Chapter 107: Zhu Cailao

Under interrogation by the Public Security Team, the captured pirates quickly spilled everything. To everyone’s surprise, they were not men of the infamous Liu Xiang, but followers of one Zhu Cailao. Zhu Cailao’s domain was the waters off the coast of Guangdong. Among the various maritime powers of the era, his name was not as renowned as those of the Zheng family, Liu Xiang, Li Kuaiqi, or Zhong Lingxiu, but he had been in the game far longer than Zheng Zhilong. In the forty-eighth year of the Wanli Emperor’s reign, while Zheng Zhilong was still a subordinate of Yan Siqi, Zhu Cailao already commanded two fleets, one for the north and one for the south. In that single year, he launched three separate assaults on Jieyang, followed by an attack on Chenghai. The next year, he struck Jieyang again, marking him as one of the most active maritime forces of the period.

From the captives, the transmigrators learned for the first time about the organizational structure of these coastal groups, who were part merchant, part pirate. Though they operated under a unified leadership, their activities were conducted by units known as “shares.” The head of a share, called a “manager,” was a crucial link in the chain of command, bridging the gap between the supreme leader and the individual vessels. The manager appointed captains, relayed the leader’s orders, and was held responsible for the actions of his subordinates. The number of ships in a share varied; some were as small as two or three vessels, while larger ones could command up to forty. The relationship between a share and the leader, their duties and obligations, depended on their closeness to him. Shares not directly affiliated with the leader were free to operate independently most of the time, but they had to abide by the group’s internal rules and surrender a percentage of their profits, whether from plunder or trade, to the leader. When the leader summoned the shares for a collective action, all were unconditionally required to answer the call.

[Note: Due to limited historical resources, the precise organizational structure of major maritime groups during the Ming Dynasty could not be found. This model is based on that of Guangdong pirates in the early 19th century.]

These three ships belonged to one of Zhu Cailao’s own managers, a core member of his operation. Their mission to Lingao was deeply entwined with the fate of the Gou family.

The Gou family, whose pigs the transmigrators had so thoroughly slaughtered, was a major fence for Zhu Cailao’s organization. A significant portion of Zhu Cailao’s stolen goods was first shipped to Lingao for safekeeping before being sold in batches throughout Guangdong via the Gou family’s network in Qiongshan.

News of the Gou family’s downfall took nearly half a month to reach Zhu Cailao. Gou Er, from the county seat of Lingao, had vanished with his entire family the day after the estate was razed. He hadn’t even bothered to report the disaster to his pirate lord. Gou Er was a practical man; he knew a powerful figure like Zhu Cailao would not simply swallow such a loss. If he reported it, he would undoubtedly be forced to offer a massive compensation, potentially his entire fortune. And that was not all. Zhu Cailao would surely retaliate against the “Short Hairs,” and as a local, Gou Er would be forced to lead the charge. He could afford to provoke neither side, so he chose to disappear, hoping to ride out the storm. As for avenging his brother, he was content to let Zhu Cailao handle it. Relying on a great pirate was a much safer bet than relying on his own fallen clan.

Thus, Zhu Cailao remained in the dark until one of his contacts discovered the Gou family estate reduced to a ruin, with a new fortress rising from its ashes. Only then did he realize the Gous were finished. He sent men to find Gou Er in the county seat, but they found no trace of him. Through subsequent inquiries, they managed to piece together a rough sketch of what had transpired.

The destruction of his fence and the loss of his stockpiled goods was a devastating blow. Zhu Cailao had already received word that Zheng Zhilong, recently pacified by the imperial court, was preparing to move against him. Just when he needed to build ships and recruit men for the coming conflict, he suffered this crippling setback. Years of accumulated wealth had vanished in an instant. The loss was not merely financial; it struck a blow to the confidence of his followers. Pirate confederations were communities of shared interest. When a leader’s resources were destroyed and he could no longer guarantee the prosperity of his men, the various factions naturally began to have second thoughts. Other pirate lords, who had long coveted his position, seized the opportunity to lure away his managers. In a short time, dozens of shares, commanding over a hundred ships, either deserted without a word or refused his summons.

The transmigrators had no idea that their simple act of “improving their diet” by wiping out the Gou family had triggered a chain reaction that rippled across the southeast coast. The greatest beneficiary, ironically, was the Zheng family, the very group they considered their most formidable future enemy. Overwhelmed and furious, Zhu Cailao dispatched several groups of ships to Lingao to find out who had dared to challenge the tiger in his own den.

Soon, information about the “Short Hairs” trickled back to him. He had heard of this group before; their strange, massive iron ship had been a topic of gossip among Guangdong fishermen for months. Gou Da had mentioned these peculiar newcomers in his letters, calling them Australian sea merchants. He also knew their firearms were incredibly potent, having routed all of Lingao’s local militia.

Zhu Cailao had been somewhat wary of these “Australian pirates”—in this era, the line between merchant and pirate was thin—appearing in his sphere of influence. But since landing in Lingao, they had kept to themselves. They showed no interest in trade, nor did they send out raiding parties. They maintained an ambiguous, almost aloof presence, an attitude of “we won’t bother you if you don’t bother us.” With the looming threat of the Zheng family, he had tacitly tolerated their existence.

Now, Zhu Cailao faced a choice. He could gather his forces and attack the Short Hairs immediately, recovering his lost wealth and restoring his prestige. In the past, he would have done so without a second thought. But with Zheng Zhilong watching him like a tiger, and the Short Hairs being no easy prey, a bloody conflict would only benefit his rival. His other option was to do nothing and focus his strength on the confrontation with Zheng Zhilong. But without the vast resources stored at the Gou estate, he couldn’t raise the funds and supplies he needed in time.

While he hesitated, his spies brought back a new piece of intelligence: the Short Hairs possessed some unbelievably fast boats. These vessels were comparable in size to a large Guang-style ship but moved with a speed that surpassed any ship they had ever seen, including the various Western sailing ships that plied these waters. These fast boats had no sails, meaning they were immune to fire attacks in naval combat. With such a ship, his fleet would gain a decisive advantage.

This sealed his decision. Zhu Cailao resolved to attack the Short Hairs. He sent numerous spies to Lingao for reconnaissance. From local fishermen, he learned that the enemy had taken over the fishing grounds and that their fast boats patrolled the bay daily, inspecting for illegal fishing. From his spies, he gathered the following:

1. The Short Hairs’ muskets were their most formidable weapon—long-range, highly lethal, and capable of continuous fire.
2. In stark contrast to their advanced muskets, the Short Hairs had no cannons. Even their fast boats were armed with strange, large crossbow-like contraptions.
3. They had four fast boats in total. Usually, only one patrolled the fishing grounds, while the others remained hidden in the bay. They seemed to treasure these vessels. Their enormous iron ship remained anchored and motionless.
4. The Short Hairs were not numerous, estimated by the spies to be around a thousand men. They were divided into “true” and “false” members, though the spies couldn’t tell them apart. They were split between two locations: Bairen Beach and Bopu Port. Both were fortified, but Bopu had fewer people and weaker defenses. The former Gou estate and a place called Yanchang Village were also under their control.

Zhu Cailao had never read a book on warfare, nor did he understand strategy or tactics. But he possessed the street wisdom to judge which course of action would yield the greatest profit. At his core, he was a merchant, and he understood the principle of getting the most for his efforts.

After weighing the information, Zhu Cailao made a shrewd decision: he would not launch an all-out war. The scope of the battle would be limited to capturing their “fast boats” to enhance his fleet’s combat power and, if possible, seizing some of their muskets.

Though the Short Hairs’ muskets were formidable, they lacked manpower and cannons, two things Zhu Cailao had in abundance. After consulting with his key commanders, he dispatched his most capable general to undertake the mission.

The plan was clever. Through long-term observation by fishermen acting as spies, they had deciphered the transmigrators’ routines and operational methods. They devised a targeted strategy: use illegal fishing to lure a fast boat into an inspection, then use cannon fire and boarding parties to sweep the deck of the “Short Hairs.” To this end, all cannons were loaded with grapeshot to avoid damaging the precious boat. They even prepared two types of ropes: thick ones for towing their prize and thin ones for tying up captured Short Hairs. Zhu Cailao had given explicit orders: any captured Short Hairs were to be treated well, as only they knew how to operate the fast boats and muskets.

Everything was meticulously planned. Against any other ship of the era, the plan would have succeeded. But the fishing trawler, a product of technology far beyond their time, and the combat organization the transmigrators had honed over the past few months, thwarted this perfect plan. The manager in charge of the operation was killed in the ensuing battle.

While the victory was a cause for celebration, the underlying threat remained. No one knew if Zhu Cailao had a follow-up plan, or what scale of attack he might be preparing. No amount of torture by the Public Security Team could extract more information from the captives. The captured leader swore up and down that he knew only of the plan to seize the boat and nothing more.

“Looks like everyone is going to be busy again,” He Ming mused, pulling out a cigarette. He paused before lighting it. “My apologies, this is the armory. My head’s all muddled.” He tapped his temple.

“It’s fine, go ahead. This isn’t an explosives factory. Those cannons are just lumps of iron; they won’t go off.”

“Still, it’s best not to break the rules,” He Ming said. “The Executive Committee is holding a response meeting tomorrow. The heads of all specialized groups are required to attend. The artillery team should send a few more people. The focus right now is on fortifying Bopu and arming the navy’s ships.”

“Producing the cannons isn’t the main problem. The shortage of raw materials is,” said Zhan Wuya. “We’re desperately short on coal.”