Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 220 Sneak Attack on Zhongzuosuo (1)

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During the few days that the Qiongzhou garrison had taken over, many merchant ships, large and small, tried to dock for supplies, but were driven away by the fleet's cannons. The power of the 32-pound caron cannon was far superior to that of the pirates' small bronze cannons. A few shots were deafening, scaring the merchants away in a panic. The officers and soldiers on the island were even more terrified and thus served these uninvited guests with even greater care.

A few days later, the "Yangming" arrived at Qing'ao Bay from the direction of Fujian, bringing good news: Zheng Zhilong had been dispatched by the Fujian governor to Fuzhou to suppress bandits, and his capable subordinates had all gone with him. At the same time, Zhang Yongchan, the garrison commander and guerrilla general of Zhongzuo Fortress, was also far away in Quanzhou, in charge of procuring military equipment. In other words, at this moment, the main forces of both the land and sea troops at Zhongzuo Fortress were absent, leaving it completely undefended.

Liu Ye was overjoyed; it was truly a stroke of luck. He immediately ordered the fleet to set sail the next day, reach Zhongzuosuo within two days, and launch a surprise attack.

On the eve of departure, they ate "Zhai You," a dried squid product from Nan'ao, named after Houzhai Town, the main squid-producing area of ​​Nan'ao. It was large, thick, and tender, with excellent color, shape, and taste. —Thinking of how Tang Baicai had gone to great lengths to please him, Liu Ye felt a little embarrassed. He felt obligated to appease this deputy commander-in-chief, who was less skilled in warfare but adept at managing daily life.

After enjoying the delicious food, he sent someone to summon Tang Baicai, picking his teeth as he said, "We're going to do business tomorrow, so we've been bothering Deputy Commander Tang these past few days."

Tang Baicai's eyes lit up. This group was finally leaving; all his careful service these past few days had finally paid off. He replied respectfully, "Wishing you a valiant victory, resounding success, and a bountiful return!"

"Deputy Commander Tang, your lives have been tough. You've probably almost finished your rations these past few days?"

Tang Baicai sighed, "To be honest, it's alright that we don't have vegetables or meat. Nan'ao Island has abundant seafood, so we can catch some fish and catch some seafood to make do. It's just that the land on the island is barren and we can't grow any grain. All the rice that the brothers eat has to be bought from the shore. Now, the price of unpolished rice in Shantou is already two ounces and four mace per shi (a unit of dry measure). I don't know when this year's rations will be paid..."

Liu Ye waved his hand: "Stop talking, I understand. I'll have my men give you five hundred taels of silver later to buy two hundred bushels of rice on the shore. That should be enough to feed your men for half a year."

Tang Baicai was overjoyed: "That's enough, that's enough. We'll still get some pay at the end of the year, and we'll make it through another year. But..." He looked at Liu Ye suspiciously, "Since you're so generous, is there anything I can do for you?"

In Tang Baicai's view, such a vicious group of people would never be kind for no reason and give him five hundred taels of silver for no reason. They must want to use him for something. He just couldn't think of what he could do for them.

Liu Ye smiled and said, "We'll meet again someday. Nan'ao Island is a great place. I'm going to do something big, and I'll inevitably need to use your land someday." Since he planned to use Nan'ao Island as a base in the future, and this Deputy Commander Tang was sensible and understanding, he might as well keep him as the logistics captain.

Tang Baicai understood his meaning and nodded repeatedly: "If you need my help in the future, please feel free to give me your orders." At this point, he was completely certain that this group had nothing to do with Liu Xiang. A pirate like Liu Xiang would rob wherever he went and would not leave any backup plans.

The fleet left Nan'ao Island and headed straight for Zhongzuo. On the morning of the third day, it arrived near Kinmen.

With the Zhongzuo Fortress right in front of them, everyone on the fleet experienced a range of emotions, some tense, some excited.

Liu Ye took a deep breath and asked Gao Jie, "Are all the props ready?"

Gao Jie nodded: "The flags are all ready. They are all made in the style of the Dutch and embroidered with the logo of the Da Yuan Trading Company. Even our own people can't tell them apart, let alone Zheng Yiguan."

"Are all ships ready for battle?"

"All gunners are in position, with ample ammunition, and are ready to fire."

Liu Ye took a deep breath and then ordered: "Enter Zhongzuosuo Port, locate the Zheng family's armed merchant ships with a capacity of over 400 tons, and each ship is to attack freely. Remember, only solid shot is allowed, not grapeshot. After one hour, regardless of the outcome, retreat immediately." The reason for using only solid shot was to avoid leaving evidence, as the Zheng family had a very deep impression of the Qiongzhou Camp's grapeshot, which had a huge close-range power.

The rising sun shone on the sails of ships large and small in Zhongzuosuo Port, reflecting a golden light that seemed to herald the start of a vibrant day. At this time, the port was still very quiet, with most merchants and sailors resting on the shore, not yet awake. As for who was in bed with their lovers or in a half-open brothel, no one knew.

When the fleet of eight Wuyi-class ships entered the port, some early-rising fishermen saw them and assumed they were merchant ships from Southeast Asia or Japan. Apart from being surprised by the size of the ships, they were not surprised at all.

Looking at the completely undefended harbor and the densely packed ships, Liu Ye clenched his fist and thought to himself, "It's done!" In that instant, he suddenly thought of a famous battle of World War II—the attack on Pearl Harbor. How similar everything before him was to that unconventional battle.

The fleet's objective was clear: to strike directly at warships of 400 tons or more, especially armed merchant ships flying the Zheng family flag, without wasting ammunition and time on smaller vessels. Once each ship had identified its target, the bombardment began.

"Boom boom boom," the continuous sound of cannons shattered the tranquility of the harbor, like a sudden thunderstorm. Thirty-pound solid bullets whistled towards their targets, and the sounds of ships collapsing and masts breaking were incessant.

The muffled, thunderous cannon fire naturally alerted the ship owners and the Zheng family members remaining on shore. Many ship owners, upon hearing the cannon fire, jumped out of bed and ran barefoot to the harbor, knowing their ships and cargo were there and they didn't want anything to go wrong.

The one left behind by the Zheng family was Zheng Hongkui, the very man whose eighteen boats of silver and goods had been robbed by Liu Xiang at their doorstep. Although Zheng Zhilong repeatedly insisted that the robbery was not his fault, in order to appease the dissatisfaction of his other brothers, he was not taken along to earn merit this time when he was ordered to suppress the bandits, but was left to guard the Zhongzuo prison.

Normally, such an arrangement can be seen as a warning and a wake-up call: given the Zheng family's current strength, who would dare to provoke the Zhongzuo family? The so-called "guarding the home" is just a pretext to save face. Although it is safe and risk-free, the credit for going out to fight will not be yours, and over time you will be marginalized within the family.