Chapter 137: Clearing the Pirates

Hongwu 6th year, the seventh day of the fourth month, offshore of Fuzhou.

The scorching sun hung high, and the sea surface glittered with rippling light.

Seven warships formed a goose formation and slowly sailed toward the northeast.

On the deck of the flagship "Zhenhai", Zhu Yong was shirtless, wearing only black swim trunks, gripping an eight‑foot Iron Fishing Spear, his eyes fixed on the sea.

Because he was on a ship, he held the spear instead of his war hammer.

His skin was tanned to a bronze hue, his muscles sharply defined, like bronze poured over iron.

"Your Highness, five li to the southeast, a fleet spotted," the soldier in the watchtower reported loudly.

Zhu Yong looked up and saw, on the distant horizon, a few faint black specks.

"How many ships..." Zhu Yong hurriedly asked.

"Four… no, five. The vessels are small, like merchant ships, but their course is odd, heading east‑northward."

East‑northward...

There is no major port in that direction, only scattered islets.

"Send word to close in and scout," Zhu Yong ordered.

Signal flags were raised, and the seven warships adjusted their sails, steering toward that fleet.

Half an hour later, the distance between them narrowed to three li.

Zhu Yong could now see clearly: five two‑masted sailing ships, their hulls ragged and drawing deep water, evidently laden with cargo.

Strangely, upon spotting the navy warships, these vessels did not approach in goodwill but instead accelerated northeastward to flee.

"There's a problem, give chase," Zhu Yong commanded.

The Zhenhai surged ahead first; its modified hull, driven by the sails, flew like an arrow released from a bow.

The remaining warships followed closely behind.

The five ships, sensing danger, scattered, trying to divide their pursuers.

Zhu Yong sneered, "Trying to run..."

He ordered Zhou Tai to command the fleet to split for pursuit, while the Zhenhai he was on locked onto the largest of them.

The distance closed further, and he could now discern the situation aboard the enemy ship.

On the deck stood a dozen or so men, brandishing knife‑bows, their expressions panicked.

"They are sea bandits," Zhou Tai declared.

Ordinary merchant ships, upon seeing the navy, would not flee in such panic.

When the Zhenhai closed to a hundred meters, the enemy ship suddenly hoisted a Black Flag bearing a white skull.

"The Skull Flag... is the remnant of Zhang Shicheng," Zhou Tai said gravely.

Zhang Shicheng, the warlord who carved out a realm in Jiang‑Zhe at the end of the Yuan, after his defeat his remnants fled to the sea, becoming sea bandits who frequently raided the coast.

"Perfect, we can deal with them together," Zhu Yong said.

He raised the spear and gauged its weight.

Eighty zhang away.

Someone on the enemy ship drew a bow and loosed an arrow, which sliced through the air.

Zhu Yong neither dodged nor evaded; with a swing of the spear he struck the incoming arrow, sending it plummeting into the sea.

Fifty zhang away.

"Loose arrows!" Zhou Tai ordered.

On the Zhenhai, thirty archers fired in unison.

The Arrow Rain fell onto the enemy ship, eliciting a few cries of agony.

Thirty zhang away.

Zhu Yong inhaled deeply and leapt upward.

In that bound, he vaulted over ten zhang of sea and landed steadily on the enemy deck.

The sea bandits on the deck were stunned.

They had never seen anyone jump from one ship to another with ten zhang of water between.

Zhu Yong hit the deck, sweeping his spear horizontally.

Three bandits were swept away, crashing into the hull, bones broken and tendons torn.

"Kill him!" someone roared.

A dozen or so bandits closed in.

Zhu Yong remained calm, his spear moving like a swimming dragon; each strike felled another.

Though these bandits were desperadoes, before him they were as helpless as children.

In the blink of an eye, the deck was littered with the fallen.

Zhu Yong strode toward the cabin and kicked the hatch open.

Inside, seven or eight people huddled in a corner, trembling.

From their clothing, they were ordinary civilians—men and women, old and young.

"Who are you?" Zhu Yong asked.

An elderly man whispered, "General... we are fishermen from Changlu County, Fuzhou Prefecture; we went out to fish the day before and were seized by these bandits, who said they would sell us to the Wa Country..."

"Wa Country..." Zhu Yong's eyes hardened.

Indeed, in the Wa Country there is the vile practice of trading Han People as slaves.

He stepped out of the cabin and saw Zhou Tai already leading troops onto the enemy ship, clearing the remaining foes.

"Your Highness, there are twenty‑three hostages on this ship, all coastal civilians," Zhou Tai reported.

"What about the other ships?"

"Two were captured, one was sunk, and one... escaped."

"Escaped?"

"We headed northeast; there are many islands over there, the terrain is complex, and we didn't dare to pursue deeply."

"Zhu Yong looked toward the northeast, where sea and sky met, and could faintly see the outlines of islands."

"What place is that?"

"\"Penghu Islands, and further east are the Ryukyu Islands; the sea bandits often hide there, \" Zhou Tai said."

"Zhu Yong nodded and said, \"First send the hostages back to Fuzhou, rest for three days, then head to Penghu. \""

"\"Prince, the Penghu Archipelago has over sixty islands of various sizes; the sea bandits are hidden among them, making eradication difficult, and it's June now, with many typhoons at sea, unsuitable for long voyages, \" Zhou Tai advised."

"\"We can't wait; if the bandits aren't eliminated, the coast won't be peaceful, \" Zhu Yong shook his head."

"He pulled a crude sea chart from his coat; it was drawn based on the captives' testimonies."

"The map marked several main islands of the Penghu Islands, with Hujing Island and Wang'an Island highlighted, said to be the bandits' primary bases."

"\"We set out in three days, heading first to Hujing Island. \""

"Three days later, April eleventh."

"Fuzhou Water Village, twelve warships were ready to depart."

"In addition to the original seven, five more fast ships were requisitioned, all borrowed from the Zhejiang Navy."

"Zhu Yong stood on the bow of the vessel Peaceful Sea, with Zhou Tai, Zhang Wu and Chen Heng beside him."

"\"Prince, for this expedition we have twelve ships, eight hundred sailors, fifty Flintlock Guns, and three hundred jin of gunpowder, \" Zhou Tai reported."

"\"Flintlock Guns... \" Zhu Yong looked toward the hold."

"There were fifty New-style Firearms, samples that the court had the Ministry of Works quickly produce from the signed Blueprint."

"This expedition is a perfect chance to test their power."

"\"Set sail, \" Zhu Yong ordered."

"The fleet raised sails, left the Minjiang River Mouth, and sailed northeast."

"The sea was calm and windless, perfect sailing weather."

"Zhu Yong was in the hold, carefully inspecting the fifty Flintlock Guns."

"The barrels were forged from Refined Iron, four feet long, weighing eight jin, with a smoothbore and a caliber of about one inch."

"The ammunition were pre‑packed paper‑case cartridges, filled with gunpowder and lead balls; to load, one bites open the paper case, pours the powder into the flash pan, inserts the lead ball into the barrel, and tampers it with a rod."

"The firing mechanism used flint striking; pulling the trigger makes the flint hit an iron piece, sparks ignite the powder in the flash pan, which then ignites the charge in the barrel, propelling the lead ball."

"It is far more advanced than the traditional matchlock guns, resistant to wind and rain, and with a faster rate of fire."

"Zhu Yong picked up one, loaded it, and aimed at the flag fluttering at the stern."

"He pulled the trigger."

"Bang!"

"The gunshot was crisp, and a hole appeared in the flag."

"Zhou Tai and the others rushed over at the sound, and were astonished to see the firearm in Zhu Yong's hand."

"\"Prince, this firearm... doesn't use a match? \" Zhou Tai asked."

"\"Yes, this is called a Flintlock Gun, a new design... \" Zhu Yong said."

"\"May I have a look? \""

"Zhu Yong handed the gun to him."

"Zhou Tai examined it closely, growing more amazed, and said, \"The design... is exquisite! If the whole army were equipped, both naval and land battles would be unbeatable! \""

"\"It's still early; we have only produced fifty, so let's first test whether they work well, \" Zhu Yong said."

"He instructed Zhang Wu to distribute the fifty guns to the fifty selected sailors and teach them how to use them."

"These sailors were veterans, having handled firearms for years; they learned it at once."

"\"Remember, this gun has a range of one hundred fifty steps, can pierce armor within fifty steps. Reload quickly, aim steadily, \" Zhu Yong instructed."

"\"Yes! \" the sailors replied excitedly."

"With the new weapons, morale surged."

"After two days at sea, on the afternoon of April thirteenth, the fleet reached the outskirts of the Penghu Islands."

"\"Prince, ahead is Hujing Island, \" Zhou Tai said, pointing at a distant island."

"The island was small, shaped like a crouching tiger; its forest was dense, and faint cooking smoke could be seen."

"\"Approach, but not too close; first send small boats to scout, \" Zhu Yong said."

"Three patrol boats were lowered, each carrying ten men, and sailed toward the island."

"Zhu Yong used the Thousand-mile Mirror aboard the Peaceful Sea to observe."

"The Thousand-mile Mirror was also a new design by the Ministry of Works, its tube forged from brass, capable of viewing five li."

"In the mirror, on Hujing Island's beach, seven or eight ships were anchored, of varying sizes, with two bearing the Skull Flag."

"The island had wooden houses, people moving about; it seemed a sizable stronghold."