"Peng", the fat sailor, stretched out his hand to catch Youlan, but Huang Ping, who reacted, punched her and staggered backwards and fell to the ground.
"You bastard, tie him up!" the first mate was very angry. He came to the fat sailor and kicked him hard, saying in confusion.
No one interceded for the fat sailor. After the first mate kicked him a few times, he ordered two sailors to tie him up, while Huang Ping and others were escorted to the bottom of the cabin to wait for punishment tomorrow morning.
The conflict was successfully resolved, more than a dozen drunken sailors on the deck were ordered to go back to sleep, and the sea returned to calm.
On the sea outside the coolie ship, an armed ship hidden in the darkness quietly observed the Indwood not far away.
"Sir, why don't you approach quietly and capture this merchant ship?" On the bow of the armed ship, a lame man stared at the coolie ship in the telescope and suggested.
"No, we have already entered Nanyang, which is only two days' sail from the British Straits Settlements. The disappearance of a merchant ship for no reason will alert the British. It is better to do less than to do more. Let them leave and we will move on."
Sun Bin stared at the ships with oil lamps on the sea and explained.
"It's my lord." The lame man nodded without refuting.
The armed ship continued to hide in the darkness. After a while, the coolie ship moved farther and farther away, and finally disappeared from the sight of Sun Bin and others.
After the coolie ship went away, the armed ships held lights, and the surrounding sea suddenly became bright.
"Brother Chen, send a signal to the two ships behind and ask them to come closer."
"Hey." The lame man responded, turned to give a few instructions to a sailor next to him, and then came to Sun Bin's side.
"Sir, how long does it take for us to reach our destination?"
"Almost." Sun Bin took an oil lamp with a glass cover and used the light to unfold the navigation chart: "Natuna Island is to the east of us and can be reached after dawn."
Ah Chen walked forward, followed the spot pointed by Sun Bin's finger, found a small dot, and said with a smile: "I have been bumping on the sea for several months, and it is finally almost over."
The voyage from Rio Grande do Sul to Nanyang was tens of thousands of miles long, and the three-month sea voyage was boring. No wonder Achen smiled when he heard that he was about to arrive at his destination.
"The ports in southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region are all foreign territory. If we hadn't had dozens of Germans on board, those ghosts might have asked for more benefits."
After a ship with a displacement of 1,000 tons and two ships with a displacement of 600 tons and three modified steam engines sailed out of South America, they were disguised as Brazilian merchant ships. More than 20 German foreign sailors on board served as fleet leaders, traveling up and down the route.
After doing some planning, we obtained supplies from several ports such as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
"The Brazilians were defeated by the crown prince, and we still have to act in the skin of Brazilians outside of South America. It really makes me feel uncomfortable."
"Brother Chen, don't worry. The Principality of Rio Grande do Sul is originally affiliated with the Brazilian Empire. There is nothing wrong with us using the Brazilian banner." Sun Bin joked with a smile.
"That's the truth, but looking at the arrogance of those foreign devils, I can't swallow my breath."
"Natural selection, survival of the fittest. The current status of the foreigners is the result of their more than three hundred years of adventure and hard work in the sea. If we want to gain the respect of the foreigners, we must have sufficient strength, otherwise we will just protest softly and face the world.
What will come will only be foreign cannons and ships."
Rio Grande do Sul is tens of thousands of miles away from the mainland, isolated overseas, and surrounded by foreigners. The disadvantageous situation not only made Li Mingyuan wary, but other Chinese workers who followed also had a sense of crisis, always worried that the Brazilians would come back and take them back.
In this sense of crisis, the National Defense Forces, from senior officers to ordinary soldiers, all understand that if they want to protect their hard-won land and their wives, they must sharpen their muskets and be ready for battle at all times.
The Chinese in Rio Grande do Sul are all from the lowest level of coolie labor, and a few scholars like Sun Bin were bullied by the Manchu government to participate in rebellion. Naturally, they would not support the Manchu government and accept the enslavement of the gentry and become slaves.
Rhetoric.
Sun Bin looked at Chen, who had lost a leg, with firm eyes, and said seriously: "Rio Grande do Sul is too far behind the foreign powers. If we want to catch up with them, we must humbly learn from their military technology and technology, and learn from the Chinese in South America."
Compared with the rise of strength, temporary humiliation and grievance are nothing."
"What you are trying to teach me is that Ah Chen understands."
Ah Chen nodded and stopped complaining.
"Haha, Brother Ah Chen is an old brother from the Kingdom of Heaven. You have seen the power of foreign warships under Tianjing City, right?" Sun Bin saw that the two ships behind him had not arrived yet, so he said a few more words to Ah Chen.
"When defending Tianjing, foreign warships sailed into the Yangtze River. A cannonball could hit ten miles away. When the cannonball fell on the city, it could kill dozens of people at once." Ah Chen recalled.
"The foreign artillery and warships were extremely ferocious. The Manchu and Qing government collected a lot of money, but they did not buy large warships from the foreigners. Chen, why didn't the Manchus buy large warships?"
"The Manchus are not good at maritime warfare. They are afraid that the warships they bought will fall into the hands of the Han." Ah Chen thought for a while and replied.
"You are right or wrong. One reason is that the Manchus were on guard against men taking over warships. Another reason is that the people in power in the mainland are Manchus and Han Chinese landlords and gentry who have read the Four Books and Five Classics. They do not understand science and technology. Even if they buy
Even if we find a warship, we can’t find any sailors who know how to operate it.”
Sun Bin was telling the truth. It was seven or eight years later that the Manchu Qing Dynasty purchased warships and established the Beiyang Fleet. Now the mainland has just put down the Taiping Rebellion, the northwest is insurgent, the southwest is facing interference from external forces, and the crisis on land has occupied the Manchu and Qing government.
The main focus was on the purchase of large warships, so the purchase of large warships was consciously ignored.
The mainland has not developed a navy for the time being, but Rio Grande do Sul is different. Three captured ironclads have been put into service with the navy, and two ironclads customized from the UK are under construction. On the surface, Rio Grande do Sul already has one.
It is not a small naval force. However, in fact, the core personnel operating the Rio Grande do Sul naval warships are still the invited Prussian officers and some captured Brazilian sailors. The Chinese sailors have studied with them for nearly a year and still have not reached the level of controlling a warship alone.
s level.
The navy is an aristocratic branch of the military of various countries. Driving ironclads and ocean voyages requires the knowledge and skills required to change careers. Issues such as identifying the course during long voyages, exploring hydrology and geography, and avoiding storms cannot be learned overnight. Therefore, Li Mingyuan not only invited
Foreign naval officers came on board to teach the newly established navy officers about navigation. There were also more than 20 foreigners on board the three steam engines that sailed to the Southeast Asia to instruct the Chinese sailors.
After listening to Sun Bin's words, Ah Chen turned to look at the busy Germans on the ship and said clearly: "The navy of the foreign devils is very powerful. It will be great if our own navy can be like theirs."
"Don't worry, you will see it one day." Sun Bin smiled and patted his shoulder...
The two ships sailing behind met with Sun Bin. After several fleet leaders reported the situation of each ship, the three ships accelerated their sailing speed under the cover of night. In the early morning of the next day, the Big Natuna Island appeared.
In Sun Bin's sight.
"A Chen, there are several small fishing boats on the sea. You can bring a boat to them, bring them on board, and ask about the situation on the island."
Although Ah Chen was lame in one leg, his body was very strong. After receiving the order, he stepped over the boat into another boat and sailed towards the boats in front.
The three or five small boats sailing on the sea were all driven by ordinary local Chinese fishermen. When they saw three large boats approaching in the distance, they all thought they were foreigners. They were frightened and rowed back as hard as they could.
The armed merchant ship driven by Ah Chen, powered by a steam engine, quickly jumped over the fishing boats behind it, sailed in front of the fastest fishing boat, and stopped them.
"Don't be afraid, we are all Han, don't panic."
Ah Chen stood on the bow of the boat and shouted. The fishing boats below did not dare to move when they saw that they could not escape. They honestly gathered together according to the instructions of the people on the big boat.
"Little brother, we are merchants running boats in South America. We will not harm you. Don't be afraid."
Sun Bin looked at the frightened young fishermen with a gentle tone and explained: "I have invited you here to ask you a few questions. After I have asked you, I will let you go. There is no need to be so panicked."
"Sir, please speak." Sun Bin persuaded with a gentle voice. The young fisherman's fear was relieved by much, and he spoke respectfully.
"Are you the fishermen on the big island ahead?"
"Xiaoren's family is from Guangxi who immigrated to the island ten years ago and has been living on the island ever since."
"Oh, that's a coincidence. I'm also from Guangxi. Speaking of which, we are all from the same hometown." Sun Bin chatted a few words about his hometown experiences and continued to ask: "How many residents are there on the island? Are there any outsiders occupying the island?"
"There are about three to four thousand people on the island, most of whom are Han Chinese. Only some indigenous people live in the mountains and forests and often come out to harass us."
After the young fisherman answered, Sun Bin asked several other fishermen. After getting similar answers, the fleet continued to approach Natuna Island.
On the northern coast of Natuna Island, more than 400 Chinese people, old and weak, gathered together and looked warily at the three large ships moored in the port.
"Sir, would you like to send someone to explain?" A Chen couldn't help but ask as he looked at the old and weak Han people on the island holding various weapons.
"Well, we are here to help our Nanyang compatriots. We can't let them misunderstand us. We sent two brothers to the boat with the fishermen who just got on the boat to explain our purpose to them."
Two Chinese sailors armed with muskets accompanied five or six fishermen off the boat to the shore. After the two explained their origins to the people on the shore, the crowd became commotion. More than thirty young men surrounded the two sailors, and the several young men headed by them
The old man was arguing endlessly, obviously not making up his mind.
"Don't wait any longer, order the troops on board to disembark, and the three armed ships will fire warning shots into the sea."
With courtesy first and then fighting, Sun Bin explained that he wanted to bring Natuna Island under the rule of Rio Grande do Sul, which naturally violated the interests of the original ruling class on the island. They did not reach a consensus within themselves, so Sun Bin had to show his true strength to suppress them into submission.
The sound of cannons sounded, and more than 300 soldiers waded down the river and quickly landed ashore. Rows of soldiers holding advanced muskets adjusted their steps and approached the opponent step by step.
"Mr. Chen, please retreat. We are no match for them, so just agree to their request!"
"Yes, Dad, they have more people and guns, we can't defeat them."
The approach of the sailors posed a great threat to the Han people on the shore. Most of the people who had gathered had retreated and did not dare to confront the people on the ship.
"Oh, let's all disperse. They have the final say in the village from now on, I don't care anymore." The leading village chief waved his hands helplessly. When the others heard him relent, they left and dispersed, not daring to block the sailor's way.
Sun Bin used a simple and rough direct threat to break down the resistance of the Hansen villages in the north and successfully landed on Natuna Island. Then in the next few days, he used the same method to subdue the other five or six Han villages on the island and unify the country.
All Han forces on Natuna Island established the initial basis for rule.
In the process of unifying the forces on the island for several days, we encountered some minor obstacles. A Han village, relying on the two to three hundred young people in the village, gathered a crowd to resist. As a result, the troops of more than a hundred people who were driven away started shooting.
The village chief was defeated and the village chief who led the resistance was shot in public, and all his land and property were confiscated.
After decisively executing the village chiefs who resisted, the remaining Han villages immediately accepted the reality of the new ruler and did not dare to resist.
