The person behind the door who agreed was annoyed by his kick and raised his voice to curse: "Are you courting death? Didn't I tell you that our governor has issued an order: the people in the city..."
Qiu Yi was so angry that she interrupted him and said loudly: "I am not a commoner, I am a government soldier, here to help!"
After he finished speaking, there was no response from behind the door. It seemed that he was discussing something with someone. After a long while, he pushed the door open a crack, and half of his face popped out from the crack. He looked Qiu Yi up and down, and then said, "Where are you from? I have seen all the civil and military officials in Mingzhou, so why don't I recognize you?"
Qiu Yizhi thought that if he gave his name as the "Shanyin County Magistrate", it would not only cause trouble, but also with his reputation as a "troublemaker" in Jiangnan, who knows what disputes would arise. So he lied and said, "I am a local militia in Mingzhou. I heard the news and rushed here to help."
The so-called "local militia" was not the imperial army, but the army that local gentry, elders, etc. spontaneously recruited and trained to protect their neighbors. If the official army was short of troops to suppress bandits, they would also be recruited. The Han Dynasty had been established for a long time, and the original military system gradually became corrupt. The combat effectiveness of the official army, especially the local military, was also getting worse. Many militias were well-trained, well-equipped, and well-paid, and their combat effectiveness had surpassed that of the official army.
Therefore, the person who opened the door saw that Qiu Yizhi and his personal soldiers were all majestic and impressive, and at first glance they were an elite force, so he did not dare to underestimate them. He opened the door and said, "Since you are here to help in the battle, then come in first. I will inform the governor of the state, and then he will make arrangements."
Qiu Yizi agreed and led everyone into the government office. He said to the gatekeeper, "There is one more thing. On the way here, I caught a Han Chinese who followed the Japanese pirates. This matter is of great importance. I hope this elder brother can also inform the governor of the state."
After agreeing, the man ran away at a very fast speed, forgetting even to tell Qiu Yizi and others where to rest, and walked quickly all the way to the depths of the government office.
Qiu Yizi watched him leave and saw that the Mingzhou government office was in chaos. Soldiers were sitting on the ground, lying on their backs, or patrolling everywhere. There was no organization actively preparing for war. The office seemed both messy and lax.
Before Qiu Yi could sigh, the gatekeeper who had gone to report the news came back and bowed, "Sir, our governor has ordered you to speak to him in the back hall. Remember to bring the fake pirate with you."
Qiu Yizi nodded, and called on Lin Shuhan and Yuchi Jiming to escort the fake Japanese pirate to the back hall of the government office.
Along the way, Qiu Yizhi and others happened to pass by the lobby of Mingzhou government office, and saw that the spacious and bright lobby was very messy - in addition to the garrison soldiers, there were also many men and women dressed as civilians taking refuge in it. Most of these people were dressed neatly and beautifully. Although they were taking refuge, their words and deeds did not violate the law. At first glance, they were the family members of officials at all levels in Mingzhou government. It was no wonder that the governor of Mingzhou arranged to meet Qiu Yizhi in the back hall.
After passing a few more buildings, we saw a small building in the distance, which was heavily guarded. The gatekeeper pointed at the building and said, "The governor is over there."
After that, he took a few steps forward, led Qiu Yizhi to the door of the small building, knocked on the door, and reported: "Your Excellency, the local militia who caught the fake Japanese pirates have been brought here. Please give your instructions."
A response came from inside the door: "Bring them all in."
The gatekeeper nodded to Qiu Yizi and the others, gently pushed the door open, and let them in, but he did not go in himself, and quietly closed the door from the outside.
When Qiu Yizhi entered the room, he saw an official in his forties sitting behind a desk. Although he looked like a scholar, he was wearing heavy armor, which seemed very inconsistent. The official cleared his throat and said in a pretentious tone, "Where are you from? Why don't you bow to the officials?"
Qiu Yizi didn't expect that at this critical moment, the first thing he heard was such a sentence, and he was immediately furious.
He looked up at the governor of Mingzhou again, and found that his face was very unfamiliar. Then he remembered that the original governor of Mingzhou was exiled by His Highness Zheng Xin for corruption. The man sitting behind the desk and acting like an official must have been transferred here recently from the central government or other provinces.
Qiu Yizhi was very proud and had the imperial decree that "one should not bow before an official", but he did not want to quarrel with the governor of Mingzhou right now, so he bowed his hands as a gesture of respect and said, "I just fought with the Japanese pirates and injured my knee, so I cannot kneel. Please forgive me, sir."
"Here!" Qiu Yizi stretched out his hand and dragged the fake Japanese pirate in front of him, and said, "This is the fake Japanese pirate I caught. I dare not punish him without authorization. Please make your decision, sir."
In fact, with Qiu Yizi's status and power, no matter how he dealt with this fake Japanese pirate, it would not be excessive. He just caught him in Mingzhou territory, and asking the local officials was also giving the governor of Mingzhou some face.
Unexpectedly, the governor of Mingzhou did not ask about the fake Japanese pirates, but said: "The intermediary did not bow, so I bowed for him - this righteous man has ancient customs and did not lose his manners."
(From "Book of Rites - Quli Shang")
Qiu Yizi had no time to listen to him showing off his knowledge, so he quickly got to the point: "I have interrogated this fake Japanese pirate. Although he is a traitor and does evil, he seems to have some knowledge of the Japanese pirates. You can see that you are well-read in the books of sages. You may as well ask him more questions so that we can know ourselves and know the enemy and quickly put down this Japanese rebellion."
The governor of Mingzhou looked up at the fake Japanese pirate who was tied up like a dumpling and asked, "Are you really a Han Chinese?"
The fake Japanese pirate immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, "I was born and raised in Mingzhou. I was confused for a moment and had no other choice but to turn to the Japanese pirates. I really deserve to die. Please give me a chance to make amends for my crime..."
He was just begging for mercy when he heard the governor say, "Confucius said, 'I have heard of people using Chinese to convert barbarians, but I have never heard of people converting themselves to barbarians.' Since ancient times, how could a Han Chinese wear barbarian clothes or work for barbarians? I think it is a Japanese pirate who has learned Chinese to deceive this righteous man? There is no point in keeping this Japanese pirate, so it is better to kill him."
(Mencius, Teng Wengong I)
After saying this, the governor shouted loudly: "Come here, come here, take this pirate away and punish him according to the law!"
Qiu Yizi was about to stop him when she heard the door behind her open with a creak. A man walked out of the door. His face was very familiar. She couldn't help but call out, "Wu Changxi! Are you Wu Changxi, General Wu?"
Before Qiu Yizi finished speaking, she already felt regretful: if she recognized Wu Changxi now, her identity would certainly be exposed, and she didn't know how much trouble that would cause. Therefore, she just hoped that this inspector named Wu Changxi did not recognize her.
Upon hearing this, the general looked Qiu Yi up and down several times, then showed surprise and said, "It turns out that it is Master Qiu who is here. What is it that brings you to Mingzhou?"
It turned out that a few months ago, when Yin Chengliang, the former governor of Jiangnan, led his army to besiege Qiu Yizhi in order to cover up his crimes, Wu Changxi was also among the recruits. Although he was an enemy of Qiu Yizhi at that time, he was deeply moved by the bravery, tenacity and noble style of his troops. Therefore, when Qiu Yizhi fell into Wu Changxi's hands because of being outnumbered, Wu Changxi was able to treat him with courtesy.
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi also had a good impression of Wu Changxi, who had an extraordinary demeanor. However, he could not tell him the real reason for his deep penetration into Mingzhou, so he made up a lie: "This... this... I was on leave these few days and had nothing to do. I heard that I could meet merchants from various countries in Mingzhou, so I came here to see the foreigners. Unexpectedly, I encountered the Japanese pirates wreaking havoc, so I had to fight them."
The governor of Mingzhou heard it clearly and asked back: "Confucius said, 'So a gentleman's name must be able to be spoken, and his words must be able to be practiced. A gentleman is not careless in his words.' Since you have a reputation, why do you pretend to be a local warrior?"
(The Analects of Confucius, Zilu)
Qiu Yizi scratched his head and lied: "They are a few of my personal soldiers, who are like brothers to me. I went out to play and couldn't bear to leave them sitting in the county government office, so I asked a few of them to come with me. However, according to the laws of the Han Dynasty, soldiers stationed in the area cannot go out at will. I was afraid that my superiors would find out and punish me, so I concealed it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Changxi beside him immediately joined in: "Master Qiu really loves his soldiers like his own sons. Even with such a small benefit, he did not forget his subordinates. Master Qiu knows how to lead the troops like this. No wonder he was able to face the siege of the government army that was hundreds of times his size in Shanyin County..."
Wu Changxi was halfway through his words when the governor interrupted him and said, "It turns out to be Lord Qiu. I have long heard of your great name. However, there is a saying that goes, 'A gentleman should not think beyond his position.' Lord Qiu has his own duties to perform. Why does he have to interfere with the affairs of Mingzhou?"
(From The Analects of Confucius: Xianwen.)
Qiu Yizhi heard the governor's angry words, but he didn't want to confront him directly, so he said slowly: "I don't know what your name is, Governor. I have no intention of interfering with your government affairs, but I feel that I share your salary, and I don't want to stand idly by when encountering such a major event as the Japanese pirates' rebellion, so I came to help."
“I dare not. I am Ye Shengyu, a Jinshi in the tenth year of Emperor Muzong’s reign. I have been working as an editor in the Hanlin Academy and was transferred here just last month…” The governor named Ye Shengyu had a proud look on his face as he reported his resume.
(Ye Shengyu - Ye Mingchen.)
Qiu Yizi also knew it very well: from listening to this person's resume, it turned out that he had never held any practical work, no wonder he always had to quote from classics when speaking and was so pedantic.
So he quickly interrupted Ye Shengyu's words: "So Lord Ye is a well-educated man, and he must be familiar with military books. Then let me ask you, Lord, the Japanese pirates are rampant now, and the people of Mingzhou are suffering. As the saying goes, 'If there is one person in the four borders who is uneasy, it is the responsibility of the governor.' I wonder what countermeasures you have."
Ye Shengyu shrugged his shoulders in comfort after hearing this, grinned for a long time, and then replied: "One should not meddle in other people's affairs if he is not in the position. Lord Qiu is not an official of Mingzhou Prefecture. Although I have a good plan to suppress the rebellion, I don't need to explain it to you."
When Qiu Yizi heard this, he suddenly remembered that he still carried with him the "Golden Medal" awarded to him by Emperor Zheng Rong. As long as he showed this in public, Ye Shengyu and his soldiers would be at his disposal, and under his unified supervision, he would be able to organize the suppression of the Japanese pirates.
However, this "Golden Order" is a token of the emperor's history. If it is easily displayed to the public, the trouble it may cause may be even greater than that caused by the invasion of Japanese pirates.
So Qiu Yizi swallowed hard, curled his lips helplessly, and said: "Whether it is my policy or not, the Japanese pirates must be pacified. I have just said that I just want to use a few soldiers under my command to help you. I hope you can understand." (To be continued)