Chapter 926: The Next Target

"Wuwuwu..."

The sound of weeping in the crowd started like mosquitoes, then gradually grew to the sound of a waterfall.

Ever since leaving the Great Song, they had been wanderers, rootless duckweed.

Even when bullied by others outside, they could only swallow their anger and keep silent.

Now, they had found the feeling of home.

These tears were warm, and their hearts were warm too.

"Who is Yan Wang? Did he really wipe out the powerful clans and the Rich Clans?"

Seeing that the Great Song army not only did not make things difficult for them but was actually very kind, someone asked with great courage.

"His Highness Yan Wang is the ninth son of the Emperor of Great Song. The Emperor has already issued an imperial decree naming him Crown Prince. In the future, he will be the Emperor of Great Song, and he will also be your Emperor."

"I swear on the honor of the army that he did indeed wipe out the powerful clans and the Rich Clans. Now, everyone in the Great Song is free; they can attend school, become officials, engage in trade, and also till the six mu of fertile land they were allotted in peace," Zhou Yi replied.

The Overseas Song People were all stunned upon hearing this.

The picture Zhou Yi described to them had only existed in their dreams.

Yet, Zhou Yi was so categorical; why would he deceive lowly people like them?

"I want to go back."

"Please, send us home."

"..."

Some Song People suddenly began to cry loudly.

These Song People had all come out of the Great Song in recent years and still held deep feelings for the Great Song.

However, these Song People only accounted for a small portion; more Overseas Song People, while excited, were very confused.

Because their ancestors had lived here for a very long time.

Although they were clear that their ancestors came from the Great Song, they had adapted to life here.

They had no relatives in the Great Song and no strong desire to return.

Zhou Yi keenly captured this point.

He said, "For those who want to return to the Great Song, we will send you back, but you have other choices: stay here and serve the interests of the Great Song."

He paused and said, "Think about it; in the future, you can trade freely in the Luzon Kingdom, manage plantations, or even serve as officials in the Luzon Kingdom..."

Before his voice had even faded, a young man suddenly rushed out and raised his hands high, "I am willing, I am willing to serve the interests of the Great Song."

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment, looked at the thin young man who had rushed out, and smiled, "A clever lad. Good, I will reserve a spot for you."

"And me." After the thin young man, a sturdy young man also ran out, "We are good friends; we share blessings and face hardships together."

With someone taking the lead, the remaining Overseas Song People naturally grew bolder.

Following the young men, one after another stood out.

Zhou Yi ordered Pan Zhang to register them and record their names, while calling the first two young men who stood out to the side.

"What are your names?" Zhou Yi asked the two.

"My name is Miao An."

"My name is Niu Qiang."

The thin young man and the sturdy young man replied.

Zhou Yi nodded, "From now on, Banbu will be temporarily managed by the two of you. But I'll say this plainly: if you don't do a good job, you will be replaced."

Miao An and Niu Qiang were stunned. What did he mean by handing the management of Banbu to them?

This sentence left them unable to react for a moment.

Gradually understanding the words, the two looked at each other and both swallowed hard.

Previously, Banbu had been under the jurisdiction of the Franks.

Now, the Great Song army had driven away the Franks, so this place naturally belonged to the Great Song.

And they were the people the Great Song had put in charge of managing this place.

From now on, the Song People in Banbu would truly turn their lives around.

Zhou Yi smiled as he looked at the excited pair and continued, "Go back and be happy later. Right now, this General needs you to lead the other Song People to immediately take over the assets of the Franks in Banbu, including houses, shops, Merchant Ships, plantations, and so on."

"Yes, General, leave it to us. We know everything about the Franks' belongings," Miao An said loudly.

Zhou Yi nodded, "Also, find me a guide who knows both the Great Song language and the native language, preferably someone familiar with all of Luzon."

"General, what a coincidence, Niu Qiang is the person you are looking for," Miao An pointed at Niu Qiang, "His family has been here since his grandfather's generation. Before coming to the port, he followed the Franks' horse teams to transport goods and traveled all over Luzon."

Niu Qiang chuckled and did not deny it.

"That is excellent. Next, I will lead the troops to Manila. I will leave two thousand men here, and with you leading the way, we will take the small and medium-sized cities in the north of Manila," Zhou Yi said.

"Don't worry, General, just leave it to me. I won't let them get lost," Niu Qiang patted his chest.

Zhou Yi felt at ease, despite having intelligence provided by the Four Courts.

They still lacked understanding of the entire island of Luzon.

A good guide was very important to them.

Having settled this matter, Zhou Yi gave further instructions to Miao An.

He told him to store coal, grain, and other supplies in the port's warehouses.

He would turn this place into a temporary supply point.

The next day, he led the fleet to continue south.

This time, his military force pointed directly at the core of the Franks in Luzon: the city of Manila.

However, he did not intend to take Manila directly, but rather to adopt a strategy of encirclement.

Because if Manila were occupied, the Western Lands Allied Forces might abandon Luzon altogether.

But if they were half-dead, they would come to save them.

And if they did not come, the Franks would certainly be displeased.

In this way, rifts would surely appear within their ranks.