Chapter 977: This Isn't Easy
Dozens of ships, hundreds of cannons!
This scene was terrifying. Large groups of musketeers surrounded them, raising their firearms, aiming as if ready to execute.
The world of pirates was brutal. The women and children had no idea their captors were the benevolent Gao Family Village militia; they only saw them as another band of pirates flying colorful banners. They genuinely believed these men would not hesitate to kill.
How could they not be terrified?
Wails and cries echoed for miles around...
The pirate ships in the distance couldn't bear it. Soon, the first pirate vessel approached, and as it drew near, a group of men leapt off, kneeling on the beach and shouting, "Don't fire, don't fire... We surrender, we surrender!"
Jiang Cheng murmured, "If Commander Chen were here for this, it would be perfect. I'm not much of an actor."
A Labor Reform Pirate piped up, "I can do it, sir! How about I go?"
Jiang Cheng replied, "Very well, you handle it."
The men were overjoyed. They rushed into the "execution zone," swiftly picking out their family members and pulling them aside to kneel.
With the cannons no longer aimed at them, they felt a sliver of peace.
But the elderly, weak, women, and children who remained unclaimed now wailed even louder.
The Labor Reform Pirate guffawed, "You see? Anyone who comes back to surrender, their wives, children, and elders will be spared. But if you don't surrender, just watch from afar as countless cannons blow your wives and children to smithereens!"
"Ahhh! We surrender too!"
Two or three more pirate ships immediately rushed over from the distance...
And so, another group of men entered the "execution circle," bringing out their wives, children, and elders.
Such actions were infectious. In mere moments, all the pirate ships had returned, and a vast crowd of pirates knelt across the beach, their wives, children, and elders kneeling beside them. All of them were utterly terrified, unsure of what fate awaited them.
Facing such surrendered troops, Gao Family Village had abundant experience.
First, they distributed food to calm them down, to prevent any desperate struggles.
Next, their crimes were announced, along with the duration of their Labor Reform, and rules such as a 40% reduction in sentence for self-surrender were read aloud. For young children, who could not possibly have committed any wrongs, it was announced that they would be granted household registration, restoring their civilian status. However, due to their young age and inability to live independently, they would temporarily remain with their parents during the Labor Reform period.
This comprehensive set of measures, previously highly effective with pacified refugees, proved equally useful now with the pirates.
All the pirates meekly accepted.
The elderly, weak, women, and children were separated and settled into the cabins of ten massive ships, while the male pirates were ordered to operate their own pirate vessels, becoming "pathfinders" for the Gao Family Village fleet.
With these pathfinders, the scattered small islands around Shengsi were much easier to deal with.
It didn't take long. Luhua Island, Huania Island, Anji Island, Shengsan Island, Huanglong Island, Beidingxing Island... every small island around the entire Shengsi Archipelago that could conceal people was swept clean by Gao Family Village. Pirates willing to surrender were all captured and made pathfinders; those who resisted to the last were dealt with on the spot and sent to feed the fish at the bottom of the sea.
Three days later...
The Shengsi Archipelago was completely pacified; not a single pirate remained.
With their warm-up complete, the previously greenhorn sailors had now gained some experience.
It was time to head for the Zhoushan Archipelago.
A dozen pathfinder pirate ships led the way, with forty-one Gao Family Village electric ships following slowly behind, all steadily sailing towards the Zhoushan Archipelago.
Jiang Cheng was quite excited. "I thought pacifying pirates would be incredibly difficult, but it turns out to be simple! We effortlessly dealt with the Shengsi Archipelago. The Zhoushan Archipelago shouldn't take much effort either."
Shi Lang poked his head out from behind. "Instructor Jiang," he said, "it's not that simple."
Jiang Cheng frowned. "But haven't we already swept the Shengsi Archipelago clean?"
Shi Lang sighed. "If it were that easy, the imperial court wouldn't have abandoned so many overseas islands. Alas... I've heard my father tell stories since I was a child. The court has actually launched countless bandit suppression campaigns just like ours. Each time, they managed to clear out all the pirates on the islands, just as we did."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng guessed there was more to the story.
Shi Lang continued, "But it was useless. Before long, new pirates would breed on the islands—whether domestic, Western, or Japanese."
Jiang Cheng gasped, "Oh?"
Shi Lang explained, "Empty islands lying there—who wouldn't want to claim them? It's not that the Great Ming didn't want them, but these islands would be cleared of bandits today, only for new ones to appear tomorrow. Cleared the day after, and new ones would appear the day after that. After endless struggles, the problem remained unsolved, and eventually, the court simply abandoned them."
Only then did Jiang Cheng fully understand. "So that's how it is!"
At that moment, Li Daoxuan also spoke. "Exactly! The reason the imperial court abandoned these islands is that they offered no benefit and only caused trouble."
Shi Lang asked, "Heavenly Lord, how can such a problem be solved?"
"It's not as difficult as it seems," Li Daoxuan said with a smile. "You just need to settle your own people on them and have them guard the islands well."
Shi Lang countered, "But our own people on the islands couldn't endure living like pirate families."
"Exactly!" Li Daoxuan affirmed. "The court couldn't station its people on the islands precisely because imperial soldiers couldn't live the same harsh life as pirates. It was too arduous. However, if your own people on the islands have ample logistical support and no hardships in life, then naturally, people will be happy to reside there."
Jiang Cheng heard this and suddenly understood. "Heavenly Lord, you mean that in the future, if we settle our own people on these islands and use our ships to provide them with ample logistical support, then they will naturally be able to guard these islands effectively?"
"While the method is simple," Li Daoxuan concluded, "it requires a strong nation, robust logistics, and abundant material resources." He left it at that.
The new generation of Gao Family Village would naturally grasp this principle.
Even in modern times, the world hasn't eradicated piracy. Somali pirates, for instance, still thrive. Why? Ultimately, it's because of insufficient national strength and internal strife, which create openings for pirates to survive.
If a nation is strong and its resources abundant, and its small islands are populated with its own people who are provided with ample guarantees, then there will be no sanctuary for pirates.
For example, modern-day Shengsi Archipelago is already home to many citizens who operate scenic areas, tourist boats, fish, and run agritourism guesthouses. Naturally, there is no longer any space for pirates to hide.
But for the Great Ming, this was still too early.
They could only rely on the diligent efforts of their people.
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