Chapter 18 of 43

Chapter 18

16 min read4,063 words

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Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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The Buena tribe had only about eight thousand people, and mobilizing two thousand able-bodied men to attack Wu Family Village was already their limit. However, not only did they fail to break through Wu Family Village, but they also suffered heavy losses, truly a case of "failing to steal a chicken and losing a handful of rice." By now, the Buena tribe had already lost over a thousand people. Such losses were a severe blow to their tribe!

Upon receiving the order to retreat, the natives began to flee in a panic. They had been thoroughly frightened by these Chinese who had come from the sea. Previously, in the eyes of these natives, the Chinese were like livestock they had raised, to be slaughtered at will. But now, the formidable combat power displayed by the Chinese had left them greatly shocked.

"Hmph! These damned natives, want to run? Form into squads and chase them down!" Niu Meng issued the order to pursue. This was a good opportunity to beat the fallen dog, and it couldn't be let go.

In the integration of the armed forces on Flying Fish Island, according to Long Yufei's plan, the elite men of Flying Fish Island were reorganized into two companies. Each squad consisted of 12 men, led by a squad leader and a deputy squad leader. Three squads formed a platoon, along with a platoon leader, a deputy platoon leader, and two communicators, making a total of 40 men per platoon. Three platoons formed a company, plus the company headquarters, making a total of about 140 men per company. Flying Fish Island now had two companies, with a total of less than 300 men! However, it was these two companies that, using muskets and relying on advantageous terrain, inflicted heavy losses on the natives attacking Wu Family Village, ultimately causing their collapse!

Following Niu Meng's orders, the pirates of Flying Fish Island launched a pursuit of the natives. At this point, they no longer had time to reload their muskets. So, the pirates put down their rifles and picked up steel knives and spears, continuing to fight the enemy! Compared to these South China Sea natives, the pirates were much taller and stronger, and their combat skills far surpassed those of the natives. Moreover, they had been living on the sea for years, and each of them had survived through numerous battles.

Even though the pirates had put down their muskets, their combat power was still far beyond what the natives could handle! The pirates quickly caught up with the fleeing natives, and their steel knives swung wildly, cutting down the natives like slicing vegetables. None of the natives could match the pirates.

The chief of the Buena tribe, Enado, initially thought there might be a chance when he saw the fierce Chinese abandon their muskets and fight with steel knives and spears. But when he saw the vicious Chinese easily kill his men, he was terrified! What happened today was truly hard to believe. Weren't the Chinese supposed to be weak, timid, and easy to bully? When did they become so strong? Were these still Chinese?

In the eyes of the natives, the Chinese with steel knives had become synonymous with demons. They were so frightened that they lost all their previous arrogance. Under the fierce attack of the pirates, the natives had no courage to resist. Especially after the brave warrior Naje was easily split in two by a pirate, the natives fled even faster. They only regretted that their parents hadn't given them an extra pair of legs, or they could have run even faster!

Some of the natives, seeing they couldn't escape, threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender to the pirates. The pirates, however, did not continue to kill those who surrendered but continued to chase the fleeing natives.

The Chinese of Wu Family Village were already stunned by what they saw. The fierce natives had been easily defeated by these Chinese from the sea, which was hard to believe. But the fact was undeniable. The Chinese of Wu Family Village cheered when they saw the natives defeated. They had almost been completely wiped out by the natives!

"Brothers, follow me! Kill those natives and avenge our fallen brothers!" Wu Daniu shouted, leading the way with a spear. The remaining able-bodied men of Wu Family Village followed closely behind.

The pursuit continued until the natives fled back into the forest. However, only a few hundred natives managed to escape successfully. Most of the remaining natives were killed, and a few were taken as prisoners. The chief of the Buena tribe, Enado, though small and thin, was skilled at fleeing and managed to slip into the forest before the pirates caught up with him. The forest was full of dangers, and the pirates, unfamiliar with the terrain, were no match for the natives in the forest. Therefore, the pirates stopped the pursuit at the edge of the forest and began to clean up the battlefield. The weapons left by the natives were of no interest to the pirates, but the surrendered natives were very useful!

Before heading to Mindanao Island, Long Yufei had told the pirates not to treat the natives on the island as humans but to treat them like animals! Although these natives were vicious and should be eliminated, the number of Chinese was too small. To develop industry and maintain a strong military force, manpower would be insufficient. In such a situation, using these natives as additional labor was very necessary! Of course, these natives would not be recognized; they would only be slaves! Just like the black slaves in America! The Chinese could use these slaves for farming, road construction, fortification, and mining, etc. Any dangerous work could be done by these natives, effectively saving Chinese manpower and allowing more Chinese to focus on military development! The natives of Mindanao Island, along with the Moros of the Sultanate of Maguindanao and the Sultanate of Buayan, numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Although the living conditions on Mindanao Island were harsh, the natives' reproductive capabilities were very strong, which provided ample labor for Long Yufei's plans!

As the saying goes, "A general's success is built on the bones of many." For Long Yufei to establish a powerful force in this chaotic world and change the fate of his people, necessary sacrifices were inevitable! Of course, if he could minimize the loss of his own people and have the foreigners and natives take their place, that would be the best!

The pirates had already recognized Long Yufei's leadership, so they took his orders very seriously. They began to tie up the surrendered natives, who were excellent candidates for slaves!

The natives were very cooperative. The formidable combat power of the pirates had left them greatly shocked. As prisoners of war, they had resigned themselves to their fate, and the fact that the pirates did not immediately kill them was a great relief. In the battles between native tribes, the fate of prisoners was often very tragic, with many being killed outright!

"Ah!" Suddenly, a scream came from the beach, and the surrendered natives became agitated!

"Kneel down! Kneel down for me!" Niu Meng shouted, cutting off a native's head with one stroke. Although the natives did not understand Niu Meng's words, they were intimidated by his presence and knelt down, trembling and not daring to move!

"What's going on?" Niu Meng asked after intimidating the natives.

"Boss, this kid killed a surrendered native!" A pirate reported to Niu Meng.

There, a Chinese teenager of about seventeen or eighteen held a spear, the tip of which was still dripping with blood. The youth, seeing Niu Meng look at him, appeared somewhat afraid but was also defiant.

"These natives killed my father! I want to avenge my father!" The youth said, looking at Niu Meng.

"Hey! Kid, if you have the skills, go kill those natives yourself! Now that these natives have surrendered, they are our spoils of war! By killing one, you are infringing on our interests!" Niu Meng laughed.

"This brave man, he is still young and doesn't know better. Please forgive him this time!" Wu Daniu arrived just in time to hear Niu Meng's words and hurriedly apologized.

"Alright! This time it's forgiven, but no more!" Niu Meng waved his hand indifferently. One native was not a big deal to him!

"Thank you, brave man!" Wu Daniu said hurriedly. This time, it was fortunate that these compatriots appeared suddenly; otherwise, Wu Family Village would have been in dire straits!

After the battle, the 'Flying Fish' warship docked at the pier, and Luo Sangu, Long Yufei, and others came ashore.

"Yufei, how is this place? Can we settle here?" Luo Sangu asked.

Long Yufei looked around. He was sure that the river in the distance was the Agusan River. Therefore, the mountains to the west and east must contain iron and coal mines. The plain between the iron and coal mines was fertile, making it a very good place.

"This place is well-located!" Long Yufei said.

At this moment, the old village chief of Wu Family Village had already brought a few villagers to the pier.

"I am Wu Yongxing, representing the old and young of Wu Family Village, to thank you for saving our lives!" The old village chief Wu Yongxing bowed to Long Yufei and the others. From the way the pirates surrounded Luo Sangu and Long Yufei, he had already recognized who the leaders of these formidable compatriots were!

"Old man, there's no need for this. We just happened to be here! We don't deserve such a grand gesture!" Long Yufei was startled and quickly supported Wu Yongxing. He couldn't bear to have an old man kneel to him!

"Where are you from, and what brings you to Mindanao Island? If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know. Wu Family Village will do its best!" Wu Yongxing said hurriedly. From his years of experience, he could tell that these compatriots were not ordinary!

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