It can be said that Taizhou prefect Tan Lun's secret visit to Jingnan and Taiping this time yielded nothing, but it can also be said that he gained a lot.
There was no gain because this undercover investigation did not reveal that Zhu Ping'an had killed innocent people to take credit or used innocent people to take credit.
It was a great harvest, and it was also because during this secret visit, no evidence was found that Zhu Ping'an had killed innocent people and claimed credit for his deeds. This further confirmed the authenticity of Zhu Ping'an's great achievements in defending Jingnan and capturing 795 Japanese pirates' heads, and restoring Taiping and capturing 29 Japanese pirates' heads. Zhu Ping'an's great achievements were true, and the loss of Taizhou Prefecture from the Japanese invasion this time was reduced by nearly half, and he also added two great achievements. In this way, his political career was saved. In this way, isn't it a great harvest!
After Tan Lun and his party returned to Taizhou City, they received a report from their subordinates that Jingnan County had sent all the heads of more than 800 Japanese pirates it had captured to the Taizhou government office. At the same time, they also sent two battle report documents with the seal of the Jingnan County magistrate, a document requesting tax reduction or exemption, and a document requesting silver reward for first merit.
After receiving the news, Tan Lun took Zuo Zhen with him without saying a word and went to check the heads of the Japanese pirates sent by Jingnan.
There were more than 800 heads of Japanese pirates, which was not a small number. After receiving the heads of the Japanese pirates sent by Jingnan, the officials in the government office worried about where to store them. Finally, they were placed in the courtyard outside the prison, filling the entire yard.
There were not many places to put the heads of the Japanese pirates in a courtyard.
Anyone who enters the yard and sees this scene will get goosebumps all over their body. If you are timid, your legs will probably go weak.
When Taizhou prefect Tan Lun first entered the yard and saw the heads of the Japanese pirates in the courtyard, he couldn't help but shudder for a moment. He took a deep breath and then returned to his usual calm and composed state, and slowly walked into the yard.
Zuo Zhen, who was standing behind Tan Lun, couldn't help but get goosebumps at this moment even though he was from a military background.
Two coroners from the government office were examining the heads of Japanese pirates in the yard, each holding a head in his hand. The heads still retained the hideous appearance of the pirates before their death. The coroners didn't care at all. They examined the hideous heads in their hands carefully, just like looking at antiques, checking the hairstyle, hair stubble, teeth, ears and other facial features.
In addition to the two coroners from the government office, there were five yamen runners assisting the coroners in the yard. In addition, there was a man dressed as a constable from the Jingnan County government office. He was burly and strong, a typical rough man, but his eyes were very sharp. He kept an eye on the Japanese pirates' head in the yard and every person who touched the Japanese pirates' head without blinking.
"Greetings, Mr. Fu."
The government servants in the courtyard were the first to see Tan Lun and his party, and they hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.
"Greetings, Mr. Fu."
When the two coroners heard the officers salute, they realized belatedly that the prefect, Tan Lun, had arrived, and they quickly followed suit.
I won’t describe the scene of the two coroners performing the salute in a hurry, still holding the heads of the Japanese pirates they had just examined in their hands.
The chief constable of Jingnan County also saluted.
"No thanks. Checking the head is the most important thing. There's no need for empty formalities." Tan Lun smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he should continue checking the head.
So, the coroner and others started to examine the heads again. More than 800 heads were not a small number. They had been examining for more than half an hour, but they had only examined less than 100 heads.
"General Zuo, do you have any problem with these pirate heads?" Tan Lun also took Zuo Zhen and others to the courtyard to check the pirate heads. After about a cup of tea, Tan Lun asked Zuo Zhen.
"Your Excellency, I have carefully examined the ten Japanese pirate heads nearby. Among them, three are real Japanese heads, and the remaining seven are fake Japanese heads. They are all strong men in their thirties or forties, and I did not find any problems."
Zuo Zhen was squatting and examining the heads of the Japanese pirates. After hearing Tan Lun's question, he turned his gaze away from the heads of the Japanese pirates, stood up and clasped his fists in reply.
Zuo Zhen was no stranger to the Japanese pirates. Before being transferred to Taizhou Prefecture, he had served as the chief flag and deputy captain in Ningbo Prefecture. He had fought against the Japanese pirates many times and had handled more than ten heads of Japanese pirates. He knew more about the real and fake Japanese pirates than most people.
After he entered the yard, he carefully checked the ten heads of Japanese pirates. Three of the ten heads were real Japanese and seven were fake. There was no problem whether they were real or fake. As for the real Japanese, there was no need to say anything about the real Japanese. The real Japanese were very different from the people of the Ming Dynasty and could not be faked. As for the seven fake Japanese, the stubble of hair on the top of their heads showed signs of several months' existence. They were not shaved off in a hurry, so it was naturally impossible for them to kill innocent people and take credit for it.
"Humph, of course there can't be a problem. We cut off the heads of these Japanese pirates from their heads. What can be the problem?"
Captain Jingnan, who had been paying attention to the actions of the people in the yard, couldn't help but snort and grumbled in dissatisfaction. These Japanese pirate heads were obtained by the young master and us in bloody battles, but we didn't expect that they would be suspected of having problems. Problems? What can be wrong with the Japanese pirate heads we cut off with our own hands? !
Even though he was mumbling, he was big and strong with a loud voice, so even if he was just mumbling, it could be heard clearly in the yard.
"What a man! Who are you?"
Hearing the man's mumbling, Taizhou prefect Tan Lun then noticed the captain of the police in Jingnan who was escorting the head and following him closely. This man was big and strong, with muscles all over his body that made his clothes bulge out. He looked so sturdy that he couldn't help but sigh and asked with interest.
"Your Excellency, I am Liu Dadao, the chief constable of Jingnan County. I am my son. No, the magistrate ordered me to escort the head to the government office to report my achievement and ask for reward." The man replied with a fist clasped in a loud voice.
"Since the head has been delivered, why are you still here instead of going down to rest?" Zuo Zhen asked.
"Before I came, my master the county magistrate carefully instructed me not to leave these pirate heads until the government office has completed the inspection and inspection. Only after I have received the inspection and inspection documents can I leave the pirate heads."
Liu Dadao replied in a muffled voice.
"Never leave, haha. With so many Japanese pirate heads, have you been guarding them ever since you arrived?" Zuo Zhen asked.
"certainly."
Liu Dadao nodded vigorously. Along the way, no matter whether he was eating, drinking, defecating, urinating or sleeping, he made sure that the heads of the Japanese pirates were within his sight.
"Aren't you afraid of guarding these Japanese pirates' heads all the time?" Zuo Zhen asked.
"Afraid? Hahaha, I wasn't afraid of these pirates when they were alive, so why would I be afraid when they were dead?! Even if they were afraid, they were afraid of me. Among the ten heads you just inspected, the three real Japanese heads were chopped off by me personally."
Liu Dadao grinned, his white teeth sparkling in the sunlight, and pointed at the Japanese pirate's head under Zuo Zhen's feet.