After interrogating a group of pirates, Ang Lee learned about many hidden places within a radius of five hundred miles around the Seagull Islands. The hidden places that were not originally on the map had been marked again.
Of course, these hidden islands had always existed. It was just that no one had ever drawn these islands on a map. In addition, because these islands were far from the main route of the Maritime Silk Road, they weren't paid much attention to. The people who drew the map didn't notice these islands, and those who went to these islands relied on their own memories. They didn't know how to draw a map, nor did they tell the people who drew the map. As a result, there were naturally a lot fewer islands on the map that Li An obtained.
This was on the basis of continuous additions. After the Maritime Silk Road was opened up by the Tang dynasty, the development along the way became better and better. The relevant sea maps also became more and more complete and detailed. These maps were all around the main route. No one cared about the small islands that were more than two hundred miles away from the main route. At most, a few main islands were randomly marked. After all, the area of the map was limited. If all the islands encountered along the way were marked on the map, the map would definitely not be able to fit them.
In addition, the map needed to be mapped on the spot. This way, the map could reflect the actual situation more accurately. Naturally, the people who drew the map could not travel too far. It was inevitable that some distant islands would be missed. Some areas were controlled by pirates, and the people who drew the map were not allowed to map at close range. Therefore, they could not get detailed information about the islands and hydrology.
According to the accounts of a group of pirates, Ang Lee learned a lot about the situation within a radius of five hundred miles. He found a large pirate archipelago, which was the Black Dragon Archipelago. This archipelago was more than two hundred miles away from the Seagull Island. It was in the south of the Seagull Islands. As it was too far from the main route, it had never been paid much attention to. It was the world of fishermen and pirates. The fishermen there were pirates, but they were fishermen most of the time. They only went out to rob occasionally. If they robbed too frequently, it would be easier for them to be attacked. Therefore, the frequency of their robberies was very low. Even if they did not become pirates, their production was enough to support themselves. After all, even if they could support themselves by fishing, their lives would definitely be relatively poor. Compared with the large amount of wealth obtained from robberies, it was not enough. Therefore, they would occasionally go out to rob.
More than half of these fishermen were from the Tang dynasty, and the leaders were all from the Tang dynasty. Their previous generation had already settled down here. At this time, they had already established a firm foothold here, and the locals could only be their subordinates or even slaves.
In the coastal areas of the Tang dynasty, there had always been fishermen who could not make a living. In order to survive, they had to leave their hometown and go to the distant Nanyang region..............
Because they had mastered more advanced technology, no matter where the people of the Tang dynasty went, they could suppress the locals and rob them of their living space. They even completely occupied an area and made the locals their slaves. At this time, the Tang dynasty had opened up the Maritime Silk Road and controlled the main route very well. Therefore, the local people along the way did not dare to offend the Tangs. No one could be sure that these ordinary people had no connection with the military of the Tang dynasty. It would be bad if they were retaliated against.
The Black Dragon Archipelago was a very large archipelago. There were hundreds of islands in this archipelago. Among them, the main island was the Black Dragon Island, which had an area of more than ten miles. The population on the island was no less than three thousand people. The owner of the Black Dragon Island was called the Black Dragon Emperor by his subordinates. He was also the leader of the entire Black Dragon Archipelago.
In the south of the Black Dragon Island was the Black Tiger Island, which was the island where the Black Tiger King was stationed. In the east was the Black Dog Island, in the west was the Black Panther Island, and in the north was the largest Black Wolf Island. The Black Wolf King on the island had an extremely close relationship with the Black Dragon Emperor.
Thirty miles north of the Black Wolf Island was the northernmost island in the entire Sea Dragon Archipelago, Bullhead Island. It was also the commercial outpost of the entire archipelago. The population on the island was no less than five hundred, with half of the population being merchants.
The merchants of Bullhead Island mainly sold fishing boats, fishing nets, fish catches, whaling harpoons, and other goods. They would also repair ships for people. As for the merchants from outside, they provided a wide variety of goods to the pirates. Most of them were daily necessities that the pirates needed to live.
The merchants who went to Bullhead Island had a bit of understanding of the Black Dragon Archipelago's situation. But as long as they could make money, they didn't care whether the other party was a proper merchant or not. Moreover, as long as they put up the signboard of Bullhead Island, they wouldn't be robbed by the pirates. They would be able to make a steady profit without losing anything.
Ang Lee had decided to go to Bullhead Island to investigate in person to see the situation there. He wanted to know whether the people living on the Black Dragon Archipelago were more pirates or fishermen. He also wanted to know how dangerous this group of people was and whether it was worth exterminating.
Originally, exterminating the pirates was a very clear thing to do. But these pirates were not pure, which made Ang Lee somewhat hesitant. He didn't know what to do. After all, the total population of this archipelago was more than ten thousand. Moreover, most of them were from the Tang dynasty. If the danger was not great, there was no need to carry out a harsh attack. If the danger was too great, then there was no need to be polite.
"Assistant Minister Li is going there in person?"
Chen Long asked.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Of course I'm going there in person. It's too boring to stay in Tianguang Port. There won't be any danger if we set off with four whaling ships. We can't bring too many guards with us. It's easy to expose our identities."
"Then under what name should we go there? To sell goods or to buy goods there? "
Chen Long asked.
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Of course we'll do both. First, we'll prepare the goods they need. After selling them, we can buy the whaling harpoons they produce. In this way, we can go back and forth and won't arouse their suspicion."
Chen Long said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. However, we have four whaling ships. This is too big a target. If we set off with four whaling ships together, it will immediately arouse their attention. We've taken whaling ships to hunt fish all over the Seagull Archipelago. Perhaps the news has already spread to the Black Dragon Archipelago."
Upon hearing this, Ang Lee nodded and said, "You're right. One whaling ship will be enough. The other three will be scattered around the Black Dragon Archipelago to hunt whales. As long as we don't gather together, it won't arouse suspicion. Chen Fugui is not the only one who has whaling ships in the surrounding waters."
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."
Chen Long said.
After a little preparation, Ang Lee and the others set off secretly and headed for the Black Dragon Archipelago more than two hundred miles away. They didn't dare to move too fast along the way, especially when they were close to the Black Dragon Archipelago. They didn't dare to move too fast, especially when they were close to the Black Dragon Archipelago. They didn't dare to move too fast lest they hit the reefs.
Even so, after a day and a night, they still arrived at Bullhead Island, the northernmost point of the Black Dragon Archipelago, and anchored in the port of the island.
"This is Bullhead Island. It really looks like a bull's head."
Ang Lee looked at the shape of the island and said.
What appeared in front of Ang Lee was a rather prosperous port. On the port's dock, there were hundreds of various ships docked. There were two repair stations for ships. At this moment, a fishing boat was being repaired in one of them. More than a dozen repairmen were busy.
There was only one street in the port, and all the business transactions took place on this street. Therefore, this street looked quite prosperous. The crowds coming and going made this place look like a very ordinary prosperous town. It was hard to see how this place was related to pirates.
"You must be new here! I'm Niu Er, a native of this island. I'm at your service. "
A young man who wasn't even twenty years old looked at Ang Lee and the others and said.
This young man was an ordinary citizen of Bullhead Island. Because he wasn't willing to do manual labor, he specialized in this kind of work to familiarize strangers with the local environment and earn some money to support himself.
"Take this and introduce Bullhead Island to us."
Chen Long took out a string of copper coins and put it in Niu Er's hand.
Niuer happily put away the copper coins and introduced the situation of the Ox-Head Island to them. Then, he took Li An and the others to walk around the Ox-Head Island.
"This Bullhead Island is mainly for trade. There are several good restaurants. Let's eat first and then continue to stroll around! Niu Er, let's go together. "
Ang Lee said.
When Niu Er heard that he could eat and drink to his heart's content, he was naturally very happy and quickly led the way.
"Niu Er, where do the fishing boats and whaling harpoons sold here come from? There are only places to repair ships on this island. There's no place to build ships!"
Ang Lee asked.
Niu Er hurriedly said, "Naturally, they're made elsewhere. The fishing boats are made on Giant Tree Island, and the whaling boats are made on Red Iron Island."
"Where are Giant Tree Island and Red Iron Island? Can we go and have a look?"
Ang Lee said.
Niu Er thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing to see. It's just two small islands. They're just a little bigger than our Bullhead Island."
"We plan to buy a few fishing boats, but we don't know the quality of the fishing boats here and how they're made. The same goes for the whaling boats. If we can see the manufacturing process, we'll be more relieved."
Chen Long said.
Niu Er suddenly understood and nodded, "That's the case! Then it's easy to do. As long as I take you there, there's no problem, but … "
Ang Lee winked at Chen Long, and Chen Long immediately put a gold pancake in Niu Er's hand. This benefit was enough to make Niu Er excited.
"Don't worry, everyone. When are we going to Giant Tree Island and Red Iron Island?"
Niu Er put the gold pancake in his arms and said.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "No hurry. We'll go to Giant Tree Island tomorrow and Red Iron Island the day after tomorrow. Let's eat first."
After a while, Ang Lee looked at Niu Er and continued to ask, "Niu Er, tell us about the nearby islands!"
Niu Er received so many benefits. Naturally, he would try his best to answer Ang Lee's questions. He told Ang Lee everything he knew.
Because he hadn't been to many islands, he couldn't tell the situation of all the Black Dragon Islands clearly. However, he was quite clear about the islands around Black Wolf Island in the north. Except for a few remote islands, he had been to the rest.
In the Black Dragon Archipelago region, other than the Black Dragon Island in the center, the surrounding islands were divided into four parts. The northern archipelago had the Black Wolf Island as the center. The Black Wolf Island was also the largest island, and the owner of the island was called the Black Wolf King. He was a very valiant middle-aged man.
Under the command of the Black Wolf King, there were six tough subordinates called the Three Wolves and Three Dogs. The Three Wolves were the White-Eyed Wolf, the Big-Eyed Wolf, and the One-Eyed Wolf. The Three Dogs were the Red Dog, the Green Dog, and the White Dog. These six dogs were the core force under the command of the Black Wolf King. In addition, there were nearly a hundred tough brothers.
Of course, there were definitely more than a hundred people in the Black Wolf Islands. Although most people lived here, they were only responsible for fishing and labor. They worked honestly and would not participate in robberies. They relied on pirates, but they did not belong to pirates. Pirates would not force them. After all, robberies did not require too many people. A hundred people were enough to rob a merchant ship. Black Dragon Island had more pirates. Black Panther Island, Black Tiger Island, and Black Dog Island had many pirates. Therefore, the total number of pirates should be more than a thousand, and the population here should be more than ten thousand.
In other words, among the more than ten thousand people here, only a thousand people were pirates. The rest were ordinary people who relied on the pirates. This was a bit like a country. These pirates could be regarded as an army, and the rest were ordinary people. The Black Dragon Emperor was the emperor, and the Black Wolf King and others were great generals. The hierarchy was quite complete.
Niuer did not hide the fact that the Black Wolf King occasionally led his brothers out to rob. Or, in his opinion, there was not much wrong in this matter. Anyway, the robbers were rich merchants. It could be regarded as robbing the rich to help the poor. It seemed that poor people always liked to think this way.
Ang Lee did not intend to point out Niuer's wrong point of view, and there was no need to. This guy was born on Bullhead Island since he was a child. He had been exposed to the idea of robbing the rich to help the poor since he was a child. He never thought that there was anything wrong with the Black Wolf King occasionally going out to rob. This would bring them certain benefits. The Black Wolf King's propaganda, whether intentionally or unintentionally, seemed to be telling the rich merchants' inhumanity and abomination, as well as the righteousness of robbing the rich merchants. This further made Niuer and others think that the Black Wolf King was a hero, a hero who protected them. Anyway, the robbers were rich people, so why not?
Ang Lee had no intention of destroying the Black Wolf King's heroic image in Niuer's mind. This was also to avoid exposing his identity. People under the eaves had to bow their heads. At this moment, Ang Lee was in a weak position on Bullhead Island. Once the Black Wolf King discovered Ang Lee's identity and took action, Ang Lee and others would be in more danger. If the nearby Black Dragon Emperor knew about it, it would be difficult to escape unscathed.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
