Chapter 84: After the middle first, the sea battle
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Since ancient times, if a king's business wants to thrive, it must be deeply rooted. Both Han Taizu and Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty attach great importance to the foundation. Although Taizu of the Han Dynasty failed many times, relying on the continuous supply of soldiers, food and grass from Guanzhong, he finally defeated the enemy.
Xiang Yu was defeated; the same was true for Guangwu of Han Dynasty, relying on the foundation in Hanoi, he finally eliminated the heroes... Therefore, without a foundation, one cannot withstand failure.
Although he relied on his foresight to set off wars all over Yunnan Province and defeated the Qing army many times, Zhu Yongxing actually always felt that he was walking on thin ice. Before each battle, he couldn't help but think that if he was defeated unfortunately, he would have nothing and almost no chance of a comeback.
It's possible.
Therefore, he repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm and never end up in a situation where victory is inevitable and defeat is doomed. Zhu Yongxing, who can play Go, certainly knows what it means to hit first and last, and what it means to hit first and last. In
Recovering large areas of lost territory and feeding too many people before having sufficient financial resources is really a stupid strategy to drag down oneself. Moreover, one does not want the Ming army to become a beastly soldier like the Qing army, relying on looting and killing to maintain the place.
"The Qing court is a paper tiger." Zhu Yongxing reminded himself to stay calm while cheering himself up.
Judging from the original trajectory of history, the Qing government's financial difficulties have always existed. After basically pacifying the southwest, they freed up their hands to attack Jinxia. After Zheng Chenggong captured Taiwan and the situation in the southeast eased, they could organize the three provincial capitals to suppress and eliminate Kuidong.
Thirteen families. In other words, the problem of money and food not only troubled themselves, but also troubled the Qing government, making it difficult for them to send troops to all places at the same time. They could only defeat them one by one.
Zheng Chenggong counterattacked Nanjing. Although he failed, he also severely damaged Jiangnan. Jiangnan is the land of wealth; Southwest is the land of miasma. The Qing government naturally weighed the importance of the two places. Therefore, it concentrated its efforts.
To deal with Zheng Chenggong, first eliminate his threat to Jiangnan. Naturally, the resources invested in the southwest will be greatly reduced.
The raindrops were pitter-patter and kept ringing. Zhu Yongxing walked to the window and pushed the window open a little. The moist, unique smell of rain immediately hit his face. It made him feel refreshed.
If Zheng Chenggong had won the Battle of Nanjing, I am afraid that the Qing army in the southwest would have been ordered to withdraw and counterattack Jiangnan by now, right? Zhu Yongxing smiled bitterly and shook his head to shake this idea away. The rainy season has come again, and the Qing army in Yunnan Province, which is short of money and food, has already
It was difficult to launch a major operation. The Ming army in Yunnan Province could finally relax, and their attention could be temporarily shifted elsewhere.
In the rain, a man hurriedly came with an umbrella and talked to the guards in front of the door. Zhu Yongxing had already recognized the person and raised his voice and said: "Director Ye, come in quickly!"
Ye Hu agreed, opened the door and walked in. He put his umbrella by the door and walked to the inner hall.
"If there is any news, I have to come here in the rain." Zhu Yongxing poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over with his own hand.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Although he had been treated like this many times, Ye Hu was still respectful and bowed to take the hot tea, but was not in a hurry to drink it. Instead, he presented the two deciphered pieces of information to Zhu Yongxing first.
Zhu Yongxing read the first piece of information, estimated the time, and shook his head slightly. It was already half a month ago, and the war in the southeast may have started now. Zheng Chenggong will definitely win, and there are still two soldiers from the South China Sea Fleet.
With ten warships and thousands of soldiers as reinforcements, Zhu Yongxing has made up for the small loopholes. He is still very confident about this. Moreover, the flapping wings of his own butterfly still have an impact on the situation in the southeast.
Very small.
Seeing the second piece of information, Zhu Yongxing couldn't help but smile. The Western Yunnan War Zone finally freed up its hands and sent troops to Sichuan again. Judging from the time, they should have entered Liangshan. There were Yi, Naxi and other ethnic minority soldiers acting as translators and guides.
It should not be very difficult to carry gold and silver property through this place and establish a passage. If there is a blind chieftain blocking the way, then use force to completely destroy the chieftain's slavery system.
Don't be afraid of anything soft or hard. Anyway, the Ming army was well prepared when entering Sichuan. Gao Wengui, Duke of Chang, Chen Yiyao, Chen Sheng, etc. were not easy to deal with. The Ming army was also equipped with sky-blasting cannons and Tianwei.
Cannons and grenades are not something that these barbarians can compete with.
"Have you contacted Yazhou Hao Chengyi?" Zhu Yongxing asked again worriedly.
"Everything is ready. As soon as we pass Liangshan, our army can attack directly to the north. Hao Chengyi will raise his uprising in Yazhou in time and respond to each other. If the troops can be successfully joined, we can directly attack Chengdu." Ye Hu quickly put down the teacup and answered.
Zhu Yongxing nodded, thought for a while, and said: "The first season of grain has been harvested. I will give an order to the Western Yunnan War Zone to mobilize another 3,000 troops to Sichuan and recruit troops to make up for the shortage. It is difficult for the Qing army in Yunnan Province to make any big moves.
It is enough to exert pressure from the Southern Yunnan and Eastern Yunnan theaters!"
Ye Hu thought about it and felt that judging from all the information, there should be no problem with Zhu Yongxing's judgment.
After several months of training and harassing actual combat, the combat effectiveness of the Ming army in the southern and eastern Yunnan theaters has been steadily improved, and with the encouragement of reward orders, the Ming soldiers have a strong desire to fight. A report came out two days ago that the southern Yunnan theater
Two of them, including one in the East Yunnan War Zone, have killed more than ten enemies. Zhu Yongxing has approved the honorable retirement of these three people and summoned them to Mengzi. He will personally award medals to these three warriors and grant them a hundred acres of land.
It is the duty of the military to protect the homeland and the country, but we should not use them until they die. If you want to go home, marry a wife, farm, and live a good life, in addition to serving for enough years, there is another way to go, and that is to fight the enemy bravely and use your strength.
At the cost of life and blood, your wish will come true as soon as possible.
Of course, if you think you already have an official position and still want to climb up the ranks and earn a position as a general or something, then the army will respect your opinion even if you return home in glory.
"That's right." Zhu Yongxing suddenly remembered something, and Ye Hu quickly sat up straight.
"We need to strengthen Nan Ruan's intelligence work. If we don't have enough manpower, we can first use those businessmen to inquire." Zhu Yongxing explained thoughtfully: "The key point is its navy. How many ships are there, what are their equipment, and where are they permanently anchored?"
"Understood, Your Highness." Ye Hu didn't quite understand why Zhu Yongxing paid attention to Nan Ruan, but he was a man who followed orders and immediately agreed without any ambiguity.
After everything was arranged, Zhu Yongxing chatted with Ye Hu for a while, and Ye Hu just said goodbye and left.
Zhu Yongxing walked slowly indoors. His thoughts flew to the sea again. Currently, in addition to the Qing navy, the only one that poses a threat to the Ming army in the South China Sea and Beibu Gulf is the Nanruan navy. According to incomplete intelligence, the Nanruan navy is about to
There are more than a hundred warships, each equipped with two to six cannons and carrying more than 40 to 60 people of various types. Although ships with similar equipment are only suitable for offshore navigation, they were used in the war against Beizheng
Apparently more than enough.
Nip the danger in the cradle. This is only one of Zhu Yongxing's purposes. The other purpose is to expand the navy, obtain war compensation, and completely dispel Nan Ruan's ambition to expand southward.
Zhu Yongxing, who was driven by money and his eyes glowed green, was going further and further on the road to becoming a bandit. By launching foreign wars, protecting and winning business profits, or obtaining resources and funds through military compensation and other means, he finally wanted to take the colonialist approach.
behavior.
When Chen Shangchuan and Yang Yandi returned, the South China Sea Fleet and the Eastern Zhejiang Navy would be enough to launch a surprise attack to defeat the Nanruan Navy and dominate the Beibu Gulf. Zhu Yongxing stopped and looked out the window. He was gloomy and fierce.
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The wind carries the salty smell of sea water, and petrels fly low against the water surface in search of food. Silvery white waves ripple on the sea surface.
The beautiful and peaceful scene is shrouded in a tense and depressing atmosphere. A decisive battle concerning the balance of power between the Ming and Qing Dynasties in the southeast region has quietly begun. Thousands of sails compete, artillery fire continues, and bloody fighting will fill this area.
Between heaven and earth.
In the early morning of the 10th day of May, beacon fires were raised on Guiyu Island in Xiamen. The Qing fleet from Zhangzhou took the opportunity of the rising tide at dawn and took the lead in launching an attack. More than 400 large and small ships went straight to Guiyu Island, a small island at the mouth of the Jiulong River.
The purpose of coming to the island is obvious, which is to occupy it as a support point for the army and then attack Xiamen Island.
The Qing army followed the wind and the current, and advanced very quickly, even exceeding Zheng Chenggong's expectations. But Zheng Chenggong quickly made an accurate judgment, and all the warships dropped anchor and lowered their sails in order. They were not allowed to lift anchor without orders. They lined up in an array and pulled out their cannons.
, to meet the Qing army.
Having been in this sea for so many years, Zheng Chenggong is very aware of the changes in hydrology. When the two armies are fighting, the sea water will change from high tide to low tide. During the battle, the ships may retreat with the tide and lose their position. Therefore,
, only by anchoring the ship and fixing it can the formation be kept intact until the wind and tide turn to our advantage.
Boom, boom, boom... The artillery on the ship roared, and the sea was suddenly shrouded in gunpowder smoke. At the forefront of the array were the troops of Min'an Marquis Zhou Rui and Zhongjing Bo Chen Hui, facing the menacing Qing army.
The first shot of the battle was fired.
Relying on their numerical advantage, the Qing navy began to besiege the fleet led by Zhou Rui and Chen Hui. To the Qing army's surprise, the Zheng fleet behind them did not step forward for reinforcements, but anchored motionless on the sea.
Shells were fired from Ming warships from multiple directions, sawdust flying across the deck, and people were hit from time to time. Although they were outnumbered, Zhou Rui and Chen Hui still commanded their men to fight back bravely. However, as time passed, the masts of the ships were damaged.
Broken and severely damaged, the artillery gradually went silent.
"Jump the gang and catch them alive." Huang Wu, the traitor general, shouted excitedly and gave the order. He was the deputy commander of the fleet in Zhangzhou. He could recognize this ship as a command ship and felt that there must be a big shot on board.
A Qing warship received the order and slowly moved closer. The iron ropes and ramps were thrown towards Zhou Rui's command ship. Groups of Qing soldiers crowded on the deck, howling and preparing to join in a hand-to-hand fight.
"Drop a bomb!" With a shout, dozens of Ming soldiers suddenly appeared from behind the broken side of the ship and threw a row of grenades with all their strength.
The strange object with green smoke fell to the deck and rolled under the feet of the Qing soldiers. Then, another piece of black smoke flew towards them.
One after another, grenades exploded on the deck and among the Qing soldiers. The Qing soldiers who were caught off guard screamed and howled, were knocked unconscious in the smoke, and became a mess.
"Charge and kill!"
Zhou Rui, the Marquis of Min'an, jumped up, shouted loudly, put the knife in his hand into his mouth, and looked at the end of an iron rope thrown on the side of the deck. He pulled it with both hands and kicked hard on the hull of the ship with his legs.
By kicking, he hooked the enemy ship with his hand. He jumped up and jumped onto the deck of the enemy ship. As soon as he landed, he took the knife from his mouth with his right hand and slashed at the figure in the smoke.
The soldiers of the Ming army were all brave and brave. They jumped onto the enemy ship along the gangway and iron rope, brandished their swords and guns, shouted to kill the sky, and killed the chaotic Qing army on the deck.
Poof, the sword flashed, and the head of a Qing soldier rolled onto the deck. Zhou Rui and several Ming soldiers grabbed the steering wheel, chopped it into pieces, killed several more people, and dropped the anchor.
Although the grenades carried by Chen Shangchuan and Yang Yandi gave the Qing soldiers a sudden blow, the situation of being outnumbered and the enemy still did not change. Dozens of small boats had been lowered and surrounded the battleship. The Qing soldiers followed suit.
Climb up using the gangway and the rope with the hook.
Hand-to-hand combat, extremely brutal hand-to-hand combat unfolded on the ship, and occasionally a grenade made a loud noise, causing screams. This type of grenade was specially made to equip the South China Sea Fleet. It is relatively large and has a very short throwing distance. It is very effective against jump gangs.
, but not many in number.
In the field of vision of the telescope, more and more soldiers were being cleared on the fighting ships, and the green flag was raised to the end of the incomplete mast. Zheng Chenggong couldn't help but clenched his fists, and his nails were dug into his flesh.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise that shook the world, and the ship that seemed to have ended the battle was filled with flames and smoke. The air waves caused by the gunpowder explosion even lifted the deck of the ship, and the hull completely exploded. The hundreds of Qing troops on the ship were not yet alive.
He had no time to jump into the sea, and disappeared into the smoke along with the warship in a blaze of fire.
"Good job." Zheng Chenggong slowly put down the telescope. Without thinking hard, he knew that it was the remaining Ming army that ignited the gunpowder in the ship and perished with the enemy.
Zhou Rui, the Marquis of Min'an, was one of the generals who had been ordered never to be used by Zheng Chenggong. However, in this key battle that determined the survival of Jin and Xia, as well as the victory or defeat of Zheng's army, he used his bravery, his spirit of disregarding death, and his heroic
Sacrifice shows the supreme glory of a soldier.
"Well done!" It was Linghai General Chen Shangchuan who exclaimed. He and the fleet led by Yang Yandi were arrayed behind. As guest troops coming to support, Zheng Chenggong was naturally embarrassed to arrange for them to fight in the front.
"Is it really impossible to rescue?" Duan Zhiying said in a low voice with a look of regret on her face.
Chen Shangchuan hesitated for a moment, shook his head slightly, and said in a low voice: "If we lift anchor and go for the rescue, it will probably lead to chaos in the battle line and the defeat of the entire army." After a pause, he looked up at the sky, and then looked down again.
I looked at the sea surface and saw that the sun had already risen above my head. Although the ocean current below the ship was still flowing from south to north, it had become slower.
"The tide is about to change. Then it's time to attack and kill the enemy." After Chen Shangchuan finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head slightly, looked at the beacon smoke rising in the distance, and couldn't help but frown.