The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 879: A Fistful of Dollars

"It's raining heavily. We can't see or hear anything outside the camp. The wildlings might be hiding in the rain, so I've added scouts to the camp, but I'm worried. Marshal, have you ever encountered this situation before?"

"Are you talking about heavy rain or uneasiness?"

"heavy rain."

"I did, during the Guangde period, when we were suppressing a rebellion in Liaodong."

In the evening, dark clouds drifted in from the sea and quickly passed over the ridge, followed by a strong hurricane that hit the foothills of Bald Mountain.

The birds and beasts on the west coast began to flee in panic.

The herd of bison avoided the continuous camps of the Qi army and ran wildly towards the valleys on both sides of the foothills of Bald Mountain.

The earth is shaking and the mountains are shaking.

Raindrops hit the felt, and the tent, which was firmly fixed with iron nails, shook slightly. Jiang Bailing heard terrifying banging sounds above his head.

It's like the end of the world.

He didn't believe that anyone would launch a night attack in such bad weather.

In Jiang Bailing's eyes, the savages were just a mob.

"The savages (Indians) are not good at fighting at night, and it's raining heavily outside, so there's no need to worry."

Jiang Bailing looked at the dark rainy night. Bald Mountain was hidden in the night, and occasionally two flashes of lightning streaked across the night sky.

"Have the drainage ditches in each camp been dug?"

"Digging."

Jiang Bailing said self-deprecatingly, "We've come all the way from Nagasaki and weathered all the storms. If we get flooded at the foot of Bald Mountain, and Tianxin City hears about it, they'll laugh at us."

"Tell them to be careful when digging the canal." The old commander paused for a moment. "Our ancestors are buried on this land beneath our feet."

The ancestors Jiang Bailing mentioned refer to the first generation of pioneers.

More than sixty years ago, his grandfather Jiang Liuer led his people to land on the west coast of America, where they were fiercely attacked by local indigenous people and suffered heavy casualties.

Jiang Liuer ordered the soldiers' bodies to be buried on the spot.

"Don't alarm them."

The adjutant took the order and left.

~~~~~~~~
On November 11, the tenth year of Tianshou, the Great Qi North American Development Group officially landed on the west coast.

Fifteen hundred fully armed men camped at the foot of Bald Mountain. What greeted the Qi people was not ferocious beasts and poisonous arrows of Indians, but a sudden heavy rain.

For everyone in the pioneer group, this land is strange and dangerous.

Although the officials sitting in various government offices in Tianxin City swore that the Indians were the kindest and most friendly people, the local natives were keen to exchange gifts with the Qi people, and the prices were fair to everyone.

However, no one believed these lies.

At the end of Taizu's reign, the adventurer Jiang Liuer arrived in Yinzhou with his pioneering group.

The Qi people educated the natives here, built schools and hospitals for the Indians, taught them literacy, and increased their wages.

In those years, Liu Zhaosun was committed to saving the people of the world, and the world here was obviously not limited to Da Qi.

The Emperor of Da Qi dreamed of planting the black flag in every corner of the world and letting everyone receive the blessings of Da Qi.

Unfortunately, before this wish was fulfilled, the empire was on the verge of collapse.

After losing the empire's aid, Jiang Liuer was forced to evacuate from the west coast.

The cargo ships that the pioneers boarded were all loaded with grain and cotton, and the large ships returned fully loaded.

Due to the sudden departure of the pioneer group, the indigenous people who had been plundered were unable to adapt. Coincidentally, natural disasters caused plants to wither and food production to decrease, which eventually led to widespread starvation and countless deaths among the Indians.

The Indians blamed the arrival of the pioneers for their suffering.

The country on the other side of the ocean that believes in black has naturally become a devil like Satan.

In the end, no one knows the exact number of Indians who died.

Historians in Tianxin City simply downplayed the issue.

The Qi people's colonial undertakings in Yinzhou took some detours and went through a period of pain.

A few casual words concealed the blood and fire all over the sky and the deaths of millions of people.

~~~~~~~~~~
Jiang Bailing did not have high expectations for this renewed development in North America.

When my grandfather set foot on this land, he faced only Indians armed with bows, arrows and spears.

Now, Jiang Bailing needs to face more opponents.

There are many enemies more formidable than the Indians.

Besides, the number of people he brought with him was indeed not enough.

But if this land is not developed, it will be occupied by the British. North America will become King George's backyard.

Do your best.

The whale oil lamp illuminated most of the tent. Jiang Bailing stared at the map spread out on the desk and fell into deep thought.

After the rain stops tomorrow, they will set out on their journey eastward.

After crossing Bald Mountain and entering a plain, you will reach your destination - the colony allocated to Da Qi by the British - and encounter Indian attacks along the way.

The entire Midwest is indigenous territory, and of course you might encounter Frenchmen and wilderness raiders.

Red Dead Redemption is a bounty hunter.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two sharp explosions interrupted my thoughts.

He was slightly stunned and said to himself:
"Are they savages?"

But the natives did not have firearms; they were accustomed to using bows and arrows.

When the commander was puzzled, the guards lifted the door curtain.

"Who's outside?" the guard panted, "General, three red-haired men, one of whom calls himself the Wilderness Fistfighter! They're trying to get into the tent to avoid the rain. We fired warning shots..."

"Red Dead Redemption?"

Said that Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived.

I didn't expect to meet a bounty hunter on the West Coast. It's really not easy.

"What are they doing here on Bald Mountain? To kill me?"

The guard quickly said, "Reporting to the Marshal, we haven't had time to interrogate him yet."

"Then let me judge."

Jiang Bailing was not interested in the red-haired barbarians. Although he had never been to North America, he had heard his grandfather and father talk about everything about the west coast since he was a child. The commander was already quite familiar with every tree and blade of grass here.

"Let them in."

Jiang Bailing heard from his father that bounty hunters came from Britain and France and traveled between the east and west coasts.

If we can capture this man, we will definitely be able to find out some information about the Europeans.

A flurry of chaotic footsteps.

The Deadly Fist appeared at the door, pistol slung over his shoulder.

Following behind him were two wet cowboys.

It rained heavily.

The three of them were wearing big hats, which Jiang Bailing had never seen before.

The sunken area on the top of the hat was filled with rainwater, which trickled down along the brim.

Jiang Bailing asked curiously:
"I heard your hats can be used to hold food."

The interpreter translated the commander's words to the Europeans.

The Cowboy sneered, "What a ridiculous rumor!"

Jiang Bailing glanced at the three of them:
"Why did you break into the camp at night?"

"Catch the murderer."

"murderer?"

"Yes, a Khitan man. He's over sixty years old. He led a group of thugs from Qi State and came here to burn, kill, and loot!"

Jiang Bailing said sternly: "He really deserves to be killed!"

The bounty hunter stared at the pioneer group leader and said, "This man looks and has a similar build to you..."

Jiang Bailing clapped his hands and laughed: "The person you want to kill is me? Hahaha! Who is your employer? The King of Britain or the King of France?"

"I need to keep my employer's confidentiality."

The Cowboy spat:

"God must have been deceived by Satan to make the sky so black, like the butts of mules and horses! The failure of my plan is related to the weather!"

The interpreter next to him translated the Cowboy's words in pure London accent word for word to the old commander.

The adjutant stared at the pistol hanging on the other man's waist and immediately said angrily:

"Red-haired devil, you still dare to speak so arrogantly, someone come here!"

A dozen guards rushed into the tent.

The bounty hunter held the handle of his gun, stepped back, and assumed a dueling stance.

"stop!"

Jiang Bailing waved his hand.

"Let's talk first?"

"Happy to accompany you!"

The Cowboy bowed to the old man.

Exploring the West is no easy task.

You need to be careful about the long and arduous journey, and you must be able to endure hardships, as well as be smart, brave, calm and collected, and be able to deal with all kinds of unexpected accidents and dangers along the way.

Cowboys have to control semi-tamed cattle, especially the ferocious Spanish cattle. Cowboys follow the herd, keep a close eye on them, and cannot relax for a moment.

Along the way, you must also be careful of attacks from wild animals such as wolves, poisonous snakes, and insects, and guard against arrows and javelins from Indians.

"Where are you from?"

"The East, the Far East, the English!"

Jiang Bailing asked, "What's your name?"

The Cowboy shrugged.

"John Marston."

"I'm a bounty hunter, and they're cowboys. A cowboy's daily routine is to drive the cattle and keep them well-fed and well-watered. You're setting up tents here..."

Marston looked up and around. "You guys tested your guns and scared the cowboys and cattle, killing two cows. In the chaos, my wallet also disappeared."

Jiang Bailing said with a slight embarrassment, "I will compensate you for your losses in full. But before that, I must execute you according to the laws of Da Qi."

The Cowherd said calmly, "Death is not a terrible thing. You have to give us some money to compensate for the loss of the cattle."

"I admire your professionalism. I will transport your bodies to the East Coast."

Jiang Bailing paused for a moment and continued to ask:

"How much does it cost?"

The Cowboy held up five fingers: "Five hundred pounds."

(End of this chapter)