The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 20 The Pirates' Accomplices

The Fujian-style ship anchored at Jellyfish Island for three or four days.

The entire ship's cabin was filled with a massive amount of coconuts, taro, breadfruit, mackerel, octopus, coconut crab, and fresh water.

Conservative estimates suggest that these supplies are enough for a two-month voyage.

The parts damaged in the typhoon have been repaired, and the leaking cabins have been fixed. The ship is ready to set sail.

On April 15th, the Fujian-style ship set sail westward, leaving the island.

……

That evening, as usual, Lin Qian was writing in her nautical log by candlelight when she casually asked, "Miss Catherine, your family is of Spanish nobility, isn't it?"

"No." Catherine didn't know what Lin Qian was up to, but she simply refused to cooperate and denied it firmly.

Lin Qian snorted coldly: "Your full name is Catherine Fajardo de Mendoza. If I remember correctly, only nobles can add the word 'de' to their names."

"What do you want?" She had only revealed this name once when they were being chased by the St. Philip, and she never expected that Lin Qian would remember her name in such an urgent moment.

“Nobles should have considerable savings. How much ransom is your father willing to pay for you? I’m writing a blackmail letter and would like to hear your opinion.” Lin Qian’s tone was calm, as if she were asking what to have for dinner.

Catherine angrily retorted, "Shameless pirate! My father wouldn't give you a single rial!"

"You'd better pray your father is willing to pay, or your end will probably not be pleasant... How about 100,000 pesos? Can His Excellency the Governor afford it?"

“Robbers, devils, executioners! Damn barbarians!” Catherine continued to curse.

Lin Qian sneered: "Barbarians? Compared to the Spanish, I'm shockingly civilized."

"Slander! Spain is the most civilized country in the world. You're nothing but a stinking pirate. What right do you have to criticize us?"

"What are the Spanish doing in the New World right now? You don't think your compatriots are doing friendly business with the Maya, do you? When you first arrived in the New World, the Incas treated you like gods, and what did you give back to the Incas? Plague and slaughter," Lin Qian stated calmly.

"You...you're lying! That's not how it is." Catherine was extremely surprised.

In the story, brave adventurers ultimately gain gold and glory.

But after hearing Lin Qian's words, Catherine realized that she seemed to have never cared about where the gold came from.

Is this dazzling, golden metal growing on trees, where adventurers can simply pick it?

"One hundred thousand pesos, I'll say," Lin Qian muttered to herself, then took out a quill pen and wrote a beautifully worded extortion letter.

After learning of Lin Qian's plan to annex Manila, Catherine originally wanted to find an opportunity to die together with Lin Qian.

But at crucial moments, he couldn't bring himself to act, his heart filled with fear and mixed with other complex emotions.

……

Lin Qian had no time to care about Catherine's thoughts. As the ship drew closer to Luzon Island, his nerves tightened day by day. The plan ahead was complex and ingenious, and he couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake.

In late April, Lin Qian's Fujian-style boat caught up with a fishing boat east of Luzon Island.

The fishing boat thought they had encountered pirates, and the entire crew had resigned themselves to their fate and given up resistance.

They were overjoyed to learn that Lin Qian didn't want their lives, only that they deliver a letter to the Governor of Manila.

Two days later, the letter, written solemnly with a quill pen, was placed on the desk at the Governor-General's residence in Manila.

Alonso Fajardo de Tenorio, then Governor-General of Manila, slammed his fist on the table, causing the exquisite porcelain pen holder to fall to the ground and shatter into pieces.

"Damn Ming pirates!" Alonso spat out the words through gritted teeth.

Inside the office, Captain Juan of the San Philippe remained silent, trembling with fear.

"You said my daughter died in a shipwreck caused by a storm?" Alonso looked at Juan with a piercing gaze that made Juan feel extremely uncomfortable.

Juan dared not look up, staring at the ground, and forced himself to say, "I did see that pirate ship sailing into the storm. By my God, no ship could survive in such a terrifying storm."

"So this is a letter from hell?" Alonso slammed his hand on the letter, making a loud bang on the teak tabletop.

Alonso then addressed a Han Chinese man standing hunched over in a corner: "Zhao! I asked you to investigate before, have you got any results yet? Who exactly is this Ming Dynasty pirate?"

The person named was the Kapitan of the Han Chinese Chamber of Commerce, whom the Han Chinese called Chairman Zhao. Upon hearing this, he trembled and said, "I have already investigated. The ship's destination was Macau. When it docked in Manila, the registration information was false. The captain's surname was Lin, I think his name was Lin Qian..."

"Lin Qian?" Alonso murmured the name, his expression changing slightly. "Is she a descendant of Lin Feng?"

Chairman Zhao: "No... not necessarily. There are many Han Chinese with the same surname. He may not have any relationship with Lin Feng."

“That makes things easier.” Alonso breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the letter, saying, “This pirate is demanding 100,000 pesos from me, and I’ve decided to give in.”

Juan was somewhat surprised: "Using such a large sum of money requires royal approval."

Alonso smirked coldly: "I wasn't really planning to give it to him."

Alonso unfolded the letter, which was followed by a nautical chart showing the route between Manila and a small island to its southeast, labeled "Jellyfish Island".

"This pirate is too clever for his own good, trying to get me to leave the silver coins on this island. But he doesn't know that to the south of this island are a series of ring-shaped coral reefs, enough to hide an entire fleet. Vice Admiral!"

Juan stood at attention and shouted, "Your Excellency the Governor!"

"You pilot the St. Philip, along with the St. John and the Our Lady of the Rosary, and ambush them in these reefs. Send these pirates to the bottom of the sea! Remember, do not fire unless absolutely necessary. Your priority is to ensure my daughter's safety!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"In addition, send the Holy Justice to patrol the waters east of Manila. The fishing boat that delivered the message encountered the pirate ship there."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor!"

Juan stepped back, and Alonso looked at Chairman Zhao and said irritably, "You can get lost too."

After a moment's hesitation, Chairman Zhao tentatively asked, "Those fishermen who delivered the message, could you...?"

Alonso's gaze was icy: "They are accomplices of pirates and must be hanged. Don't make me say it a second time."

"Yes...yes..." Chairman Zhao bowed and nodded, then backed out of the governor's office.

(End of this chapter)