Chapter 482: Fort Zeelandia

At Tongzhou dock, King Wei watched the warships slowly sail away with a complicated expression.

“Third Imperial Uncle, Xiao Ming is becoming more and more unpredictable,” Xiao Qi appeared behind King Wei.

He had come to Tongzhou with King Wei but did not meet Xiao Ming. Instead, he secretly observed Xiao Ming’s fleet.

“What do you think Xiao Ming is doing leading such a large fleet?” King Wei asked, confused.

Xiao Qi thought for a moment and said, “I sent people to observe. Xiao Ming’s fleet carries more than ten thousand soldiers, each armed with the firearms Xiao Ming mentioned. Such a large army going to sea must be for conquest. He obviously wouldn’t dare move against the Great Yu Empire, so his only destination is Ryukyu.”

“Ryukyu? You mean Xiao Ming is going to war with the Dutch?” King Wei was shocked.

“That’s possible. Besides the fleet comparable to the Dutch, plus ten thousand firearm soldiers, only the Dutch can match him,” Xiao Qi said confidently.

King Wei was delighted. “Haha, this is great. If Xiao Ming fights the Dutch, we can benefit from their conflict and maybe sea trade will restart.”

“Third Imperial Uncle, you are celebrating too soon. If Xiao Ming defeats the Dutch, he will control the sea trade from then on. Do you think he will let us easily trade by sea?”

King Wei thought for a moment. “Better than the Dutch controlling it. Xiao Ming is at least a royal relative and can speak at court. Now that he has set up a supply point in Tongzhou, it’s thanks to me. Overall, he’s much stronger than the Dutch.”

Xiao Qi nodded, feeling reassured. King Wei seemed to bury his rebellious thoughts deep inside, because as long as Xiao Ming lived, he had some concerns.

While they spoke, the Qingzhou warships disappeared over the horizon.

On the deck of the Qi Wang, Xiao Ming reclined in a lounge chair, enjoying the sun and sea breeze comfortably.

At Tongzhou dock, they replenished a large supply of fresh water, vegetables, grains, daily necessities, and other materials. For him, this meeting with King Wei was basically a success.

As for the next supply point, Ningzhou, he was full of confidence since he was now doing business with King Chu, and King Chu dared not refuse.

Just as he expected, two days later they arrived at Ningzhou. There, they resupplied smoothly. King Chu ordered local officials to cooperate with Xiao Ming’s fleet for supplies and promised continued support.

After Ningzhou, the fleet sailed south. After seven full days, they reached Fort Zeelandia.

“Your Highness, ahead is Fort Zeelandia,” Rhodes said excitedly.

Xiao Ming nodded. In the golden sunlight, Fort Zeelandia shone like a pearl on the sea. Through his telescope, he saw typical European-style buildings with red tiles and white walls, like a fairyland.

While Rhodes was excited, Dutch warships appeared in Xiao Ming’s telescope view. Xiao Ming said, “Don’t celebrate yet. Tell your fleet we are not enemies.”

Rhodes immediately reacted, raised flags to send signals to the Dutch fleet. Soon, the Dutch warships responded with flag signals. He said, “Your Highness, your fleet can now safely dock at the harbor.”

Xiao Ming observed the harbor and called for Yue Yun. “Enter the harbor, but stay alert.”

Yue Yun understood and ordered the signalers to send flags. He then led the Qi Wang Warship slowly into the dock.

At the same time, Lu Fei and Luo Xin came over. They had the soldiers sound the assembly horn. Qingzhou soldiers immediately came out of the ship cabins and lined up neatly on the deck.

With careful navigation, the fleet safely stopped at the harbor. After more than ten thousand Qingzhou soldiers disembarked, Xiao Ming breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It seemed the Dutch were truly facing a crisis.

“Greetings, honorable Qi Wang Highness,” Claire appeared first on the dock. His first words were in broken Great Yu language, then he switched to Dutch with Rod translating.

“Thank you for coming, Qi Wang Highness. Your arrival proves you are a qualified ally. Perhaps from today, we can build a firm friendship,” Claire said excitedly.

These soldiers from Qingzhou were well equipped and equal in number to the Japanese pirates, giving him confidence for the war.

“No need for thanks. As the Count said, we are allies at sea, and there will be more cooperation in the future,” Xiao Ming smiled.

Claire was even happier. Pointing to Fort Zeelandia, he said, “Your Highness, this is Fort Zeelandia. Let me show you around. Tonight, you will spend a beautiful night here.”

Lu Fei and Luo Xin looked at the small island surrounded by sea with surprise but quickly got distracted by Dutch soldiers.

“Luo Xin, did you see that soldier’s uniform? Especially his leather boots. When can we wear leather shoes? I feel wearing this uniform with cloth shoes looks off,” Lu Fei said.

Luo Xin’s attention had long been caught by the cannons on Fort Zeelandia. When he saw two field cannons at the gate, his eyes widened. “Leather boots or cloth shoes don’t matter. The Dutch equipment is good, almost on par with our Qingzhou army. I wonder how effective their weapons are?”

“That’s simple. We are helping them this time. Using their weapons should be fine. Just tell Your Highness later. It won’t be a problem,” Lu Fei said.

While they talked, Xiao Ming and Claire had already entered the city and quickly followed.

At the same time, Qingzhou soldiers spread throughout Fort Zeelandia. The small fort suddenly became crowded.

At the official residence, Claire brought Xiao Ming to the window. Opposite was Michilalang Fort. From the tallest building in Fort Zeelandia, you could clearly see Michira Castle.

“Your Highness, the Japanese pirates have been reinforcing the fort recently. There are now over ten thousand pirates in the city. I believe these pirates are ordered by Yamada Nobunaga to occupy the Ryukyu main island. After all, it’s close to Japan. Once they seize it, they control the sea route,” Claire said seriously.

Xiao Ming raised his telescope to look. The Japanese pirates’ expansion plan was no longer a secret. Xiao Ming was very interested in any action that troubled Japan. He asked, “Do you have any attack plans?”