Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 221: Chapter 58: Gathering Together

“Qianjun Biao of the Blue Flag Gang, together with his brother Hu Laosan, is here to offer an apology to Tianbao Dragon Head, hoping the Dragon Head will let bygones be bygones. If Brother Tianbao is willing to release our leader Ba Hai, at this grand meeting of the Tianbo Division, the Blue Flag Gang will follow Brother Tianbao’s command without question.”

Qianjun Biao stood at the bow of the Spirit of the Duck, dressed in a coarse blue hemp frock and a fish spear tucked at his waist.

His complexion was sallow, his face etched with bitterness, with a cunning glint subtly revealing itself amidst his anxious looks.

That day, the leader of the Blue Flag Gang, Ba Hai, was detained by Li Yan, and his loyal supporters also suffered heavy casualties.

Like the Black Flag and White Flag gangs, the Blue Flag Gang was instantly thrown into panic and vicious internal strife. It was during this period that Qianjun Biao rose abruptly.

This man was a distant relative of Ba Hai with whom he hardly had any contact, and was thirty-nine that year.

...

He had been fishing in Fujian for many years, never even managing to marry, later joining Ba Hai; Ba Hai didn’t really care, considering the Blue Flag was not short of a few fighters. And so, he was kept around.

Yet this man, who neither had the skills nor the connections and seemed to have no prospects—a simple fisherman—managed to gather a group of desperate lower gang members amidst the chaos in the Blue Flag Gang. Rallying under the banner of unifying the Blue Flag, to save their leader, he launched a surprise attack on several ambitious lieutenants planning to split and escape with their ships. He fought a stunning boarding battle, pulling the Blue Flag back from the brink of splintering.

Qianjun Biao himself had executed the second and third in command of the Blue Flag Gang with his fish spear, establishing his reputation and status among the pirates of the South Seas.

In just three days, he quelled at least six factions of Blue Flag pirates who wanted to set up their own splinter groups, stabilizing the situation to the greatest extent.

The Qianjun Biao of today was no longer the miserable wretch with his trousers down, nor the bachelor who sneakily watched the widow at the head of the village bathe. He was now a formidable figure controlling over twenty thousand Blue Flag members.

With just a look, countless men would run errands for him, and if he wanted women, there were plenty of untouched girls of seventeen or eighteen for pirate leaders to choose from.

Although his foundation was shaky and there was always the possibility of a mutiny or a coup, he had nevertheless risen meteorically.

After a while, Gu walked out: “My Brother Tianbao invites you, but please forgive us, Brother Qianjun, you cannot bring your fish spear inside.”

Gu bowed and then pointed to the five or six Blue Flag pirates behind Qianjun Biao: “The same goes for these brothers here. If you want to come in, you’ll need to surrender your weapons to us.”

“Understood, understood,” Qianjun Biao turned around, his tone becoming grave, “Hu Laosan, come inside with me!”

However, he didn’t hand over his fish spear but gave it to a Blue Flag brother who had fought his way up from the bottom with him, a comrade with whom he had shared life-and-death experiences.

“Please excuse me, Big Brother Gu, this precious spear, it’s a gift from Mazu when the Heavenly Mother passed through the sea. I never part with it, not even in my sleep. It’s just that this time, since I need to apologize to the Dragon Head, I didn’t bring it with me. I will go inside with Hu Laosan, and my other brothers will wait here with my weapon; does that seem alright?” (Pirates of the South Seas believe that treasures found in drifting barrels are gifts from Mazu, and Qianjun Biao got his fish spear from such a drifting barrel during the Heavenly Mother Crossing the Sea.)

Gu snorted coldly: “The Red Flag Gang isn’t so petty as to covet your spear.”

Regarding the old incident of Ba Hai being detained during his visit to Lantau Island by the Red Flag Gang, Gu chose to have selective amnesia.

This fish spear was indeed extraordinary, six feet long, completely blood-red, with a liquid-like substance flowing slowly over it.

Gu saw it and couldn’t help but wonder. He had dismantled about twenty barrels himself when the Heavenly Mother passed through the sea but had never seen such a treasure.

Qianjun Biao smiled and followed the people of the Red Flag inside, his palms wet with sweat.

He was acutely aware of the current situation among the South Seas pirates. Among the giants at this Tianbo Division grand meeting, Tianbao was a hot contender for the role of Alliance Hierarch.

The reputation of the Red Flag Gang in the whole South Seas was indeed resounding,

and while the power of the Five Flags Alliance ebbed and flowed over the years, the Red Flag’s dominant position was essentially unshakable.

The White Flag and Yellow Flag pirates now barely muster ten thousand men, while the Blue Flag exceeds twenty thousand.

The Black Flag Gang has thirty thousand, but they are now scattered into several factions. Anqian Gang, who openly defected from Madam Guo, controls over ten thousand men, with the rest having become stray soldiers.

As for the Red Flag Gang, their water skills are excellent, and they command nearly sixty thousand robust men capable of wielding knives and spears!

Their ships and artillery are also among the best within the Five Flags. Most importantly, over the years Madam Shi has managed the Red Flag Gang, they are the only ones bold enough to take in refugees at sea, the Tu Tribe, and establish settlements for the common folk on Lantau Island.

Because of this, the cohesion of the Red Flag pirates is incomparable to that of other disorganized and fugitive pirate factions.

Even a local lord could hardly match this.

What made Qianjun Biao break into a cold sweat was the terrifying strength that Tianbao suddenly displayed at this convention.

Now with the South Seas bandits entering the scene one after another, Tianbao forcing back a Cai Family Servant forty-two steps with his great spear and almost breaking both of Yan Laosi’s arms has also spread throughout this convention.

Even with the treasure prong, I barely managed to make another Cai Family Servant, Yan Laoliu, take a single step back.

At this Tianbo Division convention, the Treasure Ship King brought nine ships, while Yishi Zhufen brought twelve. Black Flag’s Anqian Gang and I brought only two each.

Only Tianbao and the Demon Thief came with an overwhelming fleet—Tianbao with twenty ships and the other with eighteen. They gathered all their men and didn’t leave a single one behind for the Tianbo Division!

Daring, loyal, strategic, just in deeds, able to command respect, and skilled with the sword—it was just so with Tianbao, originally the impression South Seas pirates had of him.

Additionally, with Tianbao’s affair with Madam Shi, many pirates looked down upon him, thinking he used a woman to rise to power and lacked real talent.

But what was witnessed at the Tianbo Division convention proved otherwise.

Once Yan Laosi returned to the Tianbo Division to treat his wounds, he spoke highly of Tianbao, asserting that Tianbao’s personal strength was not inferior to that of Zhang He, known as the number one man in the South Seas.

The son of Queen Yan in the South Seas, the young lover, and twenty-six-year-old Red Flag Gang’s Dragon Head, commanding sixty thousand elite troops and five hundred ships—a great pirate.

I would soon see for myself what kind of person Tianbao truly was.

Tall and thin, with thick eyebrows, his gaze sent chills through anyone he looked at.

That was Qianjun Biao’s first impression of Li Yan.

Qianjun Biao clenched his fists, recalled the purpose of his visit, cleared his throat, and loudly berated Hu Laosan, who had entered with him, “You bastard, with the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, have you not hurried to apologize to Tianbao Dragon Head!”

Hu Laosan, downcast, was just about to speak. Li Yan didn’t even glance at him; with a cleanly delivered sentence, he took Qianjun Biao by surprise.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Ba Hai, do you want me to release him, or do you want me to kill him?”

As soon as Li Yan spoke, Hu Laosan was the first to be dumbfounded, and quickly blurted out, “Of course, let him go.”

To his surprise, Qianjun Biao fell into silence.@@novelbin@@

“Brother Biao, why aren’t you speaking!”

Hu Laosan became anxious.

Qianjun Biao pursed his lips, his mind racing with thoughts. Considering he had no real foundation of his own and had become a leader only by claiming to save Ba Hai, he suppressed his thoughts and declared loudly,

“`

“Without the support of Clan Leader Ba, I couldn’t have joined the Blue Flag Gang. Clan Leader Ba has been kind to me. If Tianbao Dragon Head agrees to release Clan Leader Ba Hai, I will go through fire and water for the position of the Great Alliance Leader, should Tianbao Dragon Head desire it,”

“Oh, is that so?” Li Yan nodded, “Indeed a man of loyalty. Alright, I agree to your terms.”

He tossed a metal plaque to Qianjun Biao, “Once the Tianbo Division assembly is over, take this plaque and go to Lantau Island to redeem the man.”

Qianjun Biao’s mind thundered. He hadn’t expected Li Yan to agree so readily. His nails dug into his flesh.

After several breaths, he realized his lapse and hurriedly clasped his hands in gratitude, his voice hoarse, “Thank, thank you Tianbao Dragon Head.”

“Oh, right.”

Li Yan toyed with a jeweled saber, “Is this Hu Laosan your man, or does he belong to Ba Hai?”

Qianjun Biao collected his thoughts, carefully pondering for a moment before replying, “He belongs to the Blue Flag Gang.”

Li Yan drew out half the blade, “Mm, understood~”

Swish~

The saber flashed down, slicing from Hu Laosan’s temple straight to the blood vessel in his neck, his half-head slipping off.

This Blue Flag pirate who had boldly boarded the Spirit of the Duck alone ultimately died on the Spirit of the Duck.

“You!”

Qianjun Biao’s forehead vein throbbed, he staggered back several steps, unable to utter a word while pointing at Tianbao.

From the moment he entered the room until now, every sentence from Tianbao had unsettled his mind, and before he could recover, this slash had turned him into a startled bird.

“Just now I asked you, to spare or to kill? At first, you didn’t speak, which of course is human nature. Brother Biao, you are still truly loyal. I understand that,”

Li Yan gestured downwards, signaling him to be at ease.

Upon hearing this, Qianjun Biao was taken aback before realizing that his hesitation had already betrayed his thoughts.

“But if it were someone more suspicious, it wouldn’t be so simple. Hu Laosan isn’t your man, and with a loose mouth, if Ba Hai were to know that, when I asked you, to spare or kill, you did not speak at first…”

Li Yan paused then began shaking his head, “The bird flown, the good bow hidden, after all, I am reluctant to see a man as loyal as Brother Biao have any discord with your clan leader over such a small matter.”

“Better for me to bear this infamy. When you go out, just say that Hu Laosan took responsibility for his own deeds, that he paid with his life for boarding the Spirit of the Duck. I admire his bravery, and so I agreed to release Ba Hai. If Brother Biao is offended, then consider me meddling.”

“However, I must advise you,” Li Yan’s gaze pierced into Qianjun Biao’s heart and lungs. “A great man must not be without power for even a day~”

Li Yan’s words chilled Qianjun Biao to the bone, the sticky blood flowing to his feet.

Qianjun Biao’s mind was half red, half white—the red was his own life gambled for wealth, the harrowing wounds given to himself by the second-in-command of the Blue Flag.

The white was the soft chest of Jin, the leading courtesan of Guilin Square, after he took up the position of temporary leader.

After a while, Qianjun Biao stood up straight and bowed deeply to Li Yan. He remained silent, yet his bow conveyed his deepest sentiments.

“`

…

Although pirates from the South Seas had gathered at the Tianbo Division, a considerable number of smaller factions didn’t want to participate in the grand pirate alliance.

Unlike the ambitious who were eager to seek benefits at the gathering, many pirates were there just to save face for Cai Qian and had no interest whatsoever in aiding Guangzhou or rescuing the people of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Cai Qian was well aware of this, initially compelling these reluctant pirates to attend in a state of emergency to save travel time, and he was unable to offer attractive conditions.

But times had changed. With Fulin almost driven to desperation by the Red-haired Men, he considered the pirates brought in by Cai Qian as a last lifeline and had to hold his nose and accept whatever conditions Cai Qian proposed.

What Fulin and Cai Qian had negotiated was unknown to all, but in the lead-up to the Tianbo Division assembly, Cai Qian announced the conditions offered by Fulin to all the pirates:

First, for every Red Haired Devil killed, a reward of twenty taels of silver.

Second, upon completion of this mission, to petition the court: any pirates leaders commanding forces of over five thousand to be awarded military ranks up to Fifth Rank, and lesser ranks accordingly for those with forces below five thousand.

Third, after driving out the Red Haired Devils, pirate forces would be allowed to loot the silver-rich Guangzhou for three days.

However, Fulin had a demand.

Within one month, the Red-haired Men must be expelled from Guangzhou, or if the court’s officials arrived due to a delay in action, and as the General of Guangzhou Fulin couldn’t suppress them, all promises would be annulled.

Such generous conditions instantly ignited the passion of all the pirates.

The night before the great assembly at the Tianbo Division was a bustle of greeting and sending off.

The ships of several major pirates were besieged with leaders of various factions visiting non-stop.

The Red Flag Gang, Demon Thieves, Treasure Ship King, and Yishi’s ships along with attending pirates and islanders from the Tu Tribe were all placing their bets, pledging loyalty to those few with a chance of vying for the leadership of the grand alliance, and of course, each came with their own demands.

For instance, Anqian from the Black Flag Gang paid a visit to the Demon Thief Zhang He, hoping for his support in securing his position as leader of the Black Flag Gang.

The Red Head and White Bottom gangs, combining to several thousand pirates, also joined the camp of the Demon Thief.

Before the assembly, Qianjun from the Blue Flag Gang publicly voiced his support for Tianbao from the Red Flag Gang.

The members of the White Flag Gang turned to Li Yan as their leader Shi Tianying’s leadership skills were clearly lacking. With more than ten thousand members split into over a dozen factions, the White Flag Gang was a name only. These members vied with one another, hoping the Red Flag Gang would acknowledge them as the true branch of the White Flag Gang, helping them subdue others – and no one mentioned Shi Tianying at all.

The leader of the Phoenix Tail Gang visited the ship of Yishi Zhufen.

The Short Ox Gang chose the Treasure Ship King…

But there was always silence around Cai Qian’s camp.

Li Yan, as well as any other major pirate with a claim for the alliance leadership, regarded Cai Qian with caution. He had used all his connections and influence gathered over the years to pull together the pirates from the South Seas, facilitating this century’s grand event amidst the national crisis. Only a child would believe he did it all just to drive out the Red-haired Men.

The Yan surname staff members blocking the various straits were to some extent already a testament to the hidden potential of this wealthiest merchant at sea.

Last, there was one more thing worth mentioning: Lady Dan quietly left the Tianbo Division, heading for the Ryukyu Islands.

Amidst various calculations and strategies, the century’s grand event in the South Seas, the Tianbo Division assembly, officially commenced.