They were Zheng He, the navigator of the Ming Dynasty, and Vasco da Gama, the first European navigator to reach India.

Before arriving in Calicut, the fleet made a stop in Cochin Port to search for guides they had planted there. Cochin Port is located not far southeast of Calicut Port, and the two places are only a two-day voyage apart, so a short stop wouldn't cause any delay.

"Are you looking for Ugia? Ugia Gaul?" The man with a turban on the dock immediately became wary upon hearing that they were looking for Ugia.

This time, Qin Mo didn't have all the ships dock, only his own fast sailboat. Everything went smoothly, but he encountered trouble when inquiring about Ugia Gore at the port.

"Yes, we are looking for Ujiya Gor. He just returned from faraway Sumatra a little over a month ago. Could you take me to him?"

Shia translated Qin Mo's question and also handed her a copper coin as a thank you gift.

The man didn't take the copper coin, but instead asked thoughtfully, "Ugia has offended the Mara family and is now imprisoned. If you don't want to cause trouble, you'd better leave as soon as possible!"

"...Can you tell me what Ugia did wrong? We need to speak with him urgently."

Qin Mo already knew the power of the high-ranking copper coins, so she grabbed a handful, more than a dozen of them, and put them into the Indian man's hand.

Money makes the world go round, and this Indian man immediately pulled the two of them to a secluded place. Only after making sure no one was around did he explain Ujiya's predicament.

A little over a month ago, Ujiya, who had been at sea for several years without a trace, suddenly returned, bringing with him more than a dozen ships from the Great Xia Dynasty. The cargo on board made everyone envious. However, the Great Xia merchants brought a guard, fully armored and armed with long swords. After they wiped out a group of foolish pirates, no one dared to mess with them again.

Uguia lost a leg, but brought back a ship full of goods, which were quickly divided up by several powerful families in Kochi. The enormous wealth made Uguia a newly rich businessman in Kochi, envied by all other merchants.

Ujiya worked very hard, leading the Bactrian merchant fleet to Calicut, and within a dozen or so round trips, all the goods were sold at high prices. A dozen or so Bactrian merchant ships, loaded with pepper and Calicut's specialty printed fabrics, left Zhu, reportedly heading to Singapore in Southeast Asia.

After the Great Xia merchant fleet left, only a few dozen caravan members remained, living on a farm that Ujiya had just bought. They continued to buy pepper, sandalwood, and gemstones, and it seemed that they had an endless supply of money.

Just a few days ago, the Mara family surrounded Ugia's farm, claiming that Ugia had killed Sharma Mara, who had gone to sea with him. Ugia, as Sharma Mara's captain of guards, claimed that he had embezzled Sharma's property to amass his current wealth and must pay with his life.

“You should leave! I know you are from the Great Xia, but the Mara family has gathered thousands of warriors this time. You are a distinguished person, and it's not worth losing your life here…”

Qin Mo's face darkened. He knew how Sharma died. As the "ghost ship" pirate he had personally trained, he knew exactly what she had done.

Now that Uggia is under the jurisdiction of the Development Bureau, as the boss, I can't just sit idly by, otherwise who would want to be my subordinate?

"Are they all dead? Am I one of those dozens who didn't escape?"

"No, no, no, the Mara warriors besieged the farm three times but failed. Those Great Xia people were very brave, and Mara warriors died in battle every time."

"I heard from the people burying the dead that the Great Xia people are almost all dead; they have too few people..."

Qin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that there are still survivors."

A gold coin was tossed into the Indian man's hand, making him dizzy. The exquisite gold coin reflected a dazzling light.

“Take me to that farm, to see the Mara warriors… and the Great Xia warriors.”

"What is your relationship with Ugia? Why are you so determined to take this risk?"

Qin Mo smiled, "I'm his boss!" To chat about "Sailing and Conquest" with more like-minded people, follow "or" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other readers.