Di Ming

Chapter 147 Killing Prisoners
Zhu Yin revealed a strange smile and said to Ning Caiwei, "Surrender, of course we must surrender."

Ning Caiwei immediately understood the situation when she saw Zhu Yin's smile.

She also revealed a cold smile.

"Are they going to surrender?" a childish voice came from behind.

The two turned around and saw a small figure emerge from the cabin; it was Ning Qingchen.

"Get back to your cabin quickly!" Ning Caiwei's face darkened. "It's dangerous outside, go back to sleep."

Ning Qingchen had no choice but to return to her cabin, and Ning Caiwei immediately closed the cabin door to prevent her from coming out.

Soon, the order to surrender was issued.

From the time the Daishan army launched its attack to the time the Spanish surrendered, less than fifteen minutes had passed.

The Spanish, trapped in a desperate situation, lost the courage to continue resisting.

Spanish soldiers waving white flags, along with a small number of French and Dutch mercenaries, Luzon natives, and Chinese traitors, tremblingly surrendered their weapons and disembarked one by one under the escort of the Daishan Army.

Dejected Garcia and Stefan, the garrison commander on Itt Island, reluctantly surrendered their swords.

The two never imagined that one day they would be captured by the "Eastern monkeys" they looked down upon.

The remaining three hundred-plus prisoners, led by Garcia and Stian, obediently went ashore and lined up to surrender.

The bodies of the colonists who were killed were thrown directly into the sea, which often attracted a group of sharks.

The priest accompanying the Santiago was very unlucky; he was killed by the muskets of the Daishan Army without even a chance to surrender.

Aaron, the logistics officer in charge of supplies, presented a list of military equipment and personnel for Itt Island.

All the ships, weapons, supplies, gold and silver on Itte Island, including slaves and artisans, fell into the hands of the Daishan Army.

The 30,000 silver dollars that hadn't even been properly stored on the Santiago also benefited the Daishan Army.

Although the attack was won very easily, Zhu Yin would not underestimate the fighting power of the Spanish army.

This time, he simply used his strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, and with his forces several times larger than the enemy's, he launched a surprise night attack and gained a great advantage.

However, the fact that Spain was able to quickly organize a surrender shows that it was a well-trained and disciplined army.

Otherwise, even if they surrendered, it wouldn't have been done in such an organized manner.

However, it didn't have the opportunity to demonstrate its true fighting power this time.

Soon, all the Daishan troops landed.

Upon learning of the incident, the more than three thousand slaves, artisans, and concubines were all ordered by the Daishan Army to remain in place and not to wander off.

Upon learning of what these people had experienced on the island, the soldiers of Daishan Army were furious.

Many people don't understand why we should accept the surrender, and why we should kill all the foreign barbarians.

After Zhu Yin and Qi Jiguang made some arrangements, Ding Huogen, posing as the "pirate leader," came before the prisoners.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei, wearing masks, followed behind Ding Huogen.

Looking at the large group of disheveled foreign prisoners, Ding Huogen, following Zhu Yin's previous instructions, angrily said:

“Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. We have no enmity with you Portuguese, so why did you help the King of Siam and the Ming army to besiege our king multiple times?”

"If it weren't for our king's good fortune and the protection of the goddess Mazu, he would have died at your hands long ago! What else do you have to say today!"

The Chinese traitor among the prisoners immediately translated his words to the Spanish officer.

Garcia, Stian, Aaron, and the others immediately thought of one person when they heard the translation: Lin Daoqian!

Nowadays, the only pirate who reigns supreme in Southeast Asia is Lin Daoqian, a Chinese pirate who occupies Penang (Petaling)!

Lin Daoqian was from Fujian. He was once offered amnesty but later rebelled against the Ming Dynasty again.

Because Lin Daoqian's pirate activities affected the interests of the powerful families in the southeast and the Portuguese, the two sides joined forces to eliminate Lin Daoqian.

Lin Daoqian fled to Brunei, and the Ming army again requested the King of Siam to send troops to suppress him.

In fact, the Ming army that besieged Lin Daoqian represented the interests of the powerful clans in the southeast. Although it used the name of the Ming Dynasty, it is hard to say that it was actually the Ming court's will.

However, Lin Daoqian was not destroyed by the Portuguese, the Ming army, or the King of Siam. He continued to rule the region and had thousands of followers.

Garcia quickly explained, "Sir, this is a misunderstanding! We are not from Porto de la Paz (Portugal)! We are from Isisbaria (Spain)!"

"Your Excellency, although you collectively refer to Polduva and Isisbaria as Francois, we are not actually one country."

"It was the people of Polduva who offended your king, not us, the people of Isisbaria! Therefore, your revenge against us is a misunderstanding, a mistake!"

Stefan quickly added, "My God! We've taken the brunt of such terrible retaliation for the people of Polduva! This is absolutely awful!"

"Gentlemen, I swear to God, it was the people of Polduwa from Macau who offended you! It was the Macau garrison and warships who personally participated in the war against you! Not us! You have mistaken the enemy!"

The Chinese translator immediately translated the Spanish into Chinese.

The other Spaniards also seemed to feel deeply wronged, their expressions filled with grief and indignation.

A small number of the prisoners were French and Dutch mercenaries who genuinely felt wronged.

Zhu Yin, however, felt contempt.

Yes, it was indeed the Portuguese who besieged Lin Daoqian, but in reality, they were inextricably linked to the Spanish governor's office.

Because Spain had already annexed Portugal at this time, they were essentially one country. The King of Spain was also the King of Portugal.

Portugal's colonies in Macau, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and other places were also Spanish colonies.

Even from Lin Daoqian's perspective, the Spanish were enemies, not just the wrong target for revenge.

"Nonsense!" Ding Huogen feigned anger. "The Portuguese are one country. You are clearly the same group of people in Southeast Asia, and you all look exactly alike. Do you think we are stupid?"

"From this day forward, this island is ours. We will spare your lives, but you must serve as laborers, building fortifications and gun emplacements in the harbor! We will make you work like cattle and horses, and let you taste the life of slaves!"

Garcia protested, "Sir, we surrendered voluntarily and hope to be treated with at least some leniency. We cannot become slaves!"

He had traveled to the other side of the world and slaughtered the Native Americans there. After arriving in the East, he also slaughtered the Chinese.

He himself couldn't even remember how many "inferior people" he had killed with his own hands.

But now, is he, the nobleman who controls the lives of inferior people, going to become their slave?

This is absolutely terrifying!

Ding Huogen ignored Garcia and the others' protests and immediately ordered all three hundred prisoners to be herded into the barracks and imprisoned together.

The original barracks were immediately transformed into their own prison.

"Don't even think about running away!" Ding Huogen said cryptically.

"All the ships in the harbor are in our hands. You have no ships and can't escape. Stay here quietly to avoid suffering."

After saying this, Ding Huogen ordered the camp gates to be locked, and only sent a few people to guard them.

The rest of the people went to take inventory of the supplies.

More than 300 prisoners were locked in the barracks, where they immediately started cursing or praying for God's protection.

The "pirates" guarding the barracks scolded them a few times and then started complaining themselves.

One pirate said, "Damn it! We fight, we guard, but when it comes to counting the loot, we get nothing! We get the least cut!"

"Exactly!" another pirate exclaimed. "What's the point of keeping these red-haired devils alive? It's simpler to kill them all. What's the point of guarding them?!"

The third pirate said, "The king needs laborers. They can work on the island like cattle and horses. It would be a pity to kill them."

The fourth pirate said, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of the red-haired devils' revenge if we order you to take this island?"

"What's there to be afraid of!" another pirate scoffed. "We have thousands of brothers here. How many red devils can Luzon have? Do they dare to come? If they do, we'll wipe them all out."

.........

Inside the barracks, the traitorous translator relayed the conversation he had overheard at the entrance to Garcia and the others, who then fell into deep thought.

It seems that Lin Daoqian is confident and determined to occupy It Island.

Otherwise, Lin Daoqian wouldn't have built a castle on Itte Island. This shows that this great pirate also had foresight and recognized the value of Itte Island.

With the threat of the notorious pirate Lin Daoqian at sea, Your Excellency the Governor-General can no longer hold the highest-ranking official of the Nanjing authorities of the Ming Dynasty accountable for the Jesuits.

Instead, it is necessary to temporarily maintain good relations with the Ming Dynasty, and have the Ming Dynasty, as it did in the past, join forces with the Portuguese to suppress the rebels.

Indeed, the Ming emperors and officials had joined forces with Westerners to suppress Ming rebellions on more than one occasion, and this time was no exception.

However, compared to eliminating Lin Daoqian, the most important thing now is to escape.

Even if they can't escape, at least someone should go back to Manila to report and ask the Governor to send troops to rescue them!

Although these pirates outnumbered each other, they were certainly no match for the Empire's main fleet in a direct confrontation.

Tonight's defeat was purely a pirate trick and cannot negate the fighting power of the Imperial Navy.

However, with all the ships in the port under the control of pirates, how could they possibly escape back to Manila to deliver the message?

Garcia asked, "Mr. Stein, are there ships only in the port of Itte Island? I mean, are there ships in other places, in places the pirates don't know about?"

“I’m not sure,” Stefan said. “Our ships are usually in port, but It is about the size of a square legua (Spanish li) on Itt Island, and I’m not sure there aren’t ships anywhere else.”

Logistics officer Aaron said:

“There might be boats on other coasts. There are also places to moor boats to the south, so it’s hard to say there aren’t small sailboats there.”

"Gentlemen, It is an island with a square legua (100 square kilometers) in size. It is impossible for it to have only one natural harbor. There were also natives living there in the past. Perhaps we can find a ship there."

"But I bet that even if there really is a boat, it must be a small sailboat. Otherwise, we should have discovered it earlier."

"Only a few people can be sent out to find a boat, otherwise there won't be enough room even if we find one. The problem is, who will go to find a boat?"

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Those who went out to look for a boat might get lucky and find one, then return to Manila to report back.

But more likely, he would not be able to find the ship, be discovered by pirates, and be executed for escaping.

Searching for a ship is too risky.

Officers like Garcia would never risk going looking for a ship.

“Gutt, take two men with you!” Garcia said to his guards. “May the merciful Lord bless you to find a ship and return to Manila to report our misfortune to His Excellency the Governor.”

Guterre was very reluctant.

Everyone knows that going out to find a ship is very risky; if you are discovered by pirates, you will be killed.

However, even though his superior was taken prisoner, Gutt habitually obeyed his orders.

“Yes, my captain.” Gutt accepted the order, kissing Garcia’s boots. “May the merciful Lord bless me to complete your mission.”

"But how can I leave this prison-like barracks? There are pirates guarding the gate; can I even get out?"

“Of course we can,” Stefan said. “The pirates were careless. They thought that guarding the entrance would keep us locked up. Little did they know that this was our own barracks, and we were the ones who knew this place best.”

"Others can't find a way out, but we can."

“You can climb out through the large chimneys of the barracks’ stoves, walk on the rooftops, then climb down the south wall and sneak into the woods.”

"If there are only two or three people, it's not easy to be discovered..." "Of course, if they can't find a ship to leave for a long time, then it's hard to guarantee that they won't be discovered by pirates."

Garcia forced a smile and shrugged at Gutt, saying:
“My dear Gutt, you see, I knew Colonel Stein would find a way to leave the barracks.”

"Now, while the pirates are still greedily counting their loot, please hurry and leave through the chimney. Immediately."

“My captain, as you wish.” Gutt removed his hat and bowed. “May the merciful Lord bless us all.”

After Gutt finished speaking, he led two of his men to the large chimney in the barracks and went inside.

In fact, due to the lax security by the pirates, there were more than one way to escape the camp. However, climbing through the chimney was the easiest method.

Gutt and the other two crawled into the chimney and climbed out onto the roof.

Looking down from their vantage point, the three saw that the surrounding area was teeming with pirates, numbering probably two or three thousand.

Although there were many pirates, their ships were all small. Even the largest pirate warships were smaller than the small galleons of the Imperial Navy.

The pirates' cannons were not a threat, far inferior to the Imperial Navy.

It seems that the pirates can only resort to ambushes and close combat; they are no match for Manila in a head-on confrontation.

Knowing what was going on, the three of them dared not look any longer. Trembling, they climbed down from the roof to the south wall, carefully made their way down, and slipped into the woods.

After traversing the entire forest, the three of them finally arrived at the southern part of the island, looking utterly disheveled.

When they finally saw a small sailboat, they were so happy they almost fainted.

“Merciful Lord,” Gutt made the sign of the cross on his chest, “you must be the most merciful person to Gutt. I just know that I am the luckiest person.”

Gutt was so moved he almost cried; he felt like he was the darling of fate.

Unbeknownst to Gutt, someone was secretly monitoring the area around the barracks.

As soon as they sneaked out of the military camp, Zhu Yin and the others found out.

"I thought they would open the windows, but it turns out they went up the chimney." Zhu Yin laughed mysteriously upon hearing the report.

He locked the Spanish soldiers in their own camp and deliberately relaxed their guard, giving them the opportunity to send someone to escape and report the incident.

Zhu Yin asked, "Are the ships in the south ready?"

Zhang Naizhu laughed and said, "It's all ready. There was a boat left behind by the natives there, but it was too dilapidated. I was afraid it would sink at sea, so I replaced it with a sturdy small sailboat."

He was also very considerate.

Qi Jiguang nodded: "I hope they can return to Manila safely to report the news. If the ship sinks, our next plan will be difficult to implement."

At this point, the group began discussing how to deal with the prisoners.

"Kill them all," Zhu Yin said mercilessly. "Since three of them have gone back to report, the prisoners are no longer of any value."

It turns out that keeping the prisoners alive temporarily and then deliberately sending someone to deliver a message was a way to get the Governor of Manila to rescue them.

The three hundred Spanish prisoners, along with a large number of warships, cannons, and supplies, were the reasons why the Governor of Luzon had to rescue them.

Without the suffering of Spanish prisoners on Ithaca, the Governor-General of Luzon would not have immediately sent troops north, and thus would not have been able to mobilize the main Spanish forces.

Even if the Governor-General of Luzon doesn't offer aid, the prisoners' families won't agree.

This is Yang Conspiracy.

Qi Jiguang thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Then let's kill them. Although killing prisoners is not good, these foreign barbarians are too difficult to deal with, and keeping them alive is a huge hidden danger."

When Qi Jiguang dealt with Japanese pirates who surrendered on the battlefield, he often used only one word: kill.

He has a precedent of killing prisoners of war.

Zhu Yin said to Ding Huogen, "Wait a little longer. We'll deal with them all after those three people board the ship and leave."

Zhu Yin had no sympathy whatsoever for these colonists whose hands were stained with blood.

They came from faraway Europe to the East, and who knows how many people they killed.

More than a decade later, they perpetrated the Dalun Mountain Massacre, slaughtering over 20,000 Han Chinese, sparing neither women nor children. They then carried out two more massacres of Chinese people.

Ding Hongying gritted her teeth and said, "Just looking at the tragic plight of those barbarians, we must kill them. Surrender and they'll live? That's too cheap."

While the group discussed the killing of prisoners, Ning Caiwei, standing nearby, paid no attention, instead focusing intently on examining the account book written in Latin.

The ledger presented by the logistics officer, Aaron, was very clear, and Ning Caiwei became happier and happier as she looked at it.

Three million pounds of rice, fifty thousand taels of silver, more than three thousand taels of gold, and more than eighty thousand pounds of gunpowder.

120,000 pounds of white sugar from Quanzhou, 200,000 pounds of pig iron from Foshan…

There were also twenty newly built small galleons (300 tons), one large galleon from Santiago, and fifteen other vessels of various sizes.

There were also 28 Spanish heavy cannons weighing 36 pounds, 52 medium cannons weighing 18 pounds, and more than 70 light cannons weighing 12 pounds.

Five hundred Western muskets.

Ning Caiwei's lips curved into a smile, and her eyes crinkled into a smile.

This capture will not only greatly enhance the strength and equipment of the Daishan Army, but also significantly alleviate the shortage of supplies.

Gunpowder, pig iron, copper... everything was available.

The military pay has been secured.

Moreover, the seized sugar could be used to make milk candy for himself.

Preliminary estimates put the value of the seized goods at several hundred thousand taels of silver.

The Daishan army made a fortune.

.........

Inside the barracks where the prisoners were being held, Garcia and the others, having heard no commotion outside, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Guided by the Lord, Gutt and his companions must have found a ship and escaped from Itt Island.

Garcia and the others immediately regretted it.

I regret not going to risk finding a ship myself.

"Once His Excellency the Governor receives the message and leads the fleet to defeat the pirates, I will skin them alive," Garcia said, his face ashen. "I will execute them by stake."

"Gentlemen, our days as prisoners are temporary. The war against the Ming Dynasty will begin next year, and we will wash away today's shame as warriors."

"God favors Spain!"

Logistics officer Aaron said, "Only victory in this war can prevent the empire from going bankrupt. By utilizing the resources of the East, the empire can forever possess the Netherlands, Italy..."

"The Genoa Banking Consortium and the Deutsche Banking Consortium will continue to support the Empire's finances..."

"Do you know why the empire still faces a financial crisis despite importing so much gold and silver every year?"

"Because gold and silver alone are not true wealth. Gentlemen, resources are true wealth. The Empire needs vast quantities of resources from the East…including slaves…"

"The Ming Dynasty is too wealthy. If the plan to conquer the Ming Dynasty succeeds, we will have endless resources and population, and Ming women will be able to reproduce for us..."

Garcia laughed and said, "Yes, I assure you, it's a great and wonderful plan."

"We want the women of Ming to give birth to a great Eastern diocese for us, so that this ancient Eastern nation may bask in the sacred glory of the cross..."

The shame of being a prisoner of war seemed less unbearable under these hopeful expectations.

Let's just treat it as finding joy in hardship.

The captured French and Dutch mercenaries also looked expectant.

Just then, the gates of the barracks opened, and a pirate in armor walked in, shouting:

"Get out there and get to work! Hurry up!"

The Spanish prisoners looked grim when they learned they were to be worked. But in order not to anger the pirates, they could not resist.

The prisoners walked out of the barracks in an orderly line and followed the Daishan army to a valley on the island.

This valley is a quarry.

As they entered the valley, thinking they were moving stones, a large group of archers suddenly appeared above the valley.

Leading them were Meh and Niman.

Upon seeing this, Garcia and the others' expressions changed drastically.

not good!

"Click-click—" Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of bowstrings, five or six hundred archers looked down at the unarmed prisoners in the valley.

Meh waved his hand, and a large group of archers fired their arrows at once.

“Swoosh—”

"Hiss—"

The piercing screams and angry curses, along with the sound of arrows piercing human bodies, immediately echoed throughout the valley.

"Ah! No!" Garcia and the others roared, their eyes bloodshot with rage. "Damn devils! You broke your promise! You'll go to hell!"

Standing on high ground, Zhu Yin watched his men shoot down the colonial bandits and muttered to himself:

“It is you who are untrustworthy; no one betrays credibility as much as you.”

Ning Caiwei stood beside him, looking down at Garcia, and recalled the scene a few days ago when the Santiago fired its cannons at her.

I told you, I will make sure you die.

"Ah—" Many Spanish prisoners roared as they picked up stones and threw them futilely into the valley, but to no avail.

"Whoosh—" The archers rained down arrows, a merciless slaughter!
Soon, all three hundred prisoners were shot dead.

Garcia was riddled with bullets, his blue eyes still wide open in terror, dying with his eyes wide open in despair.

Looking at the young but unwavering Zhu Yin, Qi Jiguang, who was not far away, couldn't help but say to Ding Huogen:
"Li Yang, your little hero is a man born to do great things."

Ding Huogen laughed and said, "Young Master, you truly live up to your reputation as a little tiger. In this era of chaos and sages emerging from the seas, we need ruthless individuals like you to stand firm."

Qi Jiguang nodded and stroked his beard, his gaze deep and profound.

He served his country in this way, out of sheer helplessness, but with a clear conscience. He no longer cared how history would record him.

Since the incompetent imperial court abandoned its coastal defenses, he could only resort to this indirect method to govern them.

He made a vow in his youth: that the seas may be calm!
“Eh, Zhen.” Meh, holding a bow and arrow, stepped forward and reported to Zhu Yin, “The enemy has been shot dead.”

Zhu Yin said calmly, "Finish off the corpse, retrieve the arrow, don't waste it."

"Yes, sir!" Meh replied.

A moment later, Meh reported back, "Eh, there are no survivors. What should we do with the bodies?"

Zhu Yin said, "They have traveled across the ocean, so let them return to the embrace of the sea."

"Whoo!"

P.S.: We're fighting in Manila tomorrow, and tomorrow's chapter will be the real battle; this one doesn't really count. I know killing prisoners will be controversial, but the problem is these Western prisoners are difficult to deal with; decisive execution is the best way. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)