Most merchants were in favor of the imperial court opening up the Maritime Silk Road because it was in line with their interests. However, there were also a few merchants who were extremely unhappy because it hindered their interests.
They were all merchants, but why were some people happy while others were sad? This involved a difference in benefits.
This trade route was filled with wealth, but it was also filled with pirates. Most of the merchants who entered the sea trade route to make a fortune would be tormented by the pirates until they were mentally and physically exhausted. Some even became escorts. As such, these merchants naturally hated the pirates. The imperial court going south to maintain the safety of the sea route was completely in line with their interests. Naturally, they would fully support it.
However, there were also a few merchants who were very capable. They used various connections to bribe all the pirates on the waterway. This way, their cargo ships could travel unimpeded without worrying about being robbed by the pirates. They could even buy the goods of other merchants from the pirates at a lower price to make up for the losses of fighting the pirates.
In order to achieve a win-win situation with the pirates, they even betrayed their peers. They told the pirates about the goods of their merchant ships, the date of departure, the time of departure, and the areas they would pass by. They let the pirates rob them, and then they would buy these goods back at a lower price, making a windfall.
The mutual benefit between these scum merchants and pirates seriously hurt the majority of merchants who wanted to do business seriously and became a cancer of the maritime trade. These merchants would even do some pirate activities themselves. For example, when they found a lone merchant ship on the way, they would rush over to rob it and throw all the sailors who were guarding the ship into the sea to feed the fish. In this way, they would plunder the ship and rob it.
In other words, a small number of merchants in the Tang dynasty were half pirates. They colluded with the real pirates and seriously damaged the maritime trade route. They even cooperated against the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. When the imperial court wanted to encircle and suppress the pirates, they would inform the pirates in advance so that they could prepare to fight and hide in advance.
This small number of scum merchants were more abominable than the real pirates. Their existence made the activities of the pirates even more powerful. They were the culprits behind the rampant pirates, just like the traitors in the future. Without the guidance of the traitors, how could the later Nihon run rampant in the land of Hua Xia?
The targets of Li An's expedition to the south this time were not only the pirates who had committed all kinds of evil, but also the scum merchants who were in cahoots with the pirates. This naturally made the scum merchants tremble in fear.
Especially after seeing the maneuvers of the Sky Army and the armored artillery vehicles, these scum merchants were all frightened. They had written letters with the pirates and even signed blood letters with the pirates to prove their "loyalty." Once the pirates' lair was breached, these material evidence would fall into the hands of the imperial court, and their end would come.
In a luxurious mansion in Guangzhou City, more than a dozen well-dressed businessmen were nervously gathered in an airtight secret room.
They were discussing countermeasures, a surefire way to get through the current crisis. They could clearly feel the seriousness of the situation this time. It was not something they could easily get through.
First of all, the military force dispatched by the imperial court this time was far stronger than before, especially the maneuvers of the Sky Army and the armored artillery vehicles and other advanced weapons, which shocked them greatly and made them feel that the pirates were powerless to resist.
Secondly, the commander-in-chief this time was Li An, a high-ranking official by the emperor's side, a legendary figure, and not a local official in Guangzhou. Whether they used bribery or assassination threats, it seemed that they might not be effective, and this fact gave them a headache.
"Assistant Minister Li personally led the elite troops to the south. Isn't this forcing us to a dead end?"
"I went to see it myself just now. The elites of the Tang dynasty are really unstoppable! With the little resources of the Black King and the White King, they can't resist at all. If they really fight, they will be finished, and our affairs will be exposed. "
"I went to see it for myself just now. Fifty iron-clad vehicles were unstoppable as they landed on the beach from the ship and charged forward in one breath. There were also cannons on the vehicles. How could they be stopped by human strength? It's really terrifying."
"That's nothing. I just went to see the maneuvers of the Sky Army. Machines bigger than houses flew into the sky like birds. After ten big birds flew over, the houses and scarecrows were all blown up. That's even more terrible."
"I heard that in addition to these two, the imperial court has more than 30 steam gunships. They are much faster than sailing ships and are equipped with more than a thousand cannons. The hundreds of ships of the two kings combined can't defeat them!"
"Also, the Dragon Martial Army has transferred 6,000 soldiers and horses. They are all equipped with elite weapons and are very powerful."
"What can we do? We can't just sit and wait for death!"
"We can't just sit and wait for death. Anyway, we will die if the matter is exposed. It's better to go all the way and kill Assistant Minister Li. In this way, the imperial court won't open a route to the south in a short time."
"You want to assassinate Assistant Minister Li? Will that really work? I hear that this man is a powerful martial artist and has many guards at his side. How could it be that easy? "
"Can you think of a better idea?"
"Yes, there's no better idea. Only by killing Assistant Minister Li can we resolve the crisis before us."
"Haaa, this old man has lived for so long, but this is the first time I've encountered such a thorny problem. The assassination isn't impossible, but we have to guarantee success. Moreover, we can't let the imperial court find out that we did it, or else we'll all be exterminated. "
Just as everyone was burning with anxiety, a shriveled old man sighed. However, the words he said made everyone believe him.
"Zhang Weng is right. We can't be reckless. We have to calmly analyze the problem and not be intimidated by the Imperial Court's forces."
A young man respectfully looked at the shriveled old man.
This shriveled old man had been at sea for more than 30 years and was considered a veteran. He knew most of the pirates along the way and had even become sworn brothers with them. That was why his business was flourishing while many of his peers were struggling to survive. In order to expand his power and monopolize the trade, he gathered a group of obedient and tactful peers and brought them along to make a fortune. Thus, they formed a group of best friends. As a result, he naturally became the leader of this group of best friends and all the scum merchants followed his lead.
The old man surnamed Zhang's face was creased with lines of thought. After a long moment of thought, he looked at the ten-some people in the room and sneered. "It's all because of those reckless fellows who ran to the capital to complain. I don't know what they did to make the imperial court take the maritime trade route seriously, even giving it the beautiful name of the Maritime Silk Road."
"These damned fellows are just jealous that we've made a fortune. They should've just been doing their business, but they just had to wade into the muddy waters of maritime trade."
"That's right. We have to teach these unruly fellows a lesson and have them go to the capital to complain."
"Why don't we kill a few of them to vent our anger?"
The shriveled old man angrily rebuked, "What else do you know besides killing people? A bunch of trash."
Seeing that the crowd was silent, the shriveled old man continued, "I, Zhang Batian, have lived for several decades and seen all sorts of things. Back then, there was a storm on the sea that blew my ship into the sky, but didn't this old man still live just fine? When encountering a situation, one must remain calm and not keep thinking about fighting and killing. One must first try peaceful means before resorting to force and understand the situation. "
"Zhang Weng, what do you think we should do? We're all on your side."
A young merchant impatiently asked.
Zhang Batian thought for a few moments, then said, "I want to see Assistant Minister Li."
"Zhang Weng, why are you going to see him? He's leading his troops south to deal with us and the Black and White Kings."
"That's right! What's there to see? It's better not to see him. "
Zhang Batian shook his head and said, "What do you know? If I don't go and find out what's going on, how will I know what Assistant Minister Li is thinking? If I can persuade Assistant Minister Li with my silver tongue, perhaps he will just go home."
"Zhang Weng, can we really do that?"
"Okay, you go and send an invitation. I'll visit him tomorrow morning."
Zhang Batian gave the order and waved his hand, telling everyone to take a rest and eat some fruits to relax.
"Brother Zhang, if we can't persuade Assistant Minister Li, what should we do next?"
An old man of the same age looked at Zhang Batian and asked.
"There are many ways. Let's take it one step at a time! A man can't be suffocated to death by urination! "
Zhang Batian said with a face full of confidence.
#####
On the training ground not far from the port, more than 30 steam gunships began to fire at the floating targets in the distance. This was the beginning of their training, and the purpose was to demonstrate the strength of the Navy of the Tang dynasty.
Ang Lee was on the shore, using high-powered binoculars to confidently observe everything in front of him. The steam gunships were indeed very powerful, but training was also extremely important. If the soldiers could not hit the targets accurately, their combat strength would be greatly reduced, and their chances of winning against the pirates would be reduced.
It must be known that these 30 or so steam gunships were the key to naval warfare and the maintenance of sea control. If they could not effectively and quickly attack the pirates, the Sky Army's mothership and landing ships would become useless.
Ang Lee attached as much importance to the steam gunships as he did to the Sky Army. In order to increase the combat strength of the steam gunships, he transferred half of Li Feiyu's 6,000 soldiers into the 30 gunships, with an average of 100 soldiers per ship. This was to prevent the pirate boats from getting close to them and engaging in a boarding battle during naval warfare.
The other 3,000 soldiers would take ten large ships and be ready to land at any time.
"Assistant Minister Li, when will you go south? Do you have a specific date?"
A local petty official in Guangzhou asked respectfully.
"I don't have a specific date, but the soldiers still need to train. It will be at least two months before they can set off."
Ang Lee lied as soon as he opened his mouth. He did not want anyone to know his exact plan. Otherwise, he would not be able to achieve the mission of raiding the pirate's lair.
"Assistant Minister Li, the Provincial Governor has asked us to prepare a courtyard. Assistant Minister Li, please go back and rest early."
Another official said politely.
The Provincial Governor of Canton had originally accompanied him, but as the Governor of a province, he had a lot of government affairs to deal with. Ang Lee sent away the main officials, leaving only a few deputies and minor officials to accompany him.
"Okay, lead the way."
Ang Lee did not plan to stay in the ship's hold. Living on the ground was still the most comfortable. In addition, he did not need to guess to know that the local officials would definitely send over some stunning beauties for Ang Lee to enjoy.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is the place. It occupies an area of fifty mu. This is the best residence in all of Canton."
The official led Ang Lee into the residence.
"There are quite a lot of beauties!"
With a single glance, Li An saw thirty to fifty young women in the prime of their youth. They were busy with their respective duties. Their attire was divided into several categories, representing different grades.
Those who were slightly inferior were those who did the rough work. Those who were beautifully dressed were in charge of dancing for Ang Lee to relieve his boredom. There were also those who were dressed even sexier to accompany him to drink and warm his bed. Everything was prepared in an orderly manner, making Ang Lee feel comfortable the moment he stepped through the door.
Seeing the smile at the corner of Li An's mouth, indicating that he was very satisfied with the residence and the decorations, the low-ranking official was overjoyed. He hurriedly said that this was what he should do, and then narrated how his provincial governor admired Li An, adding oil and vinegar.
"Not bad, not bad at all. Go back and tell the Provincial Governor that this official is very satisfied. Let's go back!"
Li An clapped his hands and asked the beauties to perform a dance for him to enjoy and adjust his mood.
"Assistant Minister Li, a merchant leader who calls himself Zhang Batian has sent a letter of greeting. He wants to pay you a visit tomorrow morning. Are you free?"
The gatekeeper handed over the letter of greeting and asked.
"Who is this person? This official has never heard of him."
Ang Lee curiously asked.
"Assistant Minister Li, this person is a local merchant leader. He also does overseas trade, and he is the best at it. His fleet rarely encounters pirates and has earned a large fortune."
The official introduced.
"Seems like he is a very formidable person. He can actually avoid the harassment of pirates. Not simple? This official is free. See you. "
Ang Lee straightforwardly agreed. He had two opinions about this person. One was positive. This person was extremely familiar with the sea and pirates and could use his experience to deceive the pirates and preserve his ships and goods. The other opinion was naturally that he suspected this person of colluding with the pirates.
Only under these two circumstances could his fleet rarely encounter pirates. Otherwise, with the study of probability, it was impossible. He couldn't be so lucky every time. There had to be a deeper reason.
"Assistant Minister Li, there is a group of merchants outside requesting an audience."
The gatekeeper jogged over.
"Merchants? Let them in. "
Ang Lee had nothing to do, so it wasn't a bad idea to sit and chat with the merchants.
Soon, several dozen merchants surged in. It was a majestic sight.
"Assistant Minister Li."
"Everyone, there is no need to be so polite. If you have something to say, please speak."
Ang Lee appeared very elegant.
The merchants first praised and thanked him, but they didn't say anything substantial.
After a long while, they tentatively asked how determined the Imperial Court was. Were they prepared to fight the pirates for show, or were they prepared to fight to the death with the pirates and not give up until the pirates were destroyed?
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