Li Guangyuan nodded vigorously and then continued.
"In this battle, our army killed a total of 126 enemies, 16 of whom were Japanese warriors, and the remaining 120 were Spanish red-haired soldiers."
"In addition to killing the enemy, our army also captured thirteen prisoners of war!"
"Except for the prisoners, the invading enemies this time have been completely wiped out by our Liberation Army!"
"I have sent people to briefly interrogate the prisoners of war. Except for the father and son of the Scotch family, the remaining prisoners of war are all red-haired craftsmen."
"Almost all of them are gunsmiths who cast cannons. In addition to casting cannons, these craftsmen also build castles, make muskets, make clocks, build ships, etc..."
Zhu Hongyu nodded and said.
"Those craftsmen should settle down well, don't deprive them of food, and try to persuade them to work for us."
"Even if you don't agree, I'll just lock him up and raise him."
Zhu Hongyu attaches great importance to craftsmen. If he were an ordinary Spaniard, he would not bother to talk nonsense.
Except for the Scourges and his son who were useful to him, he could just kill them all with one knife!
But he is quite patient with skilled craftsmen.
Even these craftsmen are Spanish!
"How many craftsmen are there among the Chinese people we rescued?"
Zhu Hongyu asked.
Li Guangyuan shook his head and said.
"I'm not very clear. Company Commander Liu is in charge of those Chinese people who were rescued."
Zhu Hongyu nodded and said.
"Okay, then I'll ask Liu Shantai later, and you can go on to talk about the seizure."
Li Guangyuan took out a piece of white paper filled with text and presented it to Zhu Hongyu.
"Please take a look at it, General!"
Zhu Hongyu took the white paper and read it.
This piece of paper records the list of seizures by the Liberation Army in this battle.
One hundred and thirty-one Spanish heavy matchlocks, ninety-four spears, sixteen Japanese swords...
In addition to these weapons, there were several carriages, gold and silver money found from the Spaniards, some tools needed for cannon casting, and a certain amount of food.
Of course, the most important thing is the more than 200 Chinese people.
Most of these people are young and strong men. With a little training, they can be added to the Ming Dynasty's Restoration Army.
Even if the remaining people are not young and strong, they are all skilled craftsmen. Their importance to Zhu Hongyu is self-evident.
The seizure was so rich that Zhu Hongyu couldn't help but smile.
Now he has gained a lot of weight!
…
On the second day, the Ming Dynasty's Restoration Army divided into three groups after repairing overnight.
The group was led by Zhu Hongyu and Hu Dinggao, who led the large group of people towards the confirmed settlement.
The team was led by Li Guangyuan and Wang Youcai all the way to the direction of Jiannei, preparing to pick up the families of the Liberation Army.
The last group was led by Shi Yongxin and Liu Shantai, who took the father and son of the Scotch family to the Scotch family's manor to extort gold and silver money.
Raise funds for the Liberation Army!
Before the last two groups of people arrived at the settlement, Zhu Hongyu had to lead people to prepare for the reception.
It is unthinkable to build a house entirely with stone and wood, because it would take too long, and the Spaniards would not give them that long to slowly operate it.
But simply setting up a few shacks that can be used as shelter is also the most basic requirement.
In addition to setting up a shelter, Zhu Hongyu's most important task was to build fortifications in advance to prepare for the possible invasion of the Spaniards.
In the battle at the mine, he killed more than a hundred Spaniards in one fell swoop, and there was even a high-ranking official from the Governor's Palace among them. The rebellion of the Liberation Army must have been hidden.
The Spaniards, who regarded Manila as their own prison, could not tolerate the existence of a Chinese rebel army like the Ming Liberation Army in Manila.
Encirclement and suppression are certain!
The situation will be extremely severe!
In the battle at the mine, the Liberation Army defeated more than 100 Spanish soldiers in one fell swoop. Most of these 100 people were well-trained and experienced Spanish army soldiers.
As long as the Spanish Governor of Manila was not stupid, he would have realized that the Liberation Army was not weak.
The number of troops sent to encircle and suppress the Liberation Army this time will be at least a thousand people.
Facing the Spanish Army with a strength of thousands, the Liberation Army was definitely no match in the field.
We can only build fortifications in advance and prepare to hold on.
When the Spaniards realized that they could not defeat the Liberation Army, they retreated on their own.
…
After trekking all the way, Zhu Hongyu and his party finally arrived at the river valley.
The valley is very wide, with the widest point measuring three to four hundred meters. The river flowing in the middle of the valley has abundant water and the water quality is crystal clear.
From time to time, a few fish would jump out of the water, their tails slapping the river surface and splashing with crystal clear water.
On one side of the valley are extremely high cliffs, and on the other side are hills with a gradually gentler slope.
Next to the water source is a large open space with lush vegetation that can be reclaimed as fertile farmland.
The layout of the entire valley is wide in the middle and narrow on both sides. The narrowest part is only forty or fifty meters long.
From the terrain point of view, it will be very easy to defend and difficult to attack.
As long as the entrances and exits on both sides of the valley can be blocked, and the enemy can set up cannons on the hilly side, there is basically no possibility of the valley being breached.
“Great place, really a great place!”
Zhu Hongyu said with admiration on his face.
"General, what should I do next?"
Hu Dinggao asked.
Zhu Hongyu pondered for a moment, and then spoke.
"First burn the entire valley with kerosene, then clean up all the small puddles that are full of stagnant water and plow the land."
"First sort out a place to stay!"
There is a reason why Zhu Hongyu arranged it this way.
The climate in Southeast Asia is hot and humid, and malaria and other diseases are rampant, and malaria is the biggest enemy of the explorers.
Whether they are Chinese or Western colonists, malaria has killed many people!
Although the medicinal effects of cinchona trees have long been discovered, the Spaniards have also brought cinchona trees to Southeast Asia and planted and cultivated them in large numbers.
But these cinchona trees are all in the hands of the Spanish. The Spaniards pay close attention to the cinchona trees, and Zhu Hongyu has no place to do anything about them.
Although Zhu Hongyu also knew that the artemisinin contained in Artemisia annua could also be used to treat malaria, he had no choice but to say that Artemisia annua could not survive in Nanyang.
Therefore, he could only use stupid methods to prevent malaria.
Malaria is spread by mosquito bites. Since he can't cure malaria, he can only cure mosquitoes.
Burning the vegetation around the settlement and cleaning up stagnant ponds and other places where mosquitoes breed easily can eliminate mosquitoes to the greatest extent and reduce the possibility of malaria.
Zhu Hongyu began to direct the soldiers of the Liberation Army to work. As kerosene was poured, thick smoke billowed, and large areas of dense vegetation were ignited.
When the fire was extinguished, the river valley was burned to a white ground.
Some soldiers of the Liberation Army began to dig up soil in the open space in the river valley with hoes and shovels, preparing to cultivate fields.
Another part of the Liberation Army soldiers were preparing to erect shacks and build houses.
Zhu Hongyu didn't rest either. He worked with the soldiers of the Liberation Army, carrying a hoe and digging the ground.
…………
I’ll update one chapter first, and there will be another chapter later.