Chapter 942 - 783: Kicking the Camp

In the dark night, Chen Ji stood alone on the city wall, silently gazing at the chaos in the pirate camp.

He watched as the pirates set up tents one after another, spending an hour until the camp was organized.

Chen Ji’s gaze suddenly fixed on a spot where the Great Wokou Leader, clad in Do-maru Armor, stood with a knife in one hand, staring at him from afar, then raised the knife and swept it across his neck.

Chen Ji smiled without responding.

An attack on the camp gave the Anti-Japanese Army a chance to catch its breath. The troops took turns eating and resting, and those just coming up leaned against the parapet to doze, finally bringing some peace to the city wall.

The river breeze carried a heavy scent of blood from outside the city, lightly swaying Chen Ji’s disheveled hair.

He suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the Imperial Capital, where at this hour, the night patrol would be passing by Shaojiu Alley, and the guests at Meihua Ferry Crossing would be just getting into their sedan chairs and carriages.

Soon, shopkeepers would remove their door panels, put freshly wrapped buns into basket steamers, and peddlers would start wandering the streets.

Old Ears, perhaps having had a meal at a family’s house, with greasy lips, put on his mask and casually asked Chen Ji, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji, patting the head of Wu Yun under his straw coat, paused before confessing, "Thinking of home."

Old Ears teased, "Only those living a hard life think of home."

The sky was dimly lit, and Chen Ji looked at the mist-covered river in the distance, casually asking, "Don’t you miss home?"

Old Ears chuckled, "No, this little old man is enjoying life outside."

Chen Ji murmured in agreement, saying no more.

Old Ears followed his gaze, asking, "What are you looking at?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Watching if the pirates would retreat the camp. As of now, it seems they don’t regard you highly, as they have no intention of retreating at all."

Old Ears replied irritably, "Alright, alright, no need for reverse psychology here. I’m not one to shy away; I’ll go with you next time."

Chen Ji smiled, "Great."

Old Ears didn’t pursue the matter but instead asked, "You led the Five Tigers to this remote Jingjiang County just to kill pirates? You must have guessed that they’d come again—or perhaps you’ve been waiting for them... What for?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Wu Yun meowed in his arms, and he turned to look at the calm surface of the Yangtze River.

The sky was dimly bright as a light mist rose over the river, where sixty-nine Tower Ships stood. Yet upstream in the distance, there was a lone Five-masted Treasure Ship anchored.

Old Ears squinted as he looked afar, "A Five-masted Treasure Ship can carry up to one hundred twenty thousand pounds, and even Jinling doesn’t have many. It belongs to private owners like the Eight Great Merchants, the Xu Family, and the Yang family in Jiangnan, rarely seen out. If one were so inclined, one could find out whose ship is not in Jinling today to identify who’s aboard."

At this moment, Jin Zhu and others returned to the city wall after their meal. Chen Yu followed Chen Ji’s gaze and murmured, "Whose ship is passing by now?"

Jin Zhu sneered, "It’s not passing by; it’s here to oversee the battle. Although the Matsubara Clan has many people, they rarely gather and are scattered along the coast, raiding places. Getting them here requires someone to make a serious promise, and the promise that interests the pirates is the opening of sea restrictions."

Chen Ji looked at him, hoarse, "Can the sea restrictions be lifted?"

Jin Zhu’s eyes shifted suspiciously, "The lord is not from the South, so perhaps unaware that our court opened the seas in the early days?"

Chen Ji quietly looked at him without speaking.

Jin Zhu chuckled awkwardly, explaining to the crowd, "At that time, the court implemented the ’Kanhe Tribute System,’ issuing a few Kanhe Tokens, allowing Japanese envoys to trade and tribute with us. With profits in commerce, two Japanese envoy groups from the Danai Clan and the Hosokawa Clan sought monopoly, leading to infighting at Dinghai Port, killing many, including Han people, before fleeing by sea. The late Emperor was furious, ordering an end to Japanese sea trade, and dissolving Maritime Trade Offices in Southern Zhili and Fujian, hence the ’No plank over the sea’.

Chen Yu added, "The pirates emerged after the sea ban. For over a decade, the court wanted to open the sea, but the Xu Family and the Yang family, under the guise of the ’late Emperor’s wishes,’ opposed, secretly trying to control trade themselves. Opening the sea means trade belongs to the court; without it, trade remains their own business."

Jin Zhu glanced at Chen Yu, "Including the Chen family."

Chen Yu shamelessly added, "Actually, our court still has places where sea trade is open— the Franks bribed Guangdong and Guangxi route officials, who reserved Haoguang Bay for the Franks, permitting trade for twenty thousand gold rent annually."

Chen Ji turned away from the Treasure Ship on the river, "Doesn’t matter. It’s getting light; before dawn, raid the camp a few times more, don’t allow the pirates any rest."

Chen Xu suddenly said, "I can’t go."

Everyone turned to look; Jin Zhu raised an eyebrow, "Are you afraid of death?"

Chen Xu shook his head, "Not fear of death, but my duty is to protect nobles, not charge by risking their safety. If the noble is unguarded and endangered just to kill pirates, the fault is mine."

Jin Zhu frowned, "What danger could there be on the city wall?"

Chen Xu kept his hands tucked inside his sleeves without further argument or wavering.

Jin Zhu reluctantly gave a salute to Chen Ji, "The lord need not mind them; the few of us will suffice."