It was because after Macau was captured by the Qing army, the Ming army withdrew from Macau, and the Dutch and British merchants were still arriving.
Therefore, business in Macau has been completely cut off recently.
In the past, Prince Pingnan's annual business of one million taels came to nothing, and the Prince's annual income was cut in half.
Shang Kexi cannot be happy no matter what!
Looking at the accounts reported by the merchants attached to Pingnan Palace below, I was so happy that I lost my appetite for food.
Today at noon, I only ate five bowls of rice!
After the meal, Shang Kexi took a sip of tea, and the fragrance of the tea exploded in his mouth.
It diluted the greasiness from today’s lunch!
The tea he drinks is the best Jiangnan Yuqian Longjing tea, which only produces a few dozen kilograms per year.
It is deeply loved by many dignitaries and big shots, and is even one of the tribute teas used by the royal family.
Without a certain position of power, such good tea cannot be obtained with money.
But to Shang Kexi, the high-ranking and powerful King of Pingnan in the Qing Dynasty, just some tea leaves were nothing.
Considering his status, no matter how high-end material enjoyment he has, it is just like that!
As soon as Shang Kexi put down his tea cup, there was a burst of noise outside.
Shang Zhijie behind him said with a wink.
"Father, wait a minute, I'm going to see what's going on and why they are making such a noise!"
Just as Shang Zhijie finished speaking, Jin Guangzu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Zeng Qizhao, the commander-in-chief of Dongguan Town, came hand in hand and knocked on Shang Kexi's door.
Shang Kexi opened his mouth and said.
"Come in!"
The door opened with a creak, and the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Jin Guangzu, strode in and spoke with urgency in his voice.
"Something happened, Your Majesty!"
"Xiaoguan received the battle report. Ming thieves landed on Leizhou Peninsula. After capturing Leizhou, the army moved north. Gaozhou is in urgent need!"
Shang Ke was pleased to hear this, and the expression on his face changed from lazy to serious in an instant, and he asked.
"Who is leading the army of Ming thieves?"
Jin Guangzu said.
"According to the defeated soldiers who escaped from Leizhou, they saw the Ming Dynasty's large banner in the Ming army's formation."
Shang Kexi's eyes narrowed, a sinister look appeared on his face, and he sneered and said.
"Haha, if the thief of the Ming Dynasty has the courage to invade, I will definitely let him see the power of our Qing Heavenly Soldiers!"
"Pass the order, the flag soldiers of Pingnan Prince's Mansion will gather to perform martial arts at the Grand Academy in Guangzhou City!"
"Send an order to the green camps in all towns in Guangzhou to gather forces immediately and prepare for the southern expedition!"
Shang Kexi quickly issued a series of orders, then stamped his seal and looked at Jin Guangzu.
Jin Guangzu nodded and said.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do my best to raise supplies for the army and ensure that there will be no logistical problems for the army."
Shang Kexi nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Zeng Qizhao, an old subordinate.
"Qizhao, after I lead my troops to march south and reinforce Gaozhou, the safety of Guangzhou will be entrusted to you!"
Zeng Qizhao was able to be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Dongguan Army by the Qing government. It was a good news that it was because of his great efforts.
To a certain extent, Zeng Qizhao is Shang Kexi’s confidant!
Absolute confidant!
Therefore, after Shang Kexi made the decision to send troops to reinforce Gaozhou and face the Ming army, he prepared to let Zeng Qizhao take charge of Guangzhou's defense.
Then, he looked at his son Shang Zhijie and said.
"I have already submitted a petition to the imperial court, requesting that you be made the crown prince!"
"After I leave Guangzhou, you will be responsible for the mobilization of the royal family's troops!"
Shang Kexi transferred part of the power of the palace to Shang Zhijie.
If Guangzhou was attacked, he could mobilize the vassal troops under the royal palace, or issue a mobilization order to urgently mobilize the banner troops under the Pingnan palace to fight.
Shang Zhijie nodded vigorously.
…
Jin Guangzu acted very quickly. On the one hand, he urgently prepared a batch of grain and grass in Guangzhou City and delivered it to Shang Kexi, so that Shang Kexi could lead his troops on the expedition.
On the other hand, in the name of the governor, he ordered the army to go to Leizhou and pass through the state capitals along the way.
Let the local and state governments raise food to supply the army.
It took the Qing army less than three days from receiving the news of the attack on the Leizhou Peninsula to the time the army set off for the expedition.
The mighty Qing army troops left the city and headed west.
The Eight Banners soldiers wearing cotton armor, riding tall horses and carrying tall lightning rods walked at the front.
The green battalion, who were wearing military uniforms with large military characters embroidered on their chests and carrying spears and swords, followed closely behind.
Then, there are red cannons pulled by pack horses!
The ranks of the Qing army stretched for miles in front and back, and it was as far as the eye could see.
Shang Kexi, wearing thick cotton armor, slowly left the city under the protection of a group of personal guards.
The large banner representing his status as King Pingnan was flying high over the army!
Shang Kexi gathered tens of thousands of horses and infantry in one breath, together with tens of thousands of civilians, and headed west together.
On the other side, the Ming army had crossed the Suixi River and reached the outside of Gaozhou City!
Field artillery pieces or siege heavy artillery pieces were pulled outside Gaozhou City, and they were aimed at Gaozhou's city walls and bombarded them indiscriminately.
The high-level defenders were unable to cope with the overwhelming artillery fire from the Ming army.
The Gaozhou garrison sent out several military reports asking for reinforcements in one day!
Zhu Hongyu stood on a high platform built with wood in the Ming army camp outside Gaozhou City.
Looking at Gaozhou City, which was hit hard by the Ming army's artillery fire, he casually said to Zheng Chenggong who was not far away.
"The solitary Jingguan built outside Gaozhou City is gone!"
Zheng Chenggong also said with a solemn expression.
"His Royal Highness Jian Guo killed well. The Qing captives wantonly massacred the city. It is not an exaggeration to kill them all!"
Zhu Hongyu nodded slightly and said.
"Forget it, just demolish it, and build a taller Beijing city outside Guangzhou!"
"When the time comes, we must place the head of the old thief Shang Kexishang at the highest point in the capital!"
Zheng Chenggong nodded and said.
"His Royal Highness the Supervisor of the Kingdom, His Majesty!"
"It's just that I would like to ask Your Highness to think twice. Those who dare to massacre the city will be trapped. After all, Jingguan will harm Tianhe."
Zhu Hongyu did not refute, but spoke.
"I don't want to kill anyone. It would be a waste to kill people. There is always a shortage of people in the labor camp."
"But if we don't kill a group of them ruthlessly, we really can't stop the evil trend of Qinglu who slaughter the city every time they fight!"
"During the Northern Expedition last year, the Qing troops who massacred thousands of people in Gaozhou built the capital, but the Qing troops near Guangzhou dared to plunder and massacre our Ming people around the New Year!"
"How arrogant?!"
"I can't bear this breath unless I kill all the thieves who participated in the robbery!"
Today, the total population of the world is only 60 to 70 million. Compared with the late Ming Dynasty, the world's population has dropped by almost two-thirds.
It is no exaggeration to say that China as a whole is vast and sparsely populated!
If Zhu Hongyu could not put an end to the unhealthy tendencies that wantonly massacred the city, even if he restored the Ming Dynasty in the future, no one would be killed under his rule.