Chapter 37: The Goto Islands

Beyond Nagasaki and Hirado, a chain of islands is scattered across the open sea. Because there are five large islands among them, they are called the Goto Islands. During the Jiajing era, "Pure Sea King" Wang Zhi once occupied this place and was labeled a Japanese pirates chieftain by Ming officials. Later, after Hu Zongxian persuaded Wang Zhi to surrender, some court officials raised doubts and broke the agreement, executing Wang Zhi. Yet Wang Zhi's influence persisted in the Goto region. As late as the 21st century, a Japanese man traveled to Wang Zhi's hometown and built a tomb for him, but because of the historical label of Japanese pirates chieftain, two patriots from Nanjing promptly went and smashed it.

The Goto Islands are numerous and lie very close to Nagasaki and Hirado. Throughout the Ming dynasty, they were an excellent hiding place for sea bandits, and many private ports existed there. A Fujian junk and a red-seal ship were now sailing slowly through these waters.

Song Wenxian, Han Bin, Hei Pao, Ba Zi, and Chen Xin sat at the bow, each with a white silk band tied around their head. Song Wenxian's eyes were slightly red. Hei Pao and Ba Zi were listless, their eyes vacant. Han Bin's dejection was tinged with indignation. Chen Xin only kept his head down in silence. Other sailors sat blankly on the deck. The deck had been washed, but dark red bloodstains still remained in many places. From the lower hold came the mournful cries of the wounded from time to time.

In the battle two days before, all forty-one people on the red-seal ship had been killed, including ten who had surrendered. On the Fujian junk, nine sailors died and eleven were wounded, four of them gravely. The red-seal ship had been loaded with pepper, ambergris, and frankincense purchased from the Southern Seas, along with eleven thousand taels of silver and a small amount of gold. The rough estimate of the cargo's value exceeded sixty thousand taels, and the price fetched in Japan would certainly be even higher.

The haul was very rich, but most critically, Proprietor Zhao and Han Yong had both fallen in battle. Without a leader, everyone felt somewhat adrift. And Lao Wang, from the moment Proprietor Zhao breathed his last, had been kneeling beside the body and had not taken a drop of water since.

Song Wenxian relayed Proprietor Zhao's final words, which were, unexpectedly, that Song Wenxian should take the lead and see this voyage through. Because only Song Wenxian heard what was said at the very end, and although he was an outsider, his status was transcendent, representing the powerful figures behind him. Han Bin was the second-in-command, but his popularity on the ship was abysmal. Men like Hei Pao did not accept his authority at all and dared not openly challenge him. The most skillful part was that Song Wenxian did not decide alone; he sought out Hei Pao, Han Bin, Ba Zi, and other influential men, and, on the pretext that Chen Xin had slain two of the attackers, drew Chen Xin into the decision-making circle as well. This way, everyone saw he was not seizing power, and no one had anything to object to.

"Gentlemen, the Grand Master has ridden the crane west to his immortal home. Every one of us is heavy with grief. Yet there are still many brothers on this ship. What should be done now? I am but an outsider. Though I was entrusted by the Grand Master before his departure, I must still hear everyone's views." Song Wenxian broke the silence, his voice low as he began to speak.

Han Bin glanced left and right and rushed to speak first: "I think the priority is to offload the cargo and collect the silver before discussing anything else. Otherwise, with two ships and so few men, if we run into another vessel, we might well be robbed."

Ba Zi glanced at Hei Pao and said, "I'll follow what Brother Hei Pao says. Whatever he says, goes."

The few of them then all looked at Hei Pao, waiting for him to speak. He stared at the deck for a long while before raising his head. "I followed the Grand Master when I was thirteen, through life and death until now." He abruptly tore open his jacket, revealing a body covered in scars. "The Grand Master saved my life three times. This life of mine has long belonged to him. What does the ship count for? What does the silver count for? Anyone whose mind is fixed on those things right now, I don't know what kind of creature they are."

Han Bin's face reddened slightly, and he said angrily, "I never said I wasn't thinking of the Grand Master. But a dead man cannot be brought back to life. If the Grand Master could be revived, I'd gladly give up this silver and the ship."

Hei Pao did not even look at him and continued, "What I mean is, the Grand Master met with sudden misfortune, and his family is not here. It is already our failing that we did not protect our elder brother well. The most important thing now is how to preserve our elder brother's remains. Otherwise, how will we face his Lady?"

Han Bin said, "Are we supposed to turn around and head back to Tianjin right now? If we can't complete the trade, there will be no silver. And then how do we explain that to Mr. Song?"

Ba Zi shot to his feet and cursed viciously at Han Bin: "Silver this, silver that, your mother's silver! Is there anything else in your damned head besides silver? Even if there is silver, it belongs to the Lady and the Young Miss. It's not your turn to divide it up."

Han Bin also stood up and said, "That's not for you, Ba Zi, to decide. Mr. Song is here too. What are you shouting about?"

Song Wenxian hurriedly rose and pulled the two apart, soothing them as he sat down between them to keep them separated. He said, "You two must not harm the harmony between you. The Grand Master's bones are not yet cold. If a real quarrel breaks out, how can I live up to the trust the Grand Master placed in me?"

Having with difficulty pacified the two, he noticed Chen Xin had remained silent the whole time and said to him, "Accountant Chen may have only recently joined us, but he slew two of the attackers and is a man the Grand Master valued highly. What is your opinion? Please speak so we may all consider it together. Do not hold back your words."

Chen Xin looked at Song Wenxian. He had worried that day that Song Wenxian had witnessed that scene, but after spending these two days together, it seemed Song Wenxian showed no sign of anything unusual, and he set aside some of his concerns. After the battle that day, the ship had been strewn with corpses and severed limbs like scattered hemp, which had truly nauseated him for two days. He had eaten very little, and his face looked noticeably thinner.

"I think both gentlemen make valid points," Chen Xin began, first spreading a layer of mud. Though Han Bin had a poor impression of Chen Xin, hearing this finally made him revise his opinion slightly. Hei Pao and Ba Zi also turned their heads to look over.

"The Grand Master was a benefactor to us all. I, Chen Xin, drifted into the passes from Liaodong and gained the Grand Master's recognition. He entrusted me with heavy responsibility, and I was finally able to settle in Tianjin. Without the Grand Master, where would I, Chen Xin, be today? I do not know how to repay this kindness of recognition. Like all of you, I wish I could trade my own life to bring back the Grand Master's."

Chen Xin's magnetic voice spoke slowly, more affecting than mere wailing. Hei Pao and Ba Zi's eyes reddened again, and the other sailors on deck gradually drew closer.

"Yet Heaven does not follow man's wishes and has taken the Grand Master to early immortality. The only thing we can do for the Grand Master now is to look after his family. And what counts as looking after them well? First and foremost, the living need something to remember him by. We must bring something back with us. I wonder what everyone thinks. Once this matter is settled, we can follow the Second Master's suggestion and deal with the cargo as soon as possible." Chen Xin had spoken at length, but in the end, he still placed Han Bin's opinion second.

Hei Pao did not even consult Han Bin and spoke up: "What Brother Chen says makes sense to me. Just tell us how to go about it."

Chen Xin said, "Gentlemen, it is now the sixth month. The sea is damp and hot. Today is already the second day. If we return to Tianjin, it will take at least ten days or more — far too long. If the Grand Master's body decomposes, our crime will be even greater. And even if we brought him back to Tianjin, how could we dare let the Lady and Young Miss see him?"

Hei Pao and Ba Zi exchanged a look, knowing this was the truth. In the past, brothers who died at sea were simply thrown into the ocean. None could be carried so far.

Song Wenxian saw that no one else was speaking and continued, "If no one objects, this matter cannot be delayed further. According to Brother Chen's suggestion, should it be cremation or burial at sea, keeping only his clothes and cap?"

Hei Pao and Ba Zi rushed to say, "Cremation! At least there will be ashes. What kind of memento are clothes and a cap?"

Han Bin said loudly, "How can we perform a cremation on the ship? We must at least wait until we reach the Li family's private port."

Song Wenxian hesitated and said, "What if they forbid it once we're on someone else's territory?" His eyes turned to Chen Xin again.

Chen Xin cursed Song Wenxian inwardly. The man was supposed to be the leader, yet he pushed every decision onto others and took no responsibility himself. After thinking, he said, "Find a small island. Take the tender ashore, gather firewood, and perform the cremation."

Han Bin said to Chen Xin with irritation, "How long will that take? Once the smoke rises, what if we encounter other sea bandits?"

"I'll fuck your old mother!" Ba Zi suddenly tackled Han Bin to the ground and rained blows down on him. Han Bin hastily shielded his head and face. Chen Xin remained seated without moving. This Han Bin was truly detestable and had no sense of reading the situation; he deserved the beating. The sailors on deck saw the fight break out and crowded around. Lu Lvzi, who had suffered a light wound, came over, saw that Chen Xin was fine, and went back to sit down.

Song Wenxian called Zhu Guobin over, and with great difficulty they pulled the two apart. Han Bin's nose had been struck and was still bleeding. From behind Song Wenxian, he continued to shout curses.

Song Wenxian suddenly roared, "Enough! If you two want to keep brawling, then I'll let the two of you take over as leader."

Seeing Song Wenxian's anger, the two finally fell silent. Han Bin was deeply unpopular, but he did have a few trusted underlings. Han Yong and Hei Pao could not control them either. Aside from Song Wenxian, they truly could not find anyone else to take the lead.

Song Wenxian glared at the two of them furiously before saying to the group, "This matter will be handled as Accountant Chen proposed. We will find a small island with trees, go ashore, gather firewood, and cremate the Grand Master..."

Chen Xin suddenly interjected: "Mr. Song, I had not finished speaking just now. Besides the Grand Master, the other fallen brothers whose homes we know must also be cremated and sent home. Those whose homes we do not know should be buried on the small island with clear markers. If their families can be found someday, they must return to their roots. As for the promised reward of one hundred taels of silver for seizing the red-seal ship and the head bounties, I ask Mr. Song to decide and distribute them to the brothers first. There is ready silver on the red-seal ship, after all. This was earned by the brothers risking their lives and should be distributed to settle everyone's hearts. For the fallen brothers whose hometowns are known, once we return, the reward silver and head bounty silver should be delivered to their families. As for whether additional compensation should be given, that is for the few of you to decide."

Everyone gathered around stared at Chen Xin in stunned silence. They had never given a thought to the other dead men, including the sailors. In the past, dead sailors were simply thrown into the sea. Because the Grand Master and Han Yong had fallen this time, all the bodies had been kept, but no one thought they should be sent home.

Han Bin was so angry his face turned red. He already believed cremation would waste time and risk exposing the ship's location. Now Chen Xin wanted to cremate everyone — how much more firewood would they have to gather, how many more pits would they have to dig? Fortunately, after the beating from Ba Zi just now, he did not dare curse recklessly again and only said coldly, "Accountant Chen's idea is a fine one, but do you realize how much more time this will take? If we are discovered by other sea bandits in the middle of it, can you bear that responsibility?"

Song Wenxian narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Chen Xin still spoke in a calm tone: "Every man on this ship was carried in his mother's womb for ten months, raised through endless toil and care, decades of bitter hardship. Who among them does not have parents, brothers, and sisters? Does the Second Master believe they do not deserve a memento?"

Han Bin said, "Fine, they get their memento. But what about the remaining brothers on this ship? If we are discovered by other sea bandits and everyone gets killed, where will their families find a memento?"

"Then can the Second Master guarantee that if we don't cremate them, we won't run into sea bandits? We all volunteered to go to sea. Life and death are fated. If we fear this and fear that, we might as well stay home and farm. I, Chen Xin, act only according to my conscience. Their parents toiled for decades to raise them, and they died in this desolate place. Can we not spare half a day to let them rest in peace? If we truly die because of this, then I, Chen Xin, accept that fate." Having said this, he stood up, turned to the sailors gathered on deck, and said, "You have all heard. Would you be willing, on the day you die, to have no one bury your bones, no one carry your spirit home? The dead were your companions, whom you saw day and night. Those willing to come with me to bury our companions, take one step forward."

Zhu Guobin stepped forward without hesitation: "Mr. Chen, I will go with you."

After a brief silence, over a dozen sailors, ignoring Han Bin's baleful glare, stepped forward one after another. Wang Zugui said to Chen Xin, "Mr. Chen, you are right. One of them is from our village. I want to take him home."

Han Bin was so angry his face turned pale. He was about to complain to Song Wenxian when he heard Song Wenxian say loudly beside him, "Worthy of the loyal brothers the Grand Master led! Count me, Song Daoist Priest, in as well. Furthermore, as Accountant Chen said, distribute the brothers' reward silver first."

Han Bin instantly turned to stone. The sailors, however, erupted in cheers, and the oppressive atmosphere on the ship was refreshed.