Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

After gathering the people on Hong Kong Island, Chi Hung-hai began to make plans based on the situation on the island.

Shen Er climbed up to Chi Honghai, his expression joyful.

"Sir, the government is too busy to deal with this issue themselves and is basically ignoring it. It seems we have a great opportunity to help!"

"Um."

Chi Honghai, who deals with local officials year-round, naturally knew about this situation.

The officials are busy everywhere and too busy to care about this remote place.

These three officials were probably just trying to use their positions to make some extra money here.

"Brother, once we grow big and strong, we can make our fortune here and carve out our own territory. Then..."

Chi Honghai pulled him and shoved him onto his shoulder.

Shen Er was startled when Chi Honghai pulled him like that, and for a moment he didn't understand what he had done wrong.

"Let me tell you, Shen Er, some things are beyond your control. Watch your mouth."

"Don't cause the master to be attacked by the masses now, and he won't even have peace after death."

Once he came to his senses, Shen Er quickly straightened his posture.

"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong."

Chi Honghai patted Shen Er on the shoulder.

"I know your loyalty is commendable, but trouble often comes from the mouth. You are too arrogant now, and the harder you will fall later. Don't forget the nine-word mantra of the founding emperor when he started his dynasty."

"Yes... sir..."

Chi Honghai brushed the dust off Shen Er with his hand and blew it off.

"Alright, go ahead and call all the brothers over. I have something to take care of."

"Yes."

After gathering everyone, Chi Honghai stepped onto a rock.

"Now that you have followed me, you are all my brothers, Chi Honghai."

"Over the past two days, I've done a rough survey of our situation. Now, we need some people to go logging and make bows and arrows."

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Who knows how to make grappling hooks?"

Three hands were raised below, and the reply was, "I can!"

"Thank you both for your hard work these past two days, making as many hooks as possible."

These two remarks left the people below confused.

Even Liu Qingjiang couldn't help but ask.

"Master Chi, you've ordered your men to make bows and arrows, and grappling hooks. Are you planning to lead us to rob something? But what I don't understand is, why would you need these to rob ordinary people?"

Chi Honghai took a deep breath.

"The government openly and covertly robs us all the time; now it's our turn to take it back! No, it should be to reclaim what we've lost!"

"Once we get these things, we'll never have to worry about food and drink again!"

These words caused a stir among the people below.

"Sir, if we openly rob the government offices like this, won't they send people to suppress us?"

"If you don't fight for it, he won't come?"

Don't forget, we still have the blood of the government on our hands!

"Only by robbing the government can we establish ourselves here. If we do nothing, we'll be finished when the authorities arrive!"

The people below remained silent.

"Let me make this clear from the start: if we pull off this job well, I'll share the good stuff with everyone, treating you all like brothers. But no matter who we rob, we won't harm any ordinary civilians!"

If anyone harbors any evil intentions or does anything dishonest, I, Chi Honghai, dare to kill government officials, and I can also deal with all of you!

A few days later, everything was ready.

On the eve of sunset, a group of people boarded more than a dozen fishing boats and arrived at a waterway in Xin'an County (Nanshan District, Shenzhen) that was usually deserted.

Chi Honghai had often dealt with the magistrate of Xin'an County, so he naturally knew when "big fish" were traveling on this waterway.

"Master, are you so sure? What if we come up empty-handed?" Pang San voiced his doubts, as it would be too demoralizing to fail on the first try.

Chi Honghai glanced at Pang San.

"Besides that night, has your master ever made a mistake?"

That night was indeed an accident; no one expected that the magistrate, with whom they had always cooperated, would stab them in the back at this time.

However, these things that cannot be brought to light can only be revealed at such times.

This can be seen as Chi Honghai's way of confidently asserting his ability to prevent the government from easily taking action against him.

Without official documents, this kind of operation cannot be escorted by soldiers.

If you get robbed by shady characters, you can only swallow your anger and suffer in silence—after all, you yourself have been robbed by Liu Xiang and his gang before.

After saying that, he began to arrange for people to pretend to fish around the waterway.

The climate in Guangzhou in February is quite cool, especially as the sun is about to set.

The government officials were even more pleased.

After all, the territory of Guangzhou Prefecture is still relatively peaceful, and the rebellion in the north will not reach here for the time being.

Under Zheng Zhilong's control, the southeastern coast no longer had the large-scale pirates of the Jiajing era.

Although the waters off Guangzhou were not under Zheng Zhilong's control.

However, after Liu Xiang's group in Guangdong was wiped out by Zheng Zhilong in 1635, there were no major upheavals.

Life is pretty good these days.

A short while later, a ship with a deeper draft passed by.

Chi Honghai looked up and realized that, given the time and the shape of the boat, it was definitely the old magistrate's boat.

He patted the fishermen next to him and had them sing a fishing chant, signaling that their target had arrived.

After a fisherman's song was sung, all the fishing boats began to sing back to each other.

The people standing on the official boat found this scene rather strange.

"Sir, the sun is almost setting, why are these fishermen still fishing here?"

The man looked at the surrounding fishing boats and listened to the fishermen's songs and chants, his face full of disdain.

"Why should these commoners care about them?"

"Isn't it because the imperial court is about to levy taxes again? I'm afraid these people will catch more fish to pay tribute to the court. Let me tell you, the taste of sea fish is quite different from that of river fish. When they come ashore, let them offer a few to the brothers as a reward."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!" echoed the person next to him.

"But sir, won't the fishermen complain about confiscating their fish so soon after they land?"

After hearing this, the leader turned his head slightly, glanced at him sideways, and continued to mock him.

"What are you afraid of, these commoners? They live on the land of the imperial court, rely on the heavens of the imperial court, and should owe the imperial court something. Paying tribute to us is paying tribute to the imperial court. What's the difference?"

"No difference, no difference at all. Your insight is far superior, sir. What are a few mere fish? Even their lives belong to the imperial court!"

After the official boat sailed to the center of the fishing boats, the fishing boats scattered around slowly approached.

The official on the boat watched the fishing boat approach. Although the fishing boat was a lowly people he looked down on from the bottom of his heart, this unusual behavior still made him a little wary.

He held onto the railing and told his brothers on the ship to be on guard.

As Chi Honghai approached, he raised the straw hat on his head and shouted to the people on the boat.

"Sir! Would you like some of this really fresh fish?"

After saying that, he held up the fish basket on the boat and showed it to the people on the boat.

The man immediately recognized the voice, as if it belonged to an old friend, but facing the lowly people below the boat, he didn't think much of it.

"Hey kid, take a good look at my clothes. You still dare to do business with me?"

Chi Honghai frowned.

"Sir, there's no such thing as doing business without paying. My fish is very fresh. If you want it, I'll give it to you cheaply."

"Hey kid, are you really not understanding what I'm saying, or are you just pretending?"

Just as the leader was grappling with Chi Honghai, several familiar arrows rang out in response.

Several guards by the side of the ship were hit by arrows and fell into the water.

The officers, realizing what had happened, were momentarily stunned and turned to look at what was happening behind them.

"Go!" Chi Honghai shouted.

Immediately, people from more than a dozen boats threw out their prepared grappling hooks, swung them around in their hands a few times, and then tossed them onto the boats. Once hooked, they began to climb upwards.

Pang San grabbed the grappling hook and quickly climbed up, immediately engaging in combat with the guards on the ship.

As more people boarded the ship, the two groups began fighting on the deck.

After several exchanges, the group stood facing each other.

The guards were few in number, but their martial arts skills were quite good. Although several of them died, most of the people on the deck were injured, mostly by Chi Honghai's men.

Although Liu Qingjiang and Pang San were skilled fighters, they had exhausted themselves and were injured during the boarding process.

Seeing the blood-stained weapons in the guards' hands, none of the men dared to make any further moves.

After pondering for a moment, Chi Honghai took advantage of the guards' attention being focused on the front and circled around the crowd and mast to reach the side.

He seized the opportunity and pounced forward in one swift motion.

"Make them put down their weapons!"

Chi Honghai grabbed his neck and shouted loudly.

The man grabbed his arm and slapped it, using the last of his strength to scream.

"Put it down, put it down, put it all down!"

The remaining guards, after receiving orders from their leader, saw the people surrounding them and their last bit of resistance crumbled instantly, and they all laid down their weapons.

After disarming and tying up these people, Chi Honghai pushed the person he was holding aside.

Take a closer look.

"Oh, isn't this Magistrate Qiu's brother-in-law?"

"Chi...Chi Honghai? Weren't you dead?"

"Death? I'm the reincarnation of Hai Bo. Entering the sea is like returning home. How could I die?"

"Let me go, and I promise I won't tell anyone about this."

Chi Honghai poked Qiu Ling's forehead.

"If we don't let you go, no one will know about this, right? Besides, the dead don't speak."

Upon hearing the word "dead man," Qiu Ling immediately lost his composure, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly.

But Chi Honghai didn't pay much attention to him. Instead, he kicked him in the shoulder, venting his anger at how he had been so obsequious back then.

Watching Qiu Ling roll around on the deck and then crawl back to beg for mercy, I felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Don't rush, you won't die. I haven't had enough fun yet."

Chi Honghai tilted his head slightly: "Pang San."

Pang San immediately understood what Chi Honghai meant.

He walked behind the remaining constables and quickly dealt with these eyesores.

Then, Chi Honghai glanced at Qiu Ling and revealed a wicked smile.

"Leave a few brothers to clean up the surface of the sea."

"Brothers, let's go back! See just how big a fish we caught today!"

Just as the cargo ship was being steered back to Hong Kong Island by Chi Honghai.

"Wait, sir! There's a young woman in this cabin!"