Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 650 How could these ignorant natives possess such terrifying weapons?!
"The leader taught us that we should be fair and just in our conduct."

“I, Luo Dagang, would never deliberately suppress or humiliate you just because you are Baiqiang Guifang.”

Inside a prisoner-of-war camp, Luo Dagang, temporarily in charge of guarding and assigning prisoners, shouted through a megaphone to the large group of prisoners before him, "I assure you, all job assignments will be absolutely fair and just!"

The interpreter, who was also holding a megaphone, hurriedly began translating.

This is a temporary prisoner-of-war camp, and in front of you are thousands of British prisoners of war who have been brought in.

After a series of necessary procedures, including the removal of officers, eleven-killing, denunciation, etc., the remaining English prisoners of war were sent here for purification and education, awaiting reassignment.

Seeing that the Baiqiang and Guifang tribesmen had no reaction, Luo Dagang cleared his throat, handed over the work here to the real officers, turned around, mounted his horse, and returned to camp to find his wife, Su Sanniang.

He was temporarily assigned to this task by Chief Lin, and he was to leave as soon as he finished his work, as he still needed to prepare for the attack on Songjiang Prefecture.

Once he left, the guards at the prisoner-of-war camp immediately stopped smiling.

One by one, they stepped forward, whips in hand, to drive away the prisoners of war.

"Queue up! Queue up!"

"Everyone, line up properly!"

They took off their clothes, shaved their heads, and jumped into a large, dark-colored bucket of water to disinfect themselves.

They emerged shivering from the buckets and were each given a set of blue and white striped clothing.

If the camp also had a large communal bathroom, plus a factory that was constantly emitting smoke, the sense of déjà vu would be even stronger.

Fortunately, Lin Dao wouldn't go so far as to do such a thing.

If you want to get rid of them, just deal with them directly; there's no need to go through all that trouble.

He doesn't need any more soap!

The prisoners were broken up and grouped into modular tents of five.

It's a large tent that combines multiple tents to form a structure almost as big as a house.

Several Green Standard Army soldiers were already living inside, and they were amazed when they saw these White Qiang and Gui Fang people.

"They really are foreign devils."

The bald Green Standard Army soldiers curiously sized up the new recruits.

"Behave yourselves." The guard came in and scolded a few times, "No trouble allowed."

The Green Standard Army soldiers nodded and bowed to show they obeyed, but as soon as the guards left, they immediately changed their tune and told the rest of them, "You guys, go sleep over by the toilet."

The prisoners from the Highlands and the colonies couldn't understand, and were dragged and pushed by the Green Standard Army soldiers to the toilet.

The pungent smell was nauseating, but the prisoners dared not speak out.

There was no other way; the previous treatment of the officers and the 11-person levy had terrified them.

The arrogant attitude they once had in the colonies has been trampled into the mud.

Before dark, a cook delivered a bucket of food.

A stew of mixed grains and wild vegetables.

Several Green Standard Army soldiers gathered around the food bucket and ate and drank their fill first.

Only then were the remaining soup and broth given to the English prisoners.

They dared not speak out in anger, because these prisoners looked almost exactly like the natives who had defeated them.

These British prisoners of war were truly terrified.

After enduring two days of this, the prisoners were assigned to various mines by drawing lots.

Mines have never been good places.

The English prisoners, who couldn't speak the language, worked tirelessly day and night.

You need to carry at least ten baskets of coal every day to get the most basic survival supplies.

It includes a bucket of water, vegetable soup, and wheat porridge.

You can get better treatment and supplies, but you have to work hard. For every extra basket of coal you carry, you will receive a reward that can be used to buy good things, including meat.

Do you think you can enjoy preferential treatment just by showing your face or speaking gibberish?

That's wishful thinking; after all, a mine isn't Edinburgh!
Luo Dagang wasn't lying; he truly treated everyone equally.

Whether they were foreign prisoners or prisoners of the Green Standard Army, they were treated the same.

If you do a lot of work and do it well, you can live a better life.

If you don't do a good job, you'll drag your teammates down with you, wasting their energy and being dragged to the mass grave.

Many prisoners felt they were in hell, but compared to the colonies they had ravaged, they were doing very well.

At least, I'm still alive.

Here in Lindao, the enemy is already at the gates of Edinburgh.

The city was already in a state of panic. With the support of foreigners, the Shanghai Circuit and Shanghai County gathered all sorts of sailors, boatmen, Far Eastern adventurers, rogues, opium dealers, and even deserted soldiers to form a foreign-gunned force in an attempt to resist the Taiping Army.

The foreigners went all out and this time they really poured real money into supporting the Qing government.

Not only did they provide money and weapons, they also dispatched a communications ship to Hong Kong to seek help.

The telegraph had already been invented long before the Opium War.

Historically, several years later, even the transatlantic submarine cable had been laid.

However, no long-distance telegraph line was built in the Far East until thirty years later.

Even now, fast communication ships are still needed to transmit messages.

Inside the city, there were not only those who tried to resist the Taiping Army, but also those who wanted to cooperate with them.

"My name is Liu Lichuan, and I pay my respects to Chief Lin!"

In the main tent of the army, Lin Dao received the envoys who had come from the city to make contact and cooperate.

"So it's Chief Liu! Welcome, welcome!"

"Please take a seat."

Liu Lichuan was a member of the Guangdong Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society).

The Guangdong-born members of the Heaven and Earth Society in Shanghai elected him as their chief leader.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides got down to business.

"We have made an agreement with the seven factions of the Small Swords Society to launch an uprising in Shanghai." Liu Lichuan bowed respectfully. "We are all willing to serve Leader Lin as our master!" This enthusiastic pledge did not earn him an enthusiastic response.

Upon hearing these words, Lin Dao fell silent.

The atmosphere inside the tent changed instantly, and everyone looked at the leader, awaiting his decision.

"Opposing the Qing dynasty is a good thing."

"However," Lin Dao pondered for a moment, then said bluntly, "the matter of serving me as master still needs to be discussed."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lichuan was taken aback.

These days, nobody wants you even if you come to them willingly?!

"The Taiping army here is a self-contained system."

"We don't need outsiders here. Anyone who wants to join is welcome, but they must be reorganized and undergo screening and training before they can join the team as new recruits."

The so-called "serving as the master" is actually just using your name while acting independently and establishing a separatist regime.

At most, they'll just obey orders but not direct commands.

Throughout history, every time a dynasty changed hands, such powerful figures and local forces would emerge.

Those who vie for supremacy usually begin by accepting and appeasing others, and then devise solutions once the world is at peace.

However, this won't work in Lindao.

From the very beginning, he wanted to completely cut off this loophole.

“Chief Lin!” Liu Lichuan frowned instantly. “We are all fighting against the Qing, why do you want to annex us?”

Lin Dao laughed at these words, saying, "I don't want to waste time arguing with you."

"It's simply a matter of willingness!"

Acquiring it at this time might result in frictional losses.

However, if we allow it to grow unchecked, the losses will be enormous when we try to deal with it later.

Rather than doing that, it's better to nip the trouble in the bud before it ignites.

"I cannot make this decision myself," Liu Lichuan shook his head. "I need to discuss it with the leaders of the various branches and halls."

"Then you'd better hurry," Lin Daowen instructed. "I'll begin the siege tomorrow."

"Oh, and there's one more thing you should remember to bring back and tell them."

"Your willingness to oppose the Qing is a meritorious act."

“But if anyone has ever oppressed the people and committed numerous evils, I will not let them go.”

"Their past crimes will not be erased simply because they opposed the Qing dynasty."

"I will stand up for the wronged souls and the victims of their suffering!"

"Go."

The uprising of the Small Knife Society was of little consequence to Lin Dao.

Even without the Small Knife Society, he could have easily taken this place.

Moreover, the members of the Little Knife Society are diverse, including members from various gangs.

It's impossible for just anyone to want Lindao here.

He wasn't lying; the siege was indeed launched on time the next day.

The first place to be attacked was the Huangpu River.

The modified ship, equipped with a 130mm cannon, sailed into the Huangpu River and opened fire indiscriminately on ships of various countries on the river.

The French and American fleets, who had originally planned to watch the spectacle, were caught completely off guard.

Before long, the river was covered with burning, sunken ships.

With the naval battle resolved, the siege battles began.

They not only attacked the county seat, but also launched a fierce attack on the concession area.

The foreign-trained troops collapsed at the first contact, and the Green Standard Army militia was bombed to pieces.

The armies of various countries that swaggered around in the colonies were also beaten to a pulp.

The British consul in Shanghai, Ali, watched helplessly as the army, beating drums and marching in long lines, advanced towards the native army, only to be met with a hail of bullets raining down from the sky.

The violent and dense explosions, along with the flying shrapnel and steel balls amidst the smoke and flames, engulfed the British troops.

As the smoke cleared, the skirmishers of the Taiping Army, armed with bayonets and muskets, had already closed in.

Open fire first, then charge in and finish off the enemy with bayonets, finishing off any enemies on the ground along the way.

The easy and simple battle quickly wiped out the English army that had dominated the world.

This scene moved Ali Guo, who was in the consulate, to tears. He covered his head with his hands and cried out, "God Father above!"

The English Legion, which has always relied on advanced weapons to oppress natives all over the world, has today been suppressed by natives with even more advanced weapons!
He couldn't believe it, but what he was seeing was real.

Ali was still in a daze until the Taiping army stormed into the consulate, knocked him to the ground with a rifle butt, and dragged him away.

"How could these ignorant natives possess such terrifying weapons?!"

The stark contrast with reality shattered his so-called honor and pride.

When Aliguo was dragged in front of Lindao, his head was covered in blood, and he was still calling for God.

"You are from Ali?"

Lin Dao stared at his neck. "I sent someone to tell you to wash your neck. Did you wash it?"

Aliguo, who had fallen into a state of dementia, muttered to himself without responding.

"He's been beaten senseless."

Lin Dao waved his hand and instructed, "Dispose of all the resisting armed personnel."

“The prisoners who surrender will be dealt with according to the rules.”

"The rest of the people were all arrested and interrogated."

"Those traffickers who sell XX, after being interrogated, directly plant lotus flowers in the river."

"Anyone who travels thousands of miles to make a fortune is no good!"

(End of this chapter)