Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 817: Mountain Tribe
Chen Zuyi started out as a bandit, and later fled to Srivijaya in Southeast Asia to become the overlord of the sea. His ruthlessness and lack of bottom line was indeed the most important reason, but his innate sense and talent for naval warfare cannot be ignored either.

Just by watching a battle, he had keenly realized the terrible prospect of artillery in naval battles. Now that the Ming army was equipped with such a powerful weapon, if he still only knew how to be arrogant, what difference would it make him sit there and wait for death?
However, the artillery was a secret of the Ming Dynasty and could not be easily obtained. Therefore, Chen Zuyi thought of many ways, such as pretending to be an envoy, sneaking into Yingtian, or conspiring with those red-haired demons, etc., but to no avail. So he simply set his sights on Li Jinglong's troops in Tamkang Port.

He thought he could defeat Li Jinglong's navy, but he was afraid that he would also suffer heavy losses under the artillery fire. Therefore, this cunning sea shark thought of a sinister idea: since the Ming army was really strong at sea, he would find a way to seize their ships equipped with artillery on the shore.

He secretly sent people to Dawan. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and arouse vigilance, he even avoided the coastal tribes of the Dadu Kingdom, which had already become slightly civilized, and worked hard to win over the Dadu tribes in the mountains. The Ming Dynasty actually had few garrison troops in Tamkang Port. If he could instigate these savages to attack Tamkang Port and drive away the tigers and devour the wolves, wouldn't he be able to sit on the mountain and reap the benefits?
Unfortunately, the plan still couldn't keep up with the changes. Those red-haired barbarians were driven here by the Ming Dynasty, and then the White Lotus Sect came and interfered inexplicably...

"If you guys were more capable, I wouldn't have rushed to launch the attack before I was fully prepared. Now you have stirred up a hornet's nest, and now you want me to clean up your mess!" Chen Zuyi muttered a few words indignantly as he walked down the mountain. He was still very sad about losing a loyal tribesman.

Fu Puxin clenched his fists, but his face was still as bright as the moon: "Don't worry, Sea King. Although I am not a big shot, I will definitely help you, Sea King, to repel the Ming Dynasty."

"We don't want the Ming army's warships that were originally promised to us... We won't take a penny and will work for you, the Sea King, with our heads on the line!"

Previously, after Fu Puxin discovered clues of Chen Zuyi's troops on the island, he secretly allied with this group of pirates. Chen Zuyi originally wanted to act in secret, but now the Western Barbarians and the White Lotus Sect have been alerted, so he also hoped that with his help, the White Lotus Sect could defeat the Ming fleet.

The two privately agreed that after defeating the Ming, the Ming army's ships would belong to the White Lotus, and the baggage, artillery, and treasures on the ships would belong to Chen Zuyi. Now that the White Lotus had lost the first battle, they had to make some concessions to Chen Zuyi in order to continue the alliance.

"You sound so open, as if you don't know that what you want is the entire Dawan Island?" Chen Zuyi was used to being rude, and he kept muttering. Fu Puxin's face froze, looking a little ugly.

Fortunately, this Pirate King just said that. Chen Zuyi's roots are in Southeast Asia, and he still doesn't look down on this huge Dawan Island for the time being.

"Boss, do you really want to help this thief fight the Ming people?" Seeing Chen Zuyi walking away, Fu Puxin's confidant Geng Datou glared at Chen Zuyi's back. "I think he is only fierce in words. How come those barbarians he has trained for a long time couldn't even stop the Ming army for a whole night?"

"If we really work for him, we might not even have a place to bury our dead... Why don't we take the gold, seize a few ships and find a place to stay! The sea is so big, are you afraid there won't be other islands? It's better than letting you, the shopkeeper, suffer his bullying here!"

"Silence, you bastard!" Fu Puxin cursed, and when he saw that none of the pirates under Chen Zuyi noticed their conversation, his tense muscles finally relaxed. "I told you to keep the gold a secret, but you used it to talk about it? If the pirate leader heard it, how could we still be safe?"

Seeing that Geng Datou was already alert, Fu Puxin continued, "As for why I have to suffer here... do you really think that we can escape the Ming people's net just by ourselves?"

"The Ming people are determined to bury us here. The sea is now their territory. Do you really think that we can safely sail out to sea if we seize the ship? Besides, other islands are far away from China and have no trade routes, unlike this Dawan Island, which can still trade on the sea. If we find an isolated island, the Ming army will not come, but what's the point of us guarding the gold? Are we going to be savages?"

Seeing the surrounding believers showing surprised expressions, Fu Puxin continued: "Besides, this thief can still be used...If we cooperate with them, we will have a chance to turn things around."

Recover? The eyes of the believers who thought they had been defeated and could only linger in this mountain valley lit up, and Geng Datou even breathed a little heavier: "Boss, do we still have a chance?"

"Of course not." Fu Puxin's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "This pirate leader has been operating here for a long time. His killing method may really make these Ming troops fall flat on their faces!"

……

"Your Highness, we failed to capture anyone alive... The leaders of these savages are very stubborn. Even those who were about to be captured looked for opportunities to end their lives. There are a few who don't understand Chinese at all." Di Meng, who was ordered to pursue the fleeing aborigines, reported to Zhu Su after returning to the team.

"Ended their own life?" Zhu Su was puzzled. "Does the White Lotus Sect really have such power? They have bewitched these barbarians into becoming their diehard followers."

"It doesn't look like it was just a few days of deception. It looks like it has been planned for a long time."

"Perhaps these religious bandits had already set their sights on these mountain savages several months ago," Li Jinglong guessed.

With hope in hand, Zhu Su asked the Gaoshan interpreter to communicate with the captured foreign captives who could not speak Chinese. As expected, he gained nothing. These people only knew how to obey the orders of the tribal leader. The more he asked, the more confused they became.

Zhu Su simply stopped thinking about it and continued to follow the clues left by the bandits along the way and continued to pursue them. The next day, they found a mountain with lush trees and smoke from cooking.

"Your Highness, there is a tribe of the Dadu Kingdom on the mountain, and its name is 'Hulali'." The guide from the Gaoshan tribe introduced.

"The bandits must have followed a path that people walked on when they were on the run. Otherwise, how would they get supplies?" Chang Mao determined. "Your Highness, let's go to this mountain and ask. They will definitely know the whereabouts of those bandits."

(End of this chapter)