Chapter 42 of 43

Chapter 42

16 min read3,924 words

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"Absolutely not! The muskets used by the Flying Fish Army are our highest state secrets and cannot be sold to outsiders!" Long Yufei directly refused, leaving no room for negotiation. The performance of the Flying Fish muskets was far more advanced than the current mainstream muskets in the West, almost a generation ahead. Although Long Yufei knew that once the Flying Fish Army clashed with Western powers, the advanced technology of the Western powers would quickly allow them to develop similar muskets, he still hoped to delay this as much as possible. This required extremely strict control over the muskets. All muskets could only be equipped to the Flying Fish Army or the police of the internal affairs department of the Flying Fish Company. Each musket was recorded upon production, and if damaged, it had to be returned to the arsenal for destruction, and it was impossible to sell them to outsiders.

Lin Zihao was taken aback, not expecting Long Yufei to refuse so directly. They were not asking for free; they were willing to pay real money. Long Yufei's attitude was too disrespectful! After all, they were all overseas Chinese!

"Commander Long, our Lin family is willing to pay twenty pounds per musket for the Flying Fish Company's muskets!" Lin Zihao said. This price was already much higher than the Western muskets. The British Army's Snider-Enfield musket sold in the South Seas for no more than ten pounds, at most twelve pounds. Buying at almost double the price, in Lin Zihao's view, was a great deal for the Flying Fish Company.

"Sorry, Second Master Lin, there is no room for negotiation on this issue!" Long Yufei said stubbornly. On other issues, he could be flexible, but on this one, he would not budge. This was a matter of life and death for the Flying Fish Company!

Lin Zihao's face turned sour, and the atmosphere became heavy.

"Second Master Lin, our musket production is limited, and we don't even have enough to equip our own army, let alone sell to outsiders! So, I apologize!" Liu Mingde quickly said, sensing the tension and trying to smooth things over. As a local Chinese in Mindanao, he was well aware of the Lin family's influence. Although the Flying Fish Company was not afraid of the Lin family, having more friends was always better!

Lin Zihao nodded, accepting the explanation. However, he did not seem to be ready to give up.

"Commander Long, the situation for the Chinese in Zamboanga is not good. The Sultanate of Maguindanao is coveting our wealth and is currently preparing for war, likely to attack Zamboanga. Do you want to see the Chinese in Zamboanga massacred by the Moros?" Lin Zihao said. The hardworking Chinese had accumulated considerable wealth through their labor. However, the kind-hearted Chinese lacked the military strength to protect this wealth, making the local natives very envious and leading to their downfall. The Chinese in Zamboanga were in a similar situation, with the Sultanate of Maguindanao always coveting the Zamboanga region. In the past, the sultan had adopted a relatively mild policy towards Zamboanga, only requiring taxes and not interfering too much. However, the new sultan was not satisfied with just a little tax; he wanted to take all the wealth of the Chinese.

"Zamboanga has thirty thousand Chinese. With your financial resources, you can arm at least five thousand soldiers. The Sultanate of Maguindanao has a population of over a hundred thousand, but the number of soldiers they can field is at most ten thousand. Can they win a long-distance campaign against Zamboanga?" Long Yufei asked, puzzled. As the defending side, the Chinese in Zamboanga could rest and prepare, ready to strike the Sultanate of Maguindanao's army. In Long Yufei's view, this was a good chance to win.

"Um, Commander Long, Zamboanga does not have a real army. The combined guards of all the families are only a thousand or so. Moreover, most of the Chinese in Zamboanga are merchants and workers, not systematically trained, and they are no match for the regular army of the Sultanate of Maguindanao!" Lin Zihao said.

Long Yufei was speechless. He understood now. The Chinese in Zamboanga had enjoyed a long period of peace and had lost their fighting spirit. They were afraid of fighting the Sultanate of Maguindanao and feared bloodshed. The Chinese in Zamboanga were far from the Chinese in northern Mindanao, who had been fighting the natives and whose fighting spirit had never cooled, allowing the Flying Fish Army to grow so quickly.

"Second Master Lin, I have a solution to the problems faced by the Chinese in Zamboanga!" the Minister of Internal Affairs, Li Decheng, said.

"Minister Li, what is your solution? Please tell us!" Lin Zihao quickly said.

"All the Chinese in Zamboanga should join the Flying Fish Company and follow the orders of the Flying Fish Company from now on! The Flying Fish Company will be responsible for protecting the safety of the Chinese in Zamboanga!" Li Decheng said directly. He knew that Long Yufei had always wanted to integrate all the Chinese in Mindanao. Now, except for the Chinese in Zamboanga, almost all the Chinese in other parts of Mindanao had gathered under the Flying Fish Company. The threat from the Sultanate of Maguindanao to Zamboanga was a rare opportunity for the Flying Fish Company!

"Join the Flying Fish Company?" Lin Zihao exclaimed. He had not expected the Flying Fish Company to be so ambitious, wanting to annex Zamboanga. In Lin Zihao's view, although the Flying Fish City where the Flying Fish Company was located was grand, the people there were virtually penniless and could not compare to Zamboanga. It was like a beggar telling a rich man that if he joined them, they would protect him, which seemed ridiculous and hard to accept!

"Second Master Lin, are the Chinese in Zamboanga unwilling? If they are willing, we can immediately dispatch two infantry battalions to Zamboanga! With the combat capability of the Flying Fish Army, two infantry battalions are enough to protect Zamboanga! As for dealing with the Sultanate of Maguindanao, we can handle the natives first and then deal with them!" Long Yufei said. Two infantry battalions, totaling 1,500 people, might not be enough to defeat the Sultanate of Maguindanao, but they were more than enough for defense. After all, the Sultanate of Maguindanao's equipment was very rudimentary, slightly better than the natives but still far inferior to the Flying Fish Army!

"Commander Long! If Zamboanga joins the Flying Fish Company, what obligations will we have? Will our young people be forced to join the army?" Lin Zihao asked. The Chinese in Zamboanga were used to a peaceful life, and many young people would be unwilling to join the army!

"The Flying Fish Army never forces anyone to join the army; all soldiers join voluntarily! Of course, we offer many incentives for those who are willing to join. If Zamboanga joins the Flying Fish Company, you only need to pay taxes and follow our instructions in external affairs," Long Yufei said. He had little hope of recruiting the Chinese in Zamboanga into the army. However, Zamboanga's developed handicrafts, non-ferrous metal industry, and shipbuilding industry could be a good supplement to the Flying Fish Company.

Lin Zihao hesitated and then said, "Commander Long, must Zamboanga join the Flying Fish Company and submit to you? Perhaps we can try another method, such as the Chinese in Zamboanga paying to hire the Flying Fish Army to protect Zamboanga's safety. We can negotiate the hiring fees and ensure that the Flying Fish Company does not suffer any losses!"

Long Yufei shook his head: "Second Master Lin, there is no other way! Zamboanga must either submit to the Flying Fish Company and join us, or prepare to fight the Sultanate of Maguindanao! I guarantee that after Zamboanga joins the Flying Fish Company, we will treat everyone equally and not discriminate!"

"Alright, Commander Long, I need to report back to the family head. Such a big decision is not something I can make. Additionally, Zamboanga is not just under the control of the Lin family; we need to consult with other families as well!" Lin Zihao said.

"Of course, we look forward to your good news!" Long Yufei said with a smile. He knew that under the threat of the Sultanate of Maguindanao, the Chinese in Zamboanga would submit. This way, the Flying Fish Company could unify all the Chinese in Mindanao. With the financial support of Zamboanga, the financial situation of the Flying Fish Company would improve significantly.

Lin Zihao left Flying Fish City and returned to Zamboanga by boat. This trip to Flying Fish City had a significant impact on him. Although the newly established Flying Fish City looked chaotic and was not as prosperous as Zamboanga, the steel plant outside the city and the many natives working in the mines and fields made him realize the strength of the Flying Fish Company. He had also heard that the total military strength of the Flying Fish Army was nearly ten thousand, which was a huge military force for a city of only fifty thousand people. However, he had great confidence in the military power of the Flying Fish Army. If Zamboanga could join the Flying Fish Company and receive its protection, they might no longer have to worry about the threat from the Sultanate of Maguindanao!

When Lin Zihao returned to Zamboanga and brought back the conditions of the Flying Fish Company, it caused a great stir among the major Chinese families in Zamboanga. Most families opposed joining the Flying Fish Company, believing that the Flying Fish Company also coveted their wealth. However, in the face of the threat from the Sultanate of Maguindanao, they had no other options.

In the end, after the Flying Fish Company guaranteed that it would not harm their interests, these Chinese families chose to submit!

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