Advanced chapter at patreon.com/caleredhair
Ye Qingyun gazed solemnly at the troops outside Dengzhou city.
At the front were the Wokou soldiers; behind them stood the tall, red-haired, blue-eyed, high-nosed Dutch soldiers.
Seeing the muskets carried by the Wokou and Dutch soldiers, Ye Qingyun felt a heavy pressure. Ever since Qingzhou equipped its troops with muskets, the power of this devastating weapon was known to the local commanders.
Having fought alongside Qingzhou’s troops, they had firsthand experience of muskets’ power and still harbored fear.
Now, with 4,000 musketeers outside Dengzhou city, he naturally felt tense—especially since the force included six cannons.
However, there was some relief. Dengzhou’s city walls now had artillery. After choosing this location for the shipyard, 36 cannons had been transported from Qingzhou in succession.
These cannons were their only firearms, though compared to the many li-long city walls, they seemed insignificant.
Below the city, Rhodes laughed mockingly at the soldiers on the walls, but his expression soon changed as they spotted the cannons.
“It seems the Chu King did not lie; this Qi King is truly different,” Rod’s expression gradually shifted.
Compared to Rhodes , Sakai’s attitude was reckless. He said to him , “Ambassador, now is the time to show these Great Yu soldiers some real power.”
With that, Sakai ordered his soldiers to form three assault teams.
“Slow!” Rhodes said harshly. They were not fools. They could not rashly provoke the enemy before assessing their true strength.
Both he and Claire insisted on this. Their true goal was trade; they did not want to establish a powerful enemy here.
The long journey from the Netherlands meant they would fight alone. If defeated, they would have to withdraw from these seas.
Sakai’s bloodthirsty smile froze. He asked incredulously, “Ambassador, didn’t we come here to conquer Dengzhou city?”
“No, we must negotiate first. If this Qi King is as weak as the Chu King, we can make this place our next supply point. If he is strong, we must be cautious,” Rhodes said sternly.
Sakai sneered, “Ambassador, it’s obvious Great Yu is weak now. Our daimyo Yamada can easily defeat this country. Their troops don’t even know how to use firearms, while our soldiers are all equipped with matchlock muskets. Of course, if you gave us flintlock and field cannon technology, we’d defeat Great Yu even easier.”
Rhodes glanced warily at Sakai. Wokou was undergoing changes unfriendly to them. After the flintlock technology was introduced to Wokou, they had rapidly armed themselves with matchlocks in just thirty years.
After a civil war, an ambitious daimyo named Yamada Nobunaga took power. Rhodes saw him as highly aggressive and plotting to conquer neighboring countries.
The Wokou were becoming dangerous enough that they had to compromise with them to maintain their East Asian trade.
“War is your East Asian countries’ affair. We Dutch only want trade. We’re here to understand why Great Yu produces matchlocks—that’s your purpose too,” Rhodes tone hardened, as if blaming the Wokou for leaking matchlock secrets.
Sakai, with a bulbous nose flushed red from anger, retorted, “We’re not fools. We wouldn’t give flintlock manufacturing secrets to Great Yu. Wokou craftsmen are monitored and can’t leak technology. It was the Dutch who sold matchlocks to the Chu King. Our daimyo are very unhappy about this. If the Dutch want to trade here, they must follow our rules.”
“Mr. Sakai, mind your words. Don’t forget, without us Dutch, your Wokou would never have prospered. We brought European science and technology to you,” Rhodes said angrily.
Sakai sneered again. They knew the Dutch were weak—now just a secondary Western power. Yet, despite this, they still needed the Dutch for more goods.
“Yes, Ambassador. I’ll follow your lead today.” Sakai waved his hand and the Wokou lowered their guns.
“Hmph,” Rhodes snorted and stepped forward. One reason he sought talks with the Qi King was to curb the growing arrogance of the Wokou.
The Wokou were becoming increasingly overbearing. They needed another power in East Asia to balance against the Wokou, securing Dutch presence.
The candidate had originally been the Chu King, but the longer they interacted, the clearer it was that the Chu King cared only for the throne and nothing beyond.
“Identify yourselves and state your name immediately,” Ye Qingyun demanded, watching the approaching Dutch.
The artillerymen had already lit torches, ready to fire on the uninvited guests.
“My name is Rhodes, the Dutch ambassador to East Asia,” Rhodes said beneath the city walls. “We wish to meet your Qi King. Please inform him. We mean no offense.”
“What Rhodes! What ambassador! I don’t understand these words. But since you want to see the Qi King, why bring so many? You clearly mean to invade our city,” Ye Qingyun shouted angrily.
Though outgunned, Ye Qingyun showed no fear. Over the past two years, the provincial armies had built a spirit of loyalty. Their glory was loyalty, ingrained deeply in every general.
They would rather die than retreat.
Rhodes glanced at the soldiers behind him. They brought fleet and troops to show strength, to gain leverage at the negotiating table.
“You misunderstand. These soldiers are for our protection only. To show sincerity, I can enter the city alone to meet your Qi King,” Rhodes continued.
His confidence was firm, but seeing the cannons on the walls made him cautious.
Ye Qingyun’s eyes flickered. He exaggerated the distance, “We can notify the Qi King, but Qingzhou is six days away. You must wait.”