Wang Zhi was silent for a full ten seconds before looking up at Zhu Ping’an, slowly shaking his head and saying softly, “Lord Zhu, I don’t mean to pour cold water, but the Japanese pirate problem spans from Liaodong and Shandong to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. There are no fewer than eight hundred pirate groups, large and small. These so-called Japanese pirates are a mixed bag: real Japanese, fake Japanese, red-haired barbarians, Franks, and other foreigners. Some are roving bandits, some have strongholds on coastal islands, some are merchants who occasionally turn pirate, some are fishermen or farmers who temporarily take up the pirate name, and some cross the ocean several times a year. All told, their numbers might not reach a million, but there are hundreds of thousands…”
“Lord Zhu, these pirates are like chives: you can’t cut them all down unless you dig up their roots. And that root is the maritime ban. In dynasties without a maritime ban, you never heard of Japanese pirate troubles! If we lift the ban, eliminating the pirates wouldn’t be hard. But trying to wipe them out without lifting it is putting the cart before the horse, as difficult as climbing to the heavens.”
Wang Zhi looked at Zhu Ping’an as if he were chasing a pipe dream, insisting that without lifting the maritime ban, eradicating the pirates was impossible.
Zhu Ping’an smiled and shook his head, “Leader Wang, for others, wiping out the pirates may be as hard as scaling the heavens, but if you and I join forces, we could do it within a year, if not overnight.”
“Hahahaha… Lord Zhu, you overestimate us both.”
Wang Zhi burst into laughter.
“Leader Wang, don’t be fooled by appearances. The pirate problem seems to stretch thousands of miles with hundreds of thousands involved, like chives you can’t cut clean. But peel back the surface, and behind the merchants, farmers, pirates, Japanese, Franks, and red-haired barbarians, there are three real enemies to tackle. Deal with them, and the pirate problem unravels.”
Zhu Ping’an spoke with confidence.
“Oh? Three real enemies? Which three?” Wang Zhi asked, curious.
“Undoubtedly, the first is the true Japanese. They’re the backbone of the pirates, fierce and fearless. Without them, the pirates wouldn’t be hard to handle,” Zhu Ping’an said slowly.
“Fair enough, but how do you deal with the true Japanese?” Wang Zhi asked.
“Heh, the Japanese come across the sea, far from home, unfamiliar with the land. Most are obedient but uneducated, single-minded. If left to plunder on their own, they’d lose their way, like headless flies! They might even end up sold by slavers to toil in black mines!” Zhu Ping’an chuckled.
Wang Zhi fell silent, already guessing who Zhu Ping’an’s other two enemies were.
“The Japanese have been raiding our Ming coast since Emperor Hongwu’s time, but for two hundred years, the pirate issue was manageable, never as rampant as today. The reason it’s so bad now comes down to the other two enemies,” Zhu Ping’an said, squinting at Wang Zhi.
“Are the other two enemies you speak of me, Wang Zhi, and Xu Hai?” Wang Zhi tapped the table lightly.
“Exactly, Leader Wang and Xu Hai,” Zhu Ping’an nodded.
With that, Zhu Ping’an picked up the teapot, filled Wang Zhi’s cup, then his own, set the pot down, and said earnestly, “So I say, Leader Wang, if we join forces, wiping out the pirates is no hard task.”
Wang Zhi stayed silent.
“With Leader Wang restraining his pirates, we’re left with just two foes: Xu Hai and the true Japanese! Xu Hai’s strength is far below yours. Together, we leave him two paths: surrender or destruction,” Zhu Ping’an said, eyes burning as he looked at Wang Zhi.
Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes, still silent, but his mind was churning. Zhu Ping’an was right, if he joined forces with him, Xu Hai would be at a dead end, forced to surrender or be crushed.
“Without you and Xu Hai guiding them, the Japanese, crossing oceans to unfamiliar lands, can be easily lured into traps and annihilated. Take the Battle of Wanghaidun in the Yongle era: General Liu Jiang set an ambush at Wanghaidun, drew the pirates in, and wiped them out, keeping Liaodong safe from them for three hundred years! If General Liu could do it then, so can we!”
“Of course, we can’t just wait for them to raid inland. Build a strong navy, equip it with firearms, and stop them at sea! Once the true Japanese are dealt with, the fake pirates and the few red-haired barbarians are no match, easily crushed.”
With that, Zhu Ping’an raised his teacup to Wang Zhi, “Leader Wang, let’s join hands and choke on our dreams together!”
Wang Zhi closed his eyes, silent for a few seconds, then opened them, his gaze burning as he looked at Zhu Ping’an, “And if I, Wang Zhi, don’t join you to choke on dreams, Lord Zhu? Will you smash your cup as a signal?”
Wang Zhi’s eyes darted around.
“Heh, Leader Wang, you’re overthinking. I come with sincerity and goodwill to discuss great matters. This banquet could be a welcome, a negotiation, anything but a Hongmen trap. Look, we’re only dozens of meters from my camp’s gate, wide open, with barriers and spikes removed. You and your men can come and go freely, return to your camp anytime. My army is a hundred meters away, by the time they reach here, you’d be long gone across the shore. Rest easy,” Zhu Ping’an chuckled, pointing toward the gate, reassuring Wang Zhi completely.
Then, Zhu Ping’an let out a long sigh, “It’s a pity, though, that we can’t join hands for this grand cause. Next time we meet, it’ll be life or death, enemiesze or me. What a shame for your dream of open seas and trade, for my dream of a great maritime era, and for the millions of people in Jiangnan, who knows how many more years they’ll suffer in this chaos…”
As Zhu Ping’an sighed, a teacup appeared before him, and Wang Zhi’s voice followed, “I’ve seen Lord Zhu’s sincerity. Though it’s our first meeting, your character has earned my respect. Your bold vision impresses me, and I, unworthy as I am, want to witness the grandeur of this maritime era. I, too, am willing to choke on dreams with you!”
Wang Zhi raised his teacup, clinking it with Zhu Ping’an’s.
Thinking it had failed, Zhu Ping’an hadn’t expected this turn. He smiled, raised his cup, and clinked it.
“Cheers!”
Their teacups met with a clink.
