Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1037 Infiltrating the Saltworks

Since they are a guard team, they will naturally carry a token with them.

Before long, Lin Feng found a brass plaque on the corpse of a pirate, with a flower pattern engraved on it.

Lin Feng vaguely recognized that this flower and grass was called Tengba pattern, a kind of pattern representing the family.

The pirates' straight swords were also engraved with this pattern, as were their short swords and even their wrists.

Lin Feng switched to two straight swords with rattan patterns and put away the brass token.

Back at the stern, he said to Rong Rong, "Let's split up and check inside the ship. If there are pirates, we can't let them live."

Rong Rong said with a mournful face, "Mu Chuan, we can't commit any more killings."

"What religion do you follow? The pirates came to kill our people and plunder our treasures. Your mercy has turned them into this."

Lin Feng raised his finger and pointed at the dark-skinned, thin boatman.

“If you let the pirates on the ship live, we might die.”

Rong Rong scratched his head and turned to walk towards the cabin.

"Okay, okay, I'll go take a look and try to shut them up."

On the entire ship, at the lowest level of the cabin, there were more than forty large groups of slaves, each one thin and emaciated, wearing only a pair of tattered trousers, their backs hunched over, having worked in the cabin rowing year-round, their backs so bent they could no longer straighten up.

However, hearing Lin Feng's grand words revitalized these numb nerves.

Lin Feng promised them that as long as they followed his orders, he would not only lead them out alive, but upon returning to the main sect, each of them would be allocated land and housing, and would be able to start a family and build a career.

Whether they believed it or not, these large numbers of slaves had long been fed up with living here. This life, worse than death, made them suffer every moment.

Following Lin Feng's command, twenty or thirty men went up to the deck and began to clean up the corpses and wash away the bloodstains on the deck.

After they finished their work, Lin Feng had them find the pirates' food and distribute it to the slaves for their meal.

These large numbers of slaves were constantly hungry and frequently beaten. Those with weaker constitutions could not withstand the torture and soon died of illness or starvation.

The rest of them were all strong, healthy, and resilient adults.

Now he is almost exhausted and on the verge of death.

The presence of food instantly brightened their dead fish-like eyes.

Lin Feng watched as dozens of men in the cabin wolfed down their food, some choking and their faces covered in tears and snot.

These large groups of people all wore pirate clothes, and although they were still covered in blood, they stayed in the cabins and would not appear in the pirates' sight.

Ye Haishan remained at the bow of the ship, facing the sea, lost in thought.

As a hermit living in the mountains, he couldn't bear to see worldly affairs, and Lin Feng understood his feelings.

He only planned to use the identity of this living Buddha when he entered the Central Plains; otherwise, he would have left long ago, and who would have time to play with them?

The large ship changed direction and began heading towards the salt field.

Lin Feng ordered that all the pirates on the ship, whether dead or alive, be thrown into the sea.

Lin Feng could spare the lives of the pirates if they were still alive, but they absolutely could not stay on the ship, not even if they were tied up.

Helpless, Rong Rong could only watch as several live pirates were stripped naked, bound hand and foot, and thrown into the turbulent sea by a large group of slaves.

Lin Feng selected a dozen or so men from the clan who were still able to stand upright, changed them into pirate uniforms, and had them stand beside him as guards, ready to carry out his orders at any time.

Ye Haishan and his apprentice Rong Rong were taken to the cabin by him.

Since they don't want to change their clothes, they have to hide to avoid giving themselves away.

This area is around the salt fields, so after the large ship had been sailing for a short while, Lin Feng, who was standing at the bow, saw a cluster of lights in the distance.

The elder standing to one side pointed to the light.

"That's the salt field, with over a thousand pirate soldiers inside. We can still leave now."

Even now, he was still reminding Lin Feng not to provoke the pirates.

Lin Feng seemed not to hear him, but was frowning as he pondered how to sabotage the saltworks.

After a long while, he shook his head dejectedly.

Saltworks are unlike other facilities; they cannot be burned or completely destroyed because they are too large and heavily guarded. There simply isn't enough time for a large number of slaves to carry out sabotage.

Lin Feng turned his gaze away from the salt field and saw the seaside side of the salt field, where more than a dozen seagoing vessels were moored.

This thing is essential for guarding and transporting goods; it's made of wood, so of course it can be burned.

As the large ship gradually approached the port, a smile gradually appeared on Lin Feng's face.

The general guarding the salt fields of Quzhou Prefecture was named Masao Atsumi, a member of the Atsumi family. He led 1,500 men and controlled the production and transportation of the entire salt fields.

Raw salt is a very important resource for both the people and the army. It must be controlled by the military and is subject to strict laws and severe punishments.

In particular, the Quzhou Saltworks was the largest and most important saltworks in the entire southern territory of Dazong. Wumei Qiushan sent his own loyal followers to directly control the saltworks.

When Masao Atsumi first took office at the salt field, he attached great importance to the safety of the salt field. He personally went to the site to make arrangements for production, storage and transportation, and he did everything himself.

However, several years passed, and not a single slave revolt occurred in the salt fields of Quzhou Prefecture, let alone any outsiders who came to rob or harass them.

Faced with the defense of 1,500 troops, not a single bandit dared to try and break through their defenses.

The salt fields were located in a coastal area, far from the front lines, making it impossible for regular troops to reach them.

Therefore, Masao Atsumi gradually relaxed his guard and stopped paying attention to security.

It was early morning, and most of the soldiers in the salt field were still asleep.

Only the shift teams are still patrolling according to the prescribed times and routes, checking in and out.

In the rectangular salt ponds of the salt field, there were still many large numbers of slaves working the night shift, toiling under the whips of the pirate soldiers, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

The patrol ship slowly approached the harbor. A gangplank was set up on the ship, and Lin Feng, accompanied by twenty guards with daggers, strode onto the gangplank.

As the leader of the patrol team, Lin Feng wore a cloth helmet, which he pulled down to cover as much of his face as possible.

The port was dimly lit, and there was only one torch in the distance, stuck in a wooden stake.

The guards were already drowsy and wouldn't bother to see who Lin Feng was. As long as the clothes and equipment were similar, no one would bother to go up and see what he looked like.

Although the two pirates guarding the pier ignored Lin Feng, Lin Feng would not allow them to guard such an important position.

Lin Feng took two steps forward, and his straight sword was quietly drawn, flashing twice in the light of the torch.

The two pirate guards were stunned and covered their throats. When they tried to shout, they found that they could not make a sound. With their eyes wide with horror, they fell backward into the sea.

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks is so faint that no one would notice it even if they were close by.

Lin Feng sheathed his sword and walked forward.