"Dongying ronin? Little devils?"
Yang Ge had been standing in front of the dining table speaking with the two men, but upon hearing this keyword, he pulled over a chair and sat down, "Speak carefully, what exactly happened?"
Seeing his serious demeanor, they quickly put down their chopsticks and soberly replied, "Reporting to Second Master."
"These Dongying ronin began to show up after you left Jiangzhe."
"There are quite a few of them, with Dongying ronin landing in both Jiaodong and Jiangzhe... but currently, the most are in Jiangzhe."
"According to the information we’ve obtained, these Dongying ronin must have insiders guiding them, for they have food and lodging provided as soon as they come ashore..."
"However, we have yet to confirm who is providing them with food and lodging."
"The main issue is that the backgrounds of those people are too mixed; there are local landlords as well as local martial arts factions. We’ve sent several groups of brothers to investigate, but they all disappeared without a trace, not even bubbling to the surface."
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"Our young fort master conjectures that the people behind them are either Prince Ning or those dead seeds from the Jiangzhe officialdom."
"Ever since the previous dynasty, the Japanese threats along the Jiangzhe coast have never ceased. With so many Dongying ronin landing, they are definitely up to something."
"We can’t speak for other places, but at our Lianhuan Fort, we absolutely cannot allow them to stir up trouble."
"Our young fort master is worried that there might be a confrontation with the imperial army, so he has sent the two of us brothers to ask for your opinion."
"If you think this matter can be dealt with, then our brothers at Lianhuan Fort are resolved not to allow any Japanese pirates to step over the canal!"
"If you feel that this matter should be left to the imperial court, then our Lianhuan Fort will just guard the various river ports..."
The two men took turns speaking, complementing each other as they informed Yang Ge about everything they knew.
Upon hearing this, Yang Ge clicked his tongue and jokingly said with half seriousness while tapping on the table, "Your young fort master isn’t playing fair, eh? If he wants to act, he acts; if not, he doesn’t, dumping the problem on me. Using me as a shield?"
The two men were hastily about to explain, but Yang Ge waved his hand, interrupting the explanations they were about to provide.
He had an idea of what was going on.
That was enough...
"Isn’t Prince Ning’s Ninghai Triple Command specialized in quelling Japanese threats?"
He continued to ask, "With so many Dongying ronin landing, has there been any movement from Prince Ning’s residence?"
Both men shook their heads in unison, "Reporting to Second Master, before we two brothers traveled north, there was no unusual news about Prince Ning in the fort."
Yang Ge furrowed his brow and was about to say "no news is the biggest news" but upon further thought, he felt that the reasoning was insufficient.
After all, Prince Ning had dealt with Japanese threats for many years, and if the pirates really intended to cause trouble, it would be quite normal for them to avoid his soldiers and informants.
This reason...
Of course, was not sufficient.
But at the very least, it would hold up in the imperial court.
In contrast, the Jiangzhe local government and various garrisons, which also bear the responsibility for local security, hadn’t shown any alertness even when Dongying ronin had crept to their sides, this was surely a grave oversight and dereliction of duty.
And tracing up this line of thought would certainly lead back to the anti-corruption campaign he carried out last year in Jiangzhe...
Yang Ge could be certain with his toes that if the matter reached the imperial court, the civil and military officials would definitely push all the blame onto him, saying that it was all because of the massacre he conducted in Jiangzhe, causing a shortage of local officials and unrest among the people, which allowed the pirates to take advantage of the vacuum.
If the situation were deduced in this direction, then a new problem would arise.
That was... did Yang Ge deserve such an elaborate trap set up by the civil and military officials just for him?
Even at the height of the influence of the Zhe faction, such an elaborate plot could not be executed flawlessly by their power alone!
Not to go far, the Jiaodong Peninsula was the territory of the Qi faction, could they not hear a whisper of the Dongying ronin activities there?
And what about the local governments and garrisons, which are two systems of civil and military officials? Could it be that the civil officials would keep completely silent, and the military officials agree to feign ignorance as well?
Therefore, to carry out this affair flawlessly... it must be that from top to bottom everyone turns a blind eye, playing dumb while being aware!
Was he, Yang Ge worthy?
It’s not that Yang Ge was belittling himself, but such a large scheme... he simply wasn’t worthy!
At most, he was an excuse, a scapegoat.
The real target could only be Emperor Xiping on the dragon throne!
’So, is this yet another power game between emperor and courtiers played on the coastal chessboard?’ he thought.
Yang Ge was lost in thought, as if he could already see the festering scene on the imperial court where the civil and military officials, holding back their breath, were ready to give Emperor Xiping a tough challenge.
After a long while, he sighed heavily, feeling both weary and a surge of murderous intent.
"This is a matter that will cost lives."
He gestured to the two solemn-faced men, waiting for him to speak, with a "please" hand signal, indicating they should continue eating, while he slowly spoke, "I have no right to dictate what Lianhuan Fort does; the lives of the people in Jiangzhe are important, but so are yours. I only wish to ask of you, please pay more attention to the situation in Jiangzhe for me."
"I shall report this matter to the Northern Town Prefectural Commissioner as soon as possible, requesting the court to swiftly dispatch competent personnel and troops to suppress those Dongying ronin in Jiangzhe..."
"But as for how the court will respond, I do not know."
"I hold little influence and cannot direct the court’s decision."
"But if those Dongying ronin dare to cause trouble, my people and my sword will head to Jiangzhe."