Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 125 Return of Nine Fingers
The smoke was swaying and the fog was heavy. A small boat arrived at Cengang, and Lin Hai returned to Zhoushan by boat.

In addition to bringing back the calligraphy of contemporary literary leader Qian Qianyi, he also had Wu Guoyi by his side, and Liu Mazi was also brought back by him.

Wu Guoyi had just returned from Dengzhou. He was originally going to go back to his hometown in Yiwu via Hangzhou to support his elderly mother. He didn't want to meet Lin Hai at the Yuewang Temple, so he decided to follow him temporarily.

Lin Hai originally wanted to send someone to Yiwu to bring Wu's mother to Zhoushan, but Wu Guoyi shook his head: "Jiaci is old. He has lived in the mountains for a long time and is not used to waves. I'm afraid it will be inconvenient to come to Zhoushan. Mr. Lin, please don't worry. , I still have many members of the Wu family in the mountains, and Zhuojing has always been virtuous, so it will be the same with her as my filial piety."

Wu Guoyi is about the same age as Lin Hai. Lin Hai has not asked him about his family situation before. Hearing this, he said, "Brother Guoyi is already married? Do you have any heirs?"

Wu Guoyi nodded and said: "I have a son and a daughter, both three years old. The reason why I did not stay in Liaoyang City was to leave some incense for the Wu family. Shortly after the birth of these two children, I left Yiwu and went to Shaoxing. He wanted to follow the path of the Wu family in Shanyin and go north to join the army, but he was sent by Fourth Master Wen to serve under General Xie."

"Oh? So it was Fourth Master Wen who sent you to Haojing? Not Fifth Master Ren?"

"Yes, the fifth master Ren just took over the overseas trade half a year ago. Before that, the fourth master Wen was in charge. I only found out about it after I came back from Haojing."

Lin Hai secretly paid attention to what Wu Guoyi said, and then asked: "Then what is General Xie of Guangdong doing? Who is behind Xie Ji Silk Line?"

"Who else could it be? It's the Xie family of Simen in Yuyao. Mr. Lin mentioned it when he was in Haojing. It was his family that fell into the debt of pirates, which led to the Jiajing Japanese pirates."

Wu Guoyi continued: "There is a trend of joining clans in the south of the Yangtze River. Mr. Xie came from a poor family. After he became prosperous, he joined the clan with the Xie family of Simen. The Xie family of Simen has not had a high-ranking official for several generations. The head of the Xie family was appointed magistrate of Jianyang County, Fujian Province, and Xie Zongrong joined his family when he was serving as the general soldier of Fujian Province."

"So that's it." Lin Hai nodded when he heard this. Xie Sanbin, whom he met at the door of Cao Yi Taoist's house a few days ago, also claimed to be a descendant of the Xie family of Simen, but he didn't know whether he was the real one or a member of the joint clan like Xie Hongyi. .

The Wu family of Shanyin relied on the in-laws of their children to maintain their family, but the Xie family of Yuyao seemed to rely on joint clans as the main means. These aristocratic families are trying every means to maintain their status. After all, the Ming Dynasty is a common people society, and no one can guarantee the continuation of their family. Generation can produce high-ranking officials.

Lin Hai secretly considered in his mind whether to send someone to contact the Xie family. Master Ren Wu seemed unreliable. It would be better to be more cautious when doing business with this kind of hairpin family.

But there was no need for Lin Hai to talk to Wu Guoyi about this matter. After all, the Shanyin Wu family was kind to him, and Wu Guoyi was also evasive when talking about Liaohai smuggling. After all, the two of them had only been talking to each other for a few days.

Lin Hai changed the subject and said: "You just came back from Dengzhou. Since it is inconvenient for your father to come to Zhoushan, why don't you go home to celebrate the New Year first, and I will take care of the recruitment first."

Wu Guoyi shook his head and said: "Loyalty and filial piety cannot have both ends. If Mr. Lin wants to use me, then he should not treat his subordinates as friends, otherwise they will not be able to feel at ease."

"Isn't it that we haven't formed an army yet?" Lin Hai said and smiled, "Now, why do you still mention the word loyalty? Do you still want to be a loyal minister? What you said that day in the pavilion in the middle of the lake was enough. I cut my head several times.”

"I am a loyal minister, but I am only loyal to the conscience of heaven and earth. Mr. Lin, since you said that I have not yet formed an army, I am not considered your subordinate, then I will boldly say this today. If one day in the future you violate the conscience of heaven and earth, I won’t be loyal to you either.”

"Okay, you are a loyal minister, and I am also a loyal minister." Lin Hai said and added, "You are loyal to the conscience of heaven and earth, and I am loyal to the righteousness of the Han family. If I forget what I said today in the future, you can kill me with one knife."

After returning to the Zhoushan Zhongzhong Institute, Lin Hai first called Zhou Yifa over and said to Wu Guoyi: "This guy's father was your comrade in arms back then. He was under General Zhang Mingshi and died fighting on the south bank of the Hun River. Let's get to know each other." .”

Lin Hai asked Yi Yifa to take Wu Guoyi to his home for a sit-down, and then called Xu Xinlan to ask about the current situation of the Zhongzhong Institute and how the barracks furniture, military uniforms and rations were being prepared.

Xu Xinlan told him that the military uniforms and rations were all ready, and the furniture was being made. It would take more than half a month to get everything ready. Lin Hai heard this and said, "That's it. You can get me all the bedding and the like first, and then I can find more." Straw will be used to pave the floor, and if the doors and windows are damaged, they must be repaired as soon as possible. My soldiers must not be exposed to the cold in this winter."

Xu Xinlan nodded in agreement, and Lin Hai added: "In three days, I will go to the barracks to check, and I would like to ask Master Xu to give priority to this matter. In addition, you can go to Vice President He's place for me to send a greeting. I plan to attend the meeting tomorrow." Take a tour of the mansion."

After sending Xu Xinlan away, Feng Yidao came to report that Jiuzhi had returned from Dengzhou a few days ago and asked Lin Hai if he wanted to see him immediately.

"Ask him to come." Lin Hai nodded. As early as the second day after arriving in Xiamen, he sent Jiuzhi to Dengzhou to inquire about the whereabouts of Yuan Jin's family, and asked him to come directly to Zhoushan Zhongzhong Institute upon his return.

Jiu Zhi was a postman. Not only could he ride a fast horse, but he was also used to walking outside, so Lin Hai left the matter to him.

As a result, Jiuzhi took him back to his hometown when he went to Dengzhou. He was originally the commanding officer of a certain guard in Shandong. According to regulations, military attachés of this level must go to Beijing to take up their posts, but Jiuzhi had already He owed a lot of gambling debts before he became an adult, and of course he had no money to go to Beijing in the end. He lost the iron rice bowl that had been passed down from generation to generation for more than 200 years.

This guy didn't have any relatives in his hometown. He just burned a stick of incense in front of his parents' graves, kowtowed a few times, and then rode on the road again.

But for some reason, he felt that he had not been back to the north for many years, and it seemed that he could no longer stand the cold wind in the north. A gust of wind blew while riding on his horse, which actually made him shed tears.

"Damn it, when I was a child, I didn't realize that the wind in this dog's day is really damn poisonous. After finishing this errand, I will never come to the north again."

Jiu Zhi rode on the horse and cursed a few words about the damn north wind. After the scolding, he felt much happier, his eyes no longer shed tears, and his face looked relaxed and content again.

Lin Hai didn't know Jiuzhi's life experience, and naturally he didn't know that he had returned to his hometown. After meeting Jiuzhi, he just asked him: "How is it? Have you found out the whereabouts of Yuan Jin's family?"

"It's not just to find out the whereabouts? So that my boss will know, I met the Yuan family's wife directly." Jiuzhi replied with a beaming look. When he set off, Lin Hai had not yet arrived in Zhoushan to take office, so he still used to call Lin Hai his boss.

"This is a token given by Mrs. Yuan Jin. She asked me to bring it to her man." Jiuzhi said, taking out a silver hairpin from his arms and handing it to Lin Hai, "I told his wife that Yuan Jin is overseas now. I was sent to pick up the little girl, but the Yuan family’s wife was unwilling to leave Dengzhou, saying she would not leave unless she saw Yuan Jin in person.”

Lin Hai took the silver hairpin and said, "So, Yuan Jin's family is safe and sound?"

"Yes. After I went to Dengzhou, I first gave a few taels of silver to a few local urban foxes and asked them to go to various prisons to inquire. In the end, they told me that there were no prisons in any of the yamen in Dengzhou. Yuan Jin’s family was taken into custody.”

"After that, I hung out in local restaurants and teahouses for a few days and heard a lot of news about Yuan Jin. Most of them said that he colluded with Hongyi to rob the angels. Some people said that he was wrongly accused and that his family was small. They were all hidden by Li Zhong, the deputy general of Shuiyouying in Dengzhou."

"Anyway, there are various theories. In the end, I had no choice but to take Yuan Jin's token and go directly to see his sworn brother Li Zhong. In the end, I was actually allowed to meet the Yuan family's wife. Li Zhong and the Yuan family's wife also gave each other a reward. I have ten taels of silver."

Lin Hai glanced at Jiuzhi: "You are quite courageous. Yuan Jin is now the number one official in the imperial court, and you still dare to take his token to see the deputy guard of Dengzhou Shuiyouying."

"Anyway, I'm tired of living a long time ago. It's just a gamble. Otherwise, if the errands don't go well, how can I have the nerve to come back and see my boss? Fortunately, Li Zhong is still a loyal person." Jiuzhihuan smiled generously, " Boss, I have to say that you are really my lucky star. Any game involving you, my nine fingers, will definitely win every bet." Lin Hai was dumbfounded when he heard this. Feng Yidao was in charge of these ten people when he was in Japan. They always take him with him, so they know this guy's character quite well.

He took a package and threw it to Jiuzhi and said: "The errand is well done. Here are 50 taels, ten ingots of five taels of foot-colored silver. I rewarded you with it. Remember to return Xiao Zhou's five taels of silver quickly." he."

"Boss, what do you mean by this? If I don't pay back the money quickly, the money will be gone tomorrow?"

"That's right, that's what I mean." Lin Hai said and added, "Also, don't stop saying "master" to the left and "master to the right". I have thousands of households in my hands now. Do you have any eye-catching tools?"

After Jiuzhi came out of Qianhu Yamen, he looked back at the courtyard with three entrances and five main rooms, and suddenly sighed leisurely.

He originally wanted to take a gamble directly, but finally decided to go to Xiao Zhou to pay back the money.

After searching around, I couldn't find Xiao Zhou. Finally I heard that he was with Shouhou and others. I was at Waizui's place and listened to the guy talk about what he had experienced back in Hangzhou.

Jiuzhi came to Waizui's residence and heard the penetrating lewd laughter from a distance:

"As for that little Taoist nun Miaozhen, she really has a lot of virtues at such a young age. Thanks to me, Waizui, who has learned a way to survive a battle since I was a child, I was able to fight on a par with her. That fight was easy to kill. It was really a killing. In the dark, I attacked the water gate first, then took the dry road, and finally shot her to seal her throat..."

Jiuzhi took out a five-tael silver ingot from the package, walked in and threw it to Xiao Zhou, saying, "I'll give you back the five-tael silver."

Skinny Monkey patted Xiao Zhou on the back and said with a smile: "You are rich again, would you like Brother Monkey to find a fan for you and give you a taste of what it's like to be a man?"

"No." Xiao Zhou held the money in his arms and said, "I want to save it to get a wife."

"There is no future." Hearing this, Waizui said, "What kind of wife do you want to marry? I will hang out with you, Brother Monkey, and I, Waizui, and be the groom every night."

"Don't lead young people into bad ways." Scarface, who was a little older, advised him, "Listen to me, it's right to save money to marry a wife. You see, I will never fool around with Waizui and the others."

"That's right, I heard Brother Scarface right." Jiuzhi didn't want to see Xiao Zhou being led astray by Crooked Mouth and Slender Monkey.

He was literate, and as he spoke, he recited a limerick to Xiao Zhou that he didn't know where he came from: "There is a saying that 'if you have spent thousands of dollars in leisure time, it is better to go home and sleep with your wife. Although there is no interest in the pillow, I will sleep until Tianming doesn’t want money.'”

Xiao Zhou nodded and said: "Brother Jiuzhi, I listen to you. Don't gamble anymore. Just marry a wife as soon as possible. It's better to keep one in your life."

When Jiuzhi heard this, his expression changed drastically. He suddenly stepped forward and kicked Xiao Zhou: "Fuck your mother, when will it be your little brat's turn to teach me?"

At this time, Feng Yidao and Viper walked in from outside. Viper said, "Brothers are here. Brother Dao has something to tell you..."

Feng Yidao cleared his throat and said, "Do you all know that Mr. Lin plans to recruit troops? I, Feng Yidao, plan to join the army. Are any of you willing to come with me?"

"Recruiting troops? Recruiting what kind of troops? Don't Qianhu have any troops?" Jiuzhi just came back not long ago, and no one has ever heard of this matter.

"Master Lin plans to recruit some extra soldiers. I heard from my brother that Master Lin attaches great importance to this matter. He went to the Haidao Yamen twice for this matter and gave him a lot of gifts." Ruan Jin explained to Jiuzhi, Among these people, except Xiao Zhou, he has the best relationship with Jiu Zhi.

"Brother Ruan is right." Feng Yidao said, "I can responsibly tell you that this matter is definitely the top priority in Mr. Lin's heart. If you want to have a good future, join the army with me."

He paused for a moment and glanced around the crowd, then continued: "Of course, I won't force you to do this. Mr. Lin's recruitment is no joke. He will definitely go to the battlefield in the future. I don't need to say more about swords and guns. .”

"Brother Dao said this. If you lose your head, the scar will be no bigger than a bowl. When have I ever been afraid of death as a sea man?" Ruan Jin stood up with a smile and said, "Count me in. I have always wanted to go to the battlefield to see fighting. What kind of strategy is this? Even if Brother Dao doesn't take this initiative, I would have gone to find Master Lin alone."

"Boss of the Ruan family, don't make a fool of yourself here. After you die, you still have the second Ruan son in your family. That kid is a bitch, and now he is valued by Mr. Lin. We don't have to worry about not being able to have a wife or a baby in the future. We The brothers are all singles, Brother Dao and Brother Viper have no wife or children at their age, so it took a lot of effort for them to live happily for a few days."

Waizui pulled Ruan Jin's arm down, trying to pull him down to sit down, but found that he couldn't pull him down, so he turned to ask Feng Yidao: "Brother Dao, are you really going to be a leader? Let Master Lin go." Are you going to stay with me personally?"

Feng Yidao nodded: "Seriously."

~~~
"Does Mr. Zhong Sheng really not want the money that comes to his door?" In the back house of Zhoushan General's Mansion, Lord Ren Wu stood up from his chair and asked He Rubin in disbelief.

"Brother Wu, I'm sorry that I can't help with this matter." He Rubin shook his head indifferently. Zhong Sheng was his nickname. In his early years, he had served in the Beijing camp and had some friendship with Wu Mengming, who was the Jinyi Guard at that time.

The two were about the same age, and they were friends at that time, so even though He Rubin was nearly 30 years older than Wu Mengren, he still had to call him brother.

"Could it be that Mr. Zhong Sheng was Hong Hengjiu who was afraid of the Haifang Road? Wu also heard that Lin Hai was able to become one of the thousands of households through the Hong family. But the sea ban is a matter of imperial law, so Hong Hengjiu knew about it. , what else can we do to Zhong Shenggong?"

"Is the sea ban a court law?" Wu Mengren's words made He Rubin amused. "Brother Wu, it's okay for others to say this. Why do I feel like laughing when you say this?"

"So, Duke Zhong Sheng has made up his mind?" Lord Ren Wu was thick-skinned and did not feel dissatisfied at all.

He Rubin nodded: "I'm old and don't want to get into trouble. I hope Brother Wu will take care of me."

"In that case, please allow Wu to leave." Master Ren Wu said goodbye to He Rubin angrily, and the latter said a few polite words and didn't stay any longer.

After seeing Wu Mengren out, He Rubin returned to the study and murmured to himself as he walked: "Good guy, 20 taels of silver silk goods, Lin Qianhu of this Zhongzhongsuo, it's not easy!"

After sitting in the study for a while, he called his personal maid and said, "Go and call Ying'er from the second bedroom, and tell me that I want to arrange something for him."

(End of this chapter)