The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"With General Yu in charge, Dong Weng will have no worries."

The master obviously admired Yu Dayou and said sincerely at this time.

Tan Lun waved his hands, smiled and said nothing.

From his heart, of course it was best for Qi Jiguang to be transferred to Fujian to fight. Who made him and Qi Jiguang more familiar.

When he was the prefect of Zhejiang, Yu Dayou was already the commander-in-chief of the Zhejiang army, while Qi Jiguang was a guerrilla, leading his troops to travel around Zhejiang to put out fires.

In fact, a big reason for Tan Lun's military training was because Qi Jiguang suggested it when he was talking to Qi Jiguang.

Each prefecture and county trained an elite force to defend their hometown. If they encountered a small group of Japanese pirates, they would take the initiative to attack. If a large group of Japanese pirates encountered them, they would defend the city and wait for rescue from the imperial court.

As for the method of training soldiers, Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang also chatted about it, so the two of them had similar methods from selecting soldiers to training.

However, Qi Jiguang's proposal has not been promoted in other prefectures and counties in Zhejiang.

Because the soldiers trained in this way can only be local warriors, and they will be supported by the local government at their own expense. At most, they have military merit and can receive some rewards from Governor Hu Zongxian.

The rewards given by the imperial court were actually of little use in supporting these many local warriors.

Who becomes a soldier not for money?

If the salary is too small, no one will come. If the money is too much, it is hard to say that it is just money taken out of the local officials' pockets.

If this money is not distributed to Xiang Yong, it can end up in the hands of the county magistrate and magistrate officials through various names.

After three years of clearing the magistrate's office, he received one hundred thousand snowflakes and silver.

This is not said for nothing.

In the officialdom of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, local officials actually collected taxes according to their tax tasks, but those taxes were handed over to the upper government offices.

The revenue and expenditure of the government offices are collected in the form of miscellaneous taxes.

As for the charging speed, it depends on your strength.

If there is strong armed suppression, people can be taxed to the point of bankruptcy without fear of civil commotion.

In the Ming Dynasty alone, the taxes collected by the central government were really low, the lowest of any dynasty in history.

However, since Zhu Yuanzhang, the court's restraint on officials has gradually declined, and corruption has become common from top to bottom.

Naturally, local officials continued to raise miscellaneous taxes to maintain the operation of the yamen, and the rest was theirs.

I'm happy. In the year of the big exam, I'll pay more and see if I can get promoted.

If you don't want to be promoted, then you can earn enough money to support your retirement by paying miscellaneous taxes.

Of course, because their wealth and lives are at stake, most local officials still know how to collect this tax and do not dare to charge it too harshly.

If they force the people to survive and make them rebel and cause trouble, they will be done.

Therefore, for local officials, tax collection is also a technical job.

Not only must money be earned, but the people must also survive. This will test the ability of officials.

Of course, these things are usually calculated by the master, so the officials don't need to bother.

Although the Japanese pirates made a lot of noise, there were only a few officials like Tan Lun who were really willing to throw money into it.

The people from the governor's yamen were sent out, and within two days they received the news that the Zhejiang soldiers had entered Fuzhou Prefecture. However, they were still in the villages and towns on the border of Fuzhou, so the news had not yet spread to the provincial capital.

But this is not important. Tan Lun directly sent someone to deliver a message to Hu Shouren, asking them to meet him in Fuzhou as soon as possible, and then go south to Xinghua together.

"Dong Weng, when you go south this time, are you taking Master Yi Daotan with you?"

After contacting Hu Shouren and waiting, the master found Tan Lun to discuss.

These days, the people still don't know that Yi Daotan, the newly appointed magistrate of Xinghua Prefecture by the imperial court, has been in Fuzhou for more than a month, but he is reluctant to go south to Xinghua Prefecture.

However, the prefect Weng Shiqiting, the general judge Li Bangguang and others who originally escaped from Xinghua Prefecture were escorted back to the capital for questioning by Emperor Jiajing's order.

It stands to reason that it has been more than a month since Xinghua Fucheng was recovered. As the new prefect, Yi Daotan should have taken up his duties long ago and arrived at Xinghua Fucheng to open his office and handle the follow-up matters.

However, everyone in Fuzhou official circles knew that Mr. Yi had gone to Xinghua Fucheng early, but as soon as he entered Xinghua under the protection of his servants, he quickly withdrew from the city.

He was not attacked by Japanese pirates, but was smelled by the miserable situation and stench of Xinghua Fucheng.

Seeing Zhi Xia's appearance, Yi Daotan was also a wonderful person, and he actually ran back to Fuzhou.

Yi Daotan, born in the seventh year of Zhengde, was named Jinming and given the name Donggao. He was a native of Baling County, Yuezhou Prefecture, Huguang.

Shaogu was born in a poor family, had a deep nature, and was fond of reading. In the 32nd year of Jiajing, he was ranked 220th on the Guichou Ke Kechen Jinshi Ranking, and he watched household affairs.

After ten years of service, he reached the official position of magistrate, which shows that his ability was not bad at that time.

However, even if you ran out of Xinghua City in such a short time and did not dare to enter the city again, you can imagine the miserable situation in Xinghua City at that time.

Although he could not open a government office in Xinghua Prefecture, Yi Daotan did not just stay in Fuzhou. Instead, he stayed in Fuzhou temporarily and issued various official documents to Xinghua Prefecture to recruit and resettle households.

Therefore, although Fuzhou officials have objections, they are only temporarily borrowing Fuzhou's territory and do not care about Xinghua Prefecture's affairs, so naturally it is difficult to say anything.

"I heard that the scholar Lin Zhaoen is burying corpses in Xinghua City?"

Tan Lun asked in a low tone.

"That's what happened, but..."

The master hesitated slightly.

"If you have any concerns, it's okay to say so."

Tan Lun glanced at the master and asked.

"Because Lin Zhaoen failed in the provincial examination, he gave up his academic title and devoted himself to the study of mind, body, and life.

Over time, I realized that Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism were "three religions, but the Tao is one", so I founded the "Three Religions in One" school, and now I am Mr. Chen of the Three Religions and the self-proclaimed leader of the Trinity. "

The master told Tan Lun the news about Lin Zhaoen.

In the Ming Dynasty, local officials were very nervous about religion.

Of course, this is all because of the White Lotus Sect.

The White Lotus Sect is a secret religious association that has spread among the people since the Tang and Song Dynasties. It originated from the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism. According to legend, Shi Huiyuan, the founder of the Pure Land Sect in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, formed the White Lotus Society with Liu Yimin and others at Donglin Temple in Lushan Mountain to recite Buddha's name together. It was regarded as a role model for later generations of believers.

The White Lotus Sect was officially banned when it was first founded, and Mao Ziyuan was exiled to Jiangzhou. However, it spread because of its simple teachings and simple practice.

As of the late Southern Song Dynasty, although it was still regarded as an "evil party" by some local officials and Buddhist monks who regarded themselves as orthodox, the practice had been spread everywhere, even as far as the north under Mongolian rule.

After the Yuan Dynasty unified China, the White Lotus Sect was recognized and rewarded by the court and entered its heyday.

After a long period of circulation, the organization and doctrine of the White Lotus Sect in the Yuan Dynasty have undergone changes, the precepts have been relaxed, and there are many sects.

Some sects worshiped Maitreya Buddha and preached the religious prophecy of "Maitreya's rebirth", which belongs to Maitreya's Pure Land. Some believers gathered at night and in the morning to cause trouble, and sometimes armed themselves to resist the rule of the Yuan Dynasty.

In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial court feared that the White Lotus Sect was too powerful and ordered a ban. Therefore, when social conflicts intensified at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, some White Lotus Sect organizations became the first force to oppose the Yuan Dynasty.

The leaders of the Red Turban Uprising, including Han Shantong, Liu Futong, Xu Shouhui, and Zou Pusheng, were all White Lotus believers. They inspired the masses with their prophecies about the birth of King Ming and the resurrection of Maitreya, which had a great influence.

Part of Zhu Yuanzhang's power to fight for the world came from the White Lotus believers who took refuge, so there are also legends that he was also one of the White Lotus believers, but between the throne and the church, he chose the throne.

However, because of this, Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely afraid of the huge power of the White Lotus Sect, so in the early Ming Dynasty, the imperial court strictly prohibited the spread of the White Lotus Sect.

During the Hongwu and Yongle years, there were many armed riots by the White Lotus believers in Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Lu and other places. Some even claimed the title of emperor, but they were all suppressed.

After the mid-Ming Dynasty, the White Lotus Sect also gradually changed, constantly using new names to confuse the public and avoid government investigation.

During this period, the White Lotus Sect had many names, including Jinchan, Wuwei, Longhua, Wukong, Huanyuan, Yuandun, Hongyang, Maitreya, Jingkong, Dacheng, Sanyang, Hunyuan, Wenxiang, Luo Dao and dozens more. There are several species, some have several names.

They all have different affiliations, have quite different doctrines, and have different organizations, rituals, and activities, but they more or less bear the imprint of the White Lotus Sect.

The rulers believed that they were actually still the White Lotus Sect, and the people also generally called them the White Lotus Sect.

It was also because the White Lotus Sect had begun to appear under pseudonyms at this time and wandered among the towns and cities, so the government was very sensitive to the emergence of new sects, especially those involving Buddhism.

Tan Lun frowned slightly after hearing the information given by his master.

When it comes to religion, this should not be ignored. "Let people check it out and see what this Trinity does? What doctrines it spreads."

This time period was very sensitive. Lin Zhaoen had just done good deeds in Xinghua City, and rumors about his merits were spread in all parts of the country. If the Trinity Church alone questioned him, it would probably trigger a civil uprising.

Although almost all coastal prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty now have the suppression of Japanese pirates as their top priority, the suppression of the White Lotus Sect cannot be relaxed.

"Now, is there any news from Xinghua Fucheng?"

After Tan Lun gave the order to investigate Lin Zhaoen, he asked about the master again.

"I heard that the corpses of tens of thousands of people in the city have been cleared and buried. It should be cleared up."

The master immediately replied.

"Then use the governor's office to ask Yi Daotan to immediately go to Xinghua Fucheng to open an office. He will also be responsible for sorting out the treasury.

Thousands of Zhejiang troops arrived, and a large amount of money and food supplies were provided. He had to find a solution for these. "

A large army gathered in Xinghua Prefecture to suppress the Japanese, but Xinghua Prefecture was still responsible for eating, drinking, and defecating, or in other words, it was the people of Xinghua Prefecture who were responsible.

Even though they had just suffered a military disaster and suffered an unspeakable disaster, the relief provided by the imperial court was relief, and they would have money, food, and exemption from taxes and duties in the future. At this time, the imperial court sent a large army to suppress the Japanese, and the money and food still had to come from somewhere.

This is the rule of this era.

Tan Lun was not worried at all that Yidaotan could not raise the required food and grass. In fact, although Xinghua Fucheng was lost, there were still large gentry households in the surrounding villages and towns of Xinghua.

As the prefect of Yi Daotan, it is not an impossible task to borrow some grain from these wealthy gentry families.

If Tan Lun had left the task of raising military rations to the Chief Envoy or Dusi of Fujian, even though they would handle it, it would be hard to say where the money and rations ended up. This would offend people.

He, Tan Lun, had just arrived, so naturally he would not take on such a thankless task for himself.

"Yes, I'll do it in a moment."

The master agreed and left quickly.

After waiting for several days in Fuzhou, the Zhejiang soldiers led by Hu Shouren finally arrived.

At this time, the people actually had another name for this Zhejiang army, which was "Qi's Army".

In fact, during this period, as long as the leader of the army was Qi Jiguang, the people in Fujian and Zhejiang would call it "Qi Jiajun", probably because the Qi Jiajun had strict military discipline and was very different from the officers and soldiers of the garrison.

The Ming army commanded by Qi Jiguang were not troops from the garrison, but soldiers recruited into the camp by himself. They received much higher pay than the garrison soldiers, and the rewards after victory in the battle were far higher than those of the garrison troops.

With such an income, the sergeant is naturally willing to risk his life to win.

Man perishes for wealth, birds perish for food, nothing better than this.

On the 17th, the Qi army arrived at Jiangkou, passed Huangshi on the 18th, and arrived at Dongting on the 19th. After meeting with Tan Lun, the governor of Fujian, the army suddenly began to accelerate and quickly moved towards Xinghua Prefecture.

On the 20th, the Zhejiang troops led by Tan Lun and Hu Shouren arrived in Putian. Immediately, Tan Lun summoned Liu Xian, Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang to meet to discuss the military situation.

Liu Xian, on the other hand, was very disappointed at this time and wrote several times to Governor Zhang Nian asking for more reinforcements.

On the battlefield, naturally the stronger the military power, the greater the credit after the war.

However, Zhang Nian's letters are full of all kinds of complaints.

In January, Japanese pirates from Guangdong invaded Chaohui Second Prefecture, Huanggang, Tai O and other places.

At the end of the month, in order to cooperate with the Xinghua Japanese pirates, the Funing Japanese pirates attacked Ningde from Zhenghe and other counties and defeated it. They followed Luoyuan into the sea and landed on the Bolian River. By now, Ningde County had been trapped on all sides.

Both Zhang Nian and Tan Lun could only try their best to cover up this news, and they did not dare to report it to the capital until the Xinghua Japanese pirates were wiped out.

Spurred by the news of the capture of Xinghua Fucheng, Japanese pirates from all over the country have been wreaking havoc everywhere in recent times. How dare Zhang Zhen send troops to Liu Xian.

From Zhang Nian's point of view, whether it was Yu Dayou, Liu Xian, or Qi Jiguang who eliminated the Xinghua Japanese pirates, they were all soldiers and horses under him anyway, and his credit will not go away.

Although Qi Jiguang was a general in Zhejiang, the imperial court transferred him to Fujian, so he was also a general in Fujian, and could be regarded as the deputy commander-in-chief of the separate garrison.

In front of Tan Lun's tent, Liu Xian introduced to Tan Lun the current situation of the Japanese pirates in Xinghua and the current situation of the Ming army.

After the fall of Xinghua Fucheng, Liu Xian's army initially received supplies of food and grass from surrounding prefectures and counties. When Weng Shiqi was in the camp, he also borrowed some food and grass from surrounding large households.

After that, it was naturally Yi Daotan who took over the job.

Although he was unwilling to enter Xinghua Fucheng, Yi Daotan's official duties were not delayed, which allowed Liu, Yu and Qi to distract themselves from collecting food and grass.

Although he didn't go to the city, he didn't want to delay official business. This may be the reason why there was no official petition to impeach him.

In fact, for any official, he has to do the job of cleaning up after taking up his new job. This is not a good sign, and he is not willing to do it.

Comparing one's feelings with others, in this era, which is still relatively superstitious, other officials can actually understand Yi Daotan's approach.

"The Japanese pirates camped at Wudang Mountain and also set up camp at Xucuo."

Tan Lun knew that there were about six thousand Japanese pirates, but they were guarding three places, and he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

This battle is determined.