Late Ming Dynasty: Conquering the world starting from riding and cutting

Since the beginning of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty has been staggering amidst the wars and ice disasters in the hinterland of the Central Plains. At the end of the year, when news came that several cities in Shaanxi, Henan, and South Zhili had been captured by rogue bandits, they welcomed the Chongzhen six years.

It's a pity that there is no hope of success now. The Ming Dynasty is still in turmoil, and it is even getting worse.

"Now the Dutch have taken away my Yilan without saying a word. Isn't this going to cost me my life!"

This mansion is located in Jian'an North, Xiamen Town, Fujian Province. The original Zheng family mansion was burned down by a fire by the Keelung Army, so Zheng Zhilong spent another three months building a new Zheng family mansion.

Compared with the previous one, the newly built mansion covers an area of ​​fifty acres, with gardens, streams, and rockeries crisscrossing it, majestic yet elegant.

As Zheng Zhilong's military stronghold and maritime trade base in Fujian, it can be said that it is like a golden city and an iron pond. Not to mention anything else, just say that the cargo ships and gunboats under his command can sail directly into the house. Just one of them is enough to be breathtaking!

In the Zhiyuan Garden, which is protected by walls and is surrounded by hills, pavilions, monasteries, ponds, small bridges, and winding paths, and is full of fine trees and exotic flowers and plants, Zheng Zhilong, who is still angry, points to the kneeling Yilan guard Chai Guiying cursed loudly on the water-milled square tile floor.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Dutch in Yilan, led by the Dutch commander-in-chief Joseph, marched overnight and sailed hundreds of miles directly to Chai Guiying's Yunlin Port, which Zheng Zhilong had begun to operate and cultivate in the era of Li Dan and Yan Siqi. The base and command center in Yilan were captured in one fell swoop, and tens of thousands of Zhangzhou settlers, their fields, and wealth became the spoils of war for the Dutch East India Company.

In the end, Chai Guiying fled back to Xiamen by boat overnight and brought the news back.

"Why don't you die! I gave you Yilan, so many people from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and those iron tools, it's better for you! You lost everything to me overnight! I spent all those things Hundreds of thousands of dollars, what you got in exchange for humiliating others!" Zheng Zhilong couldn't contain his anger at the thought of losing Yilan for the second time.

Qin Hao captured Yilan, at least the people of Yilan would not be in any danger; but if those Dutch people took over, it is hard to say what they could do.

"Brother, there are 85,000 bundles of raw silk we have hoarded in Yilan, worth more than 300,000 taels of silver dollars. These are all cheap for the Dutch!" The words of Zheng Zhilong's younger brother Zheng Zhihu were no less angry than Zheng Zhilong's. Pouring a bucket of hot oil, Lao Zheng's anger became even more uncontrollable!

"Tell me! How did those Dutch guys get here!?" Zheng Zhilong flew up and kicked Chai Guiying to the ground.

Not caring about wiping the blood on his face, Chai Guiying knelt on the ground, "Commander, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so I wanted to reward the brothers with wine and meat, but I didn't know that the brothers had drunk too much. When the brothers on guard duty arrived, Discovered, the Dutch ghosts have already rushed to the front. Before they could use the artillery, the brothers were driven away by these Dutch ghosts! "

"You worthless thing! Trash!" Zheng Zhilong pulled out the sword from his waist and was about to kill Chai Guiying, but was hugged tightly by Zheng Zhifeng.

"Brother! Calm down! Now is not the time to hold people accountable. Now is the time to employ people. Let's spare his life for now. If he fails to achieve great success in battle in the future, he will be killed later!"

"Second brother, what do you think will happen next?" Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but force himself to calm down and carefully thought about how to deal with the war in Yilan.

"We'd better find a way to gather troops and recapture Yilan! Yilan is too important to us right now. If we can't get it back, it will be difficult for us to raise military rations this year!"

According to the immigration agreement with Qin Hao that day, half of the land rent from Yilan's grain harvest goes to the Zheng family, which is used as military rations for the Zheng family army, and the remaining half goes to Keelung.

Keelung used half of the grain in exchange for two-thirds of the Zheng family's immigrants, and at the same time subsidized some land in the tenth state.

But now it's being confused by the Dutch ghost, which gives Zheng Zhilong a big headache. I'm afraid he will have to pay a high price to take it back this time!

"Trash, get out of here! When the brothers from all walks of life arrive, you have to tell them how to capture Yilan!"

However, Zheng Jun in Xiamen was scattered all over the country, and it was the Spring Festival. The officers and soldiers took the two months of extra pay and one month of boxing gifts from Zheng Zhilong, and happily went home to celebrate the New Year with these round white silver coins in their pockets. If you want to find all the troops again, you have to wait at least until the twentieth of the first lunar month.

Even if the men and horses are gathered, there is still something to be done, such as preparing ships and raising gunpowder, shells and other supplies. I am afraid that even if it is completed in February, it may not be completed. Even if it is completed, it will depend on the wind direction and tide at sea.

Zheng Zhilong was so anxious that he was like an ant on a hot pot, cursing in the mansion every day. When they are in a bad mood, the maids and servants have to eat a meal.

On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the same bad news crossed the vast waves of the South China Sea and reached the ears of Qin Hao, who was inspecting Qiongzhou Mansion.

As a newly opened naval base by the Keelung Navy, Qin Hao naturally wanted to come and observe it for a while, and get to know some of the new navy trainees.

Of course he had several other matters to attend to.

First, I went to Beibu Bay of Qiongzhou Prefecture to see the construction of the military port here. In fact, it is not just a military port. The port here is also responsible for transporting people and materials to various places. Not only are gunboats berthed at the port berths, Numerous merchant ships and cargo ships also parked here, replenishing fresh water and fresh ingredients.

Since the navy opened a new northern port, Keelung businessmen have been like sharks smelling blood, sending supplies in a steady stream. In order to maintain this effect, Qin Haonian set his business location in Qiongzhou, planning to take advantage of this This second largest island has developed rapidly over a period of time.

The second thing is related to the cultivation of a powerful tool for future control of the Central Plains. Yes, it is food cultivation.

As the largest tropical island in my country, the rain and heat here are at the same time, and the sunshine is sufficient, so it can complete two cultivation plans of three crops a year. The only disadvantage is that the rice grows too fast and tastes bad.

However, compared with the current environment, this land can be regarded as a unique place. Especially after the adoption of Keelung's rice planting technology and chemical fertilizers, it has developed like a wind.

The last thing is that the fleet responsible for deporting the members of the five major families in Jinping County to the Tenth State will pass through here and return to Keelung. It can also be regarded as Qin Hao going out to sea to greet this group of maritime pride who have returned from a long voyage, and for them, they will ride thousands of miles of waves. Give credit where credit is due.

Qin Hao believes that the rookies in the Naval Academy, no matter how good they are, will always have their food in the basket. As long as you go through the journey to the South Pacific and come back, you will become an old bird who can face huge waves without changing his expression.

Coupled with the unremitting training of the Keelung Navy, he is not inferior to any sea coachmen or English pirates!

Therefore, Qin Hao specially brought all the civil and military personnel to Qiongzhou, and even his precious daughter Xiao Ling'er came with the fleet.

However, I heard such bad news in Beibu Port!