I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

Gaizhou Guard, Tong Mansion.

Tong Puhan, still asleep, was awakened by the noise outside. He opened his sleepy eyes, got out of bed, and walked outside while getting dressed.

Pushing open the door, Tong Puhan saw a servant standing on a pile of crates, leaning against the wall and peering outside.

"Atu, what are you looking at?" Tong Puhan said with a hint of displeasure, "Why is it so noisy outside so early in the morning?"

“Master,” Atu turned his head and said truthfully, “There are a lot of soldiers outside!”

Tong Puhan opened his arms and let the two maids dress him. He frowned when he heard Atu's words.

"What's Shi Tingzhu up to so early in the morning!" Tong Puhan said with displeasure.

Just then, the old steward of the mansion rushed over from the front yard in a panic. Seeing that Tong Puhan had already gotten up, he anxiously said:

"Master, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Tong Puhan's face darkened, and he couldn't help but rebuke, "Uncle Duan, you're an old man in this household, how come you have no shrewdness at all!"

"Master," the old steward gasped, "disaster! Disaster!"

"What's the panic? The sky isn't going to fall!" Tong Puhan shook his head in exasperation.

"The Ming army! The Ming army has captured Fuzhou Guard!" the old steward said anxiously.

"What!" Tong Puhan exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening as he asked, "You mean the Ming army has captured Fuzhou Garrison!?"

The old steward nodded heavily: "It was said by Tian Dahai, the coastal defense magistrate who escaped from Fuzhou Guard!"

"Is this serious?"

Tong Puhan's first reaction was to check the authenticity of the military intelligence. After all, Gaizhouwei and Fuzhouwei were both located in the heart of the Qing Dynasty. Did the Ming army just fall from the sky?

"Absolutely true!" the old steward exclaimed in a panic. "Besides Tian Dahai, there are also wealthy families who have been fleeing from Fuzhou Guard one after another!"

Tong Puhan's expression changed drastically. If Fuzhou Guard had really fallen to the Ming army, then this Ming army had most likely come from the sea.

Tong Puhan knew all too well what kind of navy the Ming army was. Let alone going on an expedition, they had a hard time even clearing out pirates along the coast. So why would they lead the Ming army north and east?

"Did Tian Dahai say how many soldiers the Ming Army sent?" Tong Puhan asked.

"I heard there are only a few hundred people, and apparently there are pirates among them!" the old steward replied.

"Pirates!?" Tong Puhan frowned. He suddenly thought of someone: Zheng Zhilong, a wealthy merchant who had been active along the Fujian and Zhejiang coast, because only Zheng Zhilong had such power.

Shi Tingzhu's Han Chinese Plain White Banner had 1,800 men. Although their combat strength was not as good as the Manchu Eight Banners, they were still considered the elite of the four Han Chinese banners. It would be a piece of cake for them to surround and kill a few hundred Ming soldiers and pirates.

Don't panic, with Shi Tingzhu here, Gaizhou Guard is as solid as a rock!

……

At dawn the next day,

As the first rays of sunlight touched the sea, the outlines of thirty Fujian-style ships appeared on the north side of Lianyungang Island.

"Commander Zhang, everything is ready."

Zhang Jingchuan nodded and looked at the dozens of troop transport boats on the sea, with Wu Guozhong on the lead boat.

After seeing the look Zhang Jingchuan gave him, Wu Guozhong immediately addressed the soldiers on the surrounding troop transport boats:

"I'll repeat myself. As the garrison commander instructed, after you land, follow me straight to Gaizhou City. Remember, once you're inside, don't linger in battle. First, capture the seven warehouses in the south of the city, and have the porters there quickly load the goods onto carts and transport them to the docks."

Shi Lang's men will meet you at the Qing people's dock.

Remember,

"Make sure we return to the dock and board the ship by noon. Even if there are still goods left in the warehouse, we don't want them!"

Seeing the tense expressions on everyone's faces, Wu Guozhong immediately offered words of comfort:

"The soldiers guarding the city are all Han soldiers. Don't overestimate them, but don't underestimate yourselves either. In the eyes of the garrison commander, you are no worse than the elite Manchu Eight Banners troops of the Qing army!"

In the words of the garrison commander

This battle,

We must fight with skill and flair; our army will surely win!

After speaking, Wu Guozhong looked up at Zhang Jingchuan on the Fujian ship and nodded slightly.

Zhang Jingchuan nodded.

He pulled out a cigar from his pocket, the Lüsong brand that Zheng Zhilong had given him. Zheng Zhilong then handed him a tinderbox.

Zhang Jingchuan lit one end of the cigar with a flame, then put it in his mouth and bit down.

After taking a few small sips, take another deep breath.

He then silently exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke from his mouth.

Holding a cigar between his fingers,

He calmly flicked the ash from his cigarette with his index finger.

Then,

He pointed in the direction of Gaizhouwei with the finger holding the cigar.

Very peaceful and authentic:

"Do it!"

In an instant, dozens of troop transport boats sped toward the shore, propelled by the armored soldiers.

……

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

On the city gate tower of Gaizhouwei, the guards who discovered the enemy's presence began to ring the bell as a warning.

Upon hearing the warning, a group of soldiers guarding the city were terrified and were about to rush forward to close the city gate.

Just then, Tian Dahai, accompanied by several strong men, suddenly appeared behind the city's defenders. With lightning speed, he pulled out daggers hidden in his sleeves and pounced on the group of defenders.

After dealing with the group of city guards, Tian Dahai and his men, whose faces were covered with red cloth, quickly reopened the city gate that was about to be closed.

Soon,

Wu Guozhong then led eight hundred Ming soldiers in.

……

When Shi Tingzhu received the news that Gaizhouwei had been captured by the Ming army, his expression changed drastically. He didn't care about the situation in Fuzhouwei and led his troops back.

Because he knew in his heart how important Gaizhouwei was to the Qing Dynasty.

The seven warehouses built by the Tong family in Gaizhouwei were filled with mountains of goods, all of which were for the royal family's business.

The Tong family was responsible for supplying half of the military provisions to the front lines. Now that Gaizhou Garrison has fallen, he, as the highest-ranking officer stationed there, is bound to be held accountable.

Shi Tingzhu had no time to spare for his infantry, and hurriedly led his two hundred or so cavalry back.

But when he arrived at Gaizhouwei, there was no sign of the Ming army. Seeing the mess on the streets, his heart sank to the bottom.

Upon arriving at the Tong residence,

Upon seeing Tong Puhan slumped on the ground, his eyes glazed over, he realized that he had fallen for the Ming army's diversionary tactic.

"It's over, it's over, it's all over!" Tong Puhan muttered.

Of the seven warehouses, 60% were moved away, and what remained were ginseng, deer antlers, sable furs, and other items that were of no use to the frontline troops.

Not only that,

Even the ten ships docked at the pier, along with their crews, were robbed.

"Who did this?!" Shi Tingzhu gritted his teeth and said, "Could it be the Ming Dynasty's navy?"

“No,” Tong Puhan’s eyes narrowed, and he said with hatred, “They are soldiers from Liaodong!”

"Soldiers from Liaodong?" Shi Tingzhu asked in surprise, "How could Hong Chengchou be involved with a pirate like Zheng Zhilong!?"

Hong Chengchou is currently facing off against His Majesty's army in Jinzhou, so how could he possibly extend his reach to the sea?

Tong Puhan seemed to have thought of something, and said with a solemn expression:

"General Shi, find a way to prepare a seagoing vessel for me. I need to go to Donghai Fort!"

……