The setting sun dyed the sea red like blood. Claire looked solemnly into the distance.
In his view, these two East Asian countries were destined to be natural enemies because both had ambitions to dominate East Asia. But only one could be the overlord in the same region.
When he made the choice between the two, he was prepared to face retaliation from the other side.
“Your Highness, I have no offensive plan yet. Without knowing if you would come for aid, I could only focus on defense,” Claire said.
“Then now you can consider it. Do you plan to let us face the Japanese pirates alone?” Xiao Ming frowned. He was unwilling to sacrifice himself for the Dutch and, more importantly, Claire understood the combat strength of these Japanese.
Claire smiled bitterly. This Qi Wang was not easy to deal with. He had wanted to avoid deploying troops, but now it seemed impossible.
After some thought, he said, “With the strength of our fleet, these sea pirates are no match for us. So we can land ten miles outside Michira Castle at White Seagull Beach, then attack Michira Castle from there.”
While they talked, Claire led Xiao Ming to a map of the Ryukyu main island, showing colonial areas, population, and crops.
Claire picked up a quill and marked White Seagull Beach and the attack route on the map.
“Michira Castle stands on high ground, easy to defend but hard to attack. Around it is a large open area, perfect for artillery fire from the fort,” Claire explained.
Xiao Ming frowned, “If Michira Castle is so easy to defend, how did the Japanese pirates so easily capture it?”
“The collapse of an empire usually comes from within. Even a strong fortress is the same. We made a foolish mistake relying too much on the Japanese to help manage Michira Castle,” Claire said.
After a pause, he continued, “Fortunately, the artillery on Michira Castle is decades old and not numerous.”
“What is the exact range?” Xiao Ming asked with an interrogative tone.
The Dutch now used cast iron cannons and were equipped with flintlock guns. This wasn’t obvious on the surface, but with data, he could compare.
Claire shared Xiao Ming’s thoughts and said, “The fort has 120 cannons in total, 30 on each side. Their range is about 1,000 meters. I wonder if Your Highness’s cannons can suppress these.”
“You really bring me big trouble,” Xiao Ming said with some displeasure. A reckless attack on the fort might send over ten thousand Qingzhou soldiers to their deaths.
“Sorry, so I don’t recommend a direct assault on the fort. Instead, we should first cut off the Japanese pirate reinforcements, then lay siege to force them out. The food inside Michira Castle only lasts for one month,” Claire explained.
This news eased Xiao Ming’s mind. Michira Castle itself wasn’t so hard to attack, but with over ten thousand Japanese pirates inside, it had become a fortress. At the same time, their food consumption sped up.
“If so, a siege is the most suitable method,” Xiao Ming said thoughtfully.
Claire nodded, “Our forces alone cannot besiege Michira Castle, but with Your Highness’s soldiers, this plan becomes easy.”
The two agreed that waiting a month to reduce casualties was worthwhile.
After discussing, they left the official residence. Lu Fei and Luo Xin waited outside. Seeing Xiao Ming come out, Lu Fei said, “Your Highness, can we test weapons against the Dutch?”
When Claire mentioned the cannons from decades ago having a 1,000-meter range, Xiao Ming had doubts. He wanted to verify if the Dutch equipment had been upgraded, so he nodded and politely said to Claire, “Count Claire, our generals would like to test weapons with yours. Could you fulfill their wish?”
“Of course. I want to see Your Highness’s army as well. This will build trust for our joint battles,” Claire also wanted to investigate.
“Hahaha, then let’s go watch together,” Xiao Ming said.
They went to the Dutch army training ground in Fort Zeelandia. Claire and Xiao Ming each selected 100 soldiers and two artillery groups from their armies.
“Your Highness, who goes first?” Claire was confident in his army. Though the fort’s cannons were old, he brought a batch of new weapons upon arrival in Ryukyu.
These weapons were not the most advanced in Europe but were the main equipment in the Netherlands currently.
“We Great Yu always let guests go first,” Xiao Ming’s words had double meaning: letting Claire start and reminding him that even after taking Fort Zeelandia, they were still guests.
After taking Michira, these Qingzhou soldiers would stay temporarily to fulfill the contract until the naval marines arrived to replace them.
Claire nodded and signaled the officers to show the power of the flintlock guns.
Under the Dutch officer’s command, 100 Dutch musketeers skillfully unpacked paper-wrapped ammunition and loaded their guns. They fired at targets about 150 meters away.
Gunshots rang out, hitting many targets at 150 meters.
“Is this the maximum range?” Xiao Ming asked.
Claire nodded, “Yes. The flintlock gun’s accurate range is within 90 meters. Beyond that, it’s mostly luck. Still, it can kill enemies within that range.”
This result relieved Xiao Ming. The limitations of the flintlock gun were not easily overcome.
Just as he was relieved, Claire changed the subject, “But we have a more advanced rifle that will surprise Your Highness.”
He gestured to two groups of twelve soldiers who came forward.
“These soldiers carry rifles with a range of about 400 meters.”
Xiao Ming and Lu Fei exchanged surprised looks. As he suspected, rifled guns were already in limited use in European armies.
But Xiao Ming was not behind. Rifled guns were now in production, and with steam engines, production would become easier.