Chapter 164: What's Going On Here?

Lei Sanxiang watched Li Dan disembark and gritted his teeth: "Helmsman, why not kill this man?"

Zheng Zhilong laughed: "If we kill him, wouldn't Hirado fall into chaos? Li Dan's son is in our hands, so he still hesitates for fear of harming him. If Li Dan dies, someone new is bound to inherit his power, and then Li Guozhu becomes a worthless card."

Lei Sanxiang scratched his head: "Then we just take over his power in one stroke."

Zheng Zhilong looked at Lei Sanxiang: "With all due disrespect, if the Tianqi Emperor were killed by the Tartars, would the ministers in the capital install the Tartar chieftain as Emperor?"

Lei Sanxiang seemed to understand but didn't quite.

Li Dan's power was rooted in Hirado—supported externally by the Hirado domain, joined internally by countless private merchants; the Fire Sail Camp was merely his guard.

Wiping out his guard could shake Li Dan's power, but uprooting him entirely was still beyond reach.

Lin Qian's original plan was to weaken Li Dan, using the silver from this trade to develop his strength, aiming to eradicate Li Dan completely within a few years.

Now, with Li Guozhu as a trump card in hand, Lin Qian had unexpectedly bought himself another two to three years of development time—truly a pleasant surprise.

If Li Dan were smart enough, he should treat Li Guozhu as dead and establish another heir.

But a man is not made of wood or stone—a biological son, how could he just abandon him?

Moreover, Lin Qian had added a two-to-three-year term to the hostage, giving Li Dan plenty of hope to cling to.

As for what to do after two or three years?

According to historical records, Li Dan was supposed to die of illness in three years anyway, so returning Li Guozhu or not would make no difference.

If history changed and Li Dan survived, then just delay a few more years—after all, his precious son was in Lin Qian's hands, and Li Dan wouldn't dare seize him openly.

If Li Dan truly did seize him openly, that would only prove the son had lost his value as a hostage.

In short, one sentence: Li Guozhu should never think of returning to Hirado in this lifetime.

This negotiation was, for both Lin Qian and Li Dan, a stalling tactic.

As for who could outlast whom in two or three years, that would depend on skill.

Lei Sanxiang thought for a moment and asked again: "Then how does Li Dan know the Helmsman won't kill him?"

"The Helmsman sent eighteen merchant ships to Hirado one moment, then killed Li Dan the next—does he only want to do business once?"

Lei Sanxiang was left speechless, stunned for a long while, then muttered: "You people, how do you have so many tricks up your sleeves."

The meeting with Li Dan concluded.

Lin Qian ordered the warships and merchant ships to rendezvous and sail southwest along the Ryukyu Islands.

On the twenty-first day of the eleventh month of the second year of Tianqi, they arrived at the waters around DYD, and the northern tip of Dongning Island's land had already appeared in view.

"Land!" the lookout shouted.

Hearing the voice, Qian Zhong scrambled out of his cabin, crawled onto the deck, and looked at the touch of green at the end of sea and sky—moved to tears, snot and tears streaming down together.

This voyage, nearly two months, had been a dog's life for him, and now it was finally about to end.

Qian Zhong stared at the land and wept for a long time, then hatefully swept his gaze over the jubilant crew on the deck.

Bailangzai, Zhang An, Guo Laosan—

Sixty-four men in total on the ship—every crew member's face and name, he had them all etched in his heart.

Once he got ashore, not a single man on this ship would escape—they would all die!

Qian Zhong knew some crew members had families, and those families would be buried with them.

On the ship, these base-born soldier scum could ignore him, the eunuch supervisor—but once ashore, Qian Zhong would make them know the price of offending a supervising eunuch!

"Supervisor."

A call came, and Qian Zhong's body trembled, his face shifting color like an octopus before donning a fawning smile: "Master, your command?"

"The shipmaster wants you."

"Going right away." Qian Zhong hunched his body and hurried obsequiously to the stern deck.

Bailangzai was standing by the bulwark, observing the swells.

"Master Bai." Qian Zhong called out cautiously.

"How's the battle report coming—have you completed it?" Bailangzai asked with his back turned.

"Completed, every battle is in there, not a single one missed."

Qian Zhong smiled carefully, while inwardly cursing—this Bai fellow was truly a fool, what use was there in staring at writing battle reports?

These things couldn't be sent out while at sea anyway.

Once ashore, which copy went to the palace and which didn't—wasn't that still up to him, the supervising eunuch?

When the time came, Qian Zhong would definitely "report truthfully" on this voyage, letting Eunuch Wei and His Majesty see exactly what sort of rabble the Nan'ao naval forces were!

"Mm, look at this swell." Bailangzai pointed below the ship.

Qian Zhong stepped forward half a pace and saw that the swells on the sea surface weren't particularly large.

"Master Bai, this humble one has been aboard for two months and has adapted already. With today's swell, this humble one won't get seasick."

Bailangzai: "That's not what I mean. I'm saying—how did this swell roll in a corpse? Take a look, isn't that Xiao Xu?"

"What?" Qian Zhong was greatly startled. Xiao Xu had fallen overboard not long after setting sail—after more than two months, could his body still be found? Was there anything so bizarre under heaven?

Qian Zhong immediately stepped forward, pressed himself against the bulwark, and peered at the sea surface off the port side.

He saw only the ink-blue sea surface empty of anything, with just a few swells slapping against the hull.

"There's noth—" Qian Zhong began in confusion, then a boundless fear surged into his heart.

His reaction was quick, but it was too late.

His collar and belt were seized by tremendous force, his feet left the ground, and he was mercilessly hurled outward—plop—into the sea.

"Help—glub glub—"

Qian Zhong couldn't even get out a full word before his head sank beneath the water, leaving only his hands thrusting above the surface, flailing desperately.

He struggled with all his might in the sea, his heart filled with terror and despair.

The winter seawater was bone-piercingly cold; in just a short while, Qian Zhong felt his hands and feet beginning to go numb.

On the stern deck of the Changfeng, Bailangzai watched quietly as Qian Zhong bobbed in the sea, then shouted in alarm a moment later: "Terrible—the Superintendent has fallen overboard!"

Two young eunuchs heard the commotion and rushed up to the deck, where they indeed saw their foster father bobbing on the surface of the sea.

One of the young eunuchs knew a little swimming and immediately moved to jump into the water to save him.

A crewman stopped him: "Don't jump! The water's cold in winter—if you go in to save him, you'll die!"

Hearing this, the young eunuch abandoned the thought of rescue and could only wipe his tears and wail: "Foster Father!"

The other young eunuch said: "Save him, save him quickly!"

No one on the ship moved an inch. In that instant, the young eunuchs thought of Little Xu.

A seagoing ship turns with difficulty; a man overboard in winter was almost certainly doomed.

Moreover, the Changfeng was currently in the middle of the fleet, so turning around was even less permissible.

Their only hope was that a ship behind would spot Superintendent Qian in the water and fish him out.

But reality was despairing—the ship following the Changfeng was the Yunfan, also a large Fujian junk with very high gunwales; her crew could barely see what was happening close to the bow.

Not only did the Yunfan fail to rescue Superintendent Qian, she kept to her original course and sailed straight into him, crushing him beneath her hull.

In that instant, on the deck of the Changfeng, both young eunuchs fell silent.

In the icy seawater, crushed beneath a great ship—even a dolphin couldn't survive that, let alone Superintendent Qian.

Bailangzai consoled them: "Don't worry—at the very rear of the fleet there's a Haicang ship holding the line. They're sure to fish the Superintendent out."

"Yes, yes." The two young eunuchs were scared out of their wits and nodded hurriedly.

Bailangzai said: "Since Superintendent Qian has fallen overboard, the two of you shall temporarily take over the post of Superintendent. May I ask how you are each addressed?"

"Please don't! When Master Bai speaks like that, you'll do us to death with kindness. This servant's surname is Li, and his is Sun. If Master Bai has any orders, just give them—this servant will obey in all things!"

The eunuch surnamed Sun nodded: "Indeed—if Master Bai tells this servant to go east, this servant would never dare go west."

Bailangzai smiled faintly and ordered the two young eunuchs to withdraw.

Two days later, the fleet arrived at Nan'ao Island.

The Tianyuan and the Changfeng anchored in Zhelin Bay.

No sooner had the ship come to rest than Ma Chenglie hurried down from the Tianyuan and rushed aboard the Changfeng.

"Superintendent Qian! Superintendent Qian!"

"Superintendent Qian's lying on the deck," said a crewman mockingly.

Ma Chenglie followed the crewman's pointing finger and saw a corpse with a ghastly pale face lying on the deck, surrounded by traces of water.

Who else could it be but Superintendent Qian?

The two young eunuchs, Sun and Li, were weeping bitterly nearby.

Ma Chenglie was baffled: "What the hell happened? A perfectly healthy man—how did this come about?"

Everyone spoke at once, recounting how Superintendent Qian had fallen overboard, then added: "The Haicang ship found the body and brought it aboard this morning."

Ma Chenglie stepped forward, reached out to check Superintendent Qian's breath, then felt his neck.

Not only was the carotid artery still, but the skin was as cold as seawater.

Ma Chenglie suddenly burst into tears: "Superintendent Qian! With you dead like this, how am I to answer to His Majesty and to Eunuch Wei?!

I told you from the start that we should board the Changfeng together, but you wouldn't listen! If I'd been there, I could have watched over you!"

The two young eunuchs, Sun and Li, exchanged a glance, utterly bewildered.

They wept for Superintendent Qian because he was their foster father, and because their own futures were lost.

But what was Commander Ma crying about—and crying so hard, as mournful as if he'd lost his own father? Wasn't Superintendent Qian killed on his orders?

Ma Chenglie wept for a long while, then wiped his tears and roared: "Bailangzai!"

"Commander." Bailangzai clasped his fists and stepped forward.

"Do you remember what I said before Superintendent Qian came aboard?"

"This subordinate remembers."

"Very well. Now that Superintendent Qian is dead, your crime is unforgivable. Drag him off and behead him!" Ma Chenglie's killing intent was chilling.

Bailangzai: "I am willing to die for the Commander." Before he had even finished speaking, he was already dragged off the ship.

In but a moment, a squelch sounded from below the ship.

Then a subordinate came to report: "Commander, the man has been executed."

In the blink of an eye, Bailangzai had been beheaded. It all happened so fast that the two young eunuchs, Sun and Li, couldn't even react—they forgot their feigned weeping entirely, and seeing Ma Chenglie sobbing hoarsely, they even went so far as to console him and urge him to restrain his grief.

"Commander! Commander!" A crewman called out from behind.

Ma Chenglie flew into a rage, wiping his tears as he barked: "Speak!"

"While aboard the ship, Superintendent Qian said he would donate over twenty thousand taels to reward the troops." The crewman reminded him in a low voice.

Ma Chenglie cursed: "Bullshit! Superintendent Qian is dead, and only now do you bring this up—what are you playing at?"

The crewman was deeply aggrieved: "I'm not spouting nonsense—Superintendent Qian said it in front of everyone, and both young eunuchs heard it too."

Ma Chenglie turned back with red-rimmed eyes: "He really said it?"

The eunuchs Sun and Li still couldn't read the situation, but with the whole ship's crew staring at them, how dared they lie? They hurriedly said: "Superintendent Qian did indeed say it, but—"

Ma Chenglie rose and bowed deeply toward Superintendent Qian's body: "Very well then. Since the two young eunuchs have given their consent, this humble officer will accept the Superintendent's kind offer. Chang Lei, take some men to the Superintendent's quarters and carry out the silver."

"Yes!" Chang Lei, a household retainer, clasped his fists and left.

Sun and Li exchanged a glance—they had only said that Superintendent Qian had spoken those words; when had they ever given their consent?

But circumstances were against them now, and it wasn't their silver being carried off, so they did not voice any objection.

"May I ask you two eunuchs—now that Superintendent Qian is dead, what should be done next?" Ma Chenglie said as he wiped his tears.

"Ah?" The two young eunuchs had no idea either. They exchanged a glance and said: "We beg the Commander to advise us."

"Very well. If you ask me, the two of you should report Superintendent Qian's death to the court and wait for the government to send someone to investigate the cause of his death."

"No, no!" Eunuch Sun hastily waved his hand. "With all this going back and forth, we can wait, but how can Eunuch Qian's corpse wait?"

Eunuch Li said, "According to inner court rules, when a military supervisor dies, we servants must report it immediately, then escort the coffin back to the capital."

"I see." Ma Chenglie feigned sudden understanding. "In that case, I'll send a fast ship to carry Eunuch Qian's body—much faster than carts or horses. Getting back to the capital quickly will also make it easier to examine the corpse and clarify responsibility."

The two young eunuchs shuddered at these words. They had already developed a psychological shadow regarding seagoing ships, yet bound by duty, they dared not refuse and could only bow in thanks.

Ma Chenglie arranged for a hawk ship to pick them up and prepared for departure.

A coffin was prepared within the space of a noon. Eunuch Qian's body was placed inside, his personal effects and documents were loaded aboard ship, and the two young eunuchs left on shore were brought over.

Ma Chenglie also sent men through the postal relay stations to report the death to the capital.

The speed with which everything was arranged truly astonished Sun and Li.

As the two descended from the ship, they happened to see a headless corpse lying on the pier. From the clothing, it was that household soldier Bailangzai. They broke out in goosebumps and hurried away.

In the afternoon, at the dock, Ma Chenglie watched the young eunuchs board the ship. Only when the hawk ship set sail did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A household soldier came to report: "Regional Commander, from Eunuch Qian's quarters we recovered gold, silver, jewelry, and other valuables, totaling roughly over twenty-three thousand taels."

"Mm, deliver it all to the helmsman."

The household soldier asked, "Will the Regional Commander not go to the island in person?"

Ma Chenglie sighed. "There's still a long merit report to write. Busy, busy!"

On the other side, eighteen merchant ships were unloading and tallying cargo at Nan'ao Island.

Qianjiang Bay dock was bustling with feverish activity in no time. The line carrying silver from the dock to the treasury warehouse stretched on without end, nearly forming one continuous chain.

According to Scholar Zhou's preliminary tally, this voyage to Hirado:

Sold raw silk one thousand eight hundred dan, porcelain one thousand dan, white sugar nine hundred dan, medicinal herbs five hundred dan, and deer hide eight hundred dan.

Total revenue: silver, four hundred twenty-nine thousand seven hundred taels.

Beyond these, the merchant fleet had also purchased small quantities of copper, katana, and other trade goods.

Estimated profit: silver, two hundred seventy thousand two hundred four hundred taels.

Gross margin: 63.39%.

Calculated by the common folk's profit rate method, that is 237.17%.

Of course, these revenue figures include the deer hide income.

Moreover, the accounting system under Lin Qian was not yet sound, making it impossible to accurately calculate the cost of the deer hides.

At the same time, the cost calculation for goods bartered in exchange for deer products was also inaccurate.

Additionally, the material consumption along the way and personnel salary costs had not been factored in.

If the calculation were made more precise, the gross margin would certainly not reach above 60%; even holding 50% would be a stretch.

But even at just 50%, the gross margin was astonishingly high. Even top-tier modern multinational trading enterprises only achieve earnings before interest and tax margins of around 30% to 40%.

The silver earned from this single voyage was enough to sustain Nan'ao Island's expenses for two years.

However, Lin Qian was not the type to be content with small wealth.

In the maritime trade of the early 17th century, all nations pursued a "zero-sum game" policy. They would not sit idly by while Lin Qian profited greatly from trade—they would inevitably send troops to intervene.

So this four hundred thousand still needed to be continuously invested in naval construction.

Grasping trade with one hand and sea power with the other—that was the true way to stand firm.

Now that he had silver, Lin Qian was ready to undertake something he had planned for a long time: building warships domestically.

By the British Royal Navy ship rating system established in 1677, among the ships currently under Lin Qian's command, only the Tianyuan could be called a ship of the line, roughly a third-rate.

The five ships captured from the Dutch, such as the Voyager and the Spice Route, barely qualified as sixth-rate ships.

As for the Changfeng and Yunfan captured from the Ming navy, these two ships had firepower too weak to even rank as sixth-rate.

Even by the Stuart dynasty rating system of 1604, only the Tianyuan qualified as a first-rate ship; the rest generally sat around third or fourth rate.

The Age of Sail was an era of fierce competition, technological innovation, and strategic gamesmanship. The pace of naval development across nations far exceeded previous eras—for example, the famous British Sovereign of the Seas, a first-rate ship equipped with 100 cannons and a crew of 780, would be launched twenty-five years later.

If one limited one's view to East Asian waters, the patchwork fleet of captured European colonial warships was indeed sufficient to dominate.

But to contend for global trade hegemony—or, to take a step back, to contend for the Southeast Asian seas—the existing ships were far from enough.

The path of domestic warship production had to begin.

Among all sailing warships, the 74-gun ship of the line was historically recognized as the "perfect" battleship, but building one right from the start would be sheer fantasy.

The best approach was to first build a European-style single gun deck vessel to practice on.

This type of ship should ideally be medium-sized, simple in structure, representative, and possess a certain degree of combat capability.

Without a doubt, the most suitable choice was the yacht.

Conveniently, after the great battle with the Fire Sail Battalion, the Pioneer had suffered severe hull damage, so it might as well be dismantled and used as ready-made teaching material.

The shipbuilding timber would be treated with Mute Huang's fire-roasting smoke-curing method.

In terms of construction methods, measures such as parts standardization, assembly line production, sectional block construction, and supply chain improvement would be implemented to maximize shipbuilding speed.

After calculating the trade silver, Lin Qian summoned Mute Huang and the Director of the Works Department to delegate this matter.

Additionally, to build warships domestically, large-scale strategic timber reserves would need to be established.

Lin Qian remembered Mute Huang once saying that teak was the most suitable wood for shipbuilding, and the Indochinese Peninsula had inexhaustible teak forests.

Winter happened to be the season for sailing to the South Seas, so the next step was already clear: establish trade relations with Jiaozhi in the Indochinese Peninsula and invest in building timber mills within its territory.

From then on, Lin Qian's trade cycle would be: sail south to the South Seas in the eleventh lunar month, return to Nan'ao for repairs in the fourth month, head north to Hirado in the fifth month, and return to Nan'ao in the tenth month.

This way, the merchant fleet could operate year-round without rest—either in a trading port or on the shipping route to one—never wasting a single bit of capital.

Lin Qian planned to entrust this matter to Lü Zhou and José.

However, before delegating the work, there was one more thing to do: celebrate the victory.

This time, Bai Qing and his men had squatted on a deserted island for seven months to ambush Li Dan's forces—truly arduous and meritorious service that deserved proper reward.

The silver Bailangzai had seized from the merchant ships, plus Eunuch Qian's more than twenty thousand taels, was all used for rewards.

He also promoted more than twenty who had performed outstandingly, making them squad leaders.

Additionally, Lin Qian had Master Hu prepare fine wine and delicacies sufficient for a thousand people, and arranged for beauties to come to the island, planning to make it a lively celebration.

Three days later, before the parade grounds of Nan'ao city, bonfires were lit, songs and dances began, and the victory feast commenced.

A thousand people didn't sound like many, but looking out, they formed a dense, dark mass that packed the entire parade grounds full.

Bonfires blazed every few tables; from Lin Qian's position looking down, the whole parade grounds were brightly illuminated by the flames.

Each table was set with a hotpot, charcoal burning hot, billowing steam rising in rolling clouds.

Countless maidservants raised trays aloft, weaving between the tables, setting freshly sliced beef, mutton, and other fare upon them.

Beside the bonfires, attendants roasted lamb legs; the legs sizzled and dripped oil, droplets falling into the flames and leaping up in large sparks, the aroma of mutton spreading everywhere.

Around Lin Qian sat, in order, his sworn brothers as well as Bai Qing, Lü Zhou, José, and others; Ma Chenglie's seat was also quite close to the front.

In comparison, the position of Nan'ao Garrison Commander Huang Hetai was very far back.

He reflected on how he had been the first to know the Helmsman, yet had wavered back and forth several times between the Helmsman and the Great Ming, and only now found himself in a position of little trust.

Looking instead at his own superior Ma Chenglie — since joining the Helmsman, he had exhausted every means of flattery and loyalty, and had finally won the Helmsman's appreciation.

Huang Hetai's regret was too late; he could only raise his cup and pour a mouthful of rice wine down his throat.

A maidservant beside him refilled his wine, and Huang Hetai took the opportunity to grope her thigh a couple of times. The maidservant's face flushed crimson, but she did not dodge — after all, what might happen had already been explained to her before she came to the island.

Every officer at today's victory feast had a maidservant beside him; their duties were by no means as simple as pouring tea and wine.

The maidservant beside Lin Qian was even more alluring and charming, outshining all the others. Lin Qian naturally rested his hand on her slender waist, letting the maidservant attend to him.

This was not because Lin Qian couldn't control himself — purely because in this era, the custom of keeping concubines and slaves was extremely prevalent; savoring fragrance and tasting jade was, like drinking wine and attending banquets, simply part of social intercourse.

Everyone had maidservants attending them; if Lin Qian alone kept himself aloof from women, at such an occasion he would absolutely be branded with the label of favoring men, and his sworn brothers and officers below him would also be unable to relax.

Lin Qian, as the leader of them all, was not yet married and had no heirs — the hearts of the people were already unsettled; if he were also branded as one who favored men, nine out of ten of his subordinates would start scheming among themselves or defect.

So even for the sake of the greater enterprise, Lin Qian had to make the sacrifice.

Besides, having a beauty as company was in itself a fine thing.

The moon passed the middle of the sky, and he saw the gazes of his brothers around him all drifting over, seemingly casually.

Lin Qian's arm tightened slightly; the maidservant let out a soft moan, leaning in even closer, a light blush rising on her cheeks.

Lin Qian chuckled softly and said to the brothers around him: "I've drunk a bit much today. I'll head back to rest first; brothers, drink on at your leisure."

Lei Sanxiang, eyes hazy with drink, said: "Not allowed to leave! We haven't drunk to a victor yet!"

Scholar Zhou hastily pulled his arm: "I'll drink with you."

"No." Lei Sanxiang waved a hand. "I want to drink with the Helmsman!"

Zheng Zhilong suppressed a laugh and said: "The Helmsman has important matters to attend to. How about I drink with you instead?"

Lin Qian rose from his seat, then said to the maidservant: "Come with me."

"Yes." The maidservant lowered her head, face red, and followed behind Lin Qian.

Seeing this scene, all the brothers felt a silent sigh of relief in their hearts.

By now Lin Qian's residence had been fully renovated. Lin Qian walked into the compound, passed beneath countless eaves, and made his way to the inner courtyard chamber.

The maidservant stood at the doorway, twisting a handkerchief in both hands, head bowed looking at the ground, unsure whether she should enter.

Lin Qian turned around and scooped the beauty up in his arms in one motion.

The maidservant let out a low cry, her arms naturally hooking around Lin Qian's neck, both cheeks flushed crimson as she stared blankly at him.

Lin Qian kicked the door shut behind him.

Ya Hei

Fen Yuan

Pen