Chapter 186: With the Nation's Traitors Not Yet Eliminated, How Can There Be a Home?

Lin Qian analyzed that the so-called "sea bandits" should actually be two separate groups.

One group was Bai Qing and his companion—their work was clean and efficient, causing little damage, so the pearl pond eunuchs dared not report it and suppressed the matter. The second group was the sea bandits recruited by Lord Zheng. These men had terrible discipline; seeing that the Weizhou naval force had been completely annihilated and the seas west of the Leizhou Peninsula were virtually undefended, it was like glimpsing a half-covered maiden—how could they hold back?

When Lord Zheng's sea bandits came ashore to loot and plunder, the pearl pond eunuchs could no longer suppress the matter, so they exposed it and pinned the blame for Bai Qing's earlier deeds on Lord Zheng's sea bandits as well.

That way, wouldn't the accounts balance out?

Lin Qian asked: "Do you know how many men the sea bandits have, how many ships, and who leads them?"

Ma Chenglie spread his hands: "We know nothing at all... All we know is that the patrol post says the bandits' force is enormous—when at sea, their banners blot out the sky; when ashore, they cover the mountains and fields."

Lin Qian laughed: "That's quite an exaggeration. When did such a large force appear over there?"

Ma Chenglie said: "This subordinate does not know either. But if the rumors are true, and the sea bandits really did seize ten thousand pearl divers, then for these people to turn into sea bandits only takes picking up a blade."

Perhaps thinking that Lin Qian had many pearl divers under his command, he quickly added: "Of course, the pearl divers are good at heart—it's just a pity they were deceived by treacherous villains and led astray."

Lin Qian did not see it that way. The pearl divers were not a distinct people at all—they were originally oppressed Han Chinese, mostly uneducated, with a weak sense of good and evil. When diving for pearls on the seabed, stabbing each other in the back was a common occurrence.

These were things Bai Qing and her brother had told him.

To make a comparison, the pearl divers were like peasants swept up in a rebellion.

Follow Zhu Yuanzhang, and you become a founding meritorious official.

Follow Zhang Xianzhong, and you become a man-eating demon.

Earlier Ma Chenglie had said the sea bandits seized ten thousand pearl divers, yet Bai Qing and her people had only taken a little over six thousand onto the island.

It was quite possible the remaining four thousand had all gone to Lord Zheng's sea bandits—that was how their strength had suddenly grown.

The power of the Qing dynasty sea bandit Zheng Yisao had grown out of the north-south conflict in Jiaozhi country, and most of her people were coastal Tanka boat folk—the way Lord Zheng's sea bandits had risen was almost exactly the same.

"Helmsman, how shall we reply?" Ma Chenglie asked.

Calculating the time, the main fleet should have already reached Hoi An harbor by now. Striking at Lord Zheng's naval forces had always been one of the main fleet's missions. Now Governor Hu was also asking him to suppress the bandits—he could curry favor with Lord Nguyen, then squeeze benefits from the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Kill two birds with one stone, absolutely perfect. Lin Qian said solemnly: "Although my Nan'ao naval defense zone lies at the border of Fujian and Guangdong, it is still the maritime frontier of the Great Ming. How could we stand by and watch while bandits wreak havoc! Tell Governor Hu: to be enfeoffed as a marquis is not my wish—I only hope the seas are calm! My forces will set out immediately!"

As the New Year approached, the Fujian-Guangdong region was decked with lanterns and colored banners, dragon and lion dances, people strolling through the streets—a scene of great festivity.

But at Hoi An harbor, it was a different sight entirely.

The once-prosperous place not only lacked any New Year cheer, but was instead desolate—no pedestrians in the streets, warehouses and godowns completely empty, no ships at the docks, and no merchant vessels plying the Thu Bon River south of the city.

Even beneath the pilings of the pier, bloated, pallid corpses floated.

The entire city was stifled and oppressed, like a land of the dead.

Looking out to sea from Hai Van Pass in the north, one could faintly see several dozen warships drifting between sea and sky.

That was the pirate fleet of Zhong Yanwang.

Hoi An harbor had been blockaded by this fleet for over a month now.

At the end of the twelfth month and beginning of the first month, when the north winds prevail, was precisely the time when Great Ming merchant ships and Japanese vermilion-seal ships should be frequently docking, with trade in full blaze.

Yet in this past month, every merchant ship coming and going had been plundered by the pirates—not a single one had managed to successfully reach port.

Every few days, new corpses would drift in on the sea; every few nights, one could see flames on the water.

In the dead of night, one could even hear the sound of blades cutting into flesh, women's screams tearing at their throats, fire crackling through ships' hulls, all mixed with the pirates' sinister laughter.

In this atmosphere of oppression and terror, everyone in the city feared for their own safety—the common folk dared not even step outside their doors, let alone engage in trade.

The villages and counties upstream along the Thu Bon River also learned of the sea bandits' blockade of the harbor, and fearing the bandits would come downriver, dared not take to the water for business.

Sugar, spices, ivory, teak, and other trade goods vanished from Hoi An harbor all at once.

For a great trading port, this was undoubtedly a fatal blow.

In the court of Lord Nguyen at Phu Xuan (present-day Hue).

The current Lord Nguyen, Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, sat upright upon the throne, listening to soldiers report the situation at Hoi An, his expression calm.

But the civil officials and military nobles beneath him could no longer restrain the terror on their faces.

One minister said in panic: "My lord, Hoi An is the economic lifeline of Quang Nam—we must lift the siege at once."

Tran Van Dinh, Bureau Secretary of the Civil Affairs Office, cleared his throat and said: "Most of the Great Ming and Japanese merchant ships will arrive in port before the first month.

If the harbor is not relieved before the first month, northern trade goods cannot enter, and in summer the Dutch merchants will have no goods to export—Hoi An's tax revenue for the entire year will suffer a heavy blow.

Perhaps Hoi An harbor will never recover, and our late lord's painstaking efforts will come to naught. My lord must not fail to consider this."

Le Van Hung, Bureau Secretary of the Records Office, gave a cold snort: "Bureau Secretary Tran and Bureau Secretary Truong—are you not always proclaiming that maritime trade strengthens the nation? And saying we should learn from the Portuguese firearms and tactics? Now that the moment of crisis has arrived, why can the two of you only spout useless empty words?"

Tran Van Dinh pointed at him angrily: "You! With the enemy army pressing at our borders, you think not of sharing our lord's burdens but instead make sarcastic remarks—is this the conduct of a minister?" Le Van Hung sneered, clasped his hands to Lord Nguyen, and said: "My lord, this general proposes we abandon Hoi An harbor, withdraw the army and people into the mountains to the west, and establish defenses along the Gianh River line, relying on the mountains and rivers to block the northern army. As long as they cannot break through on land, no matter how fiercely they rage at sea, it will be useless." Tran Van Dinh mocked: "Overreaching! The Zheng rebels occupy the banks of the Red River, with a large population, claiming to have a hundred thousand elite troops and five hundred war elephants, and they even have a navy to transport troops and strike directly at our rear—how many men do you have?"

Le Van Hung's tone weakened: "At worst, we fall back further south."

Lord Nguyen spoke up to ask: "Minister Tran, earlier this year you sought to purchase firearms from the Portuguese at Macao—how did that matter proceed?"

Tran Van Dinh's face reddened as he clasped his hands: "My lord, the Macao cannon foundry is extremely strict about selling firearms to outsiders, and their vetting of buyers' identities is most rigorous.

The envoy mission barely passed their inspection, only to learn that the vast majority of the Macao cannon foundry's firearms had already been bought up by the Ming army...

The mission, the mission... purchased very few firearms."

The hall immediately buzzed with discussion. Portuguese firearms and tactics had always been the foundation of Lord Nguyen's confidence in confronting Lord Zheng—for the Portuguese to pull such a move now was no different from removing the firewood from beneath the cauldron.

Lord Nguyen's brow furrowed slightly. After pondering a moment, he asked again: "That one under Lord Zheng, the one called Zhong Yanwang—what is his identity?"

Tran Van Dinh said: "Let Bureau Secretary Truong explain that."

Truong Huu was Lord Nguyen's naval commander and superintendent of shipping at Hoi An. Holding command of the navy while overseeing Hoi An harbor, he naturally had the most complete intelligence.

Truong Huu stepped forward, a look of fear on his face, and said: "Zhong Yanwang's real name is Zhong Bin, a native of Fujian in the Great Ming. I heard he was formerly... a subordinate of Li Dan..." At these words, the hall immediately erupted in discussion, and everyone's face showed terror.

"A subordinate of Li Dan?"

"Woe is us, woe is us!"

"We have no grudge against Li Dan—we've treated the vermilion-seal ships and Great Ming merchants with great care. How could this...?"

Li Dan had been entrenched at Hirado for a long time; his power was too great, his reputation too fearsome, that merely mentioning his name struck fear into men's hearts.

Truong Huu continued: "Not long ago, Zhong Yanwang led his men to raid three of the Great Ming's pearl field naval stockades in succession, wiping out the Ming naval forces completely. According to rumor, he killed over ten thousand Ming sailors, and the pearls and treasures he plundered were beyond counting..."

The officials in the hall all stared with wide eyes.

Someone probed: "They killed over ten thousand naval soldiers?"

After all, even if you combined the naval forces of Lord Zheng and Lord Nguyen, they probably wouldn't reach ten thousand men.

Zhang You nodded, grim-faced: "At least that many, if not more. Over a hundred warships were seized. West of the Leizhou Peninsula in the Great Ming, no one can stop King Yan of Zhong." Someone muttered: "It's over, it's over."

Someone, in extreme terror, snapped: "Over what? King Yan of Zhong is so wantonly reckless — won't the Great Ming send troops to punish him?"

Zhang You smiled bitterly: "The Guangdong naval forces have already sortied several times, and each time they were routed with heavy losses."

Now no one had any doubts left. If even the Great Ming's navy was no match for him, how could Guangnan, a land the size of a pellet, possibly withstand this man? For a moment, Lord Nguyen sat in silence, lifting his eyes to the rafters, thinking darkly: "Could heaven truly wish to destroy my Nguyen Phuc clan?"

After a long silence, the atmosphere in the hall grew ever more oppressive. The Sixth Prince, Nguyen Phuc Tri, standing to one side, felt cold sweat streaming down his body, his hairs standing on end, his legs going weak. He said in a low voice: "Father, perhaps we should surrender."

Lord Nguyen stared at him in astonishment.

Chen Wending said: "Your Majesty, if we seek peace with Lord Zheng now, we can still retain the rank of a marquis."

Zhang You also urged: "Your Majesty, as long as we can make King Yan of Zhong withdraw his troops and reopen the trade at Hoi An port, there will still be a chance to rise again. In times like these, we must show weakness to the enemy!"

Twenty thousand men resisting a host of one hundred thousand — who was strong and who was weak was plain at a glance.

In truth, every minister in the hall had long wanted to surrender; they just hadn't dared to broach the subject, keeping it bottled up inside.

Now that the Sixth Prince had taken the lead in speaking of surrender, the others naturally lost their inhibitions and began to speak freely.

Lord Nguyen had originally been resolved to resist Zheng, but with the entire court filled with voices urging surrender, he too began to waver. He asked Le Van Hung: "General Le, what do you think?" Le Van Hung's earlier tough talk had actually stemmed only from his resentment that Chen Wending, Zhang You, and the others were growing fabulously rich off the Hoi An port trade. In truth, he knew full well in his heart whether his twenty thousand troops could hold against Lord Zheng's one hundred thousand.

After surrendering, as a powerful clan of Guangnan, Lord Zheng would still need him to govern the region — he would not lose his office or his wealth. So why fight to the death? After a moment's deliberation, he said: "Your Majesty, this general believes that if we can forge a marriage alliance and turn two houses' swords into jade and silk, that would be the best course."

"Right, that's a good idea!" someone said.

Urging the sovereign to surrender was, after all, a violation of ministerial duty. But urging a marriage alliance carried far more moral weight — one could claim it was for the sake of the common people, or call it a delaying tactic. There were plenty of excuses to use.

The ministers thought to themselves: Le Van Hung truly is a man of a great Guangnan clan, rich in court experience — indeed not someone we can match.

At once, the ministers changed their tune one after another, demanding a marriage alliance.

In the "state letter" Lord Zheng had previously sent to Lord Nguyen, the demand had been for Lord Nguyen to acknowledge vassalage, pay tribute, and hand over a hostage prince.

Sending a princess over for a marriage alliance would count as giving the hostage, and it sounded better in name as well.

"A marriage alliance?" Lord Nguyen murmured.

The Sixth Prince seized the opportunity to offer: "Father, Seventh Sister is just at marriageable age."

Chen Wending straightened his robes and clasped his hands: "The Seventh Princess is quick-witted and virtuous in conduct — she is a fine choice."

After pondering for a long while, Lord Nguyen said dejectedly: "In that case, let her—"

"Father, have you forgotten the late lord's dying command?" At that very moment, a woman's voice came from the side chamber.

Then a woman strode up the hall, a short sword in her hand.

Le Van Hung exclaimed in alarm: "Princess, coming before the court bearing a sword violates propriety and commits a grave taboo. Please withdraw."

The Seventh Princess, Nguyen Hong Ngoc, swept her gaze across the assembled ministers and sneered: "The enemy has invaded our borders, yet you all scheme to beg for vassalage and surrender time and again instead of serving the state loyally — is that not itself a disgrace to ministerial duty and a violation of grave taboo?"

Le Van Hung's old face flushed red at once, and he lowered his head to avoid her gaze.

Chen Wending said: "That is not so. The bandits are powerful; what we ministers say is only to preserve the late lord's legacy and the bloodline of the Nguyen clan, to bide our time until heaven's hour arrives. Seventh Princess, there is a proper division between inner and outer — this is no place for you. Withdraw at once!"

Nguyen Hong Ngoc smiled faintly, glancing at him sidelong: "The realm crumbles. The traitor Zheng Pi set aside the elder to install the younger, slew his sovereign, and monopolized power — a state minister in name, a state traitor in truth. Every commoner has the right to slay him.

The late lord carved out Guangnan, thinking to uphold heaven's way above and pacify the people below, founding a thousand years of merit and establishing ten thousand years of enterprise. Yet he has not been gone long before you all rush to beg for surrender.

Have you not heard: 'To appease Qin with territory is like carrying firewood to put out a fire — while the firewood lasts, the fire never dies'?

Since this court, full to the brim, holds nothing but women's views, what difference does inner or outer make when I, a woman, come before the hall?"

Chen Wending's face turned crimson; he could not speak, pointing at her with a trembling finger: "Nonsense! What manner of propriety is this? What manner of propriety?"

With a clang, Nguyen Hong Ngoc drew her sword from its sheath, and cold light blazed through the hall.

The ministers and generals around her all started, stepping back a pace or two.

Le Van Hung cried out in shock: "Princess, what are you doing?"

The Sixth Prince said in a trembling voice: "Sister, let's talk this out — put the sword down."

Nguyen Hong Ngoc said: "While the state traitor remains unpunished, how can I call it a home? Your daughter is willing to emulate Mulan, to join the ranks, to serve the sovereign loyally and protect the state — to honor the Le and punish the Zheng! Today I strip myself of my princess rank, to become a common soldier of the Nguyen house, to die on the frontier, and I cut my hair to declare my resolve!"

With that, she pulled out her hairpin, grabbed her hair with her left hand, and swept her sword upward with her right.

The sword light flashed, and black tresses fell.

Jiaozhi was deeply influenced by Confucianism — the body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents. This act before the hall was scarcely different from branding one's own face.

The civil and military officials in the hall were all stunned speechless by the sight, never imagining that within the deep palace there could be a woman of such fierce resolve.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was stifling beyond measure. The assembled officials dared not move, their breathing nearly stopped, so quiet that one could hear each other's heartbeats. A breeze blew into the hall, and the princess's severed hair danced in the air.

After a long while, a voice came from the throne: "Good!"

The ministers looked over in astonishment to see Lord Nguyen clapping his hands and smiling, praising: "This is truly a daughter of the Nguyen clan!"

Lord Nguyen said: "The ancients said, 'Heaven's timing is not as good as earthly advantage, and earthly advantage is not as good as human unity.' If every soldier of Guangnan were like this, why worry that we cannot repel the Zheng traitors?"

The ministers snapped back to their senses and hurriedly piled on flattery, voices full of praise.

Chen Wending and Zhang You exchanged a glance, their minds racing.

Since the princess's character was so fierce, even forcing a marriage alliance would surely be impossible now.

Rather than venting their anger or rebuking her, it was better to go with the flow — to use the princess's hair-cutting declaration to inspire the entire army to fight the enemy with valor. Perhaps it would greatly boost morale and shatter Lord Zheng's pirates in one stroke.

Both Chen and Zhang were in the maritime trade business. As long as Hoi An port was preserved, they had no objection whether it was war or peace, whether Lord Zheng or Lord Nguyen ruled. Zhang You clasped his hands and said: "Since Your Majesty is resolved to resist the Zheng traitors, and the princess has such determination, this minister requests permission to send the Guangnan navy into battle!"

Lord Nguyen said: "Granted!"

Several days later.

At the harbor of Hoi An port, a tall platform had been erected.

From atop the platform, a vast expanse of sea around Hoi An port could be seen at a glance.

At this moment, all the members of Lord Nguyen's court had gathered here to watch the battle, every face grim.

The Sixth Prince looked up at the sky. Today a thin mist lay scattered over the sea; though it was high noon, there was little sunlight, and everything around was hazy and indistinct. He could not understand why Zhang You had chosen such a day for the engagement.

Could it be that he was afraid of being seen after a humiliating defeat? The Sixth Prince thought with malice in his heart.

That debate before the throne a few days ago had let his younger sister steal all the spotlight, and he, the prince who had led the call to surrender, had naturally become the target of everyone's arrows. Today he only wanted Zhang You and Ruan Hongyu to suffer a great, crushing defeat, so that he could salvage his own face.

After an hour had passed, he heard someone say: "My lord, they're here!"

The Sixth Prince looked up, and through the thin mist, he saw the silhouette of a Fujian junk appearing against the gloomy, ink-dark sea and sky.

The Fujian junk drew closer and closer, and the seven or eight Haicang boats following behind it also emerged from the fog — clearly sea bandits.

The Fujian junk was loaded with cargo, sitting deep in the water, and sailing very slowly.

Finally, at a distance of just over a thousand paces from shore, it was caught up with.

The Haicang boats, like sharks spotting rotting flesh, surrounded the Fujian junk on all sides, front and back, left and right.

Dozens of grappling hooks were thrown up, firmly catching hold of the junk's bulwarks like the tentacles of a dozen octopuses.

Then the sea bandits climbed nimbly up the grappling hooks onto the Fujian junk.

The wind was light today, and the sea and harbor were quiet; the cries of battle could be heard drifting over from afar.

Time passed slowly, the fog over the sea grew thicker, and the figures of the sea bandits gradually became hard to make out — only the sounds of killing that never ceased could be heard.

The cries of battle attracted another seven or eight pirate ships, and the Fujian junk was caught in layer upon layer of encirclement — surely there was no path of survival left.

But compared to an ordinary merchant ship, this vessel resisted extremely stubbornly, because aboard were all elite marines of the Nguyen Lord, deliberately released as bait. Chen Wending gazed out across the surrounding sea and said: "Why hasn't Zhang You's fleet arrived yet?"

Someone said in a low voice: "Could it be that they saw how great the bandits' force was and didn't dare to attack?"

Someone rebuked: "Don't forget — the Princess is on that ship!"

"Hah, a woman — all she has is a sharp tongue." These words were spoken in a very small voice, so that the lord would not hear.

On the high platform, the Nguyen Lord's ministers all broke out in a cold sweat.

But the Sixth Prince rejoiced inwardly: "Excellent, excellent! If they flee, fine! If they lose, even better! Even if we surrender, we can still live lives of wealth and honor. If we insist on fighting, we might lose our lives — what's the point?"

Boom — the merchant ship burst into flames, blurred through the fog, the firelight seeming coated in a halo, indistinct to the eye.

Then came several more booming sounds, and more flames rose — it seemed the pirate ships were on fire.

The Nguyen Lord's soldiers and people all felt their spirits lift.

At this moment, a naval force charged in from the direction of the open sea — some twenty or thirty warships in all.

Because of the heavy fog that day, visibility on the sea was extremely poor, so by the time the sea bandits noticed, the fleet had already closed in before their eyes.

Bowl-mouth cannons, spray tubes, and fire lances fired all at once, and the remaining pirate ships were all engulfed in a sea of flames.

The sea bandits, having failed to take the ship after a prolonged assault, now struck by fire and ambushed from behind, fell into utter chaos. They leaped off the Fujian junk one after another, broke off the boarding action, and scrambled to flee. Ruan Hongyu, clad in full armor and holding a long blade, stood at the prow shouting battle cries. The Nguyen Lord's marines, knowing her identity, had their morale soar — they boarded and fought with great ferocity.

The slower sea bandits came under fierce attack from bowl-mouth cannons and fire lances, and instantly collapsed into a routed mob, abandoning their ships and leaping into the water with almost no power to resist. "Excellent!"

"Well fought!"

On the high platform at Hoi An harbor, cheers erupted at once, and everyone was beaming with joy — especially Chen Wending, whose wrinkled face bloomed like a chrysanthemum, laughter unceasing. The Sixth Prince thought to himself: "They say Zhong the King of Hell is extremely cruel, that he loves to eat infant flesh, and tortures and kills every captive — and this is the caliber of his men?" Rumble!

Just then, a sudden clap of thunder exploded overhead.

Quite a few civil and military ministers were startled.

Chen Wending's face changed drastically, and he muttered under his breath: "This is bad — it's going to rain!"

The Sixth Prince looked up at the sky and saw, among the pressing black clouds, a flash of lightning writhing past like a silver serpent.

Then another thunderclap boomed across the sky.

Without the slightest warning, a great wind suddenly rose, and the fog rapidly thinned.

The Sixth Prince thought: "A good wind! Seventh Sister, you're doomed to lose!"

As the fog gradually dispersed, the situation on the sea became increasingly clear.

The Nguyen Lord's fleet had split into seven or eight small squadrons, each chasing after sea bandits — which made their naval force look even smaller.

The pirates, having recovered from the ambush and seen through the Nguyen Lord's fleet's true strength, blew great horn calls across the sea.

The deep sound of the horns spread across the entire sea.

The pirate ships began to gradually gather, and one red-sailed warship among them was especially eye-catching. It sailed to within close range of the Nguyen Lord's fleet, and then a red flash appeared along its side.

Smoke rose, and the thunderous roar of cannon fire came.

A Nguyen Lord warship was struck as if hit hard across the middle — splintered planks flew seven or eight zhang into the air, spinning down into the sea and splashing up great sheets of water. "To think there exists a cannon ship of such power!" Chen Wending stared blankly.

The cannon fire on the sea did not cease, and the remaining pirate warships also counterattacked one after another, boarding and fighting the Nguyen Lord's marines.

The Nguyen Lord's fleet, in disarray and outnumbered, and now pounded by cannon fire, saw their morale collapse. They turned and fled one after another, with the pirates in hot pursuit, firing their muskets at them.

The Nguyen Lord's fleet was beaten into a panicked rout in no time, utterly humiliated.

One warship caught fire, and the flames grew larger with the wind. The marines couldn't put it out, so they simply abandoned the ship entirely, leaping into the sea and swimming for shore.

The pirates gave chase by boat, picking off the marines one by one with musket fire; those too close were run through with spears or beaten to death with oars. Corpses floated all the way from the ships to the shore — a scene of utter misery.

Even the Sixth Prince felt that this defeat was truly too miserable to behold.

At this moment, someone on the high platform said: "Look at the flagship!"

The Sixth Prince followed the voice and looked — the Nguyen Lord's flagship was sailing against the current, charging straight at the red-sailed cannon ship.

Someone cried out in alarm: "The Princess is on that ship!"

Someone stammered: "Is she trying to die together with them?"

The red-sailed cannon ship had overwhelming firepower, and everyone knew that charging at it recklessly meant certain death. At the flagship's stern, those unwilling to die could be seen stripping off their armor and leaping into the water, then swimming desperately for shore.

A minister cursed: "The Princess is sacrificing herself for righteousness, yet these ministers and soldiers are jumping ship and fleeing — they're utter scum!"

The distance between the two ships grew shorter and shorter, and the ministers on the high platform felt their hearts rise to their throats.

The red-sailed cannon ship raised sail and turned, unhurriedly bringing its broadside to bear on the approaching vessel — then a red flash, and smoke billowed up.

Then the cannon fire came, and the flagship was struck at the bow and the forward port side, solid iron shot punching clean through the hull.

The flagship seemed to have slammed into a wall — its bow shattered into pieces on the spot, splintered planks flying outward from the cannon holes like blood bursting from a gunshot wound.

The high platform fell into a deathly silence.

The red-sailed warships kept up their bombardment; after four full volleys, the flagship was riddled with holes, its sterncastle tottering, not a single living man left on deck, and the surrounding sea was stained red with blood, a dozen or so mutilated corpses bobbing on the surface.

Boom!

Heavy rain began to fall.

By now the battle at sea was over—the Nguyen lord's fleet was burned, fled, or sunk, with no strength left to resist.

The sea bandit fleet scattered across the waters to take prisoners.

Those who swam fast had already reached the shore, collapsing on the sand to gasp for breath; those who swam slowly were all captured.

On the pitch-black sea, corpses and wooden planks were everywhere, with laughing sea bandit ships weaving between them.

Some of the bolder sea bandits even sailed their boats to within twenty-odd paces of the shore, holding up strings of severed heads in triumph.

On the high platform, the Nguyen lord and his ministers felt both fury and despair.

The Nguyen lord rose from his seat and slowly walked out into the curtain of rain, letting it soak him through.

An attendant opened an umbrella and held it over the Nguyen lord's head, only to have it knocked aside into the mud.

The Nguyen lord stared at the heavens, silently reciting: "My late father opened up Quang Nam, spread the kingly way, civilized the barbarians, and endured countless hardships to build this foundation—can it truly be cut off in the second generation?

Father! Heavens! If I am truly not favored by fate, then send down a sign, so that the people of Dai Viet may be spared the suffering of war!"

Just as the last word fell in his heart, a minister behind him said in a trembling voice: "My... my lord, look!"

The Nguyen lord jerked his head up, and saw at the boundary between the dark gray sky and the ink-black sea—

A pitch-black island slowly emerged.

Yahei

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