Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 175 The Ownership of Yizhou: A Battle of Wits and a Show of Duty!
Before the person even arrived, the strong stench of blood and the ominous aura of death assaulted the senses, and if you listened carefully, you could hear the howling of ghosts and wolves carried on the wind.

Both Wang Cheng's Green Robe Escort Agency and Zheng Shiniang's Red Flag Gang were on high alert.

"alert!"

Perhaps because the confrontation between the two sides had lasted too long, the Gu worms on Zheng Shiniang's body all emitted sharp, explosive sounds.

Especially the shiny silver ornaments all over the body seemed to come alive, and the "squeak squeak squeak" was particularly piercing.

Wang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the naval fleet:

"There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names; this ship built with blood and sweat truly lives up to its name."

The opposing fleet, consisting of seven or eight warships, drew closer and closer. All of them were traditional hard-sailed warships of the Great Zhao Dynasty, with not a single sailing warship from the West.

But every warship seemed alive, with blood-red beast heads baring their fangs on the sails, and the cables and winches moving automatically without wind.

The roars of wild beasts seemed to emanate from every crack in the ship's planks, sending chills down one's spine.

The literal meaning of "【膏血造舟】" is quite straightforward: it means that Lin Daoqian specializes in hunting humans, beasts, and sea monsters to extract their oil and blood to build living warships.

It is unknown where Lin Daoqian got his chance encounter, but he learned this secret orthodox method that belongs to the same lineage as the "White Water Man", but is completely different from the "Shunfeng Xiangsong Zhinan Zhengfa".

It feels similar to the principle of my family's secret orthodox method, "Gathering Dragons Together," both aiming to enlighten warships, one focusing on substance and the other on weight.

Although the fifth-generation ancestor, Wang Bangyan, did not mention it in the lineage, I have a strong feeling that both of these secret techniques might be related to the Heavenly Treasure Ship.

Lin Daoqian appeared unremarkable on the surface, just a burly man in his thirties. Wang Cheng glanced at him and then turned his attention to his sister, Lin Jinlian, beside him.

She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a red floral pattern on her forehead that resembled a talisman, and her bright red dress was also covered with strange talismans.

His eyes were vacant, like a delicate puppet.

In reality, she was a fifth-rank water brigade official, a "fairy woman"!
The altar attendant, who is the official in charge of the local officials, is most skilled at opening altars to invite spirits, communicating with ghosts, and even commanding evil spirits.

Wang Cheng carefully selected his allies for major undertakings and had already gathered a great deal of intelligence on the brother and sister.

It is said that Lin Jinlian was born with the ability to "spirit medium" and was also called "spirit fairy". Her talent was outstanding among the lineage of spirit mediums.

To draw an analogy, Wang Moming is a genius among geniuses!
Unlike her brother, who was a ruthless and dangerous man, she rescued the weak and helped the vulnerable in her hometown and in many places in Southeast Asia, and warded off evil spirits. Her reputation was even greater than that of Lin Daoqian.

In some parts of Southeast Asia, the overseas Chinese have already come to regard her as a goddess.

Wang Cheng knew from the fact that she was a rare find that she was similar to his own sister, Axiao.

They were all granted the title of Earth Deity while still alive, having achieved some great merit.

Unlike Sister Ah Xiao, who has already settled in Yuegang, this Miss Lin has not yet established her own ancestral temple, and therefore cannot exert the power of a local deity to control the situation.

Wang Cheng frowned.

"Could it be that they've decided to establish themselves as kings of Taiwan and let Miss Lin settle down there?"

"But it doesn't seem quite right. If they wanted to establish a strong foundation, they would have done so long ago, and they could have even gained an advantage in the struggle against the Red Flag Gang. Why would they wait until now?"

He had long wanted to mediate the conflict between the Zheng and Lin families and bring them under his wing.

To demonstrate sincerity, the negotiations were not held in Pinghu Port, the strongest port in Wufeng Banner, but rather near this island and reef located in international waters.

None of the three parties will suffer a loss by coming here to form an alliance.

Having witnessed the situation of the Lin siblings firsthand, Wang Cheng decided to take things one step at a time.

The fleet slowed down, and only the flagships of three fleets approached to negotiate at close range.

The burly Lin Daoqian's eyes flickered slightly when he saw Wang Cheng, dressed in a Qilin robe, aboard the [Qingyi] ship. He cupped his hands in greeting and uttered a string of East Sea slang:
"The Dragon Palace of the East Sea has set up a banquet to divide the waters, inviting gentlemen to speak at Shark Tooth Reef. But the waves are crashing against the reef in the dead of night, and it's cold. What kind of white carp has come to anchor in the shallows?"

(The East China Sea Kingdom invited me to negotiate the delimitation of these neutral islands and reefs, but the East China Sea is rough and dangerous. Where did this soldier in official robes come from?)

Relying on the prestige Wang Zeng had established in his early years, in the common parlance within the East China Sea region, the supreme "East China Sea Dragon Palace" specifically refers to the East China Sea Kingdom.

Wang Zeng died in battle last year, and before any changes could be made, the second-generation Prince Jinghai rose to power, so this set of cuts continued to be maintained.

At this moment, coupled with Lin Daoqian's slang, the large sail behind him resembled a demon baring its fangs and claws, ready to devour anyone who might approach.

You can tell from his demeanor and mannerisms that he is a true pirate.

His misdeeds are not yet apparent within the Great Zhao Kingdom, but who knows how ruthless he is outside.

"you"

Shen Yueye, who was also on the ship, had actually been granted the official title of Inner Attendant by Wang Cheng of the Donghai Kingdom. She was similar to Luo Wenlong in that she was a close minister of the king, with a small official position but great power.

He held the imperial insignia this time, serving as the plenipotentiary envoy of Prince Jinghai, Wang Cheng.

Moreover, when extending the invitation to Lin Daoqian, it was already agreed in advance that Wang Fugui, one of the three major ship captains of Yuegang, would be present to conspire with them on a major matter.

At this moment, Shen Yueye saw that this person was ignoring her and speaking rather rudely. Just as she was about to stand up for her junior brother, Wang Cheng stopped her with a smile.

Stepping forward, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lin Daoqian in return, saying:
"When the tide is low, even the Dragon King turns a blind eye. We men eat food from all directions and collect tolls from passersby, so why can't we come?"

(The imperial court is lax, and the Twenty-Four Guards are powerless to control maritime trade and smuggling. I am both an official and a merchant. We all eat from the same bowl of sea food, so what's the difference between officials, merchants, and bandits?)

Wang Cheng realized that from the very first sentence, this great pirate clearly wanted to test his abilities.

Throughout history, anyone who wants to be a mediator must first have the power to subdue both sides of a conflict; otherwise, they simply cannot gain the respect of the people. This is especially true between powerful states. Only a suzerain state can mediate conflicts between vassal states, and only the most powerful leader has the authority to mediate conflicts between rival states.

At this time, the Donghai Kingdom stepped forward to act as a peacemaker. Even if they didn't say it, as long as Lin Daoqian accepted the mediation, it would be considered as acknowledging the status of the Jinghai King as the ruler of the Donghai Kingdom and recognizing the Jinghai King as their patriarch.

This shows they're not entirely convinced.

That's pretty much what Wang Cheng thought.

Even though Wang Cheng offered the position of Zhenhai General, which Lin Daoqian was determined to obtain, as a bargaining chip when he invited him, Lin Daoqian was not entirely willing to accept it.

Perhaps in terms of the strength under his command, Lin Daoqian is definitely no match for the Donghai Kingdom, which is already a vassal state.

But if you want him to be convinced and follow orders, you have to impress him with your personal courage, wisdom or magnanimity, otherwise what will the brothers think of him?

It is said that Wang Cheng, the second Prince of Jinghai, personally admitted that the two were evenly matched, and Lin Daoqian naturally wanted to use "Wang Fugui" to test "Prince of Jinghai".

Upon hearing that Wang Fugui had taken the plunge, he patted a scarlet magic seal on his waist.

That was his token of dominance on the South Seas route, and also the secret scrolls and Taoist books he accidentally obtained from the Mother-of-Pearl Treasure Chest.

"What a magnificent white streak! Do you recognize my renowned 'Bloodstained Mark'?"

(He is indeed a capable water collector. I was also a well-known pirate leader in Southeast Asia. It won't be easy for him to convince me.)
Wang Cheng nodded to his senior sister, and Shen Yueye took out the last blank official document and threw it forward.

The exquisitely carved children, Qingfeng and Honglonghonglong, resembled two celestial attendants, each carrying an object and gently handing it to the other.

Then he proclaimed loudly: "Sea serpents shed their skin and grow new scales; old seals are not as heavy as new ones!"

(Shedding its skin and changing allegiance is the right path for a sea serpent; how can a pirate captain who licks blood from the edge of a knife compare to the precious status of a fifth-rank official?)

Lin Daoqian hadn't expected that they would so readily hand over the official document to him before even starting to define the territory.

Not wanting to press the matter any further, he hesitated for a moment before turning around and bowing to Shen Yueye, accepting the gesture, before turning back to look at Wang Cheng.

"Great! I heard that the anchor of Zhenhaiwei is infested with worms. Will it still be able to hold the ship when the tide is high?"

The mouth of the Jiulong River just happened to lack a second plank; by day, they hung flags to collect fishing taxes, and by night, they carried lanterns to wade through the Bohai Sea mud.

(I heard that the commander of Zhenhaiwei is corrupt and incompetent and has lost control of the situation?)
My smuggling route just happens to need a middleman. In return, I'll give you a share of the goods. Ostensibly, I'll disguise myself as a government official, but secretly I'll be selling goods to Brunei in Southeast Asia.
Without waiting for Wang Cheng to refuse, he continued:

"Today, the Azure Dragon is entangled in the white sail rope, and the Dragon King strokes its scales before the palace!"

We're all straightforward people, so let's follow the rules of the martial world. Today, we'll settle this with a battle of wits, sister.

(With the envoy Shen Yueye as witness, they first discussed the important matter of dividing the territory.)
It was common for officials of the divine order to engage in magical duels, and the so-called "literary duels" were also known as "playing the rogue," which evolved from folk disputes.

The theme is often a battle of wits, with one side posing a challenge and the other trying to solve it, or taking turns hurting themselves, and whoever can't keep up loses.

Some people "grab burning coals," catching red-hot coal balls with their bare hands, and even if their hands are burned beyond repair, they cannot utter a sound.
There's also the "kowtow monkey," where two people kowtow together on a bluestone, each kowtow drawing blood, until one of them dies or gives up.
The most brutal incident was being boiled alive. Two years ago, ten brothers fought over control of a dock, resulting in the deaths of seven brothers in one go. The opposing team also lost six brothers before finally winning the battle.
These are just a few examples.

Lin Daoqian's method of literary combat was not as bloody, but its ingenuity was many times greater.

Lin Jinlian nodded slightly, raised her hand and waved, and a long, narrow boat sailed out from the ship behind her. There was no one on the boat, but it ran very fast.

There was only a strange Bodhisattva statue that looked like it was made of yellow clay standing at the stern of the boat.

Then this "fairy woman" said in a faint, ethereal voice:

"Since the Dragon Palace is standing up for the Red Flag Gang, we must give Prince Jinghai face. Let's treat this wooden boat as the precious island of Yizhou."

Both sides sent people to fight for this boat. The number of wooden boats you can occupy will determine the number of Yizhou islands you receive.

We're willing to accept defeat and will never go back on our word!

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden boat, centered on the yellow clay Buddha statue at the stern, gradually turned into yellow clay from top to bottom and from back to front.

The other two sides felt a chill run down their spines.

"This is the [Evil Spirit Mud Bodhisattva]! And it's a formidable character equivalent to a mid-level third-rank official."

When sailing across rivers and seas, the clay Buddha is one of the most feared evil spirits on the bow of the boat. Once it gets on the boat, it will quietly corrode the boat god and take its place.

Then, under the cover of night, they turned the entire boat and even the living people into yellow mud.

If a ship dies at sea, everyone on board will perish, and their remains will never be recovered.

Even a mid-level official of the third rank could easily lose an arm or a leg if he encountered such a situation.

Furthermore, with Lin Jinlian, who is practically a local deity, any official of the same rank who boards the ship will certainly not fare well.

I'll deal with it!

Zhang Quan felt this was a family matter.

Although he and Zheng Shiniang did not have children yet, his ex-husband only had one daughter, so he would not let his own efforts benefit others.

Moreover, even though the alliance between the Red Flag Gang and the Five Peaks Flag Gang stipulated that they could jointly develop any amount of territory the Five Peaks Flag Gang could help them acquire, Zhang Quan could not allow his innocent junior brother, who had not benefited from the alliance, to be dragged into danger.

"Don't worry, senior brother. Since Captain Lin wants to see my skills, I'll be right back."

Wang Cheng did not accept his senior brother's kindness. Instead, he casually pulled a Five Peaks Flag from his own boat, jumped into the sea, and walked unhurriedly on the crest of the waves towards the wooden boat.

(End of this chapter)