There are reasons for both the public and private parties, and Xia Nan did not wait for the order of the governor of Guangdong, Yamen, so he ordered the Qiongzhou battalion, which had been waiting for a long time, to set off on a certain day to cut first and then play. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

He was very sure of this matter, and there would be almost no resistance from the Guangdong authorities: first, the governor Mu Tianyan had a close personal relationship with him; Second, the eradication of red hair is the holy decree of Chongzhen, and naturally no one will object.

As for the 300,000 taels of guns, Xia Nan unceremoniously accepted them, and most of them were allocated to shipyards and arsenals for the construction of 1,000-ton warships and the expansion of the production capacity of Wuyi-class warships, as well as the casting of supporting naval guns. Before the departure of the fleet, the Provisional Staff Office held a second meeting to develop an operational plan for the trip.

All planning and deployment are carried out around the strategic objectives of Xia Nan. Xia Nan put forward clear requirements: first, in the naval battle, the Qiongzhou battalion navy can only be used as a reserve force and finally put into the battlefield, and cannot be used as cannon fodder; Second, if Zheng Zhilong has the upper hand, another force will be sent to copy the back route of the Liu coalition army, occupy the port of Geranza, capture pirates and Dutch sailors as much as possible, and expand the power of the navy. On the contrary, if Zheng Zhilong is defeated, he will go straight to Anping and capture the Zheng clan as a bargaining chip to blackmail the remnants of the Zheng family.

"No matter which one is defeated, accepting its remnants can strengthen the strength of the Qiongzhou battalion navy." Xia Nan emphasized, "Zheng Jia and Liu Xiang's men are all experienced pirates, and the Dutch sailors are trained professional soldiers, so it would be a pity if they all died at sea." ”

The temporary staff officers headed by Sima De had a bit of a headache. The first request of the general is not difficult to achieve, after arriving at the battlefield, it is enough not to rush to the front line until the right time. However, the second requirement is more difficult, and the key is its uncertainty.

In the big battle between the Zheng family and the Heliu coalition army, it is possible for anyone to win or lose, and neither side has an overwhelming advantage, but whether to deploy the mobile force on Dongfan Island or Anping, this is a choice question that can only choose one or the other, and there is no possibility of riding on the wall and waiting.

Murong Longcheng pointed to the map and elaborated on his thoughts: "With Zheng Zhilong's usual style, it must be based on gunboat pressing and fireboat attack, so the location of the decisive battle will not be in the depths of the ocean, it is likely to be somewhere along the coast, plus Hongmao can't land ashore in a grand manner, and can only replenish supplies on nearby islands, so the decisive battle between the two sides may be around Penghu, Kinmen, and Nanao, which can be replenished." So the question is, where should our fleet hide so that it will not be discovered by both sides? ”

Sima De frowned: "There is nowhere to hide, so you can only choose one place to kill directly." If we hide in Dongfan Island and Zheng Zhilong is defeated, we will not be able to rush to Anping before him, and vice versa. ”

Murong Longcheng nodded and said: "If the red hair is defeated, when we cross the sea from Fujian to Dongfan Island, they will hide in the turtle shell of Relansha City, and the broken back road will become a strong attack, and the gains outweigh the losses." ”

Liu Heizi cautiously put forward his opinion: "From the point of view of the small, it is better to gamble than to fall short at both ends, buy and leave, and it is up to God to open a big or a small one." As for whether we bet on the Zheng family or the red hair, it depends on which family's subordinates are easy to surrender, otherwise they would rather die than obey after working for a long time, so what's the use of arresting them? ”

Sima De smiled: "Liu Heizi's words are not rough, they are reasonable. ”

Murong Longcheng thought thoughtfully: "If you want to say that, it is easier for Liu Xiang and the red-haired people to be integrated." If Liu Xiang died, his subordinates would be leaderless, and it would be effortless to win them over. Although the red hairs are troublesome, they love money and believe that they will not get along with silver. ”

William, who was present at the meeting, interjected: "That's right. The Dutch are greedy by nature, and as long as they are given enough money, they will not mind becoming mercenaries in the Far East. ”

Murong Longcheng continued: "In comparison, the Zheng family is difficult to say: the leaders are all members of the Zheng family, and the leaders below are all brothers who worship the son, and they are very righteous in the rivers and lakes, even if they are forced to use it, they are not at ease. ”

Sima De listened to their words, weighed for a moment, and said: "Since this is the case, let's bet on Zheng Zhilong to win, and arrange all the manpower on Dongfan Island." ”

Wei Lianheng asked, "Do you want to land?" If the army is used, will you fight the castle of the red hair? I heard that their castle is made of stone, which is very strong, and if you want to fight, you have to prepare in advance. ”

This is the derivative problem, and sure enough, the war deduction is not so simple, one link after another, one problem is solved, and the next problem is solved. Sima De secretly thought that the staff system made by the general was much more real than the military discussion of the imperial court, and all aspects could be taken into account, and the military discussion of the imperial court was nothing more than a civilian official with no actual combat experience to scold Fang Xuan, and decide the strategy and route of the war based on his feelings, and it was full of loopholes when encountering actual combat.

Murong Longcheng suggested: "I suggest that it is better not to attack the city. I have seen the red-haired stone castle, its strength is no less than that of Guangzhou City, and the artillery is superior, whether it can be gnawed down or not, the casualties are not small. ”

Wei Lianheng nodded when he heard this: "Then block the harbor and wait for the rabbits, and wait for the rout of Hongmao and Liu Xiang to flee back." ”

Liu Heizi reminded: "If you succeed, the ship escorting the prisoners must be prepared in advance, and you can't stay on Dongfan Island for too long, so as not to have long nights and dreams." ”

Sima De said: "Yes, it should be so. ”

So the battle plan to go to Fujian to participate in the war and fish in troubled waters was finalized, and the two sides seeking a decisive battle did not expect that there was a third-party force behind them that was ready to bite them at any time.

In this expedition, in addition to the first battalion of the army remaining in Lingao, the second battalion, the special combat team, and the guard team were all dispatched, and the navy even poured out. The 500-ton Wuyi-class and the 280-ton Wuxiang-class were in front, and the Guangzhou ships transporting the army were behind.

On the flagship "Lingao", almost all the leaders of the military of the Qiongzhou battalion gathered together, and in the summer south was surrounded by the stars and the moon, and said to everyone: "Everyone, this is going to Fujian, Hongmao, Zhengjia, and Qiongzhou Battalion are destined to fall, this is our opportunity and our challenge." In any case, we are going to defeat one and weaken the other, and take the fate of the future firmly in our own hands! ”

Everyone responded in unison: "I am willing to follow the general and create a great cause together!" ”