Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 321: Bombarding Japanese Ships and Pacificating Jiangnan

Winter month eleven,

There was a chilly wind blowing over the sea. People were coming and going at Ningbo Wharf in the early morning, some with serious expressions and some in a hurry.

Among the ships moored at the shore, there was one that looked rather strange, with colorful carp flags hanging on its head, which was not very common.

Moreover, the ship is not small. It is not an ordinary cargo ship, but a three-masted sailing ship that can cross the ocean and withstand the waves.

If you have ever dealt with Westerners, you can see that this ship is modeled after the Portuguese style. When it is not equipped with cannons, it is a merchant ship with certain armed capabilities. If a hole is made in the hull, it can also be equipped with cannons and become a giant on the sea.

Even though they were on such a large ship docked at the shore, Watanabe still couldn't calm down.

After he witnessed the cruelty of Marquis An Jing with his own eyes, he would never be at peace until the ship left Dachang.

Who knows what else Marquis An Jing is planning?
"Why hasn't that damned Zhao Deyong arrived yet?"

Watanabe let the boat dock here, waiting for the Prime Minister of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Zhao Deyong.

Of course he wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but this was Marquis Anjing's request. If he didn't wait, he might not be able to leave Dachang.

Watanabe already knew how powerful Marquis An Jing was, and he did not dare to disobey Marquis An Jing's wishes. He had to follow Marquis An Jing's prior instructions and contact Zhao Deyong and his party.

At the right moment, Captain Sato Hayato came to the deck and greeted Watanabe, "I wonder if I failed to provide you with a good reception, which made the envoy look so unhappy?"

Watanabe frowned and said, "It's nothing wrong. I just want to go back safely."

Sato Hayato was even more puzzled. "Are you worried about the sea route, envoy? Don't worry, there are experienced sailors on the ship, and the journey will be safe."

"I'm not worried about the sea route. I just want to get out to sea as soon as possible. Dachang is not safe."

Sato Hayato couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your Excellency is worrying too much. Even if this is Dachang, no one can do anything to the envoy. Our ships are sailing freely in the waterways of Dachang, and the river administration has never dared to supervise them. At most, they just give warnings."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Dachang currently has no decent ships. If our ship moves, they won't be able to catch up even if they want to, and the ram on our bow can easily break through the obstruction."

Sato Hayato was extremely confident in his ship. Not only that, after years of sailing on the sea, he had a very clear understanding of the temperament of Dachang officials.

The officials of Dachang flattered the people by saying that if they did less, they would make fewer mistakes, and if they did not do anything, they would make no mistakes. Even if they had the courage, they would not dare to stir up disputes between countries.

Even if their side had violated the rules first, most Dachang officials would turn a blind eye and pretend nothing had happened.

His ship is a national-level ship of Japan. Only a few of them are built in the entire country. It can fly the flag of the shogunate and its status is extremely transcendent. Who would dare to do anything against him?

But Watanabe was not comforted by him at all, and still looked at the shore anxiously.

Sato Hayato asked again: "If the envoy is in a hurry to leave, why should we set sail now and wait for the Dachang people?"

Watanabe quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, let's wait a little longer."

After a few more cups of tea, they finally saw several carriages parked near their boat among the bustling crowd.

The curtain of the sedan chair was raised, and an old man with white hair, hunched over, was helped out by several middle-aged men.

"May I ask if this is Mr. Watanabe?"

Hearing the calls from below, Watanabe immediately ordered people to lower the planks to make it easier for the group to board the ship.

No wonder he came late, and he brought his family with him. Watanabe was speechless. Did this man really not plan to return to Dachang and wanted to move his whole family to Japan?

It's really a fantasy. As the mastermind behind all this, how could Marquis An Jing let them escape?

Watanabe shook his head secretly, and then he saw a long queue of cars lining up and moving onto the boat one by one.

Looking closely, they saw that the carriage was carrying a lot of gold, silver, jewelry, and even young and beautiful women, who seemed to be concubines of one of the Zhao family's sons, and the surrounding sailors were envious.

Zhao Deyong had suffered a mental shock from the Suzhou war earlier, and had been exhausted from the long journey over the past two days. His face looked pale and he looked very tired.

When he got on board the boat, he slowly let out a breath, as if the huge rock that had been hanging on his chest for a long time had finally fallen down.

"Dad, we finally made it up and we are saved."

Zhao Deyong's favorite youngest son supported him from the side, his arms shaking with excitement.

Zhao Deyong sighed, "It was the envoy who rescued us. We cannot lose our manners. Let's send someone to get that cart of treasures and give it to the envoy."

Zhao Deyong continued to walk forward, and came to Watanabe with his family, and bowed first, "Thank you, envoy. This is just a small gift to show your respect. I hope you will accept it."

Watanabe also forced a smile and said, "Prime Minister Zhao, you are too polite."

Zhao Deyong shook his head and sighed, "From now on, there will be no Prime Minister Zhao, only an ordinary old man."

Zhao Deyong pointed at the girls behind him and said, "I have several granddaughters who are still unmarried. If the envoy doesn't mind, you can welcome any of them you like into your family as a concubine. I hope you can help me in the future when I am in Japan."

The girl from the Zhao family was spoiled and her appearance might not be outstanding, but her demeanor was that of a rich girl.

In the old days, even Watanabe could not marry a concubine's daughter, but now he can choose one at will. The meaning is self-evident.

After a quick glance, the women all lowered their heads, and some even had tears in their eyes. It must be that they were going to a strange country, and the future was uncertain, so it was hard for them to feel at ease.

But Watanabe was not a womanizer, and in his eyes, he always felt that Zhao Deyong was no different from a dead person even if he was standing here, so how could he dare to marry into this family?

Watanabe waved his hands repeatedly and said, "That's not necessary. To be honest, I am ashamed to say that I am henpecked and I don't even have a concubine."

Zhao Deyong laughed when he heard this and said, "I see. I am sorry for being rude. Being henpecked is not something to be ashamed of. It seems that the envoy has found a beautiful woman and they will be in love for a hundred years."

Sato Hayato, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly stood up and asked Zhao Deyong with a smile, "Your Excellency the Envoy is henpecked. I am not married yet. I wonder if Prime Minister Zhao would be so kind as to give me a few concubines?"

The girls' worries, which had just been put at ease, began to rise again. No one wanted to be married to a Japanese man in a foreign country and be separated from their family.

Zhao Deyong looked at Watanabe standing beside him and asked, "Who is this?"

Without waiting for Watanabe to introduce himself, Sato Hayato responded, "I am the captain of this ship. As you can see, this ship is extremely powerful. If it is loaded with cannons, its power will be infinite. It is one of the three major warships in our country."

Since he is a military general and holds such an important position, according to the regulations of Dachang, this person should at least be from a noble family.

It was so easy to handle. Zhao Deyong immediately said, "That's good too."

Then he told his family members, "We were too negligent before. Bring some more gold and silver to the captain who escorted us."

However, Sato Hayato only has the women from the Zhao family in his heart. His eyes keep scanning them, and he really likes every girl he sees.

The women in Dachang are much more beautiful than those in Japan, and their figures and postures are far better than those in Japan. Moreover, the women from the Zhao family are the best among them. Of course, Sato Hayato is very tempted.

He couldn't make a choice for a moment, so he asked shamelessly, "Can you choose one more? They are new to a foreign country, so they can have a companion."

Zhao Deyong's face froze. Two women sharing one man was not considered a good thing in Dachang. The men in the Zhao family around him were even more angry, thinking that this was too much.

In the old days when the Zhao family was able to call the shots in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they had never suffered such humiliation. They were the ones who bullied others.

But now this is their only way to survive, so they can only endure it and not say anything.

Zhao Deyong held down the young man behind him and responded, "Captain, you have thought it through. This is the best."

Sato Hayato smiled widely and asked Watanabe beside him, "Since everyone is here, envoy, shall we set sail?"

Watanabe nodded and said, "Okay, it's getting late."

The ship weighed anchor and set sail. The Zhao family members were arranged into the cabin. At this moment, they all surrounded Zhao Deyong, their faces full of joy at surviving the disaster.

Only the women had tears in their eyes, and they didn't know which two unlucky guys would sacrifice themselves for the family.

"Grandfather, I don't want to get married."

A young girl leaned over Zhao Deyong's legs and cried bitterly. Zhao Deyong stroked her head and comforted her, "You will get married sooner or later. We have just arrived in Japan and our foundation is not yet stable. It would be great if you could marry into such a good family. This captain must be a descendant of a noble family, otherwise he would not be in charge of such an important ship."

The girl's eyes were filled with tears. She raised her head and said, "Did we do something wrong that made us flee Dachang? Grandfather taught us that knowing one's mistakes is the best way to improve. Can we go to Anjing Hou and admit our mistakes and ask him to forgive us? Then we can continue to live in Hangzhou Prefecture."

It would have been better if they didn't mention it. Once the title of Marquis Anjing was mentioned, the Zhao family members hated it so much that even Zhao Deyong's eyes became sharper.

"Hui Er, don't be so willful. We have raised you for fifteen years, you should do something for us..."

Before his father could finish his words, they heard hurried footsteps outside, which made everyone in the Zhao family look stern.

Zhao Deyong suddenly felt a chill in his heart, and said to the juniors around him, "Help me out to take a look."

When I came to the deck again, I saw the Japanese lined up. It was obvious at a glance that these people were trained soldiers, not ordinary sailors. There were many weapons in the wooden boxes on the side, as if they were preparing for war.

"Mr. Envoy, Captain, what's going on?"

Zhao Deyong walked between the two of them and asked with a worried look on his face.

Watanabe's face was very ugly. He said to Zhao Deyong, "There is very bad news. An Jinghou somehow learned that Prime Minister Zhao was on a boat here, and he led his army to chase us on the sea. Their ships are bigger and faster. In less than an incense stick of time, we will be within the direct range of their artillery fire."

Zhao Deyong's knees weakened, and he almost fell to the ground. Sato Hayato, who was standing by, quickly comforted his future in-law, saying, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Zhao. This Anjing Marquis won't dare to do anything."

"This ship is very valuable. If anyone dares to fire a cannon at it, my Heavenly Kingdom will not let it go. He will be required to pay at least five million taels of silver!"

"Come and divide the bows. Even if they don't dare to fire, we still want to intimidate them and let the people of Dachang see that we are not easy to control!"

The morale of the Japanese soldiers was high. They were used to doing whatever they wanted in this land and didn't know enough about Marquis Anjing.

If they knew about what happened on Shuangyu Island, they would not dare to act so recklessly.

Watanabe, who knew the inside story, looked even uglier. He didn't know what Marquis An Jing was planning, but as he saw the huge word "Chang" on the sail getting closer, his heartbeat became more and more intense.

Soon, a speedboat quickly approached their ship and shouted to the ship: "By order of Marquis Anjing, you are required to dock immediately and be inspected. The Prime Minister of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province, Zhao Deyong, has fled for fear of punishment, and no one can protect him!"

Sato Hayato was furious and was about to shoot the soldier who shouted, but Watanabe stopped him, "No, no, how can you start fighting right after seeing each other?"

Sato Hayato was also anxious: "What should we do? We can't hand over Prime Minister Zhao, right?"

After all, the other party had promised two daughters to him, so Sato Hayato had to pretend to be kind. Besides, Marquis Anjing was the marquis of Dachang, so he couldn't just kill him.

So he thought, let it be an offense, the key thing right now is to please this in-law.

Zhao Deyong's face, which had just regained some color, turned pale again with shock. He said anxiously, "Sir Envoy, we cannot stop the ship. We absolutely cannot stop it. Marquis Anjing has evil intentions. If we stop the ship, we don't know what he will do!"

Looking at Sato Hayato standing beside him, Zhao Deyong pleaded again, "If you can escape today, we can discuss how many people you will marry to the general, and the Zhao family will definitely provide more dowry."

Sato Hayato laughed and said, "Prime Minister Zhao is so polite. Since you said so, I will definitely protect you at the risk of my life today."

"Come here, shoot the arrow!"

It was too late for Watanabe to refuse at this moment. After all, he was just a noble man and did not have military power. Sato Hayato would listen to him, but the soldiers under Sato Hayato would not.

A hail of arrows flew by, and the soldiers on the clipper had to turn the boat around and retreat.

Sato Hayato looked very proud and said, "The Dachang army seems to be like this. They make a lot of noise but do little harm. They only give verbal warnings but never dare to draw swords."

Zhao Deyong breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, the words that belittled his country sounded so pleasant to his ears.

But before the two of them could be happy for long, a huge roar resounded through the sky.

A cannonball drew a graceful arc in the air, but unfortunately its direction was slightly off and it missed the ship. Instead, it sank into the water, rolling up waves hundreds of feet high and rising into the sky.

Zhao Deyong was shocked and asked, "Captain, they are firing. What should we do?"

Sato Hayato had no choice but to bite the bullet and said, "Raise the sail and speed up. They are just warning us and dare not hit us. Let's go out to sea quickly. In the vast ocean, they can't intercept us even if they want to."

When the ship has pulled up its sails and is sailing at full speed.

A series of artillery fire was heard from the rear. Anyone with experience in naval battles knew that the first shot was for calibration, and the following ones were the highlight.

Sato Hayato's face froze. In an instant, the deck was pierced by a shell and a raging fire broke out. The stern was seriously damaged and the triangular sail was completely destroyed. Even if it was sailing out to sea, it was impossible to adjust the direction of the ship by steering.

This means that they definitely can't leave today.

Most of the soldiers who were originally lined up on the deck were now either dead or injured. Under the raging flames, more people were needed to put out the fire, otherwise this warship that cost a huge amount of money to build would be completely burned on the sea.

Watanabe was hit by the huge shock wave and crashed into the guardrail nearby. He covered his lower back, got up and said hurriedly: "Raise the white flag quickly, or we will all die!"

Sato was also scratched by shrapnel, with blood oozing from his arm and his face covered in dust.

Under this circumstance, no matter how hard he tried to talk, he had to listen to Watanabe's words. They were no match for the Dachang gunboat now.

"Dachang actually has such a powerful gunboat. I will report to the Lord of God when I return. I will not let them off."

Sato Hayato was not convinced. Their ships were not equipped with cannons, so this was not a fair naval battle.

But since you are under someone's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

When the white flag was raised, the enemy's reloaded artillery did not fire again.

Everyone on the boat ran out to put out the fire, but the Zhao family members were left standing alone, each of them in a daze, as if they had lost their parents.

As soon as the Japanese ship docked, it was quickly surrounded by the Dachang army.

Watanabe Nobunosuke, Sato Hayato and a group of Japanese soldiers walked down from the boat with their hands raised, and they were accompanied by the Zhao family.

Yue Ling walked out of the formation, his eyes narrowed, and said in a cold voice: "Zhao Deyong, His Majesty has been very kind to you, and this is how you repay His Majesty's kindness? You betrayed your country and collaborated with the enemy, and you even want to walk away. You should be executed along with your entire clan!"

Zhao Deyong looked at this opponent who had been competing against him secretly for a long time. This was their first meeting, but he did not expect that he was already in such a miserable state, like a dog that had lost its home.

"I am not as skilled as others, I have nothing to say."

His plans were disrupted by Marquis An Jing several times, and now he was still powerless to save the situation. Zhao Deyong had lost hope of survival and looked dejected.

Looking at the heroic Yue Ling again, Zhao Deyong felt extremely disappointed. A young man like this made him helpless and unable to deal with it. When he returned to the capital and began to govern, he would become the nightmare of countless people.

When he thought that he would not be the only one suffering, and who knows how many people would repeat his mistakes in the future, Zhao Deyong felt a little better for a moment.

Zhao Deyong raised his head and asked, "Marquis Anjing, what are your plans?"

"What's the plan?"

The death of Zhao Deyong and the destruction of the Zhao family are indisputable. This plan should not be to ask Yue Ling how to deal with them. After thinking for a moment, Yue Ling said: "The world will be united."

Zhao Deyong was startled when he heard this, then smiled bitterly, "What a great world of peace! This is the reason why I am inferior to you."

Zhao Deyong was convinced, and Yue Ling had no intention of humiliating or making things difficult for him, as this was not what a gentleman would do. Looking at the familiar Watanabe standing beside him, Yue Ling nodded with satisfaction.

Watanabe looked at this strange yet familiar man with horror, not knowing how to start, but the other party seemed to have never seen him before and shouted angrily: "You bold Japanese, how dare you protect the evil criminals of Dachang and shoot and kill our soldiers, you should be beheaded according to the law!"

Watanabe trembled, and quickly knelt down and pleaded, "We were deceived by Zhao Deyong and bribed with money. We hope that An Jinghou can show some mercy."

Yue Ling snorted again, "In that case, compensate our army for its losses, and you will be allowed to leave Dachang, but you will not be allowed to enter again."

Sato Hayato widened his eyes and asked in astonishment: "What?"

He had never heard of such an outrageous request.

After a round of artillery fire, his soldiers were killed or maimed, with less than half surviving, and his ships were severely damaged. Yet he was asked to compensate the Dachang army for its losses.

The loss of the Dachang army was that the speedboat was pierced like a hedgehog, but not many people were injured. What kind of loss was that?
Sato Hayato tilted his head and snorted, "Forgive my stupidity, I don't know what compensation the Dachang army has for its losses."

Yue Ling's eyes shifted, and he walked up to the speaker, saying righteously, "A four-masted ship chasing for a hundred miles, isn't the loss worth one million taels? Sixty rounds of cannon fire, isn't that another million taels? The damaged speedboat and the injured soldiers, isn't that also worth one million taels as compensation?"

"We started a war on the sea, blocking the shipping lanes, which could not be restored for a while, causing Dachang merchants to be hindered from doing business. Isn't it worth one million taels?"

"The total is four million taels. Four doesn't sound nice, so let's round it up to five million."

Sato Hayato's eyes grew wider and wider. He had no idea that the famous Marquis Anjing was so shameless that he even demanded five million taels of silver from them for compensation.

Little did people know that Yue Ling never showed courtesy when dealing with foreigners, especially the Japanese.

What foreign races respect is not the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, nor do they believe in repaying a drop of kindness with a spring. The only way to make them sincerely convinced is to have a bigger fist than theirs and hurt them.

And after they are hurt, you should not disturb them easily, so that they know how difficult it is to deal with you.

Watanabe fell to the ground and cried, "We don't have that much money."

Yue Ling nodded, "I know, so you have to send a letter back to raise money for compensation, otherwise this ship will be mortgaged here."

Sato Hayato said indignantly: "I only have three of these warships in my kingdom, how can I mortgage them to you?"

"Then you pay the money."

Sato Hayato was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to answer. It seemed that An Jinghou didn't make sense.

Seeing that Yue Ling was about to draw his sword, Watanabe had no choice but to agree, "Well, let's do as Marquis An Jing said. We will try to send someone back to the country to raise money. But we still need Marquis An Jing to make it convenient for us to repair the ship here and return."

Yue Ling nodded and said, "This is a small matter, but if we want to hire the local people to work, we must pay them higher than the market price."

Sato Hayato couldn't help but ask again: "Why is that?"

"Our Dachang is very important for agriculture. If the people don't farm and work for you, how many people's food and clothing will be affected? Shouldn't we pay a high price?"

Sato Hayato was speechless. He had been severely beaten, but it seemed that the other party was in the right.

Yue Ling waved his hand again and said to the soldiers on his left and right: "Take all the Zhao family members on board and send them to the capital. Let His Majesty make the decision!"

(End of this chapter)