"Darn executioners!" After reading the letter, Liang En hadn't even managed to express some of his thoughts on the brutal war before Pierce erupted in anger.
"This unit took part in suppressing the Dublin Uprising," seeing the puzzled expression on Liang En's face, Pierce pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and then opened a webpage.
"Look, these are records." Despite being of British nationality, Pierce considered himself an Irishman at heart, much like how Liang En always identified as Chinese.
So, when it came to the British military forces that participated in suppressing the 1916 Irish Easter Rising, Pierce didn't harbor much sympathy.
Even though the Irish and the British were neighbors and essentially spoke the same language, their relationship was comparable to that between China and Russia. Their conflicts and contradictions had endured for centuries.
The British rule over Ireland originated from the invasion and occupation of Ireland by Cromwell's forces in the 17th century. Under the British sword, out of the mere 1.5 million people on the island at the time, 400,000 lost their lives.
Afterward, the British engaged in large-scale plunder of the most important production resource of the Irish: the land.
At that time, the British confiscated and auctioned off 11 million acres out of the total 20 million acres of cultivated land in Ireland. Through this direct plunder, the British seized over half of the Irish land.
Moreover, under the guise of invaders, they carried out extensive land consolidations. In 1648, Irish Catholics still owned 59% of all Irish land, but by 1751, they retained only 5% of the land.
The British misdeeds in Ireland went beyond land plunder. Under their orders, the Irish were denied the right to vote, the ability to employ more than two apprentices, the opportunity to study abroad, and the possibility to apply for degrees and scholarships at universities.
They couldn't hold public office, serve as jurors, lawyers, or teachers. They were excluded from attending Parliament, prohibited from purchasing land, and even their personal property values were restricted – for instance, they couldn't own horses valued over £5.
The British even had complete control over the imports and exports of the Irish island, compelling the Irish to export grain cheaply to Britain while being limited to consuming higher-yield crops like potatoes.
This monoculture eventually led to one of the most devastating famines in Irish history. From 1845 to 1849, the Irish population dropped from 8.17 million to 6.55 million, whereas it should have grown to around 9 million under normal circumstances.
Among the lost population, 1.5 million emigrated to the Americas, while another 1 million died of starvation. Ironically, during these years, the island continued to export grain to mainland Britain.
In this context, the Irish naturally launched multiple uprisings in response to British aggression. The 1916 Easter Rising was one such instance.
Regrettably, due to internal disputes among the rebels and insufficient weaponry, the uprising only lasted for five days before being declared a failure.
Initially, the Irish weren't wholeheartedly supportive of the uprising. However, over time, the British suppression gradually ignited Irish patriotism and nationalism.
Thus, after World War I ended in 1921, the newly independent Irish Free State acknowledged these rebels as pioneers of the Irish independence movement. Of course, the British troops that arrived to suppress the uprising were seen as ruthless colonial forces.
"Let's see what's inside this tin box," having expressed their resentment towards the British invaders' savage behavior, the two individuals cautiously opened the metal box.
Because the tin box was also wrapped in a layer of wax on the outside and tightly sealed with the interlocking pillar, not even a speck of rust could be seen on the box's surface. Consequently, the contents inside the box remained perfectly intact to this day.
"It's... gold!" After unwrapping a newspaper bundle, a golden metal ingot, about the size of a petrol lighter, fell onto the table. It made a "clink" sound as it collided with the iron surface.
Recognizing gold wasn't a difficult task – the weighty feel and the muffled sound produced when the metal hit the iron surface were telltale signs.
"Indeed, those British robbers grabbed whatever they could find," Liang En muttered to himself as he gazed at the sand-like texture on the surface of the gold bar.
Soon, both Liang En and Pierce unwrapped bundle after bundle of newspapers, revealing a total of 28 metal ingots.
However, contrary to expectations, only six of these were gold bars. The remaining 22 were silver bars that had started to tarnish.
Yet, whether gold or silver, none of them bore the standard purity and weight markings of genuine precious metal ingots. On the contrary, they appeared extremely rough, with some even showing traces of jewelry or dental work.
It was reasonable to assume that during the chaos of the war, a significant number of these crude gold and silver bars were cast. The owners of these gold and silver were unlikely to have willingly parted with their treasures.
Pierce, beside him, had a noticeably dark expression after taking in these precious metal ingots. Clearly, he too understood the significance behind these objects.
"There seems to be something underneath," amidst this awkward atmosphere, Liang En noticed that the box hadn't been fully cleaned and quickly changed the topic.
After clearing away the newspaper bundles that encased the precious metal ingots, what remained at the bottom seemed to be a wooden board. But, simply looking at the depth inside the box compared to its outside depth revealed that this wooden board was merely a partition.
However, the internal compartment was also covered in a layer of black wax, creating an illusion of color that initially caused both individuals to overlook this layer.
Prying open the wooden board revealed a piece of green silk, still carrying the scent of gunpowder but faded with age. It displayed bullet holes and torn marks from external force. On top of this piece of silk was a small notebook covered in cowhide.
"This is an album." After dimming the light from the table lamp, Liang En, wearing gloves, slowly opened the notebook. Inside were ten thin, stiff pages made of paperboard, each side adorned with black-and-white photographs.
These black-and-white photos appeared somewhat blurred; after all, though portable cameras had become available a century ago, the photographic technology of that time could only achieve this level of clarity.
"This seems to document the process of this unit suppressing the uprising in Dublin," turning page after page of the photos, Liang En muttered softly.
Through these black-and-white photos, Liang En and his companion were transported to the brutal battles of a hundred years ago. The photos depicted British soldiers cooking around campfires in the wilderness, charging barricades in the streets, the burning ruins of central Dublin buildings, and a group of people standing in front of a white cross, heads bowed in mourning.
"War, war never changes." Liang En shook his head as he looked at these ancient photos, then recited the famous line. He felt that only this phrase could capture what he wanted to convey.
"This item is..." Just as he finished reflecting on the brutality of war, Liang En turned to the last page of the weathered album, unexpectedly discovering some marks left behind by the unit's commander from that era.
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