Chapter 4

This is a dark age, but at the same time, it is an age full of opportunities! The development of the Industrial Revolution has weakened the old colonial powers, while new powers are rapidly expanding. Moreover, the corrupt Qing Dynasty is about to begin its decline. Long Yufei wants to make a significant impact in this era, for himself and for the entire nation!

After arriving at Feiyu Island, he has already formulated a preliminary plan: to use these pirates to develop his own power base, establish a foothold in the South China Sea, and build a powerful army to resist Western invasions. However, he is just an ordinary soldier on Feiyu Island, and no one listens to him. If he could persuade the island's leader, Luo Sangu, it would be much easier. But why would Luo Sangu listen to him?

"Damn! Do I have to use the beauty trap? Will Luo Sangu give me the entire Feiyu Island as a dowry?" Long Yufei thought to himself. However, he believed the possibility was extremely low. The chance of Luo Sangu being interested in him is even lower than winning a five million yuan lottery. Without any other options, he can only try to climb the ranks and hope to make a name for himself on Feiyu Island.

A week after arriving at Feiyu Island, one morning, Long Yufei was called by Li Hu to the dock. The pirates were already boarding their ships, and Long Yufei knew they were about to set sail. This was his first mission since joining the pirates.

Perhaps because of his education, Long Yufei was assigned to the ship commanded by Luo Sangu. It was a large ship, about thirty meters long, with two decks and three masts, the largest ship on Feiyu Island. Additionally, he saw two cannons on each side of the ship. However, from the caliber, they were likely 4-pounders, with a range of about one to two kilometers!

Long Yufei's weapon was a musket. Given his small build, he probably couldn't wield a steel sword. Moreover, his marksmanship was decent, so using a musket would allow him to make the most of his skills.

It was clear that Luo Sangu took this mission very seriously. The pirates from Feiyu Island deployed over a dozen ships of various sizes, with more than two hundred pirates. However, only Luo Sangu's ship was equipped with cannons, while the others carried muskets, steel swords, and spears.

After leaving Feiyu Island, the fleet sailed west, out of the Sulu Sea and into the South China Sea, taking two days. They stopped in a certain area, and a few small boats were sent out to scout. Long Yufei guessed that the pirates were preparing to ambush a target.

"Huzi, who is our target this time?" Long Yufei asked.

Huzi looked around to ensure no one else was nearby before whispering to Long Yufei, "Mr. Long, we received intelligence that the Spanish Governor-General of Luzon's treasure ship is returning to Spain in the next two days. So, the leader is leading us to make a big score!"

"The Spanish Governor-General of Luzon's treasure ship?" Long Yufei was stunned. Spain is an old colonial power! Although it has declined in recent years, it's not something ordinary pirates can handle. Moreover, the Governor-General's treasure ship is likely a warship. Can the pirates on these small ships deal with a warship? He thought Luo Sangu was sending them to their deaths!

Long Yufei knew that the Philippines, now known as Luzon, is a country rich in mineral resources, with the third-largest gold reserves and the fourth-largest copper reserves in the world. During the Latin American independence movements, the Luzon colony became one of Spain's most important colonies. It's easy to imagine how well-guarded the Governor-General's treasure ship would be. These two hundred pirates could handle ordinary merchant ships, but facing the Spanish military would be no different from suicide.

"Huzi, can we defeat the Spanish military? Their treasure ship is likely a warship! The cannons on it can sink our small ships with one shot!" Long Yufei said.

"Don't worry! Our target is not a Spanish warship, but an armed merchant ship! The Governor-General's treasure ship left a month ago, and this time it's just an armed merchant ship transporting the remaining treasure!" Luo Sangu suddenly appeared beside them and explained.

Hearing this, Long Yufei felt relieved.

"Leader, I'm not afraid of death, but I don't want to see my brothers die in vain!" Long Yufei explained.

"I understand, and I won't send my brothers to their deaths!" Luo Sangu said.

In the afternoon, a small boat returned quickly, reporting that the target had been found. Luo Sangu immediately ordered the pirates to prepare for battle and sail northeast.

An hour later, a Spanish-flagged merchant ship appeared in the distance. It was a large ship, about forty meters long, with three tall masts and white sails.

This merchant ship, named the 'Black Pearl,' was an armed merchant ship belonging to the Manila Chamber of Commerce, hired by the Spanish Governor-General of Luzon to transport a batch of gold back to Spain. To ensure the safety of the gold, the Spanish army in Luzon had assigned over twenty soldiers to protect it. Additionally, the 'Black Pearl' was equipped with two 6-pound cannons and four 4-pound cannons, making it more than capable of handling ordinary pirates.

"Captain, the Spanish Army Captain Carlos requests your presence!" A sailor found Captain Carlos of the Spanish Army.

"Is something wrong?" Captain Carlos asked.

"We might encounter pirates!" the sailor said.

"Pirates? Lieutenant Karl, prepare your men for battle! Let those damn pirates know our strength!" Captain Carlos immediately gave the order and followed the sailor to the bridge.

The captain of the 'Black Pearl' was a bearded Spanish man in his thirties. His ship frequently sailed between Luzon and Spain, and he was very familiar with the route.

"Captain! I think we've been targeted by pirates! However, with the 'Black Pearl's' speed, we can easily outrun them!" the captain said.

"Captain, why run? Wouldn't it be better to send them all to hell?" Captain Carlos smiled.

"However, Captain, the gold on board is very important. We shouldn't take unnecessary risks!" the captain said, somewhat worried.

"Captain, the 'Black Pearl's' cannons can easily send those pirates to the bottom of the sea! My men will ensure the ship's safety!" Captain Carlos insisted.

"Fine, as you wish!" the captain said indifferently. He didn't take the pirates seriously and just didn't want to cause trouble. Since Captain Carlos wanted to teach the pirates a lesson, he wouldn't argue.

The 'Black Pearl' prepared for battle, and the pirates from Feiyu Island, with over a dozen ships of various sizes, surrounded it.

"Signal them to surrender and lay down their weapons, and we'll spare their lives!" When the distance between the two sides was about two kilometers, Luo Sangu ordered.

However, the 'Black Pearl' did not respond to the pirates' signal.

"Boom!" A dull explosion echoed, and black smoke rose from the 'Black Pearl's' sides. When the pirates' ships were about one kilometer away, the 'Black Pearl' opened fire with its cannons.

Under the force of the impact, solid cannonballs flew through the air, splashing into the sea and creating water columns.

The Spanish cannons did not frighten the pirates but instead aroused their ferocity. Several small boats sped towards the 'Black Pearl,' and the bare-chested pirates, wielding steel swords, shouted loudly on the decks.

"Boom!" A solid cannonball hit one of the pirates' small boats. The 6-pound cannonball, traveling at high speed, struck the bow, instantly killing two pirates and creating a large hole in the boat. The wooden hull could not withstand the impact of the cannonball.

"Fire!" Luo Sangu, seeing her men killed, was enraged.

However, the pirates' gunnery skills were poor. After several rounds of cannon fire, they failed to hit the target, and two of their small boats were sunk, causing heavy casualties among the pirates.

"Leader! Close in and board the ship! We'll skin those red-haired devils alive!" Chen San said fiercely.

In terms of gunnery, the pirates were no match for the Spanish. They excelled in close combat, not in handling firearms.

Luo Sangu nodded, but her expression was grim. Such a strategy would result in heavy losses for the pirates. However, they couldn't abandon this mission.

The pirates' ships rapidly approached the 'Black Pearl,' and the distance between the two sides continued to close. At the same time, the accuracy of the Spanish cannon fire increased. Several pirate ships were hit, causing significant casualties.

Finally, one pirate ship managed to reach the 'Black Pearl.' Two iron hooks were thrown, grabbing the 'Black Pearl's' sides, and several fierce pirates climbed up the ropes. However, as soon as they jumped onto the deck, they found Spanish soldiers waiting for them.

"Fire!" Captain Carlos, with a grim expression, gave the order.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The Spanish soldiers fired their muskets, and the pirates who had just climbed onto the 'Black Pearl' were shot dead on the spot.

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