Chapter 3

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Meeting Zheng Chenggong.

'As expected of someone who has become the Pirate King, he has a broad mind. To give me a position commanding a hundred men, no less.'

Johan wore a satisfied expression.

It would take several months of game time to command a hundred soldiers in Mount and Blade.

However, Johan had met the right person and obtained such an opportunity in just a few days.

Of course, he hadn't officially obtained a formal position.

The Aubin soldiers were a kind of private army.

Perhaps they were closer to a mercenary unit.

'But in some ways, this might be better. The Ming army is a ragtag bunch.'

Johan still thought that if it weren't for the guns, he wouldn't have been captured.

The Ming army he faced was that bad.

After all, the elite forces had all died in wars with the Qing or Li Zicheng, leaving only the ragtag bunch.

Some of the people he faced were even former pirates, so there was no point in saying more.

In contrast, the Aubin soldiers Johan would command were different from the Ming army.

They were physically strong and fearless in the face of death.

"Is this guy? The one with some strange position like a chief or something, who's supposed to command us?"

"Even if he's a fake commander, I don't like the look of him."

"He looks as disgusting as those Portuguese bastards."

Johan liked the Aubin soldiers.

They were excellent soldiers.

But it seemed the Aubin soldiers didn't like him.

'They seem to think I'm just a nominal commander like the previous officers.'

The commander of the Aubin soldiers was originally a Ming officer.

However, he was only a nominal commander, and the actual command was held by a black officer.

The Aubin soldiers probably thought this time would be no different.

'I'll shatter your illusions.'

To break the Aubin soldiers' illusions, provocation was necessary.

Right now, no matter what he said, they weren't paying attention.

They were just whispering and mocking Johan from behind.

"Hey, you slaves! Your master is talking, so why are you making so much noise?"

When Johan said this, a heavy silence fell for a moment.

The Aubin soldiers looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

"Did you just call us slaves?"

"You son of a bitch!"

"I didn't like the look of you from the start. You look like a white dog, this guy!"

The silence was brief.

Soon, the Aubin soldiers showed a furious reaction.

No one held back their curses.

One man even clenched his fist and approached Johan.

He was almost the same build as Johan.

"The punch of a slave doesn't hurt, does it? Try this!"

The man swung his fist at Johan.

He didn't care at all that Johan was his superior.

But in fact, Johan had been waiting for this reaction.

Whoosh.

Johan easily dodged the punch aimed at his face and countered with a punch.

"Ugh!"

When the large man fell, the other Aubin soldiers couldn't contain their anger and rushed at Johan.

"Kill him! I'll take responsibility!"

"What responsibility? Just pay a fine and be done with it!"

"Die, you disgusting white dog!"

They were definitely different from the Ming soldiers.

They knew how to fight.

But Johan maintained a calm expression and took a boxing stance.

His stats were still low.

He hadn't experienced combat, so he hadn't had the chance to level up.

Of course, even if he leveled up in real mode, there wouldn't be a dramatic change.

'My boxing skills are at a level where I could become a boxing champion in the 20th century!'

Johan had a talent for physical activities.

If it weren't for the war, he could have become a professional athlete in any sport.

With his exceptional talent, he had obtained a superior in-game body.

He was like a fish in water.

Punch! Punch! Punch!

With each punch, one man fell.

He didn't even get tired.

"Monster."

"Saint James!"

Before the Aubin soldiers clashed with the enemy, they would shout "Saint James" and charge.

The enemy called them the "Devil's Unit" and feared them.

But the current Aubin soldiers, calling for Saint James, looked far from demonic.

They trembled like prey in the presence of a predator.

"Kwooo!"

Then, a man shouted and charged at Johan.

He was one of the largest black soldiers.

"Matus!"

"Maybe Matus can win?"

The Aubin soldiers regained their courage at the sight of the man.

He was essentially their leader.

"Of course!"

"To withstand that punch!"

"Go, Matus!"

Matus didn't disappoint their expectations.

Unlike the other soldiers, he didn't fall after taking a punch from Johan.

He even maintained his speed after being hit in the face and charged to knock him down.

'This guy is pretty tough.'

Johan was secretly impressed by Matus.

But he soon chuckled and used his footwork to trip Matus.

He wasn't just physically superior.

He had 21st-century advanced techniques.

Of course, the problem was that his techniques were limited to fighting.

"Anyone else want to try?"

Johan asked, showing no signs of fatigue after knocking Matus unconscious with a punch to the face.

The Aubin soldiers looked at him with fear.

***

Zheng Zhilong was a man who rose from the bottom.

From a mere merchant to a pirate, from a pirate to the Pirate King, and now the undisputed ruler of a country.

But even he had one thing lacking.

That was honor.

Even as the highest authority in the country, he was still far from being a man of honor.

This was true even after becoming the Southern Anhou.

No matter how much power he held, his past as a pirate couldn't be changed.

So Zheng Zhilong gave up on becoming an honorable man himself.

Instead, he chose to send his eldest son to the Imperial Academy.

Fortunately, his eldest son lived up to expectations.

He became a disciple of the upright scholar Jeon Geomyeong and showed significant academic achievements.

Recently, he even received a surname from the emperor, and people often called him Guochengya.

Guochengya, Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng Zhilong's eldest son, Zheng Chenggong, was only 22 years old but was a remarkable figure, expected by the Zheng family and even Emperor Rongwu.

"Did he subdue dozens of Aubin soldiers with his bare hands?"

"Even without weapons."

"Wow, his martial prowess rivals that of Xiang Yu."

At his uncle Zheng Jifeng's words, Zheng Chenggong was amazed.

To subdue the Aubin soldiers alone.

Zheng Chenggong, who had trained in martial arts, found it even more astonishing.

"If he had been born in the past, he could have become a king."

"Given that he can take down the Aubin soldiers alone, he could have become a king and more."

The Aubin soldiers were all large and strong.

Each was as strong as two or three strong men and was also brave.

In equal numbers, they could confidently claim victory against the Qing army.

"However, in this era, no matter how outstanding one's martial prowess, it can't change the course of war, which is a pity."

In fact, his father, Zheng Zhilong, was also as strong as two or three strong men.

But Zheng Zhilong only boasted of his strength in his youth and never showed his martial skills in battle.

Before guns and cannons, individual martial prowess had little meaning.

That's why?

Zheng Chenggong didn't place too much importance on Johan's martial prowess, which rivaled Xiang Yu.

Instead, he was interested in Johan's nationality.

"I heard he is Korean."

"Yes, he claims to be Korean, though he doesn't look like one."

Hearing this, Zheng Chenggong thought to himself.

'If we ally with Korea, we can force the Qing into a two-front war.'

The emperor and even the lowest-ranking officers had high hopes for Zheng Chenggong.

If he grew a bit more, he could push the vicious northeastern barbarians north of the Yangtze River.

But Zheng Chenggong believed that it was impossible to face the Qing with the Southern Ming alone.

So an alliance was necessary.

Korea, which shared a border with the Qing, could be a solid ally.

Communication with Korea had been cut off for nearly a year.

After losing Nanjing, all communication was severed.

A commander with Johan's skills could act as a bridge between Korea and the Ming, just like the Korean general Im Gyeong-eop did.

***

"Why are you showing your legs? Aren't you running? Do you only know how to crawl because you're a slave?"

Johan didn't provoke the Aubin soldiers by calling them slaves for no reason.

He trained them so rigorously that they even longed for their days as slaves.

The soldiers even said things like:

"I preferred being a slave."

"If this is how it's going to be, maybe we should just start a rebellion?"

"Against that monster? Are you crazy? If you want to die, do it alone."

"Damn."

If Johan had shown even a hint of weakness, he would have been killed without a word.

The soldiers' hostility towards him was immense.

But every time the soldiers cursed him, they became stronger.

In just a few days, their discipline improved to a level that was incomparable to before.

'Finally, they look like an army.'

Individually, their skills were already at a high level.

Of course, their bravery was incomparable to the Ming army.

But Johan found many things lacking.

To him, the previous Aubin soldiers were just a well-fighting militia.

They didn't even know how to perform drills, so it wasn't strange to consider them a militia.

'If I just increase the ratio of musketeers, we can defeat much larger forces.'

The Aubin soldiers had a higher ratio of musketeers than the existing Ming army.

Out of 100, as many as 30 were armed with matchlock muskets.

But in an era where flintlock muskets had been developed, a musketeer ratio that didn't even reach half of half was a big problem.

'But does China even have flintlock muskets? They are essential for linear infantry tactics.'

Developing flintlock muskets wouldn't be difficult.

The problem was that they cost more to produce than matchlock muskets, but they didn't require tremendous development capabilities.

Considering the economic power of the Southern Ming, or more precisely, Zheng Zhilong's personal wealth, mass-producing flintlock muskets wouldn't be difficult.

Of course, convincing him was a different matter.

While thinking about how to convince Zheng Zhilong to get flintlock muskets, someone came to see him.

A servant of the Zheng family.

"Who's looking for me?"

"Director of the Navy, Zheng Chenggong, is looking for you, General."

"Zheng Chenggong? Could it be the Zheng Chenggong I know?"

"It must be. If you're thinking of the person who is the eldest son of the Southern Anhou and has received a surname from the emperor, known as Guochengya, then it's him."

Johan's eyes widened.

'It seems to be the Zheng Chenggong I know.'

Zheng Chenggong, the father of Taiwan.

A figure claimed by all countries in Northeast Asia except Korea as their own.

His father was Chinese, his mother was Japanese, and he established his kingdom in Taiwan.

'Could it be that Zheng Chenggong is Zheng Zhilong's son?'

Thinking about it, it wouldn't make sense for Zheng Chenggong to suddenly establish a kingdom in Taiwan with nothing.

As the son of the Pirate King, it was a possible achievement.

'But if Zheng Chenggong is still in China, does that mean Taiwan is an unclaimed land?'

Johan stroked his chin.

Taiwan.

He had always aimed to become a king in the game.

When he came to China, he thought there was no opportunity, but now he knew Taiwan was an unclaimed land.

'What if I become the king of Taiwan instead of Zheng Chenggong?'

If someone knew Johan's thoughts, they might laugh.

They might think he was crazy.

He was just a guest, commanding a part of the Aubin soldiers.

The idea of him becoming a king.

But Johan wasn't crazy.

He was calmer than ever.

He had once established a country with just a few dozen soldiers.

Of course, each of those soldiers was at the level of Lü Bu, but the same was true for the other countries in the game.

So he didn't think becoming the king of Taiwan was impossible.

If he received even a small part of the inheritance Zheng Chenggong received from Zheng Zhilong, he was confident he could become the king of Taiwan.

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