Chapter 26: The Galleon Sets Sail

Before seizing the Manila galleon, he had already conducted extremely thorough reconnaissance and planning.

But the rudder lock was an absolute secret—he knew of its existence, yet could never ascertain its exact construction, and could only improvise as circumstances arose.

Lin Qian thought to himself, no wonder that in the decades since the Manila galleon had appeared, though hijackings had occurred several times, not a single one had succeeded—the Spanish even posted only a dozen or so soldiers to guard the ship while it was docked in port.

So this rudder lock was the source of the Spaniards' confidence.

Jose cautiously urged: "This thing can't be removed. If you flee now, you still have time."

Lin Qian ignored him.

Jose continued: "Even if you did remove the rudder lock, you couldn't raise the sails or weigh anchor on a galleon like this. And there are naval warships in the harbor and shore batteries besides. Better to grab some cargo and run—I can take you to the hold."

Lin Qian stared fixedly at the rudder lock, unmoved.

Just then, Lei Sanxiang's voice came from the helm hatch: "Brother Lin, the Franks are gathering thicker and thicker on the dock. You need to hurry—once those bastards charge aboard, the brothers won't be able to hold them off."

"Understood." Lin Qian's tone was steady.

The commotion outside the cabin grew louder, and the crack of matchlock muskets could be heard from time to time.

Inside the helm cabin, the other two crewmen could no longer hold up; one of them said in a tight voice: "Helmsman, what are we going to do?"

"Quiet. Let me think."

Another quarter of an hour passed before Lei Sanxiang returned to the helm hatch and shouted: "Brother Lin, one of the Franks' gunboats is heading toward us." His voice trembled slightly.

"Just hold the gunwale—they won't open fire." Under immense pressure, Lin Qian only grew calmer, his mind racing as a plan gradually took shape.

"Got it!" A flash of inspiration struck Lin Qian. He turned to Jose, who was bare-assed, and said, "You said earlier you could take us to the hold, right?"

Meanwhile, outside the galleon, the dock had filled with onlookers all around.

A muffled thunderclap burst from the sky, and heavy rain fell without the slightest warning.

The crowd's enthusiasm did not diminish in the least—they fetched umbrellas from home and kept watching, and those who lived far away simply held stone slabs over their heads, unwilling to budge half a step.

More and more Spanish guards arrived, all soaked to the bone as they blocked the pier, clutching matchlock muskets that had become useless as fire pokers, staring up at the galleon's towering sides with helpless sighs.

Governor-General Alonso had specially ordered servants to carry tables and chairs to a high spot on the dock, with a rain canopy overhead. He sat in his chair, a glass of red wine in hand, watching everything in the harbor with a most contented air.

An officer ran up through the heavy rain to report: "Your Excellency the Governor-General, the Santa Justicia is ready. The captain requests permission to open fire?"

Alonso snapped angrily: "You fool—what if you damage the galleon?"

"But the Santa Justicia's freeboard is far lower than the galleon's—grappling alongside is difficult..."

"Have the Santa Justicia cruise near the dock and keep them surrounded." Alonso took a satisfied sip of wine. "Once the Furia returns, this band of pirates' end will have come. Until then, we only need to keep the prey penned in."

The Furia was a standard-tonnage galleon whose freeboard was roughly level with the Manila galleon's, allowing her to grapple alongside without difficulty.

After finishing off the pirates at Lingayen Gulf, she would need at most a day to sail back to Manila Bay.

During that time, this band of Ming pirates couldn't move an inch.

Not to mention the obstacles of the rudder lock and the anchor—the rigging system alone, far more complex than Chinese hard sails, was not something these yellow monkeys could master in a single day.

Alonso admired the galleon's towering masts.

The highest yard on this ship stood nearly thirty meters above the deck.

Even the lowest yard was nearly ten meters above the deck.

Without long training, ordinary sailors would never have the courage to climb up there.

And without climbing to the yards to undo the lashings, the square sails couldn't be lowered, and the ship would have no power to move.

Thinking of the helpless predicament of this band of pirates, Alonso nearly laughed out loud.

He drained his wine in one gulp, set the glass down, and tapped the table lightly; the servant behind him refilled it.

As the wine was being poured, Catalina's voice came from behind him: "Is it Lin Qian?"

Alonso turned to look and saw her walking over draped in an overcoat, a maid holding an umbrella over her.

"Don't worry—they're trapped on the galleon."

Alonso raised his glass and said.

"This pirate named Lin Qian—I underestimated his audacity and overestimated his intelligence."

Catalina walked beneath the rain canopy, her emotions complicated. She confirmed again: "Is Lin Qian on the ship?"

Alonso had a servant bring over another chair and gestured for Catalina to sit. His fingers traced the rim of his glass, his tone light.

"Lin Qian is either at Lingayen Gulf or on the galleon—but my intuition tells me he's here.

I originally thought his target was either that hundred thousand pesos in ransom or Manila itself.

I never imagined he would actually attempt to seize the galleon. It's stupid enough to be laughable."

Catalina's tone carried some displeasure: "From what I know, Lin Qian is no foolish brute. Since he's made a move on the galleon, he must have some preparation."

Alonso keenly caught the shift in his daughter's emotions: "You seem to be defending him?"

Catalina was somewhat flustered and explained: "I'm only trying to remind Father to be careful. This man has terrifyingly accurate intuition and the self-discipline of an ascetic monk.

I spent over forty days on his ship and witnessed with my own eyes how he sailed through a storm. He slept less than five hours a day and never engaged in any amusement..."

Alonso cut her off: "It seems you suffered quite a bit on his ship. Don't worry—he'll soon pay the price for it."

"He really is a terrifying man." Catalina concluded.

"I know, child. I know..."

Time passed minute by minute.

Suddenly a bird's cry came from afar, and gradually the cries swelled into a chorus.

Catalina was woken by the birdsong; the silk cloak draped over her slipped off.

"Is it dawn? What of Lin Qian?" Catalina's expression was anxious.

"Don't worry—nothing has changed. They're trapped on the galleon." Alonso's voice came from nearby.

Catalina turned to look east. The night's heavy rain had stopped, the thick clouds in the sky had dispersed, and behind the massive bulk of Luzon Island, the faint light of dawn was beginning to show.

"How long did I sleep?" Catalina asked.

The servant replied, "Less than three hours, miss."

Catherine felt somewhat uneasy. Wrapped in her silk cloak, she rose to her feet.

The ground here was elevated, allowing a distant view of the galleon's deck.

There on the deck, countless figures the size of ants could be seen bustling back and forth.

"What are they doing?" Catherine asked.

Alonso replied in a mocking tone: "Attempting the futile task of pulling out the rudder lock."

Even so, he had been sitting here for over three hours and felt somewhat weary.

He had seen enough of this Sisyphean foolishness.

Alonso summoned a soldier and ordered: "Send someone below to urge their surrender. Tell them the Governor-General promises that if they surrender, they will not face the gallows."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor-General!" The soldier snapped to attention and saluted, then went to relay the order.

Catherine turned back and pressed further: "Father, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course not." Alonso said with an amused smile. "There's no need to keep faith with a bunch of pirates. Half an hour ago, I already sent men to prepare the gallows."

"Oh." Catherine turned back around, gazing into the distance at the galleon, and murmured: "Dead pirate, have you truly run out of tricks?"

Suddenly, Catherine saw the square sail on the galleon's mainmast lowered, and a few minutes later the middle square sail was lowered as well, the sailcloth gleaming pure white in the faint light of the morning sun.

Catherine thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She hastily rubbed them, and when she opened them again, she saw that the upper square sail on the mainmast had also been lowered, while the lateen sail on the mizzenmast unfurled in turn.

On the deck, the main anchor capstan slowly began to turn.

"Your Excellency the Governor-General, the galleon has raised its sails!" A soldier rushed over to report in a panic.

Alonso barked angrily: "I am not blind!"

He rose from his seat and muttered: "This is impossible. The anchor hasn't been raised yet—why would they hoist the sails?"

An officer came running in a fluster: "Your Excellency the Governor-General, the Holy Justice requests permission to open fire."

"No!" Alonso forced down the panic within him. "The rudder lock hasn't been removed, the anchor hasn't been raised—they can't sail far. This is a bluff."

The officer said urgently: "Your Excellency, we need orders."

Alonso pondered briefly, then said in a deep voice: "Have the Holy Justice blockade the mouth of Manila Bay, and order the soldiers on the pier to forcibly board the ship with ladders!"

"Yes." The officer responded loudly.

Before he could even go relay the order, the galleon's sails on all three masts had already been fully spread, and the ship slowly set sail from the harbor.

Yahei

Fenyuan

Pen