"So that's it. The prince is really good at planning this move. Don't wait for me to do this. Even the Tartar Emperor Taiji didn't expect it, and it's beyond his reach. Hahahaha..."
Zheng Zhifeng was so impressed by this method of avoiding the real and attacking the fictitious. Kuwu Island was so remote that even on the day the Ming Dynasty sent troops there, it was already too late for Huang Taiji to learn the news.
If there hadn't been guidance from an expert, the Crown Prince would have thought of such a countermeasure on his own. He would have been a genius. With such a large containment distance, the Crown Prince would have been unable to dismount, and he would have been unable to look at each other.
"I am not exaggerating. This is the transportation route map given to me by the Crown Prince. Starting from Tianjin, taking the sea route to the southern end of Kuwu Island, the distance is no less than six thousand miles. If the Tatars take the land route from outside the customs, the distance It will be closer, but it will not be less than 4,000 miles away. We will definitely not be able to reach the other side of Kuwu Island within two or three months. I plan to start transporting vassal troops to the island in June, even if Huang Taiji hears According to news, the Qing army is rushing to control Kuwu and it is about to enter winter. There will be snow in September there. By then, the Qing army will be so far away from the mainland and it will be difficult to supply. If they cannot plunder the food of the vassal state, they may have to Live by fishing and hunting.”
A certain prince introduced the battle plan to recover Kuwu to Zheng Zhilong. Although Zheng was only responsible for maritime transportation, Zheng Zhilong also knew the entire plan well.
The imperial court planned to send 5,000 troops and thousands of servants from the two major vassal states to regain the island. Naturally, the Tatars on the island could not defeat the king's strong army.
Even if they are unwilling, they can only retreat to the mountains first and wait for Huang Taiji's reinforcements to arrive before they can make a comeback, otherwise they will be annihilated on the plains by Wang Shi.
It is definitely not possible to send only one Niulu with 300 people. Huangtaiji must send at least one Jiala, that is, a force of about 1,500 people to rush for reinforcements to achieve the desired effect.
How much food would a thousand men and horses have to carry for such a long journey?
Unless you continue to hunt and fish along the way to reduce food consumption, you will be hungry before you reach your destination.
There is another possibility, that is, Huang Taiji does not pay special attention to this remote island. Although it is large in area, it does not have much strategic value, so it will not send troops to recover it.
In this way, the two vassal kings can do whatever they want on the island. The establishment of a government and the opening of ports will begin quickly. Zimin from the two countries will also come to the island one after another to fish, farm, mine, and log, each performing their duties.
A certain prince predicted that within three years or so, the island would be fully developed. Various facilities on the island, including palaces, government offices, docks, mines, workshops, and shops, would be gradually established, and large areas of fertile farmland would also be developed. reclaimed.
Once they had their own territory and gained huge rights from it, the two vassal kings would not give in easily to Huang Taiji. Even if Huang Taiji sent troops to suppress it, the two troops of King Jin and King Dai would not be able to give in easily. We will fight side by side.
The local royal palace is not as good as a kennel in Kuwu. When it comes to overseas fiefdoms, the vassal king has supreme power. If Huang Taiji can give it, a certain prince can give it. If Huang Taiji cannot give it, a certain prince can also send people to transport it.
Therefore, the two vassal princes would not smear the old Zhu family's face. After drifting on the sea for a month, they finally arrived at Kuwu, and then asked Huang Taiji's men to pick it up.
The King of Dai and the King of Jin were not two fools. In order to fight for territory, they almost got into a fight at the court meeting. Due to their own appearance and the relationship between the clan, they were only entangled in words. The two vassal princes could spit out what they had already swallowed in their stomachs. Things are weird.
The ninth month of the Ming Dynasty is the tenth month of the Western calendar. When the reinforcements sent by Huang Taiji arrive on the other side, it will definitely be the time when the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. What’s more terrible is that the strait is not frozen, so we have to cross the sea to fight. This is almost The destiny of the Tatars.
Firstly, the journey is far away, secondly, the time is not suitable, and thirdly, it is a cross-sea battle. Only after solving these three problems can we encounter the troops of the Ming Dynasty on the island. Even if the opponent is weak, the Qing army must be able to reach the established position. …
"Brother is absolutely right. It's true. Even though Huang Taiji's men and horses are powerful, he won't mobilize a large number of troops to expedition to Kuwu. So what will happen if we defeat them? It's totally more gain than loss."
Zheng Zhibao fully agreed with what his brother said. Unless Huang Taiji went crazy and sent an army to march four to five thousand miles away to attack the two vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty, the prince's strategy would really succeed.
Moreover, if the two sides really fight to fight for the island, taking the sea and land route will save more than twice the time than taking the land route. The sea transportation capacity of merchant ships far exceeds that of horse carriages, and thousands of people can be sent to the beach at one time.
After hearing the news, Huang Taiji had to endure it. It was a bad idea to send troops and it would not be implemented unless it was absolutely necessary. For the Tatars, it would be better to enter the customs and plunder at the end of the year.
Zheng Zhilong glanced at a kind of brother and direct generals, thought about it again and again, and then decided: "Zhi Wan, I will leave it to you to transport the vassal state Zimin. Don't be careless. You must lead the troops with the vassal king and the court." You need to make good friends with the general Yang Zhan. There is no need to say more about the vassal king. Yang Zhan is the general appointed by the prince, so don't neglect it during your journey."
Among the many brothers, Zheng Zhifeng and Zheng Zhibao are cousins and will be of great use in the future. He didn't feel comfortable leaving it to a fool like Zheng Zhi'ao, so Zheng Zhilong handed over this fat job to Zheng Zhiwan, who was quite considerate in handling the matter.
"Brother! This..."
Zheng Zhilong was happy, but Zheng Zhiwan was a little reluctant. He was transporting people for free, and there was no money to be made. He also had to go to the extremely cold Kuwu. There was no hair on the island except for Tatars. This was really worthy of its name. What a chore!
"What is entrusted to you is a good job. Don't shirk it. The feudal kings in the North will go to the sea from Tianjin to let you serve. Are you still going to be picky? Besides, those good things invented by the Crown Prince Food, fun, and useful delicacies and objects will be the first to appear and be exported in Tianjin. You are the first to get the moon. In the future, items produced in the feudal country will also be shipped back to the mainland for sale, and will not be allowed to be exported again. You returned with an empty ship, so when you return, there is no harm in bringing back some specialties from Kimchi Country to sell."
Regardless of the fact that transporting people to Kuwu is a loss-making business now, within two or three years, when the feudal king develops the island, all the animal skins, wood, gold and silver can be transported back.
According to the prince, there is a huge gold mine to the north. The two vassal princes disliked the distance and were unwilling to join the vassal. The vassal princes who arrived in Beijing later might choose to settle there.
This gold mine contains more than two million jins of gold. Note that it is not more than two million taels, but more than two million jins, which is equal to 30 million taels of gold and equivalent to 300 million taels of silver.
Not to mention this, the mine's copper reserves are more than 10,000 times that of gold. It is a super gold mine, but it is close to the extreme north and has only a mining period of three or four months a year.
If it weren't for the fact that the focus of his trade was on Fujian, Zheng Zhilong would have been tempted and planned to send 10,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of people to mine.
However, a certain prince also gave Zheng Zhilong considerable compensation, which made him give up the idea of going north to mine. This compensation also reimbursed military expenses for Bingbao Island, so that Zheng Zhilong could confidently and boldly deal with the Hongyi on the other side.
"Uh... ok! Brother Yu's explanation made Yudi suddenly wake up. Yudi will do his best to handle this matter well. Brother, please rest assured!"
After hearing this, Zheng Zhiwan also understood the intentions of his elder brother Zheng Zhilong. Although this errand was far away and time-consuming, fortunately there was no danger. It was just loading, unloading and sailing.
It was just a matter of making excuses with the two vassal kings and the court generals at sea. When we arrived at Kuwu, we unloaded all the people, horses, and baggage, and then we could just pat our butts and leave. We would be done in two months.
I think that Tianjin will be affected by the capital, so there must be a lot of good things to find. When the fleet is anchored in Tianjin, I can go ashore and have some fun. It will be much more enjoyable than staying in Fujian and listening to my elder brother.
Not to mention other things, it is delicacies similar to the imperial cuisine. I think I can eat with the feudal king a few times in Tianjin, and I will have enough to satisfy my appetite first.
"Brother, I can handle such errands!"
At first, Zheng Zhi'ao was still laughing secretly at Zheng Zhiwan's bad luck, which led to such a hard job. Unexpectedly, after being interpreted by his elder brother, he also planned to get involved and get a bicycle to ride first.
"You still have important things to do, brother, I will take care of them!"
Zheng Zhilong knew the temperaments, temperaments, abilities, and preferences of his brothers very well. He had already thought about what each of them should do on the way back.
"Brother, if you have any important questions for me to tell you, just tell me. I will definitely do whatever I can to my younger brother. Please do it first as a sign of respect!"
After drinking the wine in the glass, Zheng Zhi'ao was very concerned about "important matters". He showed his kindness in order to get away good things from his elder brother, such as bicycles...
The eldest brother has already handed over the task of transporting people to Zheng Zhiwan, and Zheng Zhi'ao is not easy to grab. According to the eldest brother, he has already made arrangements, so he can just take the order himself.
"Zhibao, you lead a hundred warships and merchant ships to transport Japanese troops from the Japanese port to Huangcheng Island and Changdao north of Shandong Dengzhou Prefecture. Use this as a foothold, and be responsible for transporting them to Lushun for landing. Tatar Water If the division dares to go to war, he will never come back. We must ensure the safety of the troop transport ship, this is related to our sugar business."
Zheng Zhilong left the more dangerous matters to his own brother. If he really wanted to face the Tatar warships, he must win the naval battle. The majestic maritime overlord defeated the Hongyi but lost to the Tatars. It's so embarrassing.
And not only must we win the battle, but we must also ensure that the ships transporting Japanese troops are not damaged by Tatar warships. Once there are heavy casualties, hundreds of Japanese troops will be killed or injured before they even set foot on land. When General Tokugawa heard the news, His face will definitely not look good.
The transportation of Japanese troops and the sugar business are all on the same rope, so carelessness will lead to mistakes. After the Japanese army landed, even if 8,000 people died against the Tatars, it would have nothing to do with the Zheng family.
"Please rest assured, brother. We don't dare to say anything else. We just dare to pat our chests and guarantee that if the Tatars dare to send the navy to fight, I will let them sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the bastards. I will do my best to preserve the troop transport ship!"
Not only did he have to repel or even annihilate the Qing warships, he also had to ensure the safety of his own troop transports. This task seemed very difficult, but for Zheng Zhibao, who had been at sea for many years, it was not difficult, mainly because his opponents simply Not worth mentioning.
Most of the Qing's warships were taken away from Dengzhou by that bastard Kong Youde. Whether it was the size of the fleet or the firepower of a single ship, there was a huge difference from the Zheng fleet. At most, it was just a coastal navy.
If the Zheng family really wanted to annihilate the Qing navy, they could send out two to three hundred warships and block them all in their own port and give them a beating. If possible, the Tatars in the peninsula would not even be able to enter the sea. .
If you think about it carefully, the naval battles the Tatars fought were just to cooperate with the mainland army to capture Port Arthur. The others are not counted at all, and they cannot be compared with the battles between the Zheng family and the Hongyi and many pirates.
In front of the Zheng family, the so-called navy under Huang Taiji was nothing more than a joke. Zheng Zhibao was almost certain that if the other party escaped unscathed, he might as well wipe his neck on the ship, which would mean that the first half of his life had been wasted.
"Zhipeng, you are responsible for purchasing grain and rubber from Nanyang. The more the better. You can buy as much as you can. As long as the other party is willing to sell, our family can pay in cash or barter. We must take advantage of the summer harvest to sell Nanyang's goods as much as possible. Bring back more!"
Zheng Zhilong felt that he was about to do something earth-shattering, and he had to make a fortune from Nanyang before a big fight.
"Don't worry, brother, this errand is not difficult to handle. I can finish it within two months!"
Compared with the tasks taken over by the previous two brothers, Zheng Zhipeng felt that the task he was responsible for was the easiest. It was not that he had never been to Nanyang, and he was familiar with it. It was just a formality, and everything about food and rubber was complete. bought.
"It must be done as soon as possible. There is no need to delay at this time, because the Crown Prince has also given one more order, asking our family to send troops to the east to drive away the Hong Yi on the island! Everyone here is not allowed to spread the word. If the news leaks out, the Hong Yi will be informed in advance. You know, it’s not good if it gets bigger.”
Zheng Zhilong felt that since it was an important matter, he couldn't hide it for long, so he might as well take this opportunity to tell everyone that everyone on the island was a direct descendant of the Zheng family, and Xiamen officials would not come to congratulate him until tomorrow.
"What??? Beat Hongyi? Brother! Did you agree?"
As a cousin, Zheng Zhibao immediately blurted out that this was no joke. Hong Yi was in trouble, and it was not like their brothers didn't know it.
At Liaoluo Bay, the imperial troops and their own ships worked hard to repel Hongyi's attack, and killed Liu Xiang along the way. It can be said that they killed a thousand enemies and suffered eight hundred losses.
Now we have to fight the red barbarians again, and there are still a large number of red barbarians in Dongfan. This is an extremely difficult matter!
"Brother! Those Hongyi ships are strong and powerful, but they are very powerful. Our family has just had a truce with Hongyi for a few years, and we are going to fight again. We can only win with a sure chance of victory? Besides, didn't Zhi Peng go to Nanyang to purchase grain and supplies? Rubber? That’s all Hongyi’s territory. If our family goes to war with Hongyi, wouldn’t that put Zhipeng in danger?”
Even if others have no say, Zheng Zhifeng, as the chief cousin, can still speak. He strongly disagrees with the beating of Hongyi. I don't know why the eldest brother agreed to it because he was fed some ecstasy soup by the prince.
If Hong Yi was really that easy to fight, they wouldn't have traveled far across the ocean and could still occupy Dongfang. Now Hong Yi was a force that couldn't be underestimated, especially at sea, almost rivaling the Zheng family.
In line with the principle of everyone making money, Zheng signed a contract with Hongyi. The two parties would not interfere with each other. Zheng would also provide Hongyi with a large amount of raw silk, porcelain, tea, silk and other goods every year, and Hongyi would be responsible for transporting them to Hongyi. Western sales.
If a big fight breaks out now, the business that has earned millions of taels of silver this year will be completely over...
