Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 206 Persuading Surrender
In Changtai City, there are many Qing army camps outside the city, and soldiers are everywhere on the top of the city walls. The two sides are facing each other across the city wall.
After receiving the victory news from Guangzhou, Shi Fu and other generals of Zheng's army surrendered. As the walls of Anping were too low to be defended and close to the Qing army in Quanzhou, Zhang Tongchang discussed with Shi Fu and others, and then took the food and grass in the city and retreated to Tongan overnight to meet up with Zhang Kentang and others.

Although Zhang Tongchang and his men acted decisively, the Qing army reacted quickly. As soon as Zhang Tongchang and his men withdrew to Tongan, the Qing army from Quanzhou had already occupied Anping and then marched towards Tongan again, forcing Zheng and his men to surrender.
After discussion, Zhang Kentang, Zhang Tongchang and others decided to continue retreating westwards, preparing to retreat to Zhangzhou via Changtai, occupy Zhangzhou Prefecture City and confront the Qing army, and then contact the court to come to Fujian for support.

The Ming army in Tongan was divided into two groups. Zhang Tongchang led Shi Fu and Huang Ting to defend Tongan and block the Qing army from Quanzhou, while Zhang Kentang led Zheng Chenggong and Zheng's generals such as Zhou Hezhi and Hong Xishan to rush to Zhangzhou.
Zhang Kentang and his team had no problem with their plan. Zhangzhou was the closest city to Guangdong Province, and its defenses were strong enough to accommodate tens of thousands of troops.
After occupying Zhangzhou, the people of Fujian Province can open up Zhangpu, Zhao'an and other counties, get in touch with Guangdong Province, and obtain support from the Guangdong Provincial Court.

But when Zhang Kentang and his companions arrived at Changtai and were about to move into Zhangzhou, they discovered that the Zhangzhou garrison commander Huang Guanghui had already surrendered to the Qing.

Zhang Kentang and his men first sent people to persuade the enemy to surrender, but when that failed, they sent people to attack and seize the city. However, Zhangzhou was a provincial capital, so it was not so easy to capture it.
Zhang Kentang and his men failed in their siege and had to temporarily retreat to Changtai. However, before Zhang Kentang and his men in the city could discuss further, Bolo had already hurried back and led the Fujian army to surround Changtai.

In front of the Qing army outside the city, a dozen cavalrymen led a middle-aged man in purple clothes and rushed towards Changtai City.
The dozen or so cavalrymen galloped to 20 or 30 meters below the city wall before they reined in their horses.
The leading soldier had a long, thin plait on his head. He waved his hand to stop the crowd, and then pushed the purple-clothed man to the front.

The purple-clothed man looked middle-aged, with neatly combed hair and temples, and he looked quite dignified.
But if you look closely, you can see that the man has a soft rope tied around his waist, and the other end of the rope is held in the hands of the leading soldier behind him.
Zheng Zhilong looked at the red-clad soldiers scattered on the top of the city wall and suddenly shouted:

"My fellow brothers in the city, I am Zheng Zhilong. Who is the current garrison commander in the city? Please ask him to show up and see me."

After Zheng Zhilong finished shouting, there was a commotion among the soldiers on the top of the city. Several generals poked their heads out of the city wall. After seeing the man below the city, their faces suddenly changed. Then, more than a dozen soldiers on the top of the city hurried into the city.
The leading soldier saw that Zheng Zhilong had shouted but there was no movement on the city wall for a long time, and his expression became more and more impatient.

Zheng Zhilong saw the look on the face of the Jurchen soldier behind him, and his heart tightened. He had no choice but to continue shouting:

"Brothers in the city, listen up. I, Zheng Zhilong, have already surrendered to the Qing court and have been appointed as the Governor-General of Fujian and Guangdong of the Qing Dynasty. Now the Zheng family of Fujian Province and the Qing court are one family. Brothers, please open the gates quickly to welcome the Qing army. As long as the brothers in the city open the gates and surrender, I can guarantee that you will be safe..."

On top of the city wall, Zheng Zhilong's voice echoed among the city walls.

At the corner of the city wall, Zhang Kentang, Zheng Chenggong and other generals in the city had all rushed to the top of the city wall. Everyone was silent as they looked at Zheng Zhilong who was shouting at the bottom of the city wall.

The soldiers on the city wall had already raised their shields. Zheng Zhilong could not see Zhang Kentang, Zhou Hezhi and others on the city wall, but Zhang Kentang and others on the top of the city wall could see Zheng Zhilong clearly through the gaps in their shields.

On the top of the city wall, Hong Xishan and other generals of the Zheng family looked at Zheng Zhilong, who was taken to the front of the city and kept persuading everyone to surrender.
Zheng Chenggong, who was standing beside him, was wearing a red official robe, but his face was red with shame and anger, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Zheng Hongkui, who was standing behind Zheng Chenggong, looked extremely unhappy when he saw Zheng Zhilong chattering and trying to persuade them to surrender.

He knew that after today, the prestige that Zheng Zhilong had spent decades to build would be lost in one day, and the Zheng family would become a laughing stock in Fujian Province. Unless someone surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, no one in the Fujian army would listen to the Zheng family anymore.

"This time when I went to Fuzhou, I was treated warmly by Beile Boluo. The imperial court even entrusted the Fujian and Guangdong regions to my Fujian army. I am grateful for the imperial court's kindness, so I decided to go to Beijing in person to thank the Qing imperial court for its grace. The Qing imperial court attaches great importance to my Fujian army, so please don't be surprised..."

Everyone on the top of the city was silent, but Zheng Zhilong below the city kept talking, trying to persuade the Zheng army in the city to surrender, hoping that they would open the gates as soon as possible.

Zhang Kentang stood on the left, Zhou Hezhi, Xin Yigen and others in the middle were guarding Zhang Kentang in the center, and on the right were Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Zhibao and other members of the Zheng family.

Zhang Kentang saw that Zheng Chenggong and others were silent for a long time, and his face darkened.

Zhang Kentang looked at Zhou Hezhi on the side. Zhou Hezhi nodded slightly when he saw Zhang Kentang's hint, and then walked directly to the edge of the city wall and shouted to the people below the city.
"How dare you, a thief, pretend to be the Duke of Pingguo of the Ming Dynasty?"

"Pingguogong Zheng Zhilong has been favored by the emperor for generations and is a duke. The late emperor relied on him as a pillar of our country. He has been favored and honored by the emperor. How could he betray the Ming Dynasty?
"The Tartars are always cunning and treacherous, and they go back on their words. Even the common people know that the Tartars have evil intentions and cannot be trusted. Duke Ping is a hero of Fujian Province, how could he go to the Tartars who are so dishonest and ungrateful?"

"You evil villain, please leave immediately. If you dare to pretend to be the Duke and speak nonsense again, I will kill you without mercy."

Zheng Zhilong, who was standing in the city, heard the words from the top of the city wall and his face was filled with regret.
Since his personal soldiers were captured by Bolo, Zheng Zhilong realized that he had been tricked, but at that time his life and death were in the hands of others, so he could only obey orders.

During these days, he not only could not bear to see his personal guards, but even his daily life was monitored by others, which made him live a very humiliating life.

Zheng Zhilong looked remorseful, but the Jurchen soldiers behind him saw that Zheng Zhilong remained silent for a long time, and a hint of coldness flashed across their faces.

The leading Jurchen soldier turned his hand, and a dagger quietly pressed against Zheng Zhilong's lower back.

Zheng Zhilong felt the sharp cold on his back, and a drop of cold sweat instantly flowed down his forehead. He could no longer care about anything else and shouted again!
"The one on the city wall is Brother Zhou Hezhi."

"Brother Zhou, I am Zheng Zhilong. Back then, brother Zhou had no way to be an official, and it was I who recommended him, so that brother Zhou was accepted by the government. We have known each other for more than ten years. How can brother Zhou not recognize an old friend now?" Zheng Zhilong's heart sank when he saw Zhou Hezhi on the top of the city. There were so many generals of the Zheng army, but he had never thought that it was Zhou Hezhi who was in the city at this time.

Zhou Hezhi had been strongly against the rebellion against Ming before. If it were someone else, he could have thought of some solution.
But Zhou Hezhi didn't know how to convince this man. If he couldn't persuade him to leave the city and surrender, his situation would be very bad.
Zheng Zhilong's heart tightened when he thought of this, but he had no choice but to try his best to persuade Zhou Hezhi to open the gate and surrender. So he continued to speak.

"Brother Zhou, I know you care about the kindness of the Ming court, but the Ming court was unjust and made the people of the world live in misery. That's why it was destroyed by the Shun thieves. It was the Shun thieves who destroyed the Ming court, not our Qing Dynasty."

"My Great Qing court could not bear to see the people of the world suffer from chaos, so I sent the royal army to enter the pass, to comfort the people and punish the criminals, to save the people of the world from the dire situation. Now my Great Qing court is sweeping across the north and south, and is invincible wherever it goes, while the Ming court has been defeated and retreated. The day of its demise is coming. Why must Brother Zhou follow the Ming court to die?"

"Brother Zhou, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. The Qing court values ​​loyal ministers like you the most. As long as you are willing to surrender to the Qing court, I am willing to ask for the title of Governor of Guangdong Province for you. Then, we brothers can share the glory and wealth together, wouldn't it be..."

Before Zheng Zhilong could finish his words, a roar suddenly came from the top of the city wall, interrupting Zheng Zhilong's words.
"shut up"

Zheng Chenggong rushed to the edge of the city wall and glared at the middle-aged man below. Veins popped out on his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot.

On the top of the city wall, following Zheng Chenggong's shout, everyone suddenly fell silent.

However, before Zheng Chenggong could say anything else, a hint of joy flashed across Zheng Zhilong's face below, and he suddenly shouted loudly:
"Damu, is it Damu? I am your father."

"Da Mu, you're in the city too, that's great!"

"Since you are in the city, open the gate quickly and take me up to the city..."

"shut up"

Zheng Zhilong looked delighted, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by the angry shouting from the city.
Zheng Chenggong shouted loudly, his face flushed, but he no longer looked at the people below the city.

Zheng Chenggong looked around at the soldiers around him and suddenly spoke loudly:

"Listen, fellow soldiers. I am Zheng Chenggong, son of Zheng Zhilong, the Duke of Ping. This person is an impostor sent by the Tartars to disrupt our army. You must not listen to his nonsense."

"My father was deeply indebted to the imperial court, and he personally supported the late emperor and succeeded the Ming dynasty. He would never surrender to the Qing invaders."

"My father Zheng Zhilong has now gone to Guangzhou to meet His Royal Highness Gui, the Regent. He will soon lead the imperial army back to wipe out the Qing invaders and recover Fujian Province."

Zheng Chenggong spoke loudly. Zheng Hongkui's face changed slightly when he heard what Zheng Chenggong said. However, looking at Xin Yigen and other generals who were vaguely surrounding Zhang Kentang, he finally did not speak, but just stood silently on the side.

The generals on the city wall looked at Zheng Chenggong with different expressions on their faces. They knew that the Zheng family had finally made a choice. Zheng Chenggong's words at this time had directly cut off Zheng Zhilong's retreat outside the city.
The soldiers on the city wall had no expression on their faces when they heard what Zheng Chenggong said.

What is Zheng Zhilong or not? That is none of their business. But since Zheng Chenggong said that the person under the city is not Zheng Zhilong, then the person under the city should not be Zheng Zhilong.
Zheng Chenggong is the son of Zheng Zhilong. How could a son not recognize his father?

Regardless of how the people on the city wall reacted, Zheng Zhilong, who was below the city, was stunned when he heard what Zheng Chenggong said on the top of the city wall, and then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Chenggong on the top of the city wall and could not help but take two quick steps forward. However, the rope on Zheng Zhilong was held in the hands of the Jurchen soldier. At this time, the rope suddenly tightened, and Zheng Zhilong had to stop.
Zheng Zhilong looked at Zheng Chenggong on the top of the city wall with an anxious look on his face and said

"Da Mu, what are you talking about? Look carefully, I am your father. Don't you even recognize your father?"

Zheng Chenggong looked at Zheng Zhilong, who was panicking under the city, with a trace of pity on his face, but he quickly made a decision and turned his head away.
He must not recognize Zheng Zhilong at this moment. If he hesitated at this moment, Zhang Kentang and others in the city would definitely have a rift with Zheng's personal army, and the city might be in chaos.

Moreover, if the Qing court could see the Zheng family's hesitation, they might find another way to torture Zheng Zhilong outside the city, so as to force the Zheng family in the city to rebel and surrender.

At this time, the only way to make the Qing court give up completely is to completely ignore Zheng Zhilong and let the Qing army know that the Zheng family will never rebel because of Zheng Zhilong. Only in this way can it be the best choice for the Zheng family and Zheng Zhilong.
Zheng Chenggong thought of this and stopped hesitating. He avoided the gazes of the people below the city and shouted:

"How dare you talk nonsense? Come here, this evil thief dares to disrupt our army's morale in front of the battle. Quickly kill this fake evil thief and kill him with me."

As soon as Zheng Chenggong finished speaking, before anyone else could react, dozens of Zheng Hongkui's personal soldiers had already walked to the city wall, and then dozens of arrows rained down on the city.
The Jurchen soldiers below the city were shocked to see that people on the top of the city actually started shooting arrows.
The two Jurchen soldiers blocked their faces and rushed directly to Zheng Zhilong, hiding him behind them.

The leading Jurchen soldier pulled the rope in his hand, directly pulled Zheng Zhilong, and rode his horse to escape to the rear.
Although the rain of arrows from the top of the city wall made a whirring sound and sounded powerful, in fact, all these arrows fell on both sides of the Tatar soldiers. Not to mention Zheng Zhilong and others who retreated first, even the two Jurchen soldiers who blocked the arrows for Zheng Zhilong were unharmed.
After Zheng Zhilong withdrew, the two remaining soldiers also hurriedly mounted their horses and fled to the rear.
(End of this chapter)