Chapter 386 - 167: New Labor Force (Part 3)
He didn’t choose to embellish his motives, nor did he add a grandiose reason for his actions of murder and enslavement.
In very straightforward words, Chen Zhou first emphasized that this island was his territory.
And these uninvited indigenous people, along with the brown-haired people with ulterior motives, were undoubtedly shameful invaders.
The invaders should all be killed.
But he was kind-hearted, and the "god" they believed in would also be lenient.
Therefore, among these people, eight lucky ones would be left, like the two of them, to redeem their sins through labor, and if they performed well, they could also live a happy life like them.
Of course, if these "lucky ones" recklessly thought of escaping or resisting, taking their lives wouldn’t take much effort.
...
Saturday and Sunday had always obeyed orders without objection to Chen Zhou’s plan.
Thinking about being able to impart the knowledge passed down by God to equally ignorant people in the future, they even felt some inexplicable excitement and anticipation.
Chen Zhou noticed the change in their mood and admonished them again to never let down their guard.
These two were now completely different from the indigenous people.
Given that they had been away from bloody conflicts for a long time, living a relatively peaceful pastoral life, Chen Zhou was very worried that they might be harmed due to trusting the indigenous subordinates too much, or even directly killed—
He had painstakingly cultivated these two talents, and having developed feelings over their daily interactions, he’d rather not have these captives than have them die due to carelessness.
The two readily agreed, expressing that they would not be too lenient with their subordinates.
However, Chen Zhou felt that while these two immature indigenous people might speak easily now, whether they could actually achieve it was still another matter.
When the time came, it would most likely depend on him to set an example for the two indigenous people, showing them what punitive measures were.
...
Through a dense forest, using a telescope to observe the indigenous people, Chen Zhou pointed out to Saturday and Sunday the few who were to be kept and let them select in advance whom they wanted to manage.
Then, he instructed the two to return to the cave to fetch weapons and ropes for tying up the captives, while he remained near the shore, watching for any unusual movements from this group.
...
Before Saturday and Sunday returned, Chen Zhou, still uneasy, repositioned himself for observation, focusing on the sea.
What worried him most was the brown-haired person.
He feared that the person played the role of an advance team, with a large merchant or plundering ship following behind, equipped with guns and cannons, along with fully armed sailors.
If they acted rashly, the sound of gunfire could alert the ship behind, and if three to five longboats carried dozens of guns ashore simultaneously, even with superior firearms, he couldn’t ensure a safe retreat.
...
To Chen Zhou’s relief, after observing, he found no extra ships at sea.
It was calm and cloudless, and standing at a high point, one could easily see the sea horizon.
As long as there was a large ship anchored near the coast, it would be nearly impossible to overlook it.
Looking out, amidst the sky-blue water, only the small Canoe dragged ashore by the indigenous people was left by the water’s edge.
Even if we assume the worst-case scenario—
That the large ship didn’t stop near the island but waited beyond sight for the advance team to return, it posed no threat to him.
The distance was too far to hear any gunfire, and if there really was a ship to support them, by the time those aboard realized something was wrong, those who landed would have been killed off by him.
By then, he’d destroy paths in the forest, set traps in advance, and rely on the longer-range, more accurate rifles for guerrilla tactics.
Even if a hundred people landed at once, they’d be forced to flee in disarray, paying a heavy price.
Moreover, these were a group of indigenous people who couldn’t even afford clothes, equipped with only a few broken knives and rotten spears, and whether they had support was still uncertain.