Yu Dayou weighed his words, but still spoke up to caution him. "If the coercion goes too far, I fear it may cause great unrest."
Wang Yan smiled. "General Yu, that's far too lacking in ambition. An old steed in its stable still aspires to race a thousand miles; Lian Po was old, yet still had a hearty appetite. So what if there is unrest? Whoever rebels, kill them. Put it down, and that's that. Great Ming is stable now. Anyone dreaming of replacing the imperial throne is a fool indulging in fantasy. Disorder is temporary; the people's peace and prosperity are what endure."
"Administrator, when that time comes, it will be the common people who descend into chaos. Even the Japanese pirates now were originally Great Ming subjects. Because sea trade was profitable, burning, killing, and plundering became a habit..."
Wang Yan waved a hand, cutting Qi Jiguang off. "Then they are not common people. They are beasts, and there is no need to pity them. Just kill them. Of course, if they can be captured alive, I prefer to take them alive. The two of you saw Shuntian Prefecture's condition all along the way to the capital—construction sites are everywhere. Those people would make excellent laborers. They eat little, work hard, and if they die, they die. Isn't that wonderful?"
"People must always pay the price for their choices. They brought calamity upon other people, raped and pillaged, committed every evil imaginable, seized money to drink and eat meat, and cheered in delight. They enjoyed it all. When death comes, they cannot say they regret it, say what they did before was wrong, and ask for another chance. They never gave the people they harmed another chance either. It has to be fair. Don't you two agree?"
Yu