Life is not only about what is in front of you, but also about unexpected blood. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

The pirate leader who terrified all the maritime merchants in Quanzhou is now just a puppet that has been hollowed out. In desperation, he even thought of asking the officers and soldiers for help, and this idea and brain hole were also strange.

No wonder some people say that life is like a bloody drama, full of unexpected bloody plots.

"I'm actually very strange, why did you come to me for help?" Xia Hongsheng looked at the old ghost suspiciously and asked.

"Because I'm smart enough to see what you're going to do." The old ghost laughed and said, "What you want to do can't do without what I have." ”

Xia Hongsheng's eyes narrowed, smiled, and said, "Oh? How did I not know that there was something so important that I could make the Tang Dynasty sailor help a pirate? ”

The old ghost smiled and said: "I was expelled from the family at the age of sixteen, and I have been at sea for more than ten years. One hundred and seventy-four charts, none of which are duplicated, and if you can help me regain my wife and children and kill those widows, I will give them all to you. ”

"Charts?!" Xia Hongsheng was shocked, more than 100 charts!

Nautical charts are specialized maps that are necessary for navigation to accurately map marine waters and coastal features. The main contents include shore shape, islands, reefs, water depths, navigation beacons, etc., with nautical charts, ships are not easy to run aground, so it is an indispensable reference data for navigation.

The biggest problem faced by Datang in opening up shipping routes was that there were no nautical charts. Without nautical charts, seagoing ships have to "move forward in the dark", relying on themselves to find out which hydrological elements such as shore shapes, islands, reefs, and water depths are, and set up navigation beacons.

It can be said that without nautical charts, there is no route. There are as many charts as there are as many routes as there are.

The nautical chart is the road sign on the ocean, and for the Tang Dynasty sailors, without the nautical chart, the warship cannot sail; The sea area without nautical charts is a no-sail zone for ships. All military operations at sea, from patrolling by sea vessels to conquests through naval fleets, must be preceded by the preparation of nautical charts. Nautical charts are the "passport" for the navy to go to the open sea and ocean, and the "golden key" to open the door to victory in future naval battles.

More than 170 charts, that's more than 170 routes!

If you want to explore so many routes on your own, the cost is huge and the time it takes is unimaginable.

Xia Hongsheng sighed and said, "I found that although you asked me, I was eaten to death by you. No wonder the sages want to say, the wall is a thousand people, and if there is no desire, it is rigid! ”

"So you agreed?" The old ghost asked.

"I want to say yes. I need those charts so badly. Xia Hongsheng sighed and said, "But as I said, you are a pirate, and the sailor is an officer and soldier." No matter what the circumstances, the officers and soldiers will not help a water thief, even if the water thief has what the officers and soldiers want in their hands. Officers and soldiers want what is in the hands of the water thief, and there has always been only one way, and that is to exterminate him! It's not something I'm a little county marquis can change. So no matter how much I want those charts, no matter how much I want to help you, I can only help you myself, but I can't ask the sailor to help you. “

"Let's just talk about your conditions." The old ghost poured himself another cup of tea: "It's almost dawn." ”

"Accept Zhao'an and take refuge in the imperial court." Xia Hongsheng said in a deep voice.

"That's not good, I'm free......" The old ghost shook his head and said, but before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Xia Hongsheng.

"You can only accept Zhao'an, this is the only way for you." Xia Hongsheng said to the old ghost: "Accept Zhao'an, you are a member of the imperial court, and those pirates under your command are naturally no longer pirates, but soldiers of the Tang Dynasty." In this way, the Datang sailors are no longer helping the pirates, but rescuing their comrades. There's a natural reason to help you. ”

"Besides, don't be in a hurry to refuse. As long as you accept the court's recruitment, then after rescuing your wife and children, killing those widows, and recapturing your ship, you and I only need to make a gentleman's agreement, and in the future, you can only continue to cruise on the sea, where you want to go, and go there. Not only that, but I will also give you a few ironclad ships equipped with the most advanced weapons of the Tang Naval Division. You take these ships and go wherever you want on the sea, let me tell you directly, as long as it is not in Datang, it is not a place related to Datang, you can grab it as much as you want. Xia Hongsheng said to the old ghost.

The old ghost was stunned: "I don't quite understand." ”

"Four words, royal pirates. Do you understand? Xia Hongsheng looked directly at the old ghost and said in a deep voice.

The old ghost stared at each other and said, "You mean, after Zhao'an, I am still a pirate on the surface, but secretly, I am robbing merchant ships for the royal family?" ”

"That's what it means. However, it was not a robbery of merchant ships. Xia Hongsheng said: "You can't rob merchant ships. After Zhao'an, the royal family secretly provides you with ships and weapons, and you go out to sea to find those borderlands, or those small uncivilized ocean-going nations. You can trade with it or plunder, you can do it yourself, and if it is trade, the imperial court will grant you the exclusive right for three years, and after you have been exclusive for three years, you will open this place to other maritime merchants for navigation and trade. If it is a robbery, you can't expose yourself, because your identity on the surface is a maritime merchant of the Tang Dynasty. In addition, you must hand over thirty percent of each plunder to the court secretly. In addition, every time you go to a borderless land, you must draw a sea chart and hand it to the imperial court, declaring it the land of the Tang Dynasty. ”

"Is it what it means for me to explore the Quartet for the imperial court and occupy a place?" The old ghost said to Xia Hongsheng: "Borderland, or a small country that no one knows about, let me go and get their wealth for the imperial court." That's what it means, right? ”

"Don't say it so casually, there's a professional word for it, it's called colonization." Xia Hongsheng shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Colonization?" The old ghost was very curious about this new word that he had never heard before.

"Yes, colony!" Xia Hongsheng nodded and explained: "The so-called colonization is the process by which a large country seeks and obtains the right to occupy those regions that are economically and politically and culturally underdeveloped outside its borders. ”

The old ghost narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said: "That is to say, Datang wants to use trade and robbery to encroach on other countries that are far overseas and whose national strength is far inferior to Datang, and finally make it Datang's own land." I am such a pioneer, if I do it, I am afraid that there will be more and more such 'maritime merchants' in the future. ”

"Huh! Talented! Xia Hongsheng slapped the table and gave a thumbs up: "The first colonial governor of the Tang Dynasty, I think you can do it." ”

"Lao Tzu did it!" The old ghost leaned back, crossed Erlang's legs again, and smiled. (To be continued.) )