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Ever since he sent a messenger to inform the Red Flag Gang of the danger they might face, Lu Jian has been staying safely in Panyu.
Although the prison break had nothing to do with him anymore, there were still many people who wanted to cause trouble for him. His stepmother probably hated him to the point of madness, and Lord Lu's political enemies were eyeing him covetously. If he was caught, it would be troublesome.
However, despite this, Lu Jian was in a good mood and had time to pay attention to the Qian family's movements.
After all, watching the Lu family suffer misfortune and Lord Lu being preoccupied with his own affairs is quite a pleasant pastime.
When the Suoyi Gang recovers and starts sending troops to Jiangdong, that will be the time he has been looking forward to for a long time.
However, what was unexpected was that before Lu Jian's spies could send any news, Luoling Island sent people first.
"Your gang has already wiped out the Ling family and occupied the Dongmen Salt Field?" Even though Lu Jian was an expert in cultivating his Qi, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise.
It's only been over half a month, and they've already figured it out? Is the Ling family too weak, or is the Red Flag Gang too strong?
Thinking about this, Lu Jian asked, "Did the Qian family reach an agreement with you?"
The messenger said, "Commander Liu did not want to antagonize us, so the Qian family retreated long ago."
No wonder his spies couldn't get any information. It seemed that the Qian family was deliberately concealing the truth. They were most likely going to surrender to the enemy. Lord Lu's political enemies would have a powerful ally.
If the news is concealed for one more day, the Lu family's response will be delayed by one day, and it will naturally be more difficult to save the ocean-going fleet.
It was not difficult to guess what the Red Flag Gang was planning to do. Lu Jian asked, "Is Gang Leader Cheng planning to attack the Lu family's fleet?"
The messenger said, "The gang leader said that fleet is difficult to deal with. We need to get some inside information. Only by knowing the identities and resumes of the captains and leaders of the fleet can we take action. I would like to ask for your guidance, Master Lu."
Is this a strategy to outsmart them? How could Lu Jian not know the power of the ocean-going fleet? He had previously used the "snake swallowing an elephant" tactic to incite the Red Flag Gang.
Who could have imagined that this snake would turn into a python in an instant and could actually swallow a giant elephant in one bite.
If even this ocean-going fleet that consumes most of the Lu family’s financial resources is taken away, can Lord Lu still keep his position?
Lu Jian smiled casually: "How difficult is that? I will write a letter and hope I can be of some help."
It would be best if we could defeat the fleet and seize the treasure.
…
After getting the information he wanted from Lu Jian, Cheng Xi waited patiently for a few more days and finally saw his fleet return.
Seeing Lin Meng's return, Cheng Xi smiled and said, "It seems our luck is still good. Mengzi, you came back just in time. Did the fleet suffer any damage on the way?"
Hearing that he wasn't late, Lin Meng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "The journey was relatively safe, and we didn't encounter any ambushes. However, when we were in Hepu, we heard some news that the Changjing Gang was planning to expand in Qiongzhou."
Cheng Xi frowned. This was not good news. The Changjing Gang's original sphere of influence was in the South China Sea. Even after being driven away by General Qiu, they still controlled the private port of Hepu.
If Qiongzhou was occupied, the Red Flag Gang's road to Hepu might be cut off.
How could it be easy to deal with a big gang that could monopolize the spice business?
After a moment's hesitation, Cheng Xi said, "Regardless of whether this news is true or not, we must speed up. Our plan to intercept the Lu family's fleet cannot fail. Select two ships from the grain transport fleet, fully load them, and send them to Wuyuan Island first. The other ships must immediately unload their cargo and prepare for battle."
"Wuyuan Island? Wasn't it sent to Mr. Lu first?" Lin Meng asked in surprise.
"If a grain transport ship appears in Panyu, the Lu family will be in a panic. Let Lu Jian wait for now. It's more important to lure the enemy." Cheng Xi didn't say anything more and directly talked about the plan...
…
Standing at the bow of the boat, Lu Nan put his hands behind his back and looked into the distance.
Everywhere you look, there is clear blue. The sky and the sea are one color. There are no dark clouds, no huge waves, and no reefs or dangerous shoals to make people nervous. Just looking at it makes people feel relaxed and happy.
However, no matter how much you love the sea, you will still feel depressed after drifting on it for a year or two.
What Lu Nan wanted to do most now was to go back home and have a good night's sleep in bed.
But this time, I was lucky.
There were no major storms, no sudden coup in any small country to hijack merchant ships, and there were not many sick crew members. Fortunately, he threw those few into the sea early, so the disease did not spread.
Now it is only half a day's journey to Luoling Island. Once we get there, we can replenish fresh water and food, hire a few girls to have some fun, and then we can return to Panyu Port.
Thinking of this, Lu Nan felt relaxed both physically and mentally. It must be said that the establishment of the private port on Luoling Island made him feel a lot more relaxed.
In the past, when traveling to Southeast Asia, people would follow the Ryukyu Islands, Luzon, and all the way to Srivijaya, and then return along the same route. The round trip took a long time, and one could easily encounter a typhoon.
Now, after arriving in Srivijaya, they only need to return along the sea route without having to enter the Qiongzhou waters, thus avoiding the possibility of a collision with the Changjing Gang.
When Lu Nan thought of the Changjing Gang, his face turned a little ugly. That group of evil bandits now occupied Malacca and controlled the east-west thoroughfare. There were not many fleets that dared to go to the strait, so the price of things imported from the West was naturally much higher.
However, it is almost impossible for the Lu family alone to break through the defense line. Perhaps they can contact a few Western pirate ships to open another passage.
However, these were not things he could decide. He would go back and report to his aunt to see what she thought.
Glancing at the boundless ocean again, Lu Nan instructed those around him, "We're almost offshore. Keep an eye out for ships passing by. Call me when we reach Luoling Island."
After saying that, he turned and went upstairs.
Thousand-ton ships like the treasure ship have attics on the deck. The Lu ship is no exception. There is a two-story building at the stern. Lu Nan usually eats, lives, and works here. He can also give immediate command in case of danger.
He ordered the cook to slaughter a lamb, stewed it carefully with the few remaining radishes, prepared a few delicious dishes, and after a delicious meal, he found some entertainment.
Drifting on the sea was just a form of entertainment. The closer he got to his destination, the more he needed something to relieve his anxiety. As usual, Lu Nan fell into a deep sleep late at night.
The next morning, a confidant came to report: "Boss, Luoling Island should be ahead!"
Lu Nan stood up, pushed open the side window, and squinted to look.
Sure enough, there is an island just ahead, isolated in the sea. If we follow the instructions on the nautical chart, we should be right.
"Pull up the sails and tell everyone on the boat that there will be wine to drink when we arrive!" Lu Nan became excited. Arriving at Luoling Island, it was only a few days' sail away from Panyu. As long as they could get there, this trip would be a success.
Not to mention the wealth he could get, his aunt also promised to find him an official position. He had been sailing in the wind and rain on the sea for many years and made a lot of money, but no one ever took him seriously. This time he could finally hold his head high.
It looked close on the sea, but it actually took quite a while to travel. After another half day, the fleet finally arrived near Luoling Island. However, before they even reached the harbor, they heard the sound of fighting ahead.
Lu Nan quickly walked to the bow, frowned and asked, "What's going on up ahead?"
"It looks like someone is attacking the island!" a confidant replied.
They had just returned from Southeast Asia with countless gold, silver and jewelry on board. What they feared most was encountering pirates. How could they encounter such a thing in their own territory?
Lu Nan was also a veteran at sea. After carefully examining the situation for a moment, he snorted coldly, "Luoling Island is still the Lu family's territory. How can we allow others to run wild? Raise the flag, get the gunners ready, and let's head over!"
When sailing on the sea, one is afraid of encountering pirates, but Lu Nan has already seen the battle situation ahead clearly. The enemy has only six or seven ships. Although the attack is fierce, they are nothing but jumping clowns compared to his fleet.
After all, you have gone through many storms, so why would you be afraid of such a small thing?
Everyone on the treasure ship was busy, some were raising the flag, some were loading gunpowder.
The big flag with the word "Land" was soon raised to the top of the pole, and the general cannon as thick as a bowl squeaked and changed direction. The fleet rushed into the battlefield like a cruising shark.
The sudden appearance of the large ship disrupted the battle situation. The enemy ships turned their bows vigilantly, no longer as brave as before, and seemed to be hesitating whether to fight or flee.
Lu Nan didn't give them time to hesitate and shouted, "Fire!"
With an order, the three cannons mounted on the bow fired at the same time. With a loud bang, a huge column of water was smashed around the enemy ship.
Of course, the first shot couldn't hit the target, but there was no need for a second shot.
As soon as these three shots were fired, the enemy ship no longer hesitated and turned around and fled at full speed.
Loud cheers were heard from the remaining boats, sweeping away the previous difficult and depressing situation.
Lu Nan snorted, "What's this kid Lu An doing? Go closer to those ships and have them come up to talk."
With the order, everyone on the boat moved in an orderly manner, and soon brought back a person.
"My humble servant Yan Yuan, I'm here to meet Mr. Lu." The man immediately bowed down when he saw Lu Nan.
Lu Nan looked him up and down, then raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Are you Jiang Da's man?"
It's no wonder he was surprised. The man was very tall, handsome, and looked quite good.
Although Jiang Da was a big pirate at sea, it was surprising that he had such subordinates.
Yan Yuan said, "I am the second-in-command's man. I used to work in the army."
Lu Nan understood as soon as he heard it, this was a deserter.
When he left, General Qiu had just gotten into trouble, so it was not surprising that Lu An took the opportunity to take in a few deserters.
Nodding slightly, he asked, "What happened just now?"
Yan Yuan quickly replied, "They were a group of strong men who occupied Wuyuan Island not long ago and have been attacking us repeatedly. The Second Commander led his troops to fight them and left me to guard the house. Unexpectedly, the enemy suddenly attacked and almost caused a disaster."
This was somewhat unexpected. The enemy was not just passing by, but was entrenched on Wuyuan Island, which was only half a day's journey from Luoling Island. Wouldn't this threaten Lu's newly established stronghold?
Lu Nan frowned: "How long will it take for him to come back?"
"It's hard to say..." Yan Yuan seemed to hesitate for a moment, then finally spoke, "Boss, please leave the island immediately and return to Panyu as soon as possible."
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