Miss and farmhand

Before coming south, Zhao Yuze was already certain that the Japanese pirates would move south and grow stronger in the process; this was an inevitable process.

The Japanese pirates in Liaodong were confined to the coastal waters. All the pirates who landed were killed, their numbers were large, and the spoils were considerable. For the Japanese pirates, this was both a mortal enemy and a great loss. There were many important towns and fortresses in the north. The Japanese pirates were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. They were not stupid, so they dared not break through and could only roam to weaker places to seek revenge.

However, if Huang Xingtong's letter had not alarmed the court, most officials would have held a different, more conventional view.

Because they never take the surrounding small countries seriously, and all those who are uneducated are thieves, there are too many thieves to kill, so it's fine to let them fend for themselves. As long as they don't rebel against the Heavenly Gang and set their sights on them, it doesn't really matter how they are messed with.

The reason for this attack was that the Japanese pirates had become too bold, and they needed to be taught a lesson, but the authorities did not intend to go to the trouble of wiping them out completely. There were scattered rumors that it was due to the war on their homeland. The country was not large to begin with, and the defeated had nowhere to escape. Many of their minor leaders fled to the sea to act arrogantly, and this was the group they were fighting with. However, the court officials did not care about these things. They only thought that if this group of people was beaten hard and killed, they would be scared and would quiet down for a while.

Actually, that's not the case. This battle was extremely fierce, and they had already tasted the benefits before, knowing that the Central Plains dynasty was not invincible. Just like a dog that has eaten human flesh and knows how delicious it is, that dog cannot be kept alive. Those who knew fear are already dead; those left behind are all evil spirits waiting for revenge, waiting to eat human flesh again.

Huang Xingtong's letter unexpectedly brought this possibility to the forefront. Because the southern coastal defenses were ineffective, they suddenly remembered that the sea was interconnected and could be used for cross-border operations. One link after another, even faster than at sea, because the Japanese pirates at sea were severely weakened and needed time to recuperate and rebuild, as well as to expand their own forces.

Realizing this, Zhao Yuze was even more delighted by Huang Xingtong's importance in the situation. He might be bringing a golden opportunity that was never seen again. All the variables would change during Zhao Yuze's trip.

Therefore, he dared not be negligent in the slightest and asked Huang Xingtong in detail about the source of the information, and whether there were any other details discovered. After asking, he found out Huang Chu's information.

Huang Xingtong, a mere compiler in the Hanlin Academy, was no match for his senior from Shandong, who was older and more adept at using official jargon. He tried to distract him for a few moments, but Huang Chu, who was listening from the side room, couldn't stand it any longer and came out to take charge himself.

She never intended to hide anything from Zhao Yuze. In fact, regarding the last matter—the maritime affairs, the Japanese pirates, and the city blockade—only Zhao Yuze shared her interests completely. She wasn't afraid of Zhao Yuze; she was only afraid that he wouldn't trust her. Therefore, she told him everything.

Finally, when asked why she got involved in all of this, when it had nothing to do with her and she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she could have easily escaped if anything happened to her, so why bother with all this trouble?

Huang Chu's only lie is this: she showed him the stolen black wooden deity, which was placed on a tray covered with red silk and sealed with yellow paper, and told him about Ji Zheng's story, saying that she was a psychic.

I don't know if Zhao Yuze believed it in the end.

Huang Chu only told Ah Zhu about her rebirth. Looking back now, it was impulsive, but she doesn't regret it. No one other than Ah Zhu, not even her own mother or Huang Muyun, had ever made her act so impulsively. It was as if it were her destiny.

Zhao Yuze said, "But you can't make me put all my eggs in one basket." He pointed to the Blackwood God, "I don't believe that the number one pirate in the world would listen to you completely because of superstition."

Huang Chu said, "Of course not for that."

She took out another letter containing a land deed.

It is the land deed for the Golden Pavilion.

Even Huang Xingtong and Huang Muyun were seeing this for the first time. Huang Xingtong was puzzled, while Huang Muyun remembered the address and felt a kind of embarrassed surprise.

The thin envelope was easily overlooked among the New Year's gifts. Huang Chu hadn't expected Ah Zhu to write to her at first.

This speaks volumes.

First, it's definitely a gesture of goodwill; often, only the one bowing down is above, and the one taking the initiative is more attentive. Second, it's about showing one's recent situation; being able to send messages out indicates that everything is fine. Third, it's also about reporting good news: Huang Chu already knows that Jinlou is Ji Zheng's property, and the land deed must be in the hands of Ji Zheng's people. Azhu was able to get him to produce it, which speaks volumes about her status. Furthermore, the fact that she was allowed to deliver it to Huang Chu as a New Year's gift shows that Ji Zheng still trusts Huang Chu's identity to some extent, and the New Year's gift is almost like a tribute.

The envelope was almost like a flyer letter; while others wrote auspicious words on the front, Ah Zhu wrote "Compassionate Voyage to the Sea Kingdom," as if afraid Huang Chu would overlook it—very stylish indeed. The letter inside had already been taken out beforehand, only shown to Zhao Yuze to tell him about this connection.

"How can this be considered a favor? It's just a formal invitation. What if it's just a regular holiday gift exchange..."

This is the fourth benefit.

"Since it's a gift exchange, there should be some return. She gave me a land deed, what should I give her in return?" Huang Chu said with a smile, "What does Your Excellency say?"

Zhao Yuze suddenly realized and was immediately pleasantly surprised.

As soon as Huang Chu spoke, Huang Chu already had a plan in mind. He had discussed it with the Vice Commander-in-Chief on his way here. The advance troops he had placed along the coast would be transferred and deployed by the Vice Commander-in-Chief. The Vice Commander-in-Chief was a military officer, more decisive and efficient than Huang Chu. He had sent a Lieutenant General to accompany him to this county. The Lieutenant General had his own men, and the garrisons that had been received in advance were already being trained. If they were to take action, it wasn't impossible, but it would be best to set up an ambush or devise a plan. There weren't enough men for a direct confrontation, and they would need to make further deployments.

Zhao Yuze thought that if they could reach an agreement this time, they might avoid a direct conflict with their compatriots.

He remained silent for a long time, and Huang Chu did not disturb him.

Then he suddenly said, "You know, many of the atrocities that are said to be committed by Japanese pirates were actually committed by our compatriots. They escaped, grew stronger, and then used these people to harass and invade."

Suddenly, the conversation turned to ethical debate. Huang Chu, however, had the leisure to think that it should be a sure thing.

She thought for a moment and said, "They can't be considered compatriots, they're all thieves. Foreign thieves and internal thieves, each has their own despicable aspects."

"Are they really the same?"

"Ji Zheng is negotiable, not because he's a fellow countryman, but because of his power. As the old dynasty said, it's written in the storybooks: 'Murderers and arsonists are granted amnesty.' If he only had three ships, you probably wouldn't hesitate to attack him, would you? With greater power and a larger fleet, the problem becomes complicated, it becomes politics. If you hesitate or feel frustrated, it's not for Ji Zheng himself, but for the nameless men in his fleet. If they all defect to another master, then Ji Zheng will no longer be the problem; the problem will become someone else."

"So you agree to talk to him?" Zhao Yuze asked with a slight smile. It seemed strange to discuss this kind of issue with an unmarried woman, but Huang Chu hadn't hidden anything from him when she told him her story, and he knew about her experiences.

Huang Chu also laughed and said, "He has a great thirst for power and has declared himself king at sea. I think we still need to fight him, otherwise he won't be convinced. Why should he listen to you? You might not even be as good as him in terms of fighting. He built his empire himself. But we don't need to kill him completely. If he dies, it's like a country at sea has fallen. Who knows what kind of people will emerge from his rule?"

Zhao Yuze nodded; that was also his idea, but there was one problem.

"It is impossible for him to truly become king; he can do as he pleases at sea, but not on land."

Huang Chu said, "Then let's see how capable the governor is, and whether he can find out where this person's ancestral home and ancestors were born."