Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 191 Blood Beads Disaster in the World
The southern tip of Daming, the coast of the South China Sea.

Tonkin Bay borders Leizhou Prefecture and Qiongzhou Prefecture in the east, Lianzhou Prefecture in the north, and Annan in the west. Because this sea area is rich in South China Sea pearls, the Ming court set up a pearl pool here.

During the Zhengtong period, the imperial court formally dispatched two internal officials to divide the towns into Leizhou and Zhuchi in Lianzhou, and built a factory by the pond to guard against theft.

Because Emperor Hongzhi is about to get married, the court needs a lot of pearls. Now the Ministry of Households is leading the mining of South Sea pearls here with the assistance of the Ministry of Industry.

June, this is a sunny and good time.

Rivers in the Ming Dynasty usually run from west to east, like the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Pearl River, but there are exceptions.Like the Ganjiang River running from south to north, and the Nanliu River running from north to south.

The Nanliu River runs through the entire Lianzhou Prefecture, passes through Hepu County, and then flows into Tokyo Bay.

Since the beginning of pearl fishing, Hepu Wharf has become more lively than ever. There are 600 sea-going ships and more than [-] soldiers and civilians.

Amidst the crowing of seagulls, Qian Ke drove towards the blue sea and blue sky.

A large area of ​​sea where pearl fishing was prohibited in the past is now open to Danhu, and Danhu will fish out pearl shells that have been raised for ten or even a hundred years.

There will be a "master ship" in every sea area, and this master ship will be in charge of all pearl-digging matters, and all the pearl-digging ships around will obey the master ship.

It is definitely not an easy task to fish for pearls in this vast sea.

According to the long-standing operation method, more than two people need to work together to pick pearls.One person tied a long rope around his waist, carried a basket into the water to pick pearl shells, and immediately shook the rope when the pearl shells were picked, so that the people on the boat would pull up.

This pearl fishing activity is accompanied by a very high risk of life. Once the person pulling the rope does not pull the person out of the water in time or the rope breaks, the diving Danhu will stay on the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.

From ancient times to the present, there are not a few people who died because of pearl fishing.

It's just that "birds die for food, and people die for wealth." According to the records of "Eaves Exposure Miscellaneous Notes", a pearl that weighs three qian and is of good quality costs more than 2000 taels, while a pearl of good quality that weighs seven or eight cents It can also be worth [-] taels.

It is not just the court that needs pearls, but the people’s desire for pearls is undiminished. Some wealthy families who believe in Buddhism often spend tens of thousands of taels of rosary.

Just like this, although the risk of pearl fishing is extremely high, many pearl divers not only commit the crime of stealing pearl oysters.

If they are too concerned about their own safety to venture into the deep sea, it is difficult to collect large pearl oysters.If one ventures into the deep sea to fish for pearls, the pearl fishers are likely to be overwhelmed and die.

Fortunately, there is a diving bell now, but it has brought good news to Dando who came to pick pearls this time.

Although more personnel are needed to place and maintain the diving bell, Dando, who went into the sea, can be said to be like a fish in water in the deep sea after breathing on the seabed through the diving bell.

The amount harvested in the first ten days alone has surpassed the amount harvested in the last one month of pearl fishing by the imperial court, and the quality of the pearls produced is not only large but also very bright in color, and the number of large-scale pearls has reached dozens.

Although pearls are usually distinguished by weight, luster is the soul of pearls, so only large pearls with round luster can be called great products.

Lightness, weight, roundness, and size are the four characters to measure the value of pearls, and this pearl hunting can be said to be a good year for Danhu.

After the pearl-digging team divided into several areas, the battle of hundreds of boats had disappeared just now, and the various pearl-digging teams were scattered in this endless pearl pool like celestial maidens scattering flowers.

With the ingenious design of the craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry, the diving bell was suspended between the two boats, and then slowly sank into the sea. This diving bell provided seabed ventilation for the surrounding adventurers to go down to the sea.

It was noon, on the southwest sea area of ​​Zhuchi in Lianzhou.

More than a dozen teams entered the water one after another, and many Danhus had the ambition of picking up the Nanzhu King, so as to exchange for a fortune by picking the Nanzhu King.

Shuisheng is a well-known diving expert among the Danhu community. Although he is only 17 years old, his father has drowned in the sea in his early years, and now he is already a relatively experienced diver in Danhu.

Unlike some Danhus who like to be lazy and seek stability, he likes the risky challenge of pearl hunting from the bottom of his heart, and he also has the dream of picking the South Pearl King.

Lianzhou Zhuchi has been divided into several areas, and the sea area where they are now is the devil sea that made Danhu turn pale when he heard about it.

Although the Devil's Sea can often produce high-quality pearls, it is the most dangerous sea area because it is located in the deep sea area and piranhas often appear.

It’s just that the high-quality pearls here still attract ambitious Danhus like Shuisheng to come to “digging for gold”.

"Shuisheng, if you encounter a piranha, don't panic! The piranha is actually blind, as long as you avoid it, it will not attack you!" Shuisheng's second uncle was in charge of pulling the rope on the boat, looking very serious warned.

Shuisheng nodded slightly, and after taking a deep breath, he plunged into the sea.

Because the sun is shining brightly now, the visibility on the bottom of the sea is very high, the sand on the bottom of the sea looks very white, and colorful fish schools are looking for food in the reef.

The moment Shuisheng entered the water, he felt that the underwater world was very quiet, as if he had come to another world.

When he reached the bottom of the sea, he suddenly heard some strange calls coming from a distance.

He knew that he was actually racing against time now, and he didn't care about this strange voice. He was looking for big pearl shells in this sea area by using his ability to hold his breath, which was different from ordinary people.

There are a lot of pearl oysters in this area, but in order to maximize the profit, it is necessary to select large pearl oysters for picking, and he quickly found a qualified pearl oyster.

The pearl oyster was attached to the rock, so he picked up a cone-shaped stone next to it, and hit the pearl oyster on the rock three times, and the pearl oyster fell off the rock.

moo...

Just as he was just putting the pearl shells he picked into his bamboo basket, a cry seemed to come from his ears, which immediately aroused Shui Sheng's vigilance.

When I looked into it, I saw a 20-meter-long giant shark swimming past a coral reef not far away, scaring several Danhus around to try their best to swim upstream.

No one expected that they really encountered the legendary piranha in the Devil's Sea, and panic quickly spread in the surrounding ten households.

It's just that risks and benefits go hand in hand, and now that piranhas appear here, it shows that the possibility of large pearls here has risen rapidly, and there may be a lucky person who can pick large pearls here.

Shui Sheng was not overly nervous when he saw this huge monster, but observed the whereabouts of this giant dragon, so as to judge whether he should run away or stay where he was.

goo goo...

A young man, Danhu, was so nervous that his ankle got stuck in the coral reef. He was so frightened that he hurriedly pulled the rope on his body and asked his companions to pull him up.

It’s just that he actually made the most serious mistake of a pearl diver. There have always been old people who have taught him to try to get his feet out first, instead of blindly letting the accomplices above him pull him up.

Snapped!
The companion above did pull up hard, but that Danhu's foot was stuck too tightly.In a tug, the rope tied to the young Danhu's body was directly torn.

goo goo...

Seeing that the rope tied to his body had been torn, the young Danhu became even more flustered, and kept spitting air bubbles out of his mouth.

Although he still wanted to struggle to get his foot out, it had no effect at all, and the left foot was still firmly stuck in the coral reef.

The rope was broken in this deep sea area, and one foot was still stuck in the coral reef. It can be said that this young man Dando must die.

But this is the fate of their pearl divers. There are countless pearl divers who have been drowned since ancient times. It seems that this young man who does not listen to the old man's teaching is not bad.

Shuisheng is a very kind person, and in the end he chose to swim over.

After peeling off a few seaweeds tied to the young Danhu's feet, he helped the young Danhu take his left foot out of the coral reef, but his face suddenly froze.

In the crevices of the coral reef, there is actually a very large pearl oyster hidden.This pearl oyster is dark brown, which proves that it is very old, and the possibility of producing large pearls is very high.

A crazy thought flashed across Shui Sheng immediately, this might be the Nanzhu King that everyone has been thinking about all the time.

As in the past, as long as whoever can pick the biggest pearl, they will be able to receive a special gift from His Majesty, which is also the best way for them to change their destiny.

Shui Sheng's heart was pounding, and he faintly felt that the moment to change his destiny had come.

It's just that he didn't forget that there are more important things now. He immediately took this young man who was almost unconscious, Danhu, away from here, but he planned to save this colleague.

Since there is not enough time to float to the surface, and the weight of the two of them can easily break the rope, it can be said that it is extremely urgent at this moment.

Fortunately, the diving bell was not far away from them, and he immediately took the young man Danhu to swim there.

call……

When the two of them got into the diving bell and called for the air, they felt like they had escaped from the sky, and the young man Danhu was panting heavily.

The young man Danhu had dark skin and a strong body, looking at the piece of coral reef that almost killed him just now with lingering fear.

If it wasn't for the young man in front of him who just shot in time, his foot would still be stuck in the coral reef, and he would have drowned naturally.

"I'll take you up!" Shui Sheng saw that this man was obviously terrified, and Dang even gestured kindly.

The young man Danhu shook his head lightly, but he didn't know whether he didn't want others to know that he was rescued by the young man in front of him, or he didn't want to take up the pearl-hunting time of the aquatics, so he immediately swam up along the diving bell.

Shui Sheng noticed that giant shark passed by again, this time it made a "moo" sound, as if announcing its sovereignty.

The biggest difficulty in pearl hunting is actually finding pearls. Even though this is a pearl pool, it is not easy to find pearl oysters in this vast sea.

After Shui Sheng saw the giant shark leave, he thought of what he had just discovered in the coral reef, and he always believed in his heart that there was a good pearl in that big pearl oyster.

After taking a deep breath from the diving bell, he took out his dagger this time and swam towards the coral reef, returning to the place where he had just discovered the big pearl oyster.

In view of the lesson of the person just now, he first dealt with the seaweed next to him, and then started to pick pearl oysters.Since the pearl oyster is in the crevice of the coral reef, some surrounding stones need to be cleaned.

Cleaning up rocks is a very simple matter on land, but now in the deep sea, it is a double test for his diving ability and physical strength.

The difficulty of picking this pearl oyster can be said to be ten times that of ordinary pearl oysters, but he still chose to take a gamble.

Fortunately, hard work pays off.

After a lot of hard work, Shui Sheng finally managed to harvest this old pearl oyster with the help of the diving bell next to him for constant ventilation.After putting the old pearl oyster in the basket, he pulled the rope around his waist.

Shuisheng's second uncle saw that the rope finally moved, and quickly pulled him up.

The work of pulling people is very skillful, similar to fishing, but you can't pull hard all at once, but you have to use firm but gentle strength, so that the rope is not easy to break.

Snapped!
It's just that bad things happened after all. Because the rope they used was of poor quality, it suddenly broke when it was halfway pulled.

Whoa!
In the terrified eyes of the second uncle Shuisheng, Shuisheng suddenly popped his head out of the sea relying on his watery nature, while still holding the hard-won big pearl shell in his hand.

"Come up!" Shuisheng's second uncle had already treated Shuisheng like a son, and when he saw that Shuisheng came up safe and sound, he happily pulled him onto the boat.

Uh...

In the afternoon, the main ship blew the rendezvous number, and the surrounding pearl boats approached the main ship one after another.

The main ship has special personnel responsible for prying pearls, and another small eunuch is responsible for recording the results of each Danhu's pearl picking, and then handing over all the pearls to the guarding eunuch in charge of the Leizhou Pearl Pool.

For Danhu, the most exciting part is the prying link.

"Haha... Pry open my pearl shell first, this may be the king of pearls!"

"Zhao Si, have you ever picked a high-quality pearl in your life? You still clamored to pick the king of Nanzhu every day!"

"Give way, all of you, take a look at my big guy, this time it will be a big pearl!"

……

A group of Danhus came to the main ship with baskets. Since the pearl shells had to be pried open and registered here, many Danhus seemed eager to yell.

Experienced Danhu can roughly judge the age of pearl oysters with just a glance. Although pearls are not only big, but also pay attention to color, shape and weight, everyone usually starts with old pearl oysters.

The old pearl oysters that Shuisheng worked so hard to pick were only ranked second. An old Danhu in front confidently put his large pearl oysters on the skid platform and handed them over to professional personnel for processing.

All the Dan households knew the reason why old pearls produce big pearls, and they immediately watched with bated breath.

"Too flat!"

"There is no luster at all!"

"It's a pity, the bead is crooked!"

……

All the Danhus shook their heads when they saw the pearl oyster being pried open skillfully, but saw the strange shape and colorless pearl.

Zhao Si originally had great hopes for this old pearl, but when he saw such a result, he couldn't help sighing secretly.

This is the fate of their pearl divers. They always hold out great hopes to pry open the pearl shells, but the first time the results are always not satisfactory.

"Ah? This... luster!"

"It's too round, it's perfectly round!"

"Nanzhu King has finally appeared, God bless Daming!"

……

When they saw the old aquatic pearl oyster being pried open, everyone felt a flash of light in front of their eyes, staring in disbelief at the plump, shiny super-large pearl.

"Hurry up, put it in a sandalwood box quickly, God bless Daming!" The little eunuch saw that the area he was in charge had actually pried out the Nanzhu King, and was immediately excited and nervous.

"Shuisheng, we're going to send it!" Shuisheng's second uncle saw that it was the King of Nanzhu, and shouted with joy, dancing and dancing.

Since they released the King of Pearls, even if they released high-grade pearls, they would not be as crazy as before.

It's just that this is the famous Devil's Sea Territory after all. Although others failed to find the big pearls, the quality is generally very high, so it can be said that they have gained a lot.

But they didn't know that just as they were cheering for the Nanzhu King, the young Danhu who had just been rescued by Shuisheng had already quietly released a signal flare.

"pirate!"

"The pirates are here!"

"Everyone, run away!"

……

The people on the main ship didn't realize that several pirate ships had approached quietly, and by the time they found out, it was already too late.

puff!
puff!
puff!
……

A massacre fell silently, and countless arrows were shot at the main ship.

These pirates seemed to be well-trained, but they had successfully boarded the ship before they organized a counterattack, and beheaded anyone they saw.

"Second Uncle!" Shui Sheng saw his Second Uncle died under the knife of the pirates, and immediately shouted with tears in his eyes.

puff!
Before the little eunuch who was holding the sandalwood box of Nanzhu King could escape, he died under the knife of a scarred man.

The sandalwood box in the little eunuch's hand fell, and just as the box was opened, the plump and heavy pearl rolled aside.

The pirate who was killing only felt a flash of light in front of him, and the moment he saw the pearl, his eyes stared straight.

"Kill them all, absolutely no one is allowed to live!" When the man with the scar picked up the Nanzhu King on the ground, his eyes immediately beamed with joy.

puff!
puff!
puff!
……

This gang of pirates had a strong combat effectiveness, and they carried out indiscriminate killings against the Danhus and soldiers on board.

Shui Sheng found out that this group of pirates was ridiculously strong, and suddenly met the young man he had rescued earlier, and was punched heavily in the abdomen, causing him to fall to the ground.

The opponent held the knife against his neck, but suddenly wiped his face forcefully, and there was an unpleasant smell of blood on his face.

"Quickly check if there are any survivors, set fire to evacuate immediately, the Ming army will arrive soon!" the man with the scar glanced towards the east, and immediately urged.

puff!
puff!
puff!
……

The corpse was quickly repaired by this group of well-trained pirates. The group of pirates set fire to it before leaving, and successfully evacuated here before the patrolling guards arrived.

When Kang Chengen, commander of the Shendian Guard, arrived, the group of pirates had already fled.

Closer to home, although Zhu Youtang, who is thousands of miles away from the capital city, knew that a group of pirates had suddenly attacked the pearl fishing ship and even killed dozens of people, he did not know who did it.

What's more, although Shuisheng escaped by chance, the eunuch of Leichi Town did not believe Shuisheng's words, so he didn't know that King Nanzhu was alive.

The most serious thing in Zhu Youtang's hands was the news from Huguang that the inn where Liu Zhong, governor of Huguang lived, was set on fire, and Liu Zhong was almost killed in the flames.

(End of this chapter)