Wish You All the Best - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Across the vast Southeast Sea, islands of all sizes are scattered like stars in the sky. These islands, some appearing at low tide and vanishing at high tide, are barren and rarely visited. Others are self-sufficient enough to be cultivated into homes. Even more remarkable are those with uniquely strategic terrain, which have become the havens for all manner of outlaws and bandits, offering a life of boundless freedom under the open sky.

Among the countless islands, there is one named Golden Dragon. Situated deep within the sea, it is vast and impossible to locate. It was originally nameless, but a few years ago, a group of people arrived, landed on the island, and broke ground to cultivate it. Although they were dubbed sea bandits, they were distinguished from true pirates by their efforts to escort merchant ships, and their reputation gradually spread among the coastal residents by word of mouth. Golden Dragon Isle became known as the "Island of Righteousness" in the hearts of the sea folk. According to an old fisherman who had accidentally stumbled upon the island years ago during a storm, the land was fertile, spring-like all year round, and resembled a garden in the sea, with scenery both pleasant and inviting.

However, today, this garden in the sea no longer retains its heavenly beauty. Amidst the roar of cannon fire, flames soared into the sky, trees were shattered, grass was trampled, and the scene of carnage was like a living hell on earth.

Three days ago, the imperial warships arrived at the waters near Golden Dragon Isle without a sound, surrounding the island on all sides. The red-clothed cannons unleashed a barrage of fire upon the island all night long. After completely destroying the island's outer defenses, the fleet lowered small boats. Well-trained naval soldiers swarmed ashore, launching their final assault. After the forces of the Golden-Faced Dragon King held their ground for two days, Golden Dragon Isle finally fell completely.

The government forces achieved a total victory in this campaign. Yet, while inspecting the captives, they could not find the Golden-Faced Dragon King or the young man known as the "Little Young Master." Li Zhong, the Sea Commander responsible for the attack who had just been promoted to the Naval Commissioner of the Fujian and Guangdong provinces, interrogated the captives and finally learned that the Golden-Faced Dragon King had long harbored the intention of abandoning the island. Half a month prior, he had set sail on a ship and left, his destination unknown, and he had not yet returned.

Li Zhong furrowed his brows deeply.

The Emperor valued his naval combat abilities and had entrusted him with this heavy task. This time, he had deployed over a dozen large warships fully loaded with troops to strike here with lightning speed, all for the fundamental purpose of capturing that mysterious Little Young Master. Now, after all this upheaval, Golden Dragon Isle had been taken, but the most critical figure was gone, rendering the effort futile.

Li Zhong pondered for a long while before calling over his trusted aides. He ordered the imperial ships surrounding Golden Dragon Isle to lower their masts and withdraw entirely, forbidding them from blocking the nearby shipping channels. His aides, puzzled, asked for the reason.

"If my guess is correct, the Golden-Faced Dragon King must have been vigilant, which is why he decided to abandon the island and relocate. It is nine times out of ten that he went to scout for a new foothold. The sea is vast and directionless; no matter how capable I am, I cannot track him down. He surely never dreamed that our fleet would arrive so quickly! News does not travel as easily at sea as it does on land. I anticipate he does not yet know that Golden Dragon Isle has fallen and will inevitably return. We shall wait for him like a farmer waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree trunk. Once his ship returns, we will have him trapped like a turtle in a jar."

The aides were full of admiration and immediately went to issue the orders. Li Zhong selected astute subordinates, dressed them in the islanders' clothing, and had them pose as the Dragon King's men. They piloted small boats back to the lookout points that had been destroyed days earlier during the invasion, acting as if nothing had happened and patiently waiting for the Dragon King's return. Sure enough, seven or eight days later, at noon, news arrived that the silhouette of a mast belonging to a large ship had been spotted several nautical miles southwest of Dragon Isle. It was almost certainly the Golden-Faced Dragon King’s grand ship.

Li Zhong was ecstatic and immediately ordered his men not to act rashly, waiting for the large ship to enter the encirclement before striking. Unexpectedly, after waiting a moment longer, another report came in: as the large ship drew near, it had spotted the lookout boats and sent out a signal flag. Their side had slipped up and been seen through by those on the large ship; the vessel had turned around immediately and departed.

Li Zhong gave the order at once: the lurking warships were to mobilize, all rowers to their stations, and to pursue at full speed.

...

Li Zhong’s conjecture was correct; Dong Chengang and Xiao Yu were indeed on that very ship. On this return trip to the island, Dong Chengang had intended to settle matters with the subordinates who had followed him for years. Those who did not wish to leave would accompany him to relocate; those who wanted to go would be given severance money, and they would be brothers in the next life. He had never expected the imperial navy to arrive so quickly. Upon realizing something was amiss, he had immediately ordered the helm turned, pushing forward at full speed. Behind the ship, the sound of cannon fire from the sea was constant. After traveling some ten nautical miles, a fire-bomb caught up from behind, striking the mainmast. The mast snapped in half, and the ship’s speed plummeted. Gradually, the dozen warships behind them lined up and quickly closed in. At Li Zhong’s command, they dispersed, eventually surrounding the Dragon King's ship.

Li Zhong stood at the prow of his flagship, ordering the rowers to close in, and shouted loudly: “General Dong, Li was once your subordinate and has always held you in high esteem. I should not have forced this upon you, but one who eats the Emperor’s grain must be loyal to the Emperor’s affairs. I am helpless in this, so please, General, do not make things difficult for me. The Emperor has decreed that as long as you hand over the Little Young Master, past grievances will be forgotten! If you are willing to continue serving the country, you shall return as a first-rank noble, and your brothers will live in luxury and comfort, far better than licking blood off the blade’s edge. If you have no such intention, the Emperor will not trouble you; you are free to go!”

After he finished shouting, seeing no movement from the ship opposite, his expression grew somber, and he shouted again: “If you will not listen to my words, I have no choice but to offend you. Your Golden Dragon Isle is already in my hands. Even if you do not care about the subordinates who have followed you for years, surely you care about the life of the Little Young Master? The Emperor means him no harm; he only wishes to bring him back to the capital so he need not wander in exile ever again! If you insist on resisting, you are like a mantis trying to block a carriage. With one order from me, the cannons will fire in unison, and your ship will capsize in an instant. Even with your title of Dragon King, you will not be able to protect the Little Young Master, and instead, you will only harm his life!”

On the Dragon King's ship, everyone was silent, their gazes fixed on Dong Chengang.

In today’s situation, they had only one ship and two hundred men, while the enemy had over ten heavily armed warships with thousands of troops. There was no road left to retreat. But this man, hardened by a hundred battles, showed no fear. The only thing he regretted was that, after receiving Pei You'an's warning, he had still underestimated the speed of the court’s movements and failed to evacuate in time, leading to today’s calamity. His eyes red, he said: “Brothers, you were all old subordinates of the Duke of Weiguo, and you have followed me for many years. It is I who have let you all down! It is not your lives the Emperor wants. Any of you who wish to surrender to the court, go now. Li Zhong will not make things difficult for you!”

One man said: “If the Duke of Weiguo were here, would he have surrendered to the other side just to save his life? We live together and we die together; we are not afraid!”

The rest of the men replied in unison: “We live together and we die together; we are not afraid!”

Dong Chengang’s eyes brimmed with hot tears. He nodded and said: “It was I who underestimated you all! In that case, let us protect the Little Young Master and fight with all our might today. Whether we live or die depends on Heaven’s will!” After speaking, he ordered his men to prepare the small boats at the stern, then turned to Xiao Yu: “Little Young Master, although the government cannons are powerful, their accuracy is lacking. Furthermore, at close range, their power is greatly diminished. You must change your clothes. We will use the large ship as cover to break a hole in their line. Once we break the encirclement and you reach the small boats, we will form a formation to protect you. The sea is vast, and there will be hope for you to survive and escape!”

Just now, while Dong Chengang was speaking to the men, Xiao Yu had been facing the sea, saying nothing. He turned around slowly, his expression grave: “There is no need! Even if I luckily escape the encirclement, the sea is vast, and there are pursuers behind. Where could I escape to? Golden Dragon Isle has already been destroyed because of me. If I were to let you throw away your lives for my sake, even if I lived, it would be a humiliation. If the Emperor wants me, I will go.”

Seeing Dong Chengang about to speak, he waved his hand and walked toward the outside: “My mind is made up; you need say no more!”

“Little Young Master!”

Dong Chengang’s eyes were bloodshot. He gave a look to someone by his side. A man went up and delivered a blow to the back of Xiao Yu’s neck, and Xiao Yu fainted on the deck.

Dong Chengang immediately ordered him to be carried to the small boat, arranged the ship formation, and prepared to charge through.

Li Zhong had been polite before using force. After he finished shouting, seeing there was still no response from the opposite side, he hesitated. The Imperial Envoy accompanying the inspection, Zhang Jian, could no longer restrain himself and said coldly: “If you cannot get him alive, dead is fine. Why talk so much with them? Sink the ship first, and let us see where they can escape to then!”

An official of a higher rank suppresses his subordinates. Li Zhong was helpless and could only obey, ordering the cannons to fire at the large ship.

On the Golden Dragon ship, the rowers returned to their positions, shouting in rhythmic unison. Amidst the continuous roar of the cannons around them, they rowed with all their might, driving the large ship to charge toward a warship blocking their path.

The Golden-Faced Dragon King’s ship had a reinforced keel, and its prow was armored with sturdy iron, making it exceptionally solid. Although the hull had been struck by many cannonballs and was beginning to leak slowly, driven by dozens of rowers, it still rushed forward rapidly. The government ship opposite, caught off guard, realized that this was a suicidal charge. They tried to turn around in a panic to avoid it, but where could they fully evade it in time? With a deafening explosion, the gunwale near the prow of the ship was shattered by the Golden Dragon ship. Due to the massive impact, the hull shook violently, as if it were about to capsize, and the naval officers and soldiers on board scrambled to save themselves.

Seeing this, Li Zhong was shocked. He had not expected Dong Chengang to be so fierce while trapped in such an encirclement. This battle concerned his own future, and if he allowed someone to escape under his command, he would have no way to account for it upon returning. Seeing Dong Chengang standing at the prow of the Golden Dragon ship, calmly commanding with a dignified and imposing air, he knew that if he did not remove him, there would surely be more trouble. Now, he could no longer afford to be cautious. He summoned a row of expert archers and ordered them to aim at the Dragon King, to shoot him down first.

The archers formed a line, pulling their iron bows taut, aiming at that figure in front, waiting for the order to fire their arrows in unison.

At this very moment, a scout came running up to report that a warship was approaching from behind.

Li Zhong was surprised and hurried to the stern. Indeed, he saw a ship with full sails and all rowers exerting themselves, heading toward this direction at full speed. He quickly recognized it as a government warship that had not set sail from port this time. At first, he thought it was reinforcements, but it did not seem like it, and he had no idea who was leading it. Seeing a man standing at the prow of the warship, peering ahead, he recognized him as they drew closer: that man was none other than Pei You'an. He quickly ordered his men to withdraw their defenses and surround the Golden Dragon ship, temporarily ceasing fire, while he shouted loudly at the approaching ship: “Lord Pei! Why have you come here? Could it be that His Majesty has more decrees?”

The warship quickly arrived. As the two ships drew near, Pei You'an boarded the main flagship alone. His robes were whipped by the sea breeze as he walked quickly toward them.

Li Zhong and the Surveillance Commissioner, Zhang Jian, who had come at the sound of the commotion, hastily offered their respects.

Pei You'an walked to the prow, looked at the Golden Dragon ship ahead, and turned his head: “Commander, this official has no decree from His Majesty. I have come today merely to ask a favor of you.”

Li Zhong, confused, asked: “What do you mean, Lord Pei? What favor?”

“I wish to ask the Commander to release the Golden Dragon ship.” His tone was calm.

Li Zhong was startled. Zhang Jian, who was at his side, was also dumbstruck before recovering: “Lord Pei, if you had an imperial edict from His Majesty, this subordinate would naturally have nothing to say and would release the ship immediately. But without one, this truly puts me in a difficult position. You must know that those on the ship are criminals of the court. If I were to let them go just like that, this subordinate could not bear the responsibility.”

Pei You'an said: “I know this puts you both in a difficult position. After we return, I will meet the Emperor and plead guilty myself. I, Pei You'an, will shoulder all the blame and will never implicate you.”

Li Zhong looked troubled, but Zhang Jian’s expression gradually turned ugly, and his tone became harsh: “Lord Pei, this subordinate knows His Majesty has always valued you, but I only know how to act upon orders. The orders I follow are His Majesty’s orders. This matter is of great consequence; I ask Lord Pei not to interfere!”

Pei You'an stood with his hands behind his back, remaining unmoved.

Zhang Jian signaled his confidants. Several sword-wielding men quietly approached, but before they could draw their blades, there was a metallic "clang." One man felt his waist grow light—his blade was gone. He looked up to see his sword in Pei You'an’s hand. The blade flashed; before Zhang Jian could react, he felt a coolness at his neck—the blade had already been held against his throat.

“Commissioner Zhang, you were executing the orders of your superiors, and I should not have made things difficult for you. But today I had no choice, and I fear I have deeply offended you.”

Zhang Jian kept his neck stiff and said: “Pei You'an, I am a third-rank official of the imperial court. Do you dare touch me?”

Pei You'an smiled: “Commissioner Zhang, during the Tianxi reign, you were a mere junior judge in a county under Funing. You climbed your way up, and by the Shun'an reign, you had become the fourth-rank Prefect of Fu'an. As an official in charge of a region, you were supposed to suppress the wicked and judge cases fairly, but you were ruthless and cruel. During those years in office, for the sake of your career, no one knows how many unjust cases were tried under your hand. Calling you a cruel official is hardly an exaggeration...”

The smile on his face vanished instantly, his eyes turning gloomy. His wrist tightened, and a cut appeared on Zhang Jian’s neck, droplets of blood splashing down: “Since I dared to come here and demand that you release the ship, what makes you think I wouldn’t dare to kill one more measly third-rank official?”

Zhang Jian’s face turned pale. Enduring the pain in his neck, he dared not move again.

Pei You'an looked at Li Zhong and said faintly: “Commander Li, release the ship.”

Li Zhong came to his senses. Gritting his teeth, he finally gave the order to lift the encirclement. Those dozen warships received the order and slowly pulled back to both sides.

Pei You'an turned toward the opposite side and shouted loudly: “General Dong, do not worry for me. I have my own way out! Take your people and go as far as you can. In this lifetime, never return!”

The sound carried out into the whistling sea wind.

On the Golden Dragon ship, Dong Chengang’s tears flowed freely. He led his men to the prow, knelt and kowtowed to Pei You'an, shouting, “Eldest Young Master,” before rising and ordering the ship to set sail forward.

The scarred, battered ship headed forward, eventually disappearing at the edge of the sea.

Pei You'an continued to hold Zhang Jian captive. He tipped a stool over with the tip of his blade and sat down. He straightened the section of his robe that had been curled up by the sea wind, raised his face, looked at the stunned Li Zhong, and smiled: “Let’s return, Commander Li.”

...

Several days later, the fleet returned to port. As the navy disembarked, Li Zhong followed cautiously along the way, preparing to return to the capital to report.

It was a dusk with a setting sun that looked like blood. As the procession passed outside the Zhennan Gate of Quanzhou city, Li Zhong hesitated. He ordered the troops to pause and, dismounting, came before Pei You'an and whispered: “Lord Pei, this subordinate believes in your character. If you need to enter the city to talk with your wife, please do so. This subordinate will wait for you here.”

Pei You'an sat on his horse, turned his head, and gazed at the direction of the South Gate. His figure remained frozen for a long time. Finally, he turned back, spurred his horse past the city gate, and continued on toward the post road leading to the capital.