The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 124 Opening the Weir

As agreed.

Ma Chenglie emptied the Zhelin Bay water fortress, and Lin Qian dispatched twenty warships without cannons to garrison Zhelin Bay. At the same time, she delivered eight thousand taels of silver and also gave some pearls and treasures that were not easy to convert into cash.

With the silver to compensate the garrison commander's personal troops and repair the water fortress, plus Lin Qian's warships to make a show of things.

Ma Chenglie's disastrous defeat was concealed to the greatest extent possible, not only preserving his position as general but also allowing him to continue receiving a salary without working. Furthermore, Lin Qian helped suppress the pirates on the Fujian and Guangdong coasts, and life truly began to improve visibly.

Of course, after Lin Qian and her group acquired official military status, they had to reduce their looting activities around Nan'ao Island.

After all, the troops on Nan'ao Island were "fully equipped and manned," and the pirates were suppressed wave after wave, but merchant ships in the waters around Nan'ao Island kept having accidents. Even a fool could guess that something fishy was going on here.

However, not plundering does not mean not generating revenue. When pirates raided ships, it was the most basic and primitive way to generate revenue.

The government troops had their own ways of generating revenue, such as collecting water.

Maritime merchants have their own ways of generating revenue, such as long-distance ocean trade.

Lin Qian now has an identity that spans both the legitimate and criminal worlds. She has boats, men, and cannons. It would be too stupid for her to go back to the old ways of robbery and plunder.

In Lin Qian's vision, there are three paths to take in the future.

First, head north, eliminate Li Dan, and seize the Japanese market.

Although the people of the Ming Dynasty thought Japan was just a tiny country, in reality, Japan's smallness was relative to the Ming Dynasty; its territory was almost comparable to that of Europe.

Moreover, Japan was rich in silver and copper, and had an extreme thirst for Ming Dynasty goods such as raw silk, silk fabrics, porcelain, and sugar.

It can be said to be the most important trading partner of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the downside of heading north to Japan is that it would infringe on the interests of the Portuguese, and could potentially lead to a predicament of fighting on two fronts against both the Portuguese and Li Dan.

Lin Qian doesn't yet have enough strength to challenge these two forces, so she needs to focus on developing her strength first.

The second option is to head south and seize the Southeast Asian market.

Southeast Asia is rich in spices, deer hides, rhinoceros horns, ivory, rice, gemstones, beeswax, etc., all of which are excellent trade commodities.

Teak, the most important wood for shipbuilding, is also found here.

To establish maritime hegemony, ships are indispensable, and teak is the preferred material for shipbuilding, making Southeast Asia a crucial maritime battleground.

Of course, Asia is not without oak. Oak was produced in the northeastern region of the Ming Dynasty. It belongs to the same genus as white oak, which is widely used in European shipbuilding.

Based on this alone, the Jurchens who had seized control of the Northeast were already courting death.

This is something later.

In conclusion, Southeast Asia is also very important right now.

However, Southeast Asia is currently a complex region with many powerful forces, including the Spanish, Dutch, and Portuguese, as well as the British in South Asia, who are not to be trifled with.

It would be dangerous to barge in rashly.

The third option is to go east and develop the Dongfan Islands.

Dongfan Island is rich in natural resources, with vast plains in the west, which are currently undeveloped and suitable for reclamation.

Even after occupying Dongfan Island, Lin Qian didn't need to think about how to develop it herself.

Historically, Dutch colonists set a good example.

The climate of Dongfan Island is extremely suitable for growing sugarcane and developing the sugar industry.

During the Age of Exploration, white sugar was also known as white gold. It was expensive, highly profitable, and very popular in European and Japanese markets.

At the same time, sugarcane bagasse can also be used to brew rum, which is considered a hard currency at sea and can make a profit.

In addition, Dongfan Island has a large herd of deer, which are abundant in deer hides.

Deer hide is a strategic material used to make Japanese armor and bowstrings. It can also be used to make Noh costumes and Japanese lacquerware. Deer hide is also used for polishing. There are few deer in Japan, and the domestic supply is severely insufficient, so the market demand for it is extremely high.

In terms of labor, the indigenous people of Dongfan Island made a living by hunting deer. Buying deer hides from the indigenous people could solve the problems of labor and supply, and also give the indigenous people the opportunity to make money and live a good life, so as not to attack the colonists.

In terms of sugarcane and grain cultivation, Han Chinese are natural farming experts. In the Ming Dynasty, land consolidation was severe, and the conflict between people and land was intense, so there was no shortage of immigrants to recruit.

Furthermore, there are historical precedents on how to attract immigrants to Dongfan Island for land reclamation.

That was Zheng Zhilong's "three golds and one ox" policy in history, which meant that each immigrant going to Dongfan Island would be given three taels of silver and one ox for every three people.

It involves direct economic subsidies and means of production, and the slogans are simple and catchy.

It's likely that simply copying the methods of the Dutch and Zheng Zhilong wouldn't be too bad.

Moreover, at this point in the first year of the Tianqi era, there was a place with an extremely abundant labor force, and Lin Qian had already planned to send people there to recruit.

Of course, there were also difficulties in developing Dongfan Island.

The first thing to consider was silver. Three taels of silver per person, plus three people and one ox, was no small sum.

Moreover, colonization and land reclamation are arduous and require huge initial investments. This is why Lin Qian set up the base on Nan'ao Island instead of Dongfan Island.

Secondly, there was the potential threat from the Dutch. Historically, the Dutch fleet entered the waters between Fujian and Guangdong in the second year of the Tianqi reign. They first failed to attack Macau, then captured Penghu, and then officially began to annex the islands of Dongfan.

Two dragons cannot share one island. If Lin Qian wants to develop on Dongfan Island, he will inevitably have to fight the Dutch sooner or later.

In comparison, these difficulties can be overcome.

Therefore, Lin Qian's next step is to expand into Dongfan.

Of course, his choice to expand into the east did not mean he abandoned Japan and Southeast Asia; it was simply a matter of timing.

You have to eat your food one bite at a time, and kill your enemies one by one.

……

The tenth day of the second month of the first year of the Tianqi reign.

Cai Yang, the newly appointed magistrate of Chenghai County, took office. He was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, he was considered a "turbid stream." The highest position he could ever reach in his lifetime was that of a magistrate.

If it weren't for the severe shortage of officials in the Ming Dynasty, and the fact that Chenghai was a small border county, Cai Yang wouldn't have been chosen as the county magistrate.

Magistrate Cai did not look down on himself because of his status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations). He was determined to make a name for himself in Chenghai and achieve great things.

Unfortunately, he was hit hard by reality as soon as he took office.

Externally, they were corrupted by local gentry and wealthy households; internally, they were hampered by clerks and officials in the government offices, which were running out of money and grain and owed the imperial court more than a decade's worth of taxes.

Magistrate Cai worked tirelessly for half a month but accomplished nothing. Instead, he was framed and falsely accused because he had cut off the clerks' source of income, and almost lost his official position.

Fortunately, there were kind people among the local gentry. The Hu family, who wove Chaozhou silk, spent money to bribe officials and kept his official position.

After this incident, Magistrate Cai fully realized his own position, grew closer to the Hu family, and received more and more benefits from them.

Hu Zhaoyuan, the head of the Hu family, was a model of righteousness in Chenghai County. He was not only very tolerant of his weavers, but also used his own money to build a granary to stabilize grain prices.

On the day the granary was completed, Chenghai County held a grand ceremony. Magistrate Cai personally wrote the four characters "Benefit the people" and affixed his seal.

Hu Zhaoyuan smiled broadly and immediately ordered his men to make the calligraphy into a plaque and hang it on the gate of the granary.

Since the calligraphy has been mentioned, a fee is always inevitable.

When Magistrate Cai returned home in the afternoon, he discovered that his house contained an extra set of Huzhou brushes and Duan inkstones, fifty taels of silver, and two beautiful concubines.

Cai Yang personally taught his beautiful concubine how to compose poems and paint, and only then did he feel that he was finally experiencing the true meaning of being a county magistrate.

……

It was late February, the first year of the Tianqi reign, at dusk.

Outside a wealthy family's house in Dingxing County, Beizhili.

A pedestrian on horseback, drunk, fell off his horse and collapsed to the ground.

Although it was late spring, the climate in Beizhili was still cold. If no one helped him, this drunkard would surely freeze to death if he lay outside all night.

Fortunately, the gatekeeper of that house heard the commotion and came out to check. As soon as he took a few steps closer, he smelled a strong odor of alcohol.

The gatekeeper picked up a twig, covered his nose with one hand, and poked the drunkard with it.

"Hey! Wake up!"

The drunkard was so drunk that he was fast asleep, and his horse stood by, waiting for its owner.

Seeing that the man was well-dressed and had a horse, the gatekeeper assumed he was someone of importance and, wanting to make a good connection, tied up his horse, dragged the man into the mansion, and put him in the woodshed for the night.

Unexpectedly, when he woke up the next day, the drunkard insisted on seeing the host to thank him for saving his life.

The gatekeeper said, "I'm the one who saved you, so you should thank me."

The drunkard took out five taels of silver from his pocket, gave it to the gatekeeper to thank him for saving his life, but still insisted on meeting the host to express his gratitude.

Helpless, the gatekeeper could only instruct the drunkard not to reveal that he had let him into the mansion without permission, and then went into the inner courtyard to inform the gatekeeper.

While the gatekeeper was entangled with the drunkard, in the main room of the mansion's rear courtyard, Ke Yinyue was dressing up in front of the mirror.

She is over thirty years old this year, but her skin is smooth and firm, her hair is black, her eyes are bright, and her figure is graceful. She looks like she is in her early twenties.

Behind Ke Yinyue, her younger brother Ke Guangxian paced back and forth in the room anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan.

"My dear sister, are you all dressed up? If you are, hurry up and set off, don't be late!"

"What's the rush?" Ke Yinyue bit her lipstick, admiring her alluring lips in the bronze mirror, and said softly, "Let Xiao Ge wait a while."

Ke Guangxian was greatly alarmed. Even though he knew he was in the mansion, he looked around, afraid that someone would hear him. Then he lowered his voice and said urgently, "Why are you still calling him 'Scholar'? He is the Emperor!"

Ke Yinyue gave herself a seductive smile in the mirror: "Even if it's the Emperor, he's still my schoolboy. Come on, help me see which outfit suits me best."

Ke Yinyue got up from her dressing table and started choosing clothes. She was only wearing a close-fitting undergarment, and her chest naturally revealed a captivating tremor.

Her younger brother was startled and turned around, continuing, "Sister, you're not still angry about the Emperor helping you get out of the palace, are you? Don't you think about it? Throughout history, which emperor has ever kept his wet nurse by his side after his wedding? The Emperor has already given you and our family enough favors; don't ruin them yourself!"

Ke Yinyue chose a bright red jacket and put it on. Admiring herself in the mirror, she said, "You don't understand men. The more unattainable something is, the more a man wants to try it. If he gets it easily, he won't care about it anymore."

Even knowing his sister's true nature, Ke Guangxian couldn't help but twitch upon hearing this. He didn't care whether his sister had a relationship with the emperor or with those eunuchs; as long as his sister could maintain the emperor's favor, that was enough.

After Emperor Tianqi ascended the throne, he bestowed upon Ke Guangxian the title of Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard within a month, and also granted his sister Ke Yinyue the title of "Lady Fengsheng," demonstrating the extent of his favor.

However, Ke Yinyue was, after all, a wet nurse. After Emperor Tianqi weaned her, she continued to stay in the palace, which was already an overstepping of the rules and an exception.

The fact that her sister was given the title of "Lady Fengsheng" made those hypocritical Donglin Party members even more disgusted.

He repeatedly petitioned the emperor, requesting that Ke Yinyue be expelled from the palace.

Out of consideration for the bond between mother and son, the emperor did not grant his request.

In early February of the first year of the Tianqi reign, the emperor held his wedding. Now that he was married and of legal age, according to custom, he should have moved out and become his own family. There was no reason for him to live with his wet nurse anymore.

So the Donglin Party repeated their old arguments and advised the emperor to expel Ke Yinyue from the palace.

Perhaps the emperor believed the argument that he had grown up, or perhaps he was simply fed up with the Donglin Party; in any case, he agreed this time and sent Ke Yinyue out of the palace. The hypocrites of Donglin celebrated their victory, and the court and the public alike believed that Ke Yinyue had fallen out of favor, and that as a result, he, as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had lost all real power.

Fortunately, before a month had passed, the emperor, remembering their past relationship, issued an edict ordering Ke Yinyue to return to the palace to serve him.

With the Hakka people on the verge of regaining power, how could he not be anxious?

Just as they were trying to persuade her again, they suddenly heard a maid outside the door say, "Madam, someone outside is requesting an audience."

Ke Guangxian asked first, "Who is it?"

"The doorman said he was a passerby who had drunk too much yesterday and had taken shelter from the wind by leaning against the eaves in front of the door. He had survived the night and came here specifically to thank him."

Ke Guangxian angrily shouted, "What kind of beggar dares to trespass on my Hakka gate? Get him out of here!"

"Wait," Ke Yinyue commanded, "Bring them in."

"Yes," the maid replied and left.

Ke Guangxian said anxiously, “Sister, what time is it? Getting to the palace is the important thing. Why are you seeing that beggar?”

Ke Yinyue said calmly, "Let's meet first and then talk."

A moment later, the drunkard was brought to the main hall, where Ke Guangxian came out to greet him with an impatient look on his face and asked about his identity.

The drunkard cupped his hands and introduced himself: "I am Chang Lei, a servant under General Ma, the deputy commander of Nan'ao. I came here on the orders of the commander, but I drank too much and passed out by the roadside. If it weren't for your esteemed presence, I would probably be dead. Therefore, I have come to express my gratitude."

"Understood." Ke Guang waved goodbye to the guest as if shooing away a fly.

"I offer this as a token of my appreciation," Chang Lei said, taking a cloth bag from his pocket and placing it on the table.

Ke Guang first noticed that the cloth bag was about the size of a palm, stuffed full, and he didn't know what was inside.

But since this person was a servant, he probably didn't have much money, so he didn't take it to heart and still coldly chased him away.

Having completed his mission, Chang Lei did not linger any longer and cupped his hands in farewell, saying, "Farewell."

After the man left, Ke Guangxian said to the servant, "Look at what kind of junk they gave us."

Upon hearing this, the servant stepped forward, opened the bag, glanced inside, and was immediately dumbfounded: "It's...it's a bag of pearls."

"Look at you, so uncultured!" Ke Guangxian scolded. "Let me see it."

Pearls weren't exactly rare items in the capital, and although this small bag was worth some money, it didn't catch Ke Guangxian's eye.

But when the servant handed over the bag, the customer glanced into it and his eyes widened in surprise.

The pearls in the bag are all plump and round, about the size of a lychee seed, and are pure white, with some even having a slight pinkish tinge.

These are... these are top-quality South Sea pearls! Each one is priceless.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only a small bag; it's quite a generous gift!

……

The next day, Ke Yinyue arrived in the capital, comforted the young emperor, and returned to his residence, Xian'an Palace.

Soon after, Wei Jinzhong, the newly appointed Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, arrived at the place.

"You've arrived~" Ke Yinyue's face was as clear as autumn water, her cheeks flushed.

"Get out, all of you," Wei Jinzhong said sternly to the eunuchs and maids serving him.

Half an hour later, Ke Yinyue's face was flushed, her body was limp on the bed, her chest heaving rapidly, and she was panting heavily.

Wei Jinzhong brought over a silk cloth and thoughtfully wiped away the sweat from Yin Yue's sweat, while also wiping his own three fingers.

After catching her breath, Ke Yinyue recounted how someone had delivered pearls to her the day before.

Wei Jinzhong was slightly taken aback, then said, "A bag of top-quality South Sea pearls? This is quite an expensive gift."

Ke Yinyue turned over, looked at her political ally, and asked, "Do you think we should accept this gift? Is that general asking for something?"

“Since you’ve brought it, just keep it,” Wei Jinzhong said with a smile. “I reckon this person is just here to make a good connection, and is only delivering gifts while you’re away from the palace… This Deputy Commander of Nan’ao is quite interesting.”

……

March 1st.

The dry dock on Nan'ao Island has been completed.

The dry dock is located in Yandun Bay, southeast of Nan'ao Island, near Yun'ao.

Yandun Bay faces the South China Sea and is a natural deep-water port. Even in later generations, it was the location of a national-level port capable of handling tens of thousands of tons of cargo, making it ideal for building a large military port.

Dry dock construction is simple. To put it simply, you dig a rectangular pit on the shore, then fill the bottom and slopes with mortar and stones, making it look like a large cement basin.

After more than a month of curing, the cement basin has reached the required strength, and it is time to remove the cofferdam and release water for testing.

At Dongdunjiao, east of Yandun Bay, on a high ground, tables, chairs, benches, fruits, and refreshments were set up. Lin Qian and his brothers were drinking tea and waiting there.

The stonemason stood to one side, explaining the dry dock with great enthusiasm.

"The dry dock at Yandun Bay is thirty zhang long, eight zhang wide, and three zhang deep..."

“Good heavens!” Lei Sanxiang interrupted, “I think the large sailing ship is only about twenty feet long. Why build it so big?”

The stonemason explained, "The dimensions are all based on the helmsman's instructions, to allow for leeway after the large sailing ship enters the port to install scaffolding, and to facilitate the construction of larger ships later."

Seeing that the doubts were resolved, the stonemason continued, "The dock entrance, as instructed by the helmsman, faces southwest to avoid direct exposure to the monsoon winds. This way, regardless of winter or summer, the dock will have crosswinds available, making it convenient to enter and exit. The cement mortar inside the dock was also prepared according to the method instructed by the helmsman. Uh... everyone, please take a look at the cofferdam..."

The cement mortar used in dry docks is also different from the original version. Natural volcanic ash has replaced coarse ceramic powder, resulting in cement with higher strength and greater hydraulic properties, making it extremely suitable for underwater engineering.

Historically, Roman cement, which could "heal itself," was made from natural volcanic ash, and its stability was even stronger than that of modern cement.

In the Ming Dynasty, volcanic ash was called "calamity ash," considered waste, and no one used it. On Lin Qian's shopping list for Hu Zhaoyuan, it was the least noticeable item.

However, there is no volcanic ash in Jiangnan. This volcanic ash is transported by boat from Qiongzhou Prefecture, which is costly and has a low output.

Fortunately, there are also volcanoes to the north of Dongfan Island, so it would be much more convenient to mine directly on Dongfan Island after development.

As they were talking, the dry dock had already completed preparations for opening the weir.

The stonemason took a deep breath and shouted, "The dam can be opened now! Please make a public announcement!"

Lin Qian: "Open the dam."

The stonemason shouted to the dry dock: "Open the weir!"

At his command, a craftsman who had been waiting by the wooden stake cofferdam carefully climbed the cofferdam with a sledgehammer and tied a rope to the hole in the middle of a wooden stake.

The other end of the rope was connected to a wooden gantry frame. Through a combination of countless rope pulleys, the upward rope was connected to winches on both sides of the dry dock, with dozens of prisoners standing next to each winch.

The craftsman then used a sledgehammer to repeatedly strike the wooden stake that was secured with ropes. He didn't strike hard, but he struck very frequently in order to loosen the soil at the bottom of the stake and break the adhesion between the stake and the soil.

After striking the ground dozens of times, the craftsman stopped and shouted, "Up!"

The prisoners obeyed orders and pushed the winch together, filling the harbor with shouts urging them to work harder.

As the winch rotated, the ropes fixed to the wooden stakes were taut, and the gantry, winch, and wooden stakes all creaked.

The craftsmen shouted, "Give it your all! Once you get the first one out, the rest will be easier. Push harder!"

The prisoners' faces contorted with rage, and they growled in their throats.

Finally, the winch released its grip, the entire wooden stake was pulled out, and seawater surged into the dry dock through the gaps.

The iron pre-embedded keel pier at its base was gradually submerged by seawater.

Thick wooden stakes were washed into the dry dock by the seawater, tied with ropes, and vibrated continuously as endless seawater poured into the dry dock with astonishing force.

The power of nature is fully revealed at this moment.

At Dongdunjiao, Lin Qian's brothers were all extremely surprised to see this scene.

Even though Lin Qian was used to seeing large-scale projects, she was still shocked. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, it would have been hard to believe that such a huge project could be completed using only manpower, wood, nails, and mortise and tenon joints.

An hour later, the dry dock was only half full of water.

Lei Sanxiang muttered, "The water is being pumped in way too slowly, Lao Chu, can't we pull out a few more wooden stakes?"

The stonemason explained with a smile, "It's better to fill the pit slowly. If the water flows too fast, it will impact the wall of the pit, which is not good. Besides, once the pit is full of water, the wooden piles will have buoyancy, which will make it easier to pull the piles out later."

Lei Sanxiang said to Lin Qian, "Captain, are we just going to wait here?"

The dry dock is extremely important, directly impacting future development, which is why Lin Qian was so concerned and came to inspect it personally.

Chen Jiao said, "Say less."

While cracking sunflower seeds, Zheng Zhilong said, "The four departments on the island have been busy lately, and everyone is occupied with official duties every day. Coming to see the sea is quite pleasant and relaxing. By the way, where is Brother Bai?"

Lin Qian pointed to the distant sea: "He's on the Dafu ship."

Zheng Zhilong looked in the direction Lin Qian was pointing and saw several ships anchored on the sea surface of Yandun Bay. Among them, the large Fujian ship No. 2, which was seized from Zhelin Bay, was particularly eye-catching due to its tall hull.

Lin Qian took a sip of tea: "Once the dry dock is ready, this large Fujian ship will be the first vessel to enter."

Since it was the first time the dry dock was being used, the craftsmen were not yet proficient. Lin Qian did not dare to risk the Saint Anna, so she let the Dafu ship test the waters first, which also provided an opportunity to improve and repair the Dafu ship.

Yun'ao, west of Yandun Bay, is also a flat area. Thousands of people involved in the dry dock construction rest and eat here on weekdays, and over the past few months, a barracks has been developed there.

Around noon, the Yun'ao barracks prepared lunch and delivered it to Yandunjiao.

While eating lunch, Lin Qian said, "By the way, I've looked at the test questions, and there are no problems. Let's just make the test like this. When do we plan to hold the exam?"

Zhou Xiucai swallowed a mouthful of rice and replied, "In ten days."

Lei Sanxiang said, "The exam has finally started. Once the new officials are recruited, quickly change my position as the Director of the Military Guard."

When he first became the Director, he was quite interested in being an official. However, although it was called the Military Guard Department, he was still facing paperwork all day long. He was illiterate, so he suffered a lot. Compared to that, Lei Sanxiang preferred to fire cannons on the ship.

Chen Jiao joked, "With your eyes wide open, it would be difficult for you to cling to the position of Director."

Lei Sanxiang was furious and started arguing with Chen Jiao, which made all the brothers burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided and a moment of silence followed, Lin Qian said, "Brother, after the exams, put aside your work at the Construction Bureau. I have an important matter to entrust to you."

Chen Jiao asked, "What is it?"

Lin Qian: "It's too early to say now. Come to the captain's cabin tonight."

"Okay," Chen Jiao replied.

After lunch, his men cleared away the cups and plates and replaced them with tea and snacks.

At this point, the filling of the dry dock with water was basically completed, and the winches on both sides of the gantry continued to rotate, lifting the wooden piles high, over the cofferdam, and placing them on the sea surface outside the dock.

(End of this chapter)