At this time, the "Pizarro" was close to the black rock wall next to Daishan Island, the beacon tower on the top of the cliff was almost integrated with the rock, the black lichen climbed on the stone wall and the beacon tower without discrimination, the waves and guano were the same, Silva could see a red and yellow flag on it, the center of the flag was a golden castle on a red background, which was the symbol of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, and on both sides of the flag were two silver pillars of Hercules, which symbolized the beautiful kingdom of Grenada. Silva looked proudly at the flag as the wind blew and the flag slid almost against the cliffs, and the splashes almost flew into the boat, startling the cries of the captives. Silva, knowing full well that it was the sailors demonstrating to him, turned around and walked out of the cabin without healing, leaning against the side of the ship and resting with his eyes closed.

Silva was dozing off when he felt a jolt on the deck beneath his feet, and he opened his eyes to see the boatswain's ugly face covered in tattoos.

"Mr. Silva, the ship is docked, Father Juan is waiting for you!"

"Hmm!" Silva jumped onto the side of the ship and said to the boatswain, "Park the boat, take all the prisoners to the camp, give them water and food, we need these men to repair the ship for us!" ”

"Yes, Mr. Silva!"

Silva jumped off the beach, the water had just submerged the soles of his feet, and behind him, the boatswain was ordering the sailors to pull the boat ashore in Spanish with a strong accent, pack the sails and ropes, a Creole (Spanish colonizer and Indian) and indigenous Filipino people, who knew the sea, was pious, fierce, and loyal to his boss like a dog, a perfect second-in-command, and Silva was relieved to hand over the boat to him.

"Father Juan!" Silva took the priest's outstretched hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it gently, "Is Sandor okay in my absence?" "According to the tradition of the Spanish army, each company had two or three priests who performed various religious ceremonies for the soldiers and officers. They also had to keep their relics and write letters on their behalf, after all, most of the soldiers and nobles at that time were illiterate. As a result, they were respected by the soldiers and officers, and when the commander left the army, the priest actually assumed the role of acting commander.

"It's not good, I've already prayed to God for him, Sando is still having a fever and his wounds are inflamed!" Father Juan's face was full of sorrow: "Also, Mr. Major, in your absence. The sentinels saw several Ming warships frequently haunting the nearby seas, and they should soon launch a second attack! ”

"Hmm!" Silva nodded, Father Juan's answer was not surprising to him, the island was located right in the center of this huge bay, with abundant fresh water, villages, fortresses, ready-made docks, no general would sit idly by and ignore the enemy, the only thing he could count on was to repair the ship and leave here before the enemy had accumulated enough forces to destroy him.

Silva walked over to a tree stump, sat down and took off his boots. While pouring out the sand inside, he asked, "How many days will it take to repair the ship?" ”

"It will take six days to repair the holes in the hull, four days to rebuild the sternmast, and as for the mainmast, there is no material. There are also no necessary tools! “

"Then you don't need to repair it, you can make do with the stern mast and the mast, but why does it take so long to repair the hull? Can't it be faster? ”

"Mr. Major! The sailors were only half manned, and the ship's ribs were broken in two. It must be reinforced, these are big projects, and the people you have captured are not specialized craftsmen. You can only fight to get started! “

"Okay!" Silva shook his head in disappointment, he knew that the priest was telling the truth, in fact, it was a miracle that the "Lady Mary" did not sink in that storm, he knocked his boot twice on the stump, and put it back on: "Well, this is God testing our courage and faith, and all we can do is to face the test bravely!" ”

"Yes, Mr. Major, the Lord always loves the brave!" Father Juan nodded, his face full of solemnity.

Just when Major Silva and Ke Congwendusi were anxious about each other's existence, as soon as Wang Ke returned home, the housekeeper asked him for lunch dishes as he did on weekdays, unlike Lu Boqi, who had been in the middle of his life for half his life, his pursuit of exquisite life was famous in Hangzhou officialdom, and he also got a nickname "Sai He Zeng" in Shilin for this reason.

"Master, Mr. Xiuning Cheng Er sent someone to send a basket of saury, ten fat sheep, two baskets of deer breast, and ten jars of high-quality rice wine." The housekeeper took out a gift slip from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "He asked me to tell the master, the last time I listened to the Taoist aunt lecture with you in the Pear Blossom Temple, I heard you say that the beauty of the swordfish is the crown of water treasures, and I just got some today, please try it!" ”

"Xiuning Chenger?" Wang Ke swept his eyes over the gift list, threw it aside casually, and said with a smile: "A joke, he remembers it clearly!" The housekeeper listened and said with a smile: "Master, although this Mr. Cheng Er is a businessman, he has no copper smell at all, and he is the most generous, but he is a strange person!" “

"Hehe, you don't know this!" Wang Ke said with a smile: "Although this Xiuning is a businessman, but it is different from other places, the style of writing is the most prosperous, the family is tired of doing business and wealthy people, so he invited the Confucianism to teach his children, and read in a broken section. ”

"That's nature, if it's an ordinary businessman, how can the master travel with him?" The housekeeper slapped Wang Ke quietly and said with a smile: "Then is it okay to use saury for lunch?" ”

"Hmm!" Wang Ke nodded subconsciously, and was about to get up and think of something again.

"You will send the fat sheep, deer breast, and rice wine to the Ci'an Temple outside the Wulin Gate, and give it to that Zhao Youcai Zhao Master, and tell him that they are all rewarding his entourage, and invite him to the house as a guest tonight."

"That Master Zhao?" The housekeeper was stunned when he heard this, with his many years of experience running under Wang Kemen, he felt that this Master Zhao was not a big person, but he didn't know why the master valued the other party so much, Wang Ke looked at him, how he didn't know his thoughts, and said with a smile: "The killer who has no eyesight, that Master Zhao is one of my henchmen of the same year." That's a big man, and he's going to have to wait for the prime minister soon. ”

"Ahh The housekeeper was speechless: "The seventh rank official in front of the prime minister, these small eyes should really be gouged out, fortunately he didn't do anything wrong, otherwise wouldn't it be a big deal!" Speaking of this, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Master, as the saying goes, 'one person attains the Tao, and the chicken and dog ascend to heaven'. ”

The butler's words are vulgar though. But it tickled Wang Ke's itch, he forcibly suppressed the joy in his middle chest, and waved his hand: "Okay, go and get things done!" “

"Yes, sir!" The butler kowtowed and withdrew. Wang Ke stood up and paced back and forth in the house twice, his heart full of joy: he had heard about the ruin of Zhejiang's coastal defense, and looked at the appearance of Na Ke Du Si today. Nine times out of ten, the Red Mao Yi pirates will suffer a big loss. I will send some fat sheep wine over today, sell one Zhao Youcai first, and by the way, see if his subordinates are as good as they boast, if they are serious. So he borrowed this army to deal with the Hongmaoyi pirates. If it comes to fruition, the officials in Hangzhou will all accept a big favor for themselves, and Lu Boqi's business will not have to worry about someone looking for trouble, so he will naturally owe himself a favor; If it doesn't work. I have nothing to lose, so it's a good deal! Thinking of this, he couldn't help humming an excerpt from his favorite comment "Jade Dragonfly" on weekdays: "Wake up from daydreams." Back then, one stone broke through the waves. Eighteen years of heart turmoil is difficult to stir normally. When the door was opened, the guest was panicked, and there was a Shenlang outside the door. ”

Sure enough, as Wang Ke expected, five days later, the Ming army tried to recapture Daishan Island for the second time, and the operation to expel the red-haired pirates failed again: Ke Dusi transferred 300 Jiading from Zhejiang Guards, plus more than 1,000 people from Dinghaiwei and Hangzhou Wei were defeated by the pirates, more than 70 people were killed in the battle, and more than 500 people were drowned in the water. The two Zhejiang guards have fallen into fear, and they will be frightened when they hear the name of Hongmaoyi, and the city of Hangzhou is even more frightened overnight, lest those Hongmaoyi be killed in Hangzhou City.

As for the central figure in this matter, the Zhejiang Metropolitan Commander Ke Congwen Ke even closed the door when he returned home, had a serious illness, and was bedridden. The governor took everyone to visit his home once, and saw him hiding in the curtain, surrounded by four or five concubines, and he just shouted cold. Seeing this appearance, I naturally couldn't count on it. Wen Kedao scolded hatefully: "Waste! He flicked his sleeves and turned around to leave, but Wang Ke, who came with him, stretched out his hand and grabbed him: "Lord Governor, do you want to impeach Ke Dusi when you go back?" “

"That's natural, do you think he can still lead the two Zhejiang guards and protect the sea and frontier? If the pirates are killed, who will guard this Hangzhou city? Wen Kedao scolded hatefully.

"My lord, can you wait for two days?"

"Two days?" Wen Kedao looked Wang Ke up and down and asked, "Lord Wang, what do you mean by this?" ”

"Lord Governor, now that the guard army is newly defeated, if the general is replaced, it will not be conducive to the morale of the army, it is better to postpone it for a few days, anyway, there is no shortage of these few days to transfer troops and horses from other places, let me persuade Lord Ke a few words first."

"A few words of persuasion, can this be useful?" Wen Kedao looked at Ke Congwen who was hiding in the human screen in the house, and there was already a "no" word in his heart, but Wang Ke had a good saying, anyway, before the reinforcements arrived, it didn't make much sense to change the generals, so it was better to give him a few days, and then there would be many people to take responsibility together. Thinking of this, he arched his hand to Wang Ke and said, "Okay, for Lord Wang's sake, I'll hold it off!" Then he brushed his sleeves and walked away. Wang Ke looked at Wen Kedao's back, turned around and pushed the door into the house.

"Ke Dusi, do you know that the governor is just going to send a seal to the court and take down your black gauze hat?" Wang Ke said with a smile.

"So what?" Ke Congwen replied while drinking the hot soup sent by his concubine: "Being able to save his own life is already the accumulation of virtue by his ancestors, where do you want to get so much?" ”

"Really?" Wang Ke sat on the edge of the bed and said with a smile: "Then Ke Dusi, do you want to come again and drive the pirates away?" ”

"I don't want to!" Ke Congwen's head shook like a rattle: "Lord Wang, have you ever seen those Hongmaoyi, not only the firearms are powerful, but also fierce and abnormal, although there are only more than a hundred people, they dare to kill them with spears, it is really like a mountain and a sea, and it will collapse in a blink of an eye." Don't say I don't dare, even if I dare, my soldiers don't dare, this battle can't be fought! ”

"What if I get you a good soldier?"

"Get me an elite soldier?" Ke Congwen smiled bitterly and said: "My lord, don't make fun of me, although my guards are not good, but who is stronger than them in Liangzhejiang, my lord, your salt will also be sent to death!" ”

"Naturally, it's not my salt!" Wang Ke smiled: "That's it, you come to me tonight, I have someone for you to meet, and you will know when the time comes!" Speaking of this, Wang Ke didn't wait for the other party to answer, he patted Ke Congwen on the shoulder with the folding fan in his hand, got up and went out, leaving the stunned Ke Congwen and his wives and concubines.

Ci'an Temple.

"Master Zhao, my master, please be here tonight!" The housekeeper respectfully raised a beautiful invitation with both hands above his head and presented it to Zhao Youcai.

"Oh, Lord Wang is so polite, how can I be embarrassed?" Zhao Youcai took the invitation, he was sincere in what he said, these days Wang Ke invited him to come to the house almost every day as a guest, every time it was full of friends, most of them were local rich businessmen, gentlemen and celebrities, he knew very well that this was the other party to help him break into the local circle, and he was also quite grateful to Wang Ke, but he never replied to his previous proposal, which made him a little strange, I don't know why Wang Ke helped on the one hand, but kept his distance on the other hand.

"Master Zhao is my master's honored guest, don't say such undesirable words!" The housekeeper saw that Zhao Youcai accepted the invitation, sang a fat promise, and said respectfully: "My lord asked the villain to bring a sentence to tell you, tonight there is a distinguished guest who is the commander of Zhejiang, this adult likes martial arts the most, please choose a few strong men with strong martial arts, bring firearms, bows, crossbows, and armor, and demonstrate in front of this adult, he will be very happy!" ”

"Thank you, sir! I remembered it under it! (To be continued.) )