Late Ming sea owl

Chapter 239 Death of Xu Xinsu

When Xu Xinsu said this, everyone present changed color except He Ying, who still had a calm expression.

"Dad, you can't swim!" Xu Ying screamed in shock. Even the eldest daughter of the Xu family understood the meaning of what He Ying had just said.

Why did the remaining troops retreat westward? One reason was that the main force was heading northeast, which could mislead the Zheng army's pursuit direction.

The second reason is that the closest place to the land of Jiahe Island is on the west coast, and the narrowest part of the strait is only more than two miles long, so it is not too difficult to swim across - this is why He Ying chose someone who is good at swimming to cover the rear.

Xu Xinsu ignored his precious daughter and just looked at He Ying and the Yang brothers and said, "I am indeed not good at swimming, but I am the only one who can ensure that Zheng the thief is led to the west!"

No one could refute Xu Xinsu. Zheng Zhilong's military strength was far superior to theirs. When they arrived here, they could divide their troops and pursue him. After all, thousands of people heading northeast would definitely leave no traces.

He Ying's strategy was based on the assumption that Zheng's army would not conduct a careful inspection in the dark, but this was not a sure thing. Only if he saw Xu Xinsu running westward with his own eyes, would his strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain be a sure thing.

This is no longer a strategy, but a deal. Zheng Zhilong is absolutely willing to exchange Xu Xinsu's old bones for the lives of the rest of the people.

After taking Xiamen City, Zheng Zhilong had only two biggest strategic goals: one was to kill Yu Zigao, and the other was to kill Xu Xinsu.

The purpose of killing Yu Zigao was to intimidate the Fujian officialdom, and the purpose of killing Xu Xinsu was to weaken Lin Hai's influence in the Fujian officialdom. The purpose of both was the same, that is, to recruit Zheng instead of Lin Hai. As for Yang Lu and Yang Ce's troops, they were irrelevant to Zheng Zhilong.

Xu Xinsu really knew nothing about military affairs, but no one present knew this better than him!

"Dad..." Xu Yilong swallowed his saliva and uttered a word with difficulty. He couldn't say the rest of the words no matter what. His face was even paler than when he was most desperate, as pale as a piece of transparent paper.

Yang Lu and Yang Ce also looked at each other in silence. In the past, the two brothers had some complaints about Xu Xinsu. But now the two brothers really understood why this poor old man Xu Lao San could become the most trusted person of such a hero as the old ship owner Li Dan.

"Dad, your daughter won't allow you to go and die!" Xu Ying cried and ran over, grabbing her father's sleeve.

Xu Xinsu still ignored her and just said to the silent He Ying: "My little girl is naughty and wants to be your concubine. What do you think?"

"My nephew is very honored!" He Ying bowed deeply to Xu Xinsu, while Xu Ying beside him was already in tears. The couple only realized at this point that what happened in the back garden had long been known by Xu's father.

"Yilong, after my father's death, the Fujian Central Pacification Bureau will depend on you. If Lord Yuping fails to persuade Lord Zhudu, you should go to the capital in person and pay a visit to Lord Lin, the Minister of Rites..."

The person Xu Xinsu was talking about was Lin Zongzai, the Minister of Taichang Temple. If he was not counted as a member of the eunuch party, he was the Xu family's biggest supporter in the court and was also from Jiahe Island.

Xu Yilong stammered and could not speak, only to hear his father continue: "After the recruitment is completed, you, your brother, and your second uncle will all join the Huiyou Company. From now on, everything will be arranged by nephew Lin."

Xu Xinsu was very clear about the population and strength of Lin Hai in Dongfan, and now he had a deeper understanding of the combat power of the imperial army. In comparison, he had a premonition that in this chaotic world, Lin Hai's future would at least be a title of nobility and a general, and even a division of land was not impossible. It would be much better for the Xu family to get close to Lin Hai than to be a white glove for the gentry in Fujian in the past! To some extent, this was also the reason why he was willing to die generously.

In order to destroy Zheng Zhilong, Lin Hai must be recruited. However, after the recruitment, the Xu family will no longer be able to maintain an equal alliance status with the Huiyou Company. The only way out is to become Lin Hai's vassal.

But who was Xu Lao San? He was a hero as famous as the old ship owner. How could he be so shameless as to become Lin Hai's subordinate?
What's more, he is not only an elder, but also Lin Hai's benefactor. For Lin Hai to be what he is today, he, Xu Lao San, has contributed a lot, and he has to call him uncle when they meet. With such an identity, even if Lin Hai joins the Huiyou Company, how will he cope with it?
Rather than having conflicts in the future, it is better to sacrifice generously and let Lin Hai feel grateful. For the Xu family, this is the maximum benefit, anyway, he will not live long.

Xu Laosan has been doing business all his life, and few can match him in terms of shrewdness. He spends his days dealing with officials and gentry, and when it comes to scheming and calculating people's hearts, he is as good as anyone.

However, no one present except Xu Yilong understood this consideration. The Yang brothers had a much better impression of Xu Xinsu, and immediately selected two hundred men who were good at swimming, led by Yang Ce, to cover the retreat with Xu Xinsu.

Soon after, Zheng Zhipeng and Ye Dajing led their troops to the city. After Zheng Zhilong learned that Yu Zigao and Xu Xinsu had left the city, he ordered the two to chase Xu Xinsu northward, while he personally chased Yu Zigao, leaving only Wang Mengxiong in the city to guard the city.

Xu Xinsu stood on horseback under the general's flag high on the mountain, with torches lit around him so that the Zheng army could see him clearly through the telescope.

As expected, Zheng Zhipeng and Ye Dajing launched a fierce attack, and soon after, Li Kuiqi's troops also rushed over under Zheng Zhilong's strict order. After Yang Ce led his troops to resist for a while, he began to fight and retreat according to He Ying's strategy, leading the enemy to the west.

The retreat route was also arranged by He Ying. After walking along a mountain path, Xu Xinsu, Yang Ce and others met Yu Zigao on the main road.

Although Marshal Yu left the city from the east, his ultimate goal was to go west, after all, the west of Jiahe Island was the closest to the land. This was the most likely escape route, and it was also the solid foundation of He Ying's strategy to lead the pursuers to the west.

Yu Zigao had only a dozen riders with him, but everyone had a horse. There were no pursuers behind him, and it was obvious that he had once again abandoned his troops outside the city and fled ahead of schedule, taking only his trusted servants with him.

Marshal Yu used his subordinates as bait and finally got rid of the pursuit and blockade of Zheng Zhilong and Zheng Zhiguan, but he didn't expect to run into the front of Zheng Zhipeng, Li Kuiqi and Ye Dajing's troops.

Fortunately, he had a horse, while the pursuers were all on foot. Marshal Yu rode past Xu Xinsu and his party at lightning speed, and a few curses were faintly heard in the wind.

Yu Zigao was already past the age of knowing his destiny, so why would he take these things to heart? He walked all the way to the beach, dismounted, took off his armor, jumped into the cold sea with his bare chest, and swam hard to the other side using the dog paddle style.

Halfway through the swim, Yu Zigao suddenly felt very tired. After all, he was old, and even just two miles had made him dizzy.

Suddenly, his father's majestic figure flashed through his mind. Yu Zigao suddenly had a thought: if his father was faced with such a situation, what would he choose?
He couldn't help but look back, and a thin figure appeared in his sight.

Although they were a mile away, for some reason Yu Zigao could see clearly that the man was his good friend, Xu Xinsu, who was as weak as a chicken. He was neatly dressed, with his chest held high and his head held high, walking towards the sea...

At this moment, Yu Zigao suddenly felt like a dog.

(End of this chapter)