Zheng Zhilong's death was like a bombshell dropped across Fujian Province and even the southeastern coast. The news was so shocking that few people noticed the destruction of Zhangzhou Bay.
For more than ten years, Zheng Zhilong has been fighting for hegemony at sea and has experienced numerous storms. Although there have been major setbacks such as being ensnared by the Dutch and Li Kuiqi's split, he has always been invincible on the sea with the support of Xiong Can. From a small
A smuggler suddenly became a merchant, a guerrilla general of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Great Wall of Fujian". As Zheng Ziqi pointed out, he was invincible.
Now, this behemoth on the East Asian sea, the invincible young sea master, unexpectedly fell suddenly in just one day of battle. When the news came, everyone who received the news was shocked, and then questioned.
Is Zheng Zhilong really dead?
Envoys and agents sent by all parties rushed to Anping, Xiamen and other places.
Fujian Governor Zou Weilian got the news on September 25. In fact, on the second day of D-Day, he got the news that "there were pirates entering the Zhongzuo Station", but he didn't pay much attention-Zheng Zhilong was in the Zhongzuo Station area.
Although he was not completely loyal to the Ming Dynasty, he was always concerned about the safety of Ba Min. Liu Xianglao's attack on Min'an was also defeated by his army. Now that he has captured his home base, Zheng Zhilong will definitely
Fight to the death.
Unexpectedly, the subsequent news got worse and worse. The local officials in the Jin and Xia areas sent emergency envoys to report that the pirates were powerful. Zheng's troops were completely defeated in Jin and Xia areas, and the troops were fleeing to the mainland. Please hurry.
Send troops and bombs to crush the army.
Today, he received the most shocking news since taking office: Zheng Zhilong was killed in battle!
The news of Zheng Zhilong's death in battle was informed by a letter written by Zheng Zhifeng:
...The bandits crossed the sea and entered Anping County, where the bandits were on the left. They advanced by land and water. Zheng Gong led his troops out of the city to meet the enemy, and recruited dead men to fight hard, and gained a lot. However, the bandits fired a series of muskets and set off huge cannons. Zheng Gong pulled out.
He fought with swords and fought hard to enter. He killed more than ten people and was hit by several bullets. Judas kept fighting fiercely. You commanded the top of the city to remain motionless because of the Kun artillery injury. When the Kun thieves came ashore, they swarmed and wounded seven more with musketry. Zheng Gong was exhausted.
, Unable to bear it, he bowed again to the north, gave the sealing ribbon to Tong Tailang, a general from the camp, and said: "I can't come back to life, please spare my head. Throw it into the body ditch." He mourned and died.
Duke Zheng was defeated, and the thieves entered the city and looted the city. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed and plundered. The thieves also destroyed Zhongzuo and Anping County, and burned all the houses. All stone pavilions and railings were destroyed; the big ones could not be destroyed.
The latter even used gunpowder to explode them. As a result, both cities were reduced to rubble...
Zheng Zhifeng is the brother of Zheng Zhilong and one of the leaders of the Zheng family who attaches great importance to advice. His report is highly credible.
So, Zheng Zhilong really died in the battle? Zou Weilian felt quite unbelievable, and for a moment a mixture of joy and worry came to his mind.
Fortunately, he had been worried that Zheng Zhilong would not lose his power and would gradually become a vassal town. His predecessor successfully recruited Zheng Zhilong and purged the foreign side of Fujian. However, anyone with a discerning eye would know at a glance that the so-called purging of the foreign side was just the past.
Among the many pirates who were in trouble, the Zheng family became the only one.
What is even more worrying is that the Zheng family has taken advantage of their official position to openly occupy the Zhongzuo Station, recruit private soldiers, and forcibly collect water... It has gradually grown into an extremely huge force. This force. The governor of Fujian alone has already
Gradually he could no longer control it. The military situation in Liaodong was urgent, and the court proposed to transfer the Zheng family navy to the north for reinforcements. Zheng Zhilong made excuses every time.
I am no better than Xiong Can, and I have a "favor" and personal relationship with Zheng Zhilong - if I make a wrong move, Zheng Zhilong openly betrays the enemy, and the power of Fujian cannot suppress it at all, which will inevitably cause the erosion of the entire southeastern coast. Today's Ming Dynasty is no better than the emperor
When he first came to the throne, as the saying goes, fires were everywhere and smoke was rising in all directions. If he caused such trouble again in Fujian, most of his lives would be lost.
Now Zheng Zhilong was defeated and even lost his life. While Zou Weilian was surprised, he couldn't help but feel relieved secretly - once Zheng Zhilong died, the Zheng family would be leaderless and would inevitably fall apart. When the time comes, it would not be difficult for him to use his skills to divide and conquer them.
What is worrying is that the invading thieves actually have such power to dig holes into the Zheng family's home. There will definitely be another bloody storm on the sea in the future, and the rough ocean will inevitably fall into chaos again.
Among them, if this group of pirates invades coastal areas again, it will be a serious problem for coastal defense.
He didn't take it too seriously when there was chaos at sea, and merchant ships and fishing boats were robbed and killed. However, if pirates frequently came ashore to kill and plunder, the local Jin gentry would surely suffer. Once the Fujian officials in the capital were alerted, his life would not be easy.
Better.
While he was hesitating, the servants sent newspapers from Nan'an and Detang from Jinjiang County. Zou Weilian opened them one by one:
Nan'antang Newspaper:... The Kun thieves attacked the city day and night. When the Kun soldiers approached the city gate and climbed up the city wall, they suddenly saw the Guanyin statue in the smoke. The Bodhisattva stretched out his sleeves. Suddenly, heavy rain poured down. The enemy's rockets and shells were fired, and no one was left.
If it can sound, the thieves will be afraid and retreat.
Jinjiangtang Newspaper: ... On the 20th, tens of thousands of bandits invaded Xiamen. The guerrilla general Zheng Zhilong fought hard to defeat them. Unfortunately, he was shot and died, and the bandits fell into the city. As a result of the bitter fighting, they massacred without leaving any survivors among the soldiers and civilians... The bandits
They divided into groups to plunder and invade the Jinjiang River. The people were unable to defend themselves. The gentry in the county spent more than a thousand dollars to recruit hundreds of dead soldiers. They attacked the Kun camp at night. Each of them was armed with a white sword.
, Naixu responded with a clean barrel, and the thieves' guns and guns were all broken. The thieves in the city beheaded hundreds of Wuyou people, and the thieves cried and howled, abandoned their guns and cannons, carried their corpses, and fled.
It's all nonsense. Zou Weilian thought to himself. He himself once served as the Provincial Yanping Coast Guard and was very familiar with Fujian's coastal defense. He didn't know the tricks of the prefectures, counties, and Weisuotang newspapers. He estimated that the thieves were in Nan'an and Jinjiang counties.
There were only a few faces nearby, and there was no "big battle" or "death battle" at all. However, the battle report from Jinjiang said that Zheng Zhilong had died in the battle, which seemed to confirm what Zheng Zhifeng said.
However, at least Nan'an and Jinjiang counties were not lost. According to what the Kantang newspaper said, the bandits had retreated after landing and looting. In this way, the serious crime of losing the county can be exempted. As for the city of Zhongzuo,
, one can report another victory to cover up this disastrous defeat - as for Zheng Zhilong's death, although it shocked the coastal waters, in official circles he was just a small guerrilla general. Over the years, the generals, deputy generals, and generals have died in battle.
are no longer rare.
Thinking of this, Zou Weilian already had a plan in mind on how to deal with it. He called his staff and asked them to write a few letters to Zheng Zhilong and others, asking them to immediately "suppress the troops, take in the exiles, and divide them into various places to prepare for future orders."
Then he wrote to the magistrates of Jinjiang and Nan'an counties, ordering them to close the city gates and set up temporary camps under the city to accommodate refugees and defeated troops.
He ordered his staff to write an emotional and deeply painful memorial tribute to Zheng Zhilong, and prepare it for use.
Then he sent word to the Central Army and ordered him to select elite sergeants from several places from Fubiao Central Camp and quietly go to various places to investigate the situation.
"You prepare another 300 men and horses, prepare ten ships, and stand by at the mouth of the Jiulong River. Just wait for my arrow to shoot, and you will lift anchor and go to Zhongzuo Station. By the time you go, the Zheng family's men and horses will have already arrived. You only need to board
Go ashore, go to the city for a walk, and then come back."
"Here!" The Chinese Army didn't know what kind of medicine the governor was selling in his gourd, but it was a simple and risky thing to do. It was indispensable that he would get some silver when he went there, and he would be rewarded with silver when he came back. It could be regarded as a small fortune.
.
"Don't provoke the Zheng family. As long as you come back safely, I will recommend you."
"Thank you for your grace!"
Next, is how to deal with the Zheng family. Zou Weilian thought, now is an opportunity to kill the Zheng family. Take advantage of his illness and kill him. The Zheng family has no leader and its power has been greatly reduced. It is a good opportunity to take action. Moreover, Fujian is dissatisfied with the Zheng family.
The Zheng family, as a rising maritime merchant, acquired land in southern Fujian and monopolized the export of goods and maritime trade after gaining official status, which caused serious dissatisfaction among many local gentry. However, Xiong Can was fed by Zheng Zhilong at the beginning.
Well, it was Xiong Can’s political achievement to recruit Zheng Zhilong, so this voice was suppressed when Xiong Can was in office. After Zou Weilian took office, many people came to Zou Weilian through various connections to complain. Many local officials were also secretly
Encourage him to "govern" the Zheng family.
But killing the Zheng family doesn't mean much to Zou Weilian: it's good to be able to please the Jin gentry, but he still doesn't know to what extent the Zheng family has been damaged. If a chaos is caused, the consequences will be disastrous. Moreover, Xiong Can is now
The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi also serves as the governor of Guangdong, and the emperor's family is prosperous. He took action himself, which is bound to arouse Xiong Can's dissatisfaction.
Anyway, the Zheng family has been severely weakened and has lost its leader Zheng Zhilong, so he can divide and rule.
He thought for a while and called one of his close family members:
"Go to the accounting office and ask them to prepare one hundred taels of silver, ten shi of rice, bacon, roasted chicken, and dried fish, and a copy of my full name, and send them to the county school in Jinjiang County."
Jinjiang's Tangbao also mentioned that many family members of the Zheng family have fled to Jinjiang and are currently being held in county schools.
"After you go, try to find out who are the Zheng family members who fled to Jinjiang? Apart from those who fled to Jinjiang County, where else could they flee to? Where are General Zheng's wife and youngest son now?
Find out everything one by one. You will receive another twenty taels of silver to use on the road, and choose a few capable people from your family to go with you."
"Yes, sir." The family members followed the order and left.
Finally, he called his close aides and asked them to discuss how to write a memorial to the court and ask for a memorial. How to word the words, how to make the "sacred heart comfort", and how to cover up and cover up the merits are all profound knowledge. In the end, it is necessary. Drawing up a list of recommendations and requests for credit. These must be considered by the staff in advance.