Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 205 Great Harvest
"Solomon Islands, what are you doing..."

"After we take it, we'll each get half. It's said that the Melanesians in the Solomon Islands are of good quality. The men are tall and strong, suitable for slavery. The women are healthy and plump. Although their skin is a little dark, it won't affect the boys' use."

"This……"

Major General Dong Kuifa was moved by the other party's words. After thinking it over carefully, he slapped his thigh and said, "I'm free here anyway, so I'll do it."

Legend has it that the Solomon Islands is a place rich in gold and silver. As early as 1568, when the Spanish navigator Mendanha de Neira arrived here.

He saw that the indigenous people were all wearing glittering gold ornaments and thought he had found the golden treasure house of King Solomon in the Bible, so he named this place the Solomon Islands.

This archipelago is indeed rich in natural resources, with large deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. Unfortunately, no one has mined them even after 150 years.

"Okay..." Major General Zhou Laonian stretched out his big hand, and the two men shook hands tightly, reaching a temporary alliance.

It was already early December and the rainy season had begun.

It was sunny in the morning, but by 10 o'clock in the morning, the sky was overcast and it looked like it was going to rain.

Now that you have made the decision, take action immediately.

Major General Zhou Laonian ordered all construction to be stopped, leaving behind a militia of more than a hundred men and 50 muskets to guard the camp, while all others boarded the ship, ready to begin a new voyage of conquest.

With the dock and pier, things moved quickly. More than an hour after the order was issued, more than 5 officers and soldiers were assembled and boarded five large sailing ships.

The fleet immediately cast off and set sail, slowly heading towards the exit of the bay, forming a clear column of geese.

Major General Dong Kuifa's flagship, the "Zhenhai", took the lead, leading four sailing cargo ships in succession.

As the fleet left the bay, heavy rain suddenly came from the sky, crackling and turning the surrounding sky and earth into a kingdom of white rain.

This is not a tropical storm formation, just an area of ​​rainfall covering the Moresby area.

The expeditionary fleet was sailing with full sails, cutting through the waves on the sea. It didn't take long for it to break through the rain area. There was bright sunshine ahead, with light wind and calm waves.

Around 6:00 PM the next day

After more than 30 hours of sailing, the expeditionary fleet entered the port of Honiara on Guadalcanal Island, the largest island in the Solomon Islands, one after another when the sky was filled with sunset glow, attracting widespread attention.

Honiara Port

Hundreds of fishing canoes are returning to the port one after another. The main body of this indigenous offshore fishing boat is made of a very thick log that is planed in the middle.

Then, wooden sticks as thick as calves were used to make diagonal braces to form a mother-and-child hull structure with sails on top to help with wind power, so that it can adapt to the larger winds and waves in the western Pacific Ocean.

On the pier

Some white people and many black people came forward with surprised expressions. They didn't know where this huge fleet of sailing ships came from and whether they had any malicious intentions.
The large sailing ship of the "Zhenhai" expedition task force docked directly at the pier, and the accompanying sailboats also came up one after another.

The atmosphere on the dock instantly became tense as fully armed soldiers in neat rows came down from the ship, along with swordsmen holding rattan shields in one hand and sharp blades in the other.

Many black people were so scared that they screamed and ran away. The originally peaceful and lively dock immediately became chaotic and fell into chaos.

When Major General Zhou Laonian got off the warship, the troops on the dock had already formed up and were standing solemnly on the left and right, with an unconcealable murderous aura.

At the dock, a dozen white people came to greet them, followed by dozens of black servants.

The leader was a tall old man with a slightly gray beard. His gray-blue eyes were sharp and there was no fear in his expression.

Seeing Major General Zhou Laonian arriving at the dock accompanied by more than ten officers, he took the initiative to greet him and said in English, "Where are our distinguished guests from afar? The people of the Solomon Islands are warm and hospitable and are willing to provide all possible assistance to your fleet, but please do not harm them."

The white interpreter Claude translated the words. He was one of the white people who learned oriental languages ​​the fastest after coming to the Hainan Islands. He was directly hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Great Chu Kingdom from the identity of a technical worker and was given a clerk's salary.

After listening to the translation, Major General Zhou Laonian frowned and asked, "Who are you... Which country are you negotiating with me on behalf of?"

Claude translated the words, and the old white man was visibly stunned. He hesitated and replied;
"I'm sorry, but I'm not negotiating with you on behalf of any country. I'm Stefanberg, a merchant from Amsterdam. I don't hold any noble status. I humbly ask your army not to harm the people here."

"Well, get out of here now!"

After hearing these impolite words, Steffienberg looked like a balloon that had been punctured. His expression became obviously withered and he stood aside silently.

At this time, a white man who looked obviously Latino stood up and said indignantly in English: "Listen, guys, you can't come here like robbers, kick down the door and take whatever you want. My family has been doing business here for more than 120 years. This is our territory."

"Tell me your name and nationality?"

"I am a businessman protected by the Spanish royal family. My family is the Juan family from Madrid. You can call me Mr. Domingo."

"Hmm!" Major General Zhou Laonian just said "Hmm" and took two steps back. The dozen or so white men looked a little confused, wondering why the general had retreated.
Soon, they understood.

Captain Bian Guangliang, commander of the Moresby Battalion, drew the revolver from his waist, which was already loaded with bullets before he got off the ship.

He raised his hand, pointed the gun at Mr. Domingo's head, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Bang..." a crisp gunshot

Mr. Fedomingo was immediately shot in the head, and red and white splattered everywhere, splashing the several white people around him everywhere, and they screamed in panic.

Mr. Frederic Domingo fell to the ground without a word, deader than dead.

It turned out that the general took two steps back because he was afraid that these things would splash on him.

Then, Major General Zhou Laonian waved his hand and decisively ordered, "Use infantry platoons as units and attack in separate directions. I want to control this town before sunset. Move!"

"As you command, General."

An infantry platoon consists of more than 30 people, plus more than 60 sword and shield soldiers who are involved in the operation, totaling less than people.

According to the usual combat methods of the army of the Great Chu Kingdom, this expeditionary force was quickly divided into eleven small teams, which rushed in from all directions like a whirlwind and began to conquer the island.

Gunshots and screams rang out everywhere. The sword and shield soldiers suppressed the enemy fiercely in the front, while the musketeers carried out fire suppression in the back, which was both quick and efficient.

Honiara was just a small bay town of three to four thousand people, and it fell completely in just over half an hour.

There are more than 700 islands in the entire Solomon Islands, of which about thirty or forty are inhabited. The most populous island is the main island, Guadalcanal, with an area of ​​6475 square kilometers and a population of about 2.75 indigenous people, accounting for about 4% of the population of the entire Solomon Islands.

The largest city is the port of Honiara, which has many European-style buildings and is home to about two hundred and thirty to forty people of white descent, including British, French, Dutch and Spanish.

Among them, the majority are Spanish, accounting for more than half.

After a friendly conversation with Mr. Stefenberg, the Chinese soldiers, led by these white people who were familiar with the area, looted nearly twenty local Spanish families, killed more than twenty resisting Spanish white men, and then occupied the houses.

As for the white descendants of other nationalities, no harm was done.

Husband and wife are originally birds of the same forest, they fly separately when disaster strikes.

Faced with the ferocious conquering army of the Great Chu Kingdom, these local white people had no choice but to become turtles.

These local white people have no government background and no direct connections to Europe, so it is even more impossible for European powers to stand up and speak a fair word.

Their own interests were not harmed, but the Spaniards and the indigenous islanders were harmed. Faced with these ferocious Chu troops, the local white people chose to protect themselves and cooperate with the Chu regime occupying the Solomon Islands.

The army of the Great Chu Kingdom then looted the local indigenous nobles and chiefs. The soldiers came out in high spirits, dressed in silk and satin, and smiling.

They talked to each other about their gains. This easy and pleasant looting allowed each soldier to make a small fortune.

Many sailors on the fleet also participated, and they all gained something, and they were all smiling.

Conquering this small indigenous archipelago is as easy as eating and drinking water.

The generals above did not care about the soldiers' private possession of some small amounts of gold, silver and jewelry, and the bulk of the loot was not those, but the population.

The following week

Four large sailing ships filled with black slaves were continuously transported to Moresby. Even the Zhenhai sailing ship joined in. This sailing ship alone was filled with black slaves and could transport more than 4 people at a time.

Three consecutive transfers were made, and 1.15 people were transferred to Moresby, of which % were male black slaves.

After this catastrophe, the population of Guadalcanal Island dropped by more than half.

The following year, Chinese immigrants migrated in large numbers and soon became the masters of the Solomon Islands, but that is another story.

Major General Zhou Laonian raised the flag of the King of Great Chu in Honiara, declared the archipelago the sacred and indivisible territory of the Kingdom of Great Chu, and left more than 300 officers and soldiers to garrison, specifically a company of more than 200 officers and soldiers plus sword and shield soldiers.

The expedition fleet then set sail, with five large sailing ships carrying more than 5 young indigenous women, heading back towards the Hainan Islands. It was truly a fruitful journey.

Of course, they cannot enjoy these benefits alone.

At least half of the tribute should be given to His Majesty the King of Chu, and the other military commanders should get a little share. It's good for everyone, and the only ones who suffer are the indigenous Pacific islanders.

But in this world where the strong prey on the weak, no one speaks up for the weak. This is the cruel reality.

(End of this chapter)