The harbor at Naha had become the focal point of a silent, simmering war. The initial shock of the Chaoyong's arrival had given way to a tense, grinding diplomatic stalemate. Days turned into a week, and Captain Deng Shichang held his position, a lone Qing warship in a sea of growing hostility. He was under immense pressure, not only from the Japanese who shadowed his every move, but from the terrified Ryukyuan officials who begged him not to provoke a conflict on their soil.
The Japanese response, when it came, was not diplomatic. It was a calculated and intimidating show of force. One morning, at the break of dawn, two more warships steamed into Naha harbor. They were modern Japanese cruisers, newly built in their own shipyards based on Western designs. They were fast, sleek, and bristling with guns. They took up positions flanking the Chaoyong, their presence a clear and unambiguous threat. They now outgunned Deng's single ship three to one. The silent standoff had just become an explicit military ultimatum.
Later that morning, a launch was sent from the Japanese flagship. Aboard was its commander, a stern, older captain named Ito, a man from the old samurai class who now wore the crisp, modern uniform of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He came aboard the Chaoyong not for a friendly visit, but to deliver a final negotiation.
Deng Shichang received him with perfect, cool courtesy in his private cabin, ordering his finest tea to be served. The Japanese captain, Ito, was a man who radiated an aura of arrogant confidence, the confidence of a man who held all the cards.
"Captain Deng," Ito began, his Mandarin precise but cold. "Your 'goodwill visit' has now extended for a considerable length of time. We admire your dedication to your diplomatic duties." He took a slow sip of tea. "However, the continued presence of a foreign warship in these waters is proving to be… destabilizing to the local situation. It is causing unrest. For the sake of regional peace and stability, my government must insist that you depart within twenty-four hours."
It was a direct military order, cloaked in the thinnest of diplomatic veils. Refuse, and the consequences were clear. The three Japanese warships had their guns trained on his position. He was outgunned, outnumbered, and thousands of li from any possibility of reinforcement. A conventional commander, faced with such overwhelming odds, would have only one choice: to withdraw in humiliation, to save his ship and his crew from certain destruction. To fight would be suicide. To stay would be to invite war.
But Deng Shichang was not a conventional commander. And he was operating under a new and unconventional set of orders. A fast courier boat had arrived two days prior, carrying a secret dispatch from the new Office of Western Affairs in Beijing. The orders, though signed by Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang, bore the unmistakable strategic fingerprint of his true, unseen master. The instructions were simple, audacious, and terrifying.
Deng Shichang remained perfectly calm. He returned Captain Ito's hard gaze with a steady one of his own. He refilled the Japanese captain's teacup.
"Your government's concern for regional stability is most admirable, Captain Ito," Deng said, his voice even and respectful. "It is a concern my own government shares deeply." He took a sip of his own tea, a gesture of relaxed confidence. "However, my orders from my sovereign, the Son of Heaven, are quite specific. I am to remain in this port to 'ensure the well-being of his loyal subjects, the people of Ryukyu.' As you can see, I am doing just that. My presence is a calming one."
Captain Ito's eyes narrowed. "Your orders can be changed. A new dispatch can be sent. We are asking you to request those new orders."
"Of course," Deng agreed with a pleasant smile. "I will, naturally, relay your government's… request… to the Dragon Throne at the earliest opportunity. I will dispatch a courier immediately." He paused, then added, his voice still perfectly calm, "As you know, Captain, the journey from here to the capital is a long one. And the deliberations of the Grand Council are wise, but they are not always swift. I imagine a reply will take many weeks. Perhaps a month or two."
He looked at Ito, his smile never wavering. "I am a patient man. I am prepared to wait for my new orders. I hope your navy has brought adequate supplies for a long stay."
He had called their bluff.
It was a masterful display of diplomatic judo. He had not refused their demand. He had not threatened them. He had simply used the vast, ponderous bureaucracy of his own empire as a shield. He had placed the entire onus of escalating the conflict squarely on the Japanese. To leave, he would need new orders. And those orders would take months to arrive. If the Japanese wished to force the issue before then, they would have to be the ones to fire the first shot. They would be the aggressors, starting a war with the Qing Empire over a diplomatic slight.
Captain Ito stared at the young Chinese commander, his mind reeling. He had expected blustering anger or fearful submission. He had not expected this. This cool, calm, infuriatingly logical refusal to be intimidated. Deng Shichang was behaving not like the commander of a cornered ship, but like a man who held the stronger hand. He was daring them to start a war, knowing full well that Tokyo was not yet prepared for a full-scale conflict with China, especially not over an incident they had hoped would be a quiet, internal affair. A glorious little colonial acquisition was threatening to spiral into a major international war, all because of the stubbornness of this one young captain and his single, outdated cruiser.
The Japanese captain stood, his face a mask of cold fury. He knew he had been outmaneuvered. "You are playing a very dangerous game, Captain Deng," he said, his voice a low growl.
"I am merely following my orders, Captain Ito," Deng replied, still smiling. "As, I am sure, are you."
Deng Shichang had been tested. Ying Zheng had placed him in an impossible situation to see what kind of commander he truly was. And Deng had passed the test with flying colors. He had demonstrated not just immense personal courage, but a brilliant, intuitive grasp of the new art of gunboat diplomacy. He was not just a sailor; he was a naval statesman. Ying Zheng now knew he had found the future admiral of his new fleet. The standoff in Naha harbor would continue, a tense stalemate, but for now, Deng Shichang had seized the diplomatic and moral initiative.