Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 110 First Mate Wang Cheng, Chaos in the East China Sea (Two chapters, 7000 views, please subscribe and vote)

The dark gazes fell on his nephew Lu Yunchen, Lady Yan the Dragon Girl, and Wang Fugui, the centurion.

Let's start with the nephew. He's the most outstanding eldest grandson of the Lu family. No matter how big the Lu family's business is, it needs successors to inherit it. Otherwise, it's meaningless to try to please the ruler of the country.

Perhaps for someone with a lower moral compass, an immortality pill would be enough to make father and son kill each other, but he still couldn't bring himself to do it.

Then my gaze lingered on the latter two, especially on "Wang Fugui" for a moment.

Even if the Lu family has a decent family tradition, they shouldn't lack the courage to kill a mere centurion of a garrison and keep the secret.

Even the most outstanding and admirable talents are utterly insignificant compared to such a treasure.

But when he saw Madam Yan following closely beside him, he finally had no choice but to move away.

Wang Cheng's pre-prepared "insurance" ultimately proved effective; with Madam Yan, the powerful Dragon Girl, by his side, the risk of double-crossing was too high.

'It would be safer to make him one of our own. Taking advantage of this reform of the coastal military system, I will use my connections to promote Wang Fugui.'

It wouldn't be a loss to train him to be his right-hand man.

I see he's already at the peak of the seventh rank; it would be even better if he could use this time to break through to the sixth rank.

Thinking of this, Lu Yi sighed helplessly:
"That's enough. I have a legal contract here, handwritten by Hai Gangfeng, a celestial official [official of the Imperial Court].

Everyone must sign their names and agree not to divulge the ship's secrets in any form, or they will surely be condemned by the Three Officials and the Gods.

This was only natural, and neither Wang Cheng, Yun Xiao, nor Lu Yunchen objected.

Besides, the three of them either had something to rely on, were not human, or were exceptionally talented, so they had little interest in this so-called elixir that grew by eating people.

At this moment, Lu Yunchen, who had little emotional intelligence and had no idea what his uncle was thinking, also took out a jade official seal-shaped talisman and pressed it firmly onto the keel of the sailboat.

Zila——!
Leaving behind a branding mark resembling an iron, the consciousness born within the Consecutive offered no further resistance and slowly came to rest on the water's surface.

"Turn around and return to base!"

Lu Yunchen, full of vigor and high spirits, gave an order.

To his surprise, the ghost ship showed no respect whatsoever and did not react at all.

After being urged several more times, he still didn't move.

Wang Cheng kindly offered a suggestion from the side:
"Lord Commander, try saying: Dar la vuelta y regresar."

Lu Yunchen mimicked what the parrot said, and it worked perfectly. The Consecutive began its obedient return journey.

After the initial excitement came a moment of stunned silence.

He had captured a powerful warship, but because the command system was incompatible, he couldn't operate it at all.
What use would I have for this large ship?
Looking back at his third uncle, who was equally at a loss, he couldn't help but look longingly at his own wealthy brother again.

Wang Cheng chuckled inwardly; he had already anticipated this.

I first asked this incomparably powerful demon god a few questions:
"Lord Commander, let's first see what we need to make this ship combat-ready. First of all, do you speak Francophone?"

Lu Yunchen took a sip of wine, then spat out a mouthful of blood, and said irritably:
"Won't.

But I can learn. In three months at most, I'll be able to speak as well as you.

"Secondly, do you know how to sail a sailing warship? Do you know when to raise the sails and when to lower them in sea conditions? How do you use the mainsail, topsail, slalom, and slalom? And how do you tie the knots and anchor?"

Lu Yunchen continued to vomit blood:

"Uh, I can learn that too."

"Third, do you know how to command naval battles? Do you know where to seize advantageous positions when facing enemy ships, and what the effective range of your artillery is?"

"Fourth, can you train a group of skilled sailors to help you control your warship in emergencies and contend with powerful enemies?"

As the questions continued to be asked, the man, nicknamed "Ghost God Jealousy," broke out in a sweat, and the blood he coughed up soaked through his handkerchief.

It's like discovering during an exam that a good student can't even answer a single big question—it's the most tragic nightmare!
Admitting that there were so many things he didn't know was more painful than killing Lu Yunchen. He felt like a defeated dog, and even his back looked somewhat gloomy.

At this moment, even ghosts and gods would have to take pity on him and pause their jealousy for three seconds.

The most critical problem is that there is no place more conservative than the imperial court. The generation of ocean-going sailors has been cut off, and there is simply no talent capable of operating sailing warships. Even if he wanted to learn, there was nowhere to go.

"If you change the subject, we can continue being friends!"

Suddenly, the ghost god's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Wang Cheng's arm.

"Brother Fugui, you actually know it all, right?"

Wang Cheng remained modest:

"I understand a little bit."

Lu Yunchen was overjoyed:
"Brother Fugui, in order to deal with the coastal pirate threat, I appoint you as the first mate of the USS Consepson."

You have full authority to recruit crew members from the civilian population. People from the Dazhao, Frankish, Dutch, and Semu regions are all welcome. The only requirement is to form a complete fighting force as soon as possible.

I won't go back to the capital. I'll stay with you in Minzhou and wait for my appointment. It will only take half a month at most, so it won't delay anything.

"Teach me during this time, and I'll call you teacher!"

Wang Cheng did not immediately agree, but pretended to be hesitant and said:
"I don't mind myself. I share the same ideals as the commander, so it's only right that I do my part."

But since everyone else has families to support and is struggling to make a living, it's a bit awkward to ask for help without any official status or recognition.

Lu Yunchen didn't need his third uncle's promise; he simply waved his hand dismissively.
"Hey, what's this?"

In the garrison system, a junior flag officer commands ten men, a senior flag officer commands five junior flag officers, and a centurion commands two senior flag officers. As a centurion, you appoint all the soldiers and officers under your command yourself, and I will also give you the official titles of two senior flag officers of the seventh rank and ten junior flag officers of the seventh rank.

Besides, who are we, the Lu family? Do you think we'd worry about not getting paid? We'd definitely give you the full amount.

"Just write down the expense notes, and your brother will reimburse you for everything."

Beside her, Yan Yunxiao's expression remained indifferent, revealing no emotion, but inwardly she was shaking her head:
"Another pitiful soul who was sold out by Xiao Chengzi and is still counting the money for him."

Lu Yi didn't say much. If he could control his nephew, he wouldn't have watched him drink and vomit blood all day long until he became numb to it.

Wang Cheng, however, disregarded all that and gave him no chance to back out, immediately clasping his hands in a respectful bow:
"Then I shall respectfully comply."

Even geniuses can suffer if they lack social experience.

He hadn't heard a single story:
“If a Brahmin comes to your department as a manager, the entire department will soon become Brahmin.”

There is another story:
"In other places, if a relative becomes successful, you will most likely lose that relative."

However, in Minzhou, the situation is different. If one family prospers, they are very likely to help others, organizing relatives to create an entire upstream and downstream industrial chain.

The same applies when going to sea. Even under the maritime ban, the Fujianese, including the Tanka people, had long since spread throughout Southeast Asia, banding together to build numerous settlements.

The only ones who can rival them are the Lingnan people who eat everything, and their love of food gives them an edge over these Fujian people.

"Since we Fujianese and Fujianese businessmen stick together for warmth because of our hometown sentiment, it should be reasonable for us to monopolize related industries and squeeze out others who cannot integrate."

By making me the first mate, aren't you just tacitly agreeing to let the ghost ship take my name from now on?

I understand, just you wait and see!

The Lu family uncle and nephew clearly hadn't realized the seriousness of the problem, and both thought it was a perfect solution.

As they began examining the spoils of war inside the ship, they didn't forget to consult this expert and gather information about the other four ships:

“Fugui, since the Global Fleet has a total of five ships, do you think they might all end up along the coast of our Great Zhao?”
Besides this [Garden of Abundance], I wonder if it has any other abilities?

Lu Yi was eager to gather all five sailboats to determine if they carried the five kinds of elixirs of immortality, so he could report this good news to his emperor.

Wang Cheng was looking to leverage the influence of powerful figures like them, so he naturally wouldn't hide anything:
"Whether it was adventurers who discovered new continents or those who sailed around the world, they were mainly ocean-going expeditions in the form of horizontal sailing ships."

This was determined by their geographical location. They set sail from the Kingdom of Franco, and as soon as they left, they would encounter the trade winds, which blew from northeast to southwest, providing them with favorable winds all the way to the Caribbean Sea.

Therefore, their idea was to use small schooners to scout ahead and large straitjacks to carry supplies, acting as 'camels'.

When the winds finally turned against them, the large ships either ran aground and were burned to salvage the metal parts, or they were simply abandoned at sea.

I surmise that in addition to two or three fully sailed Clarke ships, the circumnavigation expedition must have had at least two Caravelles equipped with fore and aft sails, offering both speed and maneuverability.

That is the core of the ocean-going fleet. However…

Only when the Lu family uncle and nephew, along with Yun Xiao, all looked at him did he solemnly say:

"News of the Global Fleet has already spread from Luzon in the South Seas. Some people knew about it even earlier than we did, and the big pirates were already getting restless."

Whether it's the sacred sailing warship that carried the great feat of circumnavigating the globe, or the elixir of immortality brought back from the depths of the vast ocean by the adventure team, both are enough to drive countless people crazy.

At this point, some people may have already captured other sailboats, while many more are flocking to the scene.

Since they've come all this way, they can't leave empty-handed, regardless of whether they get what they want.

Has the imperial court made preparations for a response?

Once the facade was broken, the expressions on the faces of the other three all turned rather unpleasant.

At the same time, the four islands of Yingzhou were located on Jiufan Island at the southwestern tip, which was occupied by the Wufengqi Donghai Kingdom, which controlled most of the island.

The fires in the harbor were extinguished, with only some ruins remaining to prove that an attack had just taken place.

On the shore and on the dark, imposing warships at sea, many people were cheering loudly:

"Black Qilin! Black Qilin!"

In the middle of the wide waters floats a sailing warship with its sails moving automatically even without wind. Looking at the name engraved on the stern gallery, it is none other than the Santiago, one of the five sailboats of the Global Adventure Team!
The current head of the Five Peaks Banner, the adopted son of the Prince of Jinghai, formerly known as Wang Haifeng, and now known as the "Black Qilin" Mao Haifeng, stepped out of the cabin and casually tossed out a talisman to seal off the entire sailboat.

Thinking of the scene he had just witnessed in the cabin, his heart burned with excitement:
"The kidney flower from the immortal elixir [Five Temples Divine Treasure Flower] belongs to me, Mao Haifeng."

If they could find the other four ships and refine the precious elixir, they could simultaneously gain an elixir of immortality and a vast colonial empire.

What was a mere King of the East Sea worth back then?

Turning to his trusted aides, he gave the order:

"Pass down the order to have our spies keep a close watch on every port in Yingzhou, Dazhao, and Nanyang."

Locate the remaining flagships: Trinidad, San Antonio, Consepson, and Victoria.

My adoptive father always aspired to "share the benefits with the people and defend the borders of the nation," and devoted his life to breaking the maritime ban and establishing connections with other countries. I want to offer these five ceremonial sailing ships, which facilitated connections throughout the world, as a tribute to his spirit in heaven.

"Yes, Captain!"

Prince Jinghai abdicated, but the Five Peaks Banner, which carried on his legacy, still exists.

Before they openly attacked government offices and transformed into bandits, the superficial calm could have been maintained for a while.

But now the sudden emergence of the "elixir of immortality" has become a fuse that has ignited the situation in the East China Sea.

Looking down from the air, countless sailboats are swarming toward this sea area from all directions.

(End of this chapter)