Yes, the port in front of us is densely packed with ships of all kinds, large and small.
If he hadn't been a prisoner, Chen Qiyu would never have believed that this scene was within the borders of the Qing Dynasty.
"Oh! Maybe this is really not the Qing Dynasty anymore." Chen Qiyu thought secretly and rebelliously.
Despite this, Chen Qiyu did not doubt that there would be ports in the Qing Dynasty that could compare with this.
In fact, how did Chen Qiyu know? If not for the rise of Zhang Rui, following the pace of history, Qianlong would have closed the other three of the only four customs houses in the Qing Dynasty next year: Jiang Customs, Zhejiang Customs, and Fujian Customs, leaving only the Guangdong Customs.
Faced with so many ships, ordinary people here would only sigh that there are so many ships here. But as Chen Qiyu, the commander-in-chief of the Taiwan Naval Association, looking at the various flags hung on the ship, he can roughly tell that they come from the Red Domain, Japanese slaves, Korea, Champa, etc...
Originally, the navy of the anti-bandit army had a dedicated port, and Chen Qiyu and other captured soldiers did not have to detour through this place. However, the captured ships made a slight detour at the request of the army's headquarters.
Everything seems so natural.
After Chen Qiyu and others were escorted off the ship, they walked around the bustling and busy dock again.
At this time, Chen Qiyu noticed something strange. Not only the people escorting them, but also all the people will walk back and forth on the left and right according to the lines drawn on the ground. In this way, the crowd will flow in a crowded way without being crowded.
Moreover, in every other place, there will be government officials wearing strange and simple but very spiritual uniforms to maintain local order.
Looking around, there are all kinds of people and dragons.
Terminal porters, fleet transportation and various small stalls.
Although everyone's face is covered with vicissitudes of life, they can always show a sincere smile. Chen Qiyu could even feel that there was something more about them than other Qing people, but he couldn't tell. Only later did Chen Qiyu understand that this is called self-confidence.
Most of the people at the pier were extremely busy. Chen Qiyu and others passed by as if they were sightseeing and did not attract anyone's attention. It wasn't until they passed through the city that they started to be watched by the surrounding people.
As the number of people watching increased, many onlookers continued to speak Cantonese and laugh at them. Chen Qiyu, who knew some Cantonese, listened carefully and found that most of them were laughing at the overestimation of their abilities and the pigtails on their heads.
When Chen Qiyu took a closer look, he realized that almost all the people watching them had cut off their braids and started growing their hair.
Looking at this scene, Chen Qiyu couldn't help but sigh again. The people here are so bold. If they don't obey the king, they are hopeless.
In fact, it’s not that these people are very conscious about cutting their braids. After all, the idea of whether to keep your hair or not, and whether you should keep your hair or not, has been passed down for two or three generations. It is not as if the bandit-suppressing army will make people cut off their braids one after another as soon as they occupy Guangdong.
If possible, Zhang Rui would not want to deal with the issue of whether people have braids on their heads. After all, as a member of the new generation, what kind of hairstyle has he not seen before? but for
If the same method as the Qing Dynasty was used to cut braids, the common people would have no choice but to cut off the braids on their heads. However, this will make the people unwilling. After all, it is easy to cut off the braids on your head, but it is difficult to cut off the braids in your heart.
For this reason, Zhang Rui could only adopt a more moderate approach - pay a heavy fine, and pay it monthly.
This not only gives them the opportunity to choose, but also allows many people who are watching to pay money to raise military expenses.
Those who could not pay the "braid rental fee" were forced to have their braids cut off once caught, and were required to work for the government in order to pay back the money before they could be released.
In the first few months, most wealthy people were willing to pay. However, as the anti-bandit army advanced and news of victory continued to spread, many people who were unwilling to pay the expensive "braid rental fee" also cut their hair. Remove the braids.
Gradually, a situation developed in which those who did not cut off their braids were laughed at by those who did.
Although the vast majority of the Taiwan Navy Green Camp cannot understand Cantonese, the ridicule can be felt. I saw them all lowering their heads and following the team.
As prisoners, they could no longer show off their power as usual to deal with the common people like pigs and cows.
The captured soldiers from the Green Battalion of the Taiwan Navy Association slowly passed through the city from the crowd of onlookers and entered their camp on the outskirts of the city.
Since entering the camp where they were placed. They were told that as long as they did not cause trouble, they would be released soon. At the same time, workers here will be paid on a daily basis upon release.
Soon, five days passed.
During these five days, their injured prisoners received good treatment and accommodation. As for those who were not injured, they would be safely sent to a nearby shipyard to help carry wood and planks during the day. We will return to the camp in the evening.
If it was just like this, Chen Qiyu wouldn't find it strange. The important thing is that they have never been short of three meals a day, one thin and two dry, and they can still eat at least one meal of meat with plenty of oil and water every day.
At first, Chen Qiyu thought that they were the only generals who had such good food. However, after inquiring from the soldiers, I found out that the food of all captured soldiers was like this.
This made Chen Qiyu confused. Where is the food for prisoners? Even in their own Taiwan Naval Association, they only get two meals a day, and they may not have such good food every day.
If they had followed their approach, 90% of the time the prisoners would go to them, they would have their heads chopped off to claim credit, or else they would be dedicated to the court.
According to the practice of the Qing Dynasty, the least they could do was to exile them to the desolate places in Ninggu Pagoda. It is not a place where ordinary people stay, and it will never be as relaxed and comfortable as them.
Treating prisoners with such "luxurious" meals made even Chen Qiyu feel distressed. This is too much of a "waste" of food! Many navy soldiers even secretly said: After serving as soldiers for so many years, the food they eat in these five days is better than in previous years.
It wouldn't be so strange if the food alone were good. What's even more strange is that at night, a troupe will come over to tell stories and sing operas for their people.
They all tell stories about Yang Jiajiang, Qi Jiajun, Di Qing, Yue Fei's fight against the Jin Dynasty, etc. Especially when talking about the country's surname Zheng Chenggong regaining Taiwan, it can give people a passionate and passionate feeling.
Chen Qiyu looked at everything that happened in the past five days and always felt that there was some conspiracy in it, but he couldn't tell the specifics.
If the bandit-suppressing army wanted to recruit them to surrender, they had not seen anyone come to surrender in the past few days.
"What do these rebels want to do? If I surrender, I would rather die than surrender." Chen Qiyu said to Yao Yingmeng, who had been rescued and revived.
"Qiyu, no matter what this group of rebels wants to do, you just need to know what you want." Yao Yingmeng said to Chen Qiyu in a still weak voice:
"If you don't know where the cannonball will fall, just let it fly for a while."
