The students had only just watched the massacre on the screen, so when Dao Xuan Tianzun continued his explanation, they understood immediately what he was implying.
"The Netherlands lies on the far side of the world," he said calmly. "The number of troops they can project here is limited. They do not possess the strength to sweep across Taiwan Island by force alone. Therefore, they chose a different strategy. They befriend some tribes while attacking others."
He enlarged a portion of the map with a light motion of his fingers.
"They signed what is known as the Mato Agreement with certain compliant indigenous tribes. Under this arrangement, the Dutch positioned themselves as feudal overlords, while the tribes became their vassals."
A murmur spread quietly among the students.
"Once that structure was established," he continued, "they mobilized those compliant tribes to attack the defiant ones. The so called headhunting you saw in the footage was not random savagery. It was encouraged and directed. The Dutch did not need to kill with their own hands. They merely needed to sit back and allow division to do the work."
His expression darkened.
"The indigenous people of Taiwan Island are also our people. We are one family. How can we allow distant brigands to dominate and humiliate them?"
"Absolutely not!" E'zhe leaped to his feet before anyone else could react. "We should slaughter them!"
All heads turned at once. The sight of a ten year old boy dressed in full Mongolian attire shouting for war created an odd contrast. Some students struggled not to laugh, while others looked conflicted.
A few of the more reflective students felt a flicker of uncomfortable comparison. If one looked at it purely from a strategic perspective, was not the policy toward the Mongolian tribes somewhat similar in structure? Establish influence, unify leadership, absorb gradually. The difference, they told themselves quickly, lay in intention and method.
They shook those thoughts away.
The Mongols and the Han were one family. The Tianzun policy was not subjugation but reunification. The same principle applied to the Tujia, Miao, Hui, Zhuang, and many other ethnic groups. Unity under protection was not the same as domination through terror.
Dao Xuan Tianzun's lips curved slightly, as if he could sense the direction of their thoughts.
"Throughout history," he said evenly, "nations have always sought to expand their influence. There is nothing unusual about strategy. The difference between righteousness and wickedness lies in the methods employed."
He turned and gestured toward the frozen image on the screen, where rows of severed heads lay displayed and Dutch soldiers looked on with detached amusement.
"When one pursues strategy without restraint, without moral boundary, one becomes indistinguishable from brigands."
The room fell silent.
E'zhe, however, was not inclined toward philosophical contemplation. He raised his hand again and spoke with fierce enthusiasm.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, let us send troops and fight them. We must protect our own people. I volunteer to lead the vanguard. Give me a horse and a bow and I will cut them down. No, wait, give me a ship and a cannon and I will blast those Dutch dogs into the sea."
Laughter burst out across the hall.
"You are still a child."
"It is your first day at school and you are already acting like an admiral."
"Go learn navigation before you declare war."
E'zhe's face flushed red, and he sank back into his seat, clearly unwilling to concede yet unable to argue further. Ten years old was indeed young. Even on the Mongolian plains, where children matured quickly, serious responsibility rarely fell upon someone so small.
Dao Xuan Tianzun's gaze moved slowly across the room and finally settled on Yao Xingjuan.
Yao Xingjuan immediately stepped forward, his expression bright and resolute. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, please issue your command."
"Our main forces from Gao Family Village are currently engaged in suppressing the bandits in the Central Plains," Dao Xuan Tianzun explained. "The primary fleet is stationed near Pi Island and Dengzhou. The situation there has not fully stabilized, so they cannot be redeployed at will. We are therefore unable to commit our main forces directly against the Dutch at this moment."
He paused, letting the weight of that reality settle.
"However, we cannot stand idle while they continue their actions unchecked."
Yao Xingjuan's eyes shone.
"I will grant you a Letter of Marque and Reprisal," Dao Xuan Tianzun said. "You are authorized to operate independently in the waters near Taiwan Island. Your objective is to harass Dutch vessels, disrupt their logistics, and force them to divert attention back to the sea. The more pressure you apply, the less freedom they will have to interfere inland."
Yao Xingjuan clasped his fists and bowed deeply. "I accept the command."
"Understand the responsibility," Dao Xuan Tianzun added. "You are not to seek reckless glory. Your task is to entangle them, to exhaust them, to stretch their resources. The longer you hold their focus, the more time our main forces gain to stabilize the northeast and eliminate internal threats."
"I will not fail," Yao Xingjuan declared.
Dao Xuan Tianzun then turned toward a quiet figure standing off to the side.
"Bai Gongzi, do you have a suitable vessel prepared?"
Bai Gongzi smiled with restrained pride. "Little Black One."
Confused murmurs immediately followed.
"Little Black?"
"Were not all your ships named Little White Something?"
Bai Gongzi straightened his posture slightly. "During the last naval engagement against the English, Little White Three suffered severe damage. English cannon fire tore multiple holes through her hull. That battle made one fact clear. Wooden hulls alone will not suffice in the long term."
He continued with growing enthusiasm.
"I began exploring metal hull construction, but material limitations stalled progress. Then the Heavenly Lord introduced a new material to us. Aluminum alloy. It weighs only thirty percent as much as iron yet provides remarkable strength. I have used it to clad the ship's sides and deck."
Several students inhaled sharply in admiration.
"To distinguish it from the earlier wooden ships," Bai Gongzi went on, "I named this first aluminum alloy vessel Little Black One."
The teasing began immediately.
"Your naming sense is truly direct."
"That sounds exactly like something a science student would choose."
"Are there any liberal arts students willing to assist with future naming?"
Even Yao Xingjuan could not help smiling, though his eagerness was obvious. He urged Bai Gongzi to lead the way to the shipyard, and soon a large crowd of students followed, buzzing with anticipation.
Inside the dry dock rested a brand new paddle wheel steamship.
The main hull structure remained wooden to maintain buoyancy and manage weight distribution. Steam powered paddle wheels provided propulsion, just as before. However, the exterior surfaces told a different story. The sides and deck were clad entirely in aluminum alloy armor plating. When someone rapped a knuckle against it, the metallic resonance carried a reassuring solidity.
Bai Gongzi turned to Yao Xingjuan. "We have conducted live fire tests. Standard Frangki cannons cannot penetrate this plating under normal combat conditions. You may engage in artillery exchanges with confidence."
Yao Xingjuan's face lit up. "Then we have the advantage."
"We serve in different ways," Bai Gongzi replied modestly. "You stand on the front line. I remain behind to build what you require."
Yao Xingjuan saluted him with genuine respect before striding up the gangplank.
The deck had been designed thoughtfully. Beneath lay wood, then the aluminum alloy armor layer, and above it another wooden layer to prevent the metal from overheating under direct sunlight. Practicality had not been sacrificed for innovation.
Standing at the bow of the gleaming new vessel, Yao Xingjuan could not resist indulging himself. He pulled an eye patch dramatically over one eye, drew a pistol with his left hand, and raised a curved blade with his right.
With laughter echoing across the dock, he shouted toward the open sea.
"Let the Dutch prepare themselves. The Great Pirate Yao Xingjuan is coming to stir up trouble."
The students cheered, half amused and half inspired, while beyond the harbor the wind carried the promise of impending conflict.