Xiang Wudi thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "There’s no need to feel too burdened. As the saying goes, one man’s hero is another man’s enemy, and vice versa. No matter how you put it, the pirates from Dongying have poisoned our Wei’s southeastern coast, killed our elders, and dishonored our sisters. These are undeniable facts. It is said that tactics are not inherently good or evil; it is their use that determines their nature... So, dealing with these pirates, any means we use can’t be considered evil, right?"
"If even this is considered evil and heretical, then generals might as well not bother with military tactics. When launching a war, everyone could just pick a nice day, align the troops and fight it out, and settle the victory without differentiating between the elders and the young, right?"
"If everyone in this world were so bluntly righteous, we wouldn’t have so many frustrating issues."
This usually reticent and uncommunicative guy had, exceptionally, said so much in one breath.
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Yang Tiansheng pondered his words, making faces and teasingly said, "You’re actually trying to say, if everyone were so bluntly righteous, your ancestor ’King of Chu’ wouldn’t have met his defeat at Gaixia, right?"
Xiang Wudi gave him a look and said, "Don’t push me to punch you when everyone is having a good time!"
Li Jincheng also uncommonly supported Xiang Wudi’s quip, "I also think what Xiang said is reasonable. The pirates from Dongying don’t abide by martial ethics, so why should we talk righteousness with them? That would be too stupid. Let’s just do as the second brother said and deal with them ruthlessly!"
The trio chatted obliviously to the surroundings, while Zhou Fu stood by, itching all over. He felt that what the Second Master and Xiang Wudi said made sense, yet he worried that such ruthless tactics, if learned by the Ming Sect and the White Lotus Sect, two major rebellious powers, would cause endless trouble for the court in the future.
Yang Ge didn’t join in the daily banter and spirit lifting of the trio.
In his heart, he was very clear that within the ’Seventy-two Riders’ who had traveled far to the east, although they appeared orderly and harmonious, each harbored their own schemes and goals. As the initiator, he seemed to be able to manage everyone, but in reality, he couldn’t manage anyone but himself.
The only one whose purpose was as pure as his own was probably just Yang Tiansheng, who was wholeheartedly into the excitement and making a name for himself, a die-hard onlooker.
The others, whether it was Yang Tiansheng’s skilled followers from the Ming Sect or those led by Li Jincheng from Lianhuan Fort... their purposes were not so simple.
Yang Ge was quite open about this; after all, he wasn’t the illegitimate son of the heavens; why should the whole world revolve around him? Didn’t others have the right to think for themselves?
Moreover, regardless of what benefits the various forces might glean from this affair, everyone’s general direction was aligned.
As long as the general direction was aligned, there was room for agreeing on common goals while acknowledging differences...
At this moment, it was the same: whether they would join him in this big move or not was something they had to decide for themselves. Yang Ge couldn’t, and shouldn’t, make decisions for them.
However, after the trio’s recent bout of routine banter and spirit lifting, there was indeed a bit more sincerity in their words.
Youthful blood is always hot...
"Let them carry out the execution!"
Yang Ge suddenly spoke up, interrupting the trio still engaged in their energetic banter.
The trio turned their heads simultaneously, and saw Yang Ge pointing to those Dongying paupers who had received weapons, telling the pirate translator, "Tell them, kill these wicked pirates, and from today onwards, they will be noble samurai. Follow us, and we will grant them surnames, land, and slaves!"
The numbed island translator promptly translated Yang Ge’s words into the language of Dongying and relayed them to those paupers who had received weapons and valuables.
The Dongying paupers, not yet accustomed to taking charge, heard the translator’s words and anxiously shrank back into the crowd, with no one willing to be the first to step forward.
Seeing this, Yang Ge, expressionless, said, "Translator, translate — the first one who carries out the execution will immediately be granted a surname, a slave, and one hundred taels of silver!"
The pirate translator shouted, "Gentlemen, the first brave warrior to start the execution will be granted a surname, a slave, and one hundred taels of silver by our lord! A hundred taels of silver!"
As the translator shouted, Yang Ge waved to the surrounding sixty-some riders, who understood and started to close the circle tighter.
Between the carrot and the stick, it didn’t take long for a red-faced, carrot-head-like Dongying pauper to tighten his belt, dragging a katana almost to his chest, and, with a flushed face and red ears, stepped forward to an elderly pirate with his hands tied behind his back thrown on the ground. He raised his katana high and shouted frantically, "Hi!"
The katana slashed diagonally onto the shoulder of the elderly pirate, blood pouring forth, causing the elderly man to grimace in pain and angrily widen his eyes, struggling and sputtering furiously.
Although Yang Ge couldn’t understand what the elderly pirate was cursing, from his expression, it was evident that his words were filthy.
The already flushed-faced Dongying pauper’s face turned even redder with anger. He furiously raised his katana and frantically chopped at the old man’s neck. However, whether it was because his katana was too dull or his strength too weak, after chopping over a dozen times and mangling the back of the old man’s head, he still hadn’t managed to sever the head, and the old man continued to wail and shout furiously.
In his powerless rage, the red-faced Dongying pauper simply sat on the old man, grabbed the katana with both hands, placed it under the old man’s neck, and sawed back and forth for a while before finally severing the old man’s head, splattering his face with blood, which rendered his twisted features even more hideous.