Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 1282 Aftermath of Overlord

The death of Zheng Zhilong seemed to have dropped a heavy bomb in the whole province of Fujian and even the southeast coast.The news was so shocking that few people noticed the destruction of Zhangzhou Bay.

For more than ten years, Zheng Zhilong has fought for supremacy on the sea and has experienced countless storms. Although he has been ensnared by the Dutch and Li Kuiqi's split, he has been invincible on the sea with the support of Xiong Wencan. From a small smuggler A businessman, he became a big merchant, a guerrilla general of the Ming Dynasty, and the "Great Wall of Bamin".What Zheng Ziqi refers to is invincible.

Now, the invincible young sea lord, a behemoth on the seas of East Asia, collapsed in just one day of battle. When the news came, everyone who received the news was shocked, and then questioned.

Is Zheng Zhilong really dead?

Envoys and secret agents sent by all parties rushed to Anping, Xiamen and other places.

Fujian governor Zou Weilian got the news on September 9.In fact, on the second day of D-Day, he got the news that "there are pirates entering the Zhongzuo Institute", but he didn't care - the area around the Zhongzuo Institute is Zheng Zhilong's stronghold. Although he was not loyal enough to Daming, these eight Min's safety has always been very concerned, and Liu Xiang's old attack on Min'an was also defeated by his army.Now that it is his lair again, Zheng Zhilong will definitely fight to the death.

Unexpectedly, the subsequent news got worse and worse. The local officials in the area of ​​Jinxia and Xiamen sent emergency envoys one after another to report that the pirates were powerful.Request to send troops to crush the army quickly.

Today, he received the most shocking news since he took office: Zheng Zhilong was killed!
The news of Zheng Zhilong's death was informed by a letter written by Zheng Zhifeng:
... The Kun bandits crossed the sea and entered Anping County, where the bandits were located in the middle and left, advancing by land and water.Zheng Gong raised his troops out of the city to meet the enemy, and recruited dead soldiers to fight hard, and gained a lot.Then the bandits fired a series of muskets and set off cannons.Zheng Gong drew his saber to take over the battle and fought hard, killing more than ten people, and Judah was shot several times in the body, fighting fiercely.In order to injure the foot of the Kun Cannon, you commanded the top of the city to stand still, and the Kun bandit brigade came ashore, and injured the guns of the Lianzhu Qi. Zheng Gong was exhausted and could not support it. I can't come back to life, so you have to spare my head and throw it into the body ditch", and died in a moment of grief.

Zheng Gong was defeated, and the thieves entered the city and looted.Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed and looted.The Kun thieves also destroyed the Zhongzuo and Anping County, and burned the unfinished houses.All stone pavilions and railings will be destroyed; those that cannot be destroyed will be exploded with gunpowder.As a result, the two cities are completely in rubble...

Zheng Zhifeng is Zheng Zhilong's brother, one of the leaders of the Zheng family who puts the most emphasis on advice, and his report is very reliable.

So, did Zheng Zhilong really die in battle?Zou Weilian felt quite unbelievable, and for a moment a feeling of happiness and worry floated in his heart.

Happily, he has always been worried that Zheng Zhilong's tail will not be lost, and he will gradually become a vassal town. His predecessor successfully recruited Zheng Zhilong and cleared the ocean in Fujian.But anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that the so-called cleanup of the ocean is nothing more than turning the many pirates who were troubled in the past into the Zheng family's dominance.

What is even more worrisome is that the Zheng family has taken advantage of their official positions to openly occupy the center and left office, recruit private soldiers, and forcefully collect water... It has gradually grown into an extremely large force.This power is gradually becoming uncontrollable by the governor of Fujian alone.The Liaodong army was in an emergency situation, and the court proposed to send the Zheng family navy to the north for reinforcements, but Zheng Zhilong shirked it every time with excuses.

I am no better than Xiong Wencan, and I have "kindness" and personal friendship with Zheng Zhilong-if I make a wrong move and Zheng Zhilong blatantly rebels, it will be impossible to suppress it with Fujian's local power, and it will inevitably cause corruption in the entire southeast coast.Today's Daming is no different than when the emperor first came to the throne, as the saying goes, fire everywhere, smoke from all directions, if he makes such a fuss in Fujian again, most of his lives will be lost.

Now Zheng Zhilong was defeated by others, and even lost his life.Zou Weilian was astonished, but couldn't help feeling relieved inwardly—once Zheng Zhilong died, the Zheng family would have no leader, and they would be torn apart. When the time comes, if he uses his wrists, it won't be difficult to divide them and conquer them.

What is worrying is that the bandit who came to offend him has such power to sweep the Zheng family's lair into a plow hole, and the sea in the future will inevitably be bloody and bloody again, and the rough and peaceful ocean will inevitably fall into chaos again among.If these pirates invade the coastal areas again, it will be a serious problem for coastal defense.

The sea is a little chaotic, and merchant ships and fishing boats are robbed and killed. He doesn't take it too seriously, but if pirates land frequently to kill and plunder, the local gentry will definitely suffer. Once the Fujian officials in the capital are alarmed, his life will not be great. It's better.

While hesitating, the servant sent the Detang newspaper from Nan'an and Jinjiang counties.Zou Weilian opened them one by one:

Nan'antang Newspaper:... Kun bandits attacked the city day and night. When the Kun soldiers approached the city gate and climbed the city wall, they suddenly saw the statue of Guanyin in the smoke, the Bodhisattva stretched his sleeves, and the heavy rain poured down. If it can ring, the thief is afraid, so he retreats.

Jinjiangtang Daily: ...On the [-]th, tens of thousands of Kun bandits invaded Xiamen, but the guerrilla general Zheng Zhilong fought hard to defeat them. Unfortunately, he was shot and died, and the bandits fell into the city.Due to the bitter battle, there were massacres, and there were no survivors of the soldiers and civilians. ...The Kun thieves plundered separately in groups and invaded the Jinjiang River, and the people had no defense. The gentry in the county paid more than a thousand dollars to recruit hundreds of dead soldiers, and attacked the Kun people's camp at night.Although the Kun bandit Frang's machine gun was sharp, Naixu responded with a clean bucket, and the Kun bandit's fire gun cracked.In the city, the thieves beheaded and beheaded hundreds of people, and the thieves fled, crying and crying, abandoning their guns and carrying their bodies.

Nonsense.Zou Weilian thought to himself.He himself once served as a coastal patrol officer in Yanping, Fujian Province, and is very familiar with Fujian's coastal defense.I don't know the tricks of the prefectures, counties, and Weisuotang newspapers.He reckoned that in Nan'an and Jinjiang counties, the thieves were just showing their faces nearby, and there was no "big battle" or "death battle" at all. However, the battle report in Jinjiang said that Zheng Zhilong had died in battle, which seemed to confirm what Zheng Zhifeng said.

However, at least the counties of Nan'an and Jinjiang have not fallen. According to the Tongbao, the Kun bandits have already retreated after they landed and plundered. In this way, the big crime of falling into the prefecture and county can be avoided. As for Zhongzuocheng However, it is possible to report another victory to cover up the disastrous defeat. As for the death of Zheng Zhilong, although it shocked the sea along the ocean, it was just a small guerrilla general in the officialdom. are no longer rare.

Thinking of this, Zou Weilian already had an idea of ​​how to deal with it.He called his staff and asked them to write a few letters to Zheng Zhilong and others, asking them to immediately "repress the troops, take them into exile, and divide them into various places for future orders."

Then he wrote to the county magistrates of Jinjiang and Nan'an counties, ordering them to close the gates of the city and temporarily set up camps under the city to accommodate refugees and defeated troops.

He ordered his staff to write an eloquent and painful tribute to Zheng Zhilong, and prepared it for use.

Then he came to the Chinese army, ordering him to select a few fine local sergeants from Fubiao Zhongying, and quietly go to various places to inquire about the situation.

"Prepare another 300 men and ten ships, and go to the mouth of the Jiulong River to stand by. Just wait for my arrow to be fired, and you will lift anchor and go to Zhongzuo. By the time you go, the Zheng family's men and horses will have arrived. You just need to go ashore. , go to Suocheng for a while, and then come back.”

"Here!" The Chinese army didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in the governor's gourd, but it was simple and did not take any risks. It was indispensable to get money when you went, and reward money when you came back, which can be regarded as a small fortune. .

"Don't provoke the Zheng family, as long as you come back safely, I will definitely recommend you."

"Thank you for your grace!"

Next, how to deal with the Zheng family.Zou Weilian thought to himself, now is his chance to get rid of the Zheng family.Take advantage of his illness and kill him.The Zheng family has no leader, and its power has been greatly reduced.It's a good chance to get involved.Moreover, there are many local forces in Fujian that are dissatisfied with the Zheng family.As a rising maritime merchant, the Zheng family aggressively acquired land in southern Fujian after becoming an official, monopolizing export commodities and maritime trade, which caused serious dissatisfaction among many local gentry.But at the beginning, Xiong Wencan was fed by Zheng Zhilong, and it was Xiong Wencan's achievements to recruit Zheng Zhilong, so this kind of voice was suppressed when Xiong Wencan was in office. After Zou Weilian took office, many people came to Zou Weilian to complain through various connections.Many local officials also secretly urged him to "govern" the Zheng family.

But getting rid of the Zheng family didn't mean much to Zou Weilian: it's good to please the local gentry, but I don't know how much the Zheng family has been damaged now, and the consequences would be unimaginable if an accident occurs.Furthermore, Xiong Wencan is now the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and also the governor of Guangdong. The emperor's family is Zhenglong, and Xiong Wencan will definitely arouse Xiong Wencan's dissatisfaction if he does it himself.

Anyway, the Zheng family's vitality has been severely damaged, and they lost Zheng Zhilong as the leader, so they can divide and conquer.

He thought for a while, and then called one of his close family members:
"You go to the accounting room and tell them to prepare 100 taels of silver, ten shi rice, bacon, roasted chicken and dried fish, and prepare a copy of my full sticker, and send them to the county school in Jinjiang County."

The Tang newspaper in Jinjiang also mentioned that many members of the Zheng family have fled to Jinjiang and are currently being housed in the county school.

"After you go, try to find out who are the family members of the Zheng family who fled to Jinjiang? Apart from those who fled to Jinjiang County, where else did they go? Where are General Zheng's wife and youngest son now? You have to find out one by one. You will receive another 20 taels of silver for the journey, and choose a few able ones from your family to go with you."

"Yes, sir." The family took orders and left.

In the end, he called his confidants and asked them to discuss how to write memorials and petitions to the court.How to word words, how to make the "sacred heart comfort", how to cover up failures and meritorious deeds are all profound knowledge.Finally, it is necessary to issue a list of recommended credits.These have to be considered by the staff in advance.

(End of this chapter)