Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

Guangzhou Prefecture Office.

"Your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"The magistrate of Xin'an County requests an audience with Your Excellency."

Sitting at the desk, Chen Qian didn't really want to see the magistrate. It wasn't that he had any complaints about the magistrate, but rather that he had no interest in doing his job.

"I won't see him. Let him wait."

After the servant went down to convey Chen Qian's orders, the servant returned to Chen Qian.

Looking at his subordinate, Chen Qian said with some displeasure, "What are you doing back here again?"

"Sir, he says he has a very urgent matter to report to you."

Chen Qian pursed his lips, sighed, and said impatiently, "Let him in."

After being granted permission to meet, the county magistrate was led into Chen Qian's office. Along the way, he looked around as if it were his first time there.

"Yuan Dechang, the magistrate of Xin'an County, greets Your Excellency, General."

As Chen Qian looked at the person in front of him, he suddenly smelled an unpleasant fishy odor in his nostrils.

"Where is your official robes? Why aren't you wearing them for official business?"

Yuan Dechang hesitated for a while before finally stammering, "Sir, my official robes were just washed a few days ago... they're not dry yet... not dry..."

Chen Qian didn't want to dwell on the matter of the official robes, so he directly asked him what was so urgent that he needed to see him so soon.

"My lord, recently a group of bandits has taken over the mountains in Xin'an County and kidnapped over a thousand villagers as hostages. I have no choice but to report this to you, my lord, and hope that you can take action to resolve this matter."

Upon hearing the words "bandits" and "mountain kings," Chen Qian's head immediately started to ache. Not long ago, there were pirates, and he had finally managed to resolve the situation at sea. How could this kind of trouble arise on land?

Could this be the end of his official career? But then he thought, if he could wipe out this band of bandits and rescue the kidnapped villagers, he would have accomplished a great feat.

"Wait, tell me, how many people did those bandits who ruled the mountains kidnap?"

"A thousand or so people, sir..." Xin'an County magistrate said, his voice trembling. A thousand or so people was no small number; it was a serious dereliction of duty for him.

"A thousand or so people!?" Chen Qian's tone instantly turned stern. "Do you know what it's like to have a thousand or so people kidnapped? Are you tired of being accused of this?"

"My lord... my lord, I led men to wipe them out, but I simply couldn't defeat those bandits."

Chen Qian waved his hand and did not pursue the matter further regarding the county magistrate's dereliction of duty.

It wasn't that he understood the difficulties the county magistrate faced with these bandits. After all, superiors only care about their own difficulties; what do they care about the situation and lives of their subordinates? If they didn't do a good job, then they didn't do a good job.

The fact that this band of bandits could abduct a thousand people shows that their power must be considerable, and their achievements must be significant as well.

"You said that bandit gang was powerful, how many people were there?"

"I led the patrol to suppress bandits before. There were at least four or five hundred people in that stronghold, and they were armed with firearms."

Chen Qian was taken aback. Firearms?

Whether they are refugees or bandits, having firearms is no small matter, or they are not easy to bully; they must have quite a background.

The peasant uprising armies in the north, and even the enemies outside the pass, were lacking in firearms, yet these bandits of a few hundred people had firearms.

Can that still be called banditry? That's called rebellion!

Chen Qian slammed his hand on the table: "Where is that gang of bandits you're talking about?"

"Your Excellency, the area south of Xin'an County was originally sparsely populated and not well-managed by the government. Now it has been occupied by a group of bandits."

Xin'an County, south of there?

Chi Honghai stroked his chin and thought about it, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.

Isn't that Chi Honghai, the one I negotiated with last time, to the south?

Chen Qian looked at the county magistrate and blurted out, "Do you know the name of the leader of this band of bandits you're talking about?"

"Sir, I know that. The leader of this bandit gang is called Chi Honghai. He used to be a smuggling merchant. He deserves to die! He should have been killed long ago!"

Chen Qian smiled and shook his head, leaving the magistrate of Xin'an County stunned. He craned his neck to look at Chen Qian on the stage: "Sir, what is this...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Qian grabbed a book from the table and threw it at him.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Are those bandits? Are those bandits? Those are Zheng Zhilong's men planted in the south. Didn't you see the flag they were flying when you attacked?"

When Yuan Dechang saw the book being thrown at him, he immediately pulled his neck back, turned his body to the side and lowered his head. After the book hit the ground with a sound, he knelt down and begged for mercy.

Despite his advanced age, he was just as adept at kneeling and kowtowing as a young man in his twenties.

"Sir, how could Chi Honghai be Zheng Zhilong's man? He was originally a merchant in my county. I discovered his smuggling activities and confiscated his property."

Chen Qian slammed his clenched fist on the table, wishing he could punch this idiot subordinate to death.

They are polite but never visit, and instead they keep getting themselves into trouble, especially since these troubles are related to their own interests.

"Where's the evidence? You accuse them of smuggling, where's the evidence?"

"My men caught him red-handed making a deal with the red-haired barbarians last night."

"Where is he? Who did you catch? Did you catch the Red devil or him?"

"My lord...nothing...but...but my subordinates seized the goods he was smuggling."

"Does the goods have his name on them, or can the goods themselves speak for themselves?" Chen Qian grabbed the pen and threw it at him, pointing at it and yelling, "Call it a question and see if it responds! See if it's even my pen, Chen Qian's pen!"

These words left Yuan Dechang speechless. There were no witnesses, and the goods didn't have his name engraved on them, so his explanation was indeed unconvincing.

However, both of them knew perfectly well that it was true, but neither of them could say it.

If one of them speaks out, it's tantamount to self-destruction. After all, who was Chi Honghai smuggling for? Wasn't it all for you, Magistrate Yuan Dechang of Xin'an County?

If someone speaks out, it's tantamount to admitting they're involved with smugglers. What's the point then? Isn't it still about smuggling?

Chen Qian composed himself and sat down in the chair: "Get up, Lord Yuan."

Yuan Dechang slowly got up.

"When we judge cases, we need evidence. How can you accuse him of smuggling if you don't have evidence? Besides, he's now under Lord Zheng Zhilong's command. If you lead people to demand it, wouldn't that be like the court fighting the court? Are you trying to rebel, Lord Yuan?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Dechang, who had just straightened up, knelt down again.

"Your subordinate would not dare! I am utterly loyal to the court; how could I possibly commit such a rebellious act! I beg Your Excellency to see the truth!"

"Alright, my Lord Yuan, get up. I know this is a misunderstanding. I will send someone to negotiate with Lord Zheng Zhilong later. You don't need to worry about this matter."

"I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. In the future, I will definitely investigate thoroughly before doing anything, and I will never cause you any more trouble."

After teaching Yuan Dechang a lesson, Chen Qian told him to go home on his own and instructed him to return all the property that had been confiscated from Chi Honghai.

Yuan Dechang was unwilling, but it was what his superiors had ordered, so he had no choice but to comply.

Before leaving, Chen Qian, holding his breath, said to Yuan Dechang, "As a local official, you should pay more attention to your image."