Ang Lee felt that Pirate King White Wolf definitely knew a lot of things. If he used White Wolf as a breakthrough point, he would definitely be able to obtain a lot of valuable information, especially the things that had been burned in the secret chamber. White Wolf King definitely knew about it.
In the camp where the pirates were imprisoned, many pirates were eating. This breakfast was better than what they usually ate, which made many pirates very satisfied. However, at the same time, many pirates appeared to be at a loss. They felt that they shouldn't be treated so well as pirates. The soldiers were probably going to kill them for giving them such good treatment. There were even some pirates who felt that the food was definitely poisonous. They were so scared that they didn't dare to take a single bite.
Pirate King White Wolf and his trusted aides were also treated the best. Their tent was filled with all kinds of delicacies. There were many delicacies that they had never seen before, which surprised them greatly.
White Wolf was so shocked that he didn't dare to move his chopsticks. His trusted subordinates didn't dare to eat either. They just stared at the delicacies. Some of the pirates even drooled.
"Your Majesty, you're going to be executed anyway. Why treat yourself unfairly? Isn't it better to die with a full stomach? Eat!"
"Yes, that's right. To be able to eat such delicious food before I die, my life is worth it. Let's eat."
"Your Majesty, eat! It's a waste not to eat. "
A few pirate leaders felt that it would be a loss if they didn't eat. They picked up their chopsticks and ate happily.
White Wolf and the other pirate leaders still didn't dare to move their chopsticks. They just watched these people eat first. Seeing that they didn't die from the poison after eating for a long time, they found it strange. However, they were worried that there was a slow-acting poison in it, so they still didn't dare to eat.
"White Wolf, Assistant Minister Li is waiting for you in the secret chamber. Let's go!"
A guard walked in and looked at White Wolf, who had picked up his chopsticks but didn't dare to eat.
"Why do you want me to go to the secret chamber?"
White Wolf asked.
"Assistant Minister Li wants to see you. Cut the crap and go."
The guard became a boss and berated him aggressively.
White Wolf was now a prisoner, so he no longer had the aura of a king. He could only get up and leave. His subordinates didn't dare to stand out to avoid dying early.
In the pirate's secret chamber, Ang Lee was still searching around, trying to find a secret chamber or something to discover more secrets of the pirates.
"Assistant Minister Li, White Wolf is here."
Ang Lee turned around and said, "Let him in."
After White Wolf entered the room, Ang Lee pointed at the pot that was still smoking and asked, "What's burning in this pot? You're pirates, and all you do is rob. This is no longer a secret. What else is worth hiding?"
"These … these were all burned. Who did this?"
White Wolf's face was filled with shock. Obviously, he didn't know that the items in this secret room had been burned by the fire. He didn't know anything about this.
Ang Lee could see the sincerity in White Wolf's eyes. This guy seemed to be telling the truth. However, this was not important. What was important was what these burned documents were.
"This secret room is built underground. Our cannons cannot reach it at all. When we discovered this secret room, it was already like this. You are the Pirate King, yet you say that you don't know?"
Ang Lee said angrily.
"If I didn't do it, then I didn't do it. I'm the Pirate King. What can I be afraid of letting you know?"
White Wolf said loudly. After a pause, he suddenly said, "Good boy, you actually placed spies around me. You're really ruthless. You win."
Ang Lee wondered, "What spies? Make it clear. If you behave well, I will give you a quick death. Most of the pirates under your command will be released or join our army."
"Well, since they are not benevolent, they can't blame me for not being loyal. I kept these letters to threaten them. But I didn't expect that this guy actually sent someone undercover to burn the letters in the chaos this morning."
White Wolf first scolded him, and then said seriously, "Many officials and businessmen of the Tang dynasty have a good relationship with us. The daily letters are kept in this secret room. What a pity! These letters have been burned. Even if I tell you, you may not believe me. "
Hearing this, Ang Lee was shocked. No wonder the pirates could always be so arrogant and domineering. It turned out that there were officials and many businessmen who colluded with them. In this way, they could have a smooth sailing.
"Oh, I'll believe you then. Tell me about it! Who are your friends? What kind of friendship do you have? "
Ang Lee asked seriously.
White Wolf also threw caution to the wind and said seriously, "Assistant Minister Li, look at this basin full of ashes. You should know how many letters have been burned. Most of the officials in Guangzhou, Yazhou and other places of the Tang dynasty have a relationship with me, especially the navy officials. Without their connivance, can I be so free? There are also many businessmen who have made a fortune. Why do their ships always avoid us? At that time, it was because we were friends with them. We deliberately let them go. They also sent us all kinds of information, telling us when a caravan will pass through our territory, how many goods there are, how many guards and horses there are, and when they will arrive. In this way, we can catch them one by one and rob most of the merchant ships that pass through. "
Most of the officials in the imperial court colluded with the pirates. Most of the officials did not have any dealings with the pirates, but White Wolf talked nonsense and insisted that most of the pirates had a relationship with him. This deliberately made Ang Lee suspect the officials in Guangzhou and Yazhou, and destroyed the trust between the officials of the Tang dynasty, especially the navy officials. They had once sent warships to encircle and suppress him. Although they were beaten back by him, this enmity was still accepted. If he did not take the opportunity to take revenge, how could he be worthy of himself?
Ang Lee said with a smile, "The navy officials have a relationship with you, but the imperial court receives memorials to encircle and suppress you every year. With such a good relationship, why do they often encircle and suppress you?"
"Haha! That's just for show. After so many years of encirclement and suppression, aren't we still living well? Every year, the ones who are caught are some small fries. This is something we have discussed long ago. "
White Wolf said.
Ang Lee said, "Whether what you said is true or not, I will definitely investigate it clearly. What about the merchants? Which merchants have colluded with you? "
White Wolf's face was filled with anger as he said sternly, "Merchants who have struck it rich basically have connections with us, especially the merchants of the Zhang Chamber of Commerce. This Assistant Minister Li should be able to guess. Their merchant ships are rarely robbed. If they do not have connections, how could such a situation occur?"
Li An nodded approvingly and said, "You're right. This official believes what you said. However, apart from questioning you, this official will also personally question all of your trusted subordinates. If your answers are too different, this official will naturally not believe you. If your answers are more or less the same, this official will naturally believe you."
"I have told you everything I know. When are you going to execute me? Give me a quick answer."
White Wolf clamored.
Ang Lee said lightly, "There is no hurry. When I am almost done with the investigation, I will send someone to escort you to Guangzhou. After a few days of public display, you will be escorted to the capital and handed over to the imperial court."
"You don't keep your word. Didn't you say you would give me a quick death?"
White Wolf said angrily.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "What do you mean by not keeping my word? Isn't it good to let you live a few more days? His Majesty is merciful. Maybe he will forgive you? "
"I am the Pirate King. How can His Majesty forgive me for killing so many people?"
"Oh, that depends on His Majesty's mood. Come, take him away."
After White Wolf left, Li Feiyu stepped forward and said, "Big Brother, do you think what he said is true?"
"It's hard to tell if it's real or fake, but at least part of it is real. These burned documents should be correspondence. I just don't know who planted a spy in the pirate's lair and burned these letters in the chaos."
Ang Lee said lightly.
"Now we can only interrogate the other pirate leaders. If we interrogate them separately, we can always get what we want."
Li Feiyu said.
"Well, you immediately send someone to interrogate and isolate all the pirate leaders, so as to prevent White Wolf from colluding with his subordinates after he returns. That would be troublesome."
Ang Lee immediately ordered.
"Yes, I will go now."
When White Wolf returned to the place of detention, the other leaders were isolated for investigation.
Looking at the delicious food on the table, White Wolf no longer had any scruples and directly ate and drank. Li An had just said that he would first be sent to Guangzhou for public display, and then be escorted to the capital. In this way, he would definitely not poison the food, and he could eat boldly without worry.
Many pirate leaders were isolated for investigation and there was still a lot of information from the interrogation. However, not many people knew about the secret room and even fewer knew about the letters. However, the information obtained from these few people could still be corroborated with White Wolf's words. Thus, they could confirm what White Wolf said and confirm the fact that some people had been in contact with pirates for a long time.
In addition, the investigation of ordinary pirates was also in progress. After all, many specific things were done by ordinary pirates. They also had a lot of contact with merchants and other outsiders and knew a lot of things.
In short, combined with the results of various investigations, Ang Lee could already be sure that Zhang Batian's group of merchants must have colluded with pirates. There was no doubt about this.
In addition, the investigation also found that there were branches of pirates in Zhancheng and Yazhou. These two places had been hiding pirates, but they were hiding under the identity of fishermen. The most important point was that this group of pirates had colluded with another group of pirates thousands of miles away. If he had gone south a few days later, this group of pirates would have all run thousands of miles away.
"Big Brother, this Zhang Batian really has a problem. It seems that he was the one who planted spies in the pirate lair. It must be him."
Li Feiyu analyzed.
"That makes sense. Zhang Batian is the most suspicious guy. However, now that the letters have been burned and all the evidence has been destroyed, we don't have any substantial evidence. He can completely deny it."
Ang Lee said helplessly.
"It's really hateful. This cunning old fox actually had such a trick up his sleeve."
Li Feiyu said angrily.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "It is said that there are many pirates in Yazhou and Zhancheng who are hiding. However, these captured pirates recognize them. Let the soldiers escort some of the pirates to these two places and capture all the remaining pirates."
"Big Brother, the pirates in Yazhou are easy to deal with, but Zhancheng is not the territory of the Tang dynasty. It is not convenient to go to Zhancheng to capture people."
Li Feiyu said awkwardly.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Zhancheng is just a small country. If the troops of the Tang dynasty go to capture the pirates, no one dares to stop them. If the troops of Zhancheng dare to make any strange moves, they will be annihilated immediately. Also, the tax collected by the Huan Kingdom on the merchants of the Tang dynasty is too heavy. It must be adjusted to a reasonable amount. You can handle this."
"Okay, Big Brother's words are good. I will send two troops later to do these two things at the same time."
Li Feiyu said happily.
In front of the Tang dynasty, the Huan Kingdom in the south was just a small shrimp. As long as the Tang Empire was happy, it could send troops to destroy this small country at any time. However, the people here were too barbaric and did not obey the emperor. Moreover, if it became the territory of the Tang dynasty, part of the central budget would be allocated to help them. It was not worth the loss. It was good to let it obediently be a subordinate country, and it was also the most beneficial for the Tang Empire.
"White Wolf has only two or three thousand soldiers under his command, and his nest is on this small island, so it is very easy to deal with him. However, Black Wolf thousands of miles away is not so easy to deal with. There are more and bigger islands there, and it is further away from the Tang dynasty. If these pirates hide in the rain forest and fight guerrilla warfare with us, it will be a big headache."
Ang Lee looked at the map in front of him and said.
"Big Brother, we have such a strong force. Why should we be afraid of Black Wolf? When we find his nest, we can directly destroy it, just like we did this morning."
Li Feiyu said excitedly.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said, "How can it be the same? White Wolf's nest is a small island. As long as we land on this island, all the pirates on the island will not be able to escape. But as far as we know, Black Wolf's nest is on a large island, and he has many more strongholds than White Wolf. He has twenty to thirty thousand pirates under his command, and his strength is stronger than that of the countries along the way. It will be more troublesome to deal with him. "
Although he was full of confidence, Ang Lee also knew very well that it might take some twists and turns to deal with Black Wolf. It was not easy to deal with him. He might even have to sacrifice some soldiers. It seemed inevitable that some soldiers would die.
In order to reduce the loss of elite soldiers, Ang Lee needed to recruit pirates and turn them into the Vanguard Battalion of the Tang dynasty. He wanted them to charge and break through the enemy lines and play an important role in fighting pirates.
Ang Lee planned to leave a few of the more than two thousand pirates under White Wolf to cooperate with the imperial court to guard this important island and protect the new county that was about to be born.
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