nucmednet Chapter 292 War begins
Chapter 292 War begins
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Nan'ao Island.
Upon hearing Zhou Guoxin's report, Liu Ye waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Zheng Hongkui wants to leave himself a way out, so let's agree to him for now. As long as he keeps the Zheng clan members in his mansion, we can trap them like turtles in a jar. The result will be the same. It doesn't matter whether he identifies them or not. It will save us trouble."
Zhou Guoxin was startled and pressed, "General, but Zheng Hongkui's condition is to spare the lives of the entire Zheng family. If we agree to this beforehand and then slaughter the entire Zheng clan afterward, wouldn't that be going back on our word..."
Liu Ye glared at him: "Great men don't concern themselves with trifles. You're supposed to be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, yet you're so soft-hearted. How can you achieve great things? We promised not to force him to identify his own clansmen, not that we promised not to kill the Zheng family!"
Zhou Guoxin thought to himself, "Isn't this a fallacy? Will Zheng Hongkui be so frustrated he'll vomit blood afterward?" But it's Zheng Hongkui who'll suffer, not him. He replied meekly, "General, you are right. I understand."
"But you Imperial Guards are truly despicable, bringing such baseless rumors to the forefront." Liu Ye put on a smiling face, pointing at him with a grin. "I knew it was fake the moment I heard it. Zheng Hongkui, as the fourth son of the Zheng family, and in charge of such a lucrative position as the Japanese trader, is rich and powerful. What kind of woman couldn't he find? Why would he travel all the way to Japan to cuckold his elder brother? Having an affair with Zheng Zhilong's woman is not only a disgrace to the family, but it also involves the issue of the heir to the Zheng family's vast business empire. I doubt Zheng Hongkui has the cunning and audacity to do that."
Zhou Guoxin said with a forced smile, "I know it's unreliable, but Zheng Hongkui has no other leverage, so he has to resort to this. You know what, in these kinds of things, the onlooker sees more of the game than the player. It's impossible for Zheng Zhilong not to be suspicious once he finds out."
Liu Ye smiled without saying a word. The two things Chinese men find most unbearable are: one, their wife cheating on them; and two, discovering their child isn't theirs after they've raised it. Even the most rational man, when faced with these two situations, cannot calmly and objectively analyze the facts.
Although Zheng Hongkui was framed and forced to become a collaborator for the Qiongzhou camp, necessary precautions still needed to be taken. Liu Ye asked, "Have there been people left in Anping to monitor Zheng Hongkui?"
"I have made arrangements. Wang Qinian is in the open, while the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are in the shadows. Zheng Hongkui's every move is under our control."
Liu Ye nodded: "Anping is settled, everything is ready except for the final push. Is there any news from Liang Dong?"
"There are no new changes. Liang Dong said that the Zheng family's fleet has gathered at Zhongzuo and is scheduled to depart on the second day of next month."
"Today is the 29th of the first lunar month, which is the day after tomorrow?" Liu Ye stood up. "Then let's settle things with Zheng Zhilong on the second day of next month!"
On the second day of the second lunar month in the eighth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), the day known as the Dragon Raising its Head, a day for people to worship the dragon and pray for rain, also called the "Green Dragon Festival," Zheng Zhilong, who made his living at sea, revered the Dragon King and specially chose this auspicious day to set sail. On this day, the heavens were also kind, with clear skies and calm seas, and Zheng's fleet sailed out of Zhongzuosuo Port in a grand procession.
Having witnessed firsthand the formidable fighting power of the Qiongzhou Camp, Zheng Zhilong dared not underestimate this potential adversary. His trip to Qiongzhou Prefecture to "seek justice" involved an even larger force of men and ships than the one used against the Hongmao (Japanese) forces in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay. Upon learning of Liu Ye's intention to embezzle the 300,000 taels of silver intended for cannon purchases, Zheng Zhilong immediately resolved to plan this operation. He aimed to use this opportunity to completely crush the Qiongzhou Camp's momentum and arrogance, letting this so-called "ally" know who truly controlled the Ming Dynasty's maritime borders.
If Zheng Zhihu were alive, given his personality, he would definitely urge his elder brother to simply raze Lingao to the ground, instead of beating around the bush and negotiating terms. However, Zheng Zhilong also had his concerns. A minor skirmish between the Fujian guerrillas and the Guangdong military commander was one thing, but if they attacked Lingao County, it would be considered a rebellion, and Zheng Zhilong didn't want to ruin his future for a moment of anger. His legitimate official status was his greatest asset in his battles with other pirates. It was with the support of the imperial court and government officials that he was able to eliminate his maritime rivals one by one and reach his current position.
When Zheng Zhilong's largest three-masted warship, the Zheng family's largest, sailed out of Zhongzuosuo Port, he had no idea what kind of nightmare awaited him. Even with the worst assumptions about his opponent, he didn't know that the Qiongzhou Camp was prepared to fight him to the death, rather than waiting for him to come to Lingao for negotiations. The fighting spirit of both sides was unequal from the start, and with the Yongle-class warship joining the fray, the outcome of this fierce battle was already decided before it even began.
Because of Liang Dong's presence, the Qiongzhou camp knew the Zheng family's fleet's movements in advance and was already on high alert in the waters near Kinmen. The Zheng family's fleet had just set sail when they were surprised to find dozens of large and small plank boats appearing in their field of vision, seemingly hunters waiting for their prey to ram into them.
Zheng Zhilong, at the rear of the fleet, also witnessed this scene through his telescope. He immediately recognized the Wuxiang-class patrol ship as the main warship of the Qiongzhou Camp during the Battle of Liaoluo Bay. This ship, similar in size to his own "Big Green Head," was very agile and had caused the Hongmao (Hongmao) a great deal of trouble. But what about the other large ships, each over a thousand liao in length? He had never seen them before. Had they appeared overnight?
However, Zheng Zhilong quickly dismissed this absurd conjecture. No one in the world could conjure soldiers from beans, and he knew better than anyone how long it would take to build a thousand-ton warship. Therefore, there was only one answer: such large ships had already been launched; the reason they hadn't been seen was because the Qiongzhou Camp was deliberately concealing it. Combined with the Qiongzhou Camp's ill-intentioned actions of blocking the sea entrance today, their malice was obvious.
While continuing to observe the opposing fleet through his binoculars, Zheng Zhilong cursed angrily, "I haven't even come to your door to cause trouble yet, and you've already blocked my doorstep?"
When the majestic silhouette of the Yongle-class warship appeared in the telescope, Zheng Zhilong's hand trembled, nearly dropping the telescope into the sea. This ship must be over two thousand liters in size; even the Portuguese didn't have such a behemoth. How did the Qiongzhou Camp manage to build it?
The Qiongzhou naval force had no time to speculate on Zheng Zhilong's inner thoughts. Under Gao Jie's command, the two Yongle-class ships, "Guangdong" and "Shandong," were positioned in the center, with 12 Wuyi-class ships at both ends, forming a naval battle line. Sixteen Wuxiang-class ships patrolled the perimeter, ready for battle.
Without receiving clear orders, Zheng's fleet continued to advance forward hesitantly, with the lead troop transport ships only a little over a mile away from the battle line.
Gao Jie gave the order: "All cannon crews, open fire! Target the convoy ahead! Fire two volleys!"
"Boom boom boom," a continuous, muffled thunderous roar shattered the calm of the sea. All the 12-pound and 24-pound long-barreled cannons opened fire, their gun ports spewing orange-red flames as scorching solid shot whistled toward their opponents.
The battle that would determine East Asia's maritime dominance had officially begun.