Chapter 33: Save others before saving yourself
"them?"
Zhu Xianhai raised his eyebrows and asked anxiously.
"You mean, there were still people who didn't escape at that time?"
"That's for sure. The mine is so large, and more than a thousand people are not panning for gold in all the same places. It means that some people from our side have escaped, but the others are still there. I wonder how much suffering they have endured in the past two years!"
Zhu Xianhai said with his eyes wide open in astonishment.
"You mean, there are more than a thousand of our people there!"
"Back then, those damned Qing demons sold nearly 2,000 people to the foreign devils in exchange for 500 foreign guns..."
"Where are they?"
"Where else could they be? They were all sold to the mines!"
Zhu Xianhai asked successively.
"Where is the mine? Where is it?"
…
As soon as I closed my eyes, I started having a nightmare.
In his dream, Zhu Xianhai saw his compatriots, who were emaciated and struggling in the mud in the dense rain forest. Whips kept falling on them, and wolfhounds were barking and even eating humans.
The blood and mud mixed together, dyeing everything red.
"Why didn't anyone save us..."
A dying voice echoed in the nightmare until it woke Zhu Xianhai up.
Why didn't anyone save us!
He woke up with red eyes, a panicked look on his face, cold sweat on his back. He muttered to himself.
"Why, why not save them!"
Staring ahead, Zhu Xianhai's gaze became firm. After all, those people were his compatriots!
…
gun!
Twenty Remington M1858 revolvers and sixty M1860 Henry rifles were neatly placed in the box. These weapons were not expensive. For example, the Remington M1858 revolver was only 15 pesos, which was much lower than the price of the Colt revolver. If it was in the United States, the price would be even cheaper. The wholesale price was the same as the retail price in the United States. However, the Henry rifle was really not cheap, 50 pesos per rifle, which was 50 US dollars!
Even more expensive are the bullets - 100 rounds of .44 caliber Henry bullets cost 5 pesos, which is much more expensive than gunpowder, percussion caps, and lead bullet bulk bullets. However, the metal-cased Henry bullets are fast to load and are not afraid of rain. There is no weapon more suitable for the rainforest than this.
Including the modified pistols, these weapons cost Zhu Xianhai nearly 4,000 pesos. Now these weapons are placed in front of Li Fugui and others.
"Brother Zhu, what does this mean?"
Looking at the weapons being taken down from the carriage , Li Fugui and the others were dumbfounded.
"Welsh Gold Mine!"
Zhu Xianhai said.
"I don't know what you think, but... ever since I found out there are more than a thousand of my compatriots in the gold mine, being bullied like animals by those beasts, I couldn't sleep. I want to save them, but I can't do it alone!"
Zhu Xianhai looked at them and then took out a stack of money from his arms.
"Here are several thousand pesos. If you don't want to go, take 200 pesos and leave. Buy a boat ticket to California, which costs about 20 pesos. From California to Shanghai or Hong Kong, it costs 30 pesos. The remaining money is enough for you to go home. We have known each other for a while, and Zhu will never let you live in a foreign country."
On one side is the gun, on the other side is the money.
"Brother Zhu... this..."
Faced with such a choice, everyone was stunned. Li Fugui and the others all looked at the gun, then at the money, and finally their eyes fell on Zhu Xianhai.
"What is this..."
Sun Hu stepped forward, picked up the gun and said.
"Brother Zhu has never met the brothers who were sold to the mine, but he is willing to risk his life to save them. If we don't go, can we be worthy of those brothers?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Er followed up.
"Brother Zhu, if it's nothing else, just for what you did today, my life, Wang Er, will be yours from now on."
No one hesitated, and no one took the silver. They all chose guns. Only Li Fugui stood there, leaning on a crutch. He looked at his legs awkwardly, then looked at Zhu Xianhai and said.
"Brother Zhu, we brothers deserve to call you Brother! I just don't know if you despise me for being useless."
Li Fugui's words made Zhu Xianhai laugh.
"Can you shoot?"
"meeting!"
"Will that kill people?"
"That's even more true. What do we men do? We rebel! Isn't that just killing people?"
"Yes, that's right, but this time we have to let those white pigs have a taste of our power!"
Zhu Xianhai looked at them and said.
"However, before we go, we need to practice shooting first. We are few in number, and this is the only thing we can rely on!"
…
"Beep-beep-beep"
In the warehouse building, a burst of intensive gunfire was heard from the simple shooting range.
Along with the gunshots, bursts of crisp metallic sounds echoed in the factory. They were empty cans that filled the targets.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
Holding a Henry rifle and wearing a green military uniform, Zhu Xianhai kept pressing down the lever of the Henry rifle and shooting at the empty cans.
"Brother Zhu, you have great marksmanship!"
After firing a round of shots, there was a burst of praise from all around. This was not flattery. Zhu Xianhai's shooting skills were indeed good. This was the "basic shooting technique" blessed by the system's golden finger.
"Brother Zhu, you are an amazing shooter. I estimate that if it was during a war, you would have knocked down a dozen people in the blink of an eye. With one shot per person, they wouldn't even have a chance to fight back!"
"It's okay. Shooting doesn't require any advanced techniques. It's nothing more than three points and one line. The bullets of a Henry rifle like this are not very powerful and have little recoil. As long as you hold it steady, three points and one line, within 100 meters, you can basically shoot wherever you point."
Zhu Xianhai explained to them while holding a gun. They were all wearing green military uniforms. The styles of the uniforms were somewhat similar to those of later generations. He had specially ordered them in a tailor shop. The green color was more suitable for concealing tracks in the rainforest.
"Just practice more and remember, three points in a straight line..."
Standing beside them, Zhu Xianhai instructed them one by one how to hold the gun and how to aim.
They had all rebelled and killed people before, but their marksmanship was hard to describe. Some had used muskets, some had used foreign rifles, and of course, they had also used revolvers. But what was certain was that none of them had received systematic shooting training.
They had never understood things like the three points and one line, or adjusting their breathing. In fact, without the support of the system, Zhu Xianhai would not know either.
What's the easiest way to improve your shooting skills?
It's live-fire shooting. As long as you feed enough bullets, your shooting skills will definitely improve. As the training continues, everyone's shooting level is getting higher and higher.
"If I keep them by my side in the future, I won't have to worry about their safety..."
In fact, Zhu Xianhai had the same idea at the beginning. In this day and age, his own people are more reliable. It is better to have a group of subordinates than to be alone.
Many "tragic deaths" in the simulation's life taught him a crucial philosophy of life: not only do you need guns, you also need people!
It’s just…there’s still one problem that needs to be solved – what should we do after saving those people?
Although for Zhu Xianhai who didn't even have the ability to protect himself, these battle-hardened Taiping Army soldiers were undoubtedly the capital for his self-protection.
With them protecting him, even the military minister would hardly threaten him. What is the most important thing in troubled times?
People!
Gun!
In the past he had money to buy a gun, but he had no one to use.
There's someone here now.
But the problem is... there are more than a thousand people.
He can afford to support dozens or even hundreds of them, but if more than a thousand people live idle and eat up all the money, they will definitely eat him up!
Thinking of this, his brows couldn't help but frown.
That’s more than a thousand people!
If we don't find a way to settle them down, this matter will be very difficult.
Suddenly, Zhu Xianhai found himself in a difficult position...
