The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 136 Japanese Mercenaries

The butler led Zheng Zhilong and Jose to the councilor's luxurious office.

Upon seeing José, the congressman greeted him warmly in Spanish: "My old friend, how are you?" and then embraced José.

Jose was bewildered by the congressman's sudden enthusiasm. He had come to Macau several times before to deliver goods, but he had never seen the congressman so enthusiastic.

Zheng Zhilong thought with disdain: "A clumsy counter-espionage plot."

“Old friend, please sit down. What news about Lin Qian have you brought this time?” Andrei asked, pointing to a high-backed armchair.

Jose said, "Brother Zheng is the chief envoy for this trip to Macau."

"Him?" The councilor narrowed his triangular eyes, glanced at Zheng Zhilong, and looked him up and down.

Zheng Zhilong cupped his hands in greeting and said in Portuguese, "Mr. Member of Parliament, it's been a long time." He then sat down in the high-backed armchair, looking composed.

Jose found a chair and sat down behind Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong had previously worked as an interpreter in Macau, and in the eyes of the legislator, he was just an insignificant nobody. Even as the chief envoy, the legislator showed him no kindness: "What, did Lin Qian send you, an interpreter, to embarrass me?"

Just as Jose was about to speak, Zheng Zhilong interrupted him: "Mr. Congressman, have you forgotten that I was once your special envoy? Did you send me, an interpreter, to embarrass the captain?"

The councilor dared not offend Lin Qian and was momentarily speechless, managing only an awkward laugh.

Jose broke the awkward silence: "We're here to discuss cooperation."

The senator became interested and whispered, "You've hijacked another large sailing ship?"

José: "No, it's the Flemish. The captain proposes that we form an alliance to deal with the Flemish."

Flemish was a region in the southern Netherlands, now northern Belgium.

In those days, the term "Flaming" was commonly used in Spain to refer to the Dutch, which was a derogatory term for those Dutch who rebelled against the Spanish monarchy and believed in heresy.

"Oh." The senator leaned back in his chair, his chubby face showing little interest.

José explained the Dutch ambition to challenge the colonial order in Southeast Asia, the enmity between the Habsburg dynasty and the Dutch, and the differences between Protestants and Catholics, using reason and emotion to persuade them.

The congressman remained uninterested until finally standing up, walking to the window, and pointing into the distance, asking, "Is that your ship?"

His residence was built on a hillside, and his office had an excellent view, with a direct view of the dock through the window.

José stood up, looked out the window, and nodded, saying, "It's our ship."

"Ha." The councilor scoffed. "Ming ships are only suitable for merchant vessels. These small boats you've modified can't even take down a Frut merchant ship that doesn't even have a cannon, let alone attack Dutch warships. Don't joke with me."

Jose remained silent.

The congressman sat back down at the table, crossed his legs, and said sarcastically, "What's wrong, feeling discouraged? The Dutch aren't those Spanish fools... Excuse me, Mr. José, I meant no offense..."

As I said, the Dutch and Spanish were different; their ships weren't as easy to plunder as the Manila galleons.

Zheng Zhilong silently took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" the congressman asked, glancing at it sideways.

"Open it and take a look," Zheng Zhilong said calmly.

The councilor reached out and took it; it was a package the size of a book, wrapped in colorful silk cloth. When the cloth was opened, there was a red, white, and blue tricolor flag with specks of blood on it.

"The Dutch flag?" the MP asked, looking surprised.

Zheng Zhilong's lips curled up: "Take another look."

The councilor looked closely and saw that the white part of the tricolor flag had the letters "VOC" written on it, which was the flag of the Dutch East India Company.

The congressman put down his crossed legs, his expression serious: "You really hijacked a Dutch merchant ship?"

Without Zheng Zhilong needing to answer, the flag contained the Voyager's ship license and logbook.

The congressman's eyes widened. He knew the Voyager; it was a twenty-gun armed merchant ship with a very experienced and cunning captain. Portuguese merchant ships often encountered it on their way to Japan. If their firepower was inferior, they would be bombarded and plundered; if their firepower was superior, it would avoid them from afar. It was very troublesome.

Such a troublesome problem that gave the Macau Senate a headache was actually robbed just like that?

The councilor still couldn't believe it and asked several questions about the Voyager, to which Zheng Zhilong answered perfectly.

The congressman then believed the facts and leaned back in his chair with a stiff expression.

Jose: "Mr. Congressman, is it time to reconsider our partnership?"

The senator's eyes gleamed: "What does Lin Qian want?"

Zheng Zhilong slowly uttered two words: "Firearms".

The congressman relaxed: "Don't worry, although the contract for the large sailing ship has ended, the doors of the Bugalau Cannon Foundry will always be open to Lin Qian. Of course, given our cooperative relationship, I will offer certain preferential treatment."

Zheng Zhilong said firmly, "What the captain wants is sponsorship."

"Free?" The senator's face darkened.

"Twelve eighteen-pound sirens cannons."

"What!" The congressman's expression changed drastically. "Give away twelve cannons for free? Are you here to beg for food?"

Zheng Zhilong chuckled softly and reached for a tortoiseshell telescope on the councilor's desk, playing with it.

"Isn't there an alliance? The captain said that if we take your firearms, we will help the Dutch attack Macau next year and annihilate the Dutch fleet in the waters off Guangdong."

The councilor chuckled in exasperation: "Next year? Does Lin Qian think she's a prophet? Does that pirate leader think he's Drake?"

Zheng Zhilong looked at the councilor through his binoculars: "If I were you, even if I didn't accept the conditions, I would carefully consider my words. I've seen too many fools who disrespected the captain and then suffered the consequences."

The senator snatched the Malayan tortoiseshell binoculars and put them back on the table: "I look forward to the day I reap what I sow! In short, you're welcome to pay for firearms, but you're not welcome to take them for free! Now, get out."

Jose tried to mediate, but the congressman was determined and wouldn't listen to a word, so he had no choice but to come out with Zheng Zhilong.

After exiting the mansion's double ebony gates.

Jose couldn't help but complain, "Brother Zheng, if we had pleaded with him gently, the congressman might have given us one or two cannons. Why did you have to provoke him? Now look what happened, not only did we not get a single cannon, but it will also be difficult for us to buy cannons from the Bucharau cannon foundry in the future."

The cooperation failed, the senator was furious, and even the return carriage was cut off.

Fortunately, Macau is not a large place, so Zheng Zhilong and Jose could walk back to the pier.

Zheng Zhilong said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I know this councilor. He gets a cut of the profits from the cannon foundry. When it comes to money, even if you kill his mother to buy a gun from him, he'll still sell it to you."

As for the cannons, the captain said he wanted twelve eighteen-pound siren cannons, that is, twelve cannons.

"If we have to beg on our knees to discuss cooperation, are we supposed to be doing this?"

Jose's face turned red as he retorted, "If that's the case, then this trip to Macau really is just to beg for food."

Those were twelve eighteen-pound cannons! The foundry could sell them for eighteen thousand taels of silver. You should thank God if you could beg for them on your knees.

Zheng Zhilong suddenly stopped and looked at Jose suspiciously: "You don't believe what the captain said about the Dutch attacking Macau next year, do you?"

José replied guiltily, "I believe the helmsman, but the claim that the Dutch are attacking Macau is too alarmist. Do you really believe it?"

"I believe you!" Zheng Zhilong replied decisively. "Not only do I believe you, but the Dutch will only arrive sooner, not later. When that happens, the parliamentarian will know what it means to be speechless with despair."

Jose: "Okay, so what do we do now?"

Zheng Zhilong sneered: "Go get some Portuguese flags first."

……

For the next month, Lin Qian completely blocked the Dongfan Strait, and any ship that wanted to pass through it would be subject to strict inspection by the "Ming Navy".

Although this sea area looks vast, it is actually affected by the monsoon and the Kuroshio Current, and the navigable sea area is extremely limited, basically all within the radiation range of Nan'ao Island.

This is the power of the strategic location between Fujian and Guangdong.

The few boats that manage to pass through are not doing so because they break through the blockade, but simply because they have too little cargo and manage to slip through the mesh of the fishing nets.

Dutch merchant ships were mostly highly profitable, and even if there was no profit in the cargo hold, capturing ships was still profitable.

As a result, Dutch merchant ships had suffered a great misfortune over the past month. Due to the poor communication at the time, some Dutch merchant ships still set sail from Hirado without any precautions and plunged headlong into the trap.

At Houjiangwan Wharf, Lin Qian shaded her eyes with her hand and looked into the distance. She could see the Changfeng and Yunfan ships towing a wrecked armed merchant ship into the harbor on the distant sea.

Including the Faraway, this is the fourth Dutch ship to be captured.

After armed merchant ships entered the port, prisoners of war would disembark as usual, carpenters would board to inspect and repair the ships, and clerks from the military garrison would board to count the spoils of war. This had become a fixed procedure.

The ship offered little resistance, so there were many prisoners. The islanders surrounded the red-haired barbarians, pointing and whispering, and lined up in two rows along the street. Small vendors took the opportunity to hawk their food, creating a unique scene.

The islanders were watching the barbarians with great interest when they suddenly noticed that among the prisoners were seven or eight people wearing long-sleeved kimonos. These people had shaved heads and their hair was coiled up in front of their heads. At first glance, they looked similar to the people of the Ming Dynasty, but upon closer inspection, they looked quite different.

"Japanese pirates!" a local islander cried out.

The Dutch were halfway around the world from East Asia, making it very inconvenient to deploy troops. Therefore, they recruited people from all over East Asia to form mercenaries.

After the end of the Sengoku period in Japan, many samurai lost their jobs and became ronin, wandering around Southeast Asia, selling weapons and acting as mercenaries.

To the Dutch, Japanese ronin were brave, fearless, loyal, and skilled in close combat, making them elite mercenaries. As a result, Japanese pirates frequently appeared on Dutch ships.

More people recognized the prisoners, and the crowd cheered.

"There are Japanese pirates!"

"Kill the Japanese pirates!"

The islanders, who were initially enjoying the spectacle, suddenly became enraged and started throwing stones, rotten vegetable scraps, rotten eggs, and even sticks at the Japanese pirates.

While the people of southeastern China didn't harbor deep resentment towards the Japanese invaders, they universally hated the Wokou (Japanese pirates).

After all, it has only been a little over sixty years since Hu Zongxian quelled the Japanese pirates during the Jiajing era. Going back three generations, which family didn't have relatives who died at the hands of the Japanese pirates?

Bai Qing disembarked from the Changfeng and saw the islanders besieging the Japanese pirates. He prepared to send someone up to stop them.

But Lin Qian stopped her, saying, "Let the islanders fight."

The Japanese pirates were all mercenaries and didn't possess crucial information. Their deaths wouldn't be a loss for Lin Qian. It wasn't worth hurting the islanders' simple national sentiments for the sake of these seven or eight laborers.

"Next time we capture Japanese pirates, cover their heads when we escort them," Lin Qian instructed.

"Yes." Lin Qian looked at the new ship that had been brought back. She noticed that the ship had a narrow deck and a huge cabin, which looked somewhat out of place. There were no gun ports on the sides, and the sails on the mast were extremely simple, making it look rather rudimentary compared to armed merchant ships.

This type of ship is the famous Frutt merchant ship, a low-cost, rapidly buildable specialized merchant vessel. The Netherlands became a maritime power thanks to this type of ship.

The ability to use specialized merchant ships to transport goods is itself a testament to the Netherlands' control over shipping routes.

If Lin Qian were to take the same route, she would absolutely have to send armed merchant ships and warships to carefully escort her.

Bai Qing reported, "Captain, this time it's a fleet of five ships. As instructed, we hijacked one and let the remaining four escape."

Lin Qian nodded: "Let's hang up the Portuguese flag."

"Bye."

Then there is no problem.

According to the normal course of history, the Dutch would have attacked Macau in June of the second year of the Tianqi reign, been defeated by the Portuguese in Macau, then moved to Xiamen to burn, kill, and loot, before occupying Penghu, and finally seizing Dongfan Island.

Lin Qian deliberately let the Dutch merchant ships escape, sowing discord between the Dutch and the Portuguese, hoping that this attack would come sooner. He was eager to implement his grand plan.

Lin Qian inspected the Frut merchant ship and found that the hull was basically intact and there were not many bullet holes from ordinary bullets on the deck, but the mast was badly damaged.

However, this ship has no armed capabilities; it's just a simple transport ship. Lin Qian already has enough of those, so it's not very valuable.

Lin Qian disembarked and said calmly, "Take it apart and use the planks to repair the boat."

For more than a month, Nan'ao Island has captured three Dutch armed merchant ships: the Voyager, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Spice Route. The decks of all three ships are riddled with holes and they are short of timber for repairs.

However, the fire-roasting and smoking method for making "Dumb Yellow" timber was not yet mature, and the timber production was only enough to supply the construction of a new round of Eagle Ships.

We have no choice but to sacrifice this merchant ship.

……

That evening, at Bai Qing and her brother's home.

Lin Qian sat at her desk, flipping through "Wanli Memorials," a compilation of memorials submitted during the Wanli era, which might be dry and boring to ordinary people.

Lin Qian was able to accomplish major feats such as attacking the pearl farm, subduing the deputy commander of Nan'ao, and winning the Zhenjiang victory without being discovered by the imperial court, all thanks to his precise grasp of Ming Dynasty politics.

So for him, this book was a whetstone for his mind.

As she turned the pages of the book, Lin Qian said, "Come in and say what you have to say."

Su Qingmei, who had been hiding outside the door, slowly walked in and said, "Master, you saw me?"

Lin Qian put the book aside: "I heard footsteps, is something wrong?"

Just as Su Qingmei was about to speak, Lin Qian pointed to the chair and said gently, "Sit down and talk."

The little girl sat down gently: "Captain, when will my father... be back?"

It has been almost two months since Su Kang went to Dongfan Island. During this time, Su Qingmei has been living with Bai Qing and is quite happy. But since it is not her own home, it is impossible for her not to miss Su Kang.

Lin Qian picked up an official document from the table and handed it to Su Qingmei: "According to my original intention, Dr. Su could come back after testing the efficacy of artemisia annua, but your father wants to study the optimal dosage and cultivation method of artemisia annua, so he can't come back for the time being."

The young girl took the document and saw that it was written by Su Kang himself. The content included the number of people suffering from various diseases on Dongfan Island, as well as the optimal dosage and usage of artemisia annua that had been developed so far.

According to Su Kang's experimental results, Artemisia annua juice should be consumed in small amounts and frequently to achieve the best effect. Compared with the juicing method, the wine soaking method is slightly better.

Su Qingmei read the official document over and over again, her expression somewhat gloomy.

Lin Qian comforted him, "It's almost the end of the year. Even if Dr. Su isn't finished with his work before the New Year, I'll make sure he comes back for the holiday. Don't worry."

Su Qingmei's worries turned to joy.

Lin Qian added, "There are quite a few ships traveling between Nan'ao and Dongfan now. If you have anything to say to your father, you can write it down in a letter and give it to Lü Zhou so he can send it over."

Su Qingmei stood up from her chair and said happily, "Thank you, Captain! I'll go write the letter now!"

After saying that, he ran out of the room, his steps much lighter.

Lin Qian smiled as she watched her run out the door.

When Su Kang first arrived on Dongfan Island, he stuck to the old ways and insisted on not using artemisia to treat the disease, causing nine people to die from malaria. Chen Jiao had already reported this to Lin Qian.

Lin Qian didn't say anything just now because she was afraid the girl would worry.

Su Kang is currently staying in Dongfan and unwilling to return, possibly because he wants to atone for the sins of those nine people, or perhaps because he doesn't know how to face Lin Qian.

Lin Qian had already figured out how to "punish" the stubborn old man Su Kang long before sending him to Dongfan Island.

Therefore, it's impossible for Su Kang to stay on Dongfan Island. At the latest, before the Lunar New Year, Lin Qian will drag him back from Dongfan Island and then deal with him properly.

After resting for a while, Lin Qian habitually reached for a cigar in the drawer, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find anything.

Lin Qian looked down and found that the box of cigars she had gotten from the Santa Ana was almost empty, with only two left.

Since getting cigars, Lin Qian had always used them as a coffee substitute and often shared them with her brothers, which is why she didn't get them so quickly.

In those days, cigars were only produced in the Americas and were not traded goods; you couldn't buy them even if you had money in Manila.

But the coffee was stuck with the congressman and there was no way to get it.

Lin Qian gave a wry smile and closed the drawer.

Suddenly, a guard outside the house door called out, "Old He? Is something wrong so late?"

Jose's voice came from outside the door: "I have something to discuss with the captain. Please inform him."

Lin Qian said, "If you have something to say, just come in and talk. Don't bother with formalities."

The guards heard this and let the man in.

Jose entered with a worried look on his face, cupped his hands and said, "Master."

Lin Qian: "Sit down, what's up?"

Jose sat down and, noticing that Lin Qian hadn't offered him a cigar (which was unusual for her), seemed a little uncomfortable. He said, "Master, I'm here about the Macau legislator."

"Didn't I say that it's not your fault if the deal didn't go through? Just like what I said, some councilors will regret it later, and they'll be able to get even more."

Jose hesitated for a long time before leaning closer to the table and whispering, "Captain, I know what you're planning to do: sow discord between the Dutch and the Portuguese and then profit from it. That's too dangerous!"

Seeing Zheng Zhilong buying Portuguese flags, hijacking Dutch merchant ships one by one, and capturing Dutch prisoners one by one and taking them to South Australia Island, it was not surprising that Jose guessed Lin Qian's purpose.

Strangely, this was the first time José, a sly sycophant who always loved to flatter, had so formally offered his opinion on Lin Qian's strategy.

Lin Qian remained calm and said, "Tell me your reasons."

“I’ve heard a lot about the Dutch East India Company when I was in Manila. They were too powerful; we can’t afford to mess with them!”

José's face was full of anxiety.

The title of "maritime carrier" was well-deserved; the Dutch East India Company owned more ships and tonnage throughout Southeast Asia than Portugal and Spain combined.

In today's world, the Dutch have the strongest naval power.

Even the long-standing hegemon Spain paled in comparison to the Dutch, and in the Southeast Asian waters, the mere mention of the Netherlands evoked fear.

This is why Jose came to persuade Lin Qian.

"Captain, even if you punish me today, there are a few things I still want to say..."

The current South Australia Navy only has one ship, the HMS St. Anna, which can be considered a European warship. Its overall strength is far inferior to that of Portugal and Spain, let alone capable of opposing the Dutch!

After José finished speaking, he looked at Lin Qian with unease. Based on his understanding of the people of the Ming Dynasty, this way of speaking that directly points out shortcomings is what the people of the Ming Dynasty hate the most.

Unexpectedly, Lin Qian smiled and said after hearing this, "I'm very happy that you can say these things."

After saying that, Lin Qian took out two cigars from the drawer, gave one to Jose, lit it over a flame, and exhaled a puff of smoke, filling the room with a faint aroma of coffee and nuts.

Lin Qian continued, "It's just a bit troublesome. It's not that if we don't provoke them, they won't come."

The Dutch have long coveted Macau. Even if I don't act, they will come sooner or later. Once they fail to capture Macau, they will move towards the southeast coast, directly threatening Nan'ao and Dongfan.

Jose was clearly skeptical and wanted to persuade him further.

Lin Qian exhaled a puff of smoke and reached out to stop him: "Don't worry, this time, I will make the Dutch suffer a crushing defeat in Macau!"

……

Meanwhile, Dutch merchant ships were being plundered in the East Asia Strait.

Southeast of Nan'ao Island, more than 1,700 nautical miles away, lies the Banda Islands.

The island's "savages" are being slaughtered by "civilized people."

Jan Petersson Cohen, the Governor-General of Indonesia for the Dutch East India Company, stood on the stern deck of the Batavia, took out his binoculars, and admired the beautiful sight of the natives wailing, bleeding, and dismembered limbs flying everywhere.

This is a three-masted galleon, equipped with thirty-six twelve-pound cannons, with a crew of three hundred and sixty, a length of fifty-six meters, and a standard displacement of seven hundred and fifty tons.

On paper, the Batavia was not as powerful as the main warships of the Spanish Navy, which often had fifty or sixty cannons, but it was cheaper. The Dutch called this type of ship the Yahat.

To save costs, the Yahat ships had no forecastle or sterncastle, their cannons were made of cast iron, and their sail and rigging systems were simple.

This allowed the Dutch to mass-produce Yahat ships, just as they produced Frutt merchant ships, thus gaining an economic advantage and dominating the entire ocean.

For example, there are now six Yahat ships in the waters of the Banda Islands, with nearly eighty broadside cannons in total.

After a volley of fire, the island's "savages'" villages, houses, farmlands, and orchards were all reduced to ruins.

The native warriors had just assembled when they were blasted into piles of minced meat by solid cannonballs, completely unable to fight back.

The women and children among the natives could only scream and cry as they ran into the mountains of the island.

Seeing the natives scatter and flee, Cohen put down his binoculars and said with a sinister smile, "Mr. Yamamoto."

"Ha!" A Japanese ronin on the deck bowed deeply and responded loudly.

"Bring people to the island, leave no barbarians alive!" The interpreter translated Cohen's words into Japanese.

"what!"

(End of this chapter)