Fight the Giants

  Chapter 669 Why

  The Zhili elite soldiers led by Mu Yan headed for Turtle Island on several warships.

  The two fishermen who led the way looked at each other with worry in their eyes.

  One of them couldn't bear it, and moved to Mu Yan's side: "Master, I heard that the group of pirates occupying Turtle Island is very powerful. There are hundreds of ships. You guys..."

   This is less than ten ships.

  Although it looks big, it is not as flexible as a small boat to shuttle between shoals and islands. Moreover, this group of military masters don't even know the sea conditions and waters. When they are surrounded by people, they get lost in the sea, and they are afraid that they will never return.

  The two leading fishermen were worried.

Kan Er didn't want to hear them boost others' ambitions, so he replied loudly: "Don't worry. This time the emperor sent 400,000 sailors from Zhejiang and Fujian, and vowed to wipe out all the pirates in this area. Our warships are everywhere on the sea, and there are military conditions. Signal flares will be issued immediately, and there will be reinforcements from warships at any time. Don't be afraid, lead your way well, and there will be great rewards then!"

  The two fishermen quietly breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."

   Li Yi leaned closer to Mu Yan: "Master, we'll focus on sentry this time, so we shouldn't go too deep."

   There are several small islands next to Turtle Island, and the pirates are familiar with the terrain. They go too deep, which is disadvantageous.

   "I know it well." Mu Yan replied.

  Since the rise of maritime trade, more and more people have the idea of ​​getting something for nothing, robbing passing merchant ships at sea, even fishermen. This is not counted, and they often harass the people along the coast. The people along the coast were unbearably disturbed and fled in anticipation of the wind, so that the fertile land was abandoned.

   Over time, the common people complained, complaining bitterly that the government was not effective in handling affairs, even a group of pirates could not be dealt with, and the people's hearts were lax.

The pirates are very fierce. They not only enter the coastal towns and villages, they come and leave whenever they want, as if entering a no-man's land, they also collude with the Japanese, and sometimes occupy the city to defend against the imperial court. Became a gang of rebels.

  In addition to the northern grassland peoples, coastal pirates and Japanese pirates have risen. Since Taizu, they have become the heart disease of the emperors on the throne.

  Emperor Yongkang was jealous of evil, and said that the thief would be punished even if he was far away.

  At the beginning, a reward of 500,000 taels was offered, so that Guan He would not hesitate to go to Sanfo Qi to capture the pirate leader Chen Zuyi and return to his country to behead him. In the second year of Yongkang, Guan He and others were sent to Dongying with 100,000 sailors to demonstrate, ordering the Japanese king to restrain the people of the country.

  Now another 400,000 naval divisions are sent to order Ping Jiangbo to lead his troops to destroy the pirates, which shows his determination.

   After reuniting with Bo Ping Jiang, he ordered him to lead Zhili elite troops to Turtle Island, also to wipe out all the pirates hiding on these small islands in the southeast waters.

  At that time, these offshore islands can be used as a maritime defense center, connecting points into lines, weaving into surfaces, and connecting with coastal beacon walls and piers to form a deep sea frontier defense system.

  Mu Yan closed the binoculars, asked the flag bearer to raise the semaphore, and headed for Turtle Island at full speed.

  This time to suppress pirates, the commander-in-chief was not Zhang Fu, but he was busy training troops, so he did not care about him.

  The grassland peoples in the north have always been a serious concern of Emperor Yongkang. It is estimated that there will be another northern expedition soon, and perhaps Emperor Yongkang will conquer it himself.

  Zhang Fu did not dare to neglect, and practiced troops every day. Although he was training in the military barracks in the capital, he was so busy that he never returned home for many days.

   But news from home has been reaching him. The ethnology has been well prepared, and it will resume school soon, and it is ready to go back to the house.

  Huo Xi usually only raises opinions here, and occasionally goes to the ethnology to have a look. Most of them just talk about it.

  One day, Zhang Xie came back from the Imperial College, went to Xianglanyuan, and asked someone to call her, but he grabbed the door frame and refused to go in.

   Waiting for Huo Xi to come out, he poked his neck: "I want to go to ethnography too! They don't dare to make decisions, let me ask you!"

   "Are you going to study ethnology? Are you unhappy staying in the Imperial College?" Huo Xi was a little surprised.

  Zhang Xie pursed his lips. From the teacher to the classmates of the Imperial College, they only had Huo Nian in their eyes, and he was no longer the little father-in-law of the past.

   "Are you afraid that if I go to ethnology and get along well with everyone, Zhang Yuzhong's position as the eldest son will be lost!"

  Huo Xi laughed: "So you want to be a chicken head."

   "What chicken head?" Zhang Xie didn't understand for a while.

   "Chicken head and phoenix tail. If it were me, I would rather be a phoenix tail than a chicken head."

  Zhang Xie tilted his head, understood what Huo Xi meant, and asked her: "Why? Didn't everyone say that it's better to be a chicken head than a phoenix tail?"

"You want to go by yourself. Even if you go to the East Palace to ask your sister, she also wants you to stay in the Imperial College. However, I respect your intention. If you go to the Imperial College, I will ask for your place and let Zhang Mao entered the Imperial Academy."

   "Why!"

  Zhang Xie jumped, and he didn't let Zhang Mao go either.

   "Anyway, you're not going."

   "Who said I won't go!" Turned around and ran away bitterly. Forget the meaning of coming.

  Going back to his yard, he didn't think about it, so he asked someone to set up a car and go to the East Palace to look for Baguio.

Baguio also persuaded him to stay in the Guozijian, "The clan school hires some gentlemen, and the Guozijian is such a gentleman. Moreover, the Guozijian are all noble children, and the clan studies are just some clansmen who can't afford to go to school. What kind of friends can they make?" , what good will it do for you in the future?"

  Don't talk too much, just make one or two close friends, and these friends will help Xie'er in the future.

  The people of the same ethnic group in the ethnology all look up to the life of the British government. They dare not say serious words, they only flatter others. How can it help Xie'er.

   "Do you really want to watch Zhang Yuzhong and Zhang Mao both study in the Imperial College, and you go to study ethnology by yourself?"

"I do not want it!"

  Although staying in the Imperial College was unhappy, Zhang Xie was unhappy when he saw the three men in Dafang, both of whom were in the Imperial College, and he went to study ethnology alone.

   "That's right. You study obediently in the Imperial College. After you finish your studies, your father will find you a job. With your father's help in planning, you can't miss your future."

  When mentioning his father, Zhang Xie was still a little awkward and didn't speak.

  Zhang Biyao sighed, knowing that the situation was stronger than others, "Don't be awkward with the elder sister and the fifth younger brother, and pretend to be friendly..." persuaded him earnestly.

   Otherwise, he would be the one who suffers. Now that his mother is gone, and she has left the cabinet again, who else in the mansion is really thinking about him?

   "Understood!" Zhang Xie was a little impatient, he responded, and turned to go back home.

  Baguio stopped him again: "My sister wants to help you buy some fields and Zhuangzi, so that the money will not stay in your hands and you will squander it."

  Zhang Jie paused, thought for a while, "Don't you want to buy a shop? You can earn more money every year."

   "Buying a shop, you don't have the right people to help you take care of it, and your sister can't go out. If you are cheated, the loss outweighs the gain."

   "How can I be deceived! I, how can I say I am also the young master of the Duke's Mansion, who dares to lie to me!"

   "I don't say I'm lying to you, I just say that I'm cheating on the accounts, and I'm losing money every year. Can you understand that?"

  Zhang Jie was silent, and said for a while: "Then why is no one lying to her?"

"who?"

   "No one. I'll go back." Turned around and ran away.

  After Zhang Xie left, Baguio realized that the younger brother was referring to the elder sister.

   sighed, how could they compare with the eldest sister. The eldest sister has been exposed to economic affairs since she was a child, and she has someone in her hands. Now one of their siblings is trapped in the palace, and the other is young and ignorant, how can things be done.

  I just hope that my younger brother will be more sensible, and the eldest sister and fifth younger brother can see that they are born of the same father, so that they will not embarrass him in the future.

  (end of this chapter)