The mighty Qiantang River flows eastward.

When the river came to the horn mouth that was narrow in front and wide in the back, it rushed even more jubilantly, and directly plunged into the wider and boundless East China Sea.

The sea is so vast, and there are many unexplored and undiscovered treasures waiting to be explored. But all this is so dangerous for the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Since the strict decree of Taizu that no one should go to the sea, the land and the sea have been almost isolated. Only those who are bold enough, powerful enough, and able to break through the joints of the government will think of earning eye-catching benefits from the sea.

Although there have always been some restless people along the coast of Zhejiang in the past two years with the idea of smuggling overseas, there are only a few that can really come and go peacefully. Because of the government's severe crackdown, but also because of the unpredictable danger at sea.

The dangers of the sea are not only the storms and waves that will arise at any time, but also the pirates who cross the sea and come and go without a trace. There used to be a lot of guys who wanted to fight for it and sold their property and went to sea by boat. As a result, he ended up with no one alive and no corpse.

Therefore, in today's southeast coast, ordinary people have also seen it, and know that this kind of sea smuggling is not something that people like themselves can do, so they will honestly nest in their hometown and continue to live a poor and stable life, and few people dare to go to sea rashly.

But on the morning of the third day of November, a fishing boat floated on the sea dozens of miles away from the coast of Zhejiang. It is really contrary to common sense that someone chose to sail by boat in such a cold winter season, regardless of the dangers in all aspects.

In fact, this ship had been at sea for almost three days, and unlike other ships that wanted to smuggle, it decided on its direction and headed for the Western countries. Instead, they wandered around the coastal area of Zhejiang, as if looking for something.

If someone could come to this ship and take a look, it would feel even more strange. There were no more than five boatmen on board, plus a young man. On the ship, there was no imaginary silk, porcelain and other Ming products to be transported to other countries, only food and fresh water in the slow cabin. Obviously, the purpose of this ship to go to sea was not to go to Western countries to do business, but to have other plans.

A cold wind blew from the land, and the sea suddenly rose to the top of the waves, and the little fishing boat seemed so helpless in the face of the power of nature, and as this wave hit, it rose high, and then slapped heavily on the sea, and the hull of the planks made of wood made made of squeaks and squeaks.

The man who had been guarding the bow of the boat felt this, and couldn't help but say worriedly to the young man who had just raised his head from the side of the boat, and there was still vomit left on his mouth: "Second Shao, the wind and waves on this sea are getting bigger and bigger, if it goes on like this, I'm afraid our ship won't last long." After all, this is not a ship for a long voyage. ”

This slightly embarrassed young man is Xie Jinglong, the son of the second master of the Xie family, who was ordered by his father Xie Binglian to ask for help everywhere that day. When he found out that the Xie family was about to encounter a catastrophe, he arranged to leave Hangzhou early, and soon after, he learned a series of frightening news-

The Xie family was really convicted, and the whole family was searched cleanly. Moreover, those people who had a close relationship with the Xie family in the past, whether it was Chang Zhaosu and other Hangzhou families, or the eunuchs guarding the town, or the big and small yamen, did not dare to say another good word for the Xie family in this matter. In this way, it is clear that he wants to watch the Xie family end up!

After some consideration, Xie Jinglong, who got the bad news, finally decided not to take the road of the government, but resolutely went to sea. Because he knew that the government was no longer reliable, and only the Xie family was the only one who could save his uncle and father from the knife of the imperial court.

So, just three days ago, he secretly went out to sea by boat, and drifted around here for a long time, but the island he wanted to find was still nowhere to be found.

Hearing the words of the ship boss, his face became even more gloomy, but the decision in his heart was not shaken at all, only to see Xie Jinglong wipe the residue from the corner of his mouth fiercely, staring at the other party: "Even if we die at sea, we will also find people!" ”

Stared at by his gloomy and terrifying gaze, the captain's heart slammed into a sudden, and in desperation, he had to nod his head and continue to let people adjust the sails, taking advantage of this gust of wind to drive towards another sea that had not yet been found.

Although everyone knows that the island exists, the sea is vast, and there are no decent charts, so it is indeed difficult to find a needle in a haystack.

Another half day passed, and the sun was pulled to the west again, emitting a dull red glow, and it seemed that soon it was about to sink below sea level. This made Xie Jinglong's heart heavier and heavier, and he actually felt a little dazed in his heart, not knowing whether it was right or wrong for him to go to sea this time.

But at this moment, his somewhat dazed gaze suddenly narrowed, and then pointed to a black dot on the side and shouted, "What is that?" Look, is that an island? ”

The crew hurriedly followed the direction of his finger to look at each other, and then their faces showed excitement, and the island finally appeared in front of their eyes after the hard work of the past few days.

Without Xie Jinglong's further instructions, the boatmen had quickly adjusted the direction of the boat's sailing, and headed straight towards the small black dot. Soon, the little black dot turned into a small, irregularly shaped island......

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This is a small island with a radius of more than ten miles, although it occupies a large area, but in the vast ocean, it is so inconspicuous. The island has been uneven by the impact of the sea countless times, but in this way, it has created a natural sunken harbor, which is located on the side facing the landing.

At this moment, in this port, there are more than a dozen ships of different sizes, some new and some old, the largest of which is seven or eight zhang long and a few feet wide, which is more than three times larger than the small boat that Xie Jinglong is riding. And at the top of the ship's mainmast, a small pennant was fluttering high at this time, on which an eagle with its wings was drawn with sharp strokes.

If a smuggler who often travels by sea sees this flag, he will definitely turn around in fright and run away, because this is the mark of the sea eagle gang of Japanese gangs that have been crisscrossing the East China Sea in recent years. This is a horrible bunch of treacherous and murderous thieves with hundreds of lives on their hands.

At the edge of the harbor, a tall and thin man was looking ahead, and when he saw a small boat coming towards the island, his face showed an unusually excited look. After licking his somewhat dry lips, he immediately turned around and whistled.

With this whistle, the originally calm island was suddenly crowded, and the men who were hiding in the caves or makeshift grass huts on the island ran out one by one, staring at the small boat that was about to dock with excitement or surprise.

In a short time, thirty or forty people came to the edge of the port, most of them ordinary Han people dressed in tatters, and there were more than a dozen shorter men in strange costumes, who were the same people who hated the coastal people.

Are all the people on this ship stupid? I didn't recognize the flag of the sea eagle, so I just crashed into it? Or is there something wrong with their ship and it has to be docked? But even if they really needed help to get here, these pirates and pirates would not let go of the fat sheep that came to their door.

When the boat came to a steady stop in the harbor, several anxious men had already swooped over, and while running, they had already flashed their swords and other weapons in their hands, ready to kill at any time.

Xie Jinglong took the boatman and just wanted to go ashore, when he saw these murderous guys who went straight up, his face suddenly changed in shock. Fortunately, he was a little mentally prepared, and when he saw this, he hurriedly clenched his fists: "Don't misunderstand, I am from the Xie family in Hangzhou, and I came to find my eldest brother Xie Jingyuan today!" ”

Listening to him report to his home, the movements of these guys who rushed to him slowed down, but the sword did not take back because of this, but said stiffly: "There is no Xie Jingyuan here!" ”

Xie Jinglong patted his head, only then did he remember what his eldest brother had said before, and quickly took out a palm-sized iron token from his sleeve and threw it over: "I...... It's here to find the sea eagle. ”

After hearing him say this, and seeing this token with an eagle engraved on it although the material is ordinary, these people's expressions finally eased a little: "You came to find the sea eagle?" Are you his brother? ”

"Exactly, if you don't believe me, you can take me to meet him!" Xie Jinglong nodded hurriedly.

Just as everyone hesitated, a slightly hoarse voice came from behind them: "Jinglong, why did you get here?" ”

Xie Jinglong looked at it when he heard this, but his body trembled, and he exclaimed: "Big ...... Big brother, how did you become like this? In front of him was a tall, imposing young man.

If you only look at half of his face, you will definitely feel that this is a child of an extraordinary family, but the other half of his face has a huge scar that is half a foot long, and it is obliquely crossed from the eyes to the corners of the mouth, which makes people feel their scalp numb at a glance.

This person is Xie Jingyuan, the elder brother Xie Jingyuan who ventured out to the sea to find, and is also the head of the Xie family and the only son of Xie Bingxiao.

Hearing the other party's exclamation, Xie Jingyuan subconsciously touched the scar on his left cheek with his hand, and then said lightly: "It's nothing, it's just that I lost my hand when I was fighting with someone." But the people who hurt me are now gone. Let me ask you, why did you get here? And it still looks so anxious? As he spoke, a glimmer of essence flashed in his intact eye, which made people's hearts tighten.

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Today is the New Year, and I wish you all good health!!!