open sea

Chapter 312 Tavern
Luzon, Manila.

Wall lamps were lit in the gloomy tavern. Sailors of different skin colors collided violently holding wooden wine glasses, shouting anecdotes and strange stories heard on the distant sea route.

Sailors are a pack of hungry wolves.

The plump maid wandered around with the food tray, and she was not angry when she was licked from time to time. She smiled coquettishly in the crowded tavern like a duck in water, like a butterfly flying among the flowers.

Noisy and foul wine, oil and dust on the candlesticks.

Li Dan was sitting by the window, he was used to smelling the salty smell of the sea breeze with his nose, just like when Chen Mu was in the far north, he always had to take one of the bird guns and pipes to feel at ease.

Beside him are righteous brother Hua Yu and Japanese Zhuang Gong, Li Dan's most trusted brother and Lin Feng's best Japanese swordsman.

A large Spanish ship anchored not far from the shore slowly rises and falls with the waves. On the pier, local workers wearing ragged trousers struggle to hold wooden barrels. Their captain lit his pipe as he passed the port checkpoint, and his guards yelled at the drunken Japanese mercenaries who were dragging the Luzon woman.

Keep them away.

It was obviously a nobleman, he had a black plate armor that was different from others, revealing tight white socks that were longer than his thighs, each part of the plate armor was trimmed with dark red piping, and a hand gun and a long sword were stuck in his waist.

This is the largest city in Luzon. It used to be a trading center, but now it is a military center for the Spaniards.It is extremely prosperous here, and the ships that come and go even exceed Haojing. Since the Spaniards gradually gained an absolute advantage in the Inca War, silver from the end of the world was transported here, and then Ming merchants replaced it with goods and transported it to the other end.

Li Dan looked away from the low city wall on the edge of the port. The wood grain on the old window frame was rough, and the moisture made the color of the wood darker and decayed day by day.

"Japitan Li Dan!"

Li Dan turned his head when he heard the call that was close at hand. Sitting opposite was the Spanish pirate Faricat. Sell ​​it to Haojing to sell the stolen goods.

Farikat brought a stranger, a young and proud Spanish nobleman, who examined Li Dan with critical eyes, and then reluctantly nodded to Farikat reservedly, who immediately spoke to Li Dan introduce.

"In front of you is the grandson of His Excellency Regaspi, the governor of the Philippines, the captain of the navy who expedition to Manila and won, and the commander of the Manila regiment, Juan Salcedo."

Li Dan raised his eyebrows, the proud naval captain in front of him looked about his age.At sea, Li Dan has cleaned up several Spanish fleets in the past two years, and the colonel is already a very important official, not to mention the commander of the Manila Army, which is the same official position as the general soldier in Li Dan's mind.

He nodded and took a sip from the wine glass. Even though he had lived in Manila for a long time, he still couldn't get used to the weird taste in the wine. He looked at the wine glass and frowned, "What do you want me to do?"

"Pay attention to your body..."

Farikate yelled, but was interrupted by Salcedo raising his hand. His chin seemed to always be slightly raised, and he said: "Don't be so cruel to our new friend. You were a pirate in the past, but now you are a Spanish pirate." Honorable captain, especially when you have a Christian in front of you."

Farikat lowered his head slightly.

Salcedo was very satisfied that the pirate leader was so docile in front of him, he raised the corner of his mouth and said to Li Dan: "Faricat said, you have a way to bypass the city defense and enter Nanyangwei Port, and you are also familiar with the terrain of Guangdong, so you can be a guide , not to mention there are three hundred fighters who are good at fighting."

"The Spanish Empire needs your help. If you want, when we capture Guangdong, you can choose any place. The land you see is yours."

Li Dan shook his head and smiled disdainfully, "You can't win."

"I fought with your ship. It wasn't just a few small boats. You called it Fuchuan, right? My soldiers were hard to restrain. Two small boats found it. There were no artillery but poor stupid guns. My sailors boarded it. Surrendered without dying a few people behind the ship."

"The battle lasted only as long as my ship sailed to the battlefield. I didn't kill them. I asked the soldiers to return the goods and compensate them for their losses. I know that China is rich and the soldiers are not brave.. After taking Guangdong , the first river you see, and the land you see on both sides of the river, are yours."

Li Dan thought to himself, this idiot, the first river I saw in Guangdong was called the Pearl River.

The reward was considerable, but Li Dan was displeased by his words. He spread his hands and said, "Maybe you can win for a while, but how many troops do you have? From Luzon to Guangzhou, you can't supply enough supplies, and the cities along the Ming Dynasty can be used as troops." Supplies, once the war is slightly frustrated, you can only retreat to the sea, these promises do not count, Da Ming will not give me land, only the knife of beheading."

"You don't need to stick to it for a long time." Salcedo is sure of winning, with the same vigor as his age, and said: "As long as you stick to it for half a year, get one or two decent victories, or even capture a city and loot it, the empire will send a steady stream of people." brave fighters, we will not lose."

Li Dan seemed helpless, he looked at Salcedo, and said, "Commander Da Ming Nanyang is my adoptive father, let his son betray his father?"

This time, Salcedo turned to Faricat, "What does he want?"

Farikat laughed and said, "Only silver can make a son betray his father, and a priest betray God, Your Excellency."

"For 2 taels of silver, I will give you 5000 taels first. Before October, you will recruit Filipino Han Chinese and Malays. Before the war, I will give you another 5000 taels. The remaining 1 taels will depend on your role in the war. "

Salcedo raised his chin and looked at Li Dan: "Huh?"

"The adoptive father is not a blood relative." Li Dan quickly moved his tongue across his lips, raised three fingers, and said, "3 taels, give it to me all at once, and I will recruit at least a thousand soldiers before the war begins."

Salcedo didn't speak to Li Dan again, he got up and put his hand on Faricat's shoulder, and turned to leave the tavern.

The Spaniards in the tavern sang songs about conquest. Through the old wooden windows, Salcedo's servants were waiting outside with a tall, healthy horse. He got on the horse and drifted away.

"You know, he asked me to get you drunk, and killed you after getting out of the way into Weigang, and gave me five thousand reais, which is less than 500 taels." Farikat scrubbed his chin, using a slightly unfamiliar expression He said in Chinese: "I'm thinking, it might be more cost-effective to kill you and escape into the sea after he gives you the silver."

Li Dan ignored him, pointed to the captain of the guard at the port outside the window, and asked, "Who is that, and where will he be when the war starts?"

"Martin de Goitti, another grandson of the governor, the commander of Manila, also a captain of the navy, the plate armor on his body was bought from Milan, the best armor in the world, and the crimson piping symbolizes his dedication to Spain's loyalty. No doubt you'll see him in Manila at last."

Li Dan nodded, glanced out of the window again, and then withdrew his gaze and said, "I like his armor."

"You will get it." Farikat smiled with squinted eyes, raised his glass and bumped towards Li Dan: "I want a piece of land in Manila that is enough, and a chartered route between Manila and Haojing."

"Respect General Chen!"

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)