Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 289 Profit! Profit!
"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

As bursts of artillery fire rang out, thick smoke slowly rose up, eventually covering almost everything on the river like a black curtain.

But even under such visual conditions, the Middleburch's lookouts still made their own judgments on the effects of these rounds of bombardment with the help of the latest telescopes.

"Commander~~! The bombardment is not effective~~!"

Normally, whenever the lookout hanging on the top of the mast received such important information, Brunden, as the captain, should make corresponding arrangements as quickly as possible.

But to the first mate's surprise, the captain, who was known for his decisiveness and determination, not only did not issue orders as usual, but instead kept looking through the telescope, as if he had doubts about the lookout's judgment.

"commander."

Faced with this situation, the first mate was a little puzzled, but he only said something softly. At the same time as he spoke, Brenden happened to put down his hand holding the telescope, but the hesitation on his face could not be concealed.

Brunden was the captain of the Middlebrook and the commander of the Dutch East India Company's fleet in Taiwan.

However, as a fleet stationed in Taiwan, which is similar to a dominion, he does not have much power except for the Middlebrook and two other smaller warships. Once there is a large-scale military operation, it is inevitable that he will have to forcibly requisition some armed merchant ships as wings.

Take this time for example, the governor not only forcibly requisitioned more than 20 armed merchant ships, but also gathered all the remaining pirate forces after Liu Xiang's death. In this way, Brunden, who originally had only a few small men under his command, immediately became the commander of a fleet with more than 70 ships.

"Reduce the frequency of the bombardment."

"Commander, if the effect is not good..."

Although the first mate did not finish his words, Brenden still understood his unspoken meaning. However, war is not a simple military issue. Other considerations must be taken into account. Therefore, even though he had seen through the telescope that his warships could not cause much damage to the Guangzhou city wall, he only asked to reduce the frequency of shelling and did not take any other measures.

God can testify that He is not without other cards to play.

As for his beloved Middlebrook, this galleon was a warship with three layers of broadside guns. It not only had seventy-two heavy cannons, but also nearly twenty light cannons on the bow, stern and deck of the warship.

A warship with such powerful firepower is not only the absolute main force in Brunden's hands, but even looking at the entire East India Company, there are actually only a few ships that can match it.

Once he allowed this real warship to approach Guangzhou City, then with such firepower configuration, the brick and stone city walls would definitely not be able to withstand more than an hour.

just
It's not necessary.

The waters within a hundred kilometers of the Pearl River estuary are not only wide but also deep enough for large warships to sail. However, the river becomes narrower rapidly near Guangzhou. Not to mention large sailing ships like the Middlebrook, even requisitioned armed merchant ships are likely to run aground.

Under such circumstances, how could Brendan take risks with his beloved baby?
Of course, if the enemy was those damn invaders, even if Brunden would not let the Middlebrook take risks, he would let several other smaller warships take risks.

But in the agreement regarding this war, their obligations were only to cover the safe landing of the Qing people and provide some logistical support.

With such prerequisites, he naturally has the right reasons.

“You have to consider the employer’s perception.”

Brenden hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to call those Qing people with pig tails "employers". But when he said this, the first mate beside him thought that the commander had misunderstood his meaning, so he followed up with another explanation.

"Commander, I don't mean a ceasefire, but whether or not to let those armed merchant ships get closer."

"This operation has not been authorized by the Council. If a ship runs aground, do you intend to use your meager salary to pay for the compensation?"

Brenden knew very well that his first mate was actually acting as Governor Caron's spy most of the time, and Caron, who was in deep crisis, had high hopes for this operation, so the first mate also wanted to successfully capture the city of Guangzhou.

After all, where there are people, there is struggle. Moreover, the Dutch East India Company's trade with the Ming Dynasty was almost entirely managed through Taiwan. Therefore, not only could few people hold the position of Governor-General of Taiwan for three to five years, but it was also accompanied by overt or covert conflicts of interest.

Due to his status, Brenden only knew that Caron's position as the Governor-General of Taiwan might be unstable, but he did not know much about the details of the opposing side.

But it didn't matter whether he knew the inside story or not. He only needed to know that the East India Council had the idea of ​​replacing the Governor-General of Taiwan, and that Caron intended to use the victory of this battle to give his superior a reason to protect him.

This matter is quite coincidental.

Originally, according to the Council's judgment, the Qing Dynasty should destroy the Ming Dynasty within one or two years, so the Governor-General of Taiwan's mission was to try to reach a trade agreement with the new ruler of this old empire.

But who would have thought that the seemingly weak and dying Ming Dynasty not only survived the war launched by the Qing Dynasty, but also dealt a heavy blow to the young commander of the Qing Dynasty's eastern route.

As Kalon was fully focused on how to keep his position, he naturally had no time to pay attention to such changes. But he didn't know whether it was the dominance of the Ming navy on the battlefield that allowed the Qing barbarians to discover a new world, or whether the Ming's frequent purchases of grain from Southeast Asia gave them some subtle inspiration.

Anyway, a few months ago, the Qing people arrived in Taiwan with several inland warships and claimed that they would exchange the city of Guangzhou for their support.

Naturally, both Caron and Brendan scoffed at this.

After all, even if they coveted Guangzhou, it was Ming's property after all. If the new Ming emperor really handed it over to the East India Company because of a word from the enemy, what would the Qing Dynasty have to do? It would be better to just let the Ming emperor give up the country.

Because of this idea, Brunden no longer paid attention to this matter, but to his surprise, after more than a month of negotiations, Governor Caron actually agreed to Qing's request for cooperation.

Only then did Brunden realize that the conditions offered by the Qing Dynasty were irresistible.

The attack on Guangzhou was entirely done by the Qing people. They only had to help the Qing people transport the army to Guangzhou and ensure that they could land smoothly.

God, is this the chance you're giving Caron?
After hearing the details of the deal, this was the only thought that immediately came to Brendan's mind.

At that time, they wanted to capture a port city on the land of Ming Dynasty, but after mobilizing most of the East India Company's main warships in Asia, they still lost to the Ming people's art of war in Liaoluo Bay.

As a result, the East India Company saw that the dying Ming Dynasty was not as weak as India, so it completely gave up the idea and stayed in Taiwan. But now, the opportunity has unexpectedly fallen on Caron's head. How could Brunden, who knew the progress of the war in the Ming Dynasty, not be surprised?

You know, if they can take over a port city on the Ming land, they can save a lot of costs for the entire trading process.

Even if the cost savings are spread over each transaction, it is still a considerable expense considering the huge volume of trade.

If Kalon could accomplish such a great thing, not to mention the small position of Governor-General of Taiwan, he might even have a seat in the next council.

just
Everyone wants to make progress.

"Liu Sanshun! Tell Red Hair to move the boat further in!"

Just as Brenden shocked his men with the salary, an incomprehensible voice came from under the boat. Then the pirate leader who acted as an interpreter between him and the Qing general lay down on the side of the boat following the voice.

"No, the commander said we'll be stranded if we go any further."

In the Liaoluo Bay Battle many years ago, although Liu Xiang was captured by the Ming army, his subordinates were not wiped out. After the battle, Liu Sanshun, relying on his distant relationship with Liu Xiang, gradually gathered all the remaining forces in his hands.

Of course, after such a disastrous defeat, this pirate force is no longer comparable to what it was in the past, but this does not prevent the Dutch from using them as troop transports.

After discovering that he was useful again, Liu Sanshun not only pulled out all the ships that could transport troops, but also borrowed some from other pirates based on his many years of connections.

As a result, he became Brunden's translator and had the honor of boarding this invincible warship in the South China Sea.

"Whether it's stranded or not is none of our business! Anyway, if you don't take Guangzhou, you'll get nothing!"

When Liu Sanshun heard the voices coming from the small boat under the ship, he naturally felt uneasy.

Although he was unable to interrupt the conversation between Brendan and the first mate just now, he was able to discern some meaning from the scattered sounds of their conversation.

But how could a small pirate like him, who had to rely on others for his survival, dare to act on his own?

Even though he knew that the Tartars had exchanged Guangzhou for Dutch troops, after hesitating for three or two breaths, Liu Sanshun finally decided to report the matter at the risk of disobeying the Dutch.

"Commander, the Qing Kingdom has sent someone over. Do you want to meet them?"

In order to avoid responsibility, Liu Sanshun only talked about the visitor from the Qing Dynasty and did not report the entire conversation between him and the visitor.

But Brenden had fought in many battles after all. Even if Liu Sanshun was vague about the details, how could he not know the real purpose of the visitors?

"Lower the ladder."

Brenden heard the words and without thinking twice he ordered the ladder on the boat to be lowered.

To be honest, he didn't want to let Caron take such a great achievement, but if he showed it too obviously in the process, he would always run into a lot of troubles later.

However, war is a matter of fighting for a split second. After such a long delay, even if the Ming defenders are a bunch of losers, they should have been prepared.

"Commander, people are coming."

Just as Brenden was staring in a daze at the distant scene shrouded in layers of smoke, Liu Sanshun's voice brought him back to reality. When he turned around, he saw a strong man in white armor standing not far behind him.

"They are barbarians after all. They don't even know the slightest etiquette."

Although there was a hint of disgust in Brendan's words, Liu Sanshun, who was quite perceptive, would not translate it directly.

"Hurry up and greet him. This is the commander of the Dutch fleet. He is almost the same as a general."

"Humph!"

Liu Sanshun was very considerate. Not only did he not say any bad things about Brunden, he also mentioned the man's official position when translating.

But who would have thought that his actions would ultimately backfire. Although the Qing army general slightly bent his body, the sound coming out of his nose clearly showed his disdain for Liu Sanshun.

"I am honored to meet you, Ezhen Wustu, the Niulu of the Plain White Banner of the Great Qing Dynasty."

After announcing his home address at the fastest speed, Wusitu stood up straight and asked Liu Sanshun directly without waiting for his translation: "Tell him that if we can't take Guangzhou, their trip will be in vain and our death will be in vain. No one will benefit from it. Let the red-haired man handle it himself."

After that night attack, Wusitu was assigned to Kunshan by his own Ezhen.

Afterwards, when Ezhen was surrounded, he did think of trying to rescue him, but the troops scattered to various counties at that time were limited. By the time he gathered enough forces, he would have to say that Ezhen was dead, and even a general like Nikan would have to die on the battlefield.

He didn't know whether it was the hunter's instinct that kicked in, or whether his years of scouting experience had made him alert, but although the Qing army was still able to suppress the Ming army in several large cities during that period, he already had a bad premonition in his heart.

It was precisely because of these premonitions that his troops immediately headed for Zhenjiang when Duoduo's retreat order was just delivered. It was not until five or six days after they arrived at a safe place that they received the news that Duoduo had returned to the Yingtian camp.

Originally, he thought that the prince, the leader of the banner, would make another attempt after gathering his troops, but who would have thought that the order that followed was not to let them go south, but to let this group of Zhengbai Banner troops who saw the opportunity earlier cross the river and return north first, as a vanguard for the main army.

There is nothing much to say about what happened afterwards. Although the army was defeated, Ustu was able to bring back a large group of people with his own abilities.

As a result, the title that he had failed to obtain despite fighting on the battlefield for many years finally fell upon him because of a word from the prince, the owner of the banner.

However, no one knew what the prince, the leader of the banner, had considered, but when he returned to Beijing, he did not take all of the troops with him, but kept them behind. Then, there was a lot of trouble, and he, the Niulu Ezhen, was actually assigned such a task.

in this way
(End of this chapter)