1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 852 The Sea Sand Gang

Out of Shipu Port, about [-] nautical miles to the north, you will find Liuheng Island.Although the average speed of sailboats in this era is only in single digits, such a distance is still quite close at sea. Xu Ke, a dual-purpose sailboat for fishing and cargo, can reach the local area in only half a day under smooth conditions.Even if the coalition fleet has blocked the waterway on the east side of the harbor, the turmoil in Shipu Port will reach Liuheng Island in a few days. This is one of the reasons why Shi Diwen urged him to act quickly to avoid letting the island The armed forces are prepared in advance.

Although Xu Ke had been with the coalition forces for a few days, he was by Xu Yuzhuo's side most of the time. This was the first time he went out alone with the Haihan people to perform a mission.Originally, Xu Ke was a little uneasy about this, but Xu Yuzhuo was full of confidence. Before leaving, he comforted him not to worry that the Haihan people who were traveling with him would show his feet, and he didn’t need to ask about their missions. That's it.

The boat also spent time on fishing operations on the way to ensure that there were seven to eight hundred catties of fresh fish on board, so that when it arrived at Liuheng Island, it could act more like it and avoid arousing the suspicion of the people on the island.

In order to ensure that there will be no leaks, all the crew members of Haihan on board were replaced except for Xu Ke. The captain named Zhao Cheng was dark and strong. It was him who acted as the captain.Although he had never operated Xu Ke's boat before, Zhao Cheng and his men got started very quickly after boarding the boat, and they looked like veterans who had been active at sea all year round.

"Boss Xu's boat is not bad!" After setting off, Zhao Cheng fiddled around on the boat until after sailing for more than an hour, he came out to chat with Xu Ke on the deck: "This should be a new boat that has been in the water for a few years, right?" ?”

"This boat was launched the year before last." Xu Ke nodded and admitted Zhao Cheng's guess: "I specially found a familiar boat house in Ningbo to customize it. I also selected the boat materials myself. The cost is [-]% higher than that of ordinary sailboats on the market."

Zhao Cheng asked: "Do you need to pay tolls to the pirates in the East China Sea for fishing in the East China Sea like Boss Xu?"

"Of course it is necessary." When Xu Ke talked about this issue, he slowly began to open up the conversation: "I can't do without money! The fishing ground near Zhoushan is the best place for fishing in the East China Sea. Shengshan, Langgang , Huangze, Daiqu, Yang'an, Jintang...these large fishing grounds are all in sea areas controlled by pirates. If they don't hang the command flag they gave, they will detain the boat and people if they are caught, and the extra money will go out. The few fishing boats under my hands are priced in terms of size, and they have to hand over at least 2000 taels of silver every year. In Xiangshan County alone, there are at least 30 to [-] boat owners like me. Think about it. In the entire Ningbo Prefecture, there are at least tens of thousands of taels of silver handed over to pirates in the East China Sea by fishermen every year."

"Then there must be a lot of these money going to the officials' pockets?" Zhao Cheng asked sharply.

"That's natural." Xu Ke replied: "The local government has indulged these pirates all the year round, not because they have received enough benefits from them. If you want to file a pirate case in Ningbo, the pleadings are never sent. Ordinary people , How can you beat them with arm wrestling! If you want to resist, you can only lose your life, and maybe your relatives and friends will be involved. As time goes on, everyone will dare to be angry and dare not speak out."

Zhao Cheng was silent for a while, and then replied: "This matter of doing justice for the heavens will fall on my Haihan army!"

Xu Ke was very curious about the strength of the Haihan army, so he couldn't help asking: "I heard that your army swept Shibazhi in Fujian last year. I wonder how many troops were dispatched?"

Zhao Cheng glanced at Xu Ke, Xu Ke was so stared at him that his heart trembled, and he quickly explained: "I am not inquiring about your army's secrets, if it is inconvenient, just pretend I didn't ask."

Zhao Cheng shook his head and said, "Our army's actions in Fujian last year were not a secret. Everyone in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou knew about it. As long as you inquire carefully, it is not difficult to know how many troops were dispatched. Last year when we attacked Penghu, the navy was the main force. As you can see in Haihan At that time, two fleets participated in the battle, and another thousand soldiers from the army were responsible for the battle to seize the island. In addition, the Fujian Ming army also sent thousands of people. However, compared with our army, the equipment and tactics are too far behind. When fighting at sea, they can only be beaten passively and have little power to fight back. Moreover, the bandit leader Zheng Zhilong knows that compared with the navy, the gap in combat power on land is even greater. Therefore, we did not plan to defend Penghu at all, but sent a few groups of people to intercept our army at sea, but ran away with Siruan."

Of course, Zheng Zhilong actually took away not only the soft, but also part of the elite of Shibazhi and many family members of the pirates.However, after the war, the Fujian government and Haihan's external propaganda were very unified, saying that only a very small number of people such as the bandit leader Zheng Zhilong escaped from Shibazhi, and that the main force had been wiped out by the coalition forces.

Xu Ke sighed: "Back then, the Patriarch was persecuted by Shibazhi, so he sent us to Zhejiang to lurk, hoping that we could preserve a bloodline for the Xu family. I never thought that after a few years, the situation has completely reversed. I can finally return to my hometown. But if it is not for your army, I am afraid that this moment will be several years later."

Zhao Cheng thought that if I, Haihan, hadn't intervened in Fujian's affairs, your family of Xu's family would probably have been wiped out by Zheng Zhilong long ago, and there would be no chance of a comeback.Although the situation has reversed now, the move Xu Xinsu made at the beginning was not wrong. At least it can be used practically now. Without Xu Ke, the leading party, the actions of the coalition forces in Ningbo Mansion would probably be worse than what they are doing now. Progress is slower.

Zhao Cheng didn't want to talk too much about Shibazhi in front of Xu Ke, so he took the initiative to change the topic to the Liuheng Island he was about to go to: "Boss Xu, we are going to the Haisha Gang site next, what do you need?" Where to pay attention?"

Xu Ke thought for a while and said, "Then the three leaders of the Haisha Gang are rough people, so it's easy to deal with. As long as you don't make too much publicity when entering the port, just wait for the small boats of the Haisha Gang to bring in. In addition, all the soldiers You must hide your weapons well. Maybe the Haisha gang will board the ship to inspect them. If you find something that shouldn't be there, it will be a lot of fun. Although you are all good guys, you have entered the robber's lair My son, I'm afraid it won't be easy to get away. Those pirates are vulgar people, and many of them are overseas barbarians, who don't know much about etiquette. Master Zhao, don't get angry and show off because of some trivial things. General Shi also said This trip is just to inquire about news, check the environment, and wait for us to go back and report."

Zhao Cheng nodded and said: "I know this naturally. The chief said, we will follow your instructions when we get to the ground, and we will do what you say."

Xu Ke repeatedly waved his hands and said: "How dare I work hard for you military lords, I should try my best to cooperate."

A group of people set off in the morning, and spent more than two hours fishing with nets on the way. When they saw the outline of Liuheng Island on the sea level, it was already dinner time, but at this time they could still see the sea outside Liuheng Island There are at least a dozen fishing boats active.

"There are all the boats of the Haisha Gang in front." Seeing Zhao Cheng looking towards the direction of Liuheng Island, Xu Ke took the initiative to help him clear up his doubts: "Warning at sea, and fishing for food on the island."

Zhao Cheng nodded and remained silent. This kind of practice is not limited to pirates in the East China Sea. In the past, pirates in Fuzhou and Guangxi also made such arrangements.Zhao Cheng is a veteran who enlisted in the army in 1628. He has participated in several battles in Haihan to eliminate pirates in Fuguang and Guangzhou. He is naturally clear about these tactics.However, the Haihan militia's attacks on pirate dens are often thunderous, and they will not leave the opponent with a chance to struggle. Even if this warning method at sea can provide the opponent with an hour or two of preparation time, it is impossible to change both sides. The gap in strength and the final result of the battle.

When it was four or five miles away from the southern tip of Liuheng Island, a fishing boat with a Li character flag approached directly. According to Xu Ke, this is the subordinate of Li Luotou, one of the three heads of the Haisha Gang. up.

The boat was still seven to eight feet away, so Xu Ke took the initiative to stand on the side of the boat and waved his hands.After the other party got closer, Xu Ke loudly announced his request to enter the port to replenish fresh water and food.The other party made a few gestures, and then began to turn around and sail towards the northern port.Xu Ke told Zhao Cheng that the other party was going to lead the way into Hong Kong, and he just followed behind.

At the southern end of Liuheng Island, there are four islands and reefs that extend into the sea in parallel to the south, forming a two-large, one-small and three-gate-shaped harbor, lined up side by side from east to west, and the two ports on the east side are trade ports for external development. The small port on the west side is exclusively for the Haisha Gang, and ships outside are prohibited from entering.However, to enter the two ports on the east side, the small boats of the Haisha Gang are also required to lead the boat, otherwise it will be regarded as a hostile act and may attract attacks before entering the port.

"It's quite wary." Zhao Cheng commented on the behavior of the Haisha Gang.

"In the past two years, other gangs pretended to be merchant ships and set fire to them after they went in. Although they didn't cause any chaos, the Haisha gang still learned their lesson, and then they strictly checked the ships entering the port." Xu Ke explained: "But in I’ve been here a few times, and they all recognize me, so it’s easy to talk to.”

Zhao Cheng reminded: "When you enter Hong Kong, you must remember not to use the wrong name."

Xu Ke yelled "Master Zhao Zhao" along the way. If this yelling was heard after entering the port, it might arouse suspicion.Xu Ke nodded and said, "I remember this, don't worry."

Zhao Cheng asked his men to lower the sails and slow down, and followed the boat of the Haisha Gang slowly into Cangdong'ao Harbor in the middle.The harbor is about a kilometer wide, and the longitudinal depth of the harbor is about 2000 meters, and the wharf for foreign ships is located at the deepest part of the harbor.Zhao Cheng noticed that there was a small bay on the left and right sides of the harbor entrance, with several sailboats docked and several houses on the shore.Xu Ke said that this is a precautionary measure set up by the Sea Sand Gang at the access channel. Once something happens, these ships can block the channel as quickly as possible.Of course, this kind of blockade is for ordinary sailboats. As for the gunboats of the Haihan Navy, they can only be classified separately.

The leading ship did not touch the shore, but just circled near the shore, shouted a few words to the people on the shore, and then turned out again.And the people on the pier signaled to the following ship, signaling the people on board to dock at the designated pier.

After landing, Zhao Cheng asked his men to set up a springboard, but he was not in a hurry to go ashore.This was also a detail that Xu Ke asked him to pay special attention to. After docking, he had to wait for a sign from the Haisha Gang before leaving the ship.

The people on the boat did not go down, but the people on the shore came up first.A black and thin man in his thirties got on the boat, his eyes swept over everyone, and he quickly locked on Xu Ke's side: "Boss Xu, long time no see, are you going out to make a fortune again?"

Xu Ke clasped his fists and responded, "Seventh Brother is always good! You can't say you're getting rich, so you're just eating. I didn't catch any good things on this trip. I passed by Liuheng Island, so I stopped by to replenish some fresh water and food."

The little leader known as Seventh Brother asked noncommittally: "Boss Xu always has several boats when he goes out to sea, why did he act alone today?"

Regarding such details, Xu Ke and Zhao Cheng had already discussed the countermeasures.Xu Ke replied: "Originally, I didn't need to come here alone to resupply, but it's really unlucky to talk about it. After only a few days at sea, I found two mice drowned in the water tank on the boat, and they were all soaked. Now we can only drain all the water, and find another place to replenish it. The other ships have all headed north first, and I will go to meet them after my ship is finished."

The Seventh Brother laughed dryly twice, and asked again: "The brothers on this boat don't seem to be the same people who followed you before?"

Xu Ke responded: "The former boss of the boat quit and left with his gang of brothers. I specially invited this boss Zhao from Wenzhou to come over to help...Old Zhao, say hello to Seventh Brother!"

Zhao Cheng replied: "Little man Zhao Cheng, I have met Seventh Brother!"

Xu Ke's fishing boats have already been collected by the coalition forces, and they are all parked in Shipu Harbor.And the group of people under him will not leave Shipu Port for the time being, so there is no need to worry about this simple cover being exposed.

Seventh Brother looked Zhao Cheng up and down, saw that he was dark complexioned, and standing barefoot on the boat, he looked like an old sea dog, so he nodded slightly as a greeting.However, his focus was not on Zhao Cheng's side, and he continued to say to Xu Ke: "Then what does Boss Xu want to buy, make a list, and I'll ask someone to manipulate it."

Xu Ke said: "Old Zhao, let's go and see what's missing. We've set it up here. By the way, we'll have a rest here today. Seventh brother, if you have nothing else to do, I'll be the host later, let's go together." Have a light meal."

The seventh brother pretended to decline a few words, but finally agreed.Zhao Cheng took two people and went to buy supplies with the people arranged by Seventh Brother.

(End of this chapter)