Chapter 699 - Counter-Subversion
"Employed?" Wang You smiled bitterly. "Merely scraping by, avoiding destitution." He shook his head as though venting frustration. "I'm serving as advisor to Zheng Bao."
"Zheng Bao? Related to Zheng Zhilong?"
"He wishes he could claim such a connection, but he has absolutely nothing to do with Zheng Zhilong. He's a local from the Dianbai area—only rose up about a year ago. But he's assembled quite a force. Those ships at Lantau are all his."
"Impressive scale."
"His core men and ships aren't so numerous—it merely looks imposing on the surface." Wang You sighed. "You know how these large gangs work. When times are prosperous, who knows how many people eat from the same pot? The moment things go sideways, everyone scatters."
"Ha!" Shi Fourteen patted his belly and laughed. "Now you're overgeneralizing, Steward Wang! Some things—you can't blame others. You have to blame yourself first."
"What do you mean?" Wang You had always believed that Zhu Cailao's downfall was largely due to his subordinates abandoning ship at the first sign of trouble. If the inner and outer stockholders had stood together during that crisis, how could things have deteriorated to total annihilation at Nanri Island?
"Boss Zhu certainly treated his brothers well—nothing to reproach himself for there," Shi Fourteen said, squinting. "And I, Shi Fourteen, can say I did right by the Boss—charging through fire and water at the front. Even when fleeing, I was nearly the last one out. But what about those who were always at the Boss's side? Where did they all run off to?"
He sipped his tea. "Back in the prosperous days, how many relatives of relatives held power and controlled everything in the old camp? Getting a bit of rice or gunpowder meant bowing and scraping everywhere, offering gifts. Otherwise, they'd make difficulties and refuse to issue anything! These things—you know better than I do, Steward Wang. All those years of prosperity—these people shipped gold, silver, treasures, and women back home by the boatload. Even distant relatives had houses and land set up for them—whole families living in splendor. But what about us outsiders?" Shi Fourteen seemed to be venting long-held grievances. "Fighting at the front, yet aside from what we could grab for ourselves, all the benefits went to those in the inner cabinet. So naturally, when disaster struck, everyone scattered. Don't you think?"
Wang You found himself speechless. Everything Shi Fourteen said was true. But this was simply how things worked everywhere; he had never thought there was anything improper about it.
"Isn't it the same everywhere under heaven?" Wang You countered. "The Emperor himself has but one head—yet his descendants for generations are all imperial relatives." He seized the opportunity. "Being with the Australians now—surely it's about the same?"
"Completely different." Shi Fourteen shook his head. "Working for the Australians—first, rewards and punishments are clear, and they keep their word. Second, the more capable you are, the higher you rise. No ambiguity whatsoever."
"Truly?"
Shi Fourteen nodded emphatically. "Absolutely."
"Remarkable." Wang You chatted with him a while longer. He had already abandoned hope of turning Shi Fourteen. The man's spirit and demeanor were entirely transformed from before. The Australians seemed to have remade him. Not only was his manner of speaking different, but even his gestures and movements had changed. His speech overflowed with unfamiliar terms that left Wang You struggling to keep up.
Shi Fourteen suddenly smiled. "Steward Wang, you've come to persuade me to join Zheng Bao."
Wang You nodded. "Indeed I have." He shook his head. "But now there's no point saying more. Just looking at this ship of yours, I know you'll never join him."
"Perceptive as ever, Steward Wang," Shi Fourteen said. "That worthless Zheng fellow is merely a petty pirate gang. I'm a proper Australasian Song naval officer now. How could I sell my service to him and go back to being a sea bandit?"
Wang You could only nod.
"I don't think you need to go back either. What kind of future could you have with such a small outfit?" Seeing Wang You's dejected expression and the incompatibility with Zheng Bao he had displayed from the start, Shi Fourteen sensed that this former steward probably wasn't getting along with his current boss. Though he and Wang You had never been close friends, the former steward had been a decent enough man. Shi Fourteen felt he should try to help.
Wang You smiled ruefully. "You want me to join the Australians?"
"Why not? Look at me—since joining them, haven't I been living well? Far more satisfying than before."
Wang You shook his head unconsciously. It wasn't that he rejected the idea outright, but rather that he found it embarrassing. Having failed to sway his target as an envoy was bad enough—to be counter-persuaded himself? He felt he couldn't save face.
He pondered for a moment. As for Zheng Bao's side—he truly didn't want to continue there. It was obvious he had no future with the man. Meanwhile, the Australians had inflicted a crushing defeat on the government troops, occupied Qiongzhou, and their momentum was surging... He suddenly realized the other party hadn't even offered terms for his surrender yet.
As if reading his thoughts, Shi Fourteen added: "The Australians never make empty promises of titles—everything depends on ability. Right now, they need people. As long as you work sincerely and diligently, why worry about your future? With your qualifications as the old camp's former manager, getting a position as a staff officer in the logistics department would be virtually guaranteed."
Wang You didn't know what these ranks meant. But his experience told him they weren't the various empty titles and sinecures that the Lê dynasty granted—the ones Zheng Bao was so proud of. These had to be actual positions in the Australian military. Though they sounded less impressive, they were far more valuable than appellations like "Ninghai General" from the Great Lê Dynasty. When Zheng Zhilong had submitted to the court, he'd received only the rank of youji—and how many people were already envious of that? Wang You had read enough to know that handing out titles and positions wantonly was absolutely not something a proper regime should do. The Australians controlled their ranks tightly, which spoke well of them.
"Brother Shi," Wang You decided to ask one final question, "in your view, what are the Australians' intentions in coming to our Central Kingdom?"
"They've already raised the banner of Australasian Song—what do you think their intentions are?"
Wang You's heart leapt. "Could it be they seek to claim the Nine Tripods?"
"What?" Shi Fourteen's education was limited; he didn't recognize the literary allusion.
"I mean, they want to rebel, to change dynasties..." Despite having spent most of his life as a pirate—killing officials and storming cities more than once or twice—Wang You still lowered his voice when speaking of "rebellion."
"Precisely!" Shi Fourteen said. "Why else would they leave prosperous Australia to come to this barren land of Lingao? If not to rebel and become emperors, why endure such hardship?"
In the end, Wang You's arduous journey to convince Shi Fourteen to defect resulted in his own defection instead. Shi Fourteen arranged for Wang You and his men to be sent ashore. Before Chen Haiyang, Wang You unhesitatingly betrayed Zheng Bao's entire gang—their schemes, their strength, and the specific internal workings of the pirate band.
Not only that, he volunteered to return and subvert some of Zhu Cailao's former subordinates.
Chen Haiyang praised him and expressed willingness to accept all "those who turn toward the light." He also indicated that if they couldn't extract men and ships beforehand, as long as they raised white flags and followed navigation orders during the battle, those ships wouldn't be attacked. The two sides agreed on signal flags for communication.
If Wang You truly succeeded in his subversion, obtaining ships and sailors for free would certainly be excellent. If he failed, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. Chen Haiyang had already fixed his plan: regardless of Wang You's success, he would launch the general assault on Lantau on schedule—September 10th by the Western calendar.
Chen Sigen released his grip, and the lifeless body slumped into the grass. He noticed no blood remained on his blade—it dripped cleanly from the tip onto the ground. He flicked the blade and slid it back into its sheath.
"Truly a fine weapon." Chen Sigen murmured his praise. The corpse lay at his feet, blood flowing from beneath its slashed throat. Those who had never witnessed death firsthand would find it hard to believe how much blood the human body contained.
The dead man wore patched coarse cloth clothing, his hair tied in a careless topknot. Barefoot—looking just like the immigrants landing at Bopu every day. The only difference was that he'd carried a large saber and a spear.
Around him lay four or five similar bodies, each with throat cut, blood pouring out. Some still twitched convulsively. The Special Recon Team members all wore excited expressions. Taking out seven men at the outpost simultaneously, all brought down within thirty seconds—an exceptional result.
The only survivor was pressed firmly to the ground, his mouth stuffed with dirt.
"Let him up, or he'll suffocate." Chen Sigen seated himself on a rock. The pirates had built a small shelter here to serve as an observation post watching the sea.
The recon team members dragged the prisoner before him. The man's arms hung limp—his joints had been dislocated in that split-second. Combined with the dirt smeared across his face, his pained grimace rendered him barely recognizable as human.
Chen Sigen conducted a brief interrogation. He learned they had only been posted to the ridge the day before. The advisor's negotiations with the Australians having failed, and both sides apparently about to fight, the Boss had sent men to the ridges to keep watch against any sudden Australian assault.
"How many groups were sent out, and where?"
"I only saw four groups—the others I didn't see, so I wouldn't dare say."
"Where were they all sent?"
"Also to Liujiao Mountain, Phoenix Mountain, and Tai O Island."
The group heading for Phoenix Mountain had already been eliminated by the Special Recon Team's observation post stationed there earlier. This confirmed the prisoner wasn't lying. But there was no way to be certain no other pirate posts existed.
"How do you signal when you spot the enemy?"
"Three fires at night, black smoke during the day." The prisoner howled in pain. "I wouldn't dare lie."
"Reset his joints and take him down the mountain. If he's uncooperative, kill him." Chen Sigen gave the order. Then he surveyed the post. The location had been well-chosen—vessels passing through the Ma Wan Channel were almost entirely visible from here.
(End of Chapter)