Xinshun 1730

Chapter 714 Return to the Righteous Army
Valknir's decision was very decisive.

The Dutch soldiers who received the order immediately abandoned their cannons, retreated and joined the infantry.

The hired Bugis cavalry covered the flank of the Dutch without any initiative.If it is an elite cavalry unit of one's own people, it should take the initiative to threaten the flank movement of the "rebels" at this time.Using the mobility of the cavalry, there is no need to really attack, as long as the stick is close enough, it is to use the subjective initiative to cover.

But obviously, these Bugis cavalry didn't want to consume themselves. They knew very well that they were just local mercenaries who were paid for their work.If Dashun gave money, they could also give their lives to Dashun; if their clansmen who were pirates, if the rebel army gave money, maybe they could really send the rebel army to Borneo.But if the Dutch give more money, of course they will also sell the rebels.

After the Guiyi Army captured the Dutch cannon, they did not continue to pursue them, basically watching the Dutch evacuate.

That night, the rebels stayed overnight in the castle.The fleet that appeared on the Caspian Sea during the day triggered discussions among these soldiers. The soldiers habitually avoided the officers and talked in private about the imperial fleet that appeared during the day.

These Guiyi soldiers and unemployed slave laborers from the former sugar factory have very complicated feelings about the imperial court.

When they first came to Batavia, they were tricked into being "pigs", not businessmen.The Dutch are hateful, and so are the sugar mill owners.But the same thing, as long as they can live a stable life in their hometown and survive, no one is willing to leave their hometown, family and parents, and go to Nanyang to seek a living.

Traveling to Nanyang, to a certain extent, from the perspective of people who were forced to leave their hometown, is similar to the Western enclosure sport of sheep cannibalism.No one is willing to voluntarily give up their identity as a farmer and go to a strange place to survive in a strange way.

They had no feeling for the imperial court before.

At the grassroots level, the existence of the imperial court is basically not felt, and the patriarchs of the clans of the landlords and scholars are the only ones they deal with.

They knew that the imperial court was called Dashun, that the emperor's surname was Li, that they had to pay taxes, food and labor, and the rest basically had no impression.

After arriving in Batavia, far away in a foreign country, it is said that the concept of "who am I" can be awakened.

But the situation in Batavia is different. 90.00% of the contractors of the sugar factory are Chinese; the supervisors of the sugarcane plantations are basically Chinese; Davia reported that they did not have a residence permit, and the ones who would be arrested by the Dutch for hard labor to death without a residence permit were Chinese.

Under such circumstances, it is nonsense to let them spontaneously awaken their national consciousness.If all the sugar factory contractors are replaced by Dutch, the supervisors and the bosses who do not pay them are all replaced by Dutch, it may be awakened.

But there is some black humor. Before and after the Hongxi tragedy in history, the review of residence permits was not strict. Every year during the Chinese New Year, coins and tokens should be exchanged for copper to go home. ...Although most of the time they collect money from the sugar factory owner, occasionally there are a few people who uphold the law and justice.In an era when the common people tacitly assume that officials are bastards, and the gate of the yamen is open to the south for reasons and not to come in if there is no money, a little bit of normal judgment will be sung and sung.

Amazingly or not, these slave laborers had relatively better relations with the Javanese people they worked with.On the contrary, those sugar factory contractors and supervisors with black hair and black eyes like them have a bad relationship with them.

The reason for their uprising can be explained with a sentence in the history books: [If you die today, you will die, and if you plan to die, you will die. Waiting for death, is it possible to die the country? 】

Because it is rumored that the Dutch will send people who do not have a residence permit or pay poll tax to Ceylon.But in fact, after the ship reaches the sea, it will directly throw people into the sea.

One can imagine how they felt about the court in the early days of the uprising.A group of people who can say something like "He Li Zicheng was able to do something big and became an emperor from a farmer. He Li Zicheng can do it, why can't we do it?" The attitude towards the court can be imagined.

However, this attitude has gradually undergone some changes as the imperial court intervened in Batavia's immigration policy, the imperial court sponsored the migration to Ceylon, and the emperor used internal funds to pay the three-year poll tax.

Their mentality has gradually changed to "the emperor and some adults are good people, but some treacherous officials are not doing business".

This mentality is very important.This is the basis for their heart to the court.

With Niu Er and others purging the high-prestige slave laborers such as Huang Ban, more and more people were sent by the imperial court. People with political ideas, even immature and childish political ideas who went far away to Borneo People were wiped out, and the remaining people gradually changed from the rebels who gathered in the mountains and forests and the volcano to subtly become the rebels who were recruited.

Also, in the sugar mills, it was the sugarcane contractors who squeezed them.

In the volcanic area, it was the Dutch and the exiled local aboriginal small feudal nobles who surrounded and suppressed them.

The change of the enemy has also prompted them to gradually find a community that can protect themselves. Although the entity of this community is far away on the other side of the sea, at least they no longer feel disgusted.

Under this changed mentality, the imperial fleet that appeared on the sea during the day, although they did not know that they were actually registered in the Privy Council of the imperial court, they still cheered for the appearance of the imperial fleet.

As the night gradually deepened, bonfires were lit around the Cirebon Castle, and soldiers of the rebel army sat around the fire, discussing the past of the day and the future of tomorrow.

"The imperial court has sent troops. This time, the appointment of the Dutch is over. I heard from the leaders that the imperial court sent a lot of warships this time. Moreover, it was the man who led the troops to attack the Rakshasa and the Western Regions, and forced the Dutch not to kill people." soldiers."

Talking soldier sits by a campfire and holds a jig in his hand.

The blazing flame scorched the small crucible above, and the lead blocks put in gradually melted into lead water.

While talking, he skillfully poured the lead liquid in the crucible into the jig, and the solidified lead bullet became the jig.

Hit the ground hard, and the round lead bullets fell out. After cooling down, the partner next to him built some bumps and smoothed them, and put them into the heavy lead bullet bag.

The corporal looked back at the officer's camp in the distance, took out the cigarette pouch, pressed a ball of shredded tobacco on it, took two sips, handed it to the partner next to him, and spit towards the fire.

"If the imperial court really comes, maybe they will also recruit us. We are soldiers, and soldiers eat food. It is only natural to eat the food of the court. It is not the food of the red-haired ghost. I don't think there is much difference."

"It's impossible for the imperial court to return the land we have allocated. But if the imperial court wants to return the land we have allocated, it will be hard to say."

The soldier who continued to clip the lead bullets smiled and said: "I can't. Didn't you say that the emperor paid the poll tax to those people, and immigrated them to Ceylon because they were afraid that the Dutch would kill them?"

Speaking of this, the corporal scolded: "Sai Lianmu, if the court hadn't paid this money, we would have wiped out the whole of Java. Otherwise, tens of thousands of brothers who have nothing to eat will come to us, don't say anything. Li Wen, even Bacheng, wouldn’t that also be able to defeat him?”

"I don't think the court's brain is working well. Since you want to do it, why give the red-haired ghost money back?"

"But speaking of it, we're not afraid. It depends on what our leaders think. If the court treats them kindly, it's okay. But it's not like you haven't heard of Water Margin, and you're afraid that it will end well in the court."

These soldiers all nodded their heads, thinking that this was indeed the case.Serving as soldiers and eating food, if the imperial court can recruit them, it seems that the impact on them is really not big.As long as the court pays, there is no psychological pressure to do it.At least not the red-haired ghosts they fought with.

They don't understand politics, but at least they have heard the story of the Water Margin.I thought that the difference between myself might not be that big, so what did the leaders think?
Many soldiers have made their homes here.Although those who come here to do business and have money usually have a home in China and find a local woman here, and most of the time they don't look down on local women.But the status of these soldiers is far from that. When they were slave laborers, the only opportunity they had to contact women was to visit brothels.

After the uprising, most of these soldiers married local women.Compared with the normal state of no offspring offering a bowl of rice after death, marrying a local woman is considered a good day.

The pay of the rebel army is not much, because even if there is money, there is nowhere to buy things.The army implements a rationing system, and you can eat enough to eat. The local climate is quite good, and the rice output is not low.However, life in the army is tight, and you can drink some wine occasionally, and tobacco leaves are grown locally, and more things are far away.

They had a uniform, which was cloth brought by the English.But most of the time, they wear exotic local fabrics, woven from palm fronds.

Although you can spend money to buy things from the British, you must give priority to ensuring the arms and ensuring that the rebels can train regularly.The rest of the living supplies must be far behind.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of salt or food in the local area. Compared with the life in the sugar factory, it is better after all.

Good and bad are contrasted.

These people feel that life is good now.At least, they had their own land, and the leaders promised that they would be discharged from the army when they were old, and the land they were allocated would belong to themselves.

Thinking of this, the soldier holding the lead bullet looked at the starry sky and suddenly sighed.

"I don't know if my old lady is still alive. If she is alive, if the imperial court guarantees that our land will not be moved, I would like to take my old lady over. I will be here in the future. It is very good here, at least hungry. Immortals, if they are really starving and famine, they can still eat banana leaves, at least they won’t die from starvation.”

"It would be the best if the imperial court still uses us as soldiers. If we pay wages, we can live a pretty good life. We can give two taels of silver a month, and we can buy things after capturing Batavia. This year, I can wear cotton clothes for my family and have a good meal for the New Year.”

"If that's the case, what else is there to consider?"

(End of this chapter)