Zhu Ping’an escorted the Zhejiang Chief Administrator, Judicial Commissioner, and Military Commander out of the Governor’s Office, watching them depart.
During their meeting, Zhu Ping’an gave his former superior, Lord Zhang, ample respect, expressing gratitude for his past support. This left Zhang beaming with pride, much to the envy of the Chief Administrator and Military Commander.
Having been relegated to Zhejiang and observing the region closely, Zhu Ping’an was already familiar with it. Through in-depth discussions with the three officials, he gained an even deeper understanding of Zhejiang’s situation.
The current situation in Zhejiang was extremely dire, with the Japanese pirate crisis far more severe than in Southern Zhili.
The great pirate Wang Zhi was the chief culprit behind Zhejiang’s dire circumstances and the primary cause of its rampant pirate problem.
Initially, Wang Zhi had harboured great hopes for the imperial court, fantasising that it would agree to his “trade” demands. With the tacit approval of local authorities for private markets, Wang Zhi had made efforts to restrain his pirates (though not entirely successfully) and even subdued (or absorbed) several other pirate groups, such as Chen Sipan’s, that were plundering Zhejiang. At that time, the pirate situation in Zhejiang was relatively manageable.
However, now that Wang Zhi’s trade ambitions had been dashed, he dropped his pretence. From restraining his pirates, he now drove them to attack across Zhejiang, burning, killing, and looting on a massive scale, attempting to force the court to yield and agree to his trade demands through military pressure.
The pirate situation in Zhejiang had spiralled out of control.
Wang Zhi’s pirates were far beyond what Xu Hai could muster. His forces included local Chinese bandits, Japanese samurai and ronin, and even red-haired foreign musketeers. His direct subordinates, along with those under his control, numbered up to 100,000.
Currently, Wang Zhi had occupied Zhoushan’s Lihu Port as his stronghold. His fleet boasted over 300 large ships, not to mention several massive vessels, including linked barges stretching 120 paces, capable of carrying 2,000 men and even allowing horses to gallop atop them.
In both naval and land warfare, his strength was colossal.
He was, without question, the overlord of the seas.
Moreover, Wang Zhi had a base in Japan’s Five Islands, practically equivalent to a Japanese daimyo.
As for Zhejiang’s local garrisons, they were filled with the old, weak, sick, and poorly trained. Whenever they faced Wang Zhi’s pirates, they were thoroughly defeated, only able to hold out by defending city walls. Smaller county towns were frequently breached by pirates, and even prefectural cities had been sacked, though not occupied for as long as Jiaxing had been.
Wang Zhi’s pirates had recently sacked Jinhua Prefecture, plundering and burning before withdrawing.
Speaking of Jiaxing, it was one of Zhejiang’s eleven prefectures. It had been captured by Xu Hai some time ago and occupied for over half a month until it was “reclaimed” by Zhao Chong just a few days prior.
North of Jiaxing lay Songjiang Prefecture in Southern Zhili, where Xu Hai had established strongholds in places like Tuolin.
Xu Hai’s pirates didn’t limit their plundering to Southern Zhili; Zhejiang’s Jiaxing Prefecture, near Tuolin, was also within their raiding range.
Thus, Zhejiang’s primary pirate threat was Wang Zhi’s forces, with Xu Hai’s pirates as a secondary threat.
With these two pirate groups, Zhejiang’s situation was far more chaotic than Southern Zhili’s.
Now, the pressure fell on Zhu Ping’an.
During his earlier meeting with the Zhejiang Chief Administrator, Judicial Commissioner, and Military Commander, Zhu Ping’an assigned a task to the Military Commander: to inspect the beacon towers and signal stations in his jurisdiction, repair any damaged ones immediately, and establish new ones in areas within a ten-li radius that lacked such warning facilities. Dedicated personnel were to be assigned to monitor them, lighting beacon fires or wolf-smoke signals at the first sign of pirates.
With no immediate way to deal with Wang Zhi, Xu Hai, and their pirates, Zhu Ping’an could only focus on improving early warnings to minimise losses.
Shortly after Zhu Ping’an saw off the three officials, a messenger reported that more visitors had arrived.
This time, it wasn’t an outsider—it was Zhu Ping’an’s father-in-law.
His father-in-law had made a special trip from the south with Li Shu’s two elder brothers, arriving before Li Shu gave birth.
“My father-in-law is here? Quick, inform the lady. I’ll go to the front gate to greet him,” Zhu Ping’an said upon hearing of his father-in-law’s arrival. He sent someone to the inner courtyard to notify Li Shu while hurrying to the main gate.
“I didn’t know you were coming, Father-in-law. Your son-in-law is late in greeting you,” Zhu Ping’an said, rushing to the gate and saluting Li the Wealthy.
“Greetings, Eldest Brother, Second Brother…” Zhu Ping’an continued, greeting his two brothers-in-law.
Li the Wealthy was as portly as ever, his large belly protruding, dressed in silk padded robes with a black bearskin cloak draped over him.
His two brothers-in-law had noticeably gained weight since their last meeting, faintly resembling their father’s robust figure.
Behind them stretched a seemingly endless convoy of carriages, at least forty or fifty, each flanked by two burly guards armed with sabres at their waists, some carrying bows and arrows.
Even from a distance, an air of ruggedness emanated from them.
Several of the carriages were oversized and widened, each pulled by two horses. The wheel tracks were deep, and the horses panted heavily from the effort. The carriages were covered with felt, concealing their contents.
“Enough with the formalities. Hurry up and take us to see Shu’er. My precious daughter must have suffered,” Li the Wealthy said impatiently, waving his hand. As always, he looked at Zhu Ping’an with disdain, his eyes and nose twitching as if Zhu were a thief who’d stolen cabbages from his garden.
Even though Zhu Ping’an had risen to Vice Minister of War and Zhejiang Governor, it hadn’t changed Li the Wealthy’s attitude.
However, when he mentioned Li Shu, his eyes brimmed with such tangible affection that it was clear he doted on her to his core.
“Come on, brother-in-law. It’s been ages since we saw our little sister. If she’s been wronged, we won’t let you off,” the two brothers-in-law said, each grabbing one of Zhu Ping’an’s shoulders. Instantly, Zhu Ping’an felt like he was being held hostage by two bears.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, rest assured, I’d never let Li Shu be wronged,” Zhu Ping’an said, wincing as they squeezed him, hastily reassuring them.
“Whether our little sister’s been wronged isn’t for you to say. It’s up to her, and we need to see for ourselves,” the brothers-in-law said, half-dragging, half-carrying Zhu Ping’an into the courtyard.
“Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother…” At that moment, Li Shu’s delighted shout came from the courtyard.
Then, with her eyes red and her pregnant belly prominent, Li Shu, supported by Hua’er and Qin’er, hurried towards them excitedly.
Spotting Li the Wealthy from afar, Li Shu opened her arms, threw herself into his embrace, and began crying with red-rimmed eyes.
“Nini, my darling treasure, with such a big belly, you must have suffered these past days,” Li the Wealthy said, tears streaming down his face.
“Hm?! Our little sister’s definitely been wronged!” Seeing their sister cry upon seeing her family, the two brothers-in-law immediately hoisted Zhu Ping’an up by his arms, ready to mete out justice for their sister.
