The boat continued to travel for about an hour, and the sky began to brighten, and then a sunrise could be seen rising from the horizon. In an instant, the entire sea surface seemed to be covered with a golden veil, which looked really beautiful. Jiang Xia has been standing on the deck, so she can see the beauty of the sunrise on the sea. He has lived in Fuqing County for a long time and has seen this beautiful scenery several times, but he still feels that relaxed and happy feeling every time he sees it. But soon, Jiang Xia's face changed slightly, and she whispered to herself: "Here we come." In the distance, five ships were approaching them in an arc. Among these five boats, four are serial boats and one is a fire dragon boat. This fire dragon ship is not an ordinary thing, it is a warship that only the Ming Navy can have. The bow of the ship is covered with iron sheets and has brass spikes on it. There are five cannons installed on the hull. It is definitely a weapon in naval warfare. On the masts of the five ships, there is a canvas with writing on it, and the word "Tonghai" is written on it. Obviously, these five ships all belong to the Tonghai Gang. But it's normal when you think about it, because twenty miles further by sea is Zhouji Island. You can't meet anyone from the Tonghai Gang here, so the Tonghai Gang's illustrious reputation can only be said to be a reputation. Jiang Xia¡¯s boat gradually slowed down after seeing the Tonghai Gang¡¯s boat. In the end, they simply lowered the canvas and stopped there waiting for the Tonghai Gang's boat to come up. Sensing that the ship was no longer moving forward, Jiang Xia, Xia Lin, Hai Dayou, Mao Wensong and the two cadres he brought also walked out of the cabin together. Six people stood on the deck waiting. Mao Wensong and the two cadres he brought with him kept breathing and looked very nervous. On the other hand, Jiang Xia and the other three were calm and composed, their expressions not changing at all. Mao Wensong glanced at Jiang Xia secretly, and suddenly remembered what he had said before, so he forced himself to straighten his waist, and kept saying to himself: "You must not let this kid see your jokes, you must not " "You guys, you didn't take the road to heaven, but you just broke in because there is no way to hell. You guys are in a good mood today. Leave as soon as you have a cup of tea, otherwise the uncle's mood will deteriorate and he will chop them into pieces and drink them." On the fire dragon boat, there was a man who was more than six feet tall, with a big waist and a full beard, carrying a steel knife. He shouted loudly at Jiang Xia and the others. Jiang Xia turned back and glanced at Mao Wensong, implying that it's time for you to speak up. Who knew that Mao Wensong directly gave Jiang Xia a look at his eyes, nose and nose, looking like an old monk in meditation. Although he didn't say anything, the meaning was already very obvious. That means beating me to death, and I won't even talk to him. Jiang Xia shook his head helplessly, then took two steps forward, stood at the bow of the ship, clasped his fists and saluted the big man, and said: "Jiang Xia from Fuqing County has met this uncle, and asked him to inform Gang Leader Cao that he is from Fuqing." The county magistrate came here specifically to discuss with Gang Leader Cao about the release of Gang Leader Cao's parents, wife and children. " Jiang Xia's words were so clear that even Mao Wensong could not help but admire them in his heart. No wonder this person was entrusted with such an important task by Xia County Magistrate. He is indeed different from ordinary people. When the big man heard Jiang Xia's words, his expression suddenly softened. He muttered in his mouth: "You officials are so kind-hearted that you are damned." However, even though he muttered like this, in the end the big man still said to Jiang Xia: "You guys come with me." After that, the big man shouted: "Turn the sails, return to the nest." "Turn the sails, return to the nest." A group of pirates shouted loudly, and then the five Tonghai Gang ships began to turn around and headed for Zhouji Island heading in the direction. Their five boats led the way, while Jiang Xia and the others followed behind in their boats. Not long after sailing, Jiang Xia saw Zhouji Island from a distance. There are many desert islands in the waters around Fujian. Every year a few appear out of nowhere, and then a few are inexplicably submerged. The wonder of nature is beyond human comprehension. Zhouji Island itself is also a deserted island, but since Cao Zhi led his people to occupy it, there has been a lot of improvement here. There are well-constructed docks and stacked houses, which make it look like a paradise. After the boat docked, the big man yelled at Jiang Xia and the others: "Wait on the boat first, and I'll go ask Master Cao if he wants to see you." Jiang Xia smiled slightly at the big man, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you. ." The big man looked at Jiang Xia and smiled. He said: "There are a few people with eggs under their crotches, and none of them are young boys who know how to deal with things. They have spent most of their years living like dogs, right?" As he said that, the big man stared hard at Mao Wensong and said,Then he sneered: "Officer" Then he shook his head, jumped ashore and walked to the island. Jiang Xia and the others waited on the boat for about an hour, but no one came to tell them to go in and see Cao Zhi. Jiang Xia had expected this, because if it were him, he would do the same. Show off your power, who doesn't know how to do this? But Mao Wensong began to lose his composure half an hour ago. He kept saying: "A mere pirate dares to show off to me. Come on, let's go back. The worst we can do is not see him." Mao Wensong has already said this. After saying this several times, Jiang Xia finally couldn't help but look up at Mao Wensong and said lightly: "What? Do you think you can come to Zhouji Island when you want and leave when you want?" "What? Is it possible? Do they still dare to detain the imperial officials?" Mao Wensong roared angrily. But as soon as he finished speaking, he was greeted with several looks that looked like he was looking at an idiot. Even the two cadres brought by Mao Wensong looked at him a little strangely. "After all, this matter is obvious. I dare to commit pirates, so how can I be afraid of you, a mere eighth-grade county magistrate?" Mao Wensong may have realized that he had made a mistake in what he said, and after humming twice, he stopped talking. After waiting for more than an hour, when Mao Wensong and the others' stomachs rumbled, the big man they met earlier finally walked out slowly. The big man waved to Jiang Xia and the others and said: "Come along, Master Cao has decided to see you." Phew Mao Wensong breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He had lost his temper and now just wanted to see you quickly. Cao Zhi. Then he negotiated everything with Cao Zhi, and then left here by boat. We got ashore and walked all the way to the island. After passing a bluestone road and turning into a grassland planted with silver fir trees, Jiang Xia and his party finally saw a large courtyard. The entrance of the courtyard is like a house of a wealthy family. It has nine stone stairs, a majestic lion, a vermilion gate, and a copper ring with an animal mouth on the door. The door was wide open at the moment, and there were two teams of sturdy guards standing on the left and right sides, wearing uniform black uniforms and holding bright steel knives in their hands. After the big man crossed the threshold, he waved to Jiang Xia and the others and said, "Please hurry up a little bit. Our Master Cao's time is precious and we don't have time to wait for you." Jiang Xia nodded slightly to the big man and sped up. . After passing through the front yard, everyone came to a large playground. At the end of the playground was the main courtyard. On the main hall of the main courtyard, there are large gold-lacquered characters hanging, which read the four words "Yi Hai Hao Qing". Jiang Xia looked at those four words, rolled her eyes slightly, then lowered her head and followed the big man into the main hall. In the main hall, a man who looked to be in his thirties was sitting on the main seat. He was holding a steaming tureen teacup in his hand, and he was blowing the steam gently with his mouth. People in Fuzhou Prefecture rumored that Cao Zhi was eight feet tall, six feet wide, with a strong back and a strong waist, and was extremely powerful. It likes to eat human flesh raw, and has two nine-inch long fangs on its upper jaw. But since the man dared to sit upright at this moment, he was undoubtedly Cao Zhi. ? Observing this person carefully, he is less than six feet tall, has a thin build, and has a pale face without a beard. Wearing a green shirt and long coat, he looks more like a scholar than a pirate leader. Of course, this person¡¯s original identity was that of a scholar. He was also a scholar in Yunshan Town, Fuqing County, which was only less than thirty miles away from Taohua Town. Seeing Jiang Xia and the others come in, Cao Zhi put down the teacup in his hand and looked up at Mao Wensong and the others. His bright eyes carefully looked at each of Jiang Xia and the others, and finally his eyes were accurately placed on Mao Wensong and said: "My lord, Cao Zhi, who is the county prime minister, Mr. Mao Wensong?" Before Mao Wensong could reveal his identity, , Jiang Xia, Xia Lin and the others all looked at Mao Wensong. Mao Wensong coughed twice, shook the hem of his clothes and said, "I am the official." "Oh." Cao Zhi nodded lightly, then picked up the tea cup again, took a careful sip of tea, and said: "Come here, drag him out and kill him." Soon, four men came out from both sides of the hall, holding Cao Zhi on the left and right, and pulled him out of the main hall without saying anything. Mao Wensong was shocked and shouted loudly: "Let me go. I am an official of the imperial court. If you kill me, your family will be confiscated and your clan will be exterminated. Let me go" Hai Dayou quietly touched his lower back with his right hand. There lay a short knife. Just when he was about to pull out the knife, Jiang Xia patted Hai Dayou's hand. Then he took two steps forward and suddenly laughed twice, "Hahahaha They all say that Cao Zhi, the leader of the Tonghai Gang, is so powerful, but it turns out it's nothing more than that. I, a little servant, feel that I look down on you. "Wait a minute," Cao Zhi ordered lightly, then looked at Jiang Xia and said, "YouPlease make it clear what you mean by this, otherwise I cannot guarantee that I will spare your life just because you are just a servant. " Jiang Xia snorted lightly, his voice full of disdain. He looked at Cao Zhi and asked with a joking face: "Isn't it said in the world that Gang Leader Cao likes to eat human flesh raw? What, now we just kill people and don¡¯t eat meat? Oryou think Master Mao is too old and his flesh is too old to taste? Come on, come on, you can eat from me. I am young and my skin and flesh are very tender. " With that said, Jiang Xia pulled out a dagger from his right boot, pointed the handle at Cao Zhi, and then strode up to Cao Zhi. Jiang Xia's move immediately stunned everyone. Including Cao Zhi. , at this moment, he was also looking at Jiang Xia in a daze.