Sever One, and Two Shall Grow - 3
The emperor who should rule the Central Plains with virtue was dim-witted and indolent, the people groaned in agony under a tyrant, and the tributary states showed no respect for the Son of Heaven. That was the wretched chaos of the late Yuan dynasty.
The era when Taizu rose up for the greater cause was truly a miserable and desperate time. Amid that turmoil, Taizu rallied various heroes into a single force and succeeded in founding Daesong. But not all the factions of the Central Plains united from the start. In times of chaos, self-serving ambitious men always emerge with their own schemes.
'Huang Yan Hou was one of them.'
Originally a salt merchant, he slyly joined the pirates when they rampaged, sparking a maritime rebellion with his brothers. If you only look at the timing of his uprising, he was the original tough guy who gave the Mongols a taste of their own medicine even before Taizu. He rebelled south of the Yangtze, dealing a massive blow to the Mongols who already struggled with local control, plundering their tribute ships that filled the imperial coffers and smacking them hard in the back of the head. That was Huang Yan Hou.
Honestly, no matter how much you praise or glorify him, you can't deny his roots as a pirate. Still, he was our bastard who screwed over the Mongols, who weren't even Central Plains folk.
'And he wasn't exactly a full-blown pirate either.'
It's true that Huang Yan Hou pillaged Mongol tribute ships as a pirate, commanding thousands of men and seizing islands and sea routes. But he didn't ravage coastal villages and people like today's wokou. Instead, he even accepted official posts from the Mongols, making him more like a local warlord than a pirate. If he'd been a pure 100% pirate scum, Taizu would've crushed him early or refused his surrender.
Thanks to that, both officials and commoners today don't curse him as a pirate but evaluate him as "a warlord who fought at sea against Mongol oppression."
Yet these pirates claiming to be his descendants? Huang Yan Hou fought for the greater cause as a warlord—why are his "heirs" pirates? Hell, his actual descendants are living peacefully on land, having surrendered to Taizu along with their subordinates.
'What the hell kind of idiots are these?'
It's confusing. I have no idea who these guys are who dare claim Huang Yan Hou's legacy while screwing over both him and the court.
"I was just as baffled as you at first, Vice Inspector General."
As I trailed off with a muttered 'insane,' unable to speak further, the Branch Manager nodded as if he understood completely.
"Though Lord Huang Yan Hou did rise to fame as a pirate in chaotic times, he was a righteous pirate who resisted the ugly tyranny of the Mongol barbarians. He even surrendered to Taizu out of sympathy for his cause, so both he and his men deserve the title of heroes without question."
The Branch Manager sighed softly, then continued with a bitter tone.
"But in chaotic times, villains emerge alongside heroes. Most under Lord Huang Yan Hou followed the greater cause of Taizu and Huang Yan Hou, but some wicked ones chose the pirate path—chaos and disorder over dignity and order."
"A true pity."
Put five humans together, and at least one will be trash. Regrettably, even Huang Yan Hou couldn't escape that truth. Thousands strong—that was Huang Yan Hou at his peak. Even if only one in ten was trash, that's hundreds of sea scum slipping his control. And sailors are rougher than landlubbers by nature. Once those sailors turned pirate, they became even nastier bastards. No surprise they got a taste for plundering tribute ships and seizing islands.
"Of course, those villains who chose chaos were quickly crushed. This was no longer the chaotic era under Mongol rule but the dawn of a new world centered on Taizu. Mere pirates couldn't roam the seas freely."
I nodded, as I knew this well. Huang Yan Hou could operate on such a massive scale precisely because the Mongols were that incompetent. What dynasty would tolerate pirates looting tribute ships and dominating islands and routes? From the moment Taizu established a proper state, the pirates' fate was sealed. Indeed, mountain bandits everywhere and Yangtze river pirates were swiftly crushed once the Mongols were driven out. That's the duty of a normal government and proper Central Plains security.
"But it seems some pirates survived the purges. Those survivors are the ones now claiming to be Huang Yan Hou's descendants."
"Lord Huang Yan Hou must be relieved he passed before seeing this."
"Indeed."
With that, the Branch Manager and I sighed in unison.
...
"But why have these self-proclaimed pirates come ashore?"
"They don't wanna die, probably. In today's Daesong, calling yourself a river pirate or sea pirate..."
The Branch Manager shrugged, as if the rest went without saying. Just as I thought— these pirate scum switched to banditry for survival. The hordes of bandits spilling from Fujian. Remnants of Huang Yan Hou crawling out after laying low. Those two combined turned Zhejiang and Fujian into a bandit paradise on earth.
"Huang Yan Hou must be weeping in his grave."
Ak I-yeon gave a bitter response after hearing my explanation.
"They're walking the wrong path now, but they were once comrades fighting the Mongols together. For those comrades to use his name for evil deeds... If it were me, I couldn't rest in peace even in death."
"It's even more outrageous that they crawled out after Lord Huang Yan Hou's death. If he'd been alive, he could've crushed them himself and restored his honor."
"You're right..."
Ak I-yeon's eyes drooped even sadder at my words. These outrageous land-sea hybrid scum. Defiling a Daesong founding hero is bad enough, but unsettling Ak I-yeon's heart? Unforgivable.
"Milord."
"Yeah?"
As I moved to comfort Ak I-yeon, Jo Wi-cheo spoke up, lost in thought.
"This has already exceeded what a single region can handle. How do you plan to deal with it?"
I closed my eyes briefly at Jo Wi-cheo's question. Fujian had already launched a massive campaign to crush twelve major bandit strongholds at once. If they had spare capacity, Fujian's mid-tier bandits wouldn't be rampant, and the Provincial Commandant wouldn't have collapsed from overwork.
'Zhejiang's no better off.'
But could Zhejiang pick up Fujian's slack? Hardly. Zhejiang had most of its forces tied up subduing wokou and river pirates. To divert them to bandits, they'd have to skimp on sea and river defenses or squeeze budgets even harder. Neither was appealing.
"...This feels like something for the Provincial Military Command to handle. If the Provincial Commandant can't manage, the Governor-General steps in."
"That'll be a headache."
"Tell me about it."
I sighed despite myself. Logically, this was right. If a local or provincial level can't handle it, the next level up must. No, it's beyond right—it's plain common sense. But the Provincial Military Commands oversee multiple regions' troops and sit at the top of Daesong's military alongside the central Ministry of War. Even as Left Vice Inspector General, requesting their help is a big ask.
'And my status as a king's grandson doesn't impress them much.'
The Governor-Generals are conventionally dukes. No matter that I'm a prince's grandson, I'm not above an active duke.
'Gonna have to beg a little.'
At least I'm not asking for personal gain. Bandits rampaging across two provinces, lunatics invoking a Daesong marquis's name. What better justification for Command support? If the Governor-General ignores the people's tears, I'll just tell Grandfather. An active duke might not fear a prince's grandson, but he'll fear a real king.
Infuriating. No matter how I try to calm myself, I can't suppress the rage.
Leading hundreds of warships on a massive naval operation only for it to fizzle out—my chance to give Gu Gangwang's troops real combat experience flew away. How could anyone predict the Goryeo bastards would counterattack right after wiping out the wokou?
Goryeo's invasion wasn't some lone pirate raid—it was practically a national assault. And those madmen launched an overseas expedition right after ending a war on that scale.
'Damn crazy Dongyi bastards.'
Gazing at the deep blue sea, I rubbed the back of my neck. Off Tsushima, I met a Goryeo general named Bak Wi, exchanged perfunctory courtesies, and parted. Goryeo had already turned Tsushima into an inferno, so dragging out the talk would've gained nothing.
"Coming all the way to distant Tsushima to exterminate wokou. Truly, the Son of Heaven's grace is higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas."
Bak Wi's laughing face flashed in my mind, and I spat toward the ocean. Damn fools. They mock the court but invoke the Son of Heaven's grace when it suits them.
"Your Highness, we'll arrive at Wenzhou shortly."
As I stewed alone, I nodded at my adjutant's report. The Tsushima campaign fizzled, but scouting Ryukyu's status went as planned. Ryukyu panicked at two Daesong kings visiting but rolled out the red carpet once they heard it was a wokou damage survey.
'That's how a proper tributary should act.'
If only Goryeo aped Ryukyu half as well. That'd be a dream.
Anyway, after touring the Ryukyu Isles, we anchored at the nearest city, Wenzhou, for rest. Straight to Hangzhou or Qujiang would've worn out the troops too much.
"Adjutant."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What's that ship?"
But en route to Wenzhou without a care, we stumbled into the unexpected.
"...Pirates, it looks like."
"You've got to be kidding."
We'd spotted pirates off Wenzhou. Just one ship, but definitely pirates.
'Buddha's mercy runs deep—sending pirates instead of wokou for us to catch?'