The defeat of the fire attack fleet without a fight slowed down the performance of Chapter 1346. Mingqiu ordered to lower the sail to 3 knots and sail west to avoid the smoke of the battlefield. At the same time, he also had to let each ship rest for a while. Especially in the turbine department: Frequent overloading since the morning has overwhelmed the boiler, many pipes and valves have leaked, a large amount of cinder has not been cleaned in time, and breakdowns are frequent.
The artillery also needed to be cleaned after a morning of fighting. A signal was sent out in Mingqiu, calling the captains of each ship to the Lichun for a meeting. Check the ammunition reserves and decide to reallocate the artillery shells of each ship according to the situation to ensure sufficient firepower for the next attack on Xiamen.
At 1:03, Mingqiu ordered all ships to have lunch in advance. 15 minutes later, Chapter 1346 The crowd at the dock seemed to suddenly wake up and dispersed. A clean run. Even the soldiers on duty at the dock escaped.
Xiamen Island is the main foreign trade port of the Zheng family. Zheng Zhilong attacked Yuegang many times, burned down neighborhoods and captured ships, in order to force maritime merchants to transfer trade to Xiamen. Although this island is not very big, it is favored by prosperous foreign trade and commerce. The economy is quite prosperous. A large commercial area formed outside Zhongzuosuo City.
The docks and warehouses of the Zheng family here are lined up along the docks, and the goods are piled up like mountains. At this time, there were still many trading ships moored on the dock, some belonging to the Zheng family, and some just coming to trade here. Hearing that the "Kun Bandits" army was attacking, everyone from merchants to sailors were devastated. Some people saw that their ships and cargo were in danger. I couldn't help but beat my chest and stamp my feet, and howled loudly. Suddenly, the sound of crying on the dock was loud.
At this time, the city of Zhongzuo Suo was already in chaos. The atmosphere of terror caused by Zheng Lian riding a fast horse into the city also infected the entire city. In Zhongzuo Institute, well-to-do families are supporting the old and taking care of the young. People with large and small bags left the city and prepared to hide in the mountains, but the poor people outside the city were pouring into the city, hoping to escape the "thieves" under the protection of the city wall.
For a time, the gate of the city was already crowded. Those leaving the city and those entering the city pushed each other with all their strength. The old, weak, women and children were pushed down, trampled, or even trampled to death. The Zheng family soldiers guarding the city gate were at a loss and could only shout loudly, but to no avail.
The former government office lobby of Qianhusuo in the center of the city is now Zheng Zhilong's meeting hall. Although Zheng Zhilong is already a general of the Travels of the Five Tigers, and he shows up as an official at every turn, he still does not break away from the habits of the sea master. The rules are not too particular. In the courtyard under the steps of the lobby, the main generals of the Zheng family gathered in small groups, and the backbone of the Zheng Group - most of the so-called "Eighteen Zhi" were in the meeting hall. , their faces showed an expression of imminent disaster.
The atmosphere in the hall was dull and depressing. Even after Li Kuiqi took away most of Zheng Zhilong's subordinates, and Zheng Zhilong was once in a dilemma with only "three hundred soldiers", the members of the "Eighteen Zhi" still believed that their eldest brother could turn the tide and regroup. .
But now they have lost that confidence. The news brought by the panting Zheng Lian made everyone realize how terrifying their opponent was.
Zheng Lian is not a young man who is fighting for the first time. He is an old brother who participated in the Shibazhi sworn alliance. He is definitely not a coward who will brag about how powerful the enemy is after a defeat. He said that the Kun thief is "unstoppable", so he must be unstoppable. .
"Everyone, please don't act like a dead mother." Zheng Zhilong broke the silence in the meeting hall. "The thief is out on the sea, just a gust of wind away from Xiamen. Tell us what to do!"
"Xiamen is the key to Quanzhou. If we abandon the defense, Quan and Zhang will be in danger. We will not be able to explain it in front of the governor." Zheng Zhifeng saw that many people here had the intention of abandoning the defense, so she coughed and said.
"Now news has been sent from Kinmen that the entire army has been wiped out. The life and death of Mr. Mang are unknown. Brother Lian has been defeated again and has lost his ship. How can he fight against the Kun bandits again?" Someone raised an objection, "In my opinion, it's better to The Chengkun thieves have not yet landed, so we sent someone to negotiate and persuade them to retreat - after all, we are also members of the imperial court, and my brothers are all people with official status, so I forgive them and they dare not make any mistakes."
"Retreat?" Zheng Zhibao sneered, "The thief Kun has put up such a big battle, can you scare him back with just a few words? If the thief Kun was afraid of officials, how could he have fought as far as Guangzhou in the first place?"
"Promise it to benefit..."
Zheng Zhifeng shook his head: "You are planning to cede territory and pay compensation. Spending a few dollars is a trivial matter - the thieves are not interested in our money, but in Xiamen Island! Even if we want to cede territory, there is nowhere to cede it." Ah!" He stood up, looked at everyone and said, "From the time we became sworn brothers in the fifth year of Tianqi to now, following our eldest brother to conquer this country, now we are all extremely wealthy. But apart from these few small islands, we , where can we have a foothold on the mainland? The thief is now trying to dig up our roots. This Xiamen Island is the root of everyone! If the roots are gone, our brothers will no longer have a foothold in the future. How can we still talk about it? What are you doing across the world?"
Zheng Zhilong nodded secretly. Zheng Zhifeng was right in what he said. This Xiamen Island was the foundation of his fortune. How much energy and effort did he spend to take this island as his own? How could he give it up to the thief so easily?
At this time, someone else supported Zheng Zhifeng: "We can't run away. The money, food and goods on this island won't be transported for a while. Are they all left here to make it easier for the thief? If that happens, our brothers will not even be able to save the money." No pants left!”
The group of people suddenly burst into laughter, and the solemn atmosphere relaxed.
Zheng Zhilong also showed a smile on his lips: "Zhi Feng is right, this is our brothers' home base, and it is more important than Anping. How can we leave it to the Kun thief? No matter how powerful the Kun thief's ship is, it will always be Can't make it to shore."
"Exactly, brother!" Zheng Zhifeng became more energetic after hearing that he supported her. He and the Kun thief were incompatible - he was the mastermind behind several actions against the Kun thief - "Kinmen has been lost. Xiamen will not be defended again. , we have no place to stand! On Xiamen Island, we still have 10,000 troops and more than a dozen red cannons. As long as we are willing to give a heavy reward, the brothers will fight to the death. The bandits have come from a long distance, and they can bring How many men and horses are there? As soon as he lands, ten of us will fight for one of him, even if we exchange lives, we will use up all of them!"
The so-called 10,000 men and horses on the island is an imaginary number. In fact, excluding the men and horses guarding the villages everywhere, the number of available soldiers on the island is only 4,000. However, each general has his own soldiers and servants, and there are about a thousand people in total. , especially the black guards and Japanese guards recruited by Zheng Zhilong himself-which also included a number of Portuguese officers. They were all professional soldiers, well-equipped, well-trained, and considered elite by the standards of the time.
In addition to Lu Yong, the sailors of the Zheng family's fleet on the shore can also be used as casualties, and there are thousands of them in total. However, this group of people had not received training in 6 battles and did not know how to join the army. They could only fight with the wind. Zheng Zhifeng was simply exaggerating to inspire people.
However, taking the 6th Kunthi Division brought in by five ships, there are only a thousand men at best. It's not a problem to beat one out of ten for bragging, and one out of four or five.
Everyone has heard that the Australian Navy is powerful - and now they have witnessed it with their own eyes, but they don't have much perceptual understanding of how strong the Australian Army is. There have been only vague rumors about He Rubin's defeat on Hainan Island, but they are not precise. According to their usual thinking, the members of Shibazhi believed that they were just a stronger army than the officers and soldiers - it was not uncommon to defeat the officers and soldiers these days - the Zheng family had defeated the officers and soldiers many times, and the officers and soldiers were in 6 During the ground campaign, sometimes the Zheng family had to beg the Zheng family to send troops to help.
Xiamen Island is their home ground. In addition to Zhongzuo Suo City, the Zheng Group has built multiple camps here and has stockpiled a large amount of gunpowder and food. The food and wages are enough to support it for more than ten years. Even if they lose the 6th battle, as long as they retreat to the walled city and the Australians go deep into the city alone, they will not dare to stay here for a long time. As long as they hold on to the walled city, they will have to retreat in less than ten days and a half.
At that time, he decided to defend Xiamen and spread Tangma to various coasts. There were many camps and beacon towers built along the coast of Xiamen Island. However, Zheng Zhilong was not at ease and sent Tangma to patrol along the coastline to prevent the bandits from sending surprise troops ashore. Assault, and then concentrate the main forces on the center left. In addition to Lu Yong, there are also various servants and his personal guards, a total of 4,000 people. Once the Kun thief is found on the ground, he will fight outside the city of Zhongzuo.
Everyone knows that the Kun pirate ship has strong guns and powerful guns, so Zheng Zhilong decided not to face the enemy on the coast - to avoid being damaged by enemy artillery fire - but to face the enemy in a deeper area. Since the Kun thief has landed on Xiamen Island, he must regard Zhongzuo as his important target. The family faces the battle at the foot of the city, waiting for work in leisure. To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Please go to qidiann 9
