From the end of Jiajing to the era of great pirates

Next, the atmosphere where the monarch and his ministers played against each other became more harmonious.

Historically, Xiong Tingbi had a good relationship with Wanli, and he always thought of Emperor Shenzong until his death.He will be punished purely because of the trouble caused by his big mouth. If he said it was a big deal, he would abandon Liaodong and just hold on to Shanhaiguan.

This was an angry statement, but if Wanli Chao said it, maybe Emperor Wanli would actually consider it.But the mistake was that he was from the Tianqi Dynasty, and he yelled when he had a quarrel with the Donglin Party, and that's why he was reported to the first nine sides.

Mentioning it here just means that Lao Xiong has a good relationship with Wanli. Now with the addition of this brother-in-law relationship, the two of them are really getting closer to each other as they chat. If Lao Xiong hadn't become sworn sworn friends early on, these two might follow suit. Let’s look at Sir Wei from later generations.

Wanli complained all kinds of things to Lao Xiong. When he was a child, he was subject to all kinds of strict requirements from Zhang Juzheng and sued his parents at every turn. Then he was threatened by Empress Dowager Li. One moment he said that he wanted to replace his younger brother with another emperor, and the next moment he said that he would be abolished. Anyway, there was nothing wrong with him at all. Considering Xiao Wanli's mood, he did not consider how much psychological shadow the biological mother and stepfather would have on the child.

Lao Xiong's family situation wasn't very good either. It got better after he got the chance, and there were a lot of shadows in his childhood.Coupled with some insights gained after growing up, as well as some tips from his ancestors, he was still able to talk to Wanli, and he still did not fall behind.

The two chatted for a whole afternoon, and they didn't give up until the imperial concubine urged the emperor to eat.

Of course the emperor has left a meal. It is rare to have a relative who agrees with him. It is still too early to use him in a big way, but he must be close and close to him.Xiong Tingbi didn't refuse. After all, it was considered that the monarch and his ministers got along well with each other. He served the emperor and would not hinder his ancestor's plan. At worst, if the emperor was gone, he would resign.

So, after eating, Xiong Tingbi said goodbye and left.

There were no problems in the palace examination a few days later.Jiajing knew that his brother-in-law did not intend to take the imperial examination, so he did not specifically select him to be the number one scholar. He only selected him as the top pick, which was regarded as retaining his qualifications for the cabinet. Lao Xiong did not care about that and directly received the appointment to enter the Hanlin Academy, knowing that he could not rush. It will take a while before I can go to the Ministry of Etiquette.

It really frustrates the ministers who know the relationship between Xiong Tingbi and the emperor. They originally wanted to snipe the emperor and Lao Xiong during the palace examination, and then create a battlefield for the disgusting emperor.Unexpectedly, the emperor did not choose Lao Xiong as the number one scholar at all. The ministers rushed to the ground with enthusiasm. This was called a wrong payment.

After the allocation, Xiong Tingbi could get the opportunity to be summoned privately from time to time, which was more than all the ministers had to meet the emperor. He was so envious of these ministers that he could only sigh in the end.

Just like that, Xiong Tingbi enjoyed the happiness of being a favored minister in the capital for a while, and then the emperor brought up the idea of ​​transferring him to the Ministry of Rites, and then recruited pirates to prepare for the recurrence of the Japanese kingdom.

This time, the ministers had mixed reactions. Although everyone agreed that Lao Xiong should be suppressed, the opinions of the ministers were not unanimous as to whether this matter needed to be stopped.Mainly they don't know what medicine the emperor bought in his gourd.

In the first stage of the Anti-Japanese War, it was Li Rusong who resisted. The imperial court successfully weakened the Li family's strength, but there were many tricks in the later peace talks.The participants on both sides are not good people.Basically, they use the interpreters on both sides to talk to each other, and then distort the other side's meaning to say something that the rulers of both sides like to hear, and then achieve the purpose of peace talks.

Now as the emperor mentioned this matter again, the people involved in the fraud, starting from Shangshu Shi Xing, all had a guilty conscience. They wanted to stop the emperor, but were afraid of the truth being exposed. At the same time, they could not guarantee that the Japanese Congress would not keep its peace.All in all, it’s very confusing.

With his mind entangled, he could not block it with much force, so Lao Xiong successfully got the job. Within a few days, he came to Tianjin Port again, boarded the two flying shears, and met up with the Zheng family dispatched at Weihaiwei. More than ten Galen warships sailed to the Japanese port of Hirado.

Hirado was an important port for Japan's foreign trade at this time. Due to the advantage of the ship, the Zheng family came less often, but more often went to Sakai, and even Edo, which became the center of Japan.But Li Dan, including later Shibazhi, all grew up in Hirado, and Mr. Guo was also born here.

At this time, Li Dan only had some influence in Hirado and at sea, but no one knew how powerful he was.Xiong Tingbi is now more or less accustomed to the style of his ancestor, that is, he can predict people and events, but the time is often unclear. Therefore, if he wants to talk to Li Dan, he does not dare to come by himself. He still has to carry the necessary deterrence.

In this way, Li Dan was shocked by Lao Xiong's visit.But after thinking about it, his cunning was revealed, and he wanted to see if he could get some benefit from it.

"Master Xiong, I'm just worried. The galleons of your fleet, coupled with the cannons on board, are really strong and powerful. But here... in short, there is a lot of difference. If anyone really wants to find out the root cause, I'm afraid the Zheng family is using me as a cover, so it's not that safe, right?"

Although Lao Xiong was dealing with Li Dan for the first time, he was still fully aware of the cunning of pirates and knew that the other party wanted to take advantage.So he smiled and said: "What do you think, Mr. Li, should we do about this matter?"

"This...this," of course Li Dan wanted boats and cannons, but he didn't dare to say it directly, so he kept talking in circles. At this time, Xiong Tingbi asked him directly, rubbing his hands, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"There is no need for Mr. Li to be embarrassed. The head of the house just hopes that the head of the house can help cover it up. Whether it succeeds or not is irrelevant. Otherwise, he would not have sent me, an insignificant person like me. I just reported back to the emperor and said that the old captain has been arrested. It is feasible to destroy an unknown pirate group, and then I persuade that pirate group to join the king's division. Is there anyone in the court who wants to complain about the old captain?"

Xiong Tingbi picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said slowly and threateningly: "So, in my opinion, it's better for the Li family to listen to the advice, otherwise, the head of my family will have a very bad temper."

Li Dan thought in his mind and immediately understood the threat of the Zheng family. He knew that in this sea, the strong man is still king. Although he claims to dominate the southeast coast, if he really wants to fall out, he will still be crushed by the Zheng family. After all, they have many ships and cannons. , it is purely wishful thinking to take advantage of yourself.

"What did Mr. Xiong say? You, the Zheng family, and I, Li Dan, are both men of the sea, and there has been no conflict in the past. Since the Zheng family wants to contribute to the country, how can I, Li Dan, refuse to do even a small favor?"

He slapped his thigh and made a very heroic gesture: "In this case, when you go back, just tell the court that I, Li Dan, was lucky enough to join a group of colleagues recently. After hearing what you said, I am willing to serve the country. I will give you all the ships and men." Sir. I just ask you not to spread the word here in Japan. After all, I still have to make a living here."

"Don't worry, Mr. Li." After the deal was negotiated, Xiong Tingbi left without further ado.