Chapter 538 "It is my duty to defend this territory, and I, the garrison commander, will do my utmost."
In April, the spring chill lingered, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty tang and lingering cold, swept through the fishing villages along the Jian'an coast.
A dozen or so Japanese pirates landed under the cover of night and in the thin fog. Like greedy jackals, they pounced on the unsuspecting village.
What will they do?
Then the question is, what would jackals do if they entered what they perceived as a flock of chickens?
It's nothing more than biting off the necks of those chickens flapping their wings, drinking their blood, and eating their flesh.
This group of Japanese pirates, who specialized in piracy, entered the village with short knives, speaking in a language the Han people couldn't understand. They slashed the necks of Han men and raped Han women, not even sparing young girls who were only a few years old.
The entire village, consisting of a dozen or so households and dozens of people, was so frightened by these dozen or so Japanese men with knives that they stayed indoors.
They dared not resist, burying their heads in the sand like ostriches, waiting for these greedy Japanese to eat and drink their fill before leaving.
In just half a month, this group of Japanese soldiers launched surprise attacks on three fishing villages along the coast!
By the time the news reached Li Shiyue in Jian'an City after several twists and turns, it was already late April!
The secret letter submitted by the spies that Li Shiyue had arranged in the coastal garrison was written in illegible handwriting and only vaguely mentioned that "more than ten Japanese pirates looted Xihai Village, Nanjiaozui, and Baisha Bay, burned more than ten houses, injured more than thirty people, and stole some grain and livestock."
"X!"
Li Shiyue's finger pressed heavily on the secret letter, his fingertips turning white from the force. "The Japanese pirates have come ashore to plunder and loot three villages!"
Dozens of people were killed, and I, the general, only just received the news now?
Are the beacon towers of the garrison just for show?
Are all the patrol boats rotting in the harbor?
Li Shiyue suddenly raised her head, her gaze sharp as a knife, shooting towards Chen Yong, who stood with his hands at his sides below.
"Furthermore, are my Xuanjia Army's scouts rendered useless just because they haven't participated in battle for a few months?"
Such important news took half a month to get back!
Chen Yong had only recently returned from his reconnaissance mission along the coast; previously, Sun Xiaoliu had been serving under Li Shiyue.
This isn't early April; it's already the beginning of spring.
Li Shiyue then sent Sun Xiaoliu with a group of men to escort a portion of the silver seized from Huang Wanchang, as well as evidence such as Huang Wanchang's ledgers of embezzlement, collusion with Japanese pirates, and trafficking of innocent people, away from Jian'an and headed for Jinzhou.
Of course, the piece of silk that Niu Sangeng handed over should be copied and then personally handed to Liu Tan by Sun Xiaoliu when he takes it back to Jinzhou to see Liu Tan.
Since Sun Xiaoliu was no longer by Li Shiyue's side to receive orders, Chen Yong naturally returned.
At this moment, Chen Yong, who was being scolded by Li Shiyue, dared not say anything and could only lower his head and endure the scolding.
Chen Yong was cursing in his heart too!
When he left half a month ago, there was nothing wrong in the town and along the coast.
Besides, although it is springtime now, it is only April. It is not easy for the Japanese pirates to cross the sea. Who would have thought that a small group of Japanese pirates would land and plunder!
"Chen Yong!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Go to Zhenjun yourself!"
Take this general's order and go ask that Magistrate Cai whether his soldiers are made of clay or paper.
The Japanese pirates landed right under his nose as if they were nothing!
X!
Dozens of people died!
For more than half a month, not only did he not report a single word to the garrison, but he also did not send troops to kill the enemy!
"Does Cai Hua, this garrison commander, aspire to become the Dragon King of the Sea?"
Li Shiyue's tone was icy, containing suppressed anger.
"Yes, General!"
Chen Yong clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, picked up the written command that Li Shiyue had prepared earlier from the table, and strode out.
Li Shiyue watched his departing figure, her chest heaving slightly. This matter of the Japanese pirates had truly angered her.
She walked to the map of Jian'an's coastline hanging on the wooden frame, her gaze sweeping over the winding coastline and the scattered islands.
She knew that if this group of Japanese pirates wasn't wiped out, there would definitely be more looting in the future!
Zhenjun was located forty li north of Jian'an City, built on the coast.
The place looked quite large, with banners waving, but upon closer inspection, some of the wood in the walls was rotten, and the patrolling soldiers walked with a loose gait and lacked sharpness in their eyes.
Holding Li Shiyue's warrant, Chen Yong entered the garrison without hindrance.
Garrison Commander Cai Hua seemed to have known all along that Chen Yong would come.
At that moment, he was blowing on a cup of hot tea. When he saw Chen Yong come in, he merely lifted his eyelids but did not get up.
"Oh, Lieutenant Chen?"
What wind blew you here from General Li's place?
But what are her orders, General?
Cai Hua's tone was clearly sarcastic.
He had long harbored resentment towards Li Shiyue, this woman who had parachuted in with ruthless methods and who had evidence against him for receiving a salary without working and for having dealings with Japanese pirates.
Chen Yong, expressionless, took two steps forward and slammed the accountability document written by Li Shiyue onto the long table in front of Cai Hua.
“Lord Cai, the fishing villages of Xihai Village, Nanjiaozui and Baisha Bay have all been plundered by Japanese pirates!”
This happened half a month ago!
Our general is asking you, why didn't the garrison discover this?
Or perhaps you discovered it, so why didn't you act sooner?
Why has this matter been delayed until now without being reported?
Cai Hua put down his teacup, slowly picked up the document, glanced at it, and then looked up at Chen Yong, a feigned expression of embarrassment and helplessness on his face.
"Captain Chen, you are mistaken."
Cai Hua shrugged. "It's not that we're unwilling to send troops, it's just that... we're powerless to do so!"
Cai Hua stood up, walked to the wooden shelf to the side, and hung up a simple nautical chart: "Captain Chen, please take a look. Jian'an has a long coastline and many islands. The Japanese pirates come and go like the wind, and their traces are hard to find."
They often take advantage of the night and fog to land at the weakest points in the defenses, grab what they can, and leave.
By the time I received the fishermen's message and mustered my troops to go, the Japanese pirates had already vanished into the vast sea. Where could I possibly find them?
He turned around, looked at Chen Yong, and said in an increasingly “sincere” tone: “Furthermore, as you have seen, Lieutenant Chen, although our garrison has the duty to guard the coastline.
However, the weapons in the warehouse were old and outdated, the warships were almost all in disrepair, and there were very few fast ships capable of going out to sea to pursue the enemy.
The soldiers had been out of battle for a long time, so how could they possibly fight against the fierce Japanese pirates in such a hasty manner?
If we rashly launch an attack and fall into the Japanese pirates' ambush, suffering heavy losses, I cannot bear that responsibility.
In my opinion, the best course of action should be to defend key points along the coast and strengthen early warning systems using beacon towers.
Chen Yong listened to Cai Hua's watertight excuse and sneered inwardly, but remained calm on the surface: "Does Magistrate Cai mean that the garrison is not only unable to take the initiative to kill the pirates, but can only sit and wait for the Japanese pirates to attack?"
Even if the Japanese pirates came, they might not be able to catch up or defeat them.
Cai Hua looked at Chen Yong with a forced smile: "Captain Chen, you can't say that."
It is my duty to defend this territory, and I, the garrison commander, will do my utmost.
But even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; given the state of the military, even this garrison commander is helpless.
General Li's troops are all battle-hardened elites. If the general is willing, he may send troops to defend the coast.
Our garrison will fully cooperate.
Chen Yong gave Cai Hua a deep look, said nothing more, and picked up the document written by Li Shiyue on the table: "I will report Cai Shijun's words to the general word for word."
This humble general takes his leave.
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