Chapter 39: Li Dan's Son

The Fujian junk navigated cautiously through the narrow entrance channel. This was a natural harbor of superb quality — a narrow entry, sentries moving on the rocky bluffs on either side, surrounded by encircling mountains, an excellent shelter from the wind, and yet spacious within. Five vessels were already visible at anchor. Several wharves lined the shore, suitable for a Fujian junk to dock. The mountainside rose steeply, its rocks jagged; a few cannons sat atop one of the hilltops. On a stretch of flat ground beside the wharves, many wooden buildings had been erected — surprisingly, a good number were shops — along with some brick-and-stone structures resembling warehouses. People came and went outside; it looked almost like a small town. Song Wenxian, Hei Pao, and the others had clearly been here many times and remained calm, while Lu Lvzi looked around curiously the whole way, craning his neck in every direction.

Seven or eight people stood on the wooden pier. The man at their head was around thirty, tall and graceful, with a handsome, imposing face. Among the attendants behind him, two were dressed as Japanese samurai. As the Fujian junk drew near, he noticed the shattered protective planking and the white headbands tied around everyone's heads; a look of surprise crossed his face.

Lines were tossed from the ship, and the men ashore helped ease the Fujian junk into its berth. Once the anchor was dropped and the gangplank set, Song Wenxian led the way down. The man at the head came forward, clasped his hands toward Song Wenxian, and asked, "Mr. Song, what is all this…?"

Song Wenxian briefly recounted what had happened. The man shook his head and sighed. "For those of us who make our living on the sea, such a day is hard to avoid. When Uncle Zhao returned to the Great Ming that year, I thought he might face less danger — making just two trips a year was not many. Who knew it would still end like this."

Perhaps having seen too much of life and death, the man quickly regained his composure and exchanged greetings with Hei Pao, Han Bin, and the others one by one, until Chen Xin stepped before him. Song Wenxian, standing to the side, made the introduction: "Young Master Li, this is the newly recruited Purser aboard the ship, Chen Xin. What is rare is that he is accomplished in both civil and martial arts. He killed the murderer of our Proprietor with his own hands and avenged that blood-deep grudge for the Proprietor."

He then said to Chen Xin, "This is the master of this private harbor, Young Master Li."

Chen Xin bowed. "Chen Xin pays his respects to Young Master Li."

Young Master Li returned the courtesy. "I am Li Guozhu. Purser Chen has an extraordinary bearing; you are surely no ordinary man destined to remain in a pond."

Chen Xin naturally did not take such polite words seriously. He smiled faintly and stepped aside. Behind Li Guozhu stood a warrior with a fiercely capable look. Hei Pao and Han Bin greeted him: "Brother Xin Youweimen." The man merely nodded slightly, which counted as a greeting.

Li Guozhu immediately arranged for his own men to help settle the wounded and the sailors. After paying his respects before Proprietor Zhao's ashes, he led Song Wenxian and a few others toward a large compound on the mountain. When they reached the gate, it looked like a Chinese-style compound from the outside, but inside, the layout was like that of a Japanese dwelling. A long, narrow table was set out on tatami mats. Everyone took their seats as host and guests. Xin Youweimen did not join the table but sat behind Li Guozhu.

Several serving women dressed in kimonos brought out wine. They did indeed carry the fragrance Old Cai had mentioned — actually a blend of aloeswood, frankincense, and the like. Spices from the South Seas to Japan were a sizable trade every year. Here, Japanese dried seafood was no longer a rarity. The various dishes were all seafood, and Chen Xin ate with great relish. This group had made no mention of observing a fast for Proprietor Zhao; Hei Pao and the others ate just as heartily. After twenty days of flatbread and dried meat on the ship, their palates had long grown utterly weary.

After three rounds of wine, Li Guozhu ate only a little and then stopped, smiling as he waited for the others to eat for a while. He then said to Song Wenxian, "How much cargo have you brought this time?"

Song Wenxian replied, "Purser Chen has the account books. It is mostly satins and silks, valued at nearly a hundred thousand taels. If Young Master Li is still taking the whole lot, the price can be reduced a little."

Han Bin added from the side, "There is also a Japanese ship, anchored in a bay to the south. The cargo on it is no small amount either — I estimate it at several tens of thousands. Isn't that right, Purser Chen?"

Chen Xin answered, "Second Proprietor is about right. That ship is too cramped to take a full inventory, but it is certainly worth tens of thousands of taels."

The two had just spoken of over a hundred thousand taels of silver, yet Li Guozhu showed not the slightest look of surprise. Chen Xin could not help but begin to reassess the man's strength. But this place was very close to both Hirado and Nagasaki — why did Song Wenxian not enter the port to sell the goods himself, instead letting this man act as a middleman? …

He had calculated the value of the cargo on the Fujian junk: the purchase price was roughly fifty thousand taels. From what Song Wenxian implied, it should sell for a hundred thousand — a profit margin of barely onefold. Though still quite substantial, it was nowhere near the rumored tenfold exaggeration. Moreover, on the return trip from Japan, they could bring back Japanese swords, lacquerware, folding fans, dried seafood, and other goods, earning still more. Among these, the profit margin on dried seafood was low, but on Japanese swords, the profit could reach threefold.

Li Guozhu nodded calmly and said to Han Bin, "This time, with Uncle Zhao gone, the cargo on your ship — same old rule, I will take it all, and I won't haggle much on the price. As for that Japanese ship, do not mention it to anyone else. Bring it into the harbor in a couple of days, after those two ships have left. In the next few days, you can first select the goods you wish to take back. Since you have to wait for those two ships to depart anyway, there is no rush."

He turned his head slightly and instructed Xin Youweimen behind him, "Settle all the wounded from their ship in the side courtyard. Find two physicians to take a look at them." Xin Youweimen gave an affirmative reply.

That nuisance Han Bin was very well-behaved in front of Li Guozhu, his attitude extremely respectful, his face wearing an ingratiating smile — a stark contrast to how he acted toward Chen Xin and the others. After hearing Li Guozhu's words, Song Wenxian asked Chen Xin, "Brother Chen, thirty percent of the cargo belongs to the Proprietor. After the sale, that will come to roughly thirty thousand taels. Do you wish to purchase goods with it for the return trip?"

Chen Xin had not expected to be asked. He paused for a moment, then replied, "This matter should still be decided by Mr. Song and Brother Hei Pao. I have only just arrived and know little; it seems rather unsuitable for me to make the decision."

Hei Pao said to Song Wenxian, "I will discuss it with Brother Chen first before deciding. The Lady was not very willing to open that dried seafood shop to begin with. Now that the Proprietor is gone, it is hard to say whether she still wishes to remain in Tianjin."

Li Guozhu interjected, "Uncle Zhao had an established route in Tianjin. If you haul some goods back this trip, you can still earn something. Taking only silver would truly not be worthwhile." He naturally hoped they would take goods, so that he could pay out less silver in cash.

Hei Pao's resolve wavered upon hearing this. He immediately discussed it with Chen Xin. Chen Xin suggested using the payment for the Fujian junk's cargo to buy goods, and keeping some silver after selling the cargo from the Zhu Yin ship. That way, they could earn some profit, and if the Lady suddenly needed money, it would not all be tied up in goods. Hei Pao had no real opinion on such matters to begin with, so he agreed.

Seeing that the two of them did not even consult him, treating him completely as an outsider, Han Bin could not help but feel displeased, and it unconsciously showed on his face again. Of the resources Proprietor Zhao had once controlled, on the Japan side it was Li Guozhu, and on the Great Ming side, it was the people behind Song Wenxian. Now that Proprietor Zhao was gone, whether this business could continue depended on who could secure the support of these two sides. There were many who owned ships, but very few who could truly conduct maritime trade and hold onto the profits.

Ingratiatingly, he toasted Li Guozhu again and again, saying as he did, "Young Master Li, how has that man in the south been lately? If Young Master Li ever decides to make a move, should you have any use for me, Han Bin, I will certainly serve you with all my effort."

Li Guozhu's eyes narrowed, a cold gleam flashing. Chen Xin sensed Xin Youweimen behind him also stir slightly; clearly, what Han Bin had said touched on an extremely sensitive issue. Li Guozhu quickly recovered his composure, rubbing the cup in his hand as he said to Han Bin, "Second Proprietor is thoughtful. It is only hateful that that man's power has grown so greatly of late. He has colluded with the Dutch and gathered a gang of sea bandits — nearly a thousand ships. For now, I can only observe his movements and wait for the right moment."

Hei Pao said, "Though we are not under Young Master Li's command at present, should the day come when Young Master Li cleans house, if you need our service, just say the word."

Ba Zi also cursed, "That man surnamed Zheng is no good thing. I heard that Yan Siqi back in the day was fond of debauching young boys and handsome men — those two must have had filthy dealings."

Hei Pao, Han Bin, and the others all chuckled lewdly for a moment. Li Guozhu also smiled faintly, then said with bitter hatred, "First he embezzled a great amount of my Li family's wealth and goods. Back then, less than two months after my father passed away, Yan Siqi also died mysteriously in Xiaoliuqiu (the name for Taiwan at the time). Then Zheng Yiguan took command of Yan Siqi's subordinates. Such coincidences — I have always deeply suspected there is more to the story."…

When Chen Xin heard the name Zheng Yiguan, it suddenly struck him who the man before him was. This Li Guozhu was the son of Li Dan, the legendary maritime merchant of the late Ming. Li Dan was a true legend and the real first pioneer of Taiwan. In his early years, he was in the Philippines, where he was the leader of the local Chinese. The direct cause of the 1603 Spanish massacre of the Chinese was said to have been because of him. He was later sentenced to serve as a slave on a Spanish ship — for nine full years. Afterward, he escaped and fled to Nagasaki, becoming the preeminent maritime merchant on the East Asian seas, wielding immense power, and began migrating to and developing Bengang in Taiwan. The Dutch and the English called him Captain China (also known as Kapitan Li Dan).

The Zheng Yiguan Li Guozhu spoke of was none other than the later, even more famous Zheng Zhilong. During his time in Japan, this man was Li Dan's adopted son. Zheng Zhilong was first assigned to serve as an interpreter for the Dutch, and later took charge of Li Dan's South Seas business in Taiwan. He was quite skilled at business and gradually gained greater responsibilities. In the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, Li Dan fell ill on the journey back from Taiwan to Hirado and died shortly after arriving in Japan. Zheng Zhilong then embezzled Li Dan's silver and goods in Taiwan. Li Guozhu, Li Dan's biological son, was naturally furious at this adopted son. In the ninth month of that same year, another pirate leader in Taiwan, Yan Siqi, also died inexplicably. Zheng Zhilong was pushed forward as the leader of Yan's faction. At just over twenty years of age, his power swelled explosively, laying the foundation for his later dominance as the overlord of the East Asian seas.

Zheng Zhilong would later repeatedly defeat the Dutch along the southeastern coast, allowing China to withstand that wave of Western colonization. Yet China failed to withstand the even more backward and barbaric colonizers who came from the north. In front of those barbarians, Zheng Zhilong displayed no national integrity whatsoever — not even his shrewdness remained. The latter half of his life could be described as nothing but wretched and pathetic.

Setting aside the fact that he was Zheng Chenggong's father, Chen Xin felt no particular admiration or disgust for him. But now, living in the same era, if he himself wanted to engage in maritime trade, he would inevitably have to deal with this man. According to the history Chen Xin knew, Zheng Zhilong's path was not entirely smooth. Even after he accepted imperial amnesty, he still had to fight a chaotic, years-long war against his former associates along the Fujian coast before he could establish his supremacy. Moreover, Chen Xin did not know him personally, whereas the Li Guozhu before him was an existing connection. Li Dan had operated in Japan for many years and possessed enormous influence and power, not something the current Zheng Zhilong could casually deal with. What course of action would be most advantageous for himself?

Chen Xin remained silent, listening to the others talk while his mind raced at full speed.