In recent years, the Great Kang has grown increasingly weak. Not only is it threatened by the Khitans in the north, the Dangxiang in the west, and the Tubo, but pirates in coastal areas have also become more rampant, seriously disrupting the normal work of coastal fishermen and saltworks.
Disrupting fishermen is one thing, but affecting the saltworks is quite another matter.
Salt merchants are proxies for the powerful nobles. Tampering with saltworks impacts the merchants’ business, which is equivalent to touching the nobles’ profits.
To combat the pirates, the nobles, for once, united quickly and established two naval forces: one stationed at the mouth of the Yellow River, the other at the mouth of the Yangtze.
Regardless of the nobles’ motives, at least no one made things difficult for the navy, and no officials withheld provisions or pay.
Thus, the navy’s combat effectiveness is decent, and over the years it has dealt no small number of blows to the pirates.
Jin Feng, accompanied by his personal guards, rode along the coastline. From afar, he spotted a military camp.
Above the camp, the banner of the East Sea Navy fluttered in the wind, and the warships on the water were arrayed in neat formation.
Next to the military harbour lay a civilian dock.
Jin Feng’s fleet was moored there.
However, the ships he had brought were merely merchant vessels. They could manage on an inland river like the Yangtze, but for naval combat against water bandits on the open sea, they were utterly inadequate.
So, while en route, Jin Feng had already decided that if the situation proved impossible, he would find a way to seek help from the East Sea Navy.
Upon reaching the entrance to the naval camp, Jin Feng had Da Liu present his visiting card.
The guards, seeing Jin Feng accompanied by so many personal guards, knew he was no ordinary person. They did not dare obstruct him and dutifully took the card inside.
Moments later, a burly man with a full beard strode out.
From a distance, he cupped his fists in salute to Jin Feng. “Haha, General Jin, your great name has long been known to me. Today, at last, I have the honour of meeting you in person! Truly, as the rumours say, young and accomplished, with an impressive bearing!”
“General Zheng flatters me.”
Jin Feng smiled and returned the courtesy.
Before coming, he had already inquired about the general of the East Sea Navy, Zheng Chiyuan. He was neither from the pro-war faction nor the pro-peace faction, but one of the rare pure soldiers in the Great Kang.
After reviewing the intelligence, Jin Feng had formed a favourable impression of him.
At the very least, Zheng Chiyuan had been actively resisting pirates.
Now, meeting him in person, the impression grew even better.
From the man’s complexion, build, and gait, it was clear that Zheng Chiyuan often trained outdoors. This at least showed he was no pampered commander.
His speech was also reliable.
He possessed the straightforwardness befitting a soldier, as well as the smoothness and worldly wisdom expected of a general.
“No, it is no flattery! General Jin’s achievements at Clearwater Valley and Xichuan City fill me with admiration. If all the generals of the Great Kang were like you, how could we fear further bullying by foreign enemies?”
Though it was their first meeting, Zheng Chiyuan acted as if greeting an old friend. He reached out, put an arm around Jin Feng’s shoulders, and said to the guards, “This is General Jin from Xichuan. In future, if he comes to the camp, you are not to obstruct him!”
“Yes!” The guards nodded quickly, while carefully studying Jin Feng’s face, lest they fail to recognise him later.
“General Jin, come, let us talk inside!”
Zheng Chiyuan kept his arm around Jin Feng as he led him into the naval camp.
He brought Jin Feng to the reception hall. Once the guards had served tea and withdrawn, Zheng Chiyuan spoke. “General Jin, I am a rough man. I dislike the false pleasantries of those civil officials. If I have something to say, I say it straight. You have come from afar. Surely it is not to fish in the East Sea?”
Hearing this, Jin Feng could not help but give Zheng Chiyuan a deep look.
Though he had a good impression of the man, he would not underestimate him because of it.
The East Sea was Zheng’s territory. The escorts had been attacked by water bandits at a fishing village dock, such a major incident. There was no way he could be unaware.
At this moment, he was clearly feigning ignorance.
But Jin Feng did not expose it. Instead, he smiled and said, “General Zheng is straightforward, which suits me perfectly! Then I shall speak plainly?”
Zheng Chiyuan did not reply, merely gesturing for him to continue.
“This visit to the naval camp is indeed to ask General Zheng for assistance.” Jin Feng said.
“Oh? General Jin, please speak.” Zheng Chiyuan assumed a listening posture.
“It is like this. I have an escort agency under my command, as well as a chamber of commerce. Some time ago in Jiangnan, they were attacked by a band of water bandits, suffering heavy casualties…”
Jin Feng quickly recounted the recent events.
“What? The water bandits are so bold as to attack even General Jin’s fleet?”
Zheng Chiyuan slammed the table and stood up, his face full of anger.
Yet he made no mention at all of sailing out to help suppress the bandits.
Jin Feng understood. The man was waiting for him to speak first, so as to gain the upper hand in negotiations.
Under normal circumstances, Jin Feng would never let the other side succeed. But now he was anxious to return to Xichuan and had no mind to haggle with Zheng Chiyuan.
He took the initiative. “This band of water bandits is currently hiding on Crab Pincer Island. My escorts are unskilled in naval warfare and lack warships. I wish to ask General Zheng to take action and help me exterminate these thieves!”
As Jin Feng had guessed, Zheng Chiyuan immediately assumed an expression of difficulty.
“General Jin, in principle, helping to suppress water bandits is the navy’s bounden duty. However, when the navy was established, the court set out detailed scopes of authority. The very first article states that the navy’s responsibility is to guard the coastal populace and that it must not engage in combat on the open sea.”
“There is such a regulation?”
Jin Feng was stunned.
He had anticipated that Zheng Chiyuan would bargain, but he had not expected this reason.
If the navy cannot fight on the open sea, what kind of navy is it?
“Why would I deceive you?”
Zheng Chiyuan took a document from the side and handed it to Jin Feng. “This is the scope of authority and military discipline for the East Sea Navy. General, you may read it for yourself.”
Jin Feng accepted the document, glanced at it, and confirmed it was genuine.
Opening the booklet, the first article was indeed as Zheng Chiyuan had said: the East Sea Navy was restricted to operations near the coast and prohibited from combat far out at sea.
This regulation left Jin Feng both amused and exasperated, but then he suddenly understood.
The primary reason those nobles had established the navy was to protect the coastal salt evaporation fields, not to suppress pirates.
If the navy sailed out to the open sea chasing pirates, who would protect the saltworks?
Moreover, long-range operations would accelerate wear on the warships, and the costs would fall on the nobles. They would never agree to that.
However, Jin Feng was not one to give up easily. After reading the first article, he did not return the document but continued reading, hoping to find a loophole he could exploit.
When he reached article fifteen, his eyes brightened slightly.
This article stipulated that the navy must conduct drills at sea once every three months.
This clause had been created to prevent the navy from slacking off, but it gave Jin Feng an opening.
“General Zheng, when the navy conducts drills at sea, if it encounters pirate attacks, it may retaliate, correct?” Jin Feng asked.
“Naturally it may…”
Zheng Chiyuan nodded, then suddenly froze.
He understood Jin Feng’s meaning.
In fact, he had already planned that if Jin Feng offered sufficient compensation, he could make an exception and violate orders once to help Jin Feng eliminate the water bandits.
At worst, he would face censure from the powerful in the court. They would not truly dismiss him over such a minor matter.
He had not expected Jin Feng to find a usable loophole himself.
But Zheng Chiyuan reacted quickly. After a pause of less than two seconds, he resumed his expression of difficulty.
Before he could speak, Jin Feng reached out, took a wooden box from Da Liu’s hands, and placed it on the table.
