Chapter 256 Chen Wen
Chen Wen frowned, thinking of the rumor that Zhu Zixun seemed to be good at kung fu, he did not pursue the matter. After handing the portrait to the soldier, he looked up at Axin and others.

He looked them up and down, left and right, touched the arms of a few Green-Clothed Guards, and nodded with reluctant satisfaction.

Then he asked, "No matter how you got to the island, you have been aiding and abetting the tyrants and robbing ships in recent years. Even if the court shows leniency and spares you the death penalty, you will still be punished."

"Now there is a way to avoid severe punishment and protect your family and relatives. It depends on whether you are willing to do it."

Ah Xin already knew what Chen Wen wanted, and gritted his teeth and said, "Qian Hu, please speak."

"Join the army and register as a soldier." The captain said, "I can ensure that you and your family are safe."

Ah Xin clenched his fists, forced a smile after a moment, knelt down and said, "I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

The blue-clad guards behind him also immediately knelt down to show their submission.

Chen Wen helped Ah Xin up and corrected him, "It's not for me, but for the court."

Pan Jun stood aside holding the sword and watching, but he did not feel very happy.

Being drafted into the army in the Ming Dynasty was not much different from being imprisoned.

Please compare with her father and her brother.

Her father was drafted into the military because he "committed a crime", and his entire family was implicated as well.

This shows how bad military status is in this era.

Only by becoming a high-ranking official or being specially pardoned by the emperor could one be freed from criminal record and become a good person.

Her father was a convicted officer who was a soldier. If he was rehabilitated or met with an amnesty from the emperor, he could be freed and become a good man.

But for people like Ashin, or even Chen Wen, when one person joins the army, the whole family becomes candidate soldiers, as do their descendants.

Chen Wen promised in front of all the Qingyi Guards: "After you settle down, I will definitely have someone give you a piece of good land. You are all drifting on the sea, you should know that our Quanzhou Guard is still mainly engaged in farming, and there are not many times like this time to suppress bandits with great fanfare."

"So you don't have to worry about fighting. You can live the same way as before after settling down," Chen Wen said. "Even if there is a war, there will be military merits and spoils, so it's worth it!"

The Qingyi Guards were now a little happier, but Ashin remained silent.

Pan Yun also remained silent, watching the group of horses become unaware of anything and gradually evolve into cattle and horses.

The military farming system was an important military system of the Ming Dynasty. Military households were allocated land, and the garrisons also had their own military fields.

Old Zhu was actually a good man. He had a good idea: military households were exempt from taxes.

The land allocated to soldiers' families for farming is used to maintain their own living needs and they do not have to pay taxes to the state.

After all, there are always one or more laborers serving in the military and contributing to the country.

The military fields of the garrisons were public property and were cultivated by serving soldiers. Apart from fighting and training, their task was to farm.

The proceeds do not need to be handed over to the court, but all go to the army to be used for supporting and training troops.

So Zhu could proudly say, "I have millions of soldiers, but I don't spend a single grain of rice from the people."

He is a good man, but he is just dreaming.

To this day, 45 years have passed since Zhu Yuanzhang's death, but the royal family has not changed at all and continues Zhu Yuanzhang's dream of raising a self-sufficient army.

However, it was the Zhu family who took the lead in annexing the military land.

The total number of military farms now is at least one-third less than when Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, not to mention the per capita number of farms.

Her father wrote to her saying that after being exiled, he realized how hard life was for the soldiers at the border.

These border soldiers not only refer to exiled criminals and their families, but also include soldiers who originally joined the army normally.

Those who have been military households for generations and have been soldiers at the bottom of society for generations are the ones who live in darkness.

According to her father, he saw as many as eighty deserters in just one year.

Moreover, none of them were criminals; they were all normal military soldiers.

Pan Yun sighed, stepped forward and patted Ah Xin on the shoulder and said, "You and I have lived and died together, so before I leave, I will give each of you a peace amulet."

Ah Xin was stunned for a moment, then he bowed humbly and said seriously: "Thank you, Taoist Sanzhu. If you need anything in the future, just come to Quanzhou to find Ah Xin. Although Ah Xin is weak, as long as you can use me, I will not hesitate to die."

Pan Yun: "...I don't need you to repay me. I just drew the talisman for you because I feel sorry for you."

Ah Xin raised his head and said seriously, "Master Sanzhu cares for us, and we should repay him. It's just that we are weak and can't help him much."

The other Green Guards also immediately clasped their fists and promised in all seriousness, "For the sake of our benefactor, we will die in pieces!"

Pan Jun opened his mouth and decided to give them another lucky charm, hoping that they would have good luck in the future.

Chen Wen on the side: ...

He silently turned his head to look at Pan Yun. This was the effect he wanted, but...

At the same time, the golden bar of the spiritual realm was moving forward slowly and steadily. Pan Yun took a look and saw that it was increasing by +10+10, a series of +10...

Pan Jun couldn't help but look at Ashin and the others again. Great, brothers. It's worth my kindness to you.

Chen Wen coughed lightly, attracting everyone's attention. When he met Pan Jun's eyes, Chen Wen forced a smile at her, then looked up and said gently to Axin and others: "Go and see who your relatives are. Point them out, and take them back to the barracks with us." Axin agreed, and took the Blue Guards to salute Pan Jun again, then hurried over to find his family.

Chen Wen looked at Pan Jun with a smile and asked, "Where is Taoist Sanzhu from?"

Pan Yun: "Jiangxi."

Chen Wen was puzzled. "The accent doesn't sound like it."

The most annoying thing about officers and soldiers is that they care the most about people’s accents.

Pan Jun forced a smile and said, "I am a student of Longhushan Academy."

Xuanmiao came over and asked Chen Wen, "Chen Qianhu, listen, what accent do you think I have?"

Chen Wen immediately restrained himself and said calmly: "Master Xuanmiao, do you know Taoist Sanzhu?"

Xuanmiao: "She is my junior sister, dear."

Chen Wen opened his mouth slightly, his expression became more restrained, and he clasped his fists towards Pan Yun and said, "I'm sorry for offending you just now."

Pan Jun waved her hand nonchalantly. This man had a handsome face and a righteous air. Although he led Ashin and others into a trap, he also led them from another big trap to a small one. So she had no opinion on him and even admired him a little.

Not all officers and soldiers can accept a group of pirates as their subordinates.

Pan Yun asked: "You guys are only going to fight this once, why don't you pursue the victory and wipe out the other pirates as well?"

Chen Wen: "This is a matter of great importance, and it cannot be decided by my will alone."

"What does Captain Chen personally think?"

Chen Wen said: "Of course it is better to pursue the victory. If we can connect several guard posts along the southeast coast and attack together, we may be able to drive back the big pirates along the coast and ensure peace for a long time."

"Is it the court that disagrees?"

"On the sea... the court doesn't think pirate attacks are a big deal. They can't stay on land for long anyway. They will retreat after robbing and won't lose cities or land. The court doesn't want to cause trouble." Captain Chen said, "And if we want to send troops, we need funds from the court for armaments, ships, and food."

Pan Yun reminded secretly: "The pirates have been plundering for many years, and there must be a lot of treasure hidden in the base camp. The pirates are robbing the pirates. Oh, I mean, suppressing the bandits is also a big income."

At this moment, Captain Chen felt that Pan Jun was still a naive child. He smiled and said, "Master Sanzhu is thinking too simply. Not to mention whether we can break through their base camp, even if we do, we may not be able to find the treasures they looted."

"I heard that many pirates hide their treasures in Japan," Chen Wen emphasized, "Not only the pirates in Japan, but also the pirates here."

The big pirates of our country have close ties with Japan. After becoming pirates, they go to Japan more often than they return to Ming Dynasty.

Many pirates even settled directly in Japan.

A big pirate usually has three homes: one in the Ming Dynasty, one on the island where he stays, and one in Japan.

God knows where he hid his treasure?
It costs a lot for a large army's ships to go out to sea, and they cannot afford to take the risk of this one-third possibility.

Pan Jun lowered her eyes and thought of the nautical chart in her hand.

She looked Chen Wen up and down, turned around and took Xuanmiao away, leaving Chen Wen confused.

Pan Yun asked Xuan Miao quietly, "Senior Sister, if I cooperate with the navy to seize a treasure site, can they give me some?"

Xuan Miao glanced at her, "Are you short of money?"

Pan Yun thought for a moment and said, "It's not that I'm short of money, but who would complain about having too much money?"

Xuanmiao said: "I don't know about others, but Chen Wen will. This time the three parties have joined forces, the spoils obtained by Jianghu Alliance and Tianshi Mansion do not need to be handed over to the government army, and they can keep them for themselves."

Pan Yun suddenly realized, "I thought, it's impossible that so many people would come to kill the bandits just for the sake of justice."

Xuan Miao's face darkened, and he said coldly, "The reason why the Jianghu Alliance and Tianshi Mansion took action this time is because the Japanese pirates came ashore not long ago, bypassed the city and massacred two villages. There happened to be Taoist priests and knights passing by, and three of them died, and two escaped with serious injuries. The Japanese pirates who went out this time included not only ronin with high martial arts skills, but also witches and Yin-Yang masters of Yin-Yang Taoism."

Xuanmiao: "In my Ming territory, a foreign bandit burned, killed, and looted, ignoring the existence of the Jianghu Alliance and the Tianshi Mansion. Do you think they should be killed?"

Pan Yun's face turned serious and he said in a deep voice: "He deserves to be killed!"

Xuan Miao turned and left: "So we killed him."

Pan Yun lowered his eyes and thought, the island has been destroyed, and after a while, the people behind it will definitely know about it.

By then, wouldn't they go to the island to transfer their belongings?
They say that only nautical charts can be used to go up there, but who knows how many nautical charts they have privately?

So they have to speed up.

Are there any ships and people faster than the navy?
Pan Jun made up his mind and ran after Xuan Miao, "Senior Sister, when are we going to Changzhou Prefecture?"

Xuanmiao: “Anytime.”

"Then let's go a few days later. I have something else to do."

Pan Jun decided to talk to Chen Wen soon. If there was a one-third chance of not taking the gamble, then what about the one-hundred percent chance of going?

Pan Yun picked up the little black cat and happily went to look for someone.

　good night

　　
　
(End of this chapter)