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

Chapter 831 Disaster Is Coming
As a major bandit in Nanyang, Chen Zuyi's number of trusted followers had been drastically reduced, and the balance of power between him and the White Lotus Sect had been broken. Naturally, he knew all about this.

Previously, because his strength was superior to that of the White Lotus Sect, he could use them with peace of mind without worrying about backlash; but now, his men suffered heavy losses, while the losses of the White Lotus Sect were limited, and Chen Zuyi had to make a plan in his mind.

After repelling a pursuing fleet of the Quanzhou Navy, Chen Zuyi invited Fu Puxin to his own boat, politely poured him a bowl of wine, and then expressed his idea that he wanted Fu Puxin's ships to stay behind to cover their retreat.

"Brother, you also know that the Ming army has been chasing us fiercely these past few days. Most of the men and ships I brought with me from Srivijaya have been lost."

"We brothers are both wanted criminals in Ming Dynasty now, and we are on the same boat. I have been doing the dirty work for so long, taking the brunt of your troubles... Now I can't take it anymore, isn't it time for you to step up and take on some of the responsibilities and share some of the worries?"

Chen Zuyi was polite, but his eyes flashed with coldness. His eyes were bloodshot. The days of pursuit by the Ming army had almost driven him crazy. Every time he fought with the Ming navy, he would leave some of his men behind like a gecko cutting off its tail... On the contrary, these White Lotus Sect, who were driving the fast ships of the Western Barbarians, ran faster than him, and suffered much less damage than him.

Chen Zuyi could not afford to lose any more manpower, so he had already made preparations. If Fu Puxin refused, he would arrest the leader of the White Lotus Sect and force the followers to obey his orders.

But Fu Puxin was even more sensible than he thought. He seemed to have completely ignored the ill intentions in Chen Zuyi's eyes. He drank the bowl of wine with his neck tilted back and nodded in agreement: "Well, what the Sea King said makes sense. We have received a great favor from the Sea King, and it is time to come out and repay him."

"I will tell my brothers to man the boats and cover our retreat. If Ming Gouzi comes after us again, you, the Sea King, please leave first."

Chen Zuyi was surprised by his quick agreement. Seeing Chen Zuyi's surprise, Fu Pu understood and said with a wry smile: "Those Ming dogs are chasing us relentlessly. If we can't work together, we will definitely not be able to survive this catastrophe..."

"Don't worry, Sea King. I am not that stupid... The Ming people have already offered a bounty to our White Lotus Sect. If I fall into their hands, I am afraid I will be in a state worse than death."

"If the Sea King and I start a quarrel now, then Ming Gouzi will be the only one who will benefit. It is better for me to grit my teeth and send you, the Sea King, to Srivijaya... But when we get to Srivijaya, please remember that we were in the same boat at sea and help me. This will also allow the White Lotus Sect to take root in that foreign land..."

"Hahahaha, of course!" Fu Puxin's confession surprised and delighted Chen Zuyi. "Brother, you are so understanding, how can I treat you unfairly?"

"I am not talking nonsense. There are also places as prosperous as the Central Plains in those foreign lands... My dear brother, if your White Lotus Sect reaches those lands, there will be great potential for you."

"Brother, I will help you wholeheartedly... maybe thousands of years later, our descendants will be able to build an empire as large as the Ming Dynasty!"

Chen Zuyi was relieved that the problem of the White Lotus Sect had been solved, and the atmosphere in the cabin became harmonious for a while. However, even so, Chen Zuyi did not let Fu Puxin return to the ship. Instead, he kindly kept him on his own ship. It was called hospitality, but in fact he was still detained. As a treacherous man, he naturally would not put all his hopes on Fu Puxin's one-sided words.

Fu Puxin pretended to be unaware of what was happening, but followed Chen Zuyi's instructions and gave orders, ordering the White Lotus' ships to be lowered to the end of the fleet to cover their retreat when the Ming army came after them.

However, although Fu Puxin submitted, some members of the White Lotus sect were still resentful. Geng Datou, who was accompanying Fu Puxin, took the opportunity when Fu Puxin took a break to go to the toilet and said to him: "Boss, Chen Zuyi has bad intentions... Can't you see that?"

"This bandit... in the past when he was on Dawan Island, he slandered us a lot and looked down on us. When he surrounded the Ming army in the mountains, it was because of his own incompetence that he was attacked by the Ming army at night."

"Now that they have lost their strength, they want to drag us down with them... How can this be justified in this world?"

"Boss, why don't we leave this guy behind and go back to Hangzhou... Once we get to Hangzhou, we can start all over again. At worst, we can hide our identities, which is worse than dying in obscurity..."

Fu Puxin looked at him meaningfully, then sighed softly.

"Do you think I am willing to humble myself in front of that pirate? The truth is that we are now desperate and only have Chen Zuyi to rely on."

"This guy is a local boss in Srivijaya. With his help, our original overseas development strategy may not be impossible to continue. Besides, most of the people on the ship are new converts. Who can't be sacrificed?"

"Return to Hangzhou? The Ming people have already put us on the wanted list. How can we survive? It would be better to please Chen Zuyi and let him help us to rebuild our homeland in Srivijaya..."

He patted Geng Datou on the shoulder and said, "Brother Geng, you and Brother Fang (Fang Liuzi) are both my right-hand men. Now that Brother Fang has fallen into the hands of the Ming army, you will have to shoulder the responsibility of this important matter in the sect."

Fu Puxin's eyes were still full of ambition, and he continued, "The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Although we are down and out today, who knows if we will be proud tomorrow? When we reach Srivijaya, I will promote you to the position of White Lotus Dharma Protector. You and I will surely create more glory in the foreign land..."

"If anything happens to me in the future, you will be the new headmaster."

Fu Puxin acted like a master, and Geng Datou could only bow his head in agreement. Fu Puxin nodded and said, "Most of the foreigners on the ship will obey your orders. I will stay here to reassure Chen Zuyi. I will leave the matters Chen Zuyi requested to you."

"Yes." Geng Datou nodded. The White Lotus Sect is divided into two sects, the "General" and the "Master". The Generals are proficient in military tactics and martial arts, and are used to lead troops to break the formation when starting an uprising. The "Master" sect is proficient in magic tricks and deceptions, which are used to deceive foolish men and women in order to win over people. Fu Puxin and Fang Liuzi, who was captured earlier, are both from the "General" sect, while Geng Datou is a disciple of the "Master" sect. Most of the foreign people deceived by the White Lotus Sect were also the work of Geng Datou. Therefore, Fu Puxin said this.

Seeing Fu Puxin leave, Geng Datou finally raised his head. Fu Puxin didn't notice that there was a bit of disapproval on his face.

"Oh, you are really crazy. You are only thinking about going to that barbaric land and using our lives to teach you how to be the king..."

"The Ming people offered a bounty for you, the leader of the White Lotus Sect, but they didn't say they wanted to kill us all..."

(End of this chapter)