Chapter 58: Blood Stains The Blue Waves
The little eunuch nearby successively saw two big shots die under the blade, so frightened that he couldn’t stand steadily, his crotch wet, the air filled with a fishy stench.
Seeing Bai Langzai’s gaze shoot over.
The little eunuch kowtowed like pounding garlic, begging, “Good sir grandpa, all the bad deeds were done by Li Tan, this lowly one just arrived on the island, knows nothing, spare me, spare me, spare this lowly one’s life!”
Bai Langzai expressionless, walked up close, swiftly swung the knife.
The little eunuch’s pleas for mercy abruptly stopped, with a face full of unwillingness, died on the spot.
Bai Langzai cut off Li Tan’s head, then knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times toward the water village.
“Mother! Your son has avenged you!”
The pearl households behind him also knelt down to pay respects in turn.
After paying respects, Bai Langzai stood up, carrying Li Tan’s head, walked toward the water village.
At this time, Santa Ana had sailed to the outskirts of the water village, Lin Qian led dozens of crew members to transfer to small boats, arriving at the water village edge.
Lin Qian sent his men to search the mountains, capturing the routed soldiers from the water village patrol office.
Fortunately, Naozhou Island is not big, plus the routed soldiers’ physical quality is extremely poor, they couldn’t run far at all.
Just one hour later, the routed soldiers were all captured to the water village.
The soldiers who usually bossed around the pearl households and treated themselves as superiors were tied with rope and thrown together, their expressions terrified, like a flock of chickens waiting to be slaughtered.
At this time, the pearl households all sailed back to the water village, gathered on the shore, looking at the soldiers on the shore, their eyes seeming about to spew fire.
Lin Qian ordered: “Drive all these soldiers into the water.”
“Yes!” The surrounding crew members responded in unison, using knives to force the soldiers into the deep water.
Although the soldiers’ hands were tied, most could swim, and could flounder to keep their heads above the water surface to breathe.
The pearl households all used oars to viciously beat those heads exposed above the water.
The soldiers beaten until their heads were broken and bleeding could only dive into the water, but couldn’t hold their breath long, had to return to the water surface to breathe, before they could even open their mouths were greeted head-on by oars again.
After the time of one incense stick, most soldiers choked on water and drowned.
Dozens of corpses in Great Ming army uniforms, bellies up, slowly floated to the water surface.
In the past, soldiers drove pearl commoners into the sea, soldiers stood on boats, pearl commoner corpses floated on the sea surface, now it’s reversed, serves them right.
At this time, Bai Langzai had arrived in the water village, handed Li Tan’s head to Lin Qian: “Helmsman, this is that rootless beast.”
Lin Qian picked up the head, loudly said to the pearl commoners in the harbor: “Eunuch Li Tan is dead, this matter was done by me Lin Qian alone, unrelated to you all, if you don’t want to be implicated, you can leave now!”
On the sea surface, nearly a thousand pearl commoner boats, not one left the harbor.
Nearby pearl commoners recognized Lin Qian, whispered: “Benefactor, is it the benefactor?”
“The benefactor avenged us!”
In a moment, pearl commoners spread it by word of mouth, that Lin Qian was the one who held the free clinic at Poshan Wharf before.
Pearl commoners long-term suffered exploitation by the government, discriminated against by shore people, not only not afraid of sea bandits, but had a natural affinity.
That day during the free clinic, pearl commoners saw Lin Qian had extraordinary bearing, generous with spending, thought he was a shore person, had much wariness in their hearts.
At this time they discovered he was originally also a fellow making a living at sea, immediately fondness doubled.
The crowd discussed for a while, gradually quieted down, all stood at the bow, craned their necks, wanting to hear clearly what the benefactor would say next.
Lin Qian said: “If you all have no place to go, you can follow my ships together, go to islands outside Great Ming territory to settle!”
The crowd another round of discussion.
Lin Qian patiently waited for them to quiet down, then took a deep breath, loudly said: “I Lin Qian swear to Mazu, to Third Granny!
Under my rule, no corvee labor forever, no lowly registry forever, no more distinguishing Tanka people, shore people!
If I violate this oath, may I be buried amid the storms, forever under the surging waves!”
This is the top-grade vicious oath of sea people, worse ten thousand times than no complete corpse, no burial ground, heaven and earth jointly punish it.
More solemn ten thousand times than swearing to heaven and earth, to sun and moon, to rivers—especially to Luo River.
The crowd first a moment of silence, then successively knelt at the bow.
Someone led the shout: “Swear to die following the benefactor!”
Then the shouts gradually merged into one.
“Swear to die following the benefactor! Swear to die following the benefactor!”
The crowd kowtowed for a long time, under Lin Qian’s signal, gradually stood up.
Lin Qian had Bai Qing and her brothers command the pearl commoners’ fleet to leave the harbor first.
After all, over a thousand Tanka boats, with about three thousand pearl commoners on them, impossible for all to board Santa Ana.
During the time pearl commoners left the harbor, Zhou Xiucai also led people to transport out Li Tan’s wealth, divided into over ten large boxes loaded onto small boats.
After loading full, the small boats with extremely deep draft wobbled toward Santa Ana.
According to Zhou Xiucai, less than half was transported on the small boats, after unloading on Santa Ana, still needed two or three round trips.
Many things in that room had gone beyond the category of wealth, could be called treasures.
For example, the blood coral ornament visible right upon entering the door, made from one whole complete coral, extremely rare.
Lin Qian thought coral ornaments such things were all looks no use, not as practical as a box of gold.
Lin Qian asked again about his subordinates’ casualties.
Zhou Xiucai said: “Ship workers lightly wounded six, one dead.”
“How did he die?” Lin Qian was a bit surprised, hadn’t the patrol office’s soldiers all given up resistance?
“While searching for routed soldiers, accidentally fell off a cliff to death, it was that one who beat the prostitute before,” Zhou Xiucai answered.
Lin Qian oh-ed, then it wasn’t strange.
He looked toward the water village harbor, blocked by the pearl commoners’ fleet, couldn’t leave for a while, so walked to that eunuch’s room to broaden his horizons.
Upon entering, saw two crew members carefully wrapping that coral ornament with silk cloth.
After wrapping the ornament and packing into the box, the half pink wall behind was exposed, appearing empty.
Suddenly a flash of inspiration in Lin Qian’s mind, saw brush and ink on the table, said: “Bring the brush.”
Zhou Xiucai ah-ed, not understanding what medicine the helmsman was selling in his gourd again, went to the table to grind ink, selected a wolf hair brush, dipped full of thick ink, handed to Lin Qian.
Lin Qian took the hair brush, paced to the wall side.
At this time Zhou Xiucai guessed Lin Qian wanted to inscribe a poem.
He had read books, originally interested in poetry and literature, plus never seen Lin Qian wield the brush to compose a poem, suddenly interest greatly increased, stood aside, held breath in anticipation.
Saw Lin Qian ponder a moment, confidently put brush to paper.
Just one character made Zhou Xiucai’s brows furrow enough to clip a cow.
That character was written crookedly, barely showed some structure, but the brushwork had no merits at all, even a child practicing a year would write better than this.
Lin Qian after writing one and a half lines suddenly stopped, turned to ask Zhou Xiucai: “Second Brother, what imagery do you think is good here?”
Zhou Xiucai slightly stunned, does composing poetry also involve asking for words?
He knew Lin Qian was from farmer background, didn’t follow literati rules, so reminded: “Use ‘head pillowed on frost’ ba, fits the meter, also fits the imagery.”
Lin Qian nodded, continued writing, after a few strokes asked for more suggestions.
Thus back and forth several times, so that in the poem most was written by Zhou Xiucai.
As the four lines finished, Zhou Xiucai could tell this poem basically adapted lyrics from “Salty Water Song”.
The main idea depicted the hardships of pearl commoners’ lives.
Zhou Xiucai secretly nodded, understood the profound intent of Lin Qian’s action.
Writing such a poem, the imperial court would see this attack as pearl households’ uprising, not associate it with sea bandits.
Presumably, the helmsman deliberately wrote the characters so poorly to imitate pearl commoners’ handwriting.
Lin Qian’s characters with bamboo brush Zhou Xiucai had seen, had some structure, clearly not so bad as to write this sloppily after switching to hair brush.
Thinking to here, Zhou Xiucai secretly admired in his heart again, the helmsman indeed meticulous, even thought of such a small matter as handwriting quality.
While pondering, Lin Qian had already finished the whole poem.
Saw in his last line the “chop” character with a very long vertical stroke dragged out, full of momentum.
Zhou Xiucai glanced, suddenly his color changed.
With the last two lines added, the whole poem’s meaning reversed in place, what was on the wall was:
“Vermilion gates wine meat, lowly registry sores, iron quilt cloth short, head pillowed on frost.
Rivers bitterly bear sunken pearl tax, boatmen vainly scoop cold moon gleams.
Mermaids weep dry a thousand tear streams, sail shadows shake to shards myriad lights.
From here to Penglai east sea enter, blood dyes the blue waves, chop the Dragon King.”
This damn!
This damn, is a rebel poem!
Full wall of rebel poem, murderous aura surging.
Because the ink was too heavy, streaks of ink marks flowed down along the strokes.
Just like dripping blood.
