met free Chapter 73: Receiving Gifts So Much They're Scratched!
Chapter 73: Receiving Gifts So Much They're Scratched!
Clearly, these people were all planted by Zhang Xiaotian in advance, just waiting for this moment. He was using them as bait to steer the conversation toward gift-giving.
This thing is just like those street scams. They set up a trap or a small gambling stall, then lure in a bunch of gullible people to win big, attracting them so they can harvest their money.
All the representatives present have already paid protection money, so they shouldn't be asking for any more.
But do pirates have any shame? Of course not!
If Zhang Xiaotian weren't constantly at sea, unable to celebrate the three major festivals and two birthdays, he would have needed gifts for all three festivals and two birthdays.
In the past, whether in officialdom or in the underworld, the three major festivals and two birthdays were all big days for making money.
Especially during the Qing Dynasty, officials received far more money than their salaries during festivals and birthday celebrations. Subordinate officials had to find ways to give them money, even if it was small. After all, the Qing Dynasty's officialdom put corruption in the open, and many of their bribery practices became commonplace and no longer considered illegal or criminal.
The same goes for thugs and gangsters on the streets. They throw lavish parties for every major holiday and birthday, and all the businesses and shops within their sphere of influence have to give them gifts. As the saying goes, people might not remember who gave a gift, but they will remember who didn't. These thugs will come knocking on your door to cause trouble the next day.
To keep their whereabouts secret, these pirates at sea spend the whole year plundering and avoiding contact with outsiders. Now that they finally have a big meeting, they're bound to extort a lot of money from the pirates.
The group in front, after making a show of presenting some gold and jade, turned to look at the people below and watched them give gifts.
Zhang Guohao's position was relatively close to the front, so it would be his turn soon.
"This guy is good-looking. I didn't expect Boss Huo to have such elite soldiers under his command."
Zhang Xiaotian laughed as he watched Zhang Guohao come up with gifts, then lowered his voice and said...
These business representatives were all "legitimate businessmen" and were very careful not to have too much contact with pirates. Zhang Xiaotian understood this as well, and he lowered his voice when communicating with anyone. It was like burying his head in the sand, and its effect was only slightly better than nothing.
It's as if the pirates and the bosses have no connection unless they publicly announce the bosses' names!
"May you make a fortune every day and have abundant wealth."
Zhang Guohao clasped his hands in a fist salute and said to Zhang Xiaotian, not because he didn't know any other auspicious words, but mainly because he was too lazy to say them, and besides, the person opposite him might not understand.
"What's your name, sir? Where are you from?"
As Zhang Xiaotian opened the wooden box, he spoke to Zhang Guohao, his expression becoming even more satisfied after seeing the gifts inside.
Zhang Guohao is from Shandong Province.
"Oh ho ho, we're brothers with the same surname! Maybe we were even family five hundred years ago! Let me tell you, my ancestors also came from the north, but we lost our family genealogy, otherwise we could have chatted about our lineage!"
Zhang Xiaotian laughed and then gestured for Zhang Guohao to leave. Zhang Xiaotian was very busy, receiving so many gifts. It was only because Boss Huo had some reputation that Zhang Xiaotian would have bothered to say those two sentences.
Zhang Guohao returned to his small table and focused his attention on the people around Zhang Xiaotian.
According to the intelligence he had gathered, the two men standing next to Zhang Xiaotian were his trusted confidants, twin brothers in their twenties, who were also Zhang Xiaotian's bodyguards.
Zhang Xiaotian sat in the main seat of the large wooden armchair, with a smaller armchair on each side of him.
The man sitting to Zhang Xiaotian's left was an even more brute-like figure, over 1.8 meters tall, with tattoos of sea fish all over his body, including sharks, tuna, and ribbonfish.
This man, nicknamed "Big Shark," is the second-in-command of Zhang Xiaotian's gang. He is about the same age as Zhang Xiaotian and is said to be Zhang Xiaotian's childhood friend. He is an extremely accurate shot.
The man sitting to Zhang Xiaotian's right was only about 1.5 meters tall, with dark skin all over, but his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. His nickname was "Black Stripe in the Waves," and he was said to be an excellent swimmer who could stay in the water for three days and three nights.
Zhang Guohao didn't believe it. He thought Zhang Shun, the "White Stripe in the Waves," was a celestial being descended to earth, while he was just a mortal, at best a con artist who could only stage accidents.
But to have such a nickname, he must have been quite a strong swimmer; it's said that "Black Stripe in the Waves" even had the feat of piercing through a sea vessel.
In other words, while the shipbuilding industry is not developing fast enough, there are still many wooden boats at sea. Once these boats are replaced with iron boats, even if he lives at sea, he will not be able to stab through a single boat.
Besides these people, there are two other noteworthy individuals on stage dressed as accountants. One is named Lu Shiming, and the other is Zhang Jinyi. Both are strategists and accountants for Zhang Xiaotian's gang.
If these people were moved to a bandit stronghold in Northeast China, it would be a complete setup.
"Second brother, look, this stuff is really good! I'll take it to your room!"
"Third brother, take this. I heard you've got another little beauty in your room!"
On stage, Zhang Xiaotian acted quite magnanimously, constantly handing out some of the gifts he received to the second and third leaders.
On the surface, Zhang Xiaotian's gang seems quite harmonious.
……
While Zhang Xiaotian was having a bonfire party, the camps of the other three major pirates were also brightly lit, with all sorts of food and drinks being continuously brought in. The major pirates also received a lot of gifts.
The little pirates weren't idle either; they were eating and drinking to their hearts' content. They also had some "old friends" who had sent them quite a few gifts, enough for them to squander.
These petty pirates had already paid their respects to the big pirates and sent them gifts.
The rule at sea is that big fish eat little fish; there's no morality involved. The only thing that limits the development of pirate gangs is whether there's enough profit to be made. The rules don't prevent them from harming their own kind.
Zhang Guohao and his group sat quietly until after 10 o'clock before returning to their respective ships. Tomorrow is the official start of the pirate convention, and that will be the most exciting time.
"Tomorrow is the day the four major pirate gangs will redistribute their territories, and the smaller pirates will also redistribute their territories. Territory disputes can be bloody, so we all need to be careful and avoid provoking others."
Zhang Guohao returned to the ship and spoke to Duan Tongtian.
"Old Guo's an old hand at the sea, he knows what he's doing. Should we bring our gear tomorrow?"
Duan Tongtian then asked.
"Of course, the guy can't leave my side until we get back to Hong Kong Island."
Zhang Guohao said that he was indeed a little nervous. If this were on land, Zhang Guohao would not be afraid at all, and he would have plenty of ways to fight his way out.
But right now at sea, Zhang Guohao's swimming skills are no match for those locals. There are thousands of pirates gathered here, all of them shameless scoundrels. A little spark could easily lead to a fight!
I heard that dozens of people died at the last pirate tournament, and that was before there was any major chaos; it was just pirate groups fighting over territory and people getting killed in one-on-one battles.
Zhang Guohao looked out the window, staring at the surrounding cliffs. He wondered how much food was up there, and if things got chaotic and he couldn't escape, could he survive a few more days thanks to the island's produce?