The rise of the poor

Chapter 2175 Mao Haifeng Offers Advice

"Lord Zhu, I must be frank with you about something, lest it become a hindrance to our future cooperation."

Mao Haifeng stood up and said to Zhu Pingan.

"General Mao, please speak," Zhu Ping'an said, extending his hand.

"While Lord Zhu was advancing into southern Zhejiang, our army, led by Ye Zongman and Songpu, with 20,000 troops, took advantage of Shaoxing's vulnerability and marched north along the coastal road to attack the city. Of course, while our two armies were negotiating peace, Prince Hui had already sent an envoy to order them to withdraw. Yesterday evening, he returned and urgently sent another envoy to order them to withdraw again."

Mao Haifeng spoke frankly to Zhu Pingan.

"Thank you for your frankness, General Mao. It is normal for two armies to use different methods in battle, and this will not affect our cooperation. From the moment I launched my large-scale campaign into southern Zhejiang, I have been prepared to guard against your attacks on Shaoxing and other places."

Zhu Ping'an was not surprised when he heard this. Just as he said, his large-scale military expedition to southern Zhejiang was intended to draw the firepower of Wang Zhi and his Japanese pirates to Zhang Jing's strategy of annihilating Xu Hai. It was expected that Wang Zhi and his Japanese pirates would attack Shaoxing.

Before arriving, Zhu Ping'an had already taken precautions, bringing 8,000 Zhejiang troops with him, handing over the remaining Zhejiang troops to Liu Mu, leaving behind more than 150 tiger-squatting cannons, and granting him the authority to control all the troops in the city.

There are 2,000 city defense troops in Shaoxing, and three cannons on the city walls. In times of crisis, constables and able-bodied men can be conscripted to assist in the defense.

Before arriving, he had instructed Liu Mu to strengthen the city's defenses, set up visible and hidden sentries outside the city, and have patrol cavalry patrol and guard the area. If Japanese pirates were discovered, he was to defend the city, make good use of the advantage of firearms, and not to go out of the city to fight.

To prevent Japanese pirates from acting as accomplices, Zhu Ping'an emphasized that all city gates of Shaoxing must be under the control of Zhejiang soldiers.

In addition, just in case, he also sent a handwritten order to Yu Dayou, instructing him to send reinforcements to rescue Shaoxing in the event of a life-or-death crisis.

According to Zhang Jing's decree, Yu Dayou and his wolf soldiers were not allowed to move. However, his newly recruited soldiers and navy were not subject to Zhang Jing's decree. When Shaoxing was in crisis, Yu Dayou could send his capable generals to lead the newly recruited soldiers and navy to aid Shaoxing without violating Zhang Jing's decree.

In this way, defending Shaoxing should not be a problem.

Moreover, after confirming that Wang Zhi's battalion had left that morning, Zhu Ping'an had already ordered Liu Daqiang to lead two thousand Zhejiang soldiers back to Shaoxing at full speed.

Therefore, Zhu Ping'an was not worried when he heard Mao Haifeng say that the Japanese pirates from Ye Zongman's and Songpu tribes were attacking Shaoxing.

When Mao Haifeng heard Zhu Pingan say that he had expected it, he was surprised. But after carefully observing Zhu Pingan's expression, he saw that Zhu Pingan was calm and showed no signs of fright or worry. It seemed that Zhu Pingan really had expected it.

Zhu Pingan anticipates three steps ahead for every one he takes; he predicted all our reactions. My defeat was not unjust.

but

Suddenly remembering something, Mao Haifeng clasped his hands and asked Zhu Ping'an, "Lord Zhu, there is something I don't understand. Please enlighten me."

"General Mao, please speak." Zhu Ping'an gestured for him to speak.

"Lord Zhu, isn't the key to military campaigns to strike unexpectedly and catch the enemy off guard? Why is your expedition against the Zhejiang army so high-profile, with notices posted? Isn't this just stirring up trouble and alerting us to prepare our defenses? Why is Lord Zhu doing this?"

The inside story concerns Zhang Jing's strategy to eliminate Xu Hai, and Zhu Ping'an absolutely cannot tell Mao Haifeng about it.

To avoid unnecessary complications.

While he couldn't reveal the truth, he needed a plausible reason. After a moment's thought, Zhu Ping'an smiled and said, "My purpose in coming to southern Zhejiang to eliminate the coastal strongholds is twofold. First, I've just assumed the post of Governor of Zhejiang, and the court still has Governor Zhang Jing's demands regarding Zhejiang's efforts to suppress the Japanese pirates. I've been Governor of Zhejiang for over a month now, and I need to take some action to give an account. Second, my trip to southern Zhejiang to eliminate the coastal strongholds is just a pretext. My real purpose is to contact your Chief Wang and offer you amnesty. If I don't make a big show of it, how can I attract you, how can I attract your Chief Wang, how can I make contact with you? You've all seen how much effort I've put in to show my sincerity and goodwill."

Upon hearing this, Mao Haifeng nodded repeatedly. "So that's how it is. That's true. If Zhu Ping'an hadn't come over in such a grand manner, he really wouldn't have been able to see our Prince Hui. As for Zhao'an, that would have been even more out of the question."

"General Mao, although eliminating other Japanese pirate strongholds along the coast is just a pretext, I have already reported it. Therefore, this mission must be completed, otherwise I will be punished for incompetence. Your coastal strongholds have been withdrawn, but besides you, there are still more than ten strongholds of various sizes along the coast. General Mao, you are familiar with the surrounding situation. In your opinion, how should we proceed to ensure success?"

Zhu Pingan cupped his hands in greeting to Mao Haifeng.

"Lord Zhu, you've come to the right person. Along the Zhejiang coast, besides our stronghold, there are thirteen other pirate strongholds of varying sizes. The larger ones have two or three thousand pirates, while the smaller ones have a hundred or so. Some of these pirates outwardly obey our orders, but in reality, they are disobedient, and some even dare to be our enemies. I've wanted to deal with them for a long time! I've already figured out their situation. Of these thirteen pirate strongholds, only three require special attention. The other ten are not a concern at all. We can take them down in one fell swoop by sneaking in under cover of darkness." Mao Haifeng patted his chest and assured Zhu Ping'an.

"Oh, which three outposts need special attention?" Zhu Pingan continued to inquire.

"One group is the Japanese pirates who occupy Moon Island. Moon Island is located southeast of Taizhou, about four miles from the coast. It is isolated from the coast at high tide and connected to the coast at low tide. There are three thousand Japanese pirates on the island. The leader of the pirates is called Xu San, who claims to be the younger brother of Xu Dong. He is the most hostile to us. Apart from us, this group of Japanese pirates is the strongest. They are in league with the barbarians. Every few months, several barbarian warships come here."

"The second place is Meiling. There are two groups of Japanese pirates stationed there, one in the east of Meiling and the other in the west. Each group of pirates has more than a thousand men. Although they are not under each other's command, the two groups of pirates have formed an alliance against external forces and are mutually supportive. If one group attacks the other, the other group will send troops to its aid. They are not easy to deal with."

"The third place is Yoshiya Village. This village is inhabited by the descendants of Japanese pirates who fled to our Great Ming Dynasty. The villagers speak a foreign language, and many of them cannot even speak Chinese. The village has more than 500 households and more than 1,800 villagers. Regardless of age or gender, everyone can carry a knife. This village still has connections with Japan. Every year, Japanese pirates cross the sea to come here and use this village as a base to burn, kill, and plunder in Taizhou, Linhai and other places."

"Once we crush these three pirate strongholds, the other ten pirate strongholds will be no problem."

Mao Haifeng said confidently. (End of Chapter)