Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 335 My Fleet
Zhu Cilang's tactics for attacking Taiwan were almost all copied from the historical Zheng Chenggong.

The biggest reason why he said "almost" was that he had learned from Koxinga's lesson and had brought heavy artillery with him when he sent out his troops.

In the original history, Zheng Chenggong directly cut off the water supply of Chihkan City after entering the inner harbor from the northern channel. After that, Chihkan City only held out for one day before opening the city and surrendering. The Ming army then turned its attention to Fort Zeelandia.

But contrary to Koxinga's expectations, this bastion delayed him for eight or nine months. During this period, the Dutch not only discussed with the Qing Dynasty about a two-pronged attack, but even sent reinforcements from Batavia twice.

However, Zheng Chenggong was indeed good at naval warfare, while the Qing Dynasty did not have sufficient naval power.

As a result, Batavia's reinforcements were severely damaged in the Battle of Taijiang, the Dutch and the Qing Dynasty could not reach an agreement on a deal, and Fort Zeelandia was completely isolated and helpless.

However, although it was isolated and helpless, Fort Zeelandia had an extremely complete defense system.

If Koxinga had not remembered the 42 heavy artillery pieces left by his father, the city would have been besieged until the Dutch ran out of ammunition and food.

After the heavy artillery arrived, it took Zheng's army only one hour to completely destroy the fortress group of Zeelandia, and then it took only a few days to raz the city walls and granaries of Zeelandia to the ground.

Under such circumstances, the Dutch had no city to defend.

It took the two sides another six days to negotiate the terms, and the last Dutch governor, Koichi, led the remaining 900 soldiers to withdraw from Taiwan.

It is obvious that Zheng Chenggong's strong naval combat ability played a huge role in this entire battle.

But it is undeniable that if he had been able to mobilize more than 40 heavy artillery pieces at the beginning of the battle, the battle to capture the island would not have lasted so long.

In any case, Zhu Cilang fully learned from someone's experience in this island capture, and Caron also fully experienced the power of the Ming Dynasty's heavy artillery on behalf of Kiichi more than ten years later.

When he came to his senses from the deafening roar, he found that he had arrived in a residential area, and the extremely sturdy fortresses were being bombarded by artillery fire.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"Governor! This battle cannot be fought! Surrender!"

The huge roars completely suppressed all sounds on the island. Even though the adjutant was right next to Caron, he had to roar with all his might to ensure that the distracted governor could hear him.

Surrender?
These two words seemed to have magical power to gather Caron's mind again, but when he realized the meaning, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He was actually forced to surrender by the natives of the Ming Dynasty.

Then why did you provoke them before?
"Damn Qing people!"

After cursing bitterly, Caron finally realized what went wrong.

When the Qing Dynasty sent people here, they said that the Ming Dynasty was already in its dying struggle. As long as they could send troops to contain it, the Qing Dynasty would be able to deal it a fatal blow.

But now?

Kalon didn't know how the war between Ming and Qing was going, but looking at the forces Ming had dispatched this time, where did it seem like they were struggling to survive?
I'm afraid it's the Qing people who are struggling to their death!
Thinking this through, Caron couldn't help but feel annoyed. When he met the aide's anxious gaze, he asked directly, "Has He come back?"

"No."

"Send another person."

After hearing the words, the adjutant turned around and left without any other movement. However, when he returned again, He Tingbin, whom Caron had been thinking about, followed him.

He talked with Shen Tingyang for half the night, and this morning he finally saw the "good show" that the minister had mentioned.

I have to say, this is indeed a good show.

At this time, the Dutch had completely defeated the Franks. Apart from the landing battles on the European mainland, they had become the only dominant force at sea.

Such a powerful force actually suffered such a great loss at the hands of the Ming Dynasty's firearms, which made him shocked and also a little proud.

"He! Why did you come back just now? What did the Ming people say?"

As soon as he saw him, Caron asked questions one after another. Then he stared at He Tingbin's expression, obviously treating him as a life-saving straw.

"Governor, the Ming people demand our unconditional surrender."

"Unconditionally?! What do these natives think of us?!"

Before He Tingbin finished speaking, Caron suddenly became like a burning barrel of explosives.

If he had been in such a desperate situation at other times, he would have had no other choice.

But now he has learned from the battle report sent back by Brunden that not only did the Battle of Guangzhou capture the Ming city, but also a general who was highly valued by the Ming emperor was killed in this battle.

Under such circumstances, if the other party does not make a safety guarantee, he will definitely not choose to surrender.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

At this moment, another burst of artillery fire rang out. Although Caron was dazed by the loud noise, he still focused all his attention on He Tingbin.

"Governor, the commander of the Ming Empire said that they can make a safety guarantee, but first, they require all troops on the island to lay down their weapons, and second."

As he spoke, He Tingbin couldn't help but move forward a little, and after a round of artillery fire completely stopped, he began to speak in a very low voice.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even if I die in this battle, I will never agree to such a condition!"

Seeing his own governor's reaction so intense, the adjutant couldn't help but become curious about the conditions proposed by the Ming people. But before he could think about it, he saw that He Tingbin's reaction was not much different.

"Governor! I am thinking about your life and the lives of all the soldiers. You should know that the uncle of the future empress of the Ming Dynasty died in Guangzhou! And it was in an extremely tragic way. If you can't find a way to vent the anger of the emperor of this huge empire, then what awaits you may only be a thousand cuts!"

Cut into pieces by a thousand cuts.

These words seemed to have some magic power. When they came out of He Tingbin's mouth, Caron, who was originally extremely excited, immediately calmed down.

Having been in Taiwan for so many years, he naturally knew that being cut into pieces was not a threat.

But there are still so many people in the city. If he really agrees to the conditions of the Yingming people, how can he go back?

Thinking of this, Caron was immediately in a dilemma. If those who commit suicide could only go to hell, he might have shot himself with a musket right away.

just
"Oh!"

A muffled sound and a feeling of dizziness came into Caron's brain at the same time, and then he completely lost consciousness.

By the time He Tingbin reacted, the adjutant had already thrown the stone in his hand to the ground.

"The Governor-General was unfortunately hit by falling rocks. As his adjutant, I will temporarily take over the defense of Fort Zeelandia." "Okay..."

He Tingbin seemed a little dazed by this sudden change, but the adjutant was not affected by it. After checking Caron's breath, he went straight out.

"Wait, you haven't heard Mingguo's conditions yet."

"No need. As long as I can survive, I will agree to everything."
-
two days later
A fleet consisting of two double-decker galleons and more than twenty armed merchant ships appeared within the observation range of Fort Zeelandia. As soon as the fleet sent out an inquiry signal, Fort Zeelandia immediately replied with flags of various colors, "Everything is normal, you can enter the port."

The fleet commander was naturally a little surprised by this.

After all, those lazy people in the city are used to a stable life, and usually they are considered fast if they can give a reply within ten or twenty minutes.

The signal was just sent out today and they responded immediately. Anyone who came here would naturally have to think about whether the sun rose from the west.

I guess it’s the Governor-General who’s at the lookout.

Regarding this situation, Tiste only gave an answer in his mind without delving too deeply into it.

He was one of only thirty-odd galleon captains in the East India Company, and at the same time he could be considered a close confidant of Caron.

After receiving the news that Brunden had captured Guangzhou, Caron ordered him to lead the remaining two galleons and armed merchant ships to provide support.

Of course, this kind of support is subject to certain prerequisites.

If the situation in Guangzhou is not favorable to them, then these reinforcements will most likely be delayed for some reason; if the situation in Guangzhou is very good, then he will have to try to collect intelligence that is unfavorable to Brunden, and then try to erase Brunden's military achievements.

Thisster had no objection to this kind of thing.

After all, where there are people, there are conflicts, and where the interests are greater, the conflicts will be more intense.

How could someone like him, who was capable of becoming the commander of a double-decker Galen battleship, not know anything about this?

However, just as he was getting ready to use various means to bring down Brenden, he discovered that the situation along the coast of Guangzhou was unusual.

Originally, there should be cargo ships constantly entering and leaving the Pearl River in this area, but now not only can there not be a single cargo ship to be seen, but even Macau, which is occupied by the Portuguese, is acting as if it is facing a powerful enemy.

If they were somewhere else, the Portuguese would be nervous when they saw the Dutch fleet. After all, the war between the two countries for the sake of competing for interests has spilled over to various overseas colonies.

But along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, one of them monopolized the maritime trade in Guangdong, and the other monopolized the maritime trade in Fujian, and they had already divided their spheres of influence tacitly.

Considering the unusual situation along the coast, It was natural for Tiste to investigate first.

The results of the investigation surprised and delighted him.

The reason for the surprise was that Brundon died in Guangzhou, and with Caron's support, he would definitely become the next fleet commander.

The reason for the surprise is that the company's property has suffered such heavy losses, and the Council will definitely strengthen the strength of the fleet stationed in TW.

At this point, Tiste's mission was successfully completed, and his nerves, which had been tense for a while, naturally relaxed.

But, the Governor doesn't know yet.

It was reasonable to stay on the lookout.

"Reply, our unit is entering the port now, please guide us."

As soon as he finished speaking, his meaning was conveyed through the constantly changing colorful flags. But when he was about to go inside to tidy up his clothes, he heard the soldier shouting loudly: "Captain! The island allows armed merchant ships to enter the port first, and our galleons will enter last."

After hearing this, Tistel couldn't help but frowned.

Now he can't wait to meet Caron, or to be more precise, he can't wait to become the acting commander of the company's TW fleet.

But at this juncture, the island actually allowed him to enter the port last, which made Tiste feel depressed.

"My soldiers need to be repaired! My warships need to be maintained! If those lazy fellows on the island can't give me a reasonable explanation, I will kick them to America to fight against the savages!"

Since the captain had said so, the messenger naturally carried out the order faithfully. However, when the island gave a reply, the anger in Teast's heart suddenly disappeared.

"Captain, the island said a typhoon hit two days ago, and the hydrological conditions may have changed."

seem
That makes sense.

Is it just that the typhoon came so early this year?
Thinking of this, Test put the telescope in front of his eyes. When he saw many figures busy on Fort Zeelandia, he was immediately shocked.

Most of the typhoons in previous years only blew down the Fort Zeelandia, but rarely caused serious damage to Fort Zeelandia which was under constant maintenance.

But now looking at the number of figures, it is obvious that this typhoon is quite powerful, even Zelandia has become like this.

“Damn place.”

Tiste cursed helplessly, and then ordered the armed merchant ship to explore the way first.

However, the matter of taking over as commander could not be delayed, so when he got close to Fort Zeelandia, he simply took a small boat and headed directly to the island.

As the boat approached the island, Teaste became more and more excited.

If he could become the commander of this fleet, he would be qualified to covet the position of governor.

You have to know that the Governor of TW is no different from others. Not only can he control a large area of ​​sea, but he can also seize huge wealth by virtue of his position.

If he could become the governor of Taiwan one day, that would be great.
With this in mind, Teast wanted to see his dearest Governor as soon as possible.

After landing on the island, he didn't even have time to call his followers before he set off for his dream land as fast as he could.

just
Is the typhoon so strong?

Even the fortress group was blown up like this.

As the distance between him and Fort Zeelandia became shorter and shorter, Tiste could vaguely see the general situation on the city even without the help of a telescope.

At this moment, although his mind was still on Caron, he couldn't help but sigh at the power of nature.

But some traces could not be hidden after all. When Thist was still five or six hundred steps away from Fort Zeelandia, all kinds of abnormal situations came into his sight.

Why are there traces of smoke on the city?
Why are there so many footprints on the beach outside the city?
Why are the ships gathered together in the inner harbor?
As thoughts kept coming to his mind, Teast's pace gradually slowed down. But when he was about to connect these anomalies together, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

No! There is a problem!

With this in mind, Tiste immediately rushed into the sea, but after only a few steps, he felt his legs go numb, and then he fell directly onto the beach.

My fleet is finished.

(End of this chapter)