Chapter 121: Hero’s Tears
While the Sea Wolf Ship battle line adopted the hyena’s pincer attack tactic.
The Santa Ana’s starboard side’s fourteen Siren Cannons roared incessantly. There were no friendly ships around it, so there was no need to worry about collisions during navigation. It did not fly ship lanterns, and the entire ship was under light control, like a ghost on the dark sea.
Even standing on the stern deck, Lin Qian’s ears still buzzed from the continuous artillery fire, and his nose could smell nothing but sulfur and gunpowder.
Through the telescope, the navy fleet of the Nan’ao Vice General had completed its turn and was reorganizing its formation, charging directly at the Santa Ana.
At the tail of the navy fleet, the muzzle flashes of the Sea Wolf Ship battle line’s cannons were vaguely visible. One Fuchuan Ship, leading several Haicang Ships, detached from the formation to drive off the Sea Wolf Ship battle line.
“Boom! Boom! Boom…” Cannon fire echoed from afar.
Lin Qian raised his telescope and, based on the muzzle flashes and the height of the ship lanterns, vaguely recognized that the firing ships were the Da Fu Ships in the center of the navy fleet.
These Da Fu Ships were over ten zhang long, larger than ordinary three-masted Fuchuan Ships. According to the “Record of Military Equipment,” their official name was “Number One Fuchuan Ship.” They were equipped with heavy Franchi Cannons firing eight-jin projectiles and were the top combat strength of the Great Ming Navy.
“Enemy fleet, two hundred paces!” the lookout shouted loudly.
At this time, the Santa Ana’s hull was broadside, its sails lowered to fire. The shot landed around the bows of the navy fleet, another perfect T-bone formation.
Lei Sanxiang’s voice was already hoarse, but he was still extremely excited and loudly ordered the crew to fire.
“Enemy fleet, one hundred and fifty paces!” the lookout updated the distance.
The navy fleet still charged head-on, enduring the intense bombardment.
Unlike the line battle tactics commonly used by European navies during the age of sail, the Great Ming Navy employed a “wild goose formation” for sea movement, generally divided into five divisions: front, rear, left, right, and center, similar to land formations.
This formation was advantageous for boarding combat, but it made them a large, vulnerable target in front of naval cannons.
In fact, in this era, even European navies were still in the exploration phase of naval tactics.
Lin Qian’s tactic of seizing the windward position and achieving the T-bone was too advanced, leading to a tactical annihilation.
“Enemy fleet, one hundred paces!” the lookout said again.
Although the accuracy of the galleon’s cannons was rather poor, the navy ships couldn’t withstand the continuous charging under fire.
The sky was too dark for Lin Qian to see the extent of the navy fleet’s damage. He guessed that the navy must have suffered significant losses.
Moreover, as the distance between the two sides decreased, the power and accuracy of the cannons increased.
The bowl-mouth cannons, tiger squatting cannons, and dragon emerging from water firearms on the bows of the navy ships had not even reached their firing range yet.
Facing the cannon advantage of the galleon, even the sea bandit Li Kuiqi knew to turn and evade. Why did the navy fleet charge directly into it? Was the Vice General truly that foolish?
Lin Qian frowned, thinking, “Something is strange.”
“Hoist sails, course due east!” Lin Qian ordered decisively.
Although the firing angle was excellent at the moment, Lin Qian was the absolute authority on the ship, and his orders would not be questioned.
As Chen Jiao loudly relayed the order to hoist sails, the rope men on the yard, who had been prepared, released the sail ties. The snow-white sails unfurled. The rope men on deck pulled tight the starboard sail cables, and the sails gradually billowed. The galleon slowly advanced due east.
“Enemy fleet, eighty paces!” the lookout said again.
At this distance, the silhouette of the hull illuminated by the ship lanterns could be vaguely seen.
Just then, a crew member on the starboard side exclaimed, “Fire ships!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the navy suddenly fired dozens of fire arrows. Most fell into the water, while a few stuck to the dark sea surface, then ignited with a “whoosh” sound. A bird ship was set ablaze.
Immediately after, five or six more bird ships were ignited. There were no soldiers on these bird ships. Their single-masted lug sails were adjusted to the appropriate size, and they were heading straight for the Santa Ana.
The closest one was only about ten paces away from the Santa Ana.
This was the oldest and most skilled tactic of the Eastern Navy – fire attack.
It turned out that the navy’s head-on charge was to lull the galleon into a false sense of security and create an opportunity for the fire ships to approach.
The bows of these fire attack ships were equipped with barbed steel nails. Once they collided, it would be difficult for the enemy ship to disengage.
In the cabins of the fire attack ships, a large amount of tung oil was stored. Tung oil is highly flammable, and its flames spread rapidly with the wind, reaching several zhang high. It was very easy to ignite enemy ships.
Historically, in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, Zheng Zhilong defeated the combined fleets of the Dutch and Liu Xiang using this very tactic.
Unfortunately, Lin Qian was not Dutch. He did not engage in a protracted artillery duel and promptly hoisted sails, and his ship’s speed was gradually increasing.
Lin Qian then ordered the galleon to turn and evade.
They narrowly brushed past the fire ship ten paces away, and all the other fire ships missed their targets, turning into raging fireballs drifting northeast.
“Enemy fleet, fifty paces!” the lookout updated the distance.
As soon as he finished speaking, several types of firearms from the navy simultaneously fired, and for a moment, the sea around the galleon was churned up.
“Swish, swish, swish…” The bow of a Da Fu Ship lit up with intense light, and then dozens of small fire snakes shot out.
This was the Great Ming Navy’s famous firearm – Dragon Emerging from Water.
The airborne fire arrows flew erratically, with a very wide scatter. The Da Fu Ship, facing the entire sea surface, was within its striking range. Whether it could hit its target depended entirely on fate.
In a short while, most of the fire arrows fell into the water and were extinguished.
The deck of the Santa Ana was unfortunately hit by an arrow. The flames at the tail of the arrow burned out, then exploded violently, creating several holes in the deck. The crew promptly fetched buckets of water and extinguished the fire.
Another arrow stuck into the Santa Ana’s starboard side. After the explosion, the hull was almost unharmed.
“Thirty paces!”
Lin Qian ordered, “Fire the Franchi Cannons.”
Chen Jiao relayed the order. On the open deck, the gunners of the Franchi Cannons could no longer contain themselves and opened fire. For a time, the sound of cannons on the deck was continuous.
A large number of musketeers also fired from behind the bulwarks. The soldiers operating firearms at the bow of the navy ships were immediately subjected to a hail of iron, suffering heavy casualties.
After a brief exchange with the navy, the Santa Ana continued eastward without losing speed, and the distance between the two sides gradually widened.
Lin Qian ordered, “Turn southeast, aim the cannons at the enemy formation!”
A moment later, the Santa Ana’s starboard side fired. In the darkness, the results of the battle were unclear, only the deafening sound of splintering wood and the screams of soldiers could be heard.
Immediately after, a flash of light appeared in the navy formation, and the sound of heavy Franchi Cannon fire was heard.
With a “whoosh,” a cannonball flew over the galleon’s deck, and the sound of cannonballs falling into the water erupted around them.
At this time, the Sea Wolf Ship battle line had broken free from the entanglement of the Da Fu Ships and had once again circled behind the navy fleet to launch surprise attacks.
After being attacked from both front and rear in this manner for half an hour, the navy’s defeat became evident, and the ships scattered and fled.
In the combat area, about half a li southeast, Ma Chenglie, looking disheveled and disguised as an ordinary crew member, stared blankly at the flames before him, his body trembling, tears in his eyes, and his heart in agony.
Unlike the hereditary military system of the garrisons, Ma Chenglie belonged to the camp soldier generals. His promotion to Nan’ao Vice General was entirely earned through real combat, although he had also spent some money.
However, regardless of anything else, he was a high-ranking admiral of the Imperial Court, second-grade, full of military strategy and well-versed in naval tactics.
He believed that even if he didn’t have the commanding talent of Qi Jiguang, he could at least match the strategies of Yu Dayou.
How could he be defeated by a mere sea bandit today?
He had painstakingly and wholeheartedly devised a plan for this battle, believing it to be thorough and foolproof.
How did that Nan’ao sea bandit figure it out?
Ma Chenglie looked up at the sky, letting his heroic tears fall, roaring in his heart, “I am not reconciled!”
The household soldiers on the same ship, seeing their General’s expression, tried to console him: “General, the rebels’ cannons are powerful, even the Franchi Cannons are no match for them. I believe the Imperial Court will not blame you. Your health is important, do not blame yourself!”
The subordinate’s consolation only made Ma Chenglie feel more humiliated. He no longer had the face to live, and moreover, losing troops and territory was a capital offense. Rather than being judged and executed by the Imperial Court, it would be cleaner to take his own life.
With this thought, Ma Chenglie drew his saber with a “ceng” sound and placed the cold blade at his throat.
The moment the cold steel touched his skin, a chill ran through his body, causing goosebumps.
The saber was too cold. Ma Chenglie hesitated and couldn’t bring himself to strike.
The household soldiers around him were greatly alarmed and rushed to snatch the saber. After a struggle, the saber was finally taken away.
“Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare, General. Why must you be so hard on yourself?”
“The rebel bandits live on a remote island overseas and cannot pose a lasting threat. The General can lead troops to fight again in the future.”
The household soldiers spoke in a jumble of advice.
Ma Chenglie remained silent, dejected. Fight again? Did he still have the chance to fight again?
In the distance, the fire on the sea grew brighter, illuminating the tall hull of the Da Fu Ship. Ma Chenglie’s most loyal household soldier, Shi Jun, was commanding on that ship, but the defeat was already set, and Shi Jun was also powerless to turn the tide. He could only delay as much as possible to allow Ma Chenglie to escape.
A thunderous cannon roar sounded, and wood chips flew from the Da Fu Ship, clearly hit by several more cannonballs.
The Da Fu Ship stubbornly retaliated with Franchi Cannons, one of which hit an enemy gunboat. However, this did not have a significant impact on the overall situation.
A large number of navy warships scattered and fled on the sea surface, while the Sea Wolf Ship battle line pursued and intercepted them.
The number of sinking, disintegrating, and burning navy warships increased.
It was truly a heart-wrenching and disastrous defeat.
Among them, the Imperial Court’s ships sank, and camp soldiers died, which could still be covered up. However, each warship had household soldiers, many of whom Ma Chenglie had borrowed from surrounding garrisons.
If these household soldiers died, it would be impossible to conceal, and the garrison commanders would surely devour him alive.
Ma Chenglie was instantly filled with despair, but he no longer had the courage to commit suicide. He could only sit in the small boat in silence.
At this moment, a navy Haicang Ship, in a panic, sailed towards the small boat where Ma Chenglie was.
Ma Chenglie was greatly alarmed and quickly ordered the small boat to paddle faster to evade. Ultimately, he managed to escape under the cover of night.
This ordeal made Ma Chenglie see his inner desire for survival more clearly. He immediately perked up and ordered his subordinates to paddle towards the southeast outer seas.
Most of the navy warships were fleeing towards the northwest towards Zhelin Bay. He would go against the trend and surely escape alive.
As for how to explain this to the Imperial Court and the surrounding garrisons, he would think about it after he reached land.
…
At dawn, the naval battle gradually subsided. Looking out, the sea was covered with floating corpses and broken wooden boards.
The warships that could still navigate had already fled the battlefield.
On the sea surface, there were five or six navy warships that had taken on water. Their bows floated on the sea, with more than half of their hulls submerged, rendering them immobile. Soldiers clinging to wooden boards drifted on the sea around them.
The Sea Wolf Ship battle line had dispersed and was searching the battlefield for prisoners.
The Number One Da Fu Ship, having been specially targeted by the Santa Ana, was severely damaged after a night of cannon fire. It was taking on water, and its hull was severely tilted to the starboard stern. The heavy Franchi Cannons slid, smashing through the bulwarks and falling into the water. The ship was on the verge of sinking, and the soldiers on deck jumped into the sea to save themselves.
Seeing this, Lin Qian quickly said, “Send a small boat to capture prisoners. Make sure the General doesn’t die.”
After a night of fierce battle, this Da Fu Ship had the highest combat spirit and firepower, so it should be the navy’s flagship. Vice General Ma must have been on board.
For Lin Qian, capturing the Nan’ao Vice General was the best outcome. If he couldn’t capture him, it was also acceptable, but he absolutely could not let him die.
This was political wisdom in his dealings with the Great Ming Imperial Court.
After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, a small boat was lowered, and Bai Langzai led men towards the Da Fu Ship. Approaching the soldiers who had fallen into the water, the crew first beat them with oars, making them choke on water and exhaust their strength, before pulling them onto the small boat.
After this commotion for one or two hours, the small boat made several return trips, bringing the prisoners to the galleon’s deck to kneel.
There were about forty prisoners, all of whom had removed their armor and were wearing their undergarments, making their identities indiscernible.
Most of the prisoners were thin, while more than a dozen were robust, clearly indicating they were household retainers.
Lin Qian coldly asked the prisoners, “Where is Nan’ao Vice General Ma Chenglie?”
No one answered. Bai Langzai drew his Great Miao Saber and said, “Speak!”
A prisoner spoke loudly, “The General left last night. He is probably already in the prefecture city writing a memorial. Soon, the Imperial Navy will arrive in force, and you will all be annihilated!”
The speaker was burly, with sharp facial features, and exuded an air of toughness.
Lin Qian asked, “Name, official post?”
“Shi Jun, commander of the General’s household retainers. You scoundrel, if you are wise, you will let me go, otherwise, when the Imperial Army arrives, they will make you pay!”
Shi Jun, with his hands tied behind his back, knelt on the deck, still shouting threats, his demeanor fierce.
Lin Qian ignored him and asked again, “Were you commanding that Da Fu Ship?”
Shi Jun struggled, speaking arrogantly, “That’s right, you bunch of rabble! If it weren’t for your cannons, how could you be the General’s opponent! Have the guts to let me go, and we’ll fight again!”
Lei Sanxiang was enraged by this and started to roll up his sleeves to step forward, but was stopped by Chen Jiao.
Since Shi Jun was the commander of the Vice General’s household retainers, he likely knew a lot of critical information. However, given his attitude, he would definitely not confess willingly.
Therefore, Lin Qian ordered, “Take him down and bring him to the island for torture.”
“Yes!” The crew member responded and dragged the man away.
Shi Jun was dragged across the ground, laughing wildly and shouting, “Good! Bring on any trick you have. If I so much as frown, then I’ve lost!”
Lin Qian’s gaze shot coldly, and he added, “Bai Langzai, when we get ashore, find someone who slaughters pigs, and let’s start with this fellow surnamed Shi.”
Bai Langzai cupped his fist and accepted the order.
Shi Jun choked upon hearing this, his face turning red. He could no longer utter any curses.
After the prisoners were taken away, Chen Jiao sighed, “It’s a pity that fellow surnamed Ma escaped.”
“It’s fine. It might be more useful for the fellow surnamed Ma to return to shore than to fall into our hands,” Lin Qian said, then returned to the captain’s cabin, “Return to port.”
At noon, the Santa Ana and ten Sea Wolf Ships docked at Houjiang Bay.
After the gangways were laid, strings of prisoners were led out.
According to Zhou Xiucai’s statistics, over three hundred prisoners were captured, more than ten navy warships were sunk, and three Cangshan Ships were captured.
Our side suffered over twenty casualties, and the Santa Ana was hit by one cannonball; it can be called a great victory.
Their own casualties were twenty-odd people, and the Santa Ana was hit by one cannon. It was a great victory.
In the age of sail, cannonballs were solid shot, causing through-and-through damage to the hull. As long as the hit was not on the bow, stern, or waterline, it was not a major problem.
In a naval battle, two battleships firing at each other from twenty meters apart, each taking hundreds of cannonballs without sinking, was common.
For a wooden warship of the Santa Ana’s tonnage, being hit by just one cannon was completely insignificant.
Without Lin Qian’s orders, tasks such as counting prisoners, treating the wounded, and repairing the hull were already proceeding in an orderly fashion.
According to Lin Qian’s instructions, Bai Langzai went ashore and found a pig butcher to deal with Shi Jun.
Shi Jun had been putting on a brave front, but when his pants were removed and he saw the pig butcher heating a knife with a candle, he could no longer hold on and confessed everything.
Bai Langzai brought a scribe to record the confession, and the testimony reached Lin Qian’s desk that very night.
In the captain’s cabin of the Santa Ana, Lin Qian picked up the confession and read it through. The events unfolded largely as he had predicted.
Half a month ago, Bai Qing returned from Huangyan with three pieces of news.
One, the Lin Mansion had completely fallen. Old Master Lin had passed away, Lin Zhishu had gone mad, there was no one managing the household, and the other branches had gone their separate ways, disappearing into anonymity. A noble family that had been passed down for over four hundred years had collapsed.
Two, Concubine Li was living well under the care of a fisherman couple. The family was quite harmonious, and as Lin Qian had predicted, the plundering of the Lin Mansion had become a settled case, and no one had bothered Concubine Li anymore.
Three, on the waters of Eastern Zhejiang, a group of sea bandits on Shuangyu Island had been wiped out. Counting the time, it was around the same period as the plundering of the Lin Mansion.
Combining these three pieces of news, along with the fact that the reward for eliminating Li Zhong had not yet been issued, the mysterious disappearance of island merchants, and the assembly of fleets in Zhelin Bay, Lin Qian had long since guessed the Nan’ao Vice General’s intentions.
He played along with the plan, using a strategy of outward relaxation and inner tension. While using the pretext of preparing for the New Year to relax island patrols, he also sent people to closely monitor the movements in Zhelin Bay.
The closer it got to the New Year, the more people he sent to watch, and the tighter his surveillance on Zhelin Bay became.
Thus, on the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, when Ma Chenglie led the navy to set sail, he believed he was acting without anyone’s knowledge. In reality, Lin Qian quickly received the news.
Lin Qian’s fleet did not turn on its ship lanterns and had been following behind the navy fleet since early morning. It was not until Ma Chenglie sailed close to the outer seas that they suddenly attacked, catching the fleet completely off guard.
This was a night battle. The navy’s five-colored flags made communication difficult, and they were ambushed, losing the initiative, which led to such a swift and ignominious defeat.
Otherwise, with just those three Da Fu Ships, the Great Ming Navy could have held out for a considerable time, and Lin Qian’s fleet would not have achieved victory with such light casualties.
Lin Qian put down the confession, pressed his temples, took a cigar from the drawer, and lit it in front of the white worm wax.
Lin Qian got up and walked out of the captain’s cabin, a cigar in one hand, standing on the deck, gazing at the lights of Nan’ao City in a daze.
Today is already the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and it will be New Year’s Eve tomorrow.
There were few vendors at the dock, but many residential houses were still lit, and occasional pedestrians walked in the streets wearing cotton clothes, their faces beaming with joy, congratulating each other on the New Year when they met.
The cold sea breeze blew, carrying the sweet aroma of fried cakes.
Both sides of the awnings of the Tanka boats docked by the pier were adorned with couplets, creating a strong festive atmosphere.
Who would have thought that just over half a year ago, this place was desolate, and the islanders were still struggling for survival as pearl commoners?
Lin Qian had been in the Great Ming for over a year. Many people had died because of him, but even more had been saved.
Given time, it was possible that even more commoners in the Great Ming would be able to live good lives.
Lin Qian took a puff of his cigar, exhaling a long plume of smoke, letting it dissipate in the sea breeze.
Currently, the dry dock had been under construction for over a month. With rudimentary cement and sufficient artisans and labor, the project was progressing rapidly and would be basically completed by February or March of next year.
At that time, the Santa Ana could undergo the next phase of modification in the dry dock, which involved dividing the cargo hold and building another cannon deck.
Once the refit was complete, the Santa Ana’s single side could carry an additional twelve cannons, bringing the total number of cannons on the ship to seventy, giving it the confidence to contend with the Fujian-Guangdong Navy with a single ship.
After the modification of the cannon deck, the Santa Ana’s refit would be mostly complete; further development would only lead to building a battleship.
To prepare for future self-built ships, Lin Qian decided to have the shipyard try building a sloop first; he had drawn up the design plans long before landing on Nan’ao Island.
“Helmsman,” Bai Langzai’s voice came from the stern deck as he was pondering.
Lin Qian said, “Perfect, I have something for you and your sister to do.”
Bai Langzai cupped his fists and said, “Please instruct me, Helmsman.”
“I remember there’s still a group of sea bandits called Yuan Jin in the Fujian-Guangdong waters, right?” Lin Qian exhaled smoke and said.
“Yes, they are based in the Kinmen area,” Bai Langzai replied.
“It’s almost New Year’s. Tomorrow, you and your sister should go and bring back more heads.”
“Yes!”
…
As soon as the New Year arrived.
Chaozhou Prefecture City was exceptionally lively, with numerous folk customs such as setting off firecrackers, honoring ancestors, paying respects to elders, eating vegetarian food, chewing betel nuts, offering incense, wives returning to their parents’ homes, pasting red paper charms, mourning the deceased, sweeping away dirt, welcoming the Kitchen God, worshipping the God of Wealth, sending away the Poor Ghost, eating seven-jewel porridge, wearing hair ornaments, and ascending to feast.
From the first to the seventh day of the new year, the schedules of the commoners were fully packed every day, with everyone wearing smiles of happiness and joy, visiting friends and relatives from door to door.
Although the Ming dynasty’s governance was chaotic, the economy and culture of Jiangnan were extremely prosperous, so much so that sharp social contradictions could be suppressed by the festive joy of the New Year.
However, some were happy while others were sad.
In Zhelin Bay, eighty li southeast of Chaozhou Prefecture, the entire naval camp was draped in mourning, and faint cries could be heard. Twenty to thirty dilapidated warships barely floated on the sea surface, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
In Chenghai County, forty li to the southeast, the bodies of three children were discovered. Their father was a seller of Qi Lu Bing, and their lives had been unremarkable but passable.
Until two months ago, their father vanished, leaving the family without income. They were evicted from their home by creditors and had to rely on begging for leftovers.
Amidst the New Year’s Eve firecrackers, the mother hanged herself, and the three children cried all night in the wind and snow, freezing to death the next day with smiles on their faces.
Those who collected bodies had seen many such human tragedies and felt nothing, efficiently pushing the bodies out of the city for burial. Passersby they encountered along the way exclaimed about their bad luck.
In Huangyan County, Taizhou, the mad Xiucai Lin Zhishu, with disheveled hair, was burning the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall for warmth.
As he warmed himself by the fire, he cautiously looked around, occasionally exclaiming, “Don’t come over, it wasn’t me… Don’t come over!”
The entire Lin Mansion was empty. Valuable furniture and objects had been moved out. The mad Xiucai’s voice echoed through the empty mansion, carrying a hint of the uncanny.
On the banks of the Yongning River, a fisherman and his wife used their treasured silver to buy good wine and food. The family closed their doors, lit an oil lamp, and sat around the table.
Concubine Li sweetly called out to her parents, her eyes watering at the feast like a little girl’s.
The couple smiled at each other, tore off a chicken leg, and handed it to Concubine Li. Concubine Li took a bite of the chicken leg and giggled, the family enjoying a warm and happy meal.
Outside in the wind and snow, a person hid behind a wall, their body clad in rags. Their eyes were fixed on the light from the fisherman’s house, a greedy look in their eyes.
He was originally a soldier in the Haimen Guard garrison. A month ago, the Imperial Court issued an edict to investigate the Commander of the Haimen Guard for misconduct during a state mourning banquet. The Commander was taken to the capital, and he feared that the court would also investigate his crime of ambushing and killing fishing boats, so he took the opportunity to escape and barely scraped by in the county town.
He thought he would drift through life like this, but unexpectedly, he encountered the old fisherman who had come to the town to buy wine and meat.
His greed arose, and he could no longer restrain himself. He followed all the way, waiting for nightfall to make his move.
This family’s house was low and dilapidated, and the oil lamp was dim; it seemed they were not a wealthy family.
But he had no money on him and had been starving for many days. At this moment, he was willing to kill for just one meal of wine and meat.
Moreover, he heard a young woman’s voice from inside the house…
The man licked his frozen lips, his lust intensifying.
