Chapter 256: Chen Wen

Chen Wen frowned, recalling the rumor that Zhu Zixun was quite skilled, so he let it go, handed the portrait to the soldier, then looked up at A Xin and the others.

He scanned them up and down, even reached out to feel the arms of several Green Robes, and nodded with reluctant satisfaction.

He then asked, "No matter how you got to the island, your years of aiding the tyrant and plundering sea vessels are facts—even if the imperial court shows mercy and spares your lives, punishment is still unavoidable."

"But there is one way to avoid severe punishment and protect your families—see if you're willing."

A Xin already knew what Chen Wen wanted; he clenched his teeth and said, "Captain, please speak."

"Enlist in the army, register as military household," the captain said. "I guarantee your safety and that of your kin."

A Xin clenched his fists, then forced a smile, bowed and knelt down: "I am willing to serve the captain as a loyal dog and horse."

The Green Robes behind him immediately knelt down in submission.

Chen Wen helped A Xin up and corrected him: "Not for me—for the imperial court."

Pan Yun stood aside, sword in arms, feeling no particular joy.

Registering as military household in the Great Ming was little different from imprisonment.

Just look at her father and her brother.

Her father became military household only after "committing an offense," dragging the whole family into military status.

Clearly, military household status was terrible in this era.

Only by becoming a high official or receiving special imperial pardon could one shed military status and become commoner.

Her father, born of a disgraced official family, could shed military status if rehabilitated or during a general imperial amnesty;

but someone like A Xin—or even Chen Wen—meant one man enlisted, and the entire family became reserve soldiers, generation after generation.

Chen Wen promised before all the Green Robes: "Once you're registered, I'll personally ensure you're allotted good farmland—you've spent your lives at sea, so you know our Quanzhou Garrison primarily relies on military farming; large-scale expeditions like this one are rare."

"So you needn't fear battle—your life after registration will be just as it was before," Chen Wen said. "Even if you do fight, there's merit and plunder—no loss!"

The Green Robes grew somewhat happier; only A Xin remained silent.

Pan Yun stayed silent too, watching this group of horses, utterly unaware, gradually evolving into oxen and horses.

The military farming system was a vital institution of the Great Ming: military households were allotted land, and garrisons had their own exclusive military fields.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was actually a good man—he envisioned things well, exempting military households from taxes.

The land allocated to soldiers' families was meant to sustain their own livelihoods, without paying taxes to the state.

After all, one or more laborers from each household served in the army, contributing to the state.

The garrison's military fields were public property, cultivated by serving soldiers; besides combat and training, their duty was farming.

The harvest was not submitted to the imperial court—it all stayed within the military, to fund soldiers and training.

Thus, Zhu Yuanzhang could proudly declare, "I maintain a million soldiers without costing the people a single grain of rice."

He was a good man—but he was dreaming.

Today, forty-five years after Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the imperial family still made no change, clinging to his dream of self-sufficient military provisioning.

Yet the very first to seize and swallow military fields were the Zhu family.

The total military farmland today is at least one-third less than in Zhu Yuanzhang's time, let alone per capita farmland.

Her father wrote to her that only after exile did he realize how hard life was for frontier soldiers.

These frontier soldiers weren't just exiled criminals and their families—they included regular conscripts too.

Those whose families had been military households for generations, forever trapped at the bottom, lived in utter darkness.

According to her father, in just one year, he personally witnessed eighty deserters.

And not one was a criminal—all were regular military household soldiers.

Pan Yun sighed, stepped forward, and patted A Xin on the shoulder: "We've shared life and death, so I'll give each of you a talisman of safety before I leave."

A Xin froze, then bowed deeply, earnestly saying, "Thank you, Master Sanzhu. Should you ever need anything in the future, just come to Quanzhou and find A Xin. Though I am weak, if you require my service, I will gladly give my life."

Pan Yun: "... I don't need your gratitude. I give you these talismans because I pity you."

A Xin looked up, face solemn: "Master Sanzhu pities us—we must repay Master Sanzhu. We are lowly and weak, unable to help our benefactor much, but we must try."

The other Green Robes immediately bowed, solemnly vowing: "For our benefactor, we will die a thousand deaths!"

Pan Yun opened her mouth, then decided to give them one more talisman of good fortune—hoping they'd have luck ahead.

Chen Wen beside her:...

He silently turned to look at Pan Yun. This was what he wanted—but...

Meanwhile, the golden bar in the Spirit Realm advanced slowly but steadily; Pan Yun glanced at it—it was adding +10 +10, a string of +10s...

Pan Yun glanced again at A Xin and the others. Not bad, brothers—worth all the kindness I showed you.

Chen Wen cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. Meeting Pan Yun's eyes, he forced a smile, then turned gently to A Xin and the others: "Go find them—identify your kin, point them out, then lead them back to camp with us." A Xin agreed, bowed again to Pan Yun, then hurried off to find his family.

Chen Wen smiled warmly at Pan Yun and asked, "Master Sanzhu, where are you from?"

Pan Yun: "Jiangxi."

Chen Wen frowned. "Your accent doesn't sound like it."

Soldiers hated this most—they cared most about accents.

Pan Yun forced a smile: "I'm a student of the Long Hushan Academy."

Master Xuanmiao walked over and asked Chen Wen, "Captain Chen, what accent do you think mine is?"

Chen Wen immediately grew cautious and replied calmly: "Master Xuanmiao, you know Master Sanzhu?"

Master Xuanmiao: "She is my younger sister—by blood."

Chen Wen's mouth opened slightly; his expression grew even more restrained. He bowed to Pan Yun: "My apologies for my earlier rudeness."

Pan Yun waved it off. His face was upright, he carried righteous energy. Though he'd led A Xin and the others into a pit, he'd merely moved them from a deeper pit to a shallower one—so she held no ill will toward him; in fact, she somewhat admired him.

!. Read

Not all soldiers could accept a band of pirates as their subordinates.

Pan Yun asked, "You're only striking once? Why not press the advantage and wipe out the other Japanese pirates too?"

Chen Wen: "This matter is too grave to be decided by one man's will."

"Then what is your personal opinion, Commander Chen?"

Chen Wen said, "Naturally, pressing the advantage is better. If we can link up several coastal garrisons and launch a joint strike, we might drive back the major sea bandits and secure peace for a long time."

"Is it the imperial court that disagrees?"

"At sea… the imperial court doesn't see pirate raids as a serious matter. After all, they can't settle on land—they raid and retreat, never take a city or lose territory. So the court doesn't want to stir up trouble." Commander Chen added, "And to launch an expedition, we need funding from the court for military equipment, ships, and provisions."

Pan Yun quietly reminded him, "The pirates have been plundering for years—there must be plenty of treasure hidden in their strongholds. Black-on-black, oh, I mean, wiping out bandits is also a major source of income."

At this, Chen Wen felt Pan Yun was still a naive child; he chuckled, "Master Sanzhu thinks too simply. Even if we could break through their stronghold, we might not find the loot they stole."

"I've heard many pirates hide their treasure in Japan," Chen Wen emphasized. "Not just pirates from the Japanese coast—ours too."

Our own major pirates are closely tied to Japan; since becoming pirates, they've visited Japan more often than they've returned to the Great Ming.

Many pirates have even settled permanently in Japan.

A major pirate usually has three homes: one in the Great Ming, one on a coastal island, and one in Japan.

Who knows where he's hidden his treasure?

A fleet's voyage costs enormous resources—they can't gamble on a one-in-three chance.

Pan Yun lowered her eyes and remembered the sea map in her hands.

She sized up Chen Wen, then turned and pulled Master Xuanmiao away, leaving Chen Wen utterly bewildered.

Pan Yun whispered to Master Xuanmiao, "Sister, if I team up with the navy and raid one of their treasure caches, could they give me a share?"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at her. "Do you really need money?"

After thinking a moment, Pan Yun said, "I'm not exactly short, but who ever turns down more money?"

Master Xuanmiao said, "I don't know about others, but Chen Wen certainly would. This time, the Jianghu Alliance and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion kept their spoils—they didn't hand them over to the imperial troops."

Pan Yun suddenly understood. "That's why—I knew it couldn't just be for justice that so many came here to slaughter bandits."

Master Xuanmiao's expression darkened. "The Jianghu Alliance and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion acted because recently, Japanese pirates landed, bypassed the cities, and massacred two villages. A Daoist priest and two martial artists happened to pass by—three died, two were gravely wounded and barely escaped. This raiding party didn't just include skilled ronin—they had miko and onmyōji from the Yin-Yang Dao."

Master Xuanmiao: "Within the Great Ming Realm, a foreign bandit burns, kills, and loots, ignoring the Jianghu Alliance and the Zhang Zhang Tian Shi's Mansion—should they be killed?"

Pan Yun's face hardened. "They should be killed!"

Master Xuanmiao turned and walked away. "So we kill them."

Pan Yun lowered her gaze, thinking: once the island is wiped out, those behind it will surely find out.

Won't they then move the treasure off the island?

They say only the sea map can get you there—but who knows how many secret copies they have?

So we must move fast.

Is there any ship or force faster than the navy?

Pan Yun made up her mind and ran after Master Xuanmiao. "Sister, when do we go to Changzhou?"

Master Xuanmiao: "Whenever you like."

"Then let's wait a few days—I have one more thing to do."

Pan Yun decided to find Chen Wen soon—don't gamble on a one-in-three chance—what about a hundred percent?

Pan Yun picked up Pan Xiao Hei and happily went to find him.

Good night

(End of Chapter)