Chen Long didn't have much experience in interrogating prisoners, but he had seen pigs run before. Interrogating prisoners wasn't difficult. As long as they weren't people with lofty beliefs, they would be able to pry open their mouths.
This was especially true for pirates. They were a bunch of gluttonous and lazy people who wanted to make a fortune. They wouldn't be willing to sacrifice themselves for their comrades.
Although they usually called each other brothers, eating and drinking together as if they were very close, they were actually just fair-weather friends. There wasn't any real friendship. Their friendship was too fake, even more plastic than plastic. As long as they encountered a little setback, the boat of friendship would capsize. It was impossible to expect them to have real feelings.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that some of them had real feelings. However, it was impossible for dozens of people to be of one mind. If they had such qualities, they wouldn't be ordinary pirates.
"Assistant Minister Li, this reward?"
The boatman asked when he saw the soldiers and boatmen come up.
Ang Lee naturally wouldn't go back on his word. He said, "I'll give this money to you. You can distribute it personally. If it isn't enough, come find me. I have plenty of gold. I definitely won't mistreat the brave warriors."
Since he had said that he would be rewarded, he had to be rewarded. If he didn't keep his word, it would be too degrading. Ang Lee didn't lack money, so there was no need to deceive the brave warriors.
Previously, they had said that each pirate killed would be rewarded with ten pieces of gold. Capturing a pirate alive had the same effect as killing one, so they would naturally be rewarded with ten pieces of gold. Some pirates were killed and captured by many people, so the ten pieces of gold would naturally be divided equally. Although this led to some disputes, under the mediation of the boatman, everyone accepted the distribution. One hundred pieces of gold naturally wasn't enough. The boatman didn't have enough, so he asked Ang Lee for eighteen pieces of gold. Only then did everyone receive the gold. Ang Lee gave them two more pieces, making it a round number.
In order to eliminate the eight pirates, Ang Lee took out one hundred and twenty pieces of gold. To be honest, it was quite daring. If it was any other official, they wouldn't do such a thing even if they were beaten to death. Only the rich Ang Lee could do such a thing.
Li An had invested so much in order to resolve the crisis in front of him. After all, this crisis was caused by Li An's meddling in other people's business. Since it was caused by him, he naturally had to resolve it himself. For the safety of the two ships, for the safety of the dozens of Dragon Martial Army soldiers and workers, Li An felt that spending so much money was worth it. It was not a waste of money.
"Assistant Minister Li, repairing the boat won't cost more than two gold bars. It's too much."
The boatman held the two pieces of gold and laughed.
The eight pirates had only dug a shallow hole at the bottom of the two ships. Repairing such a small problem wouldn't cost much, and two gold bars were indeed a little too much.
"Keep it if you have too much. Money bites your hand!"
Ang Lee said without hesitation.
"Assistant Minister Li is giving it to you. It's a reward. Take it!"
Chen Long walked over and said.
When the boatman saw this, he happily accepted the two pieces of gold. His expression was one of joy.
Since ancient times, money warmed the hearts of people. This was especially true for the poorer commoners. They were obsessed with money. To the boatman, receiving a large sum of money was like a pie falling from the sky. How could he not be excited?
"Then this lowly one will accept. Many thanks, Assistant Minister Li."
The boatman didn't go into the water, nor did he catch the pirates. He was naturally very happy to receive two pieces of gold for free. He had already thought it through. He would keep the two pieces of gold. It wouldn't cost much to repair the bottom of the boat. Moreover, there was no need to specially repair it. When the fleet underwent major repairs, he could get the boatmen to do it.
"How is it? How did the interrogation go? Did the pirates confess?"
Ang Lee asked.
Chen Long said proudly, "Basically, they confessed. All the remaining pirates have confessed. Among them, the leader of the pirates is actually a merchant from Xipu County. He has a large property in Xipu County. I didn't expect the merchant to not only make enough money, but also rob on the trade route. He's even more hateful than a profiteer. Once caught, he must be killed."
"Good, there's no time to lose. Let's speed up to Xipu County now and contact the county committee to immediately arrest the remaining pirates. At the same time, seize all the properties of the pirate leader."
Ang Lee said.
Chen Long nodded and gave the order for the fleet to speed up.
Chen Long, personally lead two fast boats first. When you reach Xipu County, immediately convey my order. I'm worried that most of the County Magistrate, County Lieutenant, and yamen runners in Xipu County are along the railway. It will take time to transfer them back. The longer the delay, the more difficult it will be to catch the pirates. If the pirates get wind of this in advance, they will escape. If they really escape, it will be too difficult to catch them again. "
Ang Lee suddenly thought of the situation in Xipu County. It might not be as he thought. If the main leaders went to the railway to inspect the work, it would take some time to find these people. Therefore, it was better to reach Xipu County as soon as possible.
"Yes, Assistant Minister Li. I understand."
Chen Long received the order and led the two fast boats to set off quickly. Of course, he also brought along the four captives and four pirate heads.
In order to ensure the accuracy of the information, it was necessary to bring along the captives. This way, when capturing the pirates, the captives would be able to identify them as well as the whereabouts of the pirate leader's business assets. If there was a mistake and they captured the wrong person, then it wouldn't be good. With these captives, they would be able to obtain as much accuracy as possible. They could also interrogate the captives at any time.
After a long escape, the pirate leader and his surviving subordinates finally reached the shore. They hid the boat in the reeds on the shore. As long as the sail was lowered, it would not be discovered from a very close position. Then, they went ashore. They first buried the five dead pirates. The five of them dug a large pit and buried them side by side. The pirates were not important people. It was already very good that they were buried in the ground. The remaining people did not have much energy to prepare coffins for the dead pirates.
Because the pirates did not do anything honorable, after the burial, they did not erect tombstones. They only piled up a small mound to complete the burial.
When the last stone was placed on top of the mound, more than ten pirates sat on the ground and gasped for breath.
The injured pirates had been resting by the side. Their wounds had already been treated. As long as they did not get infected, they would not die. It was just that the pain that came from time to time made them feel extremely miserable.
The pirate leader was thinking. Just now, he was only focused on escaping and realized that he seemed to have overlooked something. However, after thinking for a long time, he did not realize anything. He did not know what he had overlooked.
"Boss, the soldiers' fast boats. They are the two fast boats that were chasing us. Why are they here so quickly? It seems like our brothers are all dead."
"There are so many soldiers at the bow. Why are there only two? The ones behind haven't caught up yet. Are they looking for us?"
A few pirates with good eyesight suddenly discovered the two fast boats led by Chen Long and exclaimed in surprise.
The pirate leader looked to the side and was instantly shocked. These soldiers were really fast. They were faster than he had imagined.
"Oh no, could they be going to Xipu County? What if …"
The pirate leader's entire body stiffened. He was extremely afraid.
"What if what? Boss, don't leave your words hanging! "
A pirate asked impatiently.
The pirate leader said, "What if one of the eight brothers is captured by the soldiers and betrays us? Then we will be in big trouble."
"Boss, our brothers are not so ungrateful. Even if they are captured alive, they will not betray their brothers."
"That's right. Our brothers have been friends for more than ten years. Even if they die, they will not betray their friends."
"Boss, even if some of our brothers can't withstand the torture, we can just hide in the mountains. What's there to be afraid of?"
A few pirates said.
It was abnormal for them to be so optimistic. At the same time, they seemed to be oversimplifying the situation.
The pirate leader said angrily, "Our brothers are happy to go to the mountains, but my properties are all in Xipu County. The house, the shop, and the goods in the warehouse. Most importantly, there is still a lot of cash in the shop. If all of this is confiscated by the imperial court, our losses will be too great. In that case, all our years of hard work will be wasted. How can I not be heartbroken?"
With that said, all the pirates started to panic. This loss was indeed too great. The pirates had followed their leader for so many years. It was not easy for them to accumulate this little bit of wealth. Now that they were about to be completely destroyed, who wouldn't feel heartache if this happened to them?
"Boss, it's just a possibility. Perhaps the eight brothers are already dead. Or perhaps they would rather die than betray us."
"That's right! Boss, we can only think on the bright side. Perhaps the situation is not as bad as we think. "
"Boss, let's observe the situation first! Let's understand the situation first and then make plans. "
A few pirates said.
The pirate leader nodded and said, "The injured brothers will hide in the mountains first. The rest of you will follow me into the county immediately. We'll transfer the money first and then observe the situation."
With that, the pirate leader led the eight uninjured brothers and quickly ran toward Xipu County. They were very familiar with the terrain and knew how to reach the county quickly. They just needed to take a shortcut.
In recent years, with the development of commerce, many cities in Central Sichuan had lifted curfews. For example, Xipu County had also lifted curfews. This was conducive to the further prosperity and development of commerce. However, in order to conserve manpower, two of the four city gates in Xipu County would be closed at night. Everyone could only enter and leave through the remaining two city gates.
In other words, anyone could enter and leave Xipu County at any time. At the city gate of Xipu County, there were only a dozen or so guards. Usually, only two of them were paid, while the rest were ordinary people serving as laborers. They would become guards after putting on the uniform of a guard. Not only would they not be paid, but they would also suffer.
Since the head of the pirates was walking to the county town, while Commander Chen Long's men were traveling at full speed by water, Chen Long's men were faster. However, when they reached the pier near Xipu County, they still needed to dock their ships. Therefore, if they didn't waste any time, they should arrive at about the same time.
"Leave ten soldiers and the boatman to watch the boat. The rest of you, escort these guys into the city."
Chen Long ordered. He left ten soldiers behind and personally led more than thirty Dragon Martial Army soldiers to escort the four captured pirates to Xipu County.
The pier was only a few li away from the county. It wouldn't take too long to walk there. In order to arrive as soon as possible, Chen Long kept urging his men to speed up.
"Where are your county magistrate and county lieutenant?"
Chen Long asked as soon as he arrived at the gate.
The guard didn't know Chen Long, but he could tell from his clothes that he was an official with a higher rank than him. He hurriedly said, "The county magistrate is in the county office. The county lieutenant went to inspect the road last night. He must be back by now. He should have already entered the city."
"Okay, I was sent by the imperial court. Take me to your county magistrate and county lieutenant. Be quick."
Chen Long said without hesitation.
The guard didn't dare to disobey. He hurriedly led Chen Long to the county office.
"Where are you from, Shangguan? What are these thieves doing?"
The guard asked on the way.
"Dragon Martial Army Lieutenant Chen Long, these four guys are the pirates of Xipu County. They were passing by tonight and I caught them. Where are their accomplices?"
Chen Long said.
"Accomplices? This lowly one understands. Commandant Chen wants to arrest the accomplices of these pirates! Our county lieutenant is very clear about the situation in the county. As long as these pirates ask, the county lieutenant can immediately arrest all their accomplices. "
The guard said with a smile.
Xipu County wasn't very large. In addition to a large cross street, there were several small cross streets. When Chen Long walked to the center of the large cross street, he happened to meet the Xipu county lieutenant who had just returned.
"Lieutenant, this is Lieutenant Chen from the capital. He caught four pirates and is looking for you."
When the guard saw the county lieutenant, he hurriedly ran over and reported the situation to Lieutenant Chen.
The Xipu county lieutenant had been tired all night. Although he had taken a nap, he was still very sleepy. When he suddenly heard the situation, he immediately paid attention to it.
"You are the county lieutenant. I'm here on the orders of Assistant Minister Li to arrest the accomplices of these pirates. You must be quick. Don't let them escape."
Chen Long said bluntly.
Hearing that the assistant minister was a high-ranking official, the county lieutenant hurriedly replied, "I'm willing to cooperate fully. I'll do my best to catch the pirates' accomplices."
With that, he immediately walked over and interrogated the captured pirates. As long as he heard the names of the pirates' accomplices, he could immediately send people to arrest them.
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