Chapter 603
Is Zheng Zhilong planning to destroy the country?
Over the next two days, the entire Fujian coast, including dozens of naval bases and ports centered around Quanzhou, Xiamen, and Zhangzhou, was caught in a state of high-speed warfare characterized by outward relaxation but inward tension.
Countless ships of all sizes converged from all corners.
The grain transport ships, the troop-carrying Fujian ships, the main force of giant gunboats, as well as the flexible and maneuverable scout ships and fire attack ships, were densely packed together, almost completely blocking the main anchorages.
The shouts of those carrying supplies, the hammering of craftsmen repairing the ship, the shouts of officers relaying orders, and the metallic scraping of soldiers wiping their swords and checking their muskets intertwined to create a majestic yet somber pre-battle symphony.
Zheng Zhilong has gone all out this time, bringing out his most powerful and secretive strength.
What he wanted was not a minor expulsion, nor a protracted attrition, but a devastating blow as powerful as Mount Tai and as overwhelming as thunder!
With overwhelming superior manpower, firepower, and logistics, he would completely destroy the Western Barbarian strongholds in Dongfan in the shortest possible time, annihilate their naval forces in one fell swoop, and achieve victory in one battle! He wanted to make all forces that coveted the Ming Dynasty's maritime territory see clearly that the Ming Dynasty's navy was no longer the same as before, and anyone who dared to provoke them would face annihilation!
The reason for such urgency and willingness to pay such a high price was not only due to the strategic significance of recovering Dongfan, but also because of an important personal reason: Zheng Zhilong had made a pledge in the Eastern Palace to present Dongfan as a generous gift before the wedding.
A promise made before the emperor is a promise; Zheng Zhilong's word is his bond!
He had neither the time nor the interest to play any tricks like "encircling without attacking" or "winning hearts and minds" with these Westerners, and he had no intention of waging a "protracted war."
What he wanted was a clean and decisive victory, a resounding triumph!
As for whether this battle will anger the Netherlands, Portugal, and other countries, provoking retaliatory expeditions from their homelands...
At this moment, Zheng Zhilong had no worries at all.
Having witnessed firsthand the power of the Ming Dynasty's new-style army sweeping across Liaodong, and having personally experienced the Crown Prince's unprecedented support for naval construction and his firm determination to pursue a maritime strategy, he was filled with unprecedented confidence and pride.
Compared to the Ming Empire, which is now at its zenith, eager to expand its territory and recreate the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties, what are those Western barbarian countries, which are tens of thousands of miles away, plagued by internal strife and with limited power in the East?
Even if they were truly enraged and sent a fleet to retaliate, what was there to fear given the Ming Dynasty's current naval power and development speed?
Moreover, according to the Crown Prince's long-term plan, the Ming Dynasty will enfeoff princes and nobles throughout the four seas and eight wastelands in the future, and it is probably only a matter of time before they clash and compete for hegemony with the Western barbarians on a global scale.
The current war in the East is merely a prelude, a warm-up, for the larger-scale "Great Struggle" that will determine the future world order!
Soon, the two intense final preparation period came to an end.
One early morning, as dawn was breaking, a thin layer of mist shrouded the sea, and the air was crisp and humid.
At the largest assembly anchorage off the coast of Quanzhou, the dark sails almost obscured the light of the rising sun, with masts like a forest and cables like a net.
On the decks of each ship, the soldiers were already fully armed, their muskets gleaming, their swords and spears reflecting the faint light, and the gunners were conducting a final check of the cannons and ammunition. A silence, unique to the eve of a major battle, a mixture of excitement, tension, and grim determination, enveloped the entire fleet.
Zheng Zhilong, dressed in bright silver mountain-patterned armor, with an imperial bullfighting robe over it, and a sword at his waist, stood proudly on the towering stern tower command platform of the flagship "Zhenhai".
His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, slowly swept over the massive fleet before him, a fleet he had single-handedly built and poured countless hours of effort into.
The morning breeze ruffled his short beard and stirred the huge banner behind him, embroidered with "Duke Zheng of Jingguo" and a coiled dragon, making it flutter loudly.
"The time has come!"
Zheng Zhilong took a deep breath of the sea breeze, which carried the salty, fishy, and gunpowder-scented scent. He suddenly raised his right hand and swung it forward with a sharp blow, the sound like a drawn sword shattering the silence of dawn.
"Raise sails! Set anchor! Target—Dongfan! All troops, attack!"
"Understood!"
"The Duke has given the order! Raise the sails! Weigh anchor! Set sail—!"
Flags waved, horns blared, and drums thundered! The orders spread swiftly throughout the anchorage like ripples.
The next second, a deafening roar suddenly erupted! It wasn't the sound of cannons, but the thunderous sound of thousands of huge sails being pulled up by the sailors, the canvas rubbing against the ropes and the sea wind rushing in! Immediately afterward, there was the heavy scraping sound of the anchor being pulled from the seabed silt by the winch, and the splashing sound of the waves cutting through the sea.
A thousand sails race, a hundred boats vie for the lead!
The Zhenhai took the lead, cleaving through the calm sea and carving out a deep, foamy wake.
Following closely behind, warships of varying sizes and shapes, like chess pieces being pushed by an invisible giant hand, orderly departed from the port one after another, adjusted their course, and rapidly unfolded on the vast sea, forming a massive and breathtaking torrent of steel at sea.
Fujian ships, Guangdong ships, bird ships, sand ships, imitation Western-style galleons, nimble and swift centipede ships... a total of more than 1,200 ships of various sizes, carrying more than 100,000 elite naval officers and soldiers, marine infantry, as well as accompanying craftsmen, doctors, and clerks, are like a mobile sea fortress, covering the sky and heading at full speed towards the vast island known as "Dongfan" with a menacing momentum!
The sun, moon, and dragon flags on the mast and the "Zheng" banner, the commander's flag, formed a rolling, raging wave in the morning breeze.
This expeditionary fleet, which represents the strongest fighting force of the Ming Dynasty navy and was funded by Zheng Zhilong's entire fortune, has already alarmed all living beings in the seas along its route as soon as it set out.
Seabirds took flight in fright, schools of fish darted away, and even the sky seemed to dim under the overwhelming sight of sails. Zheng Zhilong's goal was clear: to use this unparalleled force to completely crush his opponent psychologically before the battle even began!
Meanwhile, on Dongfan Island, in Dayuan Bay.
The news of the Zheng family's navy coming out in full force spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of the Dutch and Portuguese on the island of Dongfan.
The two sides are not far apart, separated only by a strait that is not too wide.
On ordinary days, whether it was the Dutch East India Company's trading post or Portuguese adventurers and missionaries, they would often send people to Quanzhou, Xiamen and other places along the Fujian coast to purchase supplies, collect intelligence, and even engage in some semi-open smuggling trade.
They never dared to take the movements of Zheng Zhilong, the "uncrowned king" who controlled the southeastern sea area, lightly, and had spies in Fujian.
Therefore, when news came that Zheng Zhilong had assembled a large fleet in Quanzhou, the Western commanders on the island already sensed a strong atmosphere of war.
At this moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense inside the fortified Fort Zeelandia, built by the Dutch, and in strongholds such as Fort Provintia, controlled by the Portuguese.
The Dutch Governor-General of Taiwan, Coyett, the Portuguese Commander in Dongfan, Fernando, along with key military officers and representatives from both sides, were gathered in the council chamber of Fort Zeelandia for emergency consultations.
The flickering candlelight illuminated their faces, which were either pale, ashen, or filled with fear and unease.
"My God! The intelligence is confirmed! That 'Nicholas I' (Zheng Zhilong's Western name) has assembled over a thousand ships! An army of one hundred thousand! And he's heading towards us at full speed!"
A Dutch officer, holding the latest intelligence, spoke with a trembling voice.
"A thousand ships?! An army of one hundred thousand?!"
Fernando gasped, nearly dropping the silver wine glass in his hand.
"Is he...is he going to launch a war of annihilation? Just for this island?" Governor Kui's face was equally grim. He tried to remain calm, but his clenched fists and the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his inner panic.
"Gentlemen, calm down! We must immediately form a joint fleet to deal with this together! There is absolutely no way for any one of us to withstand Zheng Yiguan's fleet at sea!"
"Unite? Of course we should unite!"
Fernando immediately agreed.
“Even so… the two of us can only muster less than a hundred warships at most! And the combined number of soldiers, including the mercenaries and natives temporarily recruited, is only five or six thousand… the difference is…”
The overwhelming disparity in strength left everyone present feeling a suffocating sense of despair.
They were actually quite insecure, for two reasons:
Firstly, there is Zheng Zhilong's infamous reputation.
This name is synonymous with "maritime hegemon" in the southeastern coastal areas and even in the waters of East and Southeast Asia.
For the past twenty years, whether it was the once rampant "Eighteen Zhi" pirate alliance, or the Japanese pirates and Western fleets, anyone who dared to challenge the Zheng family's authority in this sea area met a tragic end.
Zheng Zhilong established his unshakeable dominance through countless bloody naval battles.
To be an enemy of such a maritime tyrant, who fought his way up through blood and fire, is terrifying in itself.
Secondly, what was even more terrifying than Zheng Zhilong's personal reputation was the colossal power behind him that had just begun to display its terrifying might: the Ming Empire!
Not long ago, news from the north shocked the entire Eastern world: the Ming Empire, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse due to internal rebellions and invasions by the Jurchens in the north, had, under the leadership of the emperor who personally led the expedition, utterly destroyed the powerful Later Jin regime with overwhelming force and then annexed Korea!
The military mobilization capabilities, logistical support capabilities, and resolute will to fight demonstrated in this level of war of annihilation are something that no one with even a modicum of strategic vision can ignore.
This means that Zheng Zhilong's actions were likely not merely personal or local, but represented the will of the Ming Empire, which had just achieved a glorious victory, was in high spirits, and was at the height of its military power! The consequences of making an enemy of such an ascendant Eastern empire would be unimaginable.
However, despite their fear, they were absolutely unwilling to give up the Dongfan stronghold they had built up over two or three decades.
The reason they have been continuously transferring new warships and more troops from their homeland, Batavia, Malacca and other places to strengthen the defense of Dongfan is precisely because they have their own "ulterior motives".
Simply put, their intention is to "take the lead and create a fait accompli."
Taking advantage of the fact that the Ming Dynasty had just finished its war in the north and had no time to look south, and the historical "window period" in which it lacked a clear claim to sovereignty over the Dongfan, it rapidly strengthened its military presence in Dongfan, carried out large-scale immigration, and thoroughly turned Dongfan into its own stable colony.
Then, at a suitable time, we will seek diplomatic channels to "negotiate" with the Ming Dynasty court.
Their best-case scenario was to follow the precedent set in Macau and "rent" or "buy" Dongfan with money, or at least obtain "privileged trading rights" similar to those in Guangzhou and Quanzhou.
At the very least, they could use their already solidified defenses and the reason of "having lived there for many years" to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty and obtain some form of "autonomy" or "co-governance".
Dongfan has a superior geographical location, abundant resources, and is an important transit point for trade with Japan and Ryukyu. The benefits are huge, and they really cannot give it up easily.
However, man proposes, God disposes.
They had just added firewood to the fire for "cooking" and the water in the pot hadn't even started to bubble when Zheng Zhilong, the "cook," grabbed a cleaver and led 100,000 "helpers" to take them all away, pot and all!
The plan was completely disrupted.
After a heated argument and hasty negotiations, the Netherlands and Portugal finally decided to put aside their competition and differences and form a temporary "joint defense fleet," nominally under the unified command of Governor Coyett.
All the warships capable of going to sea—including several of the newest galleons of the Dutch East India Company, equipped with dozens of cannons, as well as the Portuguese's somewhat outdated carracks and armed merchant ships—a total of more than eighty ships, were hastily assembled in Tai Yuen Bay, preparing for a final stand.
Or... seek an opportunity to negotiate.
About half a day later, the Dongfan Strait.
Zheng Zhilong's massive fleet, like a moving mountain range, approached the western coast of Dongfan with a relatively slow but unwavering pace.
When the vanguard fleet arrived at waters less than five nautical miles from the main island of Dongfan, it could clearly see with the naked eye the long, lush coastline in the distance, as well as the small, ant-like Western barbarian ships near the coast.
Just as the vanguard of the Zheng family fleet began to adjust its formation and prepare to launch an attack, a small single-masted sailboat suddenly sailed out from the opposing Western barbarian allied fleet.
The ship was extremely small, appearing like a leaf on the vast sea.
Most strikingly, a white flag, hastily made from a white bed sheet, was hanging high on the mast at the bow, fluttering weakly in the sea breeze.
The small boat was unarmed and slow, heading straight for the "Zhenhai," the most imposing flagship at the forefront of the Zheng family fleet.
The intention was clear—negotiation, or rather, a final act of appeasement.
"My lord, look! A white flag! The Western barbarians have sent an envoy!"
The sailor on the lookout post reported loudly.
Zheng Zhilong stood at the bow of the "Zhenhai," shading his eyes with his hand, squinting at the small boat flying the humiliating white flag that slowly approached. A cold, mocking smile played on his lips. He raised his hand and gave a deep, resonant order:
"Order! All vanguard ships, halt your advance and maintain defensive formation. Let that small boat come closer. I want to hear what kind of nonsense these red-haired devils and Portuguese can spout when they're about to die!"
"Order!"
Flag signals waved, and bugle calls changed.
The massive fleet, which had been poised to launch its attack, slowed down on the sea like a giant beast whose pause button had been pressed, and finally came to a stop.
Only the crashing waves against the ship's hull and the whistling of the sea breeze through the sail ropes echoed in the desolate silence. (End of Chapter)