lovenovelstory Chapter 116 Ling Luoshi, do you know your crime!
Chapter 116 Ling Luoshi, do you know your crime!
Chapter 116 Ling Luoshi, do you know your crime!
Qi Jingtong shook his head: "No, the Ming navy is still in training and cannot yet unleash the full potential of this warship."
"Oh, I see."
Shen Ying was somewhat disappointed. It was a real pity that he couldn't unleash the full potential of such an invincible warship.
Upon hearing this, Ling Luoshi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, Qi Jingtong changed the subject: "Fortunately, the training results are good, and it shouldn't be long before we can use this warship for long-range operations."
"However, although this 44-zhang-long ship has never been used in actual combat, the smaller ships below it, which are 18 zhang-long in length, recently won a brilliant victory."
"Oh?" Shen Ying became interested and asked, "What kind of victory was it? Who was the opponent? General Qi, could you tell me in detail?"
Ling Luoshi secretly pricked up his ears again.
Qi Jingtong smiled reservedly and said, "They were just over a thousand Japanese pirates. They were traveling in eight wooden sailing ships, each twelve feet long, while we only deployed three steel warships, each eighteen feet long."
At this point, Shen Ying, Ling Luoshi, and Wang Shouren all subconsciously looked down at the smaller warship docked below.
Compared to the massive warship beneath their feet, they appeared so tiny.
"As a result, all eight of their wooden boats were sunk, and more than a thousand Japanese pirates were killed, while our side suffered no casualties."
Upon hearing this result, everyone was astonished.
The outcome of this battle was truly terrifying; it was a complete one-sided massacre!
Victory was inevitable, and annihilating the enemy was also expected, but the fact that there were zero casualties was a bit too terrifying.
Such a gap is truly disheartening!
Amidst everyone's感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), Shen Ying suddenly realized something and asked, "How long did this battle last in total?"
Qi Jingtong frowned, trying hard to recall.
"I don't remember very clearly."
Qi Jingtong shook his head: "It probably took less than half an hour."
These words shocked the entire audience!
"How many?!"
"Less than half an hour?!"
Shen Ying's eyes widened; he simply couldn't connect the duration of a battle with the unit of time, the hour.
It's still only half!
Qi Jingtong explained, "When this naval battle will end depends on when our warships collide with the enemy's ships."
"The ship opposite will sink with a single collision; it's really not difficult."
Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi were dumbfounded. Was naval warfare really that simple?
The equipment superiority was absolute; there wasn't even a chance to fight back.
Afterwards, Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi carefully toured the steel warship while constantly asking Qi Jingtong some basic questions about it.
Upon learning that this steel warship required no human power and was instead powered by a hybrid system consisting primarily of steam engines and secondarily of sails, Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi were once again shocked.
Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi were shocked again. It turned out that the boat could be driven by itself without human intervention, and at a speed several times faster than that of human power.
Other details also shocked Shen Ying and Ling Luoshi.
As they were shocked, they both became numb.
Shen Ying kept marveling at how advanced the Ming Dynasty's equipment was. He felt genuinely proud of the Ming Dynasty, which truly lived up to its reputation as a celestial empire.
Ling Luoshi's feelings were much more complicated. This trip to the capital to report on his duties had brought him far too many shocks.
He was mentally reassessing his position within the Ming Dynasty court.
While everyone else listened attentively to Qi Jingtong's explanation, Ling Xiaodao ran around freely on the huge deck, extremely excited.
Standing on such a massive ship, even she felt a surge of pride.
At the same time, she also felt curious about the emperor who only existed in her father's words.
What kind of person was that emperor who controlled the entire Ming Dynasty?
That evening.
Zhu Houzhao, inside the Cining Palace, received a secret memorial from Wang Shouren.
After reading the secret report, Zhu Houzhao smiled knowingly, casually wrote a reply, and then summoned Liu Jin, instructing him to take the secret letter back to Wang Shouren.
Overall, Wang Shouren performed the task assigned to him by Zhu Houzhao exceptionally well, even beyond expectations.
Before Ling Luoshi entered the capital, Zhu Houzhao was already aware of Ling Luoshi's unruly nature.
His unauthorized dispatch of 100,000 troops from Datong to Liaodong to ambush and kill the Uriyangkhai demonstrates that his fear of imperial power has almost completely vanished.
Defending the Ming Dynasty and supporting Liaodong are certainly good things, but they cannot be a reason for arbitrarily deploying troops.
Ultimately, Ling Luoshi's faults outweighed his merits in this matter. Zhu Houzhao would never allow a subject to overstep imperial authority under the guise of serving the Ming Dynasty.
What is the difference between Ling Luoshi and Yu Qian during the Jingtai era?
If it were anyone else, Zhu Houzhao might have already brought them back to the capital to be executed, but it just so happens to be Ling Luoshi, a commander who acted so recklessly.
Putting aside Ling Luoshi's personal martial prowess, his identity is too sensitive: the head of the ten generals of the nine border towns, the Terrifying General!
Ling Luoshi's personal prestige was extremely high among the soldiers in the border town.
Forcibly taking down Ling Luoshi would come at a great cost, and even if Ling Luoshi were eliminated, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers stationed on the border would inevitably feel a sense of shared sorrow.
This not only severely impacted the morale of the soldiers stationed on the border, but could even affect their loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.
Moreover, Ling Luoshi's personal abilities were indeed outstanding, and Zhu Houzhao began to admire his talent.
During the time Ling Luoshi was in the capital, Zhu Houzhao kept thinking about how he should deal with Ling Luoshi after he arrived.
Finally, Zhu Houzhao summarized three steps.
Invite them to a feast, behead them, or take them in as dogs.
This reflects not only Zhu Houzhao's attitude towards Ling Luoshi, but also his attitude of ignoring Zhu.
Zhu Wushi valued hospitality more than execution, while Ling Luoshi valued hospitality more than execution.
Previously, Zhu Houzhao had Wang Shouren show Ling Luoshi his various trump cards, which was to carry out a decapitation tactic.
According to Wang Shouren's feedback, this decapitation tactic was very successful.
Only then did the opportunity for him to meet Ling Luoshi truly become ripe.
Tianjin Port.
After receiving Zhu Houzhao's reply, Wang Shouren immediately summoned Ling Luoshi, Qi Jingtong, and Shen Ying.
"Generals, His Majesty has ordered that you three be summoned to the palace for an audience."
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"Please, the three generals, accompany me back to the capital to meet the Emperor."
The three of them readily agreed.
Shen Ying urged, "There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately!"
Ling Luoshi nodded solemnly, "Let's leave now, don't keep His Majesty waiting."
"Then let's set off now."
The group dared not delay and immediately set off for the capital.
Forbidden City.
Fengtian Temple.
Wang Shouren, accompanied by Ling Luoshi, Qi Jingtong, and Shen Ying, arrived at the palace gate. After Liu Jin announced their arrival, they entered the main hall.
"Your humble servants Ling Luoshi, Qi Jingtong, and Shen Ying pay their respects to Your Majesty!"
The three men knelt respectfully before Zhu Houzhao on the dragon throne.
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This time, Zhu Houzhao specifically chose the very formal Fengtian Hall as the meeting place.
Zhu Houzhao sat high on the dragon throne, his imperial majesty radiating naturally, directly threatening the three people below.
Perhaps before this, Ling Luoshi would have taken the young Zhu Houzhao lightly and looked down on him.
But now, Ling Luoshi dared not be disrespectful, and lowered his head deeply in the face of Zhu Houzhao's scrutiny.
What he had seen and heard in the past few days made it very clear to him that Zhu Ming's rule was now very solid, and he had no chance whatsoever.
Although he was ambitious, he was not stupid. He clearly recognized the vast difference in strength between himself and Zhu Houzhao.
Ling Luoshi had realized that if he wanted to gain more power, he needed to gain more of Zhu Houzhao's trust.
Because all the power in the world was firmly held in the hands of Zhu Houzhao!
As for the other two, Qi Jingtong needs no further explanation. He was promoted by Zhu Houzhao and was naturally devoted to him.
Shen Ying was a veteran of the Ming Dynasty who served under four emperors: Tianshun, Chenghua, Hongzhi, and Zhengde.
According to Wang Shouren, he was actually loyal to the Ming Dynasty, not to Zhu Houzhao.
But that was enough for Zhu Houzhao.
As long as Shen Ying is not loyal to himself, his family, his class, his power, or his territory, that's fine.
"Rise, Generals."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The three men stood up one by one and stood respectfully in front of Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao looked at everyone, his gaze finally landing on Ling Luoshi.
Zhu Houzhao said calmly, "Ling Luoshi, you requested to come to the capital to report on your duties last year, but I had just ascended the throne and was so busy that I didn't have time to listen to your report."
"Now I summon you to the capital. What position do you wish to assume? Speak now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Ling Luoshi stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, since the seventh year of the Hongzhi reign, when the late Emperor established the nine important border towns, I have been stationed in Datong, and it has been twelve years since then."
"From the seventh year of the Hongzhi reign, Datong Town resisted the invasion of foreign enemies 32 times. The number of people who died in battle in Datong Town was as high as 13,000."
"The nine key border towns defended against 176 foreign invasions, with over 94,000 soldiers killed in action. Among them, there were over a thousand border generals with the rank of commander or above."
Ling Luoshi honestly and truthfully reported to Zhu Houzhao the situation of Datong Prefecture and the nine border towns over the years, in great detail.
After listening, Zhu Houzhao gained a deeper understanding of the situation in the nine important border towns.
The soldiers of the nine border towns have indeed sacrificed far too much for the defense of the Ming Dynasty's borders.
Some sacrificed their youth, some sacrificed their lives, to ensure that not an inch of Ming territory was lost.
Zhu Houzhao nodded solemnly: "I have seen and remembered the contributions of the soldiers in the nine border towns to the Ming Dynasty, and I will not treat them unfairly."
"You, Ling Luoshi, have served the Ming Dynasty on its borders for many years with great merit and hard work. I should reward you."
Ling Luoshi felt relieved and quickly said politely, "Serving the Ming Dynasty is my duty, and I dare not ask for any reward from Your Majesty."
Before Ling Luoshi could be happy for long, Zhu Houzhao suddenly changed his tone, becoming extremely sharp.
"But I have always been clear about rewards and punishments; those who deserve rewards and punishments will be rewarded or punished without hesitation!"
"Ling Luoshi, do you know your crime!"
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