Chapter 199: Turning a Fake Show into a Real One

After passing through the gate, the view in front of him suddenly opened up. The tents for the pirates to stay in, which were densely packed on both sides of the road, were no longer visible inside this gate. What appeared before everyone was a spacious open space. It was several feet higher than the surroundings. From the scattered building materials, this was most likely the foundation of the yamen of the former naval camp.

On this foundation, a large tent made of various silks and satins was erected, which was very much in the heroic spirit of pirates. The tent door was fully open, and four burly men with large sabers stood at the door. On the open space in front of the large tent stood a flagpole, and at the top of the flagpole hung the surname flag with the character “Zhu” fluttering in the wind.

“Please!”

Lin Baiguang walked into the central army tent. Facing this sea merchant and pirate who had been roaming the seas for more than twenty years and was as famous in history as Zheng Zhilong, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. So far, no one in the transmigrator group had actually seen a famous person in history. This was probably the first one.

Sitting on the chair in the center of the large tent was an old man in his fifties. His hair was graying, and his skin was dark. A pair of fisherman’s eyes shone brightly. He wore a luxurious to the point of exaggeration Nanjing treasure blue satin robe, a rhinoceros horn and jade belt around his waist, and soft leather boots on his feet. Tucked into his waist was a Turkish-style small scimitar with a gold handle and silver scabbard inlaid with jewels.

Lin Baiguang’s first thought was strange: isn’t he afraid of the heat dressed like this?

His mood suddenly calmed down. After a slight daze, he came back to his senses and quickly looked around the tent.

This luxurious and very bandit-like satin tent was spacious, but it was filled with things in a disorderly manner. Various Chinese and Western luxury ornaments were displayed in a chaotic manner. The original intention was probably to show off wealth, but the result looked like a grocery store.

There were less than ten people in the entire tent, sitting in two rows on both sides. Obviously, these few people were the main leaders of Zhu Cailao’s gang. There were men and women, old and young, and the composition of the personnel was very complex.

After seeing the situation in the tent clearly, Lin Baiguang strode straight to the front of Zhu Cailao’s seat, bowed deeply and said, “Lin Baiguang pays his respects to the great shopkeeper Zhu!”

Zhu Cailao seemed to be very interested in Lin Baiguang. He looked him up and down for a long time before saying, “Shopkeeper Lin is from the Australians in Lingao?” He actually spoke in a standard Nanjing official dialect.

Lin Baiguang hurriedly replied, “That’s right, I’ve come specially to pay my respects to the great shopkeeper Zhu!”

“You’re quite brave,” Zhu Cailao said with a smile. He got straight to the point: “You Australians have robbed my things and killed my people, and you haven’t shown any sign of it. You came over without a single tael of silver. What are you here for, to make me a sobering soup?”

The leaders under the tent let out a burst of malicious laughter.

Lin Baiguang knew that the sobering soup of the heroes of the martial arts world was a famous thing, and it was usually made with human liver. This statement included both his dissatisfaction and a component of intimidation.

“Hehe! We are new here and don’t know the way. We have offended the great shopkeeper Zhu’s tiger-like might for a moment. It is our fault—” Lin Baiguang bowed deeply and said, “I hope the great shopkeeper Zhu will forgive us!”

“No problem,” Zhu Cailao still had a smile on his face. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s tiger-like might or not. You killed all of Gou Da’s family, both good and bad, and that’s nothing. But you have to give me an explanation for the money, grain, and goods that the Gou family had stored, right? If I throw a piece of silver into the sea, I can still hear a sound. But with you, there’s no sound at all?”

Lin Baiguang was extra careful. Although the negotiation with Zhu Cailao was just a cover, in order to make him believe it, Lin Baiguang had prepared negotiation materials in the spirit of turning a fake show into a real one. He thought for a moment before speaking:

“Great Shopkeeper Zhu, please understand! Our annihilation of the Gou family was truly unintentional, not on purpose.” Lin Baiguang once again expressed that his side had no hostility towards him. “So when we released Shopkeeper Shi at that time, we proposed that our Australian glass goods have no agent in Southeast Asia…”

“Glass is good, and mirrors are good too,” Zhu Cailao smiled. “But they are not as good as white silver. What do you think, Your Excellency?” Zhu Cailao’s face suddenly darkened. “Stop beating around the bush and tell me! Do you accept my conditions or not?”

“How dare we neglect the great shopkeeper Zhu’s affairs.” Lin Baiguang continued to play his tai chi, but he was also careful not to anger him, lest he get angry and order him to be “taken out and beheaded.” Although he could laugh out loud like the protagonist in a novel or movie to save himself, only God knew if this trick would work in reality.

“But there are a few things I have to report—”

“Speak.”

“The amount of silver that the great shopkeeper Zhu wants is huge. We have a large number of people to feed in Lingao, and we can’t raise so much silver for a while,” he said unhurriedly. “So for the matter of the forty thousand taels of compensation, I’m afraid we can’t comply for the time being…”

Zhu Cailao’s face became uncertain, and it seemed that he could not figure out what he was thinking. But Lin Baiguang noticed that his eyebrows were gradually knitting together—this was a sign of anger.

“As for the loan and the supply of firearms,” he said, “our leader has already approved it—”

“Humph.” It was obvious that Zhu Cailao’s eyebrows had relaxed again.

“…But there are a few conditions.”

“Hehe, you don’t pay back the money, and you still want to set conditions?” Zhu Cailao laughed again. “It seems I’ll have to personally lead a team to your door to collect this debt with interest!”

“I dare not trouble you with that.”

“Humph, how many people and ships do you have in Lingao? Even if you have four fast boats and one iron ship, can you withstand our big gang of six hundred ships and twenty thousand brothers?!” A leader jumped out from the side and shouted angrily.

“We only have a small establishment in Lingao, how dare we compare our assets with the great shopkeeper Zhu?” Lin Baiguang knew that this guy was probably playing the bad cop. “But right now, your gang is facing a great enemy, and someone wants to get rid of the great shopkeeper Zhu as soon as possible. At such a critical moment, I believe the great shopkeeper Zhu will not do such a thing as putting the cart before the horse…”

This sentence hit the vital point of everyone in the tent. The so-called personally leading a team to Lingao to demand payment was originally just a threat—right now, even if they wanted to kill their way back to the Guangdong waters with their entire team, they would have to fight a big battle with Liu Xiang. They were afraid that they would lose half of their men and ships at the mouth of the Pearl River before they even reached Lingao. Although the Australians had few people and ships, they were the ones with strong ships and sharp cannons. Even if they could crack this hard nut, they would suffer heavy losses, and in the end, Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang would benefit for nothing.

“Shopkeeper Lin knows a lot about the affairs on the sea!” Zhu Cailao said slowly. “Tell me, what are the conditions that your leader has proposed?”

“About the loan—”

“Wait a minute!” Zhu Cailao stopped him and said with a cold smile, “Don’t try to slip away—give me a straight answer: are you going to pay back this debt or not?”

“It is only right and proper to pay back a debt. But our leader feels that he does not owe the great shopkeeper Zhu any silver…”

“What?!”

“Nonsense!”

“Drag him out and behead him! We can’t keep such an arrogant bastard!” The tent was suddenly in an uproar.

“Everyone, please listen to me.” Lin Baiguang knew that he was in great danger. This matter could have been promised verbally without any problem—it would not be fulfilled anyway. But he was determined to make a name for himself and leave a deep impression on Zhu Cailao’s men. Otherwise, the pirates would not take seriously a person who agreed to everything.

“We destroyed the Gou family estate, and the property we obtained was all the property of the Gou family. How can you say it is the property of the great shopkeeper Zhu? Even if there is a debt, this money should be collected from Gou Er—he is still alive.”

The leaders below were almost furious, and they all wanted to rush up and tear him to pieces. Although Lin Baiguang had long been prepared to disregard life and death, he still felt a chill in his heart. He didn’t know if his “deliberately startling words” would work.

Zhu Cailao waved his hand to stop the noise of his men. He looked at Lin Baiguang coldly for a long time, then he nodded:

“What deep hatred do you have with the Gou family?”

“There is no hatred at all, it’s just that we want to cut the weeds and dig up the roots—”

“Good!” Zhu Cailao nodded. “Once Gou Er and his son are captured, I will send someone to negotiate with you to see how much silver you should pay me!”

In fact, the transmigrator group was not interested in whether Gou Er was dead or alive. Lin Baiguang was just using him as a trick to confuse Zhu Cailao.

“As for the loan, the leader has already approved it. But it will not be in cash, but all paid in Lingao circulation coupons. The amount is one million yuan. The loan period is one year, with no interest for the first three months, and one li per month thereafter.” Lin Baiguang explained the concept of the circulation coupons they issued in Lingao.

“Pay the brothers with paper?” someone said angrily.

“The circulation coupons are for buying things,” Lin Baiguang said without showing any weakness. “Where did I say it was for paying you?”

In fact, the Executive Committee’s policy was to issue export credit loans—although they did not intend to really give Zhu Cailao this loan. One million circulation coupons was not a small number, and it was impossible for them to put their precious resources and production capacity into producing weapons for Zhu Cailao.

Several leaders were furious and almost wanted to rush up and kill him directly. For them, without silver, they could not pay their men, and thus could not stabilize the morale of the army. No matter what that damn circulation coupon could buy in Lingao, it was just a piece of waste paper on the Fujian waters!

“These are the various goods that our leader is prepared to supply to your gang. All can be paid for with circulation coupons.”

The list of things that the Executive Committee promised to sell was dazzling, from cannons, muskets, and ammunition to various medicines, dry food, and sugar. Not only were the types written down, but many items also had drawings and simple explanations—it looked a bit like an advertising brochure.

As for the price, it was clearly marked, and there was no deception. There was also a line of small characters: “Fair trade, no hidden discounts.”

“You made these—right here in Lingao?”

“That’s right,” Lin Baiguang saw that his expression had changed and knew that this thing had moved him.

“I want your cannons, the 24-pounder called—Carronade, I want thirty of them! How soon can you have them?”

“There are no ready-made ones. We have to prepare the materials and cast them. It will take at least two months.”

“Too long.” Zhu Cailao shook his head. “It’s too late.”

Lin Baiguang was originally very afraid that he would attack Min’an after buying the cannons. Once the details changed, the course of history might be very different. Now it seemed that Zhu Cailao did not intend to postpone the attack plan. This made him feel relieved.

“Although the time is a bit long, the cannons will be used eventually.”

“Hmm.” Zhu Cailao nodded. “There is no silver. Is the grain reserve in Lingao abundant?”

“For every one yuan of circulation coupons in circulation, there is one catty of coarse rice in reserve in Lingao.”

Zhu Cailao nodded and said, “Good.”

The two sides agreed that the goods would be picked up by Zhu Cailao’s own ships, and the payment would be deducted from the credit line.

As for the repayment, Zhu Cailao naturally had no place to find circulation coupons to repay the principal and interest, so the two sides agreed that Zhu Cailao would use the spoils of war to pay the loan and interest. The two sides had a detailed discussion on how to calculate the value of the circulation coupons and how to price the goods. Lin Baiguang had also prepared a detailed and meticulous plan with the Finance and Economics Committee in advance.

Although the loan plan would not be implemented at all, this policy of issuing credit loans would also be implemented in the future. It would not be a waste of effort to make a plan first.

Lin Baiguang was overjoyed to see that the matter was more than half done. Zhu Cailao suddenly asked with a smile, “You give me this one million to buy cannons and grain, aren’t you afraid that I will come to deal with you after I have dealt with Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang?”

This question was not tricky, but it was asked suddenly and had the power of a fatal blow. Lin Baiguang quickly composed himself:

“Great Shopkeeper Zhu, you are wrong.” Lin Baiguang said, “What kind of people are Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang? How can they be easily defeated?”

The implication was that he did not believe at all that he could immediately defeat Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang—this was naturally also the truth.

What Lin Baiguang wanted to convey to Zhu Cailao was: if the Australians want to survive in the Fujian and Guangdong waters, they will not allow any force here to become dominant. Supporting Zhu Cailao is to protect themselves—the Australians do not want Liu Xiang and Zheng Zhilong to become too powerful.

This was strategically sound and reasonable. Zhu Cailao had no choice but to believe it.

Zhu Cailao nodded: “You are very frank.”

Lin Baiguang smiled and said, “I am a young man. How can I hide these little thoughts from my senior?”

Zhu Cailao ordered Shi Shisi to take Lin Baiguang to the rear camp of the central army and set aside a tent for him to rest. Lin Baiguang knew that the matter was more than half done, but with an old and cunning person like Zhu Cailao, it was still unknown whether his little tricks could deceive him.

Although he was uneasy in his heart, he pretended to be indifferent and followed Shi Shisi into the tent.

“This tent is yours.”

“Thank you, Brother Shi.” Lin Baiguang glanced around the tent and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t know from which rich family’s boudoir these furniture and furnishings were looted: the embroidered curtains were hung in a mess, the bed had only a bed board, and there was even a dressing table. There were some teacups and teapots on it.

“I’m sorry, brother. We who make a living at sea, these things are all temporary—” Shi Shisi had seen the living standards of the transmigrators.

“Not at all. We can’t be picky when we’re away from home.”

“Hehe, I’ll find you some fun later,” Shi Shisi said with a lewd smile. Lin Baiguang knew that he was probably going to bring a woman.

In a short while, Shi Shisi indeed brought a woman.

“How about it, this woman is not bad, right? She is the daughter of a big family! Not many people have played with her, she is still quite fresh…”

Having a relationship with a local woman carried a health risk, which the Ministry of Health had repeatedly reminded. Since D-Day, although Lin Baiguang had had many opportunities to secretly find women, he had never touched them—succumbing to sexual desire was a sign of human weakness.

But at this moment, he decided to accept this woman. He was very clear about the mentality of these low-level bandits: they regarded drinking and playing with women as more important than anything else. If you didn’t do it, you were “not a man,” which was very detrimental to gaining their trust and carrying out his work.

The woman who was sent was about in her early twenties. She was fair and tender, not like a woman from a seafaring family. She was wrapped in a man’s blue cloth robe and looked listless.

“You can have a good time tonight!” Shi Shisi seemed quite proud. “The big boss really thinks highly of you. He even specially told me to find you a woman. Haha, even the small leaders here don’t have this treatment.” As he spoke, he had someone bring in a food box:

“There’s nothing good to eat on the island. This is a small token from the big boss.”

“I don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it. The big boss is too kind—”

“Hehe, just enjoy yourself.” Shi Shisi said with a grin, and then said seriously, “If you have nothing to do at night, don’t go out. No one is allowed to walk around in the camp at night. If you are caught, you will be beheaded—you are the big boss’s distinguished guest. Although you won’t be beheaded, it’s unnecessary to suffer for nothing.”

“With all this spring scenery in the room, why would I go out to eat the sea breeze in the dark?” Lin Baiguang said perfunctorily and sent him away.

Lin Baiguang saw Shi Shisi off and went to the food box to open it. Lin Baiguang was surprised. The dishes inside were unexpectedly exquisite: braised goose feet, stir-fried mutton, crab and tofu soup, pickled oysters… In the middle were two porcelain jars. When he opened them, one was filled with snow-white rice, and the other was chicken soup, with pickled vegetables and chives.

In addition to the dishes, there were also two pots of wine, one yellow and one white.

To prepare such a table of dishes on a small island, and to cook them so exquisitely, this was really no small feat.

He had originally thought it would be just some coarse fish and meat—how could pirates be particular about what they ate? He had overlooked one point: in this time and space, sea merchants and pirates were not separated. Zhu Cailao and his leaders were not only great pirates, but also great merchants, and they were always particular about their food and daily life.

However, when Lin Baiguang thought of the gatekeeper pirate’s words about the difficulty of supplies, and that some ships had even run out of food, he knew that this luxury was built on widespread poverty—he did not feel any emotion from this, but was secretly happy. The upper class was extravagant, while the lower class was starving. The cohesion of this team could not be good. The possibility of his undermining action succeeding was even greater.

“What’s your name?” Lin Baiguang drank by himself and asked the woman who was still sitting on the ground in a daze.

“My name is Xiaoshu.”