Chúy sz[=e] ch[=u]ng soó mëèn.
T[=a]ng sh[=e] shw[)u]y fàn le[)i]h,
Y[=e]w nèu t[)u]h n[=a]ng ts[=u]y;
Tsë[)e]n h[=e]u[)e] y[=i]ng kwáng në[)e],[75]
Yu[=e]n ke[)u] yu[=e]n shw[)u]y we[=i].
Shw[=u]y hw[)a]n p[=o] shàng heà,
Y[=i]ng lëe sháng pèi hw[=u]y.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
Cease fighting now for awhile!
Let us call back the flowing waves!
Who opposed the enemy in time?
A single wife could overpower him. [sd: (24 v.)]
Streaming with blood, she grasped the mad offspring of guilt,
She held fast the man and threw him into the meandering stream.
The spirit of the water, wandering up and down on the waves,
Was astonished at the virtue of _Ying_.
My song is at an end!
Waves meet each other continually.
I see the water green as mountain Peih,
But the brilliant fire returns no more![76]
How long did we mourn and cry![77]
BOOK SECOND.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
[sd: (1 r.)] On the thirteenth day of the ninth moon our Admiral Tsuen
mow sun mustered about eighty vessels to go to Shaou wan, and obstruct
the passage. The pirates heard of these preparations, and on the night
of the fourteenth every vessel of the different flags was ordered to go
to Shaou wan. Their order was, that being within ten le from the place,
they should stop and prepare themselves to begin the battle when it was
dark. [sd: (1 v.)] From the first night watch the cannon began to fire,
and only ceased with daylight. At the end of the day the cannon were
again roaring without any intermission, and the country people mounted
on the green Lo shang, to look at the progress of the fight. They saw
the wrecks of vessels floating on the sea, the waves were rolling, the
bullets flying, and the cries of dying people mounted to the skies. The
vallies re-echoed the noise; beasts and birds[78] started alarmed, and
found no place where they might repose themselves. The vessels were
thrown into disorder, and our army was pressed down by the overpowering
force of the enemy. Our commander lost four vessels, but the palisade
before the village could not be taken, by which means it was protected
against pillage. Our admiral said, "Since I cannot conquer these wicked
pirates, I will blow myself up." [sd: (2 r.)] In this manner the admiral
and many other officers met their death.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
On the twenty-fifth the pirates went to Hëang shan and to great Hwang
po;[79] they took possession of the inside and the outside passage of
Hwang po, so that the boat-people,[80] who stay outside on the coast,
retired and came up to the town with their boats. The military officer
Ting gaou ho being made acquainted with the arrival of the pirates,
requested ten fishing boats from the town Hëang shan to assist the
citizens and to help them in opposing the enemy. He posted himself
before the town to protect it. [sd: (2 v.)] Ting gaou behaved valiantly
on the river; he headed his small fleet of fishing boats and opposed the
pirates. There was incessant fighting day and night; but at last the
numerous vessels of the pirates surrounded him on all sides, and Ting
gaou ho received a severe wound in the back. He then addressed his
comrades in the following words:
"Being on the military station before this town, it was my intention
to destroy the pirates, and for this reason I united with all the
principal men to oppose them, without considering my own
safety;--joyful I went to oppose the enemy. But not being able to
destroy this immense number of banditti, I am now surrounded with
all my principal men; and being deficient in power, I will die.
Death could not move me, but I fear the cruel behaviour of the
banditti; I fear that if the battle come to its highest summit, our
fathers and mothers, our wives and sons, will be taken captives.
[sd: (3 r.)] United with the principal men of the town, we cannot
destroy the pirates, neither protect the country, our families, nor
our own firesides,--but the circumstances being desperate, we must
do our utmost."[81]
[Sidenote: 1809.]
They now again rushed against the pirates and killed many of them; but
their strength being exhausted, the ten fishing boats were taken, and
great Hwang po given up to be plundered. The citizens retired to their
intrenchments, and made such vigorous resistance that the pirates
could not make them captives. Chang paou therefore ordered O po tae
and Leang po paou to make an attack on both sides, on the front and
the rear at once; so the citizens sustained a great defeat, and about
a hundred of them were killed. A placard was then posted up in the
town, admonishing the citizens that they being unable to resist the
enemy, must, under these cruel circumstances, send messengers to make
terms with the pirates. [sd: (3 v.)] This being done, the pirates
withdrew.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
The wife of Ching yih then ordered the pirates to go up the river; she
herself remaining with the larger vessels in the sea to blockade the
different harbours or entrances from the sea-side; but the government
officers made preparations to oppose her. There were about this time
three foreign vessels returning to Portugal.[82] Y[)i]h's wife attacked
them, took one vessel, and killed about ten of the foreigners; the two
other vessels escaped. The Major Pang noo of Hëang shan about this time
fitted out a hundred vessels to attack the pirates; he had before hired
six foreign vessels, and the two Portuguese ships, which had before run
away, united also with him. Y[)i]h's wife, seeing that she had not
vessels enough, and that she might be surrounded, ordered a greater
number to her assistance. [sd: (4 r.)] She appointed Chang paou to
command them, and sail up the river; but to keep quiet with his squadron
till he saw the Chang lung, or government vessels come on. On the third
of the tenth moon the government vessels went higher up the river, and
Chang paou following and attacking them, the foreign vessels sustained a
great loss, and all the other vessels then ran away. The foreigners
showed themselves very courageous; they petitioned the mayor of Hëang
shan to place himself at the head of the foreign vessels, to go and
fight the pirates. [sd: (4 v.)] Pang noo having for some time considered
their request, inspected on the tenth of the same month the six foreign
vessels, their arms and provisions, and went out into the sea to pursue
the pirates.
About this time Chang paou had collected his force at Ta yu shan near
Chih leih ke[)o], and the foreign vessels went thither to attack him.
About the same time the admiral, Tsuen mow sun, collected a hundred
vessels, and joined the foreigners to attack the pirates. On the
thirteenth they spread out their lines, and fought during two days and
two nights, without either party proving victorious. On the fifteenth
one of the officers went forward with some large vessels to attack the
pirates, but he was very much hurt by the fire of the guns; his vessel
was lost, and about ten men were killed and many others wounded,--after
this, the whole fleet retired. They however again commenced fighting on
the sixteenth, but being unable to withstand the pirates, one vessel
more was lost.[83]
[Sidenote: 1809.]
[sd: (5 r.)] The Admiral Tsuen mow sun was exceedingly eager to destroy
the pirates, but he was confident that he was not strong enough to
vanquish them, and he spoke thus to his people: "The pirates are too
powerful, we cannot master them by our arms; the pirates are many, we
only few; the pirates have large vessels, we only small ones; the
pirates are united under one head, but we are divided,--and we alone are
unable to engage with this overpowering force. We must therefore now
make an attack, when they cannot avail themselves of their number, and
contrive something besides physical strength, for by this alone it is
impossible for us to be victorious. [sd: (5 v.)] The pirates are now all
assembled in Ta yu shan, a place which is surrounded by water. Relying
on their strength, and thinking that they will be able to vanquish us,
they will certainly not leave this place of retirement. We should
therefore from the provincial city (Canton) assemble arms and soldiers
as many as we can, surround the place, and send fire-vessels among their
fleet. It is probable that in such a manner we may be able to measure
our strength with them."
[Sidenote: 1809.]
In consequence of this determination all commanders and officers of the
different vessels were ordered to meet on the seventeenth at Chih leih
ke[)o], to blockade the pirates in Ta yu shan, and to cut off all
supplies of provisions that might be sent to them. To annoy them yet
more, the officers were ordered to prepare the materials for the
fire-vessels. These fire-vessels were filled with gunpowder, nitre, and
other combustibles; after being filled, they were set on [Sidenote: (6
r.)] fire by a match from the stern, and were instantly all in a blaze.
The Major of Hëang shan, Pang noo, asked permission to bring soldiers
with him, in order that they might go on shore and make an attack under
the sound of martial music, during the time the mariners made their
preparation. On the twentieth it began to blow very fresh from the
north, and the commander ordered twenty fire-vessels to be sent off,
when they took, driven by the wind, an easterly direction; but the
pirate's entrenchments being protected by a mountain, the wind ceased,
and they could not move farther on in that direction; they turned about
and set on fire two men of war. The pirates knowing our design were
well prepared for it; they had bars with very long pincers, by which
they took hold of the fire-vessels and kept them off, so that they could
not come near. [sd: (6 v.)] Our commander, however, would not leave the
place; and being very eager to fight, he ordered that an attack should
be made, and it is presumed that about three hundred pirates were
killed. Pao now began to be afraid, and asked the _Spirit of the three
Po_, or old mothers, to give a prognostic. The _P[)u]h_, or lot for
fighting, was disastrous; the _P[)u]h_, or lot to remain in the easterly
entrenchment, was to be happy. The _P[)u]h_, or lot for knowing if he
might force the blockade or not on leaving his station to-morrow, was
also happy,[84] three times one after another.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
There arose with the day-light on the twenty-second a light southerly
breeze; all the squadrons began to move, and the pirates prepared
themselves joyfully to leave their station. About noon[85] there was a
strong southerly wind, and a very rough sea on. As soon as it became
dark the pirates made sail, with a good deal of noise, and broke through
the blockade, favoured by the southerly wind. About a hundred vessels
were upset, when the pirates left Ta yu shan. But our commander being
unaware that the pirates would leave their entrenchments, was not
prepared to withstand them. [sd: (7 r.)] The foreign vessels fired their
guns and surrounded about ten leaky vessels, but could not hurt the
pirates themselves; the pirates left the leaky vessels behind and ran
away. After this they assembled outside at Hung chow in the ocean.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
Notwithstanding that the pirates had broken through the blockade, Tsuen
mow sun desisted not from pursuing them; he followed the pirates into
the open sea in order to attack them. On the fifth of the eleventh moon
he met the pirates near Nan gaou, and prepared his vessels[86] to attack
them. The pirates spread out all their vessels one by one, so that the
line of their fleet reached the forces of our commander; they then tried
to form a circle and surround our admiral. [sd: (7 v.)] Our commander,
in order to prevent this, divided his force,--he separated from him
eighty vessels, which had orders to join him afterwards. Before they
united again, a great battle took place between the two fleets; the
firing lasted from three till five in the afternoon; our crew fought
exceedingly hard and burnt three pirate-vessels. The pirates retreated,
and our navy declined pursuing them, because it would carry them too far
out of the way. Our crew being still elated at this transaction, the
pirates on a sudden returned, roused them out of their sleep and
constrained them to fight a second time. The commander had no time to
make preparations, so that two vessels were burnt by the fire of the
pirates, and three were captured.
[Sidenote: 1809.]
[sd: (8 r.)] At the time when Chang paou was blockaded in Chih leih
ke[)o], and was afraid that he should not be able to come out again, he
sent to O po tae, who was at Wei chow, to rescue him. His message was in
the following words:--"I am harassed by the government's officers
outside in the sea; lips and teeth must help one another, if the lips
are cut away the teeth will feel cold. How shall I alone be able to
fight the government forces? You should therefore come at the head of
your crew, to attack the government squadron in the rear, I will then
come out of my station and make an attack in front; the enemy being so
taken in the front and rear, will, even supposing we cannot master him,
certainly be thrown into disorder."
Ever since the time Paou was made chieftain there had been altercations
between him and O po tae. Had it not have been out of respect for the
wife of Ching y[)i]h they would perhaps have [Sidenote: (8v.)] made war
against each other. Till now they only showed their mutual dislike in
their plundering expeditions on the ocean, and in consequence of this
jealousy Po tae did not fulfil the orders of Paou. Paou and his whole
crew felt very much annoyed at this conduct, and having been able to
break through the blockade, he resolved to measure his strength with
Tae. He met him at Neaou chow, and asked him: "Why did you not come to
my assistance?"
[Sidenote: 1809.]
O po tae answered: "You must first consider your strength and then act;
you must consider the business and then go to work. How could I and my
crew have been sufficient against the forces of the admiral. [sd: (9
r.)] I learnt your request, but men being dependent upon circumstances,
I could not fulfil it; I learnt your request, but I was dependent on
circumstances, and men cannot act otherwise.[87] And now concerning this
business--to give or not give assistance--am I bound to come and join
your forces?"
Paou became enraged and said: "How is this, will you then separate from
us?"
Tae answered: "I will not separate myself."
Paou: "Why then do you not obey the orders of the wife of Ching y[)i]h
and my own? What is this else than separation, that you do not come to
assist me, when I am surrounded by the enemy? I have sworn it that I
will destroy thee, wicked man, that I may do away with this soreness on
my back."
[Sidenote: 1809.]
There passed many other angry words between them, till they at length
prepared to fight and destroy each other. Chang paou was the first to
begin the battle; but having fired his guns, and being deficient in
strength, Tae went against him with all his well prepared forces. [sd:
(9 v.)] Paou was not able to make any effectual resistance to his enemy;
he received a severe defeat, he lost sixteen vessels, and three hundred
men were taken prisoners. The prisoners were all killed from mutual
hatred.
O po tae remained then at the head of his forces without any opposition,
since Paou withdrew. There was now a meeting held under these banditti;
when Chang jih kao arose and said:
[Sidenote: 1809.]
"If Paou and we should again measure our strength against each other,
our force will not be found sufficient; we are only one to ten. It is
to be feared that they will collect all their forces together to
exterminate us. They may on a sudden come against us and make an
attack,--our small body must certainly be in fear of their vast number.
There is _Leang po paou_, an experienced pirate on the sea; if he should
on a sudden turn his vessels against us, there is not one among us who
would be able to resist him. [sd: (10 r.)] He is a very zealous
worshipper of the spirit of the three Po or Mothers, and protected by
them; nay, and protected by them in a supernatural manner. But if we
perform sacrifices, they remain without shadow and echo.[88] And then it
may also be added that we are no more able to withstand with our short
arms their long ones, than dogs are able to chase fierce tigers. But do
we not every where see government placards inviting us to submit, why do
we not then send somebody to make the offer? The government will pardon
and not destroy us sea-monsters,[89] and we may then reform our previous
conduct. Why should we not therefore come to a determination to that
effect?"
Fung yung fa said: "How then if government should not trust our word?"
[Sidenote: 1809.]
[sd: (10 v.)] Chang jih kao answered: "If government should learn that
we recently fought Chang paou, and destroyed the banditti,--it would be
hard indeed if that were not enough to make them trust us?"
Go tsew he said: "If government should not act towards us, as it is
stated in the placard, after having made our submission, we may then
again use violence. But they will hear, that we attacked the others,
like fishes their food; that we alone made a beginning in destroying the
pirates, and then tendered our submission,--they will feel that they can
employ us to destroy the other pirates. He who is not of the same
opinion as mine may let his hand hang down."
O po tae was of the same opinion, and the purser was ordered to frame
the offer of submission to government. The petition concerning the offer
was couched in the following terms:
[Sidenote: 1809.]
[sd: (11 r.)] "It is my humble opinion that all robbers of an
overpowering force, whether they had their origin from this or any
other cause, have felt the humanity of government at different
times. Leang shan who three times plundered the city, was
nevertheless pardoned and at last made a minister of state.[90] Wa
kang often challenged the arms of his country and was suffered to
live, and at last made a corner-stone of the empire. Joo ming
pardoned seven times Mang hw[)o]; and Kwan kung three times set
Tsaou tsaou at liberty.[91] Ma yuen pursued not the exhausted
robbers; and Y[)o] fei killed not those who made their submission.
[sd: (11 v.)] There are many other instances of such transactions
both in former and recent times, by which the country was
strengthened and government increased its power. We now live in a
very populous age; some of us could not agree with their relations,
and were driven out like noxious weeds. Some after having tried all
they could, without being able to provide for themselves, at last
joined bad society. Some lost their property by shipwrecks; some
withdrew into this watery empire to escape from punishment. In such
a way those, who in the beginning were only three or five, were in
the course of time increased to a thousand or ten thousand, and so
it went on increasing every year. Would it not have been wonderful
if such a multitude, being in want of their daily bread, should not
have resorted to plunder and robbery to gain their subsistence,
since they could not in any other manner be saved from famine? It
was from necessity that the laws of the empire were violated, and
the merchants robbed of their goods. [sd: (12 r.)] Being deprived
of our land and of our native places, having no house or home to
resort to, and relying only on the chances of wind and water, even
could we for a moment forget our griefs, we might fall in with a
man-of-war, who with stones, darts and guns, would blow out our
brains."
"Even if we dared to sail up a stream and boldly go on with anxiety
of mind under wind, rain, and stormy weather, we must every where
prepare for fighting. Whether we went to the east, or to the west,
and after having felt all the hardships of the sea, the night dew
was our only dwelling, and the rude wind our meal. But now we will
avoid these perils, leave our connexions, and desert our comrades;
we will make our submission. The power of government knows no
bounds; it reaches to the islands in the sea, and every man is
afraid and sighs. Oh we must be destroyed by our crimes, none can
escape who opposeth the laws of government. [sd: (12 v.)] May you
then feel compassion for those who are deserving of death; may you
sustain us by your humanity!"
[Sidenote: 1809.]
The chief officers of government met joyfully together at Canton. The
governor-general of the southern district ever loved the people like
himself; and to show his benevolence he often invited them by public
placards to make submission:--he really felt compassion for these
lower sort of men, who were polluted with crimes. The way of
compassion and benevolence is the way of heaven, which is pleased with
virtue; it is the right way to govern by righteousness. Can the bird
remain quiet with strong wings, or will the fish not move in deep
water? Every person acts from natural endowments, and our general
would have felt compassion even for the meanest creature on earth, if
they would have asked for pardon. He therefore redeemed these pirates
from destruction, and pardoned their former crimes.[92]
[Sidenote: 1809.]
After this period the country began to assume a new appearance. [sd: (13
r.)] People sold their arms and bought oxen to plough their fields; they
burned sacrifices, said prayers on the top of the hills, and rejoiced
themselves by singing behind screens during day-time. There were some
people who endeavoured to act with duplicity, and wished to murder the
pirates, but the general on seeing the petition said to his assistants:
"I will pull down the vanguard of the enemy to use it for the
destruction of the remaining part. I may then employ it against the
over-spreading power of the pirates; with the pirates I will destroy the
pirates. Y[)o] fu mow destroyed in this manner Yang tay: let us not act
with duplicity, that we may the better disperse their comrades and break
their power; let us therefore accept their submission."
[Sidenote: Jan. 1810.]
In the agreement it was stipulated that the ships should assemble
together in the open sea near Kwei shen hëen[93] to make their
surrender. The Governor-general was to come to that place[Sidenote: (13
v.)] to receive O po tae, his vessels, his men, and all other things
which were pointed out in the petition. The Governor-general being
exceedingly pleased, ordered his adjutant Kung gaou to examine the list.
He found eight thousand men, one hundred and twenty-six vessels, five
hundred large guns, and five thousand six hundred various military
weapons. The towns Yang keang and Sin gan were appointed for this people
to live in.[94]--This happened in the twelfth month of the fourteenth
year of Këa king--and so the black squadron was brought into subjection.
O po tae changed his name to _He[)o] bëen_, "The lustre of instruction,"
and the general made him a Pa tsung[95] to reward his services in
defeating Chang paou.
[Sidenote: 1810.]
[sd: (14 r.)] On the twelfth moon Chang paou went with his different
squadrons into the river and attacked Ke chow. It was near the end of
the year, and the pirates assembled along the mountain ridge Laou ya[96]
to make a festival: they made a great noise during the night with
crackers, and their gongs were heard at a great distance.[97] At
daybreak the flags were spread out, and the drums sounded; they were
cheerful the whole day; they eat and drank and made a great noise, which
was heard many les off.
[Sidenote: 1810.]