Chapter 539 Order to Kill the Bandits!
(Thank you so much, Xin Yuehe, for being the first to light up this book! Thank you for your support!)
Watching Chen Yong's departing figure, Cai Hua finally revealed a sly smile.
He snorted, picked up his teacup again, and muttered to himself, "What does a woman know about fighting?"
Did they really think that killing Huang Wanchang would give them the power to boss people around in the army?
Killing pirates at sea?
A bunch of landlubbers, yet they dare to talk about killing the enemy?
What a joke!
Upon returning to Jian'an City on horseback, Chen Yong immediately went to his study.
"Did he really say that?"
Li Shiyue listened to Chen Yong's words, her face revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Yes, General."
Cai Hua used the excuse of dilapidated military equipment and insufficient warships to refuse to take the initiative to attack.
He said, "Didn't the general come here to kill the enemy?"
"Our Xuanjia Army should be deployed to defend the coast."
Chen Yong lowered his head and said to Li Shiyue in a deep voice.
Li Shiyue walked to the wooden frame and looked at the coastal map of Jian'an.
Jian'an City needs a garrison. Although the Xuanjia Army she brought consists of a thousand elite soldiers, their numbers are limited and scattered along the long coastline, amounting to little more than a drop in the ocean.
Besides, she brought two thousand people to Jian'an, but she has already arranged nearly a thousand people in various positions throughout the city.
The city gate guards, the treasury, the armory, the granary, the prison, and the people patrolling the four directions of the city day and night;
There was also the government office where she worked, and the governor's office.
You need your own people in every aspect.
Not to mention, when Sun Xiaoliu left, Li Shiyue also gave him two hundred new recruits.
Besides, she needs all sorts of information, doesn't she?
She had also sent people to keep an eye on the town, the coastal fishing villages, and every household in Jian'an City.
Based on this calculation, there are only a little over five hundred people in the Xuanjia Army camp.
They're all new recruits!
Furthermore, and very importantly, there are probably very few of these new recruits who can actually swim!
Cai Hua's words were intentional!
He knew that Li Shiyue was short-handed and could not send troops out to sea to capture those Japanese pirates!
Besides, Li Shiyue doesn't have any warships!
Moreover, as Cai Hua said, the Japanese pirates were cunning, their landing points were unpredictable, and passive defense was extremely ineffective.
Silence fell over the study for a moment.
The loopholes in coastal defense, the garrison's double-dealing, and the shortage of troops... these problems were like shackles, binding Li Shiyue's hands and feet.
Chen Yong, sitting to the left, also had a furrowed brow and a droopy face.
It's just that Chen Yong is like this. If Sun Xiaoliu had gone to Zhenjun to deliver a warrant to Cai Hua to hold him accountable today, Sun Xiaoliu probably would have drawn his sword against Cai Hua on the spot.
If that's the case, the person might never come back.
Suddenly, Li Shiyue abruptly raised her head, a wild light flashing in her eyes.
"Does he think I, the general, have no way to deal with this?"
They want to outmaneuver this general!
Okay, very good!
Li Shiyue's lips curled into a cold smile. "Just because his garrison hasn't sent any troops, does he think I, the general, have no one else to rely on?"
Chen Yong was taken aback: "What does the general mean?"
What do the Japanese pirates want?
Money, grain, property, women and girls!
Li Shiyue spoke faster as she walked to the table and spread out the papers. "Why did they dare to come?"
Because they think we can't defend against it, because they can grab it and run, because they think the cost is low!
Because the Han people did not resist!
She picked up the brush, and ink flowed freely.
"Then I will tell them that once they come, they may not be able to leave!"
The price of looting is their heads!
Li Shiyue wrote the three characters "Slay the Bandits Order" clearly and forcefully, word by word.
"To the soldiers and civilians of Jian'an: Japanese pirates have repeatedly invaded our territory, plundered our property, and killed our people. Their crimes are unforgivable!"
The General hereby issues this decree: All those under the jurisdiction of Jian'an, regardless of household registration, military or civilian status, age or gender, whoever can kill Japanese pirates will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver for each head!
"With the heads of the Japanese pirates, you can exchange them for a reward at the Jian'an Prefecture government office!"
She paused, then pressed her pen down hard, leaving a dark ink dot.
"Payment is made immediately upon receipt of payment, with no delays!"
Li Shiyue wrote her name, took out the seal of the Jian'an Prefect, carved in small seal script, and pressed it heavily on the red clay. She then stamped the bright red seal at the end of the "Order to Kill the Bandits"!
"Chen Yong!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"This order shall be issued immediately throughout the Jian'an region, not just Jian'an City!"
"Announcements must be posted in all townships, villages, and hamlets outside the city, so that everyone is aware of them!"
Chen Yong gasped.
Twenty taels of silver!
This is no small sum!
Is a Japanese pirate's head worth only twenty taels of silver?
The reward is staggeringly high.
You should know that even a jailer like Niu Sangeng, who had a considerable amount of extra income, only earned a monthly salary of one thousand copper coins in Jian'an City.
If it weren't for the Japanese pirates landing, Lü Erniang might not have married Niu Sangeng!
Niu Sangeng had no parents or children, so he earned a thousand copper coins a month, which was enough for his own expenses.
Otherwise, why would Lü Erniang be so eager to work there after hearing that Li Shiyue had opened a military supply workshop and was looking for female workers?
It's because we don't have enough money!
If Lü Erniang and Niu Sangeng have a child in the future, how can they manage if one person earns money while three people have to spend it?
Take Niu Sangeng for example. He earns a monthly salary of one thousand copper coins. If he wants to save twenty taels of silver, he would need to not eat or drink for more than three years to save it.
But how can a person live in this world without eating or drinking?
The money for renting a house, the money for buying food, and even the money for firewood and water all cost money!
Everything costs money. After deducting expenses each month, and assuming one is healthy and doesn't get sick, one can only save a hundred or two copper coins at most.
If you want to save up twenty taels of silver in this way, it will take ten years!
Not to mention, how can one avoid getting sick while living a normal life, eating grains and other foods? And how can one avoid encountering unexpected events?
Weddings, funerals, having children—all of these cost money.
Therefore, the twenty taels of silver that Li Shiyue promised to give to the person who could kill the bandits was an enormous sum of money!
This is a huge fortune that could drive someone crazy and make them willing to take risks.
These twenty taels are equivalent to a family's savings of more than ten or even twenty years!
You can get these twenty taels of silver just by cutting off the head of a Japanese pirate!
If we could cut off five heads, that would be a hundred taels of silver!
"General!"
Do we still have that much silver?
Twenty taels!
Twenty taels, isn't that a bit too much?
Twenty taels!
Twenty taels!
"With so little silver, how can we motivate everyone to kill the bandits?"
Li Shiyue's eyes were bright. "I have my own plans regarding the money."
Although Xiao Liu took some of the silver that was confiscated from Huang Wanchang, a considerable amount remained.
Before I came to Jian'an, the princess gave me five thousand taels of silver.
Money left unused is worthless.
Now, this is the best use for it!
"If the people of Jian'an can unite as one, let alone five thousand taels, I, this general, can produce fifty thousand taels!"
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