Chapter 2

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"Where are we?"

As the junk ship approached, a man who appeared to be the commander shouted at Johann.

"Surrender! If you resist, you will not be forgiven!"

Johann carefully examined the enemy's condition.

If they were soldiers of the same level as those he had faced earlier, he could handle dozens of them.

After all, his current body was the one from the game.

In Mount & Saber, even a low-tier soldier was as powerful as Lu Bu in reality.

Even at his current low level, he was incomparably stronger than the weak Ming soldiers.

However, there was a problem.

'Guns? That's cheating.'

Johann was skilled with spears, swords, and axes.

Of course, his martial arts skills were also exceptional.

But in the face of gun laws, all martial arts and boxing skills were equal.

Unless he was a master from a wuxia novel, he couldn't win against an opponent with a gun.

Realizing he had no chance of winning, Johann raised his hands.

Soon, he became a prisoner of the Ming army.

'Damn, starting off as a prisoner.'

In Mount & Saber, he was familiar with the life of a prisoner.

He often became a prisoner after losing in battles.

When playing the game, he would engage in thousands, even tens of thousands of battles.

Since he couldn't win every battle, being a prisoner was something he was used to.

"Name."

"…Kim Johann."

When the guard asked him various questions about his background, he answered honestly.

He was a very obedient prisoner.

"Which country are you from?"

"Joseon."

Of course, he couldn't honestly say, "I'm from the future."

So, Johann fabricated his past.

Since he often did this to immerse himself in the game's world, it wasn't difficult.

"Reason for coming to Fuzhou?"

"My ship was wrecked, and I was heading to the nearest place."

"Is that so."

With nothing more to learn, the soldiers grabbed Johann's arms.

They were about to take him back to the prison.

'I can't afford to be dragged to a place like a mine. I need to show my value first.'

In fact, Johann was a master of escaping and could easily run away even if he were taken to a mine.

But he saw no reason to suffer unnecessarily.

He might even die in the process.

'Fortunately, I found out that the translation function works here too.'

Just by speaking naturally in Chinese, he could use medieval Chinese.

Was it only Chinese?

He could use all the languages in the world.

This would be a valuable skill even in modern times, let alone in the 17th century.

"I can speak all the languages of the Western Regions!"

At this declaration, the Ming official, who had shown no interest in Johann until now, let out a small exclamation.

"You mean you can speak not only English but also the language of the red barbarians?"

"What are red barbarians?"

"I mean the Dutch."

"Of course. Not only Dutch, but also Portuguese, Spanish, and French are no problem."

"Hmm."

The official looked intrigued and then said to Johann,

"Wait here for a moment."

From the change in the official's attitude, Johann could easily predict that his situation would improve positively.

***

Johann's plan to demonstrate his language skills and prove his worth was not wrong.

High-ranking officials visited Johann, who was imprisoned, one after another.

And Johann showed them, like a performing monkey, his ability to speak the languages of the Western Regions naturally.

English, Portuguese, Dutch, and so on.

He even demonstrated Manchu and Korean (which was quite different from the Korean he knew, so he had to use the translation function), and the effect was excellent.

"Where are we now? It looks almost like a palace."

"This is a villa used by Nan Anhou."

A few days after demonstrating his language skills, Johann was released from prison.

He was taken somewhere, which was more splendid than any palace.

It was a grand mansion that could easily be mistaken for an imperial villa.

The size and splendor of this mansion gave a clear indication of Nan Anhou's power.

'He's the highest authority in the Southern Ming, right?'

He held the rank of Taishi, a high-ranking official.

Moreover, it was Nan Anhou who had installed the current emperor.

The Southern Ming's first emperor, Hongguang, had died within a year of the Ming dynasty's collapse.

During this tumultuous period, Nan Anhou made Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang, the emperor.

'And I heard he was a pirate. If that's true, he's almost like my role model.'

The people here didn't care about security.

They enthusiastically answered any questions Johann asked.

They even spoke ill of the emperor without hesitation, as if there were no such thing as a crime of insulting the emperor.

In any case, thanks to this, Johann learned a lot about the Southern Ming's situation.

He also learned about the highest authority in the Southern Ming who had summoned him.

"Haha! I heard you can take down dozens of soldiers with your bare hands. Is that true?"

However, the first impression of Nan Anhou, also known as Zheng Zhilong, was quite different from what Johann had expected.

Johann had imagined Zheng Zhilong as an old, cunning official.

He expected him to have a snake-like appearance.

But in reality, Zheng Zhilong looked to be in his 40s, and his build was robust, almost like a warrior.

"Without guns, even hundreds of soldiers couldn't defeat me."

In response to Zheng Zhilong's question, Johann spoke confidently.

While humility might be a virtue in this era, he was not naturally humble.

Zheng Zhilong, on the other hand, seemed to appreciate his confidence.

"Truly, there is no one like Xiang Yu!"

"There was a Lion King in the Western Regions, and he was a figure like Xiang Yu. And my nickname is the Lion King."

Since it was a fabricated past, there was no harm in making it more impressive.

No one would go to the Western Regions to verify Johann's identity.

"You said you are from Joseon?"

"Yes, although I was not born in Joseon, I am a Joseon person."

"But you don't look like a Joseon person."

When setting the avatar's appearance, Johann chose a Western look.

He had a distinct facial structure and thick eyebrows, looking somewhat like a mixed-race person.

"My mother is English."

In his previous life, he had never left his country after being taken away during the Third World War.

But in this life, he decided to be a mixed-race person.

'Mom, you always wanted to go to England. I can't take you there, but I'll make you an English person.'

As Johann was thinking this, Zheng Zhilong said something completely unexpected.

"England. It's a good country. Among the southern barbarians who don't know morality, it's the only country of gentlemen."

At this, Johann's face showed a look of disbelief.

England, a country of gentlemen?

Was it like Japan, the land of peace, or China, the land of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom?

But then Johann nodded as if he had realized something.

'Of course, pirates understand each other.'

Although Zheng Zhilong was now the highest authority in the Southern Ming, his essence was that of a pirate.

Naturally, he would defend another pirate, England.

"Did you come to China to return to Joseon?"

"Originally, that was the case... "

Johann was curious about Joseon.

It was probably the era of King Injo or King Hyojong.

He was curious about what Joseon was like in this era, which he had only learned about through history.

But to Johann, there was not much difference between Joseon and China.

After all, the Joseon of this era was a distant country from the Korea he had lived in all his life.

"I don't think I would have many opportunities to showcase my abilities in the current Joseon. The war has completely stopped as they have submitted to the Jurchens."

To grow his abilities, he needed to experience as many battles as possible.

And the Southern Ming was the best country for that.

Their opponent was the Qing dynasty.

'Well, if things go wrong, I'll just run away. The Qing is too strong, and the Ming is in a hopeless state.'

Johann wanted to win battles, not lose them.

Unlike in the game, losing a battle didn't mean death but being taken prisoner.

"Meanwhile, I heard that the Ming is still fighting the Qing."

"Yes, we are still fighting, for now."

Zheng Zhilong said this with a meaningful tone, as if the war would soon end.

Johann felt a bit strange about Zheng Zhilong's attitude but continued,

"You won't regret having me under your command."

In Mount & Saber, to become a king, one had to first become a noble.

To become a noble, one had to serve under someone.

If he had to serve under someone, it was better to serve under a strong king.

It was better than fighting against a strong king as an enemy.

"Whether it's commanding a ship or leading an army, or even translating, I can do it."

***

Zheng Zhilong stroked his beard.

'He seems to be full of himself, but he is definitely not an ordinary person.'

If Johann had appeared when Zheng Zhilong was working for a foreign company, he would have killed him on the spot.

Johann appeared to be more capable than the young Zheng Zhilong in every way.

Having spent his childhood in Macau, Zheng Zhilong naturally learned Portuguese.

Later, he learned Japanese and Dutch, using these skills to interact with foreigners and build his power.

But Johann knew more foreign languages than Zheng Zhilong.

Moreover, his martial arts skills seemed impressive, and the young Zheng Zhilong would never have let him live.

However, the current Zheng Zhilong was almost a king.

There was no reason to treat a talented person with superior abilities as an enemy.

In fact, he should be welcomed.

'I was looking for a commander for the Black Troops. This is perfect.'

Under Zheng Zhilong's command was a special force composed of black soldiers.

It was a much stronger army than the Ming army, which was a collection of weak soldiers.

Zheng Zhilong intended to give Johann command of part of this special force.

'But even if he is not ordinary, can he really control the Black Troops?'

It would not be an easy task.

No Ming general had ever succeeded in controlling them.

The Black Troops were loyal only to the Zheng family.

'It's probably impossible. But it doesn't matter. It would be more troublesome if he really took command.'

What Zheng Zhilong wanted from Johann was not grand.

Johann spoke Chinese well and was also proficient in Portuguese, the language mainly used by the black soldiers.

Therefore, Zheng Zhilong intended to use Johann as a translator and give him a command position.

This would show that he valued talent regardless of background, and it would have many benefits.

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