Qiu Yizhi also laughed after hearing this and said, "The old captain has also enhanced the prestige of our Han Dynasty. Since the old captain has such a reputation in Japan, I'm sure this little Yin Tai can't escape the old captain's eyes, right? I have spared Yin Tai several times, but he has always been against me, and this time he has violated the law again. If the old captain knows his whereabouts, please let me know. If I can capture Yin Tai based on this information, the old captain will be a hero of the Han Dynasty, and I may be able to get some customs clearance documents for the old captain."
Li Zhi's eyes suddenly brightened up after hearing this, but then dimmed. He said, "Your Excellency speaks directly, unlike other corrupt scholars. Although you speak nicely, every word you say is about money. It couldn't be more boring."
When Qiu Yizhi heard Li Zhi praising him, he waved his hands and said modestly, "I'm so ashamed. I don't know the etiquette. I just said what I think directly. I'm sorry to offend the old ship owner."
Li Zhi said, "We sailors always say what we mean and don't talk nonsense. I really don't know much about Yin Tai's background that Mr. Qiu asked about just now."
Qiu Yizi heard Li Zhi's straightforward words, and since she was the guest, she did not dare to ask any further questions.
Li Zhizhi explained, "It's not that I intentionally embarrass you, sir. There is indeed a reason for this. It's because Japan is different from the Central Plains. Each place in the Central Plains has its own judicial and political officials. These officials obey the orders of the superiors, and the superiors obey the orders of the emperor. The power is unified and the orders are enforced. As the saying goes, 'All under heaven is the king's land, and all the people are his subjects'. This is the reason."
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "Old ship owner, you have such insight. You are qualified to be a county official in the Han Dynasty. It is really unfair for you to be a sea merchant."
Li Zhi said, "Your Excellency is too kind. I have traveled a lot, so I have heard and seen a lot and can only parrot these words. Besides, although Japan is a small island country, it also has an emperor who is said to lead the country and has generals to assist him. In fact, there are many rulers, big and small, with more than a hundred of them, and there are more than ten powerful ones. If you want to find out about a person, you have to ask the rulers one by one, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Qiu Yizi interrupted, "The Han people have always had some knowledge of the news about Japan, but it is only a thread, like a blind man touching an elephant, and we have never had a comprehensive grasp of it. The old ship owner can give me a detailed introduction to the situation in Japan today, and when I report it to the court, the old ship owner will have another contribution."
Li Zhi smiled bitterly: "What merit or no merit? I just hope the court will not seize the opportunity to arrest me, and I will be thankful."
Li Zhi then introduced several major rulers of Japan, and added: "These rulers are now fighting each other. You and I are not convinced, and our spheres of influence are different. Take me for example. Although my business is all over Japan, I mainly deal with several rulers in the southwest. Although I have contact with other places, I am not familiar with them. So I don't know which ruler Yin Tai contacted."
What Li Zhi said was reasonable.
During the last three dynasties of China, there were also hundreds of years of chaos. Although the Zhou emperor was the nominal ruler of the world at that time, the kings with a little power regarded the emperor as nothing. Qiu Yizhi had studied poetry and books with his teacher Zhongli Kuang in his early years, so of course he knew this period of history. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to understand the situation in Japan that Li Zhi mentioned today.
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi sighed and said, "It seems that this matter still needs to be investigated and handled calmly. I hope the old ship owner can help me when the time comes."
Li Zhi nodded and said, "It's no problem for me to help you find out about the matter. Yin Tai is within the territory of the Han Dynasty, so it's only natural for you to arrest him. But I'm afraid you won't think my words are harsh. If you want me to go to Japan to capture Yin Tai, then I can't help you."
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi thought: Although Li Zhi's words were blunt, they were very straightforward and could be considered as something he had said beforehand.
But Li Shengjie said, "Dad, why should I be afraid of those Japanese? It's just asking which country wants a person. What's the big deal? The Li family's fleet is in front of the port. Let's see which country is ignorant of the current situation!"
Qiu Yizhi was about to praise Li Shengjie when he heard his heroic words, but Li Zhi beside him heard it and scolded him: "You are a young boy, what do you know? When you are under a low roof, you have to bow your head, do you know that?"
After that, Li Zhi said to Qiu Yizi: "Although our Li family is now at its peak, we still have to rely on others, and some things are not easy to do. My youngest son is outspoken and ignorant, so please don't take it seriously."
Qiu Yizi quickly took over the conversation and said, "What are you talking about, old captain? I think this young captain is very brave and methodical. He will become a great man in the future."
Li Zhi actually loved his only son very much. He was more pleased to hear Qiu Yizhi praising his son than to hear him praising him directly. He was polite, however, and said, "After some more training, if he can take over the helm from me and make sure that the Li family and the sailors can have a meal, I will be very satisfied."
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "What the old captain said is a bit biased. In my opinion, the young captain is already a great man. The so-called sharpening is just to grind away his sharp edges, and then he will be no different from an ordinary mediocre man. It is really not worth it."
Hearing this, Li Shengjie's face flashed with a hint of pride, and he said, "Dad, you heard it, even Lord Qiu praised me!" He turned his head and asked Qiu Yizhi, "Lord Qiu is knowledgeable and experienced. Look at my martial arts. Can I be a general on the battlefield?"
Qiu Yizi nodded and smiled, "Just the fact that the young captain was riding on a horse and shot an arrow through the throat of the red-armored Japanese general is quite impressive. If he led 3,000 troops to guard the Mingzhou cofferdam, how could the Japanese pirates invade Mingzhou so easily?"
"Leading an army of 3,000?" Li Shengjie asked back, "Your Excellency is looking down on me. If I want to be a general, I will command a million lions, attack the Turks in the north, gallop across the grasslands, and leave my name in history!"
Qiu Yizi laughed and said, "It's good that the young captain has this intention, but he is too arrogant. When the emperor was stationed in the northern border, he only led 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers every year. He said he had a million soldiers, but the total number of troops in the Han Dynasty is less than 3 million. If he really sent out a million troops at once, not only would the Turks be scared to death, but even the Han Dynasty would probably be dragged down."
Li Zhi, who was standing by, sneered, "Humph, did you hear that? Lord Qiu has led troops before, and you are talking like that as if it were a child's play. You finally made a fool of yourself today when you met an expert, right?"
Li Shengjie is still a young man after all. When he heard his father say this, he was speechless and couldn't utter a word.
Seeing this, Qiu Yizhi said, "Young Master, don't be discouraged. If you can be like the old master, commanding thousands of ships, patrolling the seas for the Han Dynasty, and ensuring peace and prosperity, you are just as ambitious and will not be inferior to commanding an army across the grasslands!"
When Qiu Yizi mentioned the grassland, he suddenly thought of Princess Bohai, his childhood sweetheart. He didn't know whether she had recovered after going north to recuperate. He felt a special kind of melancholy in his heart.
He quickly calmed himself down and continued the topic with Li Zhi: "Old Captain, please don't blame me for saying something discouraging. Although you are doing well now, you will have to return to your hometown one day. Living overseas for a long time is not a long-term plan, right?"
Li Zhi was touched by Qiu Yizi's words. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "I understand the truth behind this. But with my current status, how easy is it to get a decent family background for my son?"
Qiu Yizhi pondered for a moment, and then discussed with Lin Shuhan in a low voice, and finally said: "Old Captain, you might as well ask around. I have a good relationship with the eldest prince who is in front of the current emperor. As long as I introduce him to the eldest prince, he will definitely consider that the current court is in need of people and promote talents regardless of their status. With the young captain's martial arts and courage, regardless of his ranking, it is a foregone conclusion that he will be a military scholar."
Seeing Li Zhi's happy face, he added: "When that happens, won't the old ship owner's family be honored?"
Li Zhi had studied for half his life, but he could not even pass the examination to become a scholar. He was still two levels away from becoming a Jinshi, and there was an insurmountable gap between the two levels. If, as Qiu Yizi said, he could make his son a military Jinshi—although his quality was not as good as that of a civil Jinshi—then Li Shengjie would become a real superior person, and with the wealth accumulated by the Li family, he would have a more prosperous career.
Li Zhi was deeply moved by the beautiful scene. However, as an old man who had traveled extensively for decades, he certainly understood the simple truth that "there is no such thing as a free lunch". He tried to ask, "I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Qiu. I am afraid that this matter may not be so easy to accomplish, right?"
Qiu Yizi nodded and said with a smile: "Whether this will succeed or not depends entirely on the sincerity of the old ship owner."
Li Zhi was reassured after hearing what Qiu Yizi said. He smiled again and said, "Okay, okay. I understand what you mean, Lord Qiu. Of course, we need to smooth things over in order to accomplish this matter. Let's be frank. Just name a price for how much silver you need. I won't pay you back a cent. Of course, Lord Qiu has traveled a long way and talked a lot, so I will not forget your kindness."
Qiu Yizi didn't care about the little money Li Zhi mentioned. He laughed dumbly and said, "The old captain has misunderstood. The sincerity I'm talking about is not about a few thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver..."
"Could it be hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels?" Li Zhi was shocked. He didn't expect the prince to have such a big appetite, but he gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "After all, the prince is second only to the emperor, so it's reasonable for the price to be higher. Lord Qiu, please make an offer boldly. Since you are the prince's connection, as long as the money is handed over, the matter will surely be successful."
Qiu Yizhi listened to Li Zhi's last few words, almost to comfort herself, and felt amused, and was moved by his love for his son. She smiled and said, "The old ship owner really misunderstood. His Highness is the prince, do you still need these few taels of silver?"
He looked at Li Zhi's surprised expression and continued, "What His Highness wants is a letter of surrender!"
"A token of allegiance?" Li Zhi asked in surprise.
"That's right, it's a letter of surrender!" Qiu Yizi repeated.
The so-called "letter of surrender" means that when bandits join a gang, they must kill a person or commit a crime to cut off their retreat in order to gain the other party's trust.
Li Zhi was an old hand in the world, so he certainly knew the rules here, so he asked, "Is it because Your Highness has an enemy in the court and it is difficult for him to take action himself, so he wants me to send someone to do this for Your Highness?" (To be continued)