Chapter 10, Great Potential

"It is!" Hong Diaoyuan nodded, "Although Penghu is somewhat small, it often has ships coming to supply. Sometimes they are pirates, and other times they are from the 'West'."

The brothers were all curious about how Ding Yunyi ended up on this deserted island. Ding Yunyi knew that discussing lofty principles with these soldiers would be futile. After pondering for a moment, he decided to speak frankly: "What can I do? A few days ago, I was just a small soldier like all of you. Occasionally, I achieved some military merits and was promoted to a patrol officer, but I ended up with a father who shows no mercy. What can I do? In terms of rank, he is my superior; in terms of personal relations, he is my father. A few days ago, I was just a small soldier like all of you. Occasionally, I achieved some military merits and was promoted to a patrol officer, but I ended up with a father who shows no mercy. What can I do? In terms of rank, he is my superior; in terms of personal relations, he is my father. If I don't comply, I will have to face the consequences at home."

Ding Yunyi took a bite, and the fish was indeed tender and delicious. Beside him, Xiao Yifeng and Bao Juhua were enjoying their meal heartily, praising it endlessly. However, the others seemed to have grown tired of it, having eaten their fill long ago, and were lazily disinterested in the two large bowls of fish.

The brothers raised their bowls in a clamor and drank them all in one go. Hong Diaoyuan repeatedly urged Ding Yunyi politely, "My younger brother, give it a try, give it a try. I may lack other skills, but when it comes to cooking, even a professional chef may not surpass me"

Ah— Hong Tiao Yuan stared blankly at Ding Yun Yi, his face full of anticipation

Ding Yunyi inquired, "Taiwan is not far from here; why did they choose this place instead?"

It is indeed the case that with two leaving today and one pair running away tomorrow, if this continues, Hong Diaoyuan will inevitably become a lone commander. Hearing Ding Yunyi say he has a solution, who wouldn't be looking forward to it

Returning to the barracks, the ten brothers who had gone out to fish had also returned. It was heard that a new inspector had arrived, and everyone was quite surprised. In this cursed place, there are only those who wish to leave; it is truly rare to hear of someone wanting to come in.

"Taixi" refers to the West. The character "泰" means distant, so "Taixi" signifies the distant West. This term was used by scholars during the Ming Dynasty to refer to Europe. The understanding of Europe by Ming scholars primarily came from European missionaries, such as Matteo Ricci, who provided a rather chaotic array of information to the literati of the Ming Dynasty. This led to a fragmented understanding of Europe during that period. The various names used included Taixi, Yuanxi, Daxiguo, Daxizhou, Dafolangji, and Oubaluo, among others. There were also differing accounts regarding the number of countries in Europe. Although some individuals even believed that Europe was part of Portugal, it can be said that the literati of the Ming Dynasty had a considerable understanding of European countries, especially the major ones such as Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, England, and France. Some even knew which countries were arch-enemies and which were allies. Compared to the ignorance of the Later Jin towards Europe in its final years, the Ming Dynasty was relatively advanced in this regard.

Hong Diaoyuan had indeed reaped a bountiful harvest. After disembarking, he cheerfully said, "Brother, let’s go. Tonight, let’s invite the brothers to drink together, as a welcome for you."

As expected, just as Chen Dong said, in the two large bowls, one contains braised fish and the other contains fish soup. Eating this every day truly becomes exceedingly tiresome.

"What a load of nonsense." Chen Dong stood up with his brothers and muttered, "It's nothing but fish; the smell of fish makes me want to vomit now."

This time, while fishing at sea, thanks to the guidance of Axi and the group of fishermen, we finally did not return empty-handed

Ding Yunyi knows that these https://m.hetushu.com are all terms used by the Ming Dynasty to refer to Westerners

But those pairs of eager eyes ... ...

"Director Hong, Inspector Ding mentioned that we can benefit from being here"

Ding Yunyi is the youngest among them. Everyone thinks he is an inspector, and they have also heard that he is the son of Lord Ding Yuanzhao. At first, no one dared to speak much, but gradually they discovered that this Inspector Ding, like Captain Hong, was quite unpretentious, which led to the atmosphere becoming lively.

Hong Diaoyuan had his brothers sit on the ground, took the wine jar brought by Old Ji, and with a smile, filled the bowls in front of everyone with wine. He was the first to raise his bowl: "Come, Ding Xunqian's visit to our remote place is indeed an honor for both of us. This bowl is dedicated to Ding Xunqian"

As for "Hongyi," it refers to the Netherlands, which is also called "Helan." "Folangji" refers to Portugal, while "Ganas" actually denotes Spain.

Hong Diaoyuan shook his head and said, "It is not quite to that extent."

After thinking for a moment, I suddenly said mysteriously: "I see great potential in this place..."

Hong Diaoyuan truly shows no airs here, smiling and having his brothers accompany Ding Hetushucom.com for inspections and conversations, while he calls on Old Ji to prepare food and drinks.

Hong Diaoyuan continued speaking to himself: "The Red Yi absolutely cannot allow the Ganlasi people to supply their own controlled ports, and they are also very cautious of pirates. Apart from large pirates like Liu Xiang, who have long colluded with the Red Yi, all other small groups of pirates are strictly prohibited from approaching the ports. This is the case in Taiwan, and even more so in Fujian. Therefore, those small groups of pirates, along with the Ganlasi people, the Franks, and others, chose Penghu as a compromise point, where both the Ming and the Red Yi have very weak influence and are unable to pay attention to this matter."

Ding Yunyi found himself in a bit of a predicament; he had merely spoken offhandedly, yet who would have thought that his brothers would take it seriously

Ding Yunyi nodded and asked, "Did they engage in burning, killing, and plundering after landing on the island?"

Hong Diaoyuan explained in detail: "The influence of the Red Yi forces in Taiwan is currently on the rise, and the Ganas people cannot compete with the Red Yi..."

With a loud bang, the brothers burst into laughter, feeling that this inspector was indeed very amiable

After laughing, a soldier suddenly sighed: "Inspection, is there any way to leave here quickly? The brothers are all eagerly thinking of ways to get out. If it weren't for Hong treating us well usually, my brothers and I would have left long ago. At most, we would just take off this uniform and go home to farm."

Ding Yunyi's inspection identity can be considered the second "high official" in Penghu, as each of the ten soldiers has come to meet Inspector Ding one by one

Chen Dong was still concerned about what Ding Yunyi had just said: "Ding Xunqian, tell the brothers how this place has great potential for development"

Suddenly, a thought struck me: "I have heard people say that pirates and foreigners often come here for supplies"

During the earlier introduction, Ding Yunyi had already memorized the names of all the brothers. He recognized this person as Chen Dong, who was among the earliest to follow Hong Diaoyuan to Penghu. Seeing that even he was filled with grievances, Ding Yunyi began to feel that if no measures were taken, the hearts of these brothers would eventually disperse.

A single sentence captured the attention of the brothers, who were just about to ask a question when the aroma of fish-flavored dishes wafted over. Then, Hong Tiaoyuan and Old Ji emerged, each carrying a large basin: "Come, come, brothers, it's time to eat, time to eat, today's meal is quite sumptuous. Old Ji, go fetch the wine."

A single sentence piqued everyone's curiosity, except for Hong Diaoyuan, who asked in confusion: "What great potential is there?"