Chapter 230: Boarding the Ships

On the broad open ground before the Tianjin Guard wharf, Yang Sichang, Minister of War, clad in a crimson official robe with a fair face and long beard and an imposing bearing, was carrying out Zhu Youjian's command to see off the government troops about to board ship; two thousand Shandong soldiers stood in several neat formations with heads raised in solemn silence, while Wu Qun and several Battalion Commanders knelt on the ground listening to the Minister of War's address.

"I have come by imperial decree especially to see you off on your voyage to Taiwan! On this journey south, the enemy you will face are foreign brigands who have come from ten thousand li away to seize the sacred soil of our Great Ming! Their ambition to use the island of Taiwan as a foothold and further covet our Great Ming's territory is plain for all to see! Now that His Majesty has sent several thousand brave warriors to chastise these jumping clowns, you must all strive to be first in valor, and see that not one of them returns with his armor! Thus shall you comfort His Majesty's hopes from afar! Bring the wine!"

Following Yang Sichang's dignified and sonorous voice, several Ministry of War servants hurried over carrying trays draped with red cloth, each tray bearing a coarse ceramic bowl half-filled with rice wine.

Wu Qun and the several Battalion Commanders, kneeling facing north, each took a wine bowl from the trays, drained it in great gulps, then dashed the bowls to the ground; after several crisp sounds, the bowls shattered across the ground.

This gesture carried the meaning of "better to be a broken jade than an intact tile" — a point the Ministry of War officials had specifically instructed Wu Qun and the others on beforehand.

"We humble ones shall not fail His Majesty's hopes! We would rather cast away these useless bodies than fail to annihilate the red barbarians! To exalt the might of our Great Ming!"

Wu Qun kowtowed heavily toward the north, then raised his head and shouted loudly.

This too was because the Ministry of War officials, fearing these rough men might blurt out crude words like "What the hell are these red barbarians? I'll just go up and cut them down one by one!" and provoke the displeasure of Yang Sichang, who set great store by propriety, had specially coached Wu Qun on how to respond.

"Rise! Board the ships!"

Yang Sichang nodded slightly in satisfaction, then gave the order.

"We respectfully see off the Minister's return!"

After Wu Qun and the others rose and saluted with clasped fists and bowed bodies, Yang Sichang turned and walked with official gait toward the carriage not far away. Apart from a few low-ranking Ministry of War officials remaining to coordinate, the other officials and attendants who had come with Yang Sichang all departed one after another; Wu Qun and the others did not straighten up until Yang Sichang's carriage had begun to move.

Several large ships of five hundred liao capacity were moored at the wharf, long gangplanks already laid out; the troops' firearms, blades, cotton armor, and one hundred war horses had all been loaded aboard yesterday, so today they needed only to board lightly equipped.

"All below Battalion Commander — every two companies board one ship! Board!"

Wu Qun gave the order in a loud voice, and the several Battalion Commanders each returned to their own units and began directing the soldiers to form up and proceed to the gangplanks.

The Zheng family had sent over twenty large ships to carry grain this time, each capable of carrying over four hundred men; but considering the need to provide the government troops with sufficiently spacious quarters, the Ministry of War officials had specially arranged for over ten ships to transport the soldiers. As for whether the remaining dozen or so ships could hold the several thousand Shaanxi civilians who would follow later, the Ministry of War officials did not concern themselves.

Whether it was the sea stretching beyond the limits of sight, or the giant ships dozens of zhang long and over ten zhang high, all the Shandong soldiers felt both shock in their hearts and some fear of the unknown.

The sailors of the Zheng family fleet stood on both sides of the gangplanks at the wharf, to prevent anyone from falling into the sea.

One after another, the broad-shouldered, thick-waisted Shandong men stepped timidly onto the two-foot-wide gangplanks, then advanced step by step toward the ships in trembling fear; the gangplanks quivered gently with the rocking of the ships, and the soldiers moving upon them wore tense expressions, their bodies involuntarily shrinking.

"Don't look at your feet! Raise your heads and look ahead! Step lightly and walk quickly!"

A Ministry of War official, seeing the soldiers boarding too slowly and eager to return to the capital, could not help shouting loudly.

For those boarding a ship via gangplank for the first time, the slower one walked, the more easily panic and fear set in.

Because the Ministry of War had to arrange the affairs of this distant expedition, they had sent personnel several days ahead to liaise with the Zheng family fleet; these remaining officials had gone up and down the ships many times already, and so had gained experience.

From the hour of Chen all the way to the hour of Wu — three full shichen later — all two thousand government troops had finally finished boarding. Only after watching the sailors draw up the gangplanks did the several Ministry of War officials breathe a sigh of relief; they turned and left the wharf chatting and laughing, returning to the capital.

Wu Qun rested both hands on the ship's rail, gazing at the boundless sea, with Battalion Commanders Chen Dashuan and Sun Rengui standing to his left and right.

"General, Shaanxi and Henan and even our Shandong are drought-stricken something fierce, but here there's so much water. Why don't you think the court could figure out a way to build canals and lead this seawater over to irrigate the fields?"

As the ship rose and fell with the waves, Chen Dashuan, leaning on the rail, gazed at the vast and boundless sea and sighed.

"You blockhead! Seawater is salty — irrigating fields with it would choke the crops to death! Damn it! I always tell you to learn your characters and read books, but you never listen! You don't even know seawater is salty! Don't ever say you know me from now on! I can't afford to lose that much face!"

A wave of irritation rose in Wu Qun's chest and belly, and he cursed in exasperation.

Chen Dashuan was fierce in battle, loyal and obedient as a man, but he found reading and learning characters utterly detestable.

Zhu Youjian had once issued an edict for the entire army to launch an illiteracy-eradication campaign whenever opportunity allowed, so Huang Degong had hired several old examination candidates from Shan County at heavy expense to come to the camp; every three days they taught characters to officers of Company Commander rank and above. Most officers attended the lessons in Huang Degong's tent on time, but this Chen Dashuan, after attending one session, found every excuse to skip class thereafter. In a fit of anger, Huang Degong had him given ten strokes of the military cane.

But this fellow simply would not change his ways, claiming that the moment he saw characters he immediately grew dizzy, his heart raced and his flesh crept — perhaps he had committed some taboo and feared retribution from learning to read, and so on. Helpless, Huang Degong could only let him be.

"Heh heh! What a pity, then! All this water and it can't be used to irrigate! Old Sun, don't you think so?"

Chen Dashuan laughed shamelessly with a leering grin.

Before Sun Rengui could reply, Wu Qun stretched out his neck and opened his mouth — the food he had just eaten sprayed out into the seawater.

Assistant Regional Commander Wu was seasick.

"General! What's wrong with you! Where's the physician? Someone come quick! Old Sun! Hurry and carry the general inside!"

At Chen Dashuan's loud shouts, Sun Rengui hurriedly joined him in trying to support Wu Qun into the cabin, but before the two could act, Wu Qun vomited violently again, and his body went limp and weak.

Scenes similar to Wu Qun's just now repeated one after another across the dozen or so ships; most of the two thousand soldiers were seasick, vomiting filth everywhere. The sailors of the Zheng family fleet frowned, muttering in Fujian dialect that others could not understand, while using pumps to draw seawater up to wash down the decks and other areas.

That blockhead Chen Dashuan was one of the few who did not get seasick; under Wu Qun's weak instructions, he was running back and forth across the ship, checking on the soldiers' condition.

Upon seeing the sailors using the pumps to draw water, this fellow immediately found a new toy; snatching a pump from one sailor's hands, he began to play with it, laughing heartily as he pumped water. The Zheng family sailors could only shake their heads in exasperation at such a rough fellow.