The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 119 God's Arrangement

The people on this ship were dispatched by the governor to negotiate with the Ming government and cooperate in arresting Lin Qian.

Unexpectedly, after lingering in Guangzhou for several months, submitting more than a dozen documents, spending hundreds of taels of silver, and drinking thousands of cups of tea, there was still no progress in the cooperative arrest operation.

And just then, the Ming emperor passed away, and the Guangzhou Maritime Trade Office almost came to a standstill.

Juan was so angry he almost vomited blood. After venting his long and tedious curses against the Ming officials in secret, he returned to his ship and decided to travel north to the capital in person to deliver a document to the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

According to the people of the Ming Dynasty, this is called "appealing to the emperor".

Juan has made thorough preparations for this voyage.

He knew that Ming Dynasty merchant ships preferred to sail close to the coast, and pirates also mostly operated along the coast, so he deliberately chose a long-distance sea route to avoid being noticed.

Before setting off, he was complacent, thinking that with the Ming people's crude navigation technology, it was impossible for any pirates to discover his ship.

Unexpectedly, before they even left Guangdong, they were run into by a fleet.

This was a significant blow to the Spanish, who had always looked down on the Ming Dynasty's maritime technology.

Furthermore, the enemy fleet's lead ship was the stolen St. Anna, and the fleet commander was Lin Qian.

This made the entire ship full of Spaniards even more terrified.

From a material standpoint, the Caravelle's small cannons were no match for the larger sailing ships.

From a spiritual perspective, is Lin Qian a demon sent by Satan to punish the Spanish? Why is she so persistent, as if she's waiting specifically for them on their flight path?
When it comes to superstition, sailors all over the world are pretty much the same.

After Juan revealed that the enemy ship was Lin Qian, everyone fell silent. Even the operation of changing sails and turning around was much slower than usual.

This delay allowed the enemy ships to get a little closer.

Juan could see the enemy ship's clear outline through his binoculars. Except for the three triangular sails at the bow, the ship's structure was exactly the same as the stolen Manila galleon.

It is undoubtedly the Santa Ana.

Juan was filled with apprehension, but as captain, he couldn't show it. He ordered, "Sail southwest and shake off the enemy ships!"

The first mate loudly repeated the order.

Soon, the triangular sail was filled with wind again, and snowflakes kept hitting our faces. The sea breeze mixed with water vapor made our skin sting.

An hour later, the Caravel sailing ship had sailed far away.

Juan looked back and saw that the Santa Ana was clearly farther away, which reassured him somewhat.

He looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting darker and the snow was falling even harder.

Juan made the sign of the cross, thanking God that their chances of escape would be much greater once it got completely dark.

"Your Excellency, the enemy ship has changed course," the first mate warned.

Juan looked toward the enemy ship and saw the Santa Ana turning to starboard on the dark sea, its port side barely visible.

"Heh heh," Juan chuckled mockingly.

The first mate asked, puzzled, "Lieutenant General, what's so funny about this?"

Juan relaxed: "I laughed at the Ming people for not knowing how to navigate, only daring to sail close to the shore. Now that it's almost evening, Lin Qian must think we're heading west to shore, which is why he turned right to intercept us in advance."

The first mate suddenly realized and laughed along: "The Ming people are indeed afraid to spend the night at sea, a bunch of cowards."

Juan, gripping the gunwale with one hand, his clothes fluttering in the sea breeze, shouted to the crew, "Look, those cowards are turning towards the shore!"

Upon hearing this, the crew looked towards the Santa Ana, their tense expressions vanishing instantly, and they cheered.

Juan glanced at the sky again; the light was growing dimmer, and it would soon be completely dark.

After dark, sailing at full speed in unfamiliar waters is extremely dangerous. Therefore, the safest way to get rid of the Santa Ana's pursuit as soon as possible is to sail out to sea, where there are fewer reefs and the risk of running aground is low. It also avoids the Santa Ana's pursuit route.

He then said to the first mate, "Slightly turn left and turn south, so the pirates don't notice us."

First Mate: "Left helm!"

As darkness fell, the silhouette of the Santa Ana was gradually swallowed by the gray-black, becoming indistinct.

When the lookout shouted "Enemy ships retreat!", the Spanish sailors cheered.

To ensure safety, Juan did not immediately order the sailors to lower the sails, but instead continued to maintain the course southward to ensure that the Santa Ana was completely outmaneuvered.

An hour later, the sea was completely dark, and by the dim moonlight, one could only see the sea surface within ten meters around.

This visibility is practically the same as not being able to see anything at all for a ship.

Juan took out his binoculars and searched the darkness to the northwest for a long time to make sure he could see no movement before he breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the crew to lower the sails.

With both triangular sails lowered, the Caravelle's speed gradually decreased, drifting forward on the sea solely by inertia.

The first mate ordered the crew to lower the depth rope to determine if the area was suitable for anchoring.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a muffled thud came from the bow of the ship.

"Boom!"

The sound was like a heavy drumbeat, striking the hearts of all Spaniards.

"Lieutenant General...it seems...it seems we've run aground!"

……

Three nautical miles northwest of the Caravelle, the Santa Ana lowered its sails, lit its lights, and slowly sailed.

Chen Jiao shouted to the lookout on the mainmast, "What do you see?"

The lookout's voice came from afar: "It's pitch black at sea... Wait, there are ship lights, I estimate there are more than ten ships."

This is the open sea, and ships rarely pass by. Even if they do, they would not sail at night.

The approaching ship should be Lin Qian's Sea Wolf escort fleet.

Lin Qian said in a deep voice, "Aim the side of the ship at the approaching vessel, prepare to engage the enemy, and set off red fireworks."

"Yes!"

Chen Jiao gave the order, and a crew member took a firework to the stern deck and lit it. The firework then emitted a red light that was more than a meter high.

A short while later, another ship on the approaching vessel lit up with the same red flame.

Chen Jiao exclaimed with delight, "It really is Seventh Brother and the others!"

A little over an hour later, the fleet sailed closer and lowered its sails around the St. Anna.

Lin Qian: "Order the fleet to break up into two groups, with the bird ship in front and the sea wolf ship behind, and sail southeast to search for enemy ships along the coral reefs of Ship City. Once an enemy ship is spotted, use fireworks as a signal to regroup. If the search continues until nightfall tomorrow without success, then each group should return to their respective islands to regroup."

Chen Jiao clasped his hands in agreement and then ordered the crew to lower the small boat to relay the message.

A little over half an hour later, following Lin Qian's orders, the fleet split into two groups, formed a vertical line, and sailed southeast.

Soon, the ship's lights disappeared into the dark sea.

Too close to the coral reef, Lin Qian dared not risk the Saint Anna and simply waited where she was.

At dawn the next day, the lookout shouted, breaking the tranquility of the sea.

"There are red fireworks!"

Lin Qian, who had been sleeping fully clothed, was startled awake. She strode up to the stern deck and saw a bright red flower shooting into the sky in the southeast.

"Helmsman!" Chen Jiao said as he dressed and ran quickly onto the deck.

Lin Qian smiled and said, "The fish is in the net. Raise the sails and head due east."

"Raise the sails and head due east!"

The orders were relayed down the chain of command to Liao Shou's ears.

The crew members were awakened from their sleep, hurriedly packed up their hammocks, rushed onto the deck, and began maneuvering the sails.

"Northwest wind, downwind on port, tighten the starboard sail!" Chen Jiao ordered after glancing at the wind flags.

Lei Sanxiang shouted at the crew, "Get moving! Hurry up!"

About half an hour later, all the sails of the Santa Ana were lowered, and it headed due east.

Before sunrise, the sea was still pitch black. Under Chen Jiao's arrangement, crew members were stationed on both sides of the ship and on the bow deck to keep a close watch on the sea.

The coral reef is to the southeast of here, and the Santa Ana is sailing due east, so there should be no risk of running aground, but it never hurts to be cautious.

As the sky above the bow turned a warm white, the surrounding sea gradually became clearer.

After sailing for an hour, another loud bang was heard on the sea to the starboard side.

Lin Qian looked up and saw another red flower bursting into the sky. He immediately ordered his men to turn towards the fireworks.

As the sun rises, a layer of shimmering light spreads across the sea.

"Bang!" Another sky rocket exploded, but by then it was already bright daylight, and the firework was no longer clearly visible.

In the distance, a patch of indigo blue seawater could be faintly seen on the surface of the ocean.

Lin Qian ordered the Santa Ana to turn left and sail southeast along the edge of the coral reef.

Another half hour passed, and the sounds of gunfire could be faintly heard on the sea.

Lin Qian took out her binoculars and looked in the direction of the sound. Several ship shadows could be vaguely seen on the distant sea.

A flash of fire appeared amidst the shadows of the boat.

"Bang!" Another firework exploded in the sky.

Lin Qian ordered the large sailboat to move forward at full speed. After sailing for a long time, it had already sailed within three hundred paces.

Five or six ships were engaged in fierce combat. On the outer perimeter were three Sea Wolf ships, lined up in a row with their starboard sides facing the enemy, while two Bird ships were close in and firing.

The ship that was surrounded was the same Caravelle sailing vessel from yesterday.

By this time, its two triangular sails had several holes, the hull was drafted very deep, and it was moving along the outer edge of the indigo sea.

The Caravelle, which was originally very fast, was now moving as slowly as if it were dragging an anchor, barely keeping up with the speed of the Seawolf-class frigate.

On one side of its deck, water was being regularly ejected from the sluice gates, and the deck was filled with Spaniards scrambling about. A few scattered Spanish words could be heard in the distance.

"Boom boom boom..." Five cannon shots rang out in succession, water splashed all around the Sea Wolf ship, and a Sea Wolf ship's cabin was hit by a shell, with broken wooden planks flying everywhere. However, the cannon caliber was small and did not cause any substantial damage to the hull.

Immediately, the three Seawolf ships began to retaliate, firing their rapid-fire cannons incessantly, creating a hail of iron around the Caravelle.

The ship was hit in several places, and scraps of plank flew everywhere. Another hole appeared in the sail, and a cloud of blood rose from the deck. The Spanish soldiers, who had been shot, hid behind the bulwark, not daring to show their faces.

The bird boat and the sea wolf ship took the opportunity to approach within fifty paces and fired volleys of gunfire. In an instant, the sound of bullets hitting wood was incessant, and splinters of wood flew everywhere like a rainstorm enveloping the Caravelle sailboat.

Although the volley of fire did not cause any effective casualties, it suppressed the Spanish players, preventing them from raising their heads.

As the volley of gunfire subsided and the Spanish soldiers resurfaced, another volley of Portuguese shells from the Franco cannons came crashing down.

One of the bulwarks of the Caravelle was hit by a cannonball, which pierced through it, and blood and flesh shot out from behind the bulwark, accompanied by a piercing scream.

"Captain, shall we fire the cannon?" Chen Jiao asked.

Lin Qian shook her head. The Caravel sailboat and the two bird boats were too close together. If they opened fire, they might accidentally injure their own people.

Moreover, since we have the upper hand, it would be good to take this opportunity to give the crew of the Seawolf some combat experience.

After enduring another round of relentless bombardment from the Franconian cannons and volleys, the five four-pounder lizard cannons on the broadside of the Caravelle were reloaded and fired again. The close range greatly increased the hit rate, and the Seawolf in the center was hit by three shots, with a corner of its sterncastle collapsing and two large holes blasted at the waterline, allowing seawater to rush in through the breaches.

The Seawolf ship visibly sank its freeboard, its speed decreased, and it gradually disengaged from combat. Fortunately, it had watertight compartments, preventing it from sinking.

Meanwhile, the remaining Seawolf and Bird ships opened fire, and the artillery exposed outside the bulwarks was enveloped in a hail of iron.

A shell struck a powder keg on the deck of the Caravelle sailing ship, igniting sparks and triggering a secondary explosion.

"boom!"

A flash of orange-red light appeared, and the port side of the Caravel sailboat was shrouded in black smoke. The hull tilted sharply to starboard as if struck by a heavy blow.

A four-pound lizard cannon was blasted five or six meters high, spun several times in the sky, and fell into the sea, creating a huge splash.

The Seawolf and Bird ships fired their guns incessantly into the black smoke, from which the sound of wooden planks crackling and exploding could be heard, along with the screams of the enemy.

Finally, the black smoke dissipated, and through the gap in the hull that had been blasted open, one could see blood-red body parts lying all around.

A white flag stretched out from behind the bulwark and waved incessantly in the air.

Lin Qian ordered: "Cease fire and send men aboard to accept surrender."

The order was given, and two small boats rowed forward, armed with muskets, and loudly commanded the Spaniards behind the bulwark to come out.

Meanwhile, on the Santa Ana, Lin Qian had José signal the surrender with a flag.

A moment later, the surviving Spaniards emerged empty-handed from their hiding place and gathered at the ship's side.

Lin Qian saw that there were about thirty survivors, all covered in dust and dirt, some with injuries.

Birds boarded the ship, tied the Spaniards tightly, and brought them aboard the Santa Ana.

Lin Qian looked at the prisoners kneeling on the ground. Among them, there were more than ten Spaniards and the rest were Han Chinese boatmen.

"Destination?" Lin Qian asked in both Spanish and Chinese.

"Shuntian Prefecture," Hu An answered honestly. He had been defeated by Lin Qian several times, which was such a blow that he felt it was God's arrangement and had no intention of resisting.

"What to do?"

Juan revealed his identity, the governor's mandate, and the mission's experiences in Guangzhou.

Lin Qian was both amused and exasperated. He had thought his arrest warrants would be plastered all over Guangzhou by now, but the Spanish delegation had been turned away for months, which was truly unbelievable.

However, historically, the Spanish had gone through even more trouble than this time when communicating with the Ming Dynasty to capture the pirate Lin Feng.

Juan learned from history, knew the moral character of Ming Dynasty officials, and understood that the governor could not wait, so he resolutely decided to go north directly to the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, fate brought them together again, and Juan could only accept his fate.

Lin Qian then asked about the situation in Manila.

Juan replied that the governor's situation was very precarious; the loss of the galleon had been reported to the Spanish royal family, but due to the long distance, the punishment had not yet been issued.

According to usual practice, the royal family will most likely send a new governor, and then the original governor, Alonso, will be taken back to Spain for trial.

The lightest punishment was to sell the land, strip the noble title, and imprison the person.

As for the lost Manila galleon, it was built at the Cavite shipyard, and another one will be built to fill the shipping gap.

Having obtained the useful information, Lin Qian waved her hand, and Chen Jiao, understanding, coldly said, "Lock them all up."

The crew dragged the prisoners toward the cargo hold.

Juan struggled to say, "I am a nobleman, I can pay the ransom, two thousand pesos, no! Three thousand pesos..."

Lin Qian remained unmoved; several thousand taels of silver meant nothing to him.

Now that you've been caught, you can forget about ever going back.

"Captain, this was found on the barbarian."

Lin Qian looked in the direction of the sound and saw that her subordinates were holding three or four binoculars of different lengths.

"Put them in my cabin." Lin Qian smiled; these telescopes had arrived just in time.

The lookout reported that ships were approaching from the south and northwest, presumably the remaining vessels searching along the coral reef.

Lin Qian ordered the three Seawolf ships to gather the remaining vessels on the spot, while the Saint Anna towed the captured Caravel sailboat and the damaged Seawolf VII ship back to Nan'ao Island.

Around 1 p.m., the St. Anna docked at Nan'ao Island.

Lin Qian ordered that Hu An and other prisoners be sent to the prisoner-of-war camp for safekeeping; he also instructed the mute Huang to send shipwrights to repair the ships, and Zhou Xiucai to calculate the bonuses and rewards for the crew of the three Sea Wolf ships and two Bird ships that participated in the battle.

Huang Hetai came to say goodbye to Lin Qian, and Lin Qian sent someone to escort him back to Shen'ao Port.

By the time these chores were finished, it was already evening.

Lin Qian went up to the deck to stretch her body. She saw that the Caravel sailboat was sank in the water, and the carpenters were busy repairing the planks. The tinkers were using hemp thread soaked in tung oil to seal the gaps.

The Caravelle is fortunate to have the most advanced ship repair technology in the East.

Lin Qian spotted the mute Huang among the craftsmen and said to the crew member beside her, "Send two of the captured telescopes to Uncle Huang and have him make a sextant like last time."

The crew member should have retrieved the binoculars and gone to find the mute messenger, Huang.

Lin Qian looked into the distance and saw that the dock was bustling with activity, and the aroma of food stalls could be smelled from afar.

When the crew member returned, Lin Qian asked him to buy some Qilu cakes.

Upon receiving the order, the crew member quickly disembarked and ran back a moment later, clasping his hands in greeting and saying, "Helmsman, the Qilu cake stall didn't come today."

"Oh?" Lin Qian was slightly surprised. Ever since the establishment of Nan'ao City, the vendor selling Qilu cakes had been there every day without fail, coming to the island without missing a single day.

But thinking that people always have urgent matters to attend to, and that his interest might be delayed today, he didn't say anything more.

……

By the end of the month.

As the weather in Fujian and Guangdong gets colder, there are more stalls selling cotton-padded clothes on the island.

Today is the first cargo delivery since Master Hu joined the business, so Lin Qian got up early and waited by the ship's side.

Through the thin winter mist, a two-masted Cangshan ship appeared on the distant sea.

The ship anchored at Mal'ao in the middle of the night, loaded its cargo, and sailed in the dark toward Nan'ao Island, with Bai Langzai personally steering the ship.

Seeing that he had returned safely, Lin Qian felt relieved and went back to her room to have breakfast.

After breakfast, Zhou Xiucai knocked on the door and came in, placing a list on Lin Qian's table.

"Captain, these are the goods to be delivered this time."

Lin Qian pointed to the oval dining table: "There's hot tea on the table, Second Brother, warm yourself up."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiucai went to sit down at the dining table, poured himself a cup of tea, and warmed his hands against the teacup.

As Lin Qian looked at the list, she asked, "Was the handover of the goods smooth?"

Zhou Xiucai: "Mal'ao is a remote place, and it was nighttime. We didn't encounter any strangers, so we could get away without anyone noticing."

Lin Qian nodded. The list contained many items, including urgently needed bricks, tiles, lime, river sand, and cloth, as well as miscellaneous items such as cotton, charcoal, and farm tools.

Some of these items were not on Lin Qian's list; it seems that Hu Zhaoyuan added them on his own initiative because of the recent cold weather.

These things don't cost much, but they convey a sense of loyalty and consideration for the island, and can be considered a sign of a quick-witted person.

Lin Qian called over Lü Zhou and asked him to give the list to the mute Huang, so that the building materials could be used to repair the dry dock first.

Lü Zhou accepted the order and withdrew.

Zhou Xiucai stepped forward, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, and placed it in front of Lin Qian.

"Oh right, this is what the captain wants."

Lin Qian untied the cloth bag and saw several thread-bound books inside, including "Records of Officials", "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty", "Wanli Imperial Records", "Wanli Memorials", "Records of Extraordinary Statutes of the Ming Dynasty", and "Biographies of Chief Ministers Since the Jiajing Era".

These are all political books from the Ming Dynasty. Most of them are sold among the common people, while a small number circulate only among the gentry. They were all obtained by Hu Zhaoyuan.

To make a living in the southeastern coastal region, it was crucial to understand the power dynamics of Ming Dynasty officials, and these books served as Lin Qian's stepping stone.

Zhou Xiucai rubbed his hands together and said, "Boatman, your room looks luxurious, but it's too cold in winter. Why don't you go ashore and live there? Let Old Huang build you a mansion."

The Manila Galleons travel on tropical routes year-round, and the captain's cabin lacks any insulation, relying solely on charcoal braziers for warmth. To prevent fires, the braziers are also quite small.

Lin Qian shook her head: "The mansion is the most useless thing. Right now, we should put all our productivity and building materials into the construction of the dry dock. I'll be fine with a charcoal brazier."

Next, Lin Qian and Zhou Xiucai discussed the development of the Hu family in Chenghai County.

Just then, a crew member knocked on the door and came in: "Sir, the stonemason says the cement mortar is almost dry, and he's asking if you want to go take a look."

"Let's go." Lin Qian stood up. He had nothing to do today, so he decided to go and inspect the cement situation. "Second brother, let's go take a look together."

Surrounded by guards, the two disembarked and arrived at the dock, only to find that there were fewer merchants.

With the Lunar New Year just a month away and the weather getting colder, most vendors are no longer coming to the island.

Lin Qian glanced at the Qilu cake stall, which was still empty, and asked the people around her, "How long has it been since the Qilu cake seller came?"

The guard thought for a moment: "Ever since the captain asked me to buy cakes last time, I haven't seen him at all."

"Hmm." Lin Qian remained noncommittal and said to the guard, "Go and ask the vendors which stalls haven't come to the island yet, and what they've done."

"Yes!" The guard acknowledged the order and left.

Lin Qian and her group continued south of the island. A cement wall was built at the foot of Guolao Mountain, where a natural granite quarry was located, and most of the island's stonemasons lived there.

The wet straw mats had been removed from the cement wall, revealing the blue brick wall with a layer of black cement about half a finger thick between the bricks.

More than twenty stonemasons on the island were gathered around the mound, studying it with varying expressions.

Upon seeing Lin Qian arrive, the stonemason made way for her, and the stonemason Chu stepped forward excitedly, saying, "This wall was built at the beginning of last month, according to the method the boatman described, using cement mortar. I tested it privately, and it is now incredibly hard, just as the boatman said."

Daming glutinous rice mortar only takes one month to dry on the surface, but its strength is far less than that of cement. It takes at least five or six months, or even several years, to dry completely.

This cement mortar not only dries quickly, but also uses much cheaper materials than glutinous rice mortar. If it were to become known to the world, it would shake up the entire stonemasonry industry of the Ming Dynasty, and stonemasons would be excited.

Lin Qian remained calm. After all, architectural designers deal with various types of ready-mixed concrete all day long, and he was very familiar with cement.

He stepped forward, observed the color of the cement mortar, and asked the stonemason for a chisel to dig between the bricks.

Based on empirical estimation, the strength of this traditional cement is roughly equivalent to that of modern low-grade M5-M10 mortar.

This type of low-grade mortar has poor compressive strength and is often used in modern construction for masonry and plastering of low-rise buildings, such as walls, partition walls, courtyard walls, and floor slabs.

It can only be used as a load-bearing wall to support ordinary bungalows.

Of course, there are other ways to improve it, such as using natural volcanic ash as raw material, firing clay or shale, increasing the fineness of grinding, using hot mixing process, adding wood ash, gypsum, egg white, etc., and extending the curing period.

The core principle is to enhance the reactivity of volcanic ash, thereby increasing the production of hydrated calcium silicate.

Of course, in order to achieve higher reactivity, it is inevitable to purchase a large amount of materials, build earthen kilns, and invest more labor.

Simply put, no craft can be mastered overnight; it requires time and experience.

If you're impatient and don't want to wait, then you'll need a huge amount of money.

At this point in time, M5-M10 grade cement mortar is sufficient.

(End of this chapter)