Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 166 Natuna Island
"Bang" the fat sailor stretched out his hand to grab Youlan, but was hit by a punch from Huang Ping who reacted quickly. He staggered back and fell to the ground.

"Bastard, tie him up!" The first mate was very angry. He came to the fat sailor and kicked him twice, feeling unsatisfied.

No one pleaded for the fat sailor. After kicking him a few times, the first mate ordered two sailors to tie him up. Huang Ping and others were taken to the bottom of the cabin to await punishment the next morning.

The conflict was successfully resolved, and more than a dozen drunk 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 was quietly observing the Inderwood not far away.

"Sir, why don't we quietly approach and capture this merchant ship?" A lame man at the bow of the armed ship suggested while staring at the coolie boat through the telescope.

"No, we have already entered the South Seas. It is only two days' sailing distance from the British Straits Settlements. The disappearance of a merchant ship without reason will alert the British. It is better to let them go and continue on our way."

Sun Bin explained, gazing at the boats with oil lamps lit on the sea.

"Yes, sir." The lame man nodded without refutation.

The armed ships continued to hide in the darkness. After a while, the coolie boat went farther and farther away, and finally disappeared from the sight of Sun Bin and others.

After the coolie boats went away, the armed ships turned on their lights and the surrounding sea suddenly became bright.

"Brother Chen, signal the two ships behind and ask them to come closer."

"Hey." The lame man answered, turned to give a few instructions to a sailor beside him, and then came to Sun Bin.

"Sir, how long will it take us to reach our destination?"

"We'll be there soon." Sun Bin took a glass-covered oil lamp and spread out the nautical chart by the light: "Natuna Island is to our east. We can reach it after daybreak."

Ah Chen came forward and found a small spot along the spot where Sun Bin pointed. He smiled and said, "After several months of tossing and turning on the sea, it's finally coming to an end."

The voyage from Rio Grande do Sul to the South Pacific is tens of thousands of miles, and the more than three months of sea voyage is boring. No wonder Ah Chen smiled when he heard that he was about to arrive at the destination.

"The southern African ports and the Indian Ocean region are all foreign territories. If there weren't dozens of Germans on our ship, those foreigners might have asked for more benefits."

After three modified steam-powered ships, one with a displacement of 1,000 tons and two with a displacement of 600 tons, sailed out of South America, they disguised themselves as Brazilian merchant ships. More than 20 German foreign sailors on board served as fleet leaders. After making some arrangements along the way, they obtained supplies from several ports such as the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

"The Brazilians were badly defeated by the prince. Outside of South America, we still have to act like Brazilians. It really makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Brother Chen, don't worry. The Principality of Rio Grande do Sul was originally affiliated with the Brazilian Empire. There is nothing wrong with us flying the Brazilian flag." Sun Bin joked with a smile.

"That's true, but seeing those foreigners acting so arrogantly, I just can't swallow my anger."

"Survival of the fittest. The current status of the foreigners is the result of their adventures and struggles at sea for more than 300 years. If we want to gain their respect, we must have sufficient strength. Otherwise, if we only make weak protests, we will only be greeted by the foreigners' cannons and huge ships."

Rio Grande do Sul is tens of thousands of miles away from the mainland. The disadvantageous situation of being isolated overseas and surrounded by foreign races not only made Li Mingyuan vigilant, but also made other Chinese and Chinese workers who followed him feel a sense of crisis, always worried that the Brazilians would come back and take back their land. With this sense of crisis, the National Defense Army, from senior officers to ordinary soldiers, understood that in order to protect the hard-won land and wives, they had to sharpen their muskets and be ready for battle at any time.

The Chinese in Rio Grande do Sul were all from the lowest class of coolies, and a few educated people like Sun Bin were oppressed by the Qing government and participated in the rebellion. Naturally, they would not support the Qing government and accept the idea of ​​enslaving the gentry and becoming obedient slaves.

Sun Bin looked at Ah Chen who had lost a leg with a determined look, 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 science. Compared with the powerful rise of the Chinese in South America, a moment of grievance is nothing."

"What the adults have taught me is true, Ah Chen understands."

Ah Chen nodded and stopped complaining.

"Haha, Brother Chen is an old brother from the Heavenly Kingdom. You have seen how powerful the foreign warships are under the city of Tianjing, right?" Seeing that the two ships behind had not arrived yet, Sun Bin spoke a few more words to Chen.

"When defending Tianjing, foreign warships sailed into the Yangtze River. A cannonball could hit a target ten miles away, and when a cannonball landed on the top of the city wall, it could kill dozens of people at once," Ah Chen recalled.

"The foreigners' artillery and warships are extremely fierce. The Qing government has plundered a lot of money, but they have not asked the foreigners for large warships. Ah Chen, why don't you buy large warships?"

"The Manchus are not good at naval warfare, and they are afraid that the warships they buy will fall into the hands of the Han people." Ah Chen thought for a while and replied.

"You are both right and wrong. One reason why the Qing Dynasty was wary of Chinese people controlling warships was that the people in power in mainland China were the Manchus and the Han Chinese landlords who read the Four Books and Five Classics. They did not understand science and technology, and even if they bought warships, they would not be able to find sailors who could operate them."

Sun Bin was telling the truth. The Qing Dynasty purchased warships and established the Beiyang Fleet seven or eight years later. At that time, the mainland had just put down the Taiping Rebellion, the northwest region was in rebellion, and the southwest region was facing external interference. The crisis on land occupied the main attention of the Qing government, 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 ironclad ships have been assigned to the navy, and two custom-made ironclad ships from Britain are under construction. On the surface, Rio Grande do Sul already has a large-scale navy. 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 been learning from them for nearly a year and still have not reached the level of driving warships alone. The navy is an aristocratic branch of the military in various countries. Driving ironclad ships and ocean voyages require the knowledge and skills of career change. Distinguishing the course, exploring hydrology and geography, and avoiding storms during long voyages are not problems that can be learned overnight. Therefore, Li Mingyuan not only invited foreign naval officers to teach the newly established naval officers and soldiers navigation knowledge on board, but also more than 20 foreigners were responsible for guiding Chinese sailors on the three steam engines sailing to the South Seas.

After hearing what Sun Bin said, Ah Chen turned his head and looked at the Germans who were busy on the ship, and understood: "The foreign navy is powerful. I wish our navy could be as good as theirs."

"Don't worry, you'll see it one day." Sun Bin smiled and patted his shoulder. ...

The two ships sailing behind met up with Sun Bin. After several fleet leaders reported the situation of each ship, the three ships sped up under the cover of night. In the early morning of the next day, Great Natuna Island appeared in Sun Bin's sight.

"Ah Chen, there are several small fishing boats on the sea. Take one of the boats over, bring them on board, and ask about the situation on the island."

Although Ah Chen had a lame leg, he was very strong. After receiving the order, he stepped over the small boat and entered another boat, heading towards the small 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 ships approaching in the distance, they thought they were foreigners and rowed back desperately in fear.

The armed merchant ship driven by Ah Chen was powered by a steam engine. It quickly passed the fishing boats behind it and drove in front of the fastest fishing boat, blocking them.

"Don't be afraid, we are all Han Chinese, don't panic."

Ah Chen stood at the bow and shouted. Seeing that they could not escape, the fishing boats below did not dare to move and obediently gathered together according to the instructions of the people on the big ship.

"Little brother, we are merchants sailing in South America. We won't hurt you. Don't be afraid."

Sun Bin looked at the frightened young fishermen in a gentle tone and explained, "I invited you here to ask you a few questions. After that, we will let you go. There is no need to panic."

"Please speak, sir." Sun Bin persuaded him gently. The young fisherman's fear was greatly reduced, and he spoke respectfully.

"Are you fishermen from the big island ahead?"

"My family is from Guangxi and immigrated to the island ten years ago. They have been living on the island ever since."

"Oh, what a coincidence. I'm also from Guangxi, so we're all from the same hometown." Sun Bin chatted about his hometown for a while and then asked, "How many residents are there on the island? Are there any outsiders occupying the island?"

"There are about 3,000 to 4,000 people on the island, most of them are Han Chinese. Only a few indigenous people live in the mountains and forests, and they often come out of the mountains 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 elderly and weak Chinese people gathered together, looking vigilantly at the three large ships anchored in the harbor.

"Sir, do you want to send someone to explain?" Ah Chen couldn't help but speak as he looked at the old and weak Han people on the island holding various weapons.

"Well, we are here to help our fellow countrymen in Nanyang. We cannot let them misunderstand us. Send two brothers to go with the fishermen who just boarded the boat and explain our purpose to them."

Two Han sailors armed with muskets accompanied five or six fishermen off the boat and came to the shore. After the two explained their origins to the people on the shore, the crowd became agitated. More than 30 young men surrounded the two sailors, while several elderly men in the lead were arguing, apparently having not made up their minds.

"Don't wait any longer. Order the troops on board to disembark. Three armed ships should fire warning cannons at sea."

First the use of courtesy, then force. Sun Bin explained that he wanted to bring Natuna Island under the rule of Rio Grande do Sul, which naturally infringed on the interests of the original ruling class on the island. They failed to reach a consensus among themselves, so Sun Bin had to demonstrate his true strength to force them into submission.

As the cannon fire rang out, more than 300 soldiers waded down the water and quickly landed on the shore. Rows of soldiers armed with advanced muskets marched in unison and approached the enemy step by step.

"Master Chen, let's retreat. We are no match for them. Just agree to their request!"

"Yes, Dad, they have more people and more guns. We can't defeat them."

The approaching sailors posed a great threat to the Han people on the shore. Most of the people who had gathered had already retreated and dared not confront the people on the ship.

"Well, let's all go. They have the final say in the village from now on. I won't be in charge anymore." The leading village chief waved his hands helplessly. When the others heard him give in, they left and dispersed, not daring to block the sailors' way.

Sun Bin used simple and crude direct threats 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, unified all Han forces on Natuna Island, and established the initial foundation for his rule.

During the few days of unifying the forces on the island, they encountered some minor obstacles. A Han village, relying on the two or three hundred young and strong men in the village, gathered people to resist. As a result, they were defeated by the army of more than one hundred people who arrived and shot and the village chief who led the resistance was executed in public, and all his land and property were confiscated.

After decisively executing the rebellious village chief, the remaining Han villages immediately accepted the reality of the new rulers and dared not resist.

(End of this chapter)