Ming East India Company

Gradually, local landlords and gentry also joined the transaction.

After the great flood, although the landowners in the villages of Jiangnan had all their fields submerged, they still held clan power, remaining grain and mansions on high ground. Since the outbreak of the famine, countless villagers, tenants and servants, with no other way out, dragged their families to seek refuge with the powerful clans, hoping for nothing more than a scrap of food and a place to shelter from the rain.

The landlords initially took them in, but as the number of refugees grew and food supplies became increasingly scarce, they grew disgusted with them and even considered killing them.

These tenant farmers, who had toiled and served the landlords for generations through spring and autumn planting, became useless burdens when they lost their land and were unable to pay rent in years of famine. Keeping them would drain their resources, while driving them away would lead to riots and deaths in front of the village, tarnishing the reputation of the clan.

The arrival of the maritime steward was exactly what the landlord wanted.

The gentry and the maritime merchants hit it off immediately, setting even lower prices and engaging in more transparent transactions. All the refugees who sought refuge on the estates, the tenants who were unable to repay their debts, and the villagers who were so poor that they sold their children were all collected and registered by the landlords and sold off by the headcount.

Farmers who once depended on the land and toiled for generations are now being counted, categorized, and valued like livestock.

The most valuable are able-bodied men, who can work overseas and reclaim wasteland; young women and children are next, who can weave textiles, serve in the military, marry, and settle down; the elderly and frail children are the least valuable, almost given away for free, and can be exchanged for a small amount of moldy or leftover grain.

Landlords could clear out their burdens and make a fortune in the process of changing hands. They could also apply for disaster relief honors and gain the reputation of local worthies under the guise of "helping the hungry and guiding the displaced people." They gained both fame and fortune without any loss.

Within a short span of ten days, secret "human markets" were quietly established in various prefectures and counties of Southern Zhili.

The high ground in each village, the outer walls of manors, and open spaces along the river were designated as temporary handover camps by the government and landlords. High walls were erected around the camps, and soldiers and farmhands with knives guarded them, driving all the gathered disaster victims inside like livestock.

The people of Jiangnan, who once cultivated the land, studied, and observed proper etiquette, are now stripped of all their titles and dignity.

They were unaware that they had been sold off and that their future lay in slavery and servitude. They simply believed that the government and local gentry were showing mercy by gathering the displaced people together for resettlement and food.

Inside the fence, the people were still starving and emaciated, huddled on the ground, supporting each other and panting, with a sliver of foolish gratitude still lingering in their hearts, appreciating the kindness of the powerful clans and the government's willingness to help them.

Unbeknownst to them, their lives, freedom, and the rest of their generations had already been bought out by the paper, pen, and money on the shore.

The maritime merchants' accountant, holding a ledger, checked each person's name one by one, classifying them by age, physique, and appearance, and recording them in the register. Officials sat to the side, affixing their seals and signatures, and canceling these people's household registrations.

For them, a major disaster could legally dispose of a large number of surplus people, then deduct their taxes from the Yellow Register, and next year they could legitimately apply to their superiors for exemptions.

As for the decline in tax revenue due to population loss, they were not worried at all, in the highly competitive Ming Dynasty where labor was extremely cheap. If you don't farm, there are plenty of others who will.

Next year, we will recruit another batch of migrants from other places, and everything will remain the same.

Zhuangding and the seamen joined forces to brutally drive the disaster victims onto the ships.

Only then did the bewildered refugees finally realize that something was amiss.

There was no food relief distribution, no resettlement notices, and no safe way to survive. Instead, there were cold chains, tightly secured cabins, and stern reprimands.

Some people suddenly realized their mistake, knelt down, wailed, and kowtowed in supplication.

The government officials and soldiers stood by indifferently, ignoring the situation; the local gentry stayed indoors, pretending not to know anything.

In times of disaster and chaos, there is no justice to be found, and no law to follow.

……

In September of the thirty-sixth year of the Wanli reign, black sails covered the East China Sea, and the south wind, carrying a salty smell, pushed dozens of giant ships eastward.

The cabin was dark, with wooden planks blocking out the sunlight. Only a thin sliver of light shone through a ventilation hole about a foot high at the top, falling on the densely packed disaster victims.

The wrists of thousands of people were tightly bound by iron chains. Since some of the refugees who had been sold into slavery had already taken their own lives before boarding the ship, the ship owners had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

After all, Bai Wencheng was paying them based on the number of people sent to Ryukyu.

From the moment they were sold off by officials and gentry and forcibly driven onto ships, all the disaster victims were filled with fear for the impending life of slavery.

Overseas legends passed down through generations in the Jiangnan countryside.

The old man said that when merchants went to sea, strong men went to the mountains to mine and toiled for life, never stopping until death; women were not distinguished by their appearance, the beautiful became maids or prostitutes, and the ugly pounded rice and swept the hold, suffering humiliation every day.

Fujian Province has historically been characterized by eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland, thus establishing a long-standing tradition of venturing to Southeast Asia for a living.

Southern Zhili was a veritable land of fish and rice, and with the long-standing maritime ban, the local people were extremely afraid of going to sea to make a living.

Chen Shouyi sat at the innermost part of the crowd, his back pressed tightly against the cold ship's deck, his eyes half-open, not daring to close them.

The iron ring on his right wrist was worn raw, dark red bloodstains congealed on the rust, dried by the sea breeze and softened by the dampness. His left hand gripped his wife Li's wrist tightly, with such force that it almost crushed her bones.

Li had a shard of porcelain, sharpened to a fine point, which she had secretly pried from the bottom of a broken bowl when boarding the ship. She kept it hidden in the lining of her clothes, keeping it close to her body day and night.

This was her bottom line—if anyone dared to humiliate her upon reaching shore, she would commit suicide rather than compromise her purity. She never dared to cry, only trembled slightly, her shoulders remained taut, and her eyes held a deathly, ashen look.

Chen Shouyi's elderly mother leaned on her son's shoulder, her withered hands clutching a small tuft of dry, hard grass roots. She had secretly brought them from her homeland on the highlands; others didn't understand, simply thinking the old woman was cherishing old things.

Only she knew that this was her last precaution. She didn't believe that the merchants would provide food for free. Once the ship entered the open sea and there was no way to retreat, they would surely cut off the food and treat her harshly. At that time, this bit of grass would be the last thing the three of them, grandmother and grandson, could use to survive.

On the first day of the voyage, the steward distributed rations, which were not moldy chaff and rotten grass, but dried, cooked brown rice. Each person received a bowl, a substantial portion that was enough to fill their stomachs.

The water was fresh water stored in a sealed wooden barrel. Although it had a rotten smell from long-term storage, the water was clear and free of impurities.

As the disaster victims wolfed down their food, an old man at the back of the crowd muttered in a hoarse voice:

"What kind of slave owner is this? This food is even better than the government's disaster relief grain."

"Who knows! Maybe the people overseas like cannibalism, so they feed us and then eat our flesh!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? If you really want to eat human flesh, just kill the person and salt them, wouldn't that be more convenient?"

How do you know they don't want fresh food?

"Stop arguing." Chen Shouyi was annoyed.

"Even if I die, I'll eat my fill first, so that if anything happens, I'll have enough strength to fight back."

Chen Shouyi had previously worked as a servant for local gentry for a period of time, so he was unusually calm at this moment.

Starting from the second day, every afternoon the sailors would open the hatches for ventilation, sprinkle lime to disinfect moisture, and clean the cabins to prevent any water accumulation or mosquito breeding.

In the past, in Jiangnan, disaster victims lay on damp, muddy, and disease-ridden lands every day, watching those around them fall ill and die suddenly. But on the swaying ship at sea, no one had a fever or cough.

Despite this, the crew members on board did not dare to slack off. They took turns keeping watch at night, not daring to sleep deeply. If they heard the slightest footstep while half asleep, they would be instantly awakened and their whole body would tense up.

Young and strong men secretly gathered, quietly measuring the dimensions of the cabin, observing the sailors' equipment, and recording the daily route and wind direction. They plotted together that if the crew harbored ill intentions towards them, they would stage a mass uprising and fight to the death.

On the seventeenth day of the voyage, the fleet approached the waters off Ryukyu, anchored, and stopped sailing, with all crew members undergoing medical screenings.

Dozens of doctors on board entered the cabin and examined each person's complexion, pulse, and skin. Those who were weak, had coughs or wheezing, were injured, or had low-grade fever were called out individually and asked to stand up and step forward.

In an instant, the deathly silence in the cabin was shattered, and a chilling fear swept over everyone.

The person whose name was called instantly collapsed to the ground, trembling with fear.

Chen Shouyi's mother was already weak and had a cough and wheezing. After days of rough sea travel, she was even weaker and was called out by the doctor.

The old woman's face turned deathly pale instantly, her legs went weak, and she knelt on the cold deck, kowtowing repeatedly to the steward, leaving dark red marks on her forehead.

"Please, sir, spare my life! I can cook, I can do laundry, I will never be a burden to anyone! Please don't throw me into the sea!"

Li was so frightened that her whole body went cold. She held her mother-in-law tightly, and tears finally streamed down her face as she looked at Chen Shouyi in despair.

"Master, they're going to kill the old and weak! They can't escape it!"

The cabin was filled with deafening cries, and everyone's guard was completely transformed into overwhelming hatred.

The able-bodied men instantly stood up and gathered together, shoulder to shoulder, blocking the crowd. Their eyes were fierce as they stared at the sailors, their fists clenched tightly, ready to fight to the death.

"They truly have the heart of wolves! They raised us for a few days only to pick the strong and discard the old and weak!"

"Rather than be slaughtered one by one, enslaved and haunted, we'd rather fight now!"

"Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well stain the cabin with blood and end it all quickly!"

……

The manager remained calm, showing no trace of ruthlessness, and simply explained loudly to the panicked crowd, his voice clearly drowning out the wailing throughout the cabin:

"Any patient diagnosed with the disease will be transferred to a supply ship for those with mild symptoms, where they will be isolated and recuperated in a separate manner, with daily food and water supplies and dedicated caregivers. Once they have fully recovered, they will be taken to Okinawa to settle down."

If you don't believe me, you can send someone to visit your relatives every day after you get ashore and see how they are doing.

We are doing this so that those of you who are sick will not come to the island. During the previous great plague in Jiangnan, countless people were infected and sick. If people from different ships were mixed together, who knows how many would die from the plague.

This was Shirano's explicit order: to quarantine people before they arrived on the island. Ryukyu Island is not a large island, and with so many people arriving at once, preventing an epidemic is of paramount importance.

The disaster victims looked at each other and began to discuss amongst themselves. Finally, the sailor in charge couldn't help but complain:

"You bunch of idiots, if I wanted to kill you, I would have just locked you in the lower deck. Those who are weak and sick along the way would have been eliminated naturally. Why bother with all this trouble?"

"It's like a dog biting Lü Dongbin; it doesn't appreciate a kind heart."

The refugees inside the cabin looked at each other and agreed that the sailor's words made sense, but still no one dared to move, and the situation remained deadlocked.

The sailors on the other side were also anxious. Shirano had specifically instructed them not to use violence against the disaster victims, or they would be executed. Therefore, they didn't have any good solutions at the moment.

Chen Shouyi pondered for a moment, then stepped out of the crowd and said:

"Sir, I can tell you're not bad people from the journey you've taken. Here's an idea: I've looked around, and actually only about one-tenth of them are sick."

You can let those with sick family members stay with you to take care of them, while those with healthy family members can go to the island first. You only need to provide them with water and rice.

Having suffered such a great calamity, we've long since become indifferent to life and death. As long as our families are by our side when we die, we'll accept it.

Chen Shouyi's idea completely settled things between the two sides, and the sailor in charge accepted Chen Shouyi's suggestion. The disaster victims in the cabins also gradually came out of the cabins and onto the deck.

The sails were raised again, and the ship slowly sailed toward Ryukyu Harbor.

When the cabin door was fully opened, the warm and gentle sea breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, flooded into the cabin, replacing the fishy smell of seawater and the musty smell of wooden planks that had lingered for days. The last bit of suspicion in everyone's hearts finally collapsed.

Everywhere you look, there are verdant mountains, clear blue seas, and bright sunshine.

There was no wild, miasma-filled wilderness, poisonous insects, or ferocious beasts as rumored.

Along the coast, rows of neat bamboo and wooden houses are built against the mountainside. They are dry, clean, bright, and sunny, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, a long-lost sight of human life.

The merchant did not immediately force everyone to work, nor did he impose any rules on servants or personal humiliation.

All disaster victims were registered and recorded, and roll call was conducted daily to ensure that no one was missed.

Food and clothing were still distributed on time every day. Each person had two sets of coarse cloth clothes to change and wash, which protected them from dampness, cold, and skin diseases. Rice, noodles, and other grains were supplied in sufficient quantities, along with seafood, fruits, and vegetables, providing a balanced diet. No longer did they have to eat tree bark, moldy soil, or water plants to survive.

The island has clear, sweet mountain springs, ensuring a plentiful supply of drinking water; the land is dry and clean, and there is no plague.

The Chen family was quite lucky. His elderly mother, who had been on the verge of death in Jiangnan and suffering from a persistent cough, miraculously recovered after three days in the cabin.

After arriving in Ryukyu, the old man's cough and asthma gradually healed without having to endure hunger and cold or face the plague.

His wife, Li, had long since abandoned any thoughts of suicide. No sailors dared to harass them, no powerful figures humiliated or coerced them, and no one treated them as playthings or concubines.

Shirane strictly disciplined his subordinates, forbidding them from harassing women and children or insulting residents, with severe penalties for violators. He also specifically ordered that sailors be prohibited from staying alone in the homes of disaster victims for any reason, and that anyone who did not return before the evening bell would be severely punished.

The disaster victims who were taken to Ryukyu Island finally enjoyed a rare period of peace this year.

……

"How many disaster victims are there?" Bai Ye asked Su Zhongman.

"Second Master just sent over forty more boats, carrying nearly 30,000 people."

"How much is there, including the previous ones?"

"No less than 100,000 people. There are at least another 100,000 or so left."

"How are the supplies prepared?"

"Supplies are running out, the houses are already overcrowded, and while there's no shortage of water on the island, food is a problem..."

An adult male disaster victim needs 1.5 jin of rice a day, a woman needs 1 jin of rice, and children and the elderly need less, but not less than 8 liang.

These 100,000 disaster victims need at least 7,000 shi of food per day, and they will not be able to support themselves for at least a year; they will all need us to feed them.

Ryukyu's annual grain production is only a few hundred thousand koku, and even with the addition of grain from the Eastern Seas, it's only three or four hundred thousand koku, no more than that.