owlsbooks Chapter 20 United Natives
Chapter 20 United Natives
Next, with the Zheng family's involvement, Linjiayan City gradually began to get back on track.
Under her overall planning, all the artisans in the city were incorporated into government-run workshops to repair or imitate flintlock muskets, make lead bullets, and rush to produce a batch of spears and shields for the new recruits Zhao Wu recruited to train.
Speaking of this, after Zhao Wu publicly recruited soldiers, the people of the city flocked to respond, and almost all the able-bodied young men of the right age joined the army, forming a force of nearly four hundred people.
They joined the army not only because they did not want to return to the era of Spanish oppression, but also because they were afraid that if the Spanish fought back, they would treat them as accomplices of the Ming army, just as they had done more than 20 years ago, and brutally slaughter them and their families.
Rather than waiting to be slaughtered and implicated after the Ming army's defeat, they would rather take up arms and join the Ming army to fight for their homes and loved ones.
In addition, the city's markets were also under control, with notices prohibiting hoarding and price gouging posted everywhere. Furthermore, since large merchants like Zhang Bonian were already inclined to attach themselves to these markets, the prices of necessities such as rice, salt, and cloth did not fluctuate much.
Zhu Jiheng had previously set up a grievance drum, which was used by many Chinese people to file lawsuits and seek redress. Most of these lawsuits were against Spanish soldiers or tax collectors for forcibly occupying houses, robbing property, and beating people to death.
After discussing with Zhu Jiheng, Zheng decided to deal with the Europeans involved in the case severely, ranging from confiscating their property and forcing them into labor to be executed immediately, in order to win over the people and stabilize the Chinese base.
Of course, the last two sentences were said by Zhu Jiheng.
With Zheng's assistance, Lin Jiayan's mess began to show signs of improvement, and Zhu Jiheng took advantage of having someone to share the burden, sending envoys to contact the Ilok people's villages around Lin Jiayan.
He directly invoked the Ming Dynasty behind him, attempting to use its influence to persuade the Ilocos people, who were also dissatisfied with the Spanish exploitation, to join his camp and fight against the Spanish together.
The Irok people don't know much about the outside world. In their outdated understanding, the Ming Dynasty is still the behemoth across the ocean that once possessed a huge treasure fleet and dominated the South Seas.
Hearing that the Ming army had returned to Luzon and even captured Lingayen, a town that had been under Spanish rule for many years, in just one night, many village leaders in the surrounding area were greatly moved.
The Spanish imposed heavy taxes and forced labor, and encroached upon the land and beliefs of the Ilocos people, sowing the seeds of resentment long ago.
Zhu Jiheng's envoys, guided by Chinese who were fluent in the local language and familiar with the local conditions, carried documents bearing Zhu Jiheng's temporary seal and gifts consisting of practical items such as salt, cloth, and ironware, and ventured deep into the Irok people's settlements scattered in the valleys and mountains.
The message conveyed by the messengers was relayed by the Chinese interpreter as follows: His Highness the Crown Prince of Lu, the Regent of the Great Ming Dynasty, has conquered Lingayan, expelled the wicked Franks, and established Lingayan as his temporary capital.
His Highness is well aware that the people of Iloc have also suffered greatly from the oppression of the Western barbarians, and is willing to form an alliance with the tribes to jointly resist the powerful enemy.
Those who are willing to submit to the Ming Dynasty and obey its orders will be exempt from exorbitant taxes and levies, their village and community autonomy will be respected, and their land will be protected; those who are willing to provide soldiers, guides, or provisions to aid in the war will be richly rewarded.
The arrival of these envoys sparked heated discussions within the village community. Many chieftains had many doubts. Although they were well aware of the strength of the Ming Dynasty, the two massacres of Chinese people from the Wanli era to the present made them worry that the Ming people's strength was insufficient to resist the Spanish for long, and that their tribes would ultimately suffer even more brutal retaliation.
However, the hatred towards the Spanish still led a few leaders to resolutely choose to ally with the Ming army despite their many doubts.
The first to choose to ally with the Ming army was a large Ilock tribe called Kabuga, located east of Lingayen.
The tribe was forced to perform a large amount of labor when the Spanish built roads and fortresses, resulting in many deaths and injuries and deep resentment. After meeting with the Ming army envoy, the elderly chieftain Datu weighed the matter repeatedly and convened the tribal elders for a discussion before finally making a decision.
He summoned his son, Ma Kandong, the bravest warrior in the village, in front of the messenger, and said to him:
"Macandon, my son, the Spanish took your uncle's life and forced us to build the road to hell for them like cattle. Our ancestors never suffered such humiliation."
"Now, the powerful Ming people have set their sights on this land. They conquered Lingayan overnight and killed the Spaniards there. They came with goodwill, bringing salt, cloth, and iron, and invited us to join the war against the Spanish. How could we, the Kabugao people, refuse our friends' request?"
Having said that, he raised his head, his cloudy yet still sharp eyes fixed on his tall and imposing son, and said, "My son, you are the future chieftain of the tribe. Do you think we should continue to live like rats, eking out a living under the Spanish whip, waiting for their next, even more cruel exploitation; or should we fight alongside our Ming friends?"
Makandon's chest heaved violently as he recalled the scene of his uncle being beaten to death by the Spanish overseers, the rumors of tribal girls being forcibly conscripted to "serve" Spanish soldiers and never returning, and the figures of his people falling while building the road. Anger burned in his eyes.
"Father, the Spanish are vipers! Their 'kindness' only exists when they need us; they will never treat us like human beings."
He said through gritted teeth, "Even if the Ming dynasty ultimately fails, we will only return to this miserable existence, or perhaps even worse."
"But if they really do win, if we can help the dragon drive away the serpents... our descendants might finally be able to live truly on the land of their ancestors, like human beings!"
Having said that, he knelt on one knee, grasped his father's rough hand, and said, "Father, I am willing to lead the bravest warriors of our tribe to see that wise prince. If he is a true ruler, I will fight for him! If he is a fraud, I will still investigate to find out the truth for our tribe!"
Datu gazed at his son for a long time, then finally sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, my eagle, go now, take with you a hundred of the bravest warriors, ten pigs, and twenty sacks of rice as gifts."
"Tell that the wise prince that the Kabugao tribe is willing to be his friend and ally. However, we also need to see his strength and sincerity. If he can prove his strength on the battlefield, Kabugao is willing to provide more warriors and food."
Although the Ming envoy couldn't understand their conversation, he could sense the heavy atmosphere. He pursed his lips and saw the chieftain turn to look at him, speaking in broken, heavily accented Minnan dialect:
"Honorable messenger, please convey our decision back to your prince. Kabu Gaoren is willing to take the first step."