The business group united that was busy holding a meeting to discuss countermeasures was so anxious that it was about to hit the dog's head, and Luo Zhengdao, who was waiting outside the port at this time, couldn't talk about how easy his mood was.

In recent years, among the privateer fleets that Luo Zhengdao has painstakingly built, ironclad ships with heavy defense and strong firepower have gradually replaced the main position of wooden sail battleships, and the men and horses of the Qiongzhou system and the old pirate department have begun to secretly gang up to divide the territory, and no one is willing to stay on the old warships that are destined to be eliminated. As the spiritual leader of the old pirate-born, Zola Hegel has been following Luo Zhengdao for a long time, but the first three ironclad ships did not have his turn to be the captain, at most it was a temporary replacement, although Zola Hegel did not say anything, and his subordinates, who were also old pirates, also had dissatisfaction in private.

As the old saying goes, the bowl of water in the house must be level, so it is not easy to be the master of the house. According to Luo Zhengdao's original intention, he was ready to assign the fourth ship, the Blue Gold, to Zola Hegel, so that everyone would be happy, and he also signaled the boatswain not to be too anxious.

Seeing this long-awaited cutting-edge warship and the first ironclad ship built for Gao De lying on the slipway together, the internal contradictions that had gradually calmed down made waves again, otherwise, why would Luo Zhengdao just return to Wake Reef and come to Xiangjiang non-stop to fight the autumn wind, it was really forced by the shape.

No matter how strong the leader's force is, it is impossible to use violent means to resolve internal contradictions and differences, and he does his best to coordinate and balance the delicate and complex relationship between his subordinates. You said that the palms and backs of your hands are full of meat, and you don't think it's appropriate to deal with it, it's all your own people, you can't beat it, you can't scold it, you can only persuade and coax it patiently, and then use some intimidation and swagger means to use both soft and hard, and the difficulty of accurately grasping the proportions is more tiring than fighting with the enemy's real knives and guns!

Dealing with the annoyance of internal balance, Luo Zhengdao, who is tired and unhappy, has a deep understanding, if there is a chance to choose next time, he would rather play real PK with a group of vicious goblins than come to such a dark war drama, how simple it is to fight with real knives and guns, it is much easier than fighting wits and courage with his own people.

"Your Highness, the negotiator of the merchant alliance has arrived."

Luo Zhengdao, who was in a contemplative state, heard the voice of the attendant officer, he withdrew from his own thinking world, and said:

"Okay, send them to you."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Several representatives of the merchant group united with their own hole cards, this time their expressions seemed much more assured, and the round-faced representative said to Luo Zhengdao with a smile:

"This is the ransom we are willing to pay, and I hope that Your Royal Highness the Regent will forgive us for our negligence......"

Glancing at the parchment handed over by the other party, Luo Zhengdao's face immediately became gloomy, and he said with displeasure:

"I don't want gold coins, don't you understand the lingua franca?"

Taking out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his head, the round-faced representative smiled so much that his face was almost cramping, and he nodded and said:

"Your Highness, please forgive us for our difficulties, the merchant group cannot come up with the ...... you requested."

slapped heavily on the table, Luo Zhengdao, who had an angry look on his face, stood up, and said without any emotion:

"Hmph, give you a third of the hourglass time, go back and convince those fools not to waste it on me. Sue those guys, it's useless to be clever, I hold flowers in my left hand and a sword in my right hand, don't let them slip out of my hands. ”

Sending negotiators to negotiate, this was a trick to ask for directions, but Luo Zhengdao slapped him back in the face, and at the internal meeting of the business group, the atmosphere became more and more solemn. The old president touched his gray beard, and a pair of still clear eyes swept over everyone present, and a big man couldn't hold it back, he got up and said:

"President, is there any news from the Empire?"

The elder shook his head silently, they are just lackeys raised by goblins, counting on the master's support for the lackeys to have a large enough interest, if Will Needham is ready to destroy Xiangjiang completely, the Second Goblin Empire may consider sending troops to rescue. If it's just a routine raid, whether or not to pay a huge price for a bloody battle with the pirate regent will have to be considered in the long run.

Seeing this, a young man couldn't hold his breath and said loudly:

"So, we have to give in to him?"

Hearing this, the elder suddenly smiled, and he stroked his gray beard and said:

"No, we have a chance, but it will take time!"

Just as the merchant group was arguing with each other and preparing to continue the negotiations to gain time, a 60-pounder long-barreled cannon quietly moved its muzzle on the turret outside the port of Xiangjiang and aimed it at a pirate cruiser that was showing off its force outside the port.

"Boom-"

With a flash of fire, it was suddenly hit by a large-caliber fortress cannon, and the pirate ship hit by the large-caliber explosive shell didn't even have a chance to struggle, and the ammunition quickly exploded into fragments with a roar.

Witnessing the whole process of this scene not far away, Luo Zhengdao was really shocked, could it be that he was ambushed? Is it that the goblin fleet has arrived, giving the merchant group the courage to unite and turn their faces? Or are they going to fight to the end?

Compared to Luo Zhengdao, who thinks too much and limits his mobility, Zola Hegel is a standard doer, and he shouts with red eyes:

"Bastard! Those who are cunning and untrustworthy are treacherous. Your Royal Highness the Regent, please let me slaughter them! yes, let's start with these guys. ”

The representative of the round face who was grabbed by the placket of the coat by the boatswain and pressed the revolver to the chin was about to pee, and he hurriedly pleaded breathlessly:

"Your Highness, I've been here all along, and I don't know anything!"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao, who was upset, glared at the fat businessman and scolded in disgust:

"Shut up! Idiot! Listen, don't play dead with me, go and sue them, no one can harm my interests without having to pay the price, that will be an extremely high price. Now, do you go out obediently by yourself, or will I send someone to throw you into the sea and choose one for yourself! ”

Luo Zhengdao, who had a blue face, was indeed very angry, but he also understood that some things could not be done, and destroying Xiangjiang, an important international trade entrepot hub, was a major event that would implicate the world pattern, and if he didn't do it well, he would be burned. Not to mention other things, Xiangjiang is finished, and it will immediately cut off the communication channels of magic cloth and stone pine powder, as well as some other special products.

This kind of strict consequence is not in the interests of the Second Goblin Empire, nor is it in the interests of Luo Zhengdao, the Yaling Empire and the Elven Federation, no matter what the need, everyone is dependent on this port. It is conceivable that without the entrepot of Hong Kong, too many things will become difficult to handle. No matter how angry Luo Zhengdao is at the moment, at least he will not have the idea of destroying Xiangjiang, but if he does not make a tough posture and does not have an explanation to the top and bottom, of course it will not work.

Suddenly hearing a cannon sound from the direction of the port, the merchant group naturally knew that something had gone wrong, and when they received Luo Zhengdao's ultimatum, they were as anxious as ants on a hot pot. The man sent to investigate the fort returned and reported that the officer who had given the order to open fire had sought an opportunity to vent his anger because his brother had died at the hands of a pirate last time, and that the perpetrator had disappeared.

Caught in internal and external difficulties, the alliance of the merchant group is really ineffective, and those short-sighted guys didn't realize that Luo Zhengdao, who was approaching the city, put on a domineering revenge posture and was purely blackmailing them. In fact, most people thought that His Royal Highness the Lord Regent was furious and ready to calm the anger in his heart with their heads and blood.

In order to fully reflect the sincerity of the reconciliation, the Xiangjiang Business Union had no choice but to start to share the amount of compensation head-on, preparing for heavy bleeding to calm the people. Seeing that things have come to this point, the loss of property is no longer calculating, and they just hope that the disaster can avoid this murderous disaster. Superior war horse, send! Weapons and armor, send! Rare antiques, send! Young beauty, send! Skilled craftsmen...... It's better for everyone to discuss and give less.

Golden eggs or hens that lay golden eggs, which is more important, in addition to asking those foodies, it is estimated that the answer should be the same.

When the merchant group jointly presented the compensation list with both hands, Luo Zhengdao looked at it twice and angrily threw the parchment on the ground, angrily reprimanded the unlucky round-faced representative and said:

"Thirty stonemasons, twenty leathermasons, forty blacksmiths, and one hundred and five other craftsmen, is this what you call sincerity?"

Assuming that the festival can also be exchanged for money, then the businessman is one of the most undisciplined professions in the world, and the only person who can be sure to be more undisciplined than the businessman is the politician. Black-hearted businessmen are accustomed to selling worthless things for a sky-high price, while politicians sell things that don't belong to them at all, or fool others into dedicating themselves to their ideals, and then turn the benefits of sacrifice into their own merits, even if their true colors are exposed, they will still brazenly claim that they are thinking about others.

Being reprimanded in person is a piece of cake for the negotiators, spit on their own needs is the most basic requirement, and the attitude of the Second Goblin Empire towards them is even more unkind, but as long as they can continue to talk, it means that there is always a way to negotiate.

The round-faced fat merchant did not show any anger at being humiliated, he picked up the parchment with a grin, and said:

"Your Highness, you see that our sincerity is still there, 15,000 pounds of copper, 40,000 pounds of cast iron and 8,000 pounds of wrought iron, and ......."

Luo Zhengdao, who had a cold expression, squinted at him, then raised his eyebrows, and said unceremoniously:

"Hmph, these terms are too far from what I demanded!"

Thinking about whether the additional income that was about to arrive would be enough to fill the book deficit of the No. 4 ironclad ship, and the remaining part seemed to be able to support the completion of the outfitting project, Luo Zhengdao's face gradually softened, but the hardness of his tone did not loosen at all. After dealing with more people, you can understand that the business group and these guys are a group of cheap people who don't go backwards, and they will get carried away if they give a little good face, and remember to knock two more times when appropriate, even if Luo Zhengdao is already satisfied with the compensation conditions, he has to complain twice, so as not to make other moths out of those guys.

The union of merchant groups is worthy of being a federation of profiteers, and after they found out that Luo Zhengdao's appetite was not too amazing, they immediately added to win the favor of the other party, and they bowed for thirty-six bows, not the last trembling.