The rise of the poor

Chapter 2080: Xu Hai's Reason for Attack

"I do have an important mission for you, for your Zhejiang Army. You are the key to whether we can succeed in wiping out the Japanese pirates in Takulin."

Zhang Jing poured Zhu Ping'an another cup of tea, put down the teapot, and spoke to Zhu Ping'an in a serious tone.

Zhu Pingan took the teacup with both hands and said with a serious face, "Please give the order, Governor-General. No matter what the mission is, Pingan and the Zhejiang Army will never let you down. Use me in the first battle, and I will win."

"Haha, great, a great saying, 'Use me in the first battle, and I will win!' You are indeed a young man, full of vigor and courage, and full of confidence!"

After hearing Zhu Ping'an's statement, Zhang Jing looked a little unnatural for a second, then smiled and praised him.

Zhu Ping'an was very observant, and the changes in Zhang Jiang's facial expression did not escape his eyes, which made Zhu Ping'an squint his eyes.

Why did Zhang Jing have an unnatural expression? Was Zhang Jing going to give him a dangerous and difficult task?

Why be afraid of danger? Crisis is crisis. Danger and opportunity coexist. The more dangerous and difficult the situation is, the greater the opportunity.

As long as he was prepared in advance and had the Zhejiang Army at his disposal, Zhu Ping'an was not afraid of danger.

"Please give the order, Governor." Zhu Ping'an was eager to try.

"No hurry. Before I give you a task, let's talk about the Japanese pirates in Tuolin." Zhang Jing said with a smile, "Zihou, do you think the arrangements I have made can lure the Japanese pirates in Tuolin to Jiaxing?"

The key to the Battle of Takulin is whether the Takulin Japanese pirates can be attracted to Jiaxing and then annihilated in one fell swoop.

It is normal for Zhang Jing to ask this question.

Zhu Ping'an knew the history. When he heard Zhang Jing's question, he immediately replied with absolute certainty, "The Japanese pirates will definitely come!"

"Oh, Zihou is so confident? Why do you think so?" Zhang Jing asked curiously when he saw Zhu Ping'an was so sure.

"Governor, I am so sure that the Japanese pirates will attack Jiaxing City for three reasons." Zhu Ping'an stretched out three fingers.

"Oh, I'd like to hear your detailed explanation." Zhang Jing nodded with interest.

"First, the Japanese pirates have occupied Tuolin for several months and have been looting everywhere. Songjiang Prefecture has suffered greatly from them, and almost all the wealth in the area has been burned, killed and looted by the Japanese pirates. The benefits of the Japanese pirates looting in Songjiang Prefecture are not great, so they will surely take the opportunity to loot outside. In recent days, I sent people to investigate and found that the scope of the Japanese pirates' looting in Tuolin has been expanding. It can be seen that it is an inevitable choice for the Japanese pirates to loot outside Songjiang Prefecture." Zhu Ping'an took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said slowly.

Zhang Jing nodded slowly while listening to Zhu Ping'an's story.

Indeed, the Japanese pirates in Takulin were like locusts. They had occupied Songjiang Prefecture for so many months and were causing trouble for Songjiang Prefecture every moment. The towns and villages in Songjiang Prefecture had been robbed by them several times, and they had robbed everything that could be robbed.

If they want to get better benefits from looting, going out and robbing is the inevitable choice for the Japanese pirates in Tuolin.

"And the Japanese pirates in Takulin are going to plunder outside Songjiang Prefecture, and their target can be inferred. The places around Songjiang Prefecture that are close, easy to mobilize troops, and rich and profitable are Suzhou to the northwest of Songjiang Prefecture, Jiaxing to the southwest of Songjiang Prefecture, Changzhou, Yangzhou and Yingtian up the river, and Hangzhou and Shaoxing down the coast. Considering the distance, benefits, and convenience of attack and retreat, Suzhou and Jiaxing are their best targets. These two places are closest to their nest, with convenient water and land transportation, and they can advance and retreat freely. It is extremely convenient to retreat after success and retreat and escape after setbacks. The other places are too dependent on waterways. Once the waterways are blocked or the warships are destroyed, their retreat becomes a problem. For them, the risk is too great."

"So, their best choices are Suzhou and Jiaxing. In contrast to Suzhou and Jiaxing, although Suzhou is rich, they have no hidden hand in Suzhou. They once suffered a bloody battle under the city of Suzhou, which left them with psychological trauma. If they forcefully attack the city, the casualties will certainly be large, and it is unknown whether they can take it down. Jiaxing is different. They have hidden hands in Jiaxing. They occupied Jiaxing before, and it was not a problem to plant some Japanese pirates in the city before evacuating. Moreover, they have Zhao Chong, the governor of Jiaxing, who guards the South Gate, as an insider. For them, Jiaxing City is almost in their pocket. Although Jiaxing City was robbed by them once, Jiaxing has now regained its prosperity, and there are so many grains, salt, and military supplies and weapons. Robbery once is enough for them to have several prosperous years. In comprehensive comparison, their best choice is Jiaxing."

Zhu Ping'an then slowly spoke, explaining the first reason why he was certain that the Japanese pirates would attack Jiaxing.

Zhang Jing nodded and motioned Zhu Pingan to continue.

"Secondly, a few days ago, I ambushed the Japanese pirates in Takulin in northern Zhejiang, which dealt a heavy blow to their arrogance, causing them to lose many soldiers and generals, and their momentum was greatly damaged. The Japanese pirates in Takulin must be eager to regain their face and restore their prestige to attract Japanese pirates to join. They must get up from where they fell. Jiaxing is located in northern Zhejiang, and it is a good choice for them to regain their status."

Zhu Ping'an gave another reason.

"Well, that makes sense." Zhang Jing nodded slightly.

"Third, I ambushed the Japanese pirates in northern Zhejiang and captured many of them. After interrogating the captured Japanese pirates, I learned that Xu Hai colluded with the daimyo of Hizen Province, the Matsuura family and the Ryuzoji family. These two Japanese daimyo are expected to have more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers and will arrive in the near future. The Japanese pirates came across the ocean, not to travel, their purpose is to plunder wealth. Once these two families of more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers arrive, Xu Hai will definitely lead them to plunder. The powerful Takulin Japanese pirates must have a big appetite, and they will definitely choose a big city to attack. Jiaxing is their best choice."

Zhu Ping'an also slowly explained the third reason, that the Japanese pirates' reinforcements would arrive soon, and they would take action once they arrived.

"Well, that's good, and it makes sense." Zhang Jing nodded approvingly after hearing it, and then changed the subject, "But these reasons are not enough."

"Please give me some advice, Governor." Zhu Ping'an bowed and asked for advice.

"I am in Jiaxing City, and the Governor's Mansion is in Jiaxing City. Xu Hai cannot refuse this temptation." Zhang Jing said slowly, "Xu Hai is an extremely bold and ambitious man. He is not willing to be inferior to Wang Zhi! Taking Jiaxing, flattening the Governor's Mansion, and capturing me, Zhang Jing, will make his reputation soaring and surpass Wang Zhi. With this reputation, he can attract more Japanese pirates to surrender, strengthen his strength, and surpass Wang Zhi!"

I, Zhang Jing, have personally entered the game as bait. How could Xu Hai resist the temptation to destroy the Governor's Mansion and capture me, Zhang, alive?

"The Governor is right. With these four reasons, the Japanese pirates in Takulin will definitely attack Jiaxing!" Zhu Ping'an flattered him at the right time. (End of this chapter)