Section 6

Those North African pirates did not give Murong Wu much trouble. Old Trafford had brought along a multinational force, and the army of the Great Han imperial court had no particular compulsion to force others to convert to Confucianism or the teachings of Lord Taishang. Lured by gleaming bayonets and gold coins, these foolish fellows were easily integrated and incorporated. As a part of the North African pirates and Muslims, they had also once heard the legends of that gigantic fleet from over two hundred years ago. Facing this expeditionary fleet, which likewise hailed from the Far East, they showed no particularly unusual reaction to the fact that they were being absorbed.

Only Old Trafford, Kidd, and William had a rather difficult time during this period. Murong Wu naturally understood the consequences of an amateur commanding professionals, so he did not meddle too much in the reorganization of the pirates. Consequently, this task fell essentially to the three highest-ranking foreign officers in the current expeditionary fleet. Two hours after Kidd and William were rescued, at the strong request of these "three loyal and righteous gentlemen," an unconventional oath-taking and commission-conferring ceremony blending Chinese and Western styles was held aboard the flagship *Return*. Several glorious pirates officially became commissioned officers of the Great Han Empire. Although they were merely junior sub-lieutenants, it greatly satisfied their vanity. To these white men who had not yet reached the East, seventeenth-century China represented mystery, silver, gold, and might.

During the reorganization process, however, people witnessed a completely different William. Not only was he well-versed in all the various rules and affairs of the pirates, but he also incorporated many regulations of the British Navy into the pirate training. Most importantly, his commanding presence far surpassed Kidd's, and he was exceptionally decisive in handling matters.

Pressed by Old Trafford and Kidd, William revealed some of his background. He was born into a seafaring family, and his grandfather had been a Royal Navy captain, meaning William Dampier had once sworn allegiance to His Britannic Majesty. Yet, he clearly lacked interest in the rigid red tape of the military, which was why he chose to become a pirate. As for why he had not seized command of that ill-fated pirate ship, according to William's own explanation, it was because he did not want to abandon even the slightest chance of saving his companions.

Along the journey, Old Trafford had already vaguely guessed the destination of this operation, but when the name actually passed from Murong Wu's lips, it still gave him a jolt of shock. Seville, after all, was the entire navigation lifeline of Spain. Having been partners for so long, he had a fairly good grasp of Murong Wu's personality; once a professional officer like him made a decision, he generally would not waste many words on it—to put it bluntly, he would simply have to step up and do the job himself.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to be too surprised. By now, you've all witnessed our soldiers. I don't know how you see it, but at least in my eyes, those continental European armies are absolute pieces of shit compared to them!"

Old Trafford's remarks did not evoke any disgust from Kidd and William. The strength of the British Navy was a fact known across the entire European continent; by comparison, their land forces were not entirely satisfactory. Moreover, the formidable prowess of the expeditionary forces was something they had witnessed with their own eyes. Having watched for so many days, they shared the exact same view as Old Trafford on this point—a case of great minds thinking alike.

Seeing that neither man raised any objections, Old Trafford continued, "Since we have such a formidable marine corps backing us up, what is there for the two of you to fear? Do you really think those Spaniards, so cowardly that they let the Moors wander right under their noses without being able to wipe them out, could possibly be tougher than our soldiers?"

At this, Old Trafford's high-pitched tone suddenly lowered: "Besides, this mission of ours is also a journey of revenge—I believe everyone is well aware of the foolish atrocities the Spaniards committed in the New World. Unfortunately, those ugly Spaniards went and repeated the exact same thing in the East Indies. Their new boss, the Great Han King, was deeply furious upon hearing of this. Thus, he dispatched General Murong and his troops. As elite forces selected from millions of soldiers, they possess the ability to accomplish their mission under any conditions. That, I think, you have all witnessed."

Trafficking in black slaves and hunting down Native Americans were not entirely unfamiliar concepts to William and Kidd. However, those acts had usually been committed against savages and infidels—at least that excuse could barely pass muster in modern terms. But what the Spaniards had done in the East Indies was clearly going too far, acting entirely like butchers, especially since they had massacred the compatriots of their new boss. Particularly after having experienced the bayonets of the Han army, such behavior seemed both utterly foolish and a violation of the most basic standards of civilization.

Kidd was the first to stand up, removing his hat and holding it against his chest as he bowed his head and said, "General Murong, I express my deepest sympathy for the suffering of your compatriots. I firmly believe that the Spaniards who committed this deed will surely suffer the punishment of God."

As for William, he was even simpler. He was a fanatic who cared nothing for gold and jewels, caring only about studying geography from every aspect. When Murong Wu merely promised to take him back to the Far East after the matter concluded, he immediately agreed to unconditional submission. The Far East! China, where gold paved the ground according to *The Travels of Marco Polo*—there must be countless things different from Europe waiting for him to discover there. Sustained by this belief, William was convinced that he would surely have the opportunity to erect his own bust in a public square.

Thus, their superficial ceremony of allegiance was completed under these circumstances. After the polite rhetoric was dispensed with, the next step was to discuss how to commit arson and slaughter.

Murong Wu first brought up the plan originally formulated in China: disguising themselves as slave ships, entering Seville, stirring up a commotion in the slave market, and then seizing the city of Seville in the ensuing chaos.

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the strange expressions on the faces of the other three men. Murong Wu was no fool and instantly realized he must have said something wrong. Judging by their expressions, if they hadn't been mindful that he was their superior officer, they probably would have started cursing him as an idiot right then and there.

Against this, Murong Wu was completely helpless. This plan was a key tactical proposal drafted by the General Staff Department in consultation with relevant naval generals, submitted to the Expeditionary Corps, and subsequently granted heavy, formal approval by the Han King. Even he himself had only received the specific documents right before departure. Yet now, the situation seemed somewhat reminiscent of the saying "a general abroad is not bound by his sovereign's orders." Murong Wu thought for a moment and said, "If you gentlemen have any opinions, please feel free to speak up. After all, this plan was devised thousands of miles away, so some discrepancies are hardly unreasonable."

Old Trafford was worldly-wise. Although Murong Wu had admitted to discrepancies, Trafford was not about to deliberately cause his superior to lose face. He immediately spoke in a tactful tone: "The Spaniards certainly do engage in the black slave trade." Here, his gaze drifted toward William and Kidd: "However, the ones holding the lion's share in that trade are Britain, the Netherlands, and France. The Spaniards merely permit these nations to trade black slaves into their own colonies. Furthermore, the slave traders usually take the so-called Triangular Trade route—that is, loading textiles, weapons, or various petty commodities in Europe, transporting them to West Africa or the Gulf of Guinea, and exchanging them at onshore outposts for black slaves. Then, they ship the black slaves directly to the Americas where they are needed, and finally return to Europe laden with American-produced cane sugar, tobacco, and cocoa. The profits from this are astronomical. Yet within the European mainland itself, true slave markets are quite scarce, at most consisting of captives seized from deep Black Africa by Arabs along the Mediterranean coast and transshipped through Barcelona and Valencia."

As Old Trafford explained, Kidd and William remained silent. They too had a hand in this kind of business; when pirates failed to capture prey, they would occasionally moonlight as merchant vessels. Furthermore, Murong Wu had just spoken of rescuing black slaves, appearing rather averse to the slave trade, so until they could probe his true bottom line, keeping quiet and making a fortune was the wisest course.

In truth, the initial plan proposed by Murong Wu was the result of a miscalculation on Lin Feng's part. Lin had considered the flourishing state of the European slave trade, but having transmigrated so long ago, he had forgotten—or more likely, was completely unaware of—the famous triangular maritime route. That was how this comical blunder had come about. Fortunately, the three men currently by Murong Wu's side were veterans in this field, saving Murong Wu from discovering the flaws in the plan only when they had already marched deep into Seville and laid siege to its gates.

With Old Trafford taking the lead, and coupled with Murong Wu's seemingly modest and receptive demeanor, William also set his mind at ease and picked up where Trafford left off: "Regarding the scheme of heading up the Guadalquir River, I am not in favor. Although it is deep enough for our vessels to pass, Seville is the hub of all southern Spain, and the defenses along the river will certainly not be weak. Even if we hoist Spanish flags, such a large fleet of ships will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the garrison forces. If any unexpected situation arises, we will have absolutely no room to maneuver in the middle of the river. Therefore, if our target must be Seville, I suggest we change our approach!"

The plan originally formulated in China truly smacked of bureaucracy no matter how one looked at it. Murong Wu knew there had to be something amiss, but he never expected the entire plan to be riddled with loopholes from start to finish. Under these circumstances, he could only offer a bitter smile, sighing, "Very well, then I ask you gentlemen to deliberate together and reformulate this combat plan!"