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Chapter 1195: A Bit Bloody

With the Heavenly Lord himself making the introduction, the process was, of course, absolutely top-tier. No letters of recommendation were needed; Yaoxing Juan finally gained admission.

Upon reporting to the principal's office, he was astonished to discover that the principal of the Naval Academy was none other than the Heavenly Lord himself!

The Naval-Combat Specialist Heavenly Lord, seated in the large armchair of the principal's office, smiled at E'zhe and Yaoxing Juan as they reported. "Study hard," he encouraged, "and strive to serve the nation soon."

Energized by the Heavenly Lord's personal encouragement, the two instantly felt a surge of vitality, practically sprinting towards their classroom.

However, they had barely settled into their seats in the classroom, having only just begun a lesson on ocean currents, when a commotion erupted outside. A small contingent rushed onto the sports field, led by a female reporter, followed by a special task force carrying a massive camera on a tripod.

The female reporter called out loudly, "Is Master here at the school today? Does anyone know if Master is around?"

The reporter was a student from the Gao Family Village News Department, a disciple of the Heavenly Lord. That's why others referred to Li Daoxuan as Dao Xuan Tian Zun, while she called him "Master."

Yaoxing Juan and E'zhe simultaneously poked their heads out the window, calling to the reporter, "The Heavenly Lord was just in the principal's office! We don't know if he's still there now."

The reporter's face lit up. "It's good that Master is here! I have an urgent matter to inform him of."

Soon, Li Daoxuan emerged with her, walking to stand before the camera in the middle of the sports field. A large crowd of students gathered to witness the spectacle, and Yaoxing Juan and E'zhe naturally blended into the throng.

Li Daoxuan's expression was grim as he asked the reporter, "Is the footage bloody? Is it suitable for children?"

The reporter lowered her voice. "Master, the footage is quite bloody. I'm afraid... it's not suitable for very young children. Broadcasting it directly on Gaojia News would certainly be inappropriate."

Li Daoxuan glanced around, his gaze settling on the ten-year-old E'zhe.

Before he could speak, however, E'zhe piped up, "I'm no ordinary child! I've lived through wars since I was small, seen countless scenes of heads rolling. No matter how bloody it is, you don't need to shield me."

"Alright then!"

Li Daoxuan knew that ancient Mongolian children were different from modern city kids; there was genuinely no need to shield E'zhe from bloody scenes.

"Good, everyone come to the screening room to watch!" Li Daoxuan announced. "This news isn't suitable for broadcast on Gaojia News; ordinary citizens won't see these images. But we are a military academy, and you are all soldiers, so you have reason to see it."

Li Daoxuan reached into the camera and pulled out a TF card the size of a door panel. Several special task force soldiers quickly carried it, rushing towards the screening room.

Inside, a tablet computer was set up.

Since Zhoushan Island had not yet entered Li Daoxuan's field of view, he couldn't simply place the tablet there himself. So, the device had been transported entirely by ship, and the villagers, using various tools, had painstakingly managed to set it up.

The solar power system had given the villagers even more trouble, but for the sake of education, any hardship or exhaustion was deemed worthwhile.

Li Daoxuan inserted the TF card into the tablet computer, opened the video... and pressed play...

What appeared on screen was unedited, raw footage, without any narration.

A large group of Dutchmen, armed with muskets, sat by, watching the spectacle unfold.

On the other side of the frame, a group of dark-haired people was massacring another group of dark-haired people.

A unilateral slaughter!

It was exceptionally bloody, and describing it as "heads rolling" was no exaggeration.

Blood stained the ground everywhere. Some individuals casually swung severed heads, spraying gore from the gaping neck wounds.

The students of the Naval Academy gasped in unison, many exclaiming aloud, "Where is this battle taking place?"

"This isn't even a battle," someone muttered, "it's pure slaughter for pleasure."

"Are you serious? These people look like they're from our Great Ming Dynasty! Why are the Dutchmen just standing by, watching it all as if it's a joke?"

"What exactly happened?"

At that moment, the camera began to shake, zooming out, further and further...

It turned out the footage had been captured from a considerable distance, using a zoom function to make it appear as if filmed close-up. In reality, the camera was situated far, far away.

Only after the lens had fully retracted did everyone realize that the massacre was taking place on a beach, flanked by steep mountains.

A reformed pirate from the Labor Reform program immediately cried out, "That's Yizhou Island!"

"Oh my, it really is Yizhou Island."

"So, it's Yizhou natives massacring other natives, and the 'Red-haired Barbarians' are just watching, laughing?"

"What 'Red-haired Barbarians'? That's what the court calls them. The Heavenly Lord said they're called the Dutch!"

"Right, right, the Dutch. They've allied with one group of natives to massacre another..."

"This is called 'Chucao'!"

"What does 'Chucao' mean?"

"It's a custom among the indigenous people of Yizhou Island, also known as headhunting."

The students began to chatter, voices rising in a murmur of discussion.

Li Daoxuan stepped in front of the screen. "Alright, we're going to have an impromptu extra class now, and I'll be your lecturer for this session."

With a swipe of his hand across the screen, a full map of Yizhou Island quickly appeared.

Li Daoxuan's hand landed on one corner of the island. "In 1624, the fourth year of the Tianqi era, the Dutch arrived at Yizhou Island. They established a city here and simultaneously began to enslave the surrounding indigenous people of Yizhou Island."

"During this period, to monopolize trade in East Asia, the Dutch resorted to all sorts of methods, including... supporting pirates."

At this point, Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Is Zheng Sen here?"

"Reporting, Heavenly Lord! Zheng Sen and Shi Lang are not here these past few days. They've led the fleet to Pi Island to deliver supplies to the garrison there."

Li Daoxuan said, "Alright, since he's not here, it's the perfect opportunity for us to expose his father's true past behind his back."

The students burst into laughter.

The Heavenly Lord often peppered his lectures with jokes, making them humorous and engaging, a delightful blend of education and entertainment that everyone loved to hear.

Li Daoxuan continued, "Zheng Sen's father, Zheng Zhilong, was a pirate whom the Dutch supported in their efforts to monopolize trade."

At this declaration, a wave of shock rippled through the audience!

E'zhe exclaimed, "I've seen the movie, 'The Battle of Liaoluo Bay'! You even made it yourself, Heavenly Lord! Zheng Zhilong was portrayed as a righteous hero in it, the one who defeated the Dutch. How could he have been supported by the Dutch in the first place?"

Li Daoxuan smiled. "Excellent question! Zheng Zhilong was indeed initially supported by the Dutch. However, Zheng Zhilong was also a man of ambition, unwilling to remain their puppet. After feigning cooperation with the Dutch for a time, he leveraged the Great Ming court's offer of amnesty and pacification to escape their control on Yizhou Island, establishing his independence. He then turned against the Dutch, leading to the later Battle of Liaoluo Bay."

Only then did everyone realize the full truth, understanding the intricate situation.

Li Daoxuan continued his lecture. "The Dutch and the Ming court were entangled in disputes over trade for many years, from the fourth year of Tianqi until two years ago, the eighth year of Chongzhen, when trade finally stabilized. With their hands freed, they then began to conquer the indigenous people of Yizhou Island, which brings us to this video."