The Red Mansions

Fuzhou
Time flies, as various navies gather in Fuzhou, and more than [-] troops and ships gather at the harbor, the pace of war is getting closer and closer.

Today was the day when Jia Heng convened several navy generals to discuss the strategy of conquering Jilong Mountain.

Jia Heng said: "If you want to capture the big island, you have to capture Penghu Island first. Starting from Dongshan Island in Fujian, you can reach Penghu directly. Has the Guangdong Navy recently figured out the ocean currents and wind direction at sea?"

At this time, General Wu Tao of the Guangdong Sea raised his hands and said: "Reporting to Duke Wei, we have sent people to record the wind direction and ocean currents before, but our navy is new to the strait and we don't know where to go yet."

"This matter can be discussed with fishermen living along the coast of Fujian. They are familiar with the direction of ocean currents and winds." At this time, Wang Shuirong of Beijing said.

Jia Heng nodded and said: "The Guangdong Navy will first block the Hongyi's route south. The Hongyi and the pirates' lair is in Anping. We need to find out their defense situation. I will ask Jinyi Mansion and each room to Local officials in Fujian need to be more persuaded, otherwise the bandits on the island will turn into powder when the heavenly soldiers arrive!"

This time, 10,000+ troops have been gathered. It cannot be a chaotic battle and must be properly arranged.

With that said, he looked at Yan Ming, the governor of Fujian, and said, "Sir Yan, Jinyi Mansion will create a register for some pirates recently in order to persuade them to surrender. This is a strategy to attack their hearts."

In fact, it is an old routine, that is, mobilizing relatives and persuading people who have fled overseas to surrender. Especially in Fujian, the clan concept is very deep, and there are often countless ties between relatives and friends.

Yan Ming put up his guarantee and said, "Don't worry, Lord Wei, in the next few days, I will urge local officials to mobilize the recorded relatives of the pirates and persuade Ding Zhuang, who is a thief in Jilong Mountain."

Jia Heng said: "The other one is that the navy ships will conduct trial exercises recently. They will carry the baggage and gather in Quanzhou the day after tomorrow to completely blockade the big island."

The two states of Zhangquan are the closest to the big island of Jilongshan, and can also go directly to the barbarian lair in Anping, Tainan, which is a unique advantage.

Shui Rong asked: "Gong Wei, if the barbarians are integrated and start a war with our army, will the war break out in advance?"

Jia Heng said: "If the pirates attack, let's have a fight first. It will also test the combat power of our Han navy."

After discussing things with all the naval commanders, they dispersed to have their meal.

Jia Heng returned to the study, sat down, picked up the map and the recent information submitted by the navy, and began to study it.

Chen Xiao said: "There is no news of an attack in Luoyang for the time being."

She had previously asked someone to speak secretly, so Chen Yuan should restrain himself a little.

Jia Heng said: "Let Liu Jixian keep an eye on it to make sure nothing goes wrong. When we get to Jinling, if there is no war here, I will go there."

Jia Heng said, raised his eyes to look at Chen Xiao, and asked: "How has Jinyi Mansion been doing its inspections in Fujian counties these days?"

Chen Xiao said: "We found several Zhuangzi in Anxi County, and many of them are close associates of the three Yang brothers."

Jia Heng thought for a while and said: "Then send someone to tell the three brothers of the Yang family. The court can let go of their past plunders. As long as they abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, and the court has the intention to build a navy and expand maritime trade, then At this time, we can give them an official position and a place to live."

This is Zhao'an's strategy that has been tried and tested in history to deal with pirates.

Chen Xiao nodded and asked: "Liu Xiang is the most powerful person and has always been independent. The Yang brothers are indeed a breakthrough."

Jia Heng took Chen Xiao's bare hand and asked, "Xiaoxiao, the envoy to Haojing should have arrived at this time."

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "But the news hasn't been sent yet."

Jia Heng said: "This battle is not easy to fight."

It can be said that this water battle is different from the land battle in the northwest. It is more of a naval confrontation, especially because of the long distance.

However, once this battle is over and the Oshima issue is resolved, let alone the issue of him becoming a national hero in history, it will also lay the foundation for the entire China to go global.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another three days pass.

The Han Dynasty Navy set out from Fuzhou and began to advance towards Quanzhou. Officials in Fujian also began to mobilize the relatives of the bandits who stayed in Fujian to persuade the bandits in Jilong Mountain to surrender.

For a time, except for the large number of warships sailing on the strait, it seemed that there was a rare calm.

Jia Heng inspected relevant ships and gun equipment in Quanzhou, and at the same time compiled drills and prepared for matters related to the island landing operation.

Returning to the Navy's Weigang in Quanzhou, he entered the official study room. There was a charcoal brazier inside, and the room was warm and cozy.

Jia Heng sat down, took the tea cup from Chen Xiao, and took a sip.

"Have you contacted the leaders of the three Yang brothers?" Jia Heng asked Chen Xiao who was sitting next to him.

Chen Xiao said softly: "Some have already gotten on the line and started sending letters to persuade the officers and soldiers to surrender."

Jia Heng took the girl's bare hand, held it in his arms, and asked, "Is there any relationship between the three Yang brothers?"

Chen Xiao broke away for a moment, his cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and he said angrily: "Don't make trouble."

"It's getting cold. Let's hug each other to keep warm." Jia Heng said in a low voice.

During this period of time, I was busy preparing for the war, and I didn't have much intimacy with Xiaoxiao. Well, I got a little addicted to smoking.

Chen Xiao's eyes flashed, and he gently pressed Jia Heng's cold hand, which was looking for a hand warmer, and said softly: "The three brothers of the Yang family are from Quanzhou. The fourth uncle of their clan is now a pianist in Anxi County, and he is a minor official in the county."

Jia Heng frowned and asked, "Can his fourth uncle persuade the Yang brothers to show their loyalty to the clan?"

Chen Xiao said softly: "The magistrate of Anxi County has already persuaded me to go. I am willing to go, but I am worried that other pirates will notice and lose my life."

Jia Heng said: "When the matter is completed, I will recommend him to be the magistrate of a county."

The biggest wish of these subordinate officials in the county may be to live a happy life as a county magistrate. Other rewards are not more disturbing than the reward in front of them.

Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, stared at the boy in the python suit, and said softly: "What about the three brothers of the Yang family? How do you plan to divide them and win them over?"

Jia Heng thought for a while and said: "If the three brothers of the Yang family can abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, I can recommend to the court that the three of them will be hereditary guard commanders and the other five will be given as a gift."

If the big island is really recovered, giving the two of them a baron or viscount would be a very cost-effective deal.

Chen Xiao said: "That's fine, huh~"

Before the delicate girl could finish speaking, she saw the young man coming over. She could only snort, close her eyes, and two blushes gradually appeared on her cheeks.

……

……

Tainan, Anping

Hauge and others also settled down for the time being, but due to the issue of the ownership of the Hongyi cannon the day before, there was an undercurrent, and the arrangements were also arranged.

Liu Xiang led the Hongyi troops to Penghu to garrison in order to guard against raids by the army.

In the barracks, charcoal fires were lit in the copper basins, and everyone put on cotton-padded clothes. After the winter months, the entire island was rainy and the temperature dropped a lot.

In fact, when the North Korean navy went south, they did not bring enough food and fodder, and they did not think about the issue of cotton-padded clothes. They all wore single clothes and armor. In the past few days, the North Korean navy has begun to huddle in its military tents and is not very willing to go out for activities.

The relevant military supplies are all supplied by Liu Xiang.

Hauge sat down in the hall, raised his eyebrows, his face was gloomy as ice, and whispered: "This Liu Xiang, continue to urge him, let his men provide more wine, meat and cotton clothes."

Abatai, who was not far away, responded to the order and led several Zhenglan Banner assistants there.

Shi Tingzhu said: "My lord, Liu Xiang has always wanted to annex several other tribes. The three Yang Lu brothers have been at odds with him for a long time. Now they are only temporarily joining forces to fight against the Han army. Zhong Bin and others only follow Liu Xiang's lead."

"I think he wants to monopolize this island and build a business." Hauge said in a deep voice, his eyes as cold as lightning.

If Hauge's past temperament and Liu Xiang's and his subordinates' attitudes towards him and his soldiers were based on Hauge's past temperament, they would have been so irritable that they would have wanted to kill someone.

But Hauge was originally squeezed out by Dorgon when he went south this time. After seeing such a large island, he already had the idea of ​​​​seeking a foundation.

Shi Tingzhu said: "Your Majesty, I think this person is so ambitious that even the Dutch Red Barbarians will not be taken seriously by him. He will only drive out the Red Barbarians when he becomes more powerful."

Hauge said: "The Hongyi's firearms are still very sharp. If they can continuously provide fire blunderbuss, we can attack the Han people's Fujian on this big island, and then we can achieve hegemony from south to north. "

Shi Tingzhu said: "What the prince said is true."

Another Han army leader who followed Hauge to the south, Wu Shouchin, had a square face and a scarred face, and his voice was a little hoarse. He said: "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to conflict with the powerful enemy now. Wait until he has fought with the Han army." On the battlefield, you will know how powerful the Han army is. At that time, it still took a prince to defeat the Han people."

Hauge said with emotion: "It goes without saying, who else can I give up?"

The three Dorgon brothers, including the resourceful Duduo, were captured alive by Na Jiaheng's son in the naval battle. He was unscathed before, which shows that Duduo is the real bravery and foolhardy.

Hauge naturally heard rumors among some Manchu nobles in the country, such as claims that he was brave and foolhardy, but Hauge had always scorned this.

Cui Daocheng was sitting peacefully on a nanmu chair not far away, but his expression was not so optimistic.

Along the way south, the North Korean Navy injured 8000 people. The Jurchens may not mind sacrificing the last Korean for the sake of this island!While Hauge was discussing matters on his side, Yang Lu was on the other side of Wei Gang.

Yang Kuo hesitated and said: "Brother, can Penghu Island be defended?"

Yang Lu said: "Master Liu has also been fighting for a long time. Didn't he say these days that the navy of the army is not much better than us?"

Yang Ce shook his head and said: "The official army is coming with great force this time. Recently, there have been a lot of rumors among my subordinates. It is said that the official army gathered 20 million people to capture Jilong Mountain in one fell swoop and bring the big island under the rule of the imperial court. , We are not afraid in terms of military strength, but the military supplies on the island are uneven and we cannot hold on for a long time."

The island's largest economic source was sea trade, which was not self-sufficient. Once the war dragged on for too long, various problems would definitely arise.

Yang Ce, as the think tank of the three Yang brothers, realized this from the beginning.

Yang Lu's face became more solemn and he said: "The Han people have been difficult to deal with in recent years. The last time our brothers fought with the imperial navy, we suffered a lot, and many of our brothers were injured and killed. The Han people are so aggressive." For real."

Yang Ce said: "Brother, many of my brothers have received letters from home recently. Some of them are called by their mothers to go back, saying that the government and army will send people to retake the island. If they don't come back, the family's belongings will be confiscated as stolen goods."

It is not said that those who turned into bandits took their old mothers with them. There were many pirates or sailors who regarded making a living under the three Yang brothers as a job.

And Jia Heng's heart-attacking tactics are obviously gradually working.

Yang Lu immediately became alert and asked anxiously: "What's going on?"

Yang Ce frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "Brother, I'm afraid the government has found our village. Many brothers' families live in the village, and they are a little scared now."

Yang Kuo said loudly: "Brother, it would have been better if even the family members had moved here."

"It's hard to leave our homeland. How can it be so easy to move here?" Yang Ce glanced at Yang Kuo and said.

Yang Lu sighed and said, "My second brother is right. It's not easy to move them all here."

Yang Ce frowned and said firmly: "Brother, I'm afraid it won't be long before the army comes to persuade us to surrender."

When Yang Lu heard this, he was shocked and said, "Why did my second brother say this?"

Yang Ce said: "Since Duke Wei can come up with such a heart-attacking strategy, he has a follow-up strategy."

Yang Kuo said angrily: "These dog officials are too arrogant. I will not surrender anyway. We brothers are at sea, eating meat and drinking from big bowls. Are we not as comfortable as under the control of the court? Both the eldest brother and the second brother have forgotten that they are under the control of the government." Time for bullying?”

"When things get difficult, confessing your sincerity to the government is the only way out." Yang Ce said.

Yang Lu's heart moved slightly, and he turned his gaze to Yang Ce and asked, "Didn't my second brother say before that he could defect to the Jurchens and then become a marquis or an uncle or something like that?"

"A few days ago, eldest brother must have also seen that the Shiting Pillar of the Han Army Flag was under the hands of the Jurchens, like a slave, being ordered around. How can we, brothers, be able to bear this kind of arrogance if we are really under the hands of the Jurchens?" Yang Ce said.

It is said that the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is intentional. When Shi Tingzhu was servile to Hauge, this scene fell into the eyes of a group of pirate leaders who were hard to get rid of and were lawless. They all temporarily gave up their original thoughts of surrendering.

If they were not desperate, the officials of the Qing Dynasty would not do anything if they could.

Of course, this is because Hauge himself is arrogant and thinks highly of himself. If he is Duduo or Yue Tuo, he is probably a corporal of courtesy and virtue in these days, getting along with a group of pirate leaders.

Yang Lu nodded and said: "What the third brother said is that the officials of the Qing Dynasty are not so easy to do, but the Han court is accustomed to using Zhao'an's method to make people."

"Just leave a way out first. I heard that Duke Wei is also a figure. If we can get his promise that we will stop mediating in Jilong Mountain and not listen to the announcement after we finally meet with the court, that's not a bad idea," Yang Ce said.

"There is nothing wrong with leaving a way out." Yang Lu said.

Several people discussed the preservation strategy.

Liu Xiang on the other side was also discussing strategies to fight against the government troops.

Because Liu Xiang's troops had recently intercepted nearly [-]% of the Hongyi artillery, Penghu Island, which was most directly facing the Han army, was the first to receive the Han army's attack due to the defense of Liu Xiang's troops.

The leader next to Liu Xiang, Li Kuiqi, who is also Liu Xiang's son and daughter-in-law and known as the think tank of Liu Xiang's gang, said: "Liu is in charge, and the Han people will probably attack from Penghu. Our first step is to defend and use a few Hongyi cannons. Take them all out and build them into forts. Once the Han people get close, they will sink their ships."

Liu Xiangdao: "Master Li, the Hongyi cannon is extremely precious. This is what our army relies on for the decisive battle with the Han army at sea. Besides, I don't agree with blindly defending, otherwise we will lose if we defend for a long time."

Li Kuiqi said: "What Mr. Liu said is correct, but recently the Han navy has blocked the passage south to the sea, preventing us from going south to obtain supplies."

"Then break their blockade first. We have recently sent out some boats to fight the Han army first." Liu Xiang said coldly with anger on his face.

He wants to fight first and tell all the forces on the island that he, Liu Xiang, is the king of this island!
In fact, among all the pirate forces, Liu Xiang did have the largest number of troops, about 4 to 2 people. If you add in the [-] to [-] people of Zhong Bin and Li Kuiqi, the total number of troops under the two parties was five Sixty thousand.

This is also Liu Xiang's confidence to dominate Jilongshan Island, which is completely enough to establish a separatist power.

Of course, compared to the Zheng family in its heyday in parallel time and space history, which had 20 troops and more than [-] ships, it was still a lot different.

This is also caused by the division and suppression that the Netherlands has persisted in over the years.

Because the Han Dynasty had previously imposed a strict maritime ban, many poor people in Fujian and Guangdong, in order to improve their lives, followed some desperadoes and joined villages and villages in smuggling, gradually gathering such pirate fleets.

"The Han people blockading the sea area are the Guangdong Navy. They are divided into several rounds and besiege all ships. We are currently stationed in Penghu. Once we divide our troops, we must consider that the army will take the opportunity to attack Penghu." Another Zhong Bin spoke up. road.

Liu Xiang said: "Can't the remaining bandits from the Jinsha Gang, the Nujiao Gang, and the Sihai Gang help garrison a section?"

Li Kuiqi snorted coldly, with a heavy tone and a hint of disdain, and said: "They were assigned to support the rear, and they are almost afraid of fighting with the army. They don't have many people, only five or six thousand. It's okay to stand and cheer, but Don’t count on it, especially Shangguan Rui of the Nu Jiao Gang, who is known as the leader of the Fei Gang. During the battle, he was the fastest runner with oil on his feet, but he hurt the Jurchens."

The Jinsha Gang, the Sihai Gang and the Nujiao Gang were still quite powerful when they joined forces with Duoduo to cause chaos in Jiangnan. However, after the continuous pursuit of the Han army, their losses gradually increased. The two groups now have only 6000 people in total. Most people just join in the fun.

Liu Xiang's eyes flashed coldly, and he whispered: "I have been planning carefully in the past few days, and I will take the initiative in these few days."

Just as Liu Xiang and others were working hard to prepare for a preemptive strike to break through the southward blockade of the Guangdong Navy, Putmans in the Dutch Governor's Palace in Taiwan was also in a state of distress.

In a previous discussion, more than [-] Hongyi cannons were allocated to Liu Xiang's troops, and more than [-] of his men were fully armed with flintlock guns. Hedgehogs were gathered in Anping, as well as in Chikan City and Relan. There are two colonies in Zhecheng.

A middle-aged man with red hair and a sharp-mouthed face, whose name is Wei Malang, is the head of the East India Company.

The Dutch East India Company mainly monopolized trade between Manila and China, Japan and other countries.

For example, metals and medicinal materials from the Netherlands, spices, pepper, amber, linen, cotton, opium, tin, lead and other items from Batavia were trafficked to China, while silk fabrics, pottery, gold and other items from China were transported to Southeast Asian countries. , come and go, making huge profits.

Wei Malang said: "Your Majesty the Governor, the cannon has been given to Liu Xiang. Their ambitions have grown, which will definitely threaten our safety."

It can be said that the Dutch were able to control the entire island of Taiwan with a small number of troops, and superior military equipment such as red barbarian cannons and flintlock guns accounted for a lot of the credit.

Putmans said: "Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, it is not appropriate to start internal strife. If it really threatens us, we will not be able to send big ships from China at that time."

The Governor of Taiwan is very clear about the principle that cooperation will benefit and division will cause losses.

"Then after the Han army is defeated, how will we recover these cannons?" Wei Malang asked.

Naturally, Hongyi would not claim to be Hongyi Cannon.

Putmans said: "Although they have cannons, we have thousands of troops and many warships. If Liu Xiang doesn't obey the rules, I don't mind replacing him with someone who is obedient."

Wei Malang said: "The war losses at that time will be greater, which will affect domestic trade."

Today, the Netherlands is still eager for the huge trade profits brought by the East India Company in the East Asian waters.

"There is an old saying in China: if you stretch your head and use it with a knife, you will shrink your head with a knife. Do we have any choice now?" Putmans asked.

When the ancient empire on the other side began to plan to take back this island, war was already inevitable, and they, the guests who came from afar, could not defeat the steady stream of Han people without any follow-up support.

After defeating the Zheng family, I thought that Liu Xiang's power would expand more and more. Although there were more restrictions, it still doubled from the original 2 people to the present.

Although the country has increased its troops several times, it has gradually become uncontrollable.

"Jurchen, what do you plan to do, the Governor? Should you form an alliance or be on guard?" Wei Malang asked.

Putmans looked coldly and said: "The Jurchens are also a little uneasy and well-intentioned. Beware of forming an alliance later. They need our firecrackers and craftsmen's craftsmanship to fight against the Han Dynasty. Then we can join forces with them and suppress Liu Xiang at the same time." They, in addition, can take advantage of the situation and sell large quantities of goods to North Korea."

Wei Malang nodded and said, "Your Majesty the Governor is considering Zhou Xiang."

When Putmans raised his head, his eyes seemed to be filled with worry, and he said: "But no matter what, if we want to control such a large island with our own hands, we will ultimately be unable to control it."

At this point, the Dutch governor, who was well versed in Chinese affairs and well aware of China's vast manpower and material resources, seemed very pessimistic.

The Netherlands is not a large country with a small population. The current trade is only based on firearms and related navigation technology. When the Chinese dynasty reacts, neither Zhu Ming nor Chen Han nor the Manchu Qing Dynasty will seize the world. Will allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the bed.

"That is something for your Majesty and the domestic ministers to consider." Wei Malang said.

The two were silent for a moment.