☆, Chapter 251: Smash the bandit's den, or offer amnesty?
Three days later.
It was still dark, probably around 3 a.m., when Zhou Mujiao heard a noise in the courtyard. She was just about to get up to see if it was the village head when Zhao Yunjing got up before her and came in a little while later. He said that they were setting sail early today because the village head and the others had received some news yesterday that bandits would be coming today.
They had to catch the fish before the bandits arrived; if they fought first and got injured, they would surely catch nothing on the voyage.
Following the village head's instructions, the couple put on appropriate shoes and clothes. The sea was windy, so Zhou Mujiao wore an extra coat. They weren't good at fishing, but they were good at killing. So the two half-sized fishing boats following behind were full of guards who were also good at rescuing people. Therefore, Zhou Mujiao brought all the medicine she could carry, and the two doctors accompanying them were also woken up early in the morning.
If the banditry is not eliminated, even if the villagers catch a thousand catties of fish in one trip to sea, it will only benefit the bandits and be a wasted effort. The bandits are plundering by nature. Even if the fishermen leave the sea and return to farming, they will not stop there. They will definitely want to take over the land as well. What good will it do if the small fishing village can achieve a yield of 1,500 catties per mu? Once the promotion team leaves, the small fishing village will become the second bandit stronghold.
Therefore, when Zhao Yunjing said he wanted to go out and see how fierce the river bandits were, he wasn't assessing whether he could defeat them, but rather what methods he should use to do so.
There are two ways to wipe them out in one fell swoop: one is to actually destroy the bandit den and eliminate all traces of them, and the other is to offer them amnesty.
Zhao Yunjing favored the second option, while Zhou Mujiao and Li Changyi objected. Zhou Mujiao's reason for objecting was that there was no need to do futile work. Their hands were already stained with the blood of innocent people. If they had any humanity left, they would have stopped. However, in the past ten years, at least two people had died at the hands of the river bandits, and countless others had been injured. Even the village head had almost lost his life three years ago.
Li Changyi's objection was that they were there to promote grain, and suppressing bandits was the local government's job. If they did it, it would be an overreach of authority, which was a major taboo in the imperial court. If it was true that officials and bandits were colluding, the promotion team would be completely wiped out at sea.
"I am not afraid of death. I just feel that if a man is to die, he should die on the real battlefield, not in the infighting of the court. That would be particularly pathetic."
"If you set aside your status as an official of the imperial court and acted as an ordinary person to help those in need, wouldn't Your Highness feel more at ease?"
Li Changyi looked annoyed, but he still arrived on time for the sea voyage.
Regarding the question of whether to offer amnesty, Zhao Yunjing told Zhou Mujiao: "Fighting and killing cannot solve the fundamental problem. Even if we kill this band of bandits, there will be another one. As long as this sea still exists and as long as there are fish in the sea, these bandits will never be eradicated."
This logic makes sense. Zhou Mujiao nodded: "How many options are there for surrendering the government?"
She didn't ask 'Are there any solutions?' but rather 'How many solutions are there?' This shows the unspoken understanding between the two of them.
Li Changyi stared at the dark sea, not wanting to listen to them. The village head beside him was also silent, still reeling from the blow dealt by Granny Tu, looking utterly dejected.
Several guards were scattered around the fishing boat, looking vigilant, while a few seagulls swept across the sea, emitting clear cries.
The sea was calm, with only the sound of oars stirring the water.
Zhao Yunjing spoke calmly, his emotions unreadable, yet every word he uttered carried immense weight: "Establish a naval force to ensure the safety of fishermen."
Li Changyi and the village head both looked over, their faces filled with surprise and disbelief. Li Changyi remained relatively calm, but the village head exclaimed, "Let those bandits protect us? Even if they wanted to, we wouldn't dare! Lord Zhao, you should go back. I'm afraid if you say that, they'll come and chop you up on the spot!"
Li Changyi was speechless for a long time before blurting out, "Wishful thinking."
Indeed, it's not unheard of in history to offer amnesty to bandits and let them become law-abiding citizens. But if I leave them with some freedom, why would I expect them to go from robbery to escorting? Isn't that like telling the enemy on the battlefield that you can't attack me, but you also have to protect me from being attacked by others when you're trying to persuade them to surrender?
If these words were to get out, killing Zhao Yunjing would be the least of their worries. If the bandits were to become violent and storm the shore, the small fishing village would be doomed, and Yuezhou Prefecture might even be renamed and become Bandit Prefecture.
Zhou Mujiao smiled and said, "Wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts; wherever there is a world of martial arts, there is conflict. And the starting point of all conflicts is nothing more than two things: fame and fortune. As the saying goes, no one with hair wants to be bald. No matter how fierce the bandits are, not everyone wants to be a fugitive who can't see the light of day for the rest of their lives."
"No one understands me better than Ajiao." Zhao Yunjing smiled as well. "Giving her peace is worse than giving her great benefits, but the benefits cannot be less."
"This is the list of river bandits that was just delivered last night. Ten brothers, nineteen factions. Surely one of them can be used by the people."
As he took the list, Zhao Yunjing's smile deepened. Just then, a ray of sunlight shone from the horizon and fell on Zhou Mujiao. He felt that even describing her as a fairy was too cliché; she deserved all the beauty in the world.
Li Changyi pursed his lips, and after a long while, he spoke through gritted teeth: "Zhou Mujiao, where did you get these lists? You have some nerve to plant spies in the government!"
She's really angry.
Zhou Mujiao raised an eyebrow: "So?"
Li Changyi stared intently at her, then shifted his gaze to Zhao Yunjing for a while. In the end, he felt less heartbroken looking at Zhou Mujiao, and coldly declared, "...I want to join."
What does it mean to admit defeat in the harshest tone? Prince An Ding, Li Changyi, gave everyone a perfect example.
The village head's mind was buzzing and in a daze. When it was buzzing and in a daze, he thought that these officials had gone crazy. Their ideas were so naive that they had never been beaten. When the sea breeze blew and he calmed down a little, he thought, "Ah, scholars are more shrewd and quick-witted. The bandits are so fierce, they should be subjected to the shrewdness of scholars."
The sea breeze blew again, making the village head even more awake. At this moment, his thoughts changed again. He felt that these scholars were indeed cunning and quick-witted, otherwise they wouldn't have become the top scholar and the second-ranked scholar. But what if their physiques were all show and no substance? In the end, instead of finding peace, they might end up in the bandit's den.
The village head never expected that his own inner thoughts would come true in less than two hours.
Although the fishing boats in the small fishing village are not small, they lack modern equipment such as engines and rely entirely on manpower to sail out to sea. As a result, they cannot go very far and the journey is extremely arduous. In addition, there are bandits, making it both dangerous and not worthwhile. Therefore, unless there is a complete crop failure like in the small fishing village and there is no food to eat, most people will not go out to sea.
The ocean is boundless, teeming with fish, and with few competitors, fishing fleets cast their nets along a specific stretch of water before heading back.
The bandits always appeared after they caught fish. Usually, the village head and his men would wait until it was completely safe before hauling in the nets. The experienced village head, relying on the large number of people today, and with the top two scholars of the imperial examination in charge, became bold and started hauling in the nets as soon as they reached the nearshore area.
The first rays of golden light appeared on the horizon, shining on the fish leaping and jumping on the deck. The golden light reflected from the fish scales merged with the golden light on the horizon, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a cultivation scene.
Speaking of cultivating immortality...
Zhou Mujiao looked away from the tuna, swallowed hard, and pointed to a mountain in the distance, asking, "What mountain is that?"
The village headman tensed up, thinking to himself, "That's it, we're doomed!" He exclaimed, "That's not a mountain, that's a boat! Doctor Zhou, Lord Zhao, the river bandits are here!"
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