Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

Chi Honghai and his group arrived on the other side of the river.

The men's faces were gaunt, and their lips were slightly cracked.

When their feet touched this populated place, it was as if a new opportunity had been ushered in in their lives.

Strangely enough, such fine weather is usually a good time for fishing at sea.

However, when they arrived, they did not see any fishing boats near the shore, and even now that they are on land, they do not see any signs of people.

The five men cautiously entered the fishing village ahead.

As they approached, they heard several stern rebukes.

Following the sound, Chi Honghai groped his way along the beams and walls of the house.

The fishermen in the village were seen lining up to pay their "three taxes".

"I said it's not enough, and that's it. Why the hell are you making such a fuss?"

After saying that, the yamen runner kicked the measuring vessel hard.

These three taxes were a unique feature of the late Ming Dynasty.

In the late Ming Dynasty, in order to deal with the war in Liaodong and peasant uprisings, additional tax categories were established—Liaodong tax, suppression tax, and training tax.

The fishermen next to him were being ushered aside with their heads down, their lips trembling slightly.

The clerk who kept the accounts then added a black mark to the ledger.

"If you can't make up for it by tomorrow, you'll be crying for it in jail."

After saying this, the fisherman's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, pleading for mercy.

The clerk slammed his hand on the table.

"Does your family's petty squabbles require Lord Zheng Zhilong and the imperial court to meddle?"

Upon seeing this, Chi Honghai clenched his fist and pressed it against his thigh.

"This isn't taxation, it's outright plundering and looting. In the late Ming Dynasty, officials robbed merchants, and yamen runners robbed commoners. Everyone, big and small, got to eat, and after they were done, they'd kick the table."

Immediately, the clerk shifted his gaze to the young woman next to the fisherman, his face displaying a seductive expression.

"However, I can be lenient, it's just that..."

As he spoke, the clerk raised his hand and extended it towards the woman.

He grabbed the woman's delicate hand and pulled her roughly toward him, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"We need to have your beautiful wife help us release some of our pent-up desire and improve our endurance."

"Otherwise, how could we have the patience to wait for you to make up for the lost fire, right?"

The woman being dragged struggled until her wrists turned red.

He looked terrified and kept shouting loudly.

The fisherman was so anxious that he immediately stepped forward and grabbed his wife's wrist, trying to free her from the official's grasp.

Upon seeing this, two officers stepped forward and kicked the fisherman to the ground.

"You bastard, you think you're so great? Now you're even trying to force yourself on me."

The woman's cries silenced the surroundings.

Her clothes had been torn and tattered, leaving only her close-fitting bright red undergarment and her snow-white dress, which was being pulled and swayed.

In the struggle with the officials, the close-fitting bodice seemed about to be torn off and fall to the ground at any moment.

"Snapped!"

A loud slap landed on the woman's face. In the brief pause, she saw her husband being trampled on the ground, a knife already held to his neck.

The woman stood frozen in place, powerless to resist, numbly allowing the officers to manipulate her at will in front of everyone.

The man's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to use his strength to prop himself up, but the back of his neck was firmly pinned down, making it impossible for him to exert any force.

That's the situation.

Those around them dared not have any ulterior motives and could only silently turn away.

The entire process was witnessed by Chi Honghai, who was hiding to the side.

The fist pressed against his leg was already clenched and sweaty.

He could tell that the fishermen lining up to offer tribute were all holding back their anger.

But since the other party was disguised as an official and using Zheng Zhilong's name, they had no choice but to swallow their anger.

Soon, Chi Honghai noticed something was wrong.

Aren't those people standing next to him some of the right-hand men under the pirate leader Liu Xiang?

How did Liu Xiang end up here as a law-abiding citizen after being wiped out by Zheng Zhilong?

Previously, I had often dealt with them in order to make things easier at sea; they were kind and righteous people.

Although he is kind, righteous, and capable, it is truly humiliating to be ordered around by a few low-ranking officials and not dare to show the slightest disrespect.

Chi Honghai never expected that he would have such an unexpected gain while searching for a place to live a life of ignominy.

A plan formed in his mind.

He straightened his clothes.

"Pang San, are you confident about those three?"

"Hehe, sir, what are you saying? I, Pang San, am a trained martial artist. Why would I be afraid of those three government bailiffs?"

Ai Si, who usually kept accounts, roughly understood that his master was going to do some bloody business, and he was so frightened that he trembled.

"Sir, my hands are only good for calculating; I've never done anything so bloody before!"

"Stop talking nonsense! We're killing these scoundrels. If you don't take down these officials, they'll try to kill you. Haven't we put on a good show yet?"

"Besides, there are only three on the other side, and four of us, plus a bunch of backup. What are you afraid of? We all have two shoulders and one head, we're just wearing cheap clothes."

Then, Chi Honghai smiled slightly.

"Are we worried about lacking manpower? Look, those standing in that row are all our brothers."

The three looked at Chi Honghai, not understanding what he meant.

He then led the three men, pretending to be villagers, and walked up the passageway in a very open and unpretentious manner.

"Who is it?"

"Good citizen, sir, good citizen!"

Chi Honghai walked along the beach, talking as he approached the constable.

The conversation had just ended.

Pang San pulled out the hidden throwing knife from his pocket.

It was thrown out and landed squarely on the forehead of another officer.

The constables who were close to Chi Honghai subconsciously looked behind them, but Chi Honghai seized the opportunity.

He grabbed the hilt of the knife at his waist.

"rub"

A drop of blood splattered out.

In an instant, the two men collapsed to the ground, leaving only the clerk who was still holding the woman down.

"Don't move!"

Chi Honghai's loud shout brought order to the chaotic situation.

The man who was being trampled on the ground ignored the shout, suddenly got up and rushed to his wife, shoved the clerk aside, and covered her body with his own.

"Ai Si, take them both back to the house."

The clerk was stunned by what he had just witnessed. Looking at Chi Honghai, whose face was covered in blood, his body began to tremble, and he even started to convulse slightly.

"Spare me...spare me..."

Chi Honghai walked up to the clerk and used the blood-stained tip of his knife to flip over the two ounces of meat.

"Your name, Zheng Zhilong, sounds impressive, doesn't it?"

With a flick of his wrist, he chopped off two ounces of meat. Another scream rang out, and before it could finish, he was struck again and died.

The act of killing the official caused the surrounding crowd to take two steps back in shock.

Chi Honghai, carrying a knife, scanned the people around him.

"Brothers, you were all originally known for your chivalrous deeds at sea, so why are you all silent now that you've encountered these people openly abducting women?"

Upon hearing this, those people realized that Chi Honghai knew about their identities.

A person stepped out from the crowd and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Brothers are now law-abiding citizens. We haven't been involved in piracy for many years. How can we go against the government?"

Chi Honghai wiped the bloodstains from his face and chuckled softly.

"Liu Qingjiang, do you really think that being a law-abiding citizen guarantees a peaceful life? Which citizen in the two capitals and thirteen provinces doesn't want a peaceful life? Have they achieved that?!"

"Don't forget why you became pirates in the first place!"

Liu Qingjiang took a closer look at the person who addressed him by his full name.

"Master Chi? What's wrong...?"

Before Liu Qingjiang could finish speaking...

"What's wrong? Have you gotten used to being treated like a lowly commoner these past few years? You think you can keep living like this, with these corrupt officials riding all over you and doing whatever they want to you?"

"Master Chi, after our eldest brother died, the brothers lost their leader, and Zheng Zhilong's power grew too strong, so this matter couldn't be accomplished. But the fact that you came here and even dared to kill the officials doesn't seem like the way you used to cooperate with the government."

"Ha, what future can there be in cooperating with the government? Isn't it all just finding ways to squeeze money out of you? How much money can you possibly have left?"

As he spoke, Chi Honghai pointed the hilt of his knife at the crowd.

"What about you guys? How about you come with me and pull off something big?"

A burly man stepped forward from among the people next to Liu Qingjiang.

"Master Chi, in your current state, it seems the government has stirred up trouble for you, hasn't it? Now you want your men to follow you, but why should they obey you?"

Chi Honghai took two steps forward.

"Going against the government isn't just about brute force. I, Chi, have the ability and guts to kill government officials, and I also have the ability to make the government unable to do anything about me."

"Besides, you now have three official orders in your hands, and you have criminal records. If things are really investigated, you won't be able to escape responsibility. The government doesn't care whether you're innocent or not. After all, it's only when we die that they can truly feel at ease."

"Brother Liu has had many dealings with me before, so you must know my character, Chi Honghai. Besides, I've already given everyone a chance to make a fortune and start over. Whether you wait for the authorities to react and be hunted down to death, or follow me and live a carefree life, the choice is yours."

Chi Honghai used both threats and inducements to force the issue on the spot.

But he wasn't in a hurry to let this group of former pirates make a decision arbitrarily.

After all, this is a matter of life and death.

But he believes that this group will make a clear judgment.

Because the situation has reached this point, and it is an inevitable trend.

Sure enough, Liu Qingjiang's mind was also in turmoil at this moment.

He has a criminal record, is currently involved in a murder case, and is also a government official.

If he didn't find someone with connections to do things for him, he and his former brothers would face another purge from the authorities.

You can't beat them, and you can't hide from them.

Whether I can survive this time is hard to say...

Seeing that Liu Qingjiang was somewhat moved, Chi Honghai added a sentence.

"Merchants value profit, but those who can navigate the business world with integrity also value trust and righteousness."

After hearing this, Liu Qingjiang did not hesitate any longer. He knelt down on one knee and clasped his hands together.

"We are willing to serve Master Chi faithfully!"

Seeing that their leader had already taken action, the group behind him followed Liu Qingjiang's movements and chanted the same phrase together. Even the original fishermen on the island were roused to join in.

"We are willing to serve Master Chi faithfully!"

Upon seeing this, Chi Honghai quickly stepped forward and helped Liu Qingjiang, who was kneeling on the ground, to his feet.

"Brother Liu, there's no need for such a grand gesture. Please rise."

After Liu Qingjiang stood up, Chi Honghai craned his neck and shouted, "Brothers in the back, please get up quickly!"

After everyone had stood up in unison, Chi Honghai turned to look at the three corpses beside him and the goods that had been confiscated, and fell into thought...

Chi Honghai walked back to the bodies, and Liu Qingjiang behind him immediately gestured for his subordinates to drag away the three corpses still lying on the ground.

"Ai Si, these things belong to everyone. Please count them and return them to everyone."

After he finished speaking, everyone present stared at Chi Honghai in a daze.

No one expected that this person, now in a leadership position, would say such things.

Liu Qingjiang, standing behind Chi Honghai, leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Master Chi, what's wrong...?"

Chi Honghai turned to look at Liu Qingjiang.

"What's wrong?"

"Back when Liu Shuai was in charge, these kinds of things were all confiscated for public use."

"Since the brothers have followed me, it is I who will lead them to make money. How can I turn around and take away what the brothers have worked so hard to accumulate?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingjiang suddenly looked up, tears welling in his eyes, unsure of what to do.

Chi Honghai patted him on the shoulder.

"That's how it should be."

……

When distributing their money and belongings.

Chi Honghai turned and sat under the eaves, pondering the next step.

As the eldest brother, you have to make a living for the people below you.

Now, there are more people, but the costs have also increased. I just promised these people that they would eat well and live well.

We can't just let these people fish and wait to die, can we?

It's time to do something...

As for what to do.

These words had been on Chi Honghai's mind for a long time.

"If the government can take what's mine, why can't I take what's theirs?"