Chapter 155: Counter-Counter-Subversion

“High position?” Wang You laughed bitterly. “Just trying to make a living, to avoid being displaced.” He shook his head as if complaining, “I’m serving as Zheng Bao’s advisor.”

“Zheng Bao? Is he a relative of Zheng Zhilong?” He did want to make that connection, but unfortunately, he had no relation to Zheng Zhilong whatsoever. He was a native of the Dianbai area, and had only been active for less than a year. But he had gathered quite a few men and ships. All the ships over at Lantau Island belong to him.”

“That’s a considerable force.”

“He doesn’t have many core men and ships; it’s just for show,” Wang You sighed. “You know how it is with these big gangs. When things are going well, you don’t know how many people are eating from the same pot. The moment things go slightly wrong, everyone scatters.”

“Haha,” Shi Shisi slapped his belly and laughed. “Chief Steward Wang, you’re generalizing! Some things, you can’t blame others. You have to blame yourself first!”

“What?” Wang You had always felt that Zhu Cailao’s defeat was largely due to his subordinates abandoning him at the first sign of trouble. If the outer and inner factions had worked together, how could they have ended up being completely wiped out at Nanri Island? “Do you think it was the Chief’s fault?”

“The Chief, of course, was good to his brothers,” Shi Shisi said, narrowing his eyes. “I, Shi Shisi, have done right by the Chief, charging into fire and water, always at the forefront. And I was almost the last to flee. But what about those who were always around the Chief? Where did they all go?”

He took a sip of tea. “When we were prosperous, how many relatives and in-laws held power in the main camp, demanding smiles and bribes for a bit of rice or some gunpowder and cannonballs? Otherwise, they would make things difficult! You know this better than I do, Chief Steward Wang. In those prosperous years, these people shipped boatloads of gold, silver, and women back home. Even their distant relatives bought houses and land, and their families lived in luxury. What about us outsiders?” Shi Shisi seemed to be venting his frustration. “We fought on the front lines, and besides what we could grab for ourselves, all the benefits went to the inner circle. Of course, when disaster struck, everyone flew their own way. Don’t you think so?”

Wang You was speechless. What Shi Shisi said was all true. But such things were common everywhere, and he had never thought there was anything wrong with it.

“Where in the world is it not like this?” Wang You said. “The emperor himself is just a man with one head. Why should his descendants all be imperial relatives?” He took the opportunity to say, “Isn’t it more or less the same for you here with the Aussies?”

“It’s not the same at all,” Shi Shisi shook his head. “Working for the Aussies, first, rewards and punishments are clear, and they keep their word. Second, you get as big a position as your abilities warrant. No ambiguity at all.”

“Really?”

Shi Shisi nodded. “Of course!”

“Impressive.” Wang You talked with him for a while longer. He had already given up hope of persuading Shi Shisi. He could see that Shi Shisi’s spirit was completely different from before. The Aussies seemed to have transformed him. Not only was his manner of speaking different, but even his gestures had changed. His speech was full of new terms that left Wang You struggling to keep up.

Shi Shisi suddenly smiled. “Chief Steward Wang, you came here, I suppose, to persuade me to join Zheng Bao.”

Wang You nodded. “Indeed.” He shook his head. “But there’s no point in talking about it now.” He added, “Just looking at this ship of yours, I know you would never join him.”

“Chief Steward Wang is perceptive,” Shi Shisi said. “That Zheng fellow is just a petty sea bandit. I am now a legitimate officer of the Aussie Song Navy. How could I risk my life fighting for him and continue to be a pirate?”

At this point, Wang You could only nod.

“I don’t think you need to go back. What future can you have with a small-timer like Zheng Bao?” Seeing his dejected expression and his clear discomfort with Zheng Bao from the start, Shi Shisi knew that this chief steward was probably not on good terms with his current boss. Although he wasn’t particularly close to Wang You, Wang You had been a decent chief steward in the past. Shi Shisi felt it was necessary to help him out.

Wang You smiled bitterly. “You want me to join the Aussies?”

“Why not?” Shi Shisi said. “Look at me. I’m doing well after joining the Aussies. Much more comfortable than before.”

Wang You shook his head subconsciously. It wasn’t that he thought the idea was out of the question, but he felt a bit embarrassed. It was one thing for a persuader to fail, but to be persuaded by the other side was a bit of a blow to his pride.

He pondered for a moment. He really didn’t want to continue with Zheng Bao—it was clear he had no future there. The Aussies had crushed the government forces, occupied Qiongzhou, and their power was growing… He suddenly realized that they hadn’t even offered him any terms for surrender.

As if guessing what Wang You was thinking, Shi Shisi said, “The Aussies never make empty promises of official positions. Everything depends on your ability. They are in need of capable people now. As long as you work sincerely, why worry about your future? With your experience as the chief steward of a major gang’s main camp, a position as a staff officer in the logistics department is practically guaranteed.”

Wang You didn’t know what these official titles meant. But from his experience, he knew they weren’t the empty titles granted by the Le Dynasty that Zheng Bao was so proud of. They must be actual positions in the Aussie army. Although they didn’t sound impressive, they were much more valuable than something like “General of the Peaceful Seas of the Great Le Dynasty.” When Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the court, he only got the rank of a captain, and many people were still envious. Wang You had read a little and knew that indiscriminately granting titles was not the act of a normal regime. The Aussies’ tight control over titles impressed him.

“Brother Shi,” Wang You decided to ask one last question. “What do you think the Aussies’ purpose is in coming to our China?”

“They have already raised the banner of the Aussie Song. What do you think their purpose is?”

Wang You’s heart skipped a beat. “Could it be… they aim to contend for the Nine Provinces?”

“What?” Shi Shisi, with his limited education, didn’t know this idiom.

“I mean, they want to rebel, to change the dynasty…” Despite having been a pirate for most of his life, killing officials and sacking cities more than once, Wang You still lowered his voice when he said the word “rebel.”

“That’s exactly it!” Shi Shisi said. “Why would they leave their prosperous Australia to come to this barren land of Lingao? If not to rebel and become emperors, why would they endure such hardship?”

In the end, Wang You’s painstaking effort to persuade Shi Shisi to surrender resulted in his own defection. Shi Shisi sent him and his men ashore. In front of Chen Haiyang, Wang You unceremoniously betrayed Zheng Bao’s gang, revealing their intentions, strength, and the specific situation within the group.

Not only that, but he also volunteered to go back and persuade a group of Zhu Cailao’s former subordinates to defect.

Chen Haiyang praised him and said he would accept all “righteous men who come to the light.” He also stated that if they couldn’t bring their men and ships out beforehand, as long as they raised a white flag and followed orders during the battle, they would not be attacked. The two sides also agreed on other signals for communication.

If he could really persuade them to defect, it would be great to get some free ships and sailors. If he failed, it wouldn’t affect the overall situation. Chen Haiyang had already set his plan. Regardless of whether Wang You’s subversion succeeded, he would launch a general offensive against Lantau Island in three days, on September 10th of the Gregorian calendar.

Chen Sigen released his hand, and the lifeless body fell with a thud into the grass. He noticed that not a single drop of blood remained on the blade; it dripped cleanly from the tip to the ground. He flicked the blade and sheathed it.

“A truly fine blade,” Chen Sigen praised. The dead man lay at his feet, blood pouring from his throat. Someone who had never seen death would find it hard to believe a human body could hold so much blood.

The man wore patched coarse cloth clothes and a messy topknot. His feet were bare. He looked just like the immigrants who landed at Bopu every day. The only difference was that he carried a large sword and a long spear.

Around him lay four or five similar men, all with their throats cut, blood gushing out. Some were still twitching. The members of the special reconnaissance team looked excited. They had taken down seven men at the sentry post in thirty seconds. It was a rare achievement.

Only one was left alive, pinned to the ground with his mouth stuffed with dirt.

“Let him up, or he’ll suffocate,” Chen Sigen said, sitting down on a rock. A small hut had been built here to serve as a lookout post for the pirates.

The special reconnaissance team members pushed the prisoner in front of him. The prisoner’s arm hung limp—a team member had dislocated the joint in an instant. The pain, combined with the dirt on his face, made him look barely human.

He briefly interrogated the prisoner. They had been sent up the mountain only yesterday. Because the advisor’s negotiations with the Aussies had failed, it was said that a battle was imminent. The chief had sent men to the mountains to keep watch, in case the Aussies launched a surprise attack.

“How many groups were sent out, and where were they sent?”

“I only saw four groups—I didn’t see the others, so I dare not say.”

“Where were they sent?”

“To Liu Kok Shan, Phoenix Mountain, and Tai O Island.”

The group of pirates sent to Phoenix Mountain had already been eliminated by the special reconnaissance team’s observation post set up there earlier, which meant the prisoner was not lying. But it was hard to say if there were other pirate sentry posts.

“How do you signal if you spot the enemy?”

“Three bonfires at night, black smoke during the day,” the prisoner cried out in pain. “I dare not lie.”

“Put his joint back in place and take him down the mountain. If he doesn’t behave, kill him,” Chen Sigen ordered. He then surveyed the location. It was well-chosen—ships passing through the Ma Wan Channel were almost in plain sight.