Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 27 Sworn Brother Wang Haifeng, First Hearing of the Dragon's Aura

What are you doing?

Even if Huang Yuanzhou is a very open-minded and easygoing person, seeing this kind of "whoever feeds me is my mother" reality still makes him furious.

In particular, the defection of several of the eight ship captains who used to call him brothers made him feel dizzy and disoriented.

With the collapse of the governance system of the Eight Great Ships, the feng shui of the [Eight Directions Ascending to the Wind Pavilion] is no longer secure, and Moon Harbor is no longer defended against external forces unless the two sides completely decide the victor.

Once you understand this, all your anger can only turn into a powerless sigh:

"Now, not only is the already loose alliance of the trade faction unstable, but even the Five Peaks Banner, the old ship owner's direct subordinates, is not at peace."

The conservatives, the revenge-seeking, the plunderers, the ambitious, and the independent-minded—the captains of the large ships all had their own agendas. How easy was it for them to unite and stop the wolves in sheep's clothing from the powerful gentry?

A sense of desolation and alienation arose spontaneously, and he wished he could turn around and leave with his men, letting those fools who still harbored illusions about the gentry fend for themselves.

It's important to know that Huang Yuanzhou, the "Mirage General," wasn't the only one stationed at Yuegang, this treasure trove, for the past three years.

Even though Wufengqi learned from the lessons of the destruction of Shuangyu Island and Liegang, and did not want to provoke the imperial court too much, it did not choose to directly rule Yuegang, but instead chose to co-govern with various forces.

Normally, at least three or four captains of the Twenty-Four Generals and Thirty-Six Fierce Generals are dispatched to oversee the operations.

They occupied almost half of the eight major ship captains, and with the support of other close allies, their power was naturally unparalleled.

But today is different from the past.

Currently, the person in charge of Wufeng Banner is Mao Haifeng, the adopted son of the old ship owner, known as "Black Kirin." Originally named Wang Haifeng, the old ship owner allowed him to revert to his original surname after his son, Wang Cheng, grew up.

In the previous earth-shattering upheaval, [Black Qilin] led the naval fleet accompanying Prince Jinghai to accept the amnesty and fought a battle against the ambushed Zhao navy.

He then ordered most of the ships guarding the southeast coast, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea to return to their main base on an island at the southern tip of Yingzhou.

He planned to mobilize his fleet to attack Minzhou Zhizhou City at the beginning of the year, shouting the slogan: "At least one prince of the Han family clan must be killed as a sacrifice to avenge the old ship owner."

In Yuegang, only Huang Yuanzhou, who was as unambitious as the giant clam and disliked moving around, remained; the other two of the Twenty-Four Generals had been recruited away.

Their control over this international trade center naturally weakened rapidly, and the gentry seized the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

If the other big ships don't leave, who would dare to mess with us?
"I chose to stay in order to guard Yuegang, the last bridgehead in the territory of Dazhao, and to secretly help the young ship owner who escaped with his life to go to sea to avoid disaster at critical moments."

However, the situation deteriorated much faster than we expected. Externally, the imperial court was eyeing us covetously, while internally, gentry and merchants colluded with officials to betray us.

Now even this most basic goal has become a luxury.

Although Huang Yuanzhou had made up his mind to teach the government officials and gentry a lesson even if he had to join the bandit faction, he couldn't help but complain about the decision of [Black Kirin] Mao Haifeng.

Avenging the old ship owner is important, but Moon Harbor and the young ship owner cannot be ignored!
Looking around, two of the eight ship captains under the Five Peaks Banner had left, one was absent, leaving five including himself, but only one staunch supporter remained steadfastly by his side.

Han Zechang, whose main job is the "Sea Scout" officer, is also known as the "River Rat".

Although he didn't belong to the Five Peaks Banner, he was sworn brothers with his father. At this moment, he was able to withstand the pressure, though his expression was also not very good.

Without much hesitation, Wang Cheng led a group of Tanka people to stand behind Huang Yuanzhou and Han Zechang, naturally joining the civilian faction.

They were one of the triggers for the conflict, and they had no other choice.

Looking at the massive crowd opposite him, and the imposing array of large ship prows forming a circle, his heart skipped a beat:
'Make plenty of friends and few enemies; don't let the neutrals fool you.'

Otherwise, it would be dangerous for me to stay in Moon Harbor and try to maneuver there.

Wang Cheng felt that even taking a little risk was entirely worthwhile.

He glanced up at Elder Shen, the "Director of the Imperial Secretariat," who stood silently and coldly observing from the Baoshan beacon tower, seemingly maintaining true neutrality. He stepped forward and, feigning composure, addressed the crowd:

"Although Prince Jing was lured and killed by the court, he did not perish."

After the divine ritual was performed on the royal ship, it was recognized by the "Twenty-Four Seasonal Rhymes" and became the official earth deity worshipped by the Great Zhao Dynasty, which even the God of the State could not depose.

It is difficult for it to show its power now that it has just been placed in its proper position, but its power will surely increase day by day after two years when the incense offerings become more abundant.

Unless we stop going to sea, once our sailboats reach the East China Sea, which one can escape the control of the "Princes" and "Emperors"?
Even if they seek refuge with the neutral Shan Hai Hui and the Heavenly Princess, how could they not know the principle of not interfering with relatives?

They are all believers in the sea god; if Prince Jing were to punish them, would the Heavenly Consort continue to protect them?

After lighting their inner lamps, which of the officials present wasn't sharp-witted and perceptive?

Upon hearing this, the gentry's momentum faltered, and the group, which was about to stabilize, erupted into chaos again.

Xie He, who was standing not far from Wang Cheng, suddenly turned even more gloomy:

"You damned brat, you ruined my plans!"

After a series of moves were launched, the person was already intimidated.

Taking advantage of everyone's panic, they forced them to choose sides, used their power to suppress others, and monopolized Moon Harbor, the world's largest trade center.

Now, unexpected complications have arisen, and a crucial flaw they had deliberately concealed has been exposed.

Xie He wished he could bite "Scholar Wang Fugui" to death.

As one of the plan's executors, he knew better than anyone that the reason the Wang family was wiped out was not simply due to the power struggles that outsiders assumed.

At least three parties were involved: local gentry and officials, a powerful figure in the Five Peaks Banner, and a big shot whose identity he didn't even know.

It's not just the Wang family who collect water.

In the last six or seven years, the four Xu brothers, known as the "Shuangyu Shipping Magnates," Jin Zhi Lao, known as the "Tiger Dragon," Li Guangtou, known as the "Sea Yaksha," and Xu Hai, known as the "Heavenly General Who Pacifies the Seas," have all been involved.
Over the course of several years, these pirates, merchants, and ship captains, who possessed the aura of dragons and the potential to transform into dragons, died one after another, all of them being sent to the royal ship to fill the sea's eye.

It became part of some mysterious ritual.

Several of the major pirates were killed by government troops with the assistance of Prince Jinghai, a move that these behind-the-scenes figures considered a brilliant scheme of dogs fighting each other.

These events were not mere coincidences, but rather part of a grand scheme orchestrated by an unknown figure.

Xie He was also unclear about the specific plans.

All that is known is that the originally foolproof divine ritual to send the king's ship was only half successful.

The failure to fill the sea eye with Prince Jinghai led to future troubles, allowing the Cai Shui Wang family to retain the capital to continue causing trouble, leaving these maritime merchants who make a living from the sea in an extremely passive position.

To make matters worse, the heir of the Prince of Jinghai escaped, taking with him a portion of the dragon energy they had painstakingly accumulated over six or seven years.

We must do everything in our power to retrieve this offering!
If it weren't for this major blunder in the plan, they could have simply waited for Wufeng Banner to collapse on its own due to internal strife, which would have taken at most a year or two.

Unfortunately, first the "Du Shui Lang" sent by the higher-ups mysteriously disappeared, and today the "Zhi Sui Tang Guan" from the Shan Hai Hui appeared and prevented the situation from escalating, quickly stopping the bloodshed.

Just now, even a nobody they'd never heard of stabbed them in the back. How could he not be angry and hateful?
Wang Cheng took in Xie He's expression and used the "Rare Goods for Hoarding" technique to see through his strongest obsession:
"Take Yuegang, capture the sacrificial offering of Prince Jinghai, help the nobleman collect all the dragon energy, and complete the ritual."

He immediately made a decision: he would wait until after the investiture ceremony and then take action to capture Xie He, pry open his mouth, and find out who his enemy really was.

(End of this chapter)