More than a dozen pirate ships "surrounded" the reconnaissance ship, including the flagship where the pirate leader was, and Zheng Zhiyuan stood proudly at the bow of the ship.

He didn't have to do anything at all, just the level of the Golden Body Realm martial artist was enough to make these guys on the ship obedient, and no one dared to have different intentions.

The pirate leader lifted the corner of his clothes and wiped the blood from his mouth, stood behind Zheng Zhiyuan with a respectful face, and said cautiously: "Master Guoshi, it's Liu Yu and his ......."

"If you have anything to say to my little uncle, there is no need to explain it to me. Zheng Zhiyuan interrupted his words and said, "Although your little life is in my hands, whether you live or die depends on the decision of the little uncle." ”

The pirate leader nodded hurriedly: "The little one knows." ”

Ye Yunyang stood on the reconnaissance ship, just a few minutes ago, these pirate ships were still menacing, wanting to sink the reconnaissance ship and hurry, but now they looked extremely obedient.

"Uncle Junior, my nephew is fortunate not to be dishonored. Zheng Zhiyuan hugged his fist at him.

"You're doing a great job. Ye Yunyang smiled with relief, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Who is the pirate leader, come out and speak!"

The pirate leader took a step forward, nodded and said: "The contemptible person is the leader of Hailing Island, named Wu Tonghai, who collided with the tiger power of the patrol envoy, and I hope that your lord has a large number of them, spare us guys who don't know the height of the sky." ”

Ye Yunyang glanced at him and said, "If you want to live, you have to be honest, if your answer can satisfy me, I will spare your life." Let me ask you, when did you get in touch with Liu Yu?"

Wu Tonghai frowned and thought for a few seconds, and said: "It's been a long time, since the second year after he took office, he took the initiative to send someone to contact me and show favor to us, and it has been more than ten years now." ”

"Nonsense, he is the commander of the garrison, how can he show favor to you, a pirate?" asked Chen Shilai.

"I swore I wasn't lying. Wu Tonghai said solemnly: "Not only us, but he also showed goodwill to other pirates, the main content is that everyone lives in peace and does not invade each other." ”

Chen Shilai sneered: "You guy, you don't make drafts when you lie, he has defeated pirates several times, sunk more than 20 pirate ships, and captured more than 100 pirates, which is also called peaceful coexistence?"

Wu Tonghai couldn't help but laugh and said, "My lord, you are all in the dark! Those so-called sunken pirate ships are actually some broken ships that cannot be used, and they are pulled to the sea for him to be targeted, and even if he doesn't do anything, those ships will sink to the bottom of the sea on their own." As for the captive, it's even simpler, every once in a while, a few of our pirates will make up some dying old and sick people and give them to him, so that he can cut off his head to show merit to the emperor. ”

In addition to creating a record for him, the pirates would give a certain amount of money every year, and Liu Yu turned a blind eye to their robbery, and sometimes even took the initiative to provide them with a target for plunder.

For example, the pirates' three-hundred-mile raid was plundered by the richest villages and towns, and it was just in time for the autumn harvest season, the residents had just sold the harvested grain, and several large landowners who were engaged in the grain business made a lot of money, but all of them were robbed by the pirates, and the losses amounted to tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Ye Yunyang frowned, it turned out to be like this, no wonder Liu Yu was able to sit firmly in the position of the main general for several years, it turned out that he used the strategy of raising his own respect, on the one hand, he curried favor with the imperial court, and on the other hand, he also curried favor with pirates, and both sides could take benefits.

Wu Tonghai saw the change in his expression, thinking that his life would be in danger, and hurriedly said: "These are all planned by Liu Yu, he told us that as long as we follow his arrangement, we can not only ensure our safety, but also eat and drink spicy food." If he doesn't listen to his arrangement, he will lead the garrison to attack our island, leaving me with no place to die, and we can only choose to cooperate with him in order to survive. ”

Ye Yunyang raised his head and asked again, "You set up an ambush here, and he arranged it, right?"

Wu Tonghai nodded: "That's right, at midnight last year, two reconnaissance ships landed on the island, and they asked me to leave quickly with my clansmen, leaving an empty island, and then set up an ambush in the eastern sea, and when a dilapidated reconnaissance ship appeared, they launched a long-range attack." The visitor also said that the reconnaissance ship was likely to be accompanied by a Golden Body Realm warrior, so it must not be approached within 500 meters, and the ship should be sunk with long-range weapons, and the people on board should be soaked to death in the sea. ”

Originally, hearing that there were Golden Body Realm masters on the ship, Wu Tonghai couldn't help but tremble, with the dozen or so boats in his hands, plus hundreds of brothers below the Xiuyuan Realm, how could he be someone's opponent.

But he was told that if someone had tampered with the reconnaissance ship, it would not only lose control of its direction, but also enter the water on its own, and it would only take a few stone bullets to sink it to the bottom of the sea.

Moreover, the person who came also made a promise, saying that as long as the reconnaissance ship was secured, Hailing Island would not have to make an offering to Liu Yu every year, and he would also get a large bounty.

It is precisely because of this that Wu Tonghai decided to take a risk.

Ye Yunyang glanced down at the reconnaissance ship, although he had successfully patched the loopholes, but because the rudder shaft was broken, he could not sail normally, so he ordered: "Everyone change to a pirate ship, and you drag the reconnaissance ship to Hailing Island." ”

"Yes. ”

Four hours later, the fleet returned to the waters of Hailing Island and landed on the beach in order.

Watching men, women, and children get off different boats, cheering and going to their homes, Ye Yunyang smiled and shook his head, he had to admit that they were also quite hard, for an ambush mission, they actually evacuated their homes within three hours, boarded the ship and went to sea.

Wu Tonghai didn't know what Ye Yunyang meant, and he was apprehensive.

With the dual identity of Nanshan County Duke and Patrol Envoy, plus a Golden Body Realm martial artist accompanying him for protection, such a lineup is enough to deter all the pirates here.

What he was most worried about was that if Ye Yunyang was unhappy, the more than 1,000 people on Hailing Island would all have to die at the hands of the Golden Body Realm martial artists.

After landing on the shore, Ye Yunyang casually asked: "Wu Tonghai, is it interesting to be a pirate?"

Wu Tonghai was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Pin your head to the waistband of your trousers to make a living, it's not interesting to talk about it, although many clansmen feel that robbery is a very immoral behavior, but if you don't rob, you will be starved to death, and if you don't want to starve to death, you will rob." ”

Ye Yunyang smiled faintly: "What you want to say is that you can't help yourself, right?"

Wu Tonghai nodded and said, "We have also thought about abandoning evil and turning to good, cultivating farmland on the island, and with the area of Hailing Island, it is not a problem to produce rations to feed thousands of people. But that will first cause the dissatisfaction of the other pirates, who will regard us as a great enemy and use Hailing Island as a target for plunder, even if we maintain a strong civil customs, it is impossible to deal with dozens of pirates attacking in turn. ”

"Besides, the commander of your coast guard will not agree, the pirates are all good, and there is no need for the garrison to continue to exist, so since a long time ago, the commander has taken the initiative to contact us, Liu Yu is not the first, and certainly not the last. ”

"Although there have been many bloody clashes between the two sides in the process of cooperation due to uneven interests, in most cases, the garrison and the pirates will be at peace with each other, or even depend on each other. ”

No wonder people always say that the soldiers and bandits are a family, although the two professions are of an antagonistic nature, but there are no bandits, where do they come from, and if there are soldiers, there must also be bandits; if the bandits are gone, there is no need for soldiers to exist, and the so-called cunning rabbits and lackeys want to survive at the same time, and both are indispensable.

Therefore, at any time, there is no shortage of self-respect.

It's just that Ye Yunyang didn't expect that Liu Yu's hand was so long that he would collude with all the pirate gangs, and according to the practice of ordinary people, he would choose a few of them as the object of cooperation, and at the same time eliminate the pirates who did not cooperate.

Sinking a broken ship, taking the old, weak, sick and disabled as captives, and asking for merit from the imperial court at the same time, but also receiving the filial piety of the pirates, is really a sure deal.

Wu Tonghai made such a big comment, which was nothing more than wanting to get closer to Ye Yunyang and save his own life and that of his clansmen.

Ye Yunyang turned his head to look at him and said, "If this official gives you a way out, are you willing to give up being a pirate and become a good citizen instead?"

Wu Tonghai didn't want to think about it and said: "Of course I do, pirates are a business that everyone spurns, and robbery can't guarantee success, and it often costs the lives of the clansmen, if there is a way out, I promise to take all the clansmen to change their ways." ”

Ye Yunyang smiled: "That's good, I will ask the emperor to set aside a fertile area for you in the Han Dynasty, and let people teach you to farm and graze." ”

"That's great!" Wu Tonghai said happily.

If you want to be a real pirate identity, the most important thing is to leave the island under your feet, otherwise even if you reclaim the land here, you will eventually return to the old road for various reasons.

Chen Shilai tugged at Ye Yunyang's sleeve and glanced at him.

When the two of them came to the reef on the side of the beach, Chen Shilai whispered: "Childe, has His Majesty the Emperor said that he will accept the surrender of pirates and let them land to farm and graze?"

Ye Yunyang shook his head.

Chen Shilai's eyes widened and he said, "Then why do you say that to them, this is a false holy decree!"

The false decree is still secondary, in case he can't fulfill what he said by then, Ye Yunyang's face will be greatly reduced.

As an entourage, he must make it his first priority to protect his master's face.

Ye Yunyang smiled and said: "Pirates are rampant, it is a big problem that has plagued the Han for many years, if the pirates are willing to abandon the island and land on the shore, and honestly be a subject loyal to the Han, the emperor is too late to be happy, how can he object." ”

It makes sense, Chen Shilai nodded slightly, but immediately said: "Is Wu Tonghai reliable? I think he is in order to survive, so he is so righteous and awe-inspiring, as long as we leave, he will continue to be his pirate." ”

Ye Yunyang shook his head: "Not necessarily, no one wants to make a living with their head pinned to their waistband for generations, but as long as there is a way out, no one chooses to be a pirate." Do you think they live a very leisurely life every day, cooperating with Liu Yu, showing that they are ensuring their own safety, but they still have to risk their lives to rob, except for the annual offering, the rest is barely enough to eat, from their clothes and the situation of the ships, it can be seen that the pirates' lives are not rich. ”

The so-called poor thinks about change, and the knife head is just barely hungry in the end, who would want to live such a life.

The wealth of the Han Dynasty has long made them envious, and they can change from thieves to obedient people, and they don't have to worry about the danger of their lives while having their stomachs full, so why not.

Ye Yunyang glanced back at Wu Tonghai, there was excitement that could not be concealed between the guy's eyebrows, it was obvious that it was his proposal just now that made him so excited.

There is reason to believe that this is certainly not a pretense.