Wang Cuiqiao said, "I also know what happened to Wang Zhi. He was too arrogant. At that time, the imperial court didn't send down the edict and he dared to go ashore, thinking that the imperial court wouldn't kill him. In the end, he miscalculated. "
Xu Hai said, "This time, the one who wants to recruit Wang Zhi is still Hu Zongxian. If I remember correctly, he was the one who recruited Wang Zhi last time. Why, do you want to play the same trick twice? Only a fool would fall for it. "
Wang Cuiqiao said, "Governor Hu also answered the reason for Wang Zhi's death in the letter. Trapping Wang Zhi wasn't Governor Hu's intention, but Governor Wang Bengu's unscrupulous actions. In order to steal the credit, he rushed to the emperor to report Wang Zhi's arrest and advocated for the death penalty. As a result, the court was in a heated discussion. The emperor didn't know the truth, so he ordered Wang Zhi to be killed. "
Should Wang Zhi be killed?
In terms of crimes, even if Wang Zhi had ten heads, it wouldn't be enough. He violated the prohibition of maritime smuggling, declared himself king, burned, killed, and plundered …
But in the situation at that time, from the perspective of benefits, Wang Zhi shouldn't have been killed.
Before Wang Zhi died, he said, "If I die, I'm afraid the people of Zhejiang will suffer." Although he didn't say this to sympathize with the people, but to save his own life, this sentence was correct. After Wang Zhi's death, the pirates that were originally under his control lost their leader. This group of "heroes" rose up together. Soon, the "New Japanese Revival" arrived. Min and Guang became the areas where the pirates wreaked havoc.
Therefore, after Wang Zhi's death, some people said that if Wang Zhi was left alive to control the pirates, the imperial court wouldn't need to spend a huge amount of military power to defend the southeast coast. Instead, they might get a powerful navy.
There were also people who analyzed that there was a deeper reason for killing Wang Zhi. The Ming Dynasty scholars and officials who were born in Jiangnan and colluded with sea smugglers and pirates did not necessarily want to see a powerful navy in the hands of the Emperor. Therefore, they agreed with Wang Bengu's words and strongly requested that Wang Zhi be executed. This was the essence of the "fierce discussion between the court and the public".
The Jiajing Emperor wasn't stupid. He just believed in Taoism and didn't care about the imperial court. For a moment, he was blinded by Wang Bengu's seemingly righteous memorial, so he killed Wang Zhi. After he reacted, he didn't promote Wang Bengu.
In any case, the execution of Wang Zhi caused the Wokou pirates to become even more chaotic. This was an indisputable fact, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it.
Xu Hai said, "Even if it wasn't Hu Zongxian's original intention, Wang Zhi is still dead. How do you know that I won't become the second Wang Zhi if I accept the offer? "
Wang Cuiqiao said, "So when I contacted Governor Hu, I emphasized that I needed the Emperor to issue a pardon edict. Mingshan, the Emperor's words are like gold and jade. He won't fool ordinary people like us. As long as we have the pardon edict, we will definitely be able to return to our hometown in Jiaxing and live the rest of our lives peacefully. "
Xu Hai sneered, "How can it be so easy to get a pardon edict from the imperial court? This Hu has always been wise to protect himself. Is he willing to take on such a big responsibility?"
Wang Cuiqiao thought for a moment, then took out Hu Zongxian's secret letter from her sleeve and handed it to Xu Hai.
Xu Hai paused for a moment, then flipped through the letter.
"He wants me to kill Chen Dongye?"
Wang Cuiqiao said, "Mingshan, this is a good opportunity. Now that pirate activities are frequent, Governor Hu can't bear the pressure. He should really want to recruit you and then borrow your strength to help the imperial army eliminate the other pirate forces. "
If the victory of the anti-Ming army was a foregone conclusion, and there were only a few small groups of pirates left in the southeast coast, then accepting the offer of amnesty would be very risky. Whether to kill or not, it was all up to the imperial court.
But now, the anti-Ming army was weak, and the pirates were strong. The danger of the pirates accepting the offer of amnesty was much smaller. The imperial court still needed to keep Xu Hai useful to fight the other pirates.
This was Wang Cuiqiao's idea, and it couldn't be wrong.
Xu Hai thought of this point, and his expression eased a little. He paced back and forth in the room.
Wang Cuiqiao gently persuaded him, saying that he missed his hometown, that killing was inauspicious, and that it was harmful to the harmony of heaven.
In the end, Xu Hai let out a long breath, "Okay, I promise you. I will make my move during the assembly on Jinmen Island and kill both Chen Dongye and Ye Ma in one fell swoop! "
Wang Cuiqiao said happily, "Mingshan is willing to accept the offer of amnesty?"
Xu Hai shook his head, "Whether or not I accept the offer of amnesty is still up to me! However, I must get rid of Chen Dong and Ye Ma as soon as possible. After killing them and annexing their forces, my momentum will be even greater. I won't be much worse than Wang Wufeng in the past! "
Xu Hai said with a proud smile on his face, "When the time comes, even if I accept the offer of amnesty, I will have more capital to negotiate with the imperial court!" There was one more thing he didn't say. As long as he was strong enough, he could occupy a good port in Japan and control the pirates. Wouldn't that be awesome?
Wang Cuiqiao finally heard the meaning of accepting the offer of amnesty from Xu Hai's words. She was overjoyed.
…
Jinmen Island was located in the southwest of Quanzhou Prefecture. Among the numerous islands and reefs along the southeast coast, it was considered a relatively large island. According to the units of earth, it was 150 square kilometers.
On this day, the three pirate camps gathered on Golden Gate Island. On the surface, it was a gathering organized by the pirate Chen Dong, but in reality, it was to mediate the recent conflict between Ye Mazi and Xu Hai.
The three camps had a total of over a hundred warships and nearly ten thousand elite pirates. They were all gathered at Jinmen Bay. Most of the pirates stayed behind to guard the ships. The leaders of the camps led some of their personal attendants to hold a banquet on top of a hill.
Of course, the banquets of the Wokou pirates were not as elegant as the banquets of the nobles and officials. In fact, the leaders of the three "fake Wokou" families were mostly from the streets. How could they understand such complicated formalities? Each of them drank large bowls of wine, ate large pieces of meat, and captured some female slaves to liven things up. It didn't matter if the dance was good or not. In short, it was enough to make it look like a proper event.
After the dance, a skinny pirate leader with a long mustache stood up. He raised his bowl and said with a smile, "I thank Brother Ye and Brother Xu for giving me this face. We've been licking the blood off the knife's edge for a long time, right? This is a rare opportunity. I don't know when the next meeting will be. Everyone, drink to your heart's content. Whoever doesn't get drunk is not giving me, Chen Dong, face! Drink! "
As soon as the white-bearded Wokou pirate, Chen Dong, who was the peacemaker, finished speaking, a wave of cheers sounded from behind him.
Not far away, a Wokou leader with a pockmarked face stood up. He was the Wokou leader who was opposing Xu Hai, Ye Ma. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Boss Chen's words are truly generous and bold. I, Ye Ma, am impressed. I will drink this bowl of wine with Boss Chen! "He raised his head and gulped down a bowl of strong wine.
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