Chapter 411 - Deep into the Enemy's Den

The blue cotton robe wrapped around the woman slid to the floor. Underneath, she wore only a small dudou undergarment. Lin Baiguang was a long-deprived man—how could he hold back? He immediately pulled a small sealed packet from his pocket, tore it open with a "rip"... and the tent was soon filled with springtime vitality.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Lin Baiguang, slightly tipsy, climbed into bed embracing the now naked Xiao Shu. He fished a cigarette from his pocket, carefully placed it in his mouth, lit it with the oil lamp, and took a comfortable drag, preparing for another round shortly.

Given Lin Baiguang's experience frequenting pleasure quarters in the other timeline, he could tell this woman was quite clean. This opportunity had to be properly seized. Of course, he still had to use a condom—thank goodness he'd had the foresight to bring several.

Just as he was considering what position to switch to and what tricks to try, the woman in his arms began to sob softly. Lin Baiguang exhaled a puff of smoke and asked with concern: "You were fine. What's with the crying?"

"Nothing. Just lamenting this slave's bitter fate."

Lin Baiguang thought this was a familiar trope, but her bitter fate was caused by pirates, and partly had his share of responsibility. He mumbled something vague in response.

"Where is the master from?" Xiao Shu nestled in his arms, looking like a small bird seeking shelter. "This slave feels the master is from the Zhangzhou-Quanzhou area..."

Lin Baiguang thought she had actually guessed right. His ancestors had lived in Taiwan for over a hundred years—he was half Southern Fujianese.

"No, I'm Australian." Lin Baiguang said. "Though my ancestors crossed the sea from Southern Fujian."

"So the master and this slave are half-townsfolk."

"One could say we're old acquaintances in a foreign land." Lin Baiguang said with a laugh, but inwardly he grew wary.

Sure enough, Xiao Shu spoke to him in a voice barely audible: "This slave has something to ask of you."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Xiao Shu pressed her finger to Lin Baiguang's lips. She pointed at her ear and made a "walls have ears" gesture.

Lin Baiguang lit his cigarette and ignored her warning: "Tell me."

"Can you take this slave away?"

"Away?" Lin Baiguang couldn't help lowering his voice.

"Yes."

"..." Lin Baiguang suddenly faced this situation and was somewhat at a loss. What exactly was Xiao Shu scheming? Was there any trickery involved?

"I beg you, master. Take me away. If this continues, sooner or later they'll abuse me to death." Seeing his expression shift uncertainly, Xiao Shu lay on his chest, pleading in a low voice.

"Don't cry," Lin Baiguang gently consoled her. "What exactly is going on..."

"This slave is originally from Zhangzhou Prefecture..."

Xiao Shu explained that she had been captured by pirates last month and had been kept in the old camp, exclusively for the big bosses' pleasure.

"...Over a dozen men taking turns defiling this slave's body wasn't enough—the slightest resistance meant beatings. It's truly worse than death." Xiao Shu wept softly.

"I see."

Lin Baiguang replied softly. He thought there were probably people eavesdropping outside the tent.

"I only beg the master to show mercy and take this slave away from this bandit den. This slave's family in Zhangzhou has some money. We will certainly reward the master generously."

"If your family has money, why haven't they ransomed you?"

"Negotiations fell through," Xiao Shu said miserably. "They want a huge sum. We'd have to sell the house and land to raise it..."

"Rather lose life than money, eh."

"This slave's fate is just bitter. I beg the master to show mercy and take me away." Xiao Shu stopped crying and whispered, "Before this slave came here, I heard them discussing, saying the master probably has an ulterior motive for coming to Nanri Island. They want the Big Boss to cut you in two and be done with it."

"..."

Xiao Shu kept urging: "The Big Boss is very suspicious. He won't believe you." She said quietly, "You're here to gather intelligence, aren't you? This slave has secretly found out the numbers of the Big Boss's men, ships, cannons, and grain." As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, she whispered, "Seven 2,000-liao large ships—"

"I'm not a spy. I don't need to know these things." Lin Baiguang said gently. By now he had completely determined that Xiao Shu was lying—this was a woman sent to test him.

"If you want to leave here and go home: tomorrow when I see the Big Boss, I'll naturally put in a good word and ask for you. Even if it means paying some ransom, we Australians can afford it. Then I'll naturally send you home. As for payment—not a single coin. It's just—" His words were stern: "You actually secretly investigated the Big Boss's military and grain figures. This is absolutely treasonous! I think you'd better stop doing such foolish things. I won't tell Shi Shisi what you said. Just behave yourself and accept your fate, or your life won't be spared!"

Lin Baiguang spoke cold, heartless words. But what he really wanted to say was: this lousy performance should end now. Though the actress performed well, the script was too terrible.

"Please spare this slave's life!" Xiao Shu sobbed, wanting to get off the bed and kneel.

"No need to worry. These words I'll treat as if I never heard them. But you must behave." Lin Baiguang stubbed out his cigarette, flipped over and pressed the woman beneath him, positioning her to kneel. Feeling pleased, he slapped Xiao Shu's buttocks twice hard, then once again forced her to cooperate.

That night, Lin Baiguang released himself several times. Knowing the woman beneath him was actually a spy, he had no remaining trace of tenderness for the fairer sex. It wasn't until he was utterly exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep.

While Lin Baiguang was falling into deep slumber after fierce battle, the central army tent was brightly lit. Zhu Cailao and his subordinate leaders were discussing the situation and also evaluating the reliability of the Australians as allies.

Everyone felt that what Lin Baiguang said should be reliable. Having this additional ally now was very beneficial. Moreover, the other side had already agreed to supply crucial materials like weapons and grain—this was urgent for the beleaguered gang.

The next step was whether to launch the attack on Min'an. The leaders were divided in opinion, but all felt they couldn't continue to be stuck on Nanri Island. They needed to pull off a big job to replenish depleted supplies.

Wang Youmei, the old camp's general manager, furrowed his brow: "Big Boss! The brothers' provisions are severely depleted. Even eating is a problem."

Zhu Cailao's expression was quite poor. Grain had become a constant worry for him. Originally, pirates never worried about grain. On shore, there were countless wealthy families and merchants with maritime connections—as long as one was willing to pay, they would risk their lives to deliver grain. But now, none of that could be relied upon—Fujian's Zhangzhou and Quanzhou areas were all Zheng Zhilong's territory. Now that he had an official title, maritime-connected families dared not offend him. Zhu Cailao's only means of obtaining grain was robbery. Though robbery seemed free, the current costs were far higher than buying. The shore was covered with fortified villages and militia. Though provincial troops mostly played soy sauce, Zheng Zhilong watched his territory very closely, responding to almost every alarm. Every grain-gathering expedition required dispatching large numbers of ships and men. It was almost more trouble than it was worth.

"How much grain remains?"

"With rationing, approximately ten days' worth." Wang Qing reported. "Wages can be delayed a bit, but grain can't wait a single day."

The leaders stirred restlessly.

"Big Boss, this won't do. Let's return to Guangdong."

Guangdong was Zhu Cailao's home turf. Returning there would be much easier for obtaining grain and support.

"Return? Easy to say! Will that little bastard Liu Xiang let us pass? He'd love nothing more than for us to rot here in Fujian."

"We fight him. Who wins is not yet certain."

"Right! He may not be a match for us!"

...

Zhu Cailao snorted:

"Return? Return for what—to drink the northwest wind?" His palm slammed the table. "The foreign goods business in Guangzhou is all in the hands of the Franks. We can't get in on it. If we want to make money, we have to operate here!"

"Besides, if we fight Liu Xiang, we're just benefiting those short-hairs in Lingao!" Zhu Cailao sneered. "Those overseas barbarians are probably waiting for Liu Xiang and me to fight so they can pick up the spoils."

"Big Boss, they're willing to supply us with grain and weapons..."

"You think that grain and weapons are easy to take? They want us to send our own ships to transport it. If I take my whole fleet back to Guangdong, will Liu Xiang let me return peacefully?"

"F*ck your mother! There's this catch too!" Some leaders were already cursing. "Kill that punk!"

"Forget it. He's allied with us now. We'll be counting on them for cannons and guns in the future." Zhu Cailao waved his hand. "But expecting their assistance right now is like drawing cakes to satisfy hunger."

"Not necessarily." Wang Qing said.

"Oh? General Manager Wang has some insight?"

"The whole gang can't return to Guangdong, but we could first dispatch some ships to Lingao and have them supply a batch of grain and weapons."

"No, no. Liu Xiang won't even let the whole fleet pass. A few dozen ships—he'd catch them and swallow them whole!"

"Liu Xiang doesn't have clairvoyance or all-hearing ears. He definitely has spies here. Our ships move and he gets the news." Wang Qing seemed to have a ready plan. "But if we don't take the inner sea route and go by the outer sea instead, even if he knows, where in that vast ocean would he find us?"

"If we take the outer sea, small boats can't go." The outer sea had big waves and no landmarks. The small vessels that made up the bulk of the pirate fleet couldn't navigate it.

"Since we're going to load cargo, small boats are useless anyway—can't carry much. Naturally, we send large ships."

But if the large ships went, naval combat strength would inevitably decline. This was another dilemma. After the meeting, they decided to first dispatch a squadron of large ships to Lingao to load grain. Once the ships returned and morale stabilized somewhat, they would launch the attack on Min'an.

The next day when he woke, it was already late morning. Lin Baiguang didn't have a watch, but judging from the shadows outside, it was probably close to ten o'clock.

Waking up, he felt completely relaxed and refreshed in spirit. Looking beside him, Xiao Shu was already gone. Only the long hair on the pillow reminded him of last night's romantic scenes, leaving him somewhat wistful.

"Little brother is up?" Shi Shisi came in smiling from outside, followed by a small pirate carrying wash water.

"Slept in. Brother Shi must be laughing at me."

"Haha, you were too mighty last night!" Shi Shisi said with an ambiguous smile. "How was it? Xiao Shu wasn't bad, right?"

"Good, quite good."

"That tender-skinned little slut—" Shi Shisi said with an envious tone, "Ah, never mind. The Big Boss wants to see you shortly."

After washing up, Lin Baiguang was again led by Shi Shisi to Zhu Cailao's central army tent. But this time, he was received in the rear tent.

There was no one else in the tent—only Zhu Cailao sitting alone in a chair, with many map scrolls piled on the desk.

"Sit." Compared to yesterday, Zhu Cailao's attitude was much warmer.

"Sleep well last night?"

"Thanks to the Big Boss's blessings, very soundly." Lin Baiguang stood up to bow. "I must also thank the Big Boss for his generosity."

Zhu Cailao nodded and got straight to the point: "You're willing to sell those rapid-fire rifles too?" The SKS rifles, as described by the escaped pirates, had left a deep impression on Zhu Cailao.

Hearing this, clearly he had already acknowledged their agreement. Lin Baiguang felt a small thrill of excitement. He reminded himself to stay calm:

"Of course we can sell them. It's just—"

"Price is negotiable! If the loan runs out, I'll pay with actual silver."

"It's not the price. These are steel rifles." Lin Baiguang naturally couldn't say Lingao couldn't yet produce SKS rifles or manufacture ammunition in bulk.

"The gun bodies are all made from the finest hundred-folded steel. Even if our blacksmiths in Lingao worked non-stop for a month, they couldn't make many."

"I want one hundred." Zhu Cailao didn't hesitate. "Double the price is fine. How soon at the fastest?"

"Well—" Lin Baiguang pretended to look troubled. "Three months, I suppose."

"Too slow." He looked somewhat disappointed. "How about old rapid-fire rifles—those for sale?"

With only a few hundred SKS rifles, selling them would leave us with nothing. Lin Baiguang thought, then smiled and cupped his hands: "That would be difficult. As you know, Big Boss, we have few men and ships. What we rely on to survive in Lingao, besides your good grace in not troubling us, is precisely these rifles. If the Big Boss wants to buy rifles, give us a few months and there will be some."

Zhu Cailao stared at Lin Baiguang for a long time before saying: "Strange. Buying cannons takes two months. Buying rifles takes three months. What do you people have that's ready? Could it all be just empty promises?"

Lin Baiguang felt intimidated by his gaze—this aura of a great sea merchant was truly no joke. What was called "king's domineering presence"—this was it, damn it! As for our Executive Committee members who spent all day putting on airs and spouting theories—they were simply worlds apart.

Lin Baiguang kept his eyes lowered, waiting. Only after Zhu Cailao spoke did he reply:

"Big Boss, please understand! Weapons aren't available on demand. They all require labor and materials." Lin Baiguang said carefully. "As for other things, those are ready."

"Grain too?"

"Yes." Lin Baiguang had somewhat anticipated that his greatest interest, besides military supplies, would be grain.

"And gunpowder?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow I'll dispatch a fleet to Lingao to buy goods," Zhu Cailao said casually. "Would Manager Lin like to return with the ships?"

Lin Baiguang answered without hesitation: "I'd better stay here. The deal isn't complete yet. My presence here serves as witness."

He had come here to work on defection. Going back just like that—what would that accomplish? All his efforts would be wasted.

He continued: "The Big Boss dispatching ships for grain presents no problem. Lingao currently has sufficient grain stores. I'll write a letter back immediately."

"Good, I'll dispatch large ships at once." Zhu Cailao smiled. "Before the ships return, I must ask Manager Lin to stay here a few more days."

"I'll be imposing on your hospitality."

Zhu Cailao nodded and asked Lin Baiguang about his personal background. He smiled without comment at Lin Baiguang's claim of being Australian. He spoke to Lin Baiguang about Quanzhou's Kaiyuan Temple and Luoyang Bridge, about Quanzhou's xianfan (salted rice) and xicaogu (madder cakes)... Some Lin Baiguang had heard of before; others he hadn't. Lin Baiguang could only acknowledge what he knew and admit what he didn't, adding that he was only ancestrally from Southern Fujian and didn't really know his homeland's situation. Then Zhu Cailao spoke of his experiences doing business along the Fujian coast in his youth.

When Zhu Cailao chatted about these things, he was both amiable and easygoing, like a retired neighbor elder who couldn't bear loneliness and was looking for someone to chat with. Lin Baiguang suddenly realized: he was probing his background.

This cunning old fox. Lin Baiguang, recognizing this, felt his situation was more dangerous than ever. At this point, he felt his principle of "tell the truth as much as possible, only lie at critical moments" was absolutely correct. A sharp eye couldn't tolerate sand—the slightest inconsistency would probably make this old pirate turn hostile!

The friendly chit-chat lasted about an hour. Lin Baiguang deployed all the skills he had once used to handle county leaders. No matter how formidable Zhu Cailao was, Lin Baiguang figured he couldn't be stronger than the county party secretaries he had served.

At lunchtime, no meal was offered to him. Instead, he was warmly escorted back to his tent by someone.

Back in his own tent, Lin Baiguang checked his personal calendar. Not many days remained until Zhu Cailao's attack on Min'an. One thing he hadn't figured out: Zhu Cailao was eager to bring grain from Lingao, obviously because supplies had reached a very difficult state. If so, would he wait until the grain came back before launching the attack?

From various signs, this was quite possible.

Lingao could certainly produce enough grain to fill twelve large ships, but this way, when Min'an fell in defeat, all that grain would end up benefiting Zheng Zhilong—and how many men and ships he could actually pull away from Zhu Cailao was still unknown. If he gave away over a dozen shiploads of rice for nothing and in the end only escaped the chaos alone, wouldn't that be a colossal joke? He would never be able to hold his head up in the transmigrator group again.

Lin Baiguang made up his mind: absolutely no grain could be given. Zhu Cailao couldn't hold out on Nanri Island for many more days. Just get through a few days, and he would have no choice but to take risky action.

The only option was to use delaying tactics to hold the grain transport ships in Lingao. This way, even if his defection efforts failed, at least the transmigrator group would end up with twelve large oceangoing ships and several hundred men.

But this way, his situation would become much more dangerous. Lin Baiguang couldn't predict Zhu Cailao's reaction once he didn't get the grain. Stalling a few days might be possible, but drag it out too long and his life would be in jeopardy. Not to mention, an enraged Zhu Cailao might abandon the attack on Min'an and mobilize his entire army to strike Lingao instead.

(Chapter End)