Chapter 645 The Dilemma of Shibazhi

After a simple defense handover ceremony on Nanri Island, Shi Diwen led his subordinates who had been stationed here for nearly two months to leave Nanri Island, went south to Zhangzhou to join Ning Qi and others, and then returned to the base camp in Sanya, Hainan.

This group of Ming troops stationed on Nanri Island soon realized that the new group of Haihan soldiers were different from the previous group. If the daily training of the previous group of Haihan soldiers was cruel to them,

If so, the training content for this new batch of militia troops would be hellish. The first required training content every day is to run a lap around the hill where Nanri Village is located.

For people like the Annan militia, the five-thousand-meter cross-country running is indeed just one of the usual training items. But for the vast majority of the Ming army who lack daily physical training, there is no way to run this distance in one breath. Many people

They could only complete this journey slowly, and then missed all the remaining training subjects of the day. The huge difference in training intensity between the two sides made it impossible for the Ming army to keep up with the training progress of the Shanghai and Han sides.

Just physical training is no longer synchronized, and more advanced subjects such as tactical coordination are even less possible to train together.

Qian Tiandun was helpless when he saw this situation. Of course, he understood that there were many deep-seated reasons behind the gap in training levels. Even if these Ming troops were forced to train, they would not be able to see the improvement immediately. In this regard, he could only

Can suggest to the Ming army generals to provide better food security for the soldiers so that they can keep up with the training of the Shanghai Han Militia.

No matter how the Ming army trains, Qian Tiandun will not slack off in the training of his subordinates. As a senior official, he is very clear about the development plan of the Executive Committee. His transfer from Annan to Fujian has already demonstrated the importance of the Executive Committee.

Intention. In the future, control of the coastal areas of Fujian will be Haihan's focus, and the elite division of the militia army led by Qian Tiandun will most likely be tasked with leading the charge.

Although the military attaches great importance to the role of Nanri Island at this stage, Qian Tiandun also knows that this is actually just an approach to accommodate the Fujian government and Xu Xinsu. After the Haihan militia stationed in Fujian, whether to occupy a place like Nanri Island or not

, in fact, it does not affect the overall situation. Qian Tiandun believes that the real battlefield of the decisive battle will not take place on this small island, but is more likely to be at a port somewhere on the coast of Penghu or Taiwan Island.

Of course, before conditions were ripe to send troops to attack Penghu and even Taiwan, Qian Tiandun knew that he had to guard against Shibazhi and the Dutch to retake Nanri Island. Since Shibazhi had already sent people to Tainan to find the Dutch to move reinforcements

, Qian Tiandun believes that the possibility of the Dutch being involved in this matter is relatively high.

One is that there is an old feud between the Dutch and the Ming Dynasty that has not been avenged. If they can seize the opportunity to trick the Fujian government, the Dutch may really take the risk. The second is that the outside world that the Dutch can use now

There is not much help, and Xu Xinsu has clearly stood on their opposite side. If they lose Shibazhi again, it will be difficult for the Dutch to obtain manpower and other resources from the Ming Dynasty. Publicly and privately, the Dutch cannot sit back and watch Shibazhi lose and then

A disintegrating situation emerged.

Attacking strong cities such as Kinmen Suo and Zhongzuo Suo, Shibazhi has encountered difficulties several times. The Dutch may not be willing to send their soldiers to fight on such battlefields. However, attacking Nanri Island, which is a small area, is relatively easy to defend.

A weak island will definitely be much less difficult. If Shibazhi offers suitable conditions, it would not be surprising for the Dutch to intervene.

And just as Qian Tiandun expected, after Zheng Xinzhi offered conditions to Hans, the East India Company's chief resident, after discussion, the Dutch finally found it difficult to resist the temptation to drive away the Spanish and decided to assist the Eighteen Zhizhi.

Retake Nanri Island.

"But our military assistance comes with preconditions." Hans poured cold water on the excited Zheng Xinzhi: "We will not send soldiers to the island to join the war."

Zheng Xinzhi was stunned for a moment, then said: "It would be okay if Lord Hans could sell a batch of artillery to us."

"The cannon can be sold, but the price must be increased by 30% from the previous price." Hans showed his fangs calmly: "The prices of other weapons will also increase based on this standard."

Zheng Xinzhi secretly felt sorry for his master's money. This cannon cost several hundred taels more, and the ten cannons cost thousands more taels. In total, it was equivalent to taking the money of the past ten cannons, and now he could only buy

There are six or seven doors. The price increase of the FireWire is indeed quite vicious. Now Shibazhi is begging the Dutch to sell weapons, and there is no room for bargaining. To be honest, even if Hans increases the price by 50% or even higher in one breath, Zheng Xinzhi

He would hold his nose and respond first, otherwise he would have no way of explaining it when he returned to Penghu empty-handed.

"In addition, all the expenses for the combat ships and combat personnel sent by us must be borne by you." Hans calmly put forward the next condition: "First, fifty thousand taels of silver must be paid in advance as the cost of the troops' departure.

"

Zheng Xinzhi frowned. Although this condition was extremely unfair, he still had no objection. As long as the Dutch were willing to send troops, as long as the Dutch were willing to send troops, it was secondary as to how much money they wanted - anyway, Zheng would not be the one responsible for paying in the end.

Learn something new about yourself.

Seeing that Zheng Xinzhi did not express any objection, Hans continued: "Third, after our fleet sets off from Taiyuan Port, you need to send the information on Tamsui and Jilong ports in the north as soon as possible, and ensure that we

Cooperate when sending troops to attack the area. This requires a written agreement and the signature and seal of Mr. Zheng Zhilong must be attached.”

The main reason why the Dutch are willing to send troops is that they believe that Shibazhi can help them deal with the Spanish. In order to prevent Shibazhi from playing any tricks in the process, signing a written agreement is also a necessary coercion method.

.If the Shibazhi renege on their promise, then this piece of paper will make it impossible for them to survive on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"This matter... I must go back and inform my lord first. It should be no big deal." Zheng Xinzhi did not dare to express his position on Zheng Zhilong's behalf. After all, Zheng Zhilong would have to personally sign the signature and the painting.

"We can discuss the details, but the general framework is like this." Hans said proudly: "If you think it is feasible, then come with the signed agreement and money next time."

"Yes, yes, Lord Hans is busy with official duties, so I will take my leave first." Zheng Xinzhi saw that Hans had no intention of talking to him anymore, so he quickly stood up and said goodbye in a sensible manner.

After Zheng Xinzhi came out of the East India Company's office, he didn't even return to his residence. He went straight to the dock and immediately took a boat back to Penghu to bring back the contents of the negotiation and inform Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong had already impatiently waited in Penghu. If he hadn't known that he was not strong enough, he probably couldn't wait for Zheng Xinzhi to come back and organized his own troops to go to Nanri Island.

After Zheng Xinzhi finished explaining the three conditions offered by the Dutch, Zheng Zhilong's face was already very dark: "Is this the result of the more than half a month of negotiations in Damuan Port?"

Zheng Xinzhi explained tremblingly: "The red-haired leader Hans was not willing to participate in this matter before. Later, the villain offered the Folangji man in exchange, and he finally relented, but he still bit these three to death."

He has refused to give in to this condition. The villain did not slack off at all while he was in Taiyuan Port. He ran up and down day and night and lobbied everywhere, which led to today's result."

Zheng Zhilong scolded: "You idiot, you still think you are smart! This 30% increase in price to buy cannons, do you know how much more money we have to pay? We also have to pay 50,000 taels of military expenses for departure first, and then pay the other half after the completion of the task. They continue

Even if they don’t even get to the shore, why do you still agree to their conditions? Have the red-haired men poured seawater into your mind? You have to pay hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to the Dutch both here and outside, and you will pay for it?”

Zheng Xinzhi was scolded so badly that he didn't dare to speak back, but he felt aggrieved secretly. Before setting off, Zheng Zhilong gave him great negotiation authority, "Any money transaction can be decided by oneself without asking for instructions." No

Thinking about it, Zheng Zhilong's face changed after he came back. Zheng Xin knew that although he was ripped off by the red-haired man, the matter was already done! Isn't this your original intention of paying for the help?

Zheng Zhilong was so angry mainly because the internal environment deteriorated very quickly after losing Nanri Island. Due to the limited strength of Shibazhi, he did not dare to launch another attack on Nanri Island alone and could only wait for the Dutch.

news.

During this period, opinions within Shibazhi began to diverge. Due to the loss of Nanri Island, Shibazhi's trade channels with the Ming Dynasty were also greatly affected. Therefore, several leaders who had a lot of business in the mainland believed that the war should cease.

For peace talks, if possible, simply accept the recruitment offer from the Fujian government, imitate Xu Xinsu's example, clean up and land ashore, and at least be able to work as a minor official like a general, and don't have to worry about making a living at sea in the future.

The other group was unwilling to succumb to the Ming Dynasty. They believed that the current government suppression was too severe and that the leaders had no future in the Fujian coast. They suggested that they should move their activities, for example to Ryukyu and Japan in the northeast. There was nothing there.

The pirate forces can compete with Shibazhi - of course, since there are fewer merchant ships passing through the local waters, there will be much less oil and water.

In addition, there are also die-hards who believe that they should immediately send troops to attack Nanri Island without giving Haihan and the Fujian Ming Army a chance to breathe. As for how to fight and whether they can beat the opponent, they don't care that much, or at all.

I haven't considered such a specific issue. After all, these people have never experienced the fear of being suppressed by Haihan artillery fire until they can't move.

With various opinions fragmented, it is difficult for Zheng Zhilong to prepare for war in Penghu in a unified manner. Although the pirate force under his command is the strongest among the Eighteen Zhizhi, if he does not get the cooperation of other leaders, he will not be able to prepare for the war in Penghu.

When faced with opponents of the level of Haihan and the Fujian Ming Army, they will still appear alone and lacking in strength.

While Zheng Xinzhi went to negotiate with the Dutch, there was not much that Zheng Zhilong could do. The main thing was to win over and appease the leaders of various families to prevent them from falling apart under the pressure of the outside world. He spent a lot of saliva and energy,

Finally, the internal disputes between the various factions were temporarily settled. Of course, he also made a lot of commitments. For example, Zheng Zhilong was the one who advocated for the Dutch to send troops, so he had to bear half of the corresponding expenses.

Only half of it will be shared by other leaders of Shibazhi. If the Dutch are willing to sell weapons such as artillery, then the weapons they bought need to be equally divided among them. Of course, if the Dutch take the opportunity to raise prices, the increased part will also be borne by Zheng Zhilong himself.

Subsidy out of pocket.

After much talk, the leaders of each family were finally willing to obey his command and began to select their elite men to prepare for the battle to recapture Nanri Island. Zheng Zhilong was looking forward to Zheng Xinzhi bringing back a relatively satisfactory news from Damuan Port -

—At least it will prevent his losses from being too great.

However, the news brought back by Zheng Xinzhi was really disappointing. Although the Dutch finally agreed to sell weapons and send troops, this was far from Zheng Zhilong's request. Giving so much money to the Dutch in vain, Zheng Zhilong felt for a moment that it was still wrong.

It's really better to use this money to buy peace for Xu Xinsu.

Of course, this was just a momentary thought. Zheng Zhilong still refused to admit defeat after all. The fame of Shiba Zhi on the coast of Fujian was not made by bragging. Zheng Zhilong still wanted to use war to get back Shiba Zhi.

Ba Zhi's due status in the world was only a few conditions negotiated by Zheng Xinzhi, which really made him feel dissatisfied.

Zheng Zhihu had already disliked Zheng Xinzhi, so he took the opportunity to complain: "Brother, your staff has been away for more than half a month, and none of the negotiated terms are beneficial to us. I think maybe

He was the one who caused some trouble and sold our brothers for his own personal gain!"

Zheng Xinzhi was so frightened that he hurriedly defended himself: "This is absolutely not the case! If you are a master, you can learn from the loyalty of the villain, so how could you do such things as cheating on others?"

"The price of the red-haired man's weapons will increase by 30%, and you actually agreed to it. You must also get some benefits after the deal is concluded!" Zheng Zhihu, however, refused to let him go.

Zheng Xinzhi knelt on the ground with a thump, and defended himself repeatedly: "If this happens, I am willing to be punished!"

Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Zhihu suspiciously, but saw that he just had an angry look on his face, but did not show any evidence. He knew that his brother was just talking nonsense, without even the slightest bit of real evidence. Of course, Zheng Zhilong could not fabricate something out of thin air.

Zheng Xinzhi was punished by the crime, so he could only be sent away with a few words.

As for Zheng Xinzhi digging this big hole... he has already dug it, should he jump or not? If he chooses not to jump, behind the scenes the Haihan people and the Fujian government are digging a bigger hole, which is almost to the heel. If Zheng Zhilong doesn't jump,

You will fall into this bigger and deeper pit.
Chapter completed!