Chapter 285: A Secret Visit to Bopu (Part 2)

“Jiang Youling is really messing things up!” Zhang Wen, who was beside him, whispered. “Now that the Australians have established themselves in Bopu, it will be difficult to fight them again.”

“What do you know?!” Tang Yunwen scolded. Zhang Wen was a distant relative of his and had inherited a minor military post. Tang Yunwen had promoted him to be a chiliarch in the central army battalion, serving as his personal general. Their relationship was not ordinary.

“Are the Australians’ cannons made in Lin’gao?” Tang Yunwen said. “How many ships do we have for them to sink?”

Zhang Wen fell silent, his face showing a hint of defiance.

Tang Yunwen asked, “Where is the large iron ship?”

“The ship is inside the harbor, you can’t see it from here,” the boatman said. “You have to go around Lin’gao Cape to see it.”

“Let’s go around and take a look!” Tang Yunwen certainly wanted to see the legendary large iron ship.

The boat slowly turned its rudder and went around Lin’gao Cape. Tang Yunwen noticed that the security on Lin’gao Cape was very strict. The fort was protected by things like cheval de frise, and there were people who looked like soldiers on guard on the platform, carrying long muskets. Behind the fort, there was another tall, round stone tower. According to the boatman, this was a newly built lighthouse. With this lighthouse, it was much safer to sail at night and in bad weather.

As the boat rounded Lin’gao Cape, the iron ship gradually came into Tang Yunwen’s sight. At that moment, he held his breath—it was too big! Tang Yunwen had seen the large carracks of the Franks and the red-haired people, and their huge hulls and towering masts had left a deep impression on him. But compared to the large iron ship before him, they were nothing. A ship could actually be built so large!

“Good heavens, this ship is really big!” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but exclaim.

“This ship is now a scenic spot in Lin’gao. Many people come to see it,” the boatman said. “It’s even taller than the city walls of the prefectural city!”

“This ship has no masts, and no oars or sculls. How does it move?” Tang Yunwen felt that it was impossible for this ship to sail on its own at sea—how large would the sails have to be to move this giant ship? Moreover, it was made of iron, so it must be many times heavier than a wooden one.

“I heard that it doesn’t need sails or oars, the ship moves by itself,” the boatman said. “But I haven’t seen it. This ship hasn’t moved since it arrived in Bopu.”

Zhang Wen, however, said, “My lord, this ship is probably covered in iron plates. Otherwise, if a ship were made of iron, it would sink as soon as it hit the water, let alone sail.”

Tang Yunwen deeply agreed. He remembered hearing from old boatmen that during the Chenghua and Xuanfu reigns, the Longjiang Shipyard had built a large treasure ship for ceremonial purposes. It was magnificent in shape, with multi-story pavilions on its deck, like a water city. But it could not sail on its own, nor could it go on long voyages. When it moved, it was towed by smaller ships. Perhaps this iron-clad ship was handled in the same way. Otherwise, Tang Yunwen really couldn’t imagine what force in this world could directly drive such a large ship across the sea.

“Even if it’s just iron-clad, the workmanship is still amazing,” Tang Yunwen commented. He looked up again with his telescope and saw that there seemed to be a cannon on the forecastle as well. He was experienced in military affairs and had already marked the three cannon positions in his mind. With these three cannons, it would be extremely dangerous to attack Bopu directly from the sea.

While he was pondering, the boatman suddenly said in a trembling voice, “We’re in trouble! The patrol boat is coming!” Tang Yunwen looked up and saw a small single-masted boat not far away, sailing at full speed. It was so fast it seemed to be flying on the waves, but the boat was leaning so much that Tang Yunwen thought for a moment that it was going to capsize.

Tang Yunwen knew that he couldn’t escape at this time. He quickly put away his telescope and hid it. He pretended to be a fisherman and inspected the fishing nets in the cabin. Zhang Wen, however, was a little nervous, constantly looking outside.

“Stay calm,” Tang Yunwen admonished.

The patrol boat quickly came alongside the fishing boat. The moment the two boats touched, several men in blue short jackets jumped over and stood on the deck of the fishing boat. Then they threw over a few ropes to tie the two boats firmly together.

From their agile movements, it was clear that these men were experienced sailors. They were all wearing tight-fitting blue cloth short jackets with a front opening, and wide cloth belts with iron buckles around their waists, looking very capable and efficient.

Each man had a short sword in a leather scabbard hanging down to his thigh. On their cloth belts, there was also a triangular coarse cloth pouch, fastened with a strap and an iron buckle. He didn’t know what was inside.

Looking at their blue cloth jackets, the style seemed simple at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there were many details. On the upright collar, there was a small black square of cloth with a crooked pattern on it. On the shoulders, there were extra soft cloth epaulets with patterns and bars on them. He noticed that the leader had fewer bars than the others, but they were much thicker.

Each man also had a cloth strip pinned to his chest with the two characters “Sea Police” written on it. He didn’t know what it meant, but Tang Yunwen guessed it was related to their affiliation.

As soon as they boarded the boat, the men immediately dispersed. Someone went to the stern to control the helmsman, and someone else urged the boatmen to lower the sails. They quickly controlled all the key points of the boat.

On the opposite boat, two small cannons were already aimed at the fishing boat. Tang Yunwen had seen similar small cannons on the Franks’ ships and knew that they were specially used to fire small iron balls to kill the sailors on deck.

Although this group of people were sea bandits, the whole process of boarding and controlling the boat was smooth and swift. It was clear that they were a well-trained elite force. Tang Yunwen thought that even his own central army battalion would not be able to do it so quickly.

The leader shouted, “Where are you from, fishing boat? Why aren’t you flying a flag?”

He spoke in official Mandarin, but with a Southern Min accent. This sea bandit was obviously not an Australian, but a rogue of the Great Ming, most likely a subordinate of Zhu Cailao who had joined the Australians.

The boatman had already bowed and scraped, walking over. “I haven’t received a flag yet…”

“If you haven’t received a flag, why are you fishing here?”

“I heard that the fishing grounds here in Lin’gao are good, so I came to see the situation first. If it’s really good, I’ll apply for a license,” the boatman said with a broad smile, pointing to the cabin. “We wouldn’t dare to break the rules. You see, the fishing nets are all stowed away. There isn’t even a single fish scale in the cabin, let alone fish and shrimp.”

Tang Yunwen knew that according to the usual routine, the leader would surely put on a stern face and reprimand him, then threaten him with what would happen. At this point, the boatman would naturally present the prepared silver. As for the inspection, it would be nothing more than a formality.

However, this leader did not resort to the usual threats and intimidation. He simply waved his hand, and his men immediately dispersed and began to search the cabins one by one, very carefully, even checking the coiled ropes and piled fishing nets.

The boatman hurriedly took out a few coins of silver from his waist and tried to stuff it into his hand, but the other party pushed it back.

“Keep your silver. If you haven’t been poaching, we will naturally let you go,” the leader said seriously. “If you have been poaching, then we will have to offend you.”

“There is absolutely no poaching. This is just a small token of our appreciation, for you gentlemen to buy some wine,” the boatman still tried to stuff the silver into his hand.

The leader still refused to take it. Not only did he refuse, but he also reprimanded the boatman sternly. Tang Yunwen was stunned—from his appearance, his refusal to accept the silver was not an act.

They even refused to take the silver that was offered to them. Could these Australians still be considered sea bandits? Tang Yunwen had dealt with many heroes of the sea and knew that the reasons people took this path were varied, but in the end, it was all for money and women. He never expected to encounter a group of sea bandits who didn’t love money!

After a thorough inspection, of course, no catch was found. Tang Yunwen’s telescope was well hidden and not discovered. The leader then registered the boatman’s name and the boat’s home port before leaving. Before he left, he did not forget to remind them: if they wanted to fish locally, they should register in Bopu as soon as possible. Bopu had recently established a “Fisheries Association” and had introduced many benefits for fishermen. He told the boatman to “take a look” if he was interested.

The boatman, of course, was obsequious, nodding like a pecking chicken as he saw them off. Only then did he order the sails to be raised. Seeing Tang Yunwen sitting under the mast, staring intently at the departing patrol boat, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. “My lord, that really scared me to death.”

“What are you afraid of! This boat has no weapons, no seals. As long as you handle it carefully, nothing will happen,” Tang Yunwen asked. “Were those the Australians’ subordinates who just boarded the boat?”

“Yes, they are in charge of patrolling and inspecting this area of the sea,” the boatman said. “This is a small boat. There are also larger two-masted boats. They are very strict! They have recently captured many scattered pirates. The sea here in Lin’gao is much more peaceful than in previous years. The boatmen and merchants along the coast all say that as soon as a boat enters the waters of Lin’gao, it is safe.”

So, the Australians not only collected the “catch” benefits here, but also took care of capturing pirates and protecting merchants. It was a bit like the actions of the government. At this thought, Tang Yunwen became vigilant. This group of Australians had great ambitions.

Zhang Wen suggested going ashore to take a look, to investigate the situation on land, especially the land defenses and the artillery. But Tang Yunwen thought that what he had seen was enough. If he went ashore, there were many of Zhu Cailao’s old subordinates—some of whom had seen him before. It would be troublesome if he were recognized. But at this moment, he had completely lost interest in using force to expel the Australians—the disparity in strength was too great.

“Let’s go back to Baisha,” Tang Yunwen ordered.

“My lord, if we don’t investigate the situation on shore clearly, if we want to send troops to suppress them in the future, wouldn’t it be—” Zhang Wen whispered his advice.

“It won’t be too late to investigate then,” Tang Yunwen said. “This matter of Lin’gao is very tricky. If we want to suppress them, we will need the strength of the entire province.”

The implication was that there would be no suppression in the next five or six months. How could he, a mere coastal defense commander, gather the strength of the entire province? Just writing the reports and submitting the dispatches would take a month of official red tape.

Besides, with his status, coming to Bopu Port to investigate was already “personally taking a risk.” There was no need for him to act as a spy and infiltrate Bopu himself. He could just leave it to his subordinates.