Chapter 7: The Board Is in Turmoil — Who Will Play the First Black Stone?

At that same moment, in Niuzhuang, Liaodong.

The surface of the Liao River rippled in the wind, its muddy waters lapping against withered grasses on the bank with a monotonous, muffled sound.

Hong Taiji stood atop a high ridge, clad in a light sable fur, his gaze sharp as an eagle's as he looked out over the calm river in the distance.

Behind him, a host of Manchu generals stood with hands hanging at their sides.

"They actually dared to sail so far in?" Hong Taiji's voice was low, carrying a trace of gravity that was barely perceptible.

The master of the Plain White Banner, Prince Yoto, stepped forward and bowed. "Replying to the Great Khan, that is correct. At that time, four Ming warships — three small vessels and one large — followed the river in and advanced as far as Niuzhuang to reconnoiter."

Hong Taiji's brows furrowed deeply, forming a character for 'river'.

"After the battles of Ningyuan and Ning-Jin, have the Ming grown so bold?"

He murmured to himself, as if asking others, and as if asking himself.

Yoto and the others all remained silent; they were equally somewhat shocked.

"We took small boats at the time, led by the five border-stationed ministers Dong Xiluo, Fadu, Daida, Ga'erda, and Ta'er Baxi. Dividing into two routes to encircle them, we captured all four ships." Yoto's voice broke the silence.

Hong Taiji turned around and fixed his eyes on him. "Did the Ming put up fierce resistance?"

A trace of disdain appeared on Yoto's face. "After boarding, there was a brief skirmish. The leader knelt and begged to surrender. Only one Company Commander fought to the end and was killed on the spot."

Hearing this, Hong Taiji's tightly locked brows slowly relaxed. He let out a long breath, as if a thousand-jin weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

So they were still just outwardly formidable but inwardly worthless trash.

"Those who associate through profit will scatter when the profit is exhausted." Hong Taiji gave a cold laugh. "When the Ming's officials are useless, their soldiers are useless too. They look like a great host, but in truth they are a sheet of loose sand, unable to withstand a single blow."

He paused, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. "But even cowards must be killed. Execute them all on the spot. Leave none alive!"

So saying, he looked at the assembled generals and spoke with earnest gravity.

"We strike with overwhelming momentum. The only way is to slaughter the blood-courage out of the Ming."

He clenched his teeth and stared fixedly at the generals.

"We must kill them until they dare not resist, kill them until they rout at the mere sight of us! Otherwise, with one clan overawing an entire kingdom, our national strength will ultimately be unsustainable!"

"The Great Khan is wise!" the generals responded in unison, their voices carrying far on the bleak autumn wind.

Image attached, to help everyone understand where this event took place.

At that same moment, on the coast of Fujian.

In the southern lands, the eighth-month weather was still somewhat hot, but the lingering dampness had receded considerably. The sea breeze blew, most pleasant.

In the distance, a guard station was blazing fiercely, black smoke billowing straight into the clouds like an ugly scar carved between the azure sea and the blue sky.

Zheng Zhilong stood at the prow of a great junk, the sea wind whipping his Western-style short jacket and revealing the silk undershirt beneath.

He wore his hair long, but a crucifix hung at his chest.

"Hahaha! Big Brother, look! Those Ming-dog officers and soldiers run faster than rabbits!" A burly, dark-skinned man strode over laughing — it was Zheng Zhilong's younger brother, Zheng Zhihu.

"Yiguan, with our fleet on the sea, we can strike wherever we please. These dog-officials are truly being led by the nose like dogs by us!" Zheng Zhihu said excitedly.

The pirates around them burst into raucous laughter at these words.

Zheng Zhilong turned a cold stare toward them.

Only when the pirates gradually fell silent did he speak.

"I have said before, do not call me by the name Yiguan again. I am Zheng Zhilong, and you are Zheng Zhihu!"

The sea breeze was cool, yet under Zheng Zhilong's hard gaze, Zheng Zhihu broke out in a cold sweat.

"Yes, Brother Zhilong. I won't dare do it again."

Only then did Zheng Zhilong nod and continue.

"When we strike, the essence is still to seek wealth, to do better business." His voice was very steady, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"Xu Xinsu has lately been colluding with the East India Company. It makes me uneasy."

"We must establish ties with the Ming court as quickly as possible. Otherwise, vast as the Southern Sea is, there will be no place for us to stand."

"You must remember: striking is not truly striking, and surrendering is not truly surrendering. It is all nothing but business."

Zheng Zhihu nodded to show he understood, then suddenly grew excited again.

"Then why don't we go strike Nanjing? Follow the river in, just make a turn beneath the city walls. The dog-officials will surely be scared to death, hahaha. When that happens, that little emperor will probably be willing to grant any official post."

Zheng Zhilong frowned, inwardly exasperated with this brother whose brain seemed made of muscle.

He simply turned around, faced the sea, and said flatly, "Strike guard stations, and the Ming court will negotiate with us. Strike Nanjing, and it will be a fight to the death, no rest until one side is finished."

"'Amid profit, choose the greater; amid harm, choose the lesser.' That is an old saying of Mozi's, and it holds much truth. Our key is still to force the Ming court to give us a satisfactory price."

At these words, the excitement on Zheng Zhihu's face slowly faded, replaced by a simmering indignation.

"Fine, I'll follow your lead, Brother. Let's strike every guard station in this circuit! Strike until they never dare provoke us again."

"These frogs at the bottom of a well who've never seen the world — they don't even know how vast the realm is, yet they actually dared demand that Brother Yiguan kneel and kowtow to them. Sheer madness!"

"I say we—"

"Let's head back." Zheng Zhilong could not bear to listen to any more of this imbecilic talk and cut him off directly, saying flatly, "Return to the island, rest and refit for three days, then... we'll go take a stroll around Guangdong."

He placed his hand on the gunwale, his gaze turning toward the direction of the Great Ming, but his mind was on other matters.

"... Xu Xinsu. Now we shall see who is faster."

Image attached, to get a sense of the dense network of guard stations and inspection offices along the Fujian coast.

Still at that same moment, in the capital, at the Suzhou Guild Hall.

Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai were playing a game of Go.

Zhang Pu held the white stones, placing them with steady composure, his expression mild.

Zhang Cai across from him, however, appeared restless and agitated. Several times he picked up a stone, only to put it back again.

Suddenly, Zhang Cai swept his hand violently, scattering all the stones from the board onto the floor.

"No more! My mind is troubled! Troubled!"

He rose to his feet and paced back and forth across the room, his face full of worry.

"Qiandu, His Highness Prince Xin is in the palace right now. If that Wei Zhongxian is driven to desperation and deposes him to set up another emperor, what can we possibly do!"

Zhang Pu slowly picked up the scattered Go stones one by one, returned them to the stone box, and only then raised his head.

"Shouxian, your concern is clouding your judgment."

"Since even we, provincial examination candidates who have traveled from afar, have heard of this matter, the news must have already spread throughout the capital."

"A mere castrated wretch, a rootless man — how would he dare defy the universal condemnation of the realm."

Hearing this, Zhang Cai's expression eased slightly. He sat back down, but the worry between his brows did not entirely fade.

"Let us hope so." He let out a long sigh, then a fire kindled once more in his eyes. "Ximing, if I pass the metropolitan examination this year, I will certainly submit a memorial to His Majesty, denouncing in full the calamity of the eunuch faction, sweeping the court clean, and reviving the moral backbone of our Donglin!"

"Excellent!" Zhang Pu's spirits were likewise roused at these words. "When that time comes, I shall join Shouxian in appending my name to the memorial!"

The more the two spoke, the more impassioned they became, as if they could already see the day when the treacherous were purged and the court's governance was pure and bright.

"Governing a state is like planting a tree — if the root is not shaken, the branches and leaves will flourish," Zhang Cai said fervently. "So long as we can assist a sage sovereign, purge Wei Zhongxian, and then dismiss every last treacherous sycophant in the court who clings to the eunuch faction, replacing them with men of virtue and ability like ourselves, what worry is there that the realm will not be set right!"

Zhang Pu nodded with deep conviction. The two simply took tea in place of wine and began appraising and discussing men of virtue and talent.

"In my view, Fang Kezhuang, the 'Blue-Faced Beast' of the Dark Star, is seasoned and deliberate in service to the state — he can be entrusted with great responsibilities!" Zhang Cai raised his cup.

Zhang Pu nodded, the mirth in his eyes nearly impossible to suppress, yet he still nodded in agreement.

"Shouxian speaks truly, but if I play Han Kuang, the 'Nine-Patterned Dragon' of the Subtle Star, how will you answer that?"

The two exchanged a glance, then suddenly could not hold back and burst into uproarious laughter together.