Chapter 141: Pirate King – Chen Zuyi

Within the Wuying Hall, Xu Huizu waited anxiously. Upon hearing a sound behind him, he quickly turned around to see Zhu Yunwen striding towards him.

“No need for formalities, just get to the point,” Zhu Yunwen said, walking past Xu Huizu to the desk, where he took a seat.

Xu Huizu hurriedly presented a memorial document, and Shuangxi received it and handed it over to Zhu Yunxuan.

“Your Majesty, Zheng He engaged the Japanese pirates in a major battle outside the port of Ningbo. He destroyed twenty-six pirate ships and killed over seven hundred pirates. It’s a great victory,” Xu Huizu reported solemnly.

Zhu Yunwen scanned the memorial and said, “If it’s just a great victory, there’s no need for you to rush into the hall to report. Speak up, what else is there that I don’t know?”

Xu Huizu’s expression turned serious as he said, “Your Majesty, the garrison in Taizhou has captured some Japanese pirates. After interrogation, it was revealed that the coastal activities of the pirates are closely related to one person. Zheng He has now led his fleet southward, specifically targeting this individual.”

“Who?” Zhu Yunwen’s gaze became sharp.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Huizu replied, “Chen Zuyi!”

“Chen Zuyi?” Zhu Yunxuan furrowed his brows slightly; the name was not unfamiliar.

A man captured by Zheng He and later beheaded by Zhu Di.

Yet now, before Zheng He set sail to the Western Seas, this fellow was causing trouble again?

With a stern expression, Xu Huizu continued, “Your Majesty, Chen Zuyi is no ordinary person; he is a formidable pirate leader.”

“Oh?” Zhu Yunwen was somewhat skeptical. “How formidable is he?”

As Xu Huizu provided more details, the strength of Chen Zuyi began to unfold, making Zhu Yunxuan retract his contempt.

During the Hongwu period, due to committing a crime, Chen Zuyi fled with his entire family to Nanyang’s^[1]Nanyang is the Chinese term for the warmer and fertile geographical region along the southern coastal regions of China and beyond, otherwise known as the ‘South Sea’ or Southeast Asia. Srivijaya Empire (present-day Indonesia), Palembang^[2]渤林邦国.

The Maharaja^[3]King of Palembang, recognized Chen Zuyi’s capability in handling affairs. As Chen Zuyi often seized wealth and resources, benefiting him, he was appointed as a high-ranking general.

Chen Zuyi thus established his position, and after the death of the ruler of Palembang, he gathered numerous pirates, proclaimed himself as a King.

However, the title of king couldn’t restrain Chen Zuyi, especially with the pirate flag calling him.

Though there might not have been a “ONE PIECE” at the time, Chen Zuyi clearly was a man desiring wealth, fame, and power.

So, the pirate flag fluttered high, the momentum was grand, and their strength grew steadily.

With power came audacity, and they plundered passing ships and many coastal towns.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally displeased.

But Chen Zuyi was cunning. Several attempts by the Ming navy to capture him ended in failure, as he always managed to escape. With the vast sea, finding someone was not easy, leaving Old Zhu no choice but to resort to bounties.

Take a piece of paper, draw Chen Zuyi’s appearance, and write the reward amount:

Five hundred thousand taels of silver.

Add a phrase: Dead or alive.

Later, when Zhu Di came to power, he continued this practice. However, Zhu Di was more extravagant than Zhu Yuanzhang, setting the reward amount at:

Seven million five hundred thousand taels of silver.

Alright, at that time, the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty was no more than ten million taels of silver, and directly offered seventy-five percent of it.

From a certain perspective, Chen Zuyi was likely the most valuable pirate worldwide; his head was worth more than those heads worth billions of Beri^[4]refer to currency used in One Piece.

However, speaking of rewards, it works well in the inland areas, mobilizing the masses, and searching every household, which can lead to finding the person. But Chen Zuyi is not on the mainland; he is in the South Seas. Even if a reward is issued, it’s unlikely that anyone can take on this task, right?

After all, the profession of bounty hunting hadn’t developed yet, and Old Zhu could only stare at the wanted poster in frustration.

In fact, wanted posters could only deal with less prominent figures. By the time of Zhu Yunwen’s reign, Chen Zuyi had already become a bona fide pirate king.

With a crew exceeding ten thousand, over a hundred warships, and an abundance of small boats, Chen Zuyi’s pirates raided areas stretching from the South China Sea to the waters near Guangzhou, the Ryukyu Islands, the East China Sea, and eventually even as far as the vicinity of Japan.

With such a powerful pirate force, it’s not something that can be easily dealt with by sending a few ships.

Last year, Li Jinglong left the capital for Guangzhou, and the direct reason was the rampant piracy in the waters of Guangzhou. The mastermind behind it was none other than Chen Zuyi!

Now that the Japanese pirates are gathering and launching large-scale attacks, it turns out that Chen Zuyi is behind it all!

Zhu Yunwen has no intention of continuing the bounty; since Chen Zuyi is so rampant, it is only right for him to meet his end at sea.

“Your Majesty, Zheng He leads a navy with only twenty warships and two thousand soldiers. Rushing southward poses great danger. I implore Your Majesty to immediately order Zheng He to withdraw!” Xu Huizu earnestly requested.

Zhu Yunwen frowned; indeed, the fleet and personnel led by Zheng He seemed a bit thin. He glanced at the memorial on the desk and asked, “Why didn’t Zheng He mention Chen Zuyi in the report? Does he know about Chen Zuyi or not?”

Xu Huizu hesitated before saying, “Currently, we cannot be sure, but based on Zheng He’s report and the direction he is heading, it seems he has been pursuing the Japanese pirates and is aware that someone is manipulating them. I am afraid this might be a trap…”

“Dare Chen Zuyi set a trap for the Ming Navy?” Zhu Yunwen asked sharply.

With a bitter expression, Xu Huizu looked at Zhu Yunxuan and said, “Your Majesty, Chen Zuyi is a pirate. In recent years, the tribute from overseas countries to the Ming Dynasty has decreased. Only Siam, Champa, Ayutthaya, and Ryukyu still present tributes. Not that these overseas countries don’t want to come, but the sea routes are blocked.”

“Chen Zuyi blocked the sea routes, obstructing and plundering the tribute ships from these countries. This has happened more than once or twice. Such a daring and bold person may not refrain from setting traps for our navy. Your Majesty, we must be cautious.”

Zhu Yunwen squinted his eyes and asked, “Where is Zheng He now?”

Shaking his head, Xu Huizu replied, “Currently, there is no accurate information. If there are no delays on the way, he should be in the waters of Fujian, and within two days, he will enter the waters of Guangzhou.”

Zhu Yunwen stood up, carefully examined the map, and said, “The fleet is too far from the capital. Even if we send messages, it won’t be in time. In my opinion, Zheng He won’t directly enter south seas and attack Chen Zuyi.

Xu Huizu sighed, “Your Majesty, under normal circumstances, it might not happen. However, if the Japanese pirates continue to serve as bait, and someone intentionally lures the Ming navy to a certain place, what should we do?”

Being lured as bait can easily lead to a loss of rationality and judgment.

After contemplating for a while, Zhu Yunwen smiled faintly and said to the worried Xu Huizu, “Minister Xu, you still don’t understand Zheng He. He is not an impulsive military commander, and Zhang Yu, Zhu Neng, and others are not ordinary individuals either. Even if Chen Zuyi set a trap, it cannot trap Zheng He, this big fish.”

Xu Huizu didn’t know where Zhu Yunwen’s confidence came from.

Xu Huizu had investigated Zheng He. Before this, besides serving as a guard accompanying Zhu Di on expeditions, he had no military experience or experience in long-distance navigation.

This was not a remarkable person.

However, the Emperor seemed to have full confidence in him.

Zhu Yunwen stared at the waters of Guangzhou and asked, “Where is Duke of Cao?”

“Reply to your Majesty, he should still be at the Yangjiang Shipyard.”

“Yangjiang?”

Zhu Yunwen traced along the map with his finger and finally pointed to the location of Yangjiang, saying, “This is a good location.”

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