Chapter 79: The Sweet Harbor Tempest - Catching a Turtle in a Jar

Night gradually descended from the sky, blanketing the harbor. The sea breeze blew through the thin mist rising from the sea—a common occurrence in Lingao as early summer began. The fog grew thicker, and the docks, jetties, coast, islands, and factories were all veiled in a soft, fine gauze, with only the faint lights from the buildings visible.

Wu De glanced at his luminous watch. It was already 8 p.m. The lights near the naval shipyard were particularly bright, and the roar of steam engines could be heard. It was the sound of the Great Whale being loaded. The four smoothbore cannons destined for the ship had been transported to Bopu during the day. To avoid prying eyes, the loading would be done at night at the shipyard dock by naval soldiers, without any laborers.

According to the plan, the Great Whale would have its walls fortified with sandbags filled with earth, with rice or sugar bags stacked on the outside. Hidden within were several cannons and two platoons of naval soldiers. As soon as the enemy approached, they would bombard the pirate ships with cannon fire. According to the descriptions from the Guangbing’s sailors, the pirate ships were small to medium-sized coastal vessels that wouldn’t survive more than a few cannonballs.

If the pirates only sent one or two ships, this plan was the simplest and most effective, given the firepower the Great Whale would have. But if there were many enemy ships, the element of surprise from the initial volley would only work once. After firing, reloading and re-aiming the cannons would take time. The ships that weren’t hit could use a dispersed attack to avoid the ship’s firepower. The Great Whale was not a motor-sailer; it was slow and not very maneuverable. If it was swarmed by small boats and forced into close-quarters boarding and melee combat, they would be outnumbered and at a disadvantage. If the enemy, frightened by the Great Whale’s firepower, turned and fled, the Great Whale was too slow to pursue, turning the engagement into a rout. It was clear that using the Great Whale alone was not enough; it needed other ships to cooperate.

But if too many ships were deployed, the cunning pirates might retreat. It was clear that no matter what strategy the navy adopted, the basic condition for victory—the “initiative”—was still in the hands of the pirates.

Spread before him was a map of the islands and reefs near Haian Street, magnified 50 times from a 1:100,000 scale nautical chart. This area was dotted with islands, reefs, and sandbars of all sizes, forming countless interconnected waterways and hidden channels. Such an environment was naturally very advantageous for pirates using small boats.

After a moment of contemplation, he called Li Di on the phone:

“Is the Dengyingzhou in port?”

“Reporting! Yes, it is.”

“Send that, Wang—” Wu De suddenly remembered that everyone seemed to call the Dengyingzhou’s first mate Wang Dabizi (Wang the Big Beard). “…the first mate to the base command.”

“Wang the Big Beard? I’ll send for him right away.”

A short while later, Wang the Big Beard arrived. Regarding his beard, the navy was divided into two factions. One thought his beard was very handsome, very “English,” and wanted him to keep it. The other thought beards were unhygienic and that soldiers should not have them. The debate was still ongoing, so Wang the Big Beard’s beard remained. After a voyage, the crew was given a few days of rest, so he looked clean and sharp. He wore the Year One naval uniform with a certain flair, no longer resembling the pirate he once was.

“From your experience as a pirate, where would you choose to intercept ships entering and leaving Haian Street port?” Wu De pointed to the nautical chart. “You need to ensure absolute safety, and the other party might have an escort.”

Wang the Big Beard carefully examined the chart. These incredibly detailed maps no longer surprised him.

“Here.” He pointed to a cluster of black dots on the chart.

Wu De looked closely. The place was called “Juhua Yu” (Chrysanthemum Islet). It wasn’t a proper island, just a collection of reefs exposed above the sea. It was located on the main route to Haian Street port.

He nodded. The Guangbing had been attacked four nautical miles southeast of this area. Wang the Big Beard’s experience was correct.

“Why choose this place?” Wu De asked, as there were several other similar island and reef clusters nearby.

“The conditions here are the best. There are many scattered islands and reefs, making it easy to hide ships. You can hide the ships behind the outer islets of Juhua, send lookouts to the reefs, and when a ship approaches, you can rush out and catch them by surprise,” Wang the Big Beard said. “If they have an escort and you can’t win, you can escape through the outer islets. There are many waterways there, with numerous reefs and hidden sandbars. A pursuing ship unfamiliar with the route would immediately run aground.”

“Hmm, and if we want to capture these pirates, what should we do?”

“The best way is to ambush them from the inner islets beforehand,” Wang the Big Beard said without hesitation. “Unless the pirates don’t plan to escape through the outer islets, the Maotiao Kou (Cat’s Leap Pass) between the inner and outer islets is a necessary route. If you place a gunboat there to block it, you can attack from both sides. They wouldn’t be able to escape even if they had heavenly powers.”

“Very good.” Wu De thought that just by looking at the chart, he would never have known that this cluster of black dots had so many intricacies.

“But the inner islets are very difficult to enter,” Wang the Big Beard cautioned. “The waterways are too complex. It’s safe for small sampans, but larger ships risk running aground or hitting reefs.”

“How large of a ship can enter?”

Wang the Big Beard shook his head. “At most, a 200-liao ship. The currents inside are chaotic, and there are many hidden sandbars.”

“Are you familiar with the waterways?”

“Well—” Wang the Big Beard hesitated.

“Speak the truth,” Wu De said. “This mission is very important. If you complete it, you’ll be commended!”

“Yes, sir,” Wang the Big Beard said, snapping to a somewhat clumsy attention. “I have been inside with others once. I still remember some of the routes.”

“Good. Prepare yourself and report to the shipyard dock.”

The next day, Wu De was busy selecting weapons and personnel. He decided not to use any transmigrators for this operation, instead deploying a full unit of native naval personnel. That evening, he and Wang the Big Beard boarded a 100-liao single-masted boat and personally set out to reconnoiter Juhua Yu.

To minimize their profile, they brought only seven or eight sailors and two officer cadets from the first batch of trainees. For safety, the boat was temporarily fitted with an outboard motor from a motorboat.

The boat sailed for several hours through the night. Nearing midnight, Wu De estimated they were approaching their destination—Juhua Yu, outside Haian Street port.

The sea was calm, and the moon was bright. The boat had lowered its sail and was now being propelled slowly by oars.

“See anything?” he asked Wang the Big Beard, who was observing from behind a makeshift cover at the bow.

“Not yet. It should be soon,” Wang the Big Beard said, concentrating on the sea. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and with the help of binoculars, he could make out objects within about three hundred meters.

The reconnaissance boat continued forward.

“Black dots ahead,” Wang the Big Beard whispered. “Watch the speed!”

Now, Wu De could see not just a few black dots, but a large cluster of them. The men on board grew tense. Had they gone off course? The chart didn’t show so many small reefs and islets!

“Stop!” Wu De quickly ordered the captain.

The reconnaissance boat slowed down, gliding forward on its momentum. Wu De checked the compass reading, then went down to the cabin, turned on a flashlight, and carefully checked the chart. But the chart had no such strange markings. Could the sea conditions have changed so much in 400 years? The compass reading, the ship’s course, and the calculated position were all correct. Wu De thought for a moment and calculated the tide times. That was it. It was currently low tide during a full moon, so many unnamed reefs were exposed. This area, not being a navigational channel, would not have been surveyed with great precision, and after all, four hundred years had passed. Even accurately surveyed channels can change completely over the years due to the shifting seas. The only way forward now was to use a sounding lead, moving and measuring step by step to enter Juhua Yu.

The waters of the outer islets were open, but there were many reefs.

“The tide is low now,” Wang the Big Beard said. “Normally, most of these reefs would be underwater. A 100-liao boat like ours would be fine as long as we’re careful.”

Wu De observed the sea conditions, silently glad he had brought Wang the Big Beard along for advice. An unsuspecting large ship chasing an enemy into this area would indeed be at high risk of running aground.

“We’re entering the inner islets now,” Wang the Big Beard said nervously.

The reconnaissance boat passed a black reef and turned into a narrow channel. The boat moved like an old donkey, stopping and starting. The sailors held their breath, their eyes wide, staring at the strangely shaped reefs that seemed to pop up from the seabed. They held hooks and poles, ready to deal with any sudden situation.

The currents in the channel were chaotic. The sailors struggled to hold the rudder to avoid being smashed against the reefs. Wang the Big Beard, recalling the route he had taken before, guided the boat forward. Sometimes, he had to take a long time to confirm if a reef was a landmark.

After nearly an hour of this stop-and-go travel, the boat finally entered the narrow inner islets and then slowly headed towards Maotiao Kou. This was a pass between two huge reefs. The sea between them was extremely narrow; a 200-liao ship could barely squeeze through.

“This is Maotiao Kou,” Wang the Big Beard said, pointing to the two reefs. “They say it’s so close a cat could leap across.”

Wu De nodded. “And beyond this are the outer islets?”

“Yes. Once the pirates pass through here, they can exit the inner islets through other channels. I’ve heard there are seven or eight such channels, all capable of accommodating 100- or 200-liao ships—but you need a guide.”

“Then why don’t we enter the inner islets from here?”

“I’m not familiar with this waterway,” Wang the Big Beard said frankly. “I’ve heard there are several hidden sandbars near Maotiao Kou in the outer islets that shift their positions frequently. Anyone not familiar with the local hydrography is likely to run aground on them.”

Wu De ordered the reconnaissance boat into a narrow channel and found a rocky shore where they could moor. They threw an anchor onto the rocks, catching it in a crevice to secure the boat.

The entire Juhua Yu was, as its name suggested, shaped like a chrysanthemum, scattered across the sea. The spaces between the islets and reefs created many strange, reverse-current channels and tiny coves. At low tide, large ships couldn’t navigate here at all. Only the waters of the outer islets were relatively open.

Wu De, along with Wang the Big Beard and a sailor, climbed onto this nameless islet. He had a pair of binoculars around his neck and was wearing an oilskin raincoat. The three of them climbed up the slippery, uneven terrain, startling seabirds and lizards. Wu De stopped and scanned the surrounding sea.

The Juhua Yu area was extremely quiet, with only a few distant fishing lights. Seeing no movement, he continued to lead his men up the islet.

The middle of the islet was covered in a thick, damp layer of moss, like velvet. Stepping on it was like stepping on a sponge, making a squelching sound. The steep parts were very slippery, and they nearly fell several times. At the top, however, was a fairly flat clearing, overgrown with thorny bushes, dense, hard grass, and fallen dead branches, forming a natural fence. A sailor cleared a path with a machete, and the group came to a relatively flat clearing near a cliff. With the full moon high in the sky, the sea sparkled, and the entire Maotiao Kou area was laid out before them.

The view from here was excellent. Wu De thought to himself that he could set up an observation post here. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Wasn’t this place a better firing position than a 100- or 200-liao ship?

A 100- or 200-liao ship could only be fitted with light cannons, and not many of them. To block the pass from here, they wouldn’t have a firepower advantage. Since Juhua Yu had so many small islets, they could use them to their advantage by setting up more cannons. At this thought, he became excited about the new strategy he had devised.

He visually measured the angles and surveyed the surroundings. The slope, though slightly inclined, was gentle enough that with some leveling, it could accommodate medium-sized cannons. The area was also large enough for three or four 12-pounder cannon crews and a small number of infantry for cover.

Looking across, he saw several other potential locations for cannons. With one or two at each spot, they could create a crossfire with a total of seven or more cannons. Cannon fire from a fixed position on an island would be much more accurate than from a rocking ship. With one or two boats to block the pass at Maotiao Kou, any pirate ship that entered would be a turtle in a jar. Not a single one would escape.

“Get the officer cadets up here!” Wu De ordered. “They are to map this area and mark all surrounding reference points!”

After giving the order, he went down to the boat and reported this plan to Lingao via radio.

“Please have Chief Ma coordinate this matter,” he added at the end of the message.