1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 664 Zheng Sen's "betrayal"

On June 1651, 6, Fuzhou.

Zheng Zhilong, King of Jinghai in the Qing Dynasty, has been a little annoyed recently. Since he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in January, nothing seems to make him feel happy.

In order to "unify the hearts of the people" and deter civil and military officials in Fujian, he brazenly ordered to kill Zuodu Yushi who was unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, Fujian governor Zhang Kentang, Fujian and Zhejiang branch inspector Ding Shiqi, and Ningde general Wen Yongbiao. , Yan Mingfei, deputy commander of Fuzhou Town, and more than 30 middle and high-level officials and generals, at the same time massacred thousands of officers and soldiers under Qi Xuequn, a general of the Quanzhou Navy who wanted to leave Hong Kong.For a while, the entire civil and military officials in Fujian were silent, so they attached documents to Zheng Zhilong and surrendered to the Qing court together.

From February to March, although Zheng Zhilong took over the five prefectures of Chaozhou, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Shaozhou, and Nanxiong in Guangdong, the wealthy Chaozhou, Huizhou, and Guangzhou were either taken over by the Qing army as the former commander-in-chief. Looted, or slaughtered by Shang Kexi, Geng Jimao, etc. into a piece of white land, the place left to Zheng Jun is full of devastation, the people are in dire straits, and Fujian still needs urgent support.

However, Zhaoqing Mansion, Gaozhou Mansion (now Maoming, Guangdong), Leizhou Mansion, and Lianzhou Mansion in western Guangdong are still in the hands of the Ming army.Shang Kexi, the main force of the Qing army that invaded Guangdong, and Geng Jimao’s troops obviously did not want to make wedding clothes for Zheng Zhilong in vain, and seized the above-mentioned areas for him. Zongbing poisoned the localities, causing people's resentment to boil.

Two naval fleets were sent out to attack several islands in Ryukyu and Changshan Island near Denglai, which were occupied by Qi State, and tried to destroy the opponent's sea base in the coastal area of ​​Daming in one fell swoop, but they were attacked by the dense and fierce coastal fire artillery from the two places. Retreating and returning without success made Zheng Zhilong very depressed.

In the first ten days of May, the Qi fleet suddenly returned to the Daming sea area ahead of schedule. A fleet composed of more than 5 large warships went north from Qiongzhou Prefecture and attacked the Zheng Jun Navy near Guangzhou, destroying more than [-] large and small ships. More than [-] ships were captured, and the rest fled in all directions, losing more than [-] officers and soldiers.

On May 5, the Qi State Navy Fleet rushed to Quanzhou along the coast of Fujian and Guangdong, attacked the Quanzhou Navy Fleet, destroyed more than 27 ships of all sizes, and killed and injured more than [-] officers and soldiers.If it weren't for the proximity to Quanzhou Port, some ships hid in the port in time, and I am afraid that the losses suffered would be even greater.

Afterwards, the Qi State fleet went all the way northward, continuing to sweep the transport and trade ships of the Zheng army along the coast. It is estimated that their final destination must be Denglai.It is also unknown whether the naval ships swimming there can escape the siege of Qi's powerful fleet.

At this time, Zheng Zhilong really saw the power of the Qi State Navy.The ships at the other end are strong and powerful, and all of them are large gunboats. Their power is not the same as that of the many small and medium-sized sea cangs and bird ships under the Zheng Jun Navy.

Unexpectedly, after more than ten years of development, the people in Hanzhou have grown to such a strength.And dare to assemble dozens of large gunboats from the mainland of Hanzhou thousands of miles away, come to the Daming sea area, and challenge my Zheng family's maritime hegemony head-on.

Ten days ago, Zheng Cai, who was stationed in Luzon, sent a ship to Fuzhou for emergency, claiming that Luzon territory was attacked by Qi State and its vassals, and that Jiangzhou (now Batangas City, Philippines) had been conquered by the enemy. Thousands of enemies landed and attacked Fenzhou (now Calamba City, Philippines).At the same time, several large gunboats of the Qi army broke into the port of Longzhou (now Manila, Philippines), bombarded the wharf, sank and damaged more than ten ships of various sizes in the Luzon navy fleet, as if preparing to blockade Zheng's Luzon territory.

As a result, Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but secretly startled that the Qi State could open up two battlefields at the same time, and the battle was extremely decisive. Not only did it want to annihilate and weaken the main force of its own navy, control the sea control of the Daming coast, but also destroy the sea that it had been operating for several years in one fell swoop. Territory of Luzon.

It seems that the Qi State has already become powerful. In Nanyang, the Dutch can be forced to make peace twice. In Denglai, the Qing army that has attacked several times can be driven back. Chengdabu can defeat it with one blow, and finally retreat completely.Zheng Zhilong thought that Fujian Town could not easily achieve this combat power.

What is even more troublesome is that the Dutch East India Company, which had been dormant for several years, suddenly became active in the waters of Japan and Daming. Some massive commodities collected from nowhere.

Zheng Zhilong was surprised and angry about this. The Japanese market has almost become Zheng's exclusive monopoly market since a few years ago, bringing millions of taels of silver profit to Fujian Town every year, which Zheng Zhilong regards as a pocketbook.If the Dutch intervene strongly again, it will inevitably affect the main source of finance of Fujian Town.

Moreover, what is even more frightening is that this Dutchman may have colluded with the Qi State to jointly deal with the Zheng family.Then, in this way, the Zheng family will face more serious maritime threats.

"My lord, something has happened!"

When Zheng Zhilong was worried about the various difficulties facing Fujian Town, Yang Geng, the general of Fuzhou, came to see Zheng Zhilong in a hurry, looking extremely flustered.

"Why panic?" Zheng Zhilong's heart tightened, his face darkened.

"My son..." Yang Geng said with some hesitation: "My son...he didn't go to Guangzhou with the army....He killed Ji Shiliang, the general soldier of Yanping, seized the command of the army, and supervised the soldiers on Nan'ao Island (now Nan'ao Island, Shantou, Guangdong) County) occupied, and declared to break away from Fujian Town, vowed to oppose the Qing Dynasty, and at the same time declared allegiance to the Denglai Yongchu court.”

"..." Zheng Zhilong was stunned at first when he heard the words, and then his face turned livid. He reached out and smashed the teacup on the table to the ground, "Nizi, how dare you?"

In order to take the whole of Guangdong as soon as possible, Zheng Zhilong ordered Ji Shiliang, the general of Yanping, to lead more than [-] troops a week ago, and take more than [-] ships of different sizes to prepare to enter Guangzhou and attack Zhaoqing, Gaozhou, and Leizhou in the east with his own strength. and so on.The eldest son Zheng Sen, who had had a tense relationship with him because of the Jiangqing incident, suddenly proposed to go with the army and went through a lot of battles.

In this regard, Zheng Zhilong readily accepted that if the eldest son could follow the army to conquer the Ming army, and after occupying the whole of Guangdong, he might be able to understand how correct the choice made by Fujian Town is under the current general situation. According to Fujian The danger, the wealth of Guangdong, and the convenience of the sea are enough to protect the prosperity of the Zheng family for hundreds of years.

However, it never occurred to him that this rebellious son wanted to help Daming wholeheartedly, and even had the idea of ​​mutiny.After reading books for more than ten years, I really made my mind stupid!How can the small imperial court of Denglaiyongchu continue to resist the attack of the Qing Dynasty with its small territory and soldiers and horses.Although the thieves occupying Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi played the banner of supporting Daming, but they were just using this to win the hearts of the people, and they would perish sooner or later.

In this world, there is no such thing as the righteousness of spring and autumn, and there is no such thing as loyalty to serve the country. What I want in my life is nothing but family prosperity and personal wealth.Besides, Qian Qianyi, the mentor of this rebellious son, also shaved his hair and changed his clothes, and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

"Ji Shiliang's more than [-] people have followed that...rebel?" Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the anger in his heart.

"More than [-] officers and soldiers ran back under the leadership of Lieutenant General Shi Fu (Shi Lang's uncle), and are currently resting in Quanzhou, waiting for further instructions from the prince."

"Firearms battalion?"

"Shi Fu reported that the son is mainly based on the firearms battalion led by Chen Hui. He first attacked and killed the chief general Ji Shiliang at night, and then quickly controlled the entire army."

"Chen Hui..." Zheng Zhilong said bitterly: "Order people to capture Chen Hui and other family members of the rebel generals, and put them in prison, waiting to be dealt with."
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On June 6, Nan'ao Island.

"My lord, this place is too close to the mainland, and the island is barren. It will be attacked by the army of King Jinghai at any time. It is not appropriate to stay longer. We must find another place, find a place where we can shelter." Chen Hui said to Zheng Sen cupped his hands and said.

"Let's go to Denglai, what do you think?" Zheng Sen asked.

"Deng Lai?" Chen Hui hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Deng Lai may not be appropriate. Our troops are all from Fujian and Guangdong. If we go to the north, it may be difficult for us to adapt to the climate and environment there. In my opinion, it is better to go to Qiongzhou Prefecture. It is still under the flag of Ming Dynasty, and it is also closer to the territory of Annan Qi State, so it is easier to obtain weapons and food supplies."

"Qiongzhou Mansion?" Zheng Sen couldn't help pondering. Although it was closer to the territory of the Annan Qi State and could easily obtain weapons and food support from the other party, it was also very close to Guangdong.Although he resolutely made the decision to defect from Fujian and return to Daming, deep down in his heart Zheng Sen was unwilling to confront his father directly, because after all, this was against human relations.

"My son, since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult." Chen Hui saw Zheng Sen's difficult expression, and understood what he was thinking. To attack Denglai, what choice should we make at that time?"

"...then go to Qiongzhou Mansion." Zheng Sen immediately made up his mind, and said in a deep voice: "From then on, I, Zheng Sen, vow to fight against the Qing captives to the end, and I will never stop until I regain my country!"

Half a year ago, Zheng Zhilong raised his troops to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. As the eldest son, Zheng Sen tried hard to persuade him, and even knelt down with his head sad, begging his father not to be a rebellious minister of the Ming Dynasty and a sinner through the ages.But Zheng Zhilong still insisted on surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, and was completely dazzled by the Wang Jue and the territory of Fujian and Guangdong provinces promised by the Qing captives.

Indeed, as Zheng Zhilong said, with the possession of the two provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, coupled with the only sea power possessed by the mainland, there is indeed capital to seek a rich and noble background from the Qing captives.But don't forget that everything you hold on to now is an out-and-out potential threat in the eyes of a new and powerful dynasty.At that time, the Qing Dynasty will unify the world, and maybe they will gather the power of the whole country to build their own navy.At that time, it was impossible for Zheng Shi to retreat completely.

In addition, Zheng's navy attacked Qi's fleet near Guangzhou. This move will inevitably be met with crazy revenge from Qi.Luzon and Taiwan, which rely on the back road, will definitely be attacked by the Qi fleet.Before departing from Fuzhou, he received an emergency document from Zheng Cai stationed in Luzon, claiming that he was attacked by Qi State, that Jiangzhou (now Batangas City, Philippines) by the sea had been conquered, and that the Qi army was heading inland to kill Come.

For more than ten years, the Qi State Navy has traveled between Daming and Hanzhou mainland every year in order to collect transshipment immigrants. Not only have they established several stable supply points near Daming, but they are also familiar with this sea area no less than The officers and soldiers of the Zheng family, coupled with the powerful naval fleet they have spared no effort to build, may not be able to gain the upper hand in the sea battle between the Zheng family and Qi.

In addition, Zheng Sen felt that the Qing Dynasty was not invincible.Not to mention that the officials and troops of the Qi and Yongchu courts were defeated and attacked the Qing army, even the ex-rogues, Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo, also defeated the Qing captives in Guangxi and Hunan, and they were about to attack. near Wuchang.

I heard that after the death of the slave chief Dorgon, a serious internal high-level purge took place within them.In mid-February, Sukesaha and Zhan Dai, Dorgon's cronies, first sued Dorgon for attempting to "usurp the throne".

Immediately afterwards, led by Prince Zheng Jierhalang, Man Dahai, Nikan, Boluo, and several internal ministers, they immediately wrote the memorial, denouncing Dorgon's crime of "presumptuousness" during his lifetime, and asked Emperor Shunzhi to punish him. He punished severely.

Emperor Shunzhi then ordered people to destroy Dorgon's mausoleum, dug out the corpse, whipped the corpse and the owl's head, and issued an edict to Dorgon's nobility, removal of the temple, and Dorgon's biological mother Abahai's posthumous posthumous title of "Empress Xiaoliewu". No. Miaoxiang, dismissed his clan status, confiscated Dorgon's property and entered the palace.It can be said that Dorgon's past and present have been thoroughly liquidated.

After Zheng Sen heard about it, he ridiculed the Qing captives' actions many times as an act of barbarians and beasts.The ruling class within the Qing Dynasty will inevitably undergo drastic changes. The Han army attached to the Qing Dynasty and the armed forces surrendered to the Qing Dynasty may be affected by this fluctuation and influence, and Jin Shengheng and Li Chengdong will return to the Ming anyway.

Zheng Sen was taken back to Daming from Japan by Zheng Zhilong at the age of six, and began to study in Quanzhou. At the age of 14, he went to Nanjing Guozijian to study under the famous Confucian Qian Qianyi.

If it hadn't been for the overthrow of Ming Dynasty and the chaos in the world, I believe he would take the imperial examination and embark on a stable career as a civil servant.Years of traditional education have deeply influenced Zheng Sen's thoughts in Confucian culture. Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism have been deeply rooted in his mind since he was a child. The deeds of Yue Fei and Wen Tianxiang have always inspired him.

A few years ago, when he had an audience with Emperor Yongchu in Denglai, he was praised as "a young man who is loyal and brave, and a leader of the country". If he hadn't learned that Zheng Sen had a wife, Emperor Yongchu would have almost married his younger sister, Princess Zhaoren Zhu Yuxuan, to him.This deeply moved Zheng Sen, who was dedicated to serving the country, and he wished he could not be overwhelmed. He immediately stated that in this life, he vowed to be a pure minister of the Ming Dynasty forever.

After his father Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he was unable to persuade him. Zheng Sen felt helpless and disappointed about this.Therefore, starting from February, he secretly contacted those generals and officials in Zheng Zhilong's army who were unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, preparing to plan to leave Fujian and return to the rule of Ming Dynasty.

A week ago, in order to seize the whole of Guangdong as soon as possible, Zheng Zhilong specially dispatched more than [-] elite officers and soldiers from all over Fujian, and transferred them to Guangzhou by naval ships, preparing to capture Zhaoqing, Gaozhou, Leizhou and other places.

Zheng Sen immediately realized that this was the best opportunity to leave Fujian, because, among the transferred troops, there were several official troops such as Huoqiying, Quanzhou Town, etc., and several of the chief officers and generals all had the idea of ​​restoring their lives. , and also the rebellious object that I had been lobbying and wooing for the past few months.

Three days ago, when the army docked at Nan'ao Island in more than [-] ships, Zheng Sen and Chen Hui took advantage of the night to launch a mutiny, beheaded the commander Ji Shiliang and more than ten people, and took control of the entire army in one fell swoop.However, considering the unity of the anti-Qing people in the later period, Zheng Sen, Chen Hui and others released all the more than [-] officers and soldiers who did not want to rebel with them.

Today, Zheng Sen's department has more than 170 marine troops and nearly [-] large and small ships, which can be regarded as a powerful maritime force.

On June 6, Zheng Sen and Chen Hui plundered all the materials on Nan'ao Island, and then set sail to the southwest.

(End of this chapter)