Kangxi, your Qing Dynasty is dead

Chapter 449 Are there Japanese pirates?Find Zhongzheng! (Please subscribe, please vote)

The Duke of Villahermosa lay on his horse, and under the protection of a group of German mercenary leaders who were still preparing to ask for debts from him, he once again retreated hastily. Behind them, some Aztec soldiers who had not yet been attacked The frightened German mercenaries were still fighting and retreating, risking their lives to cover their Duke's retreat towards Chilpan Singh Fortress.

The Indians in the Aztec Republican Army were all red-eyed and kept holding on, sweeping towards the Southern Sierra Madre Mountains.A small number of German mercenary troops who were barely organized to contain and cover were instantly overwhelmed by the large Aztec Republican Army.Later, the German mercenaries no longer had any courage to resist, and they just ran like frightened birds.

In their minds, the last hope was that the follow-up troops mobilized by the Duke of Villahermosa, that is, the unreliable mercenaries in New Spain, had arrived at Chilpanzinger Fortress.In this way, by joining forces together, we can control the most important pass in the Sierra Madre del Sur and block the Aztec Republic Army, whose fighting will surpasses that of the French heavenly soldiers!
The Duke of Villahermosa just followed the scattered German mercenaries in a daze. Looking around, there were only five or six hundred German mercenaries who could protect him in escaping towards Chilpanzinger Fortress. , almost lost all fighting spirit.He himself didn't understand how he escaped all the way here.

He has a total of [-] troops, all of which are the strongest arms available to the Kingdom of Spain - German mercenaries!Among them are two thousand German cuirassiers!Even if the opponent is Prince Condé, Dureny, or the Duke of Luxembourg, he is still capable of fighting.How could he be defeated miserably by a group of lowly Indians?But those Indians are really too ferocious, even more ferocious than the Japanese mercenaries of the Aztec Republic. They seem to be born to settle accounts with the colonial masters from Europe, even if they drag the European masters to hell with them. , also willingly!Those red flags flying in the smoke, and the bayonets of the Indians coming like waves under the red background and black cross, are simply the most terrifying nightmare!

The most terrifying part of this nightmare is not on today's battlefield, but in the souls of the Indians!

More than [-]% of this race was wiped out by the Spaniards through deliberately spread diseases and advanced weapons that were several generations ahead of them. The fighting will of this race, which is so afraid of white people to the core, has now begun to awaken!

In today's Spanish New World, the number of peninsulas (Europeans) and native whites is at most a few hundred thousand, while the number of Indians and Indo-Europeans is at least more than 1000 million. The vast majority of people who are now enslaved have woken up. Got it
On September 1683, 9, the Duke of Villahermosa, the former commander of the Army of Flanders and the current commander of the Spanish New World Army, known as France's best enemy, suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Don Carmen Estate. In this battle, which can be called the founding battle of the Aztec Republic, 10 elite German mercenaries suffered a near-total attack, and only a few hundred escaped back to the Chilpanzing Fortress.

After the Aztec Republican Army won a great victory at Don Carmen Manor, their morale was so high that it was about to burst. Regardless of casualties and exhaustion, they continued to advance towards the Chilpanzinger Fortress!Chasing the fleeing enemy all the way, going as far as the mud. After a day and night of continuous pursuit, with the help of the remaining courage brought from the Don Carmen battlefield, he bit the remnants of the German mercenaries and rushed into Chilpan Singh. fortress.

And when the thousands of New Spanish mercenaries stationed in the fortress saw the white soldiers being chased to such an extent by a group of Indians wearing tiger hats, how could they still have any fighting spirit?With almost no resistance, they dispersed and gave the entire fortress and the food, ammunition, and guns piled inside to the Aztec Republic for free, as well as many Indians and Indians serving in the Spanish army. The Indo-Europeans surrendered directly to the Aztec heavenly soldiers, and several squadrons among them surrendered in an organized manner!

The decisive battle that took place at the Fortress of Don Carmen was undoubtedly a catastrophic event that could change the course of history!

However, due to the existence of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the news that the Spanish Empire will collapse and the rise of the Aztec Republic will not reach the ancient Old World for a while.

Therefore, the struggle on the Old Continent continues to move forward along the route that has been planned by all parties!

Off the coast of Hangzhou Bay, the calm ocean in autumn is dotted with seagulls, the sky is blue and the sea is yellow, creating a peaceful and peaceful scene.There are several medium-sized bird boats with a deadweight of close to 100 tons, hanging butterfly sails, and they are casting rain nets on the undulating sea.Now is the fishing season in the East China Sea. The yellow croaker, hairtail, and pomfret produced in the East China Sea are all very fat and tender. If you can catch a boat and send them to big cities like Baoshan, Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Hangzhou, you will definitely be able to catch them. Sell ​​it for a good price.

If the wind direction is not right, it doesn’t matter if you can’t make it back immediately. These bird boats carry a lot of Huai salt, so they can salt the catch in time - such a good business would not have been possible ten years ago. At that time, During the Qing Dynasty, the border was relocated along the coast. There was no human habitation for 20 miles from the coastline. Even if some coastal people escaped the Qing army's forced eviction, they could still fish in the sea, and there was no place to sell the catch, let alone use it. How much was salt back then?Ordinary people wouldn’t be willing to add more to their cooking, so how could they be willing to pickle salted fish?How can it be like now, under the personal management of Shangshu Zuocheng Chen Yonghua, the Lianghuai Salt Industry can still provide cheap and high-quality salt to the people of Ming Dynasty on the premise of paying a full annual salt tax of 500 million taels plus 100 million jins of fire salt?Coastal fishermen can even get a pretty discounted price.The days are getting more and more prosperous!

At that time, the lives of coastal fishermen were extremely difficult. When the sea was calm, they could still fish.

What's even more frightening is that they have to hide from the smuggling ship of the Great Qingshui Division!That's right, they were the navy smuggling ships. They were the ones who smuggled out silk, porcelain, and tea produced in the southeastern coastal provinces. They were also the ones who sold grain, ironware, and gunpowder to the Zheng family on Taiyuan Island. They were also responsible for anti-smuggling along the coast and went there every year. They were also the ones who handed over the heads of pirates and smugglers.

But pirates are their parents who feed and clothe them, and smugglers kill their "parents" by themselves, which is unfilial. Killing themselves would be unfaithful (how can you be loyal if you commit suicide?). The Qing Dynasty could not tolerate unfilial ministers who had to be loyal, so those people are here The fishermen who were struggling to survive on the beach happened to be killed to repay the favor!
Anyway, resisting the relocation to the sea is a capital crime, and killing him is not considered killing him!
Since killing is not considered killing, then these fishermen who were forced to have no other way out naturally had to fight back. Some of them simply started fishing as small pirates at the same time, and from time to time they could go out to sea as a group to fight against the great clear water divisions. Last time.

Gradually, these coastal fishermen became accustomed to fighting and killing, and their relationship with Liangzi of the Qing Dynasty became deeper and deeper.After the Third Prince Zhu launched the "Pingjiang (Suzhou) Uprising", coastal fishermen in Zhejiang and Jiangsu joined the Tiandihui one after another - the Qing Dynasty was so bad, the ones who rebelled against the Qing Dynasty must be their own people!So now they have all become "republican elders", and they have naturally obtained the status of national scholars, and they have also been assigned fields and houses on the seaside.

Although he became a national scholar and had an industry on the shore, how could the income from farming compare with fishing?Moreover, the imperial court also encourages the fishing industry (fishing industry can train seamen and can also prosper the shipbuilding industry). Shipbuilding is subsidized, and the salt for pickling salted fish can be discounted. It will also help them find markets in coastal cities, and it is even mentioned in newspapers. Promote the benefits of eating fish: Old people eating fish can prolong life, children eating fish can become smart, men eating fish can strengthen their virility, and women eating fish can beautify their appearance.
Therefore, most of the "republican elders" on the seaside have purchased large and sturdy new fishing boats. When fishing at sea, they can run faster, farther and safer. If the country needs it, these fishing boats can be converted into light warships at any time. , troop transport ships, and can even be used directly for beach landing!
In addition, these new fishing boats are equipped with weapons!Not so much cannons, but there are French cannons and heavy matchlock guns, and they are all serious military products, produced by regular arsenals!Sailors on fishing boats will also participate in training organized by the Garrison General Yamen during the fishing leisure season, and they will be able to use those gadgets proficiently.

Over the past few days, the relations between Ming Dynasty and Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, Portugal and other countries have broken down. Although there has not been a formal declaration of war, they are almost in a state of war.

Off the coast of Hangzhou Bay, foreign warships under the banner of the Spanish Armada would come to cause trouble from time to time. There was no news from the Ryukyu Island side, and it was said that it had been captured by Japanese pirates!
The armed merchant ships going out to sea for trade in the Ming Dynasty no longer dare to go alone. Instead, they will form a group and be escorted by the navy's fourth-level warships and gunboats before they dare to move along the coastline.I don’t dare to go too far, it’s almost as far as Jiulong River in the south and Haizhou Bay in the north, just along the coast.In this way, "armed fishing boats" from coastal provinces must go to sea to keep watch and support a coastal sentinel net as much as possible.But even with such caution, the richest man Zheng Jing and Zheng Da have already lost more than ten merchant ships since this spring!
The waters off Hangzhou Bay, because it is close to the richest southeastern coast of the Ming Dynasty and close to Japan, the base of the Westerners near the Shenzhou Continent, have always been a key alert area. Almost every large fishing boat is the eyes and ears of the Ming Navy!

A tough-looking man slid down from the mast with a sizzling sound. Hanging from his neck was a "Venice" telescope that could be extended and contracted.This is a telescope with glass lenses produced in Baoshan. It was run by businessmen from the Republic of Venice in the Western Mediterranean. This factory was recruited by Jia Guozhu, the Ming Dynasty Ambassador to European countries, who personally went to the Republic of Venice to attract investment. For this purpose, he also agreed to a large sum of money. The subsidy was also promised to be tax-free for two years and halved for three years.

Although the conditions are favorable, it is still worth it. At least this factory can now produce glass telescopes that are as good as Western originals, and the glass used is also produced in the factory in Baoshan. This is not afraid of Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Ka Daming's "neck" was damaged.

Jia Guozhu has also done dozens of similar investment promotions.
A sailor on the deck of the fishing boat saw his boss, Zhang Laosan, sliding down from the mast, frowning and looking wary, so he asked curiously: "Uncle Zhang, have you discovered anything?"

Zhang Laosan shook his head and said: "I haven't found it yet. The furthest we can go is here. If we go further into the deep sea, even if we encounter a Western gunboat, our fishing boat can't outrun them. Think about it, really. It’s so frustrating! When can we have swarms of third- and fourth-level battleships and sail to the seas outside London, England, and The Hague, the Netherlands, to block the gates, then we can become powerful all over the world!"

The sailor just smiled. He knew that what his ship's boss said was all heard from Zhang Laosi, Zhang Laosan's brother.That Zhang Laosi is a figure, a naval officer who graduated from the Chongming Island Navy Lecture Hall. The Zhang family has been in decline since the death of Cang Shui Gong and his son, and there has never been an official until this Zhang Laosi. Four was admitted to the Navy Lecture Hall!
I wonder where this Zhang Laosi is currently employed?There has been no news for almost a year, but don’t be like his great uncle Zhang Cangshui!
At this moment, the sailor's eyes were suddenly flashed by a ray of light from a distance. He quickly looked up and saw someone on another fishing boat in the distance, using a large mirror to reflect the sunlight!
This is an early warning sign!

"Third uncle, east, east!" he shouted quickly.

Zhang Laosan quickly shouted to the sailors who were busy fishing: "Quick, stop catching fish, lift the mirror out first, and signal Zheyu No. 58 to the west!"

This signal had to be transmitted from ship to ship by reflecting sunlight with mirrors to the shore or to the small islands along the coast. There were beacon towers there. After lighting the beacon smoke, it could be further transmitted to General Li Zhongshan.

After watching his men set up the mirror and refract the sunlight, Zhang Laosan ran up to the mast with bare feet, raised the "Venice brand" telescope and looked east. After about a quarter of an hour, he finally saw Several masts suddenly floated above the sea level, and bulging white sails hung on the masts!The visibility was now very good, and he could even see the "red cross" on the white sail - this was the "cross on the neck", the military flag of the Kingdom of Spain!
After a while, there were more and more sails on the sea, and they were all connected into one large piece, like a floating white cloud!Zhang Laosan roughly counted, there are at least 50 Spanish warships under the banner of "Neck and Ground Cross"!
This is the main force of the Spanish Armada coming!

He slid down from the mast and ordered loudly: "Rockets, set up signal rockets and shoot out all the signal rockets! You must let the general know that the main force of the Spanish Armada is coming!"

With the sunshine from the mirror and the rockets hitting the sky one after another, coupled with the beacon fires lit along the coast of Zhejiang, the news that the main force of the Spanish Armada was approaching Hangzhou Bay flew to the Nanjing General's Mansion as if it had wings. The report was given to Li Zhongshan, who had just given himself the rank of general.

The reform of the military rank system was something that Li Zhongshan had been promoting for a long time, but it was not finally implemented until the autumn of the [-]th year of the Republic of China, just before the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition was about to be launched.

"The general's beacon tower in the direction of Zhejiang has been lit!"

Zhou Chang and Zhou Peigong, who had the rank of lieutenant general, quickly walked into Li Zhongshan's capital room and handed a report to him with both hands.

"What?" Li Zhongshan squinted his eyes and looked up at Zhou Chang, "Pei Gong, what do you think?"

"Japanese pirates, it must be a large-scale invasion by Japanese pirates!"

The General's Office of the Ming Dynasty had long known about the news that Japanese pirates were about to invade in large numbers!But they didn't know which direction these Japanese pirates would come from?What's the quantity?
It’s really impossible to fortify every part of the Ming Dynasty’s thousands of miles of sea!
Li Zhongshan thought for a moment: "Pigong Peigong, the Japanese pirate in Hangzhou Bay, send someone to notify Zhongzheng!" He smiled and said, "To fight against Japanese pirates, go to Zhongzheng. You are absolutely right!"

(End of this chapter)