Chapter 244: Good News Delivered

The Zheng family ultimately had no choice but to swallow their loss.

Having risen to prominence at Liaoluo Bay, the Zheng family's intelligence-gathering capability across the entire Zhangzhou Bay region was still fairly strong.

As time ticked by and they witnessed the scene of Li Kuiqi's once-great gang being hunted down on all sides by the Official Army, what remained of their little schemes collapsed — a mediocre leader lacked the ability to inject chicken blood into his demoralized subordinates and send them off to throw their lives away. And so, the Zheng family's great gang, numbering three thousand in total, surrendered en masse before the final deadline arrived at noon the next day.

After obtaining the money, grain, and military registers that symbolized total submission, Liu Zhe did not make things any harder for the ashen-faced men before him. Three hundred thousand taels of silver and three thousand troops of outside surnames — these tribute goods matched the Crossing Faction's estimate of the Zheng family fortune. With this, the Zheng family's Essence Refining was grievously wounded, their claws and fangs stripped away, and they had degenerated into just another ordinary Sea Merchant household. Their standing no longer warranted Liu Zhe's attention.

After sending these gentlemen on their way, Liu Zhe summoned his motor-sail Fu ships on the spot and once again used the old ship-sharing method: from the more than one hundred thirty vessels confiscated from the Zheng family, he selected twenty to carry the people, then sent them off to the other side of the strait.

There was no helping it. Jinmen's reception capacity was simply too limited — grain, fresh water, and medicine were all in short supply. Dayuan, on the other hand, was different. Due to years of receiving outsiders, its absorption capacity was extremely strong; even a ten-thousand-man fleet could have everyone washed clean and assigned a bunk in new dormitories within forty-eight hours. That was why Liu Zhe was dispatching people on their way at every available moment.

As the last organized force in Zhangzhou Bay was swallowed up by the Transmigrators, this Bandit Suppression Campaign officially entered its final stage. At the same time, the Youguang had also settled aboard a delegation of captives, including Li Kuiqi, and prepared to head to Fuzhou to deliver the good news.

An interlude occurred here. The Youguang, originally about to depart, suddenly received an urgent telegram from Dayuan: the heavens were not cooperating. The second major typhoon of 1628, named "Mangkhut" by the Transmigrators, was about to pass over Dayuan. Therefore, all sailing from Jinmen was suspended — preparations for the storm...

Fortunately, Mangkhut's eye was headed toward the Guangdong region, so after sheltering at Jinmen for forty-eight hours, the Youguang set out for Fuzhou.

After racing the wind to Fuzhou Outer Sea in a single day, the Youguang deliberately waited for the moment the rising sun first broke the horizon before punctually docking at the Official Dock outside Fuzhou City.

And Xiong, in full ceremonial regalia, had arrived early at the dock to wait, welcoming the returning victorious officers and soldiers — at a time like this, he could no longer put on airs. These men were returning bearing enormous military merit and political achievements; they were wealth-delivering boys of fortune. No matter how arrogant Yongzheng was, he still had to lead the hundred officials to welcome Nian Dajiangjun, didn't he?

Fortunately, what the Transmigrators held in their hearts were Miami and Hawaii, so they were generally quite broad-minded. After disembarking, the counterfeit Cao Chuan did not act domineeringly at all; instead, he properly paid his respects and greeted Lao Xiong.

And Xiong Wencan, laughing heartily, grabbed Zhang Dongdong by the arm, presenting a perfectly harmonious picture of lord and subject in mutual accord.

Next came the prisoner-presentation spectacle. From Li Kuiqi on down, over twenty notorious pirate chieftains whose names were on the wanted list and whose fierce reputations spread far and wide were escorted off the ship one after another, accepting the gawking and exclamations of the surrounding onlookers.

The moment of sharing the fruits is the sweetest.

That noon, Xiong Wencan cordially received Fujian Left Administration Commissioner Cai Shanji and Cao Chuan in the Fuzhou Governor's Office Flower Hall, hosting a banquet to wash the dust from the meritorious officials. In attendance as company was Fuzhou Governor's Office Advisor Huang the Provincial Graduate.

Taking advantage of the banquet, the two senior officials first discreetly coordinated the content and scope of their respective memorials to the throne with a few words — this was the most important task. The cake had to be distributed fairly; no internal strife could be allowed. Once this major matter was settled, everything else was trivial: for instance, the casualty compensation list and the promotion recommendation list that Comrade Cao Chuan produced.

Both senior officials approved of these two lists. It was laughable to think otherwise. One battle saw a night raid on the enemy camp, and another saw the frontal shattering of a thirty-thousand-strong foe, sweeping away the demonic aura over the Min Sea in one stroke. A great battle like this made it obvious that Cao Chuan and his men had fought desperately, so casualties among the brothers under his command were surely considerable... The government coffers naturally had to pay the compensation silver; the soldiers must not be left disheartened.

This was the advantage of winning a battle: since Old Cai, the Provincial Administration Commissioner who controlled the Provincial Treasury of an entire province, could share in the merit from the memorials, spending the Provincial Treasury's silver was no issue at all. It was public money anyway — what did it matter who it was given to?

After compensation came, naturally, rewards: the brothers couldn't be expected to pay their own way while risking their lives for the court, could they? Wiping out these pauper pirates was very expensive! And there wasn't much to seize... And so, Old Cai agreed to one hundred thousand taels of reward silver without a single stammer.

The above was official business. What followed was private business.

The Transmigrators' gift-giving had now become supermarket-like. Back when everyone first crossed over, many people had various VIP cards in their wallets; later, all these cards were confiscated by the Great Office.

As a kind of credential that could not be counterfeited, these cards, after being registered and filed, became the "shopping cards" that Zhang Dongdong presented to the senior officials at the banquet today. Once the officials received their cards, they could later send trusted aides to the Transmigrators' network points to withdraw silver, pick up goods, or conduct deposit services.

For example, after Old Xiong received his card today, he could send Xiong Qi to the Haedong Trading Company inside Jinglou Gate tomorrow to shop with the card. The card contained not only a shopping credit limit but also a portion of ready silver. If Old Xiong was in no hurry to use the money, he could even leave the silver on account to earn interest.

Of course, at present, this targeted large-denomination certificate of deposit service was limited to the two locations of Hangzhou and Fuzhou; the Transmigrators had not yet had time to extend their reach into other cities.

And so, the reward silver and compensation funds a certain power base had just received were sent right back out again. Not only was the silver sent out, but they also had to throw in high-grade industrial goods of equivalent value: Old Xiong naturally would not send Xiong Qi to the Haedong Trading Company to buy soy sauce. If he was going to buy something, it should be the kerosene lamp that had already swept through Fujian and Zhejiang and caused a sensation in Beijing's elite circles.

The harmonious spoils-sharing General Assembly was thus concluded.

After receiving the most precious political merits and VIP cards, the senior officials not only tacitly reciprocated with public funds, but also turned a blind eye to the Transmigrators' spoils of war, treating them as if there had been no seizures at all.

The seizures were still considerable.

Not counting the over twenty thousand pirates — the most precious asset in the Transmigrators' eyes — even in ready silver alone, the combined value of the goods and wealth confiscated from Li Kuiqi and the Zheng family exceeded eight hundred thousand taels of silver. Additionally, the Crossing Faction had also acquired nearly seven hundred vessels of every type. These Chinese-style ships ranged from broken-down fishing boats to large thousand-liao Fu ships — everything one could wish for.

At present, all these supplies had already entered the Transmigrators' bellies; wanting to vomit them up was impossible.

... After the spoils-sharing was complete, the senior officials each returned that evening to write their memorials. And a certain Mobile Corps Commander of modest official rank naturally had to cooperate by submitting a report to the Emperor to announce the good news. Of course, among the Transmigrators at present, the only one who could write a memorial was Huang the Provincial Graduate, so this task was done by him on their behalf.

After this battle, both Xiong Wencan and Cao Chuan would, barring accidents, be promoted. Referencing the history of the same period, Xiong Wencan could likely raise his substantive official rank, the fourth-rank Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, by one level, becoming a third-rank Vice Censor-in-chief.