Chapter 91

When Lin Yanchao left, Chen Nan, as the respected governor of the prefecture, personally escorted him to the door.

The next day, the Japanese pirates launched a large-scale attack on Wuhumen. The soldiers remained inside the fort, only daring to fire cannons. The pirates then rampaged through the countryside, burning, killing, and looting.

Petitions from countless local gentry poured into the provincial and prefectural offices like snowflakes. Tens of thousands of civilians gathered outside the government offices, submitting petitions to request that Yu Dayou, who was under indictment, be allowed to lead the troops against the enemy.

The gentry and civilians submitted petitions, but the civil and military officials had no countermeasures. The people became angry. The city patrol soldiers reported that a kneeling clay figure was found in the city god temple, with the words "Li Bingxian is like Qin Hui" written on its back. Then, the office of the military commissioner was also hit by stones from unknown civilians.

The military commissioner's office was furious and immediately began arresting people, but they only caught a few young boys.

Public resentment boiled over, and the officials and gentry were already thinking of ways to file complaints. Liu Yaohui, the governor of Fuzhou, could no longer sit still. If things continued like this, he would be in trouble too. He also had the idea of allowing Yu Dayou to atone for his crimes by serving, but this was met with unanimous opposition from the military commissioner's office. Even the censors threatened to report the matter to the court.

However, Liu Yaohui did not dare to rashly order the general and his troops to engage in battle. Although he had read many military books, he was only an armchair strategist and lacked capable generals. Moreover, the morale of the troops was unstable.

Liu Yaohui could only do nothing and patiently wait for Chen Nan's report. Finally, Chen Nan submitted a detailed report on Lin Yanchao to the governor's office.

After reading the detailed report, the dark clouds on Liu Yaohui's face cleared, and he clapped his hands and laughed, saying to his subordinates and advisors, "Governor Chen has saved my life."

Wan Siqian, the left censor of Fuzhou, who had been watching from the sidelines, coldly snorted and continued to accompany the town's eunuch in watching the show.

As for Li Bingxian, who was hiding in Jianning Prefecture to avoid Liu Yaohui, he threw things on the ground and said resentfully, "This brute Yu has gotten off easy."

At the Fuzhou town general's office, after receiving the letter from Liu Yaohui, Yu Dayou's generals were all overjoyed and congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, General, congratulations, General! This must mean your reinstatement!"

The white-haired Yu Dayou stood up, hands behind his back, and said, "A mere general is not in my eyes. I do not seek a marquisate; I only wish for the sea to be calm."

"General, didn't General Qi say that?"

Yu Dayou said calmly, "Can't I borrow his words?"

The generals all said, "Of course, of course."

Yu Dayou put on his helmet and said with a fierce look, "Pass the order down: the troops will march out tomorrow to fight the Japanese pirates!"

At dawn, the sound of hooves clattered on the streets of the county town. The cannons were pulled by carts, and the iron-clad wooden wheels made a metallic sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.

The "Yu" flag fluttered, and the white-haired old general rode alone at the front, leading the Ming soldiers forward.

"That's our boys, marching out to fight the Japanese pirates!"

On the streets of the county town, the civilians put down their work and rushed to see them off.

The civilians were overjoyed, and Lin Yanchao, with his uncle, watched the scene, hearing the comments around him.

"Isn't that General Yu?"

"Yes, that white-haired old general, it's him!"

"Great, the court has finally used him."

"I heard it was the governor's idea."

"Yes, yes, my second uncle in the office said he recommended General Yu over everyone else."

"Ah, second uncle, didn't you say your first uncle was the one working in the office?"

"Sigh, don't get into the details. In short, there are still good officials in the court."

"Yes, once General Yu takes the field, the Japanese pirates will be terrified."

"Our people are saved."

"Stop talking, look, General Yu is coming."

As Yu Dayou rode by, the civilians were silent, and no one spoke. Then, a voice from deep in the crowd shouted, "The Yu army is mighty!"

"Mighty!"

Many voices joined in, shouting, "Mighty!"

"Mighty!"

The civilians around them also joined in without knowing why.

"Mighty!"

"The Yu army is mighty!"

The civilians all joined in, raising their voices and shaking their right arms. The sound of the civilians, like a well-ordered tune, spread through the air above the street, wave after wave. The civilians along the street opened their doors and windows, and many more came from afar.

The white-haired old general Yu Dayou was taken aback and responded from his horse, "Thank you, all my fellow countrymen."

"Thank you."

The cheers rose, and the civilians could not stop.

"General Yu, protect the people of Fujian!"

"May General Yu have a long and prosperous life!"

Yu Dayou, moved to tears, said, "The people have been so kind to me. I can only repay them with my life! I will not fail the trust of the people!"

In the crowd, his uncle pulled Lin Yanchao and said, "Yanchao, what were you shouting just now? I'm afraid you'll be punished for causing a disturbance and disrupting the troops!"

Lin Yanchao laughed and said, "What's to be afraid of? Nothing happened, and you were shouting loudly just now too, Uncle."

His uncle sighed, "Yes, the people have a clear sense of who is a good official and who is a bad one. General Yu is a good official!"

Lin Yanchao nodded and looked up, seeing Yu Dayou standing majestically on his warhorse. He thought, "This is all I can do."

This old general, who had abandoned his literary career to join the military, had served the country all his life but was eventually dismissed from his post due to a minor mistake. In his later years, he could only recall his past military career.

Now, would Yu Dayou's fate change because of his efforts, allowing him to defend the Ming dynasty for a few more years? For this national hero, who was on par with Qi Jiguang, the best outcome would be to die on the battlefield, not on a sickbed.

The cheers of the people did not stop as the Yu army marched out of the city.

As soon as the Yu army left, Lin Feng received the news and fled. But Yu Dayou did not let the enemy escape; he pursued them and won three consecutive battles, routing the Japanese pirates.

After the initial suppression of the Japanese pirates in Fujian, Governor Liu Yaohui sent an urgent report to the capital, giving primary credit to the Fujian town general Yu Dayou and secondary credit to the Fuzhou governor Chen Nan.

The news of the victory in Fuzhou reached the capital, causing a stir in the court. The chief minister, Zhang Juzheng, who had recommended Liu Yaohui as the governor of Fujian, was praised by the young emperor for his ability to recognize talent, along with Qi Jiguang's capture of the leader of the Wulangha Doyan tribe, Dong Hu Li.

Zhang Juzheng was awarded a dragon robe, silver, and colored silk.

He then announced the implementation of the performance evaluation system to clarify and严肃 the administration, and ordered Governor Liu Yaohui to implement the single-whip tax system in Fujian.

After the Japanese pirates were suppressed, the spring rains in Fujian continued for several days.

Lin Yanchao listened to the rain tapping on the tiles, neither too heavy nor too light, just right.

Looking out the window, the raindrops dripped from the eaves, forming a string and flowing away. The An Tai River beside the county office must be swollen, and the sound of the water was almost roaring.

This scene added a poetic touch to reading by the window.

Lin Yanchao had been studying diligently in the academy these few days and felt he had made great progress. He was now thinking about when the academy would open.

Bang!

The door opened, and his uncle and third uncle came in with their rain gear. Lin Yanchao walked to the table to pour tea for them and asked, "How is everything at home? Did the Japanese pirates cause any harm? Are our fellow villagers safe?"

Third uncle sighed, "The Japanese pirates did cause some harm, but fortunately, no one died. The village leaders were stranded in the mountains for several days before they could come down. We were lucky to be in the city."

His uncle wiped the raindrops from his face and said, "It's good that everyone survived. If it weren't for General Yu, the Japanese pirates wouldn't have retreated so soon. But it will delay the farming season, and the harvest this year won't be as good. You'll have a lot to do when you go home in a few days."

"Go home? What if the Japanese pirates come back?" Third uncle quickly said.

His uncle's face turned serious, "How can you say that? Are you afraid of the Japanese pirates that you won't farm? Who will feed you? You said you wanted to buy land before."

Third uncle, who had been chatting with Lin Yanchao these few days, had only worked in the fields and never left the village before. But after seeing the prosperity of the provincial capital, he had some new ideas.

Lin Yanchao said, "Uncle, let's not buy more land. The fifteen acres we have are enough. Buying more land won't be beneficial for us."

"Why not? Isn't it good to have more land for our family?" His uncle asked.

Lin Yanchao counted on his fingers and said to his uncle, "Uncle, you're not a regular official in the government, so you can't exempt your family from corvée labor. But Grandfather can. Although he is not a regular official, according to the law, he can exempt one person from corvée labor and one dan of grain. You know this, right?"

PS: I'll be writing at home tomorrow for National Day and will definitely update twice. Please support me with a Three Rivers vote and a recommendation vote!

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