Chapter 2, Joining the Partnership

"Those with the surname Long, get off the ship quickly!" Chen San shouted at Long Yufei, who stood still.

Alright! Uncle Zhao nodded, then looked at Long Yufei, feeling somewhat wary of this unfamiliar face

"Yes, Captain!" Li Hu replied and ran into the cabin, quickly emerging with a firearm.

The Berka rifle uses round bullets, with the ammunition loaded at the front. The firing mechanism is flintlock, and the maximum range is 200 meters, but the effective range is only up to 100 meters. Beyond 100 meters, it lacks lethality against the human body.

The speed of the pirate ship is not fast; even in favorable winds, it is only about ten knots. Gradually, Long Yufei became familiar with life on the ship. Aside from the young pirate who had threatened him, who continued to treat him with disdain, the other pirates showed him a degree of respect.

At this moment, the old man with the surname Zhao nodded slightly, which could be considered as his acknowledgment of Long Yufei

Long Yufei could not help but feel a sense of luck; fortunately, he had passed the sixth level of English. If he had been completely unable to speak it, he would have been exposed this time. As for what would happen after being exposed, it was obvious without thinking. This was the stronghold of this group of pirates, and to ensure their safety, those pirates would certainly kill to silence anyone. After all, killing a few people was completely routine for these pirates

Regarding Chen San's warning, Long Yufei did not take it to heart. He noticed that Luo Sangu held a high reputation among the pirates. Although Chen San had intentions towards Luo Sangu, it seemed that Luo Sangu did not share those feelings. To put it simply, it was merely unrequited love on Chen San's part

"Master, has this journey gone smoothly?" an elderly man with white hair inquired.

Uncle Zhao, he is named Long Yufei, and he was rescued by us on the road. He previously studied in the United Kingdom, and during his return journey, the ship he was on met with an accident. We saved his life when we passed by. Now he has joined us!

The pirates widened their eyes; compared to firearms, they preferred using knives, as the sensation of the blade piercing flesh seemed to excite them even more. However, Long Feiyu's marksmanship still earned their deep admiration

Later, from Huzi, Long Yufei learned that this old man with the surname Zhao was named Zhao Yi. His ancestors were also scholars, but due to circumstances, he had to drift overseas and became one of them. Zhao Yi was quite skilled in firearms manufacturing, and all their firearms repairs and related tasks were handled by Zhao Yi and his two sons. This made Long Yufei even more curious about Zhao Yi's background, wondering if there was any connection between him and the firearms expert Zhao Shizhen from the Ming Dynasty. After all, in contemporary China, there are not many Chinese who understand firearms.

The leader of this group of pirates is named Luo Sangu. According to Huzi's introduction, their original leader was Luo Sangu's father, but three years ago, Luo Laoda was struck by foreign cannon fire during an operation, leaving him mangled and bloody, and he did not survive for long. In order to ensure the survival of the entire group, Luo Sangu stepped forward and took on the role of leader of the pirates. At that time, she was only seventeen years old. However, like father, like daughter; having grown up at sea, Luo Sangu, although not skilled in needlework or domestic arts, was exceptionally proficient in sailing and wielding a knife against enemies. The other pirates held great admiration for Luo Sangu and thus accepted her leadership. Luo Sangu also has a younger brother, who is only about thirteen or fourteen years old, and he remains at their stronghold.

Although surprised, Long Yufei immediately responded in English. He informed the old man that he was studying at the University of Cambridge, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He hailed from Taizhou, Zhejiang, but his family had fallen on hard times, and now there were no relatives left in his hometown

After a day and a night, the pirate ship docked at a remote shore

Bang! With the sound of a gunshot, a seabird about fifty meters away fell to the ground. This made Long Yufei feel quite fortunate; thankfully, his skills had not deteriorated, otherwise, it would have been disastrous. Back during military training, his shooting performance was exceptional, and the training instructors remarked that not joining the army would be a complete waste of talent. Ultimately, Long Yufei chose to continue his university studies because he could not endure the hardships of military life. Back during military training, his shooting performance was exceptional, and the training instructors remarked that not joining the army would be a complete waste of talent. Ultimately, Long Yufei chose to continue his university studies because he could not endure the hardships of military life

From the mouths of these pirates, Long Yufei learned about their origins. They were originally civilians from the coastal areas, living in poverty but managing to get by. However, due to the maritime ban, they secretly went out to fish and were subsequently discovered by the authorities. In order to evade the officials, they had no choice but to venture out to sea in search of a livelihood. Ultimately, in order to survive, they resorted to piracy.

Long Yufei hurriedly patted his chest and assured, from now on everyone would be brothers, and he would never commit such a shameless act!

Long Yufei's eyes shifted, and then he said, "I can use a firearm!" He knew that if he did not demonstrate a certain level of ability, these pirates and book thieves would not allow him to join them

Luo Sangu couldn't help but furrow her brows. Being a pirate is a perilous business, where one might lose their head any day. Can Long Yufei, who looks like a bookish scholar incapable of harming a chicken, really become a pirate?

Haha! You little pretty boy, can you even hold a knife? Can you kill? You want to be a pirate, but just look at your pathetic appearance!" Chen San laughed heartily! The other pirates looked at Long Yufei with expressions full of doubt. In their view, how could an educated person want to become a pirate!

Long Yufei officially joined the crew, and the pirate ship immediately set sail, preparing to return to their lair. However, a pirate named Chen San seized the opportunity to approach Long Yufei and warned him fiercely: "Kid, I don't care what your intentions are for joining us! But I warn you, keep your distance from the captain, or you can just wait to be thrown into the sea to feed the fish!"

Long Yufei was dumbfounded. He wondered why this person named Chen San was always targeting him. It turned out that he was being regarded as a rival in love! However, the leader seemed to be quite good-looking; aside from having slightly darker skin, he had no other shortcomings, especially his physique, which would have been more than sufficient to become a star in later generations.

Long Yufei understood that the Qing government had issued the migration and maritime prohibition orders, which led to the destruction of the once prosperous coastal regions. Many who could not survive fled to the Southeast Asian region. However, life for those who escaped to Southeast Asia was not easy; they faced oppression from Western colonizers as well as exploitation by the local indigenous people, making their lives extremely difficult. Among them, many chose to become pirates. Yet, the fate of these pirates was also tragically grim. With the advancement of technology, Western powers intensified their aggression against China and the entire East, and the pirates active in the South China Sea would face relentless suppression from these powers, ultimately leading to their annihilation

"Well, since you can use a firearm, then join us! However, you must swear that after joining us, you will obey my commands and will not engage in acts of betrayal; otherwise, I will have you subjected to a thousand cuts!" said Luo Sangu.

Uncle Zhao, the journey went relatively smoothly, and all the goods have been sold. I bought some rice and flour back! Please arrange for someone to unload the ship!

Long Yufei glanced at the flintlock rifle in Luo Hu's hand and curled his lip in disdain. He recognized this rifle as the standard equipment of the British Army, the Baker rifle. This is a smoothbore gun that the British Army began to equip its troops with in 1800. Although it has been thirty years since then, it remains the main rifle of the British Army.

"Mr. Long, this is Luzon. After you disembark, head north, and you will reach a small city where there are many Chinese people. Once you arrive there, you will be safe! However, I hope you do not disclose our encounter; otherwise, even if you escape to the ends of the earth, I will not let you go!" said Luo Sangu to Long Yufei.

Huzi is that young pirate, around seventeen or eighteen years old, named Li Hu, who is very friendly towards Long Yufei. As for the pirate who harbors animosity towards Long Yufei, named Chen San, he holds a high position among the pirates.

"Um, Miss Luo, I have nowhere to go and I wonder if I could join you?" Long Yufei asked. After all, he had no place to go. From his observations, this group of pirates did not seem like the kind of ruthless villains. Staying with them might improve his chances of survival.

Long Yufei hesitated; he was merely a pure technology enthusiast. To have him survive alone in the first half of the eighteenth century, especially in a remote place like Luzon, was essentially to leave him to fend for himself

Long Yufei began to operate the rifle. Although he was somewhat unfamiliar with it, he managed to handle it decently. Soon, after getting ready, Long Yufei aimed at a seabird on the shore

After more than half a day's voyage, in the evening, the pirate ship docked at a small island! Although there was no nautical chart, Long Yufei still guessed that this was a small island located in the southern part of the Luzon Islands, in the northern waters of the Sulu Sea in later times

"Huzi, bring that gun here!" Luo Sangu spoke up

"Studying abroad in the UK?" A hint of surprise flashed in Uncle Zhao's eyes. As a result, something that left Long Yufei astounded happened! This elderly man with white hair actually spoke a string of English. Although it was somewhat unstandardized, the general meaning was clear; he was asking Long Yufei which university he was studying at and where his hometown was.

The island is not large, only about ten square kilometers. There is a small harbor where more than ten boats of various sizes are docked. The larger boats are approximately ten to twenty meters long, while the smaller ones are fishing boats a few meters in length. However, the population on the island is quite substantial. After the boat carrying Luo Sanggu and others docked, people surged to the pier to welcome them. Among these people, the elderly, women, and children made up the majority, while strong men were relatively few.