Scumbag Chapter 175 The Reformed White-Eyed Wolf General (41)

After staying home for another two days, Mingting went out to sea again. This time, he brought a large number of cannons and ammunition, and

After staying home for another two days, Mingting went out to sea again.

This time, he brought a large number of cannons and ammunition, and directly bombarded the largest Eastern Sea pirate group.

Those who weren’t killed fled, and their base was thoroughly looted by Mingting.

Taking advantage of this momentum, the Red Turban Pirate also attacked the Southern Sea pirates. The two sides fought fiercely and the enemy suffered heavy casualties.

With these two major victories, the Red-Headed Ghost was universally acknowledged as the undisputed Pirate King of this sea area.

It was not until the spring of the following year that Mingting returned to Yaozhou again.

At this time, the cement roads in Yaozhou stretched in all directions. With the pirates gone, the people had resumed their livelihoods, and many merchants were itching to resume trade.

However, they all heard the story of the Red-Headed Ghost, a Pirate King that even the Eastern Sea pirates and Southern Sea pirates feared.

Many maritime merchants began praying for the imperial court to quickly establish a navy and eliminate the Red-Headed Ghost so that sea trade could resume.

When Qi Ming heard these murmurs from the common folk, he gave Mingting a speechless look.

"Look at you, you’ve made your own reputation so terrifying that even your allies fear you."

"That’s exactly the point!" Mingting sprawled lazily, utterly without decorum, "His Majesty has summoned me back to the capital. It seems the Red-Headed Ghost will soon vanish."

"Will His Majesty…?" Qi Ming trailed off, but the implication was clear.

Seeing Qi Ming so concerned for him, Mingting felt that his efforts in the past few years were not in vain… at least Qi Ming had become his staunch ally.

In addition to Qi Ming, he also has a large number of loyalists in the army.

"Don’t worry. Our Emperor isn’t the kind to turn on his own."

Mingting didn’t believe Emperor Chang was a ruthless man, otherwise, back in the original timeline, after the Crown Prince’s death and the princes’ bloody infighting over the throne, he would have executed his unfilial sons long ago.

But precisely because Emperor Chang couldn’t bring himself to be merciless, things had only held together while he lived. After his death, Zheng State had been plunged into chaos for years.

After bidding farewell to Qi Ming, Mingting arrived in the capital.

Emperor Chang was just as he had imagined. In addition to questioning him about maritime affairs, he asked Mingting about his future plans.

The Emperor, his minister, and the Crown Prince deliberated for a long time. This was the first time the Crown Prince learned that the Red-Headed Ghost, who struck terror into the hearts of Eastern Sea pirates, was none other than the Count of Dingyuan.

After Mingting left the palace, the Crown Prince said to Emperor Chang:

"The Count of Dingyuan is truly a warrior among warriors!"

Both father and son agreed that Mingting was an exceedingly loyal subject.

The Crown Prince had long wanted to thank Mingting, as the health-restoring pills had improved the Crown Princess’s constitution, allowing her to bear him a legitimate heir.

The birth of this heir had also alleviated much of the Crown Prince’s political pressure.

Were it not for his position preventing him from fraternizing too closely with military officials, the Crown Prince would have loved to invite Mingting to the Eastern Palace for a proper conversation.

This time, Mingting’s proposal was that since the Eastern Sea pirates had been thoroughly cowed, it was the perfect opportunity for Zheng’s navy to make its debut.

A strong, seasoned navy needed a whetstone to sharpen its edge.

Coincidentally, there were still scattered remnants of Eastern Sea and Southern Sea pirates at sea, which is perfect for training the troops.

Once the ships were built, the cannons mounted, and the soldiers honed, even if invaders returned, they would have nothing to fear. Only then would Zheng State’s waters truly know peace.

Mingting didn’t monopolize the task. Instead, he recommended capable officers to Emperor Chang. With their names, skills, and merits had all been mentioned in his previous letters, Emperor Chang was familiar with them.

By the time Mingting left the capital, he carried several imperial edicts with him.

He had paved the way and set the stage, and now, it was time for others to take over!

After working diligently for so long, it was time to retire!

The newly appointed officers were endlessly grateful to Mingting.

Their skills had been taught by the Count of Dingyuan, and their rise to prominence was due to his recommendations.

Back then, Mingting had promised that if they followed him, they would eat meat and drink wine. Now, they knew that he had kept his words.

[I’ve never seen people so overjoyed to be handed extra work as glorified laborers… and even moved to tears with gratitude toward the one who dumped it on them...] Fengtian smacked its lips and watched these soldiers toast Mingting with reddened eyes.

Mingting had an excellent alcohol tolerance. In the end, he drank them all under the table while remaining perfectly sober.

On his way home, Fengtian materialized beside him:

[Boss, I have bad news to tell you, Jin Yuping took the kid and ran! Guess where they went?"

"Jiaowan?"

Mingting thought for a moment and answered. No matter what, Jin Yuping was an ambitious Female Lead… he hadn’t forgotten.

"If I remember correctly, Princess Chen should have given birth to a legitimate son by now. Don’t tell me she’s trying to latch onto the future Emperor’s coattails?”

“What else can the Female Lead do?”

Mingting figured that Jin Yuping was probably afraid he would come after her. With nowhere else to go, she might as well head to Jiaowan Bay… maybe she could still find a chance to turn her life around.

Unfortunately, it was still several years before the Crown Prince was assassinated in the original timeline.

“Did she really think that since I’m here now, I would just let the Crown Prince die?”

“Moreover, the Empress had given birth to twins, and the Crown Prince now had a legitimate heir. Even if something happened to the Crown Prince, the Emperor and Empress still had other options.”

“The chaos of the princes’ rebellion from the original timeline simply wouldn’t happen this time.”

“Yang Qide, the Prince of Chen’s heir, had completely lost any chance at the throne in this life.”

“However, if the Female Lead wanted to struggle, that was fine.”

Mingting actually enjoyed watching her fight desperately, only to end up with nothing in the end, ‘It’ll be amusing!’