I have a cornucopia

Chapter 270 God’s Will, This is God’s Will

"Long live the Lord!"

Old Wang screamed and rushed towards Chongzhen.

His Majesty the Emperor, with blood all over his face, was trying to throw himself under the bed with a ferocious look.

There were broken bricks all around.

But then another piece of wood fell and hit him.

Although it fell from the roof, unlike the broken bricks stirred up by the shells, which were moving at high speed, it still made the emperor spit out a mouthful of blood, and then he collapsed on the bed again, and twitched instinctively. Then Lao Wang, Zheng Chenggong and others rushed over, anxiously moved the wood, and dug out the bloody emperor, not caring whether he was dead or alive. Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Jiayu directly put him on Lao Wang's back, and let Lao Wang carry him, and then Zheng Chenggong, Zhang Jiayu and others guarded on both sides, and they rushed out of this palace, which was obviously the target of the bombardment, at the fastest speed.

As they stepped out of the door, the second shell whizzed in.

The shell, with terrifying kinetic energy, instantly penetrated the palace.

It was originally an ordinary civilian house, which was penetrated by two heavy artillery shells in succession and then collapsed completely.

"These traitors want to kill the king!"

Zheng Chenggong said angrily.

This was aimed at His Majesty the Emperor, otherwise there would be no concentrated fire. You have to know that the militia's artillery must be at least a mile and a half away. It would be difficult to hit here at this distance unless it was heavy artillery. And even if it was heavy artillery, because it was beyond the aiming range, if you wanted to hit it, especially if you hit it multiple times, you would have to have a bunch of heavy artillery concentrated fire to succeed by chance.

This is what His Majesty the Emperor wants.

"Hurry up, if we can't lead His Majesty out, we will be the ones to kill the king."

Zhang Jiayu shouted.

Zheng Chenggong also woke up instantly.

Indeed, it was obvious that they were intended to pin the crime of regicide on them. Anyway, if they were all killed, there would be no evidence. Making up stories and calling a horse a deer was what the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River were best at.

Who said that His Majesty was killed by artillery fire?

It was obvious that Zheng Chenggong tried to snatch the emperor to Fujian, and then asked his father to learn from Li Zicheng and use the emperor to command the princes. As a result, the emperor refused, and finally he became angry and killed the emperor. The poor emperor's body was not found, and even his remains were thrown into the Yangtze River to destroy the body. As for where he was thrown, he had been killed by the artillery shells of the righteous militia and had no way of knowing. In short, this is the truth.

Of course, even if they could escape, they would still be accused of regicide.

It's just a stretch at best.

unless……

"Break out to Shandong, don't go south. You have the princess's warrant in your hand, it can't be faked. No one will help you if you go south. Go to Shandong. Even if Yang Feng is not here, his sister can testify for you."

Lao Wang said as he ran.

Indeed, it was useless to go south, as Nanjing would say that it was Zheng Zhilong who ordered it. But going to Shandong was different. Even if Yang Feng still did not show up, his sister could testify for Zheng Chenggong, and he had the princess's secret order. Then the Shandong gentry, who were also eager for the wealth of Jiangnan, and Gao Jie, who was loyal to the princess and also eager for the wealth of Jiangnan, would support Zheng Chenggong.

But if that time really comes, it will be impossible for Yang Feng not to show up.

Go south to rescue the princess!
The princess was under house arrest in the palace, and her letter for help was in Zheng Chenggong's hands.

They continued to rush to the dock amid the whistling of shells and bullets, while around them, Li Suigong and others commanded the Guangdong and Guangxi soldiers to fight desperately. Under the stimulation of the genealogy page, the Guangdong and Guangxi soldiers really exploded, and some brave ones even rushed out to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the attacking militia. In the final analysis, the genealogy page was the biggest stimulus to the Guangdong and Guangxi soldiers, which was better than giving money, especially since the composition of these militias was similar to that of Jiangnan, and they were all descendants of gentry clans, and they would not be treated unfairly in terms of benefits.
Be famous and wealthy, and try your best to bring honor to your family.

Bai Gui led the cavalry to provide mobile support within the defense line. The militiamen who broke through the defense line were constantly knocked down and trampled under their horses' hooves. However, they also became the main targets of the opposing artillery. Under the impact of the whistling shells, the cavalrymen kept falling down in splattering blood and flesh.

However, his subordinates are just servants, and they can truly share life and death with him.

The warships of the Fujian Navy continued to bombard the militia artillery on the shore.

Amidst the relentless gunfire, Lao Wang and his entourage ran as fast as they could. When Lao Wang could no longer run, Zheng Chenggong took over, and then Zhang Jiayu took over. They all carried the emperor on their backs until they reached the dock, where the waiting soldiers immediately took over and sent them on board.

"Weigh anchor!"

Zheng Chenggong shouted anxiously.

"Wait for them!"

Zhang Jiayu shouted quickly.

There are still thousands of people holding out on the shore, especially a large number of generals.

He couldn't abandon Li Suigong and others.

Otherwise, he would not be able to explain to Li Suiqiu, Chen Zizhuang and others after he returned.

"It's too late. If we wait any longer, we won't be able to leave. Your Majesty is the most important."

Zheng Chenggong said.

There were soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi on the shore, and it was still difficult for him to empathize with Zhang Jiayu.

"Long live the Lord!"

Lao Wang suddenly let out a howl.

Zheng Chenggong and others quickly looked at His Majesty the Emperor...

"His Majesty has passed away!"

Lao Wang cried and shouted.

Of course His Majesty has passed away.

Chongzhen was already dying, and after being bombarded and carried by them for a long time, how could he possibly survive such a torment? In fact, he had already died before he even boarded the ship, but no one noticed him during the chaotic escape. But they found him when they stopped. At this moment, amid the crying of Lao Wang, Zheng Chenggong and others silently looked at the emperor's body. After two more years of torment, the emperor, who had long been hanged on Coal Hill in history, finally ended his life.

And his death was so tragic.

Betrayed by his son, betrayed by his ministers, abandoned by his subjects...

It was a complete failure.

Fortunately, before he died, he still knew that he had several loyal ministers, so he did not die with regrets.

At this time, the militia on the shore were already retreating towards the dock.

"Wait a minute!"

Zhang Jiayu said dejectedly.

"I can't wait any longer!"

Zheng Chenggong also woke up. He pointed to the flag above his head that was still flying towards the southwest and said.

They were now heading downstream against the wind.

Although the high tide has passed and they can indeed go downstream, their speed against the wind will not be too fast. The current speed of this section of the Yangtze River is only two or three meters per second. Even if it is three meters, it will take more than half an hour to pass through Puzikou City and the Lion Rock Fort. What's more, the speed against the wind will be greatly reduced. Those huge river-locking cannons that have long been marked in the shooting area will target these slowly passing warships.

In fact, at this time, two warships at the back had already been sunk by the huge cannons of the Lion Rock Fort.

So unless the wind changes direction, it will be difficult for them to escape.

After all, this was originally an impulsive raid. Zheng Chenggong received a secret order from the princess in Zhenjiang. The princess said that she was under house arrest in the palace and the emperor was besieged at Xijiangkou. She asked Zheng Chenggong to rescue the emperor and go south. Zheng Chenggong was still very loyal to the princess. Although he did not have any feelings for the emperor, he still wanted to be a loyal minister. In this respect, he was different from his father.

In this situation, he quickly made the decision to take advantage of the favorable wind direction and tide, try his best to deceive the shore, and then head straight for the West River Estuary.

But how to retreat...he hadn't thought about it!

In his opinion, this is the emperor. As long as he can rescue the emperor, even if he lands directly, is there anyone who dares to openly kill the emperor?
But he was wrong, they just dared to do it.

Moreover, the emperor is dead. A living emperor can intimidate others. Even if they land, no one dares to attack openly. After all, that is regicide. But now that the emperor is dead, they can be charged with the crime of regicide and then killed. So now they are trapped alone.

At this time, more soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi withdrew from the defense line on the shore and fled to the dock, and some simply rushed into the river and swam towards the nearest warship.

After all, most of the soldiers in Guangdong and Guangxi can swim.

"Hurry up and leave!"

Bai Gui rushed to the dock and yelled at Zheng Chenggong and others on the boat.

He also suffered heavy casualties among his cavalry.

Zhang Jiayu smiled bitterly and pointed at the flag above his head.

Bai Gui also understood, and then cursed, then led his subordinates to rush to the battlefield again.

But at this moment, the militia stopped attacking.

At this time, the soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi who could withdraw from the defense line had already gathered in the dock area, with dozens of warships on the river behind them. The least side of these warships had ten cannons, and those large warships had nearly twenty cannons, adding up to more than 600 cannons. This firepower density was very terrifying for the militia. Once they attacked the dock, they would be shot by these warships. That was more than 50 fortresses, and the Zheng family warships were all going to fight at sea. The wooden boards were also relatively thick. At least the small artillery of the militia was not a threat to them. The heavy artillery would take some time to be transported. At least under the current circumstances, attacking the dock was suicide.

Moreover, there was no need to rush into the attack. Unless the wind direction changed to the southwest, it would be suicidal for Zheng Chenggong to force his way into the crossfire of Puzikou City and the Lion Mountain Fort under the current circumstances.

As for the wind direction...

It is winter.

Where does the southwest wind come from?

Unless he went upstream, but upstream was Shen Tingyang's huge navy, which he could not defeat with just a few ships, not to mention that there was a series of fortresses upstream.

He is now completely trapped in Xijiangkou.

evening.

A small centipede boat, carrying Shui Tailiang, who was over sixty years old but still very elegant, appeared in the fleet that was confronting the militia.

Then, under the curious gaze of the sailors, they headed straight to Zheng Chenggong's ship.

"Damu, is your majesty well?"

The water was too cold when he stood on the deck. He stroked his beard and looked at his students kindly.

Zheng Chenggong on the deck silently saluted his teacher.

"I greet you, Master. Your Majesty was injured by the traitors. Although he is not seriously injured, it is not convenient to summon you."

He said.

Only the ship that Chongzhen passed away knew about it. Even his other warships, including the soldiers in Guangdong and Guangxi on the shore, did not know about it. After all, once the emperor was said to be dead, these soldiers would lose their will to protect him, which would easily lead to a collapse of morale. But many people saw that Chongzhen was injured, so there was no need to hide it. They just said that he was injured and was being treated in the cabin. As for the water being too cold, it was obvious that he came to investigate the situation. After all, he was Zheng Chenggong's teacher, so etiquette was still necessary.

"Da Mu, you are so loyal to His Majesty. I am really pleased. I taught you those loyalty and righteousness, and you finally understood them. It is worth my painstaking efforts."

The water is too cold and he continued stroking his beard and spoke kindly.

Zheng Chenggong smiled slightly...

"Lord Mu Zhai, I wonder if what you did the last time you came to see Your Majesty was worthy of the word loyalty and righteousness?"

Zhang Jiayu said.

The water was too cold but he smiled without changing his expression.

"This is exactly what I want to say. Da Mu's loyalty is indeed commendable, but this matter is ultimately hasty. Loyalty can be big or small. Loyalty to one person is small loyalty, and loyalty to the country is great loyalty. Your Majesty is incompetent in governing the country, which has led to the world being in this state. The ancestral temples and the country are in danger of being overthrown. In order to protect the country, we have no choice but to ask Your Majesty to abdicate. This is to give up small loyalty and keep great loyalty. But Your Majesty is greedy for power and has always refused to agree. We have no choice but to ask Your Majesty to stay at Xijiangkou temporarily to avoid provoking a civil uprising, so that we can slowly persuade him. Da Mu came from afar without knowing it, and listened to Huang Shizhai's instigation, and was inspired by loyalty and righteousness, so he came rashly. It's not Da Mu's fault.

It all started with Huang Shizhai fighting for power, but now that his scheme has been exposed, he has fled and the imperial court is hunting him down."

He said.

Of course, Huang Daozhou actually ran to Zeng Ying's camp. It was he who delivered the princess's secret order to Zheng Chenggong. He also deliberately obstructed the official. All of this was planned.

However, the Southwest Allied Forces did not participate.

Only Zeng Ying and his wife, including his trusted servants, were involved. After all, he could not expect Feng Shuangli, who was colluding with the Council of Elders, to support him.

Huang Daozhou did not return to Nanjing at all. After meeting with Zeng Ying, he returned directly to the military camp. Although the latter's prestige was not enough to command the Southwest Allied Forces to reinforce Zheng Chenggong, it was still no problem for him to lead them to defend the camp. After all, the relationship between the Southwest Allied Forces and the militia was tense. Since the last conflict, the two sides have been making frictions from time to time. Especially those Yunnan soldiers, because they were all military households, they considered themselves to be genuine official troops, and they were extremely unhappy when they saw the militia showing off their power.

Of course, since they are of good descent, their military discipline is also unbearable for the militia.

"Master, this is not what you taught me in the past. Master, you taught your students to be loyal and righteous. Now your students repay you with loyalty and righteousness. What else can you say, Master?

As for right and wrong, it is not for students to know.

Students only know loyalty and righteousness. "

Zheng Chenggong said.

As he said this, he bowed to Shui Tailiang.

The latter stood there somewhat awkwardly.

But at this moment, Zheng Chenggong was stunned for a moment, and then he raised his head and looked at the flag on the mast above his head. The flag was fluttering towards the northeast...

"The wind has changed!"

"The wind has changed to the southwest!"

……

Shouts of surprise were heard all around.

"Weigh the anchor and hoist the sail!"

Zheng Chenggong roared without hesitation.

"God's will, this is God's will!"

Zhang Jiayu beside him was muttering to himself.

The water below was too cold and he was stunned. He looked at the chaos on the ship in a daze. Just as the sailors hurriedly raised the sails, the soldiers on the shore also reacted. They all abandoned their weapons and rushed into the river, towards their nearest warships. Even Bai Gui and his cavalry abandoned their horses and armor and rushed into the river.

“Master, this is God’s will. I am sorry for being rude. Hahahaha…”

Zheng Chenggong looked at the cold water below and smiled triumphantly.

Of course, his ship did not need to wait for the soldiers on the shore to board. He was the first to complete the preparations for sailing and set sail under the push of the river water and the southwest wind...

"Go quickly, go quickly!"

The water was too cold and I was shouting in fear, like a wild dog standing among a herd of elephants.

The helmsman of Zheng Chenggong's ship turned the rudder maliciously, and the warship, which weighed at least 500 tons, screamed in fear of the cold water and collided with his centipede ship...

(End of this chapter)