I'm the Farmgirl You Can't Mess With

Chapter 1335: Side Story: Having the Whole World in View (12)

Editor: Atlas Studios

Little Lion and Tiger Head rushed to Guangzhou at full speed and arrived almost on the same day as the official document.

The news that King Rong had ordered the navy to send troops instantly spread throughout Guangzhou.

The merchants in Guangzhou immediately burst into tears, feeling extremely grateful to King Rong.

They had already set a delivery time with the merchants in the west. Since the pirates in the Indian Ocean were rampant at this moment, their delivery would definitely be hijacked. At that time, they would probably lose both their lives and goods. On the other hand, if they did not deliver the goods, not only would they lose a business deal, but they would also have to pay a high penalty for breaching the contract.

Merchants loved money, but they also cherished their lives. Over the past few days, there were still merchants who took the risk to venture into the sea, but most of them stayed in Guangzhou, hoping to find a way to achieve both.

It wasn’t that no one had designs on the navy, but the Indian Ocean was too far from Guangzhou. If the navy wanted to mobilize, they had to have the signature of the Ministry of War. Otherwise, it would be a capital offense to mobilize troops privately.

Qi Haoran’s order made the merchants overjoyed. The price of the escort was clearly listed on it. Even though it was expensive, it wasn’t that costly once they considered the bribe they had planned to bribe the navy to send troops privately prior to this order.

The merchants who wanted to go out to sea sent the silver to the navy government office without blinking.

The navy soldiers were also very happy.

The assistant commander had said that all the soldiers who went to war would be given a share of the money. If they died in battle, this money would be sent to their families with the compensation. Using the name of King Rong, Zhou Shen guaranteed that the money would be delivered to their family.

Hearing this, the soldiers had nothing to worry about.

The soldiers who were originally resistant and unwilling to participate in the battle immediately thought of ways to transfer to the vanguard camp.

Although everyone had money and even the soldiers who stayed behind to guard the rear had a share, the amount of money would differ according to their position and contribution.

However, there was a group of people who were even happier than these two groups—the merchants whose goods had been snatched away. As long as they led the way, the navy of Great Qi would help them snatch their goods back, and they only needed to pay 20% of the value of the goods.

What touched them the most was King Rong’s three-month deadline.

In their opinion, King Rong was afraid that the navy in Guangzhou would decline to help, so he specially motivated the navy this way.

After all, after three months, the navy would not be rewarded 20% for the goods snatched back after three months. At that time, it would be the navy’s duty to eliminate the bandits.

Not only did the merchants think this way, but even the soldiers in the navy government office thought the same way. However, they felt that King Rong was generating income for them.

After all, the total value of the robbed goods was close to three million taels.

How much was 20% of this?

The hearts of those ordinary soldiers who earned a mediocre military salary were beating uncontrollably.

Merchants were not the only ones who were driven by benefits. The soldiers were even more willing to risk their lives for that.

What made Great Qi’s morale even higher was that King Rong’s two sons changed into the section commander uniform and were arranged to enter the vanguard camp.

Seeing as King Rong even sent his biological sons to the vanguard camp, it was clear that he had great confidence in this war.

Morale was unprecedentedly high.

Andre didn’t need to walk on the streets to feel the Qi people’s excitement. Paul came in from outside and said respectfully, “Sir, the news has been sent out. I wonder if they will listen to advice and hide.”

Andre stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back and smiled. “It’s okay. Even if they refuse to heed the advice, they won’t suffer much of a loss.”

Paul was very worried. “But I heard that Great Qi has mobilized many soldiers and cannons this time. Can they really withstand it? Great Qi is becoming more and more hostile to us. If they fail again, our lives in Guangzhou will be even more difficult.”

Andre said nonchalantly, “I’ve been operating in Guangzhou for more than 20 years and won’t be defeated by mere rumors. Moreover, Great Qi is too proud. Before they even sent out their troops, they had already caused a storm in the city. Although I don’t know anything about war, doing business is the same as fighting a war. Once a person becomes arrogant and impetuous, they won’t be far from failure.”

Paul heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Andre smiled again. “But I think Great Qi will win in the end.”

Paul was shocked. “Sir!”

Andre waved his hand and said, “The Indian Ocean is still too close to Great Qi, making it very easy for them to send troops. Moreover, Great Qi has strong troops and sturdy ships now. Even if they fail initially because of their mentality, they will quickly adjust, unless…”

A dark light flashed across Andre’s eyes as he said in a low voice, “Unless they can kill the Emperor and King Rong of Great Qi…”

Paul looked at him as if he was dreaming.

Andre smiled. “Do you think I’m dreaming too? That’s right. With so many people protecting the Emperor and King Rong of Great Qi, how can we kill them? That’s why I said that Great Qi will definitely win. Although they will win with great difficulty and pay a massive price, as long as they have the support of their people and strong military spirit, they won’t lose.”

“The Emperor of Great Qi has the support of the people, while King Rong is the soul of the army.” Andre sighed. “As long as they don’t die, it will be very hard for us to attack Great Qi militarily.”

Hesitatingly, Paul said, “Then why don’t you go to Sir Louis of France?”

“I’ve already advised him and done my part as an ally, but it’s his fault for not listening to me,” Andre said nonchalantly. “Since there are no Portuguese pirates wreaking havoc in the Indian Ocean this time, there’s no need for us to make it too obvious lest we arouse Great Qi’s suspicions.”

Andre smiled and patted his shoulder. “You have to know that we have an amicable relationship with the King Rong of Great Qi, and Great Qi is now Spain’s most important trading partner.”

Paul couldn’t wrap his head around it for a moment, but his greatest strength was that he was loyal and obedient to Andre. Since his lord ordered so, he would stay in the chamber of commerce and not go anywhere.

At this moment, the Great Qi vanguard battalion, which was thought to be “arrogant and doomed to failure”, was huddled on a modified warship and peering at the sea.

Tiger Head stood at the bow of the ship and used his telescope to check the situation on the sea. He asked Patriarch Zhou who was boarding the disguised ship, “Are you sure that they were robbed in this area?”

Patriarch Zhou immediately nodded. “We encountered pirates on the sixth day when we set off in the direction of the wind. I’m certain it’s in this area.”

Tiger Head put down the telescope, turned his head, and said to Little Lion, “I’ve checked. There’s nothing unusual.”

Little Lion rubbed his chin. “Could it be that they were scared away by the news in Guangzhou City?”

Tiger Head immediately glared at him and said, “Then what should we do? We can’t return empty-handed, right?”

The two of them had just arrived in Guangzhou. The next day, they ran to register with Zhou Zhou and went to the vanguard camp. On the third day, when news gradually spread in Guangzhou City, they had already brought their men to modify the appearance of the warship to make it look like a merchant ship. After moving the cannons onto the ship, they immediately set off.

The two of them had learned how to arrange troops and devise military strategies from their father since they were young, so they naturally knew the importance of news. Since they dared to spread the news throughout the entire Guangzhou City, they must have a way to deal with it.

While the people of Guangzhou were still busy gossiping and merchants were scrambling to find the Navy Marshal, the twins had already set out—bringing along the head of the Zhou family and the elite of the naval forces.

Of course, they weren’t the ones leading the troops. Instead, it was Lieutenant Lin Chengxiu, who was standing at the side and holding the telescope without saying a word. The two of them were just section commanders under him. If it weren’t for their noble status and the fact that they’d brought their own telescopes along, he wouldn’t have let them come to the deck.

The two youths looked at Lin Chengxiu with bright eyes.

Lieutenant Lin ignored them and ordered, “Hoist the sails, turn the rudder and speed up!” After giving the order, he turned around to look at the two of them and ordered, “Return to the cabin immediately. Without my orders, no one is allowed to come out.”

Tiger Head and Little Lion immediately clamped their legs together and responded before running towards the cabin. When Tiger Head ran out, he remembered that Patriarch Zhou was still there and immediately retreated to carry him back.

The corners of Lin Chengxiu’s lips twitched, but he ultimately didn’t say anything.

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