Ganza Xia Alami clutched the spicy strip in his hand and kept chewing, left bite, right bite, completely unable to stop himself, as if his mouth had fallen under some irresistible spell and refused to obey any command to pause.
Seeing how much he enjoyed it, Li Dao Xuan nodded with satisfaction and casually pulled out another full pack, tossing it over without hesitation.
Alami accepted the entire bundle with both hands, suddenly overwhelmed, his face full of urgency as he tried to figure out how to return the favor, yet no matter how hard he thought, nothing suitable came to mind, leaving him making helpless noises in frustration. In his eyes, these Han people were simply too kind. Every time they met, they brought gifts, and every single gift felt astonishingly wonderful, like opening a door to a completely new world.
Li Dao Xuan stepped up to the highest point in South Nantun City and looked down over the entire settlement, his gaze sweeping across the streets, the houses, and the bustling signs of life.
This small city already housed three thousand people.
Every single one of them belonged to the Great Belly Kingdom.
Not a single villager from Gao Family Village had settled here permanently. The reason was simple. Back when the main naval force had not yet arrived, Gao Family Village did not have absolute control over these waters, and they had no intention of risking their precious "blue hats" and "yellow hats" by stationing them here permanently.
So their people came by ship, guided construction and organization, then left by ship again. They deliberately avoided settling down, ensuring that if the navy were ever defeated by the Dutch, their personnel could withdraw safely without being trapped on the island.
Ironically, this cautious approach had an unexpected benefit. The less they tried to occupy the land, the better their relationship with the Dadu Kingdom became.
It was not hard to understand. Distance softens suspicion, and restraint earns trust.
Li Dao Xuan found himself thinking about a new problem. How could he gradually encourage the people of the Dadu Kingdom to accept Han settlers living alongside them? Only by living together could true integration happen. There was an old saying, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. If people shared the same streets and daily lives, closeness would naturally follow.
Just as he was pondering this, Alami suddenly spoke in broken, halting Chinese.
"I… want… you… leave some people…"
Li Dao Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Alami continued, struggling to piece together the words, "Houses… coal… porcelain…"
Ah, so that was it. He wanted the technology.
Li Dao Xuan broke into a smile.
If they wanted technology, that made everything easier. These were not forbidden techniques. Teaching them was entirely possible.
And once they wanted the technology, they would need to learn the written language. Once they learned the language, they would inevitably absorb the culture. And from there, integration would come naturally.
Even better, once technicians stayed here, more people would follow. The very problem he had been considering would resolve itself.
"Good. No problem at all," Li Dao Xuan replied without hesitation.
Alami's face lit up with joy. The strange and wondrous things brought by the Han people had long fascinated him deeply.
But there was still one more concern.
He hesitated, then spoke awkwardly, "White people… that… I cannot say…"
Li Dao Xuan waved a hand lightly. "You want to say the white people are still threatening your kingdom, and you want us to drive them away for you, right?"
Alami's eyes brightened instantly. "Yes, yes!"
"No problem," Li Dao Xuan said with a relaxed smile. "That is exactly what I plan to do next."
He turned around and addressed the gathered naval commanders.
"At dawn tomorrow, the entire fleet sets sail. First target, the Dutch stronghold at Fort Zeelandia. We take it, drive the Dutch out of this island, then immediately head north and take the Spanish fortress at San Salvador as well."
The commanders responded in unison, "As you command."
Li Dao Xuan turned back to Alami and added, "The next battle will be a land assault. You can participate if you wish, but I suggest you stay back and observe from a distance. Our cannons and firearms might accidentally injure your people."
Alami nodded, though it was clear from his expression that he did not fully agree.
From his perspective, this was his homeland. When it came to driving out the white invaders, his kingdom should be the main force. Gao Family Village were allies, reinforcements at best.
How could reinforcements take the lead in battle?
That would be too humiliating.
In his heart, Alami had already made up his mind. He would personally lead all the elite warriors of the Dadu Kingdom into battle, crush the enemy's main force, and let the Han allies deal only with firearms support.
That night, he sent messengers racing through the forests, summoning the major tribes. The Babuza, the Pazeh, the Papora, the Hoanya, the Taokas. Every chief was called.
They would launch the largest and most powerful war in the history of the Dadu Kingdom.
They would show their friends what they were capable of.
At dawn the next day, the fleet of Gao Family Village set sail, heading south toward Fort Zeelandia.
Not long after the ships departed, warriors began pouring out of the forests. The elite forces of the Dadu Kingdom had assembled.
Standing atop the walls of South Nantun City, Alami raised his vine staff and shouted to his people, his voice echoing with pride.
"Our friends have already defeated the white men's strongest warships and captured many of their soldiers. The remaining enemies can only hide in their forts and tremble. This is our chance to drive them out completely. This island belongs to us!"
A thunderous roar answered him.
"This is our island!"
More than eight thousand people made up the kingdom, and among them, over three thousand were able-bodied warriors. Agile and fierce, they moved through the forests at incredible speed, sometimes swinging effortlessly from vines as they advanced along the coastline.
Out at sea, the fleet could still be seen moving southward in parallel.
If the fleet had consisted only of Gao Family Village ships, they would have moved like lightning, impossible for anyone on land to keep up with. But the fleet was mixed with Zheng Zhilong's vessels, many of which were smaller and slower.
The faster ships could not simply abandon their allies, so the entire formation moved at a steady, almost leisurely pace, like a grand procession along the coast.
This allowed the warriors on land to keep up.
In fact, by taking shortcuts through the terrain, they eventually surpassed the fleet.
Several days later, the Dadu Kingdom warriors arrived outside Fort Zeelandia before the fleet did.
Standing on a high hill, Alami looked out at the distant sea, spotting the fleet still far away. A hint of pride crept into his expression.
"We arrived first. Good. We are the masters here. We should take the lead in battle. Brave warriors of the Dadu Kingdom, let us attack first and show our friends our strength!"
"Attack!"
"Ahhh!"
There was no formation, no siege tactics, no refined strategy. Their civilization had not yet reached that stage of warfare.
Facing the towering fortress, they had only one approach.
The sacred F2A connects us all.
Charge.