In the vast southeastern seas, islands large and small were scattered like chess pieces. Some of these islands emerged at low tide and submerged at high tide, barren of vegetation and rarely visited by humans. Others were self-sufficient and had been developed into homes. In places with extraordinary terrain, various outlaws and bandits had found refuge, enjoying freedom under the vast sky and sea.
Among countless islands, there was one named Golden Dragon, located deep in the sea area, impossible to find in the vastness. Originally obscure, it gained recognition a few years ago when a group of people arrived, settled, and cleared the land. Though considered pirates, they distinguished themselves from true bandits through escort activities, gradually becoming known by word of mouth among coastal residents. Golden Dragon Island became known as a righteous island in the minds of seafaring people. According to elderly fishermen who had accidentally landed on the island during storms in earlier years, the island was fertile, spring-like throughout the four seasons, like a garden at sea, with pleasant scenery.
But today, this sea garden no longer presented a paradise-like beauty. Amid the roar of artillery, flames shot skyward on the island, trees split, and grass broke, creating a scene as tragic as hell on Earth.
Three days earlier, imperial warships had stealthily arrived in the waters near Golden Dragon Island, surrounding it. The red-coated cannons uniformly fired on the island throughout the night. After destroying the island’s outer defenses, small boats were lowered, and well-trained naval soldiers landed, swarming upward in a final assault. After two days of resistance by the Golden-Faced Dragon King’s men, Golden Dragon Island fell completely.
The imperial troops achieved a great victory in this campaign, but when checking the prisoners, neither the Golden-Faced Dragon King nor the youth known as the Young Master was found. The naval commander in charge of the island attack, Li Zhong, who had recently been promoted to Naval Commander of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, interrogated the prisoners and finally learned that the Golden-Faced Dragon King had already planned to abandon the island. Half a month ago, he had sailed away on a ship, destination unknown, and had not yet returned.
Li Zhong frowned deeply.
The Emperor valued his naval combat skills and entrusted him with important responsibilities. This time, he had swiftly deployed over a dozen warships fully loaded with naval forces to arrive here, with the most fundamental purpose being to capture the mysterious Young Master. Now, after all this effort, Golden Dragon Island had been taken, but the most crucial figures were gone, essentially rendering the mission unsuccessful.
Li Zhong pondered for a long while, then called his trusted subordinate and ordered the imperial ships around Golden Dragon Island to lower their masts and withdraw completely, not blocking any nearby waterways. His confidant, puzzled, asked the reason.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Golden-Faced Dragon King must have been vigilant, which is why he had plans to abandon the island and relocate. Most likely, he went to scout for a new base. The sea is vast, and without a fixed direction, even with my capabilities, I couldn’t possibly track him down. He probably never dreamed our ships would arrive so quickly! Maritime news doesn’t travel as efficiently as on land. I suspect he is still unaware that Golden Dragon Island has fallen and will return. We’ll wait like the farmer waiting for rabbits to hit the tree stump. Once his ship returns, it will be like catching turtles in a jar.”
His confidant was filled with admiration and immediately went to issue the orders. Li Zhong also selected astute subordinates, had them dress in the islanders’ clothing, disguise themselves as the Dragon King’s men, man the small boats, and return to the lookout points that had been destroyed during the attack days earlier. Pretending nothing was amiss, they patiently waited for the Dragon King’s return. Sure enough, seven or eight days later, at noon, news came that a large ship’s mast had been spotted several nautical miles southwest of Dragon King Island. Most likely, it was the Golden-Faced Dragon King’s large vessel.
Li Zhong was ecstatic and immediately ordered his men not to act hastily, waiting until the ship entered the encirclement before making a move. Unexpectedly, after waiting a short while, more news arrived: as the large ship approached, it had spotted the boats at the lookout points and communicated using flag signals. There had been a slip-up on their side, and they had been recognized by those on the large ship, which quickly turned around and was departing.
Li Zhong immediately gave orders for the hidden warships to mobilize, with all oarsmen in position, in full-speed pursuit.
……
Li Zhong’s assumption was correct; Dong Cheng Mao and Xiao Yu were indeed on this large ship. Returning to the island, Dong Cheng Mao had originally planned to settle matters with the followers who had been with him for years—those unwilling to leave would follow him to relocate elsewhere, while those wanting to leave would receive severance pay, and they would part ways forever, to be brothers in the next life. Unexpectedly, the imperial navy had arrived so swiftly. Detecting something amiss, he immediately turned the ship around, proceeding at full speed. Cannon fire continuously sounded behind on the sea. After traveling about ten nautical miles, a fire projectile caught up from behind, hitting a main mast, which broke in half. The ship’s speed sharply decreased. Gradually, on the sea surface behind them, about a dozen warships in a line quickly caught up. With one command from Li Zhong, they spread out, ultimately surrounding the Dragon King’s large ship.
Li Zhong stood at the bow of the main warship, ordering the oarsmen to slowly approach, and called out loudly: “General Dong, I was once your subordinate and held you in the highest esteem. I shouldn’t be forcing you like this, but eating the ruler’s food means being loyal to the ruler. I have no choice. Please don’t make it difficult for me. The Emperor has decreed that as long as General Dong hands over the Young Master, your past actions will be forgiven! If General Dong is willing to continue serving the country, upon return, you’ll be a first-rank marquis, and the brothers following you will live luxuriously, far better than risking your lives. If you’re unwilling, the Emperor will not force you, and you can leave!”
After he finished speaking, seeing no movement from the opposite ship, his expression gradually grew serious. He called out again: “If you don’t heed my words, I’ll have no choice but to offend you. Your Golden Dragon Island has fallen into my hands. Even if you don’t care about the followers who have been with you for years, don’t you care about the Young Master’s life? The Emperor has no intention of mistreating him; he merely wants to bring him back to the capital so he no longer has to endure a vagrant life! If you insist on resisting, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, with one command from me, the cannons will fire simultaneously, and your ship will capsize instantly. At that time, even with your title of Dragon King, you won’t be able to ensure the Young Master’s escape, but instead will cause his death!”
On the Dragon King’s ship, everyone was silent, their gazes fixed on Dong Cheng Mao.
In today’s situation, they had only one ship with two hundred people, while the opponent had over a dozen fully armed warships with at least several thousand men. There was no escape route, but this man who had experienced hundreds of battles showed no fear. His only regret was that even after receiving Pei You’an’s warning, he had still underestimated the swiftness of the imperial actions and had not evacuated in time, leading to today’s disaster. With bloodshot eyes, he said: “Brothers, you were all formerly members of the Duke of Wei’s old troops, and have followed me for many years. I have let you all down! The Emperor doesn’t want your lives. Among you, whoever is willing to serve the imperial court, go over immediately. That Li Zhong won’t mistreat you!”
One man said: “If the Duke of Wei were here, would he surrender to save his life? Live together, die together, we are not afraid!”
The rest spoke in unison: “Live together, die together, we are not afraid!”
Dong Cheng Mao’s eyes filled with hot tears as he nodded: “I underestimated you! So be it, today we will protect the Young Master and fight bravely. Whether we live or die depends on heaven’s will!” After speaking, he ordered men to prepare small boats at the stern, then turned to Xiao Yu and said: “Young Master, although the imperial cannons are powerful, their accuracy is lacking, and at such close range, their power decreases. Change your clothes; we’ll use the large ship as cover, and break open a gap, and once we break through the encirclement and board the small boats, we’ll form a formation to protect you. The sea is vast, and there’s hope for escape and survival!”
While Dong Cheng Mao had been speaking with the others, Xiao Yu had faced the sea, silent throughout. He slowly turned around, his expression solemn: “No need! Even if we fortunately break through the encirclement, in the vast sea, with pursuers behind, where could we escape to? Golden Dragon Island has already been destroyed because of me. If I cause you to lose your lives needlessly for me, even if I survive, it would be shameful. The Emperor wants me, so I’ll go.”
Seeing Dong Cheng Mao about to speak, he waved his hand and walked outward: “My mind is made up, say no more!”
“Young Master!”
Dong Cheng Mao’s eyes were bloodshot. He signaled to a man beside him, who approached Xiao Yu and struck him on the back of the neck, causing Xiao Yu to collapse unconscious on the deck.
Dong Cheng Mao immediately ordered men to carry him to a small boat, arranged the ship formation, and prepared to break through by force.
Li Zhong, having tried diplomacy before force, saw no response from the opposite side. While hesitating, the accompanying imperial envoy Zhang Jian, unable to restrain himself, coldly said: “If we can’t capture him alive, dead is fine too. Why talk so much with them? First, sink their ship, then see where they can escape to!”
Rank takes precedence; Li Zhong had no choice but to obey and ordered cannon fire on the large ship.
On the Golden Dragon ship, oarsmen took their positions, chanting unified calls, and amid the continuous boom of cannon fire around them, they strove to drive the ship forward towards one of the warships blocking their path.
The Golden-Faced Dragon King’s flagship had a solid golden keel, with its bow reinforced with sturdy iron, extraordinarily strong. Though the ship had been hit by multiple cannon shots and was slowly taking on water, under the propulsion of dozens of oarsmen, it still rushed forward at high speed. The imperial ship opposite, unprepared and seeing that the other ship intended to go down together with them, hurriedly turned to avoid a collision. However, they couldn’t completely evade it. With a thunderous crash, the side of the hull near the bow was smashed by the Golden Dragon ship. Due to the immense force of the impact, the ship violently shook as if about to capsize. The naval officers and soldiers aboard urgently began to save themselves.
Witnessing this, Li Zhong was greatly shocked, not expecting Dong Cheng Mao to be so fierce and brave despite being surrounded. This battle was crucial for his career; if someone escaped from under his watch, he would have no way to account for it upon return. Seeing Dong Cheng Mao’s figure standing at the bow of the Golden Dragon ship, calmly commanding, imposing, and majestic, he knew that if he didn’t eliminate him, more trouble might arise. At this moment, disregarding all else, he summoned a row of skilled archers and ordered them to aim at the Dragon King and shoot him down first.
The archers lined up, dozens of iron bows drawn with arrows nocked, aimed at the figure ahead, waiting only for the command to release simultaneously.
Just then, a lookout hurriedly came to report that a warship was catching up from behind.
Li Zhong was surprised and quickly went to the stern. Indeed, he saw a ship with full sails, oarsmen working in unison, approaching rapidly in this direction. He quickly recognized it as one of the imperial warships that had not set sail originally. At first, he thought it was reinforcement, but then felt it wasn’t, unsure who was commanding it. Seeing a man standing at the bow of the warship, gazing intently, as it drew closer, he recognized him—it was Pei You’an. He hurriedly ordered his men to withdraw their defenses, to surround the Golden Dragon ship first and temporarily cease fire, while he called out to the approaching ship: “Lord Pei! How did you come here as well? Does the Emperor have new orders?”
The ship quickly approached, and the two vessels drew close and connected. Pei You’an boarded the main warship alone, his robes fluttering in the sea wind, and walked briskly forward.
Li Zhong and Zhang Jian, who had come upon hearing the news, hurriedly greeted him.
Pei You’an came to the bow, glanced at the Golden Dragon ship ahead, and then turned around: “Commander, I have no imperial orders today. I’ve come merely to ask a favor of the Commander.”
Li Zhong asked puzzled: “What does Lord Pei mean? What favor?”
“I would like to ask the Commander to release the Golden Dragon ship.” His tone was calm.
Li Zhong was startled, and Zhang Jian beside him was also dumbfounded. After collecting himself, Zhang Jian said: “Lord Pei, if you have the Emperor’s decree, I would naturally comply and release the ship immediately. But without an imperial decree, this puts me in a difficult position. You must know that those onboard are imperial criminals. If we just let them go, I cannot bear this responsibility.”
Pei You’an said: “I know this makes it difficult for both of you. After returning, I will personally plead guilty to the Emperor. All responsibility will be borne by me, Pei You’an, without implicating either of you.”
Li Zhong’s face showed difficulty, but Zhang Jian’s expression gradually turned unpleasant, his tone becoming harsh: “Lord Pei, I know the Emperor has always valued you highly, but I only know to follow orders. The orders I follow are the Emperor’s. This matter is of great importance. Please, Lord Pei, do not interfere!”
Pei You’an stood with his hands behind his back, unmoved.
Zhang Jian signaled to his trusted men on both sides and several armed escorts quietly approached. Before they could draw their weapons, with a “clang,” one man felt his waist lighten as his sword disappeared, only to find it in Pei You’an’s hand. Before Zhang Jian could react, he felt a coldness at his neck—the sword was already at his throat.
“Lord Zhang, you’re executing orders, and I shouldn’t make it difficult for you, but today I have no choice and must offend you.”
Zhang Jian, his neck extended, said: “Pei You’an, I am a dignified third-rank official of the court. You dare to harm me?”
Pei You’an smiled: “Lord Zhang, during the Tianxi reign, you were a minor judicial official in Funing County, later scheming your way up. By the Shun’an reign, you had become the fourth-rank prefect of Fu’an. As the father and mother official of a region, you should have suppressed evil and handled legal cases fairly, but you were ruthless. For the sake of official advancement, in your years in that position, who knows how many unjust cases you judged? Calling you a cruel official would not be excessive…”
His smile suddenly disappeared, his gaze turning grim. With a tightening of his wrist, Zhang Jian’s neck was immediately cut, blood droplets splattering down: “Since I dare to come here asking you to release the ship, what’s to stop me from killing one more mere third-rank official?”
Zhang Jian’s face changed dramatically, and enduring the pain in his neck, he no longer dared to move.
Pei You’an looked at Li Zhong and said calmly: “Commander Li, please release the ship.”
Li Zhong came to his senses, gritted his teeth, and finally ordered the encirclement to be lifted. The dozen or so warships, receiving the order, slowly withdrew to both sides.
Pei You’an turned to the opposite ship and called out loudly: “General Dong, don’t worry about me. I have my escape route! Take your men and go as far away as possible. Don’t ever come back in this lifetime!”
His voice, carried by the howling sea wind, transmitted outward.
On the Golden Dragon ship, Dong Cheng Mao’s eyes welled with hot tears. Leading the men behind him, he rushed to the bow, knelt, and kowtowed to Pei You’an, calling out “Eldest Young Master,” then rose, ordered the ship to start, and moved forward.
The badly damaged ship proceeded forward, eventually disappearing at the horizon of the vast sea.
Pei You’an continued to restrain Zhang Jian, using the sword tip to pull over a stool, sat down, adjusted a section of his robe that had been blown up by the sea wind, raised his face, looked at Li Zhong who was watching in astonishment, smiled, and said: “Let’s go back, Commander Li.”
……
Several days later, the fleet returned to port, and the naval forces disembarked. Li Zhong, treading cautiously, accompanied them, preparing to return to the capital to report.
On one sunset, with the remaining sun-like blood, their party passed outside the southern gate of Quanzhou city. Li Zhong hesitated, ordered the troops to halt temporarily, dismounted, came before Pei You’an, and said in a low voice: “Lord Pei, I trust your character. If you need to enter the city to speak with your wife, feel free to go. I will wait for you here.”
Pei You’an, sitting on horseback, turned his head, gazing towards the southern gate, his figure frozen for a long time. Then he turned back, spurred his horse past the city gate, and continued along the postal road towards the capital.