Mythical Three Kingdoms

While Gan Ning’s pirate crew was undergoing intense training, the informant sent by Sakara for grain purchase was ruthlessly swindled.

”Just these five ships of grain?” Gan Ning looked at Sakara calmly as he spoke, but at this moment, Sakara deeply felt the approach of death.

”Yes, my lord, my men went to the black market in Kabe Bay to purchase, but the Bell Pirate Group had no documentation or transaction records before, so the goods we supplied were significantly undervalued by the other side, and the management there is very strict now.” Sakara replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.

”Alright then, I’ll give you another month of training time.” Gan Ning ordered as he looked at Sakara. How dare they blackmail Gan Ning’s things, they must be tired of living.

Sakara immediately expressed that with another month of time, the ten thousand elite pirates under his training could definitely surpass the majority of the Kushan Navy.

Of course, Sakara wasn’t speaking recklessly because these ten thousand pirates were selected as the backbone from eighty to ninety thousand pirates. Each one was experienced and physically strong, and after three months of disciplined training, as long as their discipline did not lose to the navy, their combat standard would definitely surpass most navies.

After all, whether in terms of experience or the willingness to risk their lives, pirates would not lose to the navy. Previously, the reason for their poor performance was solely due to terrible discipline.

On the other side, Fei Anli, the manager of the black market in Kabe Bay, listened contentedly to his subordinates’ reports. He was both the manager of the black market in Kabe Bay and the noble arranged by the Kushan Empire to monitor pirates here, and he was also behind the management of over twenty large shipyards in Kabe Bay.

In short, the Kushan Empire was not blind. Although they were unable to manage pirates thoroughly, they could ensure Kushan’s pirates did not become a major problem.

This is why the Kushan Empire established large black markets in places like Kabe Bay and Kachi Bay.

On one hand, it is to cheaply recover merchants’ lost goods, and on the other hand, to record the approximate number of pirates, and also to use them to sow discord among pirates, preventing them from growing from a minor ailment to a major concern.

In summary, the Kushan Empire could indeed manage well. Generally speaking, those who can firmly grasp the handlers behind some black markets are actually big shots among the Kushan Nobility, and only these people dare to do such illegal business, after all, they are also considered the creators of the law.

”Recently, there have been surprisingly fewer pirates coming to exchange goods, it seems we need to adjust the exchange prices.” Fei Anli said displeasedly after looking at the records; the transactions between the black market and pirates accounted for a large portion of his income.

”How’s the situation at the shipyard recently?” Fei Anli put the parchment to the side and asked his subordinates.

”The thirty large warships ordered by His Majesty will be completely manufactured in a month, they are currently undergoing final reinforcement and nurturing.” His men hurriedly replied.

This response reassured Fei Anli a lot. Earnings can be sacrificed, but the emperor’s orders must not be tampered with, especially when dealing with such a tyrant; even someone like him, a grand noble, must be cautious. Recently, Vasu Deva I has cut down many people.

”By the way, send a group over to the Indian Ocean to talk with Galava, support him in becoming the Pirate King.” Fei Anli sneered as he spoke. Only when the pirates in the Indian Ocean are at war can his surplus grain be quickly offloaded and sold at prices comparable to gemstones.

As for Galava becoming the Pirate King, that’s a joke. Whether he can become the Pirate King depends on whether this group of spectators agrees; whoever grows to a certain extent is meant to be weakened. In the eyes of Fei Anli and his fellow nobles, pirates are just dogs they raise.

A month later, Gan Ning’s Bell King army was already formed, with eighty thousand pirates from various parts of the Indian Ocean forcibly integrated by Gan Ning, along with ten thousand truly elite pirates.

”Initially, I planned to sell the goods cheaply and exchange them for grain, and then bypass the Southeastern Archipelago. Now, those bastards in Kabe Bay actually dare rob us like this. Let’s go, I’ll show you what being a pirate really means!” Gan Ning stood on the new flagship, with a large bell painted on the giant white sail, and a ghastly white skull painted on the bell.

If one wants to be a pirate, then one needs to have the ethics of the trade. Though Gan Ning doesn’t love being a pirate, he can still respect the profession, so he painted such a thing on his sail.

With a command from Gan Ning, over ninety thousand pirates boarded the ships, emptied all the supplies, took all the large and small ships, and rushed majestically towards Kabe Bay.

The merchant ships they encountered along the way were almost scared to death upon seeing this scene. Although the merchants trading in the Indian Ocean were not simple characters, a portion of them were associated with pirates or were even pirates moonlighting as merchants, and even the most ordinary merchants had strong armaments.

But compared to the mighty pirates they now saw, such a level was not even the same league. Even those large armed merchant ships, upon facing Gan Ning’s boundless fleet, directly stopped aside waiting for death.

There was nothing to be done. It was truly insane; merchants doing business in the Indian Ocean truly felt what an army was for the first time. If it weren’t for the fact that the main ships all had skull marks, they wouldn’t believe that this was a pirate group even if beaten to death.

”Are they heading to Kabe Bay?” Already stopping their ships waiting for this pirate group to decide their fate, the merchants saw the other side having no intention of stopping, watched as this great pirate army departed, and quietly wiped sweat off the brow, murmuring to themselves.

”It seems so. I wonder who offended them.” The first mate wiped his brow, said courageously, but when facing so many pirates, he dared not speak recklessly.

”Not them, it’s him!” The captain looked seriously at the first mate and said.

”Him?” The first mate was startled, then looked towards the distant pirates, finally noticing their identical paintwork, causing his hair to stand on end, ”The King, the legendary ruler of the Indian Ocean, the pirate among pirates, undoubtedly the King?”

”It can only be him. I used to think it was a joke. Now I finally understand, some rumors are true. We better hurry and run. Looking at the Pirate King’s momentum, it’s clear he’s going to settle with Kabe Bay.” The captain said with an expression of fear, ”Do you think they will lose?”

”As long as he wishes, the East Coast of the Indian Ocean is his home turf now. Even for the Empire’s navy, it’s not easy to completely defeat him.” The first mate swallowed, saying, stories of the Pirate King have been widely spread among seafarers, and now Gan Ning truly brought out a force not inferior to the legends, all the seafarers consciously correlated it to the legend.

On the Indian Ocean, aside from the Empire’s navy, the Pirate King’s forces are equally invincible!

As Gan Ning led more than ninety thousand pirates and over five hundred large and small vessels towards Kabe Bay, thirty large warships made by Fei Anli were also being launched, turning Kabe Bay into a sea of joy at that moment.

”Toot toot toot~” Just as Fei Anli was satisfied watching the thirty large ships being launched, a horn alarm suddenly sounded onshore, and the lookout already observed Gan Ning’s pirate group, row upon row like a navy, mighty and lined up straight.

”What’s going on!” Fei Anli asked while stabilizing the escort beside him.

”Respected one, the lookout detected a large number of pirates entering Kabe Bay!” An immediate response came from Fei Anli’s subordinates.

At this time, the original crowd of Kushan People already scattered frantically upon hearing the news. What was once a joyous ocean had now turned into chaos.

”What! Pirates dared to attack Kabe Bay, do they not want to live?” Fei Anli said in disbelief.

”They are already here,” his subordinate said powerlessly. How could he understand the pirates’ thoughts, particularly when they were already charging forward?

”It can’t be. If they attack Kabe Bay, the whole Empire will cut off trades with them, without supplies they can’t last long. Not attacking these black markets is their agreement with the Empire!” Fei Anli angrily rebuked, declaring it unreasonable.

”But they are already here!” The subordinate prepared to flee with Fei Anli, as the lookout already stated, the pirate group seemed like a regular army, so mighty that if it weren’t for the skull markings, he wouldn’t believe it was a pirate group, and those so-called large pirate groups compared to this one, were only fit to be sons!

”Shut up, get on the ship, we still have more than eight thousand marines and land forces in Kabe Bay, along with thirty Imperial large warships, just a bunch of pirates, even if Galava comes personally, we can defeat them!” Fei Anli flung his subordinate away, decisively commanding everyone to board the ship.

Fei Anli’s words indeed boosted morale, yet the lookout had long fled by then, and Fei Anli had no idea that he had already encountered a pirate group that sealed off the entire Kabe Bay, nor did he know the true strength of the opponent; he simply boarded the ship based on previous experiences.

Once everyone was onboard, Gan Ning’s pirate group finally entered the sight of the marines and land forces stationed at Kabe Bay, led by a ship similar in size to their own, followed by nearly fifty slightly smaller warships, almost equivalent to Fifth-Generation Warship standards, further followed by countless ships of various sizes as far as the eye could see.

At this moment, Fei Anli was completely stunned, wanting immediately to turn and leave; however, feeling the overwhelming cover of that Cloud Qi pressing slowly, besides awe, was terror as all the marines stationed at Kabe Bay and land forces assisting onboard were terrified.

This degree of pirates was beyond their ability to handle; to put it precisely, so far, no place in the Kushan Empire had encountered pirates more exaggerated than this.