Chapter 1113: Port of Lüshun

At the other islands, the ships barely touched shore — before they could even drop sail or anchor, they turned and left. They could see people crowding the docks and the shore, desperate for the ships. In such conditions, once you made shore, never mind taking on refugees, it was doubtful you could even keep your ship. Liu Yong even barked orders for everyone to prepare for a fight.

When they reached North Huangcheng Island, Liu Yong hesitated, then simply decided not to let the fleet make shore. The islands were too risky, the dock berths too narrow, and besides, the purpose of this trip was never to take on as many people as possible — it was to first get a clear picture of the situation here.

After the ships passed North Huangcheng Island, the sea was calm and still. The Xuzhou men on board recovered somewhat. According to the guides, Lüshun had originally been taken by the Tartars the year before last, but since this was a remote place, they hadn't stationed many troops there. As a result, Mao Wenlong of Pi Island sent troops and retook it.

Lüshun itself was a seaport, able to receive supplies and support from Shandong at any time, and Mao Wenlong on Pi Island could constantly threaten the flank of any force attacking Lüshun. That was why the Jianzhou Jurchens' several military campaigns here all ended halfway. These matters were widely known among the sailors and boatmen who plied these seas — otherwise a mere guide wouldn't have been able to speak of so many military stratagems.

When speaking of Lüshun's Regional Commander Zhang Pan, and of Mao Wenlong holding Pi Island, the guide's face was full of admiration. And he wasn't the only one stirred — the Yu family's sailors and boatmen, the men from Xuzhou, every one of them listened with faces alight, their spirits soaring. Only Liu Yong wore a faint, detached smile, his expression betraying no emotion.

Admiration was one thing, but the Shandong sea captains still had their business to run. Some supplies were brought here to trade with the Ming troops at Lüshun and Jinzhou for goods from beyond the passes, but far more supplies went to trade with the Jianzhou Jurchens. There you could get a greater variety of goods at better prices, and earn far more on the return. At such times, no one spoke of righteous cause or moral duty.

The Jianzhou Jurchen Tartar slaves treated the Han people of Liaodong with brutal harshness. From Fushun to Shenyang and everywhere in between, Han people fled at every turn. Their one destination was this place — Lüshun and Jinzhou. Here, some of the able-bodied young men would be kept as soldiers, but far more people would crowd onto the few available ships to cross the sea. Once they reached Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong, they had escaped with their lives.

"Rest assured, good sirs, if you want to gather people, it's easy at Lüshun Harbor. Dewy young girls — once they're on board, you can sleep with them as you please. Young and old, able-bodied men — take your pick. We hold their very lives in our hands." When they told the guide their purpose in going there, the guide boasted, taking it all upon himself.

Hearing this, the Yu family fleet men were all very excited. The expressions of the Xuzhou men were comparatively indifferent. Li Yuliang took all this in, and naturally compared the caliber of the two sides.

But when Lüshun Harbor appeared in their view, besides the port and the brick fort, they also saw columns of smoke rising from within the fort. And not a single ship could be seen in the harbor. The guide understood immediately what had happened — the Tartars were attacking Jinzhou and Lüshun again. The guide first cursed a few times, saying why hadn't any of his fellow traders given word, but then he realized the answer himself: because they hadn't stopped at the last few islands, and those island ports must have held ships that had fled from Lüshun.

Hearing that the Jianzhou Jurchen Tartar slaves were on shore besieging the Ming troops, the Yu family men immediately grew tense. All their earlier excitement vanished — now they just wanted to turn the rudder and leave. But they knew their place. They first looked to Liu Yong, waiting for him to decide. And Liu Yong did not give the order right away. He first questioned the two guides.

"How are the Jianzhou Jurchens at sailing ships and navigating the sea?"

"They came out of the deep forests — what do they know of seafaring? Before the fighting started, I did have dealings with a few Tartars. They opened their mouths and started bragging, saying their ancestors centuries ago rode rafts to raid the Wa country. Never mind the boasting — they don't dare go near the sea, don't dare board any seagoing ship, let alone sail one. Otherwise, with Dengzhou so close, and them having no shortage of timber, they'd have built ships and attacked long ago." The guide spoke of this with utter contempt written all over his face.

Liu Yong, however, paid no mind to all that and simply pressed the question: "You're saying that if we draw near, they won't sail out after us?"

"Young master, you can set your mind at ease. The Tartars have no seagoing ships at all right now!" The guide thumped his chest as he spoke.

Having asked this, Liu Yong said to Yu Dajiang, "We won't enter the harbor, but we'll draw closer for a look."

A troubled look crossed Yu Dajiang's face, but Liu Yong's expression brooked no argument, and the several Xuzhou household guards standing beside Yu Dajiang all looked his way. Whether Yu Dajiang noticed or not, he immediately issued the order.

The ships slowly drew toward the direction of Lüshun Harbor. The closer they got, the clearer the situation on shore became. They could actually see Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers riding horses and patrolling the docks. The Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers had clearly also noticed the five ships approaching. Liu Yong's ships made the Jianzhou Jurchens very nervous as well. Immediately, cavalrymen wheeled their horses and galloped madly toward the brick fort and walled town — likely to report the news.

"Do the Tartars have cannons?" Liu Yong asked in a muffled voice.

"Not here!"

"Then draw a little closer."

Even up close, they couldn't make out much. The dock was badly damaged, and they could see quite a few corpses on it. The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry were all pulling back, but they hadn't retreated too far — a dozen or so riders had formed up there and were waiting.

Liu Yong stood up and looked carefully, then spoke: "If our five ships were carrying troops, that would be at least a thousand men. Yet a dozen riders dare to stand firm against us. They've truly built up their fighting spirit."

"A large force of Tartar troops is coming!" A sailor had long since climbed to the top of the mast, watching the movements of the Jurchen troops in the distance, and was now shouting out loudly.

"Master Yong, let's leave now! If we don't, there'll be trouble. Our few ships can't hold out!" Yu Dajiang was already frantic. Forgetting the instruction not to call Liu Yong by name, he pleaded urgently. Li Yuliang feigned calm, but his hand was already gripping his saber hilt.

To the surprise of many on board, these Xuzhou warriors showed no signs of fear. Though they were prepared for battle, they displayed not the slightest tension. They were all gazing out at the harbor, as if there were some scenery to admire.

Before long, they saw roughly five hundred horse and foot soldiers arrive at the harbor. They formed up in battle array on the open ground of the dock, still with the air of using the few to fight the many. The Jianzhou Jurchens truly had confidence in their own fighting strength.

Though it was a mere five hundred-odd, troops hardened by many battles were different. Their imposing manner was stern and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. In truth, they were over two hundred paces away — one side on land, the other at sea — with no possibility of danger at all. Yet even so, the faces of Yu Dajiang and the other Yu family men were deathly pale, incredibly tense. Even the two guides were forcing themselves to appear calm.

"Along the way, you've seen the Ming troops — every one of them dressed in rags. Now, though we can't see too clearly, these Tartar soldiers look very well turned-out from head to toe, and quite a few are wearing armor," Liu Yong said to Li Yuliang. By now, Li Yuliang's mouth felt dry. Back when he had ridden at a gallop all the way from Linqing Prefecture to Xuzhou, he hadn't been as nervous as he was now.

Liu Yong, however, did not linger long. After watching a while longer and feeling there was nothing new to see, he called for the Yu family men to turn and leave. Only then did those who had been tense breathe a sigh of relief. But just at that moment, from a corner of the harbor dock, someone suddenly jumped into the sea and began swimming toward the ships.

At first, no one noticed, because the person was hidden beneath the dock. Only when the water splashed did everyone take notice. And the Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers on the dock were even less likely to notice — the area beneath the dock was a blind spot in their field of vision.

The Yu family fleet had absolutely no desire to pay this person any attention. They simply went about raising sail and turning the rudder. The person in the sea was a decent swimmer, but he also knew that if he shouted or yelled now, he would certainly be discovered by the Jurchen soldiers on shore. So he swam forward in silence, not even daring to wave his hand.

Liu Yong watched the person for a moment, then spoke: "Lower a skiff and fish him out!"

"Master Yong, what if it's a trick!" Yu Dajiang was growing frantic now.

Liu Yong turned his head and glanced at him. "If it's a trick, we kill him. What can one man do?"

Yu Dajiang wanted to argue further, but he saw that Liu Yong's expression was very cold. He immediately dared not dispute it and hurriedly shouted orders to prepare a skiff to go fish the man out. The Guangdong ships were large enough — each carried four skiffs. They lowered one, with two of the Yu family sailors aboard. Liu Yong also named one of his household guards, and they rowed toward the swimming man.

When they saw the skiff being lowered from the ship, the Jurchen soldiers on the dock also sensed something was wrong. They had assumed the ships would all lower skiffs filled with troops to land and provide support. This Jianzhou Jurchen force had sent men back for reinforcements on one hand, and prepared for a fight to the death on the other. But after waiting a long while, they saw only this single skiff approaching. By this time, the man who had jumped into the sea had swum far enough out and appeared in the view of the men on the dock.

Discovering that someone was swimming away, the dock instantly erupted into chaos. A dozen or so men rushed forward, reached the edge of the dock, flipped over and jumped down, and stood there drawing their bows and nocking arrows. Seeing this, the hearts of everyone on the ships leaped into their throats. But the man was a fairly strong swimmer and had already made it beyond the range of the bows. A dozen or so arrows fell into the sea behind him.

At this sight, a burst of cheering erupted from the ships. Someone even jeered, "Didn't they say the Tartars are good with bow and horse and have great strength? How come they can only shoot this far at full draw?"

As soon as this mockery was voiced, someone immediately tugged at him and said in a low voice, "Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten what the Li brothers told us? The Tartars use heavy bows and heavy arrows. They don't shoot far, but if they hit, they'll definitely pierce armor and wound a man."

Li Yuliang listened to this very carefully. This was a piece of knowledge he had never heard before. He hadn't expected to learn it here within Zhao's Camp. It seemed he truly needed to go to Xuzhou and study. Li Yuliang knew that once he went to Xuzhou, he would certainly be given an important post. He originally hadn't wanted to go to the academy to study and train like ordinary young men. Li Yuliang felt his courage, judgment, and ability were already sufficient — all he lacked was actual combat experience. But everything he had seen and heard on this journey made him realize how inadequate he was, how he couldn't keep up with the way Zhao's Camp did things, and how much knowledge and experience he simply didn't have at all.

On the train in the afternoon, updating the second chapter tonight after getting home. Please support me, everyone.