1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 710 Manpower
October 1654, 10, Sumba Island.

Five small galleys sailed slowly along the coastline of the small island. The sails on the boats had all been lowered. More than a dozen black and thin natives on each boat gently shook the oars, and passed the open space one by one. Flat sandy beach.Below the towering cliffs of the island, waves of sea water beat against the rocks, bursting into white waves.

On the port side of the ship, a powerful man held a binoculars and carefully observed the situation on the shore, as if searching for something.And more sailors and armed guards were leaning on the side of the ship bored, or sitting on the deck, gathering together in twos and threes, talking, laughing, and playing, bursting out obscene laughter from time to time.

These five ships all came from several plantations on the nearby Yuanhe Island (now Savu Island, Indonesia, southwest of Timor Island), and they organized escorts to come to this remote island for an ulterior motive. The purpose is to plunder the natives on the island to supplement the coolies in the plantations.

According to the plantation contract agreement signed with the general administration area of ​​Xuanhua (now Timor Island), the general administration area is responsible for the security and defense of each colonization area, and will also send marines and township soldiers to station in the early stage to clean up the surrounding native forces and eliminate all kinds of potential violence. risk.

And all plantation owners have to organize their own labor to cultivate and cultivate the delineated plantations, and in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture, they must also set aside part of the land to grow food crops.

As we all know, the cost of land reclamation is very high, and the first few years were also very difficult.The land that has just been reclaimed is cultivated for the first year. There are insufficient minerals and microorganisms suitable for crop growth, and the land is not fertile enough. The yield is very low. In some cases, the seeds cannot be harvested, and they cannot be harvested until they have been continuously cultivated for more than many years.

Therefore, after delineating a large amount of land, these plantation owners enjoy the preferential treatment of various taxes and fees for three years.However, the plantation owners who are eager to obtain income want to increase the fertility of the land as much as possible during the three-year tax exemption period, improve the water conservancy and irrigation facilities of the farmland, and strive for a large amount of output as soon as possible.

In this case, large and small plantations appear to be somewhat "labor-intensive".Those experienced old farmers invited by the plantation owner are absolutely reluctant to spend at will, but the many native coolies captured from the island will be threatened by the supervisors and guards with whips, knives and guns. Working in the field all day long, there is hardly a moment to rest.

In every plantation, half of the captive native coolies may not survive for three to five years.Fatigue, disease, malnutrition, and even the beating and killing of supervisors and guards made the bones of many natives piled up in various plantations.

Therefore, after many plantation owners had consumed a large amount of native coolies, several families would gather together, organize escorts to sail out to sea, and go to nearby small islands to plunder the natives to supplement the labor that wasted a lot.

In fact, this small island was also set foot by foreign forces decades ago.The first people to come to the island were the Portuguese, who discovered a large amount of sandalwood here, and named it the Island of Sandalwood.However, the Portuguese quickly cleared the island of all these precious, fragrant trees, and they patted their butts off for the Spice Islands.Not long after, the Dutch also came to the island, but after searching around, they found that there were no valuable properties, so they shook their heads and left.

Now, a group of profit-hungry planters, just after finishing their spring plowing, set their greedy eyes on this small island and the many natives who lived here for generations.

"There are fireworks!" A guard put down the binoculars, pointed at a location on the island, and shouted loudly.

Hearing this, the guards and sailors on several ships turned their heads and looked towards the shore.All I saw was a series of cooking smoke rising faintly a few miles away from the shore, and it was obvious that a tribe of natives gathered there.

"Get ready to land!" Several guard leaders shouted loudly: "Everyone, get everything ready.... After landing, you are not allowed to run around, gather together and act as one!"

The guards on several ships silently put on the leather armor they carried, and buckled a rattan helmet on their heads, and then gripped the short knife (spear) in their hands, waiting for the ships to rush to the beach and land.

Regarding the plundering of natives on such a remote island, these guards did not worry about a strong counterattack at all.Compared with Java Island, Sulawesi Island, and Bali Island, which have a certain degree of civilization and basic political organization, the natives on these remote islands are still in the primitive period of ignorance. What kind of weapons like copper and iron exist.

Therefore, the guards only need to wear leather armor to cover their heads and faces. With their sharp swords and spears, they can be said to be invincible in the face of the natives holding wooden spears and stones.

However, the native tribes in this coastal plain, the plantation guards who claim to be armed with the teeth of the island, encountered a rather unexpected situation.

They encountered a group of primitive cavalry!
Dozens of natives riding on strong Zomba ponies, naked to the waist, covered with tattoos on their faces, wielding wooden spears, bravely rushed towards the group of "predators" who broke into their homeland.

In the unobstructed meadow, the thunderous charge knocked down more than a dozen guards to the ground in an instant, and the rest shouted, ignoring the wounded and screaming companions, turned their heads and fled towards the shore.

While roaring continuously, the native cavalry drove the healthy horses under their crotches, held wooden spears, followed the direction in which the guards fled, and chased them from behind.

After paying the lives of more than ten companions, the guards fled into the forest in a panic, and then quickly fled to the shore.

The guards, who were still in shock, boarded the boat and repeatedly urged the sailors and the accompanying native oarsmen to drive the boat and leave this coast, and don't let those ferocious natives keep everyone on the island.

The boat moved slowly, and the guards turned their heads to look at the shore with lingering fear, and saw that dozens of natives had already emerged from the mountain forest, waving wooden spears in their hands, as if they were demonstrating against the gradually receding boat.Indistinctly, some companions who were abandoned and died on the island were being cruelly lifted up by the natives with wooden spears.There were also a few natives, holding the captured short knives, beheading several injured and surviving guards, shouting excitedly.

"Damn it!" A guard leader spat fiercely into the sea, "When we go back, we must report this matter to the officials in the Xuanhua District. Please send a large army to slaughter them all! "

"...We are a hunting operation organized by the people in private. The government will not rashly dispatch the military to find a place for us just because we have suffered a little loss." Another guard leader turned pale, "Even if it is It is estimated that it is impossible to mobilize the township soldiers from all over Xuanhua."

"Then..., then..., then we lost more than 20 brothers on this island in vain?"

"Damn it, those natives just rode some pony horses and held sticks in their hands, and they drove us into such a mess!" A strong man with blood on his face said ferociously: "At that time, I yelled at you to quickly gather in formation and attack the natives head-on. But you and other people who are greedy for life and fear of death, none of them followed me to kill the enemy! More than 20 brothers who died were all killed by you! "

When everyone heard the words, they all dared not refute.Just now, dozens of native cavalry rushed in, everyone was astonished, their minds were taken away, their courage was lost, coupled with the natural fear of cavalry, they all subconsciously ran away.But this person was the only one among the many guards who dared to fight.After avoiding the rush of the native cavalry, he immediately beheaded a native cavalry with a knife.

But everyone fled, and he was alone, so he could only retreat to the seaside with everyone.

Thinking back now, those natives riding strong and short war horses seemed not so scary. Compared with the Qing cavalry in the Ming Dynasty, they could be described as a group of "wild monkeys" riding big animals.

However, these armed guards were fled to the sea in embarrassment by dozens of "wild monkeys", and more than 20 companions were left on the island.

At this point, everyone felt an inexplicable shame.

"Shall we... fight back again?" A guard leader asked hesitantly.

"Kill back, at least take back your companion's corpse." The rough man said with staring eyes: "Even if we can't catch a few usable natives, as long as we take their horses, at least we can give them to my master." There is an explanation!"

After everyone listened, a greedy light gradually appeared in their eyes.Yes, these natives have horses!It is definitely more valuable to grab some horses back than to get a few natives.

"Slaughter them and seize the horse!"

"...Kill back!"

------------

On November 11, Xuanhua Island (now Timor Island), Zhenhai (now Dili City, East Timor).

Huang Zenan, the General Affairs Officer of the Xuanhua District, handed a document from Hanzhou to Hu Pingjiang, and said with a wry smile, "My lord, the Ministry of Industry requires Xuanhua to send another 3000 natives to the mainland before the end of the year to ease the burden. There is a shortage of coolies in several mines in Hanzhou. We have sent no less than [-] locals to the mainland this year, and it seems that we can’t always meet the various needs of the local people.”

"Hehe..." Hu Pingjiang, the general manager of Xuanhua, snorted a few times, "The natives are not weeds growing in the wild. After cutting one crop after another, they can provide a large amount of coolies for Hanzhou natives without end! These natives Mine, can’t you use it sparingly? Even if you use it as an animal, you have to cherish it, and you can’t use it as a one-time consumable!”

"Those native coolies are not always in the mines." Huang Zenan said: "In the past few years, all the prefectures and counties in Hanzhou have been developing water conservancy. In addition to frequently mobilizing the local people, the most common thing is to use these free native coolies .However, it is indeed a bit wasteful to consume like this. Nowadays, Xuanhua Island and the surrounding small islands, how many natives can we send back to the mainland?"

Hu Pingjiang looked coldly at several officials in the hall, and said in a deep voice: "Complaints are complaints, but local instructions must be completed. If there is not a serious shortage of manpower, the Ministry of Industry will definitely not transfer the letter to my Xuanhua District, requesting an additional two Thousands of native coolies. You must brainstorm and work together, and you must get together two thousand natives before the end of the year."

"My lord, I learned from several plantations on Yuanhe Island half a month ago that there is a large island hundreds of miles southwest of Xuanhua Island. There are several native tribes on the coastal plain of the island. The township soldiers go there, and with the help of some of the plantation guards, I think we can find some natives.” Xing Wenxiang, chief officer of the military equipment department of the Xuanhua General Administration District, suggested: “In addition, there are many natives in captivity and wild on the island. Strong and small horses. If they can be caught in large quantities and sold locally or in Hanzhou, it will also bring a lot of benefits to our Xuanhua District.”

"Since that's the case, immediately order the military preparation department to recruit the township soldiers." Hu Pingjiang nodded immediately.

"My lord, two years ago, with the help of the Portuguese and the Nanyang Trading Company, the Kingdom of Gova Sultan on Sulawesi destroyed the Eastern Bernasudan Kingdom, and the Nanyang Trading Company took the opportunity to occupy the city of Xinjayi. , as their business base in the area. I heard that they have a good relationship with many nearby Buji tribes. Our Xuanhua District may wish to ask Nanyang Trading Company to provide us with some Buji people as coolies for local needs.” An official came up suggested before.

"Well, this discussion is very good. Two years ago, I lent Nanyang Trading Company hundreds of township soldiers to arm us. Now it's time for them to repay us." Hu Pingjiang said: "Send someone to inform the Nanyang Trading Company's shopkeeper in Zhenhai, Let them prepare 1000 to [-] people for us. If we need military support, we can send local soldiers to Sulawesi."

"General Manager, this year, in the coming year, the native land may ask us to send tens of thousands of native coolies from the Xuanhua District." Huang Zenan asked worriedly: "At that time, how should we deal with it?"

"What do you guys do to deal with it?"

"My lord, the Magathas on Lombok are rebelling against the rule of the Balinese. Several of their leaders have gone to the kingdom of Rarantuka to ask for assistance." Huang Zenan said, "Maybe they are worried about the nearby The Kingdom of Bali will interfere, so the Kingdom of Larantuka has sought some kind of support from our Qi State through the Portuguese. If our Xuanhua District intervenes appropriately in the disputes among their natives and sends some armed soldiers, then You can take advantage of the chaotic situation on Lombok Island to collect a large number of natives. In this way, it may be able to meet the local demand for native coolies in the future. At the same time, our Qi State can also obtain a corresponding special status in Lombok Island to protect our Qi State political and economic interests in the region."

"Intervention in the Tubang war requires the authorization of the king and the military." Hu Pingjiang pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "However, I think this plan is feasible, and the risk is very small, and it should be approved by the native. The Marine Corps, our Xuanhua District can also mobilize our own forces to smash Lombok to pieces and capture the corresponding benefits."

Hu Pingjiang said these words with enough air.After more than ten years of development, Xuanhua Island and its surrounding affiliated islands have a population of nearly 3000 (excluding natives), and there are six towns with a population of more than [-]. If there is an emergency mobilization, two or three Thousands of armed soldiers.

"My lord, while the general administration of Xuanhua attaches great importance to martial arts and commercial interests, we also need to pay more attention to cultural governance." Shao Zongqun, the head of the culture and education department of the district administration, waited for everyone to discuss the matter of conquest of the natives, then cupped his hands at Hu Pingjiang and said, "My lord , with the increasing number of children in our Xuanhua area, the schools in various places have been overwhelmed, and the classrooms are also overcrowded. In addition, the number of teachers is also in short supply. These problems have been brought to the general manager several times. Now I implore adults to pay attention to it and work hard to solve it.”

"Master Shao, don't push me like this." Hu Pingjiang said with a bitter face: "I remember these things. I will first allocate [-] Hanzhou silver dollars from the treasury to improve the most crowded counties and towns in the school. One or two. As for the teachers, next month, when I return to my homeland to attend the government joint meeting, I will personally go to find Mr. Song of the Ministry of Culture and Education, and use both hard and soft tactics to ask him to send more teachers to our Xuanhua District. .”

(End of this chapter)