Scumbag Chapter 147 The Reformed White-Eyed Wolf General (13)

Qi Ming, the prefect of Yaozhou, had known that Count of Dingyuan was coming and had already arranged a place for him to stay. Mingting had

Qi Ming, the prefect of Yaozhou, had known that Count of Dingyuan was coming and had already arranged a place for him to stay.

Mingting had brought over a hundred men with him.

Except for the brothers who were in the mountains at the beginning, the rest were people who had been with him all these years.

Aside from his former mountain bandit brothers, the rest were loyal followers who had stayed by his side over the years.

Some had even become junior officers, but they were willing to abandon their futures in the capital to follow Mingting.

At this time, their decision to come to Yaozhou was driven by two motives: First, to seek a brighter future, and second, their trust in Mingting’s character.

With the establishment of the new dynasty, there is already a position for everyone, and many positions are occupied.

With the new dynasty now established, every official position was already filled. Many of them hadn’t achieved major merits in the past, and if they wanted to climb higher now, they needed real, tangible military achievements.

Yaozhou has been plagued by Eastern Sea pirates, so this is the perfect place to earn such merits.

Moreover, there’s Mingting leading them. This man is someone who had fought his way up from a lowly soldier, so they had faith in him.

Qi Ming, having received advance notice, had arranged everything meticulously. Those who were married brought their families along, and soon, the capital of Yaozhou, Ning’an, became unusually lively.

Once everything was settled, Mingting arrived at the Qi Family’s residence with gifts in hand.

"Brother Qi Ming, long time no see!"

Without any formality, Mingting plopped down casually.

"From now on, leave coastal defense to me. With me here, you can rest easy!"

Mingting and Qi Ming were old acquaintances.

Qi Ming had also followed Emperor Chang in the uprising. He was a somewhat rigid man and his character was beyond reproach, so he wasn’t skilled in interpersonal relationships and had no talent for flattery.

However, his administrative abilities were solid, especially in handling practical affairs.

Emperor Chang had originally intended to assign Qi Ming to a different post, but Qi Ming had personally requested to be sent to Yaozhou.

Because he was a native of Yaozhou, his entire family had been slaughtered by the Eastern Sea pirates, leaving only him to escape.

When the new dynasty was established and rewards were distributed, Qi Ming had no other ambitions. He only wanted to return to Yaozhou, drive out the pirates, and avenge his parents and family.

In the original timeline, Qi Ming had fully supported the original owner’s efforts.

The two of them, one skilled in civil administration, the other in military affairs, had cooperated seamlessly.

Even though the conditions were difficult at the beginning, Qi Ming could always find a way to provide logistical support for the original owner, so that Wei Mingting could make great military achievements.

Unfortunately, Qi Ming’s staunch support for the original owner’s anti-pirate campaigns had earned him the pirates’ hatred. His entire family was slaughtered in their home.

After his death, the newly appointed prefect was incompetent, forcing Mingting to promote Shi Jing to manage military supplies.

This, in turn, allowed Shi Jing to consolidate power within the army, ultimately leading to the betrayal that doomed the original owner.

Qi Ming was also very happy to see Mingting, who was a victorious general in the army.

At first, Qi Ming had been worried that the court would neglect Yaozhou for the time being.

After all, the place was poor and dangerous. With the new dynasty just established, no one wanted to come here, or Emperor Chang might just assign some random official.

But now that the Count of Dingyuan had arrived, Qi Ming’s heart settled at once.

"And I promise you this, brother… whether it’s provisions, supplies, or recruiting soldiers and buying horses, leave it all to me. You don’t need to worry about any of it."

"My only wish is for you to drive those pirates back to their homeland and make sure they never dare invade again!"

Qi Ming hated the Eastern Sea pirates with every fiber of his being. He had no doubts about Mingting’s capabilities, after all, this was a man renowned for his bravery in battle, which was why he had become the Count of Dingyuan at such a young age.

When it came to fighting the Eastern Sea pirates, Mingting and Qi Ming were in perfect agreement.

Without wasting words, Mingting began discussing the pirate situation in Yaozhou with Qi Ming.

On this matter, Qi Ming had already conducted thorough research and prepared detailed materials.

Knowing that Mingting wasn’t particularly literate, he patiently explained everything in detail.

As it turned out, the pirates harassing the coast weren’t all from the Eastern Sea. The sea raiders here were mainly divided into two major groups.

The first group, of course, was the Eastern Sea pirates.

The Eastern Sea pirates were originally mostly warriors who had lost in political struggles and fled to the seas, becoming pirates.

After plundering coastal areas, they amassed vast treasures, silks, and cotton, growing wealthy. Seeing the profits, many Eastern Sea’s merchants and warrior clans also joined the maritime raids.

The second group of bandits came from the Southern Sea.

The previous dynasty had engaged in trade with various Southern Sea’s countries.

However, after foreign invaders occupied the region, they began moving northward, frequently harassing and plundering Yaozhou’s coastal areas.

"These men all have different appearance from ours," Qi Ming emphasized.

"Yaozhou wasn’t always this poor. It was once abundant in silk and cotton, which were exported in large quantities to Eastern Sea and the Southern Sea during the previous dynasty. Maritime trade was thriving."

"Unfortunately, after the Eastern Sea pirates invaded and the court proved incapable of resisting them, they imposed a maritime ban. That’s when Yaozhou gradually fell into poverty."

Qi Ming sighed.

His family had once been wealthy, specializing in silk weaving and cotton spinning.

But when the Eastern Sea pirates came, they not only looted everything, but also slaughtered the people. This was why Qi Ming harbored such deep hatred for them.

‘Maritime ban…’

Mingting frowned.

He didn’t yet know whether Emperor Chang would continue the ban. At the very least, from the mid-to-late period of the previous dynasty until its collapse, the ban had remained in place.

However, banning maritime trade not only failed to stop the pirates, but also forced some merchants who relied on overseas trade to turn to piracy.

There were even cases of merchants hiring Eastern Sea’s warriors to pose as pirates and attack coastal residents.

After Mingting shared his thoughts with Qi Ming, the latter excitedly grasped his hand, as if he had finally met a kindred spirit.

"Brother, that’s exactly what I’ve been worried about! But this isn’t something we have the authority to decide..."

Overseas trade brought immense wealth, but also risks and crises.

If the court simply imposed an internal ban without addressing the root issues, it wouldn’t solve the problem and would only create new conflicts.

If external pirates weren’t dealt with and their own people started joining the pirate ranks, the court would truly be in chaos.

"All of this depends on you now, brother."

Qi Ming had never been one to hold much sway in front of Emperor Chang, and compared to Mingting, he was far less favored.

Moreover, if they wanted the Emperor to support maritime trade, they first needed to eliminate the pirate threat, demonstrate the benefits, and ensure the safety of coastal regions. Only then would the maritime ban be lifted.

In the end, it all came down to Mingting’s abilities.

"Brother Qi, I understand what you mean. Passive defense is no match for active offense. As long as you can guarantee logistical support, I’ll return to you a peaceful sea!"

With Mingting’s firm assurance, Qi Ming smiled so widely that wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes.

This had been his lifelong wish. With a fierce general like Mingting coming to Yaozhou, he could finally rest easy.