Doing good work is one thing, but reporting it well is equally important. No matter how excellent the work, if it’s not properly reported, the effort may yield half the results or even lead to mistakes being blamed.
The initial battle report sent to Governor Zhang Jing had not included the capture of the pirate leader Maye.
Now that Maye had been captured, it was naturally necessary to include this in the report to elevate the victory of this campaign to a new level.
Zhu Ping’an spent an hour reviewing the entire northern Zhejiang ambush campaign, refining the previous report to Zhang Jing. He added the capture of Maye, producing a detailed and vivid battle report.
The report was written with such immersion that readers felt as if they were part of the Zhejiang Army, experiencing the thrilling ambush and pursuit firsthand…
In this report, Zhu Ping’an concealed the fact that Zhao Gou and Wang Tie had surrendered and offered Maye, instead using subtle wording to simply state that Maye was captured after the battle.
This was to keep Zhao Gou and Wang Tie’s surrender confidential.
Zhu Ping’an planned to send them back to the Tuolin pirate stronghold as spies, and exposing their surrender would ruin that plan.
The four physicians and others in the governor’s office who knew the truth were given strict orders to keep silent, with severe punishment for any leaks.
A ruler who isn’t discreet loses his state; a minister who isn’t discreet loses his life; affairs that aren’t kept secret bring harm. This is a timeless truth, proven through millennia.
After completing the battle report, Zhu Ping’an made a copy as a confidential memorial.
He then summoned Liu Daqiang and Liu Dagang, ordering them to urgently deliver the battle report to Governor Zhang Jing and the confidential memorial to the capital for review.
Even the finest wine fears a deep alley. At the very least, the emperor in the capital needed to smell the aroma of his “wine” to acknowledge his presence and merits, paving the way for future promotions. Similarly, Governor Zhang Jing needed to appreciate his achievements, ensuring a larger role in the upcoming campaign to eradicate the Tuolin pirates.
After finishing the report and memorial, Zhu Ping’an called Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, and others to head to the Zhejiang Army camp.
His first stop was the wounded soldiers’ camp, where there were many injured from the battle, both lightly and seriously.
“How’s it going, Ergou? Is your injury improving? Does your arm still hurt?”
“Captain Li, can you walk on that leg yet? It’s only been a few days—why aren’t you resting in bed? Get back to bed!”
“How’s the food in the camp? Are you getting bone broth, meat broth, meat, and eggs to keep your nutrition up?”
Zhu Ping’an entered the wounded soldiers’ camp, speaking warmly with the men, even remembering many of their names.
The soldiers whose names he called felt immensely honoured, their chins practically lifted to the sky.
Listen up—His Excellency knows me, Ergou! I can’t let him down. Next time on the battlefield, I’ll kill more pirates to make His Excellency proud.
“Sir, my arm doesn’t hurt anymore. If the doctor didn’t stop me, I’d think I could take off this splint already,” Ergou said excitedly.
“Sir, my leg’s been fine for walking for a while. I’m getting up to exercise so I can return to my unit soon. Those lads in my squad—I need to get back to keep an eye on them. Can’t let other squads outscore us,” Captain Li said, scratching his head awkwardly before obediently returning to bed with his crutch.
“Sir, the food here is great—way better than outside. Every meal has two meat dishes: stewed ribs, bone broth, braised fish, all sorts of variety.”
“It’s like eating for the New Year every meal. We’ve only been here a day, and I feel like I’ve gained a pound.”
“Sir, the food’s amazing, but we’re worried we’ll eat you into poverty.”
The wounded soldiers chimed in enthusiastically.
“Listen to the doctors. If they tell you to rest, you rest. If they say you can move, then move. They’re professionals who live by their medical skills. They know better than you how to heal quickly.”
“Good food is the point. Eat heartily—good nutrition helps you recover faster. Don’t worry about bankrupting me. Even if you grew two more mouths, you couldn’t eat me out of house and home. This ambush earned us great merit, and rewards from above are coming.”
“Recover well and return to the ranks soon. The Zhejiang Army needs you.”
Zhu Ping’an responded to each, urging them to follow the doctors’ orders, recover quickly, and rejoin the army.
Leaving the wounded soldiers’ camp, Zhu Ping’an went to the training ground to observe the Zhejiang Army’s drills. Having experienced the ambush and the trials of blood and iron, the soldiers had grown rapidly. Even the newly recruited men were starting to resemble seasoned veterans.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Zhu Ping’an nodded with satisfaction.
“Sir, Sir…” Ou Zhige, hearing of Zhu Ping’an’s inspection, came running over.
“Master Ou, slow down,” Zhu Ping’an said, pausing.
“Sir, I’m here to report on the equipment camp. After your order to recruit local craftsmen to join temporarily, we’re on schedule with producing padded armour, tents, and bedding. In ten days, we’ll have everything delivered in full.”
Master Ou reported.
“Well done. The equipment camp has worked hard,” Zhu Ping’an nodded approvingly.
“However, Sir, the ten thousand muskets will take more time. We have a limited number of skilled gunsmiths, and polishing the barrels is time-consuming. To ensure quality, it’s hard to speed up,” Master Ou said, a bit embarrassed. Muskets required advanced techniques and were time-intensive, making acceleration difficult.
“It’s normal for handcrafted work to be slow. I was a bit impatient. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll assign more blacksmiths to you, and you can adopt an assembly-line approach to increase speed while maintaining quality,” Zhu Ping’an said, understanding their challenges.
“Thank you for your understanding, Sir,” Ou Zhige sighed in relief.
“If only we had machine tools…” Zhu Ping’an mused wistfully.
“Machine tools? What are those? Would they help us work faster?” Ou Zhige’s ears perked up, and he asked curiously.
“Machine tools are… Well, Master Ou, have you heard of jade-cutting grinders? The kind where you use a foot pedal to spin an iron disc, adding sand and water to cut jade? That grinder is one type of machine tool. Simply put, machine tools are…” Zhu Ping’an explained briefly.
Ou Zhige’s eyes lit up, as if enlightened, eager to rush back and experiment.
“Also, the gunpowder used in this ambush exceeded expectations. We’re down to less than twenty percent of our stock. Producing more will take at least half a month,” Ou Zhige said, scratching his head again.
“I’ll assign a unit of Zhejiang soldiers to assist you. While ensuring quality, do your best to speed up,” Zhu Ping’an said, understanding that handmade gunpowder was a slow process.
“Sir, I have good news too. The granulated gunpowder you mentioned last time—we’ve developed it. All the gunpowder we’re making now is granulated, and its power is much greater than the powdered form,” Ou Zhige continued.
“Excellent,” Zhu Ping’an nodded with satisfaction.
