69novels Chapter 197 The pirates were summoned by me
Chapter 197 The pirates were summoned by me
Chapter 197 The pirates were summoned by me
Zhuo Yifei's facial muscles twitched involuntarily as he listened to Ma Rulong's words.
I was torn with inner turmoil.
He wasn't stupid; he naturally understood that Ma Rulong was taking the opportunity to persuade him to reform.
The problem is that he is used to being free and undisciplined and hates being controlled.
Not to mention being someone's subordinate, especially his junior brother Ma Rulong, where would he put his face?
"Work for you? I'd lose face like that—"
Ma Rulong straightened his face and made to leave: "Fine, you can explain to the gentleman yourself. Anyway, I've done my best."
"No, no, no!" Zhuo Yifei quickly grabbed him, his face contorted with grief.
"I'll do it! I'll do it, okay?!"
He gritted his teeth, recalling the moment Chen Wen casually tossed out the gold bar, and the instantaneous annihilation of Zhou Yongling, Li Chujiu, and others.
Compared to my own limited freedom and pride, it seems—not so unacceptable?
"But it's a deal, there has to be gold bars! The knight promised!"
'
Ma Rulong chuckled inwardly, knowing this guy had half-heartedly gotten on board, but his face remained tight: "Nonsense! When has the Duke ever gone back on his word? As long as you do a good job, you won't be treated unfairly!"
Zhuo Yifei finally stamped his foot and made a decision.
"Alright! For the gold bars—no, for redemption and to rid the people of this scourge! I, Zhuo Yifei, will risk it all this time!"
When Ma Rulong saw his senior brother suddenly acting so upright, he frowned.
"Wait a minute! Are you plotting something again?"
Zhuo Yifei panicked when his thoughts were exposed.
He certainly wouldn't submit so obediently; in fact, he already had a plan.
Working for this famous knight for a while, spreading his reputation first, and then using his name to promote yourself later, wouldn't it be easier to make money?
Unexpectedly, Ma Rulong was so perceptive. He quickly waved his hand and said, "How could that be! The boss we're following now is ruthless; how could I dare?"
Ma Rulong frowned as he carefully examined Zhuo Yifei, still harboring deep suspicions.
However, there was no evidence available at the moment, so they had to explain again.
"You'd better not have any other thoughts, otherwise even your brother can't save you."
The two discussed it on the deck.
Completely unaware of the upper deck.
Liang Kuan frowned and stared at the two men. He turned around and walked to Chen Wen's side, whispering, "Sir, Ma Rulong is indeed a good person, but that Zhuo Yifei—he's glib, a swindler, and has a dirty past."
I can't trust him to do things.
Chen Wen's gaze remained fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Ah Kuan, who in this world is perfect?"
"Snakes have their paths, rats have their ways, and everyone has their purpose."
"As for whether he's loyal or not—isn't that a problem with Arima Rulong? Let him worry about it."
He turned his head and glanced at Liang Kuan, his tone slightly teasing: "Speaking of which, I thought you guys could appreciate each other and maybe even become good partners or brothers."
Liang Kuan immediately shook his head, his tone resolute: "Ma Rulong is fine, but that fat guy is not! I can't stand him."
Chen Wen seemed somewhat surprised upon hearing this, then sighed softly and muttered to himself, "It seems that different versions ultimately don't work."
He shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice.
"If I had known, I should have found a way to trick that kid Hong Tianci into coming here."
Liang Kuan didn't hear the first half of the sentence clearly, only vaguely catching a name. He asked in confusion, "Sir, what did you say? Hong Tianci? Who's that?"
"It's nothing," Chen Wen smiled and waved his hand, "just a trivial—collecting habit."
His gaze returned to the sea, his eyes deep, as if he were recalling something.
Just then.
A sailor's urgent shout came from the mast lookout: "A fast ship is rapidly approaching us!"
"It's a pirate ship! Luo Sanpao's men are here!"
Zhuo Yifei was startled and quickly looked at the sea. He immediately saw the menacing markings on the black flag and his face turned pale.
"Black—the Black Shark flag! It's Luo Sanpao's ship!"
"We're doomed—we've been targeted! Should we retreat now and reconsider?"
Ma Rulong grabbed his arm, forcing himself to remain calm: "Retreat? What retreat? Didn't we come here to fight Luo Sanpao?"
He turned to look at Chen Wen, his tone urgent and pleading.
"Sir, we've been discovered. We can't sneak onto Three Cannon Island as planned. What do we do now? Should we take out these three ships first? Or—avoid them for now?"
To everyone's surprise.
Instead of being nervous, Chen Wen smiled and said, "Sneaking onto the island? I never intended to do it secretly."
He looked at the astonished Ma Rulong and Zhuo Yifei, then glanced at the equally puzzled Lu Huiguang, Lin Guobin, and the others, and added something even more baffling: "Moreover, they—are the ones I summoned."
"Summoned them?" Ma Rulong was completely dumbfounded. "Sir, what—what do you mean? How can pirates listen to you? You summoned them, and they came? This—is this a trap?"
His mind raced as he tried to comprehend this bizarre situation.
The others looked at each other, completely baffled as to what Chen Wen was up to.
Chen Wen did not explain, but simply nodded slightly to Liang Kuan beside him.
Liang Kuan understood and turned to the sailors under the mast, saying in a deep voice, "Raise the flag."
The sailor deftly raised a large flag to the top of the mainmast.
A sudden gust of sea wind blew, and the flags unfurled with a whoosh!
The deck fell silent instantly.
The flag—was not any of the patterns people had imagined.
There were no dragons, no words, no skulls, not even the simplest stripes or stars.
It was a pure, intensely red flag, seemingly soaked in blood, so intense it was almost blinding!
"This—this is—" Lu Huiguang blinked. "Was it a mistake? Why is it a red cloth?"
"No—" Lin Guobin squinted, carefully examining the texture of the red in the sunlight and sea breeze, and murmured, "This red—is not quite the same—"
Zhuo Yifei stared intently at the flag, his pupils suddenly contracting, his face draining of all color, and his lips trembling a few times.
"The Blood Flag Army!"
The moment those three words were uttered, Ma Rulong and the others were stunned, their minds going blank.
Blood Flag Army!
The legendary Blood Flag Army, which caused a great stir in Lingnan, captured several cities, caused the Qing court a lot of trouble, and made the blood of countless people who loved the Han dynasty boil.
Their flag is said to be an unadorned blood flag!
Sir Chen — how come there is a Blood Flag Army flag?
And it's rising in the open sea, right in front of pirates?!
After a brief silence, someone suddenly realized what was happening and chuckled dryly, "Hahaha! I get it! Sir Chen's move was brilliant! He's using someone else's power to intimidate others!"
"Pretend to be from the Blood Flag Army and scare Luo Sanpao! Make him think we're connected to the Blood Flag Army, so he won't dare to act rashly!"
Yes, that must be it!
"Yes, yes, that must be it!"
"The Blood Flag Army has a formidable reputation; even a pirate like Luo Sanpao would have to think twice!"
"Jazz, that's a brilliant plan! All's fair in war!"