Kill, kill, kill; rob, rob, rob; burn, burn, burn. For days, Xu Hai’s band of pirates showed no restraint, launching attacks from their stronghold in all directions, burning, killing, and plundering without mercy. South Zhili was engulfed in smoke and chaos, while northern Zhejiang was ablaze with constant conflict.
Beyond Xu Hai’s group, Wang Zhi’s pirates were equally relentless. With even larger forces, they ravaged a broader area, wreaking havoc across South Zhili, Zhejiang, and Fujian. Their killing and arson left no peace in sight.
In short, the pirate scourge in Jiangnan flared up like oil poured on fire, raging uncontrollably, leaving the common people in unimaginable suffering.
At the Jiangnan Governor’s Office:
“Governor Zhang, last month you delayed to this month, and now you’re pushing it to next month. Let me ask you plainly—will you suppress the pirates or not?!”
Zhao Wenhua, accompanied by Hu Zongxian, stormed into the office, aggressively confronting Zhang Jing.
The office clerks were accustomed to this by now. Over the past two months, Zhao Wenhua had shown up almost every few days.
Each visit was about one thing: urging Zhang Jing to send troops against the pirates—immediately, without delay!
“Suppress them? Of course, I will! As governor, my first and only priority is to eradicate the pirates!” Zhang Jing replied without hesitation.
“You claim suppressing the pirates is your first and only priority?!” Zhao Wenhua sneered, pressing on relentlessly. “Have you counted how long you’ve been governor? Let me tell you—you’ve been in office for one hundred days! One hundred days, and you still haven’t sent a single soldier to fight the pirates—not even one!”
Zhao Wenhua’s barrage of questions left no room for Zhang Jing to respond.
“The timing for sending troops isn’t right yet,” Zhang Jing replied calmly.
“Not right?!” Zhao Wenhua scoffed. “With one word—‘not right’—you leave millions of Jiangnan’s people to the mercy of the pirates’ blades?!”
“Even as I confront you now, countless innocents are being cut down by pirates!”
“It’s been four days! Xu Hai’s band has been rampaging for four days, burning, killing, and looting across South Zhili and northern Zhejiang. The most sought-after fabric in the markets is white mourning cloth! You can’t even buy a coffin, no matter how much money you have—not even the cheapest paulownia wood ones, even with extra silver!”
“Let me ask you, Governor Zhang, when exactly will you send troops to crush the pirates?!”
Zhao Wenhua, incensed by Zhang Jing’s calm response, grew even more agitated, pressing him with question after question.
“When the timing is right, I’ll send troops,” Zhang Jing replied, still composed.
Why aren’t you sending troops? A torrent of hundreds of words in accusations.
The timing isn’t right.
When will you send troops? Another flood of hundreds of words in accusations.
When the timing is right, I’ll send troops.
It felt like a heated lovers’ quarrel, where the woman, emotional and tearful, demands answers: Why were you two hours late last night? Who were you with? What did you do? Who’s that woman on your phone? What’s your relationship? Do you know how much I suffered last night? Do you know how much my stomach hurt?
And the man replies flatly, “She’s just my sister. If your stomach hurts, drink hot water.”
How would the woman react?
Zhao Wenhua practically exploded on the spot. With a mocking chuckle, he said sarcastically, “Governor Zhang, sitting in your grand mansion, protected by city walls and guards, enjoying fine wine and delicacies, sleeping soundly—you can’t see the people being slaughtered by pirates, can’t hear the cries of those who’ve lost their loved ones, can’t feel their despair as they call to the heavens and earth with no response! I’m not like you, Governor Zhang, with a heart of stone. The thought of people being butchered by pirates keeps me up at night, unable to eat or sleep…”
Zhang Jing looked at Zhao Wenhua calmly and replied slowly, “Lord Zhao, every day I visit the city to comfort refugees, inspect the troops’ training in the barracks, and coordinate the supply of provisions and weapons. Every night, I study and strategise plans to defeat the pirates, often not sleeping until midnight at the earliest! These past few days, as Xu Hai’s pirates have run rampant, I’ve slept no more than an hour each day!”
As Zhao Wenhua prepared another sarcastic retort, Zhang Jing added quietly, “As for you, Lord Zhao, let’s not go far back. In these four days of Xu Hai’s rampage, you’ve left your office only three times: once today to urge me to send troops, and twice to visit taverns and brothels. The rest of the time, you’ve been in your office, carousing with friends, drinking, and living it up. Forgive my poor eyesight, Lord Zhao, but I fail to see your sleepless nights and loss of appetite for the people’s suffering…”
Zhao Wenhua’s face flushed red and white, furious. Pointing at Zhang Jing, he sputtered, “You’re spying on me?!”
Zhang Jing, damn him! Treating me like a criminal under surveillance—outrageous, intolerable!
Zhang Jing shook his head and replied calmly, “Lord Zhao, you’re mistaken. I’m not spying on you—I’m concerned for your safety, ensuring your protection. As an imperial envoy, you’re a man of great importance. With the pirate threat so severe, and their cunning and lack of scruples, I fear they might desperately attack or assassinate city officials. That’s why I’ve assigned people to protect the officials in the city, including you. Please don’t misunderstand, Lord Zhao.”
For the sake of his anti-pirate strategy, Zhang Jing wouldn’t allow anyone to interfere. In his eyes, Zhao Wenhua was the chief troublemaker.
You came to perform the sea sacrifice and meddled with commands—that was bad enough. But now you want to meddle in the pirate suppression? That’s unacceptable. The anti-pirate campaign is too critical to let you disrupt it!
To keep Zhao Wenhua in check and prevent him from sabotaging the broader strategy, monitoring him was a necessary measure.
Keeping him under close watch ensured he had no chance to cause trouble.
Not only did Zhang Jing monitor him, but he also planted trusted allies in Zhao Wenhua’s residence and office.
The goal was to keep Zhao Wenhua firmly under control.
“Good! Very good, Governor Zhang!” Zhao Wenhua, even angrier, pointed at Zhang Jing, grinding his teeth.
“I’m glad Lord Zhao understands my painstaking efforts,” Zhang Jing said expressionlessly, looking at him calmly.
“Meilin! Let’s go!”
Zhao Wenhua called to Hu Zongxian, storming out in a huff.
“Lord Hu, when you left the capital, didn’t you swear, ‘I won’t return until I’ve captured Wang Zhi and Xu Hai and pacified the southeast’?! Don’t learn bad habits from certain people! Do you think you’ll find strategies to capture Wang Zhi and Xu Hai or pacify the southeast in brothels?! That’ll only drain your heroic spirit and erode your will, earning you nothing but scorn!” Zhang Jing called out to Hu Zongxian as he left, sternly lecturing him.
Hu Zongxian paused for a moment, then, without looking back, followed Zhao Wenhua out of the Jiangnan Governor’s Office.
