The high-ranking officials in the court were nearly driven mad with worry. First, most of Liaodong had inexplicably fallen into the hands of a hunter. From then on, all the benefits and tributes from that area vanished. This caused them considerable distress for more than half a year.
Not only that, that brute acted with utter recklessness. In just one year, he practically turned the area around Liaoyang into his own territory. His henchmen were slaughtered as easily as chopping vegetables and melons. No one could even extend their reach in, and they didn't even know what the hunter was up to.
Not long ago, when the imperial court was assembling troops to fight against the Qing Dynasty, some court officials even hoped that Lu Xuan would not obey the summons. This would give them a solid reason to impeach him.
Unfortunately, Lu Xuan quickly led his troops to obey the imperial decree and fought a fierce battle with the Qing Dynasty.
They even captured the Qing emperor and the fourth prince in one fell swoop. Yes, the entire court knew that Lu Xuan was the one who did it. He just kept Dorgon alive for himself and sold the emperor to other generals. Only the emperor believed that Li Rubai and others had captured Daishan alive, while Lu Xuan had captured Dorgon.
Lu Xuan even submitted a memorial requesting that all his military achievements be converted into money and supplies to reward his soldiers. Simply put, this dog-like hunter's every move left the ministers completely baffled. Do you even know how to be an official?
The mere fact that he sold out the living Qing emperor left all the court officials dumbfounded. You, the general of Liaoyang, captured the enemy emperor alive—you deserved a title and high office. And yet you gave up that credit for ten million taels of silver. Truly a hunter by trade, short-sighted, all you care about is money.
However, just as the court officials were mocking Lu Xuan, they received news that he was about to target the maritime merchants. This time, they could no longer remain passive. After some discussion, they sent a secret letter to Li Rubai and others, instructing them to gather evidence of Lu Xuan's treason and, at the opportune moment, eliminate him without prior notification.
When Li Rubai and the others received the secret letter, they were utterly exasperated. They'd even wiped out Lu Xuan?
This year's military pay is completely gone, and the soldiers under my command are in turmoil! I'll have to pay for the winter myself. Forget about getting the soldiers to fight. Just keeping them from mutiny is already the limit.
But these people don't care anymore. The credit has already been reported, and after winter, they're all going to be promoted. Whoever takes over then will have to clean up the mess.
The imperial court's rewards arrived. As per Lu Xuan's request, military achievements were exchanged for rewards. Large sums of silver, soldiers, and livestock were sent to Liaoyang.
Wei Zhongxian handled this matter personally, and only 30% of it was lost in the water along the way...
Add to that the money from the Liaodong military campaign and the money from selling the emperor, and Lu Xuan had accumulated nearly 20 million taels of silver.
With money in hand, Lu Xuan naturally felt more confident. So, with a wave of his hand, he threw a banquet.
The banquet was special because it was a gathering of Western businessmen, including Portuguese, Dutch, and British.
This was a desperate measure for Lu Xuan. Shipbuilding wouldn't yield results in a day or two. He couldn't buy ships, and most of the merchant ships didn't meet his standards. After much deliberation, these merchant caravans from Europe became the best option.
“Buy a ship? Absolutely not. We got here because of these ships; they are the foundation of our adventures. We will never sell our own ships under any circumstances.”
"I understand what you mean. You are all great adventurers. But adventure isn't everything in life, is it? Think about it, what are you adventuring for?"
"What do you want to say, General?"
"I would like to show you something."
As Lu Xuan spoke, he led the way out. A dozen or so representatives of Western merchants followed him out.
This governor of Liaoyang was different from other Ming Dynasty officials. He was more direct, more passionate, and more willing to communicate with these outsiders.
The group arrived outside a newly built warehouse in Lu Xuan's courtyard. Lu Xuan gestured to the guards to unlock it.
The soldier obeyed, stepped forward, unlocked the four locks, and broke the four thick iron chains. Then he pulled hard on the gate. After that, he turned and ran.
While everyone was still wondering what was going on, a flash of silver light appeared before their eyes. Well, "flash" isn't quite the right word, because the next second, the silver light filled the entire courtyard.
Because a mountain collapsed, a silver mountain.
Countless silver ingots cascaded down like a waterfall with a whoosh.
At Lu Xuan's signal, the soldier opened another warehouse door. Multicolored light filled the remaining corners of the courtyard.
Those were porcelain, silk, jewelry, and all sorts of goods that Western merchants loved.
"You've all seen it. I have way too much silver here, so much that my house can't hold it all. And this silk, this porcelain, this tea—they're all piling up in my storeroom and they're about to get moldy. Does anyone want to help me? Help me clear out all this useless stuff?"
A gurgling sound—it was the sound of someone swallowing.
“Your Excellency, I have a ship that is currently undergoing repairs in the port, but I am in a hurry to get home, so I can transfer it to you.”
"Your Excellency, due to the loss of many crew members at sea, we now have a surplus of ships. Therefore, we can transfer two of them."
"Your Excellency, we can also..."
"Your Excellency..."
“Your Excellency, we have two Royal Navy warships of the British Empire here…”
Lu Xuan: "????"
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Chapter 155 Sleepless Nights (Please Subscribe)
He now had ships, though not many. But overnight, Lu Xuan possessed twenty-one of the most advanced warships of the era. Lu Xuan also conveniently purchased the cannons and ammunition on board, and even some of the crew members.
What? You're asking why merchant ships have cannons? Ha!
Twenty-one warships were enough to deal with 90% of pirates. However, they were no match for a well-organized Japanese navy. Fortunately, Japan was in chaos, because Lu Xuan had detained Tokugawa Hidetada for a month and severely tortured him. As a result, the butterfly effect prevented Hidetada from inheriting the position of head of the clan. The Japanese shogunate era began to go astray from the second generation onwards, thanks to Lu Xuan's machinations.
Thus, Lu Xuan's fleet began its daily mission of vying for coastal dominance.
To this end, Lu Xuan even spent a large sum of money to hire a group of Dutch sailors. Influenced by the substantial sums of money, these Dutchmen fought desperately for Lu Xuan.
In this era, most of those who dared to come to the East to seek their fortune were adventurous and desperate individuals. As long as they were paid, there was nothing they wouldn't do.
Some Dutchmen, having enjoyed the high pay, even deserted the Dutch Navy and joined Lu Xuan's forces. Lu Xuan welcomed them all, offering them naval advisor status and high-ranking officer salaries. This quickly made them happy and allowed them to integrate into the Dutch ranks.
Lu Xuan's fleet was well-equipped with strong ships and powerful cannons, and led by a group of professional naval officers. Its combat strength was naturally beyond the reach of those merchants who were half merchants and half pirates.
What those maritime merchants found most incomprehensible was that Lu Xuan didn't plunder, he only fought... and as time went on, his fleet grew from the initial twenty-one warships to forty. He was virtually invincible at sea.