Chapter 100: Zheng He’s Military Order: Land on the Island, Kill the Pirates!

The East Sea, with strong winds and rough waves.

Dozens of ships of various sizes ride the waves, and the cries of the sailors on board continue to sound.

Zheng He stands steadily at the bow of the ship and shouts loudly, “Signal Zhu Neng and Zhang Yu, we must not let these pirates escape!”

A flag bearer by his side walks to the side of the ship. After three strikes of the bronze gong, the flag bearer waves two yellow flags, crosses them, lowers them down, and repeats the motion until the sound of the gong from a nearby ship responds, then stops.

Zhu Neng stands on a 300 liao battleship, which, although not as large as Zheng He’s 400 liao battleship, is still a formidable warship. Just three hundred paces away are five Japanese pirate ships.

Not long ago, this group of pirates had gathered more than two hundred people and invaded Andong, but they were driven into the sea by the troops of Andong before they could decide whether to hold a funeral or change their location for robbery, Zheng He’s naval fleet arrived.

After leaving behind two ships and more than thirty corpses, these pirates took advantage of their small and agile boats to escape. Along the way, they attempted several times to break out individually but were forced by Zheng He, Zhang Yu, and Zhu Neng’s naval forces to continue heading east.

Zheng He was not in a hurry. Killing one group after another of these pirates seemed to only make them increase in numbers and become even more aggressive. There were even organized attacks, which made Zheng He curious about who was controlling these pirates behind the scenes.

“We’ve spotted an island ahead!”

The naval troops shouted.

Zheng He quickly looked and said, “Let them rest in the sea! Charge!”

On the left side, Zhang Yu led three warships, and on the right, Zhu Neng led three warships, with Zheng He in the center, they accelerated towards the enemy!

The pirates saw this and began to shout wildly, waving their Japanese swords and some even pulled out arquebuses and fired at Zheng He’s ships.

The shield-bearers by Zheng He’s side didn’t even move. The range of the arquebuses was insufficient to break through 150 steps. The fact that they were haphazardly using their arquebuses at such a range only indicated their extreme panic.

Zheng He raised his hand, and the trebuchet was ready, filled with jars containing lime, mud, and iron caltrops. Eighty soldiers leaned against the side of the ship, arrows drawn.

“Fire!”

When the distance closed to about a hundred and fifty paces, Zheng He suddenly waved his hand.

With a hum, the trebuchet launched jars from various ships. Some fell into the sea, and others landed on the pirate ships. Lime dispersed, smoke billowed, and the iron caltrops tore through the faces and hands of the pirates, resulting in cries of agony.

“Fire!”

Zheng He shouted loudly.

The soldiers drew their bows to full draw, aiming at the sky. The arrows were released and then fell, covering a small area of the sea.

After firing the arrows, the soldiers stood up calmly. Twenty soldiers held long spears, hooked spears, shields, and swords, while another twenty held arquebuses. There were also twenty soldiers holding fire arrows and Shenji arrows.

As the distance closed in, the arquebusiers fired one after another. Then came the fire arrows and Shenji arrows. The pirates on the ships had already been reduced to a state of chaos. Many of them had been killed, and even before the boarding battle began, the Ship plowed directly through.

Several pirate ships were shattered upon impact, becoming a mass of broken wooden planks.

This move was called ‘Chongjiao’ ^[1]literally ‘ramming with the prow’.

After eliminating the pirate ships, small boats were lowered from the ship. Soldiers armed with hook-sickles, shields, swords, and arquebuses, moved along the periphery of the ship, constantly searching for the pirates.

When they encountered the living, a shot from an arquebus followed by a beheading was the procedure. When they encountered the dead, the same procedure was followed.

This was the brutal experience of bloodshed.

At the beginning of the naval battle, the pirates would pretend to be dead, and when the Ming troops approached, they would counterattack and attempt to seize the ships.

To minimize casualties among his soldiers, Zheng He gave the order:

Regardless of whether they are alive or dead, treat them all as if they are alive, then deal with their heads later.

“Deputy General, ahead should be Cheniushan Island, Should we land there?” asked Li Xing, Zheng He’s assistant.

Zheng He looked coldly at the distant island. It was highly likely to be a pirate hideout, but they had no information about the number of pirates present.

Zhang Yu and Zhu Neng boarded Zheng He’s flagship.

Zhang Yu asked solemnly, “Deputy General, the enemy’s strength is unknown, and our forces consist of only 800 troops. Should we wait for reinforcements before landing and exploring the island?”

Zheng He also understood that his naval forces were scattered in various locations, and although these few ships were the main force, they were still understaffed. Landing and fighting on an island was not their strong suit, especially with the unknown situation of the pirates. Rushing in recklessly would result in losses.

“What does General Zhu think?” Zheng He asked solemnly.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhu Neng said, “The pirates have plundered our people, killed our citizens, and committed numerous crimes! No matter how many pirates there are, we should go and kill them! With our soldiers and firearms, even if they number two thousand, it is not enough to fear!”

“Isn’t that too reckless?” Zhang Yu, who was more cautious, asked.

Zhu Neng nodded solemnly and said, “Taking risks is inevitable, but consider this: if our wives, children, and loved ones are on that island, in the hands of the pirates, who would be willing to endure it? Who would be willing to wait? Every moment we delay landing, there’s a good chance we might lose another life!.”

Zheng He looked at the island, raised his hand, and struck the ship’s railing heavily. He said in a resolute tone, “Land and kill the pirates!”

On the first day of the third month, it was also the first day of the lunar month.

Under strong pressure from the Ministry of Rites and the officials, Zhu Yunwen conducted a sacrificial ceremony to honor Confucius.

Wearing a ceremonial leather cap and gown, Zhu Yunwen proceeded to the Fengtian hall. He issued decrees, appointed officials, and offered sacrificial offerings. After arranging the sacrificial ceremony and livestock offerings, he organized ceremonial music and dance performances. The ritual began with the chanting of “Welcoming the Deity,” followed by the performance of the ‘Xian He’ music:

“Great is the Sage,

Venerated for his virtue.

Upholding the royal legacy,

The people follow his teachings.

With rituals properly performed,

Our purity and reverence increase.

May the spirits come and accept our offerings,

And illuminate our devotion.”

Following the ‘Xian He’ music, the ceremony proceeded with offerings of silk and a performance of ‘Dian Bo, Conducting the Initial Ritual.’ The ceremonial music continued with ‘Ning He’ music:

“Since the birth of our people,

Who has surpassed his grandeur?

Only the royal sage and deity,

Exceed the ancients.

Our grain and silk are ready,

And the rites are meticulously observed.

Oblations of millet and rice,

May the spirits grant their presence…”

Subsequently, there were ‘An He,’ ‘Jing He,’ and ‘Xian He’ music performances, all under the title of ‘Xian He’ (though with different contents).

The degree of respect for Confucius during the Ming Dynasty can be seen through the elaborate and complex rituals, which, in a way, demonstrate the powerful influence of Confucius and his teachings.

The practice of emperors paying homage to Confucius dates back to Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, but the first emperor to perform a kowtow ritual specifically to Confucius was Emperor Taizu of later Zhou, Guo Wei. The second emperor to do so was Zhu Yuanzhang.

Now, it was Zhu Yunwen’s turn to follow suit.

Zhu Yunwen didn’t have particularly strong personal feelings toward Confucius. If it weren’t for his knowledge from his “previous life,” Zhu Yunwen wouldn’t even be able to recite passages from the “Analects.” Talking about respect for Confucius, he couldn’t simply rely on the line “Is it not a pleasure, having friends come from afar?”

However, nobody could deny the contributions of Confucius to Chinese culture and philosophy.

Just as that line written on the wall of the Shudao Pavilion goes:

“Without Confucius, it would be eternal darkness through the ages.”

Heavenly teacher or not, if kowtowing is what it takes, so be it.

Zhu Yunwen didn’t mind paying his respects to Confucius. Considering Confucius’s contributions to Chinese culture, he would gladly bow a three thousand times if needed.

What troubled Zhu Yunwen was that the Ministry of Rites seemed to be using this method to resist the reforms at the Imperial Academy. It was a subtle reminder that Confucius was the ultimate teacher, and trying to change the status of Confucianism was an impossible task.

If the Imperial Academy didn’t reform, achieving well-rounded talent would be nothing but a pipe dream. After all, the Imperial Academy was the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, right under his nose. Could he even hope to reform local county schools when he couldn’t change this?

Those stubborn traditionalists were like stubborn logs. Wasn’t it just about adding some extracurricular readings and practical experience beyond the Four Books and Five Classics? Why the extreme caution and resistance?

Culture thrives through diversity and open debate!

Did they not know that Confucius said, “Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous”? Did they forget that Mencius advocated, “Believe wholeheartedly in books, but it’s better to have no books”? How did they end up here, emphasizing theory while neglecting practice?

Don’t like it, resisting?

I have plenty of ways to deal with you!

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