But what gave Zhejiang Governor Pang Qingping the most headache was that the consequences of this incident were far more than just that.
As soon as the eldest son of the Shen family died, the remaining few members of the Shen family disappeared.
As a result, the officers and soldiers sent to grab this last bit of bargaining chip came back empty-handed.
Pang Qingping was furious. He was supposed to inspect the dike during the flood season, but he was not in the mood at this time. He reluctantly came down from the dike, said a few words to the local people and gentry, and then went straight to Songjiang to check the situation.
He was actually angry when he received the urgent report, but when he arrived at the place where the Japanese pirates landed in Songjiang and saw the corpses of men, women, and children, he couldn't help but feel angry.
First, he was angry that Wang Erlangzi acted on his own and relied on his special status as an inspector to disregard the attitude of the Zhejiang officialdom.
Second, he was angry at the pirate Shen Hai. No matter what, Shen Hai was originally a pirate who made his fortune by killing and robbing people. How many people had he killed? How much blood of the people of the Great Zhou was on his hands
He was a man who deserved death. If the law really applied, the execution of his entire family would be a light punishment. He had a son but he let a wolf into his house and slaughtered his own compatriots. This was extremely evil and inhumane!
Being angry is one thing, but things have already happened and being angry is useless.
Pang Qingping calmed himself down and wrote an urgent report of eight hundred miles to the court.
It was naturally impossible for the imperial court to arrest Wang Erlangzi and make him apologize. After all, Wang Erlangzi was acting in accordance with the law and did not seek revenge. What he did was justifiable, and there was no reason for him to be convicted for doing what he should have done.
The cabinet unanimously agreed that this incident was all caused by Shen Hai and his gang of pirates.
Yang Canzhi said bluntly: "In fact, even if there was no such incident with Wang Yushi, Shen Hai's arrogance would have led to this day sooner or later. Otherwise, wouldn't the court be controlled by him for the rest of his life?"
Even if the imperial court wanted to recruit them, it would not allow such rebellious people to exist.
Who does Shen Hai think he is? Does he really think he is the king of the mountain
joke!
This time, even those who loved to oppose Yang Canzhi the most did not have the time to say anything against him. After all, the reactions of the government and the opposition were there. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a national hatred and family feud. If Shen Hai was not dealt with, what would he do next
Yang Bo also spoke up: "That's right. The court has been tolerant again and again, just to make the people live a better life, but they have no gratitude at all. Instead, they regard the court's tolerance as fear of them. They really think that our great country has no one!"
The number of civilian casualties this time is so great that it is hard to tolerate.
Of course, the fundamental reason why these cabinet leaders are so unanimous is that Shen Hai has crossed the bottom line.
In the past, Shen Hai at least did not do things openly. Everyone knew that he secretly gave weapons to the Japanese pirates, but he never admitted it and did not lead them anywhere.
But this time, he was clearly behind the scenes encouraging the Japanese pirates to attack Songjiang. Who could know the situation in Songjiang, where to land, and what the villages and towns were like better than him
Inevitably, another round of discussion on this matter began in the court.
This time everyone actually had no objection to dealing with Shen Hai, but the problem was, there was still one thing: how to deal with Shen Hai
Now the Japanese pirates are also eyeing us covetously, which is really annoying.
Emperor Yuanfeng privately talked to Xiao Heng about this and felt the same headache. He asked softly, "Ah Heng, what do you think?"
Xiao Heng had nothing to hide, so he said bluntly: "Although Shen Hai started out by plundering at sea, after he became successful, he no longer relied on plundering, but on escorting merchant ships at sea. Your Majesty, I think it would be better to lift the maritime ban."
The maritime ban was lifted in the past because things on the sea were unpredictable. Often a ship would run away and never come back. There was also the problem of constant wars at sea.
But what if the imperial court wiped out all these pirates
As long as the sea pirates are wiped out and the Japanese pirates are subdued, the way for maritime trade will naturally be paved.
Rather than handing over these lucrative businesses to those aristocratic families who have inherited the power of the previous dynasty, it would be better for the court to do it itself.
The officials in the southeast are now controlled by those aristocratic families and have been almost completely corrupted. If this continues, will the court really have to divide the country and rule it separately from the previous dynasty
This is obviously impossible.
In this case, there is only one choice.
How could Emperor Yuanfeng not know this truth
But as an emperor, he had more to consider. He paused and said, "It's just that... the court has just ended the war in Yunnan..."
This time, the entire court was shocked, but the Ministry of Revenue remained silent. This is the reason.
The great battle in Yunnan was won because Xiao Heng was smart. He used war to support war and basically emptied the property of the wealthy locals and the Dali Mu Mansion to fight, which reduced the pressure on the court.
But the same cannot be said for the southeast, right? War is the most expensive thing. As the saying goes, food and fodder must be prepared before troops move.
Those aristocratic families are like stones in a toilet, smelly and hard. I'm afraid they would rather give all their property to Shen Hai and his gang than sit and wait for death.
What’s more, there is the stubborn existence of the Chi family.
Xiao Heng raised his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, if you hesitate to make a decision, you will suffer the consequences. Now that Shen Hai has been so provocative, if we don't fight, there will be no peace along the coast in the future."
This was actually the meaning of Pang Qingping’s memorial. He also wanted to fight.
Emperor Yuanfeng stroked his beard and looked at Xiao Heng: "Do you still want to go to the battlefield again?"
He did not doubt that Xiao Heng wanted to build up his own power in the army, but he felt that Xiao Heng seemed a little warlike.
However, bellicosity is never a bad thing.
He always felt that the prince was too indecisive.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Heng unexpectedly resembles himself and not the prince.
Xiao Heng smiled softly: "Only if I go can we achieve the greatest effect. Those people hate me the most now. Your Majesty, please let me go. This day will come sooner or later anyway, so you might as well let me go."
He has wanted to deal with those people for a long time.
Emperor Yuanfeng sighed: "That's true, but you are already a young man, but you don't even have a wife. If you really want to go, you have to get married first!"
Xiao Heng was a little hesitant.
When it comes to fighting a war, even as a commander who has experienced many battles, he doesn't know how confident he is. It is too risky.
If they got married before the war, wouldn't that put the wife at great risk
Emperor Yuanfeng was very persistent: "There is no room for negotiation. Anyway, this matter will definitely be debated for a while. We also need to see the situation in Zhejiang. You should marry me first!"