Chapter 153: Taking Over Tongshan Fort

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

The Great Ming embraces all within the four seas; wherever sun and moon shine, all submit in fealty. The red-haired barbarian pirates have cast covetous eyes upon our Haojing, sending troops to violate our borders, nearly defiling the majesty of Heaven——

Ma Chenglie, Vice Regional Commander of Nan'ao, whose lineage has been steadfastly loyal for generations, has in past years suppressed sea bandits and already earned manifold merits; now commanding the naval forces, he has further displayed his bold strategy——

He is hereby specially promoted to Flying Cavalry General, bestowed with the honor of Supreme Protector of the Army. His rank surpasses the second grade, manifesting the glory of independent command; his station towers above the three armies, signifying his prowess in repelling foes.

One son shall be specially granted hereditary status as a Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, serving within the palace precincts, bringing eternal luster to his family.

Additionally, the Tongshan Naval Stockade shall be placed under his command, and all garrison naval forces shall heed his authority.

Battalion Commander He Ping, Company Commander Shen Sang, and other meritorious officers shall each receive their due rewards.

Let him further redouble his loyal devotion, forever fortify the maritime defenses, and not fail the trust We have placed in him. Respect this!"

The eunuch finished reading, and every word, every phrase, rang out like great bronze bells, reverberating without end.

"Your servant, Ma Chenglie, kowtows in gratitude for Heaven's grace! Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

On the parade ground, the assembled officers and soldiers joined Ma Chenglie in thunderous shouts of thanks.

The rites concluded, Ma Chenglie received the imperial edict and enshrined it upon the incense altar.

He then led the edict-bearing eunuch into the barracks to rest. Once seated, Ma Chenglie had someone bring a tray of silver ingots and present them to the eunuch.

"Your Excellency has traveled far and labored hard — this is this humble officer's small token of regard." Ma Chenglie said with a smile.

The eunuch said: "A man who knows how things work — no wonder the Old Ancestor thinks so highly of you. Bring it out."

At his command, the young eunuch standing behind him stepped forward with a tray as well.

"These are the official robes, cap and belt, waist token, seal and credentials — along with the reward certificates for your subordinate officers. The Old Ancestor instructed me to bring them all along."

"Following the Old Ancestor's orders, I rode with all speed the entire way, not daring to tarry."

A look of deep emotion spread across Ma Chenglie's face as he swore oaths and vows, professing how loyal and grateful he would be to His Excellency Wei, and so on and so forth.

He also ordered another lavish gift prepared, to be sent to Wei Zhongxian.

Normally, for a military officer of Ma Chenglie's rank, there were more refined methods of currying favor.

But the Helmsman had long since cautioned him — Wei Zhongxian only responded to the blunt, the crude, the sycophantic.

And so Ma Chenglie swallowed his disgust and performed the part of utter loyalty.

The eunuch drank tea and rested for a while, then on a whim announced he wished to inspect the naval stockade at Zhelin Bay.

One had to know — the stockade was manned entirely by the Helmsman's people. Not a single genuine imperial camp soldier was to be found there.

Ma Chenglie tensed up, handling the situation with great care, terrified the eunuch might notice something amiss.

But as it happened, the eunuch strolled around the circuit, and seeing no prostitutes in the camp, no brawling or fighting, soldiers full of vigor and spirit, ships all in good repair, sails without a single tear——

He praised: "No wonder Regional Commander Ma wins battles — truly, his discipline is rigorous."

Ma Chenglie made a few modest remarks while inwardly thanking his luck that this eunuch understood nothing of military affairs.

"Ah, one more thing — the Old Ancestor asked me to request some ship blueprints and scale models from you."

"For what purpose?" Ma Chenglie was taken aback.

"The Old Ancestor did not say. But since he specifically requested it, the Regional Commander must prepare them with due diligence."

That the Emperor was fond of carpentry was hardly something a eunuch could say outright.

Ma Chenglie pondered briefly, then said: "The ship blueprints and scale models are all on Nan'ao Island. Might Your Excellency be pleased to wait here for one night? This humble officer will personally go to the island to retrieve them."

The eunuch agreed.

Ma Chenglie instructed his men to entertain the eunuch well, and immediately arranged a vessel to cross to the island and meet with Lin Qian.

That evening, in the officers' mess of the Tianyuan.

Lei Sanxiang laughed: "Hahaha, I'm a Battalion Commander now! Old Seven, what rank did you get?"

Bailangzai stared at his certificate, puzzled: "I got a Loyal Manifest Captain."

Lei Sanxiang scratched his head: "Loyal Manifest Captain — what kind of rank is that? What about Brother Yiguan?"

Zheng Zhilong: "I'm also a Loyal Manifest Captain."

"What about the Helmsman? What rank did you get?"

Lin Qian set down his certificate: "Got three ranks — a Mobile Corps General, a Martial Strategy General, and a Martial Cavalry Commissar."

"Damn, the Helmsman jumped straight from Battalion Commander to General! But what the hell do all these 'this captain, that commissar' titles actually mean?" Lei Sanxiang asked.

Zheng Zhilong asked curiously: "Brother Lei San, you were a Ming soldier before — don't you know?"

Lei Sanxiang waved a hand: "I was just a common grunt before. How would I know any of this? All I knew was that above Company Commander was Battalion Commander, above Battalion Commander was Garrison Commander, and beyond that I had no idea."

Ma Chenglie explained with a wry smile: "Ming military ranks are divided into three categories: substantive posts, titular ranks, and honorary merits.

For instance, the Helmsman's promotion to Mobile Corps General is a substantive post. Martial Strategy General is the initial titular rank of the fifth grade. Martial Cavalry Commissar is an honorary merit."

Ma Chenglie then launched into a lengthy explanation, and Lin Qian understood.

To use modern official positions as an analogy: substantive posts were like regiment commanders, battalion commanders, company commanders.

Titular ranks, also called scattered grades, were similar to military ranks — like general, lieutenant colonel, second lieutenant.

Honorary merits were like military decorations — comparable to a second-class merit or third-class merit.

Come to think of it, the Ming dynasty's system of titular ranks and honorary merits was extraordinarily detailed — if military reform were ever undertaken in the future, it could serve as a useful reference.

As things stood, the greatest value of the court's rewards to Lin Qian was that it firmly cemented his identity.

The waist tokens the people of Nan'ao Island had previously carried were issued by Ma Chenglie, and their household registrations had been arranged through Chenghai County — the evidence wasn't ironclad enough.

But now, the rewards had come down with the imperial decree, backed by the Emperor's own edict — who would dare question their identities from now on?

Lei Sanxiang grabbed a handful of melon seeds and said while cracking them: "Right, I remember that above Battalion Commander there's clearly still Garrison Commander — so why did the Helmsman skip two grades straight to Mobile Corps General?"

Ma Chenglie smiled bitterly: "Substantive posts are established according to positions — one carrot per hole.

Under my command there's only one Nan'ao Garrison Commander slot, and it's already filled. I couldn't very well move Garrison Commander Huang aside just to promote Battalion Commander He.

But a Mobile Corps General's troops can be many or few, flexible and mobile — just right for placing mid-ranking officers."

For the court, troops and weapons were limited, and appointing a roaming general didn't cost extra grain or silver.

As for how to arrange things, that was the local Regional Commander's business—what mattered was that the Emperor's boundless grace was duly displayed.

Hearing Lin Qian's understanding of the office, Lei Sanxiang spat out a melon seed shell: "Truly rotten!"

Lin Qian didn't mind it at all—he and his brothers never counted on that paltry official salary to get by anyway.

What actually mattered was that the court's reward had placed Tongshan Naval Stockade under Ma Chenglie's command—that was real, tangible benefit.

This not only gave the Nan'ao naval forces a larger jurisdiction and broader territory, but also allowed them to fill in the two things Lin Qian most wanted right now.

Armor and fishing boats.

Cotton armor was a fine thing, but it was troublesome to make, and with the court's technology blockade, production on Nan'ao Island was inconvenient—going straight to Tongshan Stockade's armory to take some was far easier.

And in the earlier Macao sea battle, forty Cangshan boats and Bird boats had been used as fireships, leaving Nan'ao's fishing fleet somewhat stretched thin.

Tongshan Stockade's boats might not be good enough for warships, but as fishing boats and transport vessels, they were absolutely fine.

Lin Qian ordered Ma Chenglie: "Set out tomorrow to take over Tongshan Stockade. The first thing you do is transport the armor from the armory here, using the stockade's own boats."

"Also, from your household troops, pick a dozen or so with good martial skills and send them to the island to serve as my drill instructors."

Ma Chenglie said casually: "If the Skipper wants them, I'll just transfer my household troops directly to the Skipper's command."

Lin Qian joked: "Once they come to the island, how could that compare to living the high life in Chaozhou City with the Regional Commander!"

Household troops were hand-picked by their master-general and had a strong personal bond of dependence on him—many were even kin from the same clan.

Even if Ma Chenglie's household troops were transferred to his command, they could never truly become Lin Qian's soldiers.

"Hahaha—Skipper, you're talking nonsense there. These days, how could Chaozhou City compare to the prosperity of Nan'ao Island?"

Having spent much time with Lin Qian, Ma Chenglie was no longer as stiff and formal as he'd been at first.

After they'd chatted and laughed for a while, Ma Chenglie said: "Skipper, don't forget the ship drawings and the scale model—that eunuch is still waiting for them."

"The scale model is already being made by the island's carpenters. I'll go get the drawings now."

Lin Qian rose and went upstairs. He rummaged through the navigation table, grabbed a few simple draft sketches of Ming sea vessels, and prepared to fob the eunuch off with them.

He thought for a moment, then his gaze drifted to the design drawing he was currently working on.

This was a new type of merchant vessel he was designing, combining the strengths of Eastern and Western ships.

The underwater hull lines adopted a clipper ship design, using a streamlined hull that was sharp at the front and gradually widened toward the rear, reducing wave-making resistance and increasing speed.

The upper hull retained Fujian junk characteristics, keeping the low superstructure. While preserving living space, it reduced lateral wind exposure.

The hold kept Chinese watertight bulkheads, while also adopting the galleon's heavy framing to provide structural strength for a large-tonnage vessel.

The hull retained the Chinese keel design, enhancing the ship's stability.

The ship had three masts, all using Chinese-style hard sails, plus a bowsprit flying three lateen sails—ensuring speed while reducing manpower requirements.

For defense, only ten Folangji cannon positions were designed on the superstructure and gunwales, for self-defense during boarding actions.

The ship's standard displacement was approximately 800 tons, full-load displacement 1,250 tons, requiring about 35 to 40 sailors, with a cruising speed of 6 to 7 knots and a maximum speed of 8 to 9 knots.

Lin Qian's design goal was to achieve balance across speed, cargo capacity, economy, seaworthiness, long-range capability, and defensive capability.

Solving the two major pain points: Chinese sailing ships being slow with low cargo capacity, and Western sailing ships having poor upwind performance and high manpower demands.

It was tentatively named the "Clipper-Bow Fujian Junk" by Lin Qian.

But this design was still a half-finished product—to achieve the final design effect, many technical difficulties still needed to be overcome.

Even Lin Qian often got headaches from the calculations, and with countless affairs demanding his attention—plus the higher priority of designing new warships—the "Clipper-Bow Fujian Junk" design progressed slowly.

Lin Qian only pulled out this design drawing to add a few strokes when his mind was otherwise idle.

And conveniently, the young Emperor was also interested in ships. His carpentry skills would be wasted on carving flowers into wood boards—better used on something meaningful.

Lin Qian figured the Tianqi Emperor most likely couldn't build this ship, and even if he did, it didn't matter—this was after all a merchant vessel, not something that could serve as a warship.

Thinking this, Lin Qian simply took the Clipper-Bow Fujian Junk design drawing as well and handed them all to Ma Chenglie together.

Early the next morning, Ma Chenglie returned to Zhelin Bay carrying the drawings Lin Qian had given him, along with the ship models that Mute Huang and the other carpenters had worked through the night to produce.

Seeing that Ma Chenglie had taken the matter seriously, with complex drawings and exquisite ship models, the edict-bearing eunuch was greatly impressed by Ma Chenglie's competence.

He remarked: "The Old Ancestor truly had an eye for people."

Then he took his leave of Ma Chenglie and headed north, delighted.

After seeing off the imperial envoy, Ma Chenglie immediately proceeded to Tongshan Naval Stockade with the imperial edict in hand.

This naval stockade was located on Dongshan Island, northeast of Nan'ao Island, a mere eighty li across the sea.

Setting out at dawn, he arrived before lunch.

Ma Chenglie disembarked at Tongshan Naval Stockade, summoned the stockade's Company Commander, and read out the imperial edict.

Though the Company Commander was reluctant to be placed under Ma Chenglie's command, imperial orders could not be defied, so he had no choice but to accept.

The first thing Ma Chenglie did upon entering the stockade was take stock of the troops and ships—and sure enough, the ranks were severely underfilled.

The stockade's Company Commander smiled nervously with a guilty conscience, begging Ma Chenglie to be lenient, and secretly pressed silver into his hand—twenty taels of fine silver.

With Ma Chenglie's status, how could he possibly care about twenty taels of silver?

He then ordered the armory opened for inventory, and from amidst the cobwebs, found fifty pieces of cotton armor still in usable condition.

There were also thirty crossbows and one hundred bows in decent preservation, which Ma Chenglie also ordered packed and loaded onto the ships.

As for the other weapons, Ma Chenglie didn't think much of them, and reckoned the Skipper wouldn't spare them a second glance either.

Seeing Ma Chenglie's household troops continuously carrying weapons aboard the ships...

The stockade's Company Commander grew anxious: "Regional Commander, what is the meaning of this?"

"You have too many rats here. If these weapons stay in your keeping, I fear the rats might gnaw on them." Ma Chenglie sneered flatly. "Not just the weapons—this one Fujian junk, five Haicang boats, and ten Cangshan boats, I'm taking those away as well."

The stockade's Company Commander was greatly alarmed—if Ma Chenglie emptied Tongshan Naval Stockade, wouldn't that effectively strip him of all power? He obstructed in every way possible, and when pushed to the brink, threatened: "Regional Commander, if you empty Tongshan Naval Stockade to fill your own Zhelin Stockade's coffers, aren't you afraid I'll submit a memorial impeaching you?"

The chief officer of Tongshan Naval Stockade was an imperially-appointed Company Commander, personally appointed by the Emperor, with honorary ranks mostly above the third grade—counted as a senior military officer.

It was originally established to serve as a mutual check and balance alongside Zhelin Stockade and Nan'ao Island.

If not for Wei Zhongxian's wildly imaginative allocations, the Imperially Appointed Company Commander and the Vice Regional Commander of Nan'ao would never have had any subordinate relationship in their lifetimes.

Ma Chenglie laughed: "Don't worry, from now on the Tongshan Stockade's vacant pay slots are still yours to keep, I won't take a single coin. The Tongshan Stockade's coastal defense will be looked after by the Zhelin Stockade."

The Imperially Appointed Company Commander: "But—you—forget it, let's move the goods."

Ma Chenglie did the work for him, and the money still went to him—so what was there to argue about?

Even if a memorial had to be submitted, it could wait until Ma Chenglie failed to deliver on his promise.

By noon, the weapons had all been moved aboard, and Ma Chenglie led his men onto the ship.

The Imperially Appointed Company Commander warmly pressed them to stay: "Commander, stay and have lunch before you go."

Ma Chenglie laughed: "Military intelligence is urgent, we can't delay. Farewell."

In the afternoon, Ma Chenglie brought his household troops, weapons, and warships to dock at Nan'ao Island.

He arrived at the Nan'ao Island drill ground he had agreed upon with Lin Qian.

The moment he entered the drill ground, he saw three hundred men standing in place, ranks neat and orderly, chests out, heads high, expressions solemn.

A long while passed—no one swayed, and no one's gaze wandered elsewhere.

This sight drew sidelong glances from Ma Chenglie and his household troops. This method of drilling soldiers in "standing posture" was exactly as recorded in Qi Shaobao's *New Book of Effective Discipline*.

Yet for all the time since the *New Book of Effective Discipline* was written, only the Qi Family Army had ever truly mastered standing in good posture.

Today Ma Chenglie had seen the second unit skilled in "standing posture."

Within the formation of three hundred, squad leaders were constantly weaving through, issuing commands and adjusting the soldiers' stances.

Lin Qian was one of those squad leaders, continuously explaining the essentials of standing at attention until his mouth was parched.

Seeing Lin Qian busy, Ma Chenglie waited off to the side, not daring to disturb him.

He waited about an hour.

Lin Qian gave the order: "Everyone, listen to the command—sit!"

The three hundred-odd men sat down in a straggling fashion; some were panting heavily from exhaustion, others kept pounding their soles.

Lin Qian frowned at the sight. These three hundred were all newly recruited, lacking any sense of military discipline.

Looking up and seeing Ma Chenglie had arrived, Lin Qian breathed a sigh of relief—finally he could hand off this thankless task.

"How did things go?"

"The imperial envoy took the things and left. The Tongshan Stockade had fifty suits of cotton armor, plus other usable weapons—I brought them all.

Also, these are the elite of my household troops, selected by Helmsman Qing."

Lin Qian cast his eyes over them—Ma Chenglie had brought more than thirty men in total, every one tall and sturdy, strong and robust. Amid the thin and dark-skinned common folk of the Great Ming, they stood out at a glance as military elites.

Ma Chenglie had his household troops line up in a row for Lin Qian to choose from.

Lin Qian walked up to the man with the largest frame. This man stood nearly one meter ninety tall, a good half head taller than Lei Sanxiang.

"What's your name?"

"Xiong Han, nickname Big Bear." The burly man spoke in a booming, muffled voice that made ears ring.

Ma Chenglie said with a slightly proud air: "Big Bear has great strength, excels at charging enemy formations, and is skilled with the great axe."

Unfortunately, the great axe and formation-charging did not fit the direction Lin Qian wanted to train his troops.

Lin Qian then walked before a soldier of medium build. This man had sharply defined features and keen eyes, looking quite tough and capable.

"His name is Chang Lei. He's skilled with saber and shield, also good at close-quarters fighting, and he's sharp-witted. For long-distance errands, I'd send him—last time I sent him up to Beizhili to find those guests."

Saber-and-shield and close-quarters fighting were directions Lin Qian wanted to cultivate, and the man was clever, easy to communicate with, and would understand Lin Qian's training philosophy.

So Lin Qian said: "Step out."

"Yes!" Chang Lei answered loudly, stepping out of formation and standing to one side.

Lin Qian looked around and asked: "Is anyone skilled with long weapons—preferably the spear?"

Ma Chenglie said: "That would be Zhao Yong. Old Zhao, come over here!"

Lin Qian looked at the man approaching. He was nearly forty, with a lean, well-proportioned build—on the thinner side among the soldiers—with thick thighs, compact calves, and a slight curvature of the spine.

"Helmsman, don't mind his crooked posture—that's from years of spear practice, always standing sideways in the guard stance. Old Zhao, show the helmsman a demonstration."

Zhao Yong went to the weapon rack at the edge of the drill ground and picked up an ordinary red-tasseled spear.

He gripped it in his hands, turned sideways like a horse, and his entire bearing instantly changed. His hands pushed and pulled—without seeming to exert any force at all, the red-tasseled spear seemed to come alive, trembling before his body.

The single tuft of red tassel at the spearhead seemed to split into three blossoms, drifting and scattering, a point of cold gleam hidden among them as the spearhead darted about wildly, impossible to track clearly, dazzling the eyes.

Then with a shift, coordinating with his footwork, he pressed the long spear against his chest and thrust out front, back, left, and right—sometimes long, sometimes short—so that onlookers could not tell what was coming.

When the spear routine was finished, the three hundred-odd soldiers watching burst into applause and cheers.

Ma Chenglie's household troops kept calm expressions on their faces, but inwardly they were glad to have won back some face.

Lin Qian called Chang Lei and Zhao Yong before him and said: "This unit will focus on small-scale land combat, with supplementary training in boarding actions for naval warfare. Equipment will be cotton armor, with saber-and-shield, spears, and firearms as the main weapons.

Training methods will follow what is recorded in the *New Book of Effective Discipline*. We will not train in formation-charging or siege warfare, nor in archery, horsemanship, or mounted shooting.

From among them, we will select the best fifty men to be trained as personal guards.

All training weapons, provisions, and other expenses will be supplied at the highest standard. I want elite soldiers trained in the shortest possible time—do you understand?"

Lin Qian did not mechanically transplant modern military drills, because the contents recorded in the *New Book of Effective Discipline* happened to be almost entirely consistent with modern military training.

What Qi Jiguang's book called "training the heart's strength," "training the hands' strength," "training the feet's strength," and "training the body's strength"—

these in fact already encompassed formation drill, load-bearing training, endurance training, and strength training.

It even included guiding principles such as specialization, overload, and progressive progression.

Not to mention the book also contained specialized training programs for cold-weapon combat, such as building up the muscles of the arms and back for wielding the spear, as well as formations like the Mandarin Duck Formation and the Three Talents Formation, plus land-combat flag command and the like.

The meager military knowledge Lin Qian had from his own training was truly like wielding an axe before Ban the master carpenter compared to Qi Jiguang.

If one insisted on finding fault, it was that Qi Jiguang's training methods overemphasized "training" and did not sufficiently emphasize "replenishment"—

that is, his discussion of nutritional recovery was insufficient.

With such intense training, relying on the Ming army's carbon-heavy diet—where you can't even eat your fill of carbon—to sustain it would certainly not work.

That's why Lin Qian placed special emphasis on military rations and other provisions. The food standard for his soldiers was already set at the level of elite troops, and the supply standard for soldiers undergoing training would be even higher.

Chang Lei and Zhao Yong exchanged a glance, then together clasped their fists and said: "Understood!"

Then Chang Lei said: "Since the General has mentioned the *New Book of Effective Discipline*, when it comes to small-scale land combat, nothing in the world surpasses the Mandarin Duck Formation. Among Commander Ma's household troops, there are still some who are proficient in formation tactics."

Lin Qian nodded and said: "Pick them out."

Chang Lei then selected three more men from Commander Ma's household troops, forming an instructor corps.

Lin Qian had Ma Cheng store the cotton armor in the training ground's armory nearby, so it would be convenient for future training use.

He also instructed Chang Lei: "Train them diligently. Do it well, and there will be bonus pay."

The five household troops clasped their fists in unison: "As ordered!"

Having chosen the instructors, Lin Qian did not leave immediately. Instead, he stepped back to the side of the training ground to observe the new instructors at work.

He watched as Chang Lei first drilled them in posture and formation, then in marching in ranks, running in ranks, and so on—step by step, quite methodical. Only then did Lin Qian feel at ease and leave.

On the way to the docks.

He ran into Su Qingmei, who was holding a little mongrel puppy in her arms—it looked like it had just been weaned not long ago.

"Helmsman." Seeing Lin Qian, Su Qingmei raised the puppy's paw to greet him.

Lin Qian asked: "What made you think of raising a puppy?"

"This one's raised for you, Helmsman. From now on it'll follow you—whatever you eat, it has to taste it first."

Lin Qian understood that the dog was raised for food-testing, but Su Qingmei's way of putting it was a bit odd.

Ever since Su Kang returned from Dongning Island, he had kept Su Qingmei following Lin Qian, her main job being to test his food for poison.

According to Su Kang, the poisons in this world were countless and varied—some colorless and odorless, some that even a silver needle couldn't detect. The best method was still to have someone taste-test the food.

Of course, he couldn't bear to have his precious daughter test poison, so finding a dog to test it instead worked just as well.

"That's thoughtful of you." Lin Qian thought for a moment, then said: "It's just that there are quite a few things humans can eat that dogs can't."

Su Qingmei fiddled with the puppy: "Don't worry, I won't let Xiao Hei eat anything that upsets his stomach. Right, Xiao Hei?"

The little mongrel whimpered and squirmed in her arms.

Lin Qian smiled. Su Qingmei was still a girl at heart—she'd even given the poison-testing dog a name. He hoped she wouldn't be too sad about it later.

Noticing the puppy seemed a bit hungry, Su Qingmei reminded him: "Helmsman, it's lunchtime. Let Xiao Hei eat."

Yahei

Pink Round

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