Insufficient balance
Sun Youlao stood with his hands clasped together on the outer corridor of the second floor of the Yinggui Li Merchant Hall in Beishanwei Island, gazing out at the four Yinggui Li armed merchant ships that were successively docking. However, unlike the others who were filled with anticipation, his expression was cold and detached. Yes, that's right, Sun Youlao had objections to Zheng Kechang's attempt to use black slaves as supplementary troops.
"I heard that these black slaves are big and strong, each one is over 8 feet tall." A voice suddenly rang out, Sun Youlao glanced at him with the corner of his eye, it was the second steward of the Shunchangbo Mansion who was gesticulating as he spoke. "One meal can eat two people's food, after eating they can do three people's work"
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"Gentlemen, the goods you ordered have been unloaded," said Steven, the owner of the trading house, interrupting someone's enthusiasm. He had been visited by Zheng Kezang several times for this business and now he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "Can we go pick up the goods now?"
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A few people came to the dock, only to see a row of black slaves being driven off the deck by British sailors holding whips. Several members of the noble family clicked their tongues, but an even more memorable scene appeared: among the black slaves going down to the lower deck, one suddenly went limp and his whole body slumped down.
"Dead? Fainted?" The third mate of the Jao An Bo exclaimed in surprise, but the stumbling procession didn't stop, dragging the man down the gangway step by step. The sailors on shore immediately untied the rope from the slaves' necks and dragged those who were unconscious or dead to the dockside, without even looking at them, and with a swift motion of four hands, they threw them into the sea. "Ah!" The third mate of the Jao An Bo exclaimed again. "The red barbarians are really ruthless!"
"You've got it wrong, sir." The clerk at the British Consulate in Xiamen explained in a strange tone and accent of Minnan dialect. "This is to prevent the spread of plague from corpses." He shrugged his shoulders, his wig made of sheepskin looking rather awkward. "Only fire and salt can cut off the path of plague transmission, and the watermen are doing it for the safety of survivors."
"What plague, what spread, I don't ask about any of that." Sun Youlao's gaze returned from the red barbarian ship and looked at the clerk who was already accustomed to the slave trade. He spoke in a cold tone: "But the quantity you promised cannot be reduced, otherwise, I won't be able to report back to the Regent."
"General, rest assured." The clerk slightly raised the ledger in his hand. "The cargo manifests provided by the captains show that when they landed at Mauritius, the four ships had a total of 2,700 black slaves on board, of which more than 400 died during the voyage, leaving over 2,200 remaining, exceeding one-tenth of the goods you should have received."
Sun Youlao immediately questioned: "I hear you mean that our province still has to pay for this extra 10% of black slaves?"
The clerk smiled wryly and said, "Of course it's best if we can get paid, but I don't want to offend this high-ranking military officer who is said to represent the Prince of Dongning. So I had to phrase it tactfully: 'General, after all, such a long transportation route, with strong winds along the way, if not for the money, why would the ship take such risks?'"
"This is beyond my control," said Sun with a lazy tone. "Alright, I'll only take the quantity that was ordered, and for the excess, you can have them shipped back." The scribe's face suddenly turned ashen. "Or you could find other buyers, such as those from Beiriver, Jiaozhi, Ryukyu, Siam or even Japan."
"No, no," the commercial attaché shook his head repeatedly. Black slaves were not in demand at all in East Asia, a region with an infinite supply of manpower. To take these useless black slaves back would mean providing them with food and occupying precious cabin space on the return voyage, which was absolutely against the interests of British merchant ship owners. "General, for the sake of our friendship, I can take it upon myself to donate this batch of extra black slaves to your side free of charge."
"This is for the best." Sun Youlao finally managed to squeeze out a smile from his stiff face, but before it had even faded away, he turned to several members of the Duke's household and said, "What are you waiting for? One hundred people per household, hurry up and choose!" The several members of the Duke's household looked at him with unusual expressions, and only then did Sun Youlao seem to realize that he had misspoken. "Mistake, mistake! Last year the Regent said one hundred people, but during this year's New Year's festival, he agreed to add another hundred people, so it's two hundred people per household. If each household doesn't choose, I'll take precedence!"
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Zheng Kezang sent away several Boy Scouts who had been summoned to talk, and then gestured for Sun Youlao to sit down and answer: "Has the black slave returned?"
"Returning, the person has been tormented to the point of being unrecognizable." Sun Youlao, however, adhered to his official duties and reported with a bow. "Several members of the imperial family are clamoring, saying that the Regent has wronged them."
"What a loss, can't even spare a few mouthfuls of rice for others?" Indeed, the master is like this, and the dog is like that. Zheng Kezang might give some face to his uncles Zheng Cong and Zheng Ming, but as for these vicious slaves who only know how to fawn in front of their masters, he doesn't have a good expression for them. "The ancients said that if you want to do something well, you must first sharpen your tools, it's really getting more and more muddled." After saying a few words, Zheng Kezang didn't want to continue this topic anymore. "By the way, how many did we bring back this time?"
"The British brought a total of 2,237 black slaves, and after the various departments took away 1,400 people, the remaining 837 people were all taken back to Tongzhi Camp."
"Eight hundred and thirty-seven people, didn't the English pay more?" Zheng Kezang received affirmative news. "This time we have earned four thousand taels of silver for our province, well done! Change into new clothes in a few days." Sun Youlao was overjoyed for a moment, Zheng Kezang clearly hinted that his official rank could be moved, but just as he wanted to thank him, Zheng Kezang waved his hand. "Lord Sun has been in the children's camp for four years, with merits and hardships, I have seen it all, this promotion is already late."
Zheng Kezang's words were not spoken in vain, for as soon as he finished, Sun Youlao immediately flipped over and knelt down on one knee, respectfully performing a grand military salute: "The Regent's words are too kind, it is truly said that both thunder and rain are the Emperor's benevolence, and the world's sons treat their ministers with kindness. I am deeply moved and willing to die for Your Highness as a vanguard."
Zheng Kezang watched Sun Youlao's performance without a word, nodding slowly: "Let's talk first."
Sun Youlao got up, and Zheng Kechang also stood up from his chair, with his hands behind his back. He slowly walked to Sun Youlao's front: "Since you have such a good intention, I will give you an opportunity."
Before Sun You had a chance to understand what Zheng Kezang was saying, he heard Zheng Kezang continue: "You will hand over the position of General Instructor of the Children's Camp and take up the position of Leader of the Children's Camp Guard Flag."
There is no first-class division in Zheng Jun's army at present, but Sun Youlao understands that this must be another clever idea of Zheng Kechang.
"One banner governs three battalions and one squadron, with the battalion and squadron organized according to the Boy Scouts' system. Among them, three battalions are combat battalions, and one squadron is a logistics squadron." Zheng Kezang explained. "The banner has one banner leader who holds the position of Zhennan Pingzhang Shi, and also sets up one monitor camp and one marshal, with the monitor camp holding the position of Zhengliu Pin Duan Shi, and the marshal holding the position of Congliu Suo Fu. However, Master Sun is currently a Zhengsi Pin, and if he were to be promoted one level, he would become a Congsan Pin, so it's a bit humiliating for him to hold a Zhengsi Pin position as a Congsan Pin."
"I am not humiliated." Sun Youlao immediately expressed his attitude, in his opinion, except that the main force of this guard is mostly black slaves, which makes him a bit uncomfortable, the position of the leader and the third-grade official position are enough to explain his weight in Zheng Kecang's heart at this moment. With real jobs and Zheng Kecang's trust, what's the point of demoting one level?
"It's fine as long as you're not humiliated." Zheng Kezang nodded in satisfaction. "The camp officer and deputy camp officer will be chosen by you, while the clerks and team leaders below will use the A-zi Camp's Boy Scouts. As for the supervisor, I plan to promote Yu Ping, and his vacancy, you can arrange someone else to take over." Sun Youlao listened quietly, knowing that Zheng Kezang was balancing relationships among various parties, so he didn't dare to speak out of turn. "As for the name of the guard unit, during the Tang and Song dynasties, black slaves were called Kunlun slaves, so let's just call it the Kunlun Unit."
After Zheng Kezang gave the name of Huwei Biao, Sun Youlao asked: "Shi Sun, is Kunlun Biao going to be incorporated into the Huoqiang team?"
"No need," Zheng Kezang shook his head. "Not only should we not include firearms and cannons, but also bows and arrows." This way, the Kunlun Banner became a purely infantry shield unit. "This year, the Jiazi Camp expanded to six teams with one class, so all the knife shields, firearms, cannons, and logistics teams are fully equipped, and there are even two long gun teams, and the mounted scout team is also being formed." Zheng Kezang's words seemed to be irrelevant, but they suddenly made Sun Youlao realize something. As expected, Zheng Kezang continued, "As for when we really go to war in the future, I will arrange for the Tongzi Camp to join us together."
"Let's not mention whether the black slaves can be trained into a strong army or not," Sun Youlao said, understanding Zheng Kechang's intention. "The so-called 'if they are not of my kind, their hearts must be different', what if these black slaves were to change?"
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"Has something changed? What are you doing?" Zheng Kezang turned to Sun Youlao's army. "The black slaves are guests from a foreign land, originally they would have been subjected to double the suffering, their hearts must be in turmoil, if you treat them with sincerity, can't you win them over?" Sun Youlao was taken aback, then heard Zheng Kezang suddenly sighing. "Dongning has limited land and few people, how many more people can be mobilized? Using black slaves as soldiers is really a last resort! General Sun, please remember to take good care of them for me."
"The descendant's bitter heart, I understand." Sun Youlao naturally understood the reason why there were more soldiers and fewer farmers, so he immediately grasped Zheng Kechang's intention. However, understanding is one thing, but it doesn't mean he necessarily approves of Zheng Kechang's methods. "But if you only manipulate the slave soldiers, I'm afraid that in the future, the situation will be turned upside down!"
"Ta Ah, are you holding on too tightly?" Zheng Kezang chuckled. "You're overthinking it, a mere few hundred people think they can turn the tables? It's not that easy, and as for later? I also have my own measure, I won't give others the opportunity to take advantage of me."
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