Chapter 1756 Pirates appear, please pay attention
Xiao Cuo looked calm and asked: "Are you sure it's correct?"
If Fang Jun tries to reverse course and seems to be sailing north, he is actually just taking a detour. He will only have to wait at Wangpanshan. Once the merchant ships here sail out of the Qiantang River Estuary and go to sea, they will be caught...< br>
The private soldier said: "Confirmed, the information returned by the five sentinels is consistent and there is nothing abnormal."
Wang Qi, who was young and energetic at the side, said proudly: "Why do you need to be so cautious, cousin? This time we are keeping a low profile and strictly controlling our servants. No news will be spread. How could Fang Jun know about this action? Even if If you know it, you will just think that we are just making a small fuss and won’t take it seriously.”
Xiao Cuo couldn't stand the arrogance of this boy, so he frowned and lectured: "Be careful in sailing the ship of ten thousand years. Everything can be caused by carelessness. You are young, so you should be more prudent."
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That being said, he actually agreed with Wang Qi's view.
However, I have always been unhappy with this boy, and even scorned him for coveting his own daughter. Your Langya Wang family has long been in decline. Do you think this is the time when "kings and horses share the world"?
Bao Xi, who had been silent all the time, said: "The arrow has to be fired when it is on the string. Since the news is that Fang Jun has gone north, we should not hesitate and set off immediately."
Xie Wenhua also said: "That's right."
Xiao Cuo nodded, stood up suddenly, and loudly ordered: "Then set off immediately, pull anchor and set sail!"
"No!"
The private soldier received the order and left quickly to deliver the order.
Several people in the room stood up one after another, followed Xiao Cuo and strode out of the hut, heading straight to the merchant ships parked by the river.
A moment later, orders one after another spread across both sides of the Qiantang River. Countless merchant ships pulled up anchors and raised sails, slowly sailing out of the river mouth along the turbulent river current...
*****
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's eastward expedition to Goguryeo resulted in a large number of elite naval forces being defeated and dissipated in battles. The entire Sui naval force was unable to recover. Countless officers, soldiers, civilians, and bandits became pirates and wreaked havoc across the oceans. After the fall of the Sui Dynasty and the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the land threats from the Turks, Tubo, Tuyuhun and other countries became more and more serious year by year. At the most critical moment, the Turks even attacked the hinterland of Guanzhong, forcing His Majesty Li Er to sign an alliance under the city.
Since then, the Tang Dynasty has worked hard to govern and finally defeated some powerful enemies such as the Turks and Tuyuhun, and consolidated the security of the long border.
However, the construction of the navy has never been paid attention to, and it is unable to pay attention to it.
The sea has become a paradise for bandits...
Pirates were allowed to come and go as they pleased in the Wanli Sea Territory, but from passing merchant ships, they would be charged tolls based on the value of the goods, often three or four every ten, or more serious, they would plunder the goods and kill people and silence them.
The navy of the Tang Dynasty was useless and did not even dare to stay away from the coastline. On the other hand, they were killed by the arrogant pirates as a caravan...
During the decades of glory, countless pirates fought and annexed each other, gradually forming several groups of pirate water pirates entrenched in the East China Sea. Among them, the "three major gangs" were led by the "Three Gangs", who traveled across the sea and plundered the waterways of Goguryeo, Silla, and Japan. , even if the large food fleet from the west wants to trade on the southeast coast, it will be easy to win over these pirates, otherwise they will kill people and hide from the ship.
Even the powerful Dashi fleet, which often has hundreds of ships operating together, would be in danger of encountering these local snakes...
These chaotic years were finally put to rest until the birth of the Royal Navy.
Although the notorious Gai Dahai does not belong to one of the "three major gangs", the hundreds of gangsters under his command can be regarded as a powerful force among the pirates entrenched in the vast sea. However, after the Royal Navy formed an army, they suppressed the pirates. The bandits were wiped out in the first battle, and the shock caused caused all the pirates on the East China Sea to remain silent!
When the Royal Navy became famous in foreign lands, almost all pirates felt the panic of impending doom. Facing the Royal Navy's new warships and powerful artillery, retreating became the only way to survive...
As a result, some far-sighted pirates have fled to the deepest parts of the continent, using intricate waterways and underwater reefs to avoid the threat of the Royal Navy. Some are unwilling to give up the huge profits on the route or are too confident. The pirates were surrounded and killed one by one by the Royal Navy in the days that followed.
Everyone knows that on this vast sea, the Royal Navy is the super invincible existence. All opponents who try to struggle in front of it will eventually be completely defeated...
The Royal Navy will not sit back and watch the "three major gangs" still exist under its nose. It has carried out several encirclement and suppression campaigns. The "three major gangs" have been completely destroyed. Only some small groups of pirates have settled on no fixed islands. With few ships and few nimble actions, they wandered deep into the continent in the sea and escaped several encirclements and suppressions.
*****
Xianglu Island is a small island close to the depths of the sea among the thousands of islands in Haizhongzhou. Strictly speaking, it is just a huge reef rising out of the water. The island has sparse vegetation and no fresh water. From a distance, it looks like an incense burner placed in the sea. , hence the name.
Although this island is not suitable for habitation and there are no fishermen on the island, it does have a natural waterport surrounded by three sides, which has become a gathering place for pirates.
The storms on the vast sea are dangerous, and in the face of hurricanes and rainstorms that come from time to time, if there is no harbor to hide, the end result can only be that the boat will be capsized and people will die...
This island is far away from the shipping lanes and is surrounded by dense reefs. Unless someone is familiar with the nearby waters, it is impossible to detect the countless reefs hidden under the sea surface. The ship may hit the rocks and sink at any time.
This has simply become a refuge for pirates...
Rows of houses have been built near the sea on the island. These are the habitats of pirates and their families. Of course, the vast majority of pirates have no families. If they are not desperate and become bandits, who would want to be in this sea? Wandering day and night to make a living?
Only the "three major gangs" of giant pirates who have been entrenched on the sea for many years have been piracy for generations, and they have lived a life of licking blood with their families...
Dozens of pirates gathered in a spacious house near the foot of the mountain.
All of these people were wearing simple clothes, and their skin was bronzed by the wind and sun. They were old and young, but they were all strong and strong.
Anyone who can escape with his life under the encirclement and suppression of the Royal Navy, which one is not the best of the best?
Sitting there is a burly man in his thirties, with a long beard on his face, a shabby brocade robe that cannot hide his majestic body, broad shoulders and a thick back, and a ferocious face.
At this moment, this man was drinking a bowl of wine, looking around at everyone and saying: "Today, Wang has summoned everyone here for the Jiangnan noble fleet. The Royal Navy has already gone north under the command of Fang Jun. The fleet of the Jiangnan nobles who intend to destroy Goguryeo has also left the Qiantang River estuary and entered the sea. Do you have any interest in this fleet? "
Several old noble families joined together to participate in smuggling, and the goods were piled up like hills on the Qiantang River. How could this news be hidden from these pirates who were originally from the land of Wuyue? Moreover, the Jiangnan nobles were only afraid of the Royal Navy. They were afraid of being noticed by the Navy, but they were not so afraid of pirates.
They are confident that the private soldiers gathered by each family are enough to resist the weakening pirates...
When everyone heard this, someone said: "The navy has really gone north to Goguryeo? We are naturally covetous of the fleet of the Jiangnan nobles. If we don't rob a batch of money and goods, we won't have any money this winter! But regardless of Fang Junyi Or Su Ding Fang and Pei Xingjian are both insidious and cunning people. They have suffered a lot from their losses in the past two years. If they were to backfire, our small manpower is not enough to fill their teeth..."
Everyone echoed in unison, feeling sad.
It’s not that the pirates are not fierce enough, it’s that they have been frightened by the navy in the past two years...
The "three major gangs" that used to dominate the sea were invincible, arrogant and violent, and even organized manpower to land ashore from time to time to plunder some coastal states and counties. How arrogant were they?
As a result, when facing the main force of the navy, they didn't even have the ability to fight to the death. They were blown to pieces by a single artillery fire. The "three major gangs" tens of thousands of people, and in the end, only the boss Wang in front of him was left. With a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals...
Hearing the names of Fang Jun and Su Dingfang, Mr. Wang's eyes twitched, his face became more ferocious, and he punched the table in front of him with a fist, but then he controlled his anger and gritted his teeth and said: "It's absolutely impossible, if the navy master Without going far, how could the Jiangnan nobles dare to go to sea? ”
When everyone heard this, they nodded.
"That's right, when we encounter the navy, we will run away in all directions. Some people will be able to escape. But most of the fleets of the Jiangnan nobles are cargo ships with deep drafts and slow speeds, so there is no way to escape. Once attacked by the navy, If we catch up, not only will all the ship's cargo be confiscated, but the major families will also have to pay a heavy fine. They are more afraid of the navy than us!"
"This is the truth. If the Jiangnan nobles don't have conclusive news confirming that the navy has gone north, they will never dare to go to sea."
"But even so, with so few manpower here, I'm afraid we can't do anything to the fleet of the Jiangnan nobles."
"Yes, yes, every household in the Jiangnan gentry has sent out private soldiers. It is said that there are at least several thousand young men on board those ships. If we plunder rashly, I am afraid we will not be able to defeat..."
……
There were different opinions and there was a lot of noise in the room, but generally everyone agreed with Boss Wang's judgment.
Boss Wang raised his hand, and the hustle and bustle in the room suddenly fell silent. He then spoke and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, we were killed by the navy. We are like dogs that have lost their homes. The sky is big, the earth is big, the sea is big, but there is no place to stand. Looking at the cold winter. It's coming soon. If I can't get a big vote, I'm afraid that after this winter, Many of you here will starve to death... When we gather together to become thieves, we are basically licking blood from the edge of the knife, with our heads pinned to the waistband of our trousers. Now we are taking advantage of the opportunity of the navy to go north. If we can't clean up those people raised by the Jiangnan nobles, You landlubber, drown yourself in this sea as soon as possible!”
He looked around at everyone and said one by one: "Who dares to go with so-and-so and risk his life to fight for this wealth?!" (End of Chapter)