Fujian, Mawei Port.

In the fog of dawn, fifty large battleships, thirty-one Junk ships, the former main battleship of the Ming army, plus one hundred and twenty small clippers lifted anchor and slowly sailed out.

I have to say that Zheng Zhilong is very decisive.

The day after receiving the five battleships, the day the Dutch had just sent messengers for questioning, he immediately went to sea with his sailors.

In this way, the Dutch simply did not have time to transfer troops.

How far is Fujian from the Eastern Domain? If the sea breeze is smooth, the morning and evening will come!

And how long did the Dutch have to wait for the scattered warships to be brought back? There was not even a telegram at that time, and I am afraid that within a month they would be able to recall two-thirds at most.

Zheng Zhilong can completely sweep the Dutch stronghold to the end like a skewer.

More than 200 warships were rampant on the sea, almost endless, dense, and anyone who saw it would have their blood surged.

Zheng Zhilong stood in the command room of the flagship Anguo, looking at the waves of thousands of miles, and his heart was surging.

He knew better than anyone what a terrible force this fleet really was, so to speak, invincible in the South Seas and in the entire Far East.

Undoubtedly, he was lucky.

His luck is that all the promises made to him by An Guogong have been fulfilled. And even more fortunately, when he planned to flee with the fleet, he was stopped by An Guogong in time.

It is conceivable that if he escaped successfully and ran to the Eastern Domain with his own fleet, he would definitely become the opponent of the Ming Dynasty.

And in just over a year, the Ming Dynasty has built fifty battleships equipped with a large number of Hongyi cannons, so it is not difficult to speculate that as long as there is another year, the Ming Dynasty can build an invincible fleet.

He was by no means an opponent of this fleet, neither were the Dutch, and not Liu Xiang.

If he had fled, he would never have had the opportunity to control such a powerful force and seek revenge on the Dutch and Liu Xiang.

On the contrary, he will completely collapse under the crushing of the powerful Daming Naval Division, and under the joint encirclement and suppression of the sworn enemies Dutch and Liu Xiang.

The Zheng family's family business will inevitably be ruined.

There is no doubt about that.

But now it's different.

Not only will he not collapse, but he will also be able to make contributions and achieve his dream of being a high-ranking official and glorifying his ancestors.

Now that he is the commander of the Nanyang Naval Division, it is conceivable that as long as he helps the Ming Dynasty dominate the Nanyangs, he will inevitably be added to the rank of knight.

When the time comes, it is clear that the Governor's side is not a dream.

It doesn't get any better than that, and there's nothing more fortunate than that.

Also full of ambition are Zheng Zhihu and Zheng Zhibao, who see the hope of the Zheng family.

After going to sea, the first goal of the Nanyang sailors was the golden route of the Dutch from the Eastern Domain to Jawa (later Indonesia).

Why is this route so important?

Because this route includes almost all the important ports in South Asia, as long as you run this route, the silk and tea of the Ming Dynasty, the spices and local products of Annam, Siam, Luzon, Johor (Malaysia), and Jawa can all be included, and then you can go straight to Europe as soon as you pass Malacca, which is extremely convenient.

In fact, this route was supposed to extend to Japan, but Japan is now closed off from the rest of the country, and cannot trade on a large scale only by smuggling ronin, and the Spanish and Portuguese are quite powerful there, so the Dutch are not spending much effort on those routes now.

In addition, if you want to transport from Japan to Europe, you will have to go through the Eastern Domain-Jawa route, where it is convenient for the Dutch to collect taxes and rob and rob, and there is no need to expand the route to Japan.

It's just that now, this golden route in their hands is facing an unprecedented challenge.

And there are two important key points on this route, one is the Eastern Domain, and the other is Jawa.

Located in the middle of the golden shipping route, the Eastern Domain was important for controlling both the north and south ends, and the local area was rich in products, making it an important supply depot, and its importance is self-evident.

Batavia, Java, is the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company in the Far East, and it is close to the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's final straits, and can be said to be the throat of Southeast Asia to Europe, which is naturally the most important.

For Zheng Zhilong, who set out from Fujian, the first goal is naturally to capture all the ports of the Eastern Domain first, because it is close!

Among the more than 200 large and small warships, in addition to the naval division, there are also 8,000 elite army troops, all of which were transferred from Hong Chengchou in Gansu Province, with the purpose of conquering the Eastern Domain and incorporating it into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Prior to this, although the Eastern Domain had always intersected with the Central Plains and had also belonged to the Central Plains during the Three Kingdoms period, strictly speaking, the Eastern Domain was not part of the Ming Dynasty, otherwise the Fujian officials would not have agreed to the Dutch garrisoning there.

But the idea of conquering the Eastern Domain was put forward by the grandfather of the country, so it must be right.

Of course, in the eyes of old pirates such as Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Zhibao and Zheng Cai, oh no, it should be said that it was the old sailor, it was an extremely correct decision to conquer the Eastern Domain and include it in the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking at the Ming Dynasty, others don't know the importance of the Eastern Domain, can they still not know?

Therefore, after receiving this order, they had nothing to say except that they admired the grandfather of the country, who had never been to the sea, for being so far-sighted.

After the fleet set out to sea, it headed straight for the city of Geranza in the southern part of the Eastern Domain.

Geranza City was a castle fortress built by the Dutch in the Eastern Domain, located in the southern part of the Eastern Domain.

In addition, the Dutch also established the city of Chichi, which was also a port fortress, not far from the city of Geranza.

At this time, the northern part of the Eastern Domain belonged to the Spanish forces, and they built two fortresses respectively in the chicken coop and Tamsui, and ruled north and south with the Dutch, so they were happy.

The Spaniards had always proposed to help the Ming fight the Dutch, and of course there were considerations for them.

They believe that the Ming Dynasty's current policy of full openness is extremely beneficial to the Spaniards, and if the Spaniards can help the thriving Ming defeat the Dutch, they can propose to obtain a more ideal trade status, such as increasing the proportion of the Spaniards in the Ming Dynasty's foreign tea and silk trade, and for example, they can seize the important ports of the Dutch in the southern part of the Eastern Domain.

However, it is obvious that Qin Shuhuai did not intend to cooperate with them, because the Spanish wanted to continue colonizing the Eastern Domain, which in itself was a false proposition.

The Eastern Domain can only belong to the Ming Dynasty, and no force can interfere if it wants to, this is the bottom line set by Qin Shuhuai for Zheng Zhilong.

Therefore, Zheng Zhilong has not made it clear to the Spaniards whether to cooperate or not.

A day after the Nanyang sailors went to sea, they arrived in the sea only two hundred miles away from the city of Geranza in the afternoon of the same day.

At this time, I suddenly noticed two clippers in front of me, and when I looked closely, I saw that the flag on the ship was obviously Spanish, and there was also a white flag.

The white flag means surrender and has no intention of seeking war, and the lookout soldiers understand it very well.

The news reached Zheng Zhilong, who ordered that the two Spanish warships be brought over immediately, otherwise they would be sunk.

However, the three ships obviously had no intention of running, and took the initiative to come up.

It turned out that on the ship was Moken, the envoy of the Spanish colonial authorities to the Taiwanese consul Velasco, who had come specifically to find Zheng Zhilong.

After becoming the flagship, Moken first presented a gift from Velasco to Zheng Zhilong, which was a delicate Western pocket watch.

Zheng Zhilong took it with a smile, and then asked Mo Ken why he was in such a hurry to find him?

Moken didn't beat around the bush either, saying that Velasco represented the Spanish Far East fleet and hoped to cooperate with the Ming to attack the Dutch. In return, they only hope to promote trade with the Ming Dynasty and become a "loyal partner" and "an ally with shared interests" in the future of the Ming Dynasty's foreign trade. ”

It has to be said that Velasco was a visionary.

From the beginning of the Ming Northern Expedition, he expected that this vast empire would rise again and become the overlord of the Far East.

Spain had only a few thousand soldiers and horses in the Far East, and there were only more than 30 warships, of which the largest warships were only up to the Galen class, and there were only eight, and they were not the opponents of the Ming Kingdom in the future.

So he has been showing favor to the Ming State since then, and sent people to the governor of Fujian several times to ask for cooperation with the Ming Dynasty, but the governor of Fujian has just been transferred, and the official system of the Ming Dynasty has long been changed, and the governor cannot manage the military, so he just politely said, and then wrote a letter to send to the capital, and there is no follow-up.

In the capital, Chongzhen naturally couldn't press back when he saw this kind of twist, because the strategic core of the empire was in the Northern Expedition at that time, how could he open other fronts?

Now, the 50 battleships of the Ming Dynasty have slipped down from Weihaiwei to Mawei Port, and all the forces in the Far East have already seen it.

If the Spaniards don't hurry up to show goodwill to Da Ming at this time, when will they wait?

But the previous few overtures, all of them were perfunctory by Zheng Zhilong.

Why is Zheng Zhilong not interested in joining forces with the Spaniards?

On the one hand, with the Nanyang Naval Division in his hands now, he has absolute certainty of defeating any enemy.

On the other hand, Qin Shuhuai has drawn a bottom line, and he must completely and thoroughly incorporate the Eastern Domain into the Ming Dynasty, and in the future, the Ming Dynasty will set up a governor, a governor's yamen, and a guard there. This meant that unless the Spaniards gave up the two cities of Chicken Coop and Tamsui, which had been built for a long time, there was no possibility of cooperation.

And these two cities are the core interests of the Spaniards, how can it be allowed?

Then there is only one possibility, let's do it.

But Velasco, the young Spanish administrator, clearly did not intend to abandon the established strategy, so after Zheng Zhilong left for the sea, he sent an envoy to negotiate for the last time – even if there was even a glimmer of hope, he would not give up.

There is only one reason, the Ming Kingdom, which can build so many large warships at once, is too terrifying.

Especially when these warships are in the hands of the famous Zheng Yiguan, it is even more terrifying. You must know that even without these large warships, Zheng Yiguan still roamed the sea, equal to the Dutch.

After listening to Mo Ken's words, Zheng Zhilong said lightly, "The sincerity of your country's friendship with my Ming Dynasty is very touched. However, in order to achieve peace, the premise is that your country must hand over the two cities of chicken coop and tamsui to our country, and your country should not have any military presence in the Eastern Domain. Of course, after China incorporates the Eastern Domain into its territory, it will provide your country with convenient supplies and trade for merchant ships. ”

Moken shook his head again and again.

"With all due respect, General Yiguan, these two ports are our core interests in the Far East, and we have been operating here for a long time, and the investment is very high, and if we give them to you like this, I am afraid that we will not be able to explain them to the shareholders and the royal family in China. ”

Zheng Zhilong smiled slightly, and then returned the pocket watch to Moken.

"In that case, please go back and tell your commander that we may have to meet in battle one day. This governor also has something to tell you, the entire Eastern Domain is the core interests of my Ming Dynasty, and whoever dares to touch it is an enemy of the Ming Dynasty!"

Mo Ken saw a trace of ruthlessness in Zheng Zhilong's eyes.

He knew that it would be useless to talk more, so he got up and said, "In that case, allow me to go back and consult with General Velasco again." In any case, we must avoid fighting each other. ”

Zheng Zhilong nodded, "What your envoy said is very true. ”

Zheng Zhilong politely sent Moken away, but after Moken waited for the ship, he received an order from the Ming fleet that he should leave two warships, one large and one small, and only allow him to drive away one of the small clippers.

Moken was furious, but under the dense muzzles of the Ming warships, he could only break his teeth and swallow in his stomach.

I thought to myself, don't meet the Dutch on the way back, otherwise my boat won't be able to keep me safe!

The fleet continued on its way, getting closer and closer to the city of Geranza.

There were also more and more merchant ships from all countries, including three large Dutch merchant ships escorted by a Galen ship.

It seems that the Dutch either did not activate the emergency plan, or the plan was activated, but it was not possible to notify it in place - this is normal, and the efficiency of information transmission above the sea can be imagined.

Obviously, those merchant ships, including the escort Galen ships, panicked when they saw such a huge Ming fleet appear.

They swerved urgently and wanted to run.

The Dutch merchant ships that could appear in the Far East were naturally all Dutch East India Company.

Of course, they also know that they are not light with the Liang Zi of the Ming Kingdom.

Zheng Zhihu, who served as the pioneer officer, smiled when he saw that the other party was turning around.

Let's not say that our warships are faster than your merchant ships, but you are now within our range, you know?

The Fran cannon can't hit you, we have the Hongyi cannon!

So Zheng Zhihu didn't say a word, and immediately ordered the ten battleships under him to fire first.

With a slight adjustment of attitude, the ten battleships turned their port side towards the Dutch ships.

Each battleship was flanked by eight Hongyi cannons, and ten was eighty.

"Boom, boom!"

A huge roar sounded over the sea, like a thunderbolt before a great storm.

Eighty shells rained down on the four ships.

Woo~bang!

Whoa!

Since the first shot was not calibrated, most of them fell to the surface of the water, making a huge splash.

But there were still seven or eight shells on target.

The huge cannonball exploded, punching a large hole nearly a foot wide in the side of one of the merchant ships, while the other merchant ship was hit by two shells at the bottom of the mast, and the mast suddenly collapsed after the violent explosion, causing the hull to shake widely.

To say that the Galen ship is also quite backbone, it did not forget to counterattack while turning around, but five of the six shells hit the water, and the other shot hit the side of a Ming battleship with great luck, but it only broke the outer plank.

The fifty battleships were all three-layer side armor, and the key parts were also covered with 100 steel, and the 12-pounder guns of the Galen ship were tantamount to a fool's dream to penetrate them with one shot.

The Galen ship that resisted, like the cleaning girl who dared to resist the domineering president, immediately attracted the attention of the domineering president.

At least seven battleships, after calibration, aimed their guns at it.

Boom Boom!

The Hongyi cannon spat out long tongues of fire.

Fifty or sixty shells whizzed down on the Galen ship.

Ten hits!

Not too high a hit rate, but not too low either!

The main thing is enough for this "little guy" who is only about fifty meters long.

For a time, three or four large holes were broken in the hull of the Galen, and after the other six rounds were concentrated on the deck and cabin, a fire quickly ignited.

Fatally, the canvas on the mast was also ignited.

The ship was full of howling Dutchmen, some of whom wanted to put out the fire, but most of them chose to jump into the sea early.

Nonsense, it's hell if this Galen ship can still run away in this case, what are you waiting for if you don't run?

But before everyone could run onto the deck and prepare to jump into the sea, another round of dense shells fell.

Bang la la!

The Galen ship began to tilt and flooded.

The Dutchman on the boat jumped into the sea like dumplings in a pot.

The three heavy merchant ships full of cargo were naturally even more difficult to escape, and the Ming army easily set them on fire after three rounds of bombardment.

Three Dutch merchant ships and one Dutch battleship Galen were all sunk in just over a quarter of an hour.

All the seafarers on the ship died on the spot, and naturally those who did not die also jumped into the sea.

For a while, countless small black dots floated on the surface of the sea, surging with the waves.

However, it was useless to jump into the sea, and soon the small clippers of the Ming fleet rushed over.

The Ming soldiers on the fast boat were all holding long guns and shooting wildly at the sea.

The targets were mainly Dutch sailors, who were not the same uniforms as the sailors of merchant ships.

Of course, if you "mistakenly" injure an ordinary crew, then sorry for your own bad luck.

In a few moments, the sea was stained bloody.

This was the first wave of revenge for the Dutch who had previously sunk the Ming merchant ships.

After killing enough, the Ming army dropped a few small boats to rescue, and then the other warships swaggered away.

Of course, the Ming army was prepared to ask for ransom for these people who were rescued, just as the Dutch had done at the beginning.

Just over twenty miles from the coastal defense fortress of Geranza, it was already dark.

Zheng Zhilong did not order a rest, but continued to move forward, directly blocking the entrance to the sea in the Bay of Geranza.

At this moment, the Spaniards in the northern part of the Eastern Domain and the Dutch in the south were equally anxious.

This huge fleet has turned out to be completely disrupted by their deployment.

At present, the Dutch fleet of Geranza consisted of only seven Galen ships, one large Schmmiburg-class warship, and more than twenty small and medium-sized warships.

Under normal circumstances, it is enough for these warships to control the nearby seas, but if they want to fight with such a large Ming fleet, it is naturally far from enough.

Their only option was to rely on the eighty-five shore defense cannons in the fortress to defend them.

Of course, it would be better if the messenger sent could say that Liu Xiang, a nearby pirate, could help.

And Velasco, the Spanish administrator in the north, was also at a loss when he received the emissary's return.

He had even fewer warships, only five Galen ships, and more than two dozen small and medium-sized clippers.

He knew very well that as long as the Ming fleet captured the two Dutch ports in the south, he would send ships south.

It will be soon, very much.

Yes, the kind of fortress built by the damned Dutch, simply could not hold back such a powerful fleet.

In order to save money, the fortifications built by those guys were not made of mud and were not reliable at all. Although the Dutch were preparing to build the second phase of the project there in the hope of making it a permanent base, they had not yet started construction - Velasco knew all too well.

So, there wasn't much time left for him.

He must make a choice immediately, give up the chicken coop and fresh water in exchange for friendship with the Ming Kingdom, or simply fight and join forces with the Dutch and the great pirate Liu Xiang who is entrenched in this area to fight the Ming Kingdom.

Just, can there be a chance of winning?