lcionline Chapter 181 Profiteers
Chapter 181 Profiteers
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As soon as Zheng Zhiwan and her staff left the council chamber, Liu Ye's face immediately darkened: "Did you all hear that? This isn't buying cannons, it's clearly a show of force!"
Yan Guang said, "Zheng Zhilong is currently enjoying great success. He's in the guise of an official, but doing business as a maritime merchant. He has money and connections, so it's normal for him to be a bit arrogant."
Li Fei also said, "Zheng Zhilong wiped out his former sworn brothers, leaving only Liu Xiang clinging to life. Now he is at the height of his power in Fujian, and even the Dutch have to give him some leeway, which is enough to show how powerful he is. If it weren't for the fact that you are also a military officer of the imperial court, I'm afraid you wouldn't be trying to buy him with silver, but would just come and rob him directly."
Liu Ye let out a long sigh and said, "That's right. If our navy weren't temporarily too weak, I wouldn't put up with this nonsense."
Yan Guang asked, "Brother Li Fei once proposed an alliance with Zheng Zhilong to deal with Liu Xiang. Now that he has come to us, it is an opportunity."
"The reason I proposed to meet with Zheng Zhilong was to take the opportunity of selling cannons to discuss an alliance. These naval cannons are the key to opening the door and showing my sincerity," Liu Ye said. "However, even if we can form an alliance, I am still unwilling to sell cannons to him, no matter how much silver he offers."
Li Fei agreed: "I have personally experienced the power of these cannons. They are even stronger than those of the Dutch, who are known for their strong ships and powerful cannons. If we were to give up such weapons for the sake of forming an alliance, it would indeed be a loss. After we destroy Liu Xiang, we will naturally have to fight Zheng Zhilong to see who is better. Wouldn't it be like shooting ourselves in the foot if we sold him cannons?"
Everyone fell silent; this was a dilemma. To quickly establish a foothold in the Fujian waters by allying with Zheng Zhilong against Liu Xiang and the Dutch, and to sell cannons to Zheng Zhilong in order to achieve this alliance, was a shortsighted decision that would ultimately backfire.
After thinking for a while, Liang Xiaoming said, "Actually, there is a compromise."
Liu Ye's eyes lit up, and he perked up, urging, "Tell me quickly."
"Our Caron cannons are made of gray cast iron, which is refined iron. Not only is the inner bore extremely smooth, but they are also very durable and not prone to bursting. If they were made of ordinary pig iron, they would look the same on the surface, but in reality, their service life would be much shorter. By the time we have eliminated Liu Xiang and turned our attention to him, these cannons would be almost useless. This way, the cannons we sell will not become a threat to us."
Everyone praised, "This is a great idea; it kills two birds with one stone."
Sun Yuanhua asked, "But how can ordinary cast iron cannons be as smooth and agile as ours? The inner walls and outer surfaces are rough and uneven, wouldn't that give us away at a glance?"
Liang Xiaoming chuckled and said, "Aside from the difference in materials, both cannons are cast using iron molds. The surface is smooth and tight, making it impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. However, the material is hard and brittle, and continuous firing can easily cause the barrel to explode."
Apart from Sun Yuanhua, who had experience in cannon casting and understood most of it, the others only vaguely understood. Only Liu Ye fully understood what he meant: the cannons cast using the iron mold casting method were still made of white cast iron. Although they had fewer air bubbles than the clay mold casting method, and thus had better airtightness, white cast iron never had the same tensile strength as gray cast iron, and their lifespan was much shorter. Moreover, after continuous firing, the cannon barrel would heat up, expand, and deform, making it prone to bursting.
He laughed and said, "Honest people can be even more cunning when they want to cheat. No one can tell the difference between cannons made like this until they explode. Let's play the role of swindlers for once, haha!"
Since they could get away with using cast iron cannons, selling cannons wouldn't be a problem. They could use this as leverage to demand an alliance between the two sides to deal with Liu Xiang and even the Dutch, and then turn around and deal with Zheng Zhilong.
“If that’s the case, then let’s buy these cannons for Zheng Zhilong and get a large sum of money. I’ll take this opportunity to go to Zhongzuo Institute and meet with Zheng Zhilong. We must finalize the alliance and clear away any obstacles to our business trip to Japan.”
Yan Guang advised, "It would be quite dangerous for the General to go in person. What if Zheng Zhilong suddenly becomes unruly and harms you?"
Sun Yuanhua stroked his beard: "That's not necessarily true. Zheng Zhilong is a guerrilla commander in Fujian, and the general is a military officer in Guangdong. They are both military officers under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Unless it is a life-or-death feud, they would not make a move on their own territory. Since he is willing to accept the appeasement, he still has to abide by the rules of officialdom on the surface. He would never act recklessly like this."
Liu Ye nodded and said, "Our navy is not enough to pose a threat to him. He has no reason to give up his official position to attack me."
A few days later, Liu Ye led several newly built Wuxiang-class patrol ships to Zhongzuosuo.
The reason for not bringing the 500-ton displacement Wuyi-class warships was to avoid arousing Zheng Zhilong's suspicion. By current standards, the Wuyi-class was a large ship with a displacement of 800 tons, which was not common even in Zheng Zhilong's fleet. While a fleet composed entirely of Wuyi-class warships would be impressive, the goal of establishing a friendly alliance might be jeopardized. Only the 400-ton displacement Wuxiang-class ships would not arouse Zheng Zhilong's suspicion or hostility. Zheng Zhilong had many ships of this tonnage, equipped with similar cannons, making them roughly equal to the Wuxiang-class—at least superficially.
Zheng Zhiwan was in charge of leading the way. When the fleet arrived at Kinmen Island in Fujian, he disembarked and boarded his own ship to report to Zhongzuo Fortress, instructing Liu Ye's fleet to wait near Kinmen.
Liu Ye curled his lip at Liang Xiaoming and said, "He's really putting on airs. Logically speaking, his rank is lower than mine. I'm a third-rank military officer, and he's a fourth-rank guerrilla commander. But now it's like I'm going to pay my respects to the governor."
Liang Xiaoming reassured him, "Don't worry, no matter how arrogant he is, he's just a maritime merchant. His limitations are there. In terms of potential, he's not even worthy of shining your shoes. Your positions will be reversed sooner or later."
More than an hour later, Zheng Zhiwan's ship returned to Kinmen, and he signaled the fleet to follow him into the port. After entering Zhongzuosuo Port, Liu Ye realized that this show of bravado was not entirely for the sake of ostentation, but rather a result of Zheng Zhilong's formidable strength.
Zhongzuo Fortress is the later Xiamen Island, which at this time belonged to Yongning Guard and was officially called Zhongzuo Garrison Commander-in-Chief. With the collapse of the garrison system at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the fortress was occupied by Zheng Zhilong, becoming his base for maritime trade. As a famous and developed coastal city in later years, Xiamen possessed a naturally excellent harbor with wide, deep waters that remained ice-free year-round. Upon entering the harbor, Liu Ye and his companions saw a dense array of ships. They initially assumed these were merchant ships unloading cargo at Zhongzuo Fortress, but upon closer inspection, they discovered that most of the ships flew the Zheng family's flag, the crew on deck were all burly and capable sailors, and bronze cannons of varying calibers were frequently seen on the hulls. Although their power was questionable, they clearly identified the ships as warships.