The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 33 The Harvest of the Great Sailing Ship
Traditional Chinese medicine doctor, sailor, base area.

Lin Qian came to the Ming Dynasty for these three matters.

If it can be successfully completed, then his maritime hegemony will have been laid with a solid foundation.

Lin Qian picked up a bamboo pen and solemnly wrote down these three things in the nautical logbook, then circled them.

After finishing writing in the ship's log, Lin Qian stepped out of the cabin and stretched in the damp sea breeze.

At this moment, half of the rising sun had emerged from the sea, illuminating the space between the sea and the sky with a dazzling golden light.

Chen Jiao's voice urging the crew to get up could be heard below deck.

A dozen minutes later, the crew members ate breakfast and climbed onto the deck one after another to begin preparations for departure.

Chen Jiao climbed out of the cabin and was slightly taken aback when he saw Lin Qian already standing on the ship's side. He then walked up to her and teased, "Helmsman, are you an early riser or a late sleeper?"

"You can say whatever you want," Lin Qian said with a relaxed smile.

Chen Jiao patted Lin Qian on the shoulder and said, "Don't push yourself too hard."

Lin Qian squinted at the rising sun: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiao stopped trying to persuade him and asked, "Are we still sailing northwest today?"

“Using the Hai-Ren needle, we’ll go to the Pearl River Estuary,” Lin Qian said.

The Hai-Ren needle is based on the directional description of the Chinese compass, and is roughly equivalent to 15 degrees west of north.

"Alright, Hai-Ren needle." Chen Jiao took out a compass from his bosom and directed the crew to raise the sails and set sail. The helmsman turned the rudder, and after a moment, the large sailboat slowly moved forward.

As Chen Jiao was directing the voyage, the cook, Uncle Chen, came over with breakfast. Seeing Lin Qian standing by the ship's side, he said apologetically, "Helmsman, the provisions for the Fujian ship haven't been brought up. This is all the Portuguese ship has."

Lin Qian glanced at the food; on the exquisite porcelain plate were a few hard biscuits and cured meat.

The sailing ship wasn't ready to set sail yet, so there were no fresh ingredients on board, only some things that could be stored for a long time.

"It's alright, is there enough water and food on the ship?" Lin Qian has a high tolerance for food.

“It’s enough…” Uncle Chen looked troubled, “but the appearance is really terrible… most of them are infested with worms… Oh, Captain, let’s eat first before we talk about this.”

"Wriggling" hard biscuits and "maggot-smelling" cured meat—this is the classic "blindfolded meal" of the European Navy. Without needing to describe it, Lin Qian could easily imagine what it was like.

"It's alright, just put breakfast in my room," Lin Qian said.

Uncle Chen responded and carried the tray into the captain's cabin.

Lin Qian stretched her body in the sunlight, but her lower back still ached slightly. She wondered if she had injured a bone last night, and decided to find a doctor to take a look after they reached the shore.

Then, Lin Qian went into the captain's cabin, sat down at the dining table, and checked her breakfast.

The good news is there were no wriggling surprises; the bad news is it's really hard to swallow.

Hard biscuits are too tough to chew, and when mixed with water, they taste like peeling paint.

Whether or not it is soaked in water, cured salted meat tastes like a lump of salt.

It seems that his self-assessment of having a "high tolerance for food" is somewhat exaggerated.

To be fair, hard biscuits and cured meats can be further processed, and in most cases they are not meant to be eaten directly.

But Lin Qian felt that even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, and further processing wouldn't make much difference.

In comparison, the Ming people, who considered food paramount, were far ahead in terms of maritime cuisine.

for example:

Fried rice, fried noodles, dried cakes, and naan bread.

Cured pork, salted fish, pickled shrimp paste. Fermented bean curd, fermented black beans, dried tofu.

Pickles, tea leaves, dried fruit, and sugar.

The food on the Ming Dynasty ships was not only guaranteed to not spoil for a long time, but also tasted good and was nutritious, especially providing the crew with vitamins and preventing scurvy.

From a pragmatic perspective, this diet also ensures combat effectiveness.

Lin Qian secretly resolved that once they reached the shore, she would definitely purchase a batch of dry rations suitable for Chinese palates and put them on the ship. Then, the Spanish dry rations would go to the most suitable place for them—the pig trough.

Just as he was dealing with the hard biscuits, Zhou Xiucai knocked on the door and came in with an account book.

"Captain, the cargo on board has been tallied... Oh, having breakfast. Take your time, I won't disturb you..."

"It's alright, let's talk while we eat. Second brother, have you eaten? Would you like some?"

"No need, no need," Zhou Xiucai hurriedly waved his hand.

Zhou Xiucai sat down at the table and spread out the account book: "The ship's cargo holds: 10 boxes of pearls, 30 boxes of cloves, 30 boxes of cinnamon, 50 boxes of lacquerware, 80 boxes of silk, 100 boxes of raw silk, 150 boxes of porcelain, and a dozen or so other miscellaneous goods. According to that naked Franco man's estimate, these goods are worth 50 pesos. He said he has connections in Macau and can sell them for about 20 taels of silver."

Lin Qian took a big gulp of hard biscuit paste and said, "Have you asked about that naked Jose's 'way'? Is he reliable?"

Zhou Xiucai: "He said that was an old friend of his family, someone who had a lot of influence among the Portuguese, and that we could go to him when we were in port for repairs. I thought it sounded reasonable."

"Let's anchor out to sea first and find out the details of this 'path' before we talk about it." Lin Qian tore off a large piece of salted meat and swallowed it like medicine.

"Alright, that's the safest way... If you can't eat, don't force yourself. Nobody finished breakfast today..."

"We'll probably have to eat this until we reach the shore, so it's better to get used to it sooner rather than later," Lin Qian said expressionlessly, then tore off a large piece of salted meat.

Lin Qianding stipulated that everyone on the ship should cook together and eat separately.

The more unpalatable the food was, the more Lin Qian wanted to set a good example, showing that she shared weal and woe with the crew.

Otherwise, morale will be low, and the team will be difficult to lead.

"Have you taken stock of the weapons, ammunition, and personal belongings?" Lin Qian had already finished the salted meat and was now focused on swallowing the hard biscuit paste.

"The ship has a total of 30 cannons, 28 on the gun deck, 1 on the bow and stern decks, and 1 on the sterncastle deck. It has 1500 shells and 10 barrels of gunpowder..."

"So little?" Lin Qian was somewhat surprised.

Ten barrels of gunpowder probably wouldn't even be enough to fire 200 rounds, which is far too little compared to the 1500 shells required.

"That 'naked guy' said that once the large sailing ship docked, the gunpowder magazine and armory on board had to be emptied. So not only was there little gunpowder on board, but there were also only 12 matchlock guns, and they were all seized during the hijacking."

The Spanish went to great lengths to ensure the safety of their large sailing ships.

In the end, it was precisely because of the various strict and cumbersome systems that they became complacent and thought the large sailboat would not be hijacked, which is why Lin Qian succeeded in taking it. It's really funny.

Lin Qian finished the last sip of hard biscuit paste, wiped her hands, and said, "All of these things, including the large sailing ship itself, need to be calculated so that we can distribute the spoils and pay out silver after we dock... By the way, have we tallied up the spoils in the captain's cabin?"

The captain's cabin was extremely luxuriously decorated, with countless chests and cabinets of all sizes. Since the hijacking, Lin Qian had been preoccupied with many matters and had not yet had a chance to look through them.

"The captain's cabin mainly contains odds and ends, so there's no need to record that, right?"

"No, it must not only be recorded in the accounts, but also fairly valued and clearly marked." Lin Qian refused decisively.

Every capitalist understands that the money a company earns must be recorded in the company's books.

On the surface, it appears to be operating legally, in order to demonstrate fairness.

In essence, there's not much difference between the company's money and the capitalist's own money.

If you can have both face and substance, only a fool would put the money in their own pocket.

(End of this chapter)