Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 212 Breaking the rules
"Do you really want to go against us?" Seeing that the young leader rejected his "persuasion to surrender" without any hesitation, Sun Yonghuai's face suddenly became embarrassed.

Do you really think that a few cannons and dozens of muskets can withstand the all-out attack of our thousands of troops?
"General..." Zhong Minghui looked at him sincerely. "You are rebelling, attempting to seize control of Denglai, the Liaohai Islands, and even Lushun and other places. You will never succeed. The Ming court will not tolerate your actions. We will mobilize the troops from Liaodong and the various garrisons within the Great Wall to annihilate you completely."

"If you persist in your own way, refuse to repent, and insist on taking such a risk, the ultimate outcome will be death. You will bring disaster upon your loved ones and future generations, and you will be despised by the world."

"Hmph, what we have done is due to the injustice of the court, the unrighteousness of the gentry, and the bullying of our superiors, which has led to our current situation. But no matter what, I will not allow you, a mere overseas merchant, to judge us." Sun Yonghuai snorted coldly, stood up, dusted off his clothes and armor, and was about to leave.

"...Hey, let me ask you something," Zhong Minghui stopped him, "If you were to capture our island, would you really commit an indiscriminate massacre?"

"You brought this upon yourselves!" Sun Yonghuai said coldly.

Are you scared?

If you surrender quickly, you might be spared!
"You Ming Dynasty soldiers..." Zhong Minghui sighed. "Your food, clothing, and daily necessities—which one isn't provided for by the Ming people? Yet, you have no desire to repay your loyalty to the court, and you can't protect the people. You only know how to massacre cities and destroy lands, wreaking havoc on the local people, and you blindly turn your knives against your own people."

"Ask yourselves honestly: are your actions worthy of the people, worthy of the country, and worthy of your own conscience?"

"..."Sun Yonghuai stood there sneering without responding.

What's the point of you talking to us about the righteousness of the court and the people?
I am a soldier who eats food and gets paid to fight in wars, but I don’t consider whether I have a conscience or not!

Besides, how much is conscience worth? How much can it buy for food?

"General Sun, let me ask you seriously again, don't you have the slightest concern for the people?" Zhong Minghui looked at him intently. "At this point, do you still have any conscience?"

"What if I don't have the people in my heart? What if I don't have a conscience..."

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say any more!" Zhong Minghui interrupted him and gave him a look of disdain. "Since you've lost all conscience, there's no need for you to stay in this world and continue to harm others."

Well, maybe this guy will follow Kong Youde and other traitors to surrender to the Qing army and commit more murders.

Since this is the case, it is better to kill it in advance to prevent future troubles.

"Huh?..." Sun Yonghuai looked at him in surprise.

"Xiaobao, kill him."

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Yonghuai was immediately grabbed by the arms by two armed guards, his helmet was knocked to the ground, and he was dragged outside.

"You bold villains, how dare you kill the envoy without permission..." Sun Yonghuai was dragged for a few steps before he came to his senses. He was immediately shocked and angry.

When two armies are fighting, they do not kill the envoys!

Do you understand the rules?
"Oh, by the way, when you kill someone, remember to remove his armor to avoid getting it dirty." Zhong Minghui ignored his struggles and cries, and shouted from behind, "Also, find a way to seize the rebels' boats later. Don't let them get away."

"Marshal..." Liu Yanyang, the refugee manager from Xizhai (now Xibang Village on Haiyang Island), who was standing nearby, advised, "There's no need to jeopardize our relationship with the rebels. Perhaps this will leave us a chance for recovery later."

"Old Liu, you're overthinking it." Zhong Minghui shook his head and said, "No matter what we do, Mao Chenglu and his rebels will take all the food here. And the thousands of refugees on the island will be picked, young and strong, to serve as the rebels' vanguard cannon fodder. In the end, everyone here will die."

"Without exception!"

"Oh..." Liu Yanyang sighed when he heard this.

In this world, why doesn’t the people have a way to survive?

On land, they were slaughtered and looted at will by the Jiannu army; on the island, they were bullied and oppressed by the Dongjiang garrison.

After finally escaping to the remote place of Taoyuan where they could beg for survival, they were attacked by rebels again.

Although this "Marshal Zhong" acted rashly and spoke bluntly, he also spoke the truth. Even when they faced the rebel attack, they did not resist and allowed them to occupy the island.

But they would certainly take away all the food on the island to feed the rebels and continue their rebellion.

It is no surprise that the thousands of refugees stranded here will be coerced by the rebels, forced to become their minions, and then sent to charge into battle, becoming cannon fodder whose lives are as worthless as grass.

Without food and military protection, the remaining refugees have no chance of survival in this chaotic Liaohai!
Now it seems that they can only repel the rebels if they are united and work together under the leadership of "Marshal Zhong".
-
April 4, Phi Island.

When Huang Long, the temporary commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town Affairs, was about to board the warship, he suddenly felt confused and had a bad premonition, so he turned around and looked at the generals who were seeing him off.

"General, do you have anything else to tell me?" Shen Shikui, the deputy commander of Dongjiang Town, was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled and asked softly, "If you have an order, we will obey it, even if it means death!"

"After I leave, the responsibility of Pi Island will be entrusted to you." Huang Long looked at the "Master Shen," a man of great experience in Dongjiang Town, and said solemnly, "The Liaohai Islands and the important town of Lushun have all fallen into the hands of the bandits. This is a disaster that Dongjiang Town has not experienced in over ten years."

"Although I am not a talented general, I am employed by the emperor and must be loyal to him. I must do my utmost to support the cause and defeat the rebels to repay the court. The future is uncertain and the battle is difficult. Even if it means death, I will wade through the water and penetrate the enemy's heart."

"If the army leaves the island and the Jiannu attack, I ask General Shen to do his utmost to maintain the situation and protect the foundation of Dongjiang Town. We must not let the Jiannu take advantage of us and ensure the safety of tens of thousands of islanders."

"General, rest assured!" Shen Shikui clasped his fists and bowed, then replied in a deep voice, "As long as I, Shen, remain on the island, I will ensure the safety of Pi Island and prevent the Jiannu from succeeding."

"Thank you!" Huang Long looked at him steadily, nodded and said, "In that case, I, Huang, will go."

"General..." Shen Shikui hesitated for a moment, called Huang Long, stepped forward, and whispered, "General, you are leading the troops to suppress the rebellion this time. I would like to wish you victory and all the best in advance. However, I have an unwelcome request that I would still need your help..."

"Oh?" Huang Long paused, looking curiously at the cunning Master Shen. "I wonder what General Shen has to teach me?"

"Ten days ago, a naval patrol reported that Mao Chenglu's troops on Guanglu Island were aggressively attacking the Liaohai Islands. They were extremely aggressive, successively capturing dozens of islands, large and small, and causing severe damage. Currently, thousands of Mao's troops are besieging Kuniang Island, seeking the tens of thousands of dan of grain there."

"If the garrison commander sends troops to wipe out the various Liao tribes, he might as well relieve this island first to prevent the rebels from obtaining food. Uh, sir, the foreign merchants stationed on this island have some friendship with me, Shen, so I don't want to see them fall into danger. I beg you to relieve their predicament with lightning speed."

"The Mao tribe has been wreaking havoc in the Liao Sea for over a month, seizing countless islands. Can they still escape unscathed?"

"I think... we can hold on." Shen Shikui answered uncertainly.

"A mere foreign merchant, without any army to defend it, can they really hold on?"

"My lord, they have artillery."

"Huh?..." Huang Long widened his eyes and looked at him in disbelief when he heard that.

What? You sold them the artillery in the army?
This time, I led the troops to suppress the rebellion and repeatedly asked you for a few red cannons, but you always refused my request on the grounds that it was inconvenient to carry and transport them when fighting at sea.

But I didn't expect that you would actually sell the artillery that you regarded as your treasure to foreign merchants and deploy it on such an unimportant island like the Weeping Mother Island.

This is so fucking hurtful!

Thinking back to the mutiny launched by Geng Zhongyu (Geng Zhongming's younger brother) and others in October last year, it was most likely instigated by him, which almost cost him his life in Pi Island.

Mr. Shen is so unkind.

"Sir, including the several cannons on my Pi Island, they were all made by these foreign merchants." Shen Shikui saw his expression and knew that he had misunderstood, so he smiled and explained, "These foreign merchants are very resourceful. They were able to get these powerful red cannons through the Portuguese through the oyster mirror."

"Oh, I understand." Huang Long's heart moved, and an idea came to his mind.

"When I go to Lushun, I will lead my troops to Weeping Mother Island first!"

(End of this chapter)