Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

Chi Honghai paced around the table for a long time, thinking hard but unable to come up with a good solution. His mind was filled with the words of the prisoners and his own analysis of the current situation.

Suddenly, he noticed something was amiss.

Frankish people.

The term "Frankish" at that time was a general term for the Spanish and Portuguese, but these were actually two separate countries, and they were not of one mind.

Thinking of this, Chi Honghai began to recall memories from a long time ago.

Although the Spanish and English were sworn enemies, the Portuguese were not. They had clearly heard the Portuguese refer to the English as friends during previous transactions!

If this memory is accurate, then there must be a way for the friends to stay in touch.

From this perspective, if you go to Macau to find the Portuguese, you can find the English.

Chi Honghai didn't intend to think too much about it. This was his best opportunity right now. He couldn't just wait for the English to reappear in this sea area, could he? They weren't like a bride-to-be; it wasn't worth waiting for them like this every day.

"Shen Er, Shen Er!"

"I'm here, sir! What are your orders?"

"Prepare the boat, come with me to Macau." After saying that, Chi Honghai hesitated for a moment, "And bring another ten thousand taels of silver."

"Yes, sir."

Chi Honghai understood that the Portuguese in Macau were also merchants. Last time, they lost several thousand taels of silver just for asking a craftsman. It would be difficult for them not to lose money this time.

Upon arriving in Macau by boat, Chi Honghai did not exchange many pleasantries with his old friends.

"Friend, I've come to you to ask about the English."

Upon hearing that the Portuguese were English, the Frenchman beamed with joy. He was certain that the Portuguese knew this news, and since he did, he was bound to make the deal.

"Of course, of course, my friend. You know we've been friends with the English for many years, and I know everything about them. So, what do you want to ask?"

"I want to get in touch with them."

After saying this, the Portuguese man's expression was not as cheerful as before. He didn't know why Chi Honghai wanted to contact the English, or what business he wanted to do with them. But if it was business, why couldn't they cooperate with him?

Seeing the Portuguese man's unpleasant expression, Chi Honghai could roughly guess the reason. As a fellow businessman, he certainly didn't want his business to be taken away by others.

"Don't overthink it, my friends. I'm not contacting them to do business; I just have something to tell them."

"What happened? What have these Englishmen done this time?"

"Oh, the matter the imperial court is dealing with them, wasn't it about the Humen incident before?"

"Didn't we already have a solution to that problem?"

Chi Honghai smiled awkwardly: "It's not that easy, my friend. When you set off fireworks at people's doors during the New Year, people would talk about it after the New Year. Let alone that time when it was real firecrackers."

"That's true," the Frenchman clapped his hands and said, "I can help you contact them, but you know, getting them to come over always takes some time and... you know."

Chi Honghai smiled and shook his head, then had two boxes of silver brought up and opened. "Here's a thousand taels, consider it a tip fee. Hey friend, don't think it's too little. This is the imperial court's money, not mine. If you cultivate a good relationship with the court, you know what benefits you'll get, right?"

The Portuguese man smiled and walked to the box, closing it behind him. "Of course I understand. The Ming Dynasty's opinion of us is very important. This money is enough for those English brats to eat and drink for a while. I'll tell them it's a favor from the Ming Dynasty."

Chi Honghai nodded: "The sooner the better, of course. As for the location..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Portuguese waved his hand and said, "The location is right here. How about that? They're afraid of the Ming Dynasty's soldiers and dare not enter Guangzhou Prefecture."

This was exactly what Chi Honghai wanted. Going to Guangzhou would be a complete waste, as he was playing the information gap game. If they went to his own island, he wouldn't be able to make those three ships disappear into thin air. Even if he made up some excuse, he didn't want to give up the meat that was already in his mouth.

"Alright, since they're afraid, let's meet here. But, my friend, I can only discuss this with them privately, you understand. However, I can assure you that this isn't a business deal."

"Oh ho ho, it's alright, friend. We're all friends, doing business together is no big deal. I'll send someone to contact them right away. How about you stay with me for a few days?"

The trip back and forth was too much trouble, but it would be nice to experience a few days of Western lifestyle, so Chi Honghai agreed.

A few days later, the English representatives were brought before Chi Honghai.

"Sir?" The Englishman greeted him first, then spoke in English that Chi Honghai couldn't understand, the only familiar part being his London accent.

"Would you like me to translate this, friend?" the Portuguese man asked.

"No need, no need, I understand," Chi Honghai replied slowly, then turned to look at the Englishman, and after a while, gestured with his hand and said, "Follow me."

The two didn't say anything along the way until they reached the cabin of his own boat.

The English representative was somewhat uneasy, thinking that the Ming Dynasty official was going to directly settle scores with him, and began to explain, but Chi Honghai didn't listen to a word he said.

Then, the voices of subordinates came from outside.

"Sir, someone wants to board the ship, claiming to be an English translator."

The matter I'm about to discuss cannot be handled by my own translator, as he is Dutch, nor can it be handled by a Frankish translator, as it would lead to leaks. However, the translator that the Englishman brought along is just right.

"Let him up here!"

With the help of a translator, the bridge for these two people to communicate was finally opened.

Chi Honghai didn't waste any time and first led the translator and representative to the cargo hold.

There was nothing else inside, only two British naval ensigns and the board numbers of three ships.

The Englishman stepped forward and examined the ships carefully. Fearing he might not be certain, he even knelt down and stroked them. After fully recognizing them as the three missing ships, he turned around, his face grim, and looked at Chi Honghai with anger in his eyes.

"Sir, you can't tell me that you did this."

Chi Honghai said casually, "Don't worry, the matter at Humen has already been settled by both sides. The Ming Dynasty would not do such a shady thing behind the scenes. I brought these things to tell you that this was done by the Dutch and has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty."

"That day, my Guangzhou naval forces were patrolling the outer seas when we happened to encounter your three ships. It took us quite a while to bring this up."

"Where's the ship? Where are the crew, sir?" The English representative was getting impatient, his tone sharp.

"Is this how you should treat officials attending court? I came here to help you, and look at your attitude."

The Englishman, speaking in sign language, hesitated for a moment before apologizing to Chi Honghai.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry, I was too hasty. I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

Chi Honghai looked disdainful, glanced at the representative, turned away, let out a contemptuous breath, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

"Let's talk in the cockpit first."