As the ministers endlessly debated whether to combine suppression with appeasement or simply eradicate the pirates, Xu Jie stepped forward to speak.
“Whether we use both suppression and appeasement or wipe them out entirely, the Japanese pirate threat in Jiangnan must be resolved swiftly. Jiangnan is the granary and treasury of our dynasty. Every day the pirate problem persists, Jiangnan’s grain supply and tax revenue suffer, affecting not just Jiangnan but the entire Ming dynasty. It’s a case of pulling one hair and moving the whole body. For example, dealing with the northern barbarians requires provisions and military funds, doesn’t it? Where do most of those come from? Jiangnan. If Jiangnan is affected, the northern barbarians are too. We can’t delay any longer—we must cut through this chaos with a sharp blade and resolve the Jiangnan pirate threat quickly,” Xu Jie interrupted the ceaseless arguing, speaking with unwavering certainty.
“Lord Xu, you’ve been in the capital and don’t know the situation in Jiangnan. The pirates are ferocious—one of them can take on ten of our men. Just a few months ago, a mere hundred pirates roamed over a thousand li, killing thousands of our soldiers—a clear example. Moreover, they come across the sea, leaving no trace to follow. Within our borders, stubborn traitors act as their eyes and ears. True pirates and fake ones together number over a hundred thousand, and their numbers are growing. Beacons of war dot Jiangnan—how can this be resolved quickly?” a Ministry of War official countered.
He was from Yan Song’s faction. Though Xu Jie had recently been deferring to Grand Secretary Yan, most of Yan’s followers still habitually suppressed Xu Jie.
They remained wary of Xu Jie, a protégé of Xia Yan.
Xia Yan had been brought down by Yan Song and his allies, and as Xu Jie’s mentor—‘a teacher for a day, a father for life’—the vendetta of a father’s death was irreconcilable. Who could say whether Xu Jie might seek revenge for Xia Yan?
Yan Song was old, while Xu Jie was much younger. To put it bluntly, once Yan passed away, Xu Jie, as the second-ranking member of the Inner Cabinet, could easily rise to Grand Secretary and take control of the court.
As members of Yan’s faction, they were deeply tied to Xia Yan’s demise and had long abetted Yan Song and his son. If Xu Jie became Grand Secretary and moved to purge Yan’s faction, they’d have nowhere to run.
As for Xu Jie’s recent deference to Yan Song, who knew if it was genuine or a strategy of biding his time?
They weren’t willing to take that gamble.
It was safer to bring Xu Jie down and replace him with one of their own.
Thus, most of Yan’s faction continued to target Xu Jie with suppression.
Of course, some within Yan’s group advocated recruiting him. With Yan’s faction so large, unity of thought was impossible, and internal cliques and divisions existed.
“The pirates are ferocious—one against ten? The Jiangnan threat can’t be resolved quickly?!” Before Xu Jie could respond, Emperor Jiajing, seated on the dragon throne, spoke with displeasure. “Huang Ban, read them the victory report from Suzhou Prefecture.”
Jiajing was, of course, eager to resolve the Jiangnan pirate threat swiftly. The entire Ming dynasty was his personal property, and Jiangnan was a key source of tax revenue and grain. The pirate troubles had steadily reduced Jiangnan’s contributions.
As Xu Jie said, Jiangnan’s troubles rippled outward. Reduced taxes meant strained supplies of provisions and funds for border garrisons, hampering efforts against the northern barbarians and disaster relief efforts, and so on.
Beyond that, his personal coffers were shrinking too.
The items needed for his Taoist rituals—dragon’s saliva incense, pearls, talisman paper—were all harder to procure.
Thus, Jiajing urgently wanted the Jiangnan pirate issue settled so the region could resume its vital role.
“My lords, this humble servant will now read the victory report from Suzhou Prefecture. Please listen carefully,” Huang Jin began, following Jiajing’s command.
The ministers standing in the hall were all significant figures in the court and already knew of the Suzhou report.
Yet, even though they were aware, Huang Jin’s recitation still sparked murmurs among them.
“Such a victory from Suzhou Prefecture stands in stark contrast to years of battle reports from across Jiangnan. This humble servant cannot help but doubt its authenticity,” a Yan faction official spoke first, casting doubt on the report at Yan Maoqing’s subtle cue.
“Exactly. A few months ago, a hundred pirates roamed a thousand li, killing thousands of our troops. Reports from everywhere describe the pirates as unstoppable, with constant losses. Zhu Ping’an’s Zhejiang troops number just two thousand—how could they achieve such a grand victory? Even slaughtering thousands of pigs would be beyond them.”
“Everywhere else suffers defeats, yet Suzhou wins, claiming to have annihilated over thirty thousand pirates? This report is clearly problematic.”
“The Suzhou victory report is far too exaggerated—it must be fake.”
In an instant, many Yan faction officials chimed in, asserting that the Suzhou report was flawed—gravely flawed.
“Your Majesty, I impeach Zhu Ping’an, Deputy Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang, and Shang Weizhong, Prefect of Suzhou, for fabricating a victory report and deceiving Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty, I impeach Zhu Ping’an for concealing the truth and falsifying claims of forty thousand kills—likely by slaughtering innocents to inflate his merits.”
“Prefect Shang Weizhong only reported his success in defending the city, which seems credible. The issue lies with Zhu Ping’an, who claimed to have wiped out nearly forty thousand pirates. That’s a massive problem! A mere two thousand recruits, trained for less than half a year, facing over forty thousand pirates and achieving such a victory—how is that realistic? There must be fabrication. Zhu Ping’an’s crime is grave!”
“I impeach Zhu Ping’an for deceiving the court and Your Majesty, committing the sin of deceiving the emperor. I request severe punishment to curb this trend of falsified reports! We must nip it in the bud. With the Jiangnan pirate threat raging, if other officials follow Zhu Ping’an’s example, the Jiangnan political sphere will be corrupted by him! Wouldn’t that embolden the pirates, making the situation even harder to control?”
A flood of Yan faction officials stepped forward, submitting memorials to impeach Zhu Ping’an and Shang Weizhong—mostly targeting Zhu Ping’an.
Some even spoke in Shang Weizhong’s favor, noting he’d only claimed credit for defending the city, which was likely true, and pinning the fabricated forty-thousand-pirate kill count on Zhu Ping’an alone.
“Hah, back then, Zhu Ping’an impeached Zhao Daying for killing innocents to claim merit. Who’d have thought, not long after, he’d become the very type he despised and condemned? Despising Zhao Daying, impeaching Zhao Daying, becoming Zhao Daying—what irony!”
“Your Majesty, for the sake of the tens of thousands of innocent Jiangnan people killed for his false merits, I request Zhu Ping’an’s arrest and execution to appease their spirits, quell the people’s anger, and stamp out this trend of fabricated victories!”
In no time, the hall echoed with calls to impeach Zhu Ping’an. Memorials demanding his severe punishment snowballed, one after another.
