Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 415: Opening the City

In the early morning at Cengang, Zhoushan, military flags were flying outside the city walls, and thousands of soldiers were lined up at the foot of the city. There were also many soldiers on the top of the city walls.
The soldiers on and off the city were all wearing Ming army uniforms, but at this time both sides were facing a formidable enemy.
Zhang Jiayu and his men decided to annex Zhoushan Camp yesterday afternoon. This morning, Zhang Mingzhen had gathered 4,000 soldiers and marched towards Cengang.

Although Zhang Mingzhen and his men acted quickly, Huang Dazhen, the lieutenant commander of Zhoushan Camp, was also extremely alert.

As soon as Zhang Mingzhen and his men reached the outskirts of Cengang, Huang Dazhen had already received the news. By the time Zhang Mingzhen and his men arrived at the city, Cengang's four gates were already closed.

Cengang was originally just a fishing port town on the island without a city wall. After Huang Binqing was driven out of Zhoushan City by Zheng Cai and others, he ordered the soldiers to build a city wall outside Cengang.
The city wall of Cengang is no more than three meters high, and there is no brick or stone paving outside. It is more accurate to call it an earthen wall than a city wall.
If the Guangdong Imperial Army attacked this earth wall, they could just bring down a few rounds of heavy artillery fire. But for the Zhoushan soldiers under Zhang Mingzhen, this wall was still an insurmountable chasm.

However, Lu Jianguo and other Zhoushan officials had no intention of attacking the city at this time. Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian had only 4,000 soldiers, while the Zhoushan camp in Cengang had 3,000 soldiers.
If Zhang Mingzhen and his men were to forcefully attack the city, even if they won in the end, they would probably suffer heavy casualties. Both sides only had so many troops, and if most of them were killed, what would be the point of annexing the city?
In the military formation outside the city, Zhang Mingzhen, escorted by a dozen personal guards, ran to the foot of the city and shouted loudly:
"Brothers of Zhoushan Camp in the city, the court received news yesterday that General Huang Binqing was attacked by Qing reinforcements and died under the city of Ningbo."

"The army cannot be without a commander for long. I am here on the orders of His Royal Highness the Regent of Lu to reorganize the Zhoushan Camp."

"You are all loyal soldiers of the imperial court. As long as you open the city and reorganize, the imperial court can guarantee that no one in the army will be killed. Do not hesitate."

On the top of the city wall, Huang Dazhen, the guerrilla Zhu Mei and others were shocked when they heard this.

Why was Zhoushan Battalion so alert? Because Huang Binqing had told them when they left the island to be careful of the other two groups of troops on the island.

Although the three parties on the island are attacking the Qing court together this time, in Huang Binqing's eyes, the other two forces on the island are probably more dangerous than the Qing army.
Huang Dazhen and other generals of Zhoushan Camp saw Zhang Mingzhen's massive attack and originally thought that these people wanted to launch a surprise attack while Huang Binqing was still away.
But they didn't expect to hear the news of Huang Binqing's death. If Huang Binqing was dead, what were they still defending Cengang for?

Huang Dazhen saw that Zhu Mei and other generals beside him were all in a panic, so he had to suppress his panic and shouted to stop the panicked generals. Huang Dazhen spoke loudly to the people below the city.

"General Zhang suddenly led a large army here and said that General Huang had died for his country. In such a hurry, we could not tell whether it was true or not."

"General Zhang, why don't you lead the army back first and let us go out to investigate. If the news is true, I will lead the Zhoushan camp to accept the reorganization of the court."

Upon hearing this, all the generals of Zhoushan Camp on the top of the city nodded. This is indeed a good idea.

Huang Dazhen was also forced to do so. It was difficult to tell whether the news was true or false at this time, so he could only delay for the time being.
Huang Dazhen was not speaking nonsense at this time. If Huang Binqing died, he might really lead the soldiers in the city to surrender to the court.

As for taking the opportunity to annex Zhoushan Camp and become another Huang Binqing, Huang Dazhen never thought about it.
In the late Ming Dynasty, almost all the armies were ruled by their generals, and Zhoushan Camp was no exception. The entire Zhoushan Camp was built on the basis of Huang Binqing's personal prestige. The generals of Zhoushan Camp could obey Huang Binqing, but they would never obey Huang Dazhen.
Although Huang Dazhen is now the lieutenant general of Zhoushan Camp, if he wants to take over the flag of Zhoushan Camp, Zhu Mei and other generals will be the first to disagree.
Not to mention Huang Dazhen, even Huang Xiaoqing, the commander's brother, would probably find it difficult to make the generals in the army bow their heads.

The Zhoushan camp soldiers on the top of the city also reached a consensus at this time. Although they did not believe that Zhang Mingzhen would joke about such a thing, this was only Zhang Mingzhen's one-sided statement after all, and they had to be on guard.
Zhang Mingzhen tried to persuade them again at the foot of the city, but the Zhoushan generals in the city had already decided to wait and see what happened. No matter how Zhang Mingzhen promised, they all refused to leave the city.
In the Zhoushan army formation, Zhang Jiayu was wearing a bright red official robe. Seeing Zhang Mingzhen running back, he retracted his gaze and looked at Zhu Yihai, the governor of Lu, beside him, and said

"The generals in the city are in doubt. Please ask the King of Lu to come forward and give them some advice to calm their hearts."

In the dead of winter, the wind was howling on the island. Zhu Yihai was wearing a red fox fur coat, with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
Zhu Yihai heard what Zhang Jiayu said, and looked at the city wall with weapons everywhere, but his face was hesitant.
Seeing the look on Zhu Yihai's face, Zhang Jiayu understood Zhu Yihai's concerns and spoke again.

"Prince Lu, please go ahead. I have made all the arrangements and will not let Your Majesty suffer any loss."

Zhang Jiayu whispered a few words to Zhu Yihai, and Zhu Yihai's expression relaxed slightly after hearing that.
Zhu Yihai took off his fox fur coat and handed it to Zhang Dai beside him, revealing the bright yellow dragon robe underneath. Then he walked forward under the protection of more than ten soldiers.
Zhu Yihai stood in front of the city wall, looked at the white line drawn on the ground, and quietly stepped back a few steps.

This white line was a pre-made mark. The distance between the white line and the city wall was exactly 200 meters. The range of bows and arrows or muskets, these conventional weapons, was only about 200 meters at most.
As long as you stand outside this white line, the arrows and muskets in the city will not be able to hurt this place

Of course, if the people in the city took out artillery, they could naturally bombard this place, but the army in the city would basically not do such a thing. On this Zhoushan Island, who would dare to use artillery to kill Lu Jianguo?

Lu Jianguo stood in front of the white line and then spoke loudly

"All the troops in Cengang, I am Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu. This time, all the troops in the court have been dispatched to attack Ningbo. This is the first major victory since the capture of Zhoushan."

"It is lamentable that the Sulubo fell into the hands of the bandits, but when the Qing bandits know that Ningbo has been captured, they will definitely raise troops for revenge. At this time, gathering troops to resist the bandits is the top priority."

"I came here to integrate the troops on the island to resist the Qing invaders. The generals in the city are the backbone of our Ming Dynasty. Please think of the country and quickly open the city to organize the troops. With me here today, no one will dare to harm our Ming Dynasty generals."

The generals of Zhoushan Camp on the top of the city looked at the figure in the bright yellow python robe below the city with astonishment on their faces. They were all caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Lu Jianguo.

Huang Binqing has always insisted that he is a minister of Longwu, but Huang Binqing can make his own calculations. The generals in the camp have long regarded him as a minister of the Lu Regent.
The Regent of Lu was well-known in Jiangnan and was once regarded as a wise and legitimate king by the people of Jiangnan. The Regent of Lu had been on the island for several years and had established a system and a title. Who else could they be if not the courtiers of the Regent of Lu?

The Zhoushan army on the city wall was at a loss, but at this moment, a man in a bright red official robe came from the rear army.

Zhang Jiayu walked to the front of the battle line and shouted directly at the city wall.
"To all the generals of Zhoushan Camp in the city, I am Zhang Jiayu, the governor of Nanzhili, who was appointed by Gui Jianguo."

"Although the two vassal states of Gui and Lu have their own names, they are actually one. The Qing invaders are the great enemy of the Han people. They may raise troops at any time. We should quickly prepare for the invaders."

"I can promise on behalf of the Guangdong Provincial Court that as long as the generals in the city leave the camp for reorganization, all the generals in the city will retain their military positions and titles, and the court will not harm a single soldier in the army."

The reason why Zhang Jiayu used the name of Gui Fan was because the generals in the city might not even know that Gui Fan had proclaimed himself emperor.

If they were to talk about the imperial court at this time, the generals in the city might think that Zhang Jiayu was a minister of the Lu Regent.
When the generals of Zhoushan Camp on the city heard Zhang Jiayu's identity, they were even more shocked. There were only two courts in the world, one was Lu and the other was Gui. Now both courts came to the city and asked them to accept reorganization.
Lu Jianguo came to the city in person, and Gui Jianguo's ministers also arrived on the island. The court's reorganization was obviously not a joke. If they still disobeyed the order at this time, wouldn't it be like cutting themselves off from the Ming court?
Zhu Mei and the others were all panicked, looking at Huang Dazhen in front of them, but they didn't know how to respond, and how could Huang Dazhen be any better?

The wind was cold on the top of the city, but Huang Dazhen was sweating profusely. Looking at the two people in python robes and scarlet robes below the city, Huang Dazhen had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.

"Your Highness the Regent and the Governor, it's not that we are unwilling to open the city and reorganize. Lord Sulu had issued a strict order before the expedition. I am only a lieutenant general in the camp. I dare not open the city without Lord Sulu's military order. Please..."

Huang Dazhen was interrupted by shouts from below the city before he finished speaking. Zhang Jiayu looked at the figure on the city wall and shouted

"Nonsense, Huang Dazhen, don't forget that all the generals of Zhoushan Camp are in the position of Canyou, and are soldiers of the court." "General Huang has been killed by the Qing army. Huang Dazhen, you are refusing to obey orders now. Do you want to force Zhoushan Camp to rebel against the court?"

"I have absolutely no such intention, absolutely..."

Huang Dazhen's face changed, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his back. He quickly spoke, but before he could finish, Zhang Jiayu below shouted again
"The Qing invaders may attack the island at any time. I don't have time to waste with you."

"The court will give you a quarter of an hour to wait. If you still don't open the city walls after a quarter of an hour, the court's army will immediately attack the city. By then, all the generals in the city will be criminals of the court!"

Zhang Jiayu and Lu Jianguo retreated to the rear together. Not long after they retreated, the soldiers outside the city suddenly shouted

"Kaesong reorganization, jointly resisting the Qing invaders"

"Open the city and reorganize to resist the Qing invaders..."

Suddenly, the deafening shouts resounded throughout the city. The generals of Zhoushan Camp on the top of the city wall watched the backs of Lu Jianguo and others leaving, and became more and more panicked.

A quarter of an hour passed in a flash. The soldiers of Zhoushan Camp in the city did not open the city gates, and the Ming army outside the city did not attack the city.
Twenty soldiers in red cotton armor marched out of the army formation, carrying ladders and rushing to the city. When the leading soldier arrived at the city, he spoke loudly.

"We are the personal guards of the Regent of Lu, and we have been specially ordered to enter the camp and open the city."

After the leading soldier finished speaking, he didn't care about the reactions of the generals in the city. All the soldiers took off their armor directly under the city. Soon, they were only left with scarlet military uniforms.

After taking off their armor, the soldiers began to set up the flying ladder. The leading soldier, holding the imperial edict in his hand, stepped directly onto the flying ladder and climbed up the city step by step.

The generals of Zhoushan Camp on the top of the city wall started to get agitated when they saw the soldiers climbing the ladders. However, they did not react until the soldiers climbed up the city wall.

Whether it was Huang Dazhen or Zhu Mei, nearly a thousand Zhoushan camp soldiers stood on the top of Cengang City Wall, silently watching the twenty Ming soldiers in single clothes climb up the top of the city wall step by step.

Zhang Jiayu looked at the city gate slowly lowering in the distance, and his face relaxed. He knew that the 3,000 Zhoushan Camp naval forces had finally been smoothly taken back by the imperial court.
While Zhang Jiayu and others were busy receiving soldiers in Cengang, Zheng Cai and others in Dinghai City finally received the news from Zhoushan.

Zheng Cai's big tent, with only three people in it, Zheng Cai and Yang Geng sitting on the left and right, while Zheng Lian sat below Zheng Cai
Zheng Lian stood up suddenly, holding the letter paper, with a look of astonishment on his face. He couldn't help but speak

"Huang Binqing is dead, how is this possible!"

Zheng Lian looked up, but saw Zheng Cai and Yang Geng sitting there, not saying a word, with gloomy expressions on their faces.

What shocked Zheng Lian was not only the death of Huang Binqing in the battle, but also that Zhang Jiayu told him that the imperial court had incorporated the remaining troops of Zhoushan Camp on the island. What was even more outrageous was that Zhang Jiayu asked them to find a way to bring Huang Xiaoqing back to the island and hand him over to the imperial court for reorganization.
Zheng Lian saw the expressions of Zheng Cai and the others and knew that although this incident was sudden, it was probably not a trick.

As mentioned before, the Guangdong Provincial Government has long had the strength to take over Zhoushan at any time. Zhang Jiayu does not need to use such means to cause chaos on Zhoushan Island.
Zheng Lian looked at the letter in his hand again. Seeing that the two people above were silent for a long time, his eyes flickered slightly, and he said

"Since Huang Binqing is dead and the island has also recruited Cengang's soldiers, why don't we also take advantage of the situation to recruit Huang Xiaoqing's soldiers?"

Zheng Cai glanced at Zheng Lian below, but did not speak. Instead, he looked at Yang Geng opposite him and said

"What do you think, Brother Yang?"

Yang Geng did not speak after hearing this. He frowned and thought for a long time before he spoke.

'Not worth it'

Yang Geng glanced at Zheng Lian who was about to speak again, but before he could say anything, he turned his gaze to Zheng Cai and said

"Brother Zheng, if you are interested, you can take the two thousand soldiers. I don't want these soldiers anymore."

"Now that the Tartar reinforcements have arrived in Ningbo, they may soon attack here. We can't stay in Dinghai any longer."

"The most urgent task at this moment is to withdraw the troops. I will go back and reorganize the army. This afternoon, I will lead the troops back to Zhoushan. If Brother Zheng wants to take action against Huang Xiaoqing, you must do it as soon as possible."

After Yang Geng finished speaking, he stood up and walked out of the hall without waiting for Zheng Cai to speak. At this time, their army had a large amount of money stored up, and bringing the money back to the island was the most important thing.
After Yang Geng left, only Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian were left in the hall. Seeing Zheng Cai remained silent for a long time, Zheng Lian could not help but speak up.

"Brother, Huang Xiaoqing doesn't know about Huang Binqing, so he must be unprepared at this moment. As long as we get rid of him, the two thousand soldiers will have no choice but to follow us."

Zheng Cai frowned but did not respond. After a while, Zheng Cai suddenly shook her head and said softly:
'Not worth it'

Although the letter from Zhoushan said that it was Lu Jianguo who wanted to reorganize the Zhoushan camp, both Zheng Cai and Yang Geng knew very well that the one who wanted to reorganize the Zhoushan camp must be Zhang Jiayu.
Zhang Jiayu asked them to take Huang Xiaoqing back to Zhoushan for reorganization. If they swallowed up this group of people directly, they would inevitably become enemies with the Guangdong Provincial Government.

Huang Binqing has 8,000 men in Zhoushan Camp. If the troops in this camp are intact, Zheng Cai will not hesitate to take them in no matter how much he offends the Guangdong Provincial Court.

But at this time, the 3,000 men under Huang Binqing's command had been defeated by the Qing army in Ningbo, and the 3,000 men in Cengang on the island had been taken away by Zhang Jiayu. With both places lost, the 2,000 soldiers under Huang Xiaoqing's command were already somewhat useless.
This is why Yang Geng directly said no. It is not worth it to make enemies with the Guangdong Provincial Court for such a small number of troops.
Zheng Cai made the decision and said in a deep voice without hesitation
"Go find Huang Xiaoqing, don't talk nonsense, just tell him I have something important to discuss with him."

Zheng Lian saw that Zheng Cai had given up on recruiting the Zhoushan Camp troops. He was about to persuade him again, but seeing the stern look on Zheng Cai's face, he had to give up.

Zheng Lian responded, then turned around and walked out of the tent, heading straight towards Huang Xiaoqing's camp.

(End of this chapter)