Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

On Hong Kong Island to the south, Chi Hung-hoi is warming himself.

A series of urgent shouts jolted his thoughts, which had just been frozen in the cold winter.

"Sir! The sentry said a group of villagers have come from the north, with their families in tow. They look like they're fleeing from disaster."

The speaker was Liu Qingjiang. He had arranged for people to stand guard outside for the past two days and would also go to various places to keep watch from time to time.

Hearing that villagers from the north had fled here, Chi Honghai was not surprised. He had already guessed that villagers were fleeing to Hong Kong Island.

These villagers, caught between a typhoon and a harsh winter, coupled with the county magistrate's meddling, were bound to find it impossible to make a living and would have to find another way out.

However, since none of these people have taken the lead in starting an uprising, it's not going to happen anytime soon that they'll directly take up arms and rebel.

Moreover, even a rebellion requires food, clothing, and weapons. To attack a county town with nothing is no easy task.

Chi Honghai pushed open the door and saw Liu Qingjiang, whose face was red from the cold, his breath coming out in white steam.

"Come on, let's go check out the situation to the north."

The two walked to the shore together and boarded a boat to dock at the north bank.

Upon reaching the fence, a group of villagers had already gathered at the gate. Without the master's order, no one dared to open the gate and let the group in.

Upon seeing Master Chi, the people below all pleaded with him, begging him to have mercy and save their lives.

Many people have already frozen to death on their way here.

"Everyone says there's a Master Chi in the south who taught that dog of a magistrate a lesson and stood up for the people. Sir, we people are really struggling to survive. You have to do justice for us common folk!"

Chi Honghai didn't waste any words. He first had someone open the door and let the group of people in. Looking at their tattered clothes, he could even count how many ribs they had.

Waiting in the north wasn't a solution either, since there weren't many places to keep warm there. Even if they got through the fence, a few more people would probably collapse from the cold wind. So Chi Honghai had someone take a boat to the empty sheds in the south to huddle together.

As soon as the door of the shed was opened, a surge of heat rushed towards the person in front, who ran straight in without thinking. The people behind him also felt the warmth inside the shed and rushed in as well.

"Sir, what kind of house is this? It's so warm in this cold weather, it's amazing!"

Chi Honghai didn't explain much, but simply told the group to stay in the shed for a while, and then instructed someone nearby to get them some food.

Upon hearing this, the villagers all knelt down and kowtowed to Chi Honghai: "Everyone used to say that Master Chi from the south was a great philanthropist, but now he's truly a living god! Without you, Master, our lives would have been ruined this winter!"

After waiting for his subordinates to bring food, the villagers, who were almost skin and bones from hunger, looked at Chi Honghai. Whether it was because they were too weak from hunger or because of their simple and honest nature, they did not scramble for the food.

Those who received food did not rush to put it in their mouths to chew, but turned to their families and fed their children first. If a child had frozen to death, the food was given to the wife first. Some families with only one person left held the food and shed tears.

Chi Honghai couldn't bear to see this situation any longer: "Eat without worry, there's more if you're not full."

"Master!" "Master!"

Chi Honghai turned around, waved his hand, looked up and sighed, "Eat."

He suddenly felt a heavy weight on his chest, so he went outside and took a few deep breaths. The cold wind blew again, and its biting chill eased his emotions somewhat.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Chi Honghai returned to the shed and looked at the people in front of him.

"Gentlemen, if you stay here with me, things will be very dangerous, and you could lose your heads. Next spring, I will send you back to Xin'an County."

At this point, the villagers no longer wanted to return to Xin'an County. They knew the weight of this life-saving grace, even as farmers. They didn't want to go back to Xin'an County and be oppressed by the county magistrate, unable to live a human life.

Despite Chi Honghai's repeated persuasion, these villagers resigned themselves to their fate, believing that only by following the man before them could they find a way out.

What's the big deal about losing your head? Losing your head is death, and not losing your head is still death. Only by following Master Chi can you live like a human being. Even if you only live until next year, at least you'll have survived this winter.

This is the simple wish of ordinary people: to live one day at a time, to live one day like a human being. They know perfectly well who treats them as human beings and family members.

In the days that followed, waves of villagers came from the north, eventually numbering around two thousand.

As for the corpses on the way here, there were thousands of them, men and women, old and young, lying on the side of the road or in the middle, with no one to take care of them. They were just waiting for the heavy snow in a day or two to bury them, and for them to gradually decompose and be buried in the soil in the spring of the following year.

The magistrate of Xin'an County was burning charcoal in his home in the city, listening to reports from his subordinates about the disaster situation.

"Hey, close the door! Can't you feel how strong the wind is outside?"

"Let me tell you, this heavy snow will take away some bad things and prepare for the sprouting of spring next year. Don't be fooled by how cold it is this year, next year will definitely be a good harvest. When that time comes, hmph, our warehouse will not just be filled to capacity."

"Sir, people in the city have already frozen to death, and the villagers outside are probably..."

"Hey, why do you care about those lowly commoners? Don't you know that the more people die and the worse their lives are outside, the more disaster relief funds the imperial court will give us?"

"I understand, but sir..."

"What's wrong? You're suddenly sharing our hardships? Let me tell you, you're a government official, paid by the court. If those refugees don't cause some trouble this year, they'll have the strength to pick up knives and face the court next year. What? You want to be a traitor?"

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare, your subordinate wouldn't dare. We are certainly loyal to you, sir, and to the imperial court."

The magistrate looked at the constable with a smile, not even giving him a proper look: "You always seem to miss the point when it comes to things. Before, when I asked your sister to come to my residence, you made all sorts of excuses. Look at your sister now, isn't she living a good life with me? Without me, wouldn't you and your sister freeze to death this winter?"

Just as they finished speaking, the official's sister, carrying hot tea, walked up to the two of them, her eyes slightly red and swollen.

"Little sister, what's wrong?"

The young woman seemed flustered: "It's okay, brother, it's just that it's so cold today, my eyes are all red and swollen from the cold."

The woman first handed the tea to her brother, and then went to the county magistrate and offered him the remaining cup of tea.

The magistrate took the teacup, sipped it twice, and then put his left hand on the table. The young woman swayed slightly.

"Alright, you may leave now. Report back to me if there's anything else. It's cold outside, I need to warm myself up."