The Ninth Section: Even in Death Face North

  The big sister finally knew why silly Mao Si was with the little kids every day.

  This sometimes silly, sometimes clever person has now occupied her entire mind. However, it happened unknowingly. She just feels that being with Mao Si makes her feel especially comfortable, she wants to see him every moment, she wants to know what reason he has for acting foolishly, she wants to know how many new tricks and ideas he still hasn't used yet, she wants to hear him say "I love you" in English again, no, ten thousand times is not enough...

  The fool, Mao Si, trained that batch of 100 people composed of lazy pirates "elites" early in the morning. It was nothing more than teaching them how to correctly use the Mauser 1898, how to maintain a military demeanor and posture, how to utilize terrain to construct simple fortifications, and how to operate that 75MM small cannon... He felt it was very difficult to teach these things to these young people in their 20s! It's not as easy as communicating with children in the afternoon. He couldn't understand: Why did these young people, who were even younger than himself, already have rigid thinking and find it so hard to accept new knowledge and ideas? Why, at this critical moment, didn't these so-called elites have a sense of crisis and intensify their training?

  In short, the training was not very effective! This also made Mao Si, who was originally not very clever, start to get confused again. The forgetting of most memories of the past made Mao Si feel very frustrated and painful! He vaguely felt that he must have a way to make these guys become qualified soldiers, but he just couldn't think of what it was! He wanted to give up, and continuing training like this would only waste his time and cause complaints. The result was simply turning someone like Ma Hou into a real sharpshooter. Unfortunately, there was only one Ma Hou! And in the Black Shark Gang, only Ma Hou had innate myopia!

  Mournful Ma Si kicked the stones on the mountain path as he walked, not because he had a grudge against the stones, but it was an inexplicable habit. Fortunately, he always wore combat boots. If he were like other pirates who wore cloth shoes or went barefoot, his feet would be in a terrible state by now...

  Big sister He Ning Shuang looked from afar at Mao Si, who was walking into the mountain gate with a gloomy expression. Suddenly, she felt that something was off about her nerves, and her emotions became strangely uneasy. However, when she appeared in front of Mao Si, she still had a charming and lovely smile on her face. This made the pirates from the Tianzi team near the mountain gate stare in amazement...

  "What? Not happy?"

  "No, no, it's just that there are some things I don't understand! This stupid brain of mine is useless!"

  "Let's not think about it for now, I asked Dr. Yang and he said that your condition should be due to some stimulation on the head. It will get better later! Really! Dr. Yang really said so!" The woman saw the man's somewhat disbelieving expression and quickly confirmed her own statement, in order to comfort this disappointed guy. Hope what the doctor said is true!

  "Frost, I have an idea, but it's still a bit confusing and I don't know how to put it into words. Do you have time to listen?" Ah Si chose to say this to the woman because he felt that his brother, Ah San, had become increasingly tyrannical and paranoid after becoming the new leader, losing his former rough-but-refined demeanor. He couldn't say this to his brother, only to this woman whom he felt closest to.

  "Ah, yes! Otherwise, come to my place for dinner, don't go to Old Mao's place anymore. Little Cui's cooking is not bad. By the way, you haven't been to my place yet!" The beauty said this, and a hint of melancholy flashed across her eyes.

  "Alright then. I'll go tell my brother."

  "No need. Old Jin, tell the boss that Fourth Brother won't be back for dinner, hurry up!" The beautiful young lady turned her head and gave orders to Old Jin, who was secretly staring at herself.

  Just as they walked to a large house with a green tile roof, the two met Mrs. Yu. Mrs. Yu was one of the first batch of dependents who came to the island in the era of Lao Yezi, and among the 600 dependents, she was a leader without official position or title.

  The old lady ran with her little feet, making the two young people worry that she would fall, and they hurried to welcome her. There were still 10 or so steps away when they heard the old lady panting and saying "Big, big miss, go quickly, look! Old Master Fang is no longer okay!"

  The young lady supported the old lady's arm and helped her stand firm. After panting for a while, Old Lady Yu continued to speak with a worried expression: "Old Master Fang must have everyone carry him, carry him outside...to Beiyuan..." As she spoke, the old lady suddenly choked up, extremely agitated, with a clear sobbing sound in her voice.

  "Let's go take a look!" The young lady and Mao Si supported the old lady and looked towards Beifeng Cliff again. Fang Lao Yezi was indeed Guan Lao Bang Zhu's sworn brother, and this year he is 78 years old. In those days when he was still under the command of Guangdong Shui Shi Ti Du (Tian Pei) Laoyingxiong, Fang Lao Yezi was an elite of the Water Ghost Team, and had sunk a French warship, killing at least 50 to 60 foreigners. Over the years, with so many changes in leadership, everyone still revered him as a god, even scoundrels like Cai Da Ya didn't dare to offend him. If Fang Lao Yezi got angry, all 1400 people in the entire gang would have to listen quietly and try to placate him with kind words. Because in the Hei Sha Gang, Fang Lao Yezi was always the second most important person under Guan Lao Bang Zhu! Even Cai Da Ya's father - Cai Zi Chen had to call Fang Lao Yezi "Second Uncle".

  The old man sat upright in his chair, facing due north, with the cliff over 30 meters high at his feet. The sea breeze blew through the old man's silver hair, and the sun hid obediently, as dark clouds gathered in the sky. The old man looked well, and he could even sense that three people were approaching him from behind. He could make out one of them as his old partner, Old Lady Yu, another was his most beloved Xiao Ningfeng over the past decade, and there was a robust and powerful footstep, but he didn't know who it belonged to. However, from the steady and forceful footsteps, he sensed that this young man was a good person, at least not like that useless Cai Daya... Ah, maybe it was that Mao Si those old ladies had been talking about these days...

  "Grandfather, it's very windy outside, can we go in?" He Jingfeng walked up to the old man and knelt down, pleading with him in a soft voice. Everyone knew that Old Master Fang's only son had died in Annan, sacrificing himself while fighting the French with the Black Flag Army, and his grandson was one of the five heroes three years ago... They all knew that the old man's favorite was not his son or grandson, but this beautiful young girl - He Jingfeng! Only Big Sister could persuade the stubborn old man. This was why Old Lady Yu was in a hurry to find Big Sister.

  "No, I'll just stay here. Child, this old man has lived long enough, and Big Brother (Kuang Lao Bang Zhu) is still waiting for me in the north. I must keep an eye on the north, where my roots are, where everyone's roots are! Cough, cough!" The old man gently stroked the girl's hair with his hand, but his eyes did not look at her, instead staring fixedly at the northern sea. Because he spoke a bit hastily, the old man coughed twice before recovering. Perhaps due to the coughing, a flush of red appeared on the old man's face.

  He Ningfeng waited for the old man to continue speaking, holding his bony hands covered with age spots, her heart suddenly surged with sorrow and tears flowed uncontrollably.

  The old man didn't say a word, not even one. Not until the raindrops started falling on everyone's heads did he speak again. Like this, sitting upright in his chair, with one hand supporting the chair and the other stroking the girl's hair, facing north, his eyes gazing at the boundless distance of the northern continent, he left!

  Sobs came from He Ningfeng, evolving into loud wailing...

  In the rain, Foolish Four suddenly understood many things that he had not previously understood or thought through. Supporting his grief-stricken elder sister and watching as people with tears in their eyes handled the aftermath, Fourth made up his mind - no matter what, he must persuade Third! He would have him carry out the evacuation plan they had agreed on long ago, to properly arrange for the livelihoods of these family members and followers. These things could have been arranged a long time ago... people like Old Master Fang, unsung heroes, could also have passed away peacefully in their hometown... it couldn't be delayed any longer!

  Three days later, Mao Si had a fierce quarrel with his elder brother Mao San!

  The location and time of the quarrel were still appropriate, so not many people knew about it. The people on Devil's Island revealed a little bit in their later gossip. That is, that idiot Mao Si beat up the boss!

  The result of beating the old man made everyone very happy, because the placement plan of Hei Jiao Bang was unfolded, and it was still led by Da Xiao Jie and Sha Zi Mao Si. Batch after batch of elderly people, children, and women were sent to the "fishing boat", they took a lot of silver and banknotes back to their mainland hometown, where they bought land, cultivated, and re-established themselves, starting to live a rich and fulfilling life that they had always dreamed of. Only about 200 young people without family ties were left behind. They will continue to engage in the profession of pirates, without worries or any negative impact, seeing their beautiful future ahead, these people quickly regained their spirit and became at least spiritually strong elite pirates!

  Actually, the situation at that time was like this:

  Mao Si got up early and persisted in his daily run as if possessed. His subordinate, No. 100, did not follow him for a run because he couldn't be woken up no matter how loudly he was called or beaten.

  Mao Si finished his exercise and had breakfast at the eldest sister's place, a fish porridge. Since Master Fang passed away that day, Mao Si has been having meals at the eldest sister's place from time to time.

  "That day, you said you had something to tell me." He Congshuang looked at Mao Si with satisfaction after he finished eating several bowls of porridge and wiped his mouth, and casually brought up the interrupted topic. She hoped that what Mao Si was going to say was a proposal to her! Although the conditions here were very simple, proposing was not allowed to be omitted.

  "Oh, I've been thinking a lot these past two days. It's like this, Old Master Fang gave me a huge inspiration, oh never mind." Mao Si pushed away the wet cloth handed over by the beauty, which was used to wipe his mouth. "I'm thinking that our Black Shark Gang has existed for decades now, whether it's in the outer branches or on the island, there are too many old and weak people! They also had merits in the past, they should enjoy their retirement. Didn't we discuss settling them down last time on the Qing Long ship? As the saying goes, 'falling leaves return to their roots', even a heroic figure like Old Master Fang can't escape such thoughts, let alone others? Moreover, it's not the same as before now, our old master was dealing with iron steamships, we're facing complete steel warships! The era is different, the weapons are different, and the people needed are also different. Do you think our best Qing Long ship can beat or escape the British cruisers? Your father... oh... so, pirates also need new rules, otherwise, they can only go against the old masters' established rules, robbing fishing boats and ordinary merchant ships, going against poor fishermen and common people! That's something nobody wants to do."

  Mao Si looked at the beautiful woman and listened very seriously.

  "There are ways to do it, but when fighting against the foreigners, we need to have a plan, suitable ships and cannons, as well as trained and skilled brothers. Look at us now, with over 400 people, who can operate the machines on the foreign ships? If there were someone who could, that merchant ship wouldn't have been lost last time, and the British wouldn't have taken it back. Being a pirate also requires some knowledge and culture, some skills aren't they? To make a living at sea, not knowing how to operate the best ships or use the best weapons is hopeless.

  Besides, why did everyone become pirates in the first place? Wasn't it because we were poor and couldn't make ends meet before becoming pirates? How many people became pirates just for the sake of fighting foreigners like your father and Old Master Kuang? Not many, right?

  My plan is to give those with families and who are willing to return home enough money to live a simple life, let them be honest citizens, and settle down. Let their children go to school, so that in the future they'll have some culture and can operate machine ships if they want to become pirates! They'll also know how to use new-style guns and cannons!

  As for those who stay behind, we must strengthen our training with the strong and experienced ones, and after a few years of hard work, we might still be able to make a living as pirates. The most important thing is what are we going to do with all that money? We should divide some among the brothers and their families, and use the majority to start factories and businesses, so that we'll have even more money and can master the technology of shipbuilding and cannon-making, making our pirate fleet just as powerful as the British one! That's when being a pirate will have a future and be worth it!

  If we can also help China become stronger, that would be great! After all, isn't the reason we became pirates because our country is too backward and poor, always bullied by foreigners, and we couldn't make ends meet?"

  Mao Si's words moved the big sister, she didn't expect that her heartthrob had been unhappy about this issue recently. Besides disappointment, she felt more relieved and happy! Which woman doesn't hope that her man has ideas, takes responsibility, and is capable? Moreover, Mao Si's idea was no longer just about being a good pirate, but actually going to war with the foreign devils! What a bold idea, how stirring! (Vote! Support! Recommend!)

  With the support of the charming and lovely Big Sister Devil Island, Mao Four was full of confidence to find his brother Mao Three, thinking that he would be able to persuade him smoothly.

  "What? The rules set by the previous leaders can't be changed, it's not time to disband yet! No way, what are you thinking?! Can you open a factory? Will you build warships? We old brothers have been through so much over the years, relying on sailboats and earth cannons, didn't we just make a big deal?! With someone in custody, I'm afraid of those British people? Little Four! You don't understand our pirate way of thinking!" Ma San was firmly opposed to it, and before he even finished listening, he pushed Ma Si back. Having been the leader for over 10 days, Ma San felt extremely good, holding the lives and fortunes of over 1400 people in his hands, bringing him not terror but a sense of great power and pride. He absolutely could not accept Ma Si's suggestion to disband and divide the property, now that he had just tasted the flavor of being the leader."

  "Third Brother!" Mao Si continued to persuade. "You have to think more for the sake of your brothers. You saw Old Master Fang die outside, you should understand what he meant. He was protesting, demonstrating! Can a small island with only 1,400 people be happy? The roots are in the mainland, in our hometown! Without roots, living is empty and hollow. And the women, you also know, how many have died in childbirth over the years? I've heard it's over 10, it's their lives! Who doesn't have a wife or sister? Those children should go to school, can't even count things properly in the future?! Brother! We can't just think of ourselves. The British will get revenge for losing face this time, it's only a matter of time! If we do these things later, it'll be too late!"

  Mao San is furious! Isn't this foolish younger brother blaming himself? Obviously, he's actually ridiculing himself for not caring about everyone's life and death! Mao San really got angry! With a "slap", his palm hit the table, causing the large ceramic bowl filled with wine to jump up.

  "You, Old Fourth! Don't be foolish again! Sending people to the mainland is just being bullied by officials and foreigners. Where's the satisfaction in that? This matter will not be mentioned again!" Ma San still controlled his emotions after slamming the table, but he blurted out a sentence he shouldn't have said. "If you bring up this matter again, you're no longer my brother! Get out of Devil's Island!"

  Mao San's intention was just to scare Mao Si, but unexpectedly Mao Si took it seriously!

  Ma Si got angry, his short hair (he was different from others, he didn't have a braid when he appeared) stood up like steel needles, his face turned red and his neck thickened, his breathing also became urgent. "It's precisely because we're brothers that I'm telling you these things! Don't be blinded by the position of a gang leader!"

  "A" loud slap landed on Mao Si's face, also triggering his wildness and terrifying instincts...

  After the earth-shaking fight, the two brothers with bruised noses and swollen faces stopped due to exhaustion. Mao Si still had a bit of self-control in this situation, just like an ordinary person, he was wrestling with 40-year-old Mao San, and after a slight venting, he would be replaced by rationality. Mao San's condition was much worse, and it's estimated that he won't be able to go out and shout at his brothers tomorrow.

  Mao San, who had been beaten and suffered a loss, still gained something - he woke up! What's the use of being the big brother or the leader? In this cheap younger brother's eyes, it's just a chair with a pile of dog shit! Mao San was very clear about his own feelings. Even when going to Big Sister's place for dinner, he had to report back to Little Four, who wasn't even a biological brother but was treated like one by both of them. At first, Mao San still had a bit of a playful attitude towards the foolish younger brother, but as a straightforward man, after receiving genuine emotional signals, he naturally paid back with true feelings... And yet this younger brother dared to come and provoke him, even getting angry and hitting him! What's the reason for this?

  It's clear that I should think carefully about it myself, or calm down and listen to Xiao Si's words carefully, maybe what he said really makes sense?

  Then, the two brothers leaned on each other's shoulders and talked through the night...