The sound of the waves was the main tone of the island’s night.
After resting one night in Michira Castle, the next day Xiao Ming took the map provided by Claire and began officially taking over Ryukyu main island and Fort Zeelandia.
He ordered Luo Xin to lead two thousand soldiers to station at Fort Zeelandia. Xiao Ming and Lu Fei took two thousand men to the sugarcane plantation marked on the map. The remaining soldiers stayed in Michira Castle to defend the castle.
“Your Highness, where are you preparing to go?”
As the army gathered and Xiao Ming and Lu Fei prepared to depart, a voice came.
Xiao Ming looked over to see Claire and Rodhes approaching. He said, “Count Claire, I was just about to send someone to inform you that we are ready to receive Ryukyu main island.”
“Your Highness, we have come for this matter,” Claire said. After a night of painful inner struggle, he chose to further smooth relations with Prince Qi.
“Is that so? What a coincidence! I was planning to inspect the sugarcane plantation and taste the white sugar here,” Xiao Ming said.
At this, Claire’s face twitched painfully.
For over forty years, they had painstakingly run this large sugarcane plantation. Now the nearly ripe sugarcane would soon belong to Xiao Ming.
Besides the sugarcane plantation, there were vast rice paddies on the island. These paddies yielded three crops per year, providing ample grain. This grain was even sold to the British, Spanish, and French in exchange for money.
Forcing a faint smile, Claire said, “Then allow me to lead Your Highness there so we can formally conduct the handover. The natives here do not recognize Your Highness, and I fear conflicts might arise.”
“That is good. But from now on, they are citizens of the Great Yu Empire, no longer natives,” Xiao Ming deliberately emphasized the words “natives,” as those words carried much discrimination.
Claire was stunned, his expression darkening. To him, this was a dangerous sign—he saw in Xiao Ming the beginning of a national awakening.
“Very well.” Claire’s smile was awkward. He exchanged a glance with Rhodes, and they walked into the island.
Xiao Ming and Lu Fei followed the two along a path extending from Michira Castle, heading northeast. After about twenty li, a vast sugarcane field appeared before them.
The sugarcane was dense, about three meters high, blocking the view. From the edge, one could not see the boundary.
“Your Highness, this is our sugarcane field. We plant one crop per year here. This place is very suitable for sugarcane. Every stalk is very sweet,” Claire introduced to Xiao Ming.
He paused, then pointed to a large rice paddy across the sugarcane and said, “This area is for rice, with three harvests per year.”
“Three harvests per year!” Lu Fei’s mouth opened wide. He said to Xiao Ming, “Your Highness, this is a great profit! Three rice crops a year—how much rice is that?”
Zhao Long and Zhao Hu followed behind Xiao Ming, equally excited.
“How many people on the island are responsible for planting sugarcane and rice?” Xiao Ming asked.
Claire said, “The locals—no, the people—number thirty thousand. Ten thousand are responsible for the sugarcane fields, the remaining twenty thousand for rice cultivation. The sugarcane fields cover about fifty thousand mu, and the rice paddies about one hundred fifty thousand mu.”
“That is quite a fortune,” Xiao Ming said excitedly, his face brightening. Taking Ryukyu was like gaining a new granary.
If he had Xiao Wenxuan relocate fifty or sixty thousand people to clear land on Ryukyu, the island’s value would increase even more.
Claire nodded. “Indeed, Your Highness. This proves our sincerity. I hope Your Highness will also show your sincerity.”
“Isn’t my leading a large army here enough to show my sincerity? Oh, of course, I won’t let you lose out in trade,” Xiao Ming said lightly.
After speaking, the group toured the plantations under Claire’s guidance. Most importantly, Claire introduced the supervisors of the plantations and rice fields to Xiao Ming.
“Lin Fu greets Your Highness,” a thin, dark-skinned young man bowed, speaking with a strong Fuzhou accent.
Hearing this dialect, Xiao Ming knew he was not from Ryukyu island but had migrated from across the sea. He said, “Claire was clear. From now on, this island belongs to me, and the people you govern belong to me as well. Understand?”
Lin Fu looked at the soldiers behind Xiao Ming carrying muskets, fear in his face, and said flatteringly, “Yes, Your Highness. From now on, I obey you. Whatever orders you have, just say the word.”
Xiao Ming nodded lightly. He and Claire walked further and found a village with many villagers. In the middle of the village stood a blackboard with Dutch writing.
The Dutch words roughly said Ryukyu Island was Dutch territory, and the island’s residents belonged to the Dutch, serving them for life.
Seeing the blackboard and the empty bench in front of it, Xiao Ming realized the Dutch were conducting slavery education on Ryukyu.
He snorted softly and erased all the writing on the blackboard, then carefully wrote the five characters “Qingzhou’s territory” stroke by stroke.
Claire’s eyes showed deep sorrow. Most island residents now spoke Dutch, but this situation would soon change. All traces of the Dutch would be erased.
Xiao Ming’s action further proved how different he was from the princes of the Great Yu Empire. Only those who cared about their nation’s honor would be so angry.
If not for considering the big picture, he would want to completely wipe out the Dutch, just like other colonizers. These colonizers assimilated the land, and that was the scariest thing.
“To destroy a people, first destroy their history!”
When the first generation of people on this land died out, and the second generation was assimilated, they would no longer identify with their ancestors and would become a completely different nation.
This was the evil of rewriting history. To Xiao Ming, it was even more terrifying than a nuclear bomb. That was why he was so furious seeing the Dutch erase all traces of Ryukyu’s original rulers.
The villagers watching this had complicated expressions. For the first time, the blackboard displayed strong, bold characters of the Great Yu Empire. Deep memories flooded their minds. Some elders who had migrated from across the sea had tears in their eyes.
Dropping the chalk, Xiao Ming looked toward three workshops in the village. Some sugarcane was stacked outside, and villagers were moving some brown granules out.