Fu Shanhe

Chapter 130: Suppressing Bandits
Shengshan Island.

"Tell your boss that an old friend is visiting!"

Yin Kainan said with a tired look.

Ever since he suffered defeat in Nantong Prefecture that day, he has been living in hiding.

The officials of the six ministries in Nanjing became furious. They not only used the navy to hunt them down, but also mobilized the power of the sea merchants to encircle and intercept them.

As a result, he didn't even dare to hang the flag of the gathering of heroes, for fear that it would be seen and bring about a calamity.

If the Jiangnan Navy had not been suddenly transferred away, giving him a chance to catch his breath, he might have been captured and beheaded in public.

After seeing the power of the government, Yin Kainan suddenly came to his senses.

The fact that the imperial court was weak at sea did not mean that those officials could do nothing about them.

If you want to engage in maritime trade, you are bound to have to deal with the government.

Merchants and pirates, these two groups that seem to travel outside the imperial court, are actually influenced by the imperial court.

Most of the maritime merchant families are also members of the Southeastern Gentry Group, just like the previous salt merchant group.

There is no contradiction between doing business and being an official. Only when family members become officials can business be done better.

No matter how low the presence of the Six Ministries of Nanjing is, they are still a backup for the small imperial court and have considerable influence in officialdom.

The officials from the six ministries have spoken, and the maritime merchant families have to give them some respect.

Using the lives of these pirates to exchange for a favor from these big guys is a huge profit no matter how you look at it.

"who are you?
Our shopkeeper is not someone you can see whenever you want!"

The young pirate leader said with a look of disdain.

Judging people by their appearance exists everywhere.

After living in the open air for a long time at sea, Yin Kainan's personal appearance has become extremely shabby.

After a series of battles, only the last two of the dozen ships of the "Gathering of Heroes" remained.

The number of staff has shrunk from 2,000 at its peak to less than 200 now.

Such strength is already at the bottom of the pirate world.

Even if they went out to plunder, they could only target lone merchant ships.

When encountering larger maritime merchants, it is unclear who will rob whom.

If Shengshan Island was not the pirates' hideout for selling stolen goods, according to maritime rules, no one would be allowed to take action in this area.

A weak group like the Heroes Association might be taken over by others at any time.

“If I tell you to go, go quickly.

I am from the same hometown as the two of you, and we have been friends for a long time.

You can’t afford the consequences of delaying important matters!”

Yin Kainan cursed immediately.

Humility is not popular in the pirate world. The more powerful you appear, the easier it is to gain respect.

Faced with Yin Kainan's full aura, the young pirate leader couldn't help but take two steps back.

The arrogance just now disappeared in an instant.

Deep down in his heart, he already believed Yin Kainan's words to some extent.

If you have no one to rely on and come to your boss so arrogantly, you are just looking for death.

In theory, violence is prohibited on Shengshan Island, but there are exceptions if someone takes the initiative to provoke.

"Wait here for a moment. I'll go over and report to the boss and see if he wants to see you."

Just as the young man finished speaking, he heard a voice coming from behind.

"What happened? Why are you arguing here?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Yin Kainan's face lit up with joy. He had finally met the real person.

"Junior brother, do you still remember me?"

As soon as Yin Kainan opened his mouth, Zhou Zijie's long-lost memories were immediately awakened.

"You guys stand guard all around. No one is allowed to get within fifty steps!"

Zhou Zijie immediately gave the order.

Although we are all wanderers in this world, our situations are still different.

The Yin family was destroyed in an instant, and there was no time to make any preparations beforehand.

Yin Kainan was able to escape the disaster purely by luck.

The situation of the Zhou family was much better. After receiving the news of the Yin family's demise, they made arrangements for their escape.

The Zhou brothers also went into exile overseas, and they were accompanied not only by the clan's loyal warriors, but also by several large ships prepared by the family.

All kinds of weapons are available, and he also took over the family's team engaged in overseas trade.

With the support of the old team, their business at sea was much smoother.

It didn't take much effort to gain a foothold on the sea.

Compared to Yin Kainan who is bent on revenge, the Zhou brothers are obviously much more Buddhist.

Even being a pirate was not something he was that keen on.

The Two Heroes were pirates in name only, but their main business was maritime trade, and robbery was just a part-time job.

Because they were wanted by the imperial court, they did not dare to take goods from land and usually purchased spoils from pirates.

Shengshan Island is one of their daily activity bases.

When doing business at this kind of stolen goods selling point, you have to pay protection fees to the boss behind the scenes.

The profits that the two heroes will make are not very high.

Fortunately, he often deals with pirates of all kinds and is very well-known in the pirate world.

Most pirates will give them some face and generally won't touch their fleet, so it can be considered a mixed bag.

"After our last separation, I didn't expect to meet Brother Yin again in this kind of situation!"

Zhou Zijie couldn't help but sigh.

They once studied together in Jiangnan Academy, and they were so full of vigor and vitality.

I thought I would be able to pass the imperial examination smoothly, and then enter the officialdom and display my talents.

However, things don't go as planned. The emperor wanted to reform the salt administration, and the seven major families in Lianghuai stood in opposition to the court.

One careless move brought disaster upon oneself.

"yes!
No one could have imagined that we would meet here.

The imperial court was really ruthless. With just one move, it destroyed the century-long plans of several of our families.

It’s ridiculous to think that for a few taxes, the entire family sacrificed their lives.

If our ancestors knew about this, they would probably regret it to death! "

Yin Kainan said self-deprecatingly.

Many things are useless if you just talk about them. Only when you experience them yourself will you know how serious they are.

The salt industry is extremely profitable, and the salt tax paid to the imperial court is not as much as what they squander every year.

Even the salt merchants who were pushed to the forefront made more profits than the imperial court.

No one ever thought there was a problem until Emperor Tianyuan overturned the table. Then they realized how wrong they were.

"There is a rule in our ancestors' family precepts that says don't be greedy. Unfortunately, our descendants are unfilial and don't understand what our ancestors meant, which is why we are in such trouble today.

If we had quit while we were ahead and withdrawn from the salt industry early, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in today.

It has already happened, there is no point in saying anything now.

Brother Yin's actions in Nantong Prefecture really helped us vent our anger.

But for this kind of thing, doing it once is enough.

Compared to the imperial court, our power is too small, and direct confrontation is too irrational. "

Zhou Zijie refused implicitly.

Although Yin Kainan has not yet stated his purpose, he really does not want to get involved.

When I fled from the clan, the elders in my family repeatedly reminded me that the most important thing is to continue the family bloodline.

He would never do revenge, something that seemed hopeless.

“The imperial court is powerful, so it is indeed not advisable to confront them head-on.

I am in such a mess today because I suffered from my youthful vigor.

Brother Zhou, let's be frank. I came here to ask you for help.

The matter of Nantong Prefecture is too big, those powerful people will not let me go, and now even I dare not show my head.

Even entering Shengshan Island involves great risks.

After such a big incident, I can no longer stay in the southeast coast, so I decided to leave here first.

I know that Brother Zhou has a wide network of contacts, and I hope you can help me buy a few boats this time."

Yin Kainan said frankly.

At first, he really wanted to bring the Zhou brothers together to accomplish great things.

After meeting Zhou Zijie, he knew there was no hope.

Although these two men are quite powerful, they have no intention of taking revenge on the court.

With the limited strength he has, it will be difficult for him to leave later if he doesn't escape quickly while the main force of the Jiangnan Navy is out.

"It's easy to buy a boat, but Brother Yin needs it urgently, so the price will be much higher!"

Zhou Zijie replied with a smile.

He doesn't have the courage to go against the imperial court.

But it is still possible to cause trouble secretly.

What Yin Kainan is doing now is exactly what he wants to do but dares not do.

Providing a little convenience can help his thoughts become clearer.

“Don’t worry, Brother Zhou, money is not a problem.

This time I brought 80,000 taels of silver, hoping to buy ten large sea ships.

It would be best if it is in the thousand-ton range, but eight hundred tons is also acceptable.

These ships need to be equipped with artillery, the more powerful the better.

A batch of weapons such as bird guns, hook-and-sickle spears, machetes, javelins, medicine crossbows, and crossbow arrows should also be purchased.

If the money is not enough, I can find another way to raise it."

Yin Kainan kept a very humble attitude.

For pirates, purchasing weapons and equipment has always been the most difficult.

Many times, you can’t buy what you want.

While the maritime merchant families allowed pirates to run rampant, they were also trying every means to limit their growth.

The most advanced ships are never for sale.

The boat he wants to buy now, although not for sale, is not something that anyone can buy.

Especially people like him who have committed serious crimes are regarded as unstable elements by all parties.

Not to mention buying a boat, I guess it would be sold as soon as I showed up.

“Major shipyards have always had very strict control over large ships.

Not only is a high price set, but the identity of the subscriber also needs to be verified.

To be honest with you, Brother Zhou, I don’t even have ten ships of more than 1,000 tons under my command.

If you really want it, lower your expectations.

You can buy any boat that fits your budget.

If you really want to order a large ship, you have to wait in line at the shipyard and the fastest wait is two years.

What I could buy were mostly spoils of war sold by pirates.

Although these ships were partially damaged, the fact that they were able to come here proves that the main body of the ship is intact.

Some boats are still about 50% new and can still be used if someone repairs them.”

Zhou Zijie shook his head and said.

If it was the Zhou family before its demise, they would have their own independent shipyard, so solving this problem would not be difficult.

It’s different now. If you want a boat, you have to buy it and follow other people’s rules.

As pirates, they are lucky to have a ship to use, so they have no right to be picky.

"it is good!"

Yin Kainan agreed immediately.

There is no other way as we need a boat urgently.

Maritime trade is booming now, and all major shipyards are doing good business. How can they have any spot goods on hand?

……

Yangzhou Camp.

Looking at the nautical chart hanging on the wall and the densely packed markings on it, Li Mu felt overwhelmed.

Every marked place represents the place where pirates are stationed.

Almost every habitable island has a pirate flag.

After a rough count, it was found that there were as many as 800 pirates of all sizes in the Dayu Dynasty.

This is just the statistical data. No one knows how many have slipped through the net.

After all, the survival period of pirate groups is generally not high.

Pirate gangs disappear almost every day, and new pirates continue to rise from the sea.

From the data, you can see how dangerous it is to engage in maritime trade these days.

No wonder the imperial court was slow to catch the people from the gathering of heroes.

With so many pirates providing cover, blending in with the pirate group and simply changing a new alias to go online, who would know that they are members of the Heroes' Gathering!
"Commander-in-Chief, you have been staring at the sea chart recently. Are you planning to send troops to suppress the pirates?"

Lan Linjie asked doubtfully.

In order to combat pirates, since the establishment of Dayu, the navy has been dispatched many times to encircle and suppress pirates.

The initial effect was very significant, and many pirates suffered a devastating disaster.

As the court declined, the situation was reversed.

(End of this chapter)