MLMD -Chapter 454 Antony’s Visit

There has never been anything in this world that could truly remain a secret. Less than half a day after Zheng Zhibao was carried back to the Zheng residence, news of the devastating blow suffered by the Zheng family fleet had already spread throughout Shijing Town, and like a bird taking flight, it rapidly reached Quanzhou and even all of Fujian. As the core figure of the Zheng family enterprise, Zheng Zhilong naturally learned of it at the very first moment.

“Why… why did this happen?”

Standing in the room, Zheng Zhilong stared at the barely breathing Zheng Zhibao lying on the bed and let out a low, hoarse roar. His once fair and handsome face had become utterly ferocious, veins bulging on his forehead, his whole body like a beast about to choose someone to devour. Outside the room, more than a dozen leaders who had followed Zheng Zhibao on the expedition were kneeling all over the ground.

“Eldest Chief, this time we were defeated.” One leader, his arm injured and splinted with wooden boards and bound in a sling by the physician, wept as he spoke. “The Weihaiwei Navy’s artillery was far too fierce. Our cannons simply couldn’t measure up to theirs.

“That night we ran straight into a storm and lost more than twenty ships. At daybreak we encountered the Weihaiwei Navy again—our brothers didn’t even have time to react.

“They had fewer ships than us, but far more cannons, and their ships were much faster than ours. They kept hanging back while bombarding us—we couldn’t even reach them with our guns. Our ships were sunk one by one just like that. Later, seeing things going badly, the Third Chief ordered us to fight while retreating. Those damned imperial navy ships chased us for most of the day; only when night fell did we manage to slip away under cover of darkness.”

As he finished speaking, the dozen or so men kneeling on the ground burst into loud sobs.

“You… you bunch of useless trash!”

Zheng Zhilong pointed at them, so furious he could barely speak. Although the Zheng family nominally possessed six or seven hundred ships, that didn’t mean all of them were warships capable of fighting. In reality, fewer than three hundred were truly combat-ready and equipped with artillery. This time Zheng Zhibao had taken more than 120 warships with him—yet fewer than forty returned. Such losses were simply too severe; without two or three years, there would be no way to recover.

“And what about the imperial navy?” Zheng Zhilong’s voice was as cold as if it had just emerged from an ice cellar. Although he was now a legitimate imperial naval defense officer, in his heart he had never truly regarded himself as an official of the court. To him, that title was merely a protective outer shell. As a result, he habitually displayed a sense of distance toward the court, and this attitude directly influenced those around him. The Zheng family never addressed him by his official rank, but by the old title—Eldest Chief.

The kneeling leaders exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them said shamefully, “The brothers were incompetent. We couldn’t get anywhere near the Weihaiwei Navy’s ships, so we don’t know how much they lost.”

“Don’t know… so that means no losses at all, then.” Zheng Zhilong was on the verge of exploding with rage. His own side had lost the majority of its warships, while the Weihaiwei Navy had emerged unscathed. For someone who had once been brimming with confidence, believing he could heavily damage or even annihilate the Weihaiwei Navy, this outcome was the ultimate mockery.

Zheng Zhilong’s expression grew increasingly grim, and the hearts of the dozen kneeling men sank to the very bottom. Having followed him for so many years, they knew his temperament all too well. He was generous to his subordinates in normal times, but when it came to punishing defeat, he showed no mercy at all. This crushing loss—leaving even the Third Chief hovering between life and death—meant that if Zheng Zhilong did not mete out severe punishment, he would not be the sea overlord who had dominated the Southern Seas for more than a decade.

Just as their hearts were pounding in terror, a voice came from behind them.

“Father, what happened to Third Uncle?”

With that anxious cry, the figure of Zheng Sen appeared in their sight.

Seeing his son, Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “See for yourself. Your Third Uncle still hasn’t woken up. The physician said that if he can wake, there’s still hope he might pull through. If he can’t…” Zheng Zhilong did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was obvious.

Looking at Zheng Zhibao lying on the bed, his face sallow and his life hanging by a thread, Zheng Sen could no longer hold back his tears.

Neither Zheng Zhilong nor Zheng Sen spoke, and the room fell into silence. Father and son lapsed into mute stillness—but the men kneeling outside were suffering miserably. Their knees had long since gone numb, and though they desperately wanted to stand, they dared not. In the end, they could only turn their gazes toward Zheng Sen, hoping that the young master would plead for them. Otherwise, Zheng Zhilong’s fury might burn them to death at any moment.

Perhaps Heaven was moved by their sincerity. Zheng Sen finally noticed them. Seeing these uncles who usually doted on him now kneeling pitifully on the ground, he sighed softly and said to Zheng Zhilong, “Father, my uncles have been kneeling for a long time now. I’ve heard something about the reasons for this defeat—it can’t all be blamed on them. Please spare them this once.”

Zheng Zhilong said darkly, “Hmph… a mere child, already learning how to plead for others.”

Although he spoke that way, Zheng Zhilong still gave his son face in front of outsiders. He waved his hand impatiently. “Enough. I’ll spare you this time. All of you, go back!”

“Thank you, Eldest Chief, for your great magnanimity!” As if granted a royal pardon, the men all let out sighs of relief, helped one another to their feet, and withdrew.

After everyone had left, Zheng Sen finally spoke seriously to Zheng Zhilong. “Father, this crushing defeat only proves that what I said last time was true. The Loyal and Brave Marquis has already established overwhelming momentum. His ships are strong and his cannons powerful—far beyond what we can withstand. If we continue to oppose him, I fear our Zheng family will be in grave danger.”

“Hmph… what does a greenhorn like you know?” Zheng Zhilong frowned and scolded him. “We’ve already fallen out with that Yue Yang. Even if we’re unwilling, what can we do now? I’ve roamed the Southern Seas for more than ten years—do you expect me to bow my head to a mere brat? That’s a dream. This time we simply lost because our cannons were inferior. In a while, I’ll buy another batch of artillery from the Dutch. Then I’ll seek Yue Yang out again and settle things once and for all.”

“Father…”

Seeing his father’s stubbornness, Zheng Sen was at a loss for words. Setting aside whether the Dutch would even sell them cannons—would Dutch artillery necessarily be superior to that of the Weihaiwei Navy? If they lost again next time, the Zheng family would truly be beyond saving.

While Zheng Sen was agonizing over his father’s obstinacy, Yue Yang in Weihaiwei was meanwhile receiving a group of Spanish merchants at his own residence.

That day, Yue Yang was still wearing a green military uniform, seated calmly in his chair. Before him stood Major Albert Bushby, dressed in a red-and-black uniform, the merchant Lawrence, and another tall, silver-haired, blue-eyed middle-aged man. “Honorable Marquis,” Bushby said, “allow me the honor of introducing a distinguished guest. This is Viscount Antony, the Governor-General appointed by Spain to Tayouan.”

Drawing back his appraising gaze, Yue Yang smiled faintly. “Hello, Governor Antony. Welcome to Weihaiwei. Please, have a seat.”

“Gra… gracias.” After Yue Yang finished speaking, Governor Antony actually uttered a heavily accented “thank you” in Chinese.

Hearing this, Yue Yang couldn’t help but smile. With interest, he said, “Governor Antony, it seems you did some preparation before coming. You even know how to speak Chinese.”

Unfortunately, Yue Yang’s praise was largely wasted. Apart from that single “thank you,” Antony couldn’t say anything else in Chinese, relying entirely on Lawrence to translate for him.

Once both sides were seated, Governor Antony said to Yue Yang, “Marquis, first of all, allow me to congratulate you. Your fleet achieved a brilliant victory in the Sea of Japan against Zheng Zhilong’s fleet, dealing a heavy blow to this wicked pirate force. It is truly a most gratifying affair!” To emphasize his point, Antony even waved his arms as he spoke.

Listening to Antony’s impassioned words, Yue Yang merely smiled faintly. Claiming the moral high ground to condemn others—this sort of trick was something even vegetable vendors in later generations could play. Naturally, Yue Yang found nothing strange about it.

After thinking for a moment, Yue Yang said calmly, “Governor Antony, thank you for your praise. However, Zheng Zhilong is still, after all, an official of our country. I believe that much of this stems from a misunderstanding. As long as both sides can talk it through, it should be resolved.”

“This fellow is too crafty,” Antony cursed inwardly. The moment he sat down, he had lavishly praised Yue Yang precisely to set the tone, to label Zheng Zhilong as a pirate so that the subsequent negotiations would be easier. But this Ming marquis had refused to take the bait, subtly framing the whole affair as a misunderstanding. That wouldn’t do at all—if you don’t fight, how am I supposed to muddy the waters?

Yue Yang, of course, had no idea what Antony was thinking—and even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared. To him, these Spaniards entrenched in Taiwan, like the Dutch, were all targets to be expelled sooner or later. For now, cooperation was merely a matter of mutual convenience.

Seeing signs that the conversation was drifting, Yue Yang steered it back. “Governor, let’s talk about your purpose in coming this time. I don’t imagine you came all this way just to congratulate me, did you?”

Yue Yang’s directness far exceeded Antony’s expectations. He had dealt with Ming officials before and believed they always spoke in riddles, never stating anything plainly, forcing others to guess. Yet this marquis was different—he got straight to the point. And that suited Antony just fine. Without hesitation, he said what he had come to say:

“Marquis, I am here to formally invite you to join us in driving out the Dutch who are entrenched in Zeelandia Castle and Provintia Castle, to the southwest of Tayouan.”