Chapter 938: Future Planning

He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu exchanged a glance: "A clone?"

"Perhaps it also has a method of real-time communication with its offspring, just as I can use the eyeball spider as my eyes and ears."

"It seems the King of Yin Serpents cannot easily leave the sinkhole." Zhu Xiuer's previous deduction was indeed confirmed. He Lingchuan said slowly, "Whatever the reason, it does not yet want to expose this weakness."

The King of Yin Serpents sending this offspring to transmit its voice was a last resort, and He Lingchuan easily figured out the other party's trump card.

￥￥￥￥￥

Yellow Fish Tavern.

Huang Zhao was a tall, large, fat man, his physique the complete opposite of Min Tianxi's. He also had a bulbous nose, and his eyes were squeezed small.

He Lingchuan's first meeting with Huang Zhao went unexpectedly smoothly.

Of course, this was mainly because Min Tianxi had paved the way, communicating fully with Huang Zhao beforehand and accurately conveying He Lingchuan's intentions.

Simply put, his mission was to "persuade them to surrender."

He even brought Lei Ni along.

After hearing about He Lingchuan's various supernatural feats, Huang Zhao knew he was facing a superior individual, so he reined in his rough, bandit-like temper.

For this alone, He Lingchuan felt it was worth holding him in higher regard.

His subordinates would not always be rough bandits; those who could adapt, yield, and be flexible were the talents the Yangshan Archipelago needed.

Huang Zhao was very polite to him: "Island Master He, I first started this business without capital simply because my men needed to eat, and they couldn't get enough to eat doing anything else. Since you are so capable, it wouldn't be impossible for me to work under you. But I have about two hundred people here, plus the four hundred or so at Old Min's place; every morning when they open their eyes, over six hundred people are waiting to eat. What kind of business do you plan to run on this island?"

He Lingchuan smiled: "The supply station is already being expanded; in the future, it will be a one-stop shop for food, drink, entertainment, and storage, which will require quite a few hands. The island soil is fertile, and I have planned several islands for clearing and farming; tenant farmers have already arrived on the islands to level the land and cultivate it. Within the next few days, the wheat seeds will all be sown, and there will be a harvest by next spring and summer."

Influenced by nearby volcanic ash, the soil of the Yangshan Archipelago was relatively fertile and had never been cultivated before.

He first opened up a few outer islands for the tenant farmers to cultivate.

One cannot become fat in one bite; he chose to advance steadily.

Ahem, besides, even if he recruited tenant farmers for Dragon Spine Island, no one would dare to sign up.

It would be late autumn soon, and if the first crop of winter wheat wasn't planted now, it would be too late. Fortunately, Ding Zuodong was very efficient.

In addition, the production materials such as seeds and farm tools were all sourced by Lu Qing'an. Those merchant guilds had intricate connections with the Lu family, but because He Lingchuan was wealthy and generous and Ding Zuodong made payments promptly, they were very willing to build a good relationship with this new island master and also recruited various personnel for the Yangshan Archipelago.

Over the past two days, He Lingchuan had been busy dining and meeting with local representatives of various merchant guilds, feeling as if his waistline was about to grow a size.

"That's fine." Huang Zhao coughed: "However, the supply station business isn't big enough, and if we farm, we won't have a harvest until next year. This..."

The Yangshan Archipelago was not far from Blade Harbor, where most ships would stop, resupply, or transfer, and the food, drink, and lodging there were more developed.

Only a minority would choose the Yangshan Archipelago.

This was also the reason why the supply station business had been dismal for many years.

"It's just a matter of price; there will be a way to solve it." The best way to quickly boost passenger flow was still subsidies. But He Lingchuan did not intend to discuss the details with a few pirates. "Actually, there is another good business that can be done right now."

"Oh?" Both pirate leaders were interested.

He Lingchuan glanced at Lei Ni: "The workshop on Suoding Island that processes palm oil was also built privately by your family, right?"

At the time, Clerk Yang hadn't looked very happy about it.

Lei Ni pouted slightly and answered somewhat reluctantly: "Yes. The supply station business was cold, so my family had to find some other way to make a living, didn't we?"

"How long have you been doing it?"

"For several years now."

"How is the craftsmanship?" He Lingchuan didn't know much about this trade.

"It's top-notch." Lei Ni rested her chin on her hand. "The palm oil I sell is of superior quality, and people come to collect it regularly every year; I don't even need to promote it myself."

Min Tianxi chimed in from the side: "That's true, our stronghold also uses the oil her family produces. She still refuses to sell me more."

"How many times a year do the palm fruits here ripen?"

"Twice a year; once in April or May, and again in September and October."

"Isn't that perfect? The palm fruits in the archipelago are about to enter a large-scale ripening period. I've asked around at the merchant guilds, and the extracted oil is very expensive." He Lingchuan looked at Lei Ni and smiled. "You certainly know this, otherwise you wouldn't have been extracting it privately."

Lei Ni rolled her eyes: "You expect to get rich extracting palm oil on these few islands? It's just enough to make ends meet."

He Lingchuan tossed a salted peanut into his mouth: "How many islands do I have? I'll give you a chance to say that again."

"Forty-two... wait, can they all produce palm?" Lei Ni's eyes almost turned into gold signs. "Can you really remove the Yin malevolence from all the islands?!"

Palm trees could be seen everywhere in the archipelago. But previously, only a few islands on the outskirts were safe, and after pirates grew there, the Bailie people never managed them properly.

If this new island master could develop the production potential of all the islands—forty-two islands, and the islands shrouded in Yin malevolence all year round were even larger—conservatively speaking, at least fourteen or fifteen were rich in palm, and they could have two harvests a year... Wow, what a huge fortune was that? She couldn't quite calculate it.

"If all goes well." He Lingchuan looked at her and smiled. "By the way, would you like to be in charge?"

"Huh?" Lei Ni was momentarily dazed. She hadn't misheard, had she? It couldn't be what she thought it meant, could it?

"I happen to be missing a manager for oil production. I was planning to go to Blade Harbor to recruit, with excellent salary and performance bonuses." He Lingchuan said, "It's specifically to organize laborers and be responsible for the harvesting and extraction of palm."

"I'll do it, I'll do it, I'm ready-made!" Lei Ni's eyes lit up. "I know everything! The palm harvesting on Uncle Min's territory has always been my responsibility."

Min Tianxi was instantly embarrassed: "You girl!"

He Lingchuan wasn't surprised at all that pirates also did this kind of work. Who stipulated that pirates could only live by plundering? The water bandits of Longchuan even liked to grow bayberries and brew wine.

"Since you've worked together before, that's for the best." He Lingchuan acted as if he hadn't seen anything. "From now on, you cannot go plundering anymore. These five hundred people will return to the shore to work first. Once the farmhands arrive one after another, you will have other tasks."

The island construction lacked manpower; how could these five or six hundred strong laborers be wasted? For the time being, they all had to go ashore to lay bricks for him.

As for the extracted palm oil, Ding Zuodong was contacting merchant guild channels for export.

This treasure had many uses; besides being first-class for frying, it was mainly used for kneading pastries, making puff pastry, and so on. As long as it was a pastry, it was basically useful, and it could even be used to make soap; some sugar palms could even be used to extract sugar agents. Therefore, as long as the quality of the palm oil produced by the Yangshan Archipelago passed, there should be no worry about sales.

He Lingchuan asked Min Tianxi and Huang Zhao again: "Besides plundering and selling oil, what else do you smuggle?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Huang Zhao asked curiously: "Why do you ask?"

He Lingchuan smiled: "I have never met a bandit who didn't smuggle."

Whether it was the sand bandits of Red Cliff Road or the water bandits of Longchuan, "smuggling" was one of the fastest ways to make money.

Anyway, they were already breaking the law, so they didn't care about adding another charge.

"Besides, I noticed you have a disproportionately large number of large ships." If they were just pirates, the ships used for plundering should be mainly speedboats, which were fast and good for chasing prey, moving like the wind on the sea.

Huang Zhao was slightly startled. They were outsiders; where did he get this information?

Min Tianxi rubbed the back of his head and said admiringly: "Young Master is meticulous, even noticing this. We transport some armor and weapons from the southeast of Mou State out to sea to sell to the countries in the east, and on the return trip, we carry back some grain, spices, and medicinal herbs. Sometimes, the goods are taken directly to the ghost market on Platinum Island to be sold, where they can also fetch a good price."

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "Mou State is at war; they actually export these?"

"In theory, they shouldn't, but some officials in charge of manufacturing there are willing to sell defective products, and sometimes there are even some magic treasures..." Min Tianxi coughed lightly. "It's a matter of mutual willingness."

Defective products? He Lingchuan's mouth twitched slightly, and he understood.

"How is the quality?"

"Good, very good." Min Tianxi smiled. "They are in short supply when shipped to the east."

"How long have you been doing it?"

"About... seven or eight years."

He Lingchuan was speechless for a moment. Min and Huang both quickly said: "The source of goods there is also unstable and getting harder and harder to get. This business won't last many more days; we have already stopped."

Now that their side jobs were known to the new boss, it wouldn't be right for them to keep doing them.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment and said: "No, we do need military equipment. Find a way to get some more. The quality must be up to standard; I don't want real defective products."

If a workman wants to do his job well, he must first sharpen his tools. He would build his own men and his own team; how could he do it without armaments? The two were stunned and quickly agreed.

During their conversation, Qiu Hu stood by as a guard.

Lei Ni glanced at him occasionally.

He Lingchuan asked Huang Zhao again: "Who can talk to the Third Island Master? Run an errand for me."

Huang Zhao immediately pointed at Min Tianxi: "We have fought with the Third Island many times; I have nothing to say to the one surnamed Yue! Old Min can do it; the Third Island Master might still give him some face."

He Lingchuan looked at Min Tianxi, who nodded: "Young Master He also wants to arrange a meeting with him?"

"Of course."

Min Tianxi looked at Huang Zhao: "Alright, I'll give it a try."

The few of them chatted for a while longer and then left the Yellow Fish Tavern.

Huang Zhao left first. After the remaining three had walked less than a hundred steps, Min Tianxi said in a low voice: "We were being tailed at the tavern; it's the Third Island's people."

He Lingchuan had known for a long time: "Since we are all gathered together, Yue Pinghe is bound to overthink."

Yue Pinghe was the pirate leader of the Third Island.

Lei Ni snorted: "That guy is no good."

Min Tianxi also said: "That man is two-faced; you have to be careful when negotiating with him."

He Lingchuan smiled: "Is that so?"

No matter how the three of them looked at it, they felt this smile was full of hidden meaning.

(End of chapter)