Di Ming

Chapter 144 Happy Encounter

"Aunt Ning!" Ding Hongying pulled her, "The foreigners' cannons are powerful, quickly go back to the cabin and hide!"

She gazed at the terrifying sailing warships, and could only helplessly grip her Japanese sword, utterly powerless.

Even she, who considered herself a female knight-errant, felt her legs go weak at this moment.

Xue Susu, who blinded a thief in one eye on the way to Guangxi with Ning Caiwei, was also terrified.

Ning Caiwei took one last deep look at the arrogant enemy ship, and quickly hid in the cabin with Ding Hongying, Xue Susu, and Galo.

Damn it, I've got this ship.

Fortunately, Zhou Dezhu and his crew were reliable and capable veteran sailors, and the results of their usual training were fully demonstrated.

A dozen sailors worked in a tense but orderly and skillful manner, manipulating the sails and making minor adjustments to the sails according to changes in wind direction to achieve maximum speed.

The ship suddenly tilted forward, increased its speed, and gradually increased the distance between itself and the Spanish warships behind it.

The speed advantage of the small boat was immediately apparent.

"Rumble—"

Another round of cannon fire ensued, with cannonballs the size of bowls whistling through the air with terrifying roars.

"Boom!" A water column more than ten feet high shot out from several feet to the left of the ship, and large water droplets splashed onto the deck like rain, soaking everyone's clothes.

so close!

This was the closest shell to our ship. It was so close! If it had hit our ship, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Steady the sail!"

"Turn left!"

Zhang Naizhu shouted sternly, pulling hard on the cable, "Don't panic! Hold on!"

A sailor from Fujian looked up to the sky and shouted, "Goddess Mazu! Goddess Mazu, please protect me!"

"May Goddess Mazu protect us!" more than a dozen people shouted in unison.

"Rumble—"

Another barrage of shells came whistling through the air, but they all missed their mark without causing any serious injury; the closest one was only four or five zhang away.

The group remained calm and composed, steadily maneuvering the sails according to the changing wind direction, always taking advantage of the strongest winds.

The Spanish warships were too large and had a slow turning speed, which caused the distance between the two sides to widen further.

"Damn Orientals!" the Spanish captain cursed.

"If they hadn't cunningly raised the white flag to deceive us and wasted our precious tactical time, we would definitely have been sunk by now! I promise, boys!"

"Oh my god, I have to write this down in my diary!"

"Look at them, lads! They despicably exploited our chivalry, carrying the shame of cowards and weaklings, and ran away like moles!"

The Spanish sailors fired their final volley and then all exclaimed "Eh!"

They whistled at the departing enemy ships, gave them the middle finger, or took off their sailor hats and turned them inside out, praying that the enemy ships would capsize.

At such a distance, continuing to fire is pointless; it would only be a futile waste of ammunition and a salute to the enemy.

Holding a Bible in one hand and a cross in the other, the priest approached the captain, whose face was grim, and spoke in a hymn-like tone:
“Captain Garcia, my dear son, we have enough spoils. May God have mercy on this ship.”

Captain Garcia's expression softened when he heard about the spoils of war.

On his return voyage from Japan, he robbed two Ming Dynasty merchant ships bound for Japan.

All the Ming Chinese on the ship were killed. In retaliation for the Ming Dynasty's Nanjing governor's crackdown on the Jesuits, he ordered the Ming Chinese on the merchant ship to be tortured to death.

He also managed to steal Zhangzhou white sugar, Quanzhou tea, Foshan pig iron, and Guangzhou white cotton from the ship.

These are all best-selling goods from Guangdong and Fujian, shipped to Japan. The goods, worth 30,000 taels of silver, were all sold to me at a bargain price.

It seems that continuously robbing Ming Dynasty merchant ships is indeed a profitable business.

.........

Only after completely shaking off the Spanish galleon did Ning Caiwei and the others breathe a sigh of relief.

That was close! We almost got wiped out by those foreign cannons.

Everyone felt a sense of relief, as if they had been reborn. The enormous warship still instilled a lingering fear in them.

"I must wipe out these foreign barbarians!" Ning Caiwei was a vengeful person.

Ding Hongying was also very vengeful, and gritted her teeth, saying, "When we get back to Zhoushan, we'll mobilize troops to fight them, wipe them out, and seize their ships!"

Ning Caiwei ordered, "If the ship sails to shore and encounters a coastal patrol vessel, we can simply pay them off to let it pass."

Ning Caiwei preferred to bribe the patrol boats along the coast rather than sail any further afield, fearing she might encounter Western warships and pirate fleets again.

Two days later, Ning Caiwei arrived at the Zhejiang coast, where the sea breeze had turned cold. Everyone put on winter clothes.

Ning Caiwei added an otter fur coat and a black fox fur apron, and held a hand warmer in her hands.

Another day later, the Zhoushan Islands finally came into view.

came back!
The Daishan Army is now the overlord of Zhoushan; coming to Zhoushan is like coming home.

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Ning Caiwei returned to her familiar Daishan Island two days earlier than originally planned.

The moment they saw Daishan Island, everyone cheered.

Before the boat even docked, Ning Caiwei saw a familiar boy standing on the rocks on the shore.

The boy was dressed in a mink coat and a fur hat, holding an infant in his arms, with a black dog standing at his feet. Suddenly, he lifted the baby girl up, as if offering her as a sacrifice to the heavens.

The baby girl's two little legs were still kicking in the air.

The black dog at his feet was wagging its tail.

Upon seeing this scene, Ning Caiwei burst into tears.

Little tiger!

And a younger sister!

Ning Caiwei couldn't help but wave her hand, the silver ornaments on her body jingling melodiously.

Zhu Yin, who had been waiting all day, saw the familiar little figure on the deck. His worries of the past few months vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming joy.

It was as if the whole world had become beautiful and peaceful.

"Boom—" The tiger-squatting cannons on Daishan Island suddenly fired, a salute to welcome Ning Caiwei's return.

"Woo woo woo—" The assembly horn sounded on the island.

The more than two thousand Daishan soldiers who were training on the shore quickly lined up in formation under the command of their commander, Ding Huogen, and faced the returning ships.

As soon as the ship docked, Vice General Zhang Cha waved his command flag, and more than two thousand soldiers saluted in unison, holding their swords and spears upside down with the tips pointing downwards, as a sign of welcome.

After five months of rigorous training by Qi Jiguang, the Daishan Army, a mix of veteran and new recruits, had developed a formidable fighting spirit, far surpassing that of ordinary Ming troops.

This is the second Qi Family Army!
Ning Caiwei could clearly sense that the Daishan Army was much stronger than before.

She had just lowered the ladder and stepped ashore when Zhu Yin came to greet her with his sister and Xiao Hei.

Little Black was the first to shoot out, rushing to Ning Caiwei's feet, circling around her while wagging its tail.

"Caiwei!" Zhu Yin came to Ning Caiwei with a look of longing on his face. "It has been several months since we last met. It feels like an eternity. I am so glad to see you again."

"Hehe!" Ning Caiwei laughed through her tears, playfully tossing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Why are you being so pretentious? Little Tiger, are you alright?"

"Okay." Zhu Yin nodded with moist eyes, a look of heartache on his childish face.

“Caiwei, you’ve lost weight. You look travel-worn and worn out; you must be really tired.”

Ning Caiwei showed off her servant's clothes, "Your sister Xiubing gave them to me, aren't they pretty?"

"Beautiful." Zhu Yin nodded and smiled. "A fairy maiden from another world comes from the sea; she looks good in anything."

This young couple, despite being so small, seem to have an eternal bond, and their youth doesn't make them seem out of place at all.

"Nobody cares about me!" a weak, childlike voice suddenly rang out. "I'm superfluous..."

When Ning Caiwei looked up, she saw that the younger sister in Zhu Yin's arms was looking at her with a resentful expression, her eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful and very aggrieved.

"Haha!" Ning Caiwei quickly took her younger sister and hugged her. "I was just about to talk to you, how could I forget about the Second Miss?"

Ning Qingchen could no longer hold back her tears and burst into sobs, gasping for breath, "You great demon, you're just pretending...who would believe you..."

Ning Caiwei patted her younger sister's back, tears welling in her eyes, "Your sister is back safe and sound, don't cry."

"I don't want you, who cares?" Ning Qingchen laughed and cried at the same time, looking disgusted. "Pah, you smell like the sea, you've been pickled. How many days has it been since you took a bath?"

Ning Caiwei gritted her teeth, "You still complain about my smell? You heartless bastard!"

He angrily snatched the little thing off and handed it to Zhu Yin.

"Let your fragrant husband hold you. I smell like the sea and haven't bathed in ages. Don't let the smell suffocate the delicate Miss Ning."

Zhu Yin held Ning Qingchen in his arms and pondered, "Actually, she can walk in front of everyone. After all, she's a year old now, so walking is normal for her."

"I don't want to!" Ning Qingchen stretched out her little arms to her sister again. "I don't want to walk, I want you to carry me!" "Oh dear!" Ning Caiwei was both amused and exasperated, but helplessly took the arms and hugged them again. "Didn't you say you didn't like the smell?"

Ning Qingchen giggled, her voice still childish: "I don't mind anymore. You're so magnanimous, don't hold it against a baby like me."

Ning Caiwei: "..."

As they talked, they walked ashore. Ding Huogen, Zhang Cha, Cao Xin, Wang Huaizhen, Lin Pei, and others came to greet them.

"Father!" Ding Hongying, dressed in a red cloak, also disembarked and waved to Ding Huogen.

"Brother Ding..." Ning Caiwei greeted everyone with a graceful and poised manner, and said:
"This welcoming ceremony is too extravagant; Caiwei is not worthy of it."

Because of Qi Jiguang, Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei were younger but of higher seniority, and were addressed as peers by Ding Huogen and others.

Ding Huogen clasped his hands in return and smiled, "How could I not accept such a salute? You are the future wife of the military governor, and will be the mistress of the Daishan Army in the future. Even we should respect you."

Zhu Yin was not only Qi Shuai's adopted son and his savior, but also the military governor of Daishan. Although young, he was the master of Daishan.

We, of course, treated them with the utmost respect, which was the foundation for the growth and expansion of the Daishan Army.

After exchanging greetings, soldiers boarded the ship to unload cargo. The most important item was 5,000 catties of milk powder.

This is milk powder made by Ning Caiwei using 40,000 jin of fresh milk through a dehydration process.

It's actually just high-temperature sterilization, first boiling and then sun-drying, to finally get the original, natural milk powder.

Zhu Yin curiously opened a packet of milk powder, and what he saw was milky white powder, and a familiar milky aroma immediately wafted out.

I tried a little bit; it was rich but not too sweet, with a strong milky flavor—it was definitely milk powder.

Zhu Yin couldn't help but feel a little moved.

Caiwei, you've really done a great job. I salute you, you finally made milk powder.

From now on, I won't be afraid of not having milk powder anymore; I can grow as tall as in future generations!

Hahahaha!

"Don't waste it." Ning Caiwei quickly stopped him from continuing to drink the milk powder, her little face, which could be both happy and angry, was serious. "I'm selling it for money, these are all raw materials."

"I plan to price a milk candy at eight coins."

Zhu Yin was taken aback. A single milk candy was priced at eight copper coins?

Ning Caiwei, this price is outrageous! Why don't you just rob someone?
Horrible! What a swindler!

The group went up the mountain together to enter the village, where Qi Jiguang was already waiting.

Qi Jiguang was just over sixty years old, but he was in good spirits and his complexion was getting better and better.

He wore a crane-feather cloak favored by scholars and a hat symbolizing the unification of the six directions, which diminished his military bearing and added a touch of refinement.

"Greetings, Godfather." Ning Caiwei knelt down and kowtowed. "Your child has returned. How are you, my lord?"

"Alright." Qi Jiguang was relieved. He personally helped Ning Caiwei up. "You've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot."

Ning Caiwei seized the opportunity to say, "It's not too hard, it's just that everything is difficult at the beginning. You have to be careful and keep your mind on edge. However, however..."

"But what?" Qi Jiguang frowned. "What trouble did Caiwei encounter?"

Zhu Yin's eyes also lit up upon hearing this.

Ning Caiwei said, "Off the coast of Fujian, we encountered a Western...Frankish warship. The enemy ship was acting like pirates and opened fire on us. We were almost buried at sea."

Ding Hongying also angrily said, "It's all thanks to Aunt Ning's cleverness in raising the white flag to deceive the foreigners and taking the opportunity to turn around and escape; otherwise, she would either be fish food or captured..."

Zhu Yin suddenly shouted, "How dare these foreign barbarians deceive me! Don't they know they're doomed? I swear I will not be human until I destroy these foreign barbarians!"

Zhu Yin's face was filled with murderous intent.

He never expected that Caiwei would almost die at the hands of foreigners!
Scared to think about.

Ding Huogen also angrily said, "We were already planning to send troops, and we have already taken money, provisions and weapons from Tian Yi. Today we are even more determined to send troops!"

Zhu Yin gritted his teeth and said, "Let's just... go all the way! Not only will we seize Itt Island, but we'll seize Manila too!"

Qi Jiguang's face also turned ashen.

Those foreign barbarians are far too arrogant, swaggering around the Ming Dynasty's coastal waters, robbing merchant ships.

The imperial court is corrupt and incompetent! It doesn't even have a decent navy. It has none of the naval prowess of Zheng He's fleet in its heyday.

Ning Caiwei said, "I heard from Southeast Asian merchants that the Governor's Office in Manila, Luzon, has at most a thousand foreign soldiers."

Qi Jiguang stood up and looked at a map of the coastal region behind the large case.

This map of the coastal region was drawn by Zhu Yin. Of course, Zhu Yin said that he had seen this map before and drew it from memory.

Qi Jiguang and others verified the map and unanimously agreed that it was extremely accurate and much better than the previous maps.

He looked at the location of Luzon Island, pondered for a long time, and suddenly nodded, saying:

"There aren't many foreigners in Luzon. If we attack Ithaca first and seize its ships..."

At this point, Qi Jiguang stroked his beard and said:

“Young Tiger, since you want to play bigger, you must already have a plan, right? You have always been good at military strategy, so I will test you and see if you can guess my plan.”

He hoped that Zhu Yin would once again share the same idea as him. If so, then Zhu Yin would surely be an unparalleled military genius.

After considering his words for a moment, Zhu Yin, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the main tent, spoke with the confidence of a young adult:
"The Daishan Army now has more than two thousand men. Under the training of my adoptive father, they are already elite troops and strong generals. With Tian Yi's money, food and weapons, they are fully capable of fighting."

"We will take all the ships with us, disguise them as merchant ships, and disperse them southward in groups of two hundred men each. This way, we can deceive the foreigners and pirates and avoid attracting their attention."

At this point, he pointed to the map of the coastal regions and continued his eloquent speech:

"After the fleet dispersed and headed south, on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the fleet first reunited on Lanyu Island, south of Taiwan. From here, it is only about two hundred miles away from the foreign island of Itaewon, separated by the Bashi Channel, and can be reached overnight!"

"By joining forces at Lanyu Island, the fleet can conceal its movements and launch a surprise attack on Yite Island within a single day!"

"There are at most a few hundred enemy soldiers on Itte Island, and the defenses are not yet complete. If our army can launch a surprise attack at night, we will surely annihilate them in one fell swoop."

"After capturing the enemy ship on Ita Island, we simply made it seem like we would occupy Ita Island for a long time and stay there. Then we deliberately leaked false military information, giving a few foreigners the opportunity to escape by ship and go to Manila to report the news."

"After the fleeing foreign barbarians head south to report the news, our army will rest on Itte Island for a day, leaving some empty ships as a show of force. The fleet will then disperse again, disguised as merchant ships, and head south. This time, we will reunite here!"

Zhu Yin pointed to a small island, "This is Ganmiyin Island! On the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the warships that had been scattered and heading south reunited at Ganmiyin Island."

"This island is perfect for seclusion, and it's located at the westernmost point of the Barbican Islands."

"The foreign fleet is heading north to retaliate, and it is impossible for them to send out their entire force. They will definitely leave some troops behind in their home base of Manila. But the number of troops left behind is not large; the northward-bound fleet is the main force."

“The foreign barbarians are used to being arrogant. When they head north, they will inevitably pass through the east of the Babuyan Islands. They will not be able to find that our army is hidden on Ganmiyin Island in the western part of the archipelago.”

"But our army can deploy merchant ships to scout east of the archipelago in advance. If we see the main force of the foreign fleet heading north to retaliate, we can immediately report it."

"In this way, our army will have drawn the main force of the foreign barbarians out of Manila, leaving Manila vulnerable. Our army will then march south from Camiguin Island and strike directly at the undefended Manila!"

"If the plan goes smoothly, this situation should occur before the 20th of the twelfth lunar month: our army will attack the undefended Manila in the south, while the foreign fleet will attack the abandoned Ithaca Island in the north!"

"By the time the main force of the foreign barbarians heading north hears the news, our army will have already captured Manila. We will force them to defend it, then wait for them to return and be slaughtered..."

As Zhu Yin revealed his entire battle plan, Qi Jiguang looked pleased and stroked his beard, nodding in approval. Ding Huogen and the others, however, were somewhat shocked. Was this really a strategy devised by Zhu Yin?

But they also knew that this must have been Zhu Yin's own idea.

He's a born general!
This plan is massive, integrating various strategies such as deceiving the heavens, luring the tiger away from the mountain, shifting between reality and illusion, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, turning the tables on them, and killing three birds with one stone, with each step linked to the next.

Every step was calculated to the last detail; it was simply a stroke of genius.

If the foreigners don't see through this trick, they will most likely fall into it.

This strategy is also very cunning. Once the foreign barbarians fall into the trap, they will make one mistake after another, and eventually be defeated one by one, exhausted and running for their lives.

Great!

Ning Caiwei, however, knew that Zhu Yin had drawn on the strategy of that great military strategist from later generations: maneuvering the enemy, creating local battlefield advantages in motion, and then defeating them one by one by striking their forces…

"Excellent!" Qi Jiguang slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Zhihu, you've hit the nail on the head with my plan! You've only missed one thing!"

He pointed to a spot on the map, which was the coast west of Manila. "Send two warships to land here, five hundred men will be enough. As a land force, led by guides, attack Manila from the rear, a pincer attack by land and sea."

Zhu Yin's eyes lit up. "Father is still a cut above the rest. I didn't expect that."

Qi Jiguang nodded, his face full of admiration, "You've already done very well!"

He pointed at Zhu Yin and said to the generals, "Li Yang, do you see him? This is the military governor I have chosen for you! Is he worthy of the position?"

Ding Huogen was completely convinced.

The military governor is so young, yet he already possesses such strategic acumen. What will become of him in the future?

Such a military leader is a great blessing for the Daishan Army.

Qi Jiguang stood up and gave the order:

"The court is incompetent, and treacherous officials are in power! Unable to pacify the coastal areas, they allow foreign barbarians to run rampant. Only we, the overseas righteous army, can share the burden of our sovereign and father!"

"Raise the troops, raise the flag, and swear an oath! Let us sail south for the expedition!"

P.S.: Did everyone understand the little tiger's strategy and tactics? What do you think of these tactics? Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)