Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 118 Recruitment
Hearing footsteps outside the room, Ma Wu immediately sat up from the bed, his eyes fixed on the door.

"Master Meng!"

"Master Zhong!"

"Well, you've been working really hard these past few days, guarding here every day. This month, each of you will receive an extra 1 or 2 taels of silver."

"Thank you, Master Meng!"

"Thank you, Master Meng!"

"Okay, okay, stop being so pretentious. ...Are the people in there pretty honest?"

"Master Zhong, they're very well behaved! All they do is eat and sleep, like dead pigs. If they dare to bar their teeth or make a move, we'll beat them to pieces!"

"Haha, Lin Da is so powerful!"

"Oh, I don't deserve Master Zhong's praise. But, Masters, how long are we going to keep them locked up? Keeping them under guard every day is not going to be easy! If all else fails, we can just bring them to the government office. Then, we'll have to make sure these pirates get a good beating."

"No hurry, no hurry. Today, we have something to ask them again."

"Then I will open the door for you two masters."

There was a rattling sound of the chain at the door, and in a moment, the door was opened.

A strong guard holding a dagger walked in first and went straight to Ma Wu.

"What are you doing?" Ma Wu's heart tightened, his eyes widened, and he stared at the knife.

"Shut up!" Lin Dahu slapped him on the head. "Behave yourself and don't move. ... Third Brother, find some ropes and tie up these pirates. ... We can't let these thieves hurt you two!"

In a moment, Ma Wu and the other two pirates had their arms tied up behind their backs, and were then dragged in front of Meng Shengxin and Zhong Minghui.

"Lin Da, take your men and guard outside." Zhong Minghui turned around and gave the order.

"Hey, we'll be guarding outside the door. If the thieves make any unusual moves, please call us loudly." With that, Lin Dahu and his men left the room.

"You guys get up." After the guards left the room, Meng Shengxin saw that the three pirates were all forced to kneel on the ground. They looked terrified and looked around, probably worried.

"Are you...going to kill us?" Ma Wu asked cautiously.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have killed you on the street that day." Zhong Minghui said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wu recalled what happened that day and couldn't help but shudder.

This tall young man was smiling and looked harmless, but that day in the alley, he held a pistol in his hand and fired three shots without blinking, killing two of his companions on the spot and seriously injuring another. He was indeed very vicious.

He Laosi was such a fierce man, with countless lives on his hands, but before he could even make a move, he was shot down by this young man.

You said, if you carry a pistol on you that can fire continuously, it won't be of any use no matter how good your skills are!

Not to mention that there were five of them, even if there were ten of them, they would be courting their deaths!

Alas, these days, firearms are really powerful. They can take your life without even getting close to you.

By the way, at sea, if a ship is equipped with a few cannons, its power is simply incomparable. It can knock the opponent overboard from a distance without having to board and fight like before.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here." Meng Shengxin cleared his throat and said seriously, "According to what you've said, your life is not easy right now. Your life on Nan'ao Island is precarious, and you are on the verge of collapse or destruction at any time. If we were to take you in and offer you our support, would you be willing?"

"Yes, yes!" Ma Wu nodded hurriedly. "Hey, I'm telling you this very seriously, don't make promises lightly."

"Sir, as long as you can give us brothers something to eat and protect the safety of our family, we will sell our more than a hundred lives to you!" Ma Wu and his two companions looked at each other, and then said firmly.

Tsk, don’t you maritime merchants just want to raise a group of “thugs” to do the dirty work?

Well, maybe, they are maritime merchants on the surface, but in fact they are also doing business at sea without capital, but they hide it well and have little reputation, so we have never heard of them.

Now, hearing that we are down and out and helpless, they want to recruit us to strengthen their own strength.

No problem, as long as you can continue to lead us to drink big bowls of wine, eat big mouthfuls of meat, and divide the gold into big lumps like Master Chen, you can become our new leader!
"It's not difficult to feed you, and it's also easy to protect your family." Meng Shengxin said with a smile, "But what we require is your sincere allegiance. You must live with us from the same pot, share weal and woe, and be together forever. In other words, as long as you join us, you are one of us. You must obey our orders from now on. In the future, we will all enjoy a century of prosperity."

"Sir, as long as you can protect us, we brothers will naturally fight for you." Ma Wu's expression relaxed. "Even if we give you Nan'ao Island, which we occupy, it is not a bad idea. However, you must think carefully. Zheng Yiguan and Li Kuiqi are not easy to deal with. If they come to attack us, can you still protect us?"

"Actually, whether it's surrender or surrendering Nan'ao Island, I'm afraid these matters are not yours to decide," Meng Shengxin said calmly. "How about this, I'll release you all first. Go back and tell your brothers about our intentions, and then discuss whether they want to cooperate with us."

"Indeed, we haven't established basic trust yet, and I'm afraid you won't sincerely join us. Even if you did, we wouldn't dare fully accept you. So, why don't we first establish a cooperative relationship, based on mutual consent and mutual benefit, and collaborate on various matters."

"Cooperation? ...What do you need from us? ...What can you offer us?"

"We need a stable transit base along the coast of Daming for trade and immigrant recruitment," Meng Shengxin said. "As for what we can offer you, I believe what you need most is safety. We can provide you with some supplies and firearms, allowing you to gain a foothold on Nan'ao Island and avoid attack from others."

"Of course, we can also provide a safe haven for your relatives and families and place them in our territory, thus eliminating your worries."

"..." Ma Wu looked at his companions and saw that they all nodded slightly, so he responded: "In this case, after we return to Nan'ao Island, we will definitely bring the message from the two masters to the brothers. If you have any ideas, we will definitely come to visit and seek support."

"That's great!" Meng Shengxin nodded and stood up from his chair. "I'll give you some advice. When you're at your wit's end, don't miss any chance to save yourself. You know, many opportunities are fleeting. Once you miss them, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Furthermore, making a wise choice can definitely be a major turning point that can change your destiny. Once you choose the right one, you might even enjoy a hundred years of good fortune, and pass on the blessings to your descendants."

After saying that, Meng Shengxin and Zhong Minghui left the room, leaving the three pirates looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Hey, how come they forgot to untie us!"

"That's right, it's tied so tightly that my arms are numb..."

"They said they would let us go. Is that true?"

"Let's not talk about whether to release him or not, just untie him immediately, and then send him some wine and meat! Didn't you say we should cooperate and unite?"

Ma Wu glanced at his companion without saying anything, as if he was still savoring what the man had just said.

"Ma Wu, do you believe them?" Sun Heiqi asked in a low voice.

"I don't necessarily believe everything they say." Ma Wu seemed to be thinking, "But what that man said before he left was not bad. When we are at the end of our rope on Nan'ao Island, we might as well seize this opportunity."

"What if someone sells him out?"

"What if they can really save us?" Ma Wu's face was uncertain. "I'm a worthless person, and it's okay if I die, but my wife and two children have to find a way to survive, right?"

"..." Sun Heiqi was stunned when he heard this and said, "That's true. There are dozens or even hundreds of women, children, and infants on the island. They must find a way to survive. But can they save us?"

"Who knows? ... Let's give it a try."

(End of this chapter)