Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

"Hand over the grain, you damn well better!"

"What? You can cook this rice and eat it, but we can't? We're all eating it anyway!"

"Sir! This is all the rice we have left. I beg you, this old woman, this child is still breastfeeding! If you take this rice away, the mother will have nothing to eat, and without milk, what will happen to the child!"

The officer stepped forward and saw that it was indeed an infant in swaddling clothes.

He looked at the old woman kneeling on the ground: "Are you saying that if I take this rice away, your woman won't be able to produce milk, and your child won't have any to eat?"

The old woman nodded: "Yes... official..."

Before she could finish speaking, the child in the woman's arms was snatched away and thrown heavily to the ground, immediately falling silent.

"Now, she doesn't need to produce milk anymore. If she does need it again, you guys can drink her milk!"

This caused the nearby constables to burst into laughter.

Only the mother and daughter remained, weeping bitterly over the baby's corpse.

"Give me back my grandson! Give me back my grandson!" The old woman pounded on the legs of the constable.

The constable kicked her aside and turned to leave.

After all, so many people have already died, so a few more deaths won't make a difference.

Besides, he wasn't attacked with swords or knives; he was probably just blown away by the typhoon and fell to his death.

Even if there were, it was just some bandits who came from who-knows-where and looted the place!

Pang San stood next to Chi Honghai.

"Sir, I'm confident!"

Chi Honghai looked at Pang San with a surprised expression.

"What are you sure about?"

Pang San patted his chest.

"Those few, Brother Liu and I are fine."

Chi Honghai gently blocked his arm with his hand and shook his head.

"What's wrong, sir? Wasn't it the same last time? Charge in and kill that bastard!"

"The past is the past, don't bring up the present. If you kill the soldiers here now, that will be a big deal. You won't be able to get away with it then. We should avoid trouble for now."

"But sir."

Chi Honghai raised his hand, interrupting Pang San's speech.

Only after the group of soldiers left did he lead the others forward.

He first helped the two mourners to their feet, then had the child buried.

"Grandpa, is there any food left in the village?"

The old woman's voice was hoarse: "Gone... all gone... this life is over..."

Chi Honghai held her hand and covered the old woman's hand with his other hand.

"How could that be?"

At this moment, the man who had gone out to find grain returned home. Upon seeing this, he initially thought it was the work of Chi Honghai and his men.

With bloodshot eyes, he rushed forward and fought desperately.

Only after his wife pulled and explained did he understand what had happened, and he lay down in front of the child's small mound of dirt and wept bitterly.

Chi Honghai didn't watch the tragic scene anymore and turned to give instructions to the people behind him.

"Brothers, bring the grain up, and borrow two of the villagers' pots to cook porridge!"

Upon hearing that there was grain, everyone gathered around.

Chi Honghai cleared his throat and raised his hands to quiet the surrounding villagers.

"Fellow villagers, there's enough for everyone! Don't grab! If you still have some strength, lend a hand and help the elderly and children to the side to rest. They'll be given the porridge first!"

With Chi Honghai's words and the help of the dozen or so people around him, they managed to maintain order and start the fire in an orderly manner.

During the distribution of hot porridge, Chi Honghai once again stood in the middle of the road.

"Fellow villagers, please understand that we can only provide this porridge for one day. After today, we will be leaving."

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to him.

The crowd was filled with doubt.

"This isn't official porridge. The government of Xin'an County won't tolerate us. They'll kill us if they see us. We can't do good deeds and end up losing our lives."

After Chi Honghai finished speaking, all that remained was silence.

Suddenly, a voice came from the crowd; it was the same man from before.

"The porridge shops set up by the government don't even have a single grain of rice. All the surplus grain in our homes has been looted. The rice in the fields was almost ripe, but it was also swept away by this strong wind. Now that you're gone, how are we ordinary people supposed to survive?"

Chi Honghai walked up to the man, his eyes glistening with tears, and patted him on the shoulder.

He sighed deeply.

The man suddenly knelt down.

"Sir, I see everyone who follows you calls you 'Sir,' so I'll call you 'Sir' too. Without this bowl of porridge from you today, it won't just be my son who dies. The government won't leave us a way out, sir, please lead us to a way out."

Chi Honghai quickly helped the man up, but no matter what he did, the man refused to get up.

Chi Honghai was helpless.

"Gentlemen, following me is going against the government and will cost you your heads! You'd better find another way to survive. After you finish this porridge, just pretend you never saw me."

"master!"

"master!!!"

Everyone present knelt down.

"Sir, please show us a way to survive!"

"Lead us to survival!!!"

"Gentlemen, haven't you understood yet! If you come with me, you're going to get your heads! There's no turning back!"

"If we continue like this, even if we don't lose our heads in a few days, won't we still die?"

Chi Honghai paused for a moment, then stood in the middle with his eyes closed and let out a long sigh.

"Alright, since that's the case, don't be afraid. Follow me, and I'll guarantee you'll have enough to eat!"

"Follow the master!"

At this moment, Liu Qingjiang understood Chi Honghai's previous intention, but he still went up to express his concerns.

"Sir, there are many women, children and elderly people here. It might be troublesome to take them all back."

Chi Honghai turned to the side and leaned closer to mutter something.

"Qingjiang, if I abandon my brothers' wives, children, and elderly parents, how can they be expected to work for me?"

Liu Qingjiang nodded slightly: "Your Excellency is wise."

After agreeing to everyone's requests, Chi Honghai arranged for able-bodied young men from the village to work there.

Tell them to take some rice and grain and distribute it to the surrounding villages, explaining their situation. Those who are interested should wait for them on the shore tomorrow morning.

"Pang San, you and the brothers stay here tonight. Qingjiang and I will head back first. Wait for me here tomorrow morning! Remember, if you encounter any government troops again, don't act rashly!"

"Understood, sir."

Early the next morning.

Chi Honghai led the remaining men, slowly sailing over in two cargo ships.

The light mist that morning provided some cover for the operation.

When Chi Honghai could clearly see the scene on the shore, he rubbed his eyes.

The situation on the shore was somewhat unexpected.

It was almost a dense crowd of people.

Once they reached the shore, he grabbed Pang San's hand and said, "Pang San, why are there so many people here all night?"

"Sir, the other two villages next door have been completely looted by the government troops. Those who resisted were charged with harassing the officials and killed on the spot. When the villagers heard that there was a just and upright official here, they all ran over and said they wanted to follow you."

Chi Honghai glanced at the crowd around him.

"master!!!"

Chi Honghai shook his hand and pointed to the dock.

"Hurry up and get on the boat!"

People on the shore boarded the ship one after another.

Chi Honghai stopped in place and poked at the sand on the beach with his foot.

"To the north there's the rebel leader Li Zicheng, and to the south, if things continue like this... it's hard to say."