When the red-headed ship docked at Xiawei Wharf, Xu Wei and Tang Baolu saw two teams of soldiers in distinctive armor lined up neatly on the pier that had been cleared specially. One team was holding brand new bird-beaked guns, while the other team was carrying a series of colorful flags with titles such as "Chaozhou Coastal Defense Guerrilla General", "Chaozhou Wei Haimen Thousand Households", "Zhenhai Camp Commander", etc., which was obviously a ceremonial guard to welcome them.

In front of the big flag with the word "Lin" in red on a blue background, a short white man wearing a blue military officer's robe with a bear pattern patched on his chest, surrounded by a group of men dressed in clothes that were somewhat incongruous between military and civilian clothes, was smiling and bowing to the famous Xu Wenchang.

"Hahaha, are you Mr. Qing Teng? I've heard of you for a long time!"

"It's me, General Lin. I'm honored to be here. It's the same for you."

Xu Wei knew that he must be Lin Daoqian. He had debuted ten years ago, so he must be at least in his early thirties. However, perhaps because of his delicate features and fair skin, he looked only in his twenties, not much older than his boss Zhao Hao.

"I have heard of your legend since I was a child. It is really well-known. Seeing you today is a great honor for me." Lin Daoqian rushed forward and helped Xu Wei get off the boat with an admiring look on his face.

"No, no, General Lin was a heroic young man, famous from north to south. The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves in front, and the waves in front die on the beach." Xu Wei said New Year's greetings to him with a smile, and the host and guest seemed to be in harmony.

Tang Baolu was stunned by what he saw, and thought to himself that it turned out that Mr. Qingteng could speak nicely. He thought he would feel uncomfortable if he didn't argue with others.

After introducing the entourages of both sides, Lin Run waved his hand and sixteen sedan bearers carried an extremely large sedan.

He warmly invited Xu Wei to ride with him, and Xu Wei accepted the invitation and sat in the sedan chair. The captain of the guard shouted "Lift the sedan chair", and sixteen sedan bearers steadily lifted the sedan chair and walked through the busy streets towards the guerrilla general's mansion in the center of the city.

"What do you think? Can my little place catch your eye?" Lin Run asked with squinted eyes complacently.

"It's amazing." Xu Wei looked at the peaceful scene of shops lining the streets and merchants coming and going. It formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic scenes elsewhere in Chaozhou Prefecture, making it difficult to tell where the king's land was and which was the land under the jurisdiction of the sea.

"I've heard that people from all over the country have flocked to the general. It seems that the rumors are true. The general is really extraordinary."

"You are too kind. It is just because the protection fee I collect is far lower than the exorbitant taxes imposed by the imperial court. I can also control my subordinates and not exploit or oppress the people who come to seek refuge with me." Lin Daoqian said calmly: "Rather than saying that I am outstanding, it is better to say that it is because the government is too dark and the people can't make a living, so they all come to me for protection."

Xu Wei nodded with a smile, looking like a good gentleman. But he thought to himself that this Lin was very insightful and was not an ordinary person.

But it is not a good thing for him, such a master is difficult to deal with.

Lin Daoqian, who was standing by, also murmured secretly. We have heard that Xu Wei was arrogant and looked down upon others. How could he be like a kind old lady? Could it be that his temperament changed drastically after his egg exploded?

~~

As they were talking, the sedan chair landed in front of the guerrilla general's mansion.

Lin Daoqian opened the main door wide, invited Mr. Qingteng to sit in the main hall, and set up a sumptuous banquet to entertain the distinguished guest.

During the meal, the two of them flattered each other and the atmosphere was very harmonious. They drank until after noon, and then both the host and the guests left happily.

After Xu Wei took a short nap to sober up, he was invited to the study in the evening, and the two of them began to talk about business.

"To be honest, I'm here to deliver a letter to the general on behalf of the newly appointed Chaozhou Coastal Defense Co-Governor Zhao Shouzheng." Xu Wei took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Daoquan.

Lin Daoqian, the coastal defense guerrilla, was at least nominally under the control of the coastal defense co-governor. Of course, he didn't even care about the province, and whether he cared about Zhao Erye, his nominal superior, depended entirely on his mood and needs.

He took the envelope with both hands, opened it in front of Xu Wei, and took out the letter to read it. The content was nothing more than that the thieves had invaded the city, the whereabouts of the governor were unknown, and we, the civil and military officials, had no choice but to defend the territory. We asked General Lin to send troops to assist, and the specific actions could be discussed with Mr. Qingteng.

The letter was written in a very polite manner, just like the feeling that Mr. Zhao always gave people. But Lin Daoqian tasted it and found it a little bland, not what he expected. He begged him to send troops, or threatened him with harsh words, saying that if he didn't send troops, he would do something.

In a word, General Lin was not satisfied.

No matter whether it is coercion, inducement or begging, you have to highlight the feeling that the current situation in Chaozhou depends on his decision, in order to satisfy Lin Daoquan.

He calmly put the letter back into the envelope and said with a smile, "Let me think about this. The dinner is ready, sir, let's go have a drink."

"Hey, you and I are like-minded, we can be called friends regardless of age. If you have any unhappiness, just say it directly, don't hide it." Xu Wei shook his head and smiled, "Official business is other people's business, there is no need to ruin our friendship."

"Uh..." Lin Daoqian's brain almost crashed, and he almost didn't figure out whose master the lonely painter was.

"Haha, sir, you're right." He forced a smile, sat down again and said, "If that's the case, then I won't treat you as an outsider."

"Okay." Xu Wei smiled with satisfaction and put his beard together.

"I don't want to get involved in this mess." Lin Daoqian also knew that beating around the bush with someone like Xu Wei was just a waste of time, so he simply got straight to the point and said, "Mr. Qingteng was in Hu Gong's office and strongly advocated the recruitment of King Jinghai. But what happened to Mr. Wang Zhi later? I'm not blaming you, but the government was too dishonest in this matter!"

"Wang Zhi's incident is the regret of my life. I wish I could crush that damned Wang Bengu to death!" Xu Wei also gritted his teeth and said, "The reputation of the court was destroyed by that guy, and he has planted endless disasters for the Ming Dynasty."

"I'm afraid it's not just Wang Bengu, right?" Lin Daoqian sneered, "I believe no one knows better than you what the court's attitude is towards us pirates. So if you put yourself in my shoes, should I deal with Zeng Laoguan on behalf of the court?"

"Shouldn't." Xu Wei took a sip of Beiyuan Oolong, which had a very different flavor from green tea, and said without hesitation, "The truth is that the lips and teeth are cold."

"Sir, you are truly a gentleman!" Lin Daoqian couldn't help but say with admiration: "When we talk about King Jinghai's plight, people below us always say that you are actually responsible. But I always say that with your wisdom, you would never do such a foolish thing, let alone make a foolish calculation..."

"Don't rush to flatter me, I haven't finished my words yet..." Xu Wei smiled and waved his hand, saying slowly: "I just said that you shouldn't deal with Zeng Yiben on behalf of the court, but I didn't say you shouldn't deal with Zeng Yiben."

"This..." Lin Daoqian's face darkened, and then he smiled again and said, "What's the difference?"

"There is a huge difference." Xu Wei said seriously: "For yourself, you can risk your life, but for others, you have to be calculative."

"For yourself?" The evening sunlight shone on Lin Daoqian's handsome face, making him look a little gloomy. "If it's for yourself, then you shouldn't do such a thing as killing your own kind, which makes your relatives sad and your enemies happy."

"No, no." Xu Wei shook his head decisively and said, "General Lin, you now have your own army and wealth, and heroes from all over the world come to you. You are truly a flower in bloom and a fire in the fire. Compared with Zeng, the stray dog ​​that bites people everywhere, there is a world of difference. General, have you ever thought about what makes your situations so different? Is it your personal struggle?"

"Of course, it is inseparable from my personal efforts, but the main reason is that after the amnesty, I have a legal identity." Lin Daoqian frowned and said, "Speaking of which, I can be where I am today mainly thanks to Zeng Laoguan. If he hadn't approached Baietan several times and made too much trouble, the court would not have been worried about being attacked from all sides, so why would they have amnesty me? And they also allowed me to keep my troops and obey orders but not decrees?"

After a pause, he emphasized again: "So it's the same sentence again, only when Mr. Zeng is well, can I live a good life. So if I beat him, it would be like destroying my own Great Wall. How can you say that I should beat him for my own sake?"

"First, I didn't tell you to beat him up." Xu Wei raised one middle finger calmly, then another. "Second, the lives of thousands of brothers depend on you. You can't just look at the present, you have to think a few more steps ahead. Yes, Zeng Yiben is very important to you. But he is different from you. You like stability and peace. But he is the kind of vicious bandit who conquers cities and robs homes everywhere. Over the years, he has offended everyone he can and can't offend. He even lost his old nest and roamed everywhere. Can such a person last long? Just because you don't want him to die, can he continue?"

"..."Lin Daoquan's words hit upon the biggest hidden worry in his heart - after Zeng Yiben was finished, the imperial court would have time to deal with him, so what should he do?

"Fujian and Guangdong provinces joined forces to suppress the rebellion, and even the Portuguese joined in, but they still couldn't do anything to Zeng Laoguan. I don't think it will be that easy to destroy him." He gave himself more confidence and said, "Besides, if he can capture Chaozhou City this time, he will recover his strength and reputation, and the government troops will despair."

"Hahaha, General, you don't think that bunch of rabble can capture Chaozhou City, do you?" Xu Wei laughed disapprovingly, "He attacked Chaozhou this time just to take advantage of the chaos. Now our Sima Zhao has entered the city to organize the defense. With him, the soldiers and civilians of Chaozhou will surely unite as one and hold out for a few months without any problem! Zeng Yiben is destined to lose more than he gains this time!"

"Then why did Sima Zhao go to such lengths to come all the way here?" Lin Daoqian couldn't help but tease, "It's so glorious to defeat the enemy independently, why would he ask for help from someone like me?"

"I just said that we should take a long-term view when looking at problems. I asked Sima Zhao to write this letter not to resolve the current siege, but for the future of Chaozhou, Fujian and Guangdong, and of course the future of the general." Xu Wei suddenly smiled meaningfully and said:

"Oh, by the way, look at my bad memory. I forgot to tell General Lin that my boss is not Sima Zhao."

As he said this, he took out a gold-embossed business card and handed it to Lin Daoquan.

Lin Daoqian took it and looked at it. He saw the following words written in beautiful cursive script:

'Xu, deputy director of the Jiangnan Group's Strategy and Decision-making Committee'!