The existence of the Zheng family not only hindered Xia's external expansion, but also seriously damaged maritime trade in East Asia.
In order to break this situation, Holland had a conflict with Zheng before.
However, the East India Company's strength was limited and it was defeated by Zheng Zhilong in local battles. As a result, the pattern of East Asia's maritime situation did not change.
This time Xia Guo proposed to use force against the Zheng family, and the Dutch immediately responded positively.
Putmans strongly requested to be the commander of this battle.
He vowed to avenge his shame.
However, Batavia is too far away. In this era without long-distance communication, the two sides cannot cooperate closely.
Xia Guo only reported an approximate time for the battle, and the rest was entirely up to the Dutch.
Putmans organized a fleet of seven warships in Batavia and headed towards the Chinese coast.
He had seen how powerful Zheng Zhilong was, so he was very careful.
He first stationed the Dutch stronghold in the southern part of Taiwan Island, and then bribed the local Han people to spy on the Zheng family's movements.
Putmans became increasingly cautious when he learned that the Zheng family had left in full force and was missing.
He waited patiently for another ten days, but when he saw that Zheng's fleet never returned, he guessed that they were going to fight against the Xia Kingdom.
He also played a trick and announced that he would lead the fleet back to Batavia.
Then it made a circle on the sea and went all the way north through the Bashi Channel.
However, such a delay prevented him from catching up with the Zhoushan naval battle, but he met the Zheng fleet that had retreated in defeat.
Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.
Putmans could tell at a glance that Zheng's condition was not good. How could he let go of the opportunity to beat up the drowned dog?
Especially at this time on the wide sea, there is no need to worry about Zheng's fireships, and the superior performance of the Dutch warships can be fully utilized.
The war started immediately.
Putmans divided his fleet into two groups and cruised around the periphery of Zheng's fleet, constantly bullying Zheng's lagging warships with more artillery.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong still had some remaining bronze cannons in his hands.
In terms of power and range, it is no worse than the Dutch artillery.
However, the number is too small, and the performance of the warships is even more incomparable.
After a hard battle, the Zheng family suffered heavy losses and their morale dropped to the bottom.
"Brother, it's not good for me to be entangled with the Dutch here. I should return home quickly, so that I can tide over the difficulties."
Zheng Hongkui was very anxious and began to advise Zheng Zhilong.
Zheng Zhilong's face was filled with sadness.
"Why don't I want to leave? But look, these Dutch are going to kill us!"
Zheng Hongkui also understood that the Zheng family could no longer fight.
"I'll hold the Dutchman back while my brother returns quickly."
At critical moments, Zheng Zhilong's brothers are very sacrificial.
Zheng Hongkui ordered more than 30 warships and built a defense line on the sea. He would rather die than let the Dutch rush past.
His warships are all equipped with bronze cannons, and their firepower cannot be underestimated.
Putmans originally wanted to go around and bite Zheng Zhilong firmly. As a result, the warship received several shots and suffered heavy losses, which forced him to deal with it carefully.
While helplessly watching Zheng Zhilong walk away in a hurry, he began to deal with Zheng Hongkui who would rather die than retreat.
The Zheng family has always relied on the strength of its many ships to cover up the shortcomings of its weapons and take advantage of close combat in its wars.
But they don't understand that on the vast sea, having too many ships but not many ships is of little use.
At this time, without the restraints of a large group of troops, Zheng Hongkui actually fought well with the few warships in his hands.
They rushed left and right, constantly using bronze cannons to cause great trouble to the Dutch fleet.
Although the number of artillery can not be compared with the Dutch fleet, but after fighting, the two sides actually became evenly matched.
The reason is that the long-lasting combat performance of bronze cannons far exceeds that of European artillery of the same era.
After firing the artillery on the Dutch warship for a long time, the barrel was so hot that it could no longer be used and had to be cooled down.
But the heat dissipation effect of the bronze cannon is very good, and it can still fire continuously.
In this way, the firepower of both sides inexplicably reached a balance.
The battle lasted until dark, and seeing that no one could do anything to the other, both sides had no choice but to stop fighting.
Zheng Hongkui was sunk eleven warships. Although the losses were considerable, he at least completed the task of blocking the enemy. He didn't dare to stay, so he hurried south while taking advantage of the darkness.
Putmans had one warship sunk and several other ships seriously damaged, which made him extremely depressed.
Fortunately, in this battle, a total of more than thirty warships of the Zheng family were sunk, and they achieved a considerable victory.
Putmans found a nearby island to repair the fleet.
He decided to contact the Xia Kingdom fleet and take action together.
Shi Daxuan, who did not dare to stop along the way and was exhausted from running, finally rushed back to Anhai Town.
"We have been defeated. The situation is very critical. Maybe it won't be long before Xia Kingdom comes over. We must prepare early."
Shi Daxuan called together Zheng Cai, Zheng Lian, Yang Geng and others who were left behind and reported the situation, which made everyone panic.
Over the years, the Zheng family has fought in succession and eliminated countless powerful enemies, which has made them forget the taste of defeat.
"Does Xia Guo dare to invade Fujian? This is our hometown. Even if the real dragon comes, we have to be careful."
Hearing Zheng Cai's still arrogant words, Shi Daxuan was furious.
"You have never seen the power of Xia's warships. If you don't stop your arrogance, you will really die without a burial place."
He ordered a few people: "Immediately gather all the guys at home and guard them in various places. And send people to inform Xiao Zhongcheng quickly. Once the Xia army comes, the court will not be able to make a profit. At this moment, we must be sincere. Unity.”
After conveying Zheng Zhilong's meaning, Shi Daxuan could no longer bear the fatigue and fell asleep.
Zheng Cai and the three of them looked at me and me, with complicated expressions in their eyes.
The three of them retreated outside and drove away the irrelevant people.
"Ah Cai, now that my uncle has suffered a defeat, it is a God-given opportunity. If you miss it, you will regret it."
Yang Geng also tried his best to encourage.
"The purpose of the Marquis bringing that boy back from Japan is self-evident. It is a waste of your hard work and loyalty over the years. I'm afraid that in the future, all the birds will be hidden, and the rabbits will die and the dogs will be cooked!"
The two people's bewitching words made the flesh on Zheng Cai's face twitch and gradually become fierce.
"In that case, let's just... just stop doing one thing and keep doing the other."
Zheng Lian and Yang Geng were overjoyed when they heard that he had finally made up his mind.
The Zheng family finally went to war with the Xia Kingdom, but the outcome would definitely be disastrous.
Although Zheng Chenggong is very young, his ideas are very clear.
However, now he is locked in the room and cannot come in or out. Although he was very anxious, there was nothing he could do.
He tried hard to recall what Zuo Mengeng taught him, tried to calm down, and looked for a feasible solution.
That night, he was not at ease even in his sleep.
Suddenly, I felt extremely hot all over my body, as if I was trapped in a furnace.
This frightened him so much that he quickly opened his eyes and turned pale with shock.
He saw a huge fire raging around his room, and the heat and bustle rushed towards him, as if it might engulf him at any time.
"Someone! Come quickly! Someone's gone!"
Zheng Chenggong was so frightened that he shouted quickly.
