Chapter 136 The Burmese Palace, Before the Decisive Battle
If a country wants to be strong, is expansion and plunder the only way to develop? Zhu Yongxing does not want to think too much about this. In the face of benevolence, justice, pacification of foreigners, and kindness to the world, he naturally wants to put national interests first.
Myanmar is a country that must be conquered. Not only because of its attitude towards the Yongli monarchs and the blackmail of Zhu Yongxing, but also because it is the land passage to India. It is a big fat piece of meat, and Zhu Yongxing does not want to give it all.
For the British guy, he must try to pick this, which is called "the brightest jewel in the Queen's crown".
Burma was not aware of Zhu Yongxing's upcoming colonial claws of aggression and expansion. On the contrary, he was delighted because Zhu Yongxing temporarily bowed his head. However, as the Ming army grew stronger, the King of Burma also realized that it was better not to go too far and never go too far.
Although Li Junchen did not have that ability, if the Ming army was provoked, Myanmar would not be able to resist it no matter what.
Accompanied by the Burmese officials, Zheng Zhaoren stopped and looked at the place built with bamboos like a rundown village. The thatched and bamboo houses inside were the palace! It was really——
"Sir, don't say anything after entering, otherwise my king will blame you, and I can't afford it!" the Burmese official reminded him in a low voice again.
"Don't worry, I won't make it difficult for you." Zheng Zhaoren smiled and patted the Burmese official on the shoulder, took two steps back, and followed behind him. He was dressed in Burmese clothes, so no one could tell his identity.
It has been several months since he came to Awa as ambassador. With Zheng Zhaoren's all-round skills developed through many years of business and Zhu Yongxing's financial support, he got along well with many Burmese officials. After the Burmese king received the gift from Nanming, and
After getting rid of his vassal status, he was also quite polite to Zheng Zhaoren. Although Zheng Zhaoren was still not allowed to meet and contact Yongli monarchs and ministers, the food, meat and vegetables, clothing, bedding and other items that Zheng Zhaoren purchased regularly were allowed to be sent in.
"Palace" greatly improved the lives of Yongli monarchs, ministers and their entourage.
Zheng Zhaoren was not impatient and continued to work in Awa City. While continuing to explain to the Burmese king and ministers that the key point of the anti-Qing war was that the finances were tight and he could not support the Yongli monarch and his followers who were far away in Burma for a long time; at the same time, he was observing Burma.
He kept the relations between all parties in mind one by one, made targeted friends with Burmese officials, and maintained close correspondence with Yunnan Province.
Things finally took a turn for the better a few days ago. The Dian Province sent a large four-foot-tall mirror that touched the heart of the Burmese Queen. The pillow wind blew, and the Burmese King finally relaxed and agreed to send Burmese officials to inspect the interior of the "palace".
The personnel were registered and selected, and then some personnel deemed insignificant by the Burmese side were handed over to Nanming. Zheng Zhaoren could enter the "palace" for inspection and observe the registration of Burmese officials without revealing his identity or talking to Yongli monarchs and ministers.
Work.
In the view of King Burmese, sending some Ming people away would be equivalent to weakening Yongli's wings, making it easier to control in the future. Moreover, this also showed goodwill to the Ming Dynasty and could continue to receive "tribute" from the Ming Dynasty. Yes.
The King of Burma said this to some tribal leaders in the country, and invited them to see the gifts sent by the Ming Dynasty. Look, even the heavens have bowed their heads to me as "tributes". I am so capable, but you still don't give it to me.
Honestly.
Passing through the gate guarded by the Burmese soldiers, Zheng Zhaoren and his party entered the "temporary palace" of Zhuzhai. There were also patrols in the "temporary palace". They should be the imperial guards or the royal guards who came with them, but they were unarmed. A wooden stick would be a good weapon.
.Seeing Burmese officials approaching under the escort of Burmese soldiers, they all automatically and consciously moved out of the way.
Hehe, look at the spirit of these people. They are not even as good as the people of Yunnan Province. This defense is useless. Zheng Zhaoren cursed in his heart, but his face remained calm.
"Heaven's Gate, Heaven's Gate, open Heaven's Gate."
"Big, big, small, small!"
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A sound of shouting and drinking came from the thatched house next to it. It turned out that this was a casino opened by Suining Bo Puying, eunuch Yang Guoming and others. The people inside were very interested in gambling. At first, Emperor Yongli heard about it
Angry, he once ordered the guards in brocade clothes to demolish the casino, but the ministers did not care about the emperor's imperial edict and reopened the casino in another place. The noise remained the same. Yongli had no choice but to let it go.
Zheng Zhaoren noticed that the Burmese official glanced at him secretly, and couldn't help but feel a little hot. He cursed in his heart: These bastards have been shamed abroad. His Highness Min is leading the army and civilians to fight desperately against the Qing army. These guys are like walking zombies.
, just trying to live in peace, enjoying hardships, and have no intention of going to the national crisis together. Damn, it’s really strange that these guys are running the country and they are undefeated.
Along the road, I saw many Ming Dynasty officials in short clothes and barefoot. Although they did not care about the state, Zheng Zhaoren was already a little numb and didn't bother to look at them again.
The Burmese official came to the ten or so thatched cottages, which were the "Imperial Palace" of Yongli. There lived the Queen Wang, Queen Mother Ma, two concubines, and some maids and eunuchs. The Burmese official stopped and looked back at Zheng Zhaoren.
, Zheng Zhaoren nodded knowingly, stretched out his hand, and stood outside, letting the Burmese officer go in first to report.
Zheng Zhaoren's eyes narrowed, and several officials from the Ming Dynasty walked in front of them. Although their hats, belts, and robes were old, they were very neat. The leader of them was a man with a long beard with three locks. His face was serious, and he walked with strong steps, which gave him a somewhat majestic air.
When these officials came to the "Imperial Palace", they met the Burmese official who had finished his report and left. The leader of the powerful officials came forward to ask questions. The Burmese official was very respectful and the interpreter conveyed the news back and forth.
The Duke of Guizhou, Mu Tianbo, and Zheng Zhaoren narrowed their eyes slightly. Those people who were just living an ignoble life were nothing to worry about. These loyal ministers were an obstacle to His Highness Min.
The sound of the piano and songs suddenly came from the thatched cottage next to the "Imperial Palace". Mu Tianbo's face changed and he gritted his teeth with hatred. This was the home of Prince Weigong, among whom was the Cantonese actress Li Yingxiang. Wang Weigong often ordered her to sing songs.
Entertainment. Although he hated Wang Weigong for being a walking corpse and had no thoughts of losing the country and worrying about the king, Mu Tianbo still endured it and talked to the Burmese officials.
"My king is afraid that there will be a shortage of money and food, so he has been slow to treat you all. He has specially ordered his subordinates to register and verify the supply so that it can be supplied on time and in quantity to prevent you from running out of daily necessities." The Burmese official said politely, but he concealed something and did not mention sending people back to his country.
thing.
"Er Xuanwei Division was originally granted by me in China. Now that my monarch and ministers have arrived, they are the superior state of the heaven. You, the king, should respond here, which is the reason why you are a subordinate state. How can you trap my monarch and ministers here..." Mu Tianbo's
He looked very unhappy. The prince died suddenly. His painstaking plan to protect the prince from the siege and return to Yunnan was ruined. Yongli was weak and difficult to help. He felt that his hope had been lost and he felt melancholy.
"Mr. Mu's words are serious. How can our king intend to imprison him? In fact, your army has killed local people, and the Burmese people hate it to the bone. Our country cannot protect it." The Burmese officer said with a smile: "Our country is originally
We are a small country with little wealth, but we have supported you for nearly three years. Would you rather not repay your kindness?"
"Although my monarch and his ministers are in power today, I dare not be rude to you, King Li. The worst I can do is to die as fate dictates. But after my monarch and my ministers die, the Jin and Gong vassals will come to settle accounts with your king." After Mu Tianbo finished speaking, he snorted coldly.
He said nothing and stopped talking, sitting in the bamboo city, letting his words show off. It didn't help matters, it was just an opportunity to vent.
The Burmese official smiled slightly, but was not angry. He cupped his hands and led the people away. Huanjin, Gong Erfan, the head of the family has been changed. It seems that blocking the news is correct. Yongli Jun and his ministers do not know the details outside, otherwise they would not do it.
There will be a fuss.
Zheng Zhaoren took a deep look at Mu Tianbo and followed the Burmese official calmly. Seeing is believing, hearing is false. Although he had already bribed several Burmese soldiers with heavy sums of money, he was able to obtain the "palace"
The movement inside. But seeing it with his own eyes this time was more real. Zheng Zhaoren kept thinking secretly in his heart, rethinking the possibility of implementing various plans in the future.
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"In the wars of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a decisive naval superiority was the basis for hope of success. If we could maintain regular naval superiority, we could make the enemy switch to a difficult defensive position, disrupt and curb his desire to attack. Through the navy,
Not only can we continuously pour troops and material resources into the battlefield, but we can also use our fleets flexibly to choose terrain and time that are favorable to us..."
Zhu Yongxing had such high expectations and evaluations of the navy. At this time, these words were echoing in Duan Zhiying's ears. The ship was shaken by the waves, but as a captain, he had adapted to the bumps on the sea and stood steadily.
On the bow of the ship, he held up his telescope and continued to look into the distance.
The surprise attack on Baigemen Water Village is being implemented. After the combat plan has been improved and supplemented, the entire South China Sea Fleet is divided into three detachments. Duan Zhiying and his "Haibo" are honored to become a member of the assault fleet.
The assault detachment consisted of twenty-six warships with superior speed and superior artillery, including three British warships, all flying the flag of the Netherlands, commanded by Yang Yandi, and managed to sneak through the Qiongzhou Strait.
Because Zheng Chenggong is fighting the Dutch in Taiwan, it is more believable to use the name of Dutch reinforcements. Anyway, the assault fleet is now led by three British warships. It has crossed the Qiongzhou Strait and turned northward out of sight of the land on the shore.
Run to Baigemen Water Village.
In the field of view of the telescope, Yang Yandi's flagship has rushed to the front of the fleet. He has been operating in Gao, Lei, Lianzhou and nearby waters for a long time. He is more familiar with the sea conditions and lines here than the British.
I don’t know how the British dealt with the Qing army’s sentry ship. Anyway, the beacon tower on the shore did not send out an alarm signal. Probably in the eyes of the Qing army, the Dutch, French, British, etc. were all of the same virtue.
No specific country.
Duan Zhiying put down the telescope, and the deck behind him became lively. Ming soldiers wearing paper hats and messy face paint came out of the cabin one after another and went to the deck for some air. Although their uniforms were slim enough, but from a distance,
Originally, not many Qing troops had actually seen the Xiyi people, but it was difficult to tell that these strange-looking Xiyi people were actually Ming troops in disguise.
Even if the second detachment was led by two French warships, they probably wouldn't be able to get through. Duan Zhiying smiled bitterly and shook his head. Because there were more than 80 ships, there were too many "Dutch" people, and the Qing army was not a fool.
, it is obviously a bit fanciful to expect them to be fooled a second time.
However, that should be four or five hours later. Before that - isn't it an opportunity for the assault detachment to show off its power and make achievements? Or is it that Duan Zhiying will be buried under the sea after a fierce and cruel sea battle?
He suddenly laughed. There was almost a British guy on every ship to act as a facade. Now this British guy was making funny gestures, as if to prove that he was stronger than a Ming army soldier.
"Captain, this British guy is really interesting." Li Wangshan, a trainee second lieutenant, walked in. As an alumnus of the Naval Science Department of Jiangwu Hall, he was close to Duan Zhiying and admired the senior's rapid promotion.
.
"Don't underestimate him, maybe he will become our consultant in the future!" Duan Zhiying had already heard the news that Zhu Yongxing seemed to be hiring Xi Yi as a naval consultant, so he indirectly reminded the young boy, "The British have great navigation skills.
They are very powerful, especially in the ocean. And their level of naval warfare is also very high. Back then, the Spanish Armada was defeated by them."
In the martial arts hall, there is a special course on foreign navies, which aims to broaden the horizons of these officers. The naval battle that was related to the direction of world history nearly a hundred years ago is also one of the teaching materials.
"That's what the captain said." Li Wangshan nodded repeatedly and said: "The Lecture Hall has a new map. The UK is thousands of miles away. His Highness once looked at the map and sighed with emotion: The exchanges between the two countries have always been
It’s mutual, but it’s a pity that the British, French, Dutch and Spanish can come to the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty doesn’t have ships that can sail to Europe.”
Duan Zhiying was silent for a long time, looked up at the boundless sea, and said in a low voice: "Then let us work hard to realize His Highness's wish as soon as possible, so that the Western people in Europe can also see our Ming Dynasty's mighty warships."
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Finally, I couldn't get over it! Although Chen Shangchuan, the commander of the second detachment, had expected it, he still felt a little disappointed and dissatisfied. Now, he is leading a squadron to attack Qiongzhoukou (now Haikou Port) of the Qing Army.
), venting his frustration and dissatisfaction through cannonballs.
There were not many Qing warships at Qiongzhoukou. The fleet commanded by Chen Shangchuan had a clear advantage and firmly blocked the coastline and port. The Qing warships could not rush out and quickly lost the ability to fight back in the fire confrontation.
With so much force, the forts on the shore were also knocked out of action one by one.
More than a dozen light ships equipped with only two cannons rushed out following Chen Shangchuan's flag, rushed into the port, and fired at a very close distance from the enemy ships, sending one enemy ship after another to the bottom of the sea.
Although we really want to capture the enemy ship, time is precious. The target of this operation is Baigemen Water Village. As long as the enemy ship is sunk and it is difficult to cross the strait to call the police, the goal will be achieved.
There was no suspense about the battle anymore. Chen Shangchuan turned his telescope to the north of the strait, and did not find the beacon smoke rising straight at the end of his field of vision. Maybe it was too far away to see, maybe the beacon towers were abandoned due to the relocation of the coastal border, or maybe it was
After being seen through by the Qing army's sentry ship, he acted decisively and no fish slipped through the net. He was not sure, but it was always the right choice to act as planned as soon as possible so that the assault detachment would have back-up support.