OBS Chapter 1161 Don't force me to beat you up when I'm in a good mood!
Chapter 1161 Don't force me to beat you up when I'm in a good mood!
Emperor Zhu held the latest secret report sent back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his face so gloomy it could wring water out of it.
The group that kidnapped the Ming Dynasty merchants was another group of Ming Dynasty merchants.
The mastermind, merchant Hong Yingtai, was no innocent man. He had already fled to Pegu around the tenth year of the Zhizheng era. Over the past ten years, he had infiltrated the entire Pegu like a sieve. Even if the king of Pegu wanted to do something, he had to consider their attitude first.
The so-called bound Ming merchants were no better. They had only gone to Pegu because they saw that the Ming Dynasty's commercial taxes had become increasingly heavy in the past two years, while the merchants who paid large amounts of commercial taxes received no preferential treatment. Not to mention the arbitrary beating of servants, they were not even allowed to wear silk clothes. So, they gritted their teeth and ran away to Pegu.
Unfortunately, the kidnapped merchant was neither surnamed Hong nor Chen. After arriving in Pegu, he acted arrogantly by relying on his status as a Ming Dynasty merchant, which made him a target of Hong Yingtai's family.
According to information gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the kidnapped merchants were not the first to suffer.
Starting from the first year of the Hongwu reign, a hundred or so merchants have suffered misfortune in Pegu.
As for why so many merchants suffered, yet people still flocked to Pegu one after another.
One reason is that maritime trade is inherently risky; one might drown at any moment, and no one can say for sure whether these merchants met their demise through romance or misfortune in Pegu.
Another thing is that Hong Yingtai has been sending people to spread the word about Pegu in the Ming Dynasty, implying that the people of Pegu are foolish and rich, and that they should come quickly.
As the saying goes, nobody does a business that loses money, but there's no shortage of people willing to risk their lives if it's profitable.
Many merchants who disliked the Ming Dynasty went to Pegu with the idea that "if we're going to die, we'll die; if we don't, we'll live forever. Anyway, Pegu doesn't dare to provoke the Ming Dynasty."
Emperor Zhu, his face dark and sour, ordered Chen Zhong to deliver the secret report to Li Shanchang, then snorted coldly, "Damn it, they're really something! On one hand, they despise our Great Ming, and on the other hand, they want to use our Great Ming's banner to bully the Kingdom of Pegu. They really have no shame!"
Li Shanchang took the secret report, glanced at it, and then handed it to Liu Bowen.
When the secret report reached Yang Shaofeng, he was completely stunned.
This is just never going to end!
The Pu family of Quanzhou first split into the Chen and Hong families, and then a branch from the Hong family went to Bago.
What's even more disgusting is that the cases involving the Pu family in Quanzhou didn't even trace back to Hong Yingtai's branch!
To be able to evade the pursuit of the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Hongwu era...
Yang Shaofeng shook his head helplessly and said, "Let's not talk about whether they have any shame or not. The key is that I really have no choice. Unless we forcibly confiscate all the family genealogies of the people and then check them one by one, and deal with anyone with the surnames Hong or Chen or who may be involved with the Pu family of Quanzhou severely, we don't know how deep these people can hide."
As Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Emperor Zhu, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen all shook their heads helplessly.
In theory, it is entirely possible to forcibly confiscate people's family genealogies and clan records, and then verify them one by one.
However, confiscating people's family genealogies and clan records would disrupt their lives, and local officials might not put in the effort, or even try to muddy the waters, making it simply not feasible.
"No other way?"
Emperor Zhu sneered and said menacingly, "Have someone inform the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Bago to thoroughly investigate the Hong clan of Bago. Also, have someone tell Liao Yongzhong and Yu Tongyuan that everyone related to the Hong clan of Bago, whether they are officials or commoners, must be thoroughly cleaned up."
"We shouldn't bother the people of the Ming Dynasty, so why should we care about those barbarians from Pegu?"
"Damn it, these barbarians are only getting by because of Zhu Chongba's good temper, and the court can't spare any more time to deal with them."
"Otherwise, we'll have to wipe them all out!"
……
While Emperor Zhu vented his dissatisfaction by cursing in the palace, Liao Yongzhong and Yu Tongyuan looked at the port of Pegu Kingdom as if they were seeing long-lost relatives.
More than ten days! Do you know how hard it is to get through those ten days?
In just over ten days, I broke down and analyzed all the battles I had ever experienced in my life, and then told them to the Fourth Prince and Xu Yungong little by little. Then I had to accompany them in sand table simulations, and the Fourth Prince kept pestering me to write some kind of battle memoir. Good heavens, we two are not very literate, and we can only read picture books with erotic pictures. But you, the Fourth Prince, want us to write a book?
Looking at their battle memoirs, which were covered with circles and crosses, Liao Yongzhong and Yu Tongyuan felt an urge to "die sooner and be reborn sooner."
Now, suddenly seeing the port of Pegu, the anger that had been simmering under Zhu Laosi's torment these past few days finally found an outlet.
Liao Yongzhong, holding up his binoculars with both hands, asked without turning his head, "Well, are there any merchant ships from our Great Ming?"
Yu Tongyuan grinned maliciously and said, "No, not a single merchant ship flying the Ming Dynasty flag. It's truly as if even God is on our side!"
Liao Yongzhong was overjoyed. After putting down his binoculars, he looked at Yu Tongyuan and said, "Then let's proceed according to the plan we discussed earlier."
Yu Tongyuan nodded and immediately turned to his deputy, instructing, "Pass on my order: the flagship and treasure ships will form a long, serpentine formation, with their starboard sides aimed at Bago Harbor. After the flagship has test-fired and corrected the 'swarm of bees' and the cannons, all the treasure ships and gunboats will fire three rounds of salvo."
"After three rounds, the infantry ships docked, the infantry landed and built positions, and the cavalry followed."
"Once the position is secured, the warships and horse boats will retreat, while two treasure ships loaded with a swarm of bees and two gunboats will advance to the shore for guard duty."
The lieutenant scribbled on a pencil, repeated the instructions, and then went to relay Yu Tongyuan's orders.
"Chirp~!"
The whooshing sound of rockets being launched in a swarm was just like the howling of the eerie winds from hell.
When the screams merge into one, they form a mournful hymn of death.
Liao Yongzhong watched with envy as the rockets raced toward the port.
Damn it, if I had had this thing back then, I would have beaten Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng to a pulp if I hadn't!
Seeing that Liao Yongzhong was practically drooling with envy, Yu Tongyuan immediately smiled and said, "In about six months, your East China Sea Fleet will be fully formed."
Liao Yongzhong was overjoyed and was about to say thank you when Yu Tongyuan, as if to add insult to injury, said, "It's a pity that after your East China Sea Fleet is formed, you will need to recruit more people to prepare for the West China Sea Fleet."
"Moreover, the prince consort also said that the sooner you use it, the sooner you can enjoy it, and the later you use it, the more luxurious it will be."
"The sooner the East China Sea Fleet is formed, the more likely it will need oars."
"If it had been a few years later, the entire fleet might have been powered by steam engines."
"..."
Liao Yongzhong glanced at Yu Tongyuan and sneered, "Don't force me to beat you up when I'm in a good mood!"