But to their surprise, Zhu Mo did not pursue. After watching from a distance for a while, he turned and headed south along the forest.
The injured Omura was helped onto a small boat by several samurai. After a shaky journey, it reached the large ship. Omura Sumitada, injured in two places, was out of danger. He let out a sigh of relief, but a sharp pain suddenly struck his heart, and he lost consciousness. His vassals quickly carried him into the cabin.
Mao Lie and Wu Ping stood at the bow of the flagship, watching the retreating Zhu Mo's arquebusiers, utterly bewildered. Mao Lie asked, "What is he doing? Why did he let us go?"
Wu Ping, having clashed with Zhu Mo, knew him to be unfathomable. Today's events were strange, and he suspected a more sinister plan. He sighed, "Brother Haifeng, how would I know? Earlier at Zuibai Pond, he didn't attack, as if he deliberately let us escape to sea..."
"Deliberately..."
Mao Lie shook his head, feeling a sense of foreboding he couldn't quite articulate. Fortunately, over four thousand of them had escaped. As long as they could reach the island, they could hold out for a year or a half. He felt a little reassured, waved his hand, and the large ship immediately set sail.
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...
More than an hour later,
Zhu Mo arrived at Hulu Mountain Water Fort.
Yu Dayou seemed to have anticipated something. They chatted about the battle for a long time, but he did not ask why the firearms and artillery were not brought back to the ships to level Zhoushan.
After a bit more conversation, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. When they touched upon Liu Yingjie, whom both knew well, Zhu Mo finally couldn't help but ask cautiously, "Commander Yu, over four thousand pirates escaped this time, and they are likely back at Zhou Shan Lihang by now..."
"Mm, let them be..."
Yu Dayou said with a half-smile, "I've been fighting pirates for over twenty years, there's no hurry for this one instance..."
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo nodded continuously.
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Yu Dayou continued, "I thought this great battle would take at least ten days to half a month, but it ended in less than two days..."
"Yes, yes, I didn't expect it, didn't expect it..."
Zhu Mo was still playing the fool.
Yu Dayou couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly said, "Grand Scholar Zhu, how long do you actually want this battle to last?"
Seeing that he couldn't hide it anymore, Zhu Mo laughed heartily and said half-jokingly, "We'll fight it slowly. At least three months, at most a year or half..."
At the same time, he thought: Among the generals in Jiangnan, this seemingly straightforward Yu Dayou has the sharpest mind. Others might not guess, but he has figured out that I intend to use Zhoushan as a leverage. No wonder this man has risen and fallen six times; he is indeed a bit stronger than Qi Jiguang...
Little did he know that Yu Dayou, Li Wenjin, and others had confronted the Yan family for twenty years and experienced countless storms. They were no longer mere military commanders. When the appointed time arrived and Zhu Mo hadn't returned, he had already guessed something, thinking this young man likely had some unexpected move up his sleeve.
Seeing Zhu Mo's knowing smile, which was exactly like that girl's cunning expression, how could he not know something was amiss? After a brief probe, he understood: Zhu Mo intended to fight a protracted war at Zhoushan, using the Yan family's methods against them. As long as the Yan family stood, this war would never end, and a constant pressure would be maintained. But this young man seemed not to consider how much effort would be required for such a prolonged conflict, nor what would happen if the pirates were reinforced or if other complications arose.
Thinking of this, Yu Dayou grunted and suddenly said, "The battle report from Huating will soon reach the capital... But there are still two hundred pirate warships at sea, and they are not easy to deal with..."
Since Zhu Mo was determined to leave this loose end, he was not afraid of these difficulties. He thought that Zhao Shizhen's artillery and ammunition would still arrive. After the land battle, it would be half over. Leaving a tail was precisely to force the situation. As long as the pirates did not land and harass the people, there would be no major problems. He immediately said,
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"Commander Yu, the battle can be fought slowly, but two points must be achieved. First, strictly guard the coast and prevent the pirates from landing again; second, do not let the pirates escape Zhoushan, nor allow them to sink merchant ships and disrupt maritime trade. As long as these two points are met, this battle can last as long as it needs to..."
Seeing Yu Dayou's slightly troubled expression, he smiled again,
"Don't worry, more artillery will be delivered. When we have two to three hundred cannons, even if all the pirates come, we will be able to handle them all."
Yu Dayou sighed in his heart: How could my younger sister have such a son? Where did he learn all these tricks...
As the sky gradually darkened,
Zheng Qinye also returned with the other half of the team. The weary soldiers all had a good night's sleep in the peaceful atmosphere of the water fort.
...
The next day,
Zhu Mo instructed Zheng Qin to stay behind and returned to Hangzhou with ten of his personal guards.
At this time,
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The good news had already spread throughout the city.
As soon as he entered the city gates, he saw the entire city decorated with lanterns and streamers. Many citizens recognized Zhu Mo and erupted in cheers—
"Grand Scholar Zhu!"
"Zhu Mo drove away the pirates!"
"Support Grand Scholar Zhu!"
"Well done, Zhu Mo!"
"Yan Song and his son are scoundrels!"
"The pirates are defeated, and the Great Ming will surely win!"
"Zhu Mo is a hero!"
"Long live the Great Ming!"
"..."
The ten personal guards who had followed him since Xuanda, though aware of Zhu Mo's extraordinary nature, had never experienced such a scene. They felt their faces glow with pride, their mouths wide open in smiles.
Zhu Mo maintained a solemn expression, cupping his hands in greeting to the people in the street, but remained silent.
Outside the Ci Ren Ci,
The citizens spontaneously sent many provisions. The yamen runners could not refuse them, and they piled up into a small mountain. Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Han, Zhang Siwei, Shen Shixing, and others all beamed with laughter.
Upon seeing Zhu Mo enter, they all rose to congratulate him.
Zhang Juzheng, being a man of great wisdom, had already guessed from yesterday's battle report that Zhu Mo had likely intentionally let the pirates escape to Zhoushan Lihang. In this way, the battle was not over. As long as the battle was not over, the Yan family and the external allied forces would still have illusions, the situation would not escalate uncontrollably for the time being, and instead, they could slowly manage it.
He admired this greatly—
Zhu Mo, at such a young age, possessed such strategic thinking? This was truly a troublesome matter, and he was unsure of the outcome in the future.
However, leaving this loose end also presented a problem: the foreign maritime powers would still harbor hopes and would not admit defeat in the short term, which meant obstacles would remain for the silk trade with foreign merchants. Furthermore, a mere land defeat would not satisfy the sea bandits, and they could expand the war at any time.
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Thinking of this,
He pulled Zhu Mo aside and whispered, "Zi Xuan, a single victory may not be enough... I think we need to find a way to have Yu Dayou engage the pirates at sea as well, only then can we break the deadlock..."
Zhu Mo couldn't help but feel deeply impressed—
As expected, you, Zhang Juzheng, have the best mind!
However,
I am confident about this battle, naturally.
He smiled calmly and said,
"Brother Taiyue, don't worry. My firearms and artillery have been loaded onto Yu Dayou's large ships and can be fired at any time, but this is not the most urgent matter at the moment... Ah, what is most urgent for me is Qinu... The reform of the imperial farms must be carried out immediately!
You don't know, I promised those Qinu volunteers on the battlefield that after the war, I would grant them land according to their population. The candidates have also been selected. The county magistrate of Pinghu, Liu Cunyi, is very capable. Recommend him with his military merits, and make him a Tunken Adjutant first?"
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This is no problem at all. Zhang Juzheng readily agreed and said,
"Good! I will sign a warrant, and you can assume your post tomorrow as a wartime appointment. As for the Tunken Guard and the imperial farms, we should discuss them in detail."
Mm-hmm.
Both felt the gravity of the matter and became serious at once.