The rise of the poor

Chapter 2178 Successfully Infiltrated (One paragraph was missing, now corrected)

Two ships approached the dock from a distance. These were medium-sized ships, two-masted triangular sailing ships in the style of the Red Barbarians.

The two ships were also flying typical barbarian pirate flags, which featured a skull with two crossed barbarian swords below it, and a strange hat on the skull.

Typical Red-haired Pirate Style!

Zhang Mazi was very familiar with the Red-haired Barbarian pirates. His boss had a long-standing relationship with them; it was more like a passionate affair than a romantic one. Every few months, Red-haired Barbarian pirates would come to Moon Island.

We were truly in love.

I need your firearms, and you need my guidance. We can also give them the loot we plunder, especially porcelain and silk. The red-haired barbarians love them and are willing to pay high prices to buy them.

Ahem, my eldest son also likes foreign women with red hair.

However, I don't like those foreign women with red hair. They have long, thick body hair, a strong odor, freckles on their faces, and eyes that look like ghosts. My boss just likes exotic styles, what's so great about them!

Upon seeing the two barbarian ships waving friendly flags, Zhang Mazi immediately sent men to the dock to greet them.

These are distinguished guests; we cannot neglect them.

Sure enough, after a short while, Zhang Mazi's henchmen led a group of barbarians over. The barbarians were dressed in their own strange attire, with a barbarian sword hanging on one side and a musket on the other.

Behind the Red Barbarians followed a group of local pirates, who were cannon fodder sailors recruited by the Red Barbarians—a common tactic of the Red Barbarians.

The Red-haired Barbarians typically recruited local idlers, greedy and lustful men, and directed them to plunder.

Because the Red-haired Barbarians were few in number and lacked sufficient troops, this method could both replenish their forces and prevent casualties, while also increasing their gains.

"Hey, my dear friend, Mr. Zhang, it's been a long time. You're still as strong as ever." The leader of the red-haired barbarians spoke broken Chinese indistinctly as he opened his arms to Zhang Mazi.

again!

I don't like the way you guys greet each other. It's really disgusting to see men hugging each other like that.

Zhang Mazi had just finished complaining in his heart about how uncomfortable he was with the red-haired barbarians hugging and cuddling when he was embraced by one of them.

"My friend, Mister Zhang, it's been a long time. I heard that Mister Xu is getting married again today. When we heard the news, we forgot about the robbery and came here to give Mister Xu our sincere blessings."

The leader of the red-haired barbarians hugged Zhang Mazi, patting his back as he continued speaking in broken Chinese.

"Welcome, welcome! You look familiar. Who are you?" Zhang Mazi couldn't stand his enthusiasm and the strong, fishy smell emanating from the red-haired barbarian. He quickly broke free under the guise of welcoming him, clasping his hands in a fist salute to express his welcome. However, looking at the red-haired barbarian in front of him, Zhang Mazi felt that he seemed to recognize him somewhat. But in his eyes, apart from height and weight, almost all the red-haired barbarians looked the same, and he couldn't recognize who this person was.

All the red-haired barbarians looked somewhat familiar to him.

He had dealt with the Red-haired Barbarians before and knew that "Mister" was a more respectful term they used.

He calls himself Mister Zhang, which means he truly knows himself.

As Zhang Mazi looked at the leader of the red-haired barbarians, he felt increasingly familiar with him. He had a feeling that he must have met him before, because all these red-haired barbarians looked so alike. He had met many red-haired barbarians before when he followed his boss, so he might have met this guy before.

However, this was not actually the case. The reason why the leader of the red-haired barbarians knew Zhang Mazi's name was not because they had met Zhang Mazi, but because they had just learned about him.

Just now, Zhang Mazi sent his men to greet them, right? The leader of the red-haired barbarians gave one of Zhang Mazi's men a red envelope and asked familiarly, "Who is the person in charge of greeting guests at the gate?"

Zhang Mazi's henchmen, having received the bribe, naturally told him everything without reservation, revealing all about Zhang Mazi.

The red-haired leader said smugly, "Oh, it's him! We've had drinks together before, we're old acquaintances."

Zhang Mazi's underlings didn't suspect anything, and even thought that the leader of the red-haired barbarians was really an old acquaintance of Zhang Mazi, so they greeted him even more enthusiastically.

Upon hearing Zhang Mazi's question, the leader of the red-haired barbarians, who had already prepared his response, immediately chuckled and replied, "Oh, my friend, you really have a bad memory! I'm White. Last time I came here, I wasn't the captain yet. The captain on board was Colonel Peter, and I was his first mate. We even drank together, hahaha. Your alcohol tolerance is truly impressive, just like the vast ocean."

The leader of the red-haired barbarians, while talking to Zhang Mazi, turned around and ordered the Japanese pirates behind him, "Hurry up, quickly carry our gifts off the ship."

Immediately, the Japanese pirates behind them unloaded the gifts they had brought from the ship. There were more than twenty boxes full of things, all tied with red silk, making them both generous and festive.

"This box contains ginseng and deer antler. People from our area don't have the eye to appreciate the medicinal herbs of the Ming Dynasty, but I know you like them very much. They are very precious. I am giving this box of medicinal herbs to Mister as a congratulatory gift."

"This box contains three thousand taels of silver. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This is our contribution, representing our enduring friendship."

"This box is full of women's jewelry. Although it was stolen, we cleaned it all and gave it to Mistress's bride."

"These five boxes are all filled with silk."

"There are also fifty jars of fine wine. We are not used to the wine of your Great Ming Dynasty, so we will give them all to you for your weddings."

"these are"

The leader of the red-haired barbarians introduced the gifts they had brought to Zhang Mazi. Zhang Mazi's eyes lit up with excitement at each gift they introduced.

What a generous gesture! The red-haired barbarians are truly generous. This gift is so lavish, it makes my mouth water. If only, if all these gifts were for me!

“Mr. Zhang, my friend, this gift is a token of our friendship.” The leader of the red-haired barbarians took out a small golden lion stained with blood from his pocket and discreetly placed it into Zhang Mazi’s hand.

This guy is really good at playing the social game with us.

Zhang Mazi's eyes lit up, and he casually stuffed the heavy golden lion into his arms. Having received such a generous gift, his attitude improved even further, and he even took the initiative to warmly put his arm around the shoulder of the red-haired barbarian leader.

"Brother White, I've missed you terribly since we last met. Please come in, please come in. We'll have a good drink at the banquet later. I'll arrange a nice place for you to rest. If you need anything, just let me know. Don't be shy. We're old friends, brothers."

Zhang Mazi was incredibly enthusiastic.

"My friend, thank you so much. I really do have something to trouble you with." The leader of the red-haired barbarians seized the opportunity.

Although Zhang Mazi was somewhat surprised, he had dealt with the Red-haired Barbarians many times and knew that they were straightforward and direct in exchanging benefits. The fact that the Red-haired Barbarians had given Boss Xu so many gifts and given him such a valuable golden lion meant that they must have something to ask of him, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

However, these barbarians are too blunt; their direct exchange of interests makes them seem too mercenary to outsiders.

However, this is just the way the "red-haired barbarians" are; they don't know how to be civilized.

"Brother White, what's the matter? Just say the word, don't be shy. Even if I can't do it, I'll inform my elder brother and he'll take care of it for you." Zhang Mazi said enthusiastically, having already prepared his excuses. If you ask for too much and it's beyond my ability, I'll have to report it to my elder brother for you.

So, don't blame me if you can't do it.

“My friend, we’ve been playing Robin Hood in Fujian—oh, well, not so much Robin Hood. We’ve been redistributing the wealth from burning, killing, and looting. Now our supplies are empty. We need fresh water, meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, rice, and salt. Of course, what we need most is a guide to lead us to our target.” The leader of the red-haired barbarians stated his needs without any hesitation.

Zhang Mazi breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest confidently, saying, "Brother, I thought it was something serious. I'll take care of this. Just sit back and relax. After our Boss Xu's concubine-taking ceremony, I'll arrange for people to make up for all your needs, like water and meat. As for the guides you mentioned, I have plenty of men. Giving you seven or eight won't be a problem."

"Thank you so much, my friend Mister Zhang. I will definitely thank you properly next time I come."

The leader of the red-haired barbarians was overjoyed when he heard Zhang Mazi agree.

"Don't be so polite, don't be so polite, please come in quickly, I'll lead you inside and arrange seats for you." Zhang Mazi warmly led the group of red-haired barbarians inside.

Zhang Mazi led the group of Red-haired Barbarians inside, leading them to the open-air banquet area. He arranged for the Red-haired Barbarians and a few key members to sit at the front, while the Red-haired Barbarians' hundred or so underlings were placed on the periphery.

Seeing that the group of Japanese pirates was personally led in by Zhang Mazi, the second-in-command of Tsukishima Island, the surrounding Japanese pirates also showed them great respect, stepping forward to greet the group and quickly becoming acquainted. (End of Chapter)