The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 55 Thunder in Leizhou Bay
Upon hearing this, the Tanka people were overjoyed.

The old boatman, however, looked worried.

Chen Jiao, Zhou Xiucai, Lei Sanxiang, and the others also looked grim.

Rebellion? They don't have the guts.

But to Lin Qian's surprise, no one objected as soon as she finished speaking.

Since the hijacking, Lin Qian has created too many miracles and has gained extremely high prestige among the crowd, to the point that no one dares to question his decisions anymore.

Lin Qian took in everyone's expressions and then said, "This matter requires thorough preparation and cannot be rushed."

Bai Qing looked anxious and was about to say something, but Lin Qian stopped him with a gesture: "Don't worry, it won't take too long to prepare."

Today is July 15th.

Emperor Wanli was probably on his deathbed.

It won't last more than a few days before it collapses.

Given the speed of news transmission in that era, Guangdong would likely receive the news about the emperor's death approximately ten days later.

This marked the beginning of a period of anarchy that would last for more than a month.

Attacking the pearl field on ordinary days would undoubtedly be considered a rebellion.

During this period, if an uprising were to occur, local officials would not only refrain from reporting it, but would also do their utmost to suppress the news.

This is the wisdom of officialdom that Lin Qian has gained from observing her two lifetimes.

Therefore, time is really precious, and not a single day can be wasted.

Thinking of this, Lin Qian called Bai Langzai and his siblings, along with their sworn brothers, to a meeting at the restaurant.

Lin Qian first inquired about the defenses of Mingzhu Field.

Bai Langzai and his sister have lived in Zhuchang since they were young, and they know the layout of Zhuchang like the back of their hand.

According to the two people, the pearl farm consists of two parts: a water village and a pearl pool.

Pearl Pool is a whole area of ​​near-shore sea where pearl divers collect pearls during the day.

Water villages are usually built on the shore close to the Pearl Pond. After sunset, the Pearl Villagers would sail back to the water village to moor their boats.

The pearl farm where the siblings lived was on Naozhou Island, located east of the Leizhou Peninsula. The water village was built on the east coast of the island, facing the South China Sea.

The Naozhou Pearl Field itself had a patrol station with two hundred archers under its command.

More than ten naval warships patrolled the vicinity of Shuizhai and Zhuchi year-round.

At this point, Lin Qian interrupted, "Since you had naval warships, how did you escape from the Pearl Field?"

Bai Qing explained, "The patrol officers would return to the village at night, leaving the sea defenses vulnerable. They took advantage of this time to escape through the hole in the village wall."

Lin Qian nodded, signaling Bai Qing to continue.

Bai Qing explained that in addition to the water fortress being in disrepair for many years, the navy's warships were also extremely dilapidated. Some warships even had to spend half an hour scooping water after sailing for an hour.

This was within Lin Qian's expectations. The corruption in the Ming Dynasty's garrisons was notorious; embezzling salaries without working and exploiting soldiers were common practices.

Even when the Later Jin were a formidable enemy, there were instances of Liaodong generals selling off their troops and horses; and of tricking their subordinates into coming and killing them all in order to pay them less. Such outrageous things have happened.

These are still on the front lines of the Nine Borders.

In the southeastern coastal areas where the Japanese pirates had been quelled, it was obvious to anyone with a brain that the generals were even more corrupt.

Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only a dozen or so dilapidated ships at Naozhou Pearl Field; the Ministry of War's records may show three hundred brand-new warships.

Lin Qian then inquired about the firearms situation at the water fortress.

The reply was reassuring: the water fortress had no muskets, but it did have a few tiger-squatting cannons, though they had never been seen firing. It was unclear whether they were broken or just for show.

At this point, Bai Qing paused and added, "Brother Lin, I won't lie to you, there's a large naval stronghold west of our pearl farm called White Dove Stronghold. It's a key naval stronghold on the Leizhou sea, with a deputy commander stationed there, and over a hundred warships. If the White Dove Stronghold navy comes to our aid when we attack the pearl farm, it might be quite difficult."

After a moment's thought, Lin Qian asked, "Besides the main gate, are there any other entrances or exits to Zhuchang Water Village?"

Bai Qing shook his head: "The water village faces the sea and is backed by high mountains. Even if you cross the mountain, the surrounding area is mostly rocky beaches, making it difficult to moor boats. There is a beach on the west side of the island where small boats can be moored."

Lin Qian nodded secretly. This way, it would be less likely to attract the White Dove Village navy, and the eunuch Zhuchi would also have a hard time escaping.

As for the beacon fire communication system, it can be used on land.

Using it at sea is somewhat laughable. Even if the sea breeze can't disperse the thick smoke, there aren't beacon towers on the sea to relay messages.

With this in mind, Lin Qian already had a general plan in mind.

Just one last bit of motivation is needed.

Lin Qian suddenly asked, "Since it's a pearl farm, you must have stored quite a few pearls, right?"

Bai Qing was taken aback, then understood Lin Qian's meaning and cleverly said, "The eunuchs of Zhuchi live an extremely extravagant life. Their boudoirs on the island are built like palaces, and their treasures are countless."

Whether this is true or not, it certainly piqued the interest of Chen Jiao and his companions.

Seeing that she had asked enough questions, Lin Qian ordered, "Second brother, you and Jose go to Macau and find the fat councilor. Buy as much gunpowder and shells as you can."

Scholar Zhou cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir!"

"Third Brother, in the next few days, pick a group of clever crew members and teach them how to use the cannons. Don't worry about the consumption; conduct as many live-fire tests as possible."

Lei Sanxiang laughed and said, "I didn't just sit around in the Divine Machine Battalion for nothing, leave it to me!"

"Brother, I'll leave the arrangements for the new and old crew members, the mediation of conflicts, and the assignment of positions to you."

Chen Jiao nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Captain!"

"Bai Qing".

"Big Brother!" Bai Qing stood up, cupped his hands in obeisance, and accepted the order.

"Go back to the pearl farm, lie in wait, mobilize the people of the pearl farm, find out the enemy's movements, and act as an inside agent when the attack comes."

This was an extremely dangerous mission, but Bai Qing remained calm and replied without hesitation, "Yes, sir! Don't worry, brother!"

"White Wave Boy".

"Captain!" Bai Langzai stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and looked intently at Lin Qian.

"I will draw up the topographic and hydrological maps of the water village in the next few days, drawing as many as I can remember."

"Yes."

"Then..." Lin Qian paused for a moment, her tone chilling, "sharpen your knife and prepare to cut off your enemy's head!"

……

Fifteen days later.

Leizhou Bay.

The sun is rising.

Where the sea meets the sky, a ship sails in with its back to the light.

At the Naozhou Island water fortress, the soldiers of the patrol office on night duty were sleeping on the fortress wall.

The sea breeze was cold at night, and many soldiers on night duty built shelters on the stockade walls and covered themselves with thin blankets to avoid catching a cold.

In the water village, some villagers had already gotten up and were preparing breakfast.

Once the sun has fully risen, it's time to go out of the village to collect pearls. The next meal won't be served until after sunset, when we return to the village.

They spent the whole day diving for pearls in the icy seawater, surviving only on the small amount of dry rations they ate in the morning, so they had to eat more.

"boom!"

Just then, a clap of thunder came from the east.

The residents of Zhu couldn't help but sigh; if a thunderstorm had hit, their chances of surviving today would have been much slimmer.

The soldiers on night duty were awakened by the thunder and looked sleepily into the distance.

The sky was clear and cloudless; where did the thunder come from?

In a daze, I saw a black dot grow larger and larger, crashing down in front of me at lightning speed.

The soldier realized what was happening, but it was too late; he didn't even have time to scream.

With a loud crash, the stockade wall was smashed through, sending dust, wood chips, and a faint red mist of blood flying everywhere. Then, small pieces of flesh flew out and crashed into the water.

(End of this chapter)