"My lord, we are wrongly accused!" Many of the over two thousand men knelt before Zhou Fugui, kowtowing and crying out their innocence. However, the Zhen Ao men remained defiant, staring coldly at Zhou Fugui.
"Wrongly accused? Whether you are wrongly accused or not, we shall know once you are brought back to the yamen for questioning!" Zhou Fugui said coldly. Then, turning to the Zhen Ao men, he continued, "Very well! The one thing this governor most admires in life is a hero who fears no death. I would let you go, but you have committed wicked deeds and are guilty of all manner of evils. If I let you go, how can I face the common people you have harmed?"
"Dog official! If you want to kill, kill. Why speak so much nonsense?" A burly man among the Zhen Ao men glared at Zhou Fugui and said, "However, our 'Guo Xiang' implores you for one thing: allow us brothers to die together."
"Guo Xiang?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"He is the Guo Xiang of the pseudo-Zhen Ao kingdom, Gao Wentin," Dongye Han, who had captured Gao Wentin alive, stated from the side.
"Zhen Ao kingdom? Guo Xiang?" Upon hearing this, Zhou Fugui almost burst into laughter as he looked at Gao Wentin.
The mere sea bandits of the East Sea had actually established a kingdom? And this so-called Guo Xiang of the Zhen Ao kingdom, Gao Wentin, was a hulking, dishevelled man with a shaggy beard, looking like a brute. How could he possibly be associated with the title of "Guo Xiang"? His name, however, was somewhat fitting.
"Whether to kill or where to die, it is not for you to decide. I shall decide," Zhou Fugui said coldly before waving his hand. "Take them away!"
Thus, over two thousand men were escorted to Donghai Prefecture by the Snow Bear Army, along with several carts of confiscated money and goods. This was considered a small fortune for Zhou Fugui and his men...
...
One month later, in the most bustling market of Donghai Prefecture City.
"Murder! Murder!"
"Who is being murdered?"
"Pirates and those colluding with pirates!"
"Pirates? From where?"
"The pirates captured last month in Qu County! They say the Great Governor personally led the capture and apprehended many people. Ten are to be executed today."
"Only ten?"
"Ah, old man, these ten are said to be utterly wicked. It's for the best. Finally, someone is avenging the common folk."
"Oh, what about the remaining bandits?"
"Who knows? Hurry, hurry, or you won't see it!"
About an hour before the appointed time for execution, thousands of Snow Bear Army soldiers, along with countless yamen runners, patrols, and constables, suddenly arrived in the market of Donghai Prefecture. Among them were ten prison carts, each holding ten dishevelled, prison-clad individuals awaiting execution.
At the same time, countless citizens of Quanzhou also flocked to the execution ground, witnessing something unprecedented in Donghai Prefecture. Previously, even the occasional execution of a single criminal would draw a massive crowd. Today, the execution of so many prisoners made the citizens of Donghai Prefecture even more excited.
The onlookers, their faces etched with fear, whispered and chattered, awestruck by the Donghai Prefecture government's first large-scale execution of criminals.
"The appointed time has arrived. Execute!" After reading the decree from the Great Governor of Donghai Prefecture, the supervising official checked the time and cast down the execution token.
Dozens of executioners in red robes stepped behind the kneeling condemned, removed their name tags, raised their sabers almost simultaneously, and then brought them down.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered over Quanzhou. Ten heads fell, and blood stained the entire execution platform.
In times of war, too many had died. Amidst the chaos of conflict, lives were as cheap as grass. Therefore, Zhou Fugui only executed ten individuals, all of whom were utterly wicked and beyond forgiveness.
Of the over two thousand captured, not all deserved to die, but more than half of them were certainly deserving of death. However, deterring pirates did not necessarily require mass slaughter. To hang them without execution was also a form of deterrence.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui erected a public notice board in Qu County, inscribed with "If you wish to negotiate, come and talk. If you wish to continue your wickedness, you will face thunderous retribution." His aim was to inform the East Sea pirates that they had a choice between war and peace. This was also a reflection of Zhou Fugui's helplessness. The Snow Bear Army's navy lacked ships and personnel, making it impossible to eradicate the pirates from the sea. As for the victory Dongye Han achieved, it was merely due to fighting close to shore, bluster, and taking them by surprise.
Then, Zhou Fugui ordered these over two thousand men to be put to work in the mines and on the construction of roads, dikes, and other projects...
...
"Miss Tang..."
Inside the Great Governor's mansion of Donghai Prefecture, Zhou Fugui and Dengling Yaoyao strolled in the mansion's garden. Zhou Fugui looked at Dengling Yaoyao and said.
"I told you my surname is Dengling. Tang is just an alias," Dengling Yaoyao said, her delicate brows furrowed.
Under Zhou Fugui's persuasion and coercion, Dengling Yaoyao had come to Donghai Prefecture as a guest, half-heartedly. The reason was that Dengling Yaoyao also wanted to know what Zhou Fugui had been doing all these years.
Dressed in women's clothing, Dengling Yaoyao was also an extremely beautiful woman. Clad in white, she possessed an elegant and reserved demeanor, her gaze as clear as autumn water, her brows lightly creased with a hint of melancholy, her appearance as delicate as spring clouds. Her hair cascaded like clouds, her waist was as slender as a willow, her rosy cheeks complemented her silvery face, and her pearl-like lips matched her jade-like teeth.
This made Zhou Fugui secretly wonder, "How many beautiful women are there in this world?" Among the women he knew, only Xiao Qing, Liuxia, and Feiyun were slightly less so; the rest were all beautiful. Murong Huiying was the most beautiful, followed by Huang Dajia and Dengling Yaoyao. Although Xiao Qing was slightly less so, her elegant posture and grace made her seem like a refined young lady from a humble family in Jiangnan. Liuxia and Feiyun, on the other hand, possessed a distinct exotic charm...
In reality, it wasn't that there were so many beautiful women in the world, but rather that unattractive people had simply not caught Zhou Fugui's eye, or rather, Zhou Fugui had selectively ignored them...
A beautiful woman is admired by a gentleman. Beautiful women always attract strong attention, especially from a lecherous man like Zhou Fugui...
"Oh, haha, I'm used to it, used to it..." Zhou Fugui chuckled, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Legend has it there was an unlucky fellow in the East Sea who was besieged and met his end... his name was Deng... Tianlong? Your surname is Dengling... Does Dengling have any connection to Deng...?"
"The King of Dongling. His surname was Dengling, not Deng. The world has spread rumors, leading to the surname Deng. He is my ancestor," Dengling Yaoyao said slowly, raising her beautiful eyes to cast a glance at Zhou Fugui.
"Oh, haha..." Zhou Fugui quickly changed his tune and praised, "Good! Truly, a valiant ancestor produces a noble descendant! No wonder Miss Tang... Miss Dengling is so formidable!"
"Pfft!" Dengling Yaoyao couldn't help but laugh. "What valiant ancestor and noble descendant? You're just as you always are, spouting nonsense... How am I formidable? How can I compare to you, Great Governor Zhou? You're so awe-inspiring, with just a word, heads roll! However, Brother Zhou, your handling of them this time... is very appropriate. It both deters the ruffians of the East Sea and shows mercy."
"You flatter me, Miss..." Zhou Fugui sighed, "In troubled times, the common people struggle to survive. Many cannot make a living and are forced to take to the roads, so it's not entirely their fault."
Zhou Fugui did not entirely believe this himself. He had his own ulterior motives. Even though Dengling Yaoyao was an old acquaintance and had saved Zhou Fugui before, he could not openly admit it.
"Take to the roads? Where is Liangshan, and what does it mean?" Dengling Yaoyao asked, puzzled.
"Uh... it means to become outlaws." Zhou Fugui pushed aside a branch and, supporting Dengling Yaoyao's arm, led her through a patch of flowers to the pond by the Governor's mansion.
The pond area was scenically beautiful, the climate pleasant, and it was very secluded, making it a good place for heart-to-heart talks.
Dengling Yaoyao's face flushed slightly. Taking advantage of admiring the scenery, she gently shook off Zhou Fugui's "presumptuous hand" and asked, "Brother Zhou, how long do you plan to remain this Great Governor of the barbarians? Or do you intend to seek promotion?"
"Miss..." Zhou Fugui pondered for a moment and replied, "Whether Han, barbarian, or people of other tribes, barriers set up by some individuals, whether intentional or unintentional, are meant to incite conflict for personal gain."
"You may not believe it..." Zhou Fugui saw Dengling Yaoyao slightly pout, knowing she was unconvinced. He continued, "Among the barbarians, there are loyal and upright individuals, as well as cunning and cruel ones. Are there no cunning and cruel individuals among the Han people? I see not only that there are, but many, and even more so! Since this is the case, why distinguish between barbarians and Han people?"
"It's the same line of reasoning as Uncle Tang..." Dengling Yaoyao asked, "By the way, Brother Zhou, do you have any news of Uncle Tang?"
"Tang Qingsi?" Zhou Fugui shook his head. "The struggle for the throne, the struggle for power, involves so many! I only heard that Doctor Tang was imprisoned in the death row, and there has been no news of him since. Do you, Miss Dengling, wish to save him? In my opinion, it's likely a dead end!"
"From the day he became involved in that affair, my father said he had nothing to do with me anymore. However, Brother Zhou, Uncle... he... you understand?" Dengling Yaoyao said with some sadness.
"I understand, I understand," Zhou Fugui nodded. "Miss, please accept my condolences!"
'Fortunately, fortunately,' Zhou Fugui thought to himself. Even if Tang Qingsi were alive, for Dengling Yaoyao and the Ink Disciples to attempt to rescue him from the heavily guarded Yan Jing City, teeming with experts, would be like trying to reach the heavens.
"Those not of our kind, their hearts must be different. The disposition of the Rong Di differs from that of Hua," Dengling Yaoyao said, nodding. "The barbarians are cruel, regarding the people of Xia as pigs and dogs. You cannot deny this, can you?"
Zhou Fugui also nodded at this.
Zhou Fugui had witnessed too many atrocities committed by the Xianbei, to the point of becoming somewhat numb.
"Brother Zhou, you being this Great Governor of the barbarians..." Seeing this, Dengling Yaoyao secretly rejoiced. She glanced at Zhou Fugui and continued, "It is truly not a long-term solution."
"Miss Dengling, you speak the truth..." Zhou Fugui nodded. "If there were any other way, would I be willing to be a hawk's dog for the Xianbei?"
If Zhou Fugui had hesitated before, it was because of Murong Huiying.
If Zhou Fugui were to raise the banner of rebellion against the Xianbei Yan, it would mean a complete break with Murong Huiying.
But now, all of that was gone. The reason was self-evident.
"I have a way!" Dengling Yaoyao said, looking at Zhou Fugui.