lcionline Chapter 210 The storm is coming
Chapter 210 The storm is coming
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The Fujian-style ship rammed heavily into the immobilized merchant ship, and the two sides became entangled, unable to move. Planks were laid between the two ships' sides, and the sailors on Liu Xiang's ship, steel knives in their mouths, nimbly scaled the planks to reach the other side. The Zheng family's sailors, naturally, wouldn't sit idly by; some tried to overturn the planks, while others waited patiently, hacking at the enemies trying to board.
Some sailors, before even boarding their opponents' ships, tumbled into the water along with the gangplank; others were slashed at the ship's side and also fell into the water. However, the disparity in numbers was too great, and Liu Xiang's forces gradually gained the upper hand. As the first group jumped onto the merchant ship, more and more people surged aboard. The sounds of clashing blades were incessant, and people frequently screamed as they fell. As more and more people were injured or killed, blood seeped into the sea through the gaps in the ship's hull.
Wang Qinian stared dumbfounded at the scene before him, a bloody and barbaric sight he had never witnessed before. Liang Dong instructed him, "Mr. Wang, I told them that since you can read and write and do math, you don't need to go up and fight. After the battle, you can help with the accounting and count the money and goods." With that, he leaped onto the plank with a knife in his mouth.
Watching Liang Dong's receding figure, a feeling of loneliness and helplessness welled up in Wang Qinian's heart. In this pirate den, Liang Dong, whom he had only recently met, was his only support, though he couldn't fully trust him yet. Now, even Liang Dong was gone, and he was surrounded by ruthless pirates. All Wang Qinian could do was wrap himself tightly in his clothes and shrink into a dark corner where no light could reach. Whether it was to avoid the cold sea breeze of early spring or to protect himself from the pirates on the ship, he himself couldn't say for sure.
The shouts of battle lasted for more than an hour. It was already broad daylight, and sunlight shone into the corner where Wang Qinian was hiding. He felt that he had nowhere to hide and shifted his body uncomfortably.
At some point, the shouts of battle gradually subsided. Wang Qinian had been squatting for too long, and his body was sore and numb. He changed his sitting position, trying to make himself more comfortable.
Liang Dong's face suddenly appeared in front of him, startling Wang Qinian. His face was covered in blood, it was unclear whether it was someone else's or his own.
“Mr. Wang, what are you doing here? Come with me quickly and help the manager count the silver and goods. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave. It will be troublesome if the people from Kinmen Island find out.”
Wang Qinian shook his sore and numb arms and followed Liang Dong as they slowly moved across the shaky gangplank toward the Zheng family's boat on the other side.
“Mr. Wang, be careful. There are waves at sea, and this plank is not very stable. Hold my hand tightly.”
Having finally reached the deck, although the ship still bobbed with the waves, it felt much more secure than a gangplank. Wang Qinian tried to avoid looking at the haphazardly laid corpses on the deck, carefully stepping across the flowing blood, and followed Liang Dong down to the cabin. In the light streaming in from the hatch, he witnessed a scene he would never forget:
The ship's hold was filled with wooden crates, all of which had now been opened, revealing piles of gleaming silver. The silvery sheen seemed to outshine the sun's rays; the phrase "mountains of gold and seas of silver" perfectly described the scene. Wang Qinian had never seen so much silver before, and for a moment he felt dizzy.
Liang Dong, standing behind him, subtly nudged him in the back and whispered, "Mr. Wang, it's time to get to work!" This brought Wang Qinian back to his senses.
Wang Qinian and the other accountants' task was simply to roughly count the amount of silver and the value of the goods; only approximate figures were needed, not precise ones. Even so, Wang Qinian was still exhausted and covered in sweat.
Once all the bodies on deck had been pushed into the sea and the blood on the deck had been hastily washed away, the entire fleet began its return voyage. To bypass Kinmen Island, they took a long detour southwards.
Although they successfully captured the entire fleet, Liu Xiang's group paid a heavy price, suffering countless casualties, and Zheng's fourth son escaped in the chaos.
However, the pirates on their return voyage seemed unaffected by the above. They were all in high spirits, talking loudly about the battle they had just fought, boasting about how many people they had killed. Some even sang ditties in slang, the content of which was nothing more than talking about certain female organs, full of lewdness.
Wang Qinian quietly asked Liang Dong, "So many people have died, how come they're still so happy?"
Liang Dong disagreed: "Why cry if you're unhappy? It's not like we're the ones who are dying, and we've seized so much silver. We'll get a share, so everyone's happy."
"Then why do you not look too happy?"
Liang Dong sighed, "Sigh, before I became a prisoner, I lived this carefree life too. But ever since I was captured and then released, I've started thinking about these things: living on the edge every day, not knowing when I'll die at someone else's hands, my body thrown into the sea to feed the fish, not even left with a complete corpse. What's the point of living like this, in such a muddle? Besides..." He looked around to see if anyone was there, and said, "Besides the big boss and a few big managers, we small fry can't even get a decent bowl of soup, let alone the others. We spend money recklessly, either drinking horse urine or sending it to brothels on shore. We'll die without any savings... I don't want to live like this anymore. I want to clean up my act and go ashore, I want to be a soldier!"
The massive fleet rounded Kinmen and headed towards Taiwan.
The Zhongzuo Office.
With a loud crash, the teacup on the table was knocked to the ground and shattered into several pieces.
Zheng Zhilong slammed his hand on the table. The fine huanghuali wood made his hand ache from the impact, but he felt no physical pain at the moment, only heartache.
Eighteen ships full of silver and cargo!
Zheng Hongkui knelt on the ground, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "Brother, it's my fault. I couldn't protect this silver..."
Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and reached out to pull Zheng Hongkui up.
"Fourth brother, it's not your fault. Liu Xiang sent out all his main forces, and we only had eighteen ships. We weren't even enough to fill their gaps. We can earn the money back. It's good that you're back."
Frustrated, Zheng Zhihu kicked over a chair and shouted, "We can't let this humiliation go unpunished! Brother, we have to get our revenge and kill that son of a bitch Liu Xiang!"
Zheng Zhilong's face was ashen: "Of course we have to fight back against Liu Xiang, but we need to figure out how. Liu Xiang's sudden decision to leave no way out means she must have someone backing her up, maybe even the Dutch..." Ever since Liu Ye pointed out the possibility of Liu Xiang joining forces with the Dutch, he had been paying close attention. And according to information gathered from various channels, Liu Xiang did indeed have close ties with the Dutch, and frequently anchored in Dongfan Island.