Chapter 284 Zheng Zhilong Surrenders The Eighth Army Lands
Li Qingmu stood on the battleship Qin Shihuang.
Looking at Kinmen Island and Xiamen Island, all the forts were destroyed by the battleship's main guns.
Warships can safely operate near the islands.
Now the battleship Qin Shihuang led the South China Sea Fleet and directly blocked a large number of warships under Zheng Zhilong's command in the port.
These ships tried their best to escape from the port.
But their strength is too weak and there is no way to break through the navy's defense line.
Lu Yuanshan looked at Li Qingmu and asked: "Minister Li, our army does this.
Giving Zheng Zhilong time to react will make it more difficult to attack them.
Will that make Zheng Zhilong jump over the wall and lead all his warships to fight us to the death?"
Li Qingmu smiled calmly and said: "You have also seen the combat effectiveness of these warships of the Zheng family.
The strength of these warships is not as good as our modified armed merchant ships.
Even if the number of these ships is doubled, they will not pose a threat to our army.
You also said that people do this when they are in a hurry.
The dog is not in a hurry yet, so we don't need to worry too much.
I did this just to show the strength of our army.
Zheng Zhilong has been a pirate all his life. He only believes in strength.
We have not shown our strength. Even if we give them the best terms, they will think about it for a long time and will most likely not surrender to us.
As long as we show our strength, Zheng Zhilong will most likely surrender to us for the sake of the future of the Zheng family."
When Lu Yuanshan heard what Li Qingmu said, he gradually understood Li Qingmu's intention.
It was only because he knew Zheng Zhilong very well that he could use this method.
Li Qingmu looked at Lu Yuanshan and said: "I will only give Zheng Zhilong five days, if Zheng Zhilong has not responded in five days.
Our army will launch a strong attack. Even if it affects the development of the navy, we will win here.
Chief of Staff Wei Jingtao sent a clipper to report that the Eighth Army had gone north on a transport ship.
Before we came to Kinmen and Xiamen, we had already eliminated or expelled the Ming Navy along the way.
The Eighth Army can safely land on the southern coast of Fujian.
The transport fleet soon arrived nearby and landed at Zhenhaiwei and Jinjiang estuary.
After Zhenhaiwei lands, they can directly attack the capital city of Zhangzhou, Fujian.
Landing at the entrance of Jinjiang River, not far away is Quanzhou City."
When Lu Yuanshan heard Li Qingmu explain it to him so clearly, he just waited for another five days.
Five days were enough for the defenders here in Kinmen to arrive at Anping City by boat. They arrived here from Anping City.
You can also give Zheng Zhilong one to two days to discuss.
Lu Yuanshan was a little confused and asked Li Qingmu: "Commander, why do you say that Zheng Zhilong's refusal to surrender will affect the development of our navy."
Li Qingmu sighed and said: "Zheng Zhilong is a pirate, if we really try them strictly, most of the leaders of these forces will not survive.
But we are too short of qualified soldiers now. For the sake of the Zheng family's influence, I chose to give the Zheng family a way out.
We have recruited all the gangsters in Guangdong, and there are still more than ten warships in the Guangzhou Shipyard, but there are not enough soldiers to operate them.
Zheng Zhilong's men controlled the largest navy in the Ming Dynasty, and their soldiers were all veterans who had been trained for many years.
Even if we have strict requirements and careful selection, we can still select enough soldiers.
With a little training, these people can be put on warships.
Zheng Zhilong had a good reputation in Quanzhou and did not harass the people too much.
There was a severe drought in Fujian in the past two years, and people were in dire straits.
He also paid to send people to Taiwan to reclaim wasteland and gave them farm tools and cattle.
As for the vicious fight between pirates, we will not pursue it."
Li Qingmu was so patient that he intimidated Zheng Zhilong and forced Zheng Zhilong to surrender.
He didn't think highly of Zheng Zhilong, who was just a pirate leader with some power.
The current situation at that time made him a man who did not have the ability to stir up trouble.
Over the years since he was an official in the Ming Dynasty in Fujian, Anxin has not caused trouble.
It can also be seen that this person just wants to be a rich man.
He desperately wants to grow his family and get rid of his identity as a pirate.
This kind of person is easy to control and will not have any adverse impact on the Qin army.
Li Qingmu took a fancy to the many naval talents under Zheng Zhilong's command.
Soldiers on warships have extremely high requirements. As long as they can live a normal life on a warship, this requirement will disqualify most soldiers.
The Navy also has extremely high requirements on the physical fitness of its soldiers.
After living on a warship for a long time, your physical fitness is very poor and you are very susceptible to illness.
Warships have a small space. Once an infectious disease is contracted, the entire warship will be defeated by the plague.
The quality of today's soldiers is very poor. Farmers' children make up the majority of the soldiers, and most of them are skinny and skinny.
These people need to recuperate in the military for several months before they can regain their health.
However, the foundation has been exhausted and it will take a long time to recover. The navy, which has high requirements on the quality of its personnel, has difficulty in selecting qualified soldiers.
We can only wait until the people have enough food and clothing, and then it will become easier to recruit naval soldiers.
When Li Qingmu captured Zheng Cai, he saw that Zheng Zhilong's men were well fed and that these people were all qualified soldiers.
When Lu Yuanshan heard what Li Qingmu said, his eyes lit up.
Their first fleet is also very short of men right now.
Some battleships at Guangzhou Shipyard have completed sea trials.
They did not bring these battleships with them in this operation because they did not have enough manpower to operate these battleships.
If they can really swallow Zheng Zhilong's power, they won't have to worry about a shortage of naval personnel in the future.
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Zheng Hongkui took a small boat and approached the Qin army's warship.
He looked at it from a distance before and found that the Qin army's warships were very huge.
After he got closer, he saw the densely packed gun windows on the Qin army's warships, which was a guarantee of combat effectiveness.
Zheng Hongkui boarded the battleship Qin Shihuang from the boat.
He saw on the deck that the Qin soldiers were full of energy and had high morale.
All the work on the deck was in order, no one was in a hurry, and the soldiers of the Qin army performed extremely well.
He could tell at a glance that this was a team with extremely strong combat effectiveness.
Zheng Hongkui was briefly searched by the security team and brought to a large room on the deck.
After he walked in, he saw several people in the house.
He first clasped his fists and said loudly: "Zheng Hongkui of the Zheng family, with full authority on behalf of my eldest brother Zheng Zhilong, is here to discuss some matters with your army."
Li Qingmu saw that Zheng Hongkui was neither humble nor overbearing.
He also clasped his fists at Zheng Hongkui and said, "Li Qingmu, Governor of the South China Sea Fleet."
Liu Guangsheng, standing next to Li Qingmu, clasped his fists and said: "South China Sea Fleet congratulates Liu Guangsheng."
After they introduce themselves.
Zheng Hongkui went straight to the point and said: "Your army is about to sweep the world, and we will not do the stupid thing of using our arms as a chariot.
I'm here to discuss with the Qin army, what can Zheng Shi gain by joining your Qin army?"
Zheng Hongkui speaks softly but with firmness. When he says this, he is almost saying it clearly.
As long as the Qin army can afford the price, they will surrender immediately.
When Li Qingmu heard Zheng Hongkui's words, he laughed.
As long as Zheng Zhilong dares to raise conditions, no matter how harsh they are.
This proves that Zheng Zhilong has been shaken and is considering whether to surrender to the Qin army.
Now the Zheng family did not put forward harsh conditions, but asked the Qin army to put forward conditions for surrender.
The Zheng family still has the sincerity to surrender.
Li Qingmu directly stated the conditions of the Qin army.
"When the Zheng family surrenders, no one will be punished except those who have done the most heinous crimes and are extremely angry with the people.
Each family member can only reserve one hundred acres of land.
The Zheng family's shops, money and ships will still be retained by the Zheng family, and we will not confiscate them.
From now on, the Zheng family can only engage in normal sea trade business and will never be allowed to go out to sea for plunder.
Those who want to join the army can stay in the Qin army after passing our assessment.
After the Fujian Governor's Yamen is established, you will be assessed. If you pass, you can continue to serve as officials.
Zheng Zhilong will be awarded the title of earl, and he will have five recommended places from the Military Academy and the Imperial College."
After Zheng Hongkui listened to Li Qingmu's words, he felt that these conditions were relatively poor.
Not to mention providing glory and wealth, even the conditions provided by the Ming Dynasty are not as good as those provided by the Ming Dynasty.
If they want to stay in the military or the government, they have to pass an assessment.
The most important thing is that the Qin army directly cut off the road, and they continued to collect tolls on this road.
Zheng Hongkui bit the bullet and said: "Sir, could you please add a little more to this condition and give us brothers a chance?
Everyone licks blood with the tip of a knife, all for the sake of glory and wealth.
Give them the guarantee of prosperity and wealth, and it will be easier for me to persuade them when I return."
Zheng Hongkui's attitude was extremely humble. He boarded the battleship Qin Shihuang and saw the four huge cannons.
He knew that the Zheng family's fleet had no way of resisting the Qin army.
If they really take action, once the Zheng family is defeated, let alone these conditions, they will not even be spared their lives.
When Li Qingmu heard what Zheng Hongkui said, he knew that the Zheng family's surrender was basically done.
"Our Qin Army's regular army must undergo rigorous assessment.
If the rest of the Zheng family wants to stay in the military, if they fail the assessment, they can choose the garrison or navy.
Their functions are somewhat similar to those of Ming military guards. The garrison was responsible for the defense of the city.
The navy is responsible for the defense of inland rivers and coastal areas.
They belong to the second-line troops of the Qin Army, and they also have the opportunity to be promoted to high-level positions and be awarded titles.
Some members of the Zheng family who have management capabilities can assist us in military control of Fujian and temporarily take over the positions of some officials.
If you are really capable, you will definitely be appreciated by your boss and continue to work."
Zheng Hongkui understood clearly that the Qin army was giving them a chance. Where they could climb depended on the person's true ability.
He tried some more tests to get better conditions.
Li Qingmu waved his hand and said: "Don't push yourself too far. If the Zheng family wants to go to war with our army, then we will see the truth on the battlefield.
After defeat, you will not be able to obtain any of these conditions."
This is not a business deal, and there is no room for bargaining by the Zheng family.
Zheng Hongkui immediately apologized and said: "My lord, you can't help me. I will go back and report to my elder brother, and I will give you the exact answer soon."
Li Qingmu said calmly: "Three days, I only give you three days.
When the time came, there was no clear answer.
We will continue to attack."
Zheng Hongkui's expression changed and he hurriedly took the boat back to Xiamen Island. He did not dare to waste time here.
Zheng Zhilong and other Zheng family ship owners have gathered in Xiamen with their warships. Once the negotiations break down, they will fight to the death.
After Zheng Zhilong listened to Zheng Hongkui's story, he looked at the brothers and asked, "What do you think? Let's talk about it."
No one had any other suggestions, saying that they would listen to the elder brother in everything.
Even Zheng Zhihu, the most bellicose, did not say that he wanted to go to war with the Qin army.
They took a warship and observed the Qin army's battleships from a distance.
In naval battles, a ship with more cannons is more powerful.
They had just heard Shi Daxuan's detailed account, and some of them still didn't believe it.
Really seeing the power of Qin's artillery, these people all realized the strength of Qin's army.
As long as the exploding shells hit a ship, no ship can withstand it and can be sunk with one shot.
Facing the Qin army's warships, victory can no longer be achieved by fighting with more troops but with fewer troops.
Zheng Zhilong locked himself in the room and thought about it all night.
When he walked out of the room, he seemed to have aged more than ten years, and the heroic spirit of the great pirate who dominated the entire Ming Sea was gone.
"For the sake of our brothers, let us surrender! Accept the conditions of the Qin army.
How will the brothers live after that? It all depends on the brothers and their respective abilities."
The Zheng family forces disarmed and formally surrendered to the Qin army.
The Navy's South China Sea Fleet completely controls the coast near Zhangzhou Prefecture and Quanzhou Prefecture.
Li Qingmu did not enter Anping City and only sent an officer to disarm the Zheng family.
He conducted an assessment on the members of the Zheng family in Kinmen.
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The Hawkeye quickly received a message from the main fleet.
Wei Jingtao, chief of staff of the South China Sea Fleet, called the senior officers of the Eighth Army for a meeting.
Wei Jingtao said happily: "Great news, the Zheng family has officially surrendered.
The Daming Navy in Fujian only has some small broken ships left, which our escort fleet can deal with.
According to Governor Li’s suggestion, we can land at Zhenhaiwei and Jinjiang estuary.”
Zhang Yuliang looked at the map, and the overall terrain of Fujian was already in his mind.
"The second division landed from Zhenhaiwei and captured Zhangzhou Prefecture.
The third division landed at the mouth of the Jinjiang River and captured Quanzhou Prefecture."
After Wei Jingtao reported the news, he asked the transportation team to sail with full sail and rush to the target location as quickly as possible.
The South China Sea Fleet has eliminated the forces of the Zheng family. They will not encounter too strong enemies along the coast of Fujian.
Zhang Yuliang explained their respective tasks to the officers of the two divisions in detail.
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The fleet soon arrived at the shore of Zhenhaiwei.
Zhang Yuliang saw that the fleet of the Second Division had begun to dock.
Zhenhaiwei's wharf and navy have been completely wiped out by the navy.
Some military households in the guardhouse were hiding in the city and did not dare to come out.
The second division easily reached the shore, and the army began to disembark.
Zhang Yuliang felt relieved when he saw the second division easily landing at Zhenhaiwei.
Choose your own leap-frog tactics to avoid danger.
Now half of the success is achieved. If they can successfully land at the Jinjiang estuary, this strategy will be completely successful.
Zhang Yuliang followed the escort fleet and continued to sail towards the Jinjiang estuary.
They passed by Kinmen Island and resupplied at Kinmen Port.
None of the Eighth Army soldiers got off the ship, not wanting to waste any time.
Zhang Yuliang saw many small boats being reorganized by the Qin army.
The Third Fleet of the South China Sea Fleet, led by the battleship Huo Qubing, also joined the escort fleet.
The estuary of Jinjiang River is not far from Kinmen.
The fleet soon arrived near the estuary of Jinjiang River.
The draft of naval warships is too deep and they cannot travel in inland rivers.
The armed merchant ships in the escort fleet took the lead and rushed into Jinjiang.
The Ming army did not expect that the Qin army could launch an attack from here.
There are only a small number of warships of the Ming Navy here, and there are also many merchant ships for merchants.
Armed merchant ships quickly drove away all the ships and cleared a landing site.
Hu Hai commanded the soldiers of the Third Division to land directly near the entrance of Jinjiang River.
Zhang Yuliang did not choose to go directly through the inland river and landed near Quanzhou City.
Landing at the mouth of the Jinjiang River, there were navy warships outside to provide fire support.
Once you encounter a foreign enemy, naval fire support is very important.
Eighth Army soldiers took a long voyage on a transport ship for the first time.
The condition of the soldiers is completely unpredictable.
From the entrance to the sea, there is still a long way to go from Quanzhou City.
Soldiers can restore themselves through this journey.
Zhang Yuliang saw the soldiers of the Third Division landing safely without any accidents.
A smile appeared on his face, the leapfrog strategy was a perfect success, and they were about to win Fujian.