Chapter 698 - Subversion
"Hmph, that kid knows what's good for him." From a nearby ship, a sailor who had been covertly watching the sentry's every move muttered to himself. Had the sentry accepted the silver, he would have been drafting a report that very night, and the unlucky fellow would have spent the next several months in the punishment camp. But why had this pirate been trying to bribe the sentry in the first place?
Per regulations, as a member of the Ten-Man Group, he had no authority to directly request a meeting with the fleet's overt Political Security Special Envoy—not unless the matter was of extreme importance. So his only recourse was to write down what he had just witnessed on a slip of paper and deposit it in a designated box during his next shore leave. Only the Special Envoy possessed the key to that box.
By evening, Shi Zhiqi—who was also serving as Special Envoy—had received two reports on the matter: one from the sentry and one from the Ten-Man Group member.
Someone had been trying to board Lint Special 51. What could possibly be on that ship to attract a pirate?
Shi Zhiqi swiftly reached a conclusion: the other party was looking for someone.
The likelihood of intelligence-gathering was low. There was nothing special about Lint Special 51—neither in propulsion nor armament. Moreover, boarding would be exceptionally difficult since it wasn't jetty-moored; getting on and off required ferrying by small boat. If one wanted to conduct reconnaissance, the docked vessels would be far more accessible.
The only plausible explanation was that the pirate wanted to find someone aboard this particular ship.
But who? Shi Zhiqi pondered briefly, then had someone bring him the Political Security Bureau roster for all personnel aboard Lint Special 51. He leafed through it carefully. This roster was classified; unauthorized personnel were forbidden access. It contained not only reliability assessments for each individual but also brief personal histories.
Of the fifty-odd people aboard, twenty-three had backgrounds listed as "professional pirate" or "non-professional pirate." Shi Zhiqi understood at once: someone on this ship must be an old acquaintance from the enemy gang. The visitor wanted to establish contact.
Next, he needed to assess the threat level. Establishing contact could serve many purposes. The most benign would be purely social. But one couldn't rule out enemy subversion and recruitment.
Shi Zhiqi immediately brought this development to Chen Haiyang. "Should we launch an investigation?"
"Procedure would certainly dictate that," Chen Haiyang replied. "However, since we're going to eliminate this pirate gang very soon, whether we investigate seems to make little difference."
Le Lin interjected: "Perhaps we might uncover traitors. Even if not, we could use this to turn the tables."
"Very well. How do you propose we turn the tables?" Wen Desi asked.
"At minimum, we'd need to know whom the other side wants to meet and what their intentions are..."
"Which is precisely why I call it unnecessary trouble," Wen Desi said. "This sort of scheming is typical weak-minded thinking. What are the cannons and typewriters on your ships for? We needn't make things so complicated. If that Zheng Bao fellow refuses reorganization and won't leave Lantau Island, we eliminate him first."
"Zheng Bao commands sixty or seventy large ships! And many smaller ones. He has more men than we do."
"To be precise, there are exactly seventy-one vessels that qualify as large," Chen Haiyang said, signaling a staff officer to draw back the curtain covering the chart board behind him.
A complete map of Lantau Island was revealed, with the precise position of every pirate ship anchored at Tung Chung clearly marked. The locations of other long-term moored vessels were also indicated.
"The sampans and long-dragons—small rivercraft—are mostly moored at the eastern and western stream mouths. These vessels aren't their main force. We'll disregard them for now."
According to the map, most pirate vessels were concentrated at Tung Chung, with a few anchored at Tai O Island—a very small island separated from Lantau by an extremely narrow channel.
The Special Reconnaissance Team had secretly landed on Lantau the very first night after the main landing, and the following day had climbed to the island's highest peak—Phoenix Mountain at 935 meters elevation. They had subsequently traversed the entire island, using modern observation and surveying equipment to collect a wealth of crucial intelligence with precision.
The reconnaissance map they produced over those several days not only marked each vessel's position precisely but also sketched rough layouts of the residential areas surrounding Tung Chung.
Tung Chung, called Tung Chung Hau in the Ming dynasty, is located on the central northern coast of Lantau. It faces the sea on one side with mountains encircling it on three. By the Ming dynasty, it was already the island's main settlement. Two rivers empty into the sea here, designated "East Stream Mouth" and "West Stream Mouth" respectively. Most of Lantau is mountainous; only where rivers meet the sea are there small alluvial plains. This is therefore the most densely populated area, with numerous villages of varying sizes scattered about.
"It's said Tung Chung once sheltered the last two emperors of the Southern Song," Chen Haiyang noted. "Since we claim to be descendants of the Song, this place carries great symbolic significance."
"That's merely legend," Shi Zhiqi said.
"The final Southern Song court wandered throughout the Pearl River Estuary for quite some time. Temporary landfall on Lantau for rest wouldn't be surprising," Wen Desi observed. "Many places in this region have similar legends. There should be some historical basis."
Shi Zhiqi pressed further: "The enemy has more ships and men, and the terrain favors them—easy to defend, hard to attack. Can our frontal assault succeed?"
"Though Tung Chung is strategically situated and defensible, the pirates have no systematic land-and-sea defensive network," Chen Haiyang replied. "They have no shore defenses whatsoever—only a handful of lookouts posted on the headlands. They've made no defensive preparations in the mountains behind them, either. We can catch them completely off guard from the rear."
Chen Haiyang's battle plan called for a pincer attack by land and sea. Naval vessels would form a blockade line outside Tung Chung Mouth and assault the harbor. Marines and some sailors would land on Lantau's far side, bringing 12-pounder mountain howitzers and rockets. They would ascend Liujiao Mountain and Shangling Ridge west of Tung Chung and shell the pirate ships in the harbor from those commanding heights.
Once the pirate ships came under unexpected flanking fire, they would inevitably attempt to break out to sea—only to sail directly into the guns of the blockading fleet.
In chaotic fighting within narrow harbor confines, the side with more men and ships might hold the advantage. But in open water, a properly trained navy with superior navigation, command, and firepower could fully leverage its strengths. Chen Haiyang had no doubt of this. Even the converted special-service boats could deliver devastating effects with a single salvo.
"We commence operations in three days," Chen Haiyang said. "Once the cargo is completely unloaded, all ships can be deployed."
To heighten vigilance, Shi Zhiqi had—under the pretext of rotation—replaced two-thirds of the marine personnel aboard Lint Special 51 the day before. Among them were specially assigned investigators tasked with watching for and investigating any potential conspiracies.
Subsequently, at his repeated insistence, Lint Special 51 was moved to the outermost patrol circle—ostensibly to make it easier for potential agents to approach and board. Chen Haiyang considered this needless complication, but couldn't resist Shi Zhiqi's determination to "make new contributions on the political security front." Besides, the request to conduct a thorough investigation was in accordance with regulations.
Wang You's subordinate had been hovering nearby disguised as a fisherman. When he observed that Lint Special 51 had moved to the outermost perimeter, Wang You decided to take the chance—otherwise he would have nothing to show Zheng Bao.
When marines escorted Wang You into the ship's cabin, Shi Fourteen recognized him immediately. So startled was he that he shot to his feet.
"Steward... Wang!"
Wang You signaled with his expression, then bowed deeply: "Wang You pays respects to Your Honor!"
"Please, please, have a seat." Shi Fourteen hastily offered him a chair. "Brew some tea!"
"No need for trouble!" Wang You cupped his hands, glancing around the cabin—indicating he wished to dismiss the others. He had a confidential matter to discuss.
But Shi Fourteen found himself in a difficult position. Times had changed. He had no "trusted confidants" here; these people were merely superiors and subordinates. While subordinates obeyed superiors absolutely, the relationship wasn't the "intimate" kind. He had no secrets to keep on this ship.
Having a private conversation with his former steward—at this critical juncture when conflict with the pirates could erupt at any moment? This Steward Wang had chosen quite the time to administer his dose of discomfort.
Yet if he didn't dismiss the others, Wang You would absolutely refuse to reveal his purpose. Shi Fourteen was deeply conflicted. He couldn't simply drive the man away—that would severely damage his reputation. More importantly, he'd have no way to explain things to his superiors. Shi Fourteen understood the Australians' mindset well: they demanded clarity on everything. No vagueness was tolerated. Now that Wang You was aboard, concealing his visit was impossible. If he didn't even know what the other party wanted, he wouldn't know where to begin his report.
Thinking it through, he dismissed everyone from the cabin except the orderly—who would serve as witness.
"This is my trusted man. Speak freely in front of him."
Wang You lowered his voice. "Manager Shi, I trust you've been well?" His gaze wandered casually around the cabin. The tidiness and elegance surprised him, particularly the exquisite furnishings—utterly incomparable to the chaotic, filthy cabins of pirate ships.
"I didn't expect you'd be doing so well with the crop-heads—the Australians!"
"Tolerably, tolerably!" Shi Fourteen replied evasively. "I'm serving in the Australasian Song Navy, considered an officer of sorts."
"Australasian Song? Ah." Wang You recalled that the Australians claimed descent from the defeated remnants of the Song dynasty at Yashan, who had fled overseas and established their kingdom in Australia. "Judging by your bearing, you must be a general-level figure by now."
"Not at all," Shi Fourteen demurred quickly. "I'm still several ranks below general. A lieutenant in the Australasian Song Navy. As before, I manage several ships." He regarded Wang You with an inquiring gaze. "Steward Wang! After the battle at Nanri Island, we lost all news of you. Where are you employed now?"
(End of Chapter)