Lu Ji has already lived enough, but he has been waiting for this opportunity to die with Shen Mo.

The left armrest of his wheelchair is actually a hidden crossbow machine, and when he touches the mechanism, he can trigger a crossbow arrow, which is quenched with strange poison, and the blood seals the throat and the person in the middle is killed instantly. Although this is cheap and hateful silence, for the weak, the opportunity to kill the strong is already an unexpected joy, how can you pick any way and method.

Seeing that the deadly poisoned arrow hit the silent back, I saw him fall straight forward, obviously there was no chance of survival!

Lu Ji had a relieved smile on his face. But before the smile could bloom, his body was pierced by several sharp arrows, and he was firmly nailed to the wheelchair.

The lampstand, which he had been holding on to his left hand, finally fell to the ground, and suddenly there was a sudden burst of fire that enveloped him.

Lu Ji used his last strength and hissed loudly: "What is the joy of life, and why is it so painful to die? Burn my fire, burn my body! Silence, you're dead in front of me after all......"

Before the words fell, he saw the silence on the opposite boat, and got up with the support of his subordinates...... Maybe it hurts, maybe it's scared, the silent face is pale and distorted, pointing at Lu Ji and scolding: "Don't think that you're dead, forget it, I have to use your bones and ashes as flower fertilizer, and raise a dog's tail flower!" ”

Lu Ji looked at the scolding silence in disbelief, he finally believed that this person was indeed descended from the stars, otherwise he would not be able to kill him? I couldn't help but feel sad, my eyes widened, and the ghost howled: "Oh my God, don't come to such a ......" and finally spewed out a mouthful of dirty blood, and died in the flames.

Lying silently on the shoulders of the iron pillar, he looked at Lu Ji, who was burnt in a ball, and said fiercely: "It's cheap, you kid!" ”

"My lord, when it's burned later, do you really want to crush his bones and scatter ashes?" Tie Zhu asked in a low voice.

"I'm talking about anger, you still take it seriously," Shen Mo rolled his eyes, and said with a wail: "Oh, you hurt me to death, look at it, what's wrong with my back, is my backbone broken?" ”

The iron pillar and a kind of guard hurriedly helped him to his stomach, and the long arrow was stuck in his back, silent but alive, obviously there was a mystery under the wide robe.

The iron pillar tore open the silent robe, revealing a thin layer of chain mail, and the crossbow was so powerful that it shot through the armor.

The iron pillar didn't dare to take it lightly, and carefully untied the layer of armor, and there was a layer of dark golden soft armor inside, only to see that the arrow was bitten by the soft armor, and did not advance a single bit.

Tie Zhu and the others breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out the arrow, and then helped Shen Mo to remove the close-fitting armor, and saw that the place on his back that was hit by the arrow was blue and black. "It's okay, it's just a bump, just a month's rest." Tie Zhu grinned: "I didn't expect that this treasure armor is really powerful!" ”

Sanchi also joked on the side: "Lu Bing sent a car and blocked his nephew's arrow, how should this account be calculated?" ”

"Count you big-headed ghost!" Shen Mosi sucked in the cold air and said, "Why don't you hurry up and give me some bruising oil, grandma's, it hurts me to death." As he spoke, he touched his face with his hand, and it was also a handful of blood, but it turned out that the corner of his eyebrows hit the boat gang, and he opened a big mouth, and he couldn't help but be even more depressed: "It's really a good thing for people to be happy, and dogs are happy to grab and eat, I'm really careless." ”

"It's okay, my lord, I can't break the phase, and my eyebrows will block it." Sanchi hurriedly comforted.

"That's good, that's good." Shen Mo rejoiced, glanced at Hai Rui, who was crawling on the ground and no one was paying attention, raised his chin and said, "What's wrong with this guy?" ”

Tie Zhu rubbed and massaged Shen Mo, and Sanchi stopped bleeding and bandaged his wound, and Hai Rui, who looked distraught, sat down with his back against the wall of the boat, drinking water in a daze, as if he had not woken up from that nightmare.

"Brother Gangfeng, your deeds of standing up to protect the dam have spread all over the southeast," Shen Mo thought that he was worried about his future fate, and grinned comfortingly: "You are now a martyr when you are dead, and a hero when you are alive, so you don't have to worry about being misunderstood when you go back." ”

"My lord misunderstood," Hai Rui shook his head and said softly, "I didn't think about anything, I just felt a little uncomfortable." Seeing that he was preoccupied, he denied it to himself, so he smiled and said, "There is one thing, I am very curious, how did you persuade those widows not to destroy the embankment?" ”

"When I told them that once the embankment was destroyed, hundreds of thousands of villagers downstream would suffer, some of those wouldn't be moved, and they asked the Japanese chief Xin Goro not to destroy the embankment, Xin Wulang was not happy, but seeing that there were more and more people holding this opinion, he finally had to agree and did not destroy our embankment." ”

"Why is that?" Shen Mo asked strangely.

"I'm also very strange," Hai Rui said softly: "Later, I got acquainted with those Japanese who guarded me, and I learned the reason - it turned out that most of the so-called Japanese were actually my Ming people, who imitated the samurai who shaved off the hair on the top of their heads, looked for more costumes to wear, and even tried to dress up as much as possible to look like the boat, lest others recognize their original identity." The reason for this is actually quite simple. In my "Da Ming Law", all 'rebellion and rebellion' must be copied and beheaded, and these people must try to hide their origins in order not to involve their families! ”

Shen Mo naturally knows a lot about these, and his understanding of the Japanese is far beyond Hai Rui's reach. He knew that on the southeast coast, because it happened to be close to the book, those who rose up from the pole used a large number of smuggled costumes, weapons and supplies as props to cover up their original identity. The government actually knows about this, and the former governor of the southeast, Zhou Xuan, once wrote in the recital: "Cover up my Chinese thief, conspire for it, and cause the Japanese to help." Because he is named after the widow, I am also named after the widow, and it is a trick to fall into it. It doesn't mean that it's not a widow. ’

Obviously, the people under his rule could not survive, and it was an embarrassing thing for the magistrates to rise up and rebel; For the imperial court, admitting that the sea ban caused coastal disasters not only lost face, but also amounted to pointing the finger at Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, which was absolutely impossible. Therefore, the emperor and the Manchu officials all tacitly used this inappropriate name in order to describe the domestic conflict as a foreign invasion. In the case that everyone calls it that, it is really regarded as a foreign war like the invasion of Mongolia.

"Didn't you say that most of Xin Goro's subordinates were called himself?" But Shen Mo will not share his opinion, because it is too rebellious and sensational, in case Hai Rui, a stunned person, can't accept it, it will not be fun for Shangben to impeach himself.

"It can only be said that there are relatively more than Xu Hai Yema," Hai Rui said: "But I am less than forty percent, and most of the fake widows under Xin Wulang are the landless poor of my Su Song generation, unemployed weavers, and bankrupt small maritime merchants, and the families of these people are more or less local, and they are very reluctant to rob them, so Xin Wulang wants to destroy the embankment and flood their homes, and they will definitely not agree." ”

After listening to Hai Rui, he said silently and softly: "These words, you and I just talk about them, but don't say it to outsiders, remember to 'resist the Japanese', and fight it yourself, not against my Ming civilians to rebel, otherwise it will be troublesome to say it." ”

Hai Rui showed an angry look on his face, and said with hatred: "The imperial court officials are used to pretending to be wrongful and passing the buck, but in fact, they caused the rebellion of the Japanese Bandits!" As long as the status quo of the imperial court does not change for a day, even if the adults recover Xu Hai, there will be Zhang Hai, Wang Hai, Li Hai, and Liu Hai popping up! ”

"That's not something that a small character like us should care about." Shen Mo forced a laugh and said, "Brother Gangfeng, let's not talk about this......"

"Why shouldn't you care?" Hai Rui sat up straight and said: "My lord is right, I, Hai Rui, am not a governor of the imperial history, nor a high-ranking official of the provincial department, I am just a person from a humble background, born in the barbarian land of the island, if it were not for the emperor's grace, I would definitely end up in the post of Nanping Sect, withering and decaying like grass and trees, and leaving no mark in this world." ”

"I am very grateful to the imperial court for giving me this opportunity to come out and do something for the officials and the people," when he said this, Hai Rui's face clearly flashed with divine brilliance, and he only heard him say sonorously and forcefully with every word: "I also know that my qualifications are reckless, not as smart as my colleagues, and I can't understand the doorways and tricks in the officialdom." Therefore, I can only follow the teachings of the sages, be conscientious, work hard, and do my best, whether it is to open a court in Changzhou County to ask questions, to maintain law and order in Suzhou City, or to repair the embankment on the Wusong River, I will do it seriously, not to do my best, but to do my best. ”

Originally, I thought that as long as I did this, I would be worthy of the monarch of the country and benefit the common people, even if I fulfilled my duty as an official. Hai Rui changed his words and said in a sad and indignant tone: "But I was wrong, very wrong!" Because I found that if I don't change something first, even if there are a hundred or a thousand I, and I do a thousand or ten thousand practical things, it will be like a castle in the air, and it will be easily destroyed. ”

"This court is already full of greed, everywhere is dark, everyone wants to fill their own pockets and turn everyone's things into their own; Whether it's land taxes, salt and iron taxes, or canal dam projects, there are people waiting to make a profit! It is beneficial to the country and the people, and they can't do things that are beneficial, so they don't do it! It is not beneficial to the country and the people, but they can do a lot of things that can benefit them! Not only in Zhejiang, but also in the two capitals and thirteen provinces in the country, all of them are like this! ”

Hai Rui's face was like cold iron, but his hair was all open, and his voice was extremely angry: "Why are they able to be greedy for ink and become more and more greedy? It's because there are more spendthrifts above them! There are python robes and jade belts in the court, and there are dignified officials; There are insatiable, fake and powerful lieutenants in the palace, and there are royal clansmen all over the world. ”

"It is said that it is the strict party that made the Ming Dynasty fall like this." Hai Rui laughed and said: "I don't look down on them, just rely on Yan Song and Yan Shifan's father and son, can make Da Ming look like this?" I don't think they can afford it! At least the vassal clans in the palace and everywhere are not manageable by those who are ministers! The Ming Dynasty has fallen to this point, and these people are also to blame! ”

"Take those vassal kings as an example, in the Hongwu period at the beginning of the country, the clan population was only 58 people, and in the Chenghua period, the clan population contained in the jade was 8,203 people, and in the early years of Jiajing, it doubled to more than 18,000 people, and now after more than 30 years of Chengping, the clan population has exceeded 35,000 people. These days the nobles are not engaged in production, and rely on the state to support them - according to the regulations, a prince has to provide 50,000 stone of rice a year, 25,000 yuan of banknotes, 1,000 horses of brocade, silk, silk, leno, winter cloth, summer cloth, and other expenses. If a prince wants to let the country spend so much, how much will the state money cost to all 35,000 clans? Have you ever counted it? ”

Shen Mo shook his head and said softly, "No." ”

"I've counted! From the 10th to the 30th year of Jiajing, I kept an average of 1,120,000 kiloshi of grain and rice every year, but it cost 2,430,000 stone to supply the Yalu rice of the royal family's clan. With Nanzhili, the richest in the world, the grain left for two years is not enough to supply the royal government for one year's rice, and its burden can be seen. Hai Rui's eyes were splitting and he said: "What is even more hateful is that these royal relatives, eunuchs in the palace, and officials at all levels not only enjoy the state treasury in a big way, but also greedily annex land. Take my Nanzhili as an example, at least seventy percent of the land is concentrated in the hands of these people, and relying on their privileges, none of them are paid! Therefore, the heavy taxes above will be pressed on the small people. ”

"My lord, do you think, the small people can cultivate less than 30% of the world's land, but they have to pay the taxes of the whole world, and support those high-ranking officials and nobles whose families have thousands of acres of fertile land, is there justice in this world? Is there still a way for ordinary people to live? The common people can't survive anymore, so if they don't rebel, do they have to sit back and wait for death? I heard Hai Rui say bitterly: "There is a way that it is okay to do evil in heaven, but you can't live if you do it yourself, and the reason why the troubles in the southeast are getting worse and worse is not the result of the government forcing the people to rebel?" If the common people have a way to live, who will turn their backs on their ancestors and take risks to become a widow? ”

"That's why I said, if the great evils of the world are not removed, there will never be peace in the southeast, there will never be peace in the court, and there will never be peace in the people of the Ming Dynasty! I, Hai Rui, am willing to use my meager body to fight to the death, and give advice to the monarch's father as Yao Shun, so as to avoid the hunger and cold of the people. As long as Your Majesty can be close to the virtuous ministers and far villains, be indignant and strong, refresh politics, crack down on the powerful, restrict the clans, eliminate annexations, and let the people have land to plant, food, clothing, and money to spend, who will go to the sea to be a widow, then the southeast can be decided without a fight, this is the right way in the world! At that moment, Hai Rui was surrounded by a fanatical atmosphere, which made people awe-inspiring and at the same time, they couldn't help but want to stay away.

Hai Rui finally finished speaking, looked at Shen Mo fixedly, but did not see even a trace of approving gaze, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed, the seven words 'different ways, not conspiring with each other', suddenly came to mind, he finally understood that his road was destined to be lonely and dark.

Shen Mo saw the disappointment on Hai Rui's face, and felt a little unbearable, smiled slightly, and said softly: "After arriving in Nanjing, I will hide these words in my stomach, not for the sake of others, but also for your mother, and also for the mission of passing on the ancestry, if there is a way, you are poor and you are alone, you are not rich now, or find a way to be good to yourself, wait for the day when there is really Tengda, and then it is not too late to help the world." ”

Hai Rui was surprised by the content of Shen Mo's words, and couldn't help asking, "What am I going to Nanjing for?" ”

"Congratulations, Lord Hai," Shen Mo said with a smile: "The Ministry of Officials came down last month, and ordered Suzhou to know Hai Rui, and moved to Nanjing Honglu Temple, Brother Gangfeng was born as a person, and he became an official in a few years, and he was added to the red robe, but it was a good story...... "Having said that, his voice became smaller and smaller as Hai Rui's face became more and more ugly...... Although Hai Jui is not sophisticated, he is not a fool, and naturally knows that Nanjing is a place of exile for officials, and what ceremonies and etiquette need to be arranged in that kind of place? Therefore, Nanjing Honglu Temple is a place that can no longer be idle...... He was a good acquaintance in Suzhou, and he was also a member of the Wusong River Working Committee, and he was suddenly assigned to that kind of place, which was obviously a very heavy punishment. He couldn't help but whisper, "Whose idea was this?" ”

"The above meaning," Shen Mo said softly, "I don't know why the text came down from the officials." ”

"I know......" Hai Rui suddenly raised his head and said, "It's Elder Xu Ge, in order to punish me for making him embarrassed and disgraced." ”

"Perhaps." Shen Mo couldn't pretend to be ignorant anymore, and said softly: "I have also fought for you, but my small prefect has no choice but to let you go to Nanjing first to be wronged, and when you have the opportunity, I will transfer you back." ”

"Don't bother, sir." Hai Rui quickly adjusted his mood, and he was able to laugh and say: "The fourth rank official is better, I can finally write a book and give advice to the imperial court." ”

Shen Mo knew that he had just instructed in vain, so he had to shake his head helplessly and said softly: "Take care, Brother Gangfeng." ”

"Your Excellency, too." Hai Rui also said softly: "It's just that in the future, I can't take care of Xiuwu Songjiang anymore, you have to worry more." ”

"I will," Shen Mo nodded, agreeing.

(To be continued)