Chapter 303: Section Fifty-Five: The Navy

Last month Mao Wenlong sent Kuoke to the capital. Because this man was a trusted niru of Hong Taiji, the Embroidered Uniform Guard extracted a great deal of valuable intelligence from his mouth. Very soon, the imperial court issued a general commendation to Mao Wenlong, approved Huang Zhongse’s verification, and recognized Dongjiangzhen’s troop strength as thirty-six thousand. However, because of the Liaozhen issue, the court could not yet give Dongjiangzhen its full military pay. The monthly pay for these thirty-six thousand men remained half that of Liaozhen, which was seven qian per man, totaling two hundred forty thousand taels per year for Dongjiangzhen.

Upon receiving this result, Mao Wenlong denounced the Ministry of Revenue in his field reports as utterly devoid of conscience. He first declared that he could not understand at all why the troops of Dongjiangzhen could only receive half pay. Next, Mao Wenlong exposed that Huang Zhongse had counted only the thirty-six thousand troops on Dongjiang Island and treated that as the total for the whole garrison. He firmly demanded that the Ministry of Revenue send personnel to Lushun, Jinzhou, Changsheng Island, Gaizhou, Fuzhou, Tieshan, Kuandian, and other places to recount.

Mao Wenlong declared that giving only half pay for thirty-six thousand men would plunge the hundreds of thousands of people in Dongjiang into starvation, so he firmly opposed moving the garrison to Gaizhou. In view of Mao Wenlong’s excessively vehement reaction, the court decided to suspend discussions about moving the garrison and permitted Mao Wenlong to continue commanding from Liaodong, with the Korean tribute route still set at Dongjiang.

Korea was of course extremely dissatisfied with this. The Korean king once again sent envoys to the Great Ming to pour out his grievances. According to Great Ming custom, tribute was to be reciprocated with bestowals, but for eight years Mao Wenlong had given Korea only half of the return bestowals, and in the last two years even that half had been paid by Mao Wenlong in Great Ming paper notes. However, the Grand Secretaries believed that Dongjiangzhen was more important than Korea, so they could only placate the Korean envoys with kind words, and the matter of moving the garrison was finally dropped.

…

Ninth month, tenth day, Fujian, Xiapu

Fujian was probably the one province in the entire Great Ming least short of impoverished fishermen. Relying on the high pay offered by Huang Shi, Yu Zigao quickly raised another naval force. When the Penghu naval force had been disbanded earlier, some men had not turned pirate but had gone home to farm. Now, hearing that Funingzhen was re-forming its navy, these men came flocking back to enlist.

Over the past half year or so, Funingzhen’s Ordnance Bureau had been producing cannons as if their lives depended on it, turning out five hundred twenty nine-pounder cannons, over one hundred fifty twelve-pounder cannons, and even a dozen or more eighteen-pounder cannons. The fifty warships Funing Army now possessed were each equipped with multiple cannons — the forty smaller vessels had four or five, while the ten large ships had twenty each. The Funing Army naval gun crews used a ten-man system. To operate these cannons, Huang Shi had also urgently trained over three thousand naval gunners. Of course, the quality of these men was still far from satisfactory.

Although the quality of the naval gunners was not solid, Funing Army’s consistent tradition of large gun crews helped considerably with this problem. A ten-man gun crew, after all, meant strength in numbers. Yu Zigao said that for now the rate of fire and accuracy of each gun barely passed muster, but what Funing Army lacked most was not sailors but ship captains.

Although Heidao Yifu and Shi Ce had provided some sailors and captains, Yu Zigao believed those captains were only suited for the work of smugglers and transport ship captains. Most of the current captains were veteran soldiers whom Yu Zigao had urgently promoted. In Yu Zigao’s words, no matter how you trained, you could not solve the problem of a captain’s actual combat experience. A competent navy, in the end, still had to be forged through battle.

Funingzhen’s navy was certainly a headache, but the overall situation in Fujian Province had stabilized. Over these eight months, Funingzhen’s main force had been training soldiers overtime. Now Fujian’s land combat troops had reached nearly thirty thousand men. In all land engagements above the thousand-man scale, the sea bandits had failed without exception. One of these battles was a single infantry unit of Boulder Battalion against over three thousand sea bandits. The result was that Zheng Yiguan’s army still suffered defeat. By now the sea bandits had completely abandoned any thought of conventional warfare and were single-mindedly waging Mobile Corps Commander war against the government troops.

Since the third month of this year, when the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission had repeatedly and categorically rejected Zheng Yiguan’s requests for amnesty and enlistment, the sea bandits knew they had to prepare for a prolonged struggle. They therefore began stockpiling grain and supplies at their overseas strongholds, while the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission and Funing Army responded in kind by enforcing an ever-stricter maritime ban.

“Grand Commander, the martial law orders along the coast have basically been carried out to the letter.” A staff officer presented the report for the eighth month to Huang Shi for his review. To cut off the sea bandits’ supplies, the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission had already ordered coastal fishermen to suspend going out to sea to fish and had absolutely prohibited any vessel from putting to sea.

At first, when Zheng Yiguan’s request for amnesty and enlistment was rejected, the other sea bandits of the Min Sea adopted an attitude of watching a joke, thinking this was the Zheng family’s own affair. They thought he had stirred up so much trouble that he had angered the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission. During this period, several sea bandit groups even sent men to Funingzhen to sound out the question of amnesty and enlistment, hoping to seize the chance to don the tiger skin — to transform themselves from sea bandits into Funingzhen government troops.

But to their surprise, the attitude of Funingzhen Regional Commander Huang Shi was unusually hardline. The Fujian Provincial Administration Commission and Funingzhen publicly declared several times in succession that the court would only accept the sea bandits’ surrender and would absolutely not grant amnesty and enlistment. If the sea bandit chieftains surrendered early, they could receive a special pardon, but their ships would all be confiscated, their forces would have to accept reorganization by Funingzhen, and absolutely no official rank would be bestowed upon the various pirate chieftains.

This unyielding attitude gradually sobered up the major sea bandits. This time the government troops seemed intent on wiping them all out in one sweep. So even Liu Xiangqi, Zheng Yiguan’s old enemy, set aside personal grudges and went to Xiamen to join forces with the Zheng army. The reason Huang Shi acted so tough was mainly that he was unwilling to repeat Xiong Wencan’s mistake. Historically, Xiong Wencan had draped the tiger skin over Zheng Yiguan. In ten years, Zheng Yiguan used the power of Funingzhen to exterminate every Min Sea bandit group, including Liu Xiangqi, creating a situation where he alone dominated, and in the end Funingzhen could no longer control Zheng Yiguan.

In Huang Shi’s view, the strategy of using sea bandits to deal with sea bandits was nothing more than driving out Zheng Yiguan only to get Wang Yiguan or Li Yiguan instead. So he was single-mindedly determined to build a government naval force completely under Funingzhen’s control and pursued an uncompromising hardline against the sea bandits. Zhu Yifeng of Fujian had several huge quarrels with him over this, but the two men were now grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Since he could not out-stubborn Huang Shi, Zhu Yifeng had no choice but to compromise.

Now, of Fujian’s nearly thirty thousand land-based government troops, twenty thousand were field troops belonging to the four battalions of Firefighting, Boulder, Vanguard, and Tianyi. The remaining ten thousand were coastal defense troops. Funingzhen transported the large numbers of nine-pounder cannons it had produced to every major port in Fujian, establishing one coastal defense battery after another. Like the navy, Funingzhen’s army artillery was also the fastest-growing branch. In just a few short months, Funingzhen had over two thousand coastal defense gunners, already exceeding one-tenth of the coastal defense forces.

one-tenth

Huang Shi’s strategy was to establish a series of coastal defense strongpoints and use these strongpoints to monitor river mouths and other places suitable for sea bandit landings. They would rely mainly on artillery fire for self-defense. Small bands of sea bandits could do nothing against them, and even in the face of large sea bandit forces they would have the ability to hold out for some time.

In this way, Funingzhen’s four battalions of field troops could be deployed on the second line. Thus they could get time to rest and could also sortie at any time to rescue strongpoints under attack by large sea bandit forces. In the fifth month, Zheng Yiguan and Liu Xiangqi had jointly attacked a government strongpoint near Zhangzhou. But long before they could gnaw through the government troops’ turtle shell, the Tianyi Battalion stationed at Zhangzhou rushed to the scene upon hearing the alarm, and the sea bandits who had landed had no choice but to flee back into the sea once again.

Since the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission and Funingzhen issued their declaration of no compromise, the sea bandits’ rapid expansion had been checked to some degree. There were even a few former Funing Army officers and soldiers who had been drifting among the sea bandits who secretly slipped back home and then made their way roundabout to enlist in the newly formed Funing Navy. Wherever you went, it was all to earn a living. Since the court clearly seemed unwilling to pardon the sea bandits, some among them naturally were unwilling to keep drifting in a place with no future.

“Mm, very good.” Huang Shi was very satisfied after reading this report. Over these months, the Funing Army had set up more and more coastal warning posts along the mainland coast, but the total number of violations of the sea ban they discovered had grown smaller and smaller. According to reports from the Military Intelligence Bureau, the grain reserves of the sea bandits entrenched on islands like Xiamen and Tongshan had shown no increase for three consecutive months. Perhaps a reversal would appear before long.

Zhu Yifeng had originally planned to use administrative orders to force the coastal population to relocate inland. Apart from not killing people, Huang Shi felt this entire plan was no different from the Manchu Qing’s sea ban order. So he had asked Zhu Yifeng at the time what they would do if some fishermen clung to their homes and refused to leave. Zhu Yifeng’s answer was to send in government troops to tear down their houses and then escort them inland as bandits.

Huang Shi firmly opposed this plan, because many Fujian fishermen depended on fishing to feed their families. Forcing them to relocate inland meant making their wives and children go hungry. Huang Shi believed this would certainly drive large numbers of law-abiding people over to the sea bandits’ side. So he once again promoted his theory of “righteous people” to Zhu Yifeng. Huang Shi defined all fishermen who responded to the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission’s call and withdrew inland as “righteous people,” and then drew money from the Great Maritime Pacification Loan to support them and their families.

Zhu Yifeng immediately felt that Huang Shi had become unreasonable. Once this plan was implemented, the relocation costs alone would be calculated in the hundreds of thousands of taels. “If the sea bandits cannot be pacified in one month, does General Huang intend to support them for one month? If they cannot be pacified in two months, does General Huang intend to support them for two months?”

“Correct. If they cannot be pacified in one year, support them for one year. If they cannot be pacified in two years, support them for two years.”

“How much silver would that cost? At least fifty thousand taels of silver per month.”

“Let’s calculate it at one hundred thousand taels,” Huang Shi doubled the figure in one breath. He did not intend to give the fishermen only subsistence fare. “They are all righteous people. We must let them eat even better than usual. Let the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission not handle this matter. My Funingzhen will take charge of it, to prevent anyone from exploiting the common people.”

“General Huang, we do not have that much silver!”

“Borrow it!”

Seeing Zhu Yifeng’s face turn deathly pale, Huang Shi gave not an inch and loudly reminded him: “My lord Zhu, if these common people cannot get food, they will go join the sea bandits, or secretly trade with the sea bandits and sell them grain, or run off in large numbers to tip off the sea bandits… Then, no matter what, we can forget about pacifying the seas within two years. If we cannot pacify the seas, we cannot collect the maritime pacification tax! As long as we can collect the maritime pacification tax, we can repay even if we borrow more now. If we cannot collect the maritime pacification tax, we cannot repay no matter how little we borrow!”

…

By the first ten days of the ninth month of the first year of Chongzhen, Zhu Yifeng of Quanzhou sent word to Huang Shi that he had already sold off the third batch of one million taels in maritime pacification bonds. Up to now, the Great Maritime Pacification Loan had borrowed a total of two million five hundred thousand taels of silver.

“Excellent.” Upon hearing this good news, Huang Shi let out a long breath of relief. The one million five hundred thousand taels of silver previously borrowed had already been nearly spent by Huang Shi.

In the end, Zhu Yifeng had still reluctantly agreed to distribute compensation silver to the common people. After the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission issued the pacification notice, the Funing Army acted according to Huang Shi’s orders. For all coastal fishermen willing to relocate inland, the Funing Army was to buy their fishing boats and farmhouses at high prices without exception — worn-out fishing boats were priced as new, thatched huts were priced as earthen houses, and earthen houses were priced as brick houses.

After these residents relocated inland, Funingzhen would also issue each of them a set of righteous people certificates. With these certificates, they could go to designated locations every month to collect silver — one qian of silver per month for every person, regardless of sex or age. As a result, not only did the fishermen in the areas planned for relocation enthusiastically respond to the call to move inland, but even the common people in areas Funingzhen had deemed safe also strongly demanded to be relocated to “safer” places. After Funingzhen rejected their demands, some agitated masses even spontaneously staged protest marches in front of Funingzhen’s strongpoints. The garrison troops had to talk themselves hoarse before they managed to disperse them.

“Grand Commander, the common people of Fujian all firmly support our army. The sea bandits’ replenishment of manpower is nearly cut off. With the people’s support, the sea bandits’ spies have now become very conspicuous. Over the past two months, the sea bandits’ intelligence should also have been almost completely severed.”

“Of course. Unless driven by hunger and cold, which commoner would willingly oppose the government?” Huang Shi was not the least bit surprised by this outcome. The common people of China had always been timid and law-abiding. Unless driven to the last extremity, how would they dare to contend against the imperial court’s army?

Another staff officer, his face utterly grave, reported to Huang Shi: “A new problem has emerged, a very serious one.”

“Oh? What problem?”

Accompanied by several staff officers and Yu Zigao, Huang Shi inspected their own warships. The wood on the ships’ bottoms had already begun to warp. These ships, built from fresh timber, had only been used for training for a few months with virtually no heavy load, yet they were already close to falling apart.

Yu Zigao patted the gunwale; the wood here was also slightly warped. “Grand Commander, in two more months at most, these ships will break apart.”

“It seems we will just have to build new ships.”

“Grand Commander, this general believes the time has come to attack Xiamen.” Yu Zigao pointed at the fifty warships moored in the harbor. The vast majority of them had been built from fresh timber, and most could not last more than three months. “While they can still be used, let us go strike the sea bandits. If we win, won’t that save us the trouble of building new ships?”

sea bandits. If we win, won’t that save us the trouble of building new ships?”

This thought stirred Huang Shi’s heart somewhat as well. Once they started building ships, it would be another huge sum of silver. This time, even if they did not completely annihilate the sea bandits, just recovering Xiamen would greatly shrink the area under the maritime ban. The difference between the two outcomes was several hundred thousand taels of silver. “However, training the navy and casting cannons have already cost a great deal of money. If we lose the battle, what we lose will be more than just the cost of a few ships. Does old General Yu have confidence in victory?”

“Grand Commander, set your mind at ease. The last defeat at the hands of the Zheng bandits was because military preparedness had been neglected. This time, this general has ten thousand naval troops and so many warships. Dealing with the Zheng bandits will be as easy as turning over my palm.”

Yu Zigao appeared brimming with confidence, and from his tone he did not seem to think much of Zheng Yiguan. But Huang Shi took Zheng Yiguan very seriously. He hesitated and asked, “Old General Yu, did you not say last time that our ship captains are not up to par?”

“With this general present, our captains and sailors are about good enough. Most of those bandits under Zheng were trained by this general. Would this general not know their ins and outs?” He still wore an expression of complete confidence. Seeing that Huang Shi was still hesitating, he could not help growing indignant. “Could it be that the Grand Commander does not trust this general?”

…

In the end, Huang Shi still approved Yu Zigao’s plan, placing all ten thousand naval troops under his full command. Besides the fifty warships, Huang Shi also transferred all twenty purchased seagoing vessels to Yu Zigao’s command without holding anything back. Yu Zigao’s plan was to first move the navy from Minbei to Quanzhou, then advance to Zhangzhou. After the navy won the sea battle, they would transport Boulder Battalion to land on Xiamen.

After Yu Zigao led the force out, Huang Shi still felt a vague unease. For him, a man ignorant of naval warfare, the pressure Zheng Yiguan exerted on him was no less than what Hong Taiji had exerted back then. “How depressing. After crossing over to this era, I first fought land battles against Hong Taiji. Having finally struggled to the top, I am now forced to play at naval warfare with Zheng Yiguan.”

But Yu Zigao was also a famous naval commander of his generation, and just a few years ago the Great Ming’s Fujian provincial navy had been renowned and formidable. After two days of anxious fretting, Huang Shi finally thought it through completely. “Ah, I should stop blindly imagining things and let these professionals make the judgment. Regarding Zheng Yiguan’s capabilities, Yu Zigao certainly has more say than I do.”

…

At the end of the ninth month, Mao Wenlong sent his subordinate Regional Military Commissioner Su Wanliang and others to Liaoyang. Three months after the first round of negotiations had broken down, Mao Wenlong once again proactively extended the “hand of friendship” to Hong Taiji, expressing his desire to restore “former amity” with Hong Taiji and resume peace negotiations. As for the previous Kuoke incident, Mao Wenlong gave a formal explanation in this letter, saying:

Kuoke and his men had “strayed by mistake” into the grain ships of the Great Ming’s Ministry of Revenue and were thus seized by Huang Zhongse through a twist of fate. However, he, Mao Wenlong, was a very loyal man. After the incident, he had spent forty thousand taels of silver from his own pocket to bribe high officials in the court and had already managed to get Kuoke’s death sentence suspended. Mao Wenlong also assured Hong Taiji that once the time was ripe, he would certainly step forward to fish Kuoke out of the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s imperial prison.

Mao Wenlong expressed that he did not wish this little interlude to affect the trust between Dongjiangzhen and the Later Jin. He further hoped that Hong Taiji could quickly send envoys again to Dongjiang Island to discuss peace negotiations.

…

Ninth month, twenty-fifth day, Fujian, Xiapu

After Yu Zigao came ashore at the port, he immediately sent men to report to the main camp headquarters, while he himself first drew water to bathe, then changed into a clean set of new clothes, and over them put on his neat and orderly military armor.

One of Yu Zigao’s personal guards urged him somewhat uneasily: “My lord, we should hurry to pay our respects to Marshal Huang. Don’t make him wait too long.”

“It makes no difference now.” Though Yu Zigao said this, his hands moved faster. He polished his helmet until it gleamed snow-bright, and combed his hair and beard into perfect order. Yu Zigao let out a long sigh: “A gentleman faces death with his cap straight. Anyway, this life of mine was preserved by Marshal Huang; at worst, I’ve only lived a few extra months.”

When Yu Zigao and his small squad of personal guards reached the outside of the main camp headquarters, Huang Shi, having heard the news, had already rushed out with his guards to welcome them. Without waiting for Yu Zigao to speak, Huang Shi strode forward in one step and grasped Yu Zigao by both shoulders: “As long as Old General Yu is safe, as long as Old General Yu is safe.”

Huang Shi then looked Yu Zigao up and down once more, and immediately took him by the hand: “Old General Yu, please come quickly. I have already ordered wine, food, and hot water prepared. You should bathe first, and by then the food will be heated.”

This reception made Yu Zigao increasingly uneasy. He stepped back two paces, bowed, and offered his apologies: “Grand Marshal, your subordinate lost troops and ships. I beg the Grand Marshal to impose punishment.”

“Bathe first, eat, and then we will talk slowly. Slowly.”

This time, after Yu Zigao led the naval forces south, the Funing Garrison naval forces were quickly discovered by the pirate confederation. By the time the government naval forces reached Zhangzhou, the pirates had also completed their assembly and swiftly advanced to offer battle. Before the engagement, Zheng Yiguan, Liu Xiangqi, and other major Fujian bandit chiefs did their utmost to rouse their men, telling them this was a critical battle in the struggle to obtain amnesty. The pirates all believed that the government’s refusal to compromise was because the government thought it could rely on the Funing Garrison naval forces to regain command of the sea. Therefore, as long as they smashed the Funing Garrison naval forces, it would be easy to force the government to reconsider its strategy.

The ringleaders repeatedly stressed to the pirates that as long as they won a complete victory in this battle, the road ahead would no longer be a dead end. This propaganda enormously boosted the pirates’ morale. Moreover, in recent months the pirates had suffered repeated setbacks on land, and from top to bottom they had pent-up rage with nowhere to vent. But the Funing Garrison naval forces had stayed hidden in Minbei and refused to come out, so the pirates had nothing to take their anger out on. Now, seeing the main strength of the Funing Garrison naval forces, the pirates were all rubbing their hands, eager to show their prowess.

On the other hand, Yu Zigao came from a hereditary military family and was a veteran who had spent his whole life on campaign. He had always looked down on these pirates from the bottom of his heart, and he consistently blamed his previous disastrous defeat on the court’s cuts to naval funding. This time, with a large force under his command, when he saw the pirates gathering in swarms, far from temporarily avoiding their sharp edge, he actively accepted their challenge.

Zheng Yiguan, Liu Xiangqi, and the others brought out large warships, including Western-style great ships, to engage the Funing Garrison naval forces. During the phase of long-range bombardment with naval cannons, the government troops did not suffer much disadvantage. After all, the Funing Garrison fleet possessed over four hundred cannons in total and nearly three thousand gunners. Moreover, with the distance great, they were psychologically more relaxed, and relying on superior numbers of men and guns, they fought the pirates to a draw.

But once the pirates sent out fire ships, the Funing army began to struggle. Most of the gunners, due to nerves, lack of skill, and other reasons, were simply unable to stop the enemy from closing

in. The pirates all had pent-up fury and were determined to make the government know their power, while most of the government troops lacked this kind of fighting will. So when the pirates’ large numbers of small boats surged forward to engage in boarding combat, the Funing army collapsed.

Relying on Yu Zigao’s many years of rich experience commanding sea battles, the moment he saw the situation turning dire, he decisively ordered a retreat. Yu Zigao perceived that the pirates seemed to think the government troops would flee back to Zhangzhou, so he directed the entire force to flee north with all their might. Although the pirates pursued and struck them fiercely for a long stretch, he still managed to lead part of the ships in successfully escaping the battlefield.

“Our forces lost a total of four large warships and eleven small warships. Over three thousand officers and men were lost, and the twenty seagoing vessels given by my lord were all seized by the bandits.” Finally, with a dejected expression, he said: “Your subordinate should have taken his own life, but I kept thinking I must report the losses and gains to the Grand Marshal…”

“A blessing, a true blessing! That Old General Yu could return safely is truly a great fortune for our army.” Huang Shi hastened to console Yu Zigao at length. He had listened to the entire battle from beginning to end. It seemed the main problems were the government troops’ experience and fighting spirit, and in addition, the power of the cannons was insufficient. Although Yu Zigao had made errors such as underestimating the enemy, it appeared his command ability was not inferior.

“Old General Yu, rest assured. I will find a way regarding the silver and the ships. Very soon, Old General Yu will be able to settle the score with the pirates once and for all. Please set your mind at ease.”

The more courteously Huang Shi spoke, the more uneasy Yu Zigao felt in his heart: “Grand Marshal, in the army, merit must be rewarded and fault must be corrected. Only then can…”

“Old General Yu, to be honest, I do not know how to fight a sea battle at all. All I can do is find ways to cast cannons and build ships. For everything else, I must rely entirely on Old General Yu.” What Huang Shi said was indeed the honest truth. If he were sent to command the naval forces against Zheng Yiguan, there would be absolutely no chance of survival. And the others under his command probably lacked this ability as well — for instance, He Dingyuan and the like. Sending them to command the naval forces would be no different from murder.

“Old General Yu, my own future and life, the survival of the tens of thousands of officers and men of the Funing Garrison, and the safety and well-being of the millions of elders in Fujian — all must be entrusted to Old General Yu. I will set out immediately for Quanzhou to discuss the silver problem with Lord Zhu. I will certainly rebuild the naval forces. Old General Yu need not worry.”

“The Grand Marshal’s words are too weighty. Your subordinate will certainly redouble his efforts in drilling the naval forces.”

After seeing Yu Zigao off, Huang Shi summoned Shi Ce. This time he had arranged for Shi Ce to be on the same ship as Yu Zigao, so that he could observe and study Yu Zigao’s command at close quarters. Huang Shi dismissed all irrelevant personnel and asked directly: “Brother Shi, do you think Old General Yu’s defeat this time was fundamentally a matter of ability, or was it underestimation of the enemy, the sailors’ experience, and the quality of the cannons?”

Shi Ce seemed to have long prepared for this question. Without a moment’s thought, he blurted out: “Underestimation of the enemy. Far too much underestimation. During past training, he always dismissed the pirates with contempt. After the troops set out, he was even more convinced that the moment the government forces arrived, the pirates would scatter like birds and beasts.”

“Not a matter of ability?”

Shi Ce answered with absolute certainty: “Absolutely not.”

“That’s good.”

Besides Shi Ce, Huang Shi had also placed Internal Guards, members of the Loyalty to the Sovereign and Love of Country Catholic Church, and the Funing Garrison’s Wolf-Men (whose predecessors were the Wolf-Men of Zhangsheng Island) within the fleet. Each of them had written and submitted their own analysis reports on the defeat. After reading them, Huang Shi handed them over to the General Staff Department to use in drafting naval regulations, and then he set out for Quanzhou.

…

On the twenty-seventh day, Quanzhou.

When Zhu Yifeng heard that the naval forces had suffered a crushing defeat, with the fleet and sailors losing thirty percent, the teacup in his hand slipped at once and fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. His mouth hung open for a long while, unable to utter a single word.

“Lord Zhu, Lord Zhu, Lord Zhu…”

Only after Huang Shi called out for a long while did Zhu Yifeng’s spirit seem to return. The Provincial Governor of Fujian realized that the nightmare of these past days had become reality. If he could turn back time, he would rather have let Xiong Wencan take over this mess back in the third month.

“Marshal Huang, we should consider amnesty.”

“Why consider amnesty? We should rebuild the naval forces and once more send troops to exterminate the pirates.”

“But… but that will take several more months. During this period, we still have to support large numbers of relocated civilians. Our silver will probably not be enough.”

“Not probably — it is certainly not enough.” Huang Shi coldly shattered Zhu Yifeng’s illusions. Before coming to Quanzhou, he had already done the accounts. With a flick of his hand, Huang Shi tossed the account book in front of Zhu Yifeng. The latter hurriedly opened it and began to read. As he read, sweat began to trickle down his forehead.

“To rebuild the naval forces will require roughly…”

Zhu Yifeng looked up at Huang Shi with a pitiful expression, unable to squeeze out a single word for a long time. Huang Shi understood the meaning behind that gaze, so he encouraged him: “Lord Zhu, now the pirates’ arrogance is even more rampant. They are bound to raise demands concerning maritime taxes. If we do not agree, amnesty will certainly be impossible. If we do agree… without the Sea-Pacifying Tax, how will we repay the money?”

Zhu Yifeng also knew that he was now riding a tiger and could not dismount. He and Huang Shi had jointly signed the memorial guaranteeing Yu Zigao, and had also instigated the Fujian Provincial Administration Commission to guarantee the great Sea-Pacifying Loan. Over these months, there had been the sea ban and the troop training. Having stirred up such a huge commotion and still owing so much money, if in the end it all concluded with amnesty, this would probably not merely be a matter of his official career reaching its end — heads would roll.

After a moment of weakness, Zhu Yifeng gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red like a gambler’s: “Marshal Huang, this time it was merely underestimation of the enemy. It was not that Yu Zigao is incompetent, nor that the pirates are too formidable. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“Good!” Zhu Yifeng slammed the table fiercely: “We will continue selling bonds. This time, carve this official’s name on them as well. This official, in the name of Fujian’s parent-official, will borrow alongside Marshal Huang!”

“There is also the matter of the gazette.” During the Ming dynasty period, every province had begun publishing gazettes, a thing similar to later-era newspapers. The news in them, besides excerpts from court edicts and official dispatches, also included some street rumors. They were one of the important ways for the subjects of the Great Ming to understand current events.

“What about the gazette?”

“Lord Zhu, your subordinate estimates that very soon the gazettes will report that the imperial army has suffered defeat. This will likely be detrimental to our selling of the Sea-Pacifying bonds.”

“Hmm, Marshal Huang is right. We must preemptively deny it.”

“No, Lord Zhu. Wouldn’t that just make the gazettes contradict each other? Your subordinate believes we should preemptively admit it instead.” Huang Shi thought that flat denial would do no good. Not all Ming gazettes were government-run. It would be very difficult to completely block the news.

“Then wouldn’t no one come to buy our bonds? The common people will probably fear losing their entire investment.”

“Lord Zhu, with your clear insight, rumor is the hardest thing to stop. Now our bonds have already circulated as far as Zhejiang and Nanzhili. If the common people see us flatly denying the defeat while simultaneously starting to sell a new round of bonds, most will suspect that we truly were defeated. The common people are not fools.”

Huang Shi’s words made Zhu Yifeng lower his head and ponder. After musing for a while, he asked in return: “Marshal Huang means that once the common people begin to suspect, the repeated rumors might magnify a thirty percent loss into the total annihilation of the entire army?”

“Lord Zhu has profound insight. That is exactly what your subordinate worries about. In your subordinate’s opinion, we might as well honestly admit the losses. Then we explain our uncompromising stance, and point out that this time it was merely underestimation of the enemy — indeed, it was I, Huang Shi, who underestimated the enemy. Next time we will certainly win it back, and then we will repay all the borrowed silver together with interest.”

Seeing that Zhu Yifeng was still hesitating, Huang Shi pressed his persuasion further: “Lord Zhu, if the common people doubt our honesty, then certainly no one will buy bonds anymore. This time, by frankly admitting defeat, we are telling the common people that we are honest men. Your subordinate believes this will still be beneficial for selling our bonds.”

Zhu Yifeng remained woodenly silent for a long time, then nodded lightly and let out a long sigh: “Ah, let us hope it is as Marshal Huang predicts!”

In the early tenth month of the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Zheng Yiguan and Liu Xiangqi once again released a batch of captured government troops. As Huang Shi had anticipated, they put forward even harsher conditions for amnesty, demanding that both of them be appointed jointly as Funing Garrison Coastal Defense Mobile Corps Commanders, and that Xiamen, Tongshan, Chaozhou, and other places be designated as their defense zones, while they would also assume full responsibility for the security of maritime trade.

“Vermin, delusional wishful thinking!” Zhu Yifeng gave a cold snort, crumpled the letter into a ball, and threw it to the floor, ordering his subordinates to drive the pirate envoys out of the government office with a flurry of clubs.

The joint memorial of self-impeachment from Huang Shi and Zhu Yifeng had already been sent to Beijing. Both estimated that the capital would at most issue a stern reprimand. First, this was only a minor setback for the imperial army. Second, it was still within the two-year deadline. Third, Fujian had already become such a mess that no one would be willing to come take over the thankless post of Fujian Provincial Governor. Lastly, Huang Shi’s reputation could still hold up for a while.

Tenth month, ninth day, early morning.

Zhu Yifeng held in his hand a newly printed Sea-Pacifying Great Loan certificate, his fingertip gently stroking his own name upon it. Huang Shi waited a moment, then called softly: “Lord Zhu.”

“I understand.” Zhu Yifeng tossed that bond into the chest, and with a wave of his hand to the government office runners: “Open the central gate. Begin.”

Two days later, over five hundred thousand taels of the one million Sea-Pacifying Great Loan bonds had been sold. While directing the troops to transport the silver away, Huang Shi expressed deep emotion to Zhu Yifeng: “Fujian has many righteous scholars and righteous commoners. This is entirely due to Lord Zhu’s excellent edification.”

"Righteous men... perhaps." Outside the government office today, the stream of people coming to buy bonds continued unabated. Many who had bought bonds before, hearing that the Funing Army was about to rally its forces, came to make additional investments, saying they could not let the blood of fallen soldiers be shed in vain. But Zhu Yifeng did not seem particularly moved: "This official feels they may be afraid their previous money will be completely lost... The great Jinghai loan is a pirate ship that is easy to board but hard to leave, as this official knows from deep personal experience."

"Ha ha, my lord Zhu jests. Your humble subordinate will go now and rebuild the navy."

Fifteenth day of the tenth month, Xiapu

The Funing Garrison, having learned from past lessons, decided this time to build ten larger warships. Under the original plan, each vessel was to be equipped with ten 18-pounder guns and twenty 12-pounder guns, with bow and stern chasers eliminated, and fifteen cannons deployed on each broadside. Each ship would have fifteen gun crews totaling one hundred fifty men, plus another one hundred fifty sailors and marines, all uniformly armed with firelocks and long sabers.

The quality of the latest batch of 18-pounder guns had stabilized, with all specifications surpassing the test data from the Juehua period. Today, Bao Bowen presented Huang Shi and Yu Zigao with the Funing Garrison Ordnance Bureau's new weapon — the 24-pounder cannon.

"Grand Commander, Vice General Yu, what do you think of this cannon?"

After the demonstration concluded, Bao Bowen, brimming with pride and satisfaction, asked the two men.

All previous artillery pieces had either relied on the strength of Westerners or obtained prototypes from allied forces, but this 24-pounder cannon had been developed entirely by the Fujian Ordnance Bureau from start to finish.

"Can this type of cannon be applied to our new-style warships?"

"Replying to the Grand Commander, it can. Your humble subordinate recommends adding two centerline gun mounts and two gun crews to the new-style warships, employing the 24-pounder cannon."

"Very well, discuss it with Elder General Yu and proceed accordingly."

"At your command."

"At your command, Grand Commander. In addition, the Ordnance Bureau recommends beginning trial production of 32-pounder cannons."

"Submit the report. If there are no issues, I will approve it today."

"Yes."

On the seventeenth day of the tenth month in the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Mao Wenlong's envoy arrived in Liaoyang, demanding that Hong Taiji commence a second round of peace talks. At the same time, he claimed that Korea had already reached an agreement with him, consenting to establish an army of tens of thousands to coordinate with the Dongjiang Army in operations, preparing for a large-scale offensive against Zhenjiang and Shenyang. Therefore, peace talks between Hong Taiji and himself, Mao Wenlong, would be beneficial and harmless.

Hong Taiji refused to send an envoy to Dongjiang, instead having Su Wanliang deliver a letter in return. In this letter, Hong Taiji appeared extremely furious, rebuking Mao Wenlong: "A man who does not break his word possesses true virtue; one who achieves through strength is a true hero. What benefit is there in luring a few messengers with empty words?" He also mocked Mao Wenlong's bluff and bluster: "If the venture fails, whether you attack Shanhai Pass or Shandong, attacking and seizing from all directions — would I deign to let you know?"

After receiving the letter on the ninth day of the eleventh month, Mao Wenlong immediately forwarded it to the Great Ming imperial court the same day, and on the fifteenth dispatched Garrison Commander Liu De to go once more to Liaoyang. In this letter, Mao Wenlong declared that he had long harbored the intent to betray the Ming, "whether you take Shanhai Pass or I take Shandong," and agreed with Hong Taiji to "attack from both sides in a pincer, and the great enterprise shall be settled." At the same time, he urgently urged Hong Taiji to quickly dispatch trusted envoys to Dongjiang Island for detailed discussions.