“It’s infuriating that Tian Hong Yu blamed you for losing his fortune and wife!”
Han Kuang said with hatred in his voice:
“I originally wanted to ask the Emperor to appoint you as the Factory Supervisor, but he believed Wen Ti Ren’s words and wanted to transfer you out of the capital!”
After sighing at this, Han Kuang sat down in front of Chen Ran:
“Choose one of these two posts: Tianjin Garrison Commander or Grand Military Commander of Da Ming.”
In the military system of the Ming Dynasty, there were always two ranks: Garrison and Army.
The Jin Yi Wei was also a Garrison, so its official ranks from bottom to top were: Ensign, Bannerman, Captain, Major, Garrison Commander, and so on.
The Ensign was similar to a modern platoon leader, the Bannerman was equivalent to a squad leader, and the Captain was similar to a company commander.
The Major was equivalent to a battalion commander.
And the Garrison Commander was the highest officer of a garrison, equivalent to a reserve division commander!
In the army, there were ranks from Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, Sergeant, Company Commander, to Garrison Commander, Divisional Commander, Grand Military Commander, Brigadier General, and finally General!
Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, Sergeant, and Company Commander corresponded to the modern platoon leader, squad leader, company commander, battalion commander, respectively. The Garrison Commander, like the Major, was equivalent to a modern battalion commander.
Therefore, when facing the Garrison Commander of the Beijing Army, Huo Chang Qi, Chen Ran was not intimidated at all.
Han Kuang felt a little guilty towards Chen Ran. After all, he was already considered one of his own, but he couldn't get him promoted further in the capital and could only obey the order to transfer him out.
So he found two lucrative positions for Chen Ran.
Tianjin Garrison was close to the capital and a busy place for maritime trade, so the Garrison Commander there was a fat job with a lot of benefits year-round.
And Da Ming was close to the capital and a major thoroughfare, so being a Grand Military Commander there was also a good job!
Chen Ran smiled slightly:
“Thank you for your kind intentions, sir. I still find being a Garrison Commander more comfortable!”
In the Ming military system, each Garrison had one Garrison Commander.
Within the Garrison, the Garrison Commander was the highest officer!
Han Kuang nodded with a smile:
“Alright, being the Garrison Commander of Tianjin is better than being a Grand Military Commander and being controlled by others!”
But Chen Ran shook his head:
“Sir, I don’t want to be the Garrison Commander of Tianjin. Can I choose another place?”
Han Kuang was slightly taken aback and asked:
“Where do you want to go?”
Chen Ran smiled slightly:
“I want to go to Jinshan Garrison!”
Han Kuang was stunned.
Nowadays, in Da Ming, the Garrisons all over the country were dilapidated, and many were just in name only.
And Jinshan Garrison was the present-day Shanghai!
But it was still the Ming Dynasty, and Jinshan Garrison was already close to being abandoned. The place was remote and the people were poor, with no benefits to speak of!
Han Kuang couldn’t understand why Chen Ran chose the desolate Jinshan Garrison over the lucrative Tianjin Garrison Commander position that he had chosen for him!
Chen Ran smiled slightly:
“Sir, to be honest, I am still young. Although Tianjin is good, I still want to be able to establish achievements and make a name for myself!”
“Jinshan Garrison has always been plagued by Japanese pirates! I hope to establish achievements for the Ming Dynasty there with real swords and real guns!”
After hearing his words, Han Kuang fell silent for a moment, seemingly believing him. His expression was even filled with a kind of admiration:
“It’s commendable of you to have this kind of heart. Although Jinshan Garrison is remote, as you said, it is plagued by pirates! With your skills, you will surely be able to establish great achievements for the Emperor there, and the Emperor will naturally reward you!”
Speaking of which, he still felt a little sorry for Chen Ran, who had repeatedly established achievements for him, only to end up in a broken place like Jinshan Garrison, so he said:
“Lu Xiang Sheng, the Prefect of Hangzhou, is an old friend of mine. I will write a letter to him and ask him to look after you!”
…
After leaving Han Kuang's residence, Chen Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
After many days of planning, he finally had a result!
Shen Lian and the four others greeted him:
“Brother Chen, how did it go?”
Chen Ran smiled slightly and showed them the transfer order in his hand:
“Jinshan Garrison, Garrison Commander!”
“Jinshan Garrison?”
Shen Lian and the four others were all stunned.
At this time, Jinshan Garrison was still a remote place, and no one would associate it with the Shanghai of several hundred years later, let alone think that being transferred there would be a good thing!
Lu Jian Xing fell silent for a moment and said:
“Brother Chen, why is it Jinshan Garrison?”
He had followed Chen Ran for a long time and knew that this time, Chen Ran’s transfer out of the capital was not accidental. And Jinshan Garrison was most likely a choice made by Chen Ran himself.
Chen Ran raised his sword-like eyebrows:
“Jinshan Garrison is great. There are Japanese pirates and sea bandits. You can go inland along the Yangtze River and the Qinhuai River, and it’s convenient to fight bandits! There will be more opportunities for you to establish achievements and make a name for yourselves!”
Of course, there were many things that Chen Ran didn’t say.
At this time, sea bandits and Japanese pirates were still rampant at sea.
Zheng Chenggong hadn’t yet pledged allegiance to the court, but he was already the leader of the pirates in Southeast China, running rampant from Japan to Taiwan and even Java.
Banditry was spreading, and there were bandits causing chaos in Shaanxi, Henan, and other places, spreading like wildfire!
Although Jinshan Garrison seemed remote now, it could be used to reach the southeast coast, Taiwan, Japan, and even Liaodong!
It could also be used to reach the two lakes area along the Yangtze River and control the granary of Jiangnan!
The Garrison Commander of Jinshan Garrison didn’t seem like a big official, and even in the eyes of many court officials, Chen Ran was essentially being exiled this time.
But Chen Ran knew that with the title of Garrison Commander of Jinshan Garrison, he could openly train soldiers, build ships, and even build factories to fight pirates, and even directly take action to eliminate all the Dutch and Portuguese devils in Taiwan!
The path ahead of him would be wider!
Lu Jian Xing and Shen Lian hadn’t yet figured it out, but Ding Xiu was completely indifferent.
Jin Yi Chuan quickly became happy:
“No matter what, we’re all together. Following Brother Chen to the Garrison to fight Japanese pirates and bandits, I’m feeling good!”
Jin Yi Chuan’s optimism quickly infected Shen Lian and Lu Jian Xing, and smiles appeared on their faces as well:
“That’s right, we’re all brothers together. It’s better than staying in the capital and being controlled by others!”
“I’m tired of being an official in the Jin Yi Wei anyway. I’ll follow Brother Chen to the Garrison!”
Chen Ran nodded and smiled slightly:
“Let’s pack up and set off tomorrow!”
Shen Lian smiled:
“We don’t have much to pack, just a little luggage to carry!”
Chen Ran laughed heartily:
“You guys may not have much to pack, but I have a lot of things to take care of!”
Shen Lian and the others naturally had no possessions, but Chen Ran needed to pack a lot!
Jiang Mei Zhu needed to be taken from the capital.
In Tianjiazhuang, a hundred miles south of the capital, not only did he need to take away Wei Zhong Xian's secret treasure, but he also had two pregnant wives and concubines, Bei Zhai Miao Xuan and Zhou Miao Tong.
In addition, he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to favor Chen Yuan Yuan, the stunning beauty, since he crushed the rebellion of the Fragrant Fragrance Sect.