Chapter 714: The Broken Embargo

  Chapter 714: The Broken Embargo

  In the southern section of the ceasefire line between the Empire and the Port of Kinggallon, the mouth of one of the tributaries of the Yongliu River is connected to a small bay.

  This bay has a coastline of nearly ten kilometers wide. The high peninsulas on both sides block most of the wind and waves for the waters in the bay, thus forming a small natural harbor.

  Since the peninsula on the south side looks like half a banana on the map, the survivors nearby simply call it “Banana Head Bay”.

  Because of the abundant fresh water resources and the tranquil waters, many fishermen within a radius of 100 kilometers regard this place as a safe haven. Once they encounter a storm, they will drive their fishing boats from the bay into the inland river with dense trees on both sides to avoid it, and hide in the nearby pre-prepared shelters.

  Some cargo ships that bypass the southernmost corner of the Borneo Province will also choose to avoid the storm here. Although they cannot enter the tributaries of the Yongliu River, they can also take shelter from the wind and waves by the peninsulas sandwiched on both sides of the bay.

  Over time, a small fishing village was formed here. A big-nosed man who looked like a Weylant even used a stranded abandoned cargo ship to open a hotel called “Abandoned Ship Village” here, providing cheap drinks, food, damp and moldy bedding and even old and ugly prostitutes to nearby fishermen and passing merchant sailors.

  Perhaps because the Golden Gallon Port is too dazzling, or perhaps because the land here is not suitable for growing crops and is sparsely populated most of the time, the Empire seems to have selectively forgotten this land and has never sent a governor here.

  Over time, this place has become a “paradise” for fishermen, sailors, and fugitives and slaves.

  However, recently, the situation here has changed a lot.

  First, the Alliance people planted a flag on the northern peninsula, and then patted their buttocks and left. Not long after, a group of imperial soldiers carrying tiger flags followed. After some research, they cut down trees and dug trenches on the southern peninsula.

  The relatively low-lying Jiaotou Village was sandwiched between the two armies. Although the Alliance’s machine guns were not visible, the Empire’s machine guns were already overhead.

  The local fishermen had never seen such a scene before. They didn’t even need to wait for the Empire’s people to come to them. They were so scared that they jumped into their boats and fled out of the bay. Some went south along the coastline, some went north, and each went back to their own village.

  And those sailors gradually disappeared because there were no more ships coming. Now only some desperate criminals with nowhere to go are hiding here, waiting indefinitely for those favorable winds that will come at an unknown time…

  …

  It has been a while since we crossed the “border line” of Jingalon Port.

  Since entering this small fishing village hidden in the bay, Kunar felt his heart pounding violently, and sweat kept oozing out of his palms as he carried a bundle of sacks.

  As a native of Kinggaleng Port, and living in a slum near the harbor, he certainly knew of Jiaotou Bay and the small fishing village there, but he had never been there. Asin

  walked beside him with a normal look, but his hands were always in his pockets.

  Behind him were twenty or so young men, all of whom used to live on the same street. They were holding a variety of tools in their hands, including sticks, hoes, and even fishing rods, all wrapped in plastic woven bags for corn. From the outside, it was impossible to tell whether they were guns or something else.

  Glancing at the leader walking beside him, perhaps encouraged by his calm expression, Kunal felt a little calmer and began to observe the surroundings.

  Most of the shacks built here were abandoned, and only the stranded wreck still had a flickering light.

  The village that was supposed to have two or three hundred people now had less than half of the people left.

  The remaining people were either skinny escaped slaves or ruthless characters with blood debts on their backs.

  While Kunar was quietly looking at them, the locals were also wary of these ill-intentioned guys.

  Several men with ferocious faces turned and walked into the alleys between the shacks, and the curtains of several dark windows on the street suddenly closed.

  The slightest movement made Kunar tense up. He swallowed his saliva and couldn’t help but walk closer to Asin and whispered.

  ”Boss… a lot of people are watching us.”

  ”Their eyes are on them, they can look wherever they want, not to mention we are so conspicuous,” Asin looked at Kunar standing aside and said in a very soft voice, “Relax, act natural, like you come here often. The more scared you are, the more they will be ready to move… Now, take a deep breath.”

  Kunar obeyed and took a deep breath slowly.

  Asin hooked his shoulder with his hand and pointed with his other hand at the “Abandoned Ship Village” hotel, the only one with lights on, stranded in the middle of the beach not far away.

  ”Imagine, that’s our property, not even just that ship, the whole beach is…”

  ”Of course, we have to do it step by step. When I make my first pot of gold, I will buy that broken ship first.”

  Kunal, who had calmed down, looked at his boss in confusion.

  If he said that he wanted to buy the residential project in front of the Governor’s Mansion, he could understand it. After all, many citizens and businessmen who smelled the wind went there to inquire about the situation, and there were even idiots who took out money and shouted to pay without even seeing what the house looked like.

  But this is just an abandoned fishing village, right?

  He really couldn’t think of anything good to invest in here.

  The positions of the Alliance and the Empire were not far away. Once His Majesty waved his hand, this place would become the front line of the battlefield.

  Even the fishermen who lived here abandoned this place, leaving only some hopeless guys staring at the sea in a daze.

  Although he did mention that he wanted to buy a boat, he didn’t say that it was a wreck that was stranded on the shore and obviously could not be repaired…

  Just when Kunar was puzzled, the group had already walked to the only light in the village.

  Across the rusty cabin and the door, the group standing at the door could even hear the faint clinking of glasses and laughter and scolding coming from inside.

  Waving away the mosquitoes and flies flying under the light, Asin walked up and knocked on the door gently. Soon there was a sound of footsteps approaching, and then the door was opened with a creak.

  As expected, the person standing at the door was an imperial soldier with a rifle on his back.

  The tall and strong guy stared at Asin and the group of skinny guys behind him, then sneered and waved his hand to make a gesture of shooing away flies.

  ”Get away, this place is reserved, go beg somewhere else.”

  Not caring about his mocking tone, Xin imitated the waiters at the entrance of the Triumph Hotel and nodded slightly respectfully.

  ”…Please say hello to your superior for me, and tell him that a businessman named Xin brought something he is interested in.”

  Without waiting for the soldier to laugh, he pulled out his right hand that had been in his pocket, pinched a 100-yuan Xilan coin and stuffed it into the soldier’s hand.

  The soldier’s face showed obvious surprise, and then he took the money calmly.

  ”Wait here.”

  Asin nodded slightly, watching the heavy hatch close again, and patiently waited for the hurried footsteps to go away.

  It didn’t take long before the footsteps turned back and pushed out again through the heavy hatch.

  This time the soldier didn’t say anything nonsense, just waved at him.

  ”Come here.”

  Asin asked.

  ”Can I bring my servant with me?”

  In view of the 100 Xilan coins before, the soldier didn’t feel embarrassed to refuse directly, but just said impatiently.

  ”At most one.”

  ”Thank you.”

  Asin gave Kunal next to him a look.

  The latter understood and turned back, and said a few words to the young men who followed them nervously, and then followed the boss and went through the hatch that they had knocked open with 100 Xilan coins…

  …

  The space in the cabin was unexpectedly spacious.

  The owner of the hotel turned the lowest deck into a lobby for eating and drinking. Going up the gangway is the hotel’s guest room.

  About fifty soldiers from the Empire sat at square wooden tables, shaking dice and playing finger-guessing games while drinking cheap beer with some side dishes.

  Kunar glanced at the food and drinks on their table. They were worse than the swill poured out of the Triumph Hotel.

  If he had eaten dirt a month ago, he would have swallowed his saliva, but now he just felt sick.

  But unlike him, these soldiers ate with relish, and a grain of fried beans could be washed down with a big gulp of beer.

  It can be seen that they usually eat some pig food.

  Although he was afraid of the guns in their hands, it did not prevent Kunar, who had already eaten and drunk enough, from looking down on these poor ghosts from the bottom of his heart.

  Without stopping in the lobby of the hotel, the gatekeeper took them directly to the “box” on the side of the cabin corridor.

  This was probably the captain’s or first mate’s bedroom before, but now it has been converted into a private room for VIPs. Three old sofas were placed in a circle in the not-so-spacious room, with a wooden coffee table in the middle. The pungent smell of tobacco and sweat mixed together, making people breathless.

  Five tall officers sat on the sofa, their red faces showing a 60% to 70% drunkenness and a 30% ruffian smile.

  Their coats were hung on the hangers at the door, and they were only wearing a white shirt. Each of them was holding a scantily clad girl in his arms. At first glance, it was hard to tell who was at the receiving end.

  ”You are the one called… ahem, what was it?”

  The officer sitting in the middle looked at the young man at the door, laughed, rubbed his red nose and continued, “I heard that you brought something that I am interested in?”

  ”Yes, respected Mr. Gergit, the captain of the Imperial Tiger Army,” Asin nodded slightly and said respectfully, “My name is Asin, and I have heard of your great name for a long time.”

  The air was quiet for two seconds.

  Gergit narrowed his eyes slightly, and the alcohol on his body suddenly sobered up a little. He looked at him with a smile and asked.

  ”Where did you hear my name from?”

  It was indeed this person.

  Asin’s face was expressionless, but he was relieved in his heart.

  He didn’t actually know the guy in front of him, but he heard from the fishermen who had recently returned from Jiaotou Bay that the leader of the thousand-man team on the mountain in the south was called Gergit. This person was a drunkard, and he often took a group of confidants down the mountain to the “Abandoned Ship Village” hotel to drink. Not only did he buy on credit every time, but he often drank all night and boasted without restraint when he was drunk.

  Of course –

  he couldn’t tell the guy the truth, so he used a vague statement.

  ”It was a nobleman who was in Golden Gallon Port, waiting for good news from His Majesty, who told me. He not only asked me to find Captain Gergit, but also told me firmly that you are responsible for the safety of this entire area.”

  The officer named Gergit narrowed his eyes even more, and his uncertain expression seemed to be weighing something.

  They have been here for less than two weeks, and someone has even figured out the defense situation here, and even who the officers stationed here are.

  The identity of this “nobleman” is probably not simple…

  Unable to make up his mind, Gergit stared at the young man in front of him and continued.

  ”You said you brought something I’m interested in? Where is the thing?”

  Asin glanced at Kurna who was following behind him. The latter swallowed quietly and walked forward with his head held high.

  Although he had carefully concealed it, his trembling hands still exposed his timidity.

  Looking at the two shaking hands, Gergit laughed at the dog and waved his index finger at his subordinate.

  ”I guess it’s a bag of black beans.” The latter smiled and snatched the sack from the clumsy guy, then quickly untied the hemp rope tied to the sack.

  However, at this moment, when he saw clearly what was in the sack, he was stunned.

  A whole sack of Xilan coins…

  He swallowed unconsciously.

  He had been a centurion for so many years, but he had never seen so much money!

  ”…Sir.” He quickly turned around and looked at the thousand-man commander, his eyes full of surprise and greed, and he almost wrote “Let’s do it” on his face.

  Gergit, who was sitting on the sofa, of course, also saw the sack full of banknotes. Although his reaction was not as exaggerated as his subordinates, he couldn’t help but freeze the smile on his face.

  He put down his legs that were resting on his knees, and pushed away the drunken girl who was sitting on his lap and whispering in his ear. He sat up straight and stared at the young man named Asin seriously, pointing his chin at the sack full of banknotes and asked.

  ”What is this?”

  ”It’s a gift that the nobleman asked me to give to you,” Asin nodded slightly, like a servant of a real wealthy family, and said politely, “I wonder if you are interested in this gift?”

  Kunal glanced at Asin next to him and gave him a surprised look.

  Before they set off, they clearly agreed that this was the “deposit” for the smuggled goods, how did it suddenly become a gift? !

  Gelgit also stared at the young man named Asin, with surprise, greed, and a subtle fear in his eyes.

  Unlike the simple-minded subordinate, he had to consider other issues besides money.

  The money in this sack was at least four or five hundred thousand, which was obviously not a huge sum that a poor rat man could come up with.

  His mind was spinning rapidly, and he almost went through the names of all the big names in the entire Golden Galleon Port, but he still couldn’t come up with any clues.

  The atmosphere in the hotel lobby was so heavy that it seemed like water could drip out. The two soldiers standing at the door had already unconsciously placed their hands near the guns under the hint of the centurion’s eyes.

  Kunal swallowed nervously, trying to think about his ship and the girls waiting for tickets, trying not to let the timid expression appear on his face.

  Staring at Asin for a long time, the centurion Gelgit spoke slowly.

  ”I ask you again, where does the money come from?”

  The voice was sharp, as sharp as the sight, like a dagger against the throat of the prey.

  Taking a deep breath of the turbid air, Asin tried to stay calm and continued.

  ”It’s inconvenient for him to reveal his name. Keeping it a secret is good for both you and me… You don’t want to be seen as a nuisance after the ceasefire comes into effect, do you?”

  ”What the hell did you say?” The centurion sitting on the sofa suddenly stood up in anger, and the pistol on his waist was already pulled out and pointed at Asin’s head.

  For a moment, Asin felt his hands and feet cold.

  In a trance, the man with the gun against his head seemed to have turned into Vikram – the wolf guy who was shot in the head by him.

  The way these people looked at him was probably the same as when he looked at Vikram at the beginning, as if he was looking at a dead person.

  Even if they were beaten by the alliance on the battlefield and fled in panic, even if their abilities were not much better than a pig, they were still unattainable big shots standing in front of him with power. They could kill him with just a flick of their fingers.

  But –

  he couldn’t die.

  His family had just started to live a good life, and the future would be even better. He had to send his younger brothers and sisters to study in Dawn City, find them an educated sister-in-law, buy a boat for his first friend Kunar, and feed those who were counting on him…

  He must not fall before dawn!

  The prostitutes sitting on the sofa were already stunned, and Kunar was also stunned by the sudden gun.

  Asin swallowed lightly, trying to hide the expression of fear behind his numb face, raised his hands lightly and stepped back half a step.

  ”Calm down… my friend, killing me will not change anything except dirtying your clothes.”

  The man had already opened the safety and thumbed the hammer, but just before he was about to pull the trigger, Gelgit spoke.

  ”What does that noble man need me to do?” He signaled the soldiers at the door with his eyes to take several prostitutes out of the house, and he looked at Asin with interest and asked.

  Looking at the muzzle of the gun that was removed from his head and the door that was closed beside him, Asin knew that this guy was really interested in what he said this time, so he calmed down and continued.

  ”It’s easy for you. You just need to turn a blind eye at the border and let the goods from the empire pass through the customs and enter the Golden Gallon Port. That gentleman can guarantee you that you will get 40% of the profit for every shipment that enters the port.”

  Gergit sneered.

  ”Your Majesty issued an edict strictly prohibiting all personnel and goods from entering the Golden Gallon Port. That ‘noble’ is really bold.”

  ”The entire border line is hundreds of kilometers long, and your Majesty can’t have eyes everywhere,” Asin continued calmly, “If he really had that ability, your supply situation would not be like it is now… I’m sorry I can’t find a more polite adjective to describe it, but you must know what I mean.”

  Gergit’s expression was slightly moved.

  That guy not only mastered the strategic deployment and even personnel arrangements of the Tiger Army, but also figured out their supply situation? !

  What the hell is this!

  He even had a vague idea of ​​the nobleman behind this guy.

  To have such a far-reaching influence on the military system of the empire, it could not be anyone else except Prince Dilip, not even Governor Nihak!

  But Prince Dilip should be imprisoned by the Alliance at this moment, could it be that the Alliance was also involved in this matter? !

  His heart was surging with turbulent waves, and Asin’s mind was also turning quickly, adding the last sentence to his previous impromptu speech.

  ”General Gurjit, it is unrealistic for His Majesty to expect to crush the Alliance with an embargo, after all, it is the people of the Empire who will be hurt. Similarly, it is not cost-effective for the Alliance to expect to feed the livestock of the whole city with a seaport. They have to constantly take money out of their pockets to buy corn to feed those people, and those people have to be full to have the strength to work.”

  ”What does this have to do with me?” Gurjit asked with narrowed eyes.

  ”It matters a lot,” Asin said seriously, “They don’t want the survivors of Golden Gallon Port to starve under their rule. If the goods exported from Banana Head Bay are related to the livelihoods of the local survivors, I think even if the Empire and the Alliance fall out again, they will not attack here.”

  He could not guarantee this, nor could he give any guarantee.

  However, he could not stop the centurion of Gelgit, who had already justified the identity of the “noble man” in his mind, from thinking wildly.

  It makes sense…

  If he were the commander of the Alliance, it would be fine to fire wherever he fired, so there was no need to fire at places with interests.

  Just thinking about this, he was already tempted. After pretending to be silent for a moment, he spoke.

  ”I don’t have time to calculate your profits. I want to take 20% of the transaction amount.”

  This is not a deal that he can do alone. He also needs to take care of some people, including the level of the Ten Thousand People’s Team.

  ”No problem!”

  Asin agreed immediately.

  Although he soon regretted that he agreed too quickly, it seemed that the other party was doing this for the first time and did not find anything unusual.

  The matter was decided happily.

  The thousand-man team under Gelgit’s command used the name of logistics procurement to cover the goods entering and leaving the border, and placed the merchants and goods in the fishing village of Jiaotou Bay, while the delivery of the payment and the negotiation of the transaction were completed in the hotel of “Abandoned Ship Town”.

  As their first business, Gelgit said that he could provide him with a batch of chickpeas and black beans with a total weight of 600 tons, and the price was 5 million Xilan coins.

  This batch of goods is equivalent to 4.2 Xilan coins per catty, which is even cheaper than the market price before the alliance landed in Jinjialun Port!

  At present, the price of a catty of beans has exceeded ten, and the profit of transporting this batch of beans back to Jinjialun Port and selling it is almost doubled!

  Although Gelgit generously waived the commission for the first transaction, Asin knew very well that this greedy guy must have included the commission in the total price.

  As for where and how so many beans were looted, he did not ask too much, after all, it was none of his business.

  He just proposed to buy a batch of two-headed cattle next time, and to ask Gergit to help keep an eye on the flax and dye merchants, and the latter readily agreed.

  The two parties agreed on the time for the payment of the goods.

  In order to show his sincerity in cooperation, Gergit even generously waved his hand and gave the hotel built on the abandoned ship directly to Asin.

  Anyway, it was just a matter of words for him.

  As for the original owner of this hotel, he was tied with stones and thrown into the sea by his men a week ago because he asked for money for wine and his nose was not big enough. He was

  so ignorant that he could run to this remote place to open a shabby hotel. Even if he was really a Willant, he must be a rat man among the Willants.

  Besides, wasn’t it his decision?

  The employees here didn’t even know that their boss had an accident, and they were still looking forward to the old man who claimed to be a Willant to come back to settle their wages.

  ”…Goodbye, my friend. This is the happiest meal I’ve ever had. I hope it will be the same in the future.”

  Standing at the door of the hotel, Gergit had a happy smile on his face. He stretched out his arm and hooked it around Asin’s shoulder while looking drunk.

  Since he was exiled to this hellhole, this was the first time he left without drinking until dawn.

  Asin nodded slightly respectfully and looked at the officer with a smile.

  ”Welcome to come again. I promise that when you come again in two days, you will be able to drink fine wine that is truly worthy of your noble status. Recently, many good things that can only be bought with silver coins have arrived in the Golden Gallon Port, including the wine of the residents of the shelter.”

  ”Haha! Then I have to look forward to it!”

  Gergit was overjoyed when he heard this. He smiled and patted the young man on the shoulder, expressing his attitude in front of his subordinates.

  Just looking at this close relationship, it is impossible to imagine that this guy’s subordinates just put a gun to the boy’s forehead.

  After watching the group of soldiers leave in the south direction, Asin patted his shoulder gently until they were far away. Just

  like brushing off the dust there.

  The young men standing in front of the hotel looked at the boss with reverence, as if they were looking at a god.

  However, they didn’t know that their boss had almost exhausted all his strength just standing here without lying down.

  ”It’s faster than I thought. I originally planned to buy this place after making my first pot of gold, but it happened before that…”

  After clearing his throat that was about to break, Asin regained his original tone of voice.

  He first pretended to be relaxed and looked at the hotel behind him, and then glanced at Kunal, who almost had the word “worship” engraved on his face.

  ”There will be many guests here in the future, we have to renovate it… at least improve its grade.”

  ”Yes, boss! I’ll find someone to do it right away.” Kunal straightened his back, looking like a loyal soldier, and he didn’t doubt the “general’s” order at all.

  Asin nodded, then looked at the low shack next to him, and the pairs of pupils full of fear hidden in the dark corners.

  Before, those eyes dared to look at him unscrupulously, but now they dared not even meet his gaze.

  However, there was no ridicule or mockery in his heart.

  The most important thing he learned from the empire’s disastrous defeat in Kingalen Port was unity. He was always thinking about how to unite these poor people like him.

  Money and dignity.

  He just happened to have some extra to give them.

  ”Kunar, my friend, you are right… We do need a ship to do the work, and here happens to be a group of ‘sailors’ who are not very experienced but barely usable.”

  He paused, thought and said softly.

  ”We can just find some work for them to do.”

  (End of this chapter)