Chapter 43: The Scapegoat

The serving maids in the living room were heaping silent praise upon Zhang Chen. Chunlan, one of the maids, stole a glance at him, thinking to herself, "I am a maid of the inner court; I might have a chance to serve the master in his bedchamber. Heaven bless me, may the master summon me soon!"

"Following Zhang Chen's orders to pursue the pirates, Wang Shumeng and Zhang Da'an led over three hundred men and caught up with the pirates two miles south of Futou Village. More than two hundred pirates turned back to fight for their lives, only to be routed by the Zhangzhuang Militia using crude hand grenades."

Yang Fuli glanced at the mostly displeased faces of Zhao Chengxuan and the others, sensing that his comrades were eager to hear more about Zhang Chen’s battle against the Japanese pirates. However, that was not the focus of the day. Yang Fuli took a sip of water and continued:

"Wang Shumeng and Zhang Da'an seemingly acted on their own initiative; they did not pursue the pirates who scattered. Instead, they led their three hundred men into Futou Village, where they raped, killed, and plundered. They killed or wounded over a hundred villagers and raped dozens of young women."

"Afterward, Wang Shumeng and Zhang Da'an had their soldiers seize the village's gold, silver, jewelry, fine silks, iron, grain, cotton, and other valuables."

Yang Fuli looked at Zhang Chen again, a subtle signal for him to pin all the blame for the Futou Village incident on Wang Shumeng and Zhang Da'an. "Before the hour of the Ox, Wang Shumeng and Zhang Da'an returned to Zhangzhuang with the spoils. Subsequently, five hundred guards from the Futou Village wharf charged into the village, killing, looting, and burning everything that remained."

Having finished the briefing, Yang Fuli looked toward Zhao Chengxuan, a staffer for Governor Sun Yuanhua, Lieutenant Liu Lige of the Denglai Regional Military Command, and Liu Zongyuan, the magistrate of Dengzhou Prefecture.

Liu Zongyuan, whose role was akin to that of a modern police chief, stepped forward to define the nature of the incident: "There are bad apples everywhere. While it is undeniable that there were some pirates in Futou Village, the majority of the villagers were honest, hardworking, and simple-minded fishermen. For the Zhangzhuang Militia to pillage the village is no different from the actions of bandits; they are nothing but bandits!"

"The Futou Village incident has caused grave repercussions. The Zhangzhuang Militia must provide an explanation to the public."

Lieutenant Liu Lige, the father-in-law of Qi Dazhi, fixed a cold gaze on Zhang Chen. "Those who committed these crimes in Futou Village that night must be handed over. The gold, silver, jewelry, silks, iron, and grain looted from the Qishan Thousand-Household Office and Futou Village must be returned. Zhang Chen, you are to remain in Zhangzhuang for self-reflection while you await punishment from the Governor’s office and the Regional Military Command."

Without standing on ceremony, Liu Lige delivered his ultimatum. The people in the room, including the governor's staffer Zhao Chengxuan, were shocked. Zhang Chen held no official rank—he was merely a student—but the strength of his militia was formidable. They expected him to reject these terms, and they feared trouble was brewing.

Tian Xuewen had introduced everyone earlier, so Zhang Chen knew exactly who the Lieutenant was. Yet, Zhang Chen’s demeanor remained humble. With a look of deep shame, he replied, "The incident at Futou Village was indeed the fault of our Zhangzhuang Militia. We accept any judgment or penalty. I shall strictly follow General Liu's orders, though I do have a small matter I must explain."

"Speak!"

Lieutenant Liu Lige radiated authority. Privately, he scoffed at Zhang Chen, thinking that he was nothing but a sixteen-year-old brat whose hair had barely grown in; a stern face and a few threats would surely make the boy grovel.

"It won't be that simple; Zhang Chen won't be so compliant," Tian Xuewen and Qi Dazhi both thought. They knew the bastard was harboring some scheme and would never truly hand over the men or the wealth.

"That afternoon, Brother Qi personally came to our village to warn us that the Japanese pirates from Zhifu Island and the pirates from Futou Village were planning to attack us together. That was a threat to my very life! Our militia only has eight hundred men; we are by no means a match for those pirates."

Zhang Chen cursed, "Eight hundred men is far too few. That evening, I urgently recruited over a hundred young men from the ranks of the refugees; they were essentially temporary workers for our militia."

"I truly did not expect that those temporary workers would dare to commit such atrocities in Futou Village that night. It has severely tarnished our reputation. It is something neither an uncle nor an aunt could tolerate!"

Zhang Chen’s face filled with indignation. "As soon as I heard the news, I fired all of them!"

"General Liu, refugees are everywhere. Finding those hundred men is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Give us time, and our militia will certainly find them, capture them, and deliver them to the Regional Military Command."

Zhang Chen looked sincere. "One year... no, General Liu, three years at most. Within three years, our militia guarantees we will find those refugees and deliver them to your office."

"Temporary workers? A fitting term, Zhang Chen, you certainly have a way with words," thought Shi Keren, a prominent elder of Dengzhou. He turned to Zhang Chen, "Over a hundred people fled Futou Village that night and are afraid to return. They want to start small businesses in the county town to survive. Zhang Chen, you should return the gold, silver, and other valuables you took from them."

The room realized that by introducing the twenty-first-century concept of a "scapegoat temporary worker" to the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Chen was determined not to hand anyone over.

After the Futou Village guards had burned and looted the village, over a hundred survivors had fled. They had sought help from Shi Keren, who had reluctantly come to Dengzhou to report Zhang Chen, hoping only to recover some of the stolen wealth. Because Zhang Chen had insulted his wife earlier, Shi Keren was afraid to confront him directly at Zhangzhuang.

"You are fooling everyone, Zhang Chen; you are lying through your teeth."

Whether the men were handed over mattered little to Liu Lige, who glared at him. "Never mind the men for now. Zhang Chen, first you must hand over the gold, silver, jewelry, iron, grain, and silks looted from the Qishan Thousand-Household Office and Futou Village."

"No problem. In the defense of Zhangzhuang that night, our militia suffered hundreds of casualties. We have already spent the loot on treating the wounded and compensating the families of the fallen."

Zhang Chen gritted his teeth, his face pained. "The value of the gold, silver, jewelry, and other goods from the Qishan office and the village totals over forty-nine thousand six hundred taels of silver. I will take a loss and give you five thousand taels' worth of silk or copper instead."