New proposal of 1988

"Gentlemen, my uncle and nephew have been harassing me for many days. Thank you for your warm hospitality. Let us be the host tonight and treat you gentlemen in return... Hi, I, Nang Er, don't know how to speak in such scenes. Let me start with

Here’s to toasting you—Ah Cai, don’t sit there stupidly and help with the toast!”

At the banquet that night, the Zheng family suddenly became extremely enthusiastic. Although they were quite polite before, they always had a kind of reserved pride, and there was always a vague feeling of superiority in their words. But tonight.

, Er Zheng took the initiative to lower his figure. Although it can't be said to be flattering, at least, in his demeanor, he completely recognized the equality of both parties.

Of course we can understand why they made such a change, but Professor Li and others are still as always, polite and polite, neither humble nor overbearing, and still treat Zheng Cai with the same attitude. They drank the wine Zheng Cai offered him with a clean gulp.

Very face-saving.

And after Zheng Cai toasted a round of wine, he didn't even miss Julie in the end - he raised his glass towards Julie from a distance and said loudly:

"Although we live in a remote countryside, we have heard about the reputation of Chief Xie for a long time. It is a pity that we can't see it this time. This glass of wine can be regarded as a distant tribute. Mrs. Xie is a hero among women, so I think she won't mind if I wait.

Abrupt."

Julie gritted her teeth. Since the relationship between her and Xi was made public, things inside her were feeling better. All the clients she dealt with outside were calling her "Mrs. Xie", as if she had become someone else's accessory. Although

Hong Kong people also have the habit of taking their husband's surname after getting married, but when Julie encounters this situation, she always wants to scream:

"I haven't decided yet whether I want to get married or not!"

——It's a pity that she can only think about it. In this situation, she doesn't dare to bear the crime of ruining the men's plans, so she can only raise the glass to her lips to show off. Fortunately, Er Zheng is both sensible, although

He was lustful, but he didn't dare to harass the wife of the short-haired big boss. They each toasted to each other, and after being polite, they turned their heads and stopped blabbering in this direction.

After a round of respects, everyone was casual. Er Zheng was quite patient. At the beginning, they were just joking and chatting about some gossip and did not touch on the main topic. However, the few people here have been negotiating with them for so long, and they have already developed their patience.

If you are not in a hurry, I am even less anxious. I will take my time and deal with it. Anyway, I know that they will get involved in that aspect sooner or later...

Sure enough, after drinking a few glasses of wine, Zheng Cai began to make insinuations. He first asked Pang Yu in a pretentious manner: The Japanese pirates attacked during the day, how heavy were the casualties? What was the enemy's situation? Pang Yu had just finished handling the aftermath of the attack before he came.

Everything was very clear from the data. It was not a secret. When he asked about it, he smiled:

"Fortunately, at the beginning, the bandit leader suddenly drew his sword, and two of our inspectors were caught off guard. One was killed and the other was injured. Fortunately, the Ming army who maintained order at the scene intervened in time, and they had no chance to kill more people. When our troops came on stage,

After that, only those who were shot were left alive... After checking, a total of 109 gangsters were found. Except for 26 wounded and captives, all others were killed. On our side, one died and nine were injured. Except for the initial casualties,

Yes, most of them were stupid because they didn’t find cover in time enough after throwing the grenade, and they were hit by the fragments.”

Hearing such a disparity in casualties, Zheng Cai was half sincere and half exaggerated. He kept saying that these Japanese pirates had hit an iron plate - the coast of Ming Dynasty had been harassed by Japanese pirates many times, even if the Zheng family was in Taiwan.

I have also encountered them in villages. The gangs are all extremely ferocious. Even if they can be beaten away, the losses themselves will probably be heavy. I have never seen someone like Shorthair who can wipe out them all so easily.

"Oh, just in the past two months, two groups have come here, at least one group of more than thirty people, and they actually dared to openly come and rob us - why do you think they are so reckless?"

Zhao Lide interjected from the side and deliberately asked a question to divert the topic that Zheng Cai was planning to bring up. The latter smiled with a complicated expression and reluctantly replied:

"Then the first two batches were also completely wiped out?"

"Of course, we will not let go of the bastards who dare to cause trouble for us - when we were attacked for the first time, we were too excited and left no one alive. Later, some locals said that we were too cruel.

So I slightly changed the rules: be open to Chinese people."

Hearing Ade's answer, a few drops of sweat appeared on Zheng Cai's forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe it off and forced himself to smile:

"I'm afraid it's because you all did it too neatly and no one escaped, so the news naturally couldn't spread. The surrounding bandits don't know how powerful they are, and they still dream of robbing and making money, so they keep coming to die."

"That's true...so some people advocate that we should learn from Western customs: hang all the pirates who dare to rob and hang them outside the port to dry. Brother Zheng, what do you think?"

The Zheng family was ruthless and had contacts with pirates from both the East and West. They were no strangers to such customs. Although Zheng Cai was a little surprised that these short-haired people who did not go to sea knew so much, she still nodded and said:

"This move is usually used by Western captains to punish rebellious sailors and deal with pirates... I have never heard of it. I wonder where did you gentlemen hear it from?"

Ade thought for a while, nodded casually and said:

"Well, it's true that Captain Kidd wasn't born yet..."

"It's almost there. It seems that my brother is about this age..."

Pang Yu also echoed from the side. He already understood Ade's plan and of course he had to cooperate with him. But Zheng Cai was not stupid. Looking at this posture, the two people clearly wanted to show off their bragging rights. These days

He already knew that the two men in front of him were both military advisors, and they had a lot of weird stories in their minds. If they really wanted to tell them, they would be endless... His "business" would be delayed!

In desperation, he didn't care to beat around the bush anymore, he cupped his hands and said with a smile:

"The two gentlemen were talking, and I should have listened. But when I came here this time, I had gained a lot from the previous transaction, and I should have returned home with great joy. But after seeing your army's firearms tactics in the daytime, I realized that we were blind.

, I almost entered the treasure mountain and returned empty-handed.”

Zhao Lide and Pang Yu looked at each other - this guy finally couldn't bear his temper. Looking at Zheng Zhihu, he was also sitting in front of Professor Li and Lin Feng... No need to think about it, it must be a similar topic.

"We have agreed that we will not sell weapons from the first day. As for the reason... I think Brother Zheng is also a sensible person, so we don't need to waste any more words."

Ade's expression was still indifferent, but he sealed his words as soon as he opened his mouth. They had already made an agreement before coming to the banquet - other goods were easy to talk about, but weapons and equipment were out of the question. No matter what price the other party offered, they must not let go in this regard.

.

Weapons and equipment that far surpassed the technology of this era were the material basis for their survival in the Ming Dynasty, and they could not be used as objects of trade in any case.

Zheng Cai's face darkened, as if she didn't expect Ade to be so direct. But he was obviously not a person willing to give up his goal easily. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and said with a forced smile:

"Such a sharp weapon, of course, cannot be bought and sold casually. If it falls into the wrong hands, it will be harmed... We are not ungrateful people. Uncle Hu and I invited you gentlemen here to discuss other matters."

With that said, Zheng Cai stood up, turned around and took out a mahogany box from the small package behind him. Pang Yu and others saw this thing when they came in. At that time, they thought it was a gift prepared by Er Zheng, but now they realized it was not.

Zheng Cai opened the box cover, and inside was a pair of short muskets - handguns from the seventeenth century. The handles were ivory, the barrels were made of mahogany, and the barrels were plated with silver. They were very delicately made and were definitely works of art.

There is another compartment in the box, which contains gunpowder, bullets, fuses, flints and other items. Sure enough, it is still a pair of matchlock guns. Zheng Cai picked up one, raised the barrel of the gun, loaded it, and asked

Stab the gunpowder tightly with the gunpowder, insert the fuse, and light the match...Finally, he aimed at a vase in the corner of the hall. With a bang, the vase shattered, and his marksmanship was pretty good.

——The whole process takes about two minutes. Zheng Cai does it relatively quickly and seems to be familiar with it.

However, when Zheng Cai had just put down his matchlock gun and had not had time to say anything, Ade suddenly pulled out the May 4th pistol from his waist with lightning speed and fired four shots in a row, killing the remaining people in the room in one breath.

The next few vases and pots were all smashed.

After the gunfire, the room suddenly fell silent. But there was chaos downstairs. After a while, a group of guards rushed up with guns drawn. Seeing that everyone here was safe and sound, and after receiving Pang Yu's instructions, they retreated in dismay.

——Fortunately, tonight is reserved by the Zheng family, and there are no other guests in the whole restaurant, otherwise it will inevitably cause a commotion. But at this moment, only the owner of the restaurant poked his head at the door for a while. The reward given by the Zheng family in advance was enough, so he left without saying anything.

Lost.

Of course, Zheng Zhihu and the old professor couldn't continue talking. Several people looked here in surprise, wondering why they suddenly used knives and guns?

At this, Ade just smiled faintly. Regarding the Zheng family, his consistent advice is: although he treats the Zheng family with a smile, he should always let the other party see the big stick he is holding in his hand. For these two envoys to show off in any way

The behavior and thoughts of force must be completely suppressed without mercy. Therefore, although Zheng Cai did not know what he wanted to do, since he dared to play with a gun in front of them, he must be suppressed.

Zheng Cai obviously didn't expect Ad's reaction to be so big, and was frightened by the gun that could fire continuously. She was stunned for a long time, and then smiled bitterly:

"That's right, even the instruments used by the soldiers below are so sharp, so it's better for you gentlemen to carry them with you... I'm really out of my way. It's rude and disrespectful."

He pushed the musket box forward and continued with a wry smile:

"I don't mean anything else. This short fire gun was originally obtained from the Hongyi people on Dayuan Island. Although the long gun used by them has a greater range and power, the model and shooting method are also different from this.

There are not many, but the Hongyi people are relying on it to run rampant and no one can control it - of course, in the eyes of you gentlemen, I am afraid it is nothing."

Speaking of this, Zheng Cai hesitated for a moment, turned around, saw Zheng Zhihu nodded slightly, and then continued:

"I heard Military Master Pang say before that sooner or later you gentlemen will have a battle with the Red Yi people, and I, the Zheng family, have also suffered from the Red Yi people's oppression for a long time. Although I haven't discussed it with the big boss, Uncle Hu can also be half the master.

——I wonder if you gentlemen would like to form an alliance with me, the Zheng family? Together we can drive away the red barbarians, and our two families will share Da Yuan Island equally!"

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Chapter completed!