"But you don't have to worry."
Liu Dutou laughed and said, "Our Great Song Navy is powerful. Those pirates always flee when they see our Great Song Dragon Flag. This time, they just watched from afar and didn't dare to get close."
"Since our navy is so powerful and will run away when they see the dragon flag, why do they dare to come and spy?"
Tan Wenxue discovered the problem.
"Doctor, look over there."
Liu Dutou was about to explain when he suddenly noticed countless black spots appearing in the distance. He took a look and then pointed to the distance.
Tan Wenxue was puzzled and raised the telescope again.
Then I saw another fleet appearing in the distance, it was huge and mighty. Under the observation of the telescope, the original small black dot became clearer and clearer. I could vaguely see that in addition to the sails, there were many flags fluttering on the ships.
"What is that?"
Tan Wenxue was extremely surprised and asked, "Is that our own caravan from the Great Song Dynasty?"
He saw the bow of the ship was full of dragon flags of the Song Dynasty.
"no."
Liu Dutou shook his head and said, "Those should be merchants from the Arab world."
The dragon flag of the Song Dynasty was flying on the ship of the Arab merchants?
"I see."
Tan Wenxue was no fool and quickly guessed the reason: "Maybe in the beginning, the pirates would flee as soon as they saw the Song Dynasty dragon flag, so the merchants followed suit and hoisted the dragon flag for safety. Later, the pirates noticed this and became afraid of our navy and the merchants who were taking advantage of our power. So, even though they knew there was danger, they still had to send ships to spy?"
"good."
Liu Dutou nodded. "Although this might allow the pirates to see through us, it's still much better than being robbed directly by them as before. Besides, if the pirates come to spy, they're afraid of being annihilated by our navy, so they won't dare to come with a large force. We can only send one or two fast boats. Even if they see through the merchants, they'll still have to report back. This trip back and forth will waste a lot of time, which may allow the merchants to escape successfully, or delay until the patrolling navy appears, and the merchants' safety can be guaranteed."
"That's a good thing, but I remember there are rules and regulations for the use of the national flag."
Tan Wenxue put down his binoculars and asked in confusion, "They are foreigners. Did the court allow them to fly the flag of the Song Dynasty?"
"It's definitely not allowed, but the new decree from the Constitutional Council came out two years ago, saying that as long as you register your company with the Great Song Industry and Commerce Bureau and pay local taxes, you can fly the Great Song flag and receive naval protection. If you fly the dragon flag without a registered company and try to bully others at sea, you'll be fined to death if caught by the navy."
Liu Dutou said, "The doctor is also aware that the imperial court has always attached great importance to commerce. After this decree was issued, the commercial tax at the Guangzhou Industry and Commerce Bureau indeed increased significantly. Many people registered locally, and the Guangzhou treasury was temporarily filled."
"Yes, I remember now. The Constitutional Council did have such a decree before. It turned out to be here."
Tan Wenxue looked into the distance. The fleet was getting closer and closer. As expected, they were all flying the flags of the Song Dynasty. They looked majestic in the howling southeast wind.
"If that happens, the sea will probably be covered with dragon flags!"
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