The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 112 Yellow Croaker Feast

A net is a type of net.

The so-called "knocking method" simply means knocking on the bamboo poles of the fishing net.

This method produces a loud noise in the water. Yellow croakers are extremely sensitive to sound, and the sound waves stun them, causing them to float to the surface and be caught in a net.

The wild yellow flowers of later generations were almost completely hunted to extinction in this way. It can be said that the method of using fishing nets is even more ruthless than electrofishing, and it causes great damage to the ecology.

However, in those days, productivity was extremely limited, and due to the maritime ban, fishing boats could not even go out to sea, so fishery resources were well protected.

There are probably more large yellow croakers in the sea than people on land.

In the Ming Dynasty, the method of using fishing nets was not only not a waste of resources, but was actually an advanced production technique.

Seeing that Lin Qian didn't speak, Da Bing said somewhat guiltily, "Don't worry, Captain, this method is only used during the fishing season. We need the yellow croaker urgently this time, so I went to set up the net."

Lin Qian thought to herself, "I underestimated the ancients' reverence for nature."

He stood up and said to Da Bing, "It's alright, let's move the fish. Next year, a new type of fishing boat will be built in Nan'ao City. It's easy to operate and can sail into the open sea. I'll let you try it out first!"

"Really?" Da Bing was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! Next time you want to hold a fish feast, just tell me, and I'll catch whatever kind of fish you want!"

Lin Qian smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Da Bing agreed and went down into the cabin to get the fish.

Lin Qian gazed thoughtfully at the scene of fish being moved.

Fujian and Guangdong are mountainous regions with a large population and limited land. In Chaozhou Prefecture, there is a saying that "three parts farming and seven parts fishing are common".

For the local people, the ocean is a more important resource than arable land.

In the late Ming Dynasty, wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan region would often use their money to buy land, transforming themselves into landowners who passed down the tradition of farming and scholarship.

The wealthy merchants of Chaozhou mostly bought ships and developed maritime businesses, which is a manifestation of this unique Fujian-Guangdong culture.

Without the Manchu conquest of China, it's hard to guarantee that capitalism wouldn't have developed further, eventually competing with Western European countries in Southeast Asia.

Lin Qian strolled casually on the beach, watching the boatmen kill and fry fish in front of the oil fryer, feeling quite content.

Ever since Zheng Zhilong used fried yellow croaker to break the sea gatekeeper's seal, the boatmen have been craving the taste of fried yellow croaker.

Now that the Lin family has made a fortune from this deal and has established a firm foothold in Nan'ao, they might as well host a grand feast to help the boatmen relax.

Lin Qian also put aside her work tonight to celebrate with the crew.

"Master Lin".

As he was pacing, someone called him from behind.

Lin Qian turned around and saw Huang Hetai leading two people, walking from the beach. One of them was carrying a brocade box about half the length of a person.

Huang Hetai stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, I, Huang, have come to attend the banquet."

Lin Qian returned the greeting with a cupped hand. Today was a celebration banquet, and he was very easygoing, exchanging a few pleasantries with Huang Hetai.

"This is the report of merit for killing Li Zhong. Please take a look, Captain."

As Huang Hetai spoke, he took out two letters from his sleeve.

Lin Qian said he was turning down the work he was currently doing, but given his personality, when work came his way, there was no reason for him not to do it.

Lin Qian took the report of merit and saw that the content was the same as last time. It was written in a very reasonable and detailed manner, with sufficient evidence, leaving no room for criticism.

Huang Hetai, a battalion officer, usually thinks about how to turn defeat into victory. Now he's turning victory into victory, which is a huge waste of his talents.

Lin Qian read both the report and Huang Hetai's private letter to the deputy commander-in-chief, found nothing wrong, and returned both letters to him.

"Report it as is."

Huang Hetai took back the letter, waved to the person behind him, and his attendant brought over the brocade box.

"This is a gift from Mr. Huang. Please accept it, Captain."

Lin Qian did not answer.

Huang Hetai realized that Lin Qian was wary of him, so he apologized and opened the box, where he found a long knife inside.

The scabbard and hilt are extremely simple, without any inlays or decorations. The sword is about four feet long and has not yet been drawn, yet it still has a sense of antiquity and strength.

Having seen countless crudely made Ming Dynasty military swords, Lin Qian recognized this sword as extraordinary at a glance.

Huang Hetai took out his knife, drew it from its sheath, and with a clang, the blade hummed softly, its cold light gleaming.

Huang Hetai held the knife handle in one hand and supported the blade with the other, with the blade facing inward, and presented the knife to Lin Qian.

"In the forty-fourth year of the Jiajing reign, General Qi and General Yu landed on Nan'ao Island and annihilated the Japanese pirate Wu Ping. After their great victory, they left the island and left behind this sword, which was named 'Kill the Japanese Pirate'."

The sword used to slay the Japanese pirates had been gathering dust in the General's Mansion ever since. Now that the Captain has arrived on the island, it is time for this sword to be brought to the surface. Therefore, I present this sword to you!

Lin Qian thought to herself, "Kill the Japanese? What a domineering name."

As a pirate, he had no shortage of gold and silver treasures. If he were offered some ordinary, worthless items, he wouldn't even bother to look at them.

Huang Hetai's souvenir is different; it not only has practical and cultural value, but also carries two layers of meaning.

The first meaning is to compare Lin Qian with General Qi, flattering Lin Qian who politely declined.

The second meaning is that taking the deputy commander's belongings from the commander's mansion and giving them away is a way of showing allegiance and submission to Lin Qian.

As expected, Ming officials are all shrewd people. They only gave him a knife and said nothing else, yet they said everything.

It was truly a perfectly timed gift.

Lin Qian held the knife in her hand and felt that it was comfortable to hold and the weight of the blade was perfect.

Looking at it in the setting sun, the back of the knife is straight, and the edge reflects a chilling light.

The knife is curved like a seedling. Because it was made by Qi Jiguang, it is popularly known as the Qi Family Knife or the Miao Knife.

Lin Qian gently stroked the blade with her fingers, feeling a slight chill emanating from her fingertips and penetrating deep into her bones.

The blade is covered with intricate patterns similar to those of Damascus steel, indicating that it is made of wrought iron and the blade was tempered using a clay-based tempering method.

In this era, it belongs to the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

Compared to ordinary, poorly made military knives, it's possible that this "slaying Japanese" knife could truly cut through iron like mud.

Lin Qian examined the blade again, but found no inscriptions or engravings. However, this was not important; the blade itself was already extremely rare, and even with silver, it was impossible to buy in the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Qian played with the sword for a while, then sheathed it and called out, "White Wave Boy!"

A moment later, Bai Langzai ran over from beside the oil vat: "Helmsman!"

Lin Qian tossed him the sword used to kill Japanese pirates: "Here you go."

Bai Langzai took it, drew the knife to examine it, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine knife!"

Lin Qian has no martial arts skills and doesn't know how to use a knife at all; Bai Langzai is his knife.

Lin Qian smiled at Huang Hetai and said, "Please get on the boat."

"please!"

As the sun sets in the west, the earth turns a dusky yellow.

Tables and chairs were set up on the deck of the St. Anna, and torches were lit.

Lin Qianzhong and his brothers, along with the crew members who participated in the robbery of the Lin family mansion, took their seats on the deck.

Bowls, chopsticks, cups and other utensils were already set out on the table, and various dishes were served.

Besides the usual fruit platters and cold dishes, there's a highlight: deep-fried yellow croaker, several per plate, one serving per person.

Huang Hetai initially disagreed, thinking that yellow croaker was not a rare ingredient and that serving one per person was too stingy.

As a plate of yellow croaker passed by, Huang Hetai's eyes widened in surprise.

There were two and a half gold ingots on the tray.

The sight of bright yellow gold and deep-fried yellow croaker placed together is simply indescribable.

So the yellow croaker feast actually refers to this small yellow croaker!
Looking around, Huang Hetai saw that each person's tray of yellow croaker was filled with golden pieces.

Under the torchlight, the gold emitted a dazzling light, captivating anyone who looked upon it.

Huang Hetai looked at Lin Qian and saw that the pirate leaders' plates contained even more gold ingots, which were stacked together in a tower-like shape.

Huang Hetai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, thinking to himself that this was probably the most extravagant fish feast he had ever seen in his life.

The combined income from the raid on the Lin family mansion and the annihilation of Li Zhong, when distributed among the crew members involved, amounted to approximately 130 taels each.

Each gold ingot weighs five ounces, and each crew member has about two and a half ingots.

Upon seeing the gold, the crew members beamed with joy.

With most of the dishes served, all the crew members looked at Lin Qian.

Lin Qian raised her glass and stood up: "Enough with the chit-chat. Take the money, eat the meat, drink the wine! Cheers, brothers!"

"Cheers!" The pirates raised their glasses in unison.

The deck erupted in chaos.

Lin Qian took a sip of wine and sat down.

He reached out and tore off a piece of yellow croaker meat. The fish was fried until crispy on the outside and extremely tender on the inside, with the meat shaped like garlic cloves, steaming hot.

The moment you put the fish in your mouth, its fresh and fragrant aroma fills your mouth, and the crispy skin and tender fish complement each other perfectly.

The yellow croaker was fresh and entirely wild. When you tasted it, the fish meat was tender yet firm, incredibly flavorful, and left a lingering aftertaste.

In no time at all, Lin Qian finished eating a fish.

There were no gold ingots on his tray. As the captain, he had been given more than two hundred gold bars as a bonus. If you put them on the tray, they would weigh more than sixty pounds, and the tray could not support them at all.

As usual, Lin Qian deposited the dividends into the account.

The Ming Dynasty was on the silver standard, making gold transactions inconvenient for ordinary people. Lin Qian used gold for dividends not only for visual impact.

There was also an idea to encourage the crew to consume slowly and not spend all their dividends at once.

The economy of Nan'ao Island is currently too small. If more than 10,000 taels of silver were suddenly injected into the market, it would inevitably cause severe inflation.

Despite Lin Qian's decision to hold a celebration banquet tonight, she put all her work aside.

But while eating fish, I couldn't help but think about future developments.

Now that he has established a foothold on Nan'ao Island, the next step is to extend his reach ashore.

We need to establish trade ties between the island and the mainland, and leverage the resources of Fujian and Guangdong to develop Nan'ao.

The current clandestine trade between small vendors in the two places is far from sufficient.

On land, there must be an agent for Lin Qian, a front family.

All trade dealings and collusion with local officials had to be completed through this front man to avoid arousing suspicion and attracting the attention of the imperial court.

However, these white gloves are hard to find.

It was clearly unrealistic for him to send people to parachute ashore to set up businesses, establish clans, and build mansions.

Cooperating with existing clans makes it difficult to guarantee loyalty.

The best option was Zheng Zhilong's clan, whose family was based in the Quanzhou area of ​​Fujian and could be considered a semi-local power.

However, Zheng Zhilong already had a certain prestige and status within the team. Bringing his clan into the team would easily lead to them becoming too powerful and uncontrollable, causing internal strife.

Therefore, Lin Qianning would rather have no front man than choose Zheng Zhilong's clan.

"Helmsman".

Just as Lin Qian was pondering this, she heard Zheng Zhilong call her name.

"What is it?" Lin Qian looked up and smiled.

The banquet had barely begun when Zheng Zhilong, his face flushed from drinking, said mysteriously, "There's been a rumor lately in the waters off Fujian and Guangdong that a five-clawed dragon has appeared. I wonder if you've heard of it, Master Helmsman?"

Lin Qian smiled and shook her head.

Lei Sanxiang wiped his greasy mouth: "Is that so? Tell me quickly."

Scholar Zhou removed a thorn from the back of a yellow croaker: "Everyone says that a dragon has four claws, so wouldn't a dragon have five claws?"

Chen Jiao chewed on a piece of fried fish bone and said, "People living by the sea are very particular about how they address things. Perhaps they wanted to say 'dragon,' but were afraid of offending the Dragon King, so they changed it to 'five-clawed dragon.'" Bai Qing chewed on fish meat and mumbled, "Stories of dragons often circulate among the people of Zhuhai. Some people have even seen them at the bottom of the sea after diving deep."

Lei Sanxiang said urgently, "Brother Zheng hasn't even started speaking yet, but you've already begun. Let Brother Zheng speak quickly."

Zheng Zhilong laughed and said, "Actually, it's not really a story, just a folk tale. I'm just telling it to entertain everyone while we drink."

It is said that about half a month ago, when people along the coast of Zhangzhou went out to sea to fish, they could always see driftwood on the sea surface and logs washed ashore on the beach.

Some people said that a dragon had come out of the sea, and the more the story was told, the more mysterious it became.

This autumn, the border area between Fujian and Guangdong experienced continuous torrential rains, leading to the popular belief in a five-clawed dragon.

Lei Sanxiang asked in surprise, "Where did all these logs come from in the sea?"

Lin Qian wiped her fingers: "It must be the wreckage of Ship City."

The attack on Li Kuiqi's ship city was about a month ago. By now, the fragments of the ship city should have been washed ashore by the waves.

Chen Jiao suddenly realized: "So, the Five-Clawed Dragon is referring to us, isn't it?"

Lei Sanxiang raised his wine bowl: "This name sounds impressive, bottoms up!"

Lin Qian raised her glass and took another sip.

Lei Sanxiang gulped down a whole bowl of wine, smeared his lips with gusto, then took out a wine jar and filled it up again.

Zheng Zhilong casually tossed a fishbone into the sea and asked, "Brother Lei, you served in the Shenji Battalion. Do you have any stories to tell?"

Lei Sanxiang waved his hand and said, "They were all defeated battles, what's there to talk about?"

Zheng Zhilong pressed further: "I heard that a hundred Jurchen Tartars could scatter ten thousand Ming soldiers?"

Lei Sanxiang angrily retorted: "Bullshit! Last year in Liaodong's Ohun Emo, if it weren't for General Du's reckless crossing of the river and being surrounded by the Tartars at Jilin Cliff, his entire army wouldn't have been wiped out! That damned emperor used such a worthless general! Alas! He ruined my father and my brother..."

After saying this, Lei Sanxiang picked up a bowl of glutinous rice wine and drank it down.

There was a moment of silence at the table.

Only then did everyone realize that Lei Sanxiang had been unwilling to mention the Battle of Sarhu because his father and brother had both died in that defeat.

Chen Jiao patted Lei Sanxiang on the shoulder and drank a bowl with him.

Zheng Zhilong blamed himself for saying the wrong thing and punished himself with a bowl of rice.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Lei Sanxiang changed the subject and said, "But if it weren't for the battle at Jilin Cliff, I wouldn't have been able to reach the sea. I'll enjoy the good fortune that my father and brother have!"

"Fish maw soup is served!"

As they were talking, Uncle Chen's voice came from the gangway.

He placed a steaming bowl of thick soup on Lin Qian's table, his hands resting on damp towels.

"People in Lingnan believe in eating fish maw in winter and mushrooms in summer. This stuff is very nourishing and helps to cut through the greasiness. Everyone, please try it while it's hot."

Zheng Zhilong got up and diligently served soup to everyone.

This task should have been done by a maid.

However, given the sensitive nature of Lin Qian and her group, even if they had money, they dared not go ashore to hire beautiful women to accompany them for drinks.

You have to do things like pouring wine and serving soup yourself.

This is also why all the pirates in the Ming Dynasty eventually had to be recruited and appeased.

Even if you have a huge amount of money, without a respectable identity and sufficient productivity, it's all for nothing if you can't spend it.

Zheng Zhilong placed the soup in front of Lin Qian.

Lin Qian took a spoonful and tasted it. It was rich, smooth, and sweet. The fish maw was soft, tender, and had no fishy or gamey smell. With one bite, warmth flowed from her mouth into her stomach, making her feel completely comfortable.

Huang Hetai took a sip and praised, "This soup is made with the skill of a master chef. There are indeed many talented people under the captain's command."

Lin Qian smiled but did not reply.

The yellow croaker feast lasted until late into the night, and everyone was so full that they couldn't eat another bite.

Only a few people with good wine were left, and they drank in small groups.

At the main table, Lei Sanxiang downed another bowl of yellow wine, and the brothers immediately erupted in cheers.

Lei Sanxiang wiped his mouth, his body swaying slightly.

Zheng Zhilong smiled confidently, drank another bowl, and received another round of applause.

At this moment, the wine jars beside the two men, weighing more than a kilogram each, were empty.

Zheng Zhilong remained expressionless, while Lei Sanxiang was on the verge of collapse; the outcome was already quite clear.

Lei Sanxiang was just too proud to admit his status as a Shandong hero and insisted on having another jar of wine brought out.

Lin Qian was afraid that if she continued drinking, her two generals would not be caught by the court but would die drunk at the table, so she quickly got up to smooth things over and stop the drinking.

Zheng Zhilong was quick to understand. Seeing that Lei Sanxiang was still urging people to open more wine, he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Lei Sanxiang is indeed a heavy drinker. I can't drink anymore."

Lei Sanxiang slurred, "What do you mean you can't drink it? Fill it up!"

Chen Jiao kicked him under the table: "Third brother!"

Lei Sanxiang: "Brother, don't stop me. This kid has a good capacity for alcohol, I'll drink more today..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lei Sanxiang had already fallen backward onto the table, eliciting a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Lin Qian ordered someone to carry Lei Sanxiang back to the cabin.

Seeing that it was getting late, the others said their goodbyes and returned to their cabins to rest.

Lin Qian bid farewell to her brothers, returned to the captain's cabin, washed up quickly, and lay down on the bed.

Although I was mentally exhausted, my mind was still habitually thinking about things.

Lin Qian thought that before he settled in Nan'ao Island, Li Kuiqi was undoubtedly the number one pirate on the Fujian and Guangdong coast.

But if such a person wants to find a girl, he can only pick her up on his boat and then drug her.

They lived in a city of hundreds of dilapidated boats, and didn't even dare to seize control of an island.

Although Li Zhong had a camp in Guantang Mountain, it was rudimentary and looked like it was ready to flee at any moment.

The reason these two were hiding so much was because they had no support from forces on land.

Lin Qian is now facing the same predicament.

Now that the money is available, the most urgent task for Nan'ao Island is to build dry docks, granaries, and reservoirs.

The dry dock needs no further explanation.

The granaries and reservoirs were built in preparation for the future encirclement of the island by the imperial army.

If war breaks out with the imperial court one day, the government troops will inevitably use a siege strategy to cut off trade between the island and the mainland.

Building granaries and reservoirs in advance to store sufficient water and food was the key to overcoming the siege by the imperial court.

However, dry docks, granaries, and reservoirs all require a large amount of blue bricks, mortar, tung oil, hemp fibers, and lime. Furthermore, the subsequent storage of grain requires the purchase of large quantities of grain, all of which must be made in bulk on land.

On the surface, it would be best to have a wealthy landowner on the shore who is preparing to undertake large-scale construction and build a mansion, so that it can be purchased legitimately.

If this wealthy family is reliable, they can use this legitimate identity to contact the magistrate of Chenghai County, and even the prefect of Chaozhou.

This will allow Nan'ao Island to develop more freely in the future.

Lin Qian's thoughts gradually slowed down, and she fell into a deep sleep on the walnut wood double four-poster bed.

……

The next morning, Lin Qian got up full of energy.

After washing up, he summoned Scholar Zhou to discuss the matter.

In any case, Zhou Xiucai was an educated man who was preparing for the imperial examinations, and should have been familiar with the collusion of interests among officials and wealthy families in the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, Huang Hetai was definitely more familiar with the place than Zhou Xiucai, but Lin Qian didn't trust him.

Inside the captain's cabin, after listening to Lin Qian's request, Zhou Xiucai fell into deep thought.

Lin Qian then took out a cigar, lit it, and offered one to Zhou Xiucai, who waved it away in refusal.

"Master, have you ever considered a marriage alliance?" Zhou Xiucai asked tentatively.

Lin Qian nodded. He had indeed considered the marriage alliance, but the opportunity for marriage was precious, and Lin Qian was unwilling to waste it on befriending a local powerful figure.

He wants to use his marriage for something more valuable, such as marrying the daughter of a cabinet minister or party leader, in order to maximize his political capital.

It would be such a waste to use up this precious position of legal wife now.

Moreover, given the current pace of development, war with the imperial court is only a matter of time, and once war breaks out, the forces on the shore will inevitably regroup.

It is extremely naive to imagine that one can gain a long-term ally through marriage.

and many more.

Lin Qian's eyes lit up. He had been thinking about how to gain a long-term ally.

But in reality, the wise thing to do is to find a short-term ally, use the brief period of the alliance to frantically develop his own strength, and then kick them aside when he's done.

With a broader perspective, even a short-term ally doesn't require deep-seated interests; marriage alliances and schemes are unnecessary.

Since we are pirates, we should use pirate methods.

In an instant, Lin Qian had already come up with a rough idea of ​​a plan.

"Do you remember the merchant who sold us the Fujian ship?"

Scholar Zhou pondered for a moment: "Master Hu?"

Lin Qian took a deep drag on her cigar and exhaled swirling smoke: "It's him. His family weaves Chaozhou silk. They built a three-masted Fujian ship before because they wanted to go through Yuegang and sell the Chaozhou silk overseas."

A look of understanding appeared on Zhou Xiucai's face: "Does the captain intend to use this person?"

“No, he has the silk, we have the boats, this is a collaboration!” Lin Qian said with a smile. “You and Bai Langzai should make some preparations, bring your sincerity, and go talk to him about the collaboration in a few days.”

Scholar Zhou: "My seventh brother and I are dealing with things on the shore. Aren't you going to let Brother Zheng go?"

Lin Qian picked up the Inca gold button from the nautical table, played with it between her fingers, and said meaningfully, "He doesn't need to do this. Also, Second Brother doesn't need to go to Macau to hand over the goods; I plan to give them all to Jose."

Scholar Zhou: "How much silver will we charge for helping with the boat service?"

"Second Brother, just do as you see fit. As long as we can drag that Hu fellow down with us, whether running the boat is profitable or not doesn't matter."

Zhou Xiucai cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I understand. This afternoon, I will go ashore with my seventh brother to get our household registration and travel permits sorted out, so that the act will be complete and he won't fall for it."

Lin Qian smiled and said, "Second Brother has thought things through very well."

After Zhou Xiucai left, Lin Qian asked someone to bring Lü Zhou over.

A moment later, Lü Zhou entered and clasped his hands in greeting before the nautical table: "Helmsman."

Lin Qian's voice came through the cigar smoke: "You've run the ship from Nan'ao to Macau, do you still remember the route?"

Lü Zhou answered loudly, "This shipping route is close to the coast, and I remember all the signs!"

"Alright, from now on, you will be the fire chief for this route."

Lu Zhou's face flushed with excitement as he clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Master!"

Lin Qian smiled warmly and said, "But being the fire chief isn't so easy. You have another task on the ship."

"Please give your orders, Captain!"

Lin Qian was silent for a moment, then her smile turned cold: "Keep an eye on Jose for me. If he makes any unusual moves, kill him."

"Yes!"

"Go, and call José here for me as well."

"Yes!"

A moment later, Jose entered, smiling obsequiously, "Master, you called me?"

"Come, sit down," Lin Qian said with a friendly smile.

(End of this chapter)