Chapter 1204 - Epilogue

"Yes, yes—Xiao Zi made sure to arrange special supply crates for you. Everything from clean clothes to food." Beiwei observed that the group looked well enough, just rather unkempt. Except for Mendoza, every man sported a scraggly beard, and owing to the heat, they were all dressed in ragged cotton undershirts and large shorts.

They welcomed Beiwei into camp. After several days of construction, it had taken decent shape. Zhou Weisen said the only shortcoming was the food—they'd been subsisting on a daily diet of compressed Grassland rations mixed with seafood congee. They had managed to procure a few barrels of salt pork and corned beef from the Spanish ship, plus some cheese, but the appearance and smell were so horrifying they'd given the stuff to the Spanish prisoners to enjoy along with their weevil-infested hardtack.

Since repairs on the San Raimundo weren't yet complete, the Haitian would have to linger a few more days. To speed the work, additional tools were brought from the Haitian to assist.

Beiwei and the others took the opportunity to revisit the Nongchao wreck site and assess whether salvage was feasible—they'd need to report to the Executive Committee.

The inspection concluded that the ship was severely damaged. Zhou Weisen made a dive and discovered major breaches in the underwater hull, and some ribs had been deformed. Even if they went to considerable expense to right and refloat her, she couldn't be towed back to Lingao for repair.

After sending the report to Lingao, the response came quickly: dispose of the Nongchao on site, leaving as little wreckage as possible.

The sailors then dismantled everything salvageable: navigational instruments and equipment, fire-control gear, sails, rigging, and some removable ship's timber—including the exposed propeller. Light weapons and ammunition had been brought ashore before the typhoon and didn't need to be salvaged. The main gun ammunition was too heavy to recover.

Next, they used winches and tackle to haul up the ship's anchors and chains, one 130mm main gun, and two 75mm secondary guns from the reef. Other guns had either sunk too deep or been swept away.

Finally, they removed the helm wheel and ship's bell from the Nongchao. Marines packed the remaining hull with densely-loaded black powder charges. For safety, they drilled holes into the hull and placed charges directly in the engine room.

On the afternoon of July 29th, after all personnel saluted the Nongchao's wreckage, the charges were detonated. The Nongchao's remains were blown to fragments—nothing remained above water.

The Haitian then weighed anchor, towing the San Raimundo for the return voyage. On the galleon's broad deck, marines fired three volleys skyward before the squadron hoisted sail and departed.

On Samar Island, all that remained were two small stone markers on a coastal hillock: one a victory monument for Operation Hunger, the other commemorating the sunken Nongchao and the four fallen sailors. Not far from these two monuments lay a horizontal headstone marking the grave of the San Raimundo's slain crewmen.

In Lingao, word of the Nongchao's loss had already been disseminated among the transmigrators.

Shan Liang submitted a proposal to the Senate Standing Committee demanding a detailed investigation into the entire incident, questioning the Executive Committee and examining the legality of command procedures for this naval operation. Meanwhile, Du Wen published "A Critique of Opportunism and Adventurism's Grave Harm to the Transmigration Enterprise" in Morning Star magazine, condemning the operation from its inception as a reckless venture by self-interested opportunists that violated the transmigrators' principles of planned, disciplined, big-picture action.

Naturally, a heated debate also arose over whether to prioritize saving people or saving ships in a crisis. Questions fraught with gunpowder—like whether transmigrators were more valuable than a 901 gunboat, or whether transmigrators were worth more than American silver—were raised.

Obviously, no one dared assert that a 901 was more important than transmigrators—that would be serious political incorrectness in Lingao. But when combined with the subsequent attack on the San Raimundo, the question became tangled: had Zhou Weisen and Lin Chuanqing, in attacking the enemy while their own situation remained precarious, engaged in adventurism simply to cover up their earlier mistakes?

With the matter generating so much controversy, Qian Shuiting proposed forming a special Nongchao Sinking Incident Committee to investigate.

The Investigative Committee held several hearings and subsequently issued a report:

First, the Committee concluded that Operation Hunger was legitimate—it had been formally proposed and voted upon in accordance with transmigrator military and political proposal procedures. The Committee reminded transmigrators that individuals had the right to question the operation's reasonableness and necessity, but no authority to deny its legitimacy. Any statements denying the operation's legitimacy would be viewed as contempt for the Senate's authority.

Second, regarding whether Lin Chuanqing's decision to abandon ship and go ashore constituted cowardice: the Committee found that, according to testimony from naval witnesses, the standard response to typhoons was to take ships to open sea, which offered a better chance of saving the vessel—though also some risk of losing both ship and crew.

For a functioning ship with full crew and equipment, sheltering near shore during a typhoon was a "save people, not ship" approach and would normally constitute a serious breach of naval discipline. However, the Committee noted that, under the Senate's guiding principles of "Transmigrators are the primary productive force" and "Transmigrator interests above all," Lin Chuanqing's decision to abandon ship was not merely to ensure his own safety, but also to protect Zhou Weisen, Sun Xiao, and Mendoza—three transmigrators—making his measures appropriate.

Third, the attack on the San Raimundo by Zhou Weisen and Lin Chuanqing was entirely within the operational framework of Operation Hunger. The mission parameters were: attack Manila Galleons as circumstances permit, and seize ships and cargo. From this perspective, as long as the mission hadn't been declared concluded, any attack on Manila Galleons by Zhou Weisen and Lin Chuanqing was reasonable and legal.

Fourth, regarding whether the decision-making process during the return constituted interference with Lin Chuanqing's command by other transmigrators: the Committee found that, legally speaking, the transmigrators in the squadron bore no responsibility. According to the current "Transmigrator Military-Political Consultative System," when multiple transmigrators were present and couldn't reach consensus, major decisions had to be put to a vote. Therefore, the vote and its outcome were both lawful.

However, the Committee explicitly noted that this system had serious drawbacks in practice—it could lead to laymen interfering with experts and a situation where "everyone has authority, but no one bears responsibility." The Committee recommended the Senate reform this issue and clearly define unified authority and responsibility.

Finally, the Committee's conclusion stated that while losing a warship was regrettable, losses of warships and ships were unavoidable in conquest operations. As long as commanders were not found to have made errors in their specific command decisions, such losses should not be blamed on anyone.

This conclusion, read aloud in the Senate, passed by a two-thirds majority. Qian Shuiting wasn't surprised. The high-voltage wire of "transmigrator vs. 901" was untouchable, so attempting to use this to deny Operation Hunger would be very difficult—not to mention the rich spoils the operation had captured.

However, this incident did produce another outcome: passage of the "Military and Major Operations Command Act" submitted by Dongmen Chuiyu. It stipulated that command of any military or major operation would have objectives set by the Senate and Executive Committee, with the General Staff formulating plans for field commanders to execute.

During execution, all campaign and tactical decisions would be made by the field commander. Other transmigrators could offer suggestions on execution methods but could not interfere with decision-making—eliminating the problem of collective decision-making with no collective responsibility.

While the hearings and investigation proceeded, the Planning Commission conducted a complete inventory of the two galleons brought to Lingao. Both ships were originally supposed to anchor at quarantine first before cargo inspection, but the Executive Committee couldn't wait. They decided to proceed with immediate full-ship fumigation.

The remaining chlorine brought back on the Haitian was pumped into the San Raimundo's hold for mass fumigation. The chlorine proved highly effective—afterward, several hundred rats and countless insects were cleared from below-deck compartments on both ships.

Medics in isolation gowns sprayed disinfectant throughout the ship interiors. Then sealed cargo was removed piece by piece, logged, and loaded onto rail cars for transport to the quarantine warehouse for individual unpacking and inspection.

The quarantine warehouse district was large—all imported cargo underwent quarantine there, with fumigation treatment as needed. In practice, this was Lingao Customs' primary function at present.

The warehouse prepared for the Manila Galleons was the largest. Beneath the huge iron-truss roof, bundles and crates of spoils were being wheeled in on rail cars and arranged by zone.

Over a hundred naturalized civilian workers had been brought in, drawn from various departments: Customs, Planning Commission, police, military, and Fangcaodi students. All now wore white isolation gowns: back-fastening with ties, no pockets anywhere, with caps, protective goggles, and gloves.

"Form five-person teams and open packages for inspection one by one!" Sun Xiao, dressed identically, shouted through a megaphone. "All items must be called out and logged! Report any anomalies immediately! Begin!"

The Planning Commission's primary interest was precious metals—the operation's main objective. Any small reinforced iron-banded box that might contain silver or gold was opened first. One by one the chests were opened, contents sorted onto special trays, and logged by dedicated clerks. Gold coins, silver coins, gemstones, and pearls spilled forth, instantly filling the warehouse with glittering radiance.

(End of Chapter)