Chapter 45: Setting Sail for the Great Ming

A moment later, Lin Qian walked into the officers' mess, with Chen Jiao and Lei Sanxiang following behind.

Zheng Zhilong, Scholar Zhou, Jose, and Bailangzai were already waiting there.

Seeing Lin Qian enter, everyone rose to greet him.

Lin Qian gestured for them to sit down.

Before long, shiphands filed in carrying dishes of food.

Zheng Zhilong had arrived at an awkward time—no special meal had been prepared, so this was just the ordinary daily fare aboard the ship.

Today's meal was rice, scallion-braised crucian carp, dried tofu with shepherd's purse, and pickled vegetables with cucumber.

With both meat and vegetables, this was already lavish compared to what common folk ate, but it was after all a working meal, not on the level of a proper banquet.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the food and sighed inwardly again.

It wasn't the meal itself that troubled him, but his lament over his status as a hostage.

Looking on the bright side, at least he could still eat now—five days from now, whether he'd be eating meat and wine or eating a blade was anyone's guess.

He was so sunk in misery that he didn't even catch the apologetic words Lin Qian said about the poor hospitality.

Seeing wine on the table, Zheng Zhilong unceremoniously drained a cup in one gulp.

The liquor was rum distilled from sugarcane dregs, carrying a light sweetness that went down easier than yellow wine.

But in Zheng Zhilong's mouth, it tasted only of bitterness.

Lin Qian raised his cup and said, "I've never been to Guangzhou before. This time I have the Councilman to thank for the chance to go have a look around. But I'm a stranger in a strange land—thankfully I have Brother Yiguan to lead the way, so I won't be stumbling around blindly. Let me offer my thanks in advance."

Zheng Zhilong, his mind wandering far away, merely raised his cup and muttered perfunctorily, "Sure, sure."

With that, he tilted his head back and drained the cup.

Only after the liquor went down did he taste the meaning.

What did he mean, "Brother Yiguan to lead the way"?

Wasn't he a hostage? Wasn't Brother Lin keeping him locked on the ship?

Zheng Zhilong looked at Lin Qian and confirmed, "Brother Lin, are you saying you want me to come along to Guangzhou?"

Lin Qian smiled. "I've never been to Guangzhou, so naturally I need Brother Yiguan to lead the way. I'll be counting on you."

Zheng Zhilong was overjoyed. If he were a hostage, the natural thing would be to leave him on the ship. Lin Qian bringing him along to Guangzhou showed that he didn't regard him as a hostage at all.

And his words were full of respect, without the slightest mention of hostage status.

Thinking back now, from the moment Lin Qian showed him the letter, he had never treated him as an outsider—always dealing with him openly and honestly.

Though he and Lin Qian called each other brothers, he knew the principle that shallow acquaintance warrants shallow words, and never expected Lin Qian to truly treat him as a brother.

Only after Lin Qian said this did a thought arise in Zheng Zhilong's heart: "Could Brother Lin truly acknowledge me as a brother?

I'm merely a lowly interpreter with no connections and no power whatsoever—what have I done to deserve such treatment from Brother Lin?"

Zheng Zhilong's heart was half surprise, half suspicion.

Lin Qian didn't look at Zheng Zhilong's expression, but he could guess his thoughts with near certainty.

To Lin Qian, Zheng Zhilong had no value at all as a hostage.

Since the Councilman could send Zheng Zhilong over, he couldn't possibly care whether the man lived or died.

That being the case, it was better to let Zheng Zhilong off the hook and do him a favor.

Moreover, Lin Qian's trip to Guangzhou wasn't merely to attend a banquet at Hong Gate.

He also had two major matters: seeking out talent and recruiting the Tanka boat people.

Time was tight and the task was heavy—having Zheng Zhilong, half a local snake, along was a help.

Though Zheng Zhilong was only sixteen now, historically he had been a warlord ruling his own territory. If he could be won over, not only would Lin Qian have one less formidable enemy in the future, he would also gain a great general.

However you calculated it, it was a deal that couldn't lose.

Of course, Lin Qian also knew that historically Zheng Zhilong had wavered between two sides, betraying the Southern Ming court and surrendering to the Qing. The man's loyalty was indeed questionable.

Lin Qian would also have liked to use true worthy ministers and good generals like Xu Guangqi, Zhao Shizhen, Yuan Chonghuan, Sun Chengzong, and Cao Wenzhao.

The problem was that he was only a sea bandit now, with barely sixty-odd men under his command.

Who would buy what he was selling?

It was just like matchmaking—before making demands of the other party, you had to weigh your own worth first.

Looking at it from a high vantage point, being a sea bandit was much like running a company—you met all kinds of people.

The art of employing people was like managing water.

The waters of the Yangtze irrigate the fields of several provinces on both banks; the waters of the Yellow River likewise irrigate the fields of several provinces on both its banks.

One must neither favor a river because its water is clear, nor abandon it because its water is muddy.

Simply put each person to the best use.

Paying no mind to the wild thoughts churning in Zheng Zhilong's head, Lin Qian turned and said, "Bailangzai, your family lives at the mouth of the Pearl River, right? Is it close to Poshan Wharf?"

Bailangzai's body stiffened, then he answered gravely, "My family's boat is moored at Poshan Wharf."

Lin Qian nodded. "Mm, in that case, pack up as well. After lunch, come ashore with me."

"Yes, Helmsman!" Bailangzai's voice was somewhat agitated.

He had become a sea bandit to earn silver to pay his family's taxes. Now that home was within arm's reach, he was already eager to return.

But Lin Qian had only given that talk about roll call a few days ago, and if he himself made an exception to go back, it would put Lin Qian in an awkward position—so he had never spoken up.

Now that he had a chance to go home, how could he not be excited?

Lin Qian then said to Scholar Zhou, "Second Brother, I promised Bailangzai earlier that he could convert his dividend into pearls to take home. After we finish eating, appraise a price and give him the pearls."

Scholar Zhou knew Bailangzai was anxious inside, so he simply wiped his mouth. "Fine. I happen to be done eating—let's go now."

Bailangzai: "No rush, Second Brother, take your time eating."

Scholar Zhou laughed. "As the saying goes, 'Gazing toward home across misty waters, homesickness sprouts wings to fly.' Your 'no rush' is a lie—what you really want is to fly back this instant. Come on, let's go. The sooner we pack up, the sooner you all can set sail."

Lei Sanxiang said half-jokingly, "Second Brother, spare us a couple of those 'as the saying goes' lines, and Seventh Brother can cash in his pearls that much sooner."

Scholar Zhou held his forehead and laughed, "Hahaha, exactly, exactly — let's be off."

With that, Scholar Zhou and Bailangzai stepped out the door.

By then everyone had more or less finished eating, and they rose one after another to follow.

Lin Qian pulled Zheng Zhilong along and went back to the captain's cabin to smoke cigars.

Along the way he asked a few questions about the customs and ways of Guangzhou.

Just as Lin Qian had expected, Zheng Zhilong knew Guangzhou city like the back of his hand — he could rattle it off item by item.

It seemed bringing him along on this trip had been the right call.

By the time a cigar was smoked down, Bailangzai had finished packing up as well.

Lin Qian had brought fifty taels of silver, stowed in a cloth money belt.

Walking to the ship's rail, a single-mast fishing boat was waiting below the side of the ship.

Chen Jiao, Scholar Zhou, and Lei Sanxiang had come to see them off.

Lin Qian instructed, "Everyone, act as circumstances dictate — we'll meet again in five days."

Chen Jiao lowered his voice and said, "I keep feeling uneasy at heart. Why not let me go in your place?"

Lin Qian smiled, "Eldest Brother, I accept this sentiment of yours with gratitude, but please rest assured — nothing will happen. Take care!"

Seeing Lin Qian insist so firmly, Chen Jiao could only clasp his hands in farewell: "Take care!"

Lin Qian, Bailangzai, and Zheng Zhilong descended the rope ladder one by one onto the fishing boat.

After the three had settled themselves, they waved goodbye to the crowd at the ship's rail.

The fisherman hoisted the sail and worked the oar, and the fishing boat moved slowly northward.

Before long, they had sailed more than ten zhang out.

The weather was clear and bright, the sunlight just right; the deep blue sea sparkled with rippling light, and several seagulls circled above the galleon's towering sterncastle, crying out in hoarse, grating calls.

A gust of briny sea wind brushed their faces, carrying a hint of damp coolness.

In everyone's eyes, the galleon's ornate sterncastle carvings rose and fell slowly on the waves.

The fisherman remarked with feeling, "How come this ship is so pretty? Pretty enough to rival a palace or a yamen office!"

Zheng Zhilong said in a cold voice, "Mind the waterway and sail well — things that ain't your business, best not to take an extra look at."

The two men's exchange was all in Cantonese, with extremely heavy accents, and Lin Qian could not understand it.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhilong explained in Mandarin, "Brother Lin, that fisherman was praising how beautiful the galleon's decorations are. I told him to mind his sailing and not go gawking at what he shouldn't."

Lin Qian nodded, "Much obliged."

Zheng Zhilong clasped his hands: "Brother Lin is too courteous. From now on, if you have any need, just give the word."

The three stood at the fishing boat's stern, watching the galleon gradually shrink in their field of vision.

The sterncastle carvings grew hard to make out, leaving only a line of silver Spanish letters reflecting the sunlight.

"Helmsman, is that our ship's name?" Bailangzai suddenly asked.

"Mm, 'Santa Ana' — translated, it's 'the Santa Ana'." Lin Qian nodded.

"Santa Ana? Foreigners' ship names sure are strange." Perhaps it was the nervousness of nearing home, but Bailangzai was talking more than usual.

Lin Qian said, "Most Spanish ship names come from their religion. This Santa Ana is supposedly the mother of the Virgin Mary — that is, the grandmother of the Spaniards' deity."

Zheng Zhilong seized the moment to offer flattery: "So that's how it is — Brother Lin truly knows a great deal."

Yahei

Fenyuan

Pen