nycdaug Chapter 42 Deterrence
Chapter 42 Deterrence
Inside the shop, the Igorod warriors were still committing violence. The screams of women, the sounds of smashing utensils, and the savage laughter of men mingled together, creating a particularly jarring sound on the night street.
The military police officer in charge had obviously heard it too. His face darkened, and he made a gesture. The soldiers immediately dispersed into battle formation, raised their loaded muskets, and silently approached the open door of the shop.
Inside the shop, the lead Igorod warrior was dragging a heavy money box out of the cabinet, shouting excitedly.
The other man cornered the Chinese woman against the wall, tearing at her outer garment. The man lying on the ground was still groaning weakly, trying to crawl toward his daughter, who was cowering in the corner, trembling.
Just then, a loud shout that the natives couldn't understand suddenly rang out at the door. A squad of Ming soldiers filed in and instantly took control of the shop's entrance. Several dark muskets were pointed at the natives.
The sudden turn of events froze the Igorod warriors. They instinctively wanted to pick up their weapons and confront them, but the next second they realized that the person in front of them was not an enemy.
"Put down your things, release them, kneel down!" the officer shouted in Chinese, and the interpreter next to him quickly translated it for him.
The leader of the Igorots was stunned for a moment, then a fierce and unwilling look flashed across his face. How could he easily give up the wealth and women he had already obtained?
He glanced at his companions and saw that some of them showed fear, but many more had a flame of resistance burning in their eyes. Their numbers were about the same as the military police who had come in, and they were confident in their bravery. How could they possibly kneel down?
"Get out of the way! This is what we took!" the warrior roared in the local language, pointing a jewel-encrusted dagger he had just seized at the officer. The Igorots behind him also picked up their weapons and confronted the Ming army.
This action thoroughly enraged the military police officer, who no longer hesitated and shouted sternly, "Anyone who disobeys orders or resists arrest with weapons will be killed without exception! Open fire!"
The moment the order was given, the soldiers behind him pulled the trigger without hesitation.
bang bang bang-
The deafening gunshot rang out in the narrow shop. At such close range, the flintlock bullets struck the target's body with almost perfect accuracy.
The Igorod warrior who led the charge was the first to be hit, several bloody flowers bursting from his chest, his ferocious expression freezing as he fell backward; the other warriors who tried to resist or had not yet had time to react were also hit by bullets, falling to the ground screaming in agony.
Some tried to rush towards the nearby military police and fight them with melee weapons, but were immediately stabbed to death by the soldiers with bayonets.
The officer snorted coldly and cursed, "Damn barbarians! They fear power but not morality!"
Then, he waved for the soldiers to come forward and check if anyone was faking death and to control the scene. He walked over to the still-shaken Chinese woman, checked her condition, then looked at the man lying on the ground and the girl in the corner, and instructed the soldiers who followed him:
"Go find a medical officer, check if there are any other victims nearby, clean up the area, and remove the body. Leave two people to protect the family until order is restored."
After saying that, he led his team away from the shop and continued along the street.
Not far away, some natives hiding in the shadows witnessed the whole thing. They looked at the corpses that were dragged away and left lying on the side of the street, and then touched the few silver coins they had just stolen in their pockets, still in shock.
"They...they actually dared to shoot at us!" someone said in a trembling voice.
"Hurry! Report what's happening here to the chieftain, and stay away from those Chinese! If you don't want trouble!"
However, they soon discovered that gunshots were being fired from various parts of the city, all of which were warnings and punishments issued by the Ming military police in their forceful enforcement of the law and suppression of looting.
Many tribal warriors refused to submit and fought with the Ming army that came to enforce the law. They were then shot and killed by the Ming army. One by one, these incidents were reported to the various chieftains. Anger and unease quickly accumulated, and there was even a sense of betrayal, as if they had been "crossed and then discarded".
"This is outrageous!" An Igorod chieftain from the northern mountains smashed a ceramic bowl to pieces in his makeshift residence. "We shed blood and sweat for them, so many warriors died! And now we can't even take a little something? Which of those Chinese shops hasn't paid taxes to the Spanish? Which one hasn't squeezed money out of us? And now they're treated like untouchable treasures?"
"That's right! The Ming people want to monopolize all the benefits!" echoed the chieftain of another small tribe. "They've taken the governor's mansion, the armory, and the large warehouse for themselves, but they won't even let us have a sip of the soup!"
"We're going to demand an explanation!" one of the leaders stood up and shouted angrily.
"Yes! We need an explanation!"
The others echoed his sentiments, but before they could even leave, a soldier rushed over and said to his leader:
"Chief! Tang reinforcements have arrived! They have many muskets! And cavalry!"
"What?!"
Everyone was startled upon hearing this. They all rushed to the windows or doors of the mansion and looked out onto the street. They saw that the street, which had previously only had a few scattered torches and patrols, now had a well-disciplined and orderly army marching in from outside the city with heavy and orderly steps!
The torchlight illuminated the flintlock muskets and bayonets carried by the soldiers as they marched from the city gate in long lines, creating the illusion of an endless stream.
This scene was like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads, instantly extinguishing the anger and impulse that had just ignited in the heads of the house.
The anger on the face of the Igorod leader who had smashed the earthenware bowl froze, replaced by deep shock and fear.
He murmured, "They...they have so many people? Where did they come from?"
"It seems... they were prepared long ago." Another chieftain, his face pale, voiced his guess: "This king of the Ming people doesn't fully trust us. What we're seeing is probably just the power he wants us to see."
The other leaders were also speechless. They had originally thought that the main force of the Ming army should have suffered some losses after the siege, and that the limited manpower available in the city due to the division of troops to occupy various places gave them some confidence to bargain or even put pressure on the enemy.
But now, this suddenly appearing force, clearly a fresh addition, has completely shattered their illusions.
The Ming army's strength was far greater than they had estimated!
Everything unfolded as Zhu Jiheng had predicted. The arrival of this reinforcement army greatly deterred the restless and eager indigenous people. Some chieftains who had originally intended to confront the governor-general's mansion immediately backed down and became docile after receiving the news.