Xie Qinggao was very happy to come to Zhou Lang, he had been worried that Xie Qinggao would not come to help him. The reason is human nature, although Zhou Lang's letter did not tell Xie Qinggao in detail that they encountered an attack by the Qing army, and they in turn captured a Taiwanese city. But he knew that as long as Xie Qinggao was careful, he could find out the situation from Lin Pu.

This is indeed the case, Xie Qing Gaozai carefully asked Lin Pu about the situation, and then he still came.

Such a performance really moved Zhou Lang's heart, which means that this person can take a risk for him, and it is quite a risk. You must know that for Xie Qinggao, a person born and raised under the rule of the Manchu Dynasty, if he did it with officers and soldiers, it was a rebellion.

It's like the 21st century, there is a person who knows that you have just blown up a police station, and then comes thousands of miles to help you, such a person can already be regarded as a friend of life and death, and a loyal close friend who can be entrusted to future generations. However, this friend, after learning that you blew up the police station, did not come to help you fight against the armed police forces surrounding you, but planned to rescue you from the armed police surrounded by the armed police.

Yes, Xie Qinggao did not come to help Zhou Lang fight, but to persuade him to leave.

Zhou Lang already knew that Xie Qinggao had recruited eighty Chinese young men from Borneo, which made him very happy, from India to the present, Zhou Lang has always been restricted by others because he does not have his own people in his hands, whether it is Harald or Colin, because he has his own people in his hands and Zhou Lang has been tired of coping, these eighty people are extremely important to Zhou Lang now.

Xie Qinggao also purchased a batch of materials in Macao according to what Zhou Lang said in his heart, and the most important food was to solve the urgent need. But this batch of materials has not been sent over now, and judging by Xie Qinggao's attitude, I am afraid that he does not want to send them at all.

This is something that makes Zhou Lang quite depressed, because he didn't have his own people in his hands before, Zhou Lang has been constrained a lot, and now Xie Qinggao is here, and he also disagrees with himself, the person recruited by Xie Qinggao is now accurate to be Xie Qinggao's person, if he disagrees with Xie Qinggao, Zhou Lang is still a bare-bones commander.

Of course, he couldn't let this happen, so it was crucial to persuade Xie Qinggao to keep in line with him, and at the same time seize the time to train the people Xie Qinggao recruited into his own.

After figuring out Xie Qinggao's attitude, Zhou Lang smiled bitterly: "Brother Xie, do you think I want to fight here, it's those British who want to fight this battle!" ”

Zhou Lang immediately put all the blame on Colin's head, and now it is true that Zhou Lang's purpose in asking to capture the left camp is not to confront the local government, but now Colin has a very strong desire to fight for unknown reasons.

Xie Qinggao said: "If the British want to stay here, let them stay here, you come with me." My ship is ready to set sail. ”

Zhou Lang was about to speak, when there was a knock on the door, and Colin's voice sounded outside the door.

"Saying that Cao Cao Cao has arrived, it is really evil."

Helpless, Zhou Lang stood up and opened the door.

Colin was still very polite, nodded his head, and looked inside:

"I heard that Mr. Xie is here, I want to ask him to help, I don't think you mind, right?"

Xie Qinggao is a shareholder of the China East India Company, but he is also an employee, and Zhou Lang is the person in charge of the company's China affairs, so he is nominally Xie Qinggao's direct boss, and if he wants Xie Qinggao to help with things, Colin must obtain Zhou Lang's consent.

After all, the two of them hadn't torn their faces yet, and Zhou Lang nodded: "Of course, if he wants to." ”

Colin smiled, "Thank you." Can I go in? ”

"Of course!"

Colin came for Xie Qinggao, and he seemed very urgent, otherwise he would not have come to the door so directly, which was quite reckless and rude for a nobleman.

Colin asked Xie Qinggao to act as his temporary interpreter in person, saying that in the process of training Chinese soldiers, he encountered communication problems, and he really couldn't find a translator who could understand Chinese, so he wanted to ask Xie Qinggao to help him temporarily.

Xie Qinggao didn't want to get involved in the conflict between the company and the Chinese government at all, so he didn't want to refuse without even thinking about it.

Colin repeatedly told him about the importance of training local soldiers, but Xie Qinggao directly advised Colin to retreat immediately on his merchant ship.

It is actually more difficult to persuade Xie Qinggao than to persuade Zhou Lang, and in the end, Colin looked at Zhou Lang helplessly, if he couldn't convince Xie Qinggao, he could only pull down his face and ask Zhou Lang to help with this.

Zhou Lang sighed and said, "Thank you!" I guess you should help with that. ”

Zhou Lang deliberately spoke in English so that Colin could understand.

Xie Qinggao also replied in English: "I think we should leave immediately, it's too dangerous to stay here." No matter how many soldiers are trained, it is impossible to compare with the millions of male soldiers of the Great Qing Kingdom, and it is useless if you alarm the number of Eight Banner Iron Cavalry. ”

The Manchu Qing Dynasty's cavalry propaganda of the Eight Banners for more than 200 years has always made ordinary people believe that the Eight Banners Iron Cavalry is invincible.

Zhou Lang sighed: "I told you before. The reason for occupying the left battalion was the fear that the Qing troops would attack the ships in our harbor from here. Our ship has not yet been repaired, and yesterday Harald approached me and said that it would be completed in ten days. We only need to stay in the left camp for another ten days before we can leave, but these ten days are very important. Now that the army is pressing the border, and the Qing army is surrounded on three sides, if we can't hold it for ten days, we will have to leave when the time comes, and it will not be so easy. ”

Xie Qinggao hesitated: "The Dawn is indeed a good ship. ”

Obviously, if you leave now, you will have to abandon the big ship, which is currently the flagship of the Chinese East India Company.

Zhou Lang continued to lobby: "So we only need to hold on for ten days. They don't necessarily want to fight with them, the Qing army has been besieging us for twenty days, and they haven't fought a single time at all, probably trying to besiege us. Now that we have a good position, they probably won't take the initiative to attack. As long as it takes ten days, you will be the translator for ten days, and you will help Colin organize people to guard the important ground. ”

Xie Qinggao pondered, ten days, it only takes ten days to keep the Dongfang Dawn and leave safely, and ten days may not necessarily be a real war.

In Xie Qinggao's mind, the boat is very precious, and the boat can take him to attractive overseas countries, and he followed Zhou Lang because he promised to give him a ship that he was the master of.

After weighing it in his heart, coupled with Zhou Lang's request, he was not a person who was good at rejecting others, so he nodded reluctantly.

"When the ten days come, we must all go!"

Xie Qinggao stated his conditions.

Zhou Lang immediately said: "Of course I have to go, I can't wait to leave now." ”

Colin looked hesitant, but didn't say anything.

Zhou Lang saw his expression, and he was even more sure that this person had a ghost in his heart, and basically figured out Colin's mentality, it turned out that Colin didn't plan to leave Zuoying!

This made Zhou Lang extremely puzzled, and at the same time very vigilant.

Colin did not want to leave the left battalion, apparently wanting to use it as a foothold.

Colin had a secret mission from the East India Company, was this the plan of the East India Company?

It was no secret that the British East India Company wanted to gain a foothold in China, and they had always been envious of the Portuguese for having a foothold of their own on Chinese soil, and this visit to China had the purpose of hoping that the Qing government would cede a small island in the Zhoushan archipelago to them as a trading base.

Zhou Lang was a little puzzled, the East India Company was currently sending envoys to meet Emperor Qianlong, before Colin had been reluctant to offend the local government, but now he wanted to occupy the left camp for a long time, which was inconsistent with his previous thoughts, Colin could not get new instructions, because during this period of time their contact with the outside world was interrupted, Colin could not have predicted the failure of Magalny's visit to China, in fact, all the British had high hopes, they were overconfident, and felt that Britain had already sent the hour in the name of the king, There should be no country in this world that rejects them.

So Zhou Lang judged that this could only be a change in Colin's own inner thoughts. Whether it was because of the idea that came up after seeing the poor combat effectiveness of the Qing army, Zhou Lang did not dare to determine.

Zhou Lang secretly guessed, but Colin had already left.

After Colin left, Zhou Lang made a final explanation to Xie Qinggao, since Xie Qinggao had arrived at the left camp, then the Chinese young men he recruited should be transferred, and some of the materials on the ship should also be sent to the left camp.

Xie Qinggao agreed, he couldn't leave for the time being, he had already promised to help Colin as a translator, and he was going to go soon. He sent one of his men to contact, and the first mate of his ship arranged it all. In addition, the mercenaries on the ship Lucky also received Colin's order to drive all of them to the left battalion, and for Colin, the twenty mercenaries were also an important force at this time.

The next day, eighty Nanyang young men rushed to Zuoying as scheduled, and Zhou Lang gathered eighty people.

These people are the first force in the business he is going to undertake, and he needs to hold this force firmly, and the first step is to understand these people.

In the old county government of Fengshan County, Zhou Lang set up ten tables, all of which were full of sumptuous delicacies, and he was washing the dust of these elites.

After a full meal, they all had a beautiful mood, and Zhou Lang began to speak.

"Brothers, do you know what this place is?"

Nobody knows.

A group of coolies, with zero common sense of geographical advantages, can know that there are few of them in Taiwan now, and their previous lives are muddy, anyway, where others take them, they will follow them, and no one has the consciousness that I am the master of my fate.

"You are now in Zuoying, Taiwan, which is the county yamen of Fengshan County, the original Taiwan Prefecture, so why is it in our hands? Because the Qing soldiers and horses here were beaten away by us. Now there are Qing soldiers and horses besieging it in all directions, and the Eight Banners Iron Cavalry will come to attack here at any time! ”

After Zhou Lang finished speaking, everyone was stunned, fortunately Zhou Lang waited for them to eat before he said, if he said it before the meal, few people would have an appetite.

After being stunned for a moment, everyone soon became excited, first talking to each other in twos and threes, and finally someone shouted loudly.

It's nothing more than words like, "Is this a rebellion?", "It's okay with us", and so on.

Zhou Lang had already expected the reaction of these people. This is too normal, but anyone who hears that their company is suddenly involved with the government will probably have this kind of reaction, the first reaction will be to find out whether it is illegal, and the second reaction is whether it will involve themselves.

The noise became louder and louder, and even later he couldn't hear any words clearly, so Zhou Lang shouted and reprimanded.

It took two or three minutes to silence the excited crowd.

Zhou Lang then began to speak:

"Do you want to know if this is a rebellion? Do you want to know if it has anything to do with you......"