Zhu Dinghai's fleet heading south this time included more than 500 warships and more than 30,000 personnel.
Among them, there are more than 20 large ships, more than 80 medium-sized ships, and the rest are mostly eagle ships.
The eagle ship is a light vessel with pointed ends, no head or tail, forward and backward like flying, and strong maneuverability.
Zhu Dinghai knew very well that judging from the current situation, the range of Ming's main artillery was still far inferior to that of Xiyi.
If it were against Hong, Daming would definitely not be able to take advantage.
But the Ming Dynasty had the grenade as an artifact.
Especially during the sneak attack on the Japanese Navy, the power of the grenade was fully displayed.
With the help of the super maneuverability of the Eagle Ship, the grenade cannons had already blinded the Japanese Navy before the main ships of both sides entered the range.
In fact, from the very beginning, Zhu Dinghai had no intention of confronting Xi Yi head-on.
Zhu Dinghai's goal was to use the Eagle Ship's maneuverability to quickly approach the opponent and then cripple the opponent.
Medium and large ships are just for handling future matters.
...
On December 10, the first year of Chongzhen, the news that Emperor Ming ordered Zhu Dinghai to go south to expel the Western Barbarians had spread in Fujian and other places.
On December 11, the first year of Chongzhen, this news finally reached the ears of Dutch Governor Naci.
"Why, is the Ming Emperor crazy? He actually dared to challenge the maritime overlord Netherlands on the ocean. He really didn't want to live or die. Do you really think you won the battle of Penghu on the sea?"
Naci was full of doubts. Ever since he occupied Taiwan, Daming had ignored him.
But who knew that the Ming Emperor took the wrong medicine and actually ordered to recover Taiwan.
The key is to issue orders during one's term of office.
This troubled Naji very much.
But then I thought about it, the Dutch navy was invincible. With this move, Ming lost the possibility of a sneak attack.
As long as it works well, this time is a good opportunity to eliminate the Ming Dynasty navy.
As long as the Ming Dynasty Navy is eliminated, the Dutch will not have the final say around the entire Ming Dynasty coastal area.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty must immediately stop trade with Spain, Portugal and other countries, and can only trade with the Dutch alone.
Arrogance is arrogance, but Naci is not so arrogant yet. He can compete with the Ming Dynasty navy with only Taiwan's five battleships.
In order to ensure that the Ming Dynasty Navy could be eliminated in one fell swoop, Naci not only asked for help from the surrounding Dutch governors, but also asked for help from Spain and the Portuguese.
After all, although the Ming Navy was not looked down upon by Naji, losses were inevitable in naval battles.
Naci did not want to be taken advantage of by Spain and Portugal.
Because they were unsure of the specific time for the arrival of the Ming Navy, the three parties quickly reached an agreement.
This time the Netherlands will dispatch 13 Dutch warships and more than 50 pirate ships. Spain and Portugal each dispatched 5 warships and more than 30 pirate ships
"Haha, this battle must be won! After destroying the Ming Navy, we can force the Ming Dynasty to open more trade ports and get more money." Naci laughed.
The three parties add up to a total of 23 warships and more than 110 pirate ships. With such a large formation, it is considered a large fleet even in Europe. It is not a problem for such a fleet to sweep across Southeast Asia, and even more Let alone a mere Ming Dynasty navy.
.....
In Fuzhou, Zheng Zhilong and a group of pirate leaders who had just surrendered were discussing with Xiong Wencan how to fight the next battle.
In the seventh year of the Apocalypse (1627), the Ming Dynasty appointed Cai Shan, who had served as the prefect of Quanzhou, to succeed Quanzhou Xunhai Road and appease Zheng Zhilong. Zheng Zhilong led his troops to Quanzhou and met Cai Shanji. After the meeting, Zheng Zhilong's brothers Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao believed that the court was not sincere, so they encouraged Zheng Zhilong and others to leave Quanzhou immediately and resume their life of ruling the sea.
In the first year of Chongzhen (1628), southern Fujian suffered another severe drought, and many people were hungry. With the support of Xiong Wencan, Zheng Zhilong once again recruited tens of thousands of Zhang and Quan disaster victims. "Everyone was given three taels of silver, and three people were given an ox." They were shipped to Taiwan to reclaim wasteland and settle in Taiwan.
Zheng Zhilong wanted to surrender to the central government of the Ming Dynasty. Zheng Zhilong stated that it was his duty to "exterminate the barbarians and suppress all the bandits." In September, he was appointed governor of Fujian Province Xiong Wencan. He left Taiwan, the maritime base he had operated for many years, and settled in the Fujian Sea. At this time, Zheng Zhilong had more than 30,000 troops and more than 1,000 ships. He still led his original troops to guard the coast for the Ming Dynasty to prevent pirates, Japanese pirates and Dutch from attacking, and he was promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief.
As Zhu Youjian ordered a general amnesty, Zheng Zhilong, a pirate who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty before.
I am very familiar with the Dutch.
We also know that the strength of the Dutch cannot be underestimated.
In Zheng Zhilong's view, the Ming Emperor's move was tantamount to seeking death.
"Xiyi is not easy to mess with. We must be cautious in the war against Xiyi. When Lord Zhu arrives, I suggest that Lord Zhu first understand the situation of Xiyi and make battle arrangements."
"That's right, naval warfare is different from land warfare, and the Western barbarians are greedy. For the future of the Ming Dynasty, please be sure to advise Lord Zhu to think twice." A guerrilla (former pirate leader) echoed.
As pirates who later surrendered, they were different from Zheng Zhilong. Zheng Zhilong was for better development, while most of them were tired of killing and wanted to return home in glory and become rich men.
In their view, the imperial court first granted amnesty and then summoned the navy and Xiyi to fight it out, just to use them as cannon fodder.
"Don't worry, the court will not call upon your people or ships for this battle. The purpose of summoning you this time is just to provide you with a map of the surrounding seas."
"Charts, do you really just want charts?"
"That's right, as long as the sea chart is provided, here is 10,000 taels of silver. We will give corresponding rewards according to the sea chart you provide."
Under normal circumstances, buying a chart for 10,000 taels is definitely a joke.
The vast sea, endless as far as the eye can see.
Without a nautical chart as a reference, a ghost would know where he is.
I don't know what's going on around me. If they enter the reef area, the entire army may be destroyed.
Therefore, without charts, warships cannot sail. Not to mention fighting.
"I have a chart, not to mention that it only covers a small area."
"I have it too....
Soon, with the generosity of the generals, I finally got a relatively complete chart of the Fujian area.
"By the way, I know that many of you have personal friendships with other pirates. When you go back, bring me a message. Is it the king's land in the whole world, and is it the king's ministers on the shore of the land? After Mr. Zhu defeated the Western Yi, they It's best to surrender immediately, otherwise I won't be able to protect them by then."
....
In fact, Zhu Youjian has no shortage of surrounding maritime maps. Since the establishment of the Qiming Chamber of Commerce, in addition to doing business, the main purpose has been to draw maps of various places.
The nautical chart of the Daming Sea and the nautical chart near Southeast Asia is also the most important secret task of the Qiming Chamber of Commerce.
The reason why Zhu Youjian asked Xiong Wencan to do this was to show weakness.
This will prevent Xi Yi from fleeing without a fight in front of Master Wang.
