The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1 Certificate of Surrender

"Why does the village chief's family eat meat every day, while your whole family can't even gnaw on tree bark?"

"Why is it that the government bullies you, confiscates all your family's money, and forces your father and brothers to perform corvée labor?"

"Why is it that after working so hard to farm, you can't even pay the rent and end up owing the landlord three taels of silver, forcing you sisters to sell yourselves into slavery to pay off the debt?"

"It's because you can tolerate it!"

Boom!

A flash of lightning illuminated the faces of everyone on the boat.

The boatmen, who had been expressionless, looked up at the stern of the ship, and anger gradually rose on their faces.

Lin Qian held a knife in one hand and a torch in the other. Observing the expressions of the boatmen, she knew in her heart that the great undertaking was about to succeed.

He pointed the knife in front of him, where the boat captain and his woman were kneeling, their mouths stuffed with rags, their hands tied behind their backs, and their bodies trembling like leaves.

"Even if we leave Zhangzhou and the Ming Dynasty, there will still be villains who bully us!"

"A lash today, a lash tomorrow, if this continues, forget about our wages, will we even survive? We're all born of parents, coming to this ship to make a living, and we're constantly beaten and verbally abused by this wicked man. Why should we be treated this way?"

During the two weeks at sea, almost everyone had been beaten. Hearing this, they felt their back wounds ache and their anger intensified.

"This shipment of goods, once it arrives at the port, should fetch at least ten thousand taels of silver. This is something our brothers risked their lives in the storms to earn. Why should it go to these wicked people who withhold wages and indulge in womanizing?"

Upon hearing the offer of ten thousand taels of silver, the boatmen's breathing became heavy, and they stared at Lin Qian with bloodshot eyes.

The boat captain's forehead was covered in cold sweat, his eyes were full of terror, and he kept making whimpering noises, but he couldn't speak.

Another bolt of lightning flashed by.

Boom!

Lin Qian reached out and stabbed, the knife piercing the boat captain's back. She pulled the knife out, blood spurting everywhere.

The boat captain then collapsed into a pool of blood, twitched twice, and quickly lost consciousness.

The woman next to him was so frightened that water dripped from her crotch, and she kept kowtowing and begging for mercy.

She forcefully spat out the rag from her mouth, crying out, "I was wrong, I know I was wrong, please forgive me, I'll do anything if you forgive me..."

Despite having prepared herself mentally, it was still her first time killing someone, and Lin Qian's muscles trembled uncontrollably, with her right hand holding the knife shaking the most violently.

He bit his tongue hard, using the pain to control his body, gripped the knife tightly, took a deep breath, and stabbed down again with his right hand.

The woman screamed and collapsed.

The boatmen were stunned into silence by the bloody scene.

Lin Qian drew her knife and put her trembling right arm behind her back.

Who would have thought that just half a month ago, he was a financially independent modern man, sailing around the world, only to perish in a storm and wake up in the Ming Dynasty.

The wealth and status of his past life vanished in an instant, and he returned to the lowest level of society.

The original owner's family were tenant farmers. A year ago, a flood submerged their fields, destroyed their house, and drowned the entire family.

Although he escaped death, he was left with only a wretched life and owed the landlord three taels of silver because he couldn't pay the rent.

Fearing being beaten to death by debt collectors, the original owner escaped and became a boatman.

After setting sail in a daze, they discovered that the boat captain was actually a servant of the landlord.

It's really fate.

According to the rules, once a boat captain goes out to sea, he becomes the local tyrant, and he doesn't need any reason to beat or scold the boatmen.

The original owner was a coward, and the boat captain especially liked to make trouble for him. He was whipped four times in three days at sea.

The original owner had been on the run for a long time and was already physically weak. The fear and anxiety caused further injury, and he died of a high fever overnight.

This is what allowed Lin Qian from later generations to travel through time.

Once Lin Qian understood the situation, she realized that this life was a hellish start.

According to the "Great Ming Code", anyone who leaves their place of household registration for more than three months is considered a vagrant. If caught by the government, they will be beheaded if the offense is serious, and can be flogged eighty times if the offense is minor, in addition to being sent back to their place of origin.

Putting aside whether he could survive until he disembarked, and whether the landlord would let him go after he returned to his hometown, the stain of being a fugitive householder alone could ruin his future.

It was impossible for him to do business or make inventions, let alone enter officialdom through the imperial examinations.

As for farming... if he could have farmed peacefully, the original owner wouldn't have lost his life on the ship.

This is the bloody reality of feudal society.

However, Lin Qian is not one to accept her fate.

It is now the 48th year of the Wanli reign, the most profitable time for maritime trade, which has also led to the flourishing of the piracy industry.

Zheng Zhilong, who started as a pirate at the end of the Ming Dynasty, not only amassed endless wealth but also accepted amnesty, went ashore, and became a powerful figure in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, making him a dominant force in Southeast China.

At his peak, the Manchus, the Southern Ming court, the Dutch, and the Spanish all had to be subservient to him.

Since the world won't let him be a compliant citizen, he'll follow Zheng Zhilong's example and cause chaos. And the first step is...

Seize the ship!

"White Wave Boy!" Lin Qian called out.

A boy behind him strode forward and threw a bundle on the ground.

The package fell apart, making a clattering sound, revealing its contents: a dozen or so long swords.

“Those who took the knife are my brothers, Lin Qian’s brothers. When the ship arrives at the port, each of them will receive one hundred taels.”

The boatmen erupted in uproar: "One hundred taels..."

"Even after running twenty boat trips, you won't earn a hundred taels..."

"That's enough to buy several acres of paddy fields..."

Soon, several people stepped out from the crowd, took out knives, and stood behind Lin Qian.

Including Bai Langzai who just threw away the package, Lin Qian now has seven people on her side.

Lin Qian was not surprised at all, because a few days ago, the seven of them secretly swore brotherhood, and today they killed the guards and hijacked the ship together.

Although the captain is now dead, it is impossible for the seven brothers to control all the boatmen, let alone sail away this three-masted Fujian ship.

There are more than fifty boatmen on board, and at least half of them are needed to support the crew.

For the boatmen, although running a boat was a life-or-death business, it was still a legitimate profession. Once they took up a knife, they became thieves, and if they were caught by the authorities, they would lose their heads.

But they lacked the courage and ability to openly oppose Lin Qian.

After all, all the weapons on the ship are in this bundle. If someone tries to take the weapons, whether to join the crew or to defend themselves, they will be seen as thieves by the other crew members.

If they were unarmed and had no chance of defeating Lin Qian's men, they would have no choice but to obey orders.

This is a conspiracy.

After a long silence, one of the boatmen suddenly mustered his courage and asked, "What will happen after we take the silver?"

Lin Qian thought to herself that it was a good question, and said loudly, "After the silver is divided, if there are any brothers who appreciate me, they can stay and make a name for themselves together at sea. If you have other plans, you are free to leave or stay."

The boatmen stirred, and several men stepped forward with knives, followed by more than ten others.

Some people walked too slowly and had no weapons left, so they stood empty-handed next to Lin Qian.

Half an incense stick later, all the boatmen on the deck had gathered around Lin Qian.

One of the boatmen shouted, "Brother Lin, now that everyone's following you, what's next?"

"There's someone else we want to meet." Lin Qian gave Bai Langzai a look.

Bai Langzai returned to the cabin and dragged out a man who was tied up.

"Manager Wu?" the boatmen whispered.

This man was the ship's accountant, and he loved to find excuses to deduct wages. Even though the deducted money never ended up in his pocket, he still enjoyed it.

In an effort to please him, the boatmen treated him worse than the lowest servants.

To the boatmen, this lackey was even more hateful than the boat captain himself.

"Kill him!" a boatman shouted, and soon the other boatmen responded, and for a moment, shouts of killing filled the air.

Lin Qian took out a whip and said, "One whip for each person, who wants to go first?"

The boatmen were excited and pushed forward. Under the organization of Lin Qian's sworn brothers, they lined up and took turns cracking their whips.

Manager Wu screamed repeatedly, initially begging for mercy, then cursing incessantly.

"You bastards, you capsized cargo, you crooked hooves, how dare you! Ouch..."

Many of the boatmen were Tanka people, and "curved hoof" was the most vicious insult to them, so they attacked even harder upon hearing it.

After each person finished lashing him with a whip, Steward Wu's fate was unknown.

Lin Qian ordered the body to be thrown into the sea, and a moment later, a splash was heard from the side of the ship.

“We killed that person together; this is our pledge of loyalty,” Lin Qian said with a smile.

The boatmen were shocked. They had just lashed out with their whips, and they were so focused on venting their anger that they couldn't tell which whip had killed Manager Wu. Now, they were all implicated in a murder case.

Only then did everyone realize that there was no way back.

　A veteran author on a new account, with a completed work of 150 million words already. His integrity is guaranteed, so readers can add it to their collections with confidence.

　　The author assures all readers that this book will definitely be a great story.

　　With the sails raised and anchor set, the story of the Ming Dynasty's black sails began.

　　Anyone who has collected and followed this book is a brother to the author! Let's carve out our own path together on the high seas!
　　May all my dear readers have a smooth journey, riding the winds and waves to reach the vast ocean, with calm tides, wide shores, and sails billowing high!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)