Chapter 700: Better to Be a Peaceful Dog Than a Wandering Stranger

Since returning from his previous voyage abroad, plans for overseas expeditions were set aside, and with Zhu Gaochi ascending the throne, any plans to send treasure ships overseas were completely abandoned. As a result, most of the ships stationed in Liujiagang failed to receive maintenance or repairs. Only a few were repaired after Zhang Yue advised Zhu Zhanji, who then arranged for them to be fixed. Thus, at that time, there were only fifty or sixty ships available for sea travel, most of which were small to medium-sized treasure ships; the largest ones hadn’t even been deployed. Even so, these Ming treasure ships, with their high bows and sterns, three-story stern decks, and two-story bow decks, exuding an air of imperial grandeur, were still easily distinguishable from the crude Japanese ships.

The people of Nanjing might have had the fortune to see countless ships setting sail southward, but for the locals of Dengzhou Prefecture and the soldiers in coastal garrisons like Weihaiwei, any movement at sea was surely an invasion by Japanese pirates—there was no other possibility. At that moment, on the sea-facing walls of Weihaiwei City, many soldiers crowded together, watching the large Ming flags fluttering on those massive treasure ships. These men, who had personally burned Japanese ships and fought pirates, were utterly astonished.

Were these… Ming ships? With such overwhelming presence, how could they possibly be compared to those Japanese ships?

As the treasure ships slowly approached, the excitement among the soldiers on the walls gradually subsided, and they settled back into silence. Those with sharp eyes could already see the many men standing on the ship decks, while those with less keen vision could still make out the glint of countless weapons under the sunlight. Even the blind could tell how numerous those huge treasure ships were. While the soldiers, unaware of the truth, marveled at them, some officers who knew what was going on in the command hall had varying expressions on their faces.

These treasure ships used to head to foreign countries or directly to Japan—so why were they here in Weihaiwei out of nowhere? If it was because the Han King had rebelled, this display of force seemed far too excessive!

“The commander has arrived!”

A sudden shout pulled everyone’s scattered thoughts back to reality. In an instant, the soldiers crowded on the walls dispersed and stood at attention in their positions, while the leading hundredman hurried to greet him. Seeing two bodyguards behind Wei Qing carrying Commander Li Cheng, he quickly withdrew his curious gaze and dared not say another word.

It was already the hour of You, yet the sun still hung high in the west, casting its fiery golden light over the city walls. Standing on the battlements, Wei Qing instinctively narrowed his eyes but remained motionless, gazing at the vast fleet for a long time. Only after a while did he turn to look at Licheng, whose face was as pale as death, and sneered coldly, “At this point, what more do you have to say?”
Seeing his once highly trusted subordinate trembling and unable to speak, Wei Qing snorted dismissively and ignored him. He then glanced at the soldiers on the battlements and said in a deep voice, “We were ordered to defend Weihaiwei from the Japanese pirates and must fulfill our duties loyally to serve the court. Now that the Han King has raised an army in rebellion, some in Weihaiwei still harbor sinister intentions, colluding with the rebels in attempts to cause chaos! The court has issued an order—the emperor will lead troops in person to suppress the rebellion. Moreover, the treasure ships have appeared out of nowhere, and it won’t be long before the rebels are defeated and peace is restored to Shandong! Today, I urge all of you—those with ulterior motives will not be tolerated by heaven or earth!”
After saying this, Wei Qing turned to leave when he saw Liu Zhong and Zhang Yue coming up the stairs one after another. He hurried over to them. After bowing in greeting, he noticed that there were only a few attendants behind them, which filled him with suspicion and unease.
Earlier, taking advantage of Licheng and Zhu Zhanli’s panic and loss of composure upon hearing about the appearance of the Ming treasure ships at sea, he had swiftly captured Licheng, while Liu Zhong had taken Zhu Zhanli captive as well. Working together, they quickly resolved the standoff within the military headquarters. After capturing Zhu Zhanli and some of the defected officers in Weihaiwei with his trusted troops, he opened the city gates to let Zhang Yue in. Realizing that bringing Zhu Zhanli into the city had been a grave mistake, he dared not interfere further in handling the aftermath, so he came to the battlements to reassure the people, hoping to atone for his error.
Liu Zhong, now in different clothes, nodded at Wei Qing before striding to the edge of the wall, resting his hands on the blue bricks as he stared intently at the countless tall masts. As a veteran hero of the Jingnan Campaign, he had served as a military officer for many years but had never seen treasure ships at sea. Seeing the beast-head patterns on one of the large ships, he exclaimed in amazement, “No wonder people always say the Ming treasure ships are magnificent. Only now, after seeing them, do I realize they live up to the reputation. But there’s no place in Weihaiwei City to dock such ships.”
“Of course there’s no place here to dock large ships. Lord Liu, do you see any small boats coming over there?”

Hearing Zhang Yue’s voice, the soldiers on the city walls couldn’t help but look up. Sure enough, two ships, one behind the other, were slowly approaching, prompting them to exchange puzzled glances. Compared to the Japanese pirate ships that attacked once or twice a year before, these “small ships” were quite large indeed. As the commander of Weihaiwei Fortress, Wei Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Liu, Lord Zhang, didn’t the Emperor—our late emperor—ban foreign treasure ships?”

Instead of answering directly, Zhang Yue pointed at the fleet at sea and retorted, “Lord Wei, do you think such a mighty force should be called treasure ships?”

Wei Qing, who wasn’t good with words, was at a loss for an answer after being asked this. Though he had heard of Zhang Yue’s reputation, he didn’t know what kind of person he really was, so he felt somewhat awkward. At that moment, Liu Zhong cleared his throat to ease the tense atmosphere, “Commander Wei, before Lord Zhang and I left, the Emperor issued an order to lift the sea ban. Foreign treasure ships will now be called Great Ming Divine Might Ships. The imperial army will be reorganized into five divisions: front, back, left, right, and center.”

What did this mean? Not only was Wei Qing completely confused, but even the speaker himself wasn’t clear about the implications. Since he didn’t understand, he decided not to overthink it. After saying that, Liu Zhong turned to Zhang Yue and asked, “Once the ships arrive, please handle all matters related to them, Lord Zhang… But right now, the most important thing is to deal with those traitorous officers in Weihaiwei, as well as the two or three hundred people who came with the Prince of Han.”

Silence fell over the city walls. Seeing that Wei Qing, whose expression remained unchanged, said nothing, while the other soldiers showed signs of unease, Zhang Yue sighed inwardly before gently gripping the sword at his waist. It was the imperial sword he had worn during his journey to the south. This time, as he came to Shandong with Liu Zhong, Zhu Zhanji had given it to him, allowing him to act decisively without waiting for approval. He had hoped not to need it, but it seemed inevitable now.

“The guards and entourage of the Han King’s heir should lay down their weapons; have them watched over, and then escort them as ordered by the emperor. As for those officers in Weihaiwei, such as the commandant and below, who attempted to cause chaos, execute them immediately.” With such a resolute statement, he noticed that most people bowed their heads even lower, while only Wei Qing bowed in agreement. He then added, “Although Commander Wei was deceived by villains, now that the matter is resolved, he can atone for his crimes. As for the rest of the officers and soldiers in Weihaiwei, none of them are involved in this affair, so they shall not be punished!”

Rebellion was indeed a crime deserving punishment, so Zhang Yue’s order to execute them immediately didn’t so much evoke feelings of pity as it did awe at his willingness to kill without hesitation. Yet, that sense of fear vanished the moment he said, “None shall be punished!” Even Wei Qing, who had been anxious, felt relieved. After leaving the city walls and preparing to greet the two approaching boats, Liu Zhong couldn’t help but ask Zhang Yue in a low voice, “You could have killed a few of the Han King’s heir’s followers to show strength. Why did you only target the officers in Weihaiwei? He’s a fourth-rank commandant, of the same rank as you. Killing him like that—be careful, or others might exploit this back in the capital.”

“On the contrary, no one from the Han King’s side can be touched now. Even if it’s a rebel prince, he’s still the emperor’s uncle. Acting arbitrarily, even with the emperor’s sword, would be overstepping my authority. As for those officers in the garrisons who were bribed or defected on their own…” Zhang Yue paused, lowering his voice further. “Killing a few as a warning can wake up those fools who can’t see reality. If a dozen die here, perhaps dozens or hundreds fewer will die in places like Chengshanwei!”

Under the setting sun, when Zhang Yue met Zheng Enming who came down from the boat, the main square of Weihaiwei was filled with gathered soldiers. Under everyone’s gaze, a dozen gleaming steel knives were raised high before falling heavily, emitting bright flashes of blood. Though many here were men who had killed and fought, and had seen executions in battle, it was usually the common soldiers who suffered; few officers were punished. But today, among those executed were commandants, governors, and even lieutenants and deputy lieutenants—each at least a hundredth-rank officer. Thus, after the initial shock of the executions, more people felt excitement.

These men, who used to appear so imposing before them, now became dead heads hanging high on the city gates!

Since Zheng He still needed to guard Nanjing, this time Zheng Enming was sent overseas with Wang Jinghong. After bowing respectfully, Zheng Enming delivered all of Zheng He’s instructions, passed on his adoptive father’s thanks and greetings, and then asked, “Lord Wang asks if we should proceed as planned and sail the treasure ships at sea?”
Zhang Yue nodded. “That’s right. Once the unrest in Shandong is settled, you’ll cross the sea to Japan. Japan has been in diplomatic isolation from our country for years. Your mission is twofold: first, to demand that they submit as vassals and pay tribute, as well as hand over the Japanese pirates who have invaded our borders; second, to sell the special products from the Jiangnan region carried on the ships. This trip will not only cover the expenses of the fleet but also yield a small profit. Oh, and don’t forget to investigate Japan’s current situation—rumors say it’s in great turmoil.”
Zheng Enming had traveled to the West several times with Zheng He and Wang Jinghong, but this was the first time he had received such orders. Still, thinking of how eager the accompanying soldiers were to go overseas and make a fortune, he, who had never been to Japan before, couldn’t help but feel excited as well. So, after staying in Weihaiwei City for one night, he immediately boarded the ship and returned.
Within three days, with the appearance of the treasure ships and the spread of news of the emperor’s personal expedition, places like Jinghaiwei and Chengshanwei gradually returned to peace. The heads hung high on the four gates of Weihaiwei City also served as a warning to those who had considered rebelling. Just as the emperor ordered preparations to set off, even more astonishing news spread.
The King of Han had died!
By the time Zhang Yue heard this news, he had already arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture. Although it was close to Le’an, and Jin Rong, the commander of Shandong, was said to have long pledged allegiance to the King of Han, Liu Zhong, who accompanied him, had deeper roots in Shandong. Thus, the group easily entered Qingzhou Prefecture, took control of the commander’s office on Dusi Street without a fight, and captured Jin Rong alive. Though he had wreaked havoc in places like Weihaiwei, Chengshanwei, Jinghaiwei, and Lingshanwei, he did not draw the emperor’s sword this time.
It was someone the emperor wanted to kill with his own hands—there was no need for him to rush and commit further evil.

Although he didn’t know how the news had spread, standing at the entrance of the military headquarters and hearing the cheers throughout the streets, he couldn’t help feeling relieved. He certainly didn’t doubt it was false news—with such a terrifying person lurking around Zhu Gaoxu, it was already a miracle he was still alive. Thinking that he didn’t need to send tens of thousands of troops to Shandong, nor engage in fierce battles to capture or defend cities, and that Zhu Zhanji wouldn’t have to pretend to be kind before finally roasting Zhu Gaoxu to death with a large copper vat, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

“Lord Zhang, Magistrate Ling has arrived!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue finally came back to his senses. Looking in that direction, he saw Magistrate Ling Hua walking swiftly toward him. After years apart, he had no idea what had happened in the court, but Ling Hua, due to his mediocre performance in evaluations, still remained steadily in his position as the magistrate of Qingzhou. When the two met, they stared at each other for a while before bowing deeply to one another. After standing up, Ling Hua, who had initially planned to exchange a few words as a greeting, couldn’t help but say something else.

“Lord Zhang, the people in Qingzhou’s streets are all in an uproar. They say your arrival brought good luck—now there’s no need for war or conscription, and people no longer have to worry about the legend of barren lands. They can live peacefully! Right now, both ends of Military Headquarters Street are blocked by soldiers; otherwise, the jubilant crowd would surely flock here, after all, you’ve spared them another disaster. To be honest, if it weren’t for official duties, I’d want to join in the celebration too!”

Seeing Ling Hua’s joyful expression, despite being twice his age, and hearing the growing noise outside, Zhang Yue also felt extremely gratified. It’s better to be a dog in peace than a person in chaos—though those words sound sad, they are undeniably true. After living in fear for so long, it’s no wonder the people were so jubilant.

At the east end of Military Headquarters Street, two young men in scholar’s robes, about the same age, stood under the eaves of a teahouse. Watching the people running around, cheering, and bowing in celebration, Tang Qingshuang couldn’t help but glance toward the military headquarters before turning to Tang Sair: “Third sister, you’ve done him such a great favor and helped him gain fame. Won’t you go see that smug guy and tease him a bit?”

“What does his fame have to do with me?”

Watching those joyful faces, Tang Sairen couldn’t help but sigh softly. For the first time in her life, she felt that her actions in the past might have been presumptuous. In the hearts of these people, avoiding war was the greatest good. After standing there with narrowed eyes for a while, she ordered, “Stop looking. It’s time for us to go.”
Although she was born and raised in Shandong, Tang Qingshuang had no fondness for this place filled with painful memories. Yet as she moved through the cheerful crowd, she was surprised to see a faint smile clearly on her usually cold and indifferent sister’s lips.