Chapter 575

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“Earl Clare’s intelligence is quite sharp.”

“Uh…” Rhodes immediately understood, showing a surprised expression, then chuckled awkwardly.

As the saying goes, “it’s bliss to be ignorant.” Xiao Ming did not expose the Dutch monitoring his fleet. After all, even contemporary NATO allies eavesdropped on each other, so when it came to alliances, it was merely about acting together when there were common interests, and being ready to fall out when interests diverged.

Therefore, he didn’t care about the alliance itself, but was very interested in the intelligence Rhodes had provided.

When Yue Yun went south, he had captured a British officer whose intelligence had mentioned a steam engine, but at that time, it was still an unrefined, first-generation steam engine. Now, it was clear that the steam engine had entered its second generation.

However, he wasn’t nervous now. After all, he had also successfully manufactured steam engines and had already begun to apply them in various industries. In this regard, he was not lagging behind.

The only dilemma was that Britain now possessed a large number of colonies providing raw materials and a large number of dumping grounds for goods. This was where he couldn’t compete, and it was the most fatal point.

Because without a large number of overseas colonies, he would at least need to unify Great Yu Empire to obtain sufficient resources to achieve industrial transformation, and he was precisely stuck at this juncture.

Thinking of this, he clenched his fists. After digesting the four captured prefectures and stockpiling sufficient ammunition, he would quickly take Wei’s territory, followed by Yan’s territory, Liang’s territory, and Chang’an, thereby ending the northern vassal states’ partition.

“Your esteemed Highness, if you agree, I will bring the alliance treaty back this time. What do you think?” Rhodes asked.

Xiao Ming nodded, “You go back and tell Earl Clare to rest assured. As long as you Dutch can honestly do business with me, I will provide you with protection.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Rhodes said with a smile.

With Xiao Ming’s assurance, Rhodes was overjoyed and chatted with Xiao Ming for a while before returning to the Chamber of Commerce with Li Kaiyuan to discuss business.

Watching Rhodes depart, Xiao Ming’s expression turned thoughtful. It seemed he could not relax at all. After all, he was developing, and Europe was also developing. Who knew what Europe would become in another fifty or sixty years? Therefore, he had to quickly contend for colonies and catch this last train.

Rhodes stayed in Qingzhou for three days before returning to Dengzhou. His time in Qingzhou naturally attracted much attention, especially from the nobles who had come from Chang’an, who discussed him as if they had seen a ghost.

After Rhodes’ departure, after a delay of eight days, the Prince of Wei finally sent back a message, expressing his willingness to cede Yangzhou and pay five million taels of silver in compensation.

Upon learning this news, Xiao Ming finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He immediately summoned the four envoys to sign the truce agreement with Xiao Qi in person, temporarily ending the war in Wei’s territory. At the same time, this was also a complete destruction of the alliance.

“I hope Your Highness will strictly abide by the agreement, otherwise our four sides will surely attack jointly,” Xiao Qi said.

At this, Cui Zhang, Wang Xi, and Zheng Hao also nodded. They had achieved their respective goals, and at this moment, their common interest was to restrain Xiao Ming’s further growth.

“Everyone, rest assured, I will naturally not unilaterally tear up the truce agreement.” Xiao Ming said with a smile.

The four envoys nodded. They had lingered in Qingzhou for over a month now and were eager to return. Only Cui Zhang remained after the other three left.

Xiao Ming naturally understood his intention. He sent a craftsman from the machinery department to impart the rolled iron method to the craftsmen in Yan’s territory. Only after a complete matchlock gun was forged did Cui Zhang feel completely relieved.

At the same time, Xiao Ming ordered Ye Qingyun to dispatch a portion of his soldiers to garrison Yangzhou City, to arrive before the Prince of Wei could empty Yangzhou City, lest they receive an empty city.

Upon receiving Xiao Ming’s order, Ye Qingyun immediately led six thousand musketeers to Yangzhou. When he arrived at the foot of Yangzhou City, the scene before him stunned him.

He saw beacon fires raging within Yangzhou City, flames erupting from houses everywhere, wails filling the streets, and soldiers within the city wantonly slaughtering the common people. Blood flowed like rivers in the streets, and corpses of common people lay everywhere.

Ye Qingyun’s eyes instantly turned red, as did the eyes of the Dengzhou Army soldiers. They were enraged by the inhuman cruelty of the Prince of Wei’s army.

“Brothers, open your eyes and look! This is the true nature of powerful families! This is the true face of the Prince of Wei! They never consider us ordinary common people!” Ye Qingyun roared loudly.

Drawing his long saber from his waist, Ye Qingyun angrily shouted, “Brothers, follow me into the city and slaughter these damned bastards!”

“Kill!”

The soldiers roared in unison, following Ye Qingyun as they bravely charged into Yangzhou City.

“King Qi’s army has arrived!”

The soldiers within the city shouted in terror, but his voice was abruptly cut short after a burst of gunfire. The Dengzhou Army soldiers, like hungry wolves, charged at the soldiers who were slaughtering the common people.

Seeing the Dengzhou Army, the soldiers in the city took to their heels, carrying large and small bundles in their arms, all plundered from the common people’s homes.

On the day of the handover, an order suddenly reached the Yangzhou army: this order was to pillage, burn, and slaughter Yangzhou City. They wanted to leave an empty city for King Qi.

Upon receiving this order, the powerful family members within the army carried it out without hesitation. For a time, the city was like hell.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Gunshots were chaotic. After six thousand soldiers entered the city, they immediately dispersed to encircle and annihilate the rebellious troops within the city. The burning, killing, and looting within the city were quickly quelled with the intervention of the Dengzhou Army, leaving behind a ground littered with soldiers’ corpses.

This time, the Dengzhou soldiers were truly enraged. Under the guidance of their military Chief Administration, they had come to understand what a nation was and what an ethnicity was. Now, for them, Great Yu Empire was their country, and the common people within it were all of the same ethnicity.

And now, the Prince of Wei was actually slaughtering his own common people like barbarians, which made them extremely angry. Now they finally understood why the Chief said these vassal kings were the cancerous tumors of Great Yu Empire. With such vassal kings, Great Yu Empire would never know peace.

At this moment, the bravery of the Dengzhou soldiers in combat surpassed their attack on Tongzhou City. The dignity of the nation was more important than money.

Entering from the west gate, the Dengzhou Army swept through, continuously shooting down the rebellious troops within the city. Upon reaching the east gate, they eliminated the last of the rebellious troops, but a group of soldiers still managed to escape.

As everyone was filled with rage, a group of soldiers dressed as Wei troops suddenly approached them. These soldiers suddenly knelt before Ye Qingyun and said, “Sir, please take us in! We want to kill the Prince of Wei to avenge our relatives!”