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Chapter 677: Back to the capital

All the captives, whether they were Jurchens or Mongolian soldiers, were silent as they watched the Ming army fleet on the Liao River slowly move downstream in the night.

Compared with the arrogance and joy of the Ming army, the mood of the captives on the shore was extremely low. Not only the soldiers, but also the largest slave chiefs were the same.

They had a deep sense of powerlessness. They tried to fight, but they couldn't fight against the Ming army's muskets, let alone the Ming army's artillery. When facing the Ming army on the water, they could only stare.

After a long time, Huang Taiji sighed, and then said to Duduo beside him: "Leave five thousand troops with white flags stationed outside Haizhou City to watch Guan Ning's army."

Then, without waiting for Duduo to agree, he said to several other slave chiefs: "Withdraw the troops and return to Shengjing. I have something important to say."

Finally, he ordered a personal guard: "Pass on my order to have Dorgon return to Shengjing as soon as possible. Governor Denglai sent troops obviously to coordinate the war in Haizhou. The war here is over, and Governor Denglai will retreat on his own. There is no need."

Leave him alone."

Besides, after Zhong Jinwei landed at Dagu Port in Tianjin, he ordered Cao Wenzhao to lead the army, and he hurried to the capital. After so many days, I wonder what happened to Jiangnan?

The moment before dawn is the darkest and sleepiest time. The soldiers at the gate of the capital are secretly taking naps to relieve their physical fatigue.

But at this moment, under such circumstances, they were awakened by the rapid sound of horse hooves outside the city.

Experienced soldiers understood that unless they were the kind of messengers who were in a hurry for eight hundred miles, they would rush like this without worrying about the city gate being closed. They were all a little frightened, wondering if it was the Jiangnan Red-haired Thieves.

But what they didn't expect was that the person who came was actually Marquis Zhongxing, who was originally in Liaodong. He brought only a dozen guards with him, but none of the troops that were originally sent out for the expedition were seen.

People were already panic-stricken, but now looking at the back of Marquis Zhongxing heading towards the Forbidden City, the gatekeepers couldn't help but talk about it, not to mention that the war in Liaodong was defeated again?

The captain on duty immediately suppressed such remarks. If they spread, it would be a serious crime. In order to prevent the spread of the remarks, he brought out the rumor that Zhongxing Hou was a deity descended from the earth. How could he lose the battle!

Maybe they knew that Hongmao was causing a rebellion, and Marquis Zhongxing came to quell the rebellion. This statement was unanimously approved by the soldiers, and they suddenly felt full of confidence again.

When Emperor Chongzhen and Zhong Jinwei met, they both found that the other had become thinner and looked haggard.

Emperor Chongzhen did not expect Zhong Jinwei to come back so soon. He thought of the war in Liaodong and asked quickly: "Master Zhong, how is the war in Liaodong?"

He hoped that the war in Liaodong was not fought due to delays, so that Marquis Zhongxing could come back so quickly. Because in his mind, it was the best situation for Marquis Zhongxing to come back so soon.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, everything is going well. Haizhou belongs to the Ming Dynasty!" Zhong Jinwei first answered Emperor Chongzhen's question, and then immediately asked, "Your Majesty, how is Jiangnan now?"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he was very happy. Liaodong went smoothly, which was a worry. Then when Zhong Jinwei asked about Jiangnan affairs, he sighed, and then said with a little anger: "It's all rubbish, one by one.

If the army moves over, it can still fight the pirates, but if it is a joint force of red barbarians and pirates, it will collapse at the first touch."

Zhong Jinwei frowned. He knew that the guard army at the end of the Ming Dynasty had long been eroded, and the most elite troops of the Ming Dynasty were all deployed to the north to defend the captives.

In addition, the situation in the southwestern part of the Ming Dynasty was unstable. Even the slightly better troops in the south were transferred there to guard against Guizhou and the chieftains in Yunnan rebelled. Even the Baigan Army, which Zhong Jinwei was familiar with, was transferred back last year.

Calculating it this way, the South is actually very empty. The Dutch took advantage of it.

Zhong Jinwei remembered something and asked Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, didn't you tell the Portuguese in Macau to also send troops?"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, his face showed an angry look, and he said angrily: "I don't know what they are doing. It took them so long to set off from Guangdong. Even Master Zhong rushed back from Liaodong, but those Portuguese have just arrived in Jiangxi."

When Zhong Jinwei heard this, he thought about it and understood. The reason for the Portuguese's delay was nothing more than two reasons. Either they were not as strong as the Dutch, so they did not dare to fight; or they had a small calculation to let the Ming Dynasty and the Dutch

He consumes it first, and then he comes to pick the fruit.

Thinking of this, he immediately said: "Your Majesty, when I come back, Jiangnan will be left to me. First repel the Dutch, and then we will settle the accounts with the Portuguese later."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and sighed with red eyes: "No one else can be relied on, I can only rely on Master Zhong!"

During this period, Emperor Chongzhen was under great pressure and could not sleep well.

"Your Majesty, I would like to know the specific situation of the Dutch first. Is anyone in the capital familiar with it?" Zhong Jinwei pretended not to hear Emperor Chongzhen's sigh and asked directly.

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately issued an order: "It is reported that the Fujian Navy's coastal defense guerrilla attack Zheng Zhilong has an audience."

When Zhong Jinwei heard that Zheng Zhilong was in the capital, he was a little surprised. At the same time, he also had questions. Because of his appearance, Zheng Zhilong, the future actual controller of the southeast coast, suffered such a defeat. What was going on?

When he was about to ask Emperor Chongzhen about Zheng Zhilong, the chief minister of the cabinet, Wen Tiren, and six ministers heard that Zhongxing Hou was back, so they rushed to Wenhua Palace.

Therefore, when Zhong Jinwei saw one, he had to reply: "The battle at Haizhou was won!"

Just like this, Zheng Zhilong arrived.

After some courtship etiquette, Emperor Chongzhen said to Zheng Zhilong: "Master Zhong has something to ask, and you must answer truthfully."

Although Zheng Zhilong is powerful at sea and on the territory of Fujian, he is only a small guerrilla after all. Therefore, in front of the big bosses, he always lowers his head and replies.

Now listening to what Emperor Chongzhen said, Zheng Zhilong knew in his heart that Master Zhong should be Yan Yingyuan's brother-in-law, a popular figure in the eyes of the emperor, and the most dazzling figure in Ming Dynasty officialdom, Zhongxing Hou Zhong Jinwei.

A young voice sounded from the left side in front of him: "I heard that you are also a tycoon at sea. How come you were defeated by the Dutch and the whole army was wiped out? How powerful are the Dutch? Don't exaggerate, speak truthfully."

Zheng Zhilong had already mentioned this issue once when he first arrived in the capital. Now he wants to say it again, but he does not dare to show any dissatisfaction.

He raised his head and looked over, following the sound, and replied: "Master Marquis, it was the pirates and the Dutch who joined forces to ambush the general's fleet. This is actually nothing. The most important thing is that the Dutch have too many warships, and their combat power is

Another bow reached my Ming Dynasty's ten bows, and I was unable to fight, which is why we got this result."

Zheng Zhilong had clearly seen Zhong Jinwei's appearance when he was speaking, and was secretly surprised. His appearance did not seem to be a man of great ambition and scheming, which was quite different from Zheng Zhilong's previous imagination.

Zhong Jinwei has also heard that during this period of great navigation, there was a big gap between the ships of the Ming Dynasty and those of the Westerners. But he didn't know what the specific gap was.

Therefore, when he heard what Zheng Zhilong said, he asked: "Can you tell me specifically, what is the difference between the ships of the Ming Dynasty and those of the Westerners?"


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