New Han Dynasty 1834

Chapter 51 His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty Declares Rule over This Land

Based on the information he had gathered, Zhang Zongyu devised a rough plan and immediately began to take action.

First, they contacted the officers of the Beiyang Fleet, as well as the officers of the First and Second Battalions.

The Second Battalion was to arrange for one hundred militia couples to accompany five Langley Fort employees to take over Fort Nesquarry.

Then, deploy as many militia as possible to control Fort Vancouver, striving to subdue the enemy without a fight.

After five days of preparation, a total of one thousand militiamen and one hundred militia couples were finally assembled.

There was also a team of ten Langley Fort employees led by McMillan, tasked with trying to persuade the company's management at Vancouver Fort.

Zhang Zongyu was in charge of the battle command, while Yu Yang, the interpreter, continued to serve as translator and envoy.

The group departed from the Gulf of America and headed south aboard four secondary main warships with a capacity of 20,000 shi each, four armed transport ships with a capacity of 10,000 shi each, and eight fast sailing ships with a capacity of 5,000 shi each.

After four days of sailing, they arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River on the morning of the fifth day.

Five Langley employees, along with one hundred militia couples, came ashore and first went to take over Fort George on the south bank of the river.

Fort Nisquarry and Fort George served primarily as warehouses, at most defending against small groups of cannibals.

One hundred militia couples make two hundred people, and they all carry muskets.

With Langley Fort employees acting as intermediaries, the Hudson Company employees stationed in both locations did not resist and directly handed over control to the Han Chinese militia who had come ashore.

Zhang Zongyu led the remaining main force of the militia into the Columbia River by boat and went upstream.

The lower reaches of the Colombian river are quite wide, with most sections exceeding 500 meters in length and depths exceeding 6 meters.

The riverbanks are rugged hills, and as far as the eye can see, there is a lush, primeval forest.

The fleet sailed on the river for a day and a half, rounding two large bends.

By the afternoon of the second day, the hills on both sides of the river began to slowly move away from the river, and the space in front of the bow of the boat gradually widened.

The fleet entered a wide valley in the mountains.

The fleet continued sailing along the river for most of the day, and on the morning of the third day, it rounded another bend in the river, and the surrounding environment changed once again.

The primeval forest gradually thinned out, and a lush green grassland appeared in the valley.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Zhang Zongyu looked out at the surrounding environment and scenery, and finally understood why the Hudson Bay Company had moved its trading center from the river mouth to this location.

The mountain valleys are not affected by coastal storms. The key is that the riverbanks here are large savannahs, with enough flat and fertile land to be quickly cultivated and used for housing and construction.

The fleet continued sailing along the river for several kilometers until a large courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence appeared in the fields on the north bank of the river—this was their destination, Fort Vancouver.

Fort Vancouver is much larger than Fort Langley.

It is approximately 230 meters long and 140 meters wide, covering an area of ​​50 mu.

Each of the four corners has a two-story corner bastion, equipped with two twelve-pound cannons, and inside there are two eighteen-pound cannons.

However, none of the cannons had been used for a long time.

McMillan was unsure whether the artillery had been maintained or whether there were any artillerymen still available to operate it.

As a precaution, Zhang Zongyu ordered the fleet to stop two kilometers downstream from Vancouver Fort.

All the soldiers on board were released ashore first, and after they dispersed, the journey continued.

The fleet set sail again, continuing towards Fort Vancouver, ready to use the ship's cannons for deterrence.

McMillan, accompanied by five Langley Fort employees, along with Yu Yang and thirty burly militiamen, boarded a small, timber-burning steamship and rapidly approached Vancouver Fort ahead of the fleet.

The steamship had a Chinese character flag flying at the top of its mast, and a Hudson Bay Company flag flying below it.

The surrounding area is a wide-open savanna with open views. There are also two-story corner bunkers at the four corners of Vancouver Fort, where lookouts take turns on duty.

Therefore, Zhang Zongyu's fleet was discovered very quickly.

The lookout on the southwest corner of Fort Vancouver was just like the lookout at Fort Langley back then.

After confirming what he saw, he immediately screamed and jumped up:

"My God, there are more than a dozen huge ships! There are even two steamships!"

"The company doesn't have this many ships to pick up goods! Who are these people, and what are they doing here!"

After the lookout regained his senses, his colleague immediately went down to report to their superior.

He kept a close eye on the unfamiliar fleet, and when he saw a large number of soldiers disembarking, he couldn't help but scream in surprise again:

"That's the army! It's the army... hundreds or thousands of people!"

The lookout had just run back downstairs to report when his colleague jumped up and urged him to run down again to report on the new developments.

Once all 1,000 militiamen led by Zhang Zongyu had landed, the fleet continued to approach Vancouver Fort.

The lookout observed the lead steamship and, upon spotting the Hudson Bay Company flag flying on it, relaxed slightly.

"It must be other employees of the company who got here on a stranger's boat..."

Upon receiving the first report, John McLaughlin, the chief agent of Fort Vancouver, immediately ordered an alarm to be sounded, and all adults were put on combat readiness.

At the same time, he sent someone to notify the chief businessman and judge, James Douglas, to come see him.

Upon hearing the alarm and receiving the notification, Douglas immediately rushed to the three-story house where McLaughlin usually lived.

This building also houses the Gentlemen's Meeting Room, the makeshift town hall, and the temporary courthouse in Fort Vancouver.

When Douglas entered, he heard the lookout on duty reporting that thousands of soldiers had been spotted.

Douglas stood to the side and waited for the lookout to finish speaking, then immediately asked with a look of astonishment:

"Thousands of soldiers? Is it the Rakshasa Kingdom or the United States? How could they possibly deploy so many soldiers here!"

McLaughlin immediately explained:

"It shouldn't be the United States or Russia. The lookout said he didn't recognize the flags on the ship, so it's definitely not one of those countries."

Douglas was even more astonished:

"Who are those people? How could they arrange for thousands of people to come here? They can't be Japanese, can they?"

Douglas can think of Japanese people now because they just met three Japanese people last year.

A Japanese coastal transport ship encountered storms and drifted across the entire Pacific Ocean, eventually reaching the west coast of North America.

Because they were completely unprepared, most of the people on the ship died or were injured due to scurvy, and only three people survived.

After they were captured by the natives, they were handed over to McLaughlin, who then sent them to the British mainland.

McLaughlin suggested using these three Japanese as intermediaries to try to open Japan's doors.

However, the British King and Parliament were not interested in this, as they were focused on dealing with trade with the Han.

When McLaughlin heard Douglas mention the Japanese, he also felt there was a possibility of that:

"Lookouts recognize the flags of most European countries, and any emblems they haven't seen before are likely from the East."

"If it really is them, then this is both a huge problem and a huge opportunity..."

McLaughlinby and Douglas had barely exchanged a few words of anxious anticipation when a new report arrived:

"There's a company flag? That means our colleagues have already been in contact with them..."

After realizing this, the two relaxed a little.

Shortly afterward, Yu Yang and McMillan arrived at the small dock at Fort Vancouver in their steamship.

McMillan and Yu Yang went ashore. McMillan explained his purpose to the dockworkers, then led Yu Yang into Vancouver Castle and headed directly to their meeting room.

When Yu Yang landed, he was still thinking about how he should cooperate with McMillan to persuade the more than two hundred people here to surrender as soon as possible.

Although a direct assault would certainly succeed, the soldiers who came this time were all young militiamen who had just gotten married, and they all came with their wives.

It's best to avoid any casualties.

If persuasion to surrender fails, Yu Yang would suggest that Zhang Zongyu first bombard them with artillery, and then use siege tactics to force them to surrender.

Avoid charging and hand-to-hand combat as much as possible.

But the way things unfolded today was slightly beyond Yu Yang's expectations.

McMillan had lived in Fort Vancouver, and McLaughlin and others knew him. Upon seeing McMillan enter, they immediately asked him:

"It's James! Where did these Asians come from? What happened? What are they going to do?"

McMillan had no time for reminiscing; he immediately produced the pledge signed by Zhang Zongyu and, on behalf of Zhang Zongyu and Yu Yang, verbally announced to McLaughlin and the others:

"His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han declared his rule over this place and sent two thousand militia families to conquer and occupy this land by force."

"His Majesty's militia have captured Langley Fort, Nisquarry Fort, and George Fort."

"Now, His Excellency Zhang Zongyu, an officer in charge of a thousand militia households, has arrived outside Vancouver Fort with his thousand militiamen under the escort of sixteen warships."

"He has authorized me as his representative to convey his benevolence to you, allowing all personnel of the Hudson Bay Company at Vancouver Fort to accept his rule."

"His Excellency Zhang Zongyu promised that he would protect the lives and property of the company and all its employees, and would allow the company and all its employees to continue to operate and live here, and would allow direct trade with them."

"Of course, the company needs to pay taxes to the officials sent by His Majesty the Emperor."

Yu Yang frowned as he listened from the side. Although the big man did mean that, your words were too direct and blatant, and even violated human ethics.

What does it mean to declare dominion? What does it mean to conquer by force? What does it mean to convey benevolence? What does it mean to allow acceptance of dominion?

Yu Yang was speechless. He was preparing some potentially useful words of persuasion and threats, ready to say them after seeing the other party's reaction.

McLaughlin and Douglas listened to McMillan's announcement and reviewed Zhang Zongyu's letter of commitment.

They didn't find anything wrong with these words, but they were quite surprised by the identity of the Han emperor. However, they also had a sudden realization:

"So it was an army dispatched by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. The banners do indeed bear the distinctive emblems of the East. No wonder the lookout didn't recognize them..."

After a very brief silence, McLaughlin looked up at McMillan:

"James, now that you've made contact with them, you should have a basic understanding of them, right?"

"Are the promises made by His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty and that Mr. Zhang Zongyu credible?"

"Are they planning to rule this place permanently, or are they simply plundering its wealth?"

This was a question for James McMillan, and Yu Yang didn't rush to speak, intending to hear his answer first.

McMillan took a moment to gather his emotions:

"Based on my and Yale's observations, they seem to be preparing for long-term rule here."

"Their militiamen were probably country knights or squires, and the key point is that they all came here with their wives."

"The militia members and their wives who did not participate in the war are now cultivating land and building houses."

"They were all very tall and strong, and they were also very arrogant, treating the Britons with the same disdain as savages."

"But they also have compassion and are willing to rule over us and allow us to submit."

Yu Yang, who was listening from the side, was speechless. What kind of talk is this? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?

The second-generation militiamen from Shandong and Hebei were indeed tall and strong, and they certainly looked down on the Britons and savages, but was it necessary to say such things when trying to persuade them to surrender?

Willing to rule? Allowing submission? Is this how you persuade people to surrender?

However, after hearing this, McLaughlin on the other end nodded in agreement:

"We have no choice but to accept the rule for the time being."

"However, please tell that gentleman that we will send the message back to Britain."

"The Kingdom of Britain sent envoys to negotiate with His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to determine the final ownership of this land."

Yu Yang instinctively thought the other party was going to refuse or delay, so he instinctively wanted to say what he had prepared.

After hearing what the other person actually said, Yu Yang almost choked on his own saliva.

Yu Yang was filled with doubt: That's it? He just agreed like that?

Is this how Europeans communicate correctly? Is this what the Emperor meant by the inability to understand each other?