Chapter 480: Heading to Fort Zeelandia

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The sound of ocean waves seemed to echo all the way into the Dengzhou governor’s office, a faint and rhythmic noise drifting in.

Rhodes face turned even paler after Xiao Ming’s words. The number of Japanese pirates already overwhelmed him, and now Xiao Ming was telling him that what they were facing was only a small part of the threat.

“In the coastal raids on the Great Yu Empire, the number of Japanese pirates could reach up to twenty thousand,” Xiao Ming said honestly.

Even for allies, there was no reason to send troops without benefit—especially when their alliance was so fragile. He had to make the threat sound serious to raise the value of their support.

“Twenty thousand…” Rhodes face went completely white. Hesitating for a moment, he said, “Count Claire instructed me to tell Your Highness that if you help us, the Dutch will surely repay you in the future.”

Xiao Ming nodded with satisfaction. That was enough. Saying more would seem like coercion. He replied, “We will head directly to Fort Zeelandia and drive the pirates out of Ryukyu together.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Rhodes said joyfully.

While they spoke, Lu Fei and Luo Xin were staring at Rhodes in a daze. If Xiao Ming hadn’t been there, they probably would’ve blurted out “red-haired ghost” on the spot.

Once the matter was settled, Xiao Ming had Yang Chengye arrange for Rhodes to rest. After he left, Lu Fei let out a long breath. “Your Highness, why do Dutch people look so pale? its creepy”

“Yeah, scary as hell. If I ran into one at night, I’d think it was a ghost,” Luo Xin added, still shaken.

“Cut it out, both of you. We’re about to work together. You may even exchange training methods. So act respectfully. Don’t cause any racial friction over something so petty,” Xiao Ming said.

He knew Lu Fei’s character—he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was a racial incident caused by nonsense like this.

“Hehe, got it,” Lu Fei chuckled. “So when do we leave?”

“We’ll rest for a few days. We still have to wait for Yue Yun’s fleet and the supply convoy,” Xiao Ming replied.

As they spoke, a familiar voice came from the door—Yue Yun entered and saluted Xiao Ming before turning to Lu Fei and Luo Xin. “Officers Lu and Officer Luo, now that you’re in Dengzhou, you’re on my turf. Come on, let me treat you to some seafood.”

Lu Fei immediately got excited. “Yue Yun, you’re the real deal. Not stingy like Luo Xin.”

“Hey! You never said that back in Chang’an,” Luo Xin protested.

Lu Fei ignored him, saluted Xiao Ming, and ran off with Yue Yun. Luo Xin, grumbling, followed.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming shook his head. Those two hadn’t changed a bit.

…

Ryukyu Main Island, Michira Fortress—a star-shaped fort across the sea from Fort Zeelandia. After the Dutch established Fort Zeelandia in Taiwan, they built Michira Fortress on Ryukyu’s main island to obtain rice and sugarcane.

With this fortress, they had control over the island’s natives.

But half a month ago, the fortress fell to the Japanese pirates. Over 7,000 of them now filled Michira, eating and drinking freely. More pirates continued to arrive by sea. It seemed they were turning it into a permanent pirate base.

On the coast outside the fortress, Sakai was using a telescope to observe Fort Zeelandia. In its bay, twelve Dutch warships formed a protective ring around the docks, leaving no chance for pirate ships to approach.

“Only 700 men? Hmph,” Sakai scoffed as he put away the telescope.

He had once warned the Dutch not to ally with the Prince of Qi, but Rhodes and Count Claire ignored him. When he snuck into Claire’s office and found the trade agreement, he flew into a rage.

To the Japanese, this was a betrayal of Lord Yamada. Once the news was sent back, Yamada ordered that the Dutch be brought under control.

They had underestimated the Dutch soldiers. After losing over a thousand men, the Japanese were forced to retreat. The Dutch fleet then launched a fierce counterattack, costing them another 500 men at sea.

Knowing they weren’t strong enough, Sakai requested more troops. Yamada ordered the pirates loyal to him to stop attacking for now.

So far, 8,000 pirates had arrived by sea. With fifty warships, Sakai was preparing a final assault on Fort Zeelandia.

“Once I gather twenty thousand men, we’ll see how you Dutch escape my grasp. And that damned Great Yu Empire—you’ll all be our slaves eventually,” he muttered.

While Sakai watched Fort Zeelandia, Claire was watching Michira Fortress.

The Dutch troops’ morale was dangerously low. Fighting far from home often led to battle fatigue, and their clash with Japan had left many soldiers discouraged.

In Dengzhou, they had witnessed the Prince of Qi’s strength. Now, they were under siege by pirates. To many, it seemed like it was time to leave.

Claire wanted to leave too, but as a count and a member of the parliament, he couldn’t. He had risked offending Lord Yamada because he believed the Prince of Qi had more potential—and more profit.

Looking north, he frowned. He had no idea what had happened to Rhodes, or whether the Prince of Qi would actually send reinforcements. But he had no choice.

“May God help us,” Claire prayed silently.

…

Back in Dengzhou, after three days of preparation, Lu Fei and Luo Xin led Qingzhou soldiers onto the warships. Fifteen warships would carry the troops, while fifty large merchant ships were used for transporting supplies.

Moving 10,000 troops was a massive undertaking. Just the food and supplies alone took up enormous space.

This mission would be extremely expensive for Xiao Ming.

“Your Highness, please board,” the generals said.

Xiao Ming planned to go along—not to fight, but to establish coastal supply points. This had been part of his plan since returning from Dengzhou.

By making use of this trip to Fort Zeelandia, he could finally carry it out. Whether it was Prince Wei’s territory, Prince Chu’s, or coastal cities like Guangzhou or Quanzhou…

Maritime trade and naval patrols all required a complete network of supply stations.