Looking at the pirate leaders in the hall with big eyes and small eyes and "clear stupidity" written all over their faces, Nan Feng rubbed his brows tiredly.
He finally understood that telling these illiterate people about "port economy", "trade hub", and "tariff barriers" was just talking to an ox. The hardware in their brains had no drivers for these concepts installed at all.
"Okay, put away your stupid looks."
Nan Feng gave up the plan of directly issuing strategic indicators and decided to return this "Pirate Transformation Training Course" to the kindergarten enlightenment stage.
He sat back on the tiger-skin chair, knocked on the table with his little hand, and asked the most basic and most direct question:
"Let me ask you, what is the difference between an official and a bandit?"
"Officials, why can they sit in high halls and be officials in a grand manner? Bandits, why can they only hide on the island like mice and become bandits?"
In the hall, a group of five big and three thick men looked at each other.
You look at me, I look at you, everyone is confused.
For a group of pirates like them who only know how to kill people and steal money, this problem is obviously too much.
For a moment, no one could answer.
The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.
After a long while, Zi Zhenzhu really couldn't stand the weird silence. She hesitated and tentatively said:
"Uh... because, officials are better than gangsters?"
"Very good." Nan Feng glanced at her lightly and continued to ask, "Then why are officers more powerful than bandits?"
Zi Zhenzhu was confused, a little anxious when asked, and blurted out the pirate logic in his bones:
"What kind of problem is this? Whoever has the bigger fist will be the official! If our gangsters have bigger fists and are more powerful than them, then don't we just break into the palace and become officials ourselves? Isn't this the way the world is?"
Hearing this simple and rude answer, several pirate leaders around him nodded subconsciously, deeply agreeing with it.
"The logic barely makes sense."
Nan Feng nodded, looked at Zi Zhenzhu, and continued to ask:
"Since you think whoever has the bigger fist is the official, and since the identity of the official and the gangster can be changed according to their strength, then I want to ask you..."
"Why have the officials of the two empires been working steadily for generations? But you people, after hundreds of years, can still only stay in this useless Purple Pearl Island and continue to be your stinky pirates?!"
"Of course it's because the two empires are more powerful than us! They have more people and we can't defeat them!" Zi Zhenzhu replied confidently.
"Why are they better than you?!" Nan Feng asked.
"What do the two empires have more than you?"
"Army? A standing army of several million?"
"Then let me ask you again, where did those troops come from?!"
"The royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire only have hundreds or thousands of bloodlines at all costs. Why are those millions of troops and countless Soul Master legions willing to obey the royal family's orders with all their heart?!"
"Why would those common people, those young Soul Master who have a great future, rather join the army and suffer hardship, work hard on the battlefield, and work as dogs for the royal family, than come to the free sea and become pirates who drink from a big bowl and eat a lot of meat with you?!"
Nan Feng A series of questions were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart one after another.
Zi Zhenzhu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
The logic that I took for granted just now instantly became fragmented under the layers of layers of Nan Feng.
Yeah... why?
If it were a pure fist fight, Purple Pearl Island and more than five hundred high-level Sea Soul Master would definitely be an extremely terrifying force.
But why can they only live in a corner, relying on robbery to live a precarious life and being wanted by the regular forces across the continent? But the two empires can sit firmly in the country and attract countless people to flock to them?
The air in the hall seemed to have solidified, and everyone was involved in an unprecedented brainstorm.
Looking at the completely confused pirates in the hall, the mockery in Nan Feng's eyes became more intense.
"You can't answer it, right? Then I'll tell you the answer."
"Because of two words - order, and the future!"
"Why would an ordinary civilian, or a low-level Soul Master, work for the royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire?"
"Because they know that as long as they wear that military uniform, they will receive military pay on time every month; their parents, wives and children can be allocated fields in their hometown and be exempted from taxes; even if they die on the battlefield, the empire will issue a pension to ensure that their orphans and widows will not starve to death on the streets!"
"If they have achieved military exploits on the battlefield, they can even be promoted to a higher rank, transcending social classes, and become nobles who are superior to others, so that future generations can enjoy glory and wealth!"
Nan Feng stopped suddenly and glanced coldly at all the pirates present:
"This is called 'order'! This is the 'interest distribution mechanism' built by the empire!"
"And what about you?!"
Nan Feng pointed at Zi Zhenzhu and several other pirate leaders, his tone full of contempt:
"What can you get by joining your pirate group? I robbed a lot of gold coins today, and got drunk in the tavern and squandered them on women at night! What about tomorrow?"
"If someone encounters a rough enemy at sea tomorrow and is hacked to death, who will take care of your bodies? Who will take care of the orphans and widows you left on the island?"
"You guys, the bosses, will only use the so-called 'brotherly loyalty' and tonight's meat and wine to make up the pie!"
"You can't give me a clear path for advancement, you can't give me a stable old age, and you can't give the next generation hope to get ahead!"
"If you follow the empire, even if you are a dog, you are still a dog with a system and a future! If you follow you, you are a pure ghost, and your life is precarious!"
"This is why officials will always be officials, but you guys, with the powerful power of five hundred high-level Sea Soul Master, can only huddle on this broken island for generations, being spurned and wanted by people across the continent, and the fundamental reason why you will be stinky pirates for the rest of your life!"
The air suddenly became quiet...
If the absolute force shown by Nan Feng before only destroyed their resistance, then these words at this moment completely shattered their inherent world view in this life!
There were several pirate leaders in the hall who were older and had wounds all over their bodies. Their eyes turned slightly red as they listened.
They recalled their brothers who died at sea, and the orphans and widows on the island who became playthings or starved to death because they lost their mainstay, and a deep sense of sadness and powerlessness came to their hearts.
Zi Zhenzhu was like an enlightenment, and his whole body stood stunned on the spot.
She has always felt that she is extremely talented and how happy it would be to be the king of the sea.
But now that Nan Feng had torn off that fig leaf, she was horrified to discover that the piracy career she was so proud of was simply a low-level joke with no technical content in the eyes of the real "ruler".
"Do you understand? Do you understand?"
Nan Feng sat back on the chair again, looking at the completely shocked pirates, his tone finally softened a bit:
"With big fists, you can indeed make rules. But with fists alone, you will always be just a gangster. Only when you use your fists to establish an 'order' that everyone can benefit from, you are the real king."
Nan Feng pushed aside the pile of bad debts on the table, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and issued Purple Pearl Island's first real "reform decree" in history:
"Starting from today, Purple Pearl Island will completely abolish the previous robbery model of killing the chicken to obtain the egg."
"First, integrate all the Soul Master on the island and establish 'Purple Pearl Navy'. Zi Zhenzhu will be the commander. Establish strict military regulations and salary system, and pay monthly! Establish a war death pension, provide for the elderly and provide for the young. I will make the sword under your hands turn into a disciplined sword!"
"Second, immediately spread the word to the chambers of commerce and the two major empires across the continent. Just say that this sea area will be taken over by us Purple Pearl Island from now on. Any merchant ship must pay us 100% of the value of the goods before entering this sea area. If they pay 10% of the 'road tax', we Purple Pearl Navy will dispatch Sea Soul Master to escort them throughout the entire process to ensure that they are protected from Sea Soul Beast and other pirates!"
"Third, smash out all the gold coins you robbed that are rotting and moldy in the warehouse! Expand the port, build inns, shops, casinos and auction houses. Make this the safest duty-free trade transfer station in the entire continent!"
"Remember, we are no longer thieves who rob families. We want to monopolize the trade throat of the entire sea and be the only 'law' in this sea!"
"As for those colleagues who are unwilling to pay taxes or dare to rob privately on our territory..."
"Just use your newly formed navy to tell them what the rules are!"
In the hall, everyone's breathing became extremely heavy.
With the extremely clear plan Nan Feng, which pointed directly at the grand ambition and hegemony, even these pirates who did not know a few characters instinctively smelled the overwhelming wealth in it that could change their destiny for generations!
You no longer need to desperately rob the pitiful oil and water, but sit at home and collect protection fees from the entire sea! You can even do business with the two empires openly and turn this broken island into a golden city that is even more prosperous than Vast Sea City!