Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 152 Pirate Liu Xiang

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Although it was their first meeting, the two sides found common ground and had a pleasant conversation. They reached an agreement on issues related to cooperation between government and business. Just as the meeting was about to end in a harmonious and friendly atmosphere, a servant came in and whispered something to Mu Tianyan. His smiling face immediately turned very ugly.

Liu Ye had already stood up to take his leave when he saw the governor's expression. Out of courtesy, he asked, "What is it that displeases the governor?"

Mu Tianyan gestured for him to sit down, saying, "Your unit is the most capable among the soldiers in Guangdong. In truth, only you can share my burden in this matter." It turned out that the matter was related to Liu Xiang, the biggest pirate in Guangdong.

Mu Tianyan's brother-in-law was a small-time merchant who bought spices from other merchants and resold them to Japan. Thanks to his brother-in-law's connections, he usually had a smooth life, with influence in both the legitimate and underworld circles. His fortunes had only improved since his brother-in-law was promoted to governor. However, a few days ago, two of his cargo ships, returning from Japan, were robbed by Liu Xiang's men near Xin'an. The silver they had earned, the goods they had purchased from Japan, and even the ships themselves were all stolen. The captain and crew were almost all killed; only a few quick-thinking crew members escaped by jumping overboard. Having never suffered such a loss, he immediately sought help from his brother-in-law.

Although Mu Tianyan was a governor, he had no control over the country but no control over the pirates. The Guangdong navy was no match for the pirates, and in the last battle to defend the provincial capital, it was wiped out by Liu Ye, so he could not be relied on at all.

So that's how it is. Liu Ye thought about it and realized that Liu Xiang was an opponent he couldn't avoid operating in the waters off Guangdong and Fujian. This might be a good opportunity for him to fight Liu Xiang openly and also do her a favor.

He declared righteously, "Now that I am a member of the imperial court, it is my duty to eliminate Liu Xiang and clarify the situation in the Guangdong waters!"

"Good!" Mu Tianyan was worried that he would refuse, but he was overjoyed when he heard this. "As long as this villain can be eliminated, I will certainly recommend him for credit. Also, if there is anything you need my help with, just let me know." If Liu Xiang could be completely eliminated, it would be extremely beneficial to him both publicly and privately. If he hadn't just been appointed governor and the governor-general was also newly appointed, he could have directly ascended to the position of governor-general based on this merit alone.

Since the governor had spoken, Liu Ye naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony: "Liu Xiang is the biggest pirate in Guangdong, with many men and ships under his command. I only have five warships, which is a huge shortage of resources. I would like to ask that you allocate enough shipwrights, timber, and silver so that I can rush to build more warships."

Mu Tianyan was quite embarrassed. Although Guangdong was a wealthy region, the provincial treasury was not very full. Ironically, at the request of the previous governor, they had finally managed to scrape together 200,000 taels of silver, only to use it to suppress Liu Ye. Now, the "culprit" that had caused the treasury's depletion was asking him for more money. He couldn't very well tell them that he had spent all the silver.

After considering it for a moment, he said, "The provincial treasury has no money either, and I am like a skilled cook without rice. How about this, the governor's office will issue you an IOU for 200,000 taels, which you can pay in advance, and the provincial treasury will repay you slowly in the future."