We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Li Che's eyes turned cold, and he continued to ask: "The government doesn't care? Is the Fuzhou governor just sitting there and watching?"

"Government?" The old man smiled bitterly. "Of course they do. Why haven't they done anything about it?"

"At the beginning of the year, the governor was also ruthless and sent the government troops to clear out the rebellion."

"But those soldiers under the officials may be able to bully the common people on weekdays, but when they really face those ruthless Japanese pirates, they are like sheep walking into the tiger's mouth."

The old man's voice was filled with fear: "I heard that not far from here, at Xiawei Island, the government fleet was ambushed and killed by Japanese pirates... It was a tragic death! "Thousands of people, but only a few came back alive. Since then... Your Excellency the Governor... Alas..."

The old man sighed heavily, and the rest of his words were self-explanatory.

The government was frightened and dared not send troops again, and even did not dare to report to the court. They hid behind the walls of Fuzhou and let the people fend for themselves.

Li Che's anger grew even stronger. Just outside the port of Fuzhou, where the Feng State fleet frequently visited, the Japanese pirates had become so rampant!

He took a deep breath and said solemnly to the old man, "Thank you for telling me, old man. Please keep these snacks and take care of yourself."

Li Che asked his personal guards to keep all the snacks and did not dare to leave more for the old man, as he alone could not keep it.

Returning to the children, Li Cheng keenly felt that Li Che's aura had changed, and asked uneasily:

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

"Daddy is fine." Li Che suppressed his anger and bent down to pick up Li Cheng. "Qubing, Yue'er, Hao'er, we should go back."

Silence all the way.

The children were all very sensible. Seeing that Li Che didn't say anything, they knew that their father was in a bad mood, so no one spoke to disturb him.

After walking for a while, Li Che calmed down.

He just felt that this matter was not right no matter how he thought about it. Japan was Fengguo's primary target of attack. Once Fengguo's naval fleet reached an overwhelming scale, they would go there and destroy the island. Therefore, Li Che sent a lot of night watchmen and scouts to the island.

The so-called Japanese pirates were mostly armed merchants who robbed the western coast of Japan in the early days. They lived in seclusion on uninhabited islands and watched for merchant ships to plunder.

There is no way that Japanese pirates of this strength could cross the strait and come to Fuzhou to commit crimes.

The large-scale Japanese pirates basically appeared in the later period. Some feudal lords who failed in the war organized samurai, merchants and ronin to go to the coastal areas of China to rob, burn and kill.

But the situation in Japan is still stable now, how could there be Japanese pirates of this scale?

I'm afraid there's something fishy about this matter!

Back at the inn where he was staying, the coldness on Li Che's face had not yet dissipated.

Seeing Li Che returning, Li Lin and others came to greet him.

When Li Hao saw Hu Qiang, his eyes lit up immediately and he ran over with his hands open: "Uncle Hu!"

Hu Qiang smiled innocently, squatted down and carefully picked up Li Hao.

Perhaps because they have the same hobbies, the two foodies, one big and one small, have a good relationship. Hu Qiang is also the only military general in Feng State who can be called uncle by the children.

Hu Qiang is Li Che's true minister in the palace. He received the big gift package left by the original owner. This favor is something that no one can envy.

If His Highness succeeds to the throne in the future, although Hu Qiang does not have any military achievements of leading an independent army, with his loyalty and qualifications, he should at least be granted the title of Duke.

The three children were taken away by Hu Qiang to rest, leaving only Li Che, Li Lin, Princess Yan, and a few confidants in the private room.

Li Che told what he had seen and heard, and the heavy atmosphere almost froze.

Li Lin slammed his fist on the table, causing the tea bowls to clink.

He was seasick and his face was pale, but now it turned red with anger:

"How can this be! In broad daylight, in clear heaven and earth! The Japanese pirates are so rampant, treating the people of Daqing like pigs and dogs!"

"The government soldiers are incompetent, and the governor is incompetent! If it were you, Sixth Brother, move the fleet over here and blockade the sea. I'd sacrifice my life to slaughter these beasts myself!"

He had a strong temper and hated to see the people suffer. At this moment, he was furious.

Li Che was silent, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously.

Seeing the Princess of Yan opposite, with her eyebrows slightly furrowed and a thoughtful look on her face, Li Che asked:

"Sister-in-law, do you have anything to say?"

Li Che knew his sister-in-law's wisdom, and when he was in Yan, she often gave Li Lin advice and had unique insights.

I didn't bring any counselors with me on this trip because my sister-in-law's wisdom is no less than that of the ministers in the cabinet.

"Your Highness, please be patient." Princess Yan first comforted Li Lin, "This matter...I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Li Che and Li Lin's eyes were instantly focused on her.

Princess Yan pondered for a moment and analyzed clearly:

"First, the strange thing is why did the Japanese pirates only plunder fishermen and small merchant ships?"

"If they really had the ability to plunder merchant ships and attack ports, why didn't they leave the mountains of cargo and wealthy merchant ships at the docks untouched? Why did they only target the poorest, most vulnerable fishermen?"

"This is illogical. It's more like they're being cautious, or deliberately avoiding certain targets."

"Secondly, no matter how weak the Fuzhou soldiers are, they are still the troops under the command of the prefecture. Their numbers and equipment are far superior to those of the roaming Japanese pirates."

"In the Battle of Xiawei Island, the entire army was annihilated. Are the Japanese pirates really that powerful, or is there something else going on?"

"Did the government troops truly do their best? The governor didn't report the incident to the court, nor did he seek assistance from neighboring prefectures. Instead, he retreated to the city and watched the Japanese invasion spread. This attitude itself is worth pondering."

"Third," Princess Yan looked at Li Che with a deep gaze, "and the most important point."

"In the past three years, the Fengguo Fleet has made hundreds of trips to Fuzhou Harbor. Their ships are strong and their artillery is powerful, making them a formidable force."

"But according to that old man, the Japanese pirates didn't dare to provoke the Fengguo fleet. Once or twice is a coincidence, but a hundred times? There hasn't been a single conflict?"

"This is too deliberate, as if the Japanese pirates knew the route, size, and even the deterrent power of the Fengguo fleet very well and were deliberately avoiding it."

Li Che suddenly understood and the doubts in his heart suddenly dissipated, but his brows were furrowed even tighter.

"I dare to speculate that these so-called Japanese pirates may not all come from overseas."

"Their identities may not necessarily be genuine Japanese. They are very likely to have close ties with certain people in Fuzhou City, or even with the Fuzhou government office."

"They disguised themselves as Japanese pirates, but actually carried out looting. This allowed them to reap huge profits while also allowing them to shirk responsibility and attribute all their evil deeds to the Japanese invasion. This would draw the attention of the imperial court and Fengguo to the vast ocean rather than to the city of Fuzhou."

"Hiss..." Li Lin gasped, the anger on his face instantly replaced by shock. "Princess, are you saying... that officials and bandits colluded and stole from the company?"

Li Che's pupils suddenly shrank, and fragments of his past life's history flooded into his mind.

The vast majority of the Japanese pirates who were rampant along the coast in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were coastal smugglers, pirates, and even bankrupt fishermen who were forced into a desperate situation!

They either colluded with real Japanese pirates or directly pretended to be Japanese pirates, and worked together with the powerful people, clerks, and even some corrupt officials along the coast, forming a huge chain of interests.

The government also reaped the benefits, after all, the head of a real Japanese pirate was much more valuable than a fake one.

Even if they were discovered by the imperial court, they only needed to catch a group of low-level fake Japanese, change their hairstyle, cut off their heads and send them over. Who in the court would go to see them in person, and who could tell the difference?

"Sister-in-law, what you said is absolutely right." Li Che said, "These pirates are familiar with the terrain, understand the movements of the government troops, and are even more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Fengguo fleet. That's why they can plunder so accurately and avoid the enemy's attack so coincidentally."

"The Governor of Fuzhou... Humph! I'm afraid it's no longer a question of unreliability. He himself might be part of this cancer, or at least an insider and a shielder!"

Li Che felt a little guilty, and he was also responsible for this matter.

He didn't trust the Fuzhou prefect, so when Fengguo invested in the construction of the wharf, he sent a number of officials who graduated from Fengguo University to accompany him to settle the accounts.

The Fuzhou government certainly did not dare to embezzle its own money, but it could not gain more benefits, so it started with the people.

Li Che said, "It seems that no one in the Fuzhou government office can be trusted. If we want to eradicate this threat, we can only rely on ourselves."

"On our own?" Li Lin frowned. "We're in Fuzhou, a place we don't know anywhere, and we have no soldiers or generals. How can we investigate? How can we suppress the situation?"

"It seems that in this case, I'm afraid we can only notify the fleet or mobilize troops from Fengguo."

Princess Yan shook her head and said, "No! If the Japanese pirates are behind the Fuzhou government office, then we will definitely confront them. Sending troops from Fengguo to attack the provincial capital is a taboo!"

Princess Yan was halfway through her words, but Li Che already understood what she meant.

The situation in the court is becoming more and more complicated. Emperor Qing is getting older and his health is getting worse.

As people get older, they become suspicious, especially as their bodies become weaker.

Although Emperor Qing had not yet shown any suspicion of him, Li Che had to be careful in his words and actions and not be too reckless.

At this moment, Li Lin suddenly had an idea and slapped his thigh. "Wait! There's more than just the useless Fu Bing army in Fuzhou City. There's another person who also has soldiers under his command!"

"Who?" Li Che asked immediately.

"Old Ten!" A glint flashed in Li Lin's eyes. "After our father reduced the feudal system, the original princes were all transferred and renamed. Old Ten was renamed Prince of Fu, and his fiefdom is right here in Fuzhou City."

"Although he has lost his fiefdom's power and is confined to Prince Fu's palace, he still has 3,000 personal guards as per regulations."

"These personal soldiers are all veterans brought from Prince Tan's Mansion. They are truly elite warriors who have experienced many battles. They are definitely not comparable to those weaklings of the Fuzhou Palace soldiers."

The Tenth Prince? The former King of Tan?!

Li Che's mind suddenly became clear. He had almost forgotten about his youngest brother.

Among all the princes, the Tenth Prince has the best relationship with him except Li Lin.

At that time, the elder was still young and could not be of much help to him. Li Che did not want him to get involved in the political struggle, so they had no contact.

Li Che's eyes flashed with brilliance: "Yes, although Prince Fu has no real power, his personal guards are intact and their combat effectiveness is still there."

"If we can get his help, we will have a great chance of defeating this group of Japanese pirates and investigating their collusion with the Fuzhou government."

Li Lin immediately said excitedly: "What are we waiting for? Let's go to Prince Fu's Mansion now!"