On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Anping City was filled with loud gongs and drums and colorful flags fluttering. People went to the gate of the Governor's Mansion in groups to pay New Year greetings. They placed various fruits and pastries at the door, kowtowed before leaving, and Liu Ziguang was surrounded by the generals.
He frequently returned the favor to the common people, and everyone was smiling and beaming with joy. They didn't seem to notice that there was no one from the Zheng family around them.
The camp of the Zheng family army was still surrounded by the Ming army. The alert was not lifted until noon. Zheng Sen finally succeeded in surrendering his father's men. All the men followed Zheng Sen and surrendered to the Ming Dynasty sincerely. However, a few die-hard uncles led
Zheng Sen did not stop his close confidants from going out to sea to become pirates. Instead, he sent them a well-equipped clipper ship.
In the Governor's Mansion, Liu Ziguang appeased Zheng Sen with kind words, commended him for his righteous act of exterminating relatives, and promised to ask for credit from the court and give Zheng Sen the reward he deserved. As for the Zheng brothers who fled at sea, Liu Ziguang didn't care about it and just said it casually.
A voice: "Let them be."
According to Zheng Sen, Zheng Zhilong had been planning to rebel again. He wanted to first use Liu Ziguang's power to repel the Spanish, and then suddenly launch an attack on New Year's Eve, killing Liu Ziguang and other court generals, and then collect the Southern Expedition Fleet and attack in Anping.
After establishing himself as king, the Ming Dynasty lost this fleet that it had finally put together, and would not have the strength to attack Taiwan for several years. But after he, Zheng Zhilong, had a powerful fleet and a heavenly army, he was even more powerful and conquered the mountains on three sides.
Fujian faces the sea on one side, and then slowly plans to dominate one side without unifying the world. If this plan is really successful, the Ming Dynasty will be even worse. Without Liu Ziguang, a fierce general, it will collapse sooner or later under the attack of enemies from three sides.
, when the warlords fight, the people will have no life, and the rich Central Plains will become a battlefield without any grass. Thinking of this, Zheng Sen can no longer think about it. He will never tolerate anyone dragging the entire nation into the abyss of war for his own selfish interests, even if this
Even if the person is his biological father.
After Zheng Sen left, Wen Getao came over and said, "Commander, do you want to send a boat to take Zheng Zhihu and the others..." He stretched out his hand and made a motion of slitting his neck.
"No need, Zheng Sen is a measured person, I trust him." Liu Ziguang said after thinking for a moment.
"I would like to inform you, Commander-in-Chief, that envoys from England and the Netherlands have come to see you, saying they are here to pay New Year's greetings." A guard came in and said.
"Hey, they are very polite, and they came to pay New Year's greetings. Come, please prepare some scattered silver for me. I will send you some money later, and let them in." Liu Ziguang chuckled. It seemed that these two
The naval power has already received the news of Spain's defeat. This time it comes to pay New Year's greetings, it must not have any good intentions.
Sure enough, the two envoys walked in arrogantly. They just nodded slightly and paid tribute to the aloof Marshal Liu. Then they presented a heavy gift and got down to business.
"Taiwan has been a terra incognita since ancient times. Whoever gets there first gets it first. This is an eternal truth. The Spaniards seized Anping City of Nicholas I. Guan, and then it was recaptured by I. Guan's mother country, the Ming Dynasty.
, Congratulations to the Netherlands and England on this. In terms of dealing with the Spaniards, we and Ming Dynasty are on the same line. In addition to paying New Year greetings, we also hope to reach an agreement with the respected Marshal Liu to recognize the two of us.
China’s legal status on the island of Taiwan.”
"Presumptuous." Liu Ziguang was furious. It turns out that these guys came here to take advantage of the situation. I beat the Spaniards away. You didn't spend a penny and you still want to get a share of the pie. Is Taiwan a public toilet? Who came earlier?
Anyone who can occupy a squatting pit is thinking too simply.
"Listen up, both of you, Taiwan Island, including all the surrounding small islands, is the sacred territory of the Celestial Empire. Foreigners will never be allowed to garrison troops. You can do business and station overseas, but you must obey the management of the local Ming Dynasty officials and pay taxes according to regulations.
Kill to pay for life, debt to pay for debt, do you understand?"
"Dear Sir, you have obviously misunderstood us. We have no intention of invading your country's territory. On the contrary, we all recognize that Taiwan is the territory of Ming Dynasty and are willing to contribute to the defense of Ming Dynasty's territorial integrity. We want to
All you want is one or two small ports and a land as big as a castle. Your well-informed Marshal must know that sailing is a hard job. The sailors who have wandered thousands of miles on the sea long for land and are pious.
Christians are eager for the appearance of Christ. Our two countries are both big seafaring countries. It is really important for us to have a port in Taiwan where we can add coal, water, and fresh food. Moreover, such an approach is not without precedent in China. Guangdong
There is now a port on Hong Kong Island in the province leased to the English, and nearby Macao is leased by the Spanish. Of course, we will not rent your country's port and land in vain. You can ask for the rent, but we will never be stingy with our money.
.”
Oh, they are talking about concessions. These guys are quite smart. They not only take care of Ming Dynasty's face, but also protect their own interests. Anyway, there are already precedents in Hong Kong and Macau. It would be easy to open two more concessions in Taiwan.
It's not a problem. Anyway, Lukang and Tamsui Port are still barbaric places now. Let the Xiyi people pay a little money to build a small fort to shelter from the wind and rain, and build a dock for the ships coming and going to rest and replenish. This
If the proposal is really reported to the imperial court, those big bosses who advocate that all nations come to the imperial court will definitely have no reason not to agree.
But Liu Ziguang didn't think so. The word "concession" gave him a very uncomfortable feeling, and if he allowed them to develop arbitrarily without supervision, they would probably breed tigers and form two huge colonies entrenched in Taiwan.
It would be a lot of trouble to remove the military fortress when the time comes.
"This matter is serious and needs to be reported to the cabinet for discussion. I can't make the decision. However, I can promise you that before the imperial court's decree is issued, your life safety in Taiwan can still be guaranteed. Lukang and Tamsui Ports, you
Although it is used, the sovereignty belongs to our Ming Dynasty. I will take over the navy soon, do you have any objections?"
"No, dear Marshal, these two ports were built by us, and the sovereignty should belong to us. Even if it is transferred to your country in the future, it should be after the lease expires." The two envoys heard that Liu Ziguang was going to send troops to take over the port.
, suddenly panicked. They came here mainly to find out the truth. It would be best if they could reach an agreement. If not, they would have to delay the Ming army from going north and give them time to prepare for war. The Ming army used such a short period of time.
The Spaniards were defeated in just a matter of time. Their military strength should not be underestimated and they must not underestimate the enemy. If the Ming army went north to take over the port, there would be a conflict and their trip would be in vain.
"Since it is our Ming Dynasty's territory, of course we must garrison troops. What is territory without garrisoning troops? I am here to inform you, not to discuss with you. If you want to make peace, then make peace, if you want to fight, then fight. Why are you wasting so much words?"
Liu Ziguang frowned and shouted.
"Your Majesty, Marshal, we don't want to be enemies with you, but..." Before the envoy could finish his words, Liu Ziguang picked up the tea bowl, and the guard next to him shouted with all his strength: "See you off~~" The two envoys were helpless
They spread their hands, bowed and were about to leave. As soon as they turned around, they were stopped by Liu Ziguang. They thought things had turned around, but they didn't know that Liu Ziguang just asked someone to give them twenty silver coins, saying it was "New Year's money".
.”
When the Celestial Empire comes to the country, it is natural that they must do their best to save face. When barbarians from other countries come to pay New Year greetings, they still have to pay a small amount of money.
Liu Ziguang didn't think much about the concession. Now that he had an absolute advantage in military strength, there was no need to talk to foreigners at all. The army could just drive over. Two groups of scouts had been sent out, and the training of new recruits had also begun. There was no need for them.
How long will it take to regain the entire territory of Taiwan? Liu Ziguang is going to hand over this glorious task to his subordinates. Zheng Sen is the best candidate. This man is commendable for his loyalty and has a good navy. Now let him add some military exploits.
, it will be much more legitimate to ask the imperial court to offer him the official position of Taiwan's Commander-in-Chief in the future.
War preparations are proceeding in an orderly manner. News of the victory has been spread to Fujian, and then sent to Shanghai by waterway, and then sent to the capital from Shanghai. A memorial requesting the establishment of a separate Taiwan Province is also included, as well as a memorial asking for credit for the generals.
, documents stating Zheng Chenggong’s righteousness in annihilating his relatives, and private letters forwarded to the iron factory. I believe it won’t be long before the court’s approval comes back.
The battle experience of the Ming army in Anping City was telegraphed to Xin Bian Jing by people who were traveling in the Song Dynasty. When they learned that the Ming army had powerful weapons and actually defeated the Spanish army in one day and night, the people in the Song Dynasty were shocked.
The reason why the name of the Song Dynasty is called Lu Song is to remind oneself that one is a Song Dynasty living abroad and never forget to cherish the homeland. Whether it is the steady Lu family in power or the radical Wen family in power, the general policy is to restore the country.
.
There are many ways to restore the country, one is to suppress the country with a large army, and the other is to subjugate the enemy without fighting. For a long time, the imperial court in the Song Dynasty implemented the latter method. A large number of people in the Song Dynasty were in Shanghai, Guangzhou,
Quanzhou, Taiwan, and Nanjing settled, and a large number of high-quality and low-priced Song Dynasty industrial products were dumped into the Ming Dynasty. Song Dynasty-style straw hats, rubber rain boots, fruits, and tobacco were everywhere in the Ming Dynasty. Every Ming Dynasty person
Knowing that there are people living in the Song Dynasty overseas, they are the descendants of the people of the Song Dynasty. The people of that country have the same culture and race as the people of the Ming Dynasty. Under the same faces are the same Yanhuang innocent hearts, and under the same skin color are the same Han Chinese blood. If
If the Tatars from the north attack one day and the troops from the Song Dynasty land, they will definitely not arouse the resentment of the Ming Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty has advanced technology and powerful military. They can control the sea route from India to Japan, but they do not seek hegemony. Instead, they strive to maintain the balance of the region and make money with people from all over the world. They only secretly help the weak from time to time. England,
The war between the Netherlands and Spain, as well as their fight with the Zheng family, were all under the control of the people in the Song Dynasty. It could be said that whoever they wanted could win, but they did not completely support one side.
Let them consume like this. The three countries are thousands of miles away from the mainland, and it takes seven or eight months to get there by ship. Therefore, the urgently needed warships, weapons, and baggage are all purchased from Xinbianjing. In the past few years, the people of Song Dynasty have made great achievements.
A lot of money was made from the war treasury.
Everything was originally planned. When the social conflicts in the Ming Dynasty further intensified and the people rose up to resist the rule of the eunuchs, the Song Dynasty could send troops to help suppress it and seize the world. However, things suddenly changed. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty unexpectedly
With the help of his ministers, he regained power and reused capable ministers. For a while, it seemed that the plan to restore the country was at a deadlock. The radical Wen Jun united with the young faction of the army to launch the Shanghai Incident, just to make the matter bigger and officially
The war started, but the opinions in the Song Dynasty were not unified, and they believed that now was not a good time to start a war, so they did not provide support to Wen Jun and instead sent Zhao Jing to stop his actions.
The people in Lu Song Dynasty were somewhat dissatisfied with the governing strategy of Lu Biansheng, the Pingzhang Army State Council, and believed that he was too weak. He was also responsible for the death of 3,000 soldiers at Jiangyin Fortress. However, the political system of Lu Song Dynasty had not yet evolved to the point where the Pingzhang Army State Council was in charge.
He took the blame and resigned during his term of office, so the old prime minister in his fifties (Ping Zhangjun was equivalent to the prime minister in state affairs, but with greater power) still sat firmly in his big seat in the Privy Council.
After the Shanghai Incident and the Battle of Jiangyin, the Pingren Division in Song Dynasty began to pay attention to Liu Ziguang's movements and collected a large amount of information about him and his troops, his temperament, the people close to him, and his tactics.
The weapons and equipment used by his troops, the number of personnel, and the chief officers of each battalion were all within the investigation scope of the Pingren Division. They even eavesdropped on the telegrams between the Nanchang Radio Station and Shanghai and Liguo, although they could not decipher it yet.
The password is not given, but at least it shows that Xingrensi has done a good job.
The portrait of the airship and the empty shell of the rocket launcher, as well as two muskets, one long and one short, have been sent to the weapons research institute on the outskirts of Xinbianjing. The reason why the Red Shirt Regiment is so popular in the world is not only their bravery and perseverance, but also these magical things.
Weapons. When it comes to research and development, the strength of the Song Dynasty cannot be underestimated. After some analysis and purification, reverse mapping, rocket launchers and firecrackers have been imitated, black powder has also been prepared, and simple things like hot air balloons
The gadget has begun to be equipped with the army and navy's reconnaissance teams, and the gas used by the airship is still under study.
The Song Navy did not send enough personnel to monitor the nearest Taiwan Strait War Brigade because they did not expect the Spaniards to be defeated so quickly, so most of the information was provided by local expatriates. The Ming Navy's naval combat effectiveness increased so quickly that it made
The Privy Council in Song Dynasty was extremely uneasy. If the sea power could not be controlled, how could there be any talk of restoring the country?
After various analyzes and studies, the Privy Council finally reached a plan to invite the Southeast Governor of the Ming Dynasty to visit New Bianjing and incite rebellion. Even if they could not instigate rebellion, they would still create a small gap between their Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers.
The invitation letter was delivered to Anping City by speedboat on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. After the messenger presented the invitation letter with a jade seal, he also conveyed a verbal message from His Majesty the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, hoping that when Governor Liu came to visit, he would bring him with him.
The last naval officer Baihu, whose surname was also Liu, was, well, the one who captured the Black Pearl.