nucmednet Chapter 704 Inspection of Taiwan
Chapter 704 Inspection of Taiwan
Su Hongtu was furious when he saw the rebel army trying to take advantage of the situation. He took a gun from his subordinate and fired a shot into the air with a "bang".
Upon hearing the gunfire, the rebel soldiers assumed an indiscriminate attack and shoved their heads behind their horses' necks to avoid the bullets, slowing their pace. After a moment, when the intense gunfire ceased, they reined in their horses, stopped, and looked up in confusion.
Su Hongtu shouted, "These soldiers are my prisoners, it's not your place to reap the rewards. If you know what's good for you, back off now, or you'll end up like them."
The rebel soldiers all looked at their leader. The leader's face turned pale and then flushed, clearly embarrassed.
The Independent Regiment soldiers raised their guns and marched forward, pressing down on the rebel army like a wall covered in thorns. The rebel soldiers felt numb and involuntarily retreated.
Seeing that Su Hongtu remained silent, the battalion commander in charge of the operation ordered the troops to halt at a distance of one hundred paces, following procedure. "All troops, prepare for a volley!"
The soldiers began loading their weapons, their movements perfectly synchronized. The entire force of two thousand men seemed like a stable and precise machine, none of them showing any expression, their calmness terrifying.
The mechanical and precise loading process put an invisible pressure on the soldiers of the rebel army. Many of them had cold sweat on their foreheads. They knew that once the loading was complete, deadly flames would spew out from these iron pipes, and they would fall to the ground under the lead bullets just like the officers and soldiers before them.
When the two thousand guns were all raised and aimed, the rebel leader couldn't hold back any longer and ordered repeatedly, "Everyone back! These lunatics will really attack!" The rest of the men hurriedly pulled on their reins and turned around, and the entire rebel army retreated like a tide.
After retreating two hundred paces, the rebel leader shouted, "Brother, this is all a misunderstanding. Please don't let it damage the harmony between our two families..."
Su Hongtu stared at him coldly, without saying a word. The two thousand guns remained steadily aimed at the opposite side, and no one moved until a new order was given.
The rebel leader, seeing the strict discipline of the enemy, felt a little scared. He swallowed hard and waved his hand, saying, "You underestimate them. This group is not to be trifled with. If we can't afford to mess with them, we'll retreat!"
The rebel cavalry turned their horses around and tentatively headed west. Seeing that the other side showed no intention of firing, they whipped their horses and galloped away recklessly. Accompanied by the chaotic sound of hooves, the rebel army quickly wiped them out.
Only after the enemy cavalry force had completely disappeared from sight did Su Hongtu order: "Lift the alert. Take the prisoners back."
On the way back, Su Hongtu reflected on today's lessons. It seemed that next time he should not openly hand over with the rebel army. At least he should change his clothes so that people could not tell at a glance that he was an official or soldier, so as to avoid any complications.
A large caravan of refugees, escorted by two battalions of the Independent Regiment, set off for Rizhao to sail out to sea. The unfortunate Kaifeng soldiers were also crammed into the refugees, with no chance of returning to Kaifeng. The officials and soldiers within Henan province were completely unaware of what had happened that day.
Liu Ye's plan proceeded methodically. Utilizing channels in Shandong and the financial support from Li Zicheng, the Qionghai Army continuously received refugees from Henan, who were then sent to Qiongzhou and Taiwan. Qiongzhou received over 100,000 refugees in total. With the payment of taxes on their behalf, the enthusiasm of the island's natives for farming greatly increased. The Li people in the deep mountains were also gradually registered as citizens by the government. The amount of wasteland available for cultivation was decreasing, and the island's capacity was nearing saturation. Taiwan, on the other hand, acted like a giant sponge, constantly absorbing refugees. Unbeknownst to many, its total population had already exceeded 100,000, and this number continued to increase.
In May of the tenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, after handling various affairs in Qiongzhou, Liu Ye boarded the "Yangming" warship, preparing to travel to Taiwan for inspection. Since the end of the eighth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, apart from transporting grain and other supplies from Qiongzhou, no one in the Qiongzhou Navy's high command below Liu Ye had set foot on Taiwan Island. Now that everything was on track, it was time to go and take a look.
The speed of the Yangming was unparalleled in this timeline, and it arrived at Tainan Port on the eighth day after departing from Bofu.
At the port, Liu Ye could see the majestic Fort Zeelandia in the distance with the naked eye. This fortress, built of massive stones, took the Dutch five years to build. By the standards of this time and space, it was first-class in both its sturdiness and defensive capabilities. The Qionghai Navy got a good deal and saved a lot of trouble.
For security reasons, both the Tainan Customs House and the newly built Taiwan Governor-General's Office were located within the fortress, which had become the ruling center of this newly developed island. From disembarking to the fortress, Liu Ye looked around and saw nothing but hurried merchants and their entourages. At the dock, they applied for customs officials to inspect their goods, issue a manifest, and then proceed to Fort Zeelandia to pay commercial taxes. After payment, the tax official would fill in the amount in a booklet and stamp it, allowing them to set sail.
This was Liu Ye's first time visiting Tainan in this timeline, and everything felt new and exciting. He wanted to learn about Tainan firsthand, so he stopped a merchant and asked, "Brother, what's your name? Are you here to pay taxes?"
Seeing Liu Ye's air of authority, the merchant dared not underestimate him and replied, "Indeed. My surname is Huang. What is your surname, brother? Are you also in the maritime trade?"
Liu Ye gave a vague reply: "Yes, my surname is Liu. I don't know what the procedures are for this tax payment, but could you perhaps help me out..."
“Absolutely not!” The merchant surnamed Huang waved his hands repeatedly. “The customs here are not like the government offices on land. The taxes are extremely heavy, and they do not accept bribes from top to bottom. It’s impossible to get a needle in the hole or water out of them. Once someone is caught offering a bribe, the entire ship and cargo will be confiscated, and the manager who accepted the bribe will be given thirty lashes and then sent to work in the mines. I have personally witnessed a fellow villager give five hundred taels of silver, and tens of thousands of taels of cargo were seized and confiscated. He lost everything. The price was far too high.”
Liu Ye was pleased, but feigned regret and asked, "So, Brother Huang, there's no way to exploit this? But I've heard the tax is extremely heavy; I'm afraid we can't afford it."
The merchant surnamed Huang enthusiastically advised him: "Brother Liu, is this your first time at sea? The taxes here are indeed heavy, especially for raw silk, porcelain, and tea, which are ridiculously high. But if you think about it, you'll only make more money. The people in charge here aren't killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Moreover, they are trustworthy. After collecting taxes, whether you go to Southeast Asia or Japan, they won't charge any other miscellaneous fees. It's clean, transparent, and clear at a glance. Most importantly, it's much safer at sea than before. Almost all the major and minor sea lords have been wiped out. If you encounter storms, you can ask patrolling warships for help. They're willing to help once they've taken your money, which is much better than the government..."