Chapter 1214: Li Siming and Li Simin

Li Simin struggled to his feet and shouted toward the ship in the Min region dialect. The Xuzhou family retainers guarding Haizhou Port naturally couldn't understand a word, but their vigilance didn't slacken in the slightest. Pikes and firelocks were already at the ready, and someone was prepared to signal the gun battery — at the first sign of trouble, they would unleash a bloodbath.

But no fighting broke out after that. Activity began on all dozen-plus ships, every man raising both hands high to show he carried no weapon. The few who didn't raise their hands were supporting, carrying on their backs, or lifting wounded companions. Steward Yuan had already gone to call people over. Plenty of folk in Haizhou city made their living at this port, so finding people to help with treatment was not difficult, and physicians and medicine were readily available.

Watching group after group disembark, the garrison retainers at the port dared not relax their guard for an instant. Though the people coming off the ships ranged from tall to short, fat to thin, not a single one looked like a decent sort — all had the look of desperate men. Only a few stood out, actually wearing long silk gowns. Even though the hems of those robes were tucked into their waists and stained with blood, you could tell at a glance these men were not of the same breed as the others.

One was clearly no seafarer — not yet twenty, his skin not even much darkened by the sun. Anyone with a discerning eye could easily judge this young man's background: a wealthy, high-born son raised in comfort from childhood. The one-armed Li Simin led him before the duty company commander. Though the young man's expression was somewhat timid, he still bowed with his hands clasped and said, "I am Li Siming. I beg an audience with whichever master here has the authority to decide."

"This is our young master!" If Li Simin hadn't introduced him, no one would have been able to guess the young man's origins.

Before the company commander could answer, Steward Yuan, who had been arranging treatment, came running over out of breath. He cut in and asked, "You said you were being pursued by enemies — are those enemies also a fleet? Will they pursue you here? How long until they arrive?"

"This matter is somewhat... inconvenient. I had intended to speak of it only after meeting the local master who makes the decisions. There are indeed people in pursuit — over thirty Guangdong ships. They will arrive by dawn tomorrow at the latest..." Li Siming began. Everyone who heard this flew into a rage — how could such a thing not have been mentioned earlier?

"Report to the brigade commander at once! Send an urgent dispatch by fast horse! Go!"

In a matter like this, the only person with the authority to decide was Shi Manqiang, commander of the Second Brigade.

The men coming off the ships all looked like desperadoes and spoke in rough, loud voices. When the port workers had originally gone over to support and help, some men had shouted at them angrily, only to be roared back at even louder. Now the men from the Li ships were barehanded, while the Zhao Battalion retainers were fierce and menacing. With that comparison, they naturally had to keep themselves in check.

Anyone with a bit of discernment could quickly read the situation ashore. The people at this port were not to be trifled with. At ports in the Great Ming, in Wa, and throughout the Southern Seas, it was usually the foreign sailors and pirates who held the upper hand and acted without restraint. But never had anyone seen guards this formidable, let alone cannons aimed at the ships. Such a show of force was only seen at the seaports the foreign devils had run for many years.

The Li crewmen and sailors were observing the port, and they in turn were being observed. The company commanders and stewards here received a report: "Barely one in ten are familiar faces. The rest are all strangers."

Before long, two more companies of trained militia arrived at the port, with mounted retainers on standby at the perimeter. Fifteen Guangdong ships, fewer than nine hundred men in total — five companies plus the mounted retainers was more than enough force to quell any trouble.

Once the sailors were led off to be settled in the nearby cart inns and guesthouses, the Zhao Battalion sailors and retainers at the port began searching every ship together. The Li side had left no one behind to watch the ships. After dropping anchor, they hadn't even locked the cabin doors — this was another form of signaling their intentions, of the same nature as handing over their weapons.

The Li fleet that had suddenly arrived was being sufficiently deferent and sincere from top to bottom, yet the retainers guarding the port dared not relax in the slightest. These Guangdong ships were all large vessels, and fewer than a hundred people had come off each one. Hiding a few hundred more inside would have been easy. Though the waterline at the gunwales was very shallow, there was no great harm in being careful.

They inspected the ships one by one and confirmed that no one was hiding inside. They did find a few corpses in concealed spots, not to mention bloodstains. It was only thanks to the cold season that disease hadn't killed everyone aboard. It was clear the holds had been used to transport cargo — remnants were visible everywhere. This was certainly no ordinary unloading, or there wouldn't have been leftover copper and silver pieces. They even found gold...

In the crew quarters they also found packed bundles of valuables, gold, and silver. The Zhao Battalion would not touch these things; they would simply seal the cabins and return everything later. Looking over ship after ship, one thing was certain: this fleet was truly in flight, and the flight had been sudden — otherwise the scene would not have looked like this.

On the sails, gunwales, and decks, traces left by firearms could be found in many places, along with marks of blade fighting. This was a bit strange. If boarding melees had taken place, how had these ships escaped? The various details of this fleet were observed by seasoned internal security men and sailors, then compiled into a report to be sent to Shi Manqiang to await a decision.

Before the report could be sent, another fast horse was dispatched from where Li Siming and Li Simin were quartered to the encampment of the Second Brigade's First Regiment. Originally the two young men in charge of the Li side had wanted to speak in person with Shi Manqiang, but Shi Manqiang still hadn't appeared, which made them anxious. And this new information was extremely urgent.

"Brigade Commander, the Li people say the fleet pursuing them is also from the Li main gang and flies the Li recognition banner. They ask us to be on guard." The retainer made his report and handed the recorded message to Steward Ye at Shi Manqiang's side — the wording had to be verified as well.

Shi Manqiang was already nursing a pent-up, nameless anger over not having engaged the government troops. Hearing this, he grew irritable at once. He shook the letter and said, "Their own family infighting and they still have to drag us into it? Have the port tighten its guard. Don't let any more fleets flying the Li recognition banner enter the harbor. Send light cavalry to patrol the places along the coast where landings are possible. And issue an order: if anyone gets greedy for a quick profit and goes to guide them or pass word along, don't blame us for being unfriendly."

"Fourth Master, as long as the recognition banner is correct, by rule they should be allowed into our harbor. Whatever internal affair the Li family has is none of our concern. If we block them without cause and break the rules, and the matter gets raised with Master Jin, we won't come out looking good either." Steward Ye, who oversaw land reclamation, spoke up quickly.

Shi Manqiang frowned and looked at him. Steward Ye continued, "Given our port's defenses, we may not be able to match them in a fight at sea, but once they enter the harbor, even the King of Heaven himself would have to bow his head. Let them come in. Once ashore, can they overturn the heavens? Fourth Master, why not have the gun batteries and companies prepare? In my humble opinion, as long as the newly arrived fleet flies the recognition banner, they won't dare act rashly. If they don't fly the banner, we'll just blast them."

"Do as you say. Pass the order down. The cannons stay off the docks tonight. Send two more companies over." Shi Manqiang gave the order in a sullen voice. The retainers beside him immediately drafted the order and sent it out.

After making the arrangements, Shi Manqiang frowned and said, "What game are these two Li fellows playing? Not saying everything at once, hemming and hawing."

"Fourth Master, since it's an internal feud, it must have been people close to them who turned on them. Don't we also have Li family men left here at the port, and spies the Li family planted? I'd guess these two have been terrified the whole journey, afraid the news would leak." Steward Ye analyzed.

Shi Manqiang nodded. First he said with disdain, "Those half-baked scouts of theirs have long been watched closely by Tiger's men. What's there to worry about? Since they've come, we can't very well push them away. Mister Ye, help get them settled. Once they've recovered from their injuries, we can make arrangements."

"Fourth Master, this matter cannot be treated lightly!" Steward Ye said gravely.

"The Li family are our allies. If they're fighting among themselves, as long as it doesn't involve us, let them thrash it out. The situation may be calm right now, but the most critical thing is still our defense against the government troops. Even if the Second Brigade and the Huaian North District aren't moving, they still need to be ready to take the field." Shi Manqiang spoke in a muffled tone.

Steward Ye lowered his voice and said, "Fourth Master, Master Jin places tremendous importance on seagoing ships — you know that well enough. But whether it's the Yu family or the Li family, there's always a barrier between them and us. Why else would this so-called Li young master and Li Simin come here if they weren't at a dead end? Their home base is in Fujian and Wa. Since they've delivered themselves to our door, there's no reason to push them away. Wouldn't it be far better to make this Li young master and his people just like the Cai family — to become a part of our Xuzhou force? That way, when we go to Liaodong, to Shandong, or anywhere else, we won't have to rely on outsiders."

Hearing this, Shi Manqiang fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. He clapped his hands together heavily and said in a muffled voice, "Mister Ye is right. If my elder brother heard this, he would handle it the same way. Mister Ye, write a letter to my elder brother and send it by fast horse at once. I'll take some men to meet this so-called Li young master. Since they've come to us and have nowhere else to go — we should swallow them up!"

To the men of the Li fleet, the best place to go was Haizhou city, not far from the port. With its city walls for shelter, no matter how mighty a force came by sea, they couldn't fight their way in. But the Zhao Battalion retainers would not permit them to enter the city. A few men tried to argue and were immediately struck down with pike shafts. Blades were pressed against them, and they had no choice but to obey.

The two brothers, Li Siming and Li Simin, received quite decent treatment. A physician was specially sent to treat Li Simin's wounds. Even for a physician who had seen much, the severed stump of the left arm made him click his tongue. Still, he gave his judgment: a wound like this was in no danger of festering. The body as a whole was, at the very least, saved.

According to Li Simin's own account, his wrist had been cut off during the boarding melee. After the fighting ended, he sensed something was wrong with the wound. He knew that once it festered and turned septic, it would quickly spread through his entire body and his life would be forfeit. So, right there on the ship, he had boiled a blade in water, then used it to cut off another half-section of the arm. After that, he cauterized it with a torch. The agony was so great he bit the wooden stick in his mouth down to a sliver, but in the end, the wound did not worsen. The arm was saved.

Thanks to the four old friends "Yuan Heng Li Zhen," "Qi Sanwen," "Xiao Qi Wenming Qiji," and "Feng Zhong Long Wang" for their tips. Thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.