bookbashuk Chapter 74 Arguing!
Chapter 74 Arguing!
The island didn't come alive again until late the next day, as the pirates had all gone to bed late the night before, and it was unrealistic to expect them to get up so early.
Therefore, these pirates preferred to start in the afternoon, even if it meant delaying until night and spending more money on lamp oil, rather than get up early to do their work.
Just after noon, people who had finished their brunch gathered at the venue for the general meeting.
The venue was a temporary structure, made by piecing together eight ships and connecting them to the shore, so that pirates in the surrounding area would all have a place to watch the upcoming event.
Zhang Guohao and Duan Tongtian found a sunny spot, stretched their necks, and looked at the center of the field.
The four major pirate groups also entered from different directions, each followed by a dozen to twenty people. These people were small pirate crews affiliated with the major pirates.
Besides these people, there were also seven or eight medium-sized pirate groups who occupied a corner of the venue by themselves.
Several groups of pirates were even wearing Island Raiders uniforms, with their names and army names clearly visible, indicating that they were once defeated soldiers from that unit.
These defeated soldiers turned to becoming high-ranking pirates, which was a huge advantage for the pirates. Even though they were few in number, they were not afraid of the big pirate groups.
The name "Da Tian Er" originally referred to Pai Gow, but later in Cantonese it became a synonym for bandits and pirates.
The defeated soldiers were only following the rules because they wanted to preserve their strength and maybe even gain some benefits. They probably had funding from the island raiders and could cause trouble along the coast at any time.
If the island riots stop getting funding, these defeated soldiers could wipe out the entire pirate convention!
"Gentlemen, this year's conference is once again hosted by our Red Flag Gang. I, Zhang Xiaotian, greet all my brothers and sisters!"
Zhang Xiaotian stepped forward without hesitation, with a large red cloak draped behind him.
The four pirate groups take turns presiding over the meetings, and this year it happens to be the Red Flag Gang's turn.
Zhang Xiaotian said a few polite words, and then began to divide the territory.
A huge white cloth was carried up and laid out vertically in the middle of the venue.
The white cloth also features drawings of islands, the names of the main islands, and directions (north, south, east, west).
"This year, our Red Flag Gang has expanded by 700 people and 13 ships. Our territory will expand from..."
Zhang Xiaotian bluntly began to state his demands, expanding the territory he had occupied from last year by a large area.
"Zhang Xiaotian, it's true that your Red Flag Gang is in charge this year, but that doesn't mean you'll get a share of the spoils. Your Red Flag Gang has expanded your territory so much all of a sudden, how are we supposed to survive?"
The Fujianese man spoke up directly, interrupting Zhang Xiaotian.
The man, a native of Fujian, had a slight accent. He was around thirty years old, over 1.7 meters tall, and was strong and lean. He had two revolvers tucked into his waistband and a black cloth tied around his head.
Behind the Hokkien man were four or five men in military uniforms, who were probably deserters who had joined his ranks recently. These men likely also served as supervisors, keeping an eye on the island's special forces and working to blockade the mainland.
I've heard that recently, people transporting goods to the mainland who run into Hokkien guys are facing a near-death experience. That guy is the most ruthless!
It was also because of the addition of these defeated soldiers that the Minnan boy had recently become quite arrogant and no longer took Zhang Xiaotian seriously.
I heard that there were a few minor conflicts between the two families when they first arrived.
The Hokkien boys are now eager to replace the Red Flag Gang and let their Black Flag Gang take over.
"That's right, Zhang Xiaotian. When our Blue Flag Gang was in charge last year, we were very respectful to our brothers and never did anything so shameless."
Sea Rose laughed from the side.
Sea Rose was a stunning beauty. Even with her wheat-colored skin, her face was captivating. She wore a sea-blue satin dress embroidered with numerous flying fish, a type of silver sea fish that could fly in mid-air.
Sea Rose also had a graceful figure. She was quite tall for a woman, about 1.7 meters, and did not appear weak even when facing off against the other pirates.
Behind Sea Rose stood a row of female soldiers, all of whom were former female divers who had spent their lives at sea exposed to the wind and sun. Each of them carried a gun and a knife at their waist, and had three gleaming short knives shaped like hair ornaments on their heads.
If the Hokkien boys were the most ruthless towards those who delivered goods to the mainland, then the Sea Rose gang was the most ruthless towards those who resisted.
Perhaps because she was a woman, she had to be more ruthless and merciless to succeed and maintain her position in the pirate world.
When Sea Rose and her gang take action, if the ships they encounter surrender obediently, that's fine; they only want the valuables, not hostages.
But if someone fights back, the people on the ship will be in big trouble!
The Sea Roses' group consisted entirely of women. They didn't even need female hostages to satisfy their physical needs. If anyone dared to resist, they would simply slaughter everyone on the ship, and their methods were extremely cruel and vicious.
Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts) and dismemberment by five horses are the most common methods. This group would even deliberately turn people into human pigs, leaving them with a breath, and send them to the nearby docks so that people could recount the brutality of their Sea Rose Pirate Gang.
"Zhang Xiaotian, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have power. We're not pushovers either. Want territory? Fine, show us what you've got!"
Finally, the notorious pirate Xu Ying chimed in, saying that his Yellow Flag Gang was the most uniformly dressed of all the pirate groups, all wearing yellow vests and looking quite fierce.
Xu Ying has a full beard, sharp eyes, and thick hair. His overall image is somewhat of the opposite of Zhang Xiaotian, although their height and weight are similar.
"What's wrong? You guys can't sit still anymore? I didn't say it was settled already. This isn't about our Red Flag Gang's situation; you can talk about your own situations too!"
Seeing that several big pirates were somewhat dissatisfied with him, Zhang Xiaotian chuckled and didn't dare to confront them head-on. Anyway, this situation was normal; whoever was in control was the one being targeted.
"Our Yellow Flag Gang has gained over a dozen more ships. My brothers need to survive, and I need to expand my territory!"
Xu Ying immediately called out and walked onto the large white cloth, holding the waist knife in his hand and making a large circle.
The two men, Minnanzi and Hai Meigui, were also busy arguing with Zhang Xiaotian and Xu Ying.
Several medium-sized gangs chimed in, and the argument lasted for over an hour before they finally stopped.
Everyone knows that arguing alone won't determine territory, so what they need to do is state their purpose, which leads to the tense and exciting one-on-one duel.
The neighboring forces each sent their men to fight one-on-one to determine the winner. The winner took the territory, and the loser had to accept defeat.