Heaven of Chu

  Outside the beautiful Lanjiang Port, two sandboats, one Cantonese boat, and one Fuzhou boat were loading cargo. The laborers, panting with exhaustion, carried bags of newly harvested rice onto the deck, then stacked them into the second layer of the hold under the guidance of the sailors. After most of the rice had been loaded, barrels of clear water were brought on board, followed by ten days' worth of dry rations and salted meat, and finally dozens of logs cut into sections and tied to the sides of the boats. Once all the cargo and supplies had been loaded, a group of local villagers, dressed in tattered clothing and accompanied by their families, nervously boarded the boat under the threat of swords and guns.

  "Li family of three." The boatman leading the villagers onto the ship took them to the inner cabin. Due to the small tonnage of the ship and the large amount of goods occupying most of the space, there was no separate space for each household to live in. "Look," said the boatman, taking out something from a corner and hanging it on the vertical pillar and the inner wall of the ship's hull. "This is a hanging bed, you'll sleep on this for the next few days." The villagers, holding their small belongings, stared with wide eyes, but the boatman didn't explain much. He just hooked another bed under the first one on the iron ring. "One person per bed, yours is over there, remember to fold it up when you wake up so as not to block others' way." The boatman then pointed to another household. "Huang family father and son, two people, come over here..."

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  After settling everyone, the boatman sneered: "Everyone is moving to Dongning, let's get straight to the point. With so many men and women, old and young, if anyone dares to cause trouble, I'll throw them into the sea. The Dragon King isn't someone to be trifled with."

  Originally forced to migrate by Zheng Junwei's threats and temptations, these people were already very nervous. Now being intimidated by the cruel water master, many of them began to shed tears. Just as everyone was in a state of panic, a 15 or 16-year-old boy slipped in, holding a large basin with steaming hot congee inside.

  "Brother Wu is scaring people again," Seeing the young man, Brother Wu's face changed in an instant, and he put on a flattering smile, wanting to snatch the large bowl from the young man's hands. "Brother Wu, we don't need you here, go get some bowls and chopsticks for them to share." The big man immediately ran out, and as soon as Brother Wu left, the young man explained to several households. "Traveling by sea is not like traveling on land, it's very bumpy, so in the next few days, we can only eat something light, remember to eat more pickled vegetables, once we reach the open sea, the wind and waves will be big, and it will be easy to vomit, if you don't eat something with a strong flavor, your body won't be able to take it." More than a dozen people listened in confusion. "Also, Brother Wu is a person with a bad face but a kind heart, you are just passing by and don't know the rules, so you can't avoid being beaten up a few times as a warning."

  "Hit again!" A voice suddenly rang out, but was immediately covered by the family members around him.

  "I was just saying that, I didn't mean to fight." The young man explained awkwardly. Just then, Fifth Brother brought over the bowls and chopsticks. "No more talking, everyone come and scoop a bowl for yourself." Hearing that they could eat, over ten people rushed over, almost causing chaos. At this moment, Fifth Brother pulled out a dagger from his waistband, scaring everyone back. "One by one, two bowls per person is enough to eat." The young man finally spoke up, while using the small knife beside him to divide the pickled vegetables for several people. "After you're done eating, remember to find someone to bring the bowls and basin over here."

  The young man finished distributing the pickled vegetables and left, leaving only Wu Ge leaning in a corner, staring intently at these immigrants. The immigrants squatted on the ground, wolfing down the thick porridge with the pickled vegetables, saying that most of them were landless tenants and helpers, all year round, they could hardly get to eat the thick porridge and salty pickled vegetables that needed to be washed down with several liters of water a few times. So now they had the opportunity to have a big feast, each one eating with gusto.

  Everyone had already served themselves a second helping when Fifth Brother finally stood up straight: "Remember all of these, first, no fires are allowed in the cabin; second, don't randomly move things on the sides; third, if you need to pull or spit or vomit, there's a bucket over there, whoever does it on the ground or on the wall, I'll make them eat it back; lastly, don't go up onto the deck. Oh right, if anyone has a headache or fever, speak up early, otherwise when the time comes, the whole boat will be in bad luck with you.

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  At noon, when the sun was highest, the boat finally left the port and headed west. This small fleet of four ships, consisting of the largest 800-ton sand ship and the smallest 250-ton Guang ship, had to travel over 700 miles (about 1250 km) to reach Siming Prefecture.

  If calculated at the speed of 6 li per watch for the slowest sand ship in the fleet sailing against the wind, it would take almost ten days to complete the entire journey. This is already the fastest speed calculated assuming a smooth journey without encountering storms or Qing naval vessels, and also taking into account the death toll from disease among sailors and passengers on board. On the other hand, if any of these situations occur, this long journey can end prematurely at any time and place.

  Even if they safely arrive in Taiwan, the ordeal of these immigrants is not over yet. At least three more days will pass before they can truly set foot on Taiwanese soil, and when they receive their allocated wasteland, time will be extended for more than ten days.

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  The winter sun shone lazily on the Dongshenghai, and the gentle south wind slightly swelled the hard sail, propelling the entire ship. Looking at the fleet lined up in two rows within sight, Chu Tian leaned against the stern cabin and whistled softly, apparently this voyage was very smooth, six days had passed, except for a few immigrants who were seasick and uncomfortable, there were no other adverse conditions, if it could be maintained, another day westward would enter the control area of the 28th town of Mingzheng Water Division in South Australia, then they could navigate close to the mainland and avoid the wind and waves at sea.

  "Big Brother Chu." A low voice rang out, and Chu Tian looked up to see that Huang Ping, who was already 14 years old but small and thin like a 10-year-old child, had crawled out of the cargo hold. After all, it had been six days already, and Fifth Brother's supervision of them had become less strict. For the older ones, it might still be a problem to move around freely, but for the children, it was no longer an issue.

  "Brother Chu, what are you looking at?" Although the local dialect of Qiongzhou was a bit difficult to understand, simple communication was still possible. "On this vast ocean, apart from the sky and water, why is Brother Chu not getting tired of looking?" Perhaps it was because they saw that Chu Tian's age was similar to their own, or perhaps it was because they saw how majestic Chu Tian looked in front of the fierce and formidable Fifth Brother, but the young ones among these immigrants all liked to stick around Chu Tian. "Can you tell me more about Sun Wukong?"

  "Let's talk about it when we deliver the meal, okay?" Chu Tian smiled and started talking. His story was also heard from his companions, and in the past few days, he had told several young monks while delivering meals. He didn't have much to say, so he dragged on as long as possible. "Brother Chu still has work to do?"

  "Is Big Brother Chu deceiving people?" Huang Ping pouted. "I secretly watched Big Brother Chu blowing the whistle in the hold for a long time, what work was there to do?" Huang Ping suddenly broke out in sweat, he didn't know someone would spy on him, just as he was about to explain, he heard Huang Ping continue. "Besides, I see that everyone on the ship is very polite to Big Brother Chu, could it be that Big Brother Chu is the young master of a wealthy family? It's probably true, no wonder there are so many stories, no wonder they look down on me and don't want to tell me stories alone."

  "Speak plainly!" Chu Tian was teased by Huang Ping, and he reached out to touch his head. "I also have a bitter origin, with four brothers in my family and not much land. It just so happened that the leader was recruiting people, so I had a way out. As for why Ship Head and Fifth Brother were polite to me, it's just because of the leader's face." Chu Tian explained half-truthfully. "As for Big Brother Chu just now, he really did have something going on, didn't deceive you."

  At this, Chu Tian swiftly climbed to the main mast, tightened his legs around the pole, and pulled out a stack of objects from his bosom. Upon unfolding them, they turned out to be several small flags in five colors. He waved his hands, and before long, similar scenes appeared on the other ships in the distance.

  "See that?" Chu Tian, who had slid down from the main mast, carefully refolded the small flag and tucked it into his bosom while explaining to Huang Ping. "Every minute, I, Big Brother Chu, have to contact the other three ships once, this is called flag language, it's a must-do lesson given by the captain when going on a distant voyage."

  "What's flag language?" Huang Ping was somewhat perplexed, but he soon forgot about it and instead became interested in the "General Leader" that Chu Tian often mentioned. "Brother Chu, who is this General Leader? I seem to recall my dad saying that 'General Leader' is a term used to refer to soldiers who eat military rations. Are you also a soldier?"

  "Of course, Brother Chu is a soldier!" Chu Tian puffed out his chest and put on a heroic look. "Brother Chu is the vanguard officer of the fourth squad of the Water Troop of the Tongzi Camp, with a small flag at his command, and he receives a stipend of 900 taels." Perhaps fearing that Chu Tian wouldn't understand how big a deal it was to be ranked ninth grade, he specially explained. "He's in the same rank as the county's chief clerk."

  Just as Chu Tian finished speaking, Huang Ping was so scared that he retreated back to the cargo hold. Looking at Huang Ping's actions, Chu Tian was stunned for a long time before realizing that Huang Ping was actually afraid, and didn't even dare ask who the captain was again. Chu Tian shook his head in dismay, just as he was about to turn around and go to the stern to check on the shark bait he had set, when Huang Ping poked his head out again.

  "Brother Chu, my dad says you're a cheat. My dad said, how old are you, anyway? How can you possibly be an official?"

  "Am I cheating you?" Chu Tian became sullen. "Why would I cheat you? Not only am I an official, but the captain is also an official, and even Wu Ge has a title of eighth rank. It can be said that on this ship, except for you two, everyone else is an official."

  Huang Ping was so scared that he ran back, but Chu Tian's words fell into the ears of a forty-year-old old soldier who led the ship as the leader. He specifically called out to Chu Tian: "Tian Ge, as a member of the Tongzi Camp and a descendant of the imperial family, you shouldn't be too talkative, but since it concerns the life of someone on this boat, I have to remind you that next time, be careful not to reveal our identity to others, no matter who is on board."

  "Isn't this a case of drawing attention to something by trying to conceal it?" Chu Tian was somewhat perplexed. "We're transporting people and goods from Qiongzhou to Siming and Dongning, but we can't fool some people."

  "It's impossible to deceive people, and indeed, we have violated the Qing dynasty's border order. Whenever we encounter a Qing warship, there is a possibility of being captured or detained. However!" The old soldier emphasized his tone. "As long as we don't reveal our identity, there is still a chance to bribe the Qing army." The words from the bow of the ship were based on experience. As long as they didn't openly reveal their identity, even if the other side knew they were people from Ming Zheng, at least there would be room for maneuvering. But if they were accidentally exposed by the Huang family father and son, then they would really have to fight to the death. "Tian Ge, remember, it's a small matter if you and I are captured or killed, but the things on this ship are what Dong Ning and Si Ming are eagerly waiting for. Don't lose everything because of a dispute over face!"

  "I, I've learned my lesson." Just because the voyage was long and boring, Chu Tian's whole body suddenly shook, and it wasn't until then that he understood part of the meaning behind Zheng Kezang expanding the safe route from Dongning to Siming into a voyage to Qiongzhou.

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