Chapter 154: Counter-Subversion

“Hmph, this fellow is quite sensible,” muttered a sailor on a nearby ship who had been secretly observing the sentry’s every move. If that sentry had taken the silver, he would have had to draft a report tonight, and the unlucky fellow would have spent several months in the punishment battalion. But why would this pirate want to bribe a sentry?

According to regulations, as a member of the “Ten-Man Group,” he had no authority to directly request a meeting with the fleet’s public Political Security Commissioner—unless it was a matter of extreme importance. Therefore, he could only write down what had just happened on a slip of paper and drop it into a special box during his shore leave. Only the Political Security Commissioner had the key to this box.

By evening, Shi Zhiqi, who was also serving as the commissioner, had received two reports on the matter: one from the sentry, and one from the “Ten-Man Group” member.

Someone wanted to board the Lin Te 51. What on that ship could possibly attract pirates?

Shi Zhiqi quickly made a judgment: the other party was looking for someone!

The possibility of intelligence gathering was low. The Lin Te 51 had nothing special about it, neither in terms of power nor weaponry. Moreover, boarding it was not easy—it wasn’t docked at the pier, and required a small boat for transport. If they wanted to scout, wouldn’t a ship docked at the pier be a better choice?

The only possibility was that the pirates wanted to board this ship to find someone.

Who were they looking for? Shi Zhiqi thought for a moment and had someone bring him the Political Security Bureau’s roster for all personnel on the Lin Te 51. Shi Zhiqi leafed through it. This kind of roster was confidential and not accessible to ordinary people. It contained not only each person’s reliability assessment but also a brief personal history.

Of the fifty-odd people on the ship, twenty-three were listed as “professional pirates” or “non-professional pirates” by origin. Shi Zhiqi understood: there must be an old acquaintance of the pirate gang on this ship. They were trying to establish a connection.

Next, he had to assess the “level of threat.” Establishing connections could have many purposes. The most harmless, of course, would be out of pure friendship or something similar. But the possibility of enemy subversion and enticement could not be ruled out.

Shi Zhiqi immediately discussed this new development with Chen Haiyang: “Should we launch an investigation?”

“Of course, according to procedure, an investigation should be launched,” Chen Haiyang said. “However, since we’re about to wipe out this gang soon, it doesn’t seem to matter much whether we investigate or not.”

Le Lin said, “Perhaps we can uncover some traitors within. Even if there are none, we can use their plot against them.”

“Alright, how do you plan to use their plot against them?” Wen Desi asked.

“Well, we have to know who they want to see and what they plan to do…”

“That’s why I call it superfluous,” Wen Desi said. “This kind of strategic thinking is typical of the weak. What are the cannons and machine guns on your ships for? But we don’t need to make things so complicated. That Zheng Bao fellow won’t accept reorganization and won’t get the hell out of Lantau, so we’ll just wipe him out first.”

“But Zheng Bao has sixty or seventy large ships! And many small boats. They also outnumber us.”

“To be precise, there are a total of 71 ships that can be considered large,” Chen Haiyang said, signaling an aide to pull back the curtain on the chart board behind him.

On a full map of Lantau Island, the exact position of every pirate ship anchored at Tung Chung was clearly marked. In addition, the positions of other long-term anchored vessels were also indicated.

“The sampans and ‘long dragons,’ which are small river boats, are mostly anchored at the mouths of the east and west rivers. These are not the main force. We can ignore them for now.”

According to the map, most of the pirate ships were gathered at Tung Chung, with a few anchored at Tai O—a very small island separated from Lantau by an extremely narrow channel.

On the first day of the landing, the special reconnaissance team had landed on Lantau Island overnight. The next day, they climbed to the island’s highest peak, Phoenix Mountain, at an altitude of 935 meters. Subsequently, they traversed the entire island, using modern observation and surveying equipment to accurately gather a great deal of key intelligence.

The intelligence map produced by the special reconnaissance team over several days not only accurately marked the position of every ship but also included rough layout diagrams of the several settlements in Tung Chung.

In the Ming Dynasty, Tung Chung was known as Tung Chung Hau. It is located in the center of Lantau’s north shore, facing the sea on one side and surrounded by mountains on the other three. During the Ming Dynasty, it was already the main settlement on Lantau Island. Two rivers flowed into the sea here, known as the “East Tung Chung Hau” and “West Tung Chung Hau.” Most of Lantau Island is mountainous, with small alluvial plains only where the rivers meet the sea. Therefore, this was also the most densely populated area, with many villages of various sizes.

“It is said that Tung Chung was once the hiding place for the last two emperors of the Southern Song Dynasty,” Chen Haiyang said. “Since we claim to be descendants of the Great Song, this place has great symbolic significance.”

Shi Zhiqi said, “That’s probably just a legend.”

“The last court of the Southern Song Dynasty lingered in the Pearl River Estuary for a long time. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had temporarily landed on Lantau to rest,” Wen Desi said. “Many places in the Pearl River Estuary have similar legends. There should be some historical basis to them.”

Shi Zhiqi asked, “The enemy has more ships and men, and they have the advantage of terrain, which is easy to defend and hard to attack. Will a frontal assault be effective?”

Chen Haiyang said, “Although Tung Chung Hau has a strategic location and is easy to defend, the pirates have no systematic sea and land defense system. They have no fortifications on shore, only a few lookouts posted on the capes. They also have no defenses in the mountains behind them. We can completely catch them off guard from the rear.”

Chen Haiyang’s battle plan was a pincer movement by land and sea. Naval vessels would form a blockade line outside Tung Chung Hau and attack the harbor. The marines and some sailors would land on the other side of Lantau Island with 12-pounder mountain howitzers and rockets. They would ascend Liu Kok Shan and Sheung Ling Shan to the west of Tung Chung Hau and bombard the pirate ships in the harbor from above.

Once the pirate ships were hit by a surprise attack from the flank and rear, they would inevitably try to break out of the harbor, right into the guns of the blockading fleet.

In a chaotic battle within a narrow harbor, the side with more men and ships might have an advantage. But once out in the open sea, a regular navy with superior navigation, command, and firepower could fully exploit its strengths. Chen Haiyang was confident of this. Even a modified special service boat could inflict astonishing damage in a single volley.

“We will begin our operation in three days,” Chen Haiyang said. “The cargo will be completely unloaded, and all ships will be available for use.”

To strengthen security, Shi Zhiqi had replaced two-thirds of the marine personnel on the Lin Te 51 the day before under the pretext of a rotation. Among them were special investigators tasked with preventing and investigating any potential conspiracies.

Subsequently, at his repeated request, the Lin Te 51 was moved to the outermost perimeter of the cordon—purely to make it easier for the spies to sneak aboard. Chen Haiyang thought this was a completely unnecessary waste of effort, but he couldn’t resist Shi Zhiqi’s tenacity to “achieve new merits” on the political security front. Besides, the request for a thorough investigation was in line with organizational regulations.

The men sent by Wang You had been loitering nearby under the cover of being fishermen. When they saw that the Lin Te 51 had moved to the outermost perimeter, Wang You decided to take the risk—otherwise, he couldn’t answer to Zheng Bao.

When Wang You was escorted into the cabin by the marines, Shi Shisi immediately recognized the man before him and was so shocked that he stood up at once.

“Wang… Chief Steward!”

Wang You gestured with his eyes and simply gave a deep bow: “Wang You pays his respects to you, sir!”

“Don’t be so formal, please, have a seat.” Shi Shisi quickly offered him a seat. “Make some tea!”

“No need to trouble yourself!” Wang You cupped his hands and glanced around, indicating that he wanted everyone to leave so they could discuss a secret matter.

Shi Shisi was in a difficult position. It wasn’t like the old days. He had no “confidants” around him now; they were just superiors and subordinates. Although the subordinates were absolutely obedient to their superiors, it wasn’t a relationship of “close trust.” In other words, he had no secrets on this ship.

Having a private conversation with his former chief steward, especially at a time when a conflict with the pirates could break out at any moment—this Chief Steward Wang was really putting him on the spot.

But if he didn’t dismiss everyone, this Chief Steward Wang would never reveal his purpose. Shi Shisi was in a bind. He couldn’t just send him away—not only would it ruin his reputation, but more importantly, he wouldn’t be able to explain it to the chiefs. Shi Shisi knew how the Aussies thought; they demanded clear conclusions for everything. There was no room for ambiguity. Since Wang You was on this ship, it was impossible to hide it. If he didn’t even know the purpose of the visit, he wouldn’t know where to begin his report.

With this in mind, he had everyone in the cabin leave, except for his orderly—as a witness for himself.

“This is my trusted man. You can speak freely in front of him.”

Wang You lowered his voice: “Chief Shi, have you been well?” He casually looked around the cabin. Its cleanliness and beauty surprised him, especially the exquisite furniture—a world apart from the chaotic and filthy cabins of pirate ships.

“I didn’t expect you to be doing so well with the Kun—the Aussies!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright!” Shi Shisi replied perfunctorily. “I serve in the Aussie Song Navy. I suppose you could call me an officer.”

“Aussie Song? Oh,” Wang You remembered that the Aussies claimed to be descendants of the defeated Song army at Yashan, who had fled overseas to establish a nation in Australia. “Judging by your appearance and bearing, you must be a general or something of that rank.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Shi Shisi quickly shook his head. “I’m still several ranks below a general. I am a Captain in the Aussie Song Navy. Just like before, I’m in charge of a few ships.” He looked at Wang You with a questioning gaze. “Chief Steward Wang! After the battle of Nanri Island, we lost all news of you. Where are you serving now?”