Chapter 763
Eavesdropping
Yang Shan examined the pirates' muskets carefully, and after trying them out, he shared the same thought.
The Imperial Guard said disdainfully, "These muskets are far inferior to those of the Divine Machine Battalion."
Yang Shan asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"The range is poor, the ignition time is long, and it needs to be reloaded every three rounds. Even the copper tube is of poor quality. I just touched it, and after only three rounds, the copper tube seemed to catch fire. If it needs to be reloaded twice, it will definitely explode."
Yang Shan twirled the musket in his hand and said, "But not every officer or soldier in our army can possess such a poor musket. In other words, our officers and soldiers will suffer losses if they are engaged in combat."
The Imperial Guard: "They only have fifteen muskets on their ship."
Yang Shan's face was ashen: "They are bandits, we are soldiers! In the great Ming Dynasty, every soldier's weapon should be superior to that of the bandits."
The Imperial Guards remained silent.
Yang Shan gripped the musket in his hand and said, "Put away all the weapons, and separate the firearms from the melee weapons."
"Yes."
During the inventory, the Imperial Guards discovered that five or six muskets were missing from both ships.
One ship had only ten tubes counted, while another ship had only nine.
The Imperial Guard glanced at Pan Yun and the others who were bandaging the wounded soldiers, gritted his teeth, and decided not to go after them, but instead reported the matter to higher authorities.
After a moment's thought, Yang Shan said, "They have made great contributions. If they are short, so be it. Just make a list of how many are left."
The Imperial Guard had always suspected that the cannons used in the ambush in Ryukyu had been hidden by Pan Yun and his men, as he knew these cultivators possessed supernatural powers.
They inspected the site and found no signs that the cannons had been moved. The cannon that remained was also suspicious. Why was it that the cannon in that corner was left behind?
If the pirates were to move, that would be the best place to relocate.
The Imperial Guards suspected that Yang Shan shared the same suspicion, but he remained silent.
Yang Shan naturally didn't say it, but having been to Japan once, he knew that there would be many opportunities to cooperate with Pan Yun in the future.
When she offered up the silver mountains and the port, he saw Pan Yun's loyalty to the emperor and her patriotism.
Since she had the intention and the ability, Yang Shan was naturally willing to treat her well.
A national scholar, a national scholar, the country should treat him favorably.
Who who is loyal to the emperor and loves the country doesn't want to gain wealth and glory?
Therefore, Yang Shan turned a blind eye to the loss of spoils of war, regardless of whether Pan Yun or other officers and soldiers took those muskets.
In addition, they should also be given the credit they deserve.
On the vast ocean, every voyage is fraught with peril, so logistical support is naturally essential.
After tallying the casualties and prisoners, it was already dawn. Yang Shan began writing a memorial to the crowd to request commendations.
He was impartial and listed all those who had contributed to the victory in the memorial. Pan Yun and Xuanmiao were credited with the greatest merit in this battle, as were the red-clad heroine Xiao Hong and Hongyan...
Yang Shan paused here, frowned slightly, and asked the Imperial Guard standing beside him, "What are the identities of the two women in red in Pan Jun's group? Where are they from?"
The Imperial Guard glanced at him, knowing he wanted to claim credit for everyone, and bowed, saying, "This humble official will go and inquire immediately."
Yang Shan nodded and continued writing.
Meanwhile, the fleet accelerated forward, and the two large pirate ships became their spoils. The flags on the ships were lowered and replaced with the flags of the Ming Dynasty, and the fleet headed towards Quanzhou in a grand procession.
Having just survived an ambush by pirates, Yang Shan ordered the ships to slow down, so the fleet, which was expected to arrive that evening, was still adrift at sea, only getting closer and closer to Quanzhou Port.
Yang Shan wrote two memorials in one go during the day. One of them was a set of suggestions on maritime prohibition, pirates, customs, and the navy, which was referred to as the Ten Memorials on Maritime Affairs.
He wrote it all in one go, polished it, and copied it into a folded book, just as the sun was setting outside.
Yang Shan put away the memorial, walked out of the cabin with his hands behind his back, and looked at the magnificent sunset on the horizon and the sea. He had a feeling that if the Ten Memorials on Maritime Affairs were valued by the emperor, the Ming Dynasty would usher in an even brighter future.
If the maritime ban continues, given the current rate of development of pirates, the Ming Dynasty may truly be like this setting sun—brilliant yet fading. Yang Shan rallied and summoned the Imperial Guards: "Where is Pan Yun?"
"over there."
Yang Shan looked over and saw that Wang Cong's boat was still protected in the middle, and Pan Yun was standing at the bow facing west, his eyes fixed intently on the setting sun.
Perhaps because Yang Shan's gaze was too intense, Pan Yun looked away and stared directly at him.
Yang Shan smiled and nodded slightly at her.
Pan Yun nodded in agreement.
Yang Shan then asked the Imperial Guard, "Where is the bandit leader?"
"In the lower deck of this ship."
It would have been difficult to move them at sea; most of the pirates were still being held on their ships, with only a number of soldiers sent to guard them.
But these two bandit leaders were different; Tao Ji pulled poison sacs out of their mouths.
So the Embroidered Uniform Guard asked Pan Yun for help to get both of them onto the main ship.
Pan Yun was straightforward and simply tossed the person over.
The Imperial Guards had kept the man suspended in the lower deck, waiting for Yang Shan to question him.
Yang Shan deliberately slowed down the boat so that he could interrogate the passengers before disembarking.
At sea, he was the boss;
But once on land, he won't be able to hold onto these people, and he'll probably have difficulty seeing them again.
Yang Shan did not trust the people on land.
The same applies to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The two of them went down to the bottom cabin together.
The two bandit leaders were also suspended separately, each in their own room. However, the lower deck was not very soundproof, so when Yang Shan asked a question, the other side could hear him.
Yang Shan glanced at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Imperial Guards immediately put one of the men down and dragged him out. Only then did Yang Shan pull over a chair and sit down facing the hanging bandit leader.
The bandit leader hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, and had been hanging alone, pushing his body and mind to their limits. When he saw Yang Shan arrive, he remained silent, which filled Yang Shan with anger, hatred, and contempt: "You officials just love to do these empty things. Kill me if you want, torture me if you want. If I utter a single word, I'm not a Wu!"
Yang Shan: "Your surname is Wu. What is your given name? What is your place of origin?"
Wu, the bandit leader, sneered repeatedly, but did not answer. He continued to shout, "Kill me, I won't say anything."
In the darkness, Xiao Hong, who was perched on the beam, listened to a bunch of nonsense until the night was deep and quiet. One person after another was changed while hanging, and Yang Shan himself couldn't stand it anymore. Only then did she float up behind him onto the deck.
Yang Shan paused slightly and looked back.
The imperial guard who was holding the lamp for him looked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang Shan frowned: "I have a feeling that someone is following me."
The Imperial Guard walked over without a word, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He searched the area thoroughly, then shook his head and said, "There's nothing there, sir. The stairs leading down to the lower deck are only wide enough for one person to pass at a time, and they're very noisy. Even the most skilled martial artist would make a lot of noise."
Yang Shan nodded slightly, but he was still puzzled, as his intuition had always been very accurate.
Xiao Hong waited until he entered the cabin before floating in to watch him organize official documents and memorials.
She didn't want to follow him, but she had come to gather information. After examining what he was holding, she floated back to Wang Cong's ship. (End of Chapter)