Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 502 "Colleagues" (Part Two)
"Master Shen, we're really in dire straits! We beg you... we beg you to remember our past service under Commander Mao and help us out..."

Under Shen Shikui's piercing gaze, Cao Shaozhong, with a sob in his voice, slammed his head heavily on the ground, making a dull thud.

"Give you a hand?" Shen Shikui sneered. "Don't end up raising a tiger only to be hurt by it! Don't forget, back when you fled from Dengzhou and Laizhou, I personally led troops to intercept you at the mouth of the Yalu River and killed Geng Zhongming's younger brother, Geng Zhongyu! Do you think Geng Zhongming can forget this blood debt? He probably hates me to the bone!"

"Master Shen, you've misunderstood! It's a huge misunderstanding!" Cao Shaozhong hurriedly looked up to explain, and in his haste, he subconsciously reached into his pocket.

His bodyguards reacted swiftly, pounced on him, pinned him to the ground, and roughly pulled a warm letter from his arms.

"Master Shen! Master Shen!" Cao Shaozhong struggled, his face pressed to the ground, and shouted hoarsely, "That letter was written to you personally by General Geng Zhongming! He said that back then we served different masters, and his brother's death was fate, not your fault! He can swear to heaven that he has no resentment whatsoever, and dares not have the slightest thought of revenge! Master Shen, you can see for yourself when you read it!"

Shen Shikui took the letter from his guard, weighed it between his fingers, but didn't open it. He simply tossed it onto the table beside him, his gaze still coldly fixed on Cao Shaozhong, who was pinned to the ground: "Hmph, I, Shen Shikui, have fought my way through Liaodong for decades. Do you think I'm afraid of Geng Zhongming's grudge and revenge? Even if he were standing in front of me right now with a knife in his hand, if I, Shen Shikui, blinked, he would win!"

“Master Shen…” Cao Shaozhong was in tears, looking utterly disheveled.

“You want to buy weapons, this is no small matter.” Shen Shikui’s tone softened slightly, and he waved his hand. “You can stay on the island for now, and be well taken care of. I need to think this over carefully.”

"Please, Master Shen, have mercy on me..." Cao Shaozhong was dragged up from the ground by his guards and staggered out of the hall, still pleading incessantly.

The side hall finally fell silent again, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire burning in the ground.

Shen Shikui slowly leaned back in the large chair covered with thick bearskin, raising his hand to vigorously massage his throbbing temples.

In recent years, through cooperation with Xinhua people, Dongjiang Town has successively acquired more than 1,500 high-quality flintlock muskets and more than 20 field artillery pieces.

In terms of the sophistication of firearms and the completeness of equipment, Dongjiang Town can be considered the best among the towns in Liaodong that are now in dire straits.

Therefore, a large number of old-fashioned muskets and three-barreled guns discarded by the army, as well as piles of rusty swords, spears, bows and arrows, are now sitting idle in the island's warehouses, almost forgotten.

If he sold these "junk" items to Kong Youde in exchange for valuable furs, ginseng, and pearls, he could not only fill his own pockets but also seemingly do a favor for his "old colleague." It seemed like a sure-fire way to make money.

But deep in his heart, there was always a taut string hanging in the air.

New Chinese!
As far as he knew, the influence of the new Chinese had already penetrated into the northeastern part of Korea and even further north into the frozen plains. They had established strong settlements in places such as Suanbao (now Zarubino, Russia) and Yongmyeongbao (now Vladivostok) north of Hamgyong Province, and relocated tens of thousands of refugees to settle and cultivate the land.

These places were only a hundred miles away from the territory occupied by Kong Youde, so close that they could hear each other's chickens and dogs.

If the weapons were sold to Kong Youde, these lawless rebels would turn around and attack the Xinhua strongholds... the consequences would be unimaginable.

This would not only completely destroy the currently highly profitable "Northern Goods" trade, but could also invite fierce retaliation from the new Chinese community.

Through years of covert observation and transactions, Shen Shikui was all too aware of the strength of Xinhua people.

They possess more than a dozen heavily armed outposts in Liaodong and even the entire northern sea area, as well as a small but powerful naval fleet with formidable warships and fierce cannon fire.

Although their warships were still mainly Fujian and Guangdong ships, several of their main gunboats, which were of the Western barbarian style, were quite different from the norm. Their firepower was so fierce and their speed so fast that the Dongjiang Town navy could not compete with them at all.

Although the New China's land forces seem small, perhaps only three to five thousand men if they were to go all out, they might not be able to capture key fortresses such as Pi Island and Tieshan, which they have been building up for many years.

But they don't need to launch a landing assault at all. With their powerful navy, they can simply surround Pi Island like an iron barrel, completely cutting off all external supplies such as food, medicine, and military pay.

Before long, Dongjiang Town, isolated at sea, will collapse without a fight.

Therefore, whether for his own bulging wallet or for the life and death of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Dongjiang Town, Shen Shikui would never dare to risk offending Xinhua people or to support a "traitorous colleague" who might bring him annihilation.

The fact that Dongjiang Town was able to struggle out of the desperate situation of being on the verge of starvation and freezing cold, and recover to its current state of having a strong army and even being able to occasionally take the initiative to strike at the Qing invaders, is entirely due to the close cooperation between it and the new Chinese.

They provided not only food and weapons, but also fortification techniques, training methods, and even strategic support.

The towering forts on Pi Island, the fortress on Tieshan that instilled fear in the enemy, and the massive grain reserves deep within Yuncong Island all owe their existence to the guidance and assistance of Xinhua craftsmen.

His most elite pure firearms battalion was trained by Xinhua instructors and was a formidable force, renowned throughout the region.

"Father, you wanted to see me?" The cotton curtain in the side hall was lifted, and a cold wind carrying the smell of alcohol swept in. Shen Zhixiang, the deputy general of Dongjiang Town and Shen Shikui's nephew, strode in, his face still flushed from the banquet. "Shen Zhong just said that Kong Youde sent someone?"

Shen Shikui nodded and briefly explained Cao Shaozhong's purpose and his own concerns.

"Father, this is absolutely unacceptable!" Upon hearing this, Shen Zhixiang sobered up considerably and immediately and firmly dissuaded him. "Selling the weapons to Kong Youde is tantamount to handing him a handle, which will lead to endless troubles and will completely offend the Xinhua people, cutting off our own arm!"

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was worried about.” Shen Shikui pushed a cup of freshly brewed hot tea toward his nephew. “Therefore, tomorrow morning, you should personally take a fast boat to Ku Niang Island (now Haiyang Island) and bring the handwritten letters from Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming intact to present to Commander Zhong for his review. Also, try to find out their opinions on this matter.”

Shen Zhixiang took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. The warmth dispelled the chill from his body. "Father, rest assured, I will go and prepare the boats and manpower right away. We will set off at dawn tomorrow."

He put down his teacup, picked up the two rather heavy letters from the table, carefully tucked them into his pocket, looked up and smiled, then lowered his voice and said, "Perhaps... the Xinhua people can give us some advice on how to get as much benefit as possible from Kong Youde, this fat sheep, without causing any trouble?"

"Oh?" Shen Shikui raised an eyebrow. "You think... Xinhua would agree to trade arms with Kong Youde?"

“This is just my guess,” Shen Zhixiang said thoughtfully. “The people of Xinhua have always been far-sighted in their actions. They seem extremely reluctant to see the situation of our Great Ming Dynasty completely collapse. If Kong Youde and his group can really gain a foothold in Hamgyong Province, they might even be willing to turn around and take a bite out of the Tartars to relieve some of the pressure in Liaodong… Perhaps, in their eyes, this force is not entirely without value. Some limited and controllable assistance is not impossible.”

"..." Shen Shikui pondered for a long time, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table, and finally waved his hand, "Alright, you go and prepare first. We'll talk about everything after we meet Commander Zhong."

"Yes!" Shen Zhixiang bowed and quickly withdrew.

The hall fell silent again.

Shen Shikui walked to the table, picked up the few snow-white fox pelts that Cao Shaozhong had brought, and felt the extreme softness and smoothness of the fur with his fingers.

It is indeed a rare and excellent product!

If the Xinhua News Agency agrees... perhaps they can really make a fine cloak for each of the beautiful women in the inner quarters.

He picked up the warm copper hand warmer again and put it in his pocket. The just-right warmth spread slowly from his palm, dispelling the chill of the night and the chaotic thoughts in his heart.

Perhaps this year's Spring Festival will be a little more peaceful.
-
(End of this chapter)