Ten days later,
In Hangzhou, at the Governor-General's Mansion.
Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang were also frowning. For the past period, the two had been keeping a very low profile to avoid trouble. Originally, according to the court's regulations, they should have been stationed in Nanjing. Since the large-scale Japanese pirates were gone, only scattered bandits remained, and the imperial army was still in Jiangnan, mainly to guard against the resurgence of Japanese pirates. However, after the Yan Shannong incident some time ago, Tan Lun brought Qi Jiguang to the Hangzhou Governor-General's Mansion, essentially for refuge.
The two closed their doors to visitors, spending their days playing chess and discussing state affairs, both feeling that the situation was more dangerous than before Zhu Mo's appearance. Tan Lun, preoccupied with the matter of Yan Shannong's capture, played several bad moves absentmindedly, quickly showing signs of defeat. He immediately threw his chess pieces aside and sighed,
"Yuanjing, I never thought I would become someone who harms the virtuous..."
Qi Jiguang also felt immense pain. He had suggested to Tan Lun several times whether the imperial army could be stationed in various places to quell the unrest, but Tan Lun had repeatedly refused. Not only had he refused, but he had also been pressured by Liu Shiyan and had actually arrested Yan Shannong... This was a huge blemish. Although Liu Shiyan would take the blame, Tan Lun would ultimately not have a good reputation.
At this moment,
Seeing that Tan Lun was truly remorseful, he said again,
"Zili, I reiterate my words, the chaos in Jiangnan can only be resolved if the imperial army is stationed in various prefectures and counties; otherwise, it will be disastrous... Zili, just imagine, would the Crown Prince truly want such a backlash? These reformist officers are running rampant in the villages, and with the slightest mistake, it will be irreparable... Alas..."
He wanted to say more, but upon remembering that military officials of the Great Ming were not allowed to interfere in political affairs, he forcefully stopped himself. Tan Lun naturally understood his intentions and sighed deeply,
"Yuanjing, my heart is being twisted like a knife right now..."
When Qi Jiguang arrived, he had first informed his subordinates and personally met with Liu Shiyan. He had already, in the name of the Minister of War in Nanjing, imprisoned Yan Shannong and other criminals in the main camp, and for the time being, there were no major issues. Seeing Tan Lun's extreme distress, he comforted him,
"Zili, Yan Shannong and the others will be fine for now... I am worried about other places. Recently, reformist officers and Tunken Yiyong have been in confrontation everywhere... As soon as Zhu Mo gives an order, the Yiyong in various places will clash with the reformist officers, and the situation is as precarious as a pile of eggs!"
Tan Lun shook his head,
"Zhu Mo, by doing this, isn't he openly leading the people to resist the government? This is also definitely not a good strategy! Who knew Zhang Yu would be so cruel? I don't think this standoff can last much longer... When unexpected events happen, how can they be predicted... It was Zhang Taiyue who was the smartest, he left early and even deliberately had a big argument with Zhang Yu. Now everyone says Zhang Taiyue was forced to leave. Alas, he was indeed a move ahead..."
Qi Jiguang sighed,
"Indeed, with Zhang Juzheng gone and Zhu Mo retreating, the burden has fallen entirely on us..."
The two couldn't help but smile wryly at each other.
And just then, a doorman suddenly reported—
Zhu Mo requests an audience!
Ah?
The two were instantly astonished—
Zhu Mo had been hiding at the North Training Ground, secretly manipulating the Tunken Yiyong to oppose Zhang Yu. Why was he suddenly coming to their door?
Tan Lun scoffed and said,
"He's coming? Isn't it for Yan Shannong? Yuanjing, I don't think we should see him..."
He then said to the doorman,
"Tell Zhu Mo that Yan Shannong is not in immediate danger. General Qi has already taken those people under protection... Go!"
Qi Jiguang, however, suddenly had a flash of insight and said,
"Wait, I think we can meet him!"
At this moment,
He suddenly thought—
Zhu Mo dares to do anything. Moreover, this wave of countercurrent was aimed at him. Perhaps this person could do something extraordinary, and there might be a turning point then?
He immediately said to Tan Lun,
"Zili, the situation has come to this, let's see if there's any change!"
Tan Lun could only nod.
...
Zhu Mo, dressed in plain cloth, entered the hall with a smile and cupped his hands,
"Greetings, Governor-General, General Qi!"
Tan Lun, who already disliked him, was even more disgusted in his current predicament. He only gave a slight cupped-hand greeting. Qi Jiguang stepped forward and said,
"Scholar Zhu's journey to Yunnan and Guizhou, defeating the powerful enemy Mang Yinglong, truly made us hold our breath. All of us soldiers are greatly impressed..."
Zhu Mo said calmly,
"Not at all, not at all. Qi Jiguang's pacification of bandits in several provinces within a few months is the true skill..."
Cough, cough,
Tan Lun was already getting impatient and said,
"Scholar Zhu, why have you come here? Do you have any advice?"
Hehe,
Zhu Mo smiled faintly and said,
"I have come to ask the Governor-General for advice on how to resolve the current chaos in Jiangnan. Lord Tan, as the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili, will you truly remain indifferent?"
Tan Lun was immediately angered and retorted with a sarcastic smile,
"The reform in Jiangnan to restore the Way of the Sage is the grand strategy of the Crown Prince and Elder Chen. Originally, there were no problems... But there are always some people who are unwilling. It was said that the Yiyong were not allowed to leave the Tunken Guard, so why did so many run out? As Governor-General, even if I wanted to deal with it, where would I even start?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mo was immediately furious—
This Tan Lun,
He was utterly inhuman!
He was about to retort immediately, but then he thought: Why bother getting angry with such a feudal bureaucrat? If they could distinguish right from wrong, wouldn't the world have been peaceful long ago?
He just smiled faintly and said to Qi Jiguang,
"General Qi, I am here today to borrow troops from you!"
Hiss!
Borrow troops?
The two immediately looked at each other.
Tan Lun scoffed and said,
"Borrow troops? Hehe, Scholar Zhu, our dynasty has no such custom... To use troops, one must first have a document from the Ministry of War, the court must appoint generals, and there must be military passes and tiger tally, and regular reports must be submitted to superiors and the Ministry of War... Hehe, where does this talk of borrowing troops come from?"
Qi Jiguang, however, felt it made sense and couldn't help but remind him,
"I forgot, Scholar Zhu is also the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War... But how should these troops be borrowed?"
As soon as this was said,
Tan Lun also realized: That's right, this person is still the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. He has the qualifications to lead troops, but what about the nominal authority? Let's see what he says.
Zhu Mo nodded, but then slowly explained,
"As you both have seen, currently, those Tunken Yiyong are entering and leaving the prefectures and counties of the four provinces. The commander of the Yiyong is Liu Yingjie, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan. Liu Yingjie is currently at a loss and cannot suppress them at all!
Why? You must have heard, these Tunken Yiyong were originally serfs, and their homes were in the villages of the prefectures and counties... They heard that their villagers were in trouble, so they fled from the Tunken Guard. For example, Yin Xiaohu from Nanxun led more than a hundred people back to Nanxun.
What can be done about this? There is simply no way! You two imagine, Lord Liu Yingjie is not an immortal, what method can he use to make them return now?"
Having said this,
He paused deliberately.
Tan Lun thought: This is quite interesting...
Qi Jiguang nodded and said,
"Indeed, anyone would be helpless. With so many counties and villages, even if constables are sent to force them, they won't come back..."
"Exactly!"
Zhu Mo said with emotion,
"General Qi's words are true... Lord Tan, I think, in this chaotic situation, for these Tunken Yiyong to return to the guard post is already extremely difficult. If it drags on, and something happens, it will be hard to resolve..."
Tan Lun thought—
If the imperial army were dispatched to various places, what would Zhang Yu say?
He would definitely turn hostile.
And the Crown Prince, how would he explain?
Would he say it was an emergency? Or directly say Zhu Mo came to pressure them?
Or,
Perhaps Qi Jiguang would bear the blame?
He paced a few steps, unwilling to give a clear answer, and said in a deep voice,
"So? What does Scholar Zhu plan to do?"
Zhu Mo had no time to bicker with them, so he immediately said,
"My intention is, in my capacity as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, to borrow troops from the Governor-General and General Qi to persuade those Tunken Yiyong to return... According to Lord Liu, there are dozens of Tunken Yiyong in each county and village, so the troops cannot be few. Perhaps, two to three hundred men per county..."
Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang exchanged glances. Tan Lun was about to speak, shaking his head slightly. Qi Jiguang, worried he would object, immediately agreed,
"Good! It's feasible! Lord Tan, what do you think?"
Tan Lun was not like Qi Jiguang. He knew this matter was very unusual. It essentially violated the court's regulations on using troops. If something went wrong, it would be a monumental issue, and no one would be able to protect him. If Yan Shifan insisted it was an unauthorized deployment of official troops, it would be tantamount to rebellion!
With this thought,
He coughed and mumbled,
"Persuade to return, persuade to return... In my view, it's between feasible and not feasible..."
Qi Jiguang was eager to save people and knew that the reformist officers and the Tunken Yiyong were like fire and water. In such a large area covering four provinces, clashes could happen at any time. He immediately said,
"I think it's feasible!"