novelnext Chapter 108 He was also afraid
Chapter 108 He was also afraid
As the eastern sky began to lighten, the boundless coastline appeared especially warm and inviting under the morning sun.
Only a few warships slowly emerged on the distant sea. Those ships were tall and mighty, breaking through the waves with unstoppable force and heading straight for the Dinghai coast.
Some fishermen who set sail early thought that the Dragon King was angry, and they were so frightened that they threw the fruit on their small wooden boats into the sea, begging the Dragon King to calm his anger and bless them to catch more fish and shrimp on this voyage so that they could make a living.
While danger was quietly approaching from the outside, the city remained orderly and prosperous. The streets were sparsely populated in the early morning, with only a few breakfast stalls still calling out their wares.
Inside the Dinghai County government office, Magistrate Yao Huaixiang was reviewing official documents in the courtroom, with two people standing on either side of him.
The armored man standing to his right was Zhang Chaofa, the general of Dinghai.
The obedient man standing to his left is Quan Fu, the clerk of Dinghai.
These two men were Yao Huaixiang's right-hand men, and their help was indispensable in governing Dinghai County.
However, General Zhang Chaofa's expression was extremely solemn today, and he stood to the side without saying a word.
In the past, he would always chat with the scribe at this time to liven up the atmosphere and relieve the dullness and boredom of the work.
"Report!"
Suddenly, an announcement came from outside the door, and a young officer rushed into the county government hall, knelt down on one knee with his hands clasped in front of him, and looked extremely serious.
"What is it?" Yao Huaixiang put the official document in his hand aside and asked the young officer below.
"Reporting back to you, sir, I have spotted foreign ships approaching the coast."
Upon hearing about the foreign ships, Yao Huaixiang and Quan Fu were both taken aback, while Zhang Chaofa frowned deeply.
"A foreign ship? Could they be here for trade? But if they wanted to trade, they should go to Chu Ting. What are they doing in my Dinghai?"
Yao Huaixiang stroked his white beard with his hand, his face showing great confusion.
They had received an order from the royal family that Dinghai County could not open its ports for trade like Chuting.
If they were to engage in unauthorized trade with foreign tribes, wouldn't that enrage the king? But if they weren't there to trade, they were probably there to pay tribute.
"Your Excellency, I believe the ship Xu Naying lost its way. Perhaps we should simply order them to return to Chu Ting."
Just as Yao Huaixiang was still undecided, General Zhang Chaofa suddenly spoke up and made a suggestion.
Yao Huaixiang stepped forward and walked to the young general's side, took a couple of steps to the left and right, and then said, "Go and tell those British barbarians that if they've come to pay tribute, they can leave their things and go."
"If they come to trade, tell them to go back to Chu Ting."
"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away."
The young man retreated immediately and ran straight to the shore.
However, when he reached the shore, he was stunned by what he saw.
Dozens of massive warships lay across the edge of the coastline. Each warship was almost as tall as two houses, with numerous cannons on its three decks. The dark, menacing cannons seemed to contain immense power, making one feel fear just by looking at them.
His legs stiffened instantly, and he dared not take another step forward, his eyes filled with fear and surprise.
The naval forces consisted of three battalions, totaling over 2600 men, dozens of cannons, and over a dozen warships, all located within Dinghai County.
But in all his years of military service, he had never seen such a large naval fleet. In front of these giants, he suddenly felt as small as an ant.
"Hey, coward, what's the matter with you? Come on up!"
"Come on, come on up!"
On the HMS Wellesley, several British soldiers saw the young general standing blankly on the shore and pointed at him, mocking him.
Unfortunately, the young officer couldn't understand English, but he had official duties to attend to, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and slowly approach the massive ship.
"Hey, hello Chinese, I'm Mr. Guo, and I'm fluent in Mandarin."
Upon hearing the familiar yet slightly accented language, the young man immediately looked up at a man in a brown suit.
Mr. Guo met the young man's gaze, took out an ultimatum, smiled slightly, and said, "We have something to discuss with the magistrate of Dinghai County. Would you please give this to him?"
"well"
The young man was clearly terrified. After receiving Mr. Guo's ultimatum, he immediately turned and ran back.
The soldiers and officers on the ship witnessed the young general's disheveled escape, which gave them even greater hope for victory in this war.
No, or rather, we are absolutely certain of victory!
"Hey, look how fast he runs, we're sure to win!"
"Haha, cowards can't run faster than bullets!"
The young general rushed into the city as fast as he could. Although he couldn't understand the English barbarians' mocking laughter, he could hear it clearly.
But so what?
Faced with these giant ships and powerful cannons, he was truly as small as an ant, and dared not confront the British head-on.
Let's just follow their example and have the General come to talk to them.
In fact, it wasn't just this young general; the soldiers stationed on the city wall also felt a bit of fear when they saw such a huge ship not far away.
The cannons of those British barbarians looked quite different from theirs. Although their cannons were smaller, they seemed to be more powerful.
Furthermore, the weapons they were equipped with were not swords or spears, which was quite different from the pirates of the past.
The key point is that pirates in the past didn't have warships that big!
Dinghai County Government Office.
The young man rushed into the doorway, his eyes filled with panic and fear, and he almost tripped and fell in the yamen hall.
"Reporting...Reporting to Your Excellency, the British...the British..."
The young man was panting heavily, his face flushed, and his speech was slurred.
Seeing this, Yao Huaixiang frowned even more deeply and walked up to the young general, asking, "Are those British barbarians here to trade?"
The young man shook his head.
"Then they've lost their way?" General Zhang Chaofa suddenly became anxious and hurriedly asked.
In fact, a few days earlier, he had assembled a fleet and gone to sea to discover the movements of the British ships, and promptly reported to Governor Wu Ergong'e of Yuhang and Governor-General Deng Tingzhen of Fujian and Zhejiang.
"No...it's not that we're lost at sea. They asked me to give this to you experts." The young general took a breath, shook his head in response to Zhang Chaofa's question, and took out the British ultimatum.
Actually, he was too scared. He was so intimidated by the imposing presence of the British warships when he arrived at the coast that he almost forgot Yao Huaixiang's instructions.
But luckily, that Mr. Guo gave him a way out, so he took the opportunity to come back; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to board the British ship.
I've heard that those barbarians are all people who eat people without spitting out the bones!
Yao Huaixiang took the ultimatum from the young general, opened it, and his face immediately darkened, a surge of anger rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"Viscount Burma, Commander-in-Chief of the British Navy, respectfully writes to the Lord of Dinghai County: I have been entrusted with great authority by the British Emperor and have led my army and navy to reside here. I have specifically landed here to occupy Dinghai and its surrounding islands."
"If the island's inhabitants do not resist their own general, Great Britain will not want to harm their lives and property. However, the high-ranking officials in Guangdong, such as Lin and Deng, behaved immorally in the past, insulting the British Consul General Elliot, who was specially appointed by the British monarch, as well as other British subjects. Therefore, there is no other way but to occupy the island."
"Now that our ships and troops are properly protecting everything, Your Excellency must immediately surrender all the islands and forts belonging to Dinghai. If they surrender, they will be spared from slaughter; otherwise, this general and commander shall immediately seize them by force. The commissioner who delivered the letter shall wait for a reply within half an hour."
"If things end now, and Your Excellency does not surrender or respond, then this general will immediately open fire on the island and its forts, and will lead troops ashore. This is to inform Your Excellency, the Lady of Dinghai County."
Snapped!
After reading the ultimatum, Yao Huaixiang threw it to the ground, his voice filled with boundless rage.
"Outrageous! How dare we allow foreign barbarians to encroach upon our sacred land, the Heavenly Kingdom!?"