The crosswinds at sea were very strong, and in order to maintain the maximum thrust angle, the slender hull tilted and swayed as it moved forward.
"A ship is approaching on starboard! Be on alert!"
The lookout at the top of the mast, holding a large telescope, spotted a speedboat from afar.
"Those nasty flies again!" The captain spat as he spotted the enemy flag through his binoculars.
The ship was flying the flag of the Great Xia Maritime Patrol Office, clearly indicating that it was an official vessel of the imperial court.
"Why are they chasing us? And they even used a magic array?" Promi looked at the shimmering light on the sails of the Coast Guard ship, which clearly indicated that a magic array made of precious materials had been activated.
"They want my spice route, a bunch of shameless bastards! The sea is right there, why don't they go find it themselves! The prince is not at home, and all sorts of cats and dogs come to spy on our empire!" The captain cursed angrily, spitting as he spoke.
Six months ago, the Great Xia Dynasty, which had never been interested in overseas affairs, suddenly set up a maritime patrol office in Mawei Port, across from Da Yuan. Not only did it vigorously develop the shipbuilding industry, it also sent fast ships to track Da Yuan's merchant fleet.
Over the past six months, the captains of the ships have engaged in countless battles of wits and courage with the intelligence agents of the Coast Guard, almost to the point of a direct confrontation.
The Great Xia Empire had a very deep foundation. Even though they couldn't build galleons or clipper ships, they still poured in a lot of gold and silver. With the help of the magic array ships, the ordinary routes of the Great Xia Empire were tracked and detected one after another.
The Coast Guard was discovered in both Lesser Luzon and Singapore, and several high-ranking officials admired Qin Mo's decision.
Qin Mo traded cannons for an imperial edict that clearly stated Qin Mo had the right to explore overseas.
The nobles of the Great Xia Dynasty had a long-standing tradition of expanding their territory, so Qin Mo's act of exchanging a "redundant" imperial edict for such a huge price was considered by many to be foolish and wasteful.
But now things are different. The empire has confirmed Qin Mo's "overseas expansion rights" through an imperial edict. Such a large area is Qin Mo's territory, and he has complete autonomy. Even if the court is extremely envious, it cannot use any reason to take these places back to the empire.
The most profitable spice transport routes became a coveted breakthrough for the imperial court, because the spice business was closely related to the Empress. Once the exact origin was found, countless schemes could be devised through the imperial court.
The Spice Islands had always been developed by the Elves, and their shipping routes were winding, complex, and deviated from the main sea lanes, so they had never been discovered by the Coast Guard.
Therefore, whenever the Coast Guard ships discover a large number of Elven ships, they will relentlessly pursue them, sparing no expense in sacrificing the magic arrays on the sailboats.
"Guys! We're going to Singapore today, so let's have some fun with these punks!"
The captain's words had the crew and sailors excitedly cheering, and the clipper sailboat drew a beautiful trajectory, playing a chase game with the Coast Guard's speedboat.
The Coast Guard's fast boats continued to urge the magic array, giving chase with an air of not being short of money!
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