After midnight, the entire Donghai Ancient Lin City entered a state of deathly silence. Although it was Donghai Fucheng, it was only a small seaside town after all, and its prosperity and bustling could not be compared with the capital city.
On a deserted street, a stray wild dog walked along the street. When he got to a wall, he saw a broken porcelain bowl. He was about to get closer, but before he got close, a figure beside him suddenly sat up. The wild dog was frightened. Jump, bark, turn around and walk away.
The man who sat up had disheveled hair and a wooden stick at his feet. He cursed at the wild dog, then lay down under the wall again and wrapped himself in a rag. On the shore of the East China Sea, although It was very warm during the day, but in the middle of the night, I felt a little chilly.
In his daze, he suddenly heard a "ding" sound. This sound was very familiar to him. It was the sound of money being thrown into a porcelain bowl. To him, the sound was clear and sweet, and instantly After waking up, he turned over and sat up, turned around and looked over, and saw a figure standing next to him.
The beggar was a little strange. In the middle of the night, not to mention this somewhat remote street, even the largest and most spacious street in Donghai City, there were only a few people. How could there be people giving money at this time? He raised his head slightly and saw in the moonlight. A man with a yellow and thin face, probably in his early thirties.
"Thank you for the reward, sir!" The beggar took a look at the porcelain bowl and saw that it was a small piece of silver. He immediately thanked it secretly.
But the man squatted down, stretched out his hand, and found a larger piece of broken silver in his hand. The beggar was startled, and the man had already asked softly: "Do you want it?"
The beggar smiled and said: "I will certainly be grateful for the reward."
"Okay." The man nodded slightly: "The Beggar Clan has twenty-eight divisions. Among the seven places in the south, who is operating on the East China Sea?" the man asked directly.
The beggar's face changed slightly, but he soon looked confused, shook his head and said, "What did you say, sir? I... I can't understand...!"
The man didn't talk nonsense. He stretched out his other hand, and there was something in his hand. It was shaped like a bird, exquisitely made, and pure black in color, as if it were made of wood.
The beggar took one look, showing surprise. He looked around, got up, and walked away without saying a word.
The person who found the beggar was naturally Jin Yihou Qining, who had just arrived in the ancient city of East China Sea.
Qining had a few masks given by Zhong Ya, so he naturally took them with him when he went out. Now he put on the mask to hide his true face.
The object he showed was the Zhuque Order given by Elder Zhuque of the Beggar Clan. With the Order in his hand, it was equivalent to Elder Zhuque himself. The Twenty-eight Branch Rudders of the Beggar Clan and the Seven Southern Branch Rudders of the South were all under the command of Elder Zhuque. When the Beggar Clan disciples from Qisu in the South saw the Suzaku Order, they knew that things were not simple.
The beggar said nothing and walked east and west along the wall, and finally entered a narrow alley. Qining just followed behind, and the beggar never looked back from the beginning to the end.
After walking half a stick of incense, he entered a narrower alley. The alley was extremely dark. The beggar stopped, looked back at Qi Ning, and made a gesture, telling Qi Ning to wait a moment. Nodding slightly, the beggar walked straight into the alley.
After waiting for a short while, I saw several figures hurriedly approaching in the alley. They all stopped a few steps away. Their eyes were sharp and focused. I saw the person in front of me who was probably in his early forties and had a thin build. He was staring at Qi Ning. , Qining once again showed the Vermillion Bird Order in front of him. The people looked at each other, and the person in front raised his hand and whispered: "Please!"
Qi Ning put away the Suzaku Order and was not polite. He entered the alley. Several people stood aside respectfully. Qin Ning walked forward along the alley. Several people quickly followed him. When he walked into the deep alley, he saw a beggar holding a A torch stood in front of a courtyard door. Qining knew that it must be the headquarters of the Beggar Clan, so he went over and walked into the courtyard. Several people followed behind him, and soon someone closed the courtyard door.
The thin man stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands and said, "Zhang Yuelu and Jing Shou have met your Excellency!"
Qi Ning nodded with a smile and said: "Master Jing, I have come to ask for help this time. I have taken the liberty to come to the door. Please forgive me."
Jing Shou raised his hand and said: "Please come in!" He led Qi Ning into the house, but the others were guarding the door. After the two of them entered the house, the door was immediately closed.
After Jing Shou asked Qin Ning to sit down, he did not ask about Qin Ning's origins, but said directly: "If you have any instructions, please tell me. As long as we can do it, we will do our best."
Qi Ning thought that the Vermillion Bird Token was indeed of great use, and said with a smile: "Actually, it's not a big deal. The Beggar Clan has always been well-informed, so I wanted to come over and ask a few questions." Seeing Jing Shou standing alone, he said: "Jing Shou is very well-informed. Captain, sit down and talk!”
Jing Shou sat down next to Qin Ning, and Qin Ning asked: "Does Captain Jing know anything about the pirates in the East China Sea?"
Jing Shou was startled, but immediately nodded and said, "I quite understand."
"So, does Master Jing know who are the most unscrupulous pirates in the East China Sea now?" Qining looked at Jing Shou and asked.
Jing Shou thought for a while and then said: "The East China Sea was indeed rampant with pirates in the early years, but it is different now. Back then, there were at least a dozen groups of pirates on the East China Sea, and some even did not care about the existence of the East China Sea Marines. They often make sneak attacks along the coast. However, the Donghai Navy has been suppressing bandits for many years, and many pirates have long since become obsolete."
"Of course Master Jing knows about Black Tiger Shark?" Qining asked.
Jing Shou nodded and said: "This man is the only remaining giant bandit in the East China Sea. As far as I know, this man has caused a lot of trouble to the Donghai Navy over the years." He smiled faintly and said, "Since the Tantai family established the East China Sea, To this day, although pirates often wreak havoc along the coast, no pirate dares to truly be an enemy of the Navy. Only Black Tiger Shark is in trouble with the Navy at every turn. This person is really courageous."
"In trouble with the navy?" Qi Ning asked curiously, "How do you say this?"
Jing Shou thought for a moment and then said: "The name Black Tiger Shark has only been known to the public in the past two years." After a pause, he said in a low voice: "Of course you know how to respect yourself when raising bandits."
"Respecting yourself as a bandit?" Qi Ning understood a little bit: "Could it be that the black tiger shark got up because of the indulgence of the Donghai Navy?"
Jing Shou shook his head and said: "Although almost all the powerful pirates in the East China Sea have been wiped out, a few relatively weak pirate bands and some remnants of the wiped out pirates have been living on the East China Sea. In fact, these people have no influence on the coast of the East China Sea at all. It doesn't pose any threat, but sometimes the navy deliberately condones it and lets some pirates occasionally appear on the coast to harass... Hehe, it's actually a transaction."
"trade?"
"Every time pirates harassed the coast and robbed some supplies, then the East China Sea Navy would appear. The pirates would leave a few heads and escape, but the navy would not kill them all. There was a tacit understanding on both sides. If the pirates got the supplies, the navy would The master took the pirate's head to report his merits, and each took what he needed." Jing Shou smiled lightly: "This has been the case on both sides before, and it has formed a rule."
Qi Ning sighed in his heart, but he could understand it.
If the mouse does not exist, then the cat will lose its original value. If the Donghai Navy wipes out all the pirates, although the court will not disband the navy, it will definitely weaken the navy, whether in terms of materials or other aspects. strength.
As the most direct strength of the Jindao Tantai family, the Tantai family will certainly not give the imperial court any chance to weaken the navy. The pirates have always been raging along the East China Sea coast, so naturally the materials and rewards the navy received from the imperial court will never be lost. Any cuts and cuts.
"If this continues, the pirates and navy will live in peace, and only the people along the coast will be unlucky." Jing Shou said, "But a few years ago, the black tiger shark suddenly appeared, and the situation was broken."
"Is this black tiger shark very powerful?"
"As far as I know, Miao Bazi's group of pirates were the ones who had some strength in the East China Sea. This black tiger shark was under Miao Bazi's command." Jing Shou said slowly: "But Miao Bazi was cruel and arrogant. Every time this person robbed, he would kidnap a group of good women. For this reason, he would lose several lives to the navy every time. This person robbed many times, and his men suffered the most heavy casualties, so they said this person was selfish. , with no regard for the lives of his men."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, and Jing Shou continued: "Later, there was internal strife on Miao Bazi's side. Miao Bazi was killed, and Black Tiger Shark took his place and became the new leader. As far as I know, this person is very supported by his subordinates, and After this person came to power, he quietly subdued several groups of pirates at sea, and his strength expanded rapidly. In less than half a year, most of the pirates at sea had become his subordinates...!"
"The Black Tiger Shark is quite capable of subduing many gangsters in a short period of time." Qi Ning sat back in his chair, thoughtfully.
"The navy saw that the black tiger shark was getting stronger, so naturally it couldn't tolerate him and sent troops to encircle and suppress him. However, this black tiger shark is extremely cunning. The navy sent troops several times, but they all came back defeated. It is said that they could not even see the shadow of the black tiger shark. ." There was a look of admiration on Jing Shou's face: "Since then, the navy and the black tiger shark have completely become enemies."
Qi Ning frowned and said: "So, the black tiger shark has been a danger to the navy in the East China Sea for the past two years?"
"It's a serious problem!" Jing Shou said: "Last year, a grain depot of the Donghai Navy was burned down by fire. Although they were rescued in time, most of the grain and grass were also burned."
"Is it the Black Tiger Shark?"
"Exactly." Jing Shou said: "The Black Tiger Shark was so bold that he not only burned down the Navy's grain depot, but also left the Black Shark flag. Since the establishment of the Navy, there has never been such an arrogant pirate. This Black Tiger Shark is The first pirate who dared to confront the Navy head-on."
Qi Ning frowned, and Jing Shou continued: "In the past few months, the navy captured several pirate spies and executed them all. Their heads were hung on the beach. This was originally to deter the black tiger sharks. Who knows? Overnight, all the heads were stolen, and several navy soldiers were killed. Hey, this was really a shame and humiliation for the Donghai Navy. The Tantai Governor sent a fleet to pursue them, but still found nothing. Then The Commander-in-Chief of Tantai was born into a general, and he is proud and arrogant. I am afraid he will vomit blood after being humiliated like this...!"