Although the emperor didn't say it clearly just now, Yu Qian heard the emperor's implication.

To suppress Japanese pirates, it depends on the timing, not too early or too late!

If it is too early, then after wiping out this group, it can take as short as three or two years or as long as five years, new "Japanese pirates" will breed again.

The lesson learned from last time is that these 'Japanese pirates' will hide deeper and become more difficult to conquer.

However, if it is too late, then when the merchant ship returns, these Japanese pirates will surely wait for the opportunity to grab a sum and then escape.

By then, they have enough gold and silver to hibernate. It will be almost impossible to find their traces in the vast sea.

Therefore, the timing must be chosen appropriately. To put it bluntly, the Japanese pirates must be eliminated before the merchant ship returns.

In this way, in a short period of time, the Japanese pirates will not be able to form an organized force to threaten the merchant ships, and it can ensure that the merchant ships can return smoothly. If everything goes well, then the gold and silver brought back by the merchant ships when they return can solve the urgent needs of the court.

, at the same time, it can also be used as an opportunity to open up the sea, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

However, the Japanese pirates are dispersed. Even if you have this list in hand, it will not be possible to completely eliminate them in a month or two. Half a year is probably enough.

After all, from Yu Qian's point of view, whether this list is true or false requires further verification. It also takes time for the court to mobilize the army. In this case, the year before the end of the year is indeed the last time, and the latest is after the new year.

, the army must set off, otherwise, I am afraid things will be delayed.

At this thought, Yu Qian's attitude became firmer and he said.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Within half a year, I will eliminate the Japanese pirates and ensure that the merchant ships can return smoothly!"

Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu also nodded, but didn't say much. In fact, there was another purpose in suppressing the Japanese pirates at this time, but it was not convenient to say this purpose.

However, even without saying it, he believed Yu Qian could understand.

That is, the private caravans that went to sea with Huangdian's merchant ships before...

You must know that the reason why Huangdian was able to go to sea smoothly was because there was a shipyard left in South Zhili from the time of Zheng He's voyages to the West. Although it was dilapidated, the foundation was still there. Although he wanted to build the huge shipyard used by Zheng He

The fleet is difficult, but it's just an ordinary medium-sized sea ship, but it's not difficult.

However, these private caravans were able to obtain enough ships to go to sea in a short period of time, but it was not that simple behind the scenes.

The imperial court has long had regulations, and there are strict regulations on the shapes and sizes of boats that can be owned by the private sector. Even regular fishing boats should be kept in reserve by the government. In theory, there should be no large private ships that can go to sea.

However, when the contemporary king announced that he would hire people to go to sea to verify the charts, these ships that should not exist among the people did indeed appear.

And, there are a lot of them!

Perhaps it was because everyone felt that the king had made his own decisions and secretly went to sea for trade. Therefore, these people felt that they saw an opportunity and exposed their family background without much precaution.

Little did they know that this move would completely expose their true identity.

Judging from the rewards Zhu Qiyu has received now, there are at least six caravans that appeared this time, and there are more than ten sea-going ships. In total, there are at least fifty ships that borrowed the name of Huangdian to go to sea for trade.

ship.

This is a huge sum of money!

The reason why they were allowed to go to sea in the first place was to ensure the safety of Huangdian's merchant ships. In fact, this was the reason why King Dai was willing to let them go to sea under his own name. They used the name of King Dai's palace to openly avoid the inspection of the government.

In exchange, they need to ensure the safety of Daiwangfu's merchant ships. To put it bluntly, they need to give a good greeting to the Japanese pirates who have relations with them and not to make any crooked ideas.

After all, after so many years, the Japanese pirates at sea seem to be scattered, but in fact they are organized, powerful, and well managed by names and surnames. Even if there are a few unsighted ones, the merchant ships have their own reserves.

Weapons and manpower are enough to handle it.

However, this is only one aspect. The other aspect is that these people have relied on sea trade smuggling and have lived happily along the coast for so long. It is time for them to bleed.

In terms of time, the merchant ships from Huangdian will not come back that quickly. However, these ordinary merchant ships have their own routes and have already taken familiar routes, so they will come back faster.

To send out troops to suppress the Japanese at this time was to cut off their retreat.

Over the years, the imperial court has been focusing on the confrontation with Mongolia and has relaxed its efforts to encircle and suppress Japanese pirates. Now, these people really feel that the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and they can become the king of the sea.

Not to mention anything else, just the construction of Prince Dai's Mansion in Zhangzhou has been attacked twice in just over half a year. If Prince Dai had not finally released the news that he would organize a caravan to go to sea, I am afraid it would not be able to stop.

In this case, let them see how long the so-called Japanese pirates can last in front of the imperial army.

Zhu Qiyu would like to see that these 'caravans' who went to sea in the name of the Dai Wangfu found that their own family members were arrested when they returned. They planned to wander on the sea with a shipload of gold and silver until they starved to death.

Or keep your hands tied obediently!

After sending Yu Qian away, Zhu Qiyu opened another memorial in front of him, but his eyes became darker.

The memorial that Yu Qian saw just now is the result of Ren Hong's long-term research, but it is not the whole story. The one in front of him now is the original.

The difference between the two is essentially that what Yu Qian sees is limited to the local clan power.

However, Zhu Qiyu's share involved the court!

From the local officials in Zhangzhou to the imperial court, there were people who accepted money to cover up the traces of these "Japanese pirates".

At present, it seems that only some local officials have been dragged into the water, but Zhu Qiyu knows very well that this is definitely not all.

After all, Ren Hong's time in Zhangzhou was too short. Even if he relied on trade routes and sea charts to reach cooperation with some clans and found out the distribution of their forces, if he wanted to find out what was behind them,

Who it is, it’s really difficult.

After all, this is their lifeblood, and they will never tell others easily. With Ren Hong's identity, if he inquires too much, the other party will definitely become suspicious.

Therefore, Ren Hong cannot be asked to investigate this matter. In that case...

…………

"What, summon me into the palace?"

In Dali Temple, Zhu Jian looked at the eunuch in front of him with a slightly surprised look on his face.

He frowned and thought about the recent cases handled by Dali Temple, but he really couldn't think of any mistakes or omissions.

You must know that since the fourth prince was crowned king, the discussion about the East Palace reserve position has basically been quelled. Although He Wenyuan went to Jiangxi for disaster relief, he was not transferred back after the disaster relief was completed.

Over the past six months, the situation in the court has stabilized, and there have been no major disturbances. Zhu Jian himself also knew that he had offended the emperor before when the prince left the cabinet, so he had been keeping calm for fear that the emperor would find someone else.

For what reason, he was demoted again.

Fortunately, since the emperor transferred him to Dali Temple, it seems that he has no intention of targeting him again. Now, it will be the Chinese New Year in a short time. What is the purpose of the emperor suddenly summoning him at this time?

However, no matter what the reason is, it is impossible not to go when the emperor summons you.

After briefly tidying up, Zhu Jian followed the chamberlain who came to announce the decree into the palace.

"Your Majesty, Zhu Jian, pay homage to your Majesty. Long live my emperor!"

"Get flat!"

As usual, the emperor's face was very calm.

Seeing Zhu Jian stand up solemnly, Zhu Qiyu didn't say much and said directly.

"I summoned you here today because I received a secret report."

While talking, Zhu Qiyu ordered his chamberlain to hand over Ren Hong's memorial. The one given to Zhu Jian was different from the one given to Yu Qian.

Yu Qian's share only involved the collusion between local clan forces and Japanese pirates, while Zhu Jian's share was relatively more comprehensive. Based on the former, it added the content of officials from the DPRK and the Central Government accepting bribes to cover up Japanese pirates. Of course, the author of the report was

His identity has been concealed.

After Zhu Jian finished reading the memorial, he felt a great uproar in his heart.

He knew very well how relevant the content of this memorial was. The part presented in the memorial alone had already involved a third-rank official in the imperial court. And judging from his many years of experience in officialdom, even this person was not

end.

Of course, as a political figure, Zhu Jian, after a brief shock, immediately considered that the emperor suddenly summoned him and gave him such a memorial as soon as he arrived. The purpose might be...

"Zhu Qing, what do you think after reading this memorial?"

Soon, the emperor's voice fell. Zhu Jian did not dare to neglect and spoke carefully, saying.

"Your Majesty, if this memorial is true, it may be the biggest scandal of our dynasty. It involves officials, not only accepting bribes and using power for personal gain, but also involving Japanese pirates, who may be guilty of colluding with the enemy's country. It is really hateful!"

Mr. Zhu was full of righteous indignation when he said these words, but he did not mention anything about the rest of his words.

However, everyone was called, and Zhu Qiyu definitely couldn't let him go, so he nodded and said.

"Yes, this matter is of great importance. Once it is revealed, it will definitely shock the officialdom. However, such a crime cannot turn a blind eye."

"In this big plan, the Fujian governor's evaluation is average. I have discussed with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and plan to demote him to Fujian Zuobu envoy. In this way, there will be a vacancy in the governor's position. Zhu Qing has been in Dali Temple for some time.

I must have a lot of experience in investigating cases. I would really not be at ease if I were to hand over such a big case to someone else!"

"I don't know, would the Qing family be willing to go to Fujian for me to thoroughly investigate this case?"

Ah this...

Although he had expected it in his heart, Zhu Jian still felt a little helpless when he saw the emperor relying on him.

This job is not a good one. Judging from the information I have seen now, it is certain that the Japanese pirates have been able to be active along the coast for so many years. In addition to various objective factors, there are also people in the DPRK and China who provide protection for them.

, and, more than one.

As for the number of people in Fujian who are involved with Japanese pirates, there will only be more people. In other words, this is not a problem of one person, but a problem of the entire officialdom of Fujian. If this case is investigated, a group of people will be touched.

The entire benefit chain.

Not to mention the risks he will face, but more importantly, once he comes to investigate, there will definitely be a lot of people offended.
To be continued...