Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 332 I invite you to watch a show
Meichun had a very frustrating life.

As members of the Royal Guard, the other armies followed His Majesty in his campaigns, but his rear army remained in the back, without any sense of existence at all.

Such a situation would naturally cause many adverse effects on the army, but he just followed the emperor's order and trained the rear army, burying the negative emotions deep in his heart without any complaints.

Fortunately, God rewards those who work hard.

He finally received the call from His Majesty, and when the boat docked at the shore, his several thousand new troops immediately occupied the landing beach.

just
"First Battalion, form up! Second and Third Battalions, hurry up and land!"

Listening to the constant shouts of his generals and looking at the defenseless beach, even though Mei Chun had no doubts about His Majesty's arrangements, he could not help but feel a little confused:

Is it that easy?
The red-haired guy didn’t even do any superficial work?

With this in mind, Mei Chun looked around.

But when he saw the coastline that was more than ten miles long and thought of the "red-haired army's insufficient strength", he could only sigh: Your Majesty really has the ability to predict the future.

"Report to the commander! All of our troops have landed. Shall we launch an attack directly on Chikan City?"

"Didn't you read His Majesty's letter?"

Although Mei Chun also wanted to fight a good battle to prove that the rear army, which His Majesty had high hopes for, was not weaker than other guards, when his generals came to ask for a fight, he still retorted with a sullen face.

Your Majesty has already given a clear procedure for this landing operation.

First, use the firepower advantage to break through the neglected Fort Zeelandia, and then take advantage of the high tide to break into the inner harbor and cut off the connection between Chihkan City and Zeelandia.

As a result, Fort Zeelandia lost its left and right wings.
Of course, with the trump card prepared by His Majesty, it is not impossible to directly attack Chikan City.

But according to what Your Majesty said in the letter, the Chikan City is just a little short of troops and has slightly fewer artillery, but the rest is similar to Zeelandia.

If the trump card was used directly here, it might scare away the Dutch in Zeelandia, which would result in a tactical success leading to a strategic failure.

Well, that’s what His Majesty said in the letter.

Therefore, when Mei Chun saw his generals asking for battle, he naturally could not give them a good face.

"I've seen it."

"You dare to say more after reading this? Do you think you are wiser than His Majesty?"

"I admit my crime! Please punish me, Marshal!"

After seeing the general apologize, he did not pursue the matter further.

To be honest, his desire for battle was even stronger than those of his generals, but at the same time he was also self-aware enough.

Mei Chun had met Your Majesty several times and had listened to Your Majesty's teachings many times when the new army was being trained, but his experience was far from that of the generals of other guards, and even a surrendered general like Hu Maozhen could not compare to him.

He had reviewed his past experiences more than once, trying to find out the reason why His Majesty had given him the honorable title of the Imperial Guard.

The end result is obvious.

Duoduo failed to enter Yingtian City, and the Xiaoling Guards did not die in battle as happened in history.

Without this experience, Mei Chun would not understand why His Majesty valued him so much, and the doubts in his heart would be difficult to resolve.

But this did not prevent him from proving His Majesty's vision.

But in his simple understanding, His Majesty is invincible, wise and powerful, and is feared by all. He is truly the most holy monarch in the Ming Dynasty.

If His Majesty does not say much, then he will exercise his subjective initiative and do his best to do the job well.

But now, Your Majesty not only has detailed arrangements for the battle to seize the island, but these arrangements have also been verified in practice.

Under such circumstances, he had no other choice but to carry out the plan resolutely. How could he make any compromises?
"We have been guarding the mausoleum of Taizu for so many years, and we have always followed the routine. Your Majesty has already made arrangements this time. Why are you so impatient?"

Mei Chun could understand the thoughts of his generals, and when he saw that they had admitted it, he naturally would not be too harsh on them.

Furthermore, the 1,500 soldiers from the three battalions that first landed in the inner harbor had already formed their array, while the troop transport ships that were to land on Taiyuan Island were still waiting for them to blockade Chikan City.

In this situation, even if he really wanted to blame her, he couldn't delay for too long.

"Report~~~! Marshal! The gates of Chikan Castle ahead are closed, and it seems that they have no intention of supporting Fort Zeelandia."

"Yes," Mei Chun nodded to the soldier who came to report the news, and then turned to the general: "Don't be careless here, and be sure to follow the orders of His Majesty."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the boat on the shore, obviously not intending to stay long in this place where a battle was unlikely to take place.

When the general saw his commander behaving like this, he felt a little unwilling, but after hesitating for a moment, he just responded with a crying voice.

"Yes!"

He knew very well that according to His Majesty's arrangements, no fighting would occur around Chikan City.

After all, the function of this city is more civilian. Not only is there not many troops stationed inside, it also has a fatal flaw.

"All camps follow the original plan. You guys follow me to see if there is only one waterway in this broken city."
-
Naturally, Caron could observe clearly the actions of the Ming army outside the city through the telescope.

They destroyed the hot fort that had been in disrepair for a long time and had weak firepower, and then used superior forces to cut off the connection between the remaining two forts.

It is obvious that the purpose of the Ming people is not to use war to promote negotiations, but to completely expel the company's influence from Taiwan.

If someone had told him about Ming's plan before today, he would have definitely scolded him severely.

But when he saw the dozen or so double-decker galleons, he had to admit that the Ming Dynasty already had the strength to compete with the Batavia Council for TW.

"Bring He Tingbin here."

"Governor, according to your order, all the Ming people in the city have been locked up."

"I know! I asked you to bring him here!"

Seeing Caron's sudden rage, the adjutant felt a little aggrieved, but he still passed on his order.

About ten minutes later, a slightly plump middle-aged man was brought to the observation deck.

"Dear He, I don't know what these idiots did, they turned off my translation."

Faced with Caron's fake affection, He Tingbin did not show any displeasure. Instead, he began to defend the ordinary soldiers who imprisoned him as soon as he heard it.

"Governor, you can't blame them for this. After all, the Ming people launched a war without declaring war. For the safety of Fort Zeelandia, they should have locked us all up."

"My dearest He, it's great that you think this way." After giving He Tingbin a tight hug, Caron finally put away the fake smile that made his facial muscles a little stiff.

"You know, the company only wants to do business. This time, it was because of the instigation of the Qing people that some misunderstandings occurred with the Ming Dynasty. So I want you to explain it to the commander of the Ming army on my behalf to avoid escalating the situation."

Hearing this, He Tingbin couldn't help but be a little surprised.

He has been working as an interpreter for the Dutch since he was left here by Zheng Zhilong.

After dealing with them for so many years, he naturally knew that these white pigs in the West would bully the weak to death, and would only be reasonable when they met the strong.

Can.
Is the big boss so powerful? He can actually force the red-haired man to be reasonable?
Although his thoughts were constantly turning, He Tingbin's mouth did not stop.

After dealing with General Kalon properly, he left Fort Zeelandia under the "escort" of the Dutch.

Afterwards, without caring whether the darkness would cause misunderstanding among the Ming army, he lit an oil lamp and took a small boat to the Ming army fleet anchored in the inner bay.

At this time, he could see the huge black shadows clearly, and he also understood the real reason why the red-haired ghost was willing to reason.

But for so many years, he had been in secret contact with Zheng Zhilong. When he finally figured out what these black shadows represented, he couldn't help feeling a little lost.

"I'm so far away that I'm no longer trusted."

That’s right, he was the insider that Zheng Zhilong left behind when he was forced to evacuate Taiwan.

According to the original history, he not only handed over the Dutch defense map to Zheng Chenggong, but also brought the information that the North Passage could be passed during high tide.

With this help, Koxinga was able to successfully surround Fort Zeelandia, and then take down the TW fortress and bring the entire island under his rule.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

With an oil lamp burning, the ship He Tingbin was on was spotted from a distance by a small boat patrolling the periphery of the fleet.

In this situation, he would not row the boat anymore. He just loudly stated his purpose and waited quietly for the arrival of the Ming army soldiers.

"I was sent by the Dutch. Please inform me, sir."

"Dutch? I see you are also from the Ming Dynasty. Why are you working as a lackey for the red-haired devils?"

"Life forces us to do so. Life forces us to do so."

Although He Tingbin has become accustomed to flattery over the years, he felt uncomfortable when the soldier's words fell.

More than ten years.

He has been a dog for the Dutch for more than ten years.

During these ten years or so, he certainly hadn't done anything harmful to the world, but it was still painful for him to see Westerners invading his own land.

But now, the leader led his army to counterattack, but he became the one who was not trusted.

This feeling
As his thoughts turned, He Tingbin felt more and more sad. If the Ming army soldiers had not called out to him several times, he would have been trapped in such emotions even if he was determined.

"Minister, the people are here."

After following the soldiers onto the largest warship, He Tingbin couldn't help but look around. But before he could see anything clearly, the name he heard startled him.

When he was left in Taiwan, Zheng Zhilong was just a guerrilla general, but now there was a "minister" on the ship, and he was a little confused about the situation.

Could it be a civil servant sent by the court to supervise the war?

But where is the big boss?

"You are the one sent by the Dutch?"

"I pay my respects to the Minister," He Tingbin put aside his doubts when he heard the red-robed old man in front of him ask. After completing the formalities, he continued, "The Dutch governor sent me here to ask why the army was like this."

"Why? They attacked my city and killed my people, and the Dutch dared to ask why?"

After hearing what He Tingbin said, Shen Tingyang was immediately amused, but due to various reasons, he did not beat the other party with a stick, but just sneered and waited for an answer.

"Let the ministers know that the Guangzhou incident was instigated by the Tartars. If the army can withdraw, I will persuade the Dutch governor to withdraw from Guangzhou."

"You are quite capable, but unfortunately, our Ming Dynasty does not need the Dutch to retreat on their own."

He Tingbin was stunned when he heard the words, but when a look of doubt was about to appear on his face, Shen Tingyang's voice followed.

"Go back and tell the Dutch that Guangzhou has been recaptured by our army and that fleet has been completely destroyed. We are here on the emperor's orders to punish them. Take them away!"

As the military order was issued, soldiers dragged He Tingbin out.

However, to Shen Tingyang's surprise, the soldiers had only taken a few steps when the other side shouted loudly: "Sir, please call General Zheng to see us, please call General Zheng to see us!"

Seeing this, he naturally realized that something was wrong.

After asking the soldiers to let go, Shen Tingyang asked a few more questions, but the other party insisted on seeing "General Zheng", so he could only patiently explain.

"Marquis Annan has already responded to Tian's request to take over as the Minister of Military Affairs. This time, I will be in charge of the expedition. If you have anything to say, please report it to me. If you don't want to talk, please leave as soon as possible."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Tingbin's expression immediately became uncertain, and it was obvious that he was caught in a fierce ideological struggle.

When Shen Tingyang saw this performance, he guessed something in his heart. After thinking about it for a while, he continued speaking.

"Although the Earl of Annan was unable to participate in the war this time, these warships were built together with me. It was his eldest son Zheng Sen who defeated Guangzhou City and the Dutch fleet. If you really have something to report, I can send a ship to take you there."

It was impossible for him to send a special ship. He said this just because he hoped to dispel the other party's concerns in this way.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the hesitation on He Tingbin's face gradually faded, and then he said directly:

"Sir, although the Dutch only have four warships in Taiwan, apart from the mainland and the Governor-General's territory, they can gather six or seven warships even in the area under the jurisdiction of the Batavia Council. If the court really wants to retake Taiwan, it must take down Fort Zeelandia. However, Fort Zeelandia is much stronger than the other two. Not to mention the losses caused by a strong attack, the time it takes will be enough for the Dutch reinforcements to arrive. By then..."

At this point, He Tingbin paused. Seeing that Shen Tingyang showed no signs of worry, he continued, "Why not take advantage of the Dutch governor being frightened and make some demands to settle the matter peacefully?"

If an ordinary civil servant were here, his focus would certainly be on the central idea that "the Ming navy could not defeat the Dutch."

But Shen Tingyang was ultimately a technical bureaucrat. After listening to these rather lengthy speeches, he immediately realized that the other party's argument was about "time wasted."

Zhu Cilang naturally knew the power of the bastion, but since he sent a large army here, he was fully prepared.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Shen Tingyang naturally knew about these preparations.

So after hearing what He Tingbin said, he said directly: "You don't have to go back. Tomorrow I will treat you to a good show."

(End of this chapter)