People die for wealth

  The inventory of spoils was a heavy but pleasant task, at least the beautiful young lady thought so. The small Cui who had been hiding in the cabin also came out shyly, which was the result of the young lady's mighty feminine power and gentle persuasion! A big girl appearing in front of men wearing only one underpants would always be uncomfortable. It's strange that these old pirates were not aware of it at all, nor did they look at how seriously the fool Mao Si was dressed - a pair of green long pants with flowers and a white vest, of course, now the white vest had been stained with too much coal ash and rust, becoming a flower-white vest.

  Checking and recording this kind of work isn't something anyone can do, among the 52 free people (and there are still 74 unfree ones below), only about 6-7 can barely do this troublesome work, and those who can do it well are only Big Sister and Foolish Mazi. So, Mazi, lost in thought, was pulled over by a slender jade-like hand...

  On the deck, people were busy, while those in the lower cabins were exhausted from arguing. With the foul air and a night of terror, people soon had no energy to speak and began to sink into worries and thoughts about an unpredictable future.

  Now, the responsibility for everything falls on Commander Max and Captain Norton. Just in the recent quarrel, whether soldiers or sailors, gentlemen or ladies, all agreed that if the Leyte had set sail on schedule according to the authorities' instructions, it would have been protected by a cruiser in the Gulf of Galle; if Captain Norton had sailed at maximum stable speed in accordance with his agreement with Chatterton, the pirate ship could not have approached the merchant ship; if Captain Norton had not used the money saved from coal to hold some moonlight party, people would not have put their vigilance at its lowest level; if Commander Max had assigned a few more soldiers to stand guard on the bow and sides of the ship, the pirates' sneak attack would not have succeeded; if the commander had not given the order to surrender, brave soldiers and gentlemen would not have laid down their arms and could have held out until the arrival of the cruiser...

  The greatest culprits are the scoundrel Nolton and the cowardly soldier Max, who have insulted the honor of the British people. It is their fault that the noble gentlemen and ladies, brave sailors, and diligent and faithful seamen are in their present predicament today. People have forgotten how they once toasted to the respected captain and noble major at a banquet, forgot how they enjoyed delicious food and fine wine, and forgot how they praised those two poor souls. When something happens, someone has to take responsibility and bear the loss, don't they?

  The commander and the captain had fainted, half from chemical action (because of indignation, a large amount of toxins were produced in the body), half from physical action (in the dark, someone greeted the poor man's head with a fist), and some were injured because of the sturdy physique of the commander.

  The women either hid in the men's arms, which were not safe, or gathered together, hugging each other. The sudden change made their clothes disheveled, and some of them could barely cover their bodies, making it impossible for them to resist the pirates' lust. Now they are most worried about their fate, fearing that they will become the pirates' concubines, which would be worse than death. However, the noble ladies and misses do not have the strength or courage to commit suicide, nor can they find suitable tools to do so. It is hard to imagine that hitting one's head against the wooden bulkhead could lead to a fatal injury, at most it would just cause a big bump.

  So, all women can do is sob quietly, "gently" sigh, and hide themselves deeper in the arms of useless men or companions with the same fate as their own. What else can they do? No, absolutely nothing. Oh, wait, there is one thing - waiting for the pirates' verdict on themselves...

  Of course, He Xiaoyu and He Ningfeng, as well as Xian Gu, would not think of these things, as they were happily basking in the flattery of young and old, ugly and handsome pirates, because she had accomplished what the pirates thought was a difficult task.

  The result was very exciting for Mao Si, but also strange and worrying. Because from the structure, quantity and value of the spoils of war, this transaction had made a huge mistake! 30 boxes of brand new banknotes were exciting, exactly ￡70 million, enough to buy 20 of China's best Haiyuan-class cruisers! It was strange that the British merchant ship was carrying 1,200 of the latest German-made Mauser 1898 rifles and tens of millions of rounds of ammunition. What was worrying was a small box, which only contained a silk bag, but inside the bag were countless sparkling diamonds, with certificates of origin showing they were from Rotterdam's best goods. The largest diamond in the bag weighed around 30 carats, oh my god! What reason could have led to such a huge gain from this transaction? This plundered wealth was enough for all 1,400 members of the Black Shark Gang to live a most comfortable life!

  Can the British afford to swallow such a loss? That's impossible! Revenge will surely follow...

  Looking at the pirates who were still rejoicing in their poverty, including Mao San and Xian Gu, Mao Si's heart became even more worried, a great disaster had befallen them!

  Mao Si's worries are not unreasonable! It can be said that the unassuming 3,000-ton merchant ship "Ile de May" is a treasure trove, involving private secrets of several countries and many prominent figures. The news of Ile de May's hijacking quickly caused an earthquake in Western countries...

  The first to receive the news was Vice Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay, Commander-in-Chief of the British Royal Navy's Far East Fleet. The news caused extreme indignation for the admiral, even though he had not yet received information about the true cargo of the merchant ship from other channels. Because in 1901, someone dared to attack a commercial vessel of the world's greatest power, the British Empire! This was undoubtedly equivalent to slapping oneself in the face at the gates of Whitehall! The subsequent news made the commander-in-chief's body temperature drop below zero: the niece and nephew-in-law of the Governor of Hong Kong, a naval lieutenant colonel, ￡7 million in cash from Standard Chartered Bank, which had just been raised domestically, was provided to the pro-British Viceroy of the Qing Empire in southern China for German-made military supplies. A director and his wife from Jardine Matheson & Co., as well as a bag of diamonds worth a considerable amount (which has not yet been calculated) and more than 70 British people had all fallen into the hands of pirates!

  British warships stationed in Bombay, Malacca, Hong Kong, Shanghai and even Weihai concentrated on the South China Sea...

  The news was received by Lord Charles, who had just taken over as Governor-General. Despite the deep and sincere concern and apologies conveyed by General Magret's aide-de-camp, the old governor-general collapsed in his office after being shocked and was rushed to hospital! His niece was the sole heir to her uncle's vast fortune, and her husband was the son of a former Navy Minister. Their disappearance in the South China Sea was enough to cause Lord Charles' long-polluted blood to burst through his fragile blood vessels...

  Whitehall also received the news, and thanks to the British laying of undersea cables, the news quickly reached the other end of the prime meridian. The office took swift action to prevent the news from leaking out before it was confirmed, which in 1901 Britain was absolutely necessary, as Whitehall did not want members of parliament to shout about this matter in the media and make it known to all people on the British Isles! After all, on the eve of signing a treaty with the Qing Empire that would have a decisive significance, such bad news was completely out of tune with the good atmosphere throughout Britain.

  A strict order was issued from London to the Pacific: it is imperative to find the missing persons and stolen supplies in the shortest possible time, and to eradicate any force that dares to challenge the British Empire!

  The news was inadvertently passed on to Germany, and dear cousin Wilhelm immediately sent a telegram of condolence to his cousin King Edward, in which he strongly condemned the pirates' evil deeds. The Emperor also expressed that the German Empire is very concerned about the fate of the German-made military supplies on board the ship in Malacca. He also offered friendly assistance: the German Navy will not stand idly by while the sea robbers (note: not directly saying pirates, with a hint of sarcasm towards the first maritime power) wreak havoc! The cruiser Emden has already sailed to the scene of the incident to assist the British Royal Navy in search and rescue operations...

  In the Qing Empire in Beijing, the loyal minister Li was already bedridden with illness amidst internal and external troubles. The strong protest from Britain over the South China Sea incident made this old man unwilling to suffer any more hardships and humiliation in this world, and he passed away... Upon receiving the news, the Empress Dowager in Xi'an sent an urgent telegram to Prince Gong, giving in to whatever demands the foreigners made! As for who was responsible for the South China Sea incident and what it had to do with China, there was no need to consider that anymore...

  A small group of pirates hijacked an unassuming merchant ship, causing a huge stir! While reaping countless treasures, they also buried a great hidden danger for their own survival. Of course, for now, it's just a hidden danger. After all, with over 70 hostages in hand, the British Navy doesn't dare to do anything!

  The pirates on the Qinglong, did not know that there were such important people at the very bottom of the cabin. In fact, even those who had suffered together with the important figures and had once raised their cups together did not know the true identities of those few people!

  "Fourth brother, can you help me out now?" The beautiful fairy changed her address and tone. The address changed from "Little Fourth" to "Fourth Brother" (note that it should be called "Fourth Uncle"), and the tone changed from command to soft request, even a bit serious.

  This made Stupid Mao Si immediately vigilant, logically speaking, the relationship between the two people should be very close now, does the beauty need to ask herself like this? There must be something special! Mao Si was still called "Stupid Mao Si" by others, although he performed extremely well this time, but the pirates used a sentence "got used to it, not easy to change mouth" to shut up the angry beautiful lady and vice leader.

  "It's my honor to serve a beauty!" Mao Si still knew how to try his best to please the beautiful woman, this skill was human instinct, accurately speaking it was the instinct of all male animals during courtship.

  The woman felt comfortable when she heard this sentence, and her goosebumps stood up on end. To be honest, she really did feel very comfortable and happy in her heart.

  "Come into my cabin, I have something important to show you." The beauty led the way, turning her head and walking down to the cabin, she knew that fool would follow behind her.

  Is it in the cabin? Is it important? What is it? Such ambiguous words made Mao Si have a little exciting idea: Could it be that the beauty saw my heroic performance last night (this morning) and is preparing to specially reward me in the cabin? Let me see the important thing! Hehe, isn't the most important thing for women... hehe!

  The silly fool, Mao Si, followed the young mistress and her maid into their private cabin. As expected, Little Cui had already been sent away ahead of time, and the cabin door was closed by the beautiful woman herself, with a latch added! Oh my god, the passionate moment at sea is about to arrive! Mao Si felt his mouth unusually dry, his heart beating wildly...

  "Fourth brother, what's written on this?" Along with the pleasant voice, a letter-like paper appeared in front of Mao Si. Oh! So it was because of this. His mood suddenly fell to an all-time low!

  After unfolding the letter, the scribbled English on the paper caused Ma Si's adrenaline to secrete rapidly, his temples bulged out, sweat dripped down his face, and his hands trembled slightly!

  The letter was written by He Dahanzi, the former leader of the gang, who graduated from the first driving class of Fuzhou Mawei Ship Political School. He wrote two shocking secrets in English that only his daughter could understand among all the members of the gang. However, even the clever old boss wouldn't have thought that the dictionary for his daughter to use would be thrown into the sea by Cai Daya, and his daughter couldn't understand the meaning of the letter.

  "On the east side of Devil's Island, three reefs to the north and seven reefs to the west, at the first reef to the west, there is a cliff where half of the cave entrance appears at low tide. Inside the cave are treasures looted from Spanish, Portuguese, British, French, and German merchant ships. Since Cai Daya cannot bear the responsibility of being the leader, daughter, you must take charge of bringing out the treasure at the critical moment and distribute it to all brothers and family members, so that each can make a living..."

  According to the confidential report from our Hong Kong branch, Cai Daya and Kung Erh had an affair with a foreign prostitute in Hong Kong, accompanied by British naval officers and officials from the governor's office. I couldn't help but suspect that this time the British have insiders, possibly Cai Daya and Kung Erh! However, there is no concrete evidence yet, and I couldn't possibly take action against them without cause, after all, Cai Dage has been very good to our family. Daughter, my trip this time may be life or death, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you must seek help from Mao San Shu, he is trustworthy. The matter of the treasure can also be revealed to Mao San at an appropriate time, without his help, you won't be able to retrieve the treasure...

  Mao Si tried his best to make his voice and tone sound coherent and calm, but unfortunately, he couldn't. The letter in his hand told him the secret of the Black Shark Gang's old cellar, which was a wealth that was hard to imagine! After all, three years ago, the Black Shark Gang was the largest pirate gang in Nanyang, and it was a super pirate gang that had committed countless crimes! From the end of the Opium War to now, it has been sixty years! Think about the opium ships back then, full of opium exchanged for full loads of gold and silver! How many opium ships fell into the hands of this pirate gang every year? Now no one can say clearly, nor will anyone be able to say clearly in the future! From the founder of the Black Shark Gang, Kuang Lao Ye Zi, to Cai Zi Chen, and then to He Da Guai Zi, each person was once a warrior of the Qing Dynasty's naval forces, and each person had a deep blood feud with the foreigners and the opium ships! Would the opium dealers who fell into their hands be few?!

  Unbelievable!

  Of course, Máo Sì's current task is not to indulge in flights of fancy, but to comfort the beautiful He Xiāngū who has learned the truth and is crying uncontrollably. The result of comforting her is that the emotionally fragile beauty flings herself into Máo Sì's broad and sturdy chest...

  It's better not to pay too much attention to private matters.

  Mao San was invited to the cabin of the eldest sister, and important matters could only be participated by important figures. As He Lao Da's loyal subordinate and newly appointed deputy leader of Qing Long Hao, as well as Xian Gu's uncle and Mao Si's older brother, he was naturally one of the most important figures.

  After hearing the contents of the letter, Mao San's emotions were complex, his face was ugly, his hands were clenched, and his eyes were bulging... He had been shocked by the truth! A huge treasure that had been passed down through generations as a secret among the gang leaders was something Mao San was clear about, so he believed it! Because Lao Da suspected Cai Daya of betraying the Black Shark Gang and passing on the secret to his daughter, Mao San also believed it! What he was thinking now was how to get rid of that son of a bitch Cai Daya and avenge the death of Old Master and two brothers! Human emotions are very strange, put two people in front of you, one is your enemy, the other is a former brother who colluded with the enemy to harm you, who do you choose to kill first? Who do you hate the most? The result is self-evident!

  "Brother, don't spread the word about this matter for now. We need to calm down and make thorough preparations. Only when we have a solid plan can we take action with confidence! After all, they currently hold most of the power and can swallow us up at any time. Not everyone on the Qinglong can be trusted either - just last night, someone deliberately pushed me into the cabin, almost getting me killed by the British in the crossfire! I'm certain that person did it on purpose!" Ma Si said, voicing his concerns aloud.

  "What the...?! Motherfucker, what's wrong with our Black Shark Gang, how can they keep producing such people?! I must have his life! Mao San was furious. Even if He Lao Da's matter had passed, it was fine, but now someone dared to take advantage of doing business to harm their own "brother". This was absolutely intolerable, even if the victim wasn't Mao Si, it couldn't be tolerated!"

  The beauty fairy only knew that her heartthrob almost died! Although things didn't go terribly wrong, and the person was sitting safely beside her, she was still scared pale! What happened to the former bold and saucy big sister He Ningfeng? Women...

  "Who would want to harm you? You haven't been here for long, and you don't have any conflicts with anyone. Who could it be? It must be intentional!" Mao San quickly calmed down, his rough exterior hiding a meticulous mind.

  "Why harm me? Right, let's analyze the motive first! Money, I don't have; treasure, neither do I. Could it be that someone has taken a liking to my gun? What on earth do I have that would make others jealous?" Ma Si was worried sick, thinking that as long as things didn't concern him, everything was fine, but once they did, trouble arose and his head started to ache! Suddenly, he thought of something and looked up at Ma San, who had also just thought of it.

  Mao Sihui can only provoke murderous intent in others when it comes to women!

  This sentence is often plausible, but when applied to Mao Si, "killing for love" is more appropriate. There were 50 men and two women on the boat, and from a theoretical analysis, 49 of the 50 men are suspicious, including brother Mao San!

  However, this is only in principle. In fact, the most suspicious people were quickly ruled out. These are listed according to the standards that meet the conditions for matching with beauties. The one who topped the list was none other than the newly appointed General Wei Dazhu.