The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 111 Amulet

The following day at noon, east of Taizhou Prefecture, in the sea area of ​​Sanmu Mountain.

The Saint Anne is anchored here, along with seven other bird boats.

“A fishing boat is approaching!” the lookout shouted.

Lin Qian walked onto the stern deck, took out her binoculars, and looked out. She saw the fishing boat slowly raising a black flag.

This was the mark that Lin Qian and Bai Qing had agreed upon.

As the fishing boat drew closer, the Bai siblings could be seen waving from the bow through the binoculars.

Lin Qian felt relieved and ordered her subordinates, "Lower the rope ladder."

After a while, the fishing boat came close, and Bai Qing beckoned the large sailboat to extend its boom and lift two wooden boxes up.

Bai Qing and her brother climbed onto the boat using a rope ladder.

"Master!" The two men bowed to Lin Qian with clasped hands.

"How was it? Did you encounter any difficulties at the gate when you crossed the sea?" Lin Qian asked with a smile.

Bai Qing joked, "A boat full of fish, so fishy that the general doesn't want to get close at all."

Lin Qian: "Let's not talk on the deck, let's come to the restaurant."

Bai Qing and Bai Langzai each carried a wooden box and followed Lin Qian into the officers' restaurant.

"How is it?" Lin Qianfang asked as soon as she sat down.

Bai Qing put down the box and rubbed his shoulders: "Just as the captain guessed, the Lin family father and son didn't last long before sneaking up the mountain. We followed them with our men and obtained this without much effort."

After saying that, Bai Langzai took the two pottery jars out of the box and placed them on the table.

Lin Qian looked closely and saw that the two jars were identical in shape, made of coarse pottery, up to her knees, and made of thick material, with dust and dirt covering their surfaces.

Bai Langzai removed the seal from the jar, and a faint golden light could be seen reflecting inside.

Lin Qian glanced into the jar and casually picked up a gold bar to play with.

The gold bar was not a standard cuboid, but rather had an arched top and a constricted waist, belonging to the gold ingot style.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that there were no inscriptions on the gold ingot, but there were cutting marks on one side, indicating that the inscriptions had been scraped off.

The Lin family ancestors must have foreseen that when their descendants needed the silver, the family would have fallen on hard times and they would have no trustworthy servants. Burying silver would have been too heavy and difficult to move, so they buried gold instead.

These standard gold ingots were generally used by the national treasury, and they would be marked with the year and month they were cast and the place from which they were transported.

The Lin family ancestors deliberately removed the inscription so that future generations could avoid being investigated and have less trouble when using the gold ingot.

Lin Qian sighed inwardly. The fact that the Lin family ancestors were able to hide this jar of gold and think so thoroughly showed that they must have been outstanding people of their generation.

Unfortunately, the blessings bestowed by a virtuous person only last for five generations.

Ultimately, it is up to the descendants to walk their own path. If the Lin family makes a mistake, the legacy of their ancestors will only benefit others.

Lin Qian sent someone to summon all the brothers, and also ordered a steelyard to be brought over, so that the gold could be counted and deposited in front of everyone.

While waiting for someone to come, Bai Qing hesitated for a moment before telling them about how she had secretly rescued Aunt Li.

Finally, Bai Qing said, "I acted without authorization, please punish me, Master."

Lin Qian frowned and pondered for a moment: "Has Aunt Li really gone mad?"

Bai Langzai: "He's really crazy. He was both crying and laughing when he was being thrown into the river."

Did she see your faces?

"No, my face is covered."

In this world, good people and madmen can't survive.

In the end, Aunt Li either lived a happy life for a while, then mysteriously disappeared or was murdered.

Or perhaps the fisherman and his wife's silver was discovered, and their entire family was murdered.

The lives of ordinary people are as worthless as grass; this is the reality.

Lin Qian thought it over carefully. Regardless of whether Aunt Li's madness was real or not, as long as she was covered up, there would be no flaws.

Don't say that the Ming Dynasty didn't have officials who were serious about investigating cases.

Even if it were true, and the trail led back to Aunt Li, they would at most know that the Bai siblings used fishing boats to commit crimes, and would never be able to investigate further.

Even if there were a person like Bao Zheng, what could he do if he traced the pirates back to them?

Lin Qian, the scapegoat, has already been chosen.

Upon returning to Nan'ao, once the body of the scapegoat is handed over, the case will become airtight, and even if Bao Zheng were alive again, he would be helpless.

"Brother Bai, I heard you brought back some good stuff?"

The sound of thunder came from outside the cabin.

Zheng Zhilong, Chen Jiao, and Zhou Xiucai followed them in, with Zhou Xiucai carrying a steelyard balance.

Lin Qian recounted how Bai Qing had stolen the gold, and everyone was amazed.

The crew offered tea.

The group drank tea while watching Scholar Zhou weigh the gold.

Gold has a high density; although it doesn't look very big, it is quite heavy.

Zhou Xiucai placed the weighed items aside, and soon a stack of them appeared on the table, making the entire cabin glitter with gold.

Lin Qian now understands why everyone loves gold; its golden, heavy appearance is truly tempting.

The visual impact of two jars of gold placed on the table far surpasses that of silver of the same value.

Zhou Xiucai spoke slowly, and his brothers didn't urge him on, finding the scene quite amusing.

The cup of tea was finished quickly.

The gold in both jars was also gone.

"Huh?" Zhou Xiucai peered into the jar and exclaimed, "There's something underneath!"

Lei Sanxiang curiously peered over: "It really is, it looks like a letter."

"Take it out and take a look, be careful," Lin Qian said.

The letter had been pressed in the jar for who knows how long. Afraid that it would break if touched, Zhou Xiucai simply turned the jar upside down, patted it, and let the letter fall out on its own.

After removing the earthenware pot, a black and yellow envelope was found on the table.

Zhou Xiucai carefully handled the letter, which had been sitting for who knows how long. It was moldy and stuck together so badly that it was like mud and impossible to unfold.

It took a lot of effort to peel off the envelope and barely unfold the letter. Most of the words on it were illegible, with only a few words left, which made it difficult to guess the meaning.

"Second brother, what does it say? Read it to me quickly!" Lei Sanxiang scratched his head anxiously.

Zhou Xiucai remained silent, bent over and looked at it for a long time before straightening up and sighing, "This is a letter from the Lin family ancestors to their descendants. The gist of it is to persuade people to do good and to admonish their descendants to have good thoughts so that the family can be passed down for generations."

Lin Qianwei was slightly surprised: "A letter from over four hundred years ago?"

Scholar Zhou shook his head: "The letter avoids using the taboo name of Emperor Chengzu, so it was probably left over from the Yongle era."

Lei Sanxiang pouted, his face full of disappointment: "Oh, I thought there was treasure buried somewhere else too."

Zheng Zhilong scoffed: "Knowing that their descendants are in trouble, they're still hypocritical and don't say anything important."

Chen Jiao remarked with emotion: "This jar has been buried in the ground for over two hundred years, and the gold is still shining, while the letter filled with false benevolence has rotted away. It's quite amusing."

Lin Qian took a sip of tea: "Brother's words have a deeper meaning."

Chen Jiao was taken aback: "I just said it offhand."

Scholar Zhou sighed, "If the Lin family had remembered the ancestral teaching of being kind to others, they would not have suffered this misfortune today."

Zheng Zhilong retorted, "In this world, the kind-hearted die the fastest. If you want to do great things, you have to be hard-hearted."

The brothers drank tea and sighed with emotion.

"Oh right, we haven't asked how much gold they robbed yet," Zheng Zhilong suddenly said.

"That's it! We were so busy cursing this damn mansion that we forgot the most important thing." Lei Sanxiang slapped his forehead and looked at Zhou Xiucai.

Scholar Zhou picked up the ledger and read: "Total weight of gold: 3,286 taels and 7 mace."

"Um. Is this a lot?" Lei Sanxiang asked.

Apart from large-scale transactions by the government, ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty rarely used gold, so Lei Sanxiang and others were not familiar with the exchange rate.

Scholar Zhou explained, "It's roughly equivalent to more than 32,000 taels of silver."

Everyone then smiled with delight.

After celebrating for a while, everyone looked at Lin Qian again. Now that the job was done and the money was in hand, it was time to distribute the profits.

Lin Qian said calmly, "No rush, there's still a protective talisman, we need to go get it first."

……

Two days later, on the sea east of Fuzhou Prefecture.

Guantang Mountain.

The large sailboat broke through the morning mist and sailed silently across the sea.

A group of pirates led by Li Zhong is entrenched here, and they are the talisman that Lin Qian has chosen.

According to Zhou Xiucai's intelligence, the pirate gang consisted of about two hundred men and thirty ships.

They acted ruthlessly and arrogantly, not only plundering the surrounding waters but also frequently raiding the shore.

The bandit leader Li Zhong was lax in managing his subordinates, and his men often got caught by the authorities because they were so engrossed in looting.

If it weren't for the corruption in the southeastern coastal defense, this gang of pirates would have been wiped out by the government long ago, given their modus operandi.

Li Zhong's pirate gang not only plundered merchant ships but also fishing boats, earning them a terrible reputation among the people.

It can be described as infamous.

Perhaps because of the many crimes he has committed in recent years, Li Zhong's troops have been lying low in Guantang Mountain for the past few months and have not committed any major crimes.

This also meant that there would be no conflict in the timing of their looting of the Lin family mansion, nor would they have an alibi.

They are the perfect scapegoat.

According to Zhou Xiucai, Li Zhong offered a reward for a portrait, which depicted the person as a monstrous demon. The face was unreliable, but the description of the figure was similar to Lin Qian's.

Moreover, Li Zhong's ancestral home is in Zhejiang, and his accent is similar to Lin Qian's.

This actually matched up again, to the point that even Zhou Xiucai felt that it was fate that this person was chosen as a scapegoat.

As the large sailboat slowly sailed, the sun rose in the east, and the mist on the sea gradually dissipated.

As the sun rose, a mountain range could be vaguely seen appearing on the sea.

After traveling for a long time, the mountains gradually turned into an island, and a few small boats could be seen around the island.

"Enemy ship spotted at bow, 3,000 paces!"

The lookout's voice came from the mainmast.

Lin Qian did not speak, and the large sailboat continued on its predetermined route.

After driving for about 500 steps to Guantang Mountain, a harbor appears between two mountain ridges.

More than 30 ships of various sizes were moored inside, and there were dozens of simple tents on the beach, which was obviously Li Zhong's camp.

Lin Qian took out her binoculars and saw that the pirates in the camp had just gotten up. Some were stretching on the beach, while several others were shading their eyes with their hands and looking in the direction of the large sailing ship, seemingly having spotted the approaching vessel.

Surprisingly, the pirates reacted extremely slowly, calmly boarding their ships, raising sails, and weighing anchor, as if they were not preparing for an attack but rather heading out to sea to fish.

This level of vigilance is far inferior to that of Li Kuiqi's troops, and is only comparable to the reaction of the Ming army.

Lin Qian put down his binoculars. He felt that eliminating this group of pirates would be no problem, as the Saint Anna alone would be enough.

The difficulty lies in capturing all the pirates and preventing them from escaping, so as to avoid leaking information.

Therefore, Lin Qian had already arranged for seven bird boats to ambush the east and west sides of Guantang Mountain. As long as the pirates scattered and fled, they would be chased by the bird boats.

What Lin Qian needed to do was kill as many pirates as possible before they fled.

"Bow direction, enemy port, 300 paces!"

The lookout updates the distance.

Lin Qian commanded: "Turn to starboard, lower the sails, and engage the enemy on port!"

Chen Jiao shouted the order: "Turn to starboard, lower the sails, and engage the enemy on port!"

The large sailing ship gradually turned sideways and stopped directly in front of the harbor, with the starboard gun ports open, revealing dark cannon muzzles.

In Guantangshan harbor, the pirates looked at the large sailing ship that had turned around, and they were all somewhat puzzled.

The pirates had never seen firearms that could be fired from two or three hundred paces away.

"Brother, what does the government army mean by this?"

"I don't know..."

Before he could finish speaking, his words were drowned out by the booming sound of cannons.

A plume of white smoke rose from the port side of the large sailing ship, and towering columns of water erupted all around the harbor.

The water jets fell like a torrential downpour.

Soon after, another barrage of artillery fire came.

In the harbor, a ship from the Haicang was hit by a cannonball, its hull instantly reduced to dust. The solid iron shot continued its trajectory, tearing two other ships moored behind it to shreds.

Chunks of wood and pieces of meat were scattered everywhere, falling into the sea like rain.

The pirates, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly boarded their ship and prepared to meet the enemy.

The bandit leader, Li Zhong, drew his knife and strode up to the bow of the ship, waving his finger at the large sailing vessel.

The surrounding pirates drew their swords, their morale high, and the Pilgrim Anna charged forward with shouts and cheers.

In Li Zhong's view, the government army only had one gunboat, and its shelling was inaccurate. As long as they could get close enough to board the gunboat, they would be guaranteed victory.

On the stern deck, Lin Qian was slightly surprised by the ferocity of the pirates; the Ming Dynasty garrison soldiers should most likely have fled by now.

However, the pirates charging up was exactly what he wanted.

Since they were already scapegoats, Lin Qian had no intention of leaving any survivors. She ordered in a deep voice, "Raise the sails and head due west." Chen Jiao: "Raise the sails and head due west."

At this time, a strong northwest wind was blowing across the sea, and the Santa Ana was sailing due west, so the pirates were about to pursue it to the northwest.

The same suffering that Li Kuiqi endured is now being experienced by Li Zhong.

The St. Anna was traveling at high speed, and Li Zhong's fleet was sailing in a zigzag pattern, with its route almost entirely within the firing range of the large sailing ships, making them practically moving targets at sea.

The Santa Ana fired shells as if they were free, without end.

Even the handrails on the mast were covered in the smell of sulfur.

After five rounds of bombardment, the pirate fleet finally devised a plan to disperse its remaining twenty-odd ships at sea.

Lin Qian had just pulled off a big heist and was now flush with cash, so he didn't care about ammunition consumption at all. Even if the enemy ships were scattered, he continued to bombard them without hesitation.

After another ten rounds of cannon fire, the three enemy ships were reduced to a sky full of wood chips.

The remaining pirate ships scattered and fled, only to find themselves entangled by several bird ships.

The bird boats did not approach, but kept a distance of only ten paces, and fired at them with muskets and crossbows.

The bird ships were fast, and the pirates were unable to escape for a while. They were chased for more than a thousand paces on the sea, suffering heavy casualties, and had no choice but to surrender ship by ship.

Not a single ship on the entire island escaped.

Lin Qian ordered all the prisoners to be taken to the island, and the corpses to be retrieved as well.

This ordeal actually lasted longer than the actual battle. Finally, before dinner, the prisoners were all tied up in a string and made to kneel on the beach.

"Twenty-three prisoners in total!" Lu Zhou shouted to Lin Qian after counting.

In front of the prisoner lay more than thirty wet corpses, which had been painstakingly retrieved from the water.

The other bodies were all shattered into pieces by artillery fire and could not be retrieved.

Lin Qianling ordered the prisoners to identify Li Zhong from among the corpses.

All the prisoners looked at the corpse on the ground.

The corpse was indeed of average height and build, but its appearance was unremarkable and did not resemble the portrait on the wanted poster at all.

Lin Qian leaned closer to take a look and saw that the man had been shot in the back with an arrow and in the chest with a musket shot; he was already dead beyond any doubt.

The corpse was wearing a Hetian jade Buddha on its chest, which was quite valuable, suggesting that it was indeed of high status.

According to Li Zhong's subordinates, Li Zhong's weapon was inlaid with emeralds, but unfortunately they fell into the sea and could not be used to prove his identity.

But it didn't matter. Lin Qian had someone bring out several pieces of precious jewelry from the cabin and stuffed them into Li Zhong's arms.

These jewels were stolen from the Lin family mansion, which meant that Li Zhong was caught red-handed, thus solidifying the case.

"Captain, what should we do with the prisoners?" Lü Zhou asked.

The island is short of manpower, and these prisoners would have been a great source of labor. Unfortunately, there are only thirty-odd corpses, which is far from enough. We can only use their heads.

"Chopped."

……

While Lin Qian was eliminating Li Zhong.

Another group of pirates on Shuangyu Island in Zhejiang Province also suffered a devastating blow.

Amidst the raging flames, the Shuangyu boat owner was brought closer by Zhao Ba, who had his arms tied behind his back.

The commander of the Haimen Guard raised his eyes and looked at the person in front of him. He saw that the person was short and thin, with no sharp eyes or fierce aura.

The description of the bandit leader given by the Linfu family is quite different from the one described.

Once in his hands, even the fiercest bandits are reduced to nothing; whatever he says is true, and whatever he says is false.

"So you're the owner of Shuangyu Ship?" the commander said coldly, speaking in official jargon.

The Shuangyu boat owner grinned, his bleeding lips parted in a forced smile, "Sir, just call me Sun Er. I, Sun Er, am blind and don't know how I offended you. If you can spare my life, I... ah—."

Zhao Ba pried his arm up, and Sun Er's shoulders cracked loudly. His face was pressed against the ground, and tears and snot streamed down his face from the pain.

"Answer whatever the general asks," Zhao Ba said in a cold voice.

"Yes, yes!" Sun Er hurriedly replied.

"Raise your head," the commander ordered.

Zhao Ba loosened his arm, and Sun Er looked up, meeting the commander's devilish gaze.

"Did you break the river-blocking rope at Haimenwei?"

"Huh?" Sun Er was extremely surprised.

Before he could answer, the commander asked again, "Did you rob the Lin family mansion in Huangyan?"

"General, what are you saying?" Sun Er trembled all over, feeling that he had been wronged beyond measure.

"Did you kill Lin Jiren and Lin Zhili when they went missing?" The commander's voice grew even colder.

Sun Er, his face flushed with excitement, exclaimed, "General, I don't know these two people at all!"

The commander laughed: "Your hometown is in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, right?"

Sun Er was terrified and wished he could tear out his heart and lungs to prove his innocence, so he dared not lie: "My ancestral home is Ningbo."

Commander: "You speak Mandarin well, but unfortunately your accent is hard to hide. Take him away."

Sun Er repeatedly cried out that he was innocent.

The commander knew that there were differences in accents between Ningbo and Taizhou, but he didn't care.

The suspect has been caught. All we need to do is extract a confession, and we can build an airtight case!

……

After sailing at sea for several more days, Nan'ao Island came into view in the distance, and the crew members were all excited.

Lin Qian ordered the fleet to sail past Shen'ao Port and dock at Houjiangwan Wharf.

Only one small boat headed towards Shen'ao Port.

After the bird boat docked, the crew carried a fishing net out of the cabin, which contained dozens of salted human heads, and headed towards the general's mansion.

Upon hearing the news, Huang Hetai immediately went out of his residence to greet the messenger. When he saw the severed head, he was startled and hurriedly asked, "Chief Bai, what is the meaning of this?"

Bai Langzai told the crew to put the severed head down and said, "This is a gift from the helmsman to you."

After saying that, he picked up a stick, searched through the heads, and revealed a complete corpse.

"He is Li Zhong, a pirate from the Fujian coast. He just committed a crime in Zhejiang and was intercepted and killed by Commander Huang when he headed south. Congratulations."

Huang Hetai hesitated and said, "I just submitted my report on killing Li Kuiqi not long ago, and now I've killed another pirate leader. With only a thousand or so old and weak soldiers..."

Bai Langzai interrupted him: "The captain said you're a seasoned veteran, you'll have a way to explain."

Huang Hetai could only manage a wry smile.

The crew on the bird boat made another trip back and forth, bringing back a box. When they opened it, they found it contained jewelry, precious stones, and loose silver coins.

These are all items that are not very valuable or difficult to liquidate.

Bai Langzai explained, "These are the evidence of Li Zhong's crimes. You can present them together later. The captain will also send someone to deliver a few wrecked boats, which will also be considered your spoils."

Huang Hetai smiled wryly and cupped his hands in greeting: "The captain has thought of everything."

"Hmm." Bai Langzai said, then turned around, took two steps, and added, "By the way, the captain said he'd like you to attend a banquet on the Saint Anna in three days."

A trap? Huang Hetai felt a chill run down his spine and pondered how to refuse.

Bai Langzai added, "The captain also said, 'Don't worry, it's not a trap.'"

Huang Hetai's face stiffened, then he awkwardly laughed and said, "Hahaha, you're joking, Master. Even if it's a trap, I'd still be willing to go."

……

Three days later, at dusk.

From Houjiang Bay Harbor, you can see several fishing boats returning to port from afar.

After docking, the fishermen came out of the cabin and called for help to unload the cargo.

Before long, boxes of fish were unloaded from the fishing boat. The fish were extremely lively, jumping and leaping in the boxes.

Some of the stronger ones would jump out of the box, slap the laborer across the face, and then fall into the sea beside the pier, regaining their freedom.

Five large oil cauldrons had been set up on the beach, the lard inside already boiling hot, sizzling and steaming.

Lei Sanxiang had been waiting impatiently on the sidelines.

The laborer brought over a box of fish, and Lei Sanxiang couldn't wait to grab one, pulling it up by its gills. The fish struggled and thrashed its tail, leaving Lei Sanxiang's arms and face covered in water droplets.

The fish had a silvery-white back and a golden-yellow belly, shaped like a teardrop, with extremely plump flesh. It was a wild large yellow croaker from the seas of Fujian and Guangdong.

"Okay, this one's big enough and lively enough, let's fry it first!" Lei Sanxiang said, throwing the fish onto the cutting board and knocking it unconscious with a stick.

"Old Chen, I don't know how to kill fish, so I'll leave the rest to you."

Uncle Chen said, "Alright."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Chen took out a sharp knife, wiped it with seawater, and scraped the fish with the knife. In an instant, the fish scales flew up, and he finished one side in a few strokes. Then he flipped it over and finished the other side.

After cleaning the fish scales, Uncle Chen lifted the fish with one hand, used a knife to scrape off the scales on the cutting board, and then rinsed the knife with seawater.

Next, put the fish back on the cutting board, remove the gills, cut open the back of the fish with one knife, split the fish in two, and with a flick of the blade, the internal organs fall to the side. Then take out the fish maw.

Rinse the fish meat with seawater, put it back on the cutting board, make diagonal cuts on both sides, and marinate it in a bowl.

Uncle Chen's movements as he killed the fish were fluid and graceful, making them a sight to behold, and Lei Sanxiang watched with repeated praise.

Uncle Chen said a few words of modesty, but his expression was full of pride.

After half an incense stick's time, the yellow croaker was marinated. Uncle Chen scooped out most of the oil from the iron pot and put it into a basin next to him, leaving only a layer of oil clinging to the bottom of the pot.

Lei Sanxiang said urgently, "Old Chen, don't be stingy with the oil! The captain said that today, oil and fish are all you can eat!"

Uncle Chen smiled mysteriously and said, "The small yellow croaker that the head of the shop mentioned is easy to make. This one is a large yellow croaker, which is not suitable for deep-frying. What I made is pan-fried."

Lei Sanxiang stared at Uncle Chen suspiciously.

Once the oil temperature was right, Uncle Chen grabbed the yellow croaker by the tail and slid it into the pot.

"Stab!"

A puff of white smoke rose up.

Uncle Chen wet a towel, placed it on his hand, grabbed the handle of the iron pot, and with a slight exertion, the yellow croaker spun around in the pot. With another toss, the whole yellow croaker was flipped over in the pot.

Another sizzling sound, the aroma of a wok rising, the freshness of fish and the fragrance of oil mingling together, making one's mouth water.

Lei Sanxiang stared intently at the pot, his nose twitching incessantly, wishing he could stuff his large face plate into it.

"That's the taste! Absolutely! That's exactly what it tasted like that night! Old Chen, you've got amazing cooking skills!"

Uncle Chen was so pleased with the praise that he couldn't stop smiling: "On a regular day, when we're on the ship, sometimes we have to fight, and sometimes we're short of oil and food, so we can't use a strong fire. Naturally, my skills as an old man can't be shown!"
"Today, the captain is hosting this yellow croaker feast. I'm going to show you sailors what a spectacle is all about!"

Lei Sanxiang nodded repeatedly: "I've seen it all! You really can't judge a book by its cover. Old Chen, your fish is even better than the ones in the restaurants back home!"

The aroma of fish attracted many crew members to gather around, and everyone greedily inhaled the fragrance.

They inhaled all the cooking fumes into their lungs, not a single drop escaped.

Someone said, "Uncle Chen, let's do it this way and fry all these fish!"

"Stab!"

Uncle Chen flipped the pan again and laughed, "That won't do. Different ingredients require different cooking methods. For example, yellow croaker comes in large and small varieties. Only large yellow croaker can be pan-fried like this, while small yellow croaker is better suited for deep-frying."

Besides, since the boatman is hosting a banquet today, and it's called a yellow croaker feast, it can't just be fried; it should also be braised and steamed. And the fish maw can be used to make soup, guaranteeing everyone a different meal!"

"Stab!"

As soon as Uncle Chen finished speaking, he flipped the pot over again.

The surrounding crew members cheered.

Someone said, "Uncle Chen, I ate your insect cakes on the sea in Guangdong before. I thought you could only make a fire. I didn't expect you had this skill."

Uncle Chen said somewhat sadly, "Nonsense! Before I boarded the ship, I was a chef in a restaurant! If it weren't for the donations... Never mind, I'm happy today, let's not talk about that!"

"Stab!"

Everyone was astonished by the news.

Uncle Chen laughed and scolded, "If you're in such a hurry, go over there and help kill the fish!"

Meanwhile, the fishing boats continued to haul fish down, and the lively little yellow croakers bounced around.

"Alright!" everyone responded and hurried off to kill the fish.

Lin Qian stood on the dock pier, looking at the boxes of yellow croaker being transported down, and was slightly surprised.

In this day and age, what you catch when you cast a net depends entirely on fate. Catching a whole boatload of yellow croaker is a rare feat, and it's not just a matter of good luck anymore.

"Da Bing!" Lin Qian called the boatman over.

"Headmaster, you were looking for me?" Da Bing wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and ran over.

Lin Qian asked with concern, "Are you getting used to the fishing boat?"

Da Bing gave a thumbs up: "A ship rewarded by the captain is naturally top-notch. No matter how you cast your nets at sea, this ship will catch fish..."

It was clear that Da Bing genuinely loved fishing; once Lin Qian started a conversation with him, he could talk on and on.

Lin Qian looked into the hold of the fishing boat and saw that it was still piled with yellow croaker. A laborer was standing in the hold, loading fish into boxes, filling one box after another.

Among them were large yellow croakers, some two or three feet long and weighing over ten kilograms.

It should be known that such a large yellow flower of this weight and quality is extremely rare in later generations, and one can sell for 100,000.

In those days, they were piled up in a hold as if they were free, and even if a few accidentally fell into the sea, no one cared.

Lin Qian couldn't help but sigh at how abundant the resources of the Ming Dynasty were.

"Were they caught using the 'beating net' method?"

Da Bing was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed with delight, "Captain, do you know the method of fishing with nets?"

(End of this chapter)