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Chapter 933 Shalian Port 4
"The operational plan will be finalized next. According to the instructions of the General Staff, you have the right to participate in the meeting. Do you want to abstain?"

After listening to Wang Datou's story, Huang Nanping, as the commander-in-chief of this battle, felt that it was time to move on to the next stage. However, he still had to ask someone whether to stay or go. It would be best if he gave up the power voluntarily. Otherwise, there would always be a spy standing by his side who was specifically looking for intelligence and could hear directly from the emperor. He would always have to prepare a draft before speaking, which would be too awkward.

"Abstain? Huang Nanping, you can't burn your bridges after crossing the river. I have a handwritten letter from Prime Minister Ao of Sun Moon Bank about setting up a chamber of commerce in Shalian Port. Excuse me, is this Manager Ji? Here, take a look, from now on you are under my command!"

Wang Datou obviously understood the hidden meaning in Huang Nanping's words. Instead of retreating, he started to shout in front of all the naval generals, looking very confident. He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Ji Buquan mysteriously.

"...Commander Huang, this is indeed a handwritten letter from Prime Minister Ao. This Wang... Shopkeeper, will represent Sun Moon Bank with me."

Ji Buquan took the envelope, opened the wax seal, and only pulled out half of the letter. He glanced at it briefly, then gave Wang Datou a professional smile, confirming his new identity. He then casually put the envelope and the letter into his pocket and buttoned it, without any intention of sharing.

"...Okay, please take a seat!" Huang Nanping exchanged glances with Li Rumei and Wang Yuanjing. Seeing that they had no intention of expressing any other opinions, he raised his hand in pretense of concession and turned to walk towards the temporary conference table on the rear deck.

According to the previous rules, the Navy's operations were only led by the General Staff, and no other department had the right to interfere or participate. The Statistics Department and the Sun and Moon Bank were all screwed. If they didn't leave on their own, they would be forcibly expelled. Even if they reported it to the emperor, they would not be found to have committed any fault.

But this time was different. First of all, there was an additional creditor. Without the loan from Sun Moon Bank, the Navy would not be able to build a permanent base in Shalian Port. As the saying goes, a man who takes a favor should be grateful, so the Sun Moon Bank proposed to send representatives to participate in the supervision of the Shalian Port operation, and it was impossible to refuse.

Secondly, they owed a favor. If it weren't for the intelligence provided by Wang Datou and the local insiders, it would have been no problem to capture Thanlyin Port. Even if the Toungoo Kingdom blocked the river mouth with wooden stakes, it would not last more than ten days or half a month. However, occupying and developing Thanlyin Port was more difficult.

Although the Emperor did not issue an order, his intention towards Shalian Port was very obvious. At the same time, Sun Moon Bank agreed to lend money because it wanted to invest in Shalian Port. Now that two creditors came to the door at the same time, no matter how angry you are, you must not only not drive them away, but also fully seek their opinions when formulating a battle plan.

Looking at the broad surface of the Irrawaddy River, the old man let out a long breath, feeling a little relieved. He turned his head and gazed deeply to the south. The boundless sea was empty except for the occasional seabirds.

The huge ships I just saw were so oppressive, their masts towering into the sky were more majestic than the giant trees in the forest. Although I didn't see any powerful weapons, I could deduce from logic that the army that came to attack Shalian Port this time was very strong.

His name is Gen, an elder of the Mon people near Thanlyin Port. His ancestors once served as palace guards of the King of Pegu. After the Pegu Kingdom was destroyed by the Toungoo Kingdom, he moved from the capital of Pegu to Thanlyin City to live, mainly to avoid persecution by the Burmese.

Ten years ago, my father and elder brother led more than 200 tribesmen to follow the Mon leader to help the Portuguese resist the invasion of the Toungoo Kingdom. They died in the city of Thanlyin. Since then, the family has fallen into misery and was forced to become a vassal of the Burmese.

It was not until the Portuguese captain named Alfonso showed up that the miserable life began to improve. Portuguese merchant ships would regularly stop at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River, bringing with them a lot of daily necessities, and were willing to sell them on credit to their people, waiting for the next cargo ship to arrive before paying for them.

After more than two years of interaction, Afonso's Portuguese merchant ship had become a friend of the Mon people in Thanlyin Port. Every time, the Mon people would go to the nearby mountains to find clear stream water and bring it back in jars, and then take out the freshest fruits and rice to send to the ship. When the Burmese soldiers were not patrolling too strictly, they would secretly take Afonso and his crew back to the village in a small boat and give them a warm hospitality to thank them for their care over the past two years.

But when Alfonso told him that an army was coming to capture Thanlyin, Gen hesitated. He could not forget the tragic scene of Philip being impaled on a wooden pole and wailing for two days before dying, nor could he forget the scene of the Mon people who participated in defending the city being tied up in strings and sold to the north as slaves.

Although there are still tens of thousands of Mon people living near Thanlyin Port, how can unarmed farmers and fishermen defeat the soldiers of Toungoo? If the people who come to occupy are not stronger than Philip, who would dare to risk the lives of their own people?

However, people always live in hope. When Alfonso said that he could take him to see the strength of the mysterious army, Gen was still tempted. He immediately discussed the matter secretly with the elders of the three tribes with whom he was close. Finally, he decided to go out to sea with Gomin as a representative and follow Alfonso to see what was going on.

Now all doubts no longer exist. If the strength of Philip, who drove a sailboat with more than 200 mercenaries equipped with cannons and muskets, was 3, then the strength of the army brought by Alfonso must be at least 30, which is more than ten times higher.

A rough count revealed that there were no less than 20 large sailing ships visible on the sea, and each of them was several times larger than Philip's sailing ship back then. They were all as big as small mountains, and it was estimated that each ship could carry hundreds of people.

It would be very easy for such a large-scale army to attack the port of Thanlyin. Even without the help of the Mon people, it would not take much effort. There would be no problem in dealing with the counterattack of the Toungoo Kingdom.

This is an opportunity for the Mon people to turn things around. Alfonso also said that after capturing Thanlyin Port, the Mon people will become the masters, or at least one of them, and will never be bullied by the Burmese again.

Compared to that huge army, Gen was more willing to trust Alfonso. His big head should be filled with wisdom. He might be the god sent by Buddha to save the Mon people!

"Wu Gen, the Burmese warship!" Just as Gen fell into deep thought, repeating the plan given by Alfonso over and over again in his mind, the tribesman rowing at the bow suddenly shouted.

Note: According to the customs of various ethnic groups in Myanmar, people do not have surnames, but only given names. However, there are too many people with the same name, so prefixes are added to express different social status, seniority, and positions.

Before a boy reaches adulthood, he is called Mao something, after he reaches adulthood, he is called Ge something, and when he is old and is more respected, he is called Wu something. For example, Gen was called Mao Gen when he was a child, Ge Gen when he was young, and Wu Gen when he was old.

It's similar for girls. Ordinary women are prefixed with "ma" from childhood to adulthood. After they have a certain social status, the prefix becomes "du".

(End of this chapter)