Zheng Erba was one of Fur Seal's companions when he had yet to make his mark. At that time, the two were on the same ship, raiding and pillaging. Zheng Erba was fierce and courageous in battle, but he had a short temper and lacked scheming. His former companions had all made a name for themselves, and Fur Seal had become a pirate with nineteen islands and thirteen thousand men and horses, while Zheng Erba was only a small ringleader.
But with such a connection, although Zheng Erba knew that he couldn't restrain himself and caused trouble, he never imagined that Fur Seal would be so heartless as to send him to Fuzhou to be sacrificed to Yang Zhangtou.
Tears streamed down Zheng Erba's cheeks as he was tied to the mast, cursing and swearing. This infuriated Fur Seal's entourage, who immediately knocked out all his teeth with the hilt of a knife and stuffed a bundle of rags into his mouth. Zheng Erba's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, and his mouth was full of blood. His appearance caused everyone to feel pity for him.
Yang Ling was enraged when he received the news that the pirates had captured his ship, but when he saw the captured pirates, his anger turned to joy. He praised the men sent by the Fur Seals, and rewarded them with gold and silver as a sign of encouragement.
Then, Yang Ling ordered his men to prepare a small boat in front of the emissary. He tied Zheng Erba and the other pirates onto the boat and filled the boat with firewood. He drove the boat out into the sea and set it on fire. According to the locals, the corpses of the dead should not be buried, and they would become wandering ghosts.
Fur Seal was eager to shut Yang Ling up so that he wouldn't find an excuse to lower the price, but he didn't realize how much damage this matter had done to his loyal subordinates. When news of Yang Ling's punishment of Zheng Erba reached Shuangyu, the pirates felt even more sympathy for the loss of their own kind.
In the past, no matter how cruel and severe Fur Seal's punishments were, to the point where some of his subordinates were smeared with fat and hung upside down from a cliff for disobedience, that was still a matter between pirates. Now that he had his subordinates tied up and brought to the imperial court to be dealt with by the soldiers, the pirates were filled with resentment, and his authority and control were rapidly weakening.
"In the past, Milord carried out three strategies against the coastal pirates: suppression, appeasement, and luring them to surrender. Now that the pirates have been mostly eliminated, there's no place for them to hide in the southeastern half. The remaining Wokou pirates no longer dared to pillage large cities and ports. Now, they dug into the mountains and hid in the forests, living like beggars.
They had neither supplies nor reinforcements. Just the fact that they died of illness in the mountains was enough to weaken their combat power to the extreme. On the other hand, the soldiers of the Institute of Defense became more and more courageous as they fought. They no longer had the slightest bit of fear in their hearts. Wiping them out was only a matter of time.
The Wokou pirates who had retreated to the water were blocked by both the Ming Destiny Navy and the Japanese Navy. They had no choice but to rely on the fur seals and the snow cats. Now that the Snow Cat and the others had turned their backs on them, the Wokou pirates living on the island were like turtles in a jar. There was no way out, and they could only wait helplessly for death. Thus, the problem of the Wokou pirates could be ignored.
On the Fu side, Beauty Wang, one of the four great bandits of the Eastern Sea, had already surrendered. Bai Xiaocao, who had seen the opportunity earlier, had also taken the initiative to surrender. Although one of the two bandits was a robber, he had a somewhat chivalrous style of robbing the rich to help the poor. The other was basically an armed merchant who valued wealth over power. After submitting to the imperial court, they would not be disloyal.
The most worrisome ones were the fur seals and the snow cats. These two people are ambitious and definitely won't be willing to be subordinate to others. Once they enter officialdom, they can't be restrained and will rebel sooner or later. Moreover, the imperial court will never agree to give them freedom and power. If they want to be free kings of the sea, then the only way is to get rid of them. "
Cheng Qiyun counted on her fingers as she spoke. At the same time, she habitually paced around the room.
She was very clear that while Yang Ling was listening to her speak, he was ecstatically savoring her every move. Thus, with every movement, she revealed a more mature and charming charm to the man she loved.
Her soft robe wasn't tied to her chest, and a pair of round and plump breasts bounced playfully under the robe. It made Yang Ling's heart jump and sway along with it.
"Come, sit down and talk." Yang Ling was peeling a lychee that had ripened early and nodded towards Cheng Qiyun.
His chin was pointing at her thigh. Cheng Qiyun rolled her eyes at him coquettishly, but she obediently leaned over and threw herself into his arms.
Her fragrant buttocks were plump and soft as if they were boneless. Even through a layer of soft silk, he could still feel the indescribable roundness and perkiness. Yang Ling couldn't help but embrace this lovely and pitiful person. His hands passed under her ribs and peeled off the last piece of red silk. He picked up a lustrous white lychee and placed it between her tender and plump lips.
Cheng Qiyun glanced at him sweetly and gently parted her red lips to hold the lychee in her mouth. Her lips wriggled for a moment before she suddenly turned around and kissed Yang Ling's mouth. It turned out that she had used her nimble lips and tongue to completely peel off the lychee. The juice wasn't damaged too much, and she fed the entire piece to him.
Cheng Qiyun was all smiles as she spat out the nucleus onto the plate. "Mm, the fur seals have been painstakingly operating on Shuangyu for many years. From the information sent back by He Sigai, it would be difficult to breach the fortress with the current power of the cannons. At the same time, we're not familiar with the sea route on Shuangyu, and the price of casualties would be too high.
As for the snow cats, the sea route is longer, especially since we have to go around the fur seals. If we can't take down the fur seals and attack the cats, I'm afraid the fur seals will cut off our navy's path of retreat and attack us from the front and back. That's why we can't attack them head-on. "
Yang Ling wiped his hands clean with a snow-white silk handkerchief. His hands swam into her robe like swimming fish and grabbed the two soft and plump lumps. He chuckled. "So … we'll lure them to surrender and use the soft approach. But now … "
He clenched his hands and pressed them against Cheng Qiyun's small earlobes. "How do we deal with both sides at the same time? Yun 'er, do you have an idea?"
Cheng Qiyun shrunk her neck as if she was ticklish. Her beautiful collarbone tightened, and the two lumps of smooth and firm breasts below twitched slightly. How could that feeling be described as ecstasy and bone-eroding?
"Mm …" Cheng Qiyun bit her lip and moaned softly. She blushed. "When it comes to luring them to surrender, the difficulty lies in getting rid of them without damaging the court's dignity. The court can't go back on its word and enlist them first before slaughtering them.
At first, Yun 'er … wanted to sow discord between the cat and the dog and find an opportunity to pull chestnuts out of the fire. For this reason, I've made arrangements early on and placed spies around them.
But now it seems that the enmity between the two bandits is difficult to mend because of the struggle for profit. Moreover, we don't know when the Manchu Assassins will stir up trouble, so it's better to end the battle quickly. Therefore, Yun 'er believes that we should adapt to the situation and adjust the original plan at the right time. "
Yang Ling's interest was piqued. He smiled. "Tell me, what good way does my Yun 'er have to harm people this time?"
Cheng Qiyun rolled her eyes at him. "What I mean is, we should attack from both sides at the same time. We can lure and kill the snow cat, but this will inevitably startle the dog and raise the alarm of the fur seals. So when we kill the cat, we have to use troops against the fur seals at the same time. As for the reason, it's easy to deal with. Just say that he's slow to accept the court's enlistment offer and that he's procrastinating and has ulterior motives. The court can just change the appeasement to suppression. "
In truth, Yang Ling had been thinking of ways to get rid of the snow cat and the fur seals, and he already had an idea on how to deal with them. But since he wanted to enlist the snow cat, it would definitely cause quite a commotion. If the snow cat really did raise his troops to surrender, how would he be able to justifiably get rid of him?
So, Yang Ling frowned. "I'm not afraid that the snow cat won't surrender, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to find a way to deal with him once he does. I can't keep wasting time with him in Fuzhou, either, or something unforeseen might happen. As for the fur seals … do you have a way to deal with them? "
Cheng Qiyun turned around and said sweetly, "Yun 'er only knows how to harm people, not fight wars. If you want to entrap the snow cat, I'll handle it. If you want to beat the fur seals, it's better for you to do it yourself. "
Yang Ling's eyes flashed and he smiled. "Me? How would I have any ideas? "
Cheng Qiyun pursed her lips and said sourly, "Don't you have any ideas, Your Excellency? Then it's Yun 'er who's mistaken. When I saw Your Excellency order to burn Zheng Erba and the other pirates a few days ago, I thought Your Excellency had the pearl of wisdom in your hands. "
Yang Ling laughed heartily and tightened his arms around her slender waist. "If you want to slaughter the dogs, you must first slaughter the cat, and if you want to slaughter the cat, you must not startle the dogs. In the end, we still have to act at the same time and grasp the timing just right. I just want to know, how are you going to deal with the snow cat? "
Cheng Qiyun wrapped her arms around his neck and told him her plan while kissing him sweetly. When she finished, her hair was in disarray and her face was flushed.
Yang Ling listened for a long time and finally nodded. "Okay. I will immediately send people to summon Song Ai, Meng Sihai, and Jiang Zhou's troops to secretly enter Min. "
※ ※ ※
All kinds of ships, big and small, stretched out as far as the eye could see, the sails spread out like clouds.
The snow cat turned back to look at Turtle Island that was like an enormous turtle exploring the sea. He sighed with some attachment. He was going to leave. He had stayed here for most of his life and was familiar with every rock on the island.
Now, he was finally going to return to land. The poor boy who had been penniless in the past was now the Maritime Admiral that had skyrocketed and brought glory to his ancestors.
He looked with satisfaction at his busy subordinates. This was his capital. When I replace the new warships and cannons of the court, I will have a large army in my hands and will be in charge of a region. At that time, even the court will have to be wary of me.
Hee hee, the fur seal wants to be the governor? Keep dreaming. Today, I have submitted to the court. He will be in a disadvantageous position. At that time, maybe he will put all of his people under my control.
He touched the Imperial Decree in his bosom and still felt like he was dreaming. Scholar Ma had seen it before. It really was embroidered with two dragons fighting for a pearl. It was the true Imperial Decree of the Emperor. It definitely would not be wrong.
The fleets that had gathered from the dozen or so islands he controlled filled the sea. The snow cat boarded his own ship and waved his hand in satisfaction. "Depart!"
Countless fleets headed towards Fu Zhou Bay. Ever since the first ship sailed out at dawn, the ships that had gathered from the various islands were endless. They only left Turtle Island in the afternoon.
At this time, the Fu Zhou docks were also filled with flags and armor.
The sea lapped against the shore and the sound of the waves was soothing. Amidst the cries of seagulls, the fleet that covered the sky had already sailed towards the docks. The welcoming guards had bright armor and were very mighty. The band of honor started to play a joyous tune. Yang Ling led the Fu Zhou Army and more than one hundred officials from the Department of Political Affairs. Adding on the nobles and aristocrats of Fu Zhou, they waited for the snow cat under the colorful silk canopy.
To avoid the snow cat's suspicions, other than the guards of honor, there were only three thousand roaming cavalrymen standing guard at the docks. Today, Magistrate Liu was extremely busy. He had to arrange for the snow cat's troops to stay and eat. He had to arrange for people to unload the people and goods as soon as the snow cat's ships of all shapes and sizes entered the docks. He had to arrange for carriages and horses to transport them to their stations. He also had to direct the empty ships to leave so that more ships could enter. Even though he didn't need to do these things himself, he was sweating profusely as he directed.
The snow cat's main ship entered the docks. The sound of a horn sounded on the docks, deep and powerful. Following that was the sound of gongs and drums, the sound of firecrackers. Chief Soldier He, Magistrate Liu and the others hurried to the docks to welcome them.
The snow cat had been standing at the bow of the ship for a long time. Once the ship reached the shore and dropped its anchor, just as the gangplank was put up and the mooring ropes were not properly tied, he led his three sons and seven leaders who were highly ranked off the ship.
He Sigai accompanied him on the side and introduced the people from both sides to each other. They greeted each other and thanked each other. When the snow cat heard the identity of these people, he felt that Yang Ling was very courteous to him. He was delighted and felt proud of himself. He couldn't help but repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Soon after, the officials accompanied them as they chatted and laughed as they entered the tent to see the imperial envoy.
Yang Ling was wearing his official robe and a jade belt. He sat upright behind a long table covered with red silk. On his left and right stood two imperial bodyguards, holding the imperial envoy's seal and monk's treasured sword. As soon as the snow cat entered the tent, his smile disappeared. He rushed forward two steps and knelt down on both knees. "Sinner, condemned prisoner Wen Hancheng, kowtows to the imperial envoy governor Mr Yang."
Yang Ling quickly stood up from behind the table. With a face full of smiles, he laughed and said, "Wen Tidu, Wen daren, ha ha ha, the past has passed. From now on you are an important minister of the imperial court. His Majesty has shown great kindness to Wen daren. From now on, daren must be loyal to the country's affairs and do your best to serve the imperial court. Only then will you not disappoint His Majesty's great kindness. "
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you very much for Mr Yang's kindness in guiding me. I am but a boorish man, I am used to being rude and unreasonable on the sea. I do not know the etiquette and do not understand the rules. From now on, I hope daren will take good care of me."
After performing the greeting, Yang Ling read the imperial edict on the spot. He let the snow cat change into a new third-grade military officer's robe on the spot. Then he walked into Fuzhou, arm in arm with him warmly.
The entire city's common people saw the imperial envoy Mr Yang and the great thief, the snow cat, enter the city hand in hand. The reception was grand.
Soon after, Yang Ling led the snow cat and his trusted aides to the most luxurious restaurant in Fuzhou, 'Shoushan Pavilion'. He invited the civil and military officials and local nobles to accompany them. More than three hundred people were gathered at the restaurant. On the banquet, there were fish, crab, shrimp, oysters and other delicacies. Naturally they were all the best dishes. There were also entertainers singing and dancing for entertainment. It was a lively scene.
Those pirate leaders were all dressed in official robes. Obviously they were high-ranking officials of the imperial court. Being addressed as daren by others, they were treated like immortals. In the beginning, they still put on a bit of the airs of a daren. Later on, when they were in high spirits, they inevitably rolled up their sleeves, stepped on their stools and slapped the table, shouting and shouting.
Everyone was drinking to their heart's content. Yang Ling turned his eyes and saw Magistrate Liu coming in from outside. He raised his cup and toasted around while walking towards him. The two of them stood under the pillar. Yang Ling asked softly, "Is everything arranged?"
Magistrate Liu nodded his head and said, "Yes, they are all arranged in Jiangbianzhou. Commander He has sent eight thousand officers and men to be stationed on the east side of the river. The pirates are stationed on the west side of the river, facing each other."
Yang Ling grunted and asked, "They didn't suspect anything, right?"
Magistrate Liu smiled and said, "No, they have just surrendered. The imperial court should send troops just in case. Besides, they have ten thousand people and we only have eight thousand. We are also separated by a river, so the pirates are very relieved. I have already ordered people to send a hundred pigs, thirty sheep, and four carts of good wine to let them drink to their heart's content. "
Yang Ling smiled faintly and said, "Hmm, they didn't give you any benefits?"
Magistrate Liu was stunned. His face turned red and then white. After a while, he stammered, "This lowly official is guilty. They … they did give this lowly official a box of gold and silver jewelry, and … and two thirteen-year-old Japanese girls."
Yang Ling nonchalantly raised his cup to the two pirates who were drinking at the next table. He then said to Magistrate Liu in a low voice, "If they accepted it, then so be it. Tonight is a chaotic night. If they stayed there, they might even lose their lives.
I also understand the principle that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I just want to remind you not to go too far. Wang Feiling is a good example. At the beginning, he may not have had the courage to help the enemy kill an official. He was just tempted by the benefits and fell deeper and deeper into the trap. In the end, he couldn't get out. "
Magistrate Liu pulled up his sleeve and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. His lips were still a bit pale as he said, "Yes, yes, yes. This lowly official knows how to control himself. I know what I can accept and what I can't. I would never dare to take bribes and break the law to harm the common people. Today, I bought the pigs, sheep, and wine, and I have paid the price. I dare not owe the common people a single copper coin. "
Yang Ling laughed and said, "Good. You have been busy all day. You should go and have a drink. You are a civil official. There is nothing for you to do tonight. Just drink to your heart's content. "
Yang Ling raised his cup and walked back leisurely. Magistrate Liu thought about it with a lingering fear. Today, he had sent the bearers and horses to transport the families and belongings of the pirates, as well as the rice and grain he had bought, but he had not paid the common people's money yet. He didn't have time to drink. He first ran out to call his advisor and had him immediately handle this matter. He repeatedly reminded him not to skimp on the money. Only then did he return to the banquet hall.
Yang Ling returned to the table and drank two more cups with the snowy cat. Using the excuse that it was convenient, he walked to the rear residence. He passed through the courtyard, the reception hall, and turned into a study on the right. Cheng Qiyun was already waiting there. As soon as Yang Ling entered the door, he anxiously asked, "How is it?"
Cheng Qiyun sweetly rose and said, "Official Han and Peng will lead ten newly built centipede warships and set off first. These ships don't need to raise sails and can be used for the first round of sneak attacks. The Zhejiang Navy and Fujian Navy have sent a total of 120 fast ships carrying 18,000 soldiers to follow from afar. Once the signal is raised, they will immediately attack the mountain. Our new warships have increased to twelve. Just in case, we will send all of them to support them. Tonight, we will definitely be able to take down Shuangyu. "
Yang Ling let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Good! Go and take a look at Meng Sihai and Jiang Zhou. Right now, Han Chao and Xiao 'ai are not in the camp. Those two scoundrels must not cause any trouble. Tonight is the time for us to close the net and catch the fish. If there is any movement, don't scare the fish away! "
Cheng Qiyun covered her mouth and laughed. "Then I'm afraid daren will be disappointed. This net of yours will at most catch a cat and a dog. You still want to catch fish? Forget about fish, I'm afraid you won't even see a shrimp. "
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