Chapter 81: Spitting Out The Food
The Santa Ana is just one ship. Going into the lagoon to capture ships would instead let the other ships find a chance to escape from the channel. Better to block the exit and wait at ease for the exhausted enemy.
Logically speaking, coral atolls are generally uneven, almost impossible to have only one exit.
But this atoll covers a huge area, and most reefs are underwater, so most people lack the courage to probe rashly.
At this moment, a crew member knocked and entered: “Helmsman, a ship is coming to surrender.”
Lin Qian put down the brown sugar ginger water upon hearing this and went out the door. Behind him, the crew member thoughtfully held an umbrella for him.
Lin Qian went up to the stern deck, took out the telescope, and looked toward the direction of the approaching ship.
On the southern sea surface, there was indeed a Haicang Ship sailing with half sails.
Lin Qian said: “Pass the order: prepare for battle!”
A little less than half a shichen later, that Haicang Ship reached a hundred paces away. The sails were lowered another half, relying on the weak wind from the narrow sail surface to crawl slowly across the sea surface.
The attitude of surrender was extremely sincere.
Inside the gunports of the Santa Ana, Lei Sanxiang led men holding six dry muskets, aiming at the approaching ship. The match cords had been blown red-hot.
That Haicang Ship came within twenty paces and came to a complete stop. The pirates came out of the cabin and went up to the bow.
A pirate said: “We are willing to surrender; we only beg for a way to live.”
Lin Qian: “Tell them to throw all their weapons into the sea.”
Chen Jiao walked to the ship’s rail and shouted loudly: “Throw all your gear into the sea!”
The pirates on that ship complied, throwing more than ten knives, guns, and weapons into the water.
Lin Qian then had Chen Jiao relay the order for this group of pirates to anchor beside the galleon.
Chen Jiao: “Helmsman, aren’t we tying them up?”
Lin Qian slowly shook his head: “Not yet.”
After handling the surrendering pirates, Lin Qian led everyone back to the officer’s restaurant, where lunch bowls and chopsticks were already set.
Lin Qian and the others took their seats.
With a great enemy before them, the lunch fare was plain: one portion of salted fish and dry biscuit per person. Fortunately, no one had eaten much all day. Everyone was starving, stomachs to backs, and didn’t care about the taste, just wolfing it down.
After finishing eating, everyone finally had time to talk.
Lei Sanxiang said: “Second Brother, how were you captured?”
Zhou Xiucai sighed, explained the whole story with a bitter face, more or less the same as what Lu Zhou had told before.
In the end, he sighed: “Alas! If I’d known, we shouldn’t have stopped in that damned Ma’er Ao, causing so many brothers to die.”
Lei Sanxiang: “It wouldn’t have mattered where you stopped. That donkey-balled Li Kuiqi sent men to follow behind your ship!”
“Ah?” Zhou Xiucai was quite surprised.
Jose said categorically: “Impossible. We followed the helmsman’s orders and were extremely careful after leaving Macau port, constantly watching the stern for any councillor’s ships tailing us. Impossible not to notice followers.”
Lei Sanxiang then told the story of Commander Qi eradicating the water bandits.
Jose was stunned, mouth agape for a long time: “It can be done like that? Sculling to follow a ship three or four hundred li—won’t those two exhaust themselves to death?”
Chen Jiao said: “Without a diamond drill, don’t take on porcelain work. Without that skill, don’t be water bandits.”
At this time, a crew member reported from outside the restaurant: “Helmsman, two more ships are coming toward us; looks like they’re surrendering too.”
Lin Qian was just about to stand when Chen Jiao said: “Helmsman, let me go.”
Lin Qian thought for a moment, nodded in agreement, and Chen Jiao stood up and headed out of the restaurant.
Zhou Xiucai murmured: “As the saying goes: ‘Heavy towers and green hills emerge in frosty dawn, strange events astonish the centenarian.'”
Never thought that on the vast South China Sea there’d be such a place. I thought my life was done for in Ship City.
Helmsman, how did you find this place?”
Lin Qian recounted Bai Qing’s night probe of Ship City. Zhou Xiucai listened, dumbfounded, then cupped hands to Bai Qing: “Miss Bai’s courage matches men’s; truly a remarkable woman.”
The words were too literary; Bai Qing didn’t fully understand, just smiled, cupped hands, and said: “You’re too kind.”
Jose asked tremblingly: “You said… a corpse pointed the way for you to find the lagoon channel? You… weren’t afraid?”
Bai Qing: “Chen Jia Er Ge is someone I know—what’s to fear? Even if he became a ghost, hearing I’d avenge him, he’d not harm me but help a lot!”
Jose was a Spaniard, staunch Catholic, deeply religious; hearing this, he hurriedly crossed himself on the chest.
Lin Qian laughed: “Well said! Old He, see? That’s a Great Ming woman!”
Zhou Xiucai flattered: “As the saying goes: ‘Duke of Zhou spits food, world returns in heart.’ With so many talents under the helmsman, Li Kuiqi’s loss is no injustice.”
Lei Sanxiang grumbled: “Second Brother, can you spout fewer sour poems? Damn, ‘as the saying goes’ every breath—I can’t understand!”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Amid the laughter, Chen Jiao entered from outside the officer’s restaurant, wringing his clothes: “What’s so funny… Helmsman, the two surrendering ships are settled—weapons in the sea, people on their ships.”
Chen Bo also came in from outside, holding a large oiled paper package. He put it on the table and opened it: a bag of peanuts.
“Heard the bosses chatting happily, so I roasted some peanuts as a snack—eat while talking.”
Lin Qian nodded: “Thoughtful.”
Chen Bo smiled and withdrew.
At Lin Qian’s signal, everyone started peeling peanuts.
Peanuts had only recently come from overseas, grown only in Fujian-Guangdong—a novelty everyone enjoyed.
Soon peanut shells littered the place.
Zhou Xiucai looked around: “Where’s Brother Yiguan?”
Lin Qian: “I left him to guard Nan’ao Island.”
Lin Qian always harbored doubts about Zheng Zhilong, but with insufficient manpower—Chen Jiao as first mate, Lei Sanxiang as boatswain and master gunner—they all had to ship out.
Bai Qing was guide, Bai Langzai double red stick—couldn’t leave them.
All told, Zheng Zhilong had to stay guarding Nan’ao Island.
Despite Zhou Xiucai’s “Duke of Zhou spits food, world returns,” Lin Qian knew he still lacked talented hands.
Nan’ao Island’s town was taking shape; more merchants and settlers would come.
Effective governance bodies were urgent; judicial and enforcement teams too.
This required ample talent reserves—at least literate for officials or clerks.
On all Nan’ao Island, including Lin Qian, literates numbered fewer than two hands.
Excluding doctors and craftsmen, just four and a half: Lin Qian, Zhou Xiucai, Zheng Zhilong, Garrison Commander Huang—and Chen Jiao barely half.
Literacy work must be scheduled.
This easy win over Li Kuiqi relied on cannon advantage; facing Great Ming Navy later won’t be as easy.
So navy construction can’t stop.
They chatted till dusk; over a dozen more ships surrendered—Chen Jiao, Lei Sanxiang, Bai Langzai took turns on deck to handle.
Surrendering pirates just lost weapons, unharmed; other sea bandits followed suit.
Before nightfall, nearly fifty ships beside the Santa Ana.
Sky darkening, sea wind and rain unrelenting.
Lin Qian went to the window, praised: “Fine rain! Bai Qing, Bai Langzai.”
“Helmsman.”
“You siblings take some men in the small boat, bring up all the surrendering pirates.”
