Ming East India Company

"Since the master thinks highly of me, Cheng, then I will accompany the master on this mission. Although my six or seven hundred men are all sailors and cooks, they have fought against pirates over the years. They are not as good as the garrison soldiers, but they are still capable of fighting."

Shiro immediately bowed and stepped forward:

"I, Bai Ye, thank Master Cheng for his trust, and from now on I will follow him through thick and thin."

Just as the two were exchanging pleasantries, they suddenly heard someone shout:

"Oh no, the horse is dying!"

Bai Ye and Cheng Keqin rushed over and saw that the horse, which had been tied to the mast, had blue legs, a drooping head, and pus flowing from its body, clearly indicating that it was paralyzed.

Only then did Bai Ye remember his bet with Feng Luzi, and he immediately turned around and glared at him angrily.

Feng Luzi, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, was also incredulous. He stared blankly at the horse curled up inside the watertight compartment.

Bai Ling, who had come with Bai Ye, immediately opened fire on Feng Luzi:

"If I remember correctly, you said before that there wouldn't be any problems transporting horses using this method. What do you say now?"

Feng the Donkey's face was flushed, and he kept muttering to himself:

"This is impossible! I've transported these large animals dozens of times in Liaodong before without any problems. How could this happen this time?"

Shirono remained quite calm:

"Let's not worry about the cause yet, let's see if there's any hope!"

Feng Luzi walked forward shakily to examine the patient's condition, then shook his head:

"It's hopeless. This horse's limbs are crippled. Even if it's lucky enough to recover, it probably won't be of much use in the future."

Then he continued talking to himself:

"Why can it be used on cattle and sheep, but not on horses?"

Of course, Shirano knew what was going on.

Because horses have very thin legs that are too far from their hearts, they lack the muscles to pump blood into the blood vessels in their legs. Under normal circumstances, they rely on the treading motion of their hooves to provide the power for blood to return to the heart.

If a horse doesn't run for a long time, its blood can't flow back to its body, which can lead to leg injuries or even death.

In the Ming Dynasty at that time, horses rarely lay down for long periods of time. Even when they slept, they mostly stood up. Moreover, there was no tradition of keeping idle horses in the Ming Dynasty. If a horse's leg was injured, it would be slaughtered quickly. Therefore, these phenomena were not observed at all.

In contrast, cattle, donkeys, and even mules, because of their thick and strong legs, can lie down for a long time. Feng, the donkey, naturally applied his previous experience of transporting cattle and sheep to this situation, and that's how the cart overturned.

Of course, Bai Ye couldn't explain these detailed animal anatomy details to Feng Luzi, so he could only describe them in language that people at the time could understand:

"Don't you know? Horses and humans are both living beings, and they need blood to circulate in order to live."

All things have a spirit, and horses are born to run. Only when they run can their blood flow smoothly. If you keep them tied up in the hold for a long time and prevent them from running, they will naturally die from poor blood circulation.

Oxen and donkeys are born to pull millstones and plow fields, so they won't die even if they lie down to rest for a while. All things are born with their own destiny, and by going against the horse's destiny, you will naturally be subject to the laws of nature.

Having just witnessed Cheng Keqin's methods of promoting feudal superstition, Bai Ye felt he had found the answer and began to imitate him.

Sure enough, Feng Luzi, who lacked a materialistic education, panicked. This time, he not only helped someone make the wrong decision, but more importantly, Bai Ye's words "against the way of heaven" and the previous legend of Bai Ye being "reincarnated as a dragon" made him increasingly afraid.

"Master Bai, oh no, Lord Bai... I've violated the laws of nature this time and caused the deaths of several horses. Will I be punished by Heaven?"

"The affairs at sea are under the jurisdiction of Mazu. If you want to worship Buddha, you should first make sure you know the right temple." Bai Ye couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.

"Yes, yes, it's Mazu." Feng Luzi was like a child who had done something wrong, now only able to nod and agree.

Bai Ye didn't want to kill them all. He gave Cheng Keqin a look, and the latter immediately understood and led everyone from the lower deck to the upper deck. Only Bai Ye and Feng Luzi remained in the lower deck.

Baiye quickly stepped forward to comfort him:

"Don't panic, don't panic. Mazu is kind-hearted. You only killed a few horses, she won't punish you severely. Go back and borrow an altar, and observe a vegetarian diet and pray for the next few days. Mazu will surely forgive you."

"Is this really true?" Feng Luzi was still somewhat incredulous.

"Why would I lie to you? What good would it do me to lie to you?" Shirono felt both annoyed and amused.

Hearing Bai Ye say this, Feng Luzi's complexion gradually returned to normal.

Seeing that Feng Luzi's attitude had softened, Bai Ye began to confide in him:

"However, Mr. Feng, what about the bet between us..."

"Don't worry, boss. Even if I lose everything after I get ashore, I will make up for your losses."

Feng the Donkey knelt down on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, frantically professing his loyalty.

"What use is your meager savings to me, a young master from a wealthy family? However, there is one thing I really need General Feng's help with."

"Please speak, Master."

Shiro then recounted in detail his preparations for an expedition to Ryukyu.

"Ah! Ryukyu is a country that our great-grandfather declared 'not to be conquered.' To wage war against them would be contrary to ancestral rules!"

"Is that so? So when you followed Grandpa Qi to fight the Japanese pirates for your country, didn't you know you had to follow ancestral rules? Do you dare say that none of the Japanese pirates you killed were Ryukyuans?"

This question stumped Feng Luzi. As an important hub on the Sino-Japanese sea route, Ryukyu naturally had its own people who joined Japanese ronin in the invasion during the Jiajing era.

Having fought countless battles with Japanese pirates, Feng Luzi was well aware of the complexity of these people, including those from the Ming Dynasty, the Eastern Barbarians, Ryukyu, Korea, and even the Red Hairs.

"Now that the imperial court has ordered war against the Japanese, and Ryukyu has been secretly colluding with the Japanese for many years, isn't it only right that we wipe them out?"

……

After being persuaded by Shirane, Feng Luzi finally passed the moral test and decided to agree to join Shirane's expedition to Ryukyu.

"Alright, since the master thinks highly of me, Feng the Donkey, then I will follow the master to raid the nests of these Eastern barbarians and let them taste the bitterness of being invaded by our Great Ming."

Feng the Donkey immediately knelt down on the ground:

"I am willing to follow Master Bai through fire and water, even unto death."

Bai Ye was very satisfied with this. His biggest problem for this expedition was the lack of a reliable cavalry officer. With Feng Luzi, this gap was filled.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Feng, what do you think of the food on this ship?"

Feng Luzi thought Bai Ye was going to hold him accountable for his "food protest" these past two days, so he quickly waved his hand and said:

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm eating quite well on the ship."

"Forget it! I know how the food is on this ship. I'll treat you to something better today."

"Improve the meals?"

Shirono turned his gaze to the half-dead horse:

"What use is this thing now besides killing and eating it? We were short of firewood before, and now the excellent horse manure inside is perfect for cooking meat."