With the sinking of the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons, the situation for the Ming navy had deteriorated to its worst.
“The Jinzhao has been sunk too! What should we do now, Captain?”
“Ah…”
“Captain!”
At his subordinate’s almost screaming call, the captain shouted reflexively.
“Bring the Lieutenant General here right now!”
“But the orders…”
“What does it matter when the one who gave those orders has gone to the Dragon Palace! Bring him here immediately!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
At the captain’s shout, the subordinate immediately went below deck. Watching his men still floundering in confusion, the captain gritted his teeth.
“Looking like defeated soldiers without even fighting properly! Damn it! Damn those bastards!”
The captain cursed as he stared at where the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons had sunk—a place now marked only by floating debris and struggling allies.
***
“Come out, sir! The situation is urgent!”
Jin Wei, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, opened them abruptly at the soldier’s urgent voice and asked:
“How many Twin-Headed Flame Dragons have sunk?”
“All of them, sir!”
“Damn it!”
With an urgent cry, Jin Wei sprang to his feet and rushed up to the bridge.
***
“Captain! The situation?”
In response to Jin Wei’s urgent question, the captain raised his hand and pointed in one direction.
Seeing where the captain was pointing, Jin Wei’s face fell as he sighed.
“Oh no…”
In the direction the captain indicated, the Empire’s Challenger-class vessels were advancing confidently with the assault ghost ships at their head.
“Our forces…”
Jin Wei was at a loss for words as he surveyed the situation of their nearby forces.
Having witnessed the total sinking of the Twin-Headed Flame Dragons that had advanced so proudly, the Ming naval forces had fallen into a state of panic and didn’t know what to do.
Seeing this, Jin Wei smiled bitterly and muttered:
“If they’d just fled, I might have had something to say…”
The main commanders had boarded the Jeongjo with Deng Shulin. With the Jeongjo sunk, there were no commanders left to direct the sub-fleets.
With the commanders gone, the Ming fleet had fallen into a state of confusion and disorder. Of course, there were captains commanding each vessel. But if a captain moved his ship on his own authority, it meant immediate execution under military law.
This was Deng Shulin’s doing.
***
Having witnessed countless allied vessels deserting at the slightest disadvantage during the previous war and being uncertain about the quality of the newly reconstructed navy, Deng Shulin had enforced strict military discipline.
-Without orders from the fleet commander, maintain your position even if it means death!
Later, when several captains violated this order during pirate-suppression operations that doubled as training, Deng Shulin mercilessly executed them.
Afterward, the captains trained by Deng Shulin became conditioned to maintain their positions even in the absence of a commander.
That was why they were now floundering in confusion, not knowing what to do.
***
After assessing the situation, Jin Wei issued orders to the captain in a calm voice.
“Captain, raise the command flag and signal flags. The signals are ‘San’ (Disperse) and ‘Tui’ (Retreat).”
“Understood.”
Before long, the command flag was raised on the mast of Jin Wei’s vessel, and signal flags ordering dispersal and retreat fluttered in the wind.
As soon as they saw these signals, the Ming vessels turned their bows as if they had been waiting for this order.
Watching this, Jin Wei turned to the captain.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to suffer along with me.”
“Suffer, sir?”
“Even though I’ve ordered them to scatter and flee, they’ll soon be caught by the Challenger-class vessels and assault ghost ships. We need to stall them as much as possible, don’t you think?”
“Ah…”
The captain, understanding Jin Wei’s meaning, sighed softly. But he knew there was no other choice.
The retreating Great Blessed Ships were inferior to the Challenger-class vessels in speed, defensive capabilities, and firepower. That’s why Jin Wei had ordered them to scatter and retreat.
Although a significant number of ships would be caught and sunk by the Challenger-class vessels and assault ghost ships along the way, more would survive than if they retreated in formation.
To ensure that even more ships survived, someone had to stay behind and delay the enemy, and Jin Wei, as the sub-fleet commander, had chosen himself for this task.
“Isn’t your steering skill the best in our navy? I trust you won’t be caught easily.”
“Sigh~ Very well. I’ll do my best to tie up those bastards.”
At Jin Wei’s words, the captain sighed and rolled up his sleeves.
***
In the delaying action that followed, Jin Wei and the captain demonstrated exceptional coordination.
They skillfully avoided the shells fired by Joseon’s Challenger-class vessels while returning fire, and cleverly crossed in front of the Imperial Navy vessels, tangling their formation.
This was entirely due to the efforts of Jin Wei and the captain. As a result, many of the Imperial Navy’s Challenger-class vessels pursuing the Ming navy became entangled, hindering their progress.
Seeing this, Cho Jin-woong couldn’t help but admire them.
“So there are skilled ones among the Ming bastards too! Impressive, most impressive!”
But admiration was just admiration. Cho Jin-woong immediately issued orders.
“Order the Challenger-class vessels and assault ghost ships! Ignore that troublesome Great Blessed Ship and pursue the enemy! And order the Sea Response-class First Sub-fleet to stop rescuing prisoners and capture that ship! If possible, take them alive!”
“Yes, sir!”
***
“Well, this is the end…”
As the Imperial fleet changed its movements after receiving Cho Jin-woong’s orders, Jin Wei smiled bitterly and shook his head.
The Challenger-class vessels and assault ghost ships he had been blocking quickly moved away, regrouped, and began pursuing the Ming navy.
Jin Wei and the captain had done their best to block these vessels, but the Imperial ships escaped from them with equally skilled maneuvering.
“What shall we do now?”
At the captain’s question, Jin Wei shrugged and replied immediately.
“Now we should also try to escape as fast as we can.”
“The ship has sustained many injuries, and the oarsmen are exhausted.”
“Send half the gunners below to row. We’ll have to hold out as long as possible with the remaining half.”
“Understood.”
Following Jin Wei’s orders, gunners began rowing in place of the exhausted oarsmen.
However, Jin Wei’s escape attempt failed. The Sea Response-class vessels pursuing him clearly demonstrated why they were named “Sea Response.”
The pursuing Sea Response-class vessels constantly pressured Jin Wei’s Great Blessed Ship, alternately moving ahead and behind while continuously bombarding it.
Eventually, Jin Wei’s already badly damaged Great Blessed Ship was surrounded by the Sea Response-class vessels.
“Surrender!”
“Surrender or we’ll sink you!”
At the demands for surrender coming from all directions, the captain turned to Jin Wei.
Jin Wei calmly ordered the captain:
“Raise the white flag.”
“Yes, sir.”
Since the days of the ancient Han Dynasty, a white flag had symbolized surrender. Thus, when the white flag was raised on Jin Wei’s Great Blessed Ship, the calls demanding surrender stopped.
Shortly after, small boats lowered from a nearby Sea Response-class vessel approached Jin Wei’s ship.
Imperial naval troops and officers who climbed aboard using ropes lowered from Jin Wei’s ship began disarming the Ming sailors.
“You may keep your armor, but swords cannot be worn.”
At the order from the Imperial naval officer leading the soldiers, Jin Wei unfastened the sword at his waist and handed it to the officer.
After the disarmament process was completed, Jin Wei’s Great Blessed Ship headed for Seosan under the watch of two Sea Response-class vessels.
***
As the sun gradually set in the west, the Inland Fleet returned to its home port.
Besides Jin Wei’s Great Blessed Ship, several other Great Blessed Ships also moved alongside the returning Inland Fleet.
These were the ships that had immediately raised white flags when caught by the Inland Fleet’s assault ghost ships and Challenger-class vessels.
Arriving at the home port just as the sun was about to set, the Inland Fleet began classifying the captured Ming prisoners according to rank.
High-ranking officers identified during the classification process were escorted to specially prepared quarters.
“Hmm? You?”
As Jin Wei entered the quarters guided by an Imperial soldier, he turned his head at the voice that recognized him, searching for its owner.
Upon identifying the speaker, Jin Wei approached him with a bright face.
“Admiral! You’re safe!”
The speaker was the fleet commander, Deng Shulin.
When the Jeongjo sank, Deng Shulin had jumped into the sea and removed his armor to survive. He had saved his life but was now pale and wrapped in blankets due to severe hypothermia.
Though pale and wrapped in blankets, Deng Shulin’s eyes burned with anger.
“Why are you still wearing armor?”
“Pardon?”
“Did you surrender?”
“…”
When Jin Wei couldn’t answer immediately, Deng Shulin shouted:
“You bastard! A commander of the Great Ming Navy surrendered? Seeing that you don’t have a single wound, it’s clear you didn’t even fight properly! It’s because of men like you that we lost this time!”
“Admiral, you misunderstand!”
“What misunderstanding!”
Deng Shulin heaped abuse on Jin Wei that bordered on a curse. At some point, Jin Wei gave up trying to explain himself and closed his mouth. He had realized why Deng Shulin was condemning him.
‘He’s trying to make me a scapegoat!’
If they returned to Ming after the war, Jingtai Emperor would certainly hold someone accountable. Deng Shulin had chosen Jin Wei as the sacrifice to save himself.
In fact, Deng Shulin made no attempt to hide his intentions.
“When I see His Majesty the Emperor, I will report your crimes and request punishment! You are a disgrace to the navy!”
“…”
Seeing that not only Deng Shulin but also other surviving commanders were glaring at him with similar expressions, Jin Wei quietly went outside.
Stepping into the courtyard attached to the building housing the captured Ming commanders, Jin Wei looked at the moon in the sky and sighed.
“Haa~ What should I do…”
With his future looking bleak, Jin Wei continued to sigh heavily.
No, Jin Wei already knew the answer.
“I could completely defect to the Empire, but…”
If he completely defected to the Empire, he could secure his own safety. But the problem was his family still in Ming.
The moment he was branded a traitor, his family would certainly fall into ruin.
“Sigh~”
Unable to easily decide what to do, Jin Wei could only continue sighing.
***
Meanwhile, Ahn Hwi, the naval defense commander of the Inland Fleet who had received reports about the conflict between Jin Wei and Deng Shulin through surveillance guards, smiled with satisfaction.
“Is that so?”
The abilities demonstrated by Jin Wei and the captain of his ship in this battle had been remarkably outstanding.
Even to the Imperial Navy, who had considered the Ming navy’s skills inferior to their own since the last war, their abilities were exceptionally impressive.
“Try to persuade him if possible.”
“A Lieutenant General would likely have strong loyalty.”
“Try anyway.”
While Ahn Hwi had been contemplating Cho Jin-woong’s orders, the report that Deng Shulin was persecuting Jin Wei and that Jin Wei was troubled came like rain in a drought.
“Hmm…”
After calculating inwardly, Ahn Hwi ordered his subordinate officer:
“Moving right now would be counterproductive. Leave him alone for now. If we wait a little longer, he’ll come around on his own.”
“Understood.”
Having given orders to his subordinate officer, Ahn Hwi began writing a report to submit to Cho Jin-woong.
And the situation unfolded exactly as Ahn Hwi had predicted.