Reborn in Hollywood

Tianmenggong's reaction was much faster than Li Rui had anticipated.

Half a month later, a scout reported that a large force of at least three thousand men had been spotted to the south and was heading towards the stronghold.

Li Rui laughed after hearing this.

Three thousand men. This is probably all the resources that Lord Tianmeng can offer.

"Prepare for battle."

Five hundred Spanish musketeers lined up outside the stronghold.

They wore worn-out military uniforms, their muskets were polished to a shine, and they had plenty of ammunition.

These people had followed Li Rui across the Pacific Ocean and were already completely convinced of the power of this "captain" who could predict storms and was invulnerable to bullets and blades.

Many people privately regard him as God's illegitimate son.

The three thousand men of Tianmeng Gong arrived in a grand procession, their swords and spears arrayed in a formidable array, creating an impressive sight.

But when they saw the five hundred musketeers lined up in neat rows, their pace noticeably slowed.

Southeast Asia at that time did have firearms, but they had never seen such a well-organized and well-trained regular musket team.

Li Rui stood at the front of the formation, holding the fine steel longsword in one hand.

"shot."

In the first volley, dozens of men at the forefront fell to the ground.

Tianmeng Gong's army was thrown into chaos.

They had never seen this kind of fighting before—the man was dead before they even got close.

The second salvo.

The third volley.

After three rounds, there were nearly a hundred corpses lying on the ground, and the remaining people began to run away.

Li Rui waved his hand.

"Pursue."

Five hundred musketeers broke into formation and charged after the fleeing soldiers.

They didn't kill people, they just surrounded, drove away, and captured people.

Li Rui was at the forefront, wielding his longsword. With each strike, someone fell—only wounded, not killed.

An hour later, the battlefield was cleared.

Of Tianmeng Gong's three thousand men, less than three hundred died, more than five hundred escaped, and the remaining two thousand were all captured.

Li Rui stood in front of the group of prisoners, looking at the Malay soldiers who were squatting on the ground, trembling.

"Bring that Tianmeng Gong up here."

Several musketeers escorted a richly dressed middle-aged man over.

The man was deathly pale and his legs were weak; he was practically dragged over.

"Are you Tianmeng Gong?" Li Rui asked him through a local translator who could speak Chinese.

The man nodded frantically.

"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me! I was blind and offended you—"

Li Rui interrupted him.

"How many people are left in your territory?"

Tianmeng Gong paused for a moment, then answered tremblingly, "The elderly, the weak, women, and children... there are still some... probably more than 20,000..."

Li Rui nodded.

No wonder this guy surrendered so readily.

These three thousand men were all the able-bodied men he could muster, and now they had all perished here. If these men were not released, his territory would soon be swallowed up by other nobles.

I'm giving you two choices.

Li Rui said, "First, you pay to ransom him. One thousand taels of gold or thirty thousand taels of silver, and I'll return him to you."

Tianmenggong's eyes lit up.

"Secondly, I will kill you all and then take over your territory myself."

Tianmeng Gong chose the first one without hesitation.

"I'll redeem it! I'll redeem it! It's just... I might not have that much money."

"I don't care about all that, I only care about your 'sincerity'."

Three days later, a group of people arrived from the direction of Johor, bringing five hundred taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver.

After Li Rui had the inventory counted, he waved his hand.

Release them.

More than two thousand prisoners were released, and the wounded and the dead were carried away as they slowly disappeared into the northern jungle.

Before leaving, Tianmeng Gong trembled as he had someone deliver a document to him.

Li Rui took it and glanced at it; it was in Malay, which he couldn't understand.

A local translator who understood Malay explained, "My lord, this is a letter of surrender. Temenggong has said that the land along the Singapore River belongs to you from now on. He will speak to the Sultan of Johor."

Li Rui put the documents away.

"Tell him that if he comes back next time, it won't be as simple as just redeeming him."

Tianmeng Gong nodded repeatedly and led his remaining troops away in a dejected manner.

Elizabeth stood beside Li Rui, watching their departing figures.

"You really let them go?"

"We got the money and captured the people."

Li Rui said, "Keeping them around means we have to feed them, it's not worth it."

Elizabeth looked at him, hesitant to speak.

Li Rui turned and walked back.

"Have someone take inventory of the supplies; there's still a lot to do."

For the next three months, Li Rui kept thinking about one thing.

The prisoners were released, the money was obtained, and the territory was nominally his.

But who lives on this land?

Malays, indigenous people, and a few scattered European vendors.

They looked at him like a monster, respected him and feared him, but they wouldn't really be on his side.

Besides the five hundred Spanish musketeers, he needed more of his own men.

A person who can understand what he says, work with him, and truly turn this land into their own territory.

"Send someone out."

Li Rui said to the Spanish captains, "Go to Siam, Vietnam, Myanmar, and other places with Chinese people. Tell them that there is land and food here, and that once they come, they are my people."

The fleet set sail.

-----------------

A month later, the first ship returned.

The news they brought back, however, was not good.

"Sir, we haven't recruited many people, only about twenty."

The captain lowered his head. "But there's something even more troublesome."

Li Rui looked at him.

"explain."

"Over in Johor—"

The captain lowered his voice, "We've learned that after Tianmeng Gong returned, he sought help from the Sultan. The Sultan was furious and has already assembled a large army, reportedly ten thousand men, all elite troops, which is currently gathering."

Li Rui didn't show any expression after hearing this.

Ten thousand people.

There were 500 Spanish musketeers, plus newly recruited miscellaneous men, leaving less than 800 capable fighters.

A head-on confrontation is not impossible, but the losses would be significant.

Moreover, he didn't want to fight this kind of war.

"What was that Sultan's name?"

"Abdullah Mayat".

The captain said, "It is the current Sultan of Johor, who has been in power for thirteen years and has at least 30,000 troops under his command. This is only a part of them."

Li Rui nodded.

That evening, he left the base with the guide.

The Johor Palace is not far from the mouth of the Singapore River; it takes about two days to get there by horseback.

Li Rui didn't ride a horse; he traveled through the night with his guide and arrived at the outskirts of the royal city by the evening of the next day.

The guide was a local Johor man in his forties who had done business all over Malaysia and knew the area very well.

He looked at the palace in the night, his voice trembling.

"My lord, the palace is heavily guarded. How do we get in?"

Li Rui did not answer.

He simply closed his eyes, and the Force surged forth like a tide.

The structure of the palace, the positions of the guards, and the patrol routes gradually unfolded in his mind.

"You wait here."

Li Rui disappeared into the night alone.

The palace walls were over ten feet high, but that was nothing to Li Rui.

With the Force's assistance, he easily vaulted over the wall and landed in the garden.

The two guards had just turned the corner and hadn't even seen the figure clearly when they collapsed to the ground.

Li Rui walked past them and headed straight for his bedchamber.

The Sultan's bedroom was in the very center, with four fully armed guards standing at the entrance.

Li Rui raised his hand, used his Force to lock the guards' throats, and the four guards simultaneously clutched their necks and collapsed without uttering a sound.

He pushed open the door and went inside.

Sudan lay in bed, snoring loudly.

Li Rui stood by the bed, looking down at him.

A sultan who had ruled for thirteen years and commanded tens of thousands of troops was now no different from an ordinary person.

Li Rui raised his hand.

The Force pierced Sudan's chest, precisely sealing the blood vessels in his heart.

Sudan's body twitched, and his snoring stopped.

His eyes opened wide, and he made gurgling sounds, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Ten seconds later, everything returned to calm.

Li Rui turned and left.

As he walked out of the palace, he looked back once more.

People inside were already shouting, and it was in complete chaos.

He quickened his pace and disappeared into the night.

When they returned to the base, Elizabeth was practically going crazy waiting.

"You're finally back! How's that Sultan? Has he been...?"

Li Rui didn't answer, but went into the house and poured himself a glass of water.

"Pass the word: if Johor sends someone to negotiate, be polite; if no one comes, then forget it."

Elizabeth stared at him blankly, then slowly nodded.

Half a month later, news came that the Sultan of Johor had died suddenly, and several princes began to fight for power. The army of 10,000 men had not even set out before it was recalled to guard the capital.

For the next six months or so, while several princes in Johor were embroiled in a power struggle, Li Rui began to aggressively recruit Chinese.

The fleet went out and came back again and again.

His men left their mark on Siam, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Malay Archipelago, and other places with large Chinese communities.

The conditions are simple: come to Singapore River, have land to farm, have food to eat, and not be bullied.

At first, there weren't many people, only eight or ten, with their families.

As the news spread, more and more people came.

A year later, the population of the settlement exceeded five thousand, more than half of whom were Chinese.

The wooden houses were transformed into streets, shops opened on both sides of the streets, and boats came and went at the dock every day.

Elizabeth stood atop the newly built watchtower, looking down at the increasingly bustling town below.

"This place is almost as big as Port Royal."

Li Rui stood beside her.

"It's still early."

"What are your plans for next?"

Li Rui did not answer.

You've got power, people, and money, so what's next?

Of course, we should continue to build up our strength!

But more troubles followed.

One afternoon, a patrol boat rushed back, and the captain ran up the watchtower, panting heavily.

"Sir, three ships have been spotted on the sea, flying the Dutch flag, and heading this way!"

Li Rui took the binoculars and looked at the distant sea.

The three warships, each with a displacement of over 500 tons, had their cannons pointed straight ahead.

Dutch East India Company.

His year-long escapades in Southeast Asia naturally couldn't be kept secret from the Dutch.

They've disliked him for a long time, but they haven't made a move yet.

Sending three warships now clearly means they're not here as guests.

"Let a ship follow me."

Li Rui put down his binoculars. "Everyone else, prepare for battle."

He boarded his flagship, which had sailed from Cuba, and led a ship to meet it.