Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 224: Chapter 61: Start the Gong!

Cai Qian cleared his throat twice, ignoring the implication in Zhang He’s words, wearing a smile devoid of any hint of worldly troubles.

“Gentlemen… any other questions?”

The sea breeze howled violently, and as the blood spilling from the wound bubbled with escaping air, an eerie silence fell upon the whole scene.

Twisting his ring, Cai Qian cleared his throat again and raised his voice: “For more than a hundred years, pirates in the South Seas have thrived amidst blazing flames and blooming flowers. Yet with a mere force of six thousand, the Red Haired Devils have turned Guangdong and Guangxi into a land where peace is nowhere to be found. Gentlemen, you have long battled in the South Seas, so I need not elaborate on the foreign devils’ firearms and large ships. To accomplish this great deed, the participation of each leader here is indispensable.”

“In terms of foundation, Red Flag Gang’s forces on Lantau Island, the ships, the cannons are all top-notch. The name of the Five Flags Pirates is a trademark of the South Seas.”

“As for manpower, brother Zhufen commands the greatest number. Over seventy thousand valiant brothers, each able to wield a bow.”

...

“Brother Zhang He is the esteemed Governor of An Nan, second only to none but above tens of thousands. His reputation as the foremost figure in the South Seas is well-known, and the recent fierce battle between An Nan and the East India Company has not escaped our ears.”

“Speaking of ships, the Treasure Ship King’s ancestral shipbuilding skills have crafted several large vessels at Lin Dock, which are the pride of us South Seas pirates. Even when facing the Red-haired Men, they hold their own with no inferiority.”

“As for financial and grain resources, heh, it would be quite hypocritical of me to demur.”

Cai Qian spread his hands: “This puts me in a tough spot. Including my own contributions, each of us has our strengths and weaknesses. I say that buying the position of Alliance Hierarch with money, these four gentlemen present would have me for breakfast. Counting heads? Brother Zhufen would be pleased: Red Flag and the Treasure Ship King may have men, but do they have shipyards? We who scramble for a living at sea know that fighting depends on ships, firearms, and cannons. If brother Zhufen relies on his numbers to become the Alliance Hierarch, and brother Lin takes offense, reluctant to contribute ships, or Brother Zhang He is unwilling and decides to pack up and go back to An Nan, then our game is over.”

“Let’s do this instead.”

Cai Qian stuck out a finger: “A contest.”

Upon hearing this, several of the major leaders showed disdain.

“I don’t have any objections,” Zhang He said leisurely, “but Mr. Cai, you’ve said so much only to come up with such a poor idea? A one-on-one fight won’t convince the masses.”

“I haven’t finished yet…”

Cai Qian clapped his hands, and more than a dozen men dressed in mandarin jackets and long coats, sporting Western glasses and clutching abacuses, resembling accountants, entered from the corridor. Hu Ji followed behind them, carrying brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

In addition, the Cai Family brought a black stone plate and placed it in the arena.

“My Tianbo Division is in the business of trade. My colleagues are most astute in assessing how much an item is worth. Here are the pawnbrokers of Tianbo Division, each with over twenty years of valuation experience. Whatever possessions you have at hand—whether firearms, cannons, ships, or manpower—as long as they contribute to warfare, we will evaluate them at market price and calculate their worth in silver.”

“As for the soldiers, since we’re aiming for a month of battle, one man is valued at three months’ wages of a top-grade colleague from the Thirteen Brokerages. Heh, after all, combat costs lives.”

Lin Ajin asked, “Why are you converting all our assets into money?”

“It’s simple,” Cai Qian answered, “the winner of each contest puts forth two hundred thousand taels or items of equal value, the loser, one hundred thousand taels. It could be men, ships, firearms, or cannons. They’ll be counted on the plate,”

he indicated the black stone plate.

Cai Qian looked around the arena: “In the end, the one with the most victories becomes the Alliance Hierarch. However, one thing is universal: no matter who becomes the Alliance Hierarch, nothing from the plate can be taken back. It will all be used to fight the Red Haired Devils and for post-war consolation. There will be compensation for any surpluses or deficiencies.”

“What if the number of victories is the same?”

Zhang He asked.

“If it’s the same, then whoever contributes the most military gear converted into silver will become the Alliance Hierarch.”

“What if someone overclaims?”

Lin Ajin interjected.

“Everything must be put forth for the act of war. If someone overclaims, it can’t be hidden.”

Cai Qian replied.

“Can the winner of one contest continue to fight?”

“Yes.”

“One more thing, even if the gentlemen here don’t wish to vie for the position of Alliance Hierarch, they can still send representatives to participate. Because, once the grand alliance is formed, wartime command hierarchy and duties will be determined by the number of victories accrued. The more battles won, the higher the rank.”

As he finished speaking, all the leaders calculated their gains and losses, weighing their options in their minds. After some thought, they all found the arrangement to be reasonable.

Li Yan, having heard the plan, could not help but admire it. Cai Qian’s approach was watertight.

A strong hand was of course necessary; without the ability to win, everything else was moot. But just being able to win without being able to put forth something substantial in the end was like fetching water with a bamboo basket—a wasted effort. Counting wins as qualifications for a position in the Pirate Alliance attracted those fragmented forces as well.

“Thirty thousand taels for a single round, damn it.”

Zhufen grimaced as he heard this; the most the leaders of each faction could come up with in cash was between ten to thirty thousand taels.

“You’re not actually expected to pony up the cash; you offset it with goods. Didn’t you understand?”

Lin Ajin rebuked Zhufen.

He estimated in his mind that by offsetting this way, each family could scrounge together two to three million taels of silver by selling everything, even their pants. That would only amount to a dozen or so rounds before they were spent.

Zhang He’s gaze was dark and brooding as he calculated.

Being the Alliance Hierarch was definitely not a losing proposition. The pirates were attacking the fabulously rich Guangdong—the Guangdong that amassed a quarter of the world’s silver!

As the Alliance Hierarch, one naturally had certain advantages during the allocation process and could also seize the opportunity to grab the thickest slice of the pie.

Moreover, the title of Alliance Hierarch, the Emperor of Pirates, was in itself a draw that people flocked to.

“Gentlemen, what do you think of my proposal?”

“I have no objections.”

Zhang He was the first to express his stance.

“Neither do I.”

Lin Ajin said.

Zhufen nodded his agreement.

One by one, the leaders stated their position. Zheng Xiu’er felt somewhat hesitant, and she reached for Li Yan’s sleeve, but he paid her no mind.

“Niece, what do you think?”

Cai Qian gently asked.

Zheng Xiu’er breathed out and crisply responded, “I’ll follow Uncle Cai’s lead.”

“Good, then I’ll throw down the gauntlet! My man will take the first round. The four of you, and all the other leaders present, please.”

A Cai Clan Servant stepped onto the open deck, clearing a space of about ten zhang all around.

This servant had earrings in both ears, large vacant eyes, hair braided into a queue, was dressed in a green robe with wide lapels, pointed boots, and wielded a long saber.

A Cai Firm’s Colleague, Yan Laoba.

“Hiss…”

Lin Ajin frowned; this was the servant who had initially blocked his entry.

Before the great meeting of the Tianbo Division, the Cai Firm’s Colleagues had made a name for themselves, though amongst the colleagues there were stronger and weaker ones.

The South Seas pirates to this day all had a few secret skills up their sleeve. Being blocked at the strait by a Cai Firm’s Colleague didn’t mean that one was without a chance of winning.

Among the Cai Family Servants, Yan Laoba wasn’t particularly outstanding. Rather, it was Yan Laoda, Yan Laosi, and Cai Qian’s personal aide, Yan Ajiu, who had the greatest renown.

Even so, Yan Laoba had caused Lin Ajin no small amount of trouble.

This man’s agility was astonishing. With his long saber, he had slit open the sails of Lin Ajin’s thirteen ships before he could barely make contact with the man, who then reluctantly permitted Lin Ajin to bring in the remainder of his fleet.

This “brick” was surprisingly sharp to handle.

Losing would cost one a hundred thousand taels…