The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 135 The Papacy and the Heretics

The captain of the Faraway was so shocked by what he saw that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as the enemy ship took a shortcut and got closer and closer.

Dirk's voice already carried a hint of panic: "Load the chain gun!"

Soon, the Changfeng, Yunfan, and Yuanxingzhe were within a hundred paces.

The Faraway fired first.

The ten broadside cannons fired chain shot, which split in two in mid-air, connected by an iron chain, and tumbled back and forth in the air before heading straight for the sails.

Unfortunately, the main feature of Chinese hard sails is their durability and resilience; they were originally designed to withstand the unpredictable monsoons and typhoons.

Chain shot is highly effective against Western sailing ships with complex sail locks, but its effectiveness is greatly reduced against Chinese hard sails.

The chain shot from the Far Voyager tumbled through the air, with most of it falling into the water. Only two hit the Cloud Sail, tearing two gashes in its mainsail and foresail, respectively.

Hard sails have struts behind them, so even if some parts of the sail are damaged, they won't be torn in large pieces by the wind like soft sails, and they won't even have a significant impact on the boat's speed.

The Changfeng and Yunfan slowly approached within eighty paces of the Yuanxingzhe and fired their broadside guns, also using chain shot.

A single salvo severed a large section of the Voyager's side supports.

The Faraway then returned fire with chain shot, and the two sides maintained a distance of sixty paces, engaging in a naval artillery battle.

In an instant, sails, rigging, wood chips, seawater, gunpowder smoke, and screams created chaos on the sea.

The gunners of the Changfeng and Yunfan were trained with countless live rounds. In rapid-fire mode, their firing rate was much faster than that of the Yuanxingzhe. On average, the Yuanxingzhe could only fire one shot for every two shots fired.

After ten rounds of shelling, most of the sails of the Faraway were destroyed.

Another round of shelling broke all the mainmast swing cables of the Voyager, causing the three jibs on the mainmast to lose their anchor and rotate sharply to the right. The entire ship immediately lost its power and gradually came to a standstill, moving at a snail's pace.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Changfeng sailed to the bow of the Dutch ship, switched its broadside cannons to grapeshot, and began to relentlessly clean the deck.

The moment the cannons fired, screams and a spray of blood rose from the Dutch deck.

The Yunfan followed closely behind, and as it passed the Dutch ship, one could even feel the blood mist spraying onto their skin.

Zheng Zhilong wiped his face, his hands covered in crimson blood, and grinned maliciously, "Change to grapeshot and sail to the bow of the enemy ship!"

On deck, the shouts of the first mate, boatswain, and gunnery chief rose and fell.

"Change to grape-sized rounds!"

"Turn right ahead and lower the sails!"

"put!"

The roar of cannons was incessant.

After several rounds of grapeshot, the bow of the Voyager was almost destroyed, and countless solid iron balls were ruthlessly taking lives on the deck.

In an instant, the sounds of cannons roaring, screams, and shattering planks filled the air, accompanied by the mingled smells of sulfur and blood.

Zheng Zhilong's face was full of excitement. This scene made his blood boil, and he kept shouting loudly.

"Aim for areas with lots of people!"

"Bombard the stern tower! Don't let those armed guys come out!"

"Hahaha, that was a great shot! Skinny Zhang, there'll be a reward when we get back to shore!"

With his good voice, Zheng Zhilong took on all the roles of boatswain and gunnery chief, and he did it all with great enthusiasm. His excited expression was more like playing a war game than fighting a war.

On the Voyager, Dirk crouched behind the bulwark on the stern deck, not daring to show his head, as limbs, chunks of flesh, blood, and wood chips rained down on him.

"Surrender! We surrender! Why aren't you sending anyone to raise the white flag?" Dirk cried out, clutching his head.

The first mate, who was also curled up, said, "Our men were bombed to death before they even raised the white flag. Three of them are already dead!"

"Those Portuguese deserve to go to hell, have they gone mad?" Dirk cursed angrily.

In his entire seafaring career, he had never seen such a tactic of refusing to board the ship and firing relentlessly as if the shells were free.

Amidst the hail of bullets, the first mate yelled at the top of his lungs, "Now we can only wait for their artillery to overheat!"

“Slaughter! This is slaughter!” Dirk angrily accused.

"I..." the first mate began, but before he could finish a single word, a volley of grapeshot pierced the bulwark, instantly tearing him to shreds. Broken flesh and bullet fragments rained down across the entire stern deck.

Dirk's head and face were soaked in blood. He stared blankly as the first mate's body, riddled with holes, collapsed, his body trembling uncontrollably.

After what felt like an eternity of judgment, the enemy ships ceased firing.

Dirk, no longer concerned with giving orders to the crew, seized the opportunity to quickly tear off the white cloth from his shirt, tied it to the scraps of wood, and made a makeshift white flag, which he then waved in the air.

Although he himself was not injured, his clothes were already stained with the blood of the crew, and the white cloth was also stained red, making it look like a red flag.

On the Yunfan, the gunnery officer shouted, "The gun is overheating!"

Zheng Zhilong said in a deep voice, "Turn around and switch to the other side of the cannons!"

A crew member shouted, "Look!"

The people on the ship looked towards the Dutch ship and saw seven or eight white flags waving in the air from behind various bunkers.

The Changfeng's five-colored flag waved, and the Yunfan was ordered to move forward and board the ship.

Zheng Zhilong obeyed the order and commanded the Yunfan to turn around on the spot, make a big circle, and stick close to the port side of the Yuanxingzhe.

The crew lowered the sails, threw out grappling hooks, pulled the two ships closer, then laid down planks, grabbed knives and guns, and rushed onto the Faraway from the planks.

When Zheng Zhilong boarded the Voyager, all the surviving crew members had been subdued and were kneeling on the deck.

Zheng Zhilong first scanned the deck and saw that almost none of the exposed wooden planks on the ship were intact. The deck, which should have been flat, was now full of holes, and some places were even broken open, exposing the cannons underneath.

The deck was littered with severed limbs and torsos. Even though Zheng Zhilong's nose was already stuffed with the smell of sulfur, the stench of blood still wafted straight to the top of his head.

Zheng Zhilong bent down, took a grape-shaped bullet embedded in wood from the bulwark, and played with it in his hand, secretly feeling a sense of awe at the power of the cannon.

The first mate of the Yunfan stepped forward and reported: "There are five intact foreign prisoners on board, and ten wounded foreigners, Japanese pirates, and others."

"The injured person?" Zheng Zhilong frowned. "What is the injured person's identity?"

"Judging from their clothing, they should be ordinary crew members and mercenaries."

"There are no doctors on that island to treat their injuries."

"My subordinate understands."

The first mate immediately ordered his men to take the wounded to the ship's side and kill them. The crew members were extremely efficient; they slit the throats, drained the blood, and pushed the bodies into the sea in one swift motion.

Dirk was stunned by this behavior; at least Caribbean pirates would demand ransom or force people to join their ranks.

These yellow-skinned pirates killed people without asking a single question?

Zheng Zhilong did not ask any questions. He simply ordered the remaining red-haired barbarians to be tied up and sent back to the island. At the same time, he sent people to inspect the cabins and assess the damage to the ship.

Firstly, Zheng Zhilong didn't understand Dutch, and secondly, once they arrived on the island, someone was specifically assigned to get the prisoners to speak.

"You guys, clean up the deck," Zheng Zhilong ordered the crew, explaining that there was too much blood and it was easy to slip.

The crew were ordered to cover the bloodstains with sand and throw large pieces of the body into the sea.

As they were cleaning up, a commotion broke out in the warehouse.

"Who goes there? Don't move!"

"Everyone crouch down, then come closer and fire!"

A moment later, a crew member hurried up from the cargo hold and whispered to Zheng Zhilong, "Ship owner, dozens of people have been found in the cargo hold."

"Red Barbarians?" Zheng Zhilong asked in confusion.

"They're Han Chinese, and their accents sound like they're from the Liaodong area. They seem to have been kidnapped and taken to a ship. What should we do?"

Zheng Zhilong: "Keep an eye on them, don't let them come out of the warehouse."

"Yes!"

The crew went down to the deck to give the order, and Zheng Zhilong walked over to Dike.

This red-haired barbarian was wearing a tight-fitting, double-breasted coat that reached his waist, with a large, fine linen lapel that lay flat on his shoulders. His outfit looked extravagant and luxurious, suggesting he was an officer.

"Can you speak Mandarin?" Zheng Zhilong asked.

Deke: "Ik ben de kapitein van de VOC, Deke..."

Zheng Zhilong frowned and said, "What kind of gibberish is that!" Then he asked the same question again in Portuguese.

Dirk couldn't understand it, but he could tell it was Portuguese. He became even more convinced that these Ming Dynasty people were Portuguese mercenaries, and he cursed the Portuguese in Macau a thousand times in his heart.

Unable to communicate, Zheng Zhilong ordered his men: "Blindfold these Dutchmen, lock them up, and leave them for the captain to interrogate."

Subordinates obey orders.

After about half an hour, a crew member came up from the lower deck and said, "Ship owner, there are twenty cannons, more than twenty boxes of silver ingots, thirty boxes of copper ingots, ten boxes of raw silk, and more than a dozen other miscellaneous goods on board."

After he finished speaking, the carpenter of the Yunfan reported: "Ship owner, the deck of this ship is severely damaged, but the cabin and waterline are basically intact."

The first mate of the Yunfan said, "The rigging on the ship is badly damaged and can't be repaired in a short time. We can only tow it back to the island."

Zheng Zhilong said, "Let's do it this way. Find someone to tie the mooring line and notify the Changfeng that we are preparing to return!"

……

That evening, the fleet docked at Houjiangwan Wharf.

As the number of prisoners on Nan'ao Island increased, including pirates, private soldiers, military personnel, and Spanish, prisons and torture chambers were built on the island in order to extract as much intelligence as possible.

Five Dutch prisoners of war, including Dirk, were escorted there.

Inside the interrogation room, Lin Qian sat at the table, with Zheng Zhilong and Bai Qing standing on either side of her, reporting on the day's battle situation.

On the table was a preliminary list of looted goods, among which the fifty-two Han Chinese in the cabin stood out.

On the floor of the torture chamber, five Dutch prisoners of war, blindfolded, trembled.

"Who are you people?" Lin Qian asked the question in both Spanish and English.

Dirk reacted strongly to Spanish, but still couldn't understand it.

Lin Qian had someone search among the Spanish prisoners for those who could speak Dutch. After a long while, Spanish Vice Admiral Juan was brought in.

After spending more than half a year on the island, Juan's aristocratic air had vanished. His skin had darkened, and he had become emaciated, looking no different from an ordinary Iberian farmer. Upon seeing Lin Qian, he immediately knelt down and tearfully begged for freedom.

Lin Qian promised to improve his prisoner treatment somewhat, on the condition that he serve as a Dutch translator.

Juan readily agreed.

"What's your name? What's your identity?" Lin Qian asked. Juan stood to the side and sternly rebuked her in Dutch: "Infidel, state your name and identity!"

“I am Captain Dirk de Vries of the Dutch East India Company. I can pay a ransom for my freedom!”

The Dutch and Spanish had a long-standing feud, as evidenced by Juan's use of the word "infidel."

By this time, the Netherlands had fully converted to Protestantism, while Spain was a long-established Catholic power, and the religious conflict between the two was irreconcilable.

In addition, the Habsburg dynasty of Spain's rule over the Netherlands imposed heavy taxes and levies, which aroused public resentment and sparked the Dutch War of Independence.

This war has been going on for decades and is still ongoing today, leading to further conflicts between the two countries.

The Dutch were skilled in business. Most of the silver, raw silk, and porcelain that Spain had plundered and traded in the Americas and Asia ended up in Dutch hands, which made Spain extremely envious.

Therefore, the two countries also have economic conflicts.

Finally, both the Netherlands and Spain coveted the Americas and Southeast Asia, leading to further conflicts over their colonies.

In short, the two countries harbor deep-seated resentment.

Moreover, the traditional Chinese strategic philosophies of "shared hatred against a common enemy," "forming alliances," and "befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones" were ineffective in the conflict between the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.

Despite the delicate relationship between Portugal and Spain, both were also hostile to the Dutch because they were both ruled by the Habsburg dynasty.

One of the purposes of the Dutch establishing trading posts in Japan and sending their ships to roam the East Asian seas was to break Portugal's monopoly on trade between Ming China and Japan.

Juan couldn't help but laugh when he heard Dirk's request for a ransom in exchange for his freedom.

Doesn't Vice Admiral Juan of the Spanish Navy know whether a ransom can buy freedom?

The Ming Dynasty's pirates didn't fall for that trick at all!
"Papal Party, how dare you mock a nobleman?" Dirk roared in exasperation.

Dirk had overheard Lin Qian and Juan speaking in Spanish, and now he couldn't help but retort.

Juan ignored him and translated for Lin Qian.

Lin Qian said calmly, "Explain the fifty-two Han Chinese in the cabin."

Juan added the prefix "infidel" to Lin Qian's question and asked Dirk.

Dirk felt a little guilty and stammered, not daring to answer.

Seeing this, Lin Qian said, "Tell the truth, and I'll let you go."

Juan couldn't believe it, but under pressure, he had no choice but to translate, so he dejectedly repeated the story verbatim.

Dirk was overjoyed and explained, "Those fifty-two people are laborers who are to be sent to Batavia. The people of the Ming Dynasty are hardworking and can endure hardship. They are good at farming and building cities. As long as they are given a little reward, they will work hard and are more diligent than the natives and black slaves who are whipped!"

During the Age of Sail, the Netherlands was an active participant in the slave trade.

This "business" was extremely profitable, and the Southeast Asian colonies were severely lacking in labor, so there was no reason for the Dutch East India Company not to do it.

Lin Qianhan said in a cold voice: "You dare to sell the people of the Ming Dynasty into slavery!"

Dirk quickly explained, "Not slaves, but laborers! Under colonial law, the two are not the same!"

"Hehe." Lin Qian chuckled softly.

In Batavia, Han Chinese had a higher legal status than slaves, simply because giving them a little money made them more self-motivated than being whipped.

In the eyes of the colonizers, there was no essential difference between slaves and laborers.

Historically, massacres of Han Chinese did not only occur in Manila; Batavia experienced similar incidents.

Lin Qian then inquired in detail about the origins of the fifty-two Han prisoners, the scale of the Dutch's capture of "laborers" in the Ming Dynasty, the course of the Dutch fleet, the number of warships of the East India Company, and its sphere of influence.

It turned out that the Dutch were still somewhat wary of the Ming government. These fifty-two men were all bought from Hirado, and Hirado's goods were mostly sourced from Liaodong refugees.

In March of this year, after Nurhaci conquered Liaoshen, many Han Chinese on the border crossed the Yalu River and fled into the territory of the Joseon Dynasty.

Some Japanese pirates colluded with local officials of the Joseon Dynasty to kidnap these refugees, transport them to Hirado, and then sell them to the Dutch.

The East India Company owned two to three hundred armed merchant ships like the Farvoor, and countless Frutt merchant ships.

As for the number of warships, that remains unknown, but a conservative estimate would be around thirty or forty.

Upon hearing the sheer number of ships, even Juan was astonished. He knew the Dutch were strong, but he hadn't expected them to be this strong!

Fortunately, although the Dutch had many ships, their sphere of influence was also large. Their fleet had to guard Batavia, the Spice Islands, Ceylon, and other places, as well as the vast sea areas covered by their shipping routes.

The massive ships seemed less numerous when dispersed in these areas.

After the questioning, Lin Qian instructed Bai Qing: "I'm giving you the Changfeng, Yunfan, and all the Eagle ships. From today onwards, if you encounter Dutch ships, there's no need to report; just go out to sea and take action!"

"Yes!" Bai Qing clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Zheng Zhilong was somewhat disappointed, after all, Lin Qian's instructions were directed at Bai Qing, and he did not have the authority to lead a ship to plunder.

Seeing Lin Qian get up to leave the interrogation room, Dirk hurriedly said, "Captain, you promised to let me go."

The torches on the wall flickered, casting half-light and half-shadow on Lin Qian's face: "You think you can leave now that you've come to the island? Since you like Ming Dynasty laborers so much, why don't you experience the labor reform life on Nan'ao Island?"

Juan was so frightened by Lin Qian's attitude that he got goosebumps all over his body. He wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to open his mouth.

Lin Qian said to the militia guarding the prisoners, "From now on, this Spaniard will eat and live better than the other prisoners, and his work will be lighter."

"My subordinates know."

Lin Qian improved Hu An's treatment, not to keep her word.

Firstly, Juan is currently the only one under his command who understands Dutch, and he will have to rely on him to interrogate Dutch prisoners in the future.

Secondly, with the increasing number of naval battles and the growing number of prisoners on the island, it was necessary to find ways to reduce the pressure on the guards.

Rewarding well-behaved prisoners and guiding them to actively reform is one approach.

Even if that doesn't work, differential treatment can create conflict among prisoners and divert attention from the conflict between prisoners and guards.

"Yi Guan, come with me for a while," Lin Qian said, stopping at the door of the interrogation room.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong was overjoyed and eagerly followed along.

After leaving the interrogation room, Lin Qian led Zheng Zhilong on a stroll around the island. They stopped in front of an oyster omelet stall and ordered seven or eight servings. He and his guards then sat down at the stall to eat.

Before long, the oyster omelet was served, and the guards tested it for poison.

Lin Qian took out a pair of chopsticks and said to Zheng Zhilong, "Eat it while it's hot."

Oyster omelet is similar to oyster pancake, made by coating oysters in potato starch and frying them until the edges are crispy and the inside of the oysters is fresh and tender. When you bite into it, the oyster juice bursts in your mouth, making it very flavorful.

When paired with fish sauce and salt water dipping sauce, it has an extremely sweet and delicious flavor, which is loved by the people of Chaozhou.

Ever since Lin Qian established the relationship between General Ma and Magistrate Cai of Chenghai, the identities of the people on the island as soldiers have been confirmed, and more and more small merchants are coming to the island to do business every day.

Even the oyster omelet stall, which was usually only set up near the dock, has been moved to the south of the city.

Nan'ao City is now undergoing rapid changes, exuding the beauty of an economic upswing.

While eating her oyster omelet, Lin Qian exclaimed, "The current state of Nan'ao City is all thanks to you and Brother Zhou, who are in charge of the government affairs office!"

"Cough cough cough!" Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhilong coughed incessantly, almost coughing up the fish sauce from his nose. While catching his breath, he waved his hand and said, "If you say that, Master, then I can't go to the government office!"

Lin Qian joked, "If not the government affairs office, where do you want to go?"

Zheng Zhilong felt a chill run down his spine, unsure whether the captain was joking or testing him. He jokingly expressed his loyalty in return, saying, "If Brother Lin thinks highly of me, I'd be happy to be your bodyguard!"

"Brother Yi Guan is a man of both literary and martial talents. Isn't it a waste of his talents to make him a bodyguard?" Lin Qian said indistinctly while slurping oyster omelet.

Zheng Zhilong was a little puzzled. If this was a test, it seemed too casual and natural.

Moreover, he was extremely loyal and had never done anything to betray the captain, so he had a clear conscience.

Since arriving on the island, he has served as the Director of the Criminal and Constitutional Affairs Department and the Deputy Director of the Political Affairs Department. He has led the Yunfan ship to plunder at sea and has achieved some success, but compared with the captain, his achievements are insignificant.

Therefore, logically speaking, he shouldn't have been tested by Lin Qian.

Upon realizing this, Zheng Zhilong felt guilty again, thinking, "I have been so preoccupied with my thoughts, I have truly failed the captain's sincerity, I am truly ashamed!"

Seeing that Zheng Zhilong was stunned and didn't speak, Lin Qian said, "There's something I need you to do."

Zheng Zhilong immediately stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and solemnly said, "Please give your orders, Master, I will do my utmost!"

Lin Qian smiled and asked him to sit down: "It's not that serious, I'm just sending you to meet an old acquaintance."

"Who?"

“The Macau legislator.”

……

Two weeks later, a Seawolf ship arrived at the port of Macau.

Stepping onto the pier and seeing the familiar scenery before him, Zheng Zhilong felt as if he had been transported to another world, his thoughts swirling with emotions.

More than a year ago, he set sail from this port and boarded the captain's ship.

Today, he came to meet with Congressman Andrei again as Lin Qian's special envoy.

Zheng Zhilong was the mastermind behind this trip, and Jose was his deputy.

Zheng Zhilong is upright and domineering; He Sai is shrewd and adaptable. Lin Qian sent these two as envoys to allow them to complement each other's strengths.

As soon as they disembarked, the two were warmly received by the senator, who sent a carriage to take them to the senator's residence.

The carriage traveled for a long time before stopping in front of a mansion nestled against the mountains and beside the water.

Zheng Zhilong, Jose, and the other members of Lin Qian's delegation got out of the car and were greeted by a huge carved ebony double wooden door.

The wooden door opens, revealing a luxurious European-style mansion. Passing through the foyer, one enters a Roman-style central courtyard with a marble fountain in the center, surrounded by orange and lemon trees, as well as various flowers of unknown names.

In the courtyard, the gardeners were each doing their jobs, and the sounds of flowing water and the fragrance of flowers and fruits filled the air. Bathed in the autumn sun, the scene was peaceful and serene.

The butler led the delegation through the courtyard to the main building, where mahogany and ebony were used extensively, with a distinct Manueline style and Renaissance-style acanthus leaf decorations.

Velvet, brocade, silk, and tapestries covered every corner of the main building.

Throughout the journey, Zheng Zhilong kept his eyes straight ahead and his face remained calm, but he was secretly astonished.

When he left Macau, the legislator didn't have such a grand entourage. It seems that the huge order for 400,000 taels of cargo and 100,000 taels of firearms from the St. Anne's ship made the legislator a fortune.

Judging from the decoration of this mansion, the senator's wealth is practically overflowing.

On the other hand, the captain has been on Nan'ao Island for so long, but he hasn't even bought a house of his own, let alone an official residence. Every tael of silver he earns is spent wisely. This is what it means to do great things.

“If you only make a little money and then indulge in pleasure, what future can you have? That’s all you’ll ever be.” Zheng Zhilong thought to himself with disdain.

(End of this chapter)