In broad daylight, the streets and alleys in Tong'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province are deserted and there are not many pedestrians in sight.
With a sound of military uniform, the handsome and majestic General Jingnan of the Qing Dynasty, Niu Hulu and Chen Tai, the waiting man in the Ministry of Rites, were returning to the commander's mansion after inspecting the city defense.
Looking at the deserted Tong'an City, a sneer appeared at the corner of Chen Tai's mouth.
He was a ruthless man, as ruthless as a jackal. A year ago, he led Chen Jin, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, Zhao Guozuo, the admiral of Fujian, and others to capture Tong'an City, and then ordered a massacre of the city. He killed 50,000 people in one go, and almost wiped out the entire population of Tong'an. It’s amazing, there are not many people on the street so far.
Through the massacre, Chen Tai looted a large amount of money and silk. He had no choice but to come from Niu Hulu, one of the eight major surnames in Manchuria. Niu Hulu, with the Han surname Lang, was known as the "Wolf's Nest" in the court, and his power was second only to the so-called "Wolf's Nest". The Tong Jia family of "Tong Banchao" has a big family, a big business, and a big social life. If you don't kill or rob, how can you have enough money?
After occupying Tong'an, Chen Tai divided his troops to attack Lu Jianguo, Zheng Cai, Zhu Chenggong and other forces.
This journey to the south led to continuous battles and victories.
First, they defeated the rebels in Jianning Prefecture and Funing Prefecture; then defeated the generals Cao Dahao and Zhang Yaoxing of Lu Supervisor State, and captured Tong'an and Pinghe counties; then they fought with Zheng Cai, the powerful official of Lu Supervisor State, captured Xinghua Prefecture, and defeated Zheng Cai. Escaped into the sea; continued to fight against Zheng Cai, beheaded Gu Shichen, the governor appointed by Zheng Cai, and recovered Changle and Lianjiang counties. Zheng Cai fled back to his hometown of Xiamen in panic.
Just as they were about to completely eliminate Lu Jianguo and Zheng Cai, something unexpected happened. Zhu Chenggong, who was still "submissive" to the Qing Dynasty, actually dared to seize food from the tiger's mouth and captured Tong'an City.
Chen Tai was furious and led his army to retake Tong'an and massacre the city. These damn Nikans, if they don't kill them, they don't know how powerful the Eight Banners are! Chen Tai thought angrily.
"Commander, Chen Jin, Governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, please come to the government to discuss matters."
What does Chen Jin want from me?
Niu Hulu Chen Tai, a nobleman of the Eight Banners who was born in Xianghuang Banner in Manchuria, looked down upon Chen Jin, the governor of Zhejiang and Fujian in the Zhenglan Banner of the Han Army.
This Chen Jin was originally a Ming general who came to the Qing Dynasty on his ancestor's birthday in Daling River. He was just a second minister, but he had a bad temper and often contradicted himself. The most disgusting thing is that this man was stingy and very harsh on the servants around him. He often beat, scolded and insulted them, and often deducted their wages.
Chen Tai despises such people very much. You, the governor, stretched out your hand, where can you not get money? Are you deducting the wages of your servants? Look at how I treat my servants. Aha who follows me, who can't get it? Full of money? No prospects!
However, although Chen Jin's character was not very good, he still had the ability to fight, and he was very effective in suppressing the Fujian rebels. Now was the time to hire people, and Chen Tai did not want to offend Chen Jin. He hid his contempt in his heart and calmly ordered Aha , "Go to the Governor's Palace".
When I went to the Governor's Mansion, I saw that Chen Jin, who was dressed in a luxurious black brocade dress and looked dignified and graceful, had been waiting at the mansion for a long time.
In addition to Chen Jin, there are also Meilezhang Jingdong Alai, Xingbu Shilang, the second-class Adahahafan and tuosalahafan Li Shutai, Ji Xiha, Zu Zeyuan, Gai Yipeng, Qiang Shijue and other generals.
.
This Dong Alai was originally Maile Zhangjing of the Manchu Eight Banners in Hangzhou. He was transferred to Fujian to suppress the rebellion. He was eager to perform meritorious service and wanted to be promoted to Shan'erzhen.
Li Shutai, the second son of the traitor Li Yongfang, was from Tieling, Liaodong, and belonged to the Zhenglan Banner of the Han Army.
Ji Xiha, like Chen Tai, has a prominent family background. He is from the Fucha family, one of the eight major surnames in Manchuria, and is a native of Zhenghuang Banner in Manchuria.
Zu Zeyuan was the son of Zu Dashou, a general in the Ming Dynasty.
Gai Yipeng and Qiang Shijue are generals of the Fujian Navy.
These are all the generals of the Southern Expedition. Why did Chen Jin invite them all into the government?
Chen Tai laughed heartily, his dark eyes as sharp and deep as lightning, "Chen Duxian called us here, is it because he wants to treat us?"
The old Manchu who grew up among white mountains and black waters has a hearty and resonant laugh.
Chen Jin's face was heavy: "Oh, my general, what time has it been, and you are still in the mood to joke? I just got the news that Nazhu successfully captured Yunxiao Town, Zhangzhou Prefecture, and Wang Bangjun, the commander-in-chief of Zhangzhou, asked for help."
p>
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The Qing army and Lu Jianguo were fighting to the death, and Zhu Chenggong, who was stationed in Tongshan, Zhangzhou, took the opportunity to gain power.
Zhang Guozhu, the deputy general of Qing Yunxiao Camp, was a mean man and often withheld military pay from his subordinates. King Qian couldn't bear his salary and surrendered to Zheng Chenggong, expressing his willingness to serve as a guide to capture Yunxiao.
Zhu Chenggong was overjoyed and divided his troops into three groups to seize Yunxiao City.
Zhang Guozhu hit the flag and drum of Yao Guotai to defend the city, and led his troops five miles out of the city to fight. He met Shi Lang, a fierce general of the Zheng Army, who was the pioneer on the left. He was wounded by Shi Lang's deputy general Shi Xian and fell into the water to death. The Zheng Army took advantage of the momentum to conquer Yunxiao, and Yao Guotai
Captured.
After the Battle of Yunxiao, Zheng Chenggong sent troops to guard Pantuo Ridge and led his own army to besiege Zhao'an County.
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Chen Tai smiled after reading Wang Bangjun's request for help, "Zhu Chenggong is currently entrenched in the Tongshan area of Zhangzhou. He has no stable territory to raise troops. He has less than 20,000 men and horses, and he is suffering from scabies. Zheng Cai is the confidant of the fake King Minglu.
Serious trouble. I finally managed to drive the pseudo-King Minglu to the border between Fujian and Zhejiang, and forced Zheng Cai to retreat to Xiamen. I was about to complete his success in one battle and completely eliminate these two people, how could he give up halfway?"
Chen Jin was anxious: "General, you must not underestimate Zhu Chenggong. When he first started his army, he had only ninety men, but now he has nearly twenty thousand. If he is allowed to develop, he will definitely be a thorn in the side of the Qing Dynasty in the future."<
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Chen Tai was stunned. What Chen Jin said is not unreasonable.
After thinking for a while, he said: "Chen Duxian, you and Admiral Zhao are going to Zhangzhou to destroy Zhu Chenggong. The other generals are in Tong'an and are preparing to cross the sea and attack Xiamen."
He also said to the naval commander Gai Yipeng and the deputy general Qiang Shijue: "You two will build warships as soon as possible and expand the navy. In half a year, I will lead you to defeat the Fujian pirates in one fell swoop."
The two of them took the order and left.
After Wang Bangjun, the commander-in-chief of Zhangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, learned that reinforcements were about to arrive, his confidence increased greatly.
He took advantage of Zhu Chenggong's attack on Zhao'an County and attacked Pantuo Ridge.
One early morning, there was heavy fog, and I couldn't see my fingers when I opened my eyes.
Wang Bangjun suddenly burst into laughter. His subordinates asked him in confusion why he was laughing. He said: "In the hazy moment, it is the time to break the thief."
He selected three thousand elites and took advantage of the heavy fog to launch a large-scale assault. Because the fog was too heavy, Zhu Jun did not discover it until the Qing army climbed to the top of Pantuo Ridge. They resisted in a hurry and were defeated. Zhu Chenggong's subordinate Ke Chenshu was killed in Zhongchong Town.<
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When news of the defeat came, Zhu Chenggong was forced to give up the siege of Zhao'an and return to his home base of Tongshan.
"Alas!"
He sighed deeply and finally occupied Yunxiao City, but was taken back by the Qing army.
It has been several years since the army was launched, but there are no more than 10,000 soldiers. There is no stable territory, and we can only live on small islands.
Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!
This loyal and filial uncle of the Ming Dynasty, who was conferred by Emperor Longwu, had "beautiful manners, suave and ambitious" since he was a child. He was not good at reading chapters, but loved reading "Spring and Autumn" and "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Emperor Longwu gave him the surname Zhu, and the name was successful.
He was extremely grateful for the kindness of Emperor Longwu, and always acted in the name of "recruiting the general". He refused Zhu Hengjia and King Lu Yihai's invitations many times, and welcomed King Pingjing Zhu Shugui to Tongshan.
"Why do you sigh when you recruit a general?"
Zuo Xianfeng Shi Lang asked.
Zhu Chenggong said leisurely: "It is difficult to start a business. So far, we have only a small army and few generals, and we have no place to stand. What can we do?"
Shi Lang said: "Since ancient times, when heaven has given great responsibilities to people, they must have struggled with their determination first. This is God testing you, so why worry? As for how to quickly expand your strength, I will have two strategies."
Zhu Chenggong was overjoyed, he knew that Shi Lang had many clever ideas.
"Tell me, is there any way to quickly expand your strength?"
"First, wipe out the bandits. These bandits have been bandits for many years, have abundant property, and weak military strength. By beating them, it is easy to get the money and food needed to expand the army quickly. Second, Xiamen has abundant resources and abundant people, and there is an ocean.
There is a danger. Your subordinate brother Zheng Cai is a mediocre lord and is unpopular with the people. You can kill him, join his army, and take Xiamen as your inheritance for eternity."
Zhu Chenggong thought for a while and said: "Both of these strategies are good, but Zheng Cai, my brother, may cause criticism by killing his brother. It is best to think of a way to annex Xiamen and Kinmen Island without any bloodshed."
Following Shi Lang's plan, Zhu Chenggong and his uncle Zheng Hongkui joined forces and sent out many troops to annihilate pirates and bandits in Fujian, Guangdong and other places. The great pirates Xu Long, Zhang Li, etc. were all annihilated by Zhu Chenggong. By annihilating pirates and bandits, Zhu Chenggong
Success not only made a fortune and seized a large amount of money and grain to recruit soldiers, but also further monopolized the Zheng family's monopoly on maritime trade.
After expanding his strength, Zhu Chenggong kept his eyes on Xiamen, waiting for his cousin Zheng Cai to make a mistake so that he could take advantage of it and occupy the magpie's nest.
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In Haiyang City, Chaozhou Prefecture, Guangdong, Yuan Pengnian, the governor of Fujian appointed by Zhu Hengjia, could not sit still.
The news of Zhu Hengjia's restoration of Wuchang came, and the land of China was filled with joy. All civil and military officials wanted to make great achievements to serve the British master.
This Yuan Pengnian was originally a subordinate of Li Chengdong. After Li Chengdong's death, he actively moved closer to Zhu Hengjia. But he was not an old official of Jingfan. Apart from lobbying Li Chengdong to revolt, he had no other merits. It is urgent to establish new achievements to consolidate his favor.
Yuan Pengnian invited Zhang Tiaoding, the chief envoy of Fujian, Pan Zengwei, the inspector-general of Fujian, and Kuang Lu, the inspector-general of Fujian, to discuss the matter.
Zhang Tiaoding, Pan Zengwei and Yuan Pengnian were all former counselors of Li Chengdong, while Kuang Lu was a direct descendant of Miao Hong's supervisor.
"Gentlemen, the Supervisory State has conquered Wuchang. As Fujian officials, how can we always stay in Guangdong? We must find ways to contribute to the country." Yuan Pengnian was impassioned.
"Futai, the governor of the country has worshiped Yan Tianfeng as the general of the Pinglu army, and is about to march northward along Guangdong to Fujian. When the time comes, we will naturally be able to follow the army into Fujian." Zhang Tiaoding and Pan Zengweidao.
"You two are confused. If you follow Yan Tianfeng in the expedition, how can we get any credit? I want to send someone to recruit Zhu Chenggong and Zheng Cai to surrender, and then go straight to Fujian. I think about the people I send, the official should not be small, but must have weight. I don't know. Gentlemen, who is willing to go?"
Going to Fujian? This is a dangerous thing. If you are caught by the Tatars, you will be dead.
Zhang Tiaoding and Pan Zengwei hesitated for a moment, then Kuang Lu stood up and said: "Serving the country is my duty."
Yuan Pengnian was overjoyed, compiled two letters, and asked Kuang Lu to take them with him. He said: "Zhu Chenggong is ambitious and ambitious, but it is not easy to convince him. You can focus on Zheng Cai."
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Since Kuang Lu is a famous scholar, her eloquence is naturally excellent.
But persuading people to surrender is not something that can only be accomplished with good words.
Zhu Chenggong encountered a big problem. Zhu Chenggong said that Zhu Hengjia was not a direct blood relative of Taizu and refused.
I had no choice but to move to Xiamen to lobby Zheng Cai.
Zheng Cai was very polite to Kuang Lu and entertained him with delicious food and drinks. However, his words were ambiguous. At one moment, he said that he admired the talent and strategy of King Jing of the Jianguo Kingdom, and he wished he could join his army immediately; at the next moment, he said that he and King Lu had already decided on their status as monarchs and ministers. I am really embarrassed to betray my old master.
Kuang Lu had no choice but to return to Chaozhou and Shangshu reported the matter to Zhu Hengjia.
After Kuang Lu left, Zheng Cai's younger brother Zheng Lian asked Zheng Cai: "Brother, King Jing has conquered Wuchang, and the situation is complete. Your relationship with King Lu is not good, why don't you abandon Lu and surrender to Jing?"
Zheng Cai smiled: "What do you know? Surrender must be done slowly. The later the surrender, the greater the benefits. As long as we have troops in our hands, whether it is King Lu or King Jing, they will have to beg us."
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Seeing the sparseness on Kuang Lu's face, Zhu Hengjia, who was in Changsha, Hunan, laughed loudly: "This Zheng Cai will not surrender until the end of the road. Don't be in a hurry. All you have is patience. Wait slowly."
Zhu Hengjia has been very busy recently, too busy to take care of recruiting Zheng Cai.
Concubine Shi Xian and Concubine Chen Shu brought their harem concubines and princes. When the princesses arrived, they had to find a place for them to live. Zhu Hengjia had a great time converting the abandoned Prince Ji's Palace in Changsha City into his own palace.
The cabinet, six ministries and other officials and their families who were originally in Guilin all arrived and had to be settled. The accompanying troops also had to have barracks. Zhu Hengjia entrusted this matter to Gao Doushu, the governor of Huguang.
He was looking for offices for each government office, housing for officials' families, and barracks for sergeants. Gao Doushu was so busy that he almost went into shock.
The sudden increase in population has made Changsha's economy prosper a lot.
The homeowners in Changsha city have trembling hands when collecting rent.
This chapter has been completed!