Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 235 The city is broken
In the Xu family’s back garden in Zhongzuo City, a bright moon quietly climbed up to the treetops.

The north wind gradually rises, and it is the season when the Erythrina flowers begin to bloom. Xu Ying, the eldest daughter of the Xu family, sits under a tall Erythrina tree, her beautiful face shining in the watery moonlight.

In an open space not far away, He Ying, wearing a tight suit, was practicing shooting. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his dark face, soon soaking his single clothes.

After finishing the spear training, Xu Ying came forward with a handkerchief in her hand: "Mr. He, wipe off the sweat, don't catch a cold."

"Thank you, Miss Xu." He Ying stood with the gun in one hand, took the handkerchief and wiped it on her face. Suddenly, she felt a girl's body fragrance entering her nose, and her heart was moved.

The people in the coastal areas of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou are open-minded, and the feudal ethics and morals impose fewer restrictions on women than in inland areas. For example, there was no custom of foot binding in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Since that day when he mustered up the courage to talk to He Ying alone, Xu Ying became more and more courageous. Every day when the moon was high above the willows, she would come to the back garden to watch him practice with his gun. To this day, the two of them had already developed feelings for each other and understood each other tacitly.

"Mr. He, look, the Erythrina flowers are in bloom, they are so beautiful." Xu Ying rubbed the corner of her skirt and made small talk.

As soon as he finished speaking, He Ying picked up the gun, held the handle with one hand and shook it hard. The gun barrel twisted like a living thing, went around a branch and pierced the flower high up.

The erythrina flowers slowly fell, and He Ying picked them up in her hand: "Miss Xu, this is for you."

Xu Ying took the flower, her face under the moonlight seemed redder than the flower. At this moment, the voice of Hongniang, her personal maid, suddenly came from outside the garden: "Miss, it's not good, it's not good..."

The matchmaker was originally responsible for keeping watch outside. Xu Ying thought someone was coming, and her face changed drastically. Why did this girl start shouting so loudly? Now she couldn't hide.

As her mind raced, Hongniang had already run into the garden: "Miss, the Zheng thieves have broken into the city..."

When Xu Ying heard this, her face turned pale, but He Ying beside her clenched the spear in her hand.

At this time, Zheng Zhilong was still outside the city. Ye Dajing, the former commander of the Penghu Guerrilla Banner, who led his troops into the city, sent someone to report: "Master, General Wang, the city has become a mess. Our army has not encountered any organized resistance for the time being."

The general Wang mentioned by this person is Zheng Zhilong's sworn brother, the former Penghu guerrilla king Mengxiong. More than half a year ago, he and his trusted subordinate Ye Dajing were thrown into prison by Fujian Governor Zhu Yifeng.

Later, Zheng Zhilong forced Huang Mingzuo to rescue him, and Wang Mengxiong became a bandit in Wanggang from then on. Many of his former subordinates also defected to him and still called him "General".

Wang Mengxiong laughed when he heard the report: "Yu Zigao must have run away with his tail between his legs. He really brought shame to his father."

"Let's go into the city. Don't let Yu Zigao escape." Zheng Zhilong's face showed no joy or anger, and there was even a hint of worry in his eyes. He sent troops half a month ago, almost shortly after Lin Hai arrived in Japan.

At that time, Chi Xianfang was working on Lin Hai's recruitment. Since there was an insider named Huang Mingzuo in the Fujian governor's office, Zheng Zhilong soon learned the news. He never thought that Lin Hai would get the chance to recruit after destroying the ancestral temple and kidnapping the eunuchs of Suzhou and Hangzhou. This was what Zheng had been pursuing for a long time, but he didn't expect that Lin Hai would get there first. Once this happened, he would have no way out.

In panic, Zheng Zhilong quickly led his entire army to attack Xiamen City, where Yu Zigao was stationed, in an attempt to force the Fujian authorities to surrender to him. The reason for choosing to attack Xiamen was that killing the Fujian general could better deter local officials and gentry, and secondly, there was an insider arranged by Huang Mingzuo in the city.

However, the battle did not go smoothly. Yu Zigao's city defense was extremely tight, and the insiders arranged by Huang Mingzuo could not find a chance to open the door.

Zheng Zhilong ordered Li Kuiqi's troops to attack for two days in a row but failed to capture the city. He then ordered Zheng Zhiwan's troops to fight for a day but still to no avail.

Zheng Zhilong immediately became anxious. He didn't know that Lin Hai was in Japan at the moment. If he couldn't win the battle quickly, he might end up making things difficult for others and prompt the Fujian authorities to speed up the recruitment of Lin Hai.

In a panic, Zheng Zhilong planned to bet on the 2,000 marines he had trained with great effort, but was persuaded by Wang Mengxiong that it was too unprofitable to use these elite troops as cannon fodder for siege.

Wang Mengxiong suggested that Zheng Zhilong stop attacking the city and divide his troops to attack the neighboring counties of Tong'an and Haicheng. If the county seats of the two counties could be captured, it would be as shocking to the Fujian officialdom as killing the Fujian general. At the same time, it could divert the attention of Xiamen City. Once the soldiers defending the city were relaxed, it would be easy for the insiders in the city to succeed.

Zheng Zhilong readily accepted the advice and assigned Zheng Zhiguan and Li Kuiqi to attack Tongan and Haicheng, while he himself and Zheng Zhipeng, Wang Mengxiong, Ye Dajing and others remained on Jiahe Island.

As a result, the battles in Tongan and Haicheng did not go well. Zheng Zhiguan and Li Kuiqi were defeated by Tongan County Magistrate Cao Lutai and Haicheng County Magistrate Liu Silai respectively, who had started training local soldiers as early as the previous year.

In another time and space, Zheng Zhilong occupied Jiahe Island for more than half a year in the first year of Chongzhen, during which he negotiated with the Fujian authorities. Although he was eventually recruited, he never occupied Tongan and Haicheng counties, and of course the local soldiers in these two places were unable to drive away the pirates so close.

Facts have proved that if the officials in charge are reliable, even militiamen can burst out tremendous energy, especially when defending their homes.

Regarding this point, the Jiannu who repeatedly entered the pass during the Chongzhen period and the peasant army that roamed around probably also had a deep understanding. In contrast, those so-called regular divisions often had no bottom line, which was surprising.

After the news of the defeat in the two places reached Jiahe Island, Zheng Zhilong was furious and immediately ordered Wang Mengxiong to lead a thousand marines to attack. This time, he finally saved face. Wang Mengxiong lived up to his trust and defeated the local soldiers of the two counties in Tongan and Haicheng, but he was frightened by the morale of the local soldiers and finally did not dare to attack the county town.

More importantly, when Wang Mengxiong returned to Jiahe Island, his prediction came true. The soldiers in Xiamen City really began to relax, and the insider arranged by Huang Mingzuo took the opportunity to open the city gate...

Under the watery moonlight, the city of Xiamen was like a girl who had taken off her clothes, revealing herself naked in front of the pirates.

"I will personally lead people to attack the general's mansion. I hope Yu Zigao has not escaped." Zheng Zhilong instructed his cousin Zheng Zhipeng, "Brother, you take your troops to Xu Laosan's house and make sure to kill this thief."

Zheng Zhilong certainly would not pin all his hopes on Yu and Xu's slow pace. At this time, the vanguard led by Ye Dajing was trying to seize the other three city gates. Outside the city, his men were also stationed on the important roads.

(End of this chapter)