There is an island opposite Qu County, named "Eagle Roost Island," said to be a frequent roosting place for flocks of eagles, hence its name.
It was precisely because of the complex terrain and treacherous waters of Qu County, Eagle Roost Island, and the surrounding area that pirates and other forces gathered here. If the imperial army came to suppress them, the pirates could use the complicated terrain of Eagle Roost Island to escape, or, if they could directly confront the imperial army, they could use Eagle Roost Island and Qu County to form a pincer attack.
Therefore, for Zhou Fugui to eliminate the pirates of Qu County, he had to cut off the connection between Qu County and Eagle Roost Island. However, the Snow Bear Army's navy was hastily assembled. The navy had only a few dozen boats of various sizes, most of which were civilian or merchant ships. The naval officers and soldiers were also newly recruited fishermen, and they had neither boats nor personnel. How could they fight the Zhen Ao pirates who had occupied the East Sea for over a hundred years?
In the past, the Qu County government was unwilling to interfere or manage the situation. However, Zhou Fugui absolutely refused to allow such a "paradise" for pirates to exist under his nose. He was therefore determined to destroy Qu County and this den of iniquity. Of course, Zhou Fugui's main goal was to kill one to warn a hundred, to let the Zhen Ao pirates taste their might, and thus to make them restrain themselves. As for what effect could be achieved, it was all up to fate.
Within Qu County, the populace was complex, and it was difficult to distinguish between civilians and pirates. Therefore, the elite troops of the Snow Bear Army were all deployed. As for the yamen runners, constables, and patrol officers of the East Sea Prefecture government, not a single one was brought along; they were not allowed to know about this operation at all.
Of course, before this, after Zhou Fugui learned of the existence of this "paradise" in Qu County from Huang Daimei, the scouts of the Eight Eyes Battalion, including Pan Jianguj and Yeli Hu, had conducted extensive investigations and inquiries, and had basically mapped out the veins of Qu County.
"Great Commander, there are three roads in and out of Qu County," said Suo Da, the deputy general of the Snow Bear Army, to reassure Zhou Fugui, and then explained the carefully considered plan to Zhou Fugui: "At the hour of the Ox, I, this subordinate, will personally lead five hundred soldiers to enter Qu County from the central route, with Yeli Hu leading the way, searching house by house for the culprits. General Baima Wu will lead the Zhenwu Battalion from the left flank, and General Wu Tianqi will lead the Yuanguai Battalion from the right flank. The remaining troops will surround Qu County. Young Master Dongye will lead the navy to encircle and annihilate any pirates attempting to escape by sea, and, by making a show of force, prevent the pirate ships on Eagle Roost Island from daring to easily rescue Qu County. By order of the Great Commander, any who dare to resist arrest shall be executed on the spot!"
"Indeed..." Zhou Fugui nodded, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Generals Xu Mancang and Xue Wentai.
"Great Commander..." Xu Mancang shouted loudly, "What about me? What am I supposed to do? Watch the show?"
"General Mancang speaks the truth, indeed!" Xue Wentai also shouted loudly, "I've been itching for a fight for a long time!"
"Hahahaha!" The generals burst into laughter upon hearing this.
This great monk from Guanzhong, aside from his abstinence from women, was capable of anything, be it killing, arson, drinking, or eating meat. He was nothing like a monk.
"Did you not hear General Suo's orders? The rest of you, guard the outside!" Zhou Fugui glared at Xu Mancang and Xue Wentai and said, "This is about apprehending thieves, not killing them. They may only be killed if they resist arrest. Do you two need to rush in and slaughter them?"
After Zhou Fugui dismissed Xu Mancang and Xue Wentai, he looked at Qu County in the twilight and said, "The people of Qu County are quite complex, and it is difficult to distinguish civilians from pirates. There are pirates among the civilians, and civilians among the pirates. Moreover, many of the people of Qu County were forced to serve the pirates out of desperation or were driven by profit; otherwise, they could not survive in this place. Therefore, we must not kill indiscriminately. We need to distinguish between the main and secondary culprits, between the good and the bad, and between the principal offenders and those who were coerced. I will certainly not be lenient with the wicked and desperate individuals. For those who were coerced, I will consider showing leniency and help them to reform and return to the righteous path."
"What the Great Commander says is indeed true!" the generals said in unison, bowing.
"What time is it now?" Zhou Fugui nodded and asked.
"Great Commander, it is the hour of the Sheep," replied Suo Dacheng.
"The hour of the Sheep? It's still early. I shall go on a personal inspection incognito today! Bi'e and Hu Jue, you two need not follow. You look like two black towers, too conspicuous," Zhou Fugui said.
"Great Commander..." Many generals, especially some of the Hu generals, did not understand the meaning of "personal inspection incognito" and were still confused. Li Qing, Suo Dacheng, and others were so frightened that they quickly advised him.
"If we're suppressing pirates, let's just suppress them. Why go on a personal inspection incognito?" Li Qing and Suo Dacheng thought to themselves. "What kind of mischief is he up to now?"
"What are you doing?" Zhou Fugui glared at Li Qing and Suo Dacheng and said, "Am I a delicate flower in a greenhouse? When I roamed the northern desert, what kind of treacherous places haven't I ventured into? Am I afraid of this mere small county? Pirates, I regard them as mere paper tigers!"
"Good!" Huang Daimei, who had been by Zhou Fugui's side and was still disguised as a man, exclaimed loudly, "Good!" and then smiled, "Great Commander, you bravely venture into danger, but be careful not to capsize in this small ditch..."
The generals stifled their laughter desperately, many of them turning red in the face.
The generals dared to laugh at Xu Mancang and Xue Wentai, but no one dared to laugh at Zhou Fugui, the Marquis of Pingliang, the Great Commander of the East Sea, the Prefect of East Sea Prefecture, and the commander of the Snow Bear Army.
"I won't capsize!" Zhou Fugui shot Huang Daimei a glare and turned to change into civilian clothes.
"Why are you following me?" Zhou Fugui asked, seeing Huang Daimei trailing him.
Did she want to watch him change? Zhou Fugui thought to himself with amusement.
"I... I want to go too," Huang Daimei stammered in reply.
"Go where? Go where? Go, go, go and find somewhere cool to stay..." Zhou Fugui rebuked, "That is a pirate's den. What are you doing there, you little girl? Be careful they don't eat you..."
"Fine, Zhou Fugui, you're crossing the river and demolishing the bridge..." Before Zhou Fugui could finish speaking, Huang Daimei said furiously, "Great Commander Zhou, you are disrespectful to your superiors, shameless, you..." *Mmph mmph mmph...*
...
"Who goes there? Stop!" At the entrance of Qu County, more than a dozen burly men shouted at Zhou Fugui and the four people approaching the gate of Qu County.
Under Huang Daimei's threat, Zhou Fugui had no choice but to take her on a "personal inspection incognito." Zhou Fugui had his hair in a bun, wore a small cap, and a coarse cloth garment with a cross-collar and narrow sleeves that reached his knees. He wore a sash around his waist, pigskin boots, and a heavy sword at his hip, dressed as a traveling merchant.
A traveling merchant, also known as a "peddler" or "itinerant merchant," was a merchant who had no fixed place of business and specialized in transporting goods in bulk for resale to sedentary merchants, without engaging in retail, and profiting from reselling. In this era, it was common for traveling merchants to carry swords or sabers, and some even carried crossbows and other weapons.
The Yan Dynasty government confiscated weapons shorter than a chi, but they could not confiscate them all, especially in remote areas that were beyond the reach of the Yan government's influence.
Huang Daimei was disguised as a young servant, a handsome and charming young servant who made people's hearts flutter... Zhou Fugui's two guards were named Wu Xi, a Han Chinese, and Ke Ba, a beast tamer rescued by Zhou Fugui from the grasslands. Both Wu Xi and Ke Ba were not tall but were exceptionally brave and strong.
"Who... who are you?" Zhou Fugui asked, feigning a fearful demeanor.
These gatekeepers were neither like soldiers nor civilians, and their appearance and attire were unusually ferocious, carrying gleaming weapons in their hands.
"You're from out of town, aren't you?" A large man twirled his wrist, brandished his saber, and replied, "We are from the Blood Crow Fort of Qu County!"
"Blood Crow Fort? What is that? Why are you stopping us?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"Jie jie jie jie!" A group of large men let out strange laughter, all looking at Zhou Fugui mockingly.
"Blood Crow Steals the Soul... He wants you to pay..." Huang Daimei couldn't help but whisper to Zhou Fugui.
"Haha, this young brother is sensible! You're so handsome and smooth-skinned, so tender. Are you a virgin? How about I show you a good time?" A large man laughed lewdly and reached out to pinch Huang Daimei's cheek.
"My good sirs, if you want money, we will pay. Why the physical contact?" Zhou Fugui grabbed the man's wrist with a smile.
Zhou Fugui was strong and skilled in grappling and combat. The man struggled with all his might to regain his wrist, but it was like a dragonfly trying to shake a towering tree. He only managed to turn his face red with exertion.
Zhou Fugui raised his hand to stop Wu Xi and Ke Ba, and then obediently took out his money.
Thus, before Zhou Fugui and his party could even enter the city, they were extorted for a considerable sum of money.
...
"Hmph, should they be killed?" Zhou Fugui and Huang Daimei walked side by side into the city, whispering coldly as they walked.
Zhou Fugui had not wanted to bring Huang Daimei to such a den of iniquity, no matter how she threatened him, but he considered her identity and reluctantly agreed.
In a moment of crisis, Huang Daimei could reveal her identity, and no one in Qu County would dare to touch her. However, it would be inconvenient to reveal Huang Daimei's identity at the city gate. Was she going to reveal her identity for a mere few coins and then return disappointed after coming with such enthusiasm?
"They took a few coins from you, and you want to kill people?" Huang Daimei said stubbornly, "The Blood Crow Fort has dealings with my father and his associates..."
"Hmph, birds of a feather flock together!" Zhou Fugui snorted again.
"What are you snorting about? Who are you calling birds of a feather? As if you're not part of the Qingyi Society... Ah!" Before Huang Daimei could finish speaking, a dark object fell from the sky with a "splat!" Splattered blood, and landed on the ground.
Huang Daimei screamed in fright.
What fell was a person, a dying man with a knife wound. A gaping hole had been gouged out of his chest, a bloody mess, his heart seemingly missing. Blood gushed out, and his limbs twitched. He was still alive, a truly terrifying sight.