The expedition team is also known as the Geographical Discovery Team within the Royal Marines, and their main purpose is to gather information, not to fight. 【Reading.com】

Therefore, although the purpose of the sailors in the South Seas is to operate with a sword, in the eyes of Yang Yong's expedition-oriented fleet, if they can have a good relationship with the locals, they must try to maintain it. The speed at which information can be obtained through mapping is naturally not as fast as the guidance of someone who is familiar with the situation in the local area, and the ability to reach Luzon smoothly is inseparable from the help of the rest of the Xu family.

Yang Yong very much hopes that the other party can get to know each other, so that conflicts can be avoided. Unlike the Xu family brothers who have their hearts in the East China Sea, although Liu Laoxiang's power is weaker than the former, he is the head snake of Luzon, he has been concentrating on developing here, and has friendships with many tribes in the north.

With this glimmer of hope, Yang Yong's fleet did not immediately accelerate away, but waited for the other party to enter the distance visible to the naked eye, and then waved the flag.

"The boss, the signal is on the other side...... It is the flag language of the Xu family......"

"The two brothers of the Xu family? Didn't they go to the East China Sea? After listening to the lookout's relay, Liu Laoxiang was very stunned.

He has a great reputation in the South China Sea and Luzon, but he is not very old, he is younger than the two members of the Xu family, and he has just passed the age of establishment. But judging from the appearance alone, I am afraid that most people will regard him as a person over forty years old, and the years of wind and sun have left him with dark skin and wrinkles on his face, and he looks at the past coldly, just like the locals.

"It doesn't seem to be the Xu family, they claim to be from the imperial court......" The lookout confirmed several times before replying. To communicate with each other at sea, you must not just shout, so pirates also have flags. Of course, this flag language is not as detailed as the norms used by later navies, but it can also express the meaning of less complicated meanings clearly.

The new word such as the royal sailor will naturally not be in the flag, and the signal from Yang Yong's side is usually applied to such a scenario, that is: the imperial sailor is coming, and the wind is blowing, so the lookout on the pirate's side will be confused.

"People from the court? Are the Xu brothers recruited? Or are they being chased by the imperial court sailors? Liu Laoxiang's face was wrinkled, and what he heard and saw in front of him made him very puzzled.

The strength of the Xu brothers is stronger than him, but the strength range of the two sides does not cross. The other party's base is in Penghu, based on the Ming Dynasty, and Liu Laoxiang himself is rooted in Luzon.

Of course, there are evil guests snoring next to the couch, how can it not make people feel relaxed, even if there are few conflicts, there is such a big force entrenched in the South China Sea, Liu Laoxiang will not feel comfortable in his heart. So, last year, when he discovered that the Hui brothers were showing signs of moving to the East China Sea, he was also ecstatic and held a feast on Galayan Island for three days to celebrate.

But I never expected that the other party would come back again, and the way of return was so weird, he was also a decisive master, although the situation was unknown, he did not hesitate much, but gritted his teeth, and made a decisive decision immediately: "It doesn't matter who he is, he grabbed the boat first, and then he took the people!" ”

"But the boss, Xu Chenjiang and they were already powerful, and now they have joined the official army...... The two brothers have always been eager to repay each other, and we moved their people, in case they brought the officers and soldiers over...... "The one who spoke was Liu Laoxiang's second master, Gara, who was the son of a large tribal chief in Luzon, and was an authentic local native, and the two sides were partners.

"Don't worry, the sailors of the Ming Dynasty have long been finished, the boats used by the sailors can only swing in the near sea, and when they go out to the far sea, they don't need to be beaten by others, and when they encounter wind and waves, they will fall apart. In recent years, the number of sailors leaving the port has become less and less, and those in Guangdong do not even go to Qiongzhou to inspect, and those in Fujian can only go around outside the port of Xiamen, so there is no need to worry......

But back then, ...... "Because he relied on this second master, Liu Laoxiang explained with rare patience, but after listening to his explanation, Gala still had doubts.

"Three Treasure Eunuchs, right?"

Liu Laoxiang plucked out his ears and said with a disdainful face: "My ears are almost hearing the cocoon, cut, what kind of old emperor's calendar is that, now the treasure ship can't even find the ashes, but you still can't forget it, you people are really awkward, Gala, don't tell me, you and your father don't remember what happened back then, who did Xu Chai Lao die in that year?" ”

"It was done by several tribes together, not to mention that it happened many years ago, no matter how unreasonable Daming is, he can't pursue it to the end, right?" Gala suddenly became excited, he defended loudly, a few green tendons burst out of his forehead, and his expression looked extremely hideous.

The name Xu Chai Lao is very old-fashioned, and few people remember him in the Ming Dynasty, but in Luzon, his identity is not trivial, he is Yongle three years, Zheng He went to the West, passed through Luzon, the governor of Luzon appointed by the will of Chengzu, and the first governor in the history of Luzon.

In fact, as early as the Three Kingdoms period, when the Eastern Wu was patrolling the sea, he had been to Luzon, and there were relevant records in Kangtai's "Wu Shi Foreign Records", and Pei Songzhi's notes "Three Kingdoms" and "Book of Jin" also mentioned it. During the Tang and Song dynasties, maritime trade gradually flourished, and there were many foreign trade exchanges between China and Luzon.

When Zheng He went south, the first to arrive was Luzon, and it was also included in the regular establishment of the Ming Dynasty, and a governor was set up to control the [***], political, financial, and literary powers.

In a sense, Luzon, at least northern Luzon, was originally the territory of China, and similarly, the establishment of the Governor's Palace here was not the initiative of Xie Hong or Western countries, but there was a precedent to follow.

This Xu Chai Lao's background is similar to Liu Laoxiang, he is also a pirate, and the two are fellow villagers, both from Jinjiang, Fujian. He already had some roots in Luzon, and when the treasure ship arrived, he quickly saw the style and immediately accepted Zhao'an, so he was appreciated by Zheng He and was able to serve as the governor.

Cheng is also a treasure ship, defeat is also a treasure ship, Xu Chai Lao's position as a governor is because of the Ming Dynasty, he is also very self-aware, during his tenure, has been trying to expand the influence of the Ming Dynasty, trying to completely kingize Luzon, which also aroused the dissatisfaction of the locals.

Their dissatisfaction does not come from the clash of cultural ideas, there are only some primitive tribes here, where did they come from? To their dissatisfaction was the tax system established by the Governor's Palace. The natives of Luzon are all surnames who like to work hard and do business, and they also like to take and rob by force, and they are deceived and deceived, where are they willing to pay taxes honestly?

When the treasure ships came and went, these natives were shocked by the huge fleet, but they didn't dare to show it, but Zheng He's later voyages took the route from Zhancheng to Mangathorn, and after Chengzu died, he was directly banned.

Therefore, more than 20 years after the establishment of the Governor's Palace, several major tribes in Luzon, who decided that the treasure ships would not return, launched a rebellion against the governor Xu Chailao.

Although the Governor's Mansion was established, the Ming Dynasty at that time was not very concerned about overseas expansion, and there was no garrison with it.

The tribes that participated in the rebellion are still there, and the tribe of Gala is still the one leading among them. Therefore, whenever the Ming Dynasty is mentioned, especially the treasure ship of the Ming Dynasty, Gala and the others have mixed feelings, for fear that the huge fleet will appear again, and this time the other party will not bring a friendly smile, but the thunderous anger of the Great Tomorrow.

"Don't worry, Daming has even given up Annan, where can he take care of Luzon? The treasure ship is long gone, and the South China Sea is the world of strong people like us. ”

Patting the shoulder of the deputy, Liu Laoxiang grinned and said: "Gala, you must know that since Xu Chenjiang and their transfer last year, there have suddenly been a lot fewer merchant ships coming to Luzon, and we haven't opened for a long time, what will we eat if we continue like this?" And what can you do against the invasion of the sultanate to the south? ”

Gala's expression moved, it was nothing if it wasn't opened. Luzon has a hot climate, crops can be harvested three times a year, and even if they are not planted, there is enough food to take in the mountains and forests, so there is no need to worry about livelihood, which is one of the reasons why Luzon people are so lazy.

Of course, there will be contradictions between the tribes, but it is nothing more than a small friction, and it will not cause too much conflict, and if you want to talk about large-scale wars, there is only the riot nearly a hundred years ago. However, a few decades ago, a group of Islamists suddenly arrived on the southern island of Mindanao and founded a state fifty years ago, namely the state of Sulu.

At first, these uninvited guests were honest and at peace with the tribes of the north, but in recent years, after the Sulu country has gained a firm foothold, its ambitions have also arisen. They relied on the navigation skills far beyond the natives, and from time to time they would attack from the sea, and there were many natives, but they could not build ships, so they could only be beaten before their eyes.

It can't last long just to be beaten passively, and the natives are not stupid, and soon there are those who are quick to focus on pirates like Liu Laoxiang, because they know that these pirates from the Ming Dynasty are very strong. And Liu Laoxiang and other pirates also hoped to use the locals to expand their power, so the two sides hit it off and formed the current alliance.

Backed by the major tribes of Luzon, Liu Laoxiang was not afraid of the Xu Chenjiang brothers or the imperial court sailors. The Arab descendants of the Sulu country, he is even more ignorant, the Arab ships are better than the Ming ships in the long voyage, but in the near sea, the use of hard sails is more flexible and good at war.

"Those of the Xu family are all clippers, and at a glance, they know that they are the ones who stand first and listen to the news, if they don't give them some color to see, then the Xu family's brigade will not be far away. Besides, those maritime merchants suddenly stopped coming, there must be something to say about it, and the Xu family must know about it, so take them down and ask them clearly, so you can prepare in advance. ”

Gala's mind is flexible and agile among the natives, but in Daming, he is just barely out of the ranks of the mentally retarded, where can he stop an old slippery head like Liu Laoxiang from flickering? He nodded right away.

"Tell them that they can't understand the flag language, and they can only speak when they are close." Leveling the deputy, Liu Laoxiang shouted to the lookout, and then commanded the fleet to meet him.

(To be continued)