Chapter 1180: One Look and You Know He's No Good!

In the Hall of Imperial Supremacy at Laoshan Palace, Zhu Cilang, the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming, was at this moment interviewing a candidate for Second Grand Secretary of a duchy — and the man had not come alone, but as part of a group of eleven.

The man at the head of the group, come to be examined for the post of Second Grand Secretary, was named Wang Jinbao. Not yet forty, he was built like a bear, with a pitch-black face, a stubbly beard, and a thoroughly vicious look about him — one glance and you knew he was no good!

Moreover, his record was full of evil deeds. Back when he had served under Zuo Liangyu (he was one of Zhang Yong's men), he had done more than his share of letting his troops loose to plunder. Later, when he followed Zhu Cizhao into Yunnan to put down the rebellion, he had also massacred quite a few of the tusi fortresses and towns that had supported Sha Dingzhou.

Later still, when Li Dingguo attacked, he and Zhang Yong had together escorted Zhu Cizhao in flight, and along the way had seized the Annamese capital of Thang Long — and the one who had led the charge into Thang Long was none other than him! As for what he did after entering the city, you could figure that out with your heel.

After thoroughly ravaging Thang Long, he led his troops by water to attack Champa, and there was another round of killing and burning.

He behaved himself in Champa for two years, then followed Zhang Yong to Siam, where the moment they arrived he seized their Golden City. Then he fought a battle in Siam against the Shun army and drove them back into Burma, after which he led his troops to recover Ayutthaya — and there was another round of looting!

In short, wherever this fellow went, he ravaged the place, and his destructive power was greater than the enemy's! After the Patani campaign, even Zhu Cizhao could no longer stand him, and simply recommended him to go be Second Grand Secretary of one of the Twelve Duchies.

In Zhu Cilang's conception, the Chief Grand Secretary of each of the Twelve Duchies needed to be skilled at administration and also serve concurrently as the city's "mayor" — a Xiao He type of figure.

The Second Grand Secretary of a duchy, on the other hand, was to lead troops together with the military affairs officer — an official who charged into battle, and therefore had to be a ruthless man.

This Wang Jinbao was bad, true, but he could still do the job.

Zhu Cilang began to size up Wang Jinbao's subordinates, and at a glance spotted a little old man who had to be seventy, who also looked thoroughly vicious — not like a good man at all!

"What's the story with this old fellow? Is he really seventy?" Zhu Cilang was somewhat displeased. So old — could he still do evil?

But the moment the old man opened his mouth, Zhu Cilang was reassured.

"Your Majesty, me, Yamamoto Shigezumi, of the Red Iron Cannon Corps, though seventy-three years old, can fight very much!" The old man turned out to be Yamamoto Shigezumi. These past two years he had been doing evil in Patani, and had become well acquainted with that bad seed Wang Jinbao — birds of a feather flock together!

"You're Japanese?" Zhu Cilang nodded. Now he was reassured — here was a bad man grown old, and even at such an advanced age still diligently doing evil. His spirit was commendable!

"Yes, yes, me is samurai of the Land of Japan, greatly loyal and good!" Yamamoto Shigezumi was still doing his best to show himself off — he was very afraid of being "weeded out" by Emperor Zhu.

Because this was his final struggle!

The old man had no choice. For the continuation of the Yamamoto family, he had to stake everything!

His wife had gone missing in Nagasaki, and had taken his second son with her. His eldest son had also gone missing in the fighting in northern Kyushu, and was presumed no longer among the living.

As for him, when he had followed the Barbarian-Subduing General Xu Zhengjing on campaign, he had picked up a Japanese girl of seventeen or eighteen, who had recently borne him a son, named Yamamoto Shichijusan.

In order to leave an estate for Yamamoto Shichijusan, the old man dared not rest, and even at his great age had followed Wang Jinbao to Yingtian Prefecture for this "interview."

At this point Wang Jinbao also spoke up on behalf of old Yamamoto: "Your Majesty, do not think this old fellow is past his prime — in truth he can still fight quite well. He is especially skilled at commanding musket units, and is famously vicious! During the Patani campaign, he led a battalion of musketeers and successively routed three musket battalions of Patani, Perak, and Johor! Those were all elite troops trained with Dutch help!"

It turned out the Dutch East India Company had not been idle either. All these years they had been working hard to arm Patani, Perak, Johor, and Aceh, and had also helped them train new armies — all drilled in Maurice-style pike-and-shot tactics, and their combat strength was not weak.

But in the Patani campaign, these elite troops had run into the Red Iron Cannon Corps, forged in Japan's civil wars, and naturally were no match for them, and were utterly routed.

And Yamamoto Shigezumi's outstanding performance on the Patani battlefield was what had caught Wang Jinbao's discerning eye!

"In that case," Zhu Cilang nodded, "let him follow you and do his job well. Jinbao, you too must do your job well! What We can now enfeoff you with is no more than an empty countship. Whether it becomes a real title of nobility depends on your ability!"

And with that, the interview was passed!

Wang Jinbao became a count, and Yamamoto Shigezumi was able to receive, under Wang Jinbao's countship, a ten-li barony. That also meant 4,000 mu of land, which could in the future be passed on to Yamamoto Shichijusan!

"Your subject Peng Ziqin respectfully wishes His Majesty the Emperor sacred peace. Long live Our Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

No sooner had the villains Wang Jinbao and Yamamoto Shigezumi left the Hall of Imperial Supremacy than Peng Ziqin, Ye Jiaxin, and the other nine came in as a group and kowtowed.

Zhu Cilang studied them carefully. These eleven did not look as wicked as Wang Jinbao and his lot!

Moreover, this Peng Ziqin's record was far cleaner. He had spent most of his career in civil posts, and it was only when serving as Prefect of the Golden Province that he had concurrently held the post of Military Commissioner — most garrison provinces lay on the frontier, so prefects generally also served as Military Commissioners.

In addition, this man had been sent as an envoy to India, where in Delhi he had met that so-called "World Conqueror" Aurangzeb, and had signed with him some treaty for partitioning the Khanate of Bukhara.

He did have some ability — the question was whether he was wicked enough?

"Peng Ziqin," Zhu Cilang began his questioning, "We ask you: if We were to order you to take charge of a duchy at Malacca, what would you consider the most important matter?"

"In reply to Your Majesty," Peng Ziqin said, "this subject believes the most important matter is moral transformation! The Malacca region has long had Chinese merchant activity, and at one time it was quite prosperous, but all along there have been merchants without Confucian scholars, and culture and education have not flourished, so it has been difficult to make things last.

By contrast, look at the Dutch, the Portuguese, the Persians, and the Arabs — wherever they go, they not only open trade, but also build churches, spread their faith, and establish schools."

Zhu Cilang nodded.

It seemed this fellow had not wasted his years in the Still Sea Army and the Western Ocean Army — he had learned a thing or two.

"But can we learn from them?" Zhu Cilang asked. "How are the schools in the Golden Province doing now? Are there many people studying the Confucian classics?"

"In reply to Your Majesty," Peng Ziqin said with a pleased expression, "the Golden Province has now established a provincial school, and has hired Confucian scholars from Guangdong and Guangxi to teach the classics. A branch school has also been opened in Ayutthaya, and quite a few sons of the Siamese nobility have enrolled. Because Siam will soon be holding civil examinations as well, noble sons who wish to become officials must study the Confucian classics and sit the examinations."

"That is no easy feat!" Zhu Cilang smiled.

To persuade King Narai to hold civil examinations, Zhu Cilang had expended no small effort — and now it was finally about to succeed!

Peng Ziqin smiled and said: "As long as the Twelve Duchies can also hold examinations to select officials, then the Confucian classics will surely become the dominant school of learning, and moral transformation will become much easier.

In addition, this subject also plans to recruit Buddhist and Daoist monks from the Great Ming and Japan to establish temples in Malacca, working in concert with the schools to transform the hearts of the people."

"Is that all?" Zhu Cilang was still somewhat uneasy.

Peng Ziqin said: "To accomplish even these things well will be no easy task. Moreover, the campaign south to Malacca is certain to be extremely fierce. The Dutch are no weak opponents, and Johor, Aceh, Perak, and the other states are under Dutch control and will be hard to win back. So after the Malacca campaign, the place may well be reduced to a wasteland!"

Zhu Cilang nodded and sighed: "Fortunately, Zhang Yong, Xu Zhengjing, Wang Jinbao, Zhao Liangdong, Shi Lang, and the rest have always understood benevolence and righteousness, and will not slaughter the innocent."

"Your Majesty may rest assured. This subject also understands benevolence and righteousness just as Provincial Commander Zhang, Regional Commander Wang, Regional Commander Zhao, and the others do." Peng Ziqin added, "This subject has spent many years in the Southern Seas and has long known that the local situation is complex, with many faiths mixed together like a tangled skein, and that benevolence and righteousness must be practiced."

Truly an official of benevolence and righteousness! Zhu Cilang nodded and said: "In that case, do your job well! We hope you will remember today's words, and be sure to practice benevolence and righteousness just like Zhang Yong, Xu Zhengjing, Wang Jinbao, and the others, and win people over by virtue."

(End of Chapter)