Chapter 1018 News from Macau

Zheng Zhilong differed fundamentally from Liu Xiang. The Shorn-Haired Criminals were not his paramount threat, so he had paid little attention to their movements in the past. The reason was simple: they had shown not the slightest inclination to challenge his maritime commercial hegemony.

Though they possessed an enormous iron ship, he never observed their vessels heading toward Japan, the Philippines, or Batavia. They were scarcely visible along the coast at all—except for Guangzhou, they practically went nowhere.

A small group holed up on a remote island, never stirring—much like the "mountain lords" scattered throughout Fujian—was simply not his concern.

When he was eliminating his maritime rivals, vague reports reached him that some former pirate captains were recruiting for the Australians among dispersing bands. He also heard that certain small groups had defected to Lingao. But this alone meant little, particularly since Li Kuiqi's sudden betrayal troubled him greatly at the time. At his lowest point, reduced to only a few hundred men and boats, he lacked the capacity to inquire what the Shorn-Haired Criminals intended.

The result was that when they suddenly bared their fangs, he discovered he possessed almost no intelligence on the Australians—only scattered rumors.

And rumors about the Criminals abounded. But because they overflowed with adjectives like "enormous," "unbelievable," and "countless," Zheng Zhilong could only regard them skeptically. From his frame of understanding, the tales about Australians seemed simply absurd.

To remedy this, he had already dispatched capable spies to Guangdong waters to gather information. Now that the Australians had suddenly appeared in Taiwan, his worries multiplied. The Australian fleet had passed through Liu Xiang's territory, and Liu Xiang had apparently raised no objection. Guo Huaiyi's letter clearly stated that the Australian ships and personnel all appeared fresh, bearing no signs of storms or battle. Had the Australians already reached some understanding—or alliance—with Liu Xiang? If the two merged forces, how formidable would they become?

Since Liu Xiang had relocated his entire force from the Pearl River mouth to the Chaozhou-Shantou region, he had persistently intruded into Fujian waters, challenging the hegemony Zheng Zhilong had only just established. Intelligence confirmed that Liu Xiang's large ships were already sailing to Japan and Manila—crucial revenue sources that Zheng Zhilong would never permit anyone to touch. Even the Dutch respected his determination to monopolize the Japan trade.

But Liu Xiang was different from the Dutch. The Dutch needed him for Great Ming goods; Liu Xiang did not. His move into Fujian waters was precisely intended to disrupt the Japan trade.

And now the Australians—why had they suddenly come to Taiwan as well? Could they also have their eyes on the rich profits of the Japan trade?

What worried him even more was that Guo Huaiyi's letter confirmed certain rumors he had previously dismissed: Though the Australian fleet contained no legendary iron ships, there were indeed large vessels belching black smoke that could sail without any sails whatsoever.

As a sea lord who had dominated these waters for years, he understood immediately the enormous threat this implied.

The only reassurance lay in the Australians' limited numbers. Although the first batch arriving at Dagou were all large ships, fewer than thirty had appeared. In terms of quantity, they held no advantage. Should armed conflict arise, as long as he found the right opportunity to deploy his main force in an ambush, he could annihilate them all—even with fire ships.

"Dagou," he thought. "That name is remarkably well chosen." [Translator's note: "Dagou" means "Beating Dogs"]

A smile crossed his face.

At that moment, a dark face appeared at the doorway. Though dressed in Chinese clothing, his dark skin and curly hair marked him as Black. He reported in Portuguese: Lin Yishao had arrived.

These Black servants could not speak a word of Chinese and were all Catholics. Zheng Zhilong employed them specifically for his confidential affairs. Lin Yishao was one of his spies, responsible for liaising with the Portuguese and collecting intelligence.

"Send him in," Zheng Zhilong ordered in Portuguese.

"Greetings, My Lord!" The visitor entered and bowed according to official protocol.

Though sea lords mostly rose from common backgrounds, they greatly admired the ways of officialdom. Now that Zheng Zhilong held a proper court military position, such formal manners were entirely appropriate.

"Ah, is that Yishao? You've returned!"

The man slowly straightened. He appeared to be in his thirties, with brown eyes and black hair. Lin Yishao was Sino-Portuguese mixed-race and spoke fluent Portuguese. Like Zheng Zhilong, he too was Catholic.

Zheng Zhilong had dispatched Lin Yishao to Macau to investigate the Australian situation. He knew from multiple channels that Australians operated frequently in Macau and even maintained a base there.

Lin Yishao wasted no words and began his report.

Upon arriving in Macau, he had immediately visited local "connections."

As Zheng Zhilong's liaison, Lin Yishao maintained numerous contacts locally, including gray-area figures like Huang Shunlong—men who were invariably well-informed.

But these connections now displayed a cautious attitude toward this sudden visit by Zheng Zhilong's subordinate. Their words came less freely than before.

"Oh? The Criminals are that powerful in Macau?" Zheng Zhilong's interest sharpened.

"The Criminals are now Macau's financial backers," Lin Yishao replied.

Trade between Macau and the Senate had originally been quite frequent, already forming a vested interest group. And since the previous year, when the court forbade Portuguese trade in Guangzhou, the Portuguese had lost their channel for importing Chinese goods. Yet Guangzhou's officials turned a deaf ear to Australian trade. Thus the Australians occupying Hong Kong Island had become the Portuguese's only import-export channel facing the Great Ming.

Controlling such a lifeline, the Australians were essentially masters of the Portuguese. Should they order a halt to Portuguese trade, Macau would find it exceedingly difficult to survive.

"Surely those smugglers haven't become mere ornaments?" Zheng Zhilong asked with keen interest. Where money flowed, goods could always be found. So-called government bans were often mere paper.

"Since the Australians arrived at Hong Kong Island, the Pearl River mouth has become their domain. Their ships patrol constantly—not a single vessel escapes their eyes. Those smugglers have either submitted to the Australians and followed their orders, or they're feeding fish in the Pearl River."

Lin Yishao continued, explaining that he had finally sought out Li Siya.

"Her?" Zheng Zhilong said thoughtfully. Li Siya had once served him, providing substantial intelligence.

"Yes. She possesses considerable intelligence and is willing to share it. Only..." Lin Yishao hesitated.

"She wants substantial payment."

"Indeed. She produced a small booklet, asking five hundred taels. She showed me a portion—very comprehensive. So your humble servant took the liberty of purchasing it." He withdrew a thin booklet from his breast.

Zheng Zhilong did not object. He was a merchant. Successful merchants, beyond calculating profits, also knew when spending money was worthwhile.

The booklet was hand-copied, written precisely in Li Siya's distinctive yet graceful handwriting—Zheng Zhilong recognized it as quill penmanship, different from brush calligraphy.

At a glance, the contents were remarkably thorough—far more detailed than the hearsay he had encountered before. Five hundred taels was indeed money well spent.

He was in no hurry to read it. "Are the Australians truly formidable?"

"Yes. Very formidable," Lin Yishao answered without hesitation. "Australian warships operate frequently at the Pearl River mouth. Several of those black-smoke-belching ships are extraordinarily fast. No vessel can outrun them, and at their highest speed, they don't even hoist sails..."

Though this was not news, hearing it from his most trusted spy carried entirely different weight.

Lin Yishao then spoke of Lichun. This ship's appearance at the Pearl River mouth was too extraordinary to escape notice. The Portuguese had specifically dispatched agents to Hong Kong Island to gather intelligence. What they discovered was clearly shocking.

Most terrifying were the cannons aboard. Reportedly, a single shell traveled over ten li, and upon landing, it produced a violent explosion. Someone had witnessed Lichun firing at floating targets—old fishing boats at sea—and one shot had blasted a boat to splinters. Not even a fragment of wood remained.

For someone like Lin Yishao, firearms and large ships were not particularly shocking. Zheng Zhilong himself possessed large vessels and heavy artillery no inferior to any contemporary naval power. But the rumors about Lichun impressed upon him the gravity of the situation. To confirm them, he had specially taken a small boat to Kowloon to observe Australian fleet training from a distance—and confirmed the rumors were true.

"Though the Australians are few in numbers and ships, they are all elite with formidable combat power."

"Hm. It seems we have a powerful rival."

"What is it, My Lord?"

"The Australians have come to Taiwan." Zheng Zhilong's voice was measured. "Right at Dagou."

"Dagou? That's in Dutch territory."

"Precisely. I believe they deliberately chose Dagou—to neighbor the Dutch, not me. The Beigang area, at least, remains our territory." Zheng Zhilong paused. "The Dutch have an alliance with them, do they not?"

"Your humble servant investigated. That is correct, but it is not an alliance—merely a trade agreement," Lin Yishao explained. "The Dutch have permitted them to open a trading post in Batavia; the Dutch have likewise opened trading posts in Hong Kong and Lingao. Reportedly there is another trading post south of Hainan Island."

"The Australians are certainly courting the Dutch," Zheng Zhilong observed. He harbored a strong aversion to the Dutch. Though they remained his trade partners, he had experienced their shamelessness and greed firsthand—and knew deeply that only force spoke to them.

"Better to say the Dutch are courting the Australians. I have learned the Dutch can now obtain many Great Ming goods directly from the Australians."

"So the Dutch's attitude toward us has grown considerably cooler. They have found a new love." Zheng Zhilong's tone carried an edge of dark humor.

(End of Chapter)