I'm a pirate at the end of Ming Dynasty

At dinner time in Gaizhou City, the lights of the General's Mansion were flickering.

Li Gang put the box on the table respectfully. Geng Zhongming frowned slightly after opening it: "Is this Huanglong?"

"Yes."

"This...Brother Li, my original intention was to conquer Jinzhou for appeasement. Now that Huanglong is dead, how can the court still tolerate me?"

Li Gang spoke directly, saying: "Brother Geng, whether Huanglong dies or not, the court cannot tolerate you. Now you actually have only two options, one is to surrender to the Manchus, and the other is to leave with my master."

Geng Zhongming's face became even more sad, and he said: "Well, I am from Shandong Island. Naturally, I know the name of the Zheng family. I don't doubt their strength, but..."

"Just how?"

"Can the treasure island really support more than [-] of us? These brothers are all from Liao or Shandong. Once they go to the south, I don't know if they can get used to it. They... they How to live?"

Li Gang smiled and said: "I know what Brother Geng is worried about. What my lord means is that after arriving at Baodao, if you are still willing to follow the Zheng family, let's talk about it separately. If you are not willing, each family will be given two hundred acres of land, and every three households will be given two hundred acres of land." Share a cow.”

"Two...two hundred acres of land? Can you farm that? Three households with one cow, isn't that ridiculous? How can I trust you?"

"Brother Geng doesn't know. Currently, Baodao has a situation where there are few people and a lot of land. Large tracts of land are left uncultivated by no one. In fact, when it comes to farming, it is indeed impossible to plant all the land. Most of them can only plant a little. , and simply throw away the rest. Fortunately, Baodao has abundant rain and a hot climate. You can still get a good harvest by just throwing some seeds and leaving them alone. Many people simply stop farming and switch to planting. Fruit trees.”

Geng Zhongming couldn't laugh or cry, and said with half belief and doubt: "Is there such a place in the world? This is really strange. If others told me, I would definitely not believe it, but since it is you, I think it must be true, then, this kind of How much is the rent for each person in the farmland, and how much is the tax?”

"No rent, no taxes."

Geng Zhongming was stunned again: "No rent, no tax? Gangzi, we have a life-long friendship, you can't fool me."

"Brother, no one can deceive you. Although I have never been to Baodao, I have been with the Zheng family for a long time. I have heard about these things many times. They are all true. The Zheng family also specializes in recruiting people in Fujian. The refugees go to Baodao for development, and each household gets five taels of silver, and five households get one cow."

"Then what does the Zheng family want?"

"Well, I won't hide it from my elder brother. The Zheng family has two plans. First, the place on Treasure Island is too desolate and there are indigenous people, so everyone can practice martial arts and military formations. When necessary, they can pull up an army. It's a pretty good army, at least better than the military guards of the imperial court. Secondly, aren't the Zheng family competing with the red-haired devils for that place? To be honest, the Zheng family's ships, cannons, and guns are not as good as the red-haired devils. , isn’t this just a crooked trick? The red-haired Japanese only have 10,000 people in the west, and the Zheng family has now installed [-]+ Han people. It is precisely because of this that the red-haired Japanese are on the mainland of Baodao. There is nothing we can do against the Zheng family."

After thinking about it, Li Gang added another sentence: "In addition... although the Zheng family does not collect rent and taxes, there are actually many ways to manage it. At the very least, the people can buy clothes, salt, and sauce. These things are not available in the treasure island for the time being. You can only buy it from the Zheng family, I heard... it's quite expensive."

Geng Zhongming nodded when he heard this and said: "That's right, that's right. I didn't dare to expect my brothers to live well. I would be satisfied if I could have a way to survive. What about me, how should I arrange it?"

"The brothers have merged into Long Ye's navy and will still be under your command. In addition, my lord knows that Brother Geng is proficient in Western firearms. He will suggest that you supervise the construction of a large firearms research and development factory in Baodao, specializing in the production of artillery, guns, etc."

Geng Zhongming nodded when he heard this, but there was nothing more to say.

"Brother Geng, I know that the conditions offered by the Manchu Qing Dynasty are very good. My lord asked me to tell you something. He said that Huang Taiji is a hero with great talent and strategy. He will definitely offer you extremely high conditions to show that he will buy you with a thousand pieces of gold." Horse bones, no matter how rich and powerful the Zheng family is, they cannot compare with them. However, regardless of the blood feud between you and your brothers and the Tatars, as far as you personally are concerned, your surrender to the Qing Dynasty will definitely be infamy for thousands of years, and the previous ten years of hard work will definitely be ruined. Once he was killed, he went south to cooperate and fight against the red-haired Japanese invaders who invaded China. His name will go down in history."

Geng Zhongming thought for a while: "How can I lower the conditions?"

"I want...well, I want Kong Youde's head to show my sincerity. Brother Kong has put himself on a dead end. Apart from surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he has no way out."

But Geng Zhongming suddenly turned around and said, "Have you heard everything?"

Li Gang was startled when he heard a heavy sigh from behind the screen, and then a person slowly walked out. Who else could it be if it wasn't Kong Youde?It's just that the hairstyle has changed, becoming a bald head with a small money rat tail braided on the back.

Li Gang stood up in a hurry, and went to draw his sword as if reflexively, only to find that the sword had been removed when he entered the door.

"Kong...Brother Kong? Brother Geng, you!"

Unexpectedly, Kong Youde didn't even look at him. Instead, he slowly sat down next to Geng Zhongming, poured himself a glass of wine, and sighed: "I, Kong Youde, am I already so miserable that the world can't tolerate it?" .”

Seeing that the two men did not attack, Li Gang bravely said: "Originally, I might still be tolerant, but since you have already shaved your head, what's the point of talking about tolerance or tolerance."

Kong Youde smiled bitterly and touched the melon seeds on his bald head, and said rather depressedly: "You said it would be great if you came two days earlier. I just shaved my head the day before yesterday. If I die like this, I will be sorry to my ancestors."

After that, he picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Geng Zhongming, and said with a smile: "Brother Geng, you and I have worked together for more than ten years. After my death, my subordinates will belong to you. I hope you can lead them to the treasure island and live a happy life." Good times.”

After saying that, Kong Youde drank it all and actually pulled out the dagger and wiped it on his neck. The blood spurted all over Geng Zhongming's face.

Geng Zhongming slowly closed his eyes and sighed: "Cut it off and let your master take the head and explain it to the court."

After saying that, Geng Zhongming looked down at the glass of wine that was already mixed with blood, and slowly drank it again. He even patted Kong Youde's face, showing a bit of a smile.

For people like them, death is much easier than living.