Chapter 149: Borrowing Money to Wage War!

After scraping together fifty thousand taels of silver from Zheng Xi'er, Zhang Yunxiu cobbled together another sum, barely reaching one hundred thousand taels, for a total of one hundred fifty thousand.

Holding this one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver, Zhang Yunxiu called Hao Ren and Yang Youcai together. Once the three were seated, Zhang Yunxiu slapped the one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver notes onto the table with a "slap."

He crossed his arms and said, "I've brought out my entire nest egg; you two decide what to do."

The two looked at each other, stunned for a moment, before Yang Youcai tentatively asked, "Young Master Zhang, what are you doing?"

"Fighting the Japanese pirates!" Zhang Yunxiu spat out the three words with a sharp edge to his tone.

"Paying out of our own pockets?" Hao Ren looked astonished.

"Paying out of our own pockets means paying out of our own pockets. Once we win, I won't give the imperial court a single cent!" Zhang Yunxiu gritted his teeth and said with complete seriousness, "If you two are willing to join me, I will certainly submit a report to the Emperor to grant you both credit."

The two exchanged a glance. It was Yang Youcai's turn to speak; he curled his lip, shook his head, and laughed, "Young Master Zhang, don't give us that talk about drawing cakes to satisfy hunger. Just tell us, if we win, what can we get?"

"If you each put up one hundred thousand taels of silver, after we win, I will give you ten percent of the spoils."

"Only ten percent?"

Yang Youcai pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied with this result.

"Ten percent is already quite a lot. That little island of the Japanese pirates is covered in silver; even if we only take a small piece of land, it will be enough for you to fill your coffers," Zhang Yunxiu smiled and patiently explained to the two, "Besides, you only need to provide the money, while I have to provide the men and money, and I have to coordinate the manpower, running around everywhere. You getting ten percent is already quite a lot."

"Fifteen percent!" Yang Youcai's eyes flashed with a greedy light as he stated his expectation directly.

"No." Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand and sternly refused.

This was his bottom line; he could not let the two break it at will.

Yang Youcai's face darkened instantly. He picked up his tea and took a small sip to suppress his anger, then tilted his head and snorted, "Young Master Zhang, business has always been about give and take. You not allowing any bargaining is truly too overbearing."

"If you won't do it, I'll just go find someone else. In any case, there's no shortage of people for such a fine deal. At worst, I'll just swallow my pride and head to Jiangnan to look around." Zhang Yunxiu stared at Yang Youcai's profile, not yielding in the slightest.

The atmosphere turned cold and awkward for a moment, and a terrifying silence spread through the private room.

Hao Ren, who had been watching the show, suddenly grinned and broke the tension, "Oh, oh, we're all old friends, why are you arguing? Old Yang, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but Young Master Zhang is providing both money and effort. Us getting ten percent is already plenty. If you keep pushing Young Master Zhang, that would be ungrateful."

After saying this, he looked at Zhang Yunxiu with a smile: "Young Master Zhang, but then again, war is just like business—there are gains and there are losses. Although we have some family wealth, if one hundred thousand taels of silver were to go down the drain, it would be a heavy blow to our foundations."

Hearing the two perform a double act, Zhang Yunxiu couldn't be bothered to argue with them, so he spoke directly: "How about this: you lend the money to me, and I will pay you interest at a rate of thirty percent per year, how about that?"

"What if we lose the war? What will you use to pay us back, Gongzi?" Yang Youcai interjected abruptly.

"Old Yang!" Hao Ren glared at him fiercely and scolded, "Don't you think about what kind of person Young Master Zhang is? Would he default on our silver? If you talk like that again, I won't spare you."

"Rest assured, I have acquired quite a bit of land in Songjiang Prefecture; I can absolutely afford to compensate you," Zhang Yunxiu responded to the two coldly.

The two revealed triumphant smiles, nodded, and turned together to face Zhang Yunxiu, cupping their hands in a salute: "Since Young Master Zhang insists, we brothers will risk our lives to accompany a gentleman and lend this money to Young Master Zhang for his great undertaking."

Zhang Yunxiu gave a perfunctory response, left the teahouse, and headed straight for the Forbidden City.

This was the most critical juncture; he could do without the money, but he had to be able to mobilize the troops.

Relying only on the private soldiers of the Wei State Duke Mansion and his own fleet's guards, Zhang Yunxiu felt apprehensive, so he came to request that the Emperor mobilize the army.

The two met in the East Warm Pavilion, and the Wanli Emperor ordered Wei Qing to grant him a seat.

Once seated, Zhang Yunxiu rose from his stool and reported: "Your Majesty, the matter of the expedition against Woguo is ready. Now, I only lack an imperial order from Your Majesty to mobilize three thousand of the Qi Family Army and three thousand of the Liaodong Border Army to join me in the expedition."

"Good, I will draft the decree immediately." The Wanli Emperor nodded, then tilted his head and asked suspiciously, "Does the Ministry of Revenue really intend to not contribute a single cent?"

"It's fine if they don't contribute money; it saves them from coming to snatch the peaches later," Zhang Yunxiu pursed his lips, not caring at all.

If he scraped everything together, he could barely manage five hundred thousand taels of silver. If no one embezzled, that would be more than enough to support these ten or twenty thousand troops and fight a major campaign.

Seeing Zhang Yunxiu's face looking pale, the Wanli Emperor thought he was worried about this matter, so he waved his hand and said: "How about this: I will send you one hundred thousand taels of silver from the treasury, and I will also place the troops of the Tianjin Guard under your command."

Zhang Yunxiu was stunned upon hearing this.

He had not expected that the usually stingy Wanli Emperor would take the initiative to take money from the Inner Treasury. For a moment, Zhang Yunxiu was truly a bit uneasy, not knowing what medicine the Emperor was selling in his gourd.

"Zhang Yunxiu, why are you staring at me like that?"

The Wanli Emperor was somewhat dissatisfied with being stared at and asked with wide eyes. Zhang Yunxiu woke as if from a dream, slapped his forehead, and laughed it off: "Oh, the Emperor's holy grace is vast; I was momentarily lost in it and lost my decorum. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"Enough, go down and prepare well. At the latest, by next year, I want to hear good news." The Wanli Emperor seemed accustomed to such words, shook his head, and waved his hand impatiently.

"Yes."

Zhang Yunxiu replied respectfully and stepped back to leave.

At this moment, Wei Qing hurried out of the palace gate. The two met and walked side by side down the stairs in front of the Qianqing Palace.

At this time, white clouds drifted leisurely, the warm sun hung high, and the flowers in the gardens on both sides of the stairs were competing in beauty. A gentle breeze swept by, causing the flower branches in the garden to sway and bringing a refreshing fragrance.

Walking while bathed in the fragrance, Wei Qing's fair face twitched, and he tilted his head and asked with a smile: "Zhang Sicheng, do you know why the Emperor was willing to give you this one hundred thousand taels of silver today?"

"I ask Eunuch Wei to enlighten me." Zhang Yunxiu raised his eyebrows and cupped his hands in a salute.

Smiling, Wei Qing made an orchid gesture and said in a thin, high-pitched voice: "This is all because Zheng Guifei has been whispering in his ear behind the scenes. She has always kept your kindness in mind, Zhang Sicheng, and even told me to find an opportunity to properly repay you, Young Master Zhang."

It was her?

A beautiful, glamorous woman with an air of nobility appeared in Zhang Yunxiu's mind.

Has even Wei Qing been won over by her now?

A trace of vigilance arose in his heart, but on the surface, he returned the smile and said: "Then, Eunuch Wei, please thank the Noble Consort for me. For such kindness, I will certainly return the favor and repay the Noble Consort."

Wei Qing nodded, and the two continued walking forward.

Along the way, the two exchanged pleasantries and talked about some recent minor matters.

Not until they were about to exit the Meridian Gate did Zhang Yunxiu call out "Stay your steps," then turned to bow to Wei Qing before striding out of the Meridian Gate.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

In April, spring was already in full swing in Jiangnan; the elm seeds were turning green, and the willows were sprouting new buds. The rolling spring water flowed down from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, turning into surging waves at the Songjiang Prefecture estuary.

At the Shanghai County wharf, more than one hundred warships were lined up neatly.

Over a hundred ships were crowded together, their banners fluttering and blotting out the sky.

The largest were twenty zhang long, three zhang wide, and four or five zhang high, with three decks; the warhorses could walk on them as if on flat ground.

At this time, the soldiers on the warships were fully equipped and solemn, staring straight at Zhang Yunxiu on the shore, waiting for him to issue the final order.

Beside him, Xu Yuanchun, Xu Weizhi, Wei Ming, and others were gathered in a group.

Glancing at the soldiers on the warship, Xu Weizhi took the lead and laughed: "Director Zhang, everyone has arrived. We can't help you with the rest; it will have to depend on you."

"I have already given the word. If they dare to disobey your orders, just go ahead and whip them."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded, swept his gaze over the crowd, and then cupped his hands: "Everyone, with the Liaodong Border Army of Li Rusong and the Qi Family Army assisting in this battle, we will surely achieve victory in the first encounter. Please, everyone, return."

The crowd said a few auspicious words and dispersed one by one.

Zhang Yunxiu turned to leave, but Xu Yuanchun suddenly grabbed his wrist. Zhang Yunxiu turned around and asked: "Brother, is there anything else?"

"Aren't you going to see Ruoxi? Since you're already here." Xu Yuanchun said, pointing to a small hut by the pier.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and replied: "No need. Please help me tell her, brother. Once I return from this trip, I will marry her and bring her home. Just tell her to rest well."

"Very well, then this elder brother wishes you, my virtuous younger brother, a victory in the first encounter and success upon arrival," Xu Yuanchun said, cupping his hands in a salute.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded slightly, took one last look at the pavilion, and turned to board the giant ship.

(End of this chapter)