Chapter 1151: Taking Over the Dengzhou Navy
Pi Island.
Ship after ship of grain and supplies arrived on Pi Island.
The seemingly endless flow of supplies from Gao Family Village left Shen Shikui, the Regional Commander of Pi Island, utterly awestruck.
After spending these past days together, he had largely come to understand that these supplies weren't dispatched by the imperial court, but by "Steward Li."
To put it nicely, this Steward Li was a merchant; to put it bluntly, he operated much like a warlord pirate such as Zheng Zhilong.
Superficially, he heeded the imperial court's commands, but in reality, he was a local potentate.
This potentate wasn't sending goods and supplies to Pi Island out of deference to Shen Shikui, but rather for Cao Wenzhao.
To put it bluntly, he only sent supplies because Cao Wenzhao was present.
If Shen Shikui were to sideline Cao Wenzhao, then these supplies would cease.
Therefore, what he should do was obvious without needing to be said.
"General Cao, what should we do from now on?" Shen Shikui now consulted Cao Wenzhao on every matter, a clear sign of his deference.
Cao Wenzhao replied, "We've terrified the Manchus in naval battles; they likely won't dare to organize another attack on Pi Island for several years. And after this battle, Joseon's stance will probably waver once more. From now on, we will continue to use Pi Island as our base, harassing the Manchu rear... slowly accumulating our strength..."
As he was speaking, a soldier rushed in, exclaiming, "An imperial envoy has arrived!"
Shen Shikui scoffed lightly; Pi Islanders had never paid much mind to imperial envoys, but he still said, "Let's quickly go out and greet them."
A group of people hurried to the beach, where they saw a eunuch who had just disembarked, standing rigidly on the sand, poised as if to read an imperial decree.
Shen Shikui and Cao Wenzhao quickly bowed. The eunuch produced the imperial decree and rattled off its contents.
The decree first praised Shen Shikui and Cao Wenzhao, stating they had rendered meritorious service in defending Pi Island and that the Emperor was pleased. Then, it appointed Cao Wenzhao as the Coastal Regional Commander, responsible for aiding Pi Island and countering the Manchu and Joseon navies.
Next, it instructed Cao Wenzhao to use his own discretion to recruit and pacify pirates for service to the imperial court.
After the decree was read, Shen Shikui couldn't help but sigh in relief. He had truly feared the Emperor would appoint Cao Wenzhao as the Regional Commander of Dongjiang, which would mean losing his own position.
Coastal Regional Commander was quite good; it involved no rivalry with him, but rather a cooperative relationship. This way, he could defend Pi Island with peace of mind.
After hearing the imperial decree, Cao Wenzhao mused inwardly, "It allows me to recruit pirates, and all positions below brigadier-general are at my discretion. This is truly excellent."
He was already planning: he could appoint Jiang Cheng as a brigadier-general, Shi Lang as a centurion, and even Zheng Sen—though a guest officer, he was favored by the Heavenly Lord—should also be made a centurion. This way, Gao Family Village's navy could legitimately operate on the seas from now on, without having to pretend to be sea merchants.
Moreover, the Coastal Regional Commander's naval base seemed to be near Dengzhou, providing Gao Family Village's navy with another place to moor their ships.
Furthermore, Dengzhou was very close to Tianjin, a mere six hundred li in a straight line.
Gao Family Village's navy could depart from Dengzhou for Tianjin in the future, requiring only one day.
After the imperial decree was read, everyone was overjoyed!
The eunuch returned to the capital to report, while Cao Wenzhao immediately drafted a memorial to the throne, listing Brigadier-General Jiang Cheng, Centurion Shi Lang, and Centurion Zheng Sen for approval.
Several days later...
The Great Ming Dynasty, Dengzhou Naval Garrison.
The Dengzhou Garrison was a historic naval outpost of the Great Ming Dynasty. At its peak, it possessed 100 medium to large warships, with countless smaller vessels.
However, with the implementation of the Great Ming's maritime prohibition policy, by the sixteenth year of Hongzhi under Emperor Xiaozong (1503), only three medium to large warships remained in the Dengzhou Garrison, and its shipbuilding industry had almost completely vanished.
By the tenth year of Chongzhen (1637), the Dengzhou Naval Garrison had essentially become a small fishing village. Aside from a tattered "Dengzhou Garrison" flag flying over its decaying naval fort, it was hard to tell that it was once an imperial military port.
Jiang Cheng, Shi Lang, and Zheng Sen led their fleet, slowly sailing into the Dengzhou naval fort.
The arrival of their massive fleet startled the Dengzhou Garrison sailors. Many frantically rowed their dilapidated small boats back to shore, then rushed home, fetched their worn-out weapons, and adopted a desperate, though likely futile, show of defiance.
Jiang Cheng took out a tin megaphone and shouted to the Dengzhou Garrison sailors, "This general is Jiang Cheng, Brigadier-General under the newly appointed Coastal Regional Commander Cao Wenzhao! I am here by imperial order to take over the Dengzhou Naval Fort! There is no need for you to panic!"
Only then did the Dengzhou soldiers sigh in relief. "You startled us!" one exclaimed. "Such large ships! We thought the Westerners had arrived! Turns out it's just our new superior taking office."
The sailors put down their weapons and gathered at the shore.
Jiang Cheng's gaze swept over the ragged clothes they wore and the rusty weapons they held. He couldn't help but sigh.
Shi Lang also whispered, "What a poor army."
Zheng Sen whispered, "They're even poorer than my family's pirates."
Jiang Cheng spoke up, "Why are your armor and weapons so dilapidated? Why isn't there a single decent ship in the fort?"
A military officer from the Dengzhou Garrison stepped forward, his face etched with embarrassment. "General Jiang," he began, "our Dengzhou Garrison has been neglected for over a hundred years. The imperial court never allocates funds to us, nor does it provide us with shipbuilding or military equipment, forcing us to rely on fishing for survival. The few small fishing boats we have were all built by ourselves, without a single copper from the court. You can't blame us for this."
There was logic to his words!
If the imperial court didn't provide money, how could they be expected to possess anything decent?
Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at Shi Lang and Zheng Sen.
The two young men couldn't help but spread their hands and shake their heads. "Alas!"
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. "Alright, I now understand your situation. Ahem, let's be frank: this general is someone who protects his own. Since you are now part of our family, there's no need for formalities between family members. This general has considerable wealth, and what the imperial court cannot provide you with, this general will provide."
The Dengzhou Garrison collectively froze, bewildered. What did the general mean by that?
However, they understood immediately!
Jiang Cheng waved his hand grandly. "Distribute grain, distribute money, distribute clothes..."
Vast quantities of supplies were directly thrust into their hands!
This was Gao Family Village's signature move: an irresistible deluge of provisions, a veritable charm offensive.
In an instant, the soldiers of the Dengzhou Garrison were completely won over by Jiang Cheng.
"General Jiang," one soldier declared, "you are the most conscientious superior I have ever served!"
"Please do not doubt my loyalty," another cried. "From now on, I am your most loyal subordinate."
"If you bid me climb mountains of swords or dive into seas of fire," yet another vowed, "if I so much as flinch, may I be cursed!"
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