Chapter 407 - 176: Countermeasures
Despite being a naked man like the natives, his skin color and physique were different from the indigenous people, and he bore the marks of being whipped.
Even though they worked together, he, as a "civilized man," not only failed to earn respect from the natives who lost their awe, but was also often excluded.
If Chen Zhou hadn’t instructed before sleeping that he shouldn’t die too early, receiving some care on Sunday and Saturday, he might have been further harmed by the natives.
...
Seeing the situation somewhat stable, Chen Zhou felt slightly relieved.
However, for safety’s sake, he still called for Saturday and asked carefully if there had been any trouble and how the natives were behaving.
The results were quite satisfactory.
At least on the morning of the second day after being captured, the natives appeared tame and obedient, speaking little beyond working and learning.
Of course, although the natives seemed well-behaved at the moment, they were forced to "listen."
Chen Zhou knew that as soon as they had the opportunity to turn things around, the natives would certainly take action.
So he gave some more cautious instructions to Saturday, warning him not to let his guard down before returning to the cave for more sleep.
...
After understanding the situation with the natives, he slept more soundly.
When Chen Zhou woke up again, it was already dusk.
The person in charge of watching over the natives had switched from Saturday to Sunday.
Upon waking, Chen Zhou saw Sunday in front of the cabin teaching the natives how to make fire, cook for themselves, and things like washing dishes to prevent fires.
Despite his young age, Sunday could put on a fierce demeanor, with an ever-present menacing glare.
Faced with this fierce manager, the natives didn’t dare to look directly at the actions of Sunday like they did with Saturday, only sneaking glances apprehensively.
Sunday’s teaching was not as patient as Saturday’s.
Especially during fire prevention lessons, including digging firebreaks and extinguishing fires, any slight imperfection from the natives would earn a reprimand at best and a whipping at worst, creating an oppressive atmosphere over the entire woodland.
...
Seeing Sunday’s management style, Chen Zhou understood it was wrong but refrained from correcting him in front of the natives—
the authority of a manager should not be undermined in front of subordinates as it would destroy the foundation of management.
He planned to speak with Sunday alone in the cabin when Saturday took over from Sunday:
"Clear water has no fish; if a person is too perceptive, they won’t have followers;
The crown has veil in front, to block the light; wool stuffed in ears, to stop hearing" to explain.
As a leader, one should not be overly astute, sometimes pretending not to see certain things and not to hear certain sounds.
Like this, pulling all the natives into a taut string will eventually snap, harming the natives and possibly causing injury to himself.
...
Standing on the lookout tower, having a distant glance ensured the natives weren’t causing any trouble.
Seeing the oil lamp hanging under the eaves, Chen Zhou suddenly remembered that before sleeping in the morning, he forgot to instruct Saturday and Sunday to extinguish the lamps, wasting a lot of oil.
However, now that livestock farming is thriving, fishing to render oil produces plenty of grease, so there’s no need to be that frugal.
Realizing he had a poor memory from staying up late too often, Chen Zhou returned to the cave.
...
After a simple wash and having dinner, he returned to the desk to officially ponder plans to deal with the natives and Spaniards.
From all known intel, a good news and bad news could be sorted out.
The good news is that even if the native tribe receives metal weapon support from the Spaniards, due to losing over forty warriors from two island landings, they may struggle to maintain a dominant presence in the conflict, let alone spare manpower for another landing.
In fact, Chen Zhou believed that after such losses, the "ambitious" tribe leader might find it challenging to stabilize internal tribe affairs and prevent the tribe from falling apart due to the loss of core strength.
As for the bad news, it was the Spaniards as a variable.
Although Chen Zhou had set a death date for the brown-haired guy, he didn’t know the rank and status of this person within the fleet.
What worried him most was the Spaniards might mobilize a fleet to this island to save the brown-haired guy, even risking bloody conflict.
However, he couldn’t control how the "enemy" acted, he could only prepare in advance to respond appropriately.
The brown-haired guy was certainly going to die.
Chen Zhou didn’t believe that completely returning this guy to the Spaniards alive would avoid conflict.
Whether the brown-haired guy died on the island or returned alive to the fleet, bloodshed would be inevitable; given that, it might be better to just kill him, sparing unnecessary trouble.
...
Upon careful consideration, the situation wasn’t as dire as imagined.
The Spanish fleet needed to plunder enough treasures in South America to fill an entire ship before traveling to the camp in the archipelago to unload and store goods.
In this era of sail-powered ships, each round trip of the fleet took months; when Spaniards learned their companion was missing, it might take a week at the soonest.
Preparing weapons, restocking supplies, making rescue plans or combat plans would take at least another ten days or half a month.
Such a lengthy time is already sufficient for Chen Zhou to set up simple defenses on the island.
Moreover, consideration must be given to the impact of the rainy season.
As long as one safely gets through the end of the dry season from July 8 to mid-August, the long-lasting calm seas will come to an end.
During the rainy season, even if the brown-haired guy killed is the Spanish Royal Family’s illegitimate child, those captains and mates would think twice before risking being swallowed by storms and losing their fleet to save someone who’s been missing for over a month.
In this relatively realistic independent space-time, not a movie setting, who without reason has such sacrificial spirit to face the threat of storms to play out a scene of "Saving Private Ryan."
If the Spaniards indeed had such noble character, they wouldn’t have committed piracy and robbery worldwide, plundering Inca Kingdom’s wealth as bandits.
With that time, they could find a wealthy port, have a drink at a tavern, find a few reasonably attractive women in the street, or even just stay on the ship comfortably sleeping a few nights, eating fresh dishes—all better than invading unknown islands to save the brown-haired guy!
...
Furthermore, considering the brown-haired guy’s attire, and the fact he was selected to lead the natives for the arduous task of seeking an old priest on the island, somewhat indicates his status isn’t special.
Had he been a Captain or a mate, he would surely be in South America with the fleet, using matchlock guns to slaughter Indians or overseeing subordinates transporting silver and gold for wealth, rather than having time to care about the rise and fall of island tribes.
...
Upon analysis, Chen Zhou felt that if Spaniards hadn’t come by the end of July, it would basically indicate their abandonment.
Yet one shouldn’t rely on sheer luck.
As a precaution, Chen Zhou decided he must prepare.
After much consideration, he believed it was time to hand the improved flintlock gun to Saturday and Sunday.
These two had been with him for over half a year, and if they weren’t trustworthy, then perhaps there wasn’t anyone trustworthy on the island.
Moreover, Chen Zhou never explicitly said that firearms were God’s weapons or a form of living punishment.
Taking this opportunity to impart some previously considered "taboo" knowledge to them, he could give them a clearer understanding of the "world’s potential logic."
Keeping people ignorant isn’t the best form of governance; enlightening the populace when it’s necessary is crucial.
...
Besides upgrading weapons, Chen Zhou also planned to gradually have the two hand over their daily duties to the natives for handling.
Among the seven natives, two could be selected who seemed trustworthy and capable and had shown loyalty, cultivating them as new serf managers to completely liberate Saturday and Sunday.
This way, there will be three guns on the island, increasing the odds of victory when facing enemy attacks.