Chapter 142: The Transformation of Incompetent Li Jinglong

Li Jinglong is not entirely incompetent; his choice of the shipyard in Yangjiang has been approved by Zhu Yunlu.

Although Yangjiang is not as prominent as Guangzhou, it has its advantages.

Firstly, Yangjiang is located in Zhaoqing Prefecture, with Gaozhou to the west, defended by the Shendian garrison, and Guangzhou Prefecture to the east, defended by the Guanghai garrison. Yangjiang is situated between the Shendian and Guanghai garrisons. Additionally, with places like Hailang garrison and Shuangyu garrison near Yangjiang, safety is not a major concern.

Secondly, Yangjiang has a bay suitable for constructing deep harbors and docks. Not far from the coast are Hailing Island, Xiachuan Island, and Shangchuan Island. In the event of a typhoon or heavy waves during sea trials, there are nearby locations for emergency evasion, preventing significant losses.

Thirdly, the coastal areas of Suixi, Wuchuan, Yangjiang, and Xinning are frequently raided by sea bandits. If the shipyard were located in Guangzhou, it would be challenging to respond promptly. Choosing Yangjiang allows the main forces of the guards to be stationed along the coast, enabling the mobilization of the Guangzhou navy to Yangjiang to combat sea bandits.

Guangzhou, Yangjiang.

Li Jinglong stood at the Yangjiang Shipyard, wearing short clothes. When he saw the old shipbuilder waving a flag, he loudly shouted, “Open the sluice gate!”

Dozens of shirtless men in shorts exerted force to operate the winch. The heavy sluice gate slowly opened, allowing the surging seawater to enter the waterway and gradually level with the surface of the dock.

The sea breeze moved the half sail on the large ship, causing the vessel to sway from side to side, like a fierce beast eager to break free from its cage.

The ship slowly moved along the narrow waterway, gradually entering the open sea.

Li Jinglong’s eyes were filled with anticipation. This large ship, like his own child, he knew every part of it like the back of his hand.

Although this Fuchuan was not considered enormous, it still reached a capacity of a thousand materials.

Looking at the ship’s high bow and stern, resembling city walls, Li Jinglong couldn’t help but sigh.

As a duke, who could have imagined that he would learn to use flat, lap, and mortise joints?

Who could have imagined that he would be holding a hammer, striking each nail?

And who could have imagined that, in order to deal with the gaps between the planks, he would work alongside shipbuilders, using adhesive materials like hemp silk, bamboo shavings, and tung putty to fill them in bit by bit?

Hehe, let alone others, even he found it hard to imagine.

Li Jinglong felt that he had changed. In the past, he sought wealth, glory, and indulgence. Now, he wanted to do something meaningful.

Although shipbuilding was hard work, when he saw the ship taking shape and sailing into the sea, all the hardships seemed to vanish.

“Big brother, you can board the ship now.”

Li Zengzhi, with sweat on his face, walked over, grinning.

“Good. Has the deputy commander returned yet?”

Li Jinglong asked as he walked.

Li Zengzhi shook his head slightly and said, “No news yet, but it should be coming soon.”

Li Jinglong nodded. Just as he was about to board the ship, Deputy Commander Wang Zuo hurriedly ran over, shouting, “General, urgent report from the deputy commander.”

Li Jinglong took the letter, carefully read it, and his expression turned grim. He said to Li Zengzhi in a deep voice, “You will be in charge of the sea trial for the new ship.”

“Big brother, what’s happening?”

Li Zengzhi looked worried.

Li Jinglong handed the letter to Li Zengzhi and said, “Chen Zuyi is playing with fire! He dared to use Japanese pirates, intending to devour the naval fleet!”

“He has such ambitious plans?!”

Li Zengzhi was astonished and quickly looked at the intelligence.

In recent days, pirates rarely entered the coastal areas of Guangzhou. The unusually quiet situation made Li Jinglong and others uneasy.

When pirates come, just attack it, simple.

If pirates get tired of raiding, they can go home, fish, enjoy the sun, take a break for three to five days—that’s understandable.

Who doesn’t need a day off?

However, if pirates have been completely silent for a month, it becomes a bit strange.

After all, it’s just the beginning of May, not yet summer vacation. Pirates also need to work, plunder, and eat. They can’t just stay on their ships or islands and live off their savings forever, can they?

In previous years, April and May were the peak times for pirates to be rampant. It’s been over a month now, and there’s no sign of them.

Li Jinglong wouldn’t think that he has an intimidating aura that scares pirates away, nor would he believe that the pirates found the legendary treasure, washed their hands of piracy, and retired to a peaceful life.

The more unusual the situation, the more cautious one should be.

Li Jinglong understood some military strategy and was aware that pirates must have some conspiracy, so he dispatched Xu Zengshou with a dozen or so ships to go out to sea and gather information.

As for the method of gathering information, it was straightforward and brutal.

When they encountered a ship, there was no need for greetings. They went straight to it, hooked onto the ship, and if anyone resisted, they were dealt with. If there was no resistance, they were interrogated directly.

Because it was at sea, it also made interrogation convenient. If someone cooperated, they would confess willingly. If not, they were offered the additional service of having their throats slit and being given a sea burial.

What?

What if there are mistaken killings?

There’s no need to worry about mistaken killings. In this day and age, there are no envoys for trade and tribute. Anyone floating on the sea is either a pirate or a smuggler. Regardless of which, getting rid of them is the right thing to do.

Xu Zengshou was straightforward too. After floating at sea for over ten days, he finally gathered intelligence. The head honcho of the pirate world, Chen Zuyi, was rallying pirates, preparing to organize a grand feast of plunder.

Chen Zuyi didn’t focus on the Guangdong coast, perhaps thinking that engaging in battles on land was disadvantageous, especially since Li Jinglong had organized coastal defense, mobilizing numerous fleets. Engaging in a fight on land might not guarantee an advantage.

According to the confessions of the bandits, Chen Zuyi heard about someone named Zheng He in the East Sea who sailed around causing trouble. Combined with the grievances of the Japanese bandits, Chen Zuyi slapped his thigh and decided to take action against Zheng He first.

As for the benefits, what could be better than the Fuchuan warships?

With ships, the vast sea is open for exploration.

To make the business of robbery big and strong, ships are the key.

So, Chen Zuyi arranged for the Japanese bandits to constantly attack, luring Zheng He to move south, with the intention of ambushing him in the Penghu Channel. Chen Zuyi was confident that Zheng He, coming from a distant route, would be exhausted, and being relatively unknown, he wasn’t a renowned naval commander.

The intelligence from Xu Zengshou made Li Jinglong deeply uneasy. He immediately ordered the gathering of two thousand soldiers, with a fleet of twenty-six ships, heading straight for the Penghu Channel near the Ryukyu Islands.

“General, Zheng He may not necessarily go to the Penghu Channel. I suggest the fleet first go to Kinmen Island to gather information. After obtaining accurate information, we can then decide whether to enter the Penghu Channel.”

Watching Li Jinglong standing at the bow of the ship, Xu Zengshou made this suggestion.

Li Jinglong pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and said solemnly, “Then wait for news in Kinmen Island, make the sails full, and proceed at full speed!”

Xu Zengshou agreed and shouted, “Full sails.”

In Fujian’s Funing Prefecture, on the Mount Bijia.

Zheng He’s fleet stopped here for a simple rest.

Zhang Yu stood on the mountain, looking at the distant sea, and said to Zheng He, “The Japanese pirates are leading us forward; there must be an ambush ahead. Our navy is alone and may not be able to withstand a battle with them.”

Zheng He smiled easily, stretched his shoulders, and said, “Chen Zuyi invited us as guests. We can’t just ignore it, can we? Regardless of the dangers ahead, we still have to take a chance.”

“Haha, this temperament suits my taste!”

Zhu Neng looked at Zheng He appreciatively.

Shaking his head, Zhang Yu said, “It’s not that I fear Chen Zuyi, but I believe that going deep alone, once trapped in a siege, we will suffer heavy losses and be unable to fulfill our mission of pacifying the seas.”

Zheng He pointed to the distant sea and said, “General Zhang, can you see any ships on the sea?”

“No.”

Zhang Yu squinted, looking at the sea, where there were no ships.

With a faint smile, Zheng He said cunningly, “The pirates can’t see them either.”

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