MLMD -Chapter 448 Pirates

Looking at Guo Jingxian, Yue Yang said in a deep voice, “Do you know what our Weihaiwei Navy’s duty is? Do you know the consequences of your silence? Do you know what will happen to the new policies in Shandong if all our merchants are scared to go to sea?”

Guo Jingxian was stunned by Yue Yang’s three consecutive questions. He hung his head and stood silently to the side, unable to reply. Mao Xiang and Chen Zhenhui also stood by, too intimidated to make a sound. Seeing Yue Yang, who rarely scolded anyone, lose his temper publicly was a rare sight, and they were momentarily at a loss.

Guo Jingxian was the same. Ever since Yue Yang had appointed him as the Navy’s guerrilla general, Yue Yang had always spoken to him politely. Today, being publicly reprimanded like this was a first.

After a moment of daze, Guo Jingxian stammered, “My Lord, I… I was worried… worried that since the Weihaiwei Navy is newly established, if we really took a stand for those merchants, it would mean a full-scale clash with the Zheng family. That is a result we could not bear.”

“Hm!” Yue Yang nodded. Guo Jingxian’s concern was not entirely unfounded. Although they had heavily damaged dozens of warships led by Zheng Zhibao recently, it did not mean the Zheng fleet was invincible. After all, even ants can bring down an elephant. If the Zheng family mobilized their entire force, the current Weihaiwei Navy, with only a few dozen warships, would likely be unable to stop them.

But Yue Yang did not intend to end the discussion there. With a serious expression, he said, “Your concern is understandable, but I think you haven’t realized one thing: a truly capable navy isn’t trained—it’s forged in battle. Our navy may not yet match the Zheng fleet in scale, but that isn’t the point. The point is, although you’ve taught them how to operate the ships and handle the cannons, there’s one thing you haven’t taught them.”

Guo Jingxian asked in confusion, “My Lord, I don’t understand… what haven’t I taught them?”

Yue Yang fixed him with a deep gaze and said, word by word, “The spirit of the navy… the spirit of fighting whenever they encounter the enemy!”

“The spirit of fighting whenever they encounter the enemy?” Guo Jingxian blinked, then looked at Yue Yang in puzzlement and fell silent, thinking deeply.

Yue Yang continued, “What is a navy? Why did we establish it? Don’t give me those empty clichés. To put it plainly, we built this navy to fight. If others bully us, the navy fights back. If we target others, the navy executes. When the Zheng fleet comes into our waters in Shandong to burn, plunder, and loot, and our navy only thinks about preserving strength instead of retaliating, what good is that navy? I know you’re worried about our newly established navy, but that’s no reason to avoid battle. They’re at our doorstep, and you hesitate to strike back—that is cowardice! Do you know why I chose you as the Navy’s guerrilla general? Because I trusted in your courage to take down Zheng Zhilong. But do you still have that courage now?”

By now, Guo Jingxian was sweating all over, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, memories of the navy’s early days flashing through his mind.

Indeed, he had once confidently promised Yue Yang that he would crush Zheng Zhilong and his fleet. But it had been less than two years since he became the guerrilla general. As their strength grew, so did his fear. Now, he barely had the courage to engage the Zheng fleet in battle. Could it be that wealth had increased, but courage had diminished?

Thinking this, Guo Jingxian finally lowered his head and said softly, “My Lord, I was wrong.”

Seeing Guo Jingxian bow his head, Yue Yang smiled. “You know you were wrong?”

“Yes, my Lord, I was truly wrong!”

“That’s good!” Yue Yang waved dismissively. “Now, lift your head. The men of the Weihaiwei Navy may shed blood, but never tears. Losing face is fine—it can always be regained!”

At this point, Guo Jingxian dared not argue. He hurriedly nodded, “My Lord, rest assured. I will dispatch the fleet immediately to escort and protect our merchant ships.”

“Escort and protect? No… that’s unnecessary.” To everyone’s surprise, Yue Yang opposed this.

“What… not escorting the merchants?” Guo Jingxian, Mao Xiang, and Chen Zhenhui all looked stunned. What was the lord thinking? Hadn’t he just said to fight whenever encountering the enemy? Why now forbid escorting?

Seeing their confused expressions, Yue Yang’s eyes glinted mischievously. “General Guo, I’ve heard that any merchant ship from Fujian or Jiangsu-Zhejiang that wants to go to sea must buy a flag from the Zheng family and hoist it on their mast—is that correct?”

“Exactly!” Guo Jingxian quickly replied. “That has been the Zheng family’s rule for over ten years. Without the Zheng-issued flag, if a ship meets the Zheng fleet at sea, the worst case is they are massacred; the lighter case is losing their cargo. That is why merchants from Fujian and Jiangsu-Zhejiang must purchase this flag before setting out—otherwise, they risk losing both wealth and life.”

“Heh heh… so domineering, so mighty!” Yue Yang chuckled. Then he suddenly asked, “General Guo, what do you think would happen if we intercepted merchant ships flying the Zheng flag?”

“What… we would rob them too?” Everyone froze. What was happening? Could the lord be considering turning pirate?

Yue Yang narrowed his eyes, a hint of ferocity on his face. “It’s only fair. Since the Zheng fleet attacks our ships, we can attack theirs. I want to see—if it comes to a fight, who truly fears whom?”

“But… but…” Mao Xiang felt his brain short-circuit. “You are a lord appointed by the emperor. If the ministers and censors report this, wouldn’t that be trouble?”

“Trouble?” Yue Yang snorted lightly. “Tell me, after all these years of Zheng Zhilong’s unauthorized profiteering, haven’t people reported him? Did the court punish them?”

“…That…”

The three of them exchanged uneasy glances, unable to respond.

June in the South China Sea always had good weather, ideal for sailing, whether for fishing or transport. Merchant ships of all kinds frequently traveled along the routes.

Some might wonder: with such a vast sea, why follow specific routes? Those asking clearly have no experience. The sea may be boundless, but it is full of hidden reefs and coral. Straying from safe routes could easily result in collisions—minor damage at best, total destruction at worst. Therefore, ships either hug the coastline or follow established safe routes. Deviating from them is extremely dangerous.

On the azure sea, a fleet approached: three 500-ton Fuzhou ships and four 300-ton Canghai ships, sailing from Nagasaki to Fujian, loaded with Japanese lacquerware, raw silk, and other goods.

This fleet belonged to a Fujian merchant named Zhang Dongsheng. They had been at sea for over a week, and in a few days would reach Fujian. The thought of selling this cargo for several times the purchase price filled Zhang Dongsheng with excitement.

“Boss… once we return, we can add another 500-ton ship to the fleet, right?”

Zhang Dongsheng was lost in thought when the captain’s slightly hoarse voice interrupted. The captain had been with him for over ten years and was one of his trusted men.

Zhang Dongsheng smiled. “Old Bi, you know me. My lifelong wish is to build a huge fleet. After earning enough silver, I’ll buy a garden in Yangzhou to retire in comfort. As the saying goes, ‘With ten thousand strings of cash in your waist, ride a crane to Yangzhou’—this life wouldn’t be wasted.”

Old Bi, nearly ten years older than Zhang Dongsheng and approaching fifty, was still strong. He laughed, “Boss, you can surely do it. Then even I can benefit, enjoying a few days of comfort in Yangzhou before I’m buried in the yellow earth.”

“Haha… that day will come for sure!” Zhang Dongsheng laughed heartily.

As they spoke, a lookout shouted from the rear, “Boss, Old Bi, there’s a ship ahead!”

“Oh… I wonder who it is this time?” Zhang Dongsheng didn’t pay it much attention. There were many ships along this route. He turned to Old Bi and smiled, “Old Bi, guess which fleet this is? The Li family, Zhao family, or Hua family? Guess right and I’ll treat you to a drink ashore.”

Old Bi shook his head, chuckling. “Boss, you’re joking again. How could one guess such a thing? Maybe… wait… what’s that? Oh no… the ship ahead seems problematic!”

“What? Impossible! This is Zheng territory. Who dares cause trouble here?”

Zhang Dongsheng’s heart leapt. At sea, merchants feared two things above all: storms and pirates. A storm could sometimes be escaped, but pirates often meant losing everything—maybe even your life.

As the two fleets drew closer, Zhang Dongsheng and Old Bi felt their hearts drop into an ice cellar. The fleet approaching from the front was completely unexpected…