After several days of purchasing supplies and weapons, and recruiting troops, there are now a total of 3,654 frontline soldiers. As for the second-line reserves, all the remaining people are there. This time, over 5,000 more flintlock rifles, ten machine guns, ten mortars, and thirty Hu Dun Cannons were purchased. The reason for buying Hu Dun Cannons was that they were obsolete on the other side and many were being melted down, so they were sold very cheaply. Moreover, these things are light and portable. Most importantly, several artisans who used to make ammunition were found among the rescued common people. Mortar shells could not be produced, and every shell cost money. Hu Dun Cannons are convenient, practical, and cheap; the other side no longer produces them, so it's more cost-effective to make the ammunition ourselves.
Now that all the grain has been harvested, everyone is either practicing martial arts or shooting. Each of them is full of vigor, and hope shines in their eyes. They are much stronger than when they were first seen.
“Ding, Host, there’s news about the goods you ordered before.”
“System, what’s the situation over there now? Do you have the goods I want?”
“Host, they just finished a naval battle over there. You previously asked for warships. Their court’s new-style warships cannot be sold to you, as he cannot explain it to the court officials. However, with this naval victory, they captured many European warships, including the galleons you mentioned before. He specifically selected three better ones, along with the cannons on board, each for fifty thousand taels of silver.”
“That’s great! I knew that in their current world, fifty thousand taels wouldn’t even buy the cannons on the ship, let alone the ship itself. The reason it’s so cheap is, on one hand, that such wooden ships are already obsolete over there; they’re using ironclad ships. At the same time, it’s also because he is a Transmigrator taking care of another Transmigrator. On the other hand, in this timeline, those Westerners coming to this distant East are not doing charity; even if the cost was only fifty thousand, he would dare to sell it to you for five hundred thousand.”
In this world, galleons are currently the most advanced and powerful ships, and even the entire Dutch East India Company doesn’t have many.
In the Battle of Liaoluo Bay in the sixth year of Chongzhen, the Dutch East India Company deployed three three-masted galleons and a dozen second-rate warships, while Zheng Zhilong used over a thousand large and small ships to besiege them. Although he won, it was because the Dutch fled to avoid further losses. Since then, even Zheng Zhilong, the pirate leader, has greatly desired galleons. This shows that with three galleons, who in the northern waters will be an opponent in the future?
At the same time, a group of people from the former Jiaodong Navy were also found among the slaves. The Jiaodong Navy had long since been annihilated. These people became serfs after their defeat. Although they were not very skilled sailors, they at least knew how to operate a ship.
Tianbao first went to the seaside alone to secretly have the System release the three galleons, and then immediately went to find people to summon the pre-prepared sailors.
When this group of people arrived at the seaside and saw the three huge three-masted sailing ships, they were astonished and discussed animatedly.
They all said our leader is assisted by immortals. I didn't believe it before, but now I have to.
“Brother Hu, what do you mean?”
“Don’t you see? Our leader first brought out so much new grain, which is not only delicious but also incredibly productive. Then there’s a flintlock rifle for everyone, such well-made guns. Even the Ming Dynasty court doesn’t have them. Not to mention that repeating machine gun, which I’d never even heard of before. Today, I saw these three giant ships again. I heard about these ships when I was serving in the Ming Dynasty navy. Whether it was the Netherlanders or the Franks from the West, or that pirate Zheng Zhilong, three galleons are extremely rare treasures. Now, the leader suddenly produced three of them. Do you believe it’s not divine assistance?”
Upon hearing Brother Hu’s words, everyone felt it was indeed true. Their gazes towards Tianbao became filled with immense admiration. Tianbao also knew this was deceiving everyone with superstition, but in this feudal society, this was the best solution. After all, which emperor in history didn’t add some mysterious color to himself when establishing his empire? Moreover, this also better solved the problem of his material source.
“Li Erhu, how about I make you the commander of this naval fleet from now on?”
“Leader, I’m not good enough. I used to be just a captain of a single Fujian ship. Compared to these three big ships, I’m far from it.”
“Erhu, I always believe that my destiny is in my hands, not in the heavens. You must have confidence in yourself. Through these days of observation, I found that you actually have great insights into naval warfare. I heard that your superiors always took credit for your victories in the past. Don’t worry, here with me, the capable rise and the incompetent fall. As long as you have the ability, no one can steal your credit.”
Liu Erhu was filled with emotion. He recalled his past self, a low-ranking soldier with no background, fighting desperately on the battlefield, just to have a day to rise above others. When he was noticed by his superior, his heart was full of hope and anticipation, thinking his fate would change.
However, reality dealt him a heavy blow. He found that he was just a tool to be used, and no matter how many merits he achieved, he could not gain true recognition and promotion. This feeling of being ignored and treated unfairly filled his heart with pain and helplessness.
Now, the new leader’s appreciation for him brought a glimmer of warmth and comfort.
Liu Erhu greatly desired the warship. He knew this was an opportunity, but he also longed to prove his worth and gain true respect. At this moment, he decided to trust the new leader and follow his steps; perhaps this was the only way to change his fate.
He took a deep breath, looking at Tianbao with firm eyes, “Leader, since you trust me so much, I, Li Erhu, will definitely not let you down. Give me some time. I will surely train the most formidable group of sailors for you.”
Tianbao looked at Li Erhu, and from his eyes, he could tell that this was also someone who would not submit to fate. He decided to give him this opportunity. So, he let him take the men to familiarize themselves with the three ships. He only gave him three days, as there would be an important mission after three days.
Three days later, Tianbao gathered the various small commanders to prepare for a meeting.
“Everyone, after these few days of rest, you must be well-rested. You all know that we have successively captured two cities, and the Manchu will soon make new moves. Although our population is less than ten thousand, our weapons are excellent. If we were to truly face the Qing army head-on, we are not without hope of victory. But I don’t want to do that.”
“Why, Leader? Our weapons are excellent now. We’re not afraid to go directly to war with the Tartars.”
“That’s right, Leader, let’s fight.”
“The Tartars killed my whole family, count me in to kill the Tartars.”
Seeing the excited crowd below, Tianbao helplessly waved his hand.
“Everyone, please listen to me first. Although we won both previous battles with fewer numbers, those were second-line garrison troops. Among them, there were only a few hundred true Manchu Tatars. Most of them were former Ming Dynasty soldiers who had surrendered. And we also caught them by surprise, which is why we were able to win. Even so, we still sacrificed a dozen people. If the Manchu court launches a large-scale attack this time, what are our chances of winning? Besides the three thousand-plus combat soldiers you have, the rest are old, weak, women, and children. They can indeed shoot guns, but they haven’t been trained for long, so how good can their shooting be? I know each of you harbors deep hatred for the Manchu Tatars. But I don’t want to make meaningless sacrifices. What’s the point of sacrificing everyone at once? Each of us must live, and live better than before. My destiny is in my hands, not in the heavens. What I want, I must strive for with my own hands, but do not make meaningless sacrifices.”
“Leader, then what do you say we do? We’ll all listen to you.”
“Good, everyone listen to me. We must not contend with the enemy for every city and every inch of land. With our current strength, directly confronting the enemy is very unwise. Our current Ningyuan City and Huludao Island are both close to the sea. Now we also have three warships. I plan to use some coastal islands as bases. Not only can this allow us to temporarily avoid the enemy’s military might, but it can also cut off the enemy’s maritime trade. In the future, we can seize smuggled goods from the south at any time. We can go ashore along the coast and raid the Manchu hinterland at any time.”
Everyone thought the leader’s idea was feasible. They just didn’t know which islands to occupy first. So, one by one, they looked at Tianbao, waiting for his answer.
Tianbao looked at Cao Bianbiao and Zhang Dabiao.
“You two, have you forgotten that the night we took Ningyuan City, I already mentioned a good place?”