Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 25 This family annihilation technique is still a bit lacking.

Upon witnessing this horrific scene, Wang Cheng immediately became certain of one thing:
"Huang Yuanzhou is probably not the mole!"

Theoretically, even if the 24th general who had been guarding Yuegang wanted to betray the Wang family, he wouldn't have much of an opportunity, so the suspicion was not high to begin with.

The most critical issue is that his personal guard has begun to suffer casualties.

It is said that Xu Chu only cried twice in his life: once when Cao Cao died, and the other time when three thousand of his soldiers died in battle.

Those were not just the direct descendants of the imperial guards, but also all the male members of the Xu clan!

The same goes for the captains of ships at sea. Their personal guards are all people they grew up with, the most loyal relatives and fellow villagers, who are almost irreplaceable resources. If one dies, the rest are gone.

Without knowing I was there, there was absolutely no need for them to risk the lives of their own elite troops in a charade.

He turned to the group of Tanka (boat-dwelling) crew members beside him and gave them instructions:

"With the eight major ship captains of Yuegang personally taking action and no one keeping things under control, the situation could easily spiral out of control. Getting caught up in it would be troublesome. Let's stay away."

He led a group of Tanka people to leave this chaotic battlefield.

Unexpectedly, a knife-wielding man in the back suddenly pulled out a flintlock pistol loaded with iron pellets and aimed it at the group of Tanka people who dared to openly defy the government.

With just one shot, the whole group would be riddled with holes.

The hairs on the back of Wang Cheng's neck stood on end.

"They don't uphold martial ethics."

This was premeditated. It wasn't enough to just provoke Lao Huang; they also wanted to deliberately kill the loyal Tanka people of Wufeng Banner and escalate the situation completely.

"Are those gentry and powerful families going to attack Moonport today?"

It's not that he has no trump cards up his sleeve.

It's just that I only just calmed down from the urge to eat incense these past two days, so I'm a little hesitant about whether to risk worsening the side effects and activate the evil spirit body [the Crown Prince on Behalf of Heaven] again to scare the spirit possessing the other party to death.

clang--!
Just then, a loud bell rang out from the top of the nearby Baoshan Beacon Tower, accompanied by the strong smell of incense that filled the entire Yuegang area.

The two torrents that were originally locked in a fierce struggle were suddenly doused with a bucket of cold water, and their burning fighting spirit melted away in the blink of an eye.

Even the swords and spears in his hands seemed incredibly heavy, making them extremely difficult to lift.

A somewhat aged voice followed immediately:

"No disrespect in front of the Tianfei Temple, cough cough cough!"

Wei Zhong, the leader of the knife-wielding men, stared wide-eyed at the top of the Baoshan beacon tower. This sudden situation was clearly beyond his expectations.

"who are you?"

Huang Yuanzhou, the general of the Mirage on the opposite side, was far more decisive. Upon hearing that familiar voice, he immediately gathered his personal guards and knelt down again, shouting towards the sea:
"Godmother, you should rest."

I will bring you the offerings, fruits, incense, and money tomorrow.

A sharp cry came from the sea, the billowing mirage receded rapidly, and the personal guards returned to normal, gathering around him with their dead and wounded comrades.

Huang Yuanzhou then got up from the ground, led a group of people to bow towards Baoshan Beacon Tower, and respectfully called out:
"Old Shen."

Wang Cheng also breathed a sigh of relief, deciding to avoid using this trump card before the investiture ceremony.

Looking up, I noticed that on the top of the beacon tower built against the cliff, besides the beacon tower and the rainproof lamp room, there was a small temple with a plaque reading "Tianfei Temple" hanging at the entrance.

An old man and a young boy stood in front of the temple gate.

The young man's eyes were bright and cunning; he was clearly no ordinary person.

Although the old man with gray hair was emaciated, he was tall and upright, and his eyes were frighteningly bright, as if he could see through the hearts and evil spirits of everyone.

Wei Zhongdu, the once arrogant and domineering leader of the knife-wielding gang, subconsciously lowered his head, not daring to meet those eyes.

The officials, wealthy merchants, and ship captains on the dock all bowed and exclaimed:
"Old Shen."

"Officer!"

Clearly, the old man held immense prestige in Yuegang, and people from all walks of life gave him considerable respect.

Wang Cheng also bowed his head and clasped his hands, not because he was intimidated by the other party's sharp gaze, but because he suppressed his surprise when he saw the information on the other party's body.

[Rare find: Old Shen (Shen Yuting, 42 years old)]

Water rank official: Chaofeng Lang / ***
Currently serving as the temple caretaker and head of the annual hall of the Shan Hai Hui in Yuegang, possessing complete knowledge of the lineage of all thirty-six halls of the Shui Ban (Waterway Sect).

Wang Cheng's eyes lit up:
"The information available to me is less than all the officials I've seen at the docks these days."

She's only similar to that pearl diver A-Xiao from back then; either the difference in strength is too great, or the other party has treasures to conceal her abilities.

I had heard the name of the organization 'Shan Hai Hui' from my father once before.

I know that many of them, like our Cai Shui Wang family, are descendants of the treasure fleet from back then. It is said that they have worshipped the Heavenly Princess for generations and hold a transcendent status among the entire maritime merchant and pirate community. Even within the Great Zhao Navy, they have maintained a century-old tradition of worship.

But to me, the most valuable thing about this old Mr. Shen is his position as the "Director of the Imperial Secretariat," which gives him control over the entire lineage of all thirty-six water-training classes.

Thinking of this, Wang Cheng's heart started pounding, and he felt a little dry-mouthed with nervousness.

He had a vague premonition that his apprenticeship might be found in this old man, Shen.

Although this "Director of the Palace" who shares the same surname as the God of Wealth Shen Wansan looks like an old man with one foot in the grave, he is actually only forty-two years old.

He's probably someone with a story, and there might be some unknown troubles involved.

Those are all things for the future. For Wang Cheng right now, the most important thing is to have a solid starting point!

The key point is that the title of "Director of the Imperial Household" itself is enough to prove that his personal conduct is absolutely impeccable, unlike the bizarre officials we've seen before who are hard to describe.

"Once things are settled here, I'll try to get in touch with this Mr. Shen."

Once we can uncover his obsession, making this 'deal' shouldn't be too difficult.

With Elder Shen, the senior official, taking charge, representatives from various factions in Yuegang stopped hiding and flocked to the dock.

Their positions were quite unexpected.

Surprisingly, quite a few people stood beside the group of knife-wielders, and were able to rival the Five Peaks Banner, which was theoretically guarding Yuegang.

Others completely ignored the ruthless behavior of the ghostwriter who harmed innocent people in the melee, and instead launched a barrage of sarcastic remarks at Huang Yuanzhou:

"Master Huang, it is no longer the time when your Prince Jinghai ruled the East China Sea."

By openly defying the government's efforts to apprehend the evil spirits and wanted criminals, you are slapping the imperial court in the face. If the court were to send troops to attack Yuegang, could you bear the consequences?
It was your Wufeng Banner that provoked the imperial court, not us. You don't want to drag everyone down with you, making us starve, or even get hit by lead bullets or cannonballs, do you?

What a wicked thought!

Om-!
The sound of a stone thrown into a pond caused a great stir, and the deep hum spread rapidly across the dock.

This statement hits home, expressing the concerns of many maritime merchants.

That's human nature. Back then, when the Five Peaks Banner was at the forefront bearing the pressure from the imperial court, and they were enjoying a life of luxury with their leader, many people thought it was because of their own abilities.

Now that Wufengqi is in trouble, the same group of people immediately cut ties with them, fearing that it would affect them.

It's always been hard to be a good person, and good people deserve to have a gun pointed at their heads!
Huang Yuanzhou coldly swept his gaze across the opposite side and spotted the merchant who had instigated the trouble:
"Hmph, after enduring all these days, the fox's tail has finally been revealed."

Thank you, Manager Xie!

Do you dare say that these ghostwriters, and the Du Shui Si from a few days ago, have no connection with you Southeast gentry and noble families in Yuegang?
When the old ship owner was around, you were all secretly colluding with the government, eager to monopolize the huge profits from smuggling. And now you're acting all high and mighty?

Wang Cheng, who had been observing from the sidelines, also recognized the other party's origin through the [Four Seas Coin].

This Manager Xie is indeed someone of great importance.

The patriarch of the Xie family was Xie Wenzheng, the former prime minister of Emperor Shaozhi and a veteran of four reigns!

In the Great Zhao Dynasty, official positions and ranks themselves represented power and enormous influence.

The Xie family was undoubtedly one of the representatives of the gentry and powerful families in the southeast; it would not be an exaggeration to say that they had connections and influence far and wide.

Moreover, they have a deep "connection" with the Wang family, who collect water.

This is because the leader of the trade faction, Wang Zeng, also known as the Prince of Jinghai, and the leader of the plunder faction, Xu Hai, also known as the General of Tiancha Pinghai, were once the white glove and black glove for the Xie family's smuggling business!
It wasn't just them; in fact, most maritime merchants and pirates had the support of gentry and powerful families before they started to make their fortunes.

Ordinary people are simply not qualified to join the maritime trade.

Ships, manpower, goods, intelligence, and channels for selling stolen goods are generally out of reach for ordinary people.

All of this was handled by the aristocratic families, while ordinary people and officials in the water-class system who wanted to defy fate were responsible for sacrificing their lives, creating a win-win situation.

Back then, the Xie family used the Wang and Xu families to blackmail the government and collect grain and funds from gentry and common people to resist the "sea pirates," and then split the profits with the gentry 30/70.

At the same time, they used the government's navy to intimidate the Wang and Xu families and force them to lower the prices of goods, making a killing on both sides.

However, the Xie family, who were in charge of selling the goods, defaulted on their debts, withholding the money owed to the Wang and Xu families for their smuggled goods. They even threatened to report them to the authorities and have their relatives on the shore arrested. Ultimately, the three parties broke up and went their separate ways.

Recalling this story, Wang Cheng gave Xie He, who was only covered in white mist and didn't even hold an official position, a deep look:
“It is obviously not a good idea to owe money to a group of outlaws.”

The Xie family was almost wiped out by the two rapidly expanding forces that followed. Most of their wealth was plundered, and their business quickly declined, leaving only a handful of people.

They had long since fallen to the margins and become minor figures.

Although our Wang family is a trade alliance, in this matter, all I can say is: Well done!

The only less-than-ideal part is that in the end, they didn't completely eradicate the problem, leaving behind such a disgusting thing.

Xu Hai and his father's skills are still lacking.

(End of this chapter)