Chapter 70 Pirates and Sea Merchants

  Zhang Yuanlong said nonchalantly, "The imperial court has regulations regarding the carrying of weapons on maritime trade fleets. However, everyone understands that if the fleet doesn't bring firearms, they'll be at the mercy of pirates. Large cannons are strictly managed by the imperial court and it's not easy to obtain them, so generally, only small equipment like fire lances and tiger squatting cannons are used. They're stored away before returning to port and taken out when setting sail again. Local officials are also aware of this situation, they just pretend not to know."

  It makes sense to think about it, the sea is not peaceful, pirates are rampant, without a bit of self-defense capability, how dare you go out to sea? "You often go out to sea, do you have many opportunities to deal with pirates?"

  "That's not much." Zhang Yuanlong shook his head, "Actually, the pirates on the sea also have rules. People like Zheng Jixin are in the minority. Whether going to Japan or sailing south, although there are many pirates on these two routes, as long as you pay the toll, you can pass through safely. If something happens to the fleet on their turf, those pirates will even be responsible for compensating for the losses."

  "This pirate is quite something, comparable to an insurance company. Yu Zhen couldn't help but wonder, 'Why would such a situation occur? This protection fee, huh, the toll shouldn't be small, right?'"

  "That's natural, it's been passed down this way, taking up about 20% of the cargo fee. Those pirates are clever, they wouldn't do something as foolish as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Moreover, their food supply mainly relies on these maritime trade fleets, so on the surface, everyone gets along pretty harmoniously."

  So that's it, no wonder the imperial court has been fighting for years and can't eliminate these pirates. The root of the problem lies here - the merchants and pirates are secretly colluding with each other. Thinking of this, Yin Zhen asked further, "When Zheng's men crossed the border and came to the East Sea to commit crimes, did the pirates in the East Sea just let them do as they pleased? Don't they have to compensate you for your losses?"

  Zhang Yuanlong let out a long sigh, "Zheng Jinxin is cunning, but he's also cautious. The place where he committed the robbery is near Xu Wengshan Island. This sea area is close to the shore and doesn't belong to any pirate's territory. As the saying goes, 'a strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake'. He's afraid of provoking public outrage among the East Sea pirates."

  He didn't nod slightly, but the guy was cunning enough. With this clever plan, it would be difficult for Shi Yide and others to catch him. Who knows which way he will escape after getting his hands on it? "In your estimation, where do you think Zheng Jixin and others will flee if they succeed this time?"

  "It's hard to say." Zhang Yuanlong furrowed his brow and sighed, "With over a hundred ships' worth of valuable goods in hand, he'll probably sell them immediately. This season, going east to Japan or south to Nanyang are both convenient options, it's really difficult to judge."

  After several days of investigation, Zhang Bohang did not find any clues about the pirates, but he heard that Zhang Yuanlong had bribed Gali with a large sum of money. Although it was only a rumor, when combined with the previous rumors of the two using naval warships to sell rice, he basically concluded that there must be some truth to it.

  Zhang Bo was an honest and upright official, his couplet for self-admonition, 'One thread one grain, my name and integrity, one cent one millimeter, the people's fat and oil. Lenient by a fraction, the people receive gifts not limited to a fraction, take one coin, I am not worth one coin.' was widely spread in Jiangnan.

  Since Gali took office as Governor of Shanxi, he has been a model for clearing up deficits. After becoming the Governor-General of Liangjiang, he actively cleared up deficits and impeached and dismissed the entire high-ranking Han officials in Jiangsu. Zhang Bohai knew about these things when he first arrived at his post as Governor of Jiangsu. He originally thought that Gali was an honest official, although arrogant and domineering, but since they were both honest officials, he could tolerate him. However, he never expected that while Gali publicly impeached and punished corrupt officials on the surface, behind the scenes, he was also engaging in corrupt activities such as bribery, collusion with merchants, and embezzlement.

  This discovery made Zhang Bohang extremely indignant and humiliated, but he did not act rashly. He was very clear in his mind that those sailors and crew members, even if they were caught and brought to the yamen, would not dare say anything, and even if there were some who were willing to speak, it was estimated that they could not say anything specific. To verify this matter, he had to start with Zhang Yuanlong.

  But as for Zhang Yuanlong, he did not dare to act rashly. Not only was Zhang's daughter a concubine of the 14th prince, Yin Zhen, but his relationship with Yin Zhen was also very close. From the fact that he could control the share of cotton cloth exports at Jianghai Customs, it can be seen that if he provoked Yin Zhen to intervene, it would be difficult for him to resist as a single governor.

  Zhang Yuanlong's apparent crime was only 'false name and multiple registrations.' If he were to be arrested for this crime, firstly, it would be feared that the maritime merchants would react in unison, leading to local unrest, as the panic caused by the pirate robbery case had not yet passed. Secondly, this crime was too minor, and a governor personally arresting someone for such a small case would naturally attract attention, and also could not avoid the Shanghai County Government, where the county magistrate Xu Shizhen was closely following Yin Zhen. Private arrest was even more impossible, as it was in Shanghai, and it was impossible to keep it secret, once intercepted, they would be completely passive.

  If they don't capture Zhang Yuanlong, they won't be able to get a confession. Without a confession, how can they impeach this scoundrel? And if things go wrong, they might even be counter-attacked. For the time being, Zhang Bohai is also at a loss, unsure of what to do next.

  After racking his brains for a whole day, Zhang Bohang still couldn't think of a feasible plan. He knew that he couldn't stay in Shanghai for too long. Since there was no other way out, he might as well take a risk and make a clean breast of it to Yin Zheng, trying to get his support, which would be better than achieving nothing at all.

  Arriving at Liu Chun Garden, Zhang Bohang only then learned that Yin Zhen was not in the garden but rather on the other side of Honggang training the navy. The imperial guards who were on duty let him enter the garden to have tea while sending someone to report quickly by horseback.

  The naval academy northeast of Hong Kong is under intense construction, and a little further away from the construction site, there is an empty space. After being slightly leveled by Yongzheng, this place became a training ground.

  At this time, on the training ground, twenty-one small teams were conducting team training exercises. After more than a month of training, these young masters finally showed some style. The team's marching was also similar in style. Yinzhen was delighted to see this and applied all the harsh tactics he had received when he trained his own team without reservation. Fortunately, these young masters had a certain cultural foundation and strong adaptability. New recruits would likely need two months of training before they could barely keep up.

  Yin Zhen was overjoyed and the imperial guard who had been sent to report back had already arrived on horseback. Upon hearing that Zhang Bohang had come to visit, Yin Zhen guessed it was related to the pirate matter, so he hastily mounted his horse and rushed back. After entering the gate, he quickly washed up and hurried to the reception hall.

  The two men exchanged a few pleasantries before taking their seats as host and guest. After the tea was served, Zhang Bohang got straight to the point without beating around the bush. "Fourteenth Master, I have come to visit you today regarding the matter of Zhang Yuanlong's bribery and his collaboration with others in using naval warships to sell large quantities of rice on the high seas. I hope that Fourteenth Master will uphold justice and hand over Zhang Yuanlong to me to take back to Suzhou."