Chapter 363: The Enemy Arrives

"Old Wu, I think Battalion Commander Sun's words make a great deal of sense! Since we know the red barbarians' firearms are formidable, if we array ourselves for a head-on fight we would not only suffer heavy losses, but there is also the danger of defeat. Better to think of some clever tricks, first to dampen their morale, and once fear takes root in their hearts or they can no longer hold out from exhaustion, then strike them with a proper formation. With several measures working together like this, the red barbarians are sure to lose!"

Lin Rong, who had been silent all along at the side, suddenly spoke up with his own thoughts.

If one were to ask who on the entire island least wanted to fight a war, that person would certainly be Lin Rong, and since war had now become unavoidable, the one least willing to lose was probably still Lin Rong.

The main reason was that the situation on the island was simply too good right now.

Just as he could see himself on the verge of great success, even his name reaching the ears of the throne, the very kind of mishap Lin Rong feared most was now visibly about to occur.

With every aspect of the settlement having grown increasingly stable over the past year or more, and aided by the uniquely favorable natural conditions of central and southern Taiwan, the reclamation of military farmland in Taizhong County had achieved major results.

Counting the government troops and the original two thousand-plus settlers, the island now had a total population of over eight thousand, with more than two hundred head of large and small livestock, and the total reclaimed military farmland had reached over one hundred thousand mu — a figure that continued to grow every single day.

In September of this year, after the harvest of the second rice crop in the tenth year of Chongzhen, the more than ten newly built large granaries were already piled full of large quantities of unhulled rice.

This grain had all been purchased and stored by the county office using silver specially sent by Zhu Youjian and escorted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, bought from the settlers at a price slightly below market value.

Because newly opened fields enjoyed a policy of three years' exemption from taxation, the settlers — who had been terrified of poverty and hunger — erupted with tremendous productive enthusiasm.

Every able-bodied laborer in each household turned out in full force, working in shifts, and with the aid of the various large livestock purchased and shipped over by the Four Seas Trading Company, newly reclaimed fields grew at a rate visible to the naked eye.

With the help of the batch of Minnan people who had moved over from the Zheng family, the Shanxi settlers, after two seasons of failed crop rotation, finally learned in the third season how to plant and manage rice paddies, and achieved widespread success that very season.

During this period, through the dense exchanges between the Shanxi settlers and the Minnan settlers, many of the Shanxi immigrants also learned how to catch all kinds of aquatic products — fish, turtles, shrimp, crabs, clams, eels, and so forth — as well as the skills for cooking them into delicious dishes.

The Minnan settlers, in turn, learned the various crafts of the Shanxi artisans, including the methods for hunting large wild animals such as deer, bears, leopards, and wild boar, along with the ways to cook them.

As the friendship between the people of the north and south deepened, the various misunderstandings that had initially arisen from differences in customs and language were also gradually being resolved.

In the course of their close contact through work and daily life, an eighteen-year-old young man from Fujian and a sixteen-year-old young woman from Shanxi, drawn to each other by mutual affection, and with the consent of both sets of parents, became husband and wife in an extremely simple ceremony.

County Magistrate Lin Rong, upon hearing the news, personally attended to offer his congratulations and gave five taels of silver as a wedding gift.

Because he understood the profound significance contained in this event.

As the chief official in charge of the island of Taiwan, his every move was widely observed by the people, and his presence meant that the government wished to see the harmonious coexistence of different cultures and customs — this wedding would also become a bellwether.

With continuous bountiful harvests coming in roughly every three or four months, every household's newly made rice jars, wooden barrels, and winnowing baskets were piled full of rice, and with the supplement of high-protein side dishes such as various game and river delicacies, the Shanxi settlers had progressed from their early reluctance to eat their fill all the way to today, when even eating with abandon could not finish the food.

The settlers, now accustomed to abundant harvests, with their homes unable to hold any more rice, actively responded to the county office's purchasing drive, trading large quantities of rice for silver, copper coins, and other daily necessities.

It must be said that merchants truly possess an exceptionally keen nose.

Upon learning of the island's consecutive bountiful grain harvests, the Fuzhou branch of the Four Seas Trading Company decisively began constructing a shop near the county office, then chartered merchant vessels to ship large quantities of supplies to the island during the calm seasons, and through the various goods in the shop, earned back the silver and coins the settlers had received from selling their grain.

The chief manager of the Fuzhou branch, Li Jiashan, had a very flexible mind. He knew that for the trading company to establish itself and develop in the Fujian region, it first needed to unite with the local gentry and prominent clans; otherwise it would be constrained by all manner of factors.

After Li Jiashan made contact with the great clans of Minnan, he decided to join forces with these people to expand the business.

This cross-sea venture of the trading company was accomplished jointly with several major households — the Lin, Cai, Hong, and other surnames — with the risks and profits incurred along the way ultimately shared among all parties.

These several great clans had not initially taken this bit of business seriously, but after Li Jiashan revealed to them that the court was organizing more disaster victims from the northern border regions to be relocated to Taiwan, and that the island's population would eventually reach several million, the clan heads gathered together to discuss the matter and immediately and decisively settled on cooperation with the Four Seas Trading Company.

Because they had all vaguely heard that the Four Seas Trading Company was the enterprise of noble personages within the palace, the matter of large-scale migration could certainly not be a fabrication. And seizing the island's territory ahead of others, laying the foundation for earning high profits in the future — that was what truly mattered most.

Seeing that through his wholehearted dedication, the former swamps and dense forests, wastelands and ponds had gradually become fertile fields, and the once desolate and gloomy villages had become bustling and lively towns, and that the first batch of rice produced on the island had already been shipped to the mainland, Lin Rong felt immense pride within his heart while also harboring great expectations for his future official career.

"Yo, Old Lin, I never thought I'd underestimated you! Hahaha! Come now, what clever tricks do you have? Let's hear them!"

Wu Qun said with a grin.

"I merely saw in some storybooks mention of how to avoid a strong enemy's front and strike at their flanks — as for how it's actually applied, I truly have no idea! Old Wu, if I had clever stratagems, wouldn't I be a man both civil and martial? You'd better keep underestimating me!"

After finishing his words, Lin Rong picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and began sipping it contentedly on his own.

"Setting that aside, the very fact that you, Old Lin, could have such thoughts is already something that astonishes me. If you were to go into the army and fight, your future achievements would surely be considerable. Why don't you think it over — just enlist outright, and I'll get you a post as Battalion Commander?"

"Get lost!"

Lin Rong spat at Wu Qun, then turned away and ignored him.

"Heh heh! I know you can't bear to part with that green robe, still hoping to trade it in for a great red one! Old Lin, I reckon you're sure to get your wish!"

After Wu Qun teased Lin Rong a few more times, seeing that the other man paid him no attention whatsoever, he finally turned his head back with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Old Sun, what County Magistrate Lin just said reminded me of something. Since the red barbarians are good at fighting head-on, then we'll avoid their sharp edge and strike when they're weary and retreating! The red barbarians will certainly be ferried ashore from their ships before attacking us, and the location of our main camp happens to be the key point they cannot outflank! From the shore to here is nearly thirty li, with trees and ponds densely scattered along the way, and only a single road — this is our advantage of terrain, and we must make full use of it!"

On the sixth day of the twelfth month in the tenth year of Chongzhen, after more than half a month of preparation since the decision to dispatch troops was made at the Governor-General's residence, the eight hundred officers and soldiers led by Van Dyke arrived in the waters off the Ming army's main camp aboard four large vessels.

Also arriving on the same ships were one thousand native inhabitants of the island — the Mattau and Bakloan people who had originally resisted the Dutch and were finally subdued by force.

The reason Van Dyke brought this batch of natives along was so that after defeating the Ming army they could plunder more supplies and grain, and to use them as a baggage train.

At about five li from the coast, the two giant vessels of one thousand tons displacement each dropped their enormous anchor chains and came to a stop on the sea, while the two tiers of portholes along the side facing the shore all opened, revealing row after row of dark cannon muzzles pointing toward the land.

Before long, more than twenty landing boats were hoisted down from the ships to the water, and dense rope netting was promptly hung over one side of the hull. At the officers' commands, the first wave of soldiers, with matchlock muskets and canvas ammunition bags slung across their bodies, climbed down the netting one after another into the landing boats, and the landing operation formally began.

The title of "wagoner of the seas" was no empty reputation — at this period the Netherlands was the true overlord of the seas, a nation of fewer than two million people that nevertheless possessed sixteen thousand vessels of every kind.

These great ships of over one thousand tons displacement, with more than a hundred cannons densely packed across their two decks, were not even the most advanced — a giant vessel of fifteen hundred tons had already completed sea trials and entered batch production.

The birth of these giant warships of the greatest displacement and most fearsome firepower of the era proclaimed that the Netherlands would continue its position as maritime overlord for a considerable time to come.

On the top deck of one of the giant vessels, Van Dyke swept the shore with a single-tube telescope. Not far ahead on the sea, Dutch soldiers were straining at their oars, the landing boats surging rapidly toward the coast over the heaving water.

"Mister Colonel, these yellow-skinned people must have been scared into the mountains by the sight of our warships long ago. Their faces, so similar to monkeys', make them just right for eating wild fruit in the hills, hahahaha!"

Captain Link of the Star Shield, holding a cup of coffee and lounging lazily in a chair, said to Van Dyke with a laugh.

"Mister Captain, although your view has a bit of merit, I do not entirely agree! Do not forget our old friend — Count Zheng of the Great Ming Empire, who gave our Dutch navy no small amount of trouble!"