It was very clear that the opinions of the pirates were not unified. Some felt that there was no hope. They had plundered for many years and all had murder cases on their backs. If they were caught, only death would await them. But there were also some who did not want to die and felt that there was still a sliver of hope. Even though they had murder cases on their backs, as long as they refused to say anything, the soldiers might not know. Moreover, the crime of plundering was much lighter. Perhaps they would just be sent to the border. For the pirates, as long as they had this path of survival, they could avoid this calamity.
The pirate leader clearly did not want to die. He harshly said, "He's just a small bailiff, a minor character. Killing him won't change anything. Let him go!"
"Ah!"
Some of the pirates were unwilling, but they still let the bailiff go. After all, they still wanted to live. None of them wanted to die. Letting the bailiff go could better express their sincerity and prevent them from immediately losing their lives.
"Many thanks, many thanks."
The small bailiff was also scared out of his wits. Not caring about his status or that of the other party, he directly thanked them and then hurriedly pulled on the rope to climb up. Because he was scared out of his wits, the small bailiff felt that his body had no strength. He felt like he was about to collapse. Every few steps he climbed, he would fall down a few steps. The climb was very difficult. Fortunately, there were bailiffs above to help pull on the rope, making the small bailiff much more relaxed.
As the small bailiff climbed up, the pirate leader looked at his brothers and said, "Brothers, we only plundered a few valuables. We never took anyone's life. You must remember, you must never say that you killed anyone. Remember, you can say anything, but you can't say that you killed someone. You must bite to death."
"Boss, be at ease. We definitely won't speak carelessly. We definitely won't speak carelessly."
The pirates spoke, appearing very cooperative. In the face of punishment, no one was willing to admit to their crimes. This was very normal. No one was an idiot and would not voluntarily admit to their crimes. Moreover, they were not the only pirate group in Wenshui. There were many other pirate groups. As for who killed the merchant group that had lost their lives, it was truly not easy to investigate. As long as these pirates did not admit to it, the bailiffs would find it very difficult to truly investigate.
After giving instructions to a few of his brothers, the pirate leader pulled on the rope and climbed up. Due to his weak body, he needed to rely on the bailiffs above to pull him up with difficulty.
The moment he climbed back up the well, the pirate leader subconsciously used his hand to cover his eyes. After staying in the dark well for a long time, the sudden bright light outside made it difficult for the pirate leader to adapt. His eyes hurt so much that he couldn't even open them. He could only close his eyes to avoid the damage to his eyes.
At this moment, Ang Lee, who was waiting in the county office, also received the good news. After confirming that the pirates were hiding in the well, the county magistrate immediately sent one of his subordinates to report to the county magistrate and Ang Lee. How could such an important matter be delayed, not even for a moment.
The county magistrate had received the news earlier and had rushed to the scene of the incident. Ang Lee had received the news a little later, but not by much.
"What? The pirates have been found?"
Ang Lee said happily.
The bailiff nodded and said, "They've been found. They're hidden in the well of a residence. The county magistrate has already brought people to guard the well. The county magistrate has also gone over."
Ang Lee was very satisfied. He turned to look at Chen Long beside him and said, "Let's go take a look too!"
After saying that, he, Chen Long, and a dozen guards went to the place where the pirates were hiding.
"Shopkeeper Liu, you really know how to hide! You actually thought of such a good place. "
The county magistrate's face was full of excitement as he spoke sarcastically.
The pirate leader smiled awkwardly and said, "County magistrate, you must be joking. No matter how cunning a mouse is, it will still be caught by a cat. I was just muddle-headed for a moment. I don't know how I ended up on the path of a pirate. It's all my brothers' fault. I regret it now!"
In order to reduce the possible punishment he would receive, the pirate leader began to complain. He was clearly a pirate, but he insisted that he was the victim. He said that he had been misled by his brothers in a moment of muddle-headedness and that he had somehow become a pirate. It was as if he had no responsibility and that it was all someone else's fault.
The county magistrate didn't care about this. He also didn't care about how to deal with the pirate leader. As long as the pirate leader didn't escape, he would be able to answer to Ang Lee. As for the rest, it wasn't that important.
"Shopkeeper Liu, don't talk nonsense in front of me. There's no meaning to it. Tell me! There are still a few people down there. Do you plan on staying down there? Are you not going to come up? "
The county magistrate said.
"Oh, there are still eight brothers down there," the pirate leader quickly said.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "County magistrate, there are still many good things down there. The money that I've earned over the years and the money that I've robbed are all down there. I'm willing to give it all to the county magistrate. I only ask that you save my life."
"Oh, there are still treasures down there? That's great! Get the people down there to bring the treasures up first. Then, they can come up. "
The county magistrate said.
The pirate leader didn't dare to disobey. He nodded in agreement and got his brothers to bring up all the treasures. Anyway, no matter how they hid them, the treasures would be discovered by the bailiffs. Rather than that, he might as well take the initiative to take them out. It could also be considered as expressing his sincerity. Perhaps it could even offset his crime.
Even though the pirate leader's voice wasn't loud, the county magistrate knew that the bailiffs beside him must have heard it. Therefore, he couldn't take all the treasures for himself. The risk was too great. Moreover, after the pirates were captured, they would definitely be investigated by the higher-ups. If the county magistrate didn't discover the treasures in time and couldn't find the treasures, then wouldn't he have made a huge mistake? Therefore, no matter how tempting the money was, the county magistrate didn't dare to have any improper thoughts. It was wise to hand over the treasures truthfully.
Bags of treasures were quickly hauled up. At this moment, the county magistrate just happened to rush over. When he saw the bags of treasures, his eyes widened. These treasures were much more than his salary. It would be great if he could take them all.
However, the county magistrate didn't dare to do such a thing. This wasn't a joke. At this moment, Ang Lee had already arrived at Xipu County. The county magistrate was no longer the most powerful person in the county. Moreover, there were many people here. The bailiffs had gradually gathered to more than thirty people. They had all seen the treasures. If the county magistrate took them for himself, it would be easy for the news to spread. In that case, the county magistrate would be in big trouble.
"Haha! Shopkeeper Liu, you really can't judge a book by its cover! This county magistrate sees that you're usually quite honest! How can you be just a pirate? Moreover, you're a leader. Aiyo, you've robbed a lot of treasures! "
The county magistrate smiled mischievously as he lightly patted the pirate leader's cheek. He seemed extremely excited.
The timely capture of the pirate leader's group made the county magistrate extremely happy. In this way, he could finally keep his official position. He could even make a small contribution.
The pirate leader lowered his head and didn't say a word. At this moment, he was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. His fate was completely in the hands of others. It was good enough that he was still alive. How could he dare to ask for more?
The county magistrate didn't care if the pirate leader paid any attention to him. He looked at the house owner beside him and asked with a smile, "You were the one who discovered these pirates. This is a great contribution! Speak! What reward do you want? "
Since he had already said that he would be fair in his rewards and punishments, now that the pirates had been caught, he naturally had to fulfill his promise and reward the person who reported them. As the county magistrate, he wouldn't be stingy with such a small amount of money. Moreover, there was a large pile of money at his feet. It wasn't a big deal to take out a bit as a reward. He had the right to do so.
At this moment, the pirates in the well had already come up. The house owner was very worried that the pirates' accomplices would take revenge on him. Naturally, he wouldn't admit that he had betrayed the pirates.
"County magistrate, it wasn't me. It wasn't me. It was the county magistrate who discovered them. I was anxious because I couldn't find the tenants and told the county magistrate. The county magistrate came in and found the well. It was the county magistrate's credit.
The house owner was worried about revenge and didn't dare to take the credit. He didn't care about this small amount of money. Compared to the safety of his family, this small amount of money was nothing. There was no need for him to fall into an uneasy life for this reward.
When the county magistrate heard this, he was very happy. Unlike the house owner, the county magistrate was a high-ranking official in the county. His brothers were all paid bailiffs and there were many strong clansmen. He wasn't afraid of revenge from the pirates' accomplices. If he was afraid of revenge, he wouldn't be a county magistrate. He would be like people like Du Fu, who would rather starve to death than become a county magistrate or other minor officials that offended others.
"This is also my duty. Heh heh heh."
The county magistrate and the county magistrate were the few officials in Xipu County. They were very familiar with each other and spoke very casually.
"Since it's your duty, I won't reward you."
The county magistrate stroked his beard and glanced at the county magistrate with disdain. He spoke very casually.
If it was someone else, even if it was someone he hated very much, he would still reward them. However, the county magistrate was an exception. First, he was familiar with the county magistrate and didn't care if the county magistrate was angry. Second, the county magistrate's duty was to catch the pirates. After this matter was reported, the imperial court would definitely reward them. The county magistrate didn't need to reward them.
Of course, the county magistrate's words were for the bailiffs to hear. As the county magistrate, he had the final say on how to arrange the county magistrate's public expenses. If he didn't reward them now, he could reward them later. As long as the county magistrate wanted to reward the county magistrate, he could do so at any time. It didn't have to be at this time.
The county magistrate was unhappy when he heard this. He said with a smile, "That won't do. The reward can't be less. Brothers, you've worked hard. How about I treat you to a meal?"
"Since you're treating your brothers to a meal, then reward them! You've done well. Everyone can have a good meal. Hahaha! "
The county magistrate said happily.
He had finally caught all the pirates. This way, he could answer to Ang Lee. How could the county magistrate not be happy? He was definitely very happy. Rewarding all the bailiffs with a good meal was also a matter of course. After all, this was the county's public expenses. The county magistrate didn't need to pay for it himself. Naturally, there was no problem with money.
The bailiffs quickly gathered more than forty people. When they heard that there would be a good meal, they were all very happy. It was as if all the previous hard work was worth it. At this moment, all the resentment had dissipated. All that was left was a happy mood.
The pirates had all come up. The money had also been brought up. At this moment, the county magistrate felt that he didn't have the final say on how to deal with these pirates and how to deal with the loot. It was better to let Ang Lee make the decision.
"The pirates have been caught."
When Ang Lee saw the captured pirates, he was instantly very happy. These despicable pirates had finally been caught. Ang Lee's painstaking pursuit had not been in vain.
Seeing that Li An had arrived, the county magistrate hurriedly ran over and said with a smile, "Assistant Minister Li, not a single one of the nine pirates is missing. All of them have been captured. Also, the goods that the pirates robbed are all here. Assistant Minister Li, please tell us how to deal with them."
Ang Lee looked at the nine pirates and asked, "Why are there only nine? There shouldn't be more. Last night, during the fierce battle on the water, our army killed four and captured four. If I'm not wrong, there should be at least thirty pirates. Now, including the nine in front of us, there are only seventeen. Where did the rest go?"
Ang Lee was very clear about the number of pirates. During the fierce battle last night, Ang Lee had already determined the number of pirates. There were definitely more than seventeen. There must be more accomplices.
"I haven't had the chance to ask."
When the county magistrate heard this, he turned to look at the pirate leader and said sternly, "Speak! Where are the accomplices? "
The pirate leader and the other pirates looked at each other and said helplessly, "Five died on the boat and eight were injured. They are recuperating in the mountains."
When Li An heard this, he nodded his head in satisfaction. This was more or less correct. Five people had died on the boat, and in addition to the eight who were injured, the total number of pirates was about thirty people. It was exactly as he had predicted. Those who were already dead naturally did not need to be questioned. As for the eight pirates who were injured, they still needed to be captured and brought to justice as soon as possible.
"I'll give you a chance to atone for your crimes. Bring the bailiffs and your remaining brothers here."
Ang Lee looked at the pirate leader and said.
"Yes, I will atone for my crimes."
The pirate leader didn't dare to resist and obediently agreed to Ang Lee's request. In order to protect his own life, he didn't care about the lives of his brothers. As long as he could protect himself, it was fine.
The county magistrate didn't dare to delay and immediately led thirty bailiffs into the mountains under the leadership of the pirate leader. In order to quickly go and return, the county magistrate had prepared horses for them. All the patrolling horses were transferred to the county magistrate to use so that they could quickly exterminate this group of pirates.
"Assistant Minister Li, these are all the money that the pirates stole. How should we deal with them?"
The county magistrate probed.
The county magistrate was a sly old man. He still didn't know what kind of person Ang Lee was, so he didn't dare to deal with them on his own. He wanted to see what Ang Lee thought.
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