Chapter 214 Collusion

Wansheng Stone Pond is the name given to Zengmu Island by the Bactrian Kingdom. Zengmu Island is located north of Singapore and west of Borneo. It is the main island of the Zengmu Archipelago, which includes Zengmu Reef, Zengmu East Reef, and others.

Zengmu Island is surrounded by many lagoons formed by underwater volcanic eruptions, which are good anchorages for ships. Fleets traveling between Tainan, Luzon and Southeast Asia sometimes choose to take shelter from the wind and repair their ships here.

Under the moonlit night sky, a large fleet of ships was anchored in the anchorage. The tall masts had their sails lowered and stood alone. Apart from the lookouts, all the sailors and crew were fast asleep, enjoying the last quiet night. The fleet would not stop again after setting sail the next day and would return to Daxia in one go. Whether the wind was favorable or the storm was fierce, it would be their destiny.

"Lord Sharma, we have now arrived at Zengmu Island. After setting sail tomorrow, should we head west to Siam first, or continue to follow these Bactrian people?"

“Naturally, we should follow the Great Xia people. I’ve seen them; their ships have a very deep draft, so we can definitely keep up. Just follow them from a distance; their masts are very high, so you can see them from far away.”

The Zhu fleet also stopped in the lagoon, following the Great Xia fleet. Zhu Rao's leader, Sharma, was giving instructions to his warriors.

"Lord Sharma, once we're out at sea, pirates and merchants are practically indistinguishable. We only have six ships and fewer than five hundred crew members... I'm afraid..."

“Ujiya, I know you’re unwilling to take the risk, but why should we sell our goods to the Great Xia people? Why don’t we go to Great Xia to trade ourselves? As long as we can reach Great Xia, we can make ten times the profit.”

Sharma noticed that his most loyal warrior, Ugia, was wavering in his beliefs, knowing that this was due to his fear of the unknown ocean adventure. He immediately began to describe to Ugia the rich rewards that would follow a successful voyage, in order to dispel his unease.

Merchants from Dayuan successively opened warehouses in Malacca, Jambi, Acheh, Palembang and other places to distribute Daxia goods and purchase local specialties.

Sharma could have directly sold his goods to wealthy merchants in the port of Malacca and made a substantial profit, but he was driven by greed to embark on the risky path of long-distance ocean trade.

"Get up, you lazybones! The people of Great Xia have already begun preparing to set sail. Why aren't you raising the sails?"

Before dawn, Sharma heard Ugia's shouts and laughed triumphantly. Lured by tenfold profits, anyone would forget everything and willingly submit.

As the sky began to lighten and the Zhu people fumbled to prepare to weigh anchor, the Taiping Lion City escort fleet was the first to raise its sails, leaving the lagoon and heading south back to Lion City.

The Great Xia's transport fleet then sailed out of the lagoon ahead of Zhurao. When the last four-masted large galleon passed in front of Sharma, all the Zhu people were so overwhelmed that they could hardly breathe.

"This ship carries at least 15,000 dan of cargo. The shipbuilding technology of the Great Xia Dynasty is so advanced. Lord Sharma, will they... go directly to our Zhu Kingdom in the future?"

Sharma shook his head, not answering Ugia. Seeing such a massive ship, weighing over a thousand tons, up close had deeply shocked him, and he finally felt an overwhelming fear of the Great Xia Empire.

"Come on, follow them. We'll sell the goods in Daxia and then buy a ship like this to sail back to India."

Sharma's resolute voice encouraged Ugia and the others. They cheered each other on, raised their sails and anchored towards the gap in the lagoon. The signal lights lit by the Great Xia fleet to prevent collisions guided their course.

"There's a boat ahead..."

"What...is that?"

The lookout on the mast suddenly shouted, attracting Sharma's attention. Before the light was fully bright, she could only see a group of strange dark figures blocking the lagoon's exit.

The dark figure moved, moving at an incredibly fast pace, and in the blink of an eye, it was close to the vicinity of the Zhu fleet. The Zhu people, using the dim light of dawn, finally saw the approaching ship clearly.

"It's a ghost ship..."

The lookout with the best eyesight let out a terrified scream. The long, low-slung hull of the dark figure, the densely packed oars on both sides, the high battle platform at the bow, and the gleaming ram all revealed their true identity: a mysterious ghost ship that only intercepted cargo and did not kill.

"Don't lay down your weapons... you bastards... Ugia, get everyone lined up and prepare for battle..."

“Lord Sharma, the ghost ships never kill those who surrender. We can’t defeat them. I still have my wife and children in Kochi waiting for me to return.”

"Fool! This is clearly a trick by the Great Xia! They will never let us go! Quick... uh!"

An arrow pierced Sharma's neck, silencing his desperate cries.

Sharma's animated gestures were so conspicuous that even though the dawn light wasn't bright enough, it was enough for Han Kun, who was already a cultivator, to kill with a single arrow.

"Kill them all!"

The timid and cowardly Han Kun of the past has long since hardened his heart to the point of being as hard as iron. He feels no remorse for issuing such a cruel order. If he doesn't want to hand over the goods to the Da Yuan people, then he should hand over his life!

The Zhu people finally began to resist, but they sadly discovered that there was little difference between resisting and not resisting. The enemy's archers and armored soldiers were well-coordinated and well-equipped. After using the sturdy gunwales to build ramps onto their ships, it was a one-sided massacre.

The Zhu people immediately realized that this time was different. The ghost ship clearly had no intention of leaving any survivors, and the battle suddenly intensified. However, the exit of the lagoon was blocked by the ghost ship. Within the lagoon, which was less than ten miles in circumference, the Zhu people, unable to escape, finally broke down and jumped into the sea, hoping to survive for as long as possible.

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