Chapter 1198 - Disinfection

"Why did he attack the sterncastle?"

"Lieutenant Alvarado refused to surrender. He believed he could defeat you in close-quarters combat, after which he could pay a ransom and sail the San Luis away." The captain spoke with undisguised resentment. "That scoundrel has been inciting the sailors and soldiers to mutiny throughout the voyage. He knew the ship was carrying the royal subsidy for the Governor of the Philippines—the contemptible gambler and rogue! I exerted tremendous effort to maintain order aboard ship." A look of regret crossed his face—clearly lamenting that his painstaking voyage had ended in failure just one day's sail from its destination.

Did this lieutenant want to turn pirate? Zhou Weisen wondered.

"How much royal subsidy is aboard?"

The captain shook his head. "I don't know—the amount is classified. I'm only responsible for transport."

"Where is the San Raimundo?"

The captain started, realizing these people knew everything—they must have been following them all the way from New Spain.

"We encountered a storm six days' sail from here and became separated."

"Is the San Raimundo also carrying royal subsidy?"

"Yes. I don't know the specific amount."

Zhou Weisen had nothing more to ask—he'd gotten answers to all the key questions. As for Lieutenant Alvarado's ambitions, he had no interest whatsoever. However, it did seem a pity to lose more than three hundred potential laborers for nothing.

"Take him away."

"Please—send word to His Excellency the Governor of the Philippines! I have friends in Manila who can pay a ransom..." Seeing men come to drag him away, the captain hastily spoke up, fearing these Chinese pirates might simply kill everyone to silence them.

Zhou Weisen waved his hand, and the captain and the other prisoners were led away. By then, steel cylinders, attached hoses, and protective equipment were being carefully carried across the boarding bridge.

The marines began suppressing the hatch entrances. Under continuous shotgun fire, they quickly pushed back the Spaniards guarding the hatches. Two marines dropped a pressure hose inside.

"Open the valve!" At Zhou Weisen's command, a naturalized technician from the Chemical Department, wearing full protective gear, carefully opened the valve.

A yellow-green gas rose from the grating—though the chlorine, being heavier than air, quickly sank downward. Zhou Weisen watched intently, checking his watch and calculating the time required to take effect.

Chlorine was denser than air, so releasing it on the upper deck would cause it to naturally flow down through the hatches, soon filling the middle and lower decks. However, according to their simulations, the gun decks of a galleon weren't completely sealed—the gun ports should still be open, and the recent battle had punched numerous holes in the hull. The chlorine would have difficulty reaching lethal concentration.

Nevertheless, even trace amounts of chlorine in the air were enough to incapacitate. The gas was extremely irritating to mucous membranes, and inhaling even tiny amounts would cause violent coughing and breathing difficulties. According to the Chemical Department's calculations, this canister was more than sufficient to neutralize all resistance throughout the ship.

Sure enough, within five minutes howls like dying animals rose from below deck—violent coughing, confused shouting, and screams of "Let us out! We surrender!"

Then came several gunshots from below, the dying screams of men, and confused footsteps. A hatchway was violently thrown open and several men poured out, hands raised high, gasping and calling out brokenly: "Surrender! Surrender!"

"Close the valve! Tell the prisoners to come up with hands above their heads and kneel on the deck!" Zhou Weisen bellowed.

The prisoners clambered out in chaotic disorder, choking and coughing, scrambling over each other. At one point the hatchway became so jammed that marines had to wade in with fists and boots to restore order.

Those who made it up filled the entire deck. Some clutched at their throats in agony; others lay prostrate, gasping for air. Those in better condition still coughed uncontrollably; some couldn't get up at all.

Once Zhou Weisen saw that no one else was emerging from below, he ordered a complete ship search. Donning a gas mask himself, he went below to inspect.

Marines wearing masks and goggles descended through the hatches to conduct level-by-level searches. Though only about half the chlorine from the cylinder had been released, it had already caused massive casualties on the second gun deck—over thirty men lay dead. Soldiers and sailors had concentrated on this level preparing for combat and had taken the brunt of the attack. On the third deck and in the hold, though there were fewer people, the chlorine settled quickly, killing those who hadn't escaped in time.

Looking at the grotesque death poses of the gassed victims, Zhou Weisen felt conflicted. This method was fast and effective—still used without hesitation by emperors, kings, and presidents well into the twentieth century—and he himself had enthusiastically supported the use of gas. Yet he was still a modern man who had once lived in the twenty-first century.

The material gains, however, were extremely rich. Besides the one-pounder deck swivels, the ship carried thirty-four cannons, all cast in bronze—a considerable haul of copper alone. And the ship was packed with cargo from the Americas. Bundles and bales filled not only the hold but even the gun decks—no wonder the ship rode so low in the water. Undoubtedly there was plenty of valuable merchandise here.

Zhou Weisen didn't open anything—this wasn't the place for inspection, and cargo from long voyages often harbored terrible bacteria and viruses. That was how plague spread, after all. He instructed the soldiers to affix Planning Commission seals to everything.

The most important prize—silver coins from New Spain—was in the hold. Row upon row of lead-sealed, iron-banded silver chests stood in neat ranks. Zhou Weisen examined the seals; the coats of arms of the Royal Audiencia of New Spain were intact.

The body of the ambitious Lieutenant Alvarado was also found here. He lay sprawled across a silver chest, one hand clutching the box, the other clawing at his own throat.

Zhou Weisen gazed at the horrifying corpse with mixed emotions, then commanded: "Move all the silver chests to the deck!"

Silver was the most critical prize. Though they had decided to tow the San Luis, one of her masts was already gone and her hull unwieldy. If they encountered a major storm, they might have to abandon ship—better to have the silver safely aboard Hull 901.

Sun Xiao counted and registered each silver chest on deck, affixing Planning Commission seals before transferring them to the Nongchao as ballast. Then Zhou Weisen ordered the bodies cleared. However, he was in no hurry to ventilate and disperse the chlorine—quite the opposite. He instructed the soldiers to seal all portholes and plug all gaps. Chlorine had excellent disinfectant and germicidal properties—just the thing for a thorough fumigation of this filthy vessel.

"Have you found the cargo manifest, passenger list, and ship's log?" Sun Xiao asked. Since they weren't going to sort through everything here, the cargo manifest would be crucial for later verification.

"The captain says they're all in the sterncastle. Mendoza is collecting the relevant documents now. She'll hand everything over tonight."

After a thorough top-to-bottom search and clearing, Hull 901 towed the San Luis back to Samar Island waters to rendezvous with the Haifeng and Feiyun, which had remained behind.

The soldiers transferred all surviving Spaniards to the hold of the Haifeng. That evening, all the transmigrators gathered aboard the Nongchao to hear Zhou Weisen's report.

"...According to the captain, there were still 375 people at the last roll call three days ago. We've now captured 250 prisoners and recovered 109 bodies, with 16 unaccounted for. I believe those sixteen were lost during the three days of sailing or fell overboard during combat. Of course, there may have been some inaccuracy in their count."

"Could anyone still be hiding in the cargo hold?" Sun Xiao asked.

"Then we'd have sixteen undiscovered bodies—the chlorine concentration below deck, while not immediately fatal, would eventually kill anyone who stayed hidden." Zhou Weisen paused. "I estimate that by the time we reach Lingao, even the rats will be dead."

Among the 250 prisoners were the captain, first mate, and most senior officers. Only the second mate had been killed in action.

"I expect more will die in the coming days—many are seriously wounded and probably won't last long."

"What about the gassed men? No problems? Will there be lasting effects?" Sun Xiao was also interested in the human resources.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Mild chlorine exposure just requires fresh air and washing the eyes, nostrils, and other mucous membranes with clean water—the medics have already treated them. Anyone severely exposed wouldn't have survived anyway."

"Actually, I don't see why we need prisoners at all. We could just have them walk the plank and be done with it." Lin Chuanqing, accustomed to his days as a snakehead, had no qualms about such matters.

"That doesn't seem right—we did promise them their lives if they surrendered." Lü Yang's chivalric instincts surfaced.

"Once they're all dead, who's going to say we broke our word? Even among our own people, nobody understands what Mendoza said. They'll never know we went back on our promise."

"We need to consider the consequences. The surrender demand was broadcast by Miss Mendoza. If we really kill everyone, she'll certainly protest. Besides, casually massacring prisoners hardly provides positive education for the troops." Zhou Weisen spoke righteously, though in truth he simply didn't want to spend his time aboard the Feiyun being harangued by Mendoza.

"Maintaining unity among transmigrators is the top priority—these few hundred lives really don't matter either way. Besides, the mines in Sanya won't complain about having too many workers." Sun Xiao voiced his support.

(End of Chapter)