Chapter 1215: Zheng Laohai

According to those familiar with the Li Family Great Gang, Li Siming was the Dragon Head's own son, while Li Simin was likely an adopted son, or perhaps the son of an uncle or cousin raised from childhood to serve as Li Siming's escort and support. At the very least, judging by this incident, he had indeed played his part.

The two of them were sent to the brigade headquarters of the Second Brigade's First Regiment to meet Shi Manqiang. Shi Manqiang and Ye Wenshu received them together. Word had already been sent by fast horse, and Geng Mancang, who handled trade, and Cheng Dahu, who oversaw the internal guard patrols, would each receive a copy and hurry over as soon as possible.

A welcoming banquet was laid out. After all, they were young men, one not yet twenty and the other just past twenty, and at the feast they could not control their emotions. Li Siming could only weep uncontrollably, while Li Simin cursed without pause, railing against that man surnamed Zheng, who had always called them brothers and acted like family, never expecting him to harbor such treachery, suddenly striking against the Dragon Head. Even more unexpected was that those shipmasters and others who had received great kindness from the Li family would turn their backs and disown them at such a time.

Shi Manqiang kept his temper in check throughout, but Ye Wenshu employed the interrogation techniques of the yamen — soothing and courteous on the surface, yet in truth drawing out their words. These two were indeed no match for such seasoned methods and ended up revealing everything.

The Li Family Great Gang had its own territory and foundations in Fujian and in Hirado, Japan. In Fujian, the local authorities dared not interfere with them at all — they were the kings and lords of the coast. And in Hirado, Japan, although there was a local samurai daimyo, that daimyo was, before the Li Family Great Gang, no more than a shipmaster of slightly higher rank, usually having to bow and scrape. In truth, without the Li Family Great Gang propping him up, that daimyo would have long since been wiped out by other daimyo.

The Gang's Dragon Head, Li Dan, had his own private residence in Hirado. He had taken the daughter of a Japanese samurai family as a concubine and had also placed his eldest son, Li Siming, there — a precaution so that if the Great Ming authorities wiped them out, they would still have a place of refuge in Japan. He thought it safe there, never imagining that this place would become a deadly trap.

During the twelfth month, many of the Gang's ships would dock to rest in preparation for the New Year. This year, Li Dan was spending it in Hirado as usual. The place seemed brimming with festive cheer as leaders and shipmasters from all quarters gathered, feasting and drinking without end day after day. This was one of the rare times of the year when the sea lords could rest continuously and indulge in pleasure without restraint, and none would let such enjoyment slip by.

Li Dan hosted a banquet for his most important sworn brothers and adopted sons. These men all bore the surname Li, but originally they had been surnamed Zheng. The reason they had submitted was that they could not win in battle back then and could only be absorbed. Yet after joining, they worked diligently and conducted themselves with loyalty and honor, earning the respect and high regard of everyone high and low. Their status rose steadily, and now they were among the Gang's innermost core leadership.

After the banquet, they returned. In the deep of night, Li Dan was suddenly seized by a wrenching pain in his gut. An old sea dog who had weathered life and death, he naturally did not think he had simply eaten something bad. He immediately roused his own sons and followers, telling them to board a ship and flee at once. He also said that they could not avenge him, nor should they even think of revenge — they should go inland, find a powerful lord who could shelter and protect them, and live out their remaining days in comfort. Before he could finish speaking, Japanese samurai burst in and began slaughtering everyone in sight.

The Li family residence in Hirado had no shortage of guards — martial men and desperadoes recruited from Fujian and Guangdong, as well as Japanese samurai and ronin. But the enemy had plotted for a long time, and in the chaos of a hasty defense, there were actually moles among the guards who struck from within, making the situation even more hopeless.

Li Dan, having been Dragon Head for many years, had his own loyal bodyguards. It was these men who protected Li Siming as they fought their way out. The others in the great residence could no longer be spared a thought. The Great Ming sea lords held enormous sway in Hirado, and when a top-tier Dragon Head like Li Dan suffered internal strife and open gang war, the city of Hirado, with its tens of thousands of residents, was thrown into chaos. It was precisely thanks to this chaos that Li Simin and the others were able to shield Li Siming and escape.

Sea lords like these knew that life and death were unpredictable and every step was fraught with danger, so they always arranged escape routes in advance. But no one had imagined that the trusted Zheng family would suddenly rebel, rendering even those escape routes unreliable. Yet to remain in Hirado meant certain death; the only path to survival was to reach the harbor, board a ship, and flee.

It must be said that the Zheng family's plotting and actions had been kept so utterly secret that even their own forces failed to react in time. When they saw the great residence where Li Dan lived catch fire, many of the Zheng family's forces rushed over to rescue people and guard the place. The harbor did not even know what was happening yet. As a result, the remnants of the Li family who had fought their way out were able to sail out of port.

There was fighting and struggle aboard the ships as well. Li Dan had been Dragon Head for a very long time, and even many of the forces commanded by the Zheng family felt gratitude and remembered his kindness. Many men actually turned coat on the spot, blocking the Zheng family to let Li Siming and Li Simin get away. The pursuit at sea was the same — several times they were nearly caught, several times there were boarding fights. By all rights, in a battle at sea, once a superior fleet closed in and grappled, boarding combat meant nine deaths and one life.

It was precisely because the Zheng family had acted with such extreme secrecy that Li Dan was caught off guard. Yet it was also because of this extreme secrecy that even the Zheng family's own people could not be fully mobilized, and many within the Zheng family's own forces could not come to terms with it. This left countless gaps for the Li family remnants to exploit in their flight. Li Simin even dared to maneuver his fleet near Hirado, continuously rallying forces and planning a counterattack.

But as time passed, the Zheng family rapidly mobilized its strength. The Li family remnants found not only counterattack but even escape becoming increasingly difficult. After losing several dozen ships and over two thousand men in two naval battles, Li Simin decided they had to flee. Yet the vast sea from Japan to Fujian, Guangdong, and the Southern Seas was precisely the Li Family Great Gang's sphere of influence — and also territory the Zheng family could control. The Zheng family were natives of Anping in Fujian, and the Li family dared not retreat to Fujian, fearing that the place had long since been infiltrated and subverted.

After much thought, the only option left was this Haizhou Harbor. There were no government offices or official troops here, and there was a powerful lord with sufficient strength to offer shelter. During the desperate flight, brutal battles erupted several times. Fortunately, the remaining Li family men were all diehards — desperadoes who would sooner perish together than beg for mercy. Several times at sea, when about to be overtaken, ships would turn and charge into the pursuing fleet. There were even those who set their own ships ablaze and tried to entangle the enemy vessels. It was in this manner that they reached Haizhou Harbor.

Haizhou Harbor was no secret to anyone in the Li Family Great Gang. The two sides, pursuers and pursued, had not opened any distance between them, so the enemy would certainly pursue them here as well.

Hearing the accounts of Li Siming and Li Simin, Shi Manqiang and Ye Wenshu exchanged glances. Ye Wenshu smiled and said, "Rest easy here. We cannot look after you at sea, but here in the Huai'an North District, no one can touch you!"

By rights, such a promise should have been enough to set minds at ease. But after seeing the strength of Xuzhou's forces at Haizhou Harbor, Li Siming and Li Simin kept thinking of borrowing troops to take revenge. They knew there was a shipyard here, enough large timber to build ships, and the ability to recruit sailors and seamen. Weapons and the like were in ample supply. Moreover, everyone understood the immense profits of maritime trade — a few trading voyages could earn more than enough wealth. With Haizhou Harbor as a base, the great cause of revenge was not impossible.

To this request, however, Shi Manqiang and Ye Wenshu only smiled and said they could not make such a decision, then told them to rest well. Li Siming and Li Simin were frustrated, but could only comply with the arrangements.

After the banquet ended, Shi Manqiang and Ye Wenshu stepped outside. Ye Wenshu simply said, "This newly risen Dragon Head of the sea already possesses vast power and wealth. The various terms the Li Family Great Gang agreed to before — they may not agree to them. It's very likely everything will need to be renegotiated. But these remnants of the Li family can only rely on us now."

Shi Manqiang nodded. He understood Ye Wenshu's meaning. There were now two choices: one was to hand over these remnants in exchange for goodwill with the new great gang of the sea, but then developing their own fleet and maritime strength would likely have to start from scratch. The other was to take in these Li family remnants, but that would inevitably lead to conflict with the Zheng family and might well affect the trade at Haizhou Harbor. Each choice had its gains and losses, and there was no time to request a decision from Zhao Jin. Shi Manqiang would have to decide on his own. If any responsibility arose, Shi Manqiang and the regimental commanders and supervisors of the Huai'an North District would all have to bear it.

The two men walked a few steps forward into the night. Shi Manqiang said in a muffled voice, "Big Brother once said: what belongs to others is theirs; only when you have it yourself can you truly be at ease. We will keep these Li family people!"

That night, Shi Manqiang worked until the second half of the night before sleeping. In addition to inspecting the defenses of Haizhou Harbor, he also mobilized all available mounted household retainers, volunteers, and even government cavalry near the Huai'an North District harbor. Beyond the mobile units stationed at the harbor, they were also dispatched to the northern and southern coasts of Haizhou Harbor to see if the enemy might land there. Of course, if the enemy dared to come by land, they would be walking straight to their deaths.

The next morning, Shi Manqiang was halfway through breakfast when a household retainer came to report: a fleet had appeared outside the harbor, also flying the Li family recognition flags — over thirty vessels of various sizes. According to custom, ships flying such recognition flags could enter the harbor directly. But with the precautions taken since the previous day, before the ships could approach, the cannons on the battery fired warning shots, and then a sampan was sent out to guide them in and issue a warning along the way.

The roar of the cannons had already made clear the stance of Haizhou Harbor, and the batteries at the harbor also dispelled any unrealistic notions the newly arrived fleet might have harbored. They dropped anchor and halted outside the harbor, then designated one ship to enter and seek out someone in authority to talk. The person who came was someone everyone at Haizhou Harbor knew well — Li Laohai, who could be said to have jointly surveyed the site and offered many suggestions during construction.

"Master Li wishes to see Li Siming and Li Simin. He says it is only to talk, and he will not make a move," the household retainer reported.

Shi Manqiang pondered briefly, then agreed outright. He then arranged for household retainers to search both parties — no one was permitted to bring weapons inside, and no attendants could follow. The household retainers of the Zhao Character Camp would monitor both sides during the meeting. Shi Manqiang recognized one principle: on Xuzhou territory, only the Zhao Character Camp had the authority to make decisions; no one else was qualified to act recklessly. He was not afraid of offending anyone or being seen as discourteous. Shi Manqiang only obeyed Zhao Jin's orders.

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