Then he raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the three people.

"Why are you so flustered? What happened?"

Deng Zhen stepped forward and bowed:
"Your Majesty, when we were passing through Hezhou, we encountered the smuggling of military equipment and other scarce materials using garbage ships."

As he spoke, he took out a memorial from his arms and held it horizontally in front of him.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had a calm expression. Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was writing furiously beside him, frowned slightly, raised his head, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his chin, and a eunuch stepped forward and took the memorial, checking it carefully before handing it to him.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the memorial and unfolded it to read. His eyes became more and more serious, a fierce aura emanated from his body, and his breathing became a little rapid.

When he finished reading the memorial, an oppressive atmosphere had enveloped the entire Wuying Palace.
The waiters and eunuchs present bowed their heads, and Duke Shen and Sima Xu did not dare to breathe.

Zhu Yuanzhang threw the memorial aside and said coldly:
"Prince, take a look at this memorial and see how daring this traitor of our Ming Dynasty is."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao frowned, stood up, took the memorial, opened it and read it, and soon his eyes flashed with sharpness:

"How can this be absurd? Shipping the waste materials from the weapons workshop out of the Ming Dynasty is beneficial to the country and the people, and will benefit future generations.
Someone actually thought about this, he deserves to be killed!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and bowed:
"Father, I beg the three courts to investigate this case and show no mercy!"

"Is that all?" Emperor Ming Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present bent their waists even lower, with a hint of fear in their eyes.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao thought for a moment, then spoke slowly:
"Father, the southwest is preparing for war, and the Ming Dynasty will send 300,000 troops.

It is the time for unity between the upper and lower levels. If this case involves too many people, it will inevitably affect the deployment of troops to the southwest.

Especially the smuggled weapons, which also came from the two lakes.

It is better to wait until the court is temporarily settled before thoroughly investigating the person behind it. "

"Biao'er, they have bullied us two, should I still give them some leeway?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes flashed with coldness, and he said coldly:
"Draft an order that the three departments jointly investigate the case and thoroughly investigate the smuggling.
The Censorate will thoroughly investigate all officials in the prefectures and cities along the river, and will not tolerate any involvement.

Also order the Ministry of Personnel to thoroughly investigate all those who participated in the political process back then! All of them!!”

The red-robed eunuch bowed and said "yes", then left quickly to go to the Hanlin Academy to issue an edict.

After the eunuch left, Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Guo Ying with sharp eyes and asked coldly:

"Guo Ying, you have been in Liaodong for a long time and have been in contact with trade routes for many years. What do you think of this matter?"

Guo Ying's face was solemn, and he clasped his hands together:
"Your Majesty, the court has a strict maritime ban, and no one is allowed to go to sea to do business.

I have to wonder if the proposal to send these wastes to the sea was

It is to openly repair the plank road and secretly cross Chencang, and its fundamental purpose is to do something smuggled. "

He paused and continued:
"This incident reminds me of the Japanese pirates' attack on the southeast many years ago.
At that time, some people suggested that all localities and villages should organize militia to patrol back and forth on the sea.

The person who proposed this policy was eventually found to have colluded with the Japanese pirates and engaged in smuggling.
There is a similarity between the two.”

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sat at the top, looking down at the people present. He had a warm smile and a soothing voice, but his eyes were filled with an irrepressible coldness:
"It seems that the people in my Ming Dynasty are all smart. Check it out thoroughly."

(End of this chapter)