Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 81 Starting from Zamboanga

The large fleet also docked smoothly. Only more than 10 ships were able to dock at the pier and were tightly tied to each other with ropes to allow personnel and supplies to be unloaded smoothly.

More ships could only anchor in the harbor, and according to the scheduling plan, they would dock to unload cargo, and then load copper ore, spices, tobacco and specialty shells for their return journey, with Chongming Island as their destination.

It was not until October that the next batch of immigrants was loaded and headed south.

The southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland is in the monsoon season from July to September, with a short window in August, which is also a favorable opportunity to choose Southeast Asia.

The returning fleet consists of 8 to 10 ships at a time. They will leave as soon as they are full and will not stay for too long.

When not carrying a large number of immigrants, the crew, accustomed to sailing on the sea, are not afraid of the rough waves.

After Zheng Guohui led everyone to the dock, he ordered the maids and followers to be taken away by carriage and returned to Zamboanga City to rest first.

He saw that many maids had pale faces and were staggering as they walked, and he felt really sorry for them.

Especially Qiao Yue, who needed two people to support her just to be able to walk.

It may take at least 10 days or half a month to recover.

Breathing in the salty sea breeze, Zheng Guohui's excitement still did not subside. He looked up at the lush green mountains under the scorching sun, feeling an irresistible urge in his heart.

Since Rebirth
All the repression and forbearance disappeared at this moment. Now he is the king of Mindanao. His words are law and no one can resist him. This blank world is for him to draw as he pleases.

How could he feel so proud when he looked around at the densely packed large ships in the bay?

The chief officer who stayed in Zamboanga was Dong Qingnian, who was originally one of the general's staff. He followed the first fleet to Southeast Asia and was known for his intelligence and ability.

At this moment, he has been following behind, ready to respond to the general's call at any time and introduce the local situation.

Watching the dense crowds of immigrants getting off the boat, many people excitedly knelt on the ground and kissed the land, some cried and laughed uncontrollably, and more people hugged and cheered.

This is their dream home.

According to the first group of sailors who returned, the first group of immigrants who arrived at the local area had women, fields, and even indigenous slaves, and lived a happy, stable and fulfilling life.

Who wouldn’t envy those Chinese who haven’t come here yet?

There are only more than 30 cargo ships and more than 6000 migrants that need to be unloaded at the local port in Zamboanga. The destination of most of the remaining ships is Davao Port, and the migrants are also there.

Therefore, Zheng Guohui planned to stay in Zamboanga Port for only two days to replenish fresh water and vegetables, and then continue to Davao Port without stopping.

In the shed by the dock

Zheng Guohui ate freshly picked tropical fruits and listened to the introduction of the expedition to Davao by the Zamboanga commander Dong Qingnian, and he had a general idea in his mind.

Davao is the largest coastal port city in Mindanao, with a population of about 4. It has an indigenous armed force of more than 1300 people, belonging to two major tribes.

This is also a place where many Portuguese, Dutch and British explorers and captains often arrive. There are about 160 to 170 foreigners living here all year round, and several churches have been built there.

There are Catholic churches and Protestant churches.

The Portuguese fleet would sometimes arrive, but the time was irregular, sometimes coming once or twice a year, sometimes three or four times a year, mainly trading spices and specialties with local indigenous tribes.

At the end of June, Commander Zheng Shouxin assembled most of his troops, crossed the sea to attack Davao City, and captured the city in one fell swoop.

San Boan is 319 nautical miles away from Davao City. If you depart early in the morning the day before, you can arrive by the evening of the next day.

The army took advantage of the sunset and seized the Davao City dock pier in one fell swoop. Then a steady stream of troops came down from the ship, and it took only half an hour to capture all the docks and surrounding highlands.

Nearly 200 indigenous tribal warriors were killed on the spot and hundreds were captured.

The attacking army then poured into the city and engaged in a fierce battle with the indigenous tribal armed forces in the city when it was getting dark.

The indigenous tribes were mostly armed with cold weapons such as bows and spears. Under the attack of rifle volleys, they were quickly defeated and a surprise attack was launched.

It took more than three hours, and by around nine o'clock in the evening, the entire Davao City fell into the hands of the army.

Due to limited manpower and tight time schedule.

After night fell over the entire city, the leaders of the two major indigenous tribes in Davao City led some of the fleeing indigenous warriors and their families out of the city and fled to the surrounding indigenous tribal gathering places.

This also laid the seeds for the continued resistance of the indigenous tribes, because these tribal leaders were not eliminated immediately and fled into the dense forests, making it difficult to eliminate them despite repeated encirclement and suppression efforts.

At this stage

The colonial army led by Commander Zheng Shouxin occupied Davao City and the dock, as well as dozens of villages around the city, and set up checkpoints on some important transportation routes, initially achieving control.

However, since local tribal armed forces hid in the dense forests and occasionally attacked the transport team, the colonial army also suffered certain casualties. Currently, the casualties are about 140 people.

In other words, the local situation has not been completely pacified.

Some foreigners in Davao City also repeatedly protested, which made Commander Zheng Shouxin extremely worried. He could only try to appease them and did not dare to take any drastic measures for the time being. The French in Luzon had received news that Mindanao had been occupied by a group of Chinese from the mainland.

The Franks have no idea what kind of force it is, so they have not taken any action yet.

After listening to Dong Qingnian's introduction, Zheng Guohui nodded calmly, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Dong Qingnian tactfully bowed and withdrew, leaving the general alone to think.

As expected, the situation in Davao City is not so easy to deal with.

Although the local indigenous tribes are backward, it does not mean that the tribal chiefs and elders are ignorant. After all, this is a port where foreigners frequently come and go, and their understanding of the world far exceeds that of ordinary people.

This external help helped the indigenous tribes to have a clearer understanding of themselves and strengthen their tribal identity, which was followed by continuous and determined resistance.

It's not easy to subdue it in a short time.

Zheng Guohui's solution is also very simple

If you cannot assimilate ideologically, then eliminate it physically, once and for all.

As I said, I have the final say on my own territory.

After resting for a while, Zheng Guohui took a carriage to Zamboanga City, more than 10 miles away, and stayed in the Pila Fort.

The Pila Fortress is a small stone fortress built in 1635 by Father Pila, a Franciscan priest, mainly to defend against attacks by Muslim pirates from the sea.

Fort Pila is one of the better-preserved stone buildings in Zamboanga City. It consists of a Catholic church, three two-story Spanish-style buildings and some bungalows, surrounded by high stone walls.

In the blocks near the Pila Fortress, there are a dozen or so Spanish-style buildings and some indigenous noble estates scattered around, which is considered an upscale residential area in the city.

Many streets in Zamboanga City are being rebuilt, but they are all half-finished projects because of the army crossing the sea to attack Davao, and the severe shortage of labor force due to the rush to harvest and plant early rice.

As a result, many streets were in a mess, with sewage flowing everywhere due to rainwater, and most of them were not completed.

In the city, some of the better buildings are occupied by Chinese, and there are large areas of newly built houses that are just frames without roofs.

Zheng Guohui didn't need to worry about these things. His second trip south brought a large number of staff who were good at civil affairs. Together with the more than 6000 new immigrants who stayed in Zamboanga, they were able to get the whole thing up and running.

Each team consisted of 200 people, divided into more than 10 search teams, which went into the countryside to sweep and recruit the local indigenous population. After returning, they were organized into labor camps for construction, and the labor problem was solved.

As long as 10,000 to 20,000 indigenous male laborers are recruited, urban construction and fortress construction can be carried out simultaneously, quickly changing the local landscape and turning it into a livable Chinese city.

Zheng Guohui has added a nine-story hexagonal pagoda to the planned Posonanka Park Fortress project, which can be used for observation and as a lighthouse to indicate direction.

It is also a landmark building in Zamboanga, full of strong Chinese style. It is a project that must be built, representing conquest and complete possession.

Lions on the African savannah mark their territory, completely occupying and colonizing Mindanao. How could they not leave behind iconic buildings?

This nine-story hexagonal pagoda is a very symbolic building. It is built with bricks and stones. It is not only solid, but also tall and magnificent, making it a perfect landmark.

That damned Posonanka Park Fortress name is both tongue-twisting and unpleasant to the ear. It should be stopped from use immediately and the name should be changed to Pagoda Fortress.

This sounds so exciting and uplifting.

After Zheng Guohui moved into the Pila Fortress, he issued three instructions.

The first order was to rest for two days and then start a dragnet sweep of the surrounding villages. All indigenous people were to be arrested and no one should be allowed to escape.

All men were drafted into labor camps, and women were distributed according to regulations. Surplus women could be sold and absorbed within the Chinese community.

Even if the Zamboanga region faces a temporary population shortage, the indigenous population will not be allowed to escape supervision.

This policy was much more severe than the one implemented by Zheng Shouxin. It left almost no way for the indigenous population to survive and they were all assimilated and absorbed.

Zheng Shouxin was limited by the lack of manpower in the first wave of advance teams and could not fully recruit the indigenous population, but Zheng Guohui did not have this concern.

By the end of the year
More than 4 immigrants will arrive in succession, so there will be enough manpower.

The second instruction was to build a pagoda fortress and comprehensively promote urban transformation. The staff was responsible for related matters and organizing coolies to build basic infrastructure, including houses, bridges, sewers, city streets, fortress docks and piers, etc., all of which were entrusted to the labor camp for construction.

The third directive was to increase the mining production of the copper mine and add no less than 3000 workers, all of which would be handled by the labor camp.

The number of guards at the copper mine also increased to 200, 60 of whom were armed immigrants armed with foreign guns.

The purpose is to increase the output of copper mines and build a smelting furnace in Zamboanga to smelt copper ore on site and gradually expand production capacity.

In the future, the goods shipped to Chongming Island will mainly be copper ingots, which will greatly reduce the transportation volume and save valuable transportation space.

(End of this chapter)