Chapter 693 - Heading to Hong Kong
Shi Zhiqi's spirits lifted instantly. He watched the small Daihatsu liaison boat reach the accommodation ladder on the opposite side of Transport-11 and immediately ordered his signals officer:
"Signal Special-11—I want to board the flagship to report on combat preparations!"
The Pearl River Estuary Detachment's departure lacked a grand ceremony; only loudspeakers playing the "Warship March" served as a farewell tune. The Navy desperately wanted a proper naval band, but they couldn't scrape together enough musicians from among the five hundred transmigrators. Native musicians were learning from video tutorials, which naturally presented considerable difficulties.
The formation was led by four patrol boats of the 4th Patrol Boat Squadron, followed by squadron after squadron setting sail. Every ship was fully dressed with flags. Chen Haiyang's Chief of Naval Operations pennant and Wen Desi's Naval Advisor flag fluttered from the main and mizzen masts of Special-11. Shi Zhiqi sat on his flagship Big Whale, watching his Marine Detachment Commander flag snap in the wind with quiet pride.
Crowds of spectators gathered on shore. A large formation setting sail was a rare and spectacular sight for them—ships draped in flags, mighty sailors manning the rails, cannons polished to a brilliant shine. Wen Desi had spared no effort promoting the concept of "Navy SHOW." Only by making the public perceive the military as majestic and beautiful could they attract volunteers to enlist, rather than relying on the current semi-coercive conscription.
The policy of "soldiers first, re-education later" had its merits, but Wen Desi hoped to cultivate social values in the future empire where military service was considered an honor. He strongly supported anything that enhanced soldiers' prestige and social image.
Just moments ago, Shi Zhiqi had submitted his painstakingly compiled—or rather "plagiarized"—Marine Corps Uniforms, Insignia, Ranks, and Protocol Plan. On its surface, this was merely a proposal to "enhance the military's image," but in reality it represented the opening move in Shi Zhiqi's campaign to "de-navalize the Marine Corps." Wen Desi hadn't thought that deeply about it and had expressed great appreciation for the system Shi Zhiqi had worked so hard to create. This put Shi Zhiqi in an even better mood.
The Pearl River Estuary Detachment arrived in Macao waters on September 4th. Such a massive fleet suddenly appearing in their waters sent the Portuguese into a panic. After a brief interval of confusion, all large Portuguese vessels in the harbor hoisted sails and prepared for battle.
The transmigrators observed Macao's forts and harbor through telescopes. Taking Macao wouldn't prove difficult, but the place was simply too small—it often struggled to supply even basic vegetables and freshwater, offering limited development prospects. Hong Kong Island was far superior.
"Leave this place to the Portuguese." Wen Desi reclined in a rattan chair on Special-11's poop deck, suffering mild seasickness—the ship was still too small and pitched heavily in rough seas. Shi Zhiqi had invited him to transfer to the Big Whale, but he had declined.
"At least wait until they finish building the Ruins of St. Paul's," Chen Haiyang joked as he lowered his binoculars. From a naval officer's perspective, Hong Kong was a rare first-class naval base, while Macao's harbor was markedly inferior.
The fleet departed Macao waters and continued sailing west. In truth, they had already entered the Pearl River Estuary—the Lingdingyang made famous by Wen Tianxiang's poem. Neilingding Island lay ahead to the fleet's port side.
This was part of the so-called "Inner Ocean." Here the coastline became tortuous and winding, deeply indented and staggered, with hidden coves suitable for ambush visible everywhere. Occasionally one encountered broad river mouths where fresh and salt water mingled.
The "Inner Ocean" was dotted with scattered islands. Some were inhabited; others provided convenient anchorages for fishermen to rest. But most were barren, uninhabited islets.
These barren islands also offered excellent grounds for pirates to rest and stage ambushes. The entire detachment maintained vigilance while sailing, on guard against sudden pirate attacks. Liu Xiang's ships were active in these waters, along with many smaller scattered bands. Even ordinary fishermen might attempt to "grab a handful" at any opportunity.
This region was prime hunting ground for pirates: maritime traffic was highly developed, with harbors everywhere providing merchants maximum convenience. Bulk cargoes traveled on ships shuttling between coastal towns and villages. Though these goods lacked the value of "foreign ship" cargoes, seizing a boatload of daily necessities remained worthwhile to pirates—such items sold faster. After compiling and analyzing massive quantities of pirate intelligence from the External Intelligence Bureau, Xu Ke had reported to Chen Haiyang that pirates here took anything and everything. Never mind low-value daily goods like fishing equipment, rice, and salt—they wouldn't even pass up "cold goods" like bricks and tiles.
"I can only conclude that pirates must be desperately poor..." Xu Ke had sighed.
"A rising tide floats all boats," Chen Haiyang observed. "Back home, bribing officials started with a few bottles of wine and cartons of cigarettes. Later, even a fifty-thousand-yuan red envelope was just a token gesture."
"North Lantau ahead."
"Order the lead ship to change heading to 120. All ships follow in order—no straggling!" Chen Haiyang issued the course change. "We're crossing the Brothers waters."
Chen Haiyang planned to lead the fleet past Lantau Island, through the Brothers, then through Ma Wan Channel, entering Victoria Harbour from the western approach. Of course, this body of water wouldn't be called Victoria Harbour in the future. But a proposal to rename it "Empress Wu Zetian Bay" had met considerable opposition.
For European ships departing Macao and entering the Pearl River Estuary, the Brothers were their first significant landmark on the chart. One could say that sailing past the Brothers marked the first step toward Guangzhou.
When the fleet entered the Brothers waters, Chen Haiyang ordered full alert—north of this area lay the famous Tuen Mun. The Portuguese had originally attempted to occupy this location as their China trade base but had been defeated by the Ming army. According to intelligence provided by Xu Ke from the External Intelligence Bureau, several hundred Ming troops were garrisoned here, possibly maintaining a small number of war junks for monitoring and patrolling the sea. The Australian-Song Navy's appearance could very likely trigger armed conflict.
However, the fleet passed through these waters without encountering combat. Chen Haiyang and the others observed along the way but saw almost no signs of naval vessels—according to historical data provided by Yu Eishui, the Guangdong Navy should have been conducting regular patrols with war junks throughout this area of the Pearl River Estuary.
"The regulations say one thing," Yellow Claws commented. "Whether they're actually enforced is another matter entirely. This is the late Ming era. It's probably all empty words on paper."
Yellow Claws had boarded as a member of the long-range survey team—Hong Kong Island in this timeline also required comprehensive surveying and mapping. He could have delegated this task to others, but he strongly hoped to become a ship captain someday. So he had volunteered for this voyage to accumulate nautical knowledge and ship-handling experience.
"Most likely the navy simply has too few ships to maintain coverage," Chen Haiyang suggested.
"I really hope we run into the Ming navy and have a proper fight! Even firing a few shots would satisfy me!" Yellow Claws scanned the horizon excitedly. Apart from scattered fishing boats, the sea lay empty. This area contained numerous large and small islands and sandbars, which in another timeline would fall under Hong Kong's Outlying Islands District.
Yellow Claws' wish for battle was soon granted. That afternoon, as they passed through Ma Wan Channel, the communications officer suddenly shouted:
"Vanguard has spotted suspicious vessels!"
Ma Wan Channel was a north-south waterway, with Ma Wan Island to the west and Tsing Yi Island to the east. Below Ma Wan Island lay a small islet called Tang Lung Chau. In the sheltered waters between the two islands, many fishing boats of various sizes rode at anchor. The lookout on the vanguard patrol boat had alertly noticed bonfires being lit on the hills of both Tsing Yi and Ma Wan islands—clearly signaling something.
Subsequently, several suspicious-looking fishing boats appeared on the sea, gradually approaching the vanguard squadron, apparently spying on the fleet. Upon discovering its massive size, they quickly fled.
"Those are pirate ships," Chen Haiyang said, raising his binoculars. "Order the patrol boat squadron to capture the enemy vessels!"
As the signalman transmitted the order, minutes later four patrol boats from the lead squadron broke formation and pounced toward the fleeing fishing boats.
Yellow Claws raised his binoculars, watching the distant scene. The enemy were clearly few—only three small black-awning boats were fleeing near Ma Wan Island. But their clumsy hulls couldn't match the speed of the agile lateen-rigged patrol boats.
The patrol boats quickly bracketed the three black-awning boats. Just then, Yellow Claws saw white smoke rise from the first black-awning boat and heard faint cannon fire.
"They're firing! They're firing!" the lookout shouted. "Enemy ship opening fire!"
Almost simultaneously, thick smoke billowed from the two patrol boats already blocking the pirate ships' escape, muzzle flashes flickering within the haze.
Numerous small white waterspouts instantly erupted on the sea surface around the ships. The hull of one black-awning boat seemed to shudder, and its sail came tumbling down.
"Enemy ship on fire!" Just as the lookout shouted, a small explosion erupted on one black-awning boat, igniting a blaze.
"I didn't see cannon fire—how did it explode?"
"The gunpowder on the pirate ship detonated," Chen Haiyang said nonchalantly. "Pirates typically leave their powder kegs open on deck during battle."
The engagement ended quickly. Two black-awning boats were captured. The third, burning too fiercely, was deemed not worth saving.
Following established pirate-capture procedures, prisoners were not processed at sea. Instead, men were sent to dismantle the few cannons and confiscate the gunpowder. Sailors were then ordered to pilot the captured black-awning boats and follow the fleet, forbidden from breaking formation.