Dominate the Country

The mouth of the Minjiang River in Fuzhou.

The raindrops covered the whole world, like silk, so light and fine that no sound could be heard. Wu Bi Da, standing on the bow of the ship, could not see the ripples of raindrops falling on the water. He stood in the rain with a big umbrella covering his head, motionless, like a stone.

The Fu Han Army went south. Their fleet had already arrived in Wenzhou from Hangzhou Bay, Ningbo, and Taizhou. Chen Ming would not be so stupid as to take a large army by land, climb the mountains and hills in central Fujian, and fight into northern Fujian. Therefore, the war between Fujian and the Fu Han Army is imminent, but there is still no definite answer to the debate in Fuzhou City.

Before the fall of Hangzhou City, many bannermen, many of whom were bannermen from Nanjing, fled to Ningbo, Shaoxing, and Jinhua, and then migrated all the way to Fuzhou under the pursuit of the Fu Han Army. The number was of course much smaller than the original number, but it also added tens of thousands of people to the city of Fuzhou. The rest were either captured by the Fu Han Army or had their braids twisted and scattered among the people.

Anyway, except for Hangzhou Bay, there are many women in central and southern Zhejiang, and there are many women who do not bind their feet among the common people.

When it comes to foot binding, a bad habit that started in the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Ming is naturally disgusted. Chen Hui, based on the fact that there was no such rule during the Han Dynasty, also ordered to unbind feet and not to bind them anymore, but the people did not listen. The tax department of the Fu Han Army can only add another foot binding tax, and all civil servants will be dismissed if they find that their wives and daughters have bound feet.

"Master, the group of people in the north city of Houguan have been leaving the city with their families every day these days."

"Where did they go?"

"Some went south, some went north..."

Wu Bidada's stone-like expression finally cracked. The bannermen and the nation themselves are unwilling to live and die with Fuzhou, so how can Fuzhou be saved? Going south can still be said to be continuing to "escape", but what about going north? I'm afraid they all thought that northern Fujian would be the first to be stabilized and the most peaceful after the Fu Han Army went south, right?

How could the naval and land soldiers in northern Fujian have the confidence to win this battle?

"Dad, this news will definitely not be hidden from anyone." Wu Xiqun said. They have only been back to Fuzhou for a few days? They heard the news first, and then easily verified the news. How can this be hidden from the locals in Fuzhou? How can the generals and soldiers have the heart to fight?

Wu Bi Da walked back to the cabin with heavy steps and sat on the chair without saying a word. He is a native of Fujian Province, from Tong'an, Zhangzhou. Because Zhangzhou is the nest of the Tiandihui rebellion, the Wu clan has suffered a lot because of Wu Bi Da, the Qing Dynasty's waterway admiral. I don't know how many people died in the turmoil, and all their property and land were taken away, so Wu Bi Da and the Tiandihui and the anti-Qing righteous army are irreconcilable.

He didn't even think about surrendering. At this time, he only felt sad about the fate of Fujian and worried about the change of color in the south.

The whole Zhejiang province was taken by the Fu Han army. They will take Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi next. Will Chen really make this great change happen?

Wu Bi Da thought of Duan Xiu Lin. They had worked together in Jiangnan. Duan Xiu Lin's surrender was very timely. Before he closed his eyes, he would not see the court punish him.

Wu Xiqun watched his father doing what he was doing, as if he was asleep. He stretched out his hand and asked his attendant to bring a thin blanket and gently cover Wu Bi Da. It had been three days in a row, and he had not rested for a single day.

Wu Bi Da did not sleep, how could he sleep? He did not open his eyes, but just nodded his head to signal his son.

Wu Xiqun retreated quietly. He had his own place on this big Thunder ship. Wu Xiqun had just returned to the room when the door was knocked outside, "Fourth Master, Ye Zhentai is here to visit."

Ye Zhentai, that is, Ye Xiangde, the general of Taiwan Town. He was originally the deputy commander of the Penghu Navy Association. After the Taiwan Town Lu Yong was finished, the number was still there, and the official hat fell on Ye Xiangde's head. The Penghu Navy under his command and the Haitan Town Navy, which had lost all its face before [the old nest was destroyed], are the two main forces under Wu Bi Da's command now.

"Lord Ye." Wu Xiqun himself was just a garrison to fill in the vacancy, and his official position was still a long way from the general. But his father was the top general on the Fujian Sea at present, and Ye Xiangde came to see him in person instead of letting his entourage come.

"Brother, let's not talk too much. Tell me what the military commander thinks about the current situation?"

Ye Xiangde had a good relationship with Wu Xiqun in private. Wu Xiqun drank too much and complained to him that the situation was getting worse and worse, and the Qing ship was becoming more and more unreliable; Ye Xiangde also said the same thing to Wu Xiqun in a different way. In this way, the two sides were like having a bottom line, and they felt much more at ease with each other.

"Father is also very distressed. Duke Lu is coming by land and sea, how can half of Fujian resist tens of thousands of troops?"

Wu Bidada had no intention of surrendering, but Wu Xiqun did. At least when the situation was hopeless, he was unwilling to be a loyal minister to the court. Too many people from the Wu family of Tongan had died, and he had to live well and watch the group of villains of the Tiandihui get their retribution one by one.

"The general is angry..." Ye Xiangde said that he could understand. But the Fu Han Army and the Tiandihui were not necessarily on the same side, and the latter had fought their own dogs. Ling Liang annexed Zhao Mingde's territory, and immediately attracted the "anger" of Zhang Gou of Longyan and Li Shaomin in the north of Tingzhou. It is unknown whether these two people are really so close to Zhao Mingde, or if they also want to take the opportunity to make a fortune.

If we only look at the situation inside Fujian, Ye Xiangde doesn't think that Tiandihui can really win. Just look at the fact that the Tiandihui troops on the land route in Fujian never let the Tiandihui in Taiwan land, and we know that they are also full of contradictions. It is not known whether the total number of Tiandihui troops on both sides of the strait is 200,000 or not, but there are definitely 150,000. If they can really work together, will there be a peaceful life in northern Fujian?

But what is the fact? Half of Tiandihui's energy was not used on the front line.

Otherwise, Ling Liang and Zhao Mingde would join forces to attack a small Yongfu, while the front lines in other positions would be calm. Chen Jie would invite 3,000 reinforcements to attack Fuzhou, and then they would win with fewer troops, and even Zhao Mingde would be killed on the spot.

Wu Xiqun guessed that Ye Xiangde's "dirty" thoughts would not dare to be made clear to his father, so he would just mess around inside. As long as Ye Xiangde really wanted to, a cup of tea would allow the old man to rest for two days if necessary, and when he woke up, the overall situation would be settled.

Troubles are never prepared for any one party alone.

The Fu Han army was watching the steps of Fujian being taken. Not only the Qing army was nervous, but also Zhang Qiu and Zheng Jia in the Taiwan Strait, Yan Yan in Taiwan, Lu Mao, Zheng Ji, Ling Liang, Chen Biao, Chen Pi, Zhang Pu, Zhang Gou, Li Shaomin, etc. on land, and Wan Yunlong and Wan Er, who were respected as the leaders by these Fujian land Tiandihui leaders, all knew that it was time to decide their fate. Of course, there were those who were loyal to the Fu Han army, such as Lu Mao and even Yan Yan. When the Fu Han army arrived, it was difficult for them to resist the Fu Han army. Most of them would obediently hand over the military and political power in exchange for a prosperous life. But what about the rest?

These people were not the Tiandihui leaders who accepted the "support" of the Fu Han army two years ago and lived by the eyes of the Fu Han army's secret camp. Now each of them was a local leader with tens of thousands of soldiers.

The Fu Han Army attacked Jiangnan twice and made a fuss for so long. The two sides went back and forth, but they did not hurt the vitality of the people in Jiangnan. But the Tiandihui made a fuss in Fujian for two years, which really made the people's livelihood in Fujian difficult. Fortunately, most of these people are local tigers, otherwise Fujian would be even worse.

Zhang Qiu's nest is now in Penghu. As the situation changes, Wu Bidada abandoned Penghu, the key point of the Taiwan Strait, and the entire army moved to Haitan, which is closer to Fuzhou. After more than a year of ups and downs, the current Admiral Zhang has gathered more than 600 large and small ships, and no less than 100 main warships.

Of course, although these pirates have many people and ships, their combat effectiveness is very unsatisfactory. They have fought with Wu Bidada several times and have not gained any advantage. But there are still changes in the general situation. When Zhang Qiu's fleet encountered Wu Bidada's main fleet before, they could only escape. Now Wu Bidada no longer dares to lead the main fleet to look for Zhang Qiu for a decisive battle. This is the rise and fall of one side, this is progress!

The Qing army had an absolute advantage at the beginning, but gradually it had turned into a situation where it still had an advantage, but if it was careless, it might capsize.

It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon, and it was only one mile away from Jibei Island. It would take less than half an hour to reach Lantau Island. The small boat sent by Zhang Qiu to welcome the guests had appeared in front. Tian Qing ordered to reduce the sails and prepare to row into the harbor. He brought 17 warships this time. When they set out from Kinmen Island, they first dispersed and went out to sea, each moving separately to conceal their tracks. When they were far away from Kinmen Island, they assembled the whole team and crossed the Taiwan Strait, coming in a mighty force. All the ships were cleaned up, with red flags flying, bright and beautiful.

Zhang Qiu still cherished his brand of "Southeast Navy Commander". They were different from the Tiandihui on land. They had no ambition to achieve great things, nor did they have the strength to achieve great things. Now this opportunity was a great opportunity they had been looking forward to. Even if the military power was taken away, what would it matter?

Chen Han still had to bring his own supplies, right? Would they be missing out on wealth and glory?

Isn’t this what the Zhang family wants?

As long as there is a chance, everyone would rather be a local rich man in the countryside than go to the sea to risk their lives.

Chen Ming ordered Zhang Qiu to pick available warships to meet up with them on the sea of ​​Taishan, Funing. The Fu Han Army was really going south to Fujian.

Zhang Qiu formally invited his men to gather in the Penghu Islands, and all the families and groups gathered in Lantau Island to discuss matters. Tian Qing deliberately arrived half a day late, not just to put on airs, but to let the other people quarrel with each other first, so that he would not have to spend time guessing everyone's cards. Zhang Qiu's "team" is not like the Fu Han Army, a team with unified military orders. This Southeast Navy with a red flag is an old-style warlord armed force, with big warlords leading small warlords, and small warlords leading smaller soldiers.

The basic unit is not a team like the Fu Han Army Navy, but a single ship.

As the third team under Zhang Qiu, Tian Qing was more fortunate to rob the big and small Kinmen, and he was one of the few non-old-fashioned foreign bandits among the heroes who could become Zhang Qiu's guests. But this does not mean that he has any special relationship with the other two newcomers. On the contrary, Admiral Zhang Qiu has been trying hard to win over Shi Shenglin this year. Tian Qing also watched coldly, knowing very well that Zhang Qiu's plan was to better consolidate his own strength. Zhang Qiu's wish was not to be a rich man, he also wanted to look forward to Chen Han's title.

The fleets that gathered at Dashanyu have indeed arrived. Outside the port, Tian Qing can clearly recognize whose team is whose from the flags raised by the fleet.

In addition to his own direct lineage, Zhang Qiu can be divided into nine groups. Tian Qing and Shi Shenglin are one of them, and there is also a man called Baiyu. The three of them are new characters, and the remaining six are all old brands with decades of history.

Among the six, Wang Haichao is the bravest and loves soldiers; Yiganliang is the most slippery, Guonan is the most wild and unruly, Huang Afa is the most mediocre, and Cai Sier thinks he is the most courageous and resourceful, but he is still a long way behind Jiang Qinglong.

Tian Qing's men took down the sails and rowed, preparing to enter the port, but were stopped by the welcoming boat. The port is small and crowded, and there are too many distinguished guests. I will leave eight boats for Mr. Tian, ​​and the other nine boats will follow us to move to the nearby Zhenhai Island.

"You are a guy who looks down on others." This remark immediately attracted a scolding from Tian Qing, but when his first boat went into the harbor, Dashan Island was really full of various ships and more than 200 warships of the old Zhang family. The red flags were fluttering and the crowds were so crowded that there was really no room. After a while, the evacuation ships were turned around, and he finally waited for him to enter the Navy Yamen. He was stunned when he entered the door. The hall was in a commotion, with hundreds of people cursing, trying to stop the fight, and watching the excitement from the side. It was just a matter of time before a fight broke out.

The people surrounded in the middle were Guo Nan and Huang Afa, a coward, on one side, and Wang Haichao and Zhang Qiu's cousin Zhang Wei on the other. Cai Sier tried to stop the fight, while Jiang Qinglong watched the excitement with his arms folded.

Tian Qing asked Shi Shenglin, who was most familiar with him, and found out that the two sides were arguing because of the wrong number of ships.

Guo Nan and Huang Afa were only going to send out 15 ships, unlike the 17 elite warships that Tian Qing brought. They only had two main warships each, and the rest were small boats to make up the numbers. Zhang Wei couldn't stand it and said: It seems that this time, we have to fight in the front while watching our hometown in the back. We must not let the traitors steal it.

This made Guo Nan jump up, and Huang Afa, the coward, stood behind Guo Nan to encourage him, and then Wang Haichao stood up to help, because Wang Haichao and Guo Nan were absolute enemies. Wang Haichao's lair was almost taken advantage of by Guo Nan. Thinking of this, Wang Haichao was full of anger.

No one could stop the excitement on both sides, and Zhang Qiu couldn't make peace after a few words of persuasion. "In a rage", he simply left the hall and let them argue here. Tian Qing grinned, Zhang Qiu's behavior was a bit wrong, this guy always valued his dignity. No wonder Cai Si's persuasion was more like provocation, and Jiang Qinglong folded his hands to watch the excitement. There is something to argue about this matter.

Tian Qing could never have imagined that Zhang Qiu was flattering someone at this time. This person is Chen Jigong. Chen Jigong will not run away again, but as a member of the secret camp, Chen Ming asked him to go to Penghu, and then to Zhangzhou, Quanzhou and Taiwan. Now Chen Jigong's identity is even more of an "imperial envoy".

He didn't know how much of the noise in the front hall was true and how much was false, but he still comforted Zhang Qiu, who looked depressed and ashamed, and said: "General, don't worry. His Highness Lu Gong knows that it is not easy for the general..." How many things in this world are easy to do? Chen Ming asked him to start making Western-style sailing ships. Until the red flag was raised in Zhoushan, he didn't even lay the keel and didn't sit down for preparation.

This time, Chen Ming transferred Zhang Qiu's fleet to the north, that is, to see clearly who is his people in the old Zhang family!