August 12th is approaching the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day of reunion. Families gather together to worship the moon god and eat moon cakes. Many businessmen who do business abroad will rush home to reunite with their families as long as they have time.

But today in Quanzhou, there are countless families who cannot enjoy the joy of reunion.

On the north side of Quanzhou Bay, a few miles north of the No. 3 Saltworks, it is inaccessible. The people who originally lived here have been moved away and turned into military camps.

At midnight, the golden scales radiating endless light and heat, two battalions of a thousand soldiers and two hundred auxiliary soldiers gradually boarded the new warship docked at the dock.

It is twenty feet long, and the widest part of the hull can reach four feet.

Wang Zhong and Zhizhou Chen Jun came to see them off in person. After saying some exciting and morale-boosting words, they had a farewell drink with Gu Er and a group of soldiers, and watched Gu Er lead a group of soldiers to board the warship.

Chen Jun, who had no confidence in his heart, couldn't help but look at Wang Zhong next to him.

"Brother Zihou, can we really wipe out those pirates with such a big fight?"

Wang Zhong looked at Chen Jun with a smile and said: "I'm wise, as long as maritime trade exists, piracy will never be eradicated. Who doesn't want to do business without capital?"

"Hey!" Chen Jun sighed and said helplessly: "The human heart!"

Wang Zhongdao: "That's why we want to carry out enlightenment."

Chen Jun closed his eyes, smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Time passed day by day, and several good news came from Gu Er's side. However, within seven or eight days, two groups of pirates had been completely wiped out, and no one knew how much loot they had captured.

Zhizhou Chen Jun's face was filled with joy. Compared with the situation before the army set off, the contrast was stark.

But the most important thing is that the maritime merchants in Quanzhou knew that the government sent troops to sea to pursue pirates, and the clouds on their faces gradually disappeared, although they also knew that pirates could not be completely eradicated.

But what they want is the attitude of the government. If the government can wipe out a group of people, the risk they will bear will be smaller.

When Gu Er led the army back, it was already late September, almost October.

Of a thousand soldiers, nearly a hundred were lost and more than a hundred were injured. This was mainly because many of the soldiers were joining the army for the first time and had no experience, and the pirates were extremely ferocious, so there were such huge casualties.

However, the results were extremely gratifying. Eight gangs of pirates were wiped out, more than 300 thieves were killed, and more than 700 people were captured. There were also nearly 1,000 pirates’ wives and children, occupying a total of six islands. They even obtained information from the pirates.

A sea route to and from Ryukyu.

Looking at the ashes of the fallen soldiers piled in front of him, Wang Zhong felt a little heavy: "Go ahead, the soldiers who died in the battle this time will have their pension doubled, and they will be exempt from taxes for two years. One of their children can choose to be sent to school for two years."

Within this period, all repairs will be free of charge.”

"The general judge is high and righteous!" the soldiers shouted at Wang Zhong, cupping their hands.

Wang Zhong looked at the crowd and said: "These soldiers are all heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country. Naturally, the imperial court will not treat them badly, and the same goes for you."

Chen Jun, the governor of the state, brought over a dozen pigs and sheep, and specially invited the chef from Taibai Tower to cook for the soldiers and reward the three armies.

The soldiers went through life and death at sea, fighting pirates for their lives, all they wanted was wealth!

The seizures from the pirate lairs were piled into a hill. The military scribes had already recorded the military merits of the officers and soldiers. Chen Jun personally took the people and converted them into gold, silver and copper coins according to the merits recorded in the roster and distributed them to the subordinates.

sergeant.

The seizures on the battlefield, plus the rewards issued at this time, were enough for the soldiers below to buy a few acres of paddy fields, build a new house, and get a wife.

"First Battalion, Second Division, Fifth Division, Chen Sanshui!" the clerk shouted loudly, holding the booklet.

"arrive!"

Chen Sanshui immediately stood up from the team.

"Beheaded six levels, climbed twice first, and captured a pirate leader! Are there any mistakes?" The clerk looked at Chen Sanshui and asked.

Chen Sanshui's smile almost stretched to his ears: "There are no mistakes or omissions!"

"Reward thirty taels of silver, hundreds of copper coins, and be promoted to deputy capital chief! Do you have any objections?"

"No objection! No objection! Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" Chen Sanshui quickly thanked him with a smile on his face.

"If you want to thank me, thank Zhizhou, thank Tongpan, thank our general!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Okay, let's go get the reward!"

Chen Sanshui walked to the side, and there were already military officials collecting a bunch of rewards. The thirty taels of silver were all broken silver, which was not much and could be carried in a bag, but there were a lot of copper coins. The two officials

A large bamboo basket was used to store the general, as well as a saber with a pair of capital heads.

Not to mention anything else, just the whole basket of copper coins made the sergeants next to them envious, their eyes shining brightly.

The awards for meritorious service were still going on. The military merits of those soldiers who unfortunately died in battle were also read out in front of all the soldiers. Once the rewards were given, people from the military law enforcement team followed and sent them to the memorial halls of the fallen soldiers.

at home.

After just this operation, these country warriors returned home and gathered all their strength, looking forward to the next expedition.

On that day, Chen Jun, the magistrate of the state, held a banquet at Taibai Tower to celebrate the victory of the generals above Yuhou who had returned home in triumph.

Gu Er, the leader and the biggest contributor to this victory, naturally received high praise from the governor of the state, Chen Jun.

"The general uses his troops like a god. Chen admires him. Tongpan and I have already reported to the court to ask for merit for General Gu. I believe there will be a reward soon."

Chen Jun looked at Gu Er and became more and more satisfied.

Wang Chong smiled and agreed: "Zhong Huai is a thousand-mile horse, and Ming Gong is Bole. There are many talented people in the world, but if there is no Ming Gong with a keen eye to recognize talents and such trust in Zhong Huai, how can Zhong Huai show his talent?"

Opportunities for the director?”

"What Zi Hou said is absolutely true. Without the guidance and full support of Ming Gong, how could I have been promoted to an official position today!" Although he has not experienced the changes in the Gu family, Gu Er is no longer the arrogant and arrogant Gu he used to be.

Erlang.

Beheading hundreds of people and capturing more than a thousand people was no small matter. Moreover, Gu Er was the legitimate second son of Ningyuan Houfu. Ningyuan Houfu was the founder of the country and had been in the army for generations, even in Bianjing.

Among all the nobles, he is considered to be the top group. His father, Marquis Ningyuan, has served the imperial court as a border guard for more than ten years. He has worked hard and made great achievements. The Gu family's influence in the army is not small.

Chen Jun had heard some of Gu Er's ridiculous things, but he didn't think it was anything. He was just young and energetic and ignorant. Even if he had a falling out with Mr. Gu, it was just between father and son.

It's just a grudge, there's no such thing as an overnight feud between father and son.

Now Gu Er came to Quanzhou to join the army alone. He was already a prodigal son who had changed his ways. Now that he had achieved such military exploits and had Wang Zhong's face, Chen Jun was naturally happy to recommend Gu Er.

We can also form a good relationship with Ningyuan Houfu, why not?

After a while of changing cups and cups, there were singers singing, musicians playing the piano, and dancers dancing. Although it looked a bit corrupt, it still presented a scene where the guests and hosts were having fun and enjoying themselves.

Northwest of Quanzhou, thousands of miles away in Bianjing City, in the imperial city, the desks were piled up every day with the documents submitted by the princes requesting the appointment of the crown prince, which made Emperor Jiayou very upset.

Emperor Jiayou, who was famous for his political power, didn't even bother to read the memorials.

"Your Majesty! There is a good news coming from Quanzhou. Your Majesty, would you like to review it?"

Emperor Jiayou looked at Li Neiguan, who was standing beside him, and was puzzled. He couldn't help but ask: "Quanzhou? Where did the good news come from in Quanzhou?"

Li Neiguan said with a smile: "A few days ago, the magistrate of Quanzhou wrote a letter saying that pirates attacked passing ships in the coastal areas, killing people and robbing goods. Many people have suffered misfortunes. Quanzhou magistrate Chen Jun and Quanzhou general magistrate Wang Zhong unanimously decided to send troops

Clean out the pirates."

"So we won the battle?" Emperor Jiayou raised his eyebrows slightly, and his frown that had been frowning all day finally relaxed a bit.

"According to the inspection report from the Imperial City Division, we have indeed won the battle, and it is a great victory!" Li Neiguan had a very good sense of proportion. He only said that it was the information obtained by the Imperial City Division, but did not mention anything about the content of the memorial.

.

It was not that Emperor Jiayou didn't know that without a crown prince, the country would inevitably be in turmoil. However, when it came to choosing who to inherit the throne, Emperor Jiayou really had a problem. As the king of a country, what he had to consider was the inheritance of the throne.

, it is not about selecting an heir for a small private family, but about selecting an heir for the entire dynasty, the entire world, and the people of the world.

If he was slightly careless and chose the wrong person, what would happen to the people of the world and the Zhao and Song dynasties, Emperor Jiayou did not dare to notice.

There are many examples of emperors' stupidity in the history books, which is why Emperor Jiayou was so entangled and unable to make a decision.

In addition, there is another reason, that is, among the children of the clan, there is no one whose character and virtue can completely reassure Emperor Jiayou. Today, there are two most popular princes in Tokyo.

One is King Yong, who is greedy for women, lustful, ignorant and has no independent opinions. Princess Yong is arrogant and domineering, which has not happened in a day.

One was King Yan, who was ambitious and went too far, and secretly won over many courtiers. The key was that King Yan had a violent temper, which Emperor Jiayou really didn't like.

Recently, there has been another uprising in the Huaihe River area, and the commotion is still quite big. In this troubled autumn, a group of important ministers in the court, headed by Grand Prime Minister Han Zhang, are also pressing hard on Emperor Jiayou. Now it is not easy.

A memorial came with no news about the crown prince. It was good news. Emperor Jiayou's tense heart could finally feel a little relieved.

"I want to see what kind of victory it is!"

Li Naiguan found the memorial and handed it to Emperor Jiayou. Emperor Jiayou opened the memorial and read it patiently, but after reading it for a while, his brows wrinkled again.

"When did the second son of the Gu family of Marquis Ningyuan go to Quanzhou? Why did he become the temporary warden of Quanzhou?" Emperor Jiayou couldn't help but look at Li Naiguan next to him.

Li Neiguan said: "Back to Your Majesty, a few days after Gu Erlang failed the imperial examination, he had a falling out with his family. I heard that he left Bianjing out of anger. Before he left, he even said that if he didn't make a name for himself,

Never looking back at home, after the second son of Gu left the capital, he went straight to Quanzhou. He was first recommended by Wang Tongpian and trained local warriors in Quanzhou. Later, when Quanzhou sent troops to eliminate pirates, Wang Tongpian recommended him to the prefect Chen Jun.

The commander in chief."

Li Neiguan knew full well that Yang Wuduan's affair was against Emperor Jiayou. Gu Tingye was a dignified second son from the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, but because of his words of grievance for Yang Wuduan when he was young, he touched Emperor Jiayou's feelings.

The reverse scale, the reverse scale of the dragon, would cause anger when touched. As a result, Gu Tingye failed the exam. Emperor Jiayou also told him to take the exam again after he was fifty, just like Yang Wuduan.

"How can he, a wealthy playboy, lead an army to fight?" Emperor Jiayou obviously had a prejudice against Gu Er.
To be continued...