Chapter 112

Although Zhang Gui didn't like being lectured, when what others said was absolutely correct, he never twisted or argued stubbornly.

Therefore, he nodded in agreement, "What you said is correct, Salisa.

Money is hard to earn, shit is hard to eat; nothing could be more true."

Salisa, a merchant who was so adaptable, was also choked by this sentence.

It wasn't that she hadn't come into contact with bottom-level people full of foul language.

It was just that she didn't expect Zhang Gui to use such a "vivid" metaphor.

And seeing that he had finally left Salisa speechless for once, Zhang Gui laughed and said:

"Haha, Ms. Salisa, if you had heard that 'warning maxim' earlier, you wouldn't have guessed that I was of royal noble birth."

Salisa came back to her senses but shook her head,

"When you are in close communication with people, you are often increasingly unscrupulous and do as you please.

You don't curry favor, don't make disguises, and don't recognize worldly constraints or others' evaluations.

And usually, there are three possibilities for the identity of such people:

First, a madman who thinks he is a normal person;

Second, a normal person who thinks he is a madman;

Third, an emperor who thinks he is an emperor.

Which one are you?"

Feeling a slight shock in his heart, Zhang Gui stretched out four fingers,

"I am the fourth type: a normal person who is a bit unconventional and has ability and courage.

Alright, let's stop joking so late at night.

In short, the sudden whim to suggest cooperating with you today was truly a stroke of genius.

Sending these prisoners of war back to the mainland will not only add luster to my best friend,

but also prove that I have successfully opened the door to trade with Western long-distance hub cities.

Believe me, this beginning is of extraordinary significance to you and me."

Salisa shook her head in disagreement,

"Don't be too complacent, my partner.

On this voyage to the mainland, your cargo hold is full of Ming Song prisoners of war, and there is not a single Eagle Yuan of profit.

And during wartime, this kind of behavior of saving captured compatriots without coveting profit has been incomparably noble since ancient times.

It will even be written into legendary stories to be praised,

so as long as you are willing to communicate, even if you encounter the most ferocious pirate group, they will not make things difficult for you.

As for the Qianji people on Xianrong Island, they will not attack Western alchemical ships.

So you should be able to go home safely.

But on the return voyage, the situation will become the exact opposite.

Any pirate group entrenched in the Eastern Inner Sea that you encounter might launch an attack and tear this off-course cargo ship to pieces.

So I beg you to tell me that you have your own way."

Zhang Gui pondered for a moment, "I have my own way."

"Similar to the ways you sometimes suddenly appear in Civilization Pioneer City and sometimes suddenly disappear;

can inexplicably pick up tens of thousands of food pills in less than three quarters of an hour;

and magically summon dozens of sailors at the Sea City pier in the early morning?"

Zhang Gui swayed his body, "Something like that."

Salisa didn't continue to ask upon hearing this; she lifted the Western-style duckbill cap on her head and nodded to Zhang Gui to say goodbye.

"Then I am relieved.

You have some little secrets you can't let me know, and I have some little secrets I can't let you know.

We are even.

Then goodbye, my business partner; I wish you a smooth voyage.

Remember to come to our company to balance the accounts at the beginning of next month.

Also, the beautiful Ms. Liliya is very sincerely inviting you to be a guest at her 'Qingmi' salon."

Zhang Gui then cupped his hands,

"Okay, see you at the beginning of next month."

He turned and jumped onto the rented alchemical ship.

A moment later, mist suddenly appeared on the ship.

Borrowing the night, it soon made the adjacent docks look shadowy.

When the warm mist dissipated, Zhang Gui's ship had disappeared without a trace.

It had teleported to an inland river dock stretching for hundreds of miles in the suburbs of the Shangshi Corpse Capital of the True Dragon Kingdom on Giant Serpent Island.

This river was named 'Longzhu River.'

According to Zhang Gui's vision, after the Shangshi Corpse Capital was built and filled with immigrants, the subsequent urban construction would proceed along this river.

In this way, water transport combined with steam locomotive rail transport could quickly create a cluster of satellite cities.

And it would guarantee the water usage problems for the lives, industry, and agriculture of tens of millions of residents.

At the river dock.

The soldiers and port personnel who had been waiting for a long time quickly took over the alchemical ship, saving their great emperor from continuing to worry.

Under the hazy moonlight.

Zhang Gui jumped off the ship and gave his final instructions:

"The people in the bottom hold of the ship have all suffered torture, are mentally dazed, and have basically lost their ability to resist.

For the next few days, besides not letting them on the deck, take good care of them.

Give medical treatment to those who are sick, and let them wash up if they want to.

By the way, those who come forward must be Southern Chi people; not a single person with the physical characteristics of the Eastern Sheng Continent can appear."

The leader was a young military officer, who looked strong and sturdy, and bowed deeply in response:

"Great King, rest assured.

We are all slaves you rescued with your own hands, and we have all personally experienced the joints involved;

we will surely be able to do it without any flaws."

Zhang Gui was a bit surprised that Song Huawen and Gui Sang would send a young man to handle the matters he had personally arranged.

But he still immediately fed him some chicken soup, "Very good, this way, using your own experience as...

Hey, aren't you Thirty, Zhao Thirty."

Seeing the emperor recognize him at such close range, the young military officer's emotions suddenly became agitated.

He seemed to desperately want to kneel down, but he dared not violate the decree against kneeling that Zhang Gui had personally established, and finally, his head bent lower than his waist.

"S-Small, the end general is Zhao Thirty.

Great King, you can still recognize me; I, I am truly..."

Seeing him choking with sobs as he spoke.

Zhang Gui patted Zhao Thirty on the shoulder,

"Don't cry, don't cry; why are you crying for no reason?

If it's you, then it's no wonder Song Gong and Gui Sang would send a young person to handle things tonight.

You want to give me a surprise.

After only one year of training, you have already been tempered into a qualified officer.

And this officer is still an old acquaintance of mine.

Very good, very good."

After praising him a few times, Zhang Gui couldn't help but frown when he found that Zhao Thirty was still crying uncontrollably.

A professional soldier, and a military officer leading troops, could not even control his own emotions well.

How could one expect him to calmly defeat the enemy between life and death on the battlefield?

But on second thought, if Zhao Thirty were really this psychologically fragile, Gui Sang would never have sent him to come forward tonight.

And in his impression, Zhao Thirty seemed to have shown abnormal emotions several times when seeing him.

So Zhang Gui asked softly:

"Thirty, do you have something to say to me?

Actually, I wanted to catch up with you several times when I saw you before, but it was just missed due to coincidences.

We finally met again tonight; if you have anything on your mind, feel free to say it."

"My Lord, I beg you to save my sister!"

Zhao Thirty was moved by Zhang Gui, who held the supreme position yet was so gentle and warm-hearted, and finally couldn't help but kneel down.

His whole body trembled violently as he told the wish that had been buried in the bottom of his heart for a long time.

He was born to a farming family in the countryside.

He hadn't learned a single character before the age of ten.

Besides catching bugs in the vegetable garden during busy farming seasons and picking up wheat ears after the wheat harvest, he just played blindly every day.

Because he had an older sister above and a younger sister below, as the only male in the family, he was almost like a little tyrant.

So even though his family was poor, he was very happy.

Until that overwhelming swarm of locusts flew in!

(End of chapter)